This is a story that kept me totally enthralled - I loved the dual timeline and think the author did a wonderful job bringing the past & present together. I am excited for the next books in this series!

A well written and interesting book. I really enjoyed the dual timeline and the characters are well represented. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book of the series.

This story is told about the village of Goswell, and in dual timeline.
The present day is Jane and her family relocating from New York, Jane’s husband Andrew is more familiar with the area and finds the move less daunting. It takes Jane some time to adjust as she is more accustomed to being a successful manager for a charity. After some pointed comments from her mother in law she starts to question if she is trying hard enough. While clearing out the kitchen pantry Jane comes across an old shopping list, which when slowly unravelled reveals the story of Alice.

In 1939 there is a young Alice who gets to meet Cleric David who makes it known he has feelings for her and asks to be remembered while he is away training.
As we learn Alice’s story it becomes obvious that Jane has much in common with her. Two women who are unsure of their new lives and how to go about fitting in. Alice is not helped by others in the community who are supposed to god’s helpers while their actions are quite unchristian.
My favourite character was Alice, such a kind person, always willing to help.
Now to read the next one.

What a fantastic book really enjoyed the dual time line.

Jane and her family moved to Goswell from New York as her husband is from the area as he has got a new job. Jane does feel as though she is at home and would like to go back to New York. Jane discovers a shopping list with some names on it from a long time ago she would like to find out about who wrote it.

Over the book we see what happens with Jane and of course Alice from before the War and during. I liked how the book went from one to the other it was interesting and kept you guessing what did happen to Alice.

Well written book and really fascinating.

The Wife’s Promise is a well crafted and beautifully written dual timeline story. I was touched by the emotional depth of the story and it’s well developed characters, and the vivid descriptions helped to seamlessly transport me to another place and time. This story was a perfect blend of contemporary and historical fiction with a little mystery thrown. Thoroughly enjoyable, I couldn’t put this one down.

Set in a vicarage, parallel storylines of Jane (present thread protagonist) and Alice (past thread protagonist) are slowly stitched together into a well layered story that slips back and forth between time periods, an old grocery list bridging the gap. While their stories and life situations were very different, the sacrifices they made and challenges they faced were quite similar. Both women had difficulty transitioning to their new home, felt isolated and unwelcome, and each courageously learned to find their place and a sense of home. The story comes full circle bringing closure to the past and freedom to embark on the future.

The first book in the Goswell Quartet, I look forward to continuing on with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I read the first book in The Goswell Quartet this week, and finally I found a novel to lift me from my book slump. This is a dual time - contemporary and 1940s - and tells the story of two wives who don’t feel at home in their home.

I loved both timelines, usually historical timelines have my heart, but reading this one I was happy in either plotline. The main characters struggles to belong, find their identity and learning to roll with the changes life throws at you was emotional and inspiring. I was literally captivated and I loved how the characters were connected by the house they lived in.

Loved it.

A journey through two women's lives in a vicarage. This dual time novel reflects the time through WWII and modern times. The strength of the women to reinvent themselves for the men they love and find a way to thrive and improve those around them. lice meets and marries kind hearted David the Vicar of a small vicarage in the remote English village of Goswell, England. She moves from her father's home to the drafty and large vicarage. She feels inadequate at twenty to take on the duties of a Vicar's wife and is very lonely and left out of the community. She is happy with David until the unthinkable happens. War is declared and David chooses to sign up to be an Army Chaplin overseas. Then things drastically change for Alice when she takes in a young girl, an evacuee from the city because of the bombing. Present time Jane has a career and three beautiful children. Her husband and her have a lovely home in New York City. Then her husband takes a job in England where he came from and they move to the drafty old vicarage in Goswell. This is about as far from New York City as anything could be. Jane does not do well with the move. One day she finds a grocery list written by Alice the former resident of the vicarage and works to find out more about the history of the couple that lived there before she did. She struggles with the loss of her career, her friends and the convenience and hustle of the big city. She doesn't feel fulfilled as being just a mother. She must work through her challenges and find what she really needs to be happy. This was a wonderful story with likable characters and I was intrigued by the storyline. I really enjoyed the way the author had not only many differences between the two timelines but there were many similarities as well and that kept me completely engaged in the story. This story is filled with love, courage, change and hope kept me flying through the pages. This is the first book of a new series and I look forward to reading the next installments. I definitely recommend this absolutely intriguing read. Thanks to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the oppotunity to read c complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is book one in the Goswell Quartet book. I really had a hard timie in the beginning of this book, I found the main character to always by simpering and whining. As the book went on, I either got used to it, or she did it less, but I found the book to be more enjoyable and I really liked the way it ended. The author did a lovley job with the description of the area, I could almost smell the flowers. Looking foward to the next book in the series.

