would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

this is book 4 in the series and man do i wish i had read the other books in this series as the characters are so loveable well apart from the nasty ones, i was really routing for jessie

jessie delaney is off to london, she has her big break in a west end show... she is starting off small but it could lead to other things.... she also has plans... after years of struggling she wants to make sure that when she makes it big she can get that house for her mom and let her have the life she deserves ... but first she must put in the work

its whiles she performing in the show that she meets adele bailey another seasoned performer..... but there is a side to her that she doesnt show jessie and that maybe the undoing of jessie.... though thats a lesson for jessie to learn

the other two characters ginny and francis each have their own dramas to deal with and its enough with the war to keep everyone together

this i have to admit was very enjoyable to read .. i just wish i had read the other 3 books in this series but its can be read as a stand alone as there are plenty of places where the author lets you know whats happened in the past....

will be keeping an eye out for more from this author and these loveable characters..

This was a brilliant read in the series of the Varitey Girls .This story is all about Jessie Delaney who goes to London chasing her dreams to be on a London stage where Adele makes friends with her. Lots happens to Jessie as she tries to live her dream . Frances is expecting her second child and trying to look after the Palace theatre for her husband who is away at war and care for his sister.Ginny has to go back to Sheffield to look after her sick father.Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood.

The Seaside Girls Under Fire by Tracy Baines is the continuing story of three young women who had sung as a trio but now were living their lives in different directions. Ginny, who had returned home to care for her aging father; Frances who had married the father of her daughter and was managing a home and her ill sister-in-law; and Jessie, who was off the London to become a star. These were the Variety Sisters. Each with a truly different personality as well as a different story. All were poignant and well-written. All were heart-breaking in their own way. It is a story of Word War II in England, of those not fighting the war in the battlefields, but each fighting in their own way.

Ginny arrived home from performing with ENSA to find the house full of mold and garbage. Her father had no idea how to care for himself, and no desire to learn. Her aunt, his sister, was trying to help, but she had a family to care for, too. Ginny put her head down and got to work. Soon the place was livable again, but there was no money coming in and her savings was being eaten alive. Any money her father came across, he spent on drink. He was no longer able to work, so he sat in his chair most of the time. Frances and her new husband, Johnny, had been separated when he went tot he US to perform. He promised to send a ticket but it never came. As it turns out his mother and his sister had withheld his mail. He didn’t even know about his child until her returned home. Jessie was destined to be a star and she proved it during her first performance. They are terrific characters and each of their plots is real and engaging. They do come together now and them, but their lives have taken different paths. It was a joy to read this book, about these courageous young women who set out on their own at a time when women didn’t do that!
Terrific read!

I ws invited to read The Seaside Girls Under Fire by Boldwood Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalleu #BoldwoodBooks #TracyBaines #The SeasideGirlsUnderFire

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, which had me hooked from the beginning.

We meet up with the girls, when war is still ongoing. Jessie has come to London to see if she can make her dream come true at the Adelphi Theatre. She was informed by her mum to be careful of those who will try and take advantage of her. But who can she trust and who to be wary of?

The story had some nice surprises.

Ruby isn’t still finding things difficult, but Imogen, her niece is really good with her, making her feel wanted and that she can do things.

The different characters in the story was nice, the ones that were helpful to Jessie, even those that weren’t.

I highly recommend this book.

Book one of four in this new series by Tracy Baines.
This one is set on Cleethorpes in WW2
As usual the characters are interesting and draw you in to want to read more .
A good read .

Yet another WWII story time frame set in Britain but of those who held the fort on the home front. In this case of the girls who entertained the lads that had to go off to the battle front. Girls such as Jesse, Frances, Ruby, Ginny and their supportive loved ones who took their work seriously as a way to do their part for the war effort. Their shows often went on despite air raid warnings, entertainers and crew alike, holding fast. Other pitfalls though of the trade as Jessie experienced - never really knowing who was a true friend.

I did find the narrative somewhat slow starting off as there were so many characters to keep track of - it felt scattered. However, it eventually straightened out taking the reader from one stage, so to speak, to another, for Frances and Ruby, then to Ginny's plight and then back to Jesse's stage, which then circled round again.

The author did manage to create the emotions, I believe, of elation for the girls' successes, for the heartbreaking devastations, and the courage to endure the ongoing Blitz's effects. These are good glimpses of what it was to have lived through those years, for those of us who have not been through it all directly.

~ Eunice C. Reviewer/Blogger ~

September 2024

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by Net Galley and the publisher.

Book 1 of 4 - A death of their father in 1939, the family works together in order to stay together. Very touching story. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

My word. The Seaside Girls under Fire is a historical fiction that kept me reading, looking for the bright spots during a very horrible time in the world's history. The story shares glimpses into what life might have been like for this living in England during the horrible bombings.

Many of the characters happen to be in the entertainment business. What a great way to have the characters in different locations. I was able to see that people didn't always have the same experiences. The bombings in London never seemed to stop. The damage and the loss of life broke my heart.

This story did something that many history and text books fail to do. Tracy Baines made it real. Her descriptions made it easy to imagine what was happening during the war. Reading about the horrors of World War Two is bad enough. I never, ever want to experience it.

This was a captivating historical fiction novel, set in the time of World War II.

Set in Cleethorpes, a seaside town, it focused on the lives of these women—Jessie Delaney, Ginny Thompson, and Frances Randolph—who are associated by their roles in the entertainment industry.

Their individual stories are written and bringing the story together.

I love reading the girls’ roles as performers and entertainers in the war. Their new roles and adapting to the life of war.
Their love and friendship grew with the pressures of war.

