Absolutely loved this book, read the whole series. Easy to read, emotional and heartfelt 💟💟💟💟

Great characters, pace and well written. A joy to read,informative and relaxing

Historical drama set in a small community in Wales during World War One. Good characters who work well together, romance ,class divisions and petty squabbles. A good read.

A romantic, emotional saga set in WW1 . Gorgeous story, this novel will reel you in and hold you enthralled as the layers of story are revealed.

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Hope in the Valleys (Wartime in the Valleys #3)
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Hope in the Valleys
(Wartime in the Valleys #3)
by Francesca Capaldi (Goodreads Author)
4.24 · Rating details · 17 ratings · 12 reviews
Will Elizabeth choose love over duty?

It’s August 1917 and WW1 continues to take a toll. The villagers of Dorcalon, a mining village in the Rhymney Valley, try to keep hope alive; but every day brings fresh tragedy as more of their sons and fathers are killed on foreign battlefields.

Elizabeth Meredith, daughter of mine manager Herbert, enjoys a privileged position in the vi ...more
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Kindle Edition, 318 pages
Published January 20th 2022
ASINB09JS2VTWN
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesWartime in the Valleys #3
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Review of Hope in the Valleys (Wartime in the Valleys #3)
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1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars[ 5 of 5 stars ]
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January 23, 2022 – Finished Reading2 Show more
Review I have been a fan of Francesca’s work for a while now. By no means have I read everything that she has written but I hope to rectify that and I have read a few of her books. I have particularly enjoyed the ‘The Wartime Valleys’ series, of which ‘Hope In The Valleys’ is the third book. I read the synopsis for ‘Hope In The Valleys’ and it certainly sounded like another amazing addition to an amazing series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Hope In The Valleys’ but more about that in a bit.
I absolutely loved the character of Elizabeth Meredith and I warmed to her from the start. In fact I ended up feeling as though she had become a friend of mine and I felt all protective of her. Elizabeth and her family have a particular standing in the community as her father, Herbert, is manager of the local mine. Elizabeth doesn’t let her social status affect the way in which she treats people and she certainly doesn’t make distinctions between the classes. Elizabeth forms a close friendship with Gwilym, who is a miner. This doesn’t go down well in all quarters and Elizabeth’s mother makes her feelings known. Elizabeth is a nice young lady, who is doing her bit for the war effort. Elizabeth is kind, caring, compassionate and loyal.
Oh my word ‘Hope In The Valleys’ was an amazing read and then some. As soon as I started reading, I knew that I wouldn’t be doing anything else for the rest of the day apart from reading. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I had initially only intended to read a couple of chapters but I became so wrapped up in the story and the lives of the characters that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the book. This was one of those books that stayed with me whether I had my Kindle in my hand or not. If I wasn’t reading the book then I was thinking about it. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘Hope In The Valleys’ and I had to say goodbye to Elizabeth, Gwilym and the rest of the characters. I found ‘Hope In The Valleys’ to be a gripping and emotive read, which kept me guessing which kept me on the edge of my seat.
‘Hope In The Valleys’ is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Francesca Capaldi. Francesca has one of those easy going writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of Francesca’s books feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading an actual book. I hope that makes sense. For me the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly steady pace throughout. ‘Hope In The Valleys’ took me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride and I found that I became emotionally involved with the story to the extent that I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book to sort out Elizabeth’s mother and give her a piece of my mind regarding her snooty attitude towards Gwilym being a miner, being above himself and befriending her daughter. I have a long family history of coal mining with at least six generations of miners so I took that comment personally.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Hope In The Valleys’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Francesca’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This takes place in a small community in Wales, around the middle of WW1. (It's a continuation of a series, but it makes sense without reading the others first.) The war has everyone's lives running differently than what they had before the war. Women had to fill positions for those fighting and gone, many men from this town were able to stay to work the mines. This story has many of the people from the village, but Gwen and Elizabeth are more of a focus. Elizabeth, daughter of the man running the mine, would like to do more with her life. She is somewhat looked down on by the upper class that her mother is always trying to push her into yet she isn't really trusted by the workers and their families. Gwen works at the munitions plant, loving the good pay, but she is turning yellow skinned and getting sick. The entire town is unsure of their future, but you get to see closer into these two girls' lives and the lives of the men they are drawn to. Interesting, long read. Realistic of wartime pressures and social divides, personal struggles, trying to see their futures and trying to find love and happiness with family and with friends.
I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#HopeintheValleys #NetGalley

Heart-wrenching, highly emotional and hard to put down, Francesca Capaldi’s Hope in the Valleys is saga writing at its mesmerizing best.