The Wife’s Promise by Kate Hewitt. To say she is one of my favorite authors is an understatement. This set of four books, the Goswell Quartet, is destined to be amongst my favorites. Jane Hatton has moved to Goswell, a small town on the coast of England, very isolated, along with her family of three kids and husband, from New York City. She met Andrew in college and when they’d married he’d just stayed. Now he’d decided he wanted to come home, be near his elderly mother, and had applied for the perfect job, and gotten it. She had refused to accompany him to look at houses, and so he had selected this drafty old vicarage that hadn’t been lived in in years. She had agreed to the move, but she wasn’t happy about it and wasn’t even trying to adjust. At mid-term she decided to take the kids to New York on vacation. They didn’t seem to care but she visited her job and they needed her, or so they said, so she agreed to return for three weeks later in the fall to help with a special project. She bought the ticket and put off telling Andrew until the trip was nearly on top of them. While she was there she toyed with making it permanent. New York, one week a month. She even looked at a studio apartment. When she returned to Goswell she realized what a baby she’d been and started to make an effort.

When she had been painting the pantry she found an old grocery list. It had a surname on in beside an order for a roast, and David’s name beside a bag of candy. She wanted to know more so she went to the current vicar and got the names, at least, and started asking around, developing a story. That, and her new attitude, made the whole move easier. She was a great character, going through a change in her life brought about an awareness of who she was and who she wanted to be. Good job, Hewitt! She was an excellent character. As the book progresses it was told on two timelines: hers and the vicar’s wife who had written the list. It had been World War II, Alice James was a new bride, too young to really know what marriage was, especially marriage to a vicar. She, also, was a terrific character. Both of these women embodied emotions many women feel at various times in their lives. As Kate learned more about Alice, she learned more about herself. The plots were good, again things many women live through. Hewitt has a way with stories about the lives of women, ordinary women.

I was invited to read The Wife Promise by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre, #KateHewitt #TheWifesPromise

This book started out as a very difficult read for me. Not because of the author's writing, but because I'd just bought a draughty old cottage like present-day Jane, who had just acquired the vicarage in Goswell and it felt a bit too close to home! I very nearly gave up as it was adding to my misery; the present day was too familiar and the wartime flashbacks were, well, war. However there was something about it pulling me in. I wanted to know what happened to young Alice who married her beloved David the Vicar out of a hope that can only come from sheer, youthful innocence and, of course, the present day Jane who was pining for her life back in New York which was alienating her from her husband and kids and making things worse.

Although not the fast-paced thriller or sci-fi I'm used to, I ended up reading this book on holiday, which helped me relax and enjoy it. It was emotionally quite deep at times but also had an air of humour with the secondary characters (like the housekeeper whose name I can't remember - Mrs Sutherland perhaps?)

The book really comes into its own when David goes to war and Alice takes in Liverpudlian refugee ragamuffin Vera, much to the distaste of the rest of the village. Vera is an endearing character, the underdog you can't help root for and I think this adds a new dimension to Alice's story (at one point I did wonder where the story was going).

To conclude, it's definitely a book I'd recommend for cosy winter nights. It's heartwarming and breaking in equal measure. Is it my usual type of read? No. Will I be reading the next one on the series? Yes!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying I’d never heard of this author before Bookouture contacted me. Now, I can truthfully say I will read more books by Hewitt. The Wife’s Promise was a fantastic read, blending the present with the past. Each timeline had its own uniqueness and each character had its own personality which gave the timelines a three-dimensional feeling to it. The characters, regardless of past or present, felt so real to me as a reader which made this book incredibly memorable.

Unfortunately, the present timeline fell short for me. I found my interest lying more in the past timeline. For me, the main character in the present didn’t grow much and when the character did grow it seemed sudden - almost in an unnatural progression. The character whined a lot about her life but never seemed to make an effort to change it. When her life changed so suddenly it didn’t feel right to me as the reader.