I enjoyed the story, combining historical side with the girls individual stories.
A new author to me who I intend to read more of.

My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC of this novel.

The fourth instalment of this beloved series finds the three young women of the title facing down the nightmare that was imminent in the previous volume. With Britain’s entry into the war, the Empire Theatre has been shuttered, and their Variety Girls act to entertain the troops and keep up home front morale has been at least interrupted. The book opens in September 1940, the Blitz is underway, and the seaside village of Cleethorpes is rife with the ensuing tensions. Changes are happening as they inevitably must in a crisis situation, and choices have to be made without the luxury of prolonged reflection.

Although the theatres can now offer some minimal entertainment for morale’s sake, the trio has been compelled to move on. They face separation, at least ‘for the duration’ and perhaps for good. Talented singer Jessie Delaney, offered a place on a famous stage of London’s West End, is trying to settle in her new life. Battling loneliness and homesickness and the worst of the nightly Nazi bombardments, and worrying about her RAF fiancé, she is nonetheless determined to become a star. Much less exciting and gratifying is Ginny Thompson’s lot. She has been summoned back to her native Sheffield, which she had left at 15, after her mother’s death, swearing never to return. With her brothers all enlisted, she has to care for her mean-spirited, abusive, and now ailing father. Only the now-married Frances Randolph remains in Cleethorpes, now with the onerous responsibility of filling her husband’s role in running the Palace that his family owns as he is off to fight in the war. She also has to contend with the challenge of her emotionally disturbed sister in law, with whom she now shares a home, and who she cannot trust after all the trouble she caused between her and her husband Jack.

For series followers, the story and its main characters will be familiar and ‘cozy,’ as always, with enough development in both to satisfy them. For those new to the series, there is just enough backstory to provide the necessary context, but you may find going back at least to the previous volume to be worthwhile. There is much warmth and affection here that rings true against the anxious backdrop of war and sacrifice, and the girls’ steadfast love and loyalty for each other are touching in their persistence against the odds of life changes and a dangerous world.

This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. I have enjoyed all the books in the series.

Historical drama part of a series,set during the war,featuring a group of young women involved in the entertainment industry. Great characters and a good story.

It's not all stardust and sequins.
Cleethorpes 1940.
The seaside girls Jessie Delaney, Ginny Thompson and Frances Randolph.
What's to become for the girls now the country is at war.
Amazing read once again that the main focus is on Jessie, I just love this series from the author very much so. Full of heartache love and family and friends coming together.
Loved it.

I wanted to like this book and the description, cover, etc. all indicated that it would be right up my alley. However, is it part of a series? I felt like I was dropped in the middle of an on-going story without any background or understanding of key elements. There were so many characters I had a hard time remembering/keeping track of who was who.

I thought Harry, the RAF pilot, had curiously copious amounts of leave and was able to communicate with Jessie without the normal war-time hassles.

There is potential here and perhaps if I had a better history with the characters, my overall reaction would have been 3 or 4 star.

Awwww absolutely loved catching up with the girls again, brilliant storyline and the usual fabulous characters, can’t wait to catch up with the ladies again, brilliant read

The Seaside Girls under Fire is the fourth book in the series, The Seaside Girls. When I decided to read the book I looked it up and read that it was the first in a series. Later I discovered that it is the fourth. Normally that wouldn't be an issue for me because many books in a series can be read as stand-alones. This could be one of them, perhaps for somebody else. But, for me, so much happened in the first 3 books that when they were briefly recapped in this book there was just too much going on. When I started to get a little overwhelmed with reading things that happened previously, I realised that this book wasn't the first in a series.

That said, I did enjoy the book. The main characters Jessie, and Ginny had stories that made me run the gamut of emotions. I won't give spoilers, but some scenes had me in tears or gasping out loud. Thankfully there were a lot of fun moments too so by the time I finished the book I didn't feel worn out from all of my emotions.

I wish I had read the previous books first because I don't feel like I can go back and read them now as I know how it all ends. So if you get the chance, and haven't already, I would recommend that you read the series in order.

The Seaside Girls Under Fire is the latest installment of The Seaside Girls by Tracy Baines. It was a great read.

3.5 stars rounded up

The Seaside Girls #4

Cleethorpes - September 1940: It's all change for the Seaside Girls....

Singer Jessie Delaney has finally got her big break in London's West End and is determined to make the most of her golden opportunity, even with the start of the Blitz. Lonely and lacking the guidance of her friends and family, Jesse hopes that the seasoned performer Adele Bailey will help her find her feet. But when fame beckons, friendships are tested and loyalties are divided.

Ginny Thompson returns home to Sheffield to care for her sick but abusive father. Will she survive the wrath of her father and the Blitz and return to her passion of entertaining the troops on stage?

Meanwhile, back in Cleethorpes, Frances Randolph is busy running the Palace Theatre while her husband serves his King and Country, wondering if her life in the spotlight is over forever.

Will Jessie make the right choices as she navigates her way up to the top - and can Ginny and Frances find their way back to the limelight?

Published 22nd September 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #TracyBaines for my ARC of #TheSeasideGirlsUnderFire in exchange for an honest review.

It took me about 1/3 of the ok to get into. Found it didn’t have much to hold my attention. It then improved and I was quite enjoying the plot and the characters. The last part of the story was more intriguing and I felt as if I was knowing the characters. Maybe this wasn’t one totally for me.

A great read with great characters as they continue as does WW2. Jessie sets off for London and theatre but she is very naive. A lot of interaction with Ruby and Ginny as well as Harry her fiancé. Thanks to Tracy and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley.