A Shop Girl in Bath

By Rachel Brimble

1910 – A compelling tale of one woman's fight for recognition in Bath's leading department store.

Hardworking and whip smart, Elizabeth Pennington is the rightful heir of Bath's premier department store – but her father, Edward Pennington, believes his daughter lacks the business acumen to run his empire. He is resolute a man will succeed him.

Determined to break from her father's hold and prove she is worthy of inheriting Pennington's, Elizabeth forms an unlikely alliance with ambitious and charismatic master glove-maker Joseph Carter. They have the same goal: bring Pennington's into a new decade while embracing woman's equality and progression. But, despite their best intentions, it is almost impossible not to mix business and pleasure...

Can the two thwart Edward Pennington's plans for the store? Or will Edward prove himself an unshakeable force who will ultimately ruin both Elizabeth and Joseph?

Previously published as The Mistress of Pennington's.

What readers are saying:

'It was so interesting to read... I hope Rachel Brimble writes another book about these characters. Highly recommend!' Sharon Brewer, NetGalley.

'The story was a pleasure to read as the writing was so very good and easy to get lost in... It's a captivating read that touched my heart deeply and is currently one of my top 5 favorite books to have read so far this year' Clare Roden, NetGalley.

'This story [...] brought out the fact that hard work and determination pays and that you can succeed despite the odds' Mystica Varathapalan, NetGalley.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aria
• Release date: Jul 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781788546508

Rachel Brimble

Rachel Brimble lives in the UK with her husband, two daughters and beloved Labrador. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Romantic Novelists Association. When she's not writing she is reading, walking or watching dramas on TV while nursing a chilled glass of white wine! www.rachelbrimble.com www.rachelbrimble.blogspot.com

Reviews for A Shop Girl in Bath

[nicx27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was immediately drawn to The Mistress of Pennington's when I discovered it was about a department store. I love books about shops. Inspired by The Paradise and Mr Selfridge, this is the story of Pennington's in 1910. Elizabeth Pennington is desperate to be allowed by her domineering father to run Pennington's one day and she is doing all she can to put her mark on it right away. She's in charge of the ladies department but she wants so much more.Elizabeth is a great character. She's feisty and ambitious, but so held back by the times. Women's suffrage is in the background of this novel, and the knowledge that women are slowly coming out of the shadow of men fires Elizabeth to rebel against her father's control.Joseph Carter is probably my favourite character though. He's a glove maker who approaches Pennington's with a view to them taking his gloves for sale. He and Elizabeth hit it off in more ways than one. He's a lovely man, principled, strong, talented, but willing to do all he can for women's rights and one woman's rights in particular.The story is very much focused around Elizabeth and Joseph and I think it would have been nice to have some other characters fleshed out a little more. I'd also have liked more about the running of the store. But that's my personal taste and if you like historical romance then this is most definitely for you, particularly as there is very much a will they/won't they storyline.The Edwardian period is brought to life in this book very well by the author. I loved the details about the clothing that Pennington's sold and the designs. I thought it was a really good read about a potentially trail-blazing woman. I understand there are another three Pennington's books planned and it will be good to see what happens next with Elizabeth, Joseph and hopefully some of the other characters too.

[liscarey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's 1910, the women's suffrage movement is in full swing in the UK, and Elizabeth Pennington, daughter of Edward Pennington, owner of the finest shop for men's and women's clothing and accessories in Bath, is determined to succeed her father as the store's head. Unfortunately, Edward Pennington doesn't believe women, including his daughter, are capable of being competent business people. He has grudgingly made her head of the women's department, and she's doing well, but what does that prove?

Joseph Carter is a glove maker in Bath. He and his father run Carter & Son, making and selling gloves and hats for women. Yet the time of the small, independent shop is passing, the elder Carter is approaching an age where he should be retiring, and Joseph has a vision of making his gloves known, admired, and wanted on a much larger scale. Pennington's is, potentially, the key to that.

Elizabeth has been slowly modernizing and revitalizing the parts of Pennington's that she has control of. When Joseph arrives to pitch his gloves to her, she sees a possible path to her vision, and a potential partner in Joseph. He feels both grief and guilt over the death of his wife, but also misses the partnership he had working with her. The possibility of being more than just another supplier for Pennington's, of working with Elizabeth to achieve both their visions, is enticing, indeed irresistible.

What neither of them knows at first is that there's an old family feud and a terrible tragedy between their families.

The two ambitious and idealistic offspring set out to make real change--even after they learn the terrible past lying between their parents.

This is a really interesting look at the early 20th century, and working women at a time when equality and even the right to vote were radical ideas. Elizabeth and Joseph are both intelligent, interesting characters with impressive but potentially realistic ambitions. Retail shopping is about to change dramatically, and the founding of the current version of Pennington's was merely the first ripple of that. The characters don't know it yet, but World War One is in their future, just a few years away, and in the course of it and in its aftermath, the role of women in British society changed significantly. Joseph may be a little early in wanting a partner in a modern sense, but he's not an anachronism by any means.

It's equally interesting to watch Edward Pennington struggle with both his own rigidity and intolerance, and his real, if confused, feelings for his, from his viewpoint, all too capable and driven daughter. On the other side, Joseph's father, Robert Carter, has to struggle with his own feelings regarding what happened between their two families, both when Joseph and Elizabeth were young children, and before that, before Robert Carter and Edward Pennington where born, when their fathers were first friends, and then business rivals.

It's a rich, interesting, rewarding novel of just over a hundred years ago, and well worth your time.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher, and am reviewing it voluntarily.