Apart from this I loved the book! I cannot wait to read more in this series and have already started into the second book which I hope to review very soon. If you love historical fiction books, please check out this series from Kate Hewitt. You won’t regret it!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'The Wife's Promise' by Kate Hewitt.


Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Kate Hewitt, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous


Publication date 17th November 2022.


This is the fourth book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in the 'Goswell Quartet' series. I have also read 'My Daughter's Mistake', 'When We Were Innocent' and 'The Child I Never Had' which I would highly recommend.

This book was previously published as 'The Vicar’s Wife' by Katharine Swartz and was the series was previously called 'Tales From Goswell'.


I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley and Barbara O’Neal.' I am a fan of all three of these authors so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a HUGE fan of Kate Hewitt and if this is half as good as 'My Daughter's Mistake', 'When We Were Innocent' and 'The Child I Never Had' it is bound to be an addictive read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).


This novel consists of 33 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


This book is based in the fictional village of Goswell, Cumbria and Cambridge, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.I have actually holidayed in Cumbria so am intrigued to see if I recognise places based on anywhere I visited while there.

This book is written in third person perspective and the protagonists are Jane Hatton and Alice Mobberley. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.


'The Wife's Promise' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Kate discusses/includes loss of a child.


WOW!!!! What can I say?!?! One thing I have got to say before getting into my review is clear your schedules and grab the tissues as you will need them!!!


This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions setting the picture perfectly in the readers mind. The title, description and cover works perfectly with the storyline.


This book is devastatingly heartbreaking and beautiful. It is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions filled with heartbreak, family, love, loss, secrets, friendship, forgiveness, moving on, and so much more. It is one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read and I was questioning myself throughout this heartbreaking storyline. I didn't just question myself once about what I would do at the beginning of this book if I was in Jane's position but also what I would have done in Alice's position throughout. Kate's writing and descriptions are so evocative I really felt I was write next to both Jane and Alice during the present and past. Reading this book really does make you feel that you are standing with them and going through their pain, love, and suffering. While you are reading this you are going through a journey of love and loss, heartbreak, secrets, love, and forgiveness and so, so much more. It really is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I was utterly glued to the pages and I could not bring myself to put it down. I was carrying my phone to read it in kindle every chance that I got and I had tears absolutely streaming down my face by the time the gorgeous and heartbreaking ending(s) came. I was completely mind blown at the end and just when I thought I had run out of tears they started pouring out again. Kate has clearly done her History research. Well done Kate as there's nothing much worse that reading a novel filled with silly errors as the author hasn't done any research. I also adore the fact that this book is based on Kate's own experiences on changing one life for another which definitely helps makes this storyline realistic and helps it to come alive while you are reading it. It definitely gives you something to think about and shows you how much emotion and strength is involved from both Jane and Alice as well as their families to move from one place that is warm and bustling to somewhere that is isolated and cold and yet your expected to jump straight in to a new community. You need to clear your schedules and get the tissues at the ready because you will not be able to put this book down and it had me in tears by the end and I do not cry easily!!! This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time and I cannot wait to jump straight into the next book in this absolutely stunning series.


It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.


The characters are strong, realistic and I became completely invested in both Jane and Alice. I felt each of their pain, heartbreak, betrayal, guilt , anger, sorrow and so much more My heart broke for each of them who went through so much change and more (but I can't say more as I don't want to spoil the storyline for anyone) . Although it was mainly through Jane and Alice's eyes that the story unfolds there are several many other characters that were affected by all the changes and the emotions charging through the characters and I was completely invested in Andrew, Merrie, Ben, Natalie, David and Viv. My heart went out to Merrie, Ben, Natalie and Viv especially who was clearly struggling with all the changes and everything that was going on along with being just children. Kate does an absolutely amazing job of bringing the community of Goswell to life and creates a perfect village life community with a vast arrange of characters and personalities. I won't say anymore about the characters as I don't want to go into too much detail at the risk of spoiling it for other readers but yet again Kate has done another amazing job at bringing each of the characters to life. Well done Kate!!!