It’s August 1917 and the First World War shows no sign of slowing down. In the tiny village of Dorcalon in the mining village of the Rhymney Valley, the community is trying its absolute hardest to keep hope alive, but that is proving more and more difficult and challenging with each passing day. The villagers have become all too familiar with loss, heartache and despair as they daily find themselves receiving the news they dread the most: that their sons, brothers, fathers and husbands have lost their lives on a foreign battlefield while doing their duty for king and country.

Daughter of mine manager Herbert Meredith, Elizabeth might enjoy a far more elevated position in society than most of the villagers, however, she wants to break free from the rigid expectations that have been placed upon her – especially as she has fallen in love with a man who means the world to her whom she cannot have: miner Gwilym Owen. However, the man Elizabeth has given her heart to is not of her class and her family make their feelings about their union quite clear. Finding herself torn between her family and her heart’s desire, Elizabeth is desperate for an escape and seizes the opportunity to sign up as a VAD nurse in France.

Life on the front line presents plenty of challenges for Elizabeth, but despite the long hours and back-breaking work she puts in, she can never forget the man she left behind in Wales. With the odds stacked against them, will Elizabeth and Gwilym ever find their way back to one another? Or will their love be yet another casualty of this cruel war?

Francesca Capaldi’s Hope in the Valleys is a beautifully written and brilliantly evocative World War One saga perfect for Dilly Court and Mary Wood fans. A talented writer who writes with plenty of style, heart and sensitivity, in Hope in the Valleys, Francesca Capaldi has written a captivating tale of forbidden love, impossible sacrifices and triumphing over adversity that will bring many a tear to the eye.

Full of characters readers cannot help but care about, engaging emotional drama and heartfelt romance, Francesca Capaldi’s Hope in the Valleys will keep readers in thrall from start to finish.

As soon as I read the dedication page to Rosemary Goodacre, author of the Derwent Chronicles who sadly passed away just days before her last book was published in October 2020, I knew this was going to be a good book. I loved the Derwent Chornicles and despite having never come across Francesca Capaldi before, I devoured HOPE IN THE VALLEYS within a day. I did not, however, realise it was part of a series and the more I read the more I felt like I had missed out on quite a bit that had gone on beforehand...but don't worry, the author does a brilliant job of keeping readers informed as to what has previously occurred so we don't feel as though we really missed out after all. Having said that, since I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I certainly intend on going back and reading the first two at some stage.

It's August 1917 and the Great War continues to rage across Europe claiming many British men despite the belief that it would be over by Christmas the first year...that being 1914. Three years later and it shows no signs of letting up as the small Welsh mining village or Dorcalon in the Rhymney Valley reels from the losses of their sons and fathers in the trenches. Although mining is a dangerous occupation, it is a reserved one and therefore keeping many sons and fathers of villagers from being conscripted into the Army. But mining is not without its dangers with a mine explosion and collapse some 18 months ago which claimed a couple of lives.

Elizabeth is the daughter of the mine manager Herbert Meredith, a fair man who believes in his workers even if the coal company doesn't. He believes that they too should be receiving the same wages as other coal mines as well as the bank holiday others enjoy. Unfortunately the decision is not his to make. Given his position, Elizabeth is able to enjoy a privileged lifestyle and status of the middle class...and yet it is not something of any importance to her. She longs to be free of the social expectations her mother has placed on her and at twenty-seven is expected to settle for whatever suitable husband her mother Margaret can find her. But Elizabeth will not be bullied into a marriage to a man of social standing that she doesn't love. But her mother is quick to claim what has love got to do with it?

Gwilyn Owen is a miner, working class and most unsuitable marriage material for Elizabeth in her mother's eyes. He is a quiet man but a proud one and though he knows nothing can come of his romance with Elizabeth, he loves her just the same...and she him. But as soon as her mother gets wind of the dalliance she is affronted both by the deception and Elizabeth's unsuitable choice. She forbids her to have anything more to do with him or she will see he is dismissed from his position in the mines and encourages her to find a more suitable match. Such as one of Lady Fitzgerald's sons Sidney, a Captain, or Horace, a Lieutenant - the fact that they are officers speaks volumes as to their social standing and suitability. But Elizabeth couldn't think of anything worse. So in an act of rebellion she packs her bags and flees to join the VAD (Voluntary Aid Dispatch) nurse and is sent to France to work in a casualty clearing hospital near the Front, leaving both her family and her love behind.

Not only divided by society, Elizabeth and Gwilym are now separated by war and a continent. In a letter she left for Gwilym, Elizabeth explained their unsuitability and that she was a fool to allow it to continue, leaving Gwilym brokenhearted. In an attempt to dismiss all thoughts of Elizabeth from his mind, he sets to work on the allotment he and Elizabeth had set as a cooperative initiative for villagers to grow their own produce in the wake of rationing and shortages.

