Such a delightful novel with characters no less attractive! I really enjoyed spending time with the various characters which has given me a good insight into London life during the first few months of WWI. The war provides the background to the storyline, but the reader does not feel any significant effect on our characters. The plot is focussed on the lives of two strong young women striving for their independence from family obligations (as a Lady) , or from financial support (a female printer). Romance is very much in the air, and it wove itself perfectly into the storyline. The conclusion led me to wish to meet the protagonists soon again...
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

England 1914: Lady Lucinda McFarlane is about to be presented at court and start her first season as a debutante and her mother is keen for her to make a good match. Sir David Melcome is a Baronet and he’s a Major in the Dragoon Guards, his regiment has recently returned from India and he sees Lucy at a ball.

Mable Oakley lives with her mother Alice, disabled father Andrew and her brothers Edward and Stephen. Mable was once Lucy's maid and a rather reluctant one and she hated being in service. Mable inherited a printing business from Mr. Clarke, he thought Mabel had more potential and he’s right and she’s smart and has a mind for business and is determined to succeed in a man’s world.

Lucy’s mother is busy planning her wedding to Sir David Melcome, when he finds out he's being sent to France, the couple are madly in love, and they have to decide if they bring the wedding forward or wait and many couples find themselves in a similar situation.

I received a copy of The Girls Who Dared to Love from Aria & Aries and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Diney Costeloe has a writing style that embraces the time period the narrative is set in and gives the reader a realistic idea of what it’s like to live in England and during The Great War.

As we know it brings about huge changes, the futures of a whole generation and creates so much uncertainty and they have no idea how long it will last. Out of the two main characters, Mable has always been mature for her age and young ladies of Lucy's class are extremely sheltered and lived in a bubble and it's about to burst. The story mentions topics such as love, engagements and marriage, how single women who rent are vulnerable and they face homelessness and violence against women and trying to break the cycle.

This is a different type of war, troupes have to dig in and take cover in trenches and English hospitals fill up quickly with wounded, and once released those without family have nowhere to stay, recuperate and will have difficulty finding work and suffer from shell shock.

I shed quite a few tears reading this story and it made me feel really emotional and five stars from me. I look forward to the next book in the series and I highly recommend both The Girls Who Dared to Love, and the author's previous novel, The Girls Who Dared to Dream.

This sequel to The girl who dared to Dream is not only giving Mabel Oakley a voice but also Lucinda McFarlane. In the girl who dared to Dream Lucinda was not really very nice, a bit arrogant and spoiled, but in this book her true nature is revealed, and she is definitely not like her mother!
Lucinda not yet eighteen is being introduced to make her debut for this year’s season. She and David Melcome fall for each other and have plans to marry. Lucinda is being shown around by David to his family home in the country and is impressed and overwhelmed by the grandeur of it.
Mabel on the other hand is doing her utmost to keep on running the printing company she inherited from Thomas Clarke. She has a good eye for business and thrives pretty well. She moved the printing company to the workshop in the garden of their new house, the house which came with the inheritance too, so is basically working from home.
Next to Lucinda and Mabel we also get to meet Mavis, daughter of Doreen, the life in help from Andrew Oakley, and Annie an old friend of Mabel back from her schooldays.
Diney describes the live of the gentry and the working class and the differences between those, you really get a feel of life in the pre-World War 1 era. The installation of electricity but also the will of women to speak out and choose for themselves.
It says that Lady Diana Fosse-Bury plays a role in the book, but this is a smaller role than Lucinda and Mabel have, the book is mainly focused on the latter. The epilogue is entirely devoted to Lucinda which I had not expected, it was a perfect ending and there is clearly room for a part three in which these girls have become women who don't let themselves be pushed around!
Thanks to Head of Zeus Ltd and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.
Characters 8| Atmosphere 8 | Writing style 8 | Plot 9| Intrigue 8| Logic 8| Enjoyment 9 | Score 8.29 = 4 stars

Strong Women

I loved that this storyline is about strong independent women that knew what they wanted and went for it even if it meant going against their parents and society in general. They followed their heart and didn’t turn back. It is so refreshing to find a book with strong women characters.