Congratulations Kate on yet another absolutely gorgeous, heartbreaking beautiful book!!! I am looking forward to reading more of your previous and future books especially the rest of the books in what promises to be a stunning series beginning with 'The Daughter's Garden'. I would absolutely love to see this book and series turned into a movie!!! This is why you are on my favourite author list and here's to your next success 🥂

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and first chapter of the next book in Kate's 'The Goswell Quartet' 'The Daughter's Garden' which is promising to be just as addictive as this book and is what I am off to read next!


Overall an absolutely unputdownable, thought provoking, addictive and compelling devastatingly beautiful heartbreaking book!!!



Genres covered in this book include Historical Fiction, Sagas, Mystery, General Fiction, Women's Christian Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical German Fiction, Women's Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Women's Sagas and Domestic Fiction amongst others.



I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal.
, Jojo Moyes, Debbie Macomber, Amanda Prowse, Diane Chamberlain and anyone who loves a page turner.



389 pages.


This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) and £8.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews


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The Wife’s Promise by Kate Hewitt is the first installment of the Tales From Goswell series. I love the time slip between present day and 1939.
THEN: We meet Alice in England, 1939. She marries David, vicar from Goswell, Umbria. Alice struggles to make a life for herself while being the vicar’s wife. She is excited to welcome her new child, but the baby is born asleep. World War II is looming in the background and her husband joins the cause as a chaplain.
NOW: We meet Jane, who is from New York, but moves to England with her British husband and their three children. They needed a change from their fast-paced lifestyle but Jane is having a hard time adjusting to country life. Jane finds a scrap of paper in the pantry that draws her into a mystery to find out about Alice.
This is not your typical love story where a boy and girl get married and have struggles. This is about loving oneself and being the best person you can be. Alice and Jane struggled to find their place in the world as a wife, mother, friend. Jane was a little selfish and whiny in the beginning, but she redeemed herself by the end of the book.
I was drawn in by the complex characters and beautiful scenery. I devoured this book in two days. I thought the ending was superb. I already read the second book in the series. Jane and her family were minor characters in the story. I can’t wait to read books three and four. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheWifesPromise #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalFictionLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #WarStories #ILoveBooks

This is a historical fiction and the first book of the Goswell Quartet series.

The story starts with Jane, who moves to the small town Goswell, England with her British husband Andrew and their three children. Goswell is a small picturesque village in England and Jane, having lived in New York, wasn't used to living in the village. While she is dealing with culture shock, many years before, in the 1930's. a woman named Alice also moved to this small village after getting married to a vicar. The story is basically about these two women, Alice and Jane and how their lives were as they settled down in the small village.

The story is said dual times lines--1930s told in Alic's POV and present day told in Jane's POV. I do understand the frustration that Jane is feeling--I have had experiences with culture shocks most of the time, whenever I move to a different country so I can relate to Jane in someway. I liked reading about Alice's POV, the life in the village during the war and how she looked after the children. Overall, this was an enjoyable historical fiction that will keep you hooked into from the beginning to the end. Worth five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This series was originally published under the name Katherine Swartz and is now being republished. And I'm so glad it is because I'm not sure I would have ever discovered this series and I would have missed so much. Right from the very start I was pulled in this book and the world of Goswell. I fell in love with Alice immediately. She's so young and cares so much and is so desperately trying to figure out where she fits. Jane is a bit more difficult to warm up to but I fell in love with her world and her family even when she drove me crazy. These are characters that stayed with me and had me deeply invested in them. I loved this book from beginning to end and immediately wanted to start the next book in the series.

England, 1939: Alice was happy to marry David who is a vicar. But that new found happiness also comes with some difficult decisions. She leaves her entire life behind and moves into the vicarage with her new husband. It’s located in the remote village of Goswell, Cumbria. Not too long after moving there, the war begins and to her surprise David decides to enlist and join the fight. Alice feels completely alone with her husband gone, and she is feeling very homesick. The villagers agree to take in dozens of evacuees. Alice is asked to take in and care for Vera, she is twelve years old and there is a lot of friction between them. They are both working out their own problems and it is a very difficult situation for them both. Present Day: Jane and her family move to the village of Goswell, which happens to be where her husband Andrew grew up. Andrew and Jane move into what was once a vicarage. Goswell is far from Jane’s life in New York City and she is beginning to second guess her decision to move. But when she discovers a note left behind in the pantry, written during World War II, and signed by a woman named Alice, Jane’s life is about to change and not in a way that she ever expected.

