I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A cute cover. A good women's fiction nov.

'The Dartmoor Girl' follows the the story of Lily, a fifteen-year-old girl in 1952. Lily recently moved from London to Dartmoor, located in the country and extremely different than her previous home. She moves in with her father, Sidney, and despite his temper, tries to see the positives in her new situation. Lily goes on to begin a new romance, but as it progresses, she also begins to learn family secrets that threaten to put everyone at risk.

I was really excited for this read, but unfortunately I decided to dnf this book. The concept was appealing and I'm a true lover of historical fiction, but I just couldn't get into the story. The characters felt very one dimensional and it was hard to 'like' any of them. The characterization was the main reason I decided not to finish, however, I will note at times the dialogue was also difficult for me as well.

All of that noted, I do see many other readers did enjoy this book! I truly believe that every book is perfect for some reader, but this time it wasn't me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of the family saga genre and I love discovering new authors who write in that genre. So imagine my excitement when I discovered the work of Tania Crosse. It wasn’t pretty and thankfully only witnessed by my two Labradors. Tania Crosse writes the Devonshire Saga Series and what a series it has proved to be. ‘The Dartmoor Girl’ is the eight book in the series and what a story it is. I really enjoyed reading ‘The Dartmoor Girl’ but more about that in a bit.
As with all of Tania’s books I was drawn into ‘The Dartmoor Girl’ from the very first word on the very first page. It took me a little while to warm to the characters as I was a bit unsure of them to start with but as I got to know them, I grew to like them a bit more and then I began to care what happened to them. From then on I found it increasingly difficult to put the book down for any length of time. I had my own theories as to what was going to happen and of course I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered down another path entirely. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘The Dartmoor Girl’. I found ‘The Dartmoor Girl’ to be an interesting and at times emotional read.
‘The Dartmoor Girl’ is extremely well written but then I have come to expect Tania Crosse. Tania has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. Tania certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a read and then some. For me, the story is more of a slow burn type than fast paced which perfectly suits the book that Tania has written. I hope that makes sense. Tania really cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. They seem just a real as you and I. I always find that if I enjoy a book to the extent that I enjoyed this one, then I tend to ‘live’ the story as if it were real. I love the way in which Tania makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.
In short, I really enjoyed reading ‘The Dartmoor Girl’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Tania’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

A dramatic and poignant tale of one girl’s quest for the truth. Such a wonderful book. Utterly unique, exquisitely crafted and quietly powerful. I loved it and want everyone to read this novel!

It’s 1952 and fifteen-year-old Lily Hayes is mourning the loss of her mother. She’s too young to live alone so has to make the difficult choice between going to live with her father, a man she’s never met, or live in a children’s home. Not wishing to leave all that she knows in London, Lily nonetheless does not wish to be sent to the home and so agrees to go and live with her father in Dartmoor.
Sidney is a deeply religious, introvert who rarely talks, is enraged to be sharing his extremely basic cottage on the moor, and is bitter about all that life has thrown at him. Lily soon discovers that her past is very different to what she had thought and when she approaches Sidney to find out more he refuses to talk to her. She soon discovers that although Dartmoor might be a very beautiful place to be, with kind people such as the train driver, and neighbouring farming family, it’s difficult living in a house with no running water especially when you’re not wanted.
Lily has little choice but to stick with it though. She soon finds a job and begins to make friends and a life for herself. Through one of those friends she’s introduced to Edwin Franfield, a handsome, sweet doctor whose family welcomes her when her life takes another shocking turn.
I loved this book with all its interesting characters, twists and turns, and conflicts that Lily has to endure. Lily might be young but she’s tough and determined and devoted to those she cares for. This is a beautifully crafted book with a wonderful mixture of characters. I was sorry to finish it but loved the satisfying ending.

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I loved every page of this story, of lily and her search for family, love and happiness. Lily moved to Dartmoor following the death of her mother Ellen, to find that she was actually her grandmother. Moving in with her father, a spiteful and bitter man, As lily grows up she discovers that there’s lots more secrets to come. A wonderfully written story that I didn’t want to end. I wish I could have given it 10 stars.

The Dartmoor Girl opens with a young lady, Lily, on a train platform alone and unsure having travelled from London. She is met by her father who seems very distant and they don’t know each other very well. From the first chapter I was hooked on The Dartmoor Girl. There was an atmosphere top the setting – dark, country and unfamiliar to Lily and I was so intrigued around why she was there and why she was a stranger to her father. As I read on I learned the answers to these things but this became the beginning of Lily’s journey to find who she is and to readjust to a different life than she was used to.
Lily is a hardworking, sweet girl who has been through a lot personally for someone so young as well as living a lot of her childhood through WW2. She was a remarkably resilient character and had a lot to work through. I felt uplifted by the community’s reaction to Lily and how they were all so helpful and kind.
Tania Crosse really paints a brilliant picture of life in the 1950s. I wasn’t there, but I could fully immerse myself in that time era from how brilliantly every detail was depicted and described.
The Dartmoor Girl really has a bit of everything. It covers family, loss, love and finding your way. I thoroughly enjoyed it and really recommend it.

1952 Lily is 15 years old and on a small train going to live with a father she had never known about, who lives in a remote area. She had lived in London with her mother, but she just died. As she was dying, her mother left Lily a letter telling her who she really was. Quite a shock for a young girl alone. Even though she had quit school and had a job, the authorities wouldn't let her stay by herself. When she gets there, her father treats her as if he hates her. As time goes on Lily adjusts, meeting new people and learning very little at a time about her family. Her life is full of both tragedy and loving people who help her. She is resilient and a good, hard-working girl. Very interesting story as the people in her life are uncovered as she grows up in the after-war era of World War 2 then Korea. Very well told and hard to put down. Clean read until one or so page near the end, which was easy to flip over. Mystery, danger, heartache and love.
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.
#THEDARTMOORGIRL #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

I have never read this author before - unfortunately this book was not for me it just seemed to plod on and when I got to 42% I decided life is too short to continue reading a book which really did not go anywhere. I apologise for being so blunt but the book was granted to me by Net Galley in return for an honest.

This was a wonderful read. Poor Lily what a lot she had to put up with in her short life. It was both heartbreaking and lovely to see the relationship between Lily and Sydney. I loved how the story of Lily's story unfolded and the truth about her father. I do love a happy ending although I wasn't sure if she would get there or not. Beautifully crafted story. Ms Crosse is a new author to me and I look forward to reading her other stories.

The Dartmoor Girl by Tania Crosse

Dartmoor, 1952. When fifteen-year-old Lily Hayes loses her mother, she finds herself at a crossroads: go to a children’s home or leave the bright lights of London to live with her estranged father in the wilds of Dartmoor.

Lily moves from London to Dartmoor determined and excited to find out the truth about where she came from.
I haven't read this series in order , but I think you don't have to , to still enjoy the books , as they mostly work as standalone novels.
The author writes with a good knowledge of the time and the places she sets her books . Good strong female characters and great plots. Brilliant.