The story did a lot of going back and forth between the different characters although they were all intertwined with each other in one way or another. I did find this a bit confusing at times but it all came together in the end.

The story is written mainly about Lucinda (Lucy) and her former maid Mabel. One is a woman of means and the other a maid who falls on hard times, puts her dreams on hold until she inherits a printing press and starts her own business.

The story is set right before and during WWI. This is a time when the men were called to war and the women were called to do the jobs men were no longer there to do.

It is about two determined women, the men that loved them, and the women finding their place in society and building lives in a time of turmoil.

The story was interesting, I had to follow closely to determine which person it was following at the moment but I did enjoy the story immensely.

I received a complimentary copy of the story to read and review. The review is voluntary and in my own words.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Aria & Aries and the brilliant author Diney Costello for an early copy of her book to read.


I really enjoy reading this authors historical books,elegantly written.A wartime story with two main women characters. Lucy brought up in a high society family,she falls in love with David who is going to war Lucy mother wants a high society wedding,but it doesn't go to plan.how does she cope when her husband goes to war?...Mabel was Lucy maid,she later inherited a printer business...enjoyed this read the ending left me wanting to know more what happened afterwards,maybe continuing onto another book...


This book will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon uk

A follow on book from Diney Costelloe. It was good to see how the characters have developed as they have aged. A lovely and well written story. with feisty and sympathetic characters.

This is my first historical novel by the author but it won't be the last. Reminiscent of Downton Abbey. With gorgeous prose and an intriguing story, we follow a group of gutsy women struggling to make a life on the home front while their men are at war. Highly recommended!

I enjoyed this book from the beginning and it was only after about 20% that I realised that the characters were familiar and realised it was a follow up to The Girls Who Dared To Dream. As it was 2 years since I had read that book I didn't really remember it but that didn't impact on my enjoyment of this book, which could just as easily be read as a standalone book. It was a great story, with the end being left open, so hopefully there will be a follow up soon.

A sweet and hard to put down story of women finding love and beginning their families as WWI begins. I hope there will be more! Always more!

In the shadow of Downton Abbey, we find a book that is quite similar in the telling. Starting before the beginning of WWI we come across strong minded women, those who are in service, those who are part of the elite in society and the men they loved. The book is a good read and one that I found enjoyable. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to be able to give a review for the new novel by Diney Costeloe and oh boy!! this does not disappoint.
Another excellent novel new for 2024. I I devoured it at speed.
a brilliant addition to her novel list.

What a book!
These strong women who have to survive while their beloved country is at war, where the men they love are fighting that war!
This has been one of my favorite authors for historical fiction and for writing strong women who will leave such an impact on you!
Mabel, Annie, Lucinda and Mavis are ladies you will never forget!

In Diney Costeloe’s newest book The Girls Who Dared to Love, we are once again given a look into the life of Mabel, who was the central character of Costeloe’s The Girl Who Dared to Dream. Mabel is now running her inherited printing business at the dawn of World War I. She has moved her parents into the house she inherited since there is more space for her father to get around in his paralyzed state. Lucinda, the daughter of the house Mabel previously worked in, is also a main character who has her introduction to society and quickly meets David, an Dragoon officer, who is quite taken by her and soon proposes marriage. When World War I breaks out, he is shipped over to France.

Costeloe continues the strong character of Mabel who is years before her time. She offers refuge to other less fortunate women in her family’s life and seeks to make the world safer for females with the money she has inherited. Lucinda glows in her life as a married woman and seeks to find a way to provide support from home for the war. There are a host of supporting characters who add their own flavor to each woman’s story. I hope to see a third book with Mabel and Lucinda in the future. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus/Aria & Aries for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book will be published on September 4, 2024.

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