Bath, 1912.
Amelia Wakefield loves working at Pennington’s, Bath’s finest department store. An escape from her traumatic past, it saved her life. So when Miss Pennington sets her a task to set sail on the Titanic and study the department stores of New York, she couldn’t be more excited – or determined!
Frustrated with his life at home, Samuel Murphy longs for a few weeks of freedom and … for a few weeks of freedom and adventure. Meeting Amelia on board the Titanic, Samuel can’t help wonder what painful history has made the beauty so reserved. But he already has too many responsibilities for love.
Ruby Taylor has always kept her Pennington co-workers at a distance. Making sure her little brother is safe has always been her priority. But when that means accepting Victoria Lark’s offer of sanctuary, more than one of Ruby’s secrets is under threat of being revealed…
A riveting and uplifting saga, perfect for fans of Elaine Everest and Fiona Ford.
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This is Book 4 of the Shop Girl Pennington Series and works as a great stand alone novel.
This book was a wonderful read for me that I absolutely enjoyed. I love historical fiction novels and this one was really special. This book had everything I enjoy in a book – amazing characters, daily life of working in Pennington, a department store as a shop girl, and the Titanic makes an appearance.
I have to say that Brimble writes with such heart and understanding taking great care of developing that story with amazing plot lines that is going to have me read all of the other books in this series, because I cannot be without these characters for too long. I have grown to enjoy them and the world Brimble created.
A Shop Girl at Sea by Rachel Brimble has Amelia Wakefield traveling to America aboard the luxurious Titanic for Pennington’s. Elizabeth Pennington has charged Amelia with studying the department stores in New York and bringing back the information to help Pennington’s. Samuel Murphy longs for freedom and adventure, but he is responsible for his mother and two sisters. He is hoping that this trip will be his chance to break free. He does not count of meeting the lovely Amelia. Ruby Taylor holds herself aloof from her co-workers. She is afraid of letting people get close to her because of her family situation. Ruby needs to keep her brother safe. Victoria Lark, a co-worker, learns of the problem and offers them a sanctuary. Ruby is grateful for the opportunity, but she does not like the gossip that is circulating around the store. Her secret could be exposed, and Ruby’s life forever changed. A Shop Girl at Sea is the 4th novel in the Pennington’s series. It can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading this charming series in order. While each book features different characters, the characters from the previous books appear (so she can see how they are doing). I thought the book was well-written that moved along at a steady pace. The story contains strong, flawed characters that are realistic. This is more than a historical love story. It is about people overcoming their pasts, embracing their potential and moving forward with their lives. Amelia suffered a terrible tragedy at the hands of her employer, Samuel has been responsible for his mother and two sisters since he was nineteen years old (and the sisters are pieces of work), and Ruby has an alcoholic mother who is abusive (violent). These individuals are given a chance to change their lives. They just need the courage to make the leap. I like how the author handled the Titanic tragedy. She managed to mix the truth with her fiction beautifully. I always love reading about Pennington’s and the wonderful merchandise they carry. It was a delight to “see” R. H. Macy & Co. (as it was called then) through Amelia’s eyes. There are wonderful historical details that capture the time period. A Shop Girl at Sea is an appealing historical novel with a terrible tragedy, fabulous fashions, wonderful widows, and joyful journeys.
4.5 Stars
It’s 1912 & Amelia Wakefield loves working at Pennington’s, Bath’s finest department store. An escape from her traumatic past, it saved her life. So when Elizabeth Pennington asks her to set sail on the Titanic and study the department stores of New York, she couldn’t be more excited – or determined! Frustrated with his life at home, Samuel Murphy longs for a few weeks of freedom and adventure & jumps at the chance of working on the Titanic. Meeting Amelia on board the ship, Samuel can’t help wonder what painful history has made the beauty so reserved. Ruby Taylor has always kept her Pennington co-workers at a distance. Making sure her little brother Tommy is safe has always been her priority. But when that means accepting Victoria Lark’s offer of sanctuary, more than one of Ruby’s secrets is under threat of being revealed.
Two romances for the price of one! Another well written page turning emotional read. This is the fourth book in the series & whilst it could easily be read on its own, I’d recommend reading the whole of this lovely series. Strong characters & a well paced story had me engrossed. Parts of the story had tears streaming down my face, it was so heartbreaking reading about the Titanic sinking. It could be read as two couples finding love but it’s so much more, it’s about conquering adversity & rising from the ashes to lead better, happier lives. An enthralling read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
A Shop Girl at Sea is the fourth book in the Penningtons series set in a department store of the same name. Having read the previous three books I have really enjoyed stepping back in time and seeing a snapshot of women gaining the social freedom to work in management positions, to campane to get the vote for women and how the general mood of life was in that time period. This book is a little different as its main focus is about life on board the Titanic, featuring Amelia who works for Penningtons, she is traveling to America to compare what the department stores are like in New York. On the journey she meets Samuel a member of the ship’s crew and they become romantically involved.
Back at the department store we see a subplot about Ruby a window dresser and how she finds her opportunity to escape her violent drunken mother with her younger brother intoe. She gets help from Victoria a fellow Penningtons employee that Ruby has feelings for. It’s a little taboo for the time setting of this story but it shows some of the prejudice people had back then and how hard it was to care for someone of the same gender.
This book has a lot of emotional storyline, the characters face so much tragedy and drama, with many scattered emotions of uncertainty as they learn to survive what life has thrown at them. This was such an engaging and well written story that I really felt all the emotions that the characters were going through. This is a wonderfully detailed story that will keep you reading well into the night until you’ve finish it. Rachel Brimble has written another great addition to this gripping and outstanding series.