I absolutely love time-slip novels and this one lived up to my expectations. This was a wonderful story with likable characters and I was intrigued by the storyline. I really enjoyed the way the author had not only many differences between the two timelines but there were many similarities as well and that kept me completely engaged in the story. This story is filled with love, courage, change and hope kept me flying through the pages. This is the first book of a new series and I look forward to reading the next installments. I definitely recommend this absolutely intriguing read.

Thank you Kate Hewitt for such a wonderful beginning to what I’m sure is going to be an amazing series, I loved it.

This book is what I've always called a "feel good" book. The story stirs up every one of your emotions but in the end, leaves you feeling good. The first book in a 4 part series, this one is so good, you'll have to read the next one.

Two women, one newly married in 1930 finds herself struggling to live up to the expectations of her new husband's congregation.
The second, 70+ years later and married 16 years struggles as she must adjust to the much slower, quieter life style of her husband's congregation.
Goswell, Cumbria is the community into which both women must make radical changes for their husband's sake. This is the background story. How each woman comes to make their homes in this heartfelt dual timeline journey is sure to keep you reading long into the night. Alice and Jane's story sets up the second book beautifully.

This novel follows two women one is current day in one is in the early 1900s but both move to a village called Goslin and both have different aspirations for her role in her new village. Jane moved from New York with her British husband and three children she wasn’t at all happy about leaving her face pace metropolitan town to go live in the middle of nowhere but because she loved her husband she did it. When she first arrive she struggles from loneliness but thanks to her youngest daughter Mary’s new friend Sophia she becomes friends with the girls mom Ellen. Although it doesn’t transfix her life from sad to happy it’s certainly is a boom to her. Existence in the village. Alice was a 19-year-old girl who took care of her papa who was the professor of religious studies at Oxford and many of his prior students would come for a visit and that is how she met the thicker David James and how she moved from London to Gosselin in the 1930s. She was excited to be married but didn’t give much thought to being the vickers wife. Unfortunately his parishioners gave lots of thought to it and would remind her of what a great Vickers wife the previous lady and her position was. When World War II broke out her husband went to help the soldiers and guide them through such a horrible time but Alice became so very lonely and this is why she took in Vickey when Janet was cleaning out their pantry she found a grocery list that had been there for decades and this is what she became obsessed with and how her and Allen’s wives became intertwined the more she knew about Ellen story the Morrissey wanted to know and it all makes for a great novel about two women learning to adapt when things aren’t exactly the way they hoped they would be. This book was not only good it was sad inspirational I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. I am not a big fan of Nazi history all World War II history but I loved this book and will definitely read the rest. I highly recommend this if you love historical fiction you definitely love The wife’s promise, The Goswell quartet book one By Kate Hewitt I absolutely loved it. I received this book from NetGalley and publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

It all started with a shopping list and what an adventure it took. This book was amazing and had me wanting to continue reading the quartet of books based in Goswell (which I will). Jane and Alice both lead very different lives in very different periods but their connection is the vicarage. These main characters both were strong in their own ways and I loved having both their stories told through this book. I was always wanting to know what was going to happen next. Yet I finished with the answers I wanted.

The Wife's Promise (The Goswell Quartet Book 1) by Kate Hewitt is a parallel story of two wives. Change is often times difficult to accept and learn to appreciate. Two women living in the same home 70 years apart feel some of the same ambiguity feelings about the move to this house. Alice was my favorite of the two women. Jane had more choices, in the present so it seems immature for her to mope so much in the beginning. I understand that she is grieving the death of a life that she loved, but she seemed to overdo it at times.

What I really liked was seeing the house and the village at the two periods in time. Children were a big part of the story though in very different circumstances. Then Alice lived during WWII.I have so enjoyed other books of woman during this time by Kate Hewitt so that was a particular treat. Then this line said it all, “There’s something so inspiring about a life quietly lived, isn’t there? Without any fuss or fanfare, just simple love, and duty. She made a difference, even if no one sees it now, or even cares.” Certainly something to ponder.

Not exactly a light read but one that is hopeful. The Wife's Promise is a story that reads authentically honest and genuine in events, actions, and feelings of the characters. The description clearly states that this book was previously published as The Vicar’s Wife by Katharine Swartz. I had not read it when published then but I am so glad that I did now.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.