Meanwhile, Gwen Austin had been working in a munitions factory some miles away but due to the nature of the job, became ill and was hospitalised with a toxic poisoning as a result of her job. She was advised complete rest for the coming months and not to return to her former employment. So when Margaret Meredith is told her maid is leaving to get married, she knows she must find a replacement quick and soon discovers Gwen is looking for work. The pair come to an understanding and Gwen begins her new job at MacKenzie House which is a far cry from that of the munitions factory.

Life takes a turn for both Elizabeth and Gwen as they fight to overcome social stigmas for their place in life and love. And as the end of the war seems to be drawing closer, another fight is on their hands...one that could prove far more dangerous than war.

HOPE IN THE VALLEYS is a wonderful story of love, loss, friends and family as the world changes in the wake of the Great War and the carnage that it leaves behind. It's a story of social divide between the classes as those that dare to cross it bring a sense of change. It's a story of war and of hope.

I quickly felt at home with the pages as I drew similarities to Rosemary Goodacres "The Derwent Chronicles", also centred around a village with social divides and WW1. I enjoyed my journey to the Welsh mining town even if some of the Welsh phrases and language were a little lost on me (even google didn't help with some of them) but it didn't detract my enjoyment of the story.

HOPE IN THE VALLEYS is a delightfully easy read in which the characters who had featured in the first two books are feature here, though the focus in this installment is mostly on Elizabeth and Gwen. Some of the characters you really love to hate - such as Elizabeth's mother Margaret who is so completely overbearing, for one, amongst others - while others are completely endearing.

I have no hesitation in recommending HOPE IN THE VALLEYS to fans of historical fiction sagas such as Rosemary Goodacre, Dilly Court and Catherine Cookson.

I would like to thank #FrancescaCapaldi, #Netgalley, #HeraBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #HopeInTheValleys in exchange for an honest review.

This WWI setting of this book is fairly rare, we don’t tend to see a lot of WWI in historical fiction not like WWII fiction. So this could be a sign of a change in publishing tends. Because I for one would love to see more WWI in historical fiction.

This is the third book in the series. And it was like visiting old frie da and family. I liked the character development. I rooted for them when they stood UP for themselves. I cried when they got Hurt. It is Just like coming home Reading this book. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Forbidden Love

As WWI rages across the land a small mining town reels from the losses of their sons in the great war. Even though mining is a dangerous job those families of the miners are happy that many of their sons are saved by being in the mining industry that saves them from being conscripted into the Army. There is some hard feelings between those that volunteer to serve and those that stay to work in the mines.

Elizabeth is the daughter of the mine manager Herbert Meredith. As such she enjoys a privileged standing in the village but longs to be free of that social expectation. She falls in love with a miner named Gwilyn but is forbidden to see him by her mother as he is below her social standards.
Elizabeth rebels and runs off joining the VAD nurse and is sent to France leaving her family and her love behind.

Elizabeth and Gwilyn are now separated by society, war and a continent. Will the two of them get back together or will they go their separate ways and lead separate lives? Will it ever be possible for her family to change their minds and will Elizabeth even survive the war? So much will change in the time she serves.

The book is written about a small town where gossip and rumors abound. Where social circles are much removed from each other and it is not thought of to cross the line. It is a story of the mining town and the war and how the two stories interact as one. A story of friends, love and hate and forgiveness. A story of protests and sides taken. A story of the war and those lost, those returned not the same as they left some wounded in mind and some in body. How the families come to terms with life and what it brings.

I did enjoy reading this book and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Francesca Capaldi for writing this great story, to Hera Books for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available for me to read.

I was so excited to start this book, the 3rd in the series. It was like visiting family, Violet, Gweneth and Anwen as they go through their lives, as their families grow. I loved that Elizabeth was able to develop and grow. I recommend this book and hope there will be another.

It was lovely to return to the village and meet these characters again, bringing their stories forward to the end of the war. This book concentrates on Gwen and Elizabeth, and the blossoming of romance, each falling for someone not regarded as altogether suitable in a time when the lines drawn by class and status still mattered so much. We get a glimpse of women working outside the norm too, in munitions factories and in nursing at the front, and the terrible consequences healthwise and emotionally, while also giving us a foretaste of the changes the war brought, in more independence for women and the movement towards getting the vote. Pleased to see there is another instalment of the series on the way.

Another great instalment in the valleys series, set in the Welsh valleys during world war 1. The books are about a group of friends growing up and falling in love. This book tells the story of Elizabeth and Gwen and their struggles with love in the different classes, with both falling in love with someone from a different a class and the problems it brings. Really enjoyed this book and I’m already looking forward to reading the fourth one.

Absolutely loved this book set in a welsh mining village, lovely characters and a beautifully written storyline which shows how snobbery of the middle classes can be overcome
Highly recommend this book and the author
Brilliant read and set in the beautiful Welsh valleys

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was set in the Welsh valley during the first world war. Lots of men went to fight in France and abroad. The book tells of the lives of some who fought and some who stayed behind to work in the mines. I do recommend that you read this book.