The Weaver's Daughter: A Novel by Sarah E. Ladd

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

Kate’s loyalties bind her to the past. Henry’s loyalties compel him to strive for a better future. In a landscape torn between tradition and vision, can two souls find the strength to overcome their preconceptions? 

Loyalty has been at the heart of the Dearborne family for as long as Kate can remember, but a war is brewing in their small village, one that has the power to rip families asunder — including her own. As misguided actions are brought to light, she learns how deep her father’s pride and bitterness run, and she begins to wonder if her loyalty is well-placed.

Henry Stockton, heir to the Stockton fortune, returns home from three years at war hoping to find a refuge from his haunting memories. Determined to bury the past, he embraces his grandfather’s goals to modernize his family’s wool mill, regardless of the grumblings from the local weavers. When tragedy strikes shortly after his arrival, Henry must sort out the truth from suspicion if he is to protect his family’s livelihood and legacy.

Henry has been warned about the Dearborne family. Kate, too, has been advised to stay far away from the Stocktons, but chance meetings continue to bring her to Henry’s side, blurring the jagged lines between loyalty, justice, and truth. Kate ultimately finds herself with the powerful decision that will forever affect her village’s future. As unlikely adversaries, Henry and Kate must come together to find a way to create peace for their families, and their village, and their souls – even if it means risking their hearts in the process.

my thoughts:

A delightful story set in England during the early 1800s - what more could I ask for, right? How about a bit of mystery and a spot of romance thrown in for good measure? Yep, this book has it all and I gobbled it up. Talk about the perfect book for a rainy spring day.

The Weaver's Daughter is about loyalty, tradition, technology, love, and family.  Kate's father is a weaver who is tied to the old ways of weaving and resistant to the new technologies that are being introduced.  The mill owners love this new technology, because it is saving them money and producing more product.  Of course, its also putting the weavers out of jobs. Yikes! Kate's father is not happy about any of this.  Especially, the fact that his son, Charles, now works for the mill owners, the Stocktons.  Yep, the family is now broken and Kate is torn - she loves her father and brother so much and hates seeing them so unhappy.

As for the Stocktons, they are rich and successful.  Grandson and heir, Henry, has returned from war and is expected to step right up and help his grandfather run the mill.  The only problem is that war has changed Henry and he is no longer the same man he once was.  Plus, the town has changed and the people have, too.  Henry quickly learns that moving forward in his life may not be as easy as he had hoped.

Kate and Henry are fantastic characters that you can't help but get attached to. I just loved getting to know them and wondering what would happen to them and between them. Yep, the two meet and meet and meet...soon becoming friendly and then friendlier.   Their families may be warring, but their hearts are quite in sync.  And that is all I will say.

Sarah E. Ladd has written a terrific story that will draw you in and keep you hooked all the way through.  The writing is rich with detail and emotion.  The characters are unforgettable. And the story is unputdownable! You will just LOVE this book to bits. I would happily recommend The Weaver's Daughter to fans of Ladd and anyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book!!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Weaver's Daughter

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!