Desperation leads to an act that proves that good people can do bad things. That is the case with Bella Farrow. She and her husband are starving and she commits theft. Her husband stands by her and they leave their home and family and start over again. Forced to take on a dangerous job, Bella's husband eventually loses her life. This is utterly devastating to Bella as her love for him reached no bounds. Now she is all alone and must find her way yet again. Her secret travels with her.

Bella's life does turn around and she holds her head up high, even chancing finding love once again. However, Bella wants a clear conscience. The man that found a way into Bella's heart is James Earlham, a railway engineer, and Bella soon must wonder if revealing her secret once and for all will finally give her hope and love for her future?

This book took many a sad turn. I felt for Bella throughout but as I read this book I kept waiting for the shoe to fall regarding her past. Then, as the story went on I found myself watching James with a wary eye.

What an utterly compelling read. Bella's decision to steal in order to eat followed her at a close clip throughout and it was heartbreaking as life came full circle for her. The drama, the twists, the knowledge of the coal mines and the early railway system, all came together in a story that also included romance, loss and heartbreak.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

An absolutely brilliant read. The characters were fascinating and the story of Bella and her trials and tribulations were compelling. I actually held my breath at the trial waiting for the glover to give her evidence. That was a brilliant turn of events and such a lesson on empathy. I was completely hooked from the beginning. It was interesting to read that the HS2 project prompted Lora to write this book. It teaches you that however much things change so much remains the same. I am off to check out Lora's other books as she writes so well.

Historians tell us that railways contributed to the transformation of Britain from a rural to a predominantly urban society. Exploring this transformation and societal change, author Lora Davies has set her historical romance in 1840s England and focuses on how people reacted to the first railways and ties it into a story about relieving the burden of secret keeping.

To highlight her theme of progress always comes at a cost, she introduces James, a railway engineer and Bella, a woman from the rural heartlands. The plot is propelled and tension escalates because James and Bella are on opposite sides of the struggle for change.

Davies has crafted compelling characters with flaws and writes to highlight their growth. Readers see these two through the eyes of each other as well as through the eyes of other characters. This adds to the development of relationships and, therefore, the escalating drama. I love how Davies explores the devastating ripple effect that a single choice made out of desperation has on both the present and the future of Bella and James. Each hiding secrets, can they put their differences aside in order to be a support for each other? Or do they walk away and keep their secret hidden?

A thoroughly unpredictable read with twists, tension, and romance, this is one novel that historical fiction lovers need to watch out for come January 18, 2022.

I was gifted this advance copy by Lora Davies, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I received a copy of this ebook from NetGalley and this is my freely given opinion.

This is a historical romance set during the 1840s in England. The heroine, Annie Bethel, is living a hard life as a wife of a farmhand, in a small village. She ran off to marry Jake for love, knowing that her family would not support her choice as he is from a rival village and beneath her family in class. She does piecework as a glover to help supplement his meager income. But even that work is getting more sparse, and when she hands in her work one day, there is no more to be doled out to her at that time, as she is fairly new to the village, and those who are more established would get priority when doling out work.

So Annie makes a spur of the moment decision, one that has long reaching consequences; she steals some of the gloves. When she returns home, she realizes how terrible her mistake is. Remember, this was a time when theft of any value, even an apple by a child, was treated in quite a martial manner - there was no slap on the wrist. People, even children, could be sent to jail, transported, even hung. Those associated with them, such as family, were shamed and stained by their actions too. Annie is aware and ashamed, and fearful of the consequences. She confides in Jake, and decides to run off. Jake cannot imagine being without her, so the both of them leave the village and live hand to mouth, seeking work on the road.

Eventually, they come to a village called Fellbrook, and Jake finds work as a navvie on the railroad construction there. They live with the other navvies and the families in the make shift town. The villagers however shun them, seeing the navvies, and their families as low born and a threat to the villagers. They live and work their, but a terrible accident happens at the construction site, and Jake is one of the workers killed. Annie cannot stay living there, as the homes and berths are only there for workers and their families. She wanders about the roads again, trying to find work and food, and is slowly starving to death. One day she collapses on the road, dying from starvation. Luckily she is found by an elderly farmer who helps to care for her until she is well, and she works for him. She is still hiding her past, and renames herself Bella, as her given name was Annabelle. The farmer is a widower, and comes to care for her, and they marry so he would have her companionship, and the hope of a son to inherit, and she has security and a home. Unfortunately, the villagers around her new home are suspicious of her, and she is not accepted fully there either. They think she married the farmer for his money. Eventually he dies, childless, and Annie/Bella inherits the farm. She stays and becomes a strong, independent woman, running the farm by herself.

A few years down the road, the railroads expand in England, and there is plans to bring it through her village, and her property. Bella's past comes back to haunt her.

I found the character of Annie/Bella to be very compelling, and how her character grew through her hardships and losses, to become a strong, independent woman, but so lonely and isolated. I could understand how she fell in to that last relationship in the book, the one after the farmer, that became her undoing, ultimately. She was likely very lonely, having been isolated from her families for years, and fearful of making contact again because of the theft. She lost her first love, and her second husband. She is childless, and does not appear to have any friends in her life. All she has is her farm, and her dog. So when James comes into her life and shows her kindness and interest, one can see where she would reach out and embrace being in a relationship. Unfortunately, they are also from two different worlds, as he is involved in the railways, and she cannot forget how her first love died. They end up becoming enemies who try to destroy each other.

This is not a romance in the sense of a couples HEA. If anything, I see this as more a drama about Annie's life and growth as a woman, developing her strength and independence. Especially at a time when woman were not even seen as individuals or have any rights. It was also interesting to see the contrasts of her life and how she sees herself, in contrast to the lives of some of the other women of the time, and perhaps how she is viewed through the eyes as others.

The story was very interesting. But I felt that the first part, outlining her life with Jake, leading up to his death was written in great detail, and then the second and third parts, with her other relationships, and the conflict of her past and present seemed to be quite short in comparison. But otherwise, I found it to be a well written, and interesting story. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

An excellent book to read. There was a good story to follow. It was about the building of the railways and the two main characters were both connected to it. I loved the twists and turns. It was not a straight forward story..l will be looking out for more of Lora Davies books to read

Such spellbinding historical fiction! What a whirlwind ride it was through The Widow’s Last Secret. I was hooked from the first line in the opening scene. This novel with its gorgeous cover captured my attention and kept me steadily reading to the very end with no thought of time. I absolutely loved this intriguing tale by Lora Davies. I could picture the unique settings and the various characters with their distinct quirks and physical characteristics. I felt their changing emotions: was heartbroken by their challenges and overjoyed with their accomplishments. And at times frustrated by their actions and reactions as they each worked through their dilemmas. But I was always gripped by the story and its very real characters. High notes of praise for Nora Davies for she has delivered an excellent performance. The novel is original in many ways and anything but predictable with its numerous surprises. Both the plot and characters went in directions I never expected. If you enjoy stories with many twists and turns, this one is for you!

The story is told from two main characters: Annabella and James to give us a rounded and, at times, opposing views of what is happening in the minds and hearts of these characters who keep this story rolling at a lively pace.

The character Annabella (known at first as Annie and later in the story as Bella) harbours a secret that leaves her riddled with fear and running from guilt. Will she be discovered for what she has done? Will someone recognise her in a new town and will she end up in prison or dead? She leaves the scene of the crime with her beloved Jake as a remorseful yet determined young woman. We watch her deal with poverty, loss and betrayal and witness her growth as she manages to work her way through the challenges with surprising courage. One of her flaws is that sometimes, as her parents have noted, she is too quick to act out of emotion. This gets her into trouble for not thinking things through when driven by her anger and hurt.

James is a young railway engineer with his own secret. He meets Bella in her new setting, a widow now, determined as ever to make her own way in the world. He is sent to convince her to sell some land so the train route can be more direct and cheaper for the company. But in the trial of persuasion, James becomes smitten with Bella and it leads him to make compromises he would never have made previously. This poses great issues as much is on the line for him to become the successful engineer he and his family can be proud of. But in the course of events, his and Bella’s life take some drastic turns as she learns his secret after she shares hers. With the power of knowledge in each of their hands, the plot thickens and leaves us on the edge of our seats wondering what these two will do! The action is lively and unpredictable as characters from the past re-appear. I must say: Lora Davis delivers some excellent drama-- including a riveting court scene or two!

A unifying theme runs through this novel seen in the realisations of both Bella and James: secrets from the past always have a way of catching up to you in one way or another. But for better or worse? You will need to read it and see but I can say there are some unexpected twists and learning curves that will keep you entertained. It is a moving story I highly recommend! 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy to review.

The review will be posted on Amazon Au when released.

the author writes a story that flows together beautifully and the way she describes her characters as well as the places makes them come to life. And it'll bring you to tears the more you read about the life and struggles of Bella Farrow in and around England 1846. another thing that helped was the drama , and the tension you feel while reading about how dangerous it was to work on building the first railway lines in the UK and the effect it had on the people as well as the land itself where they're planning to build, how much the workers made doing that time , how hard it was to find jobs and the only work you could and might get was the railway.

What can I say about this book in one word! Tremendous!!! Sheer escapism, beautifully written, I will look for more of this author’s work.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title. I highly recommend it.

The Widows Last Secret by Lora Davies


There was no one to protect her now. And if her secret ever became known, she risked losing everything. With one final look around the bare little room, she lifted her bundle, squared her shoulders and walked out of her old life forever.
England, 1846: Bella Farrow is a beautiful young widow, making a good living on her own land since her short but happy marriage.

But no one knows the truth about Bella. Just six years before, she’d become a fugitive from the law after desperation drove her to a terrible decision. And this could still see her imprisoned – or worse – if found out.
A great idea for a book , and I really enjoyed reading about Bella and James.
It was a good idea of the author to give us the background to them both in almost separate stories.

When I first began reading this novel I must admit to being slightly confused. The main character in the sypnosis is called Bella but the first few chapters are concerning a woman called Anna. Then after a while all becomes clear.
The book centres on the building of the first railway lines in the UK and the effect it has on the people in the areas where they're planning to build. It's a very well written novel with background stories to both Bella and James, the engineer in charge of the proposed plans and how their stories become interlinked.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

“The Widow’s Last Secret” by Lora Davies follows two people - Annabella and James. Annabella, as the publisher’s description notes, has a past and is trying to keep that hidden - but also survive in difficult times. The first part of this book tells the reader about Annabella’s story - to the point that I honestly forgot that James was going to appear. When James does appear, the focus turns to him for a while and it was a bit jarring - until Annabella and James’s stories overlap. I found Annabella’s story the more interesting one as it had a bit more drama and tension. James’s story was interesting, but I found it not as interesting as Annabella’s; luckily Ms. Davies didn’t make her characters “good” or “bad” but they have shades of grey to their actions and motivations. I found myself engrossed into the story and kept wondering how it was going to resolve and was rather pleased in the direction that the book took in the end. In the Author’s Note, Ms. Davies explains where she got her inspiration, which I found interesting. Four solid stars.