Darling Blue by Tracy Rees

In their townhouse in Richmond, Blue and her family are as happy and as close as can be - well, on the surface at least.

But with the arrival of a young, destitute woman hoping to escape her abusive husband, they must finally confront the rifts that keep them apart. When they welcome Delphine into their home - and their hearts - they think it's for her benefit only. But what they don't realise is that she will bring them together in ways they never thought possible.

I fell in love with Tracy Rees’s writing after discovering her novel Florence Grace so I had high hopes for her latest release Darling Blue.

On Blue Camberwell’s 21^st Birthday her father makes an embarrassing announcement, whichever gentleman can woo his daughter Blue in the form of a letter will earn her hand in marriage.

Delphine is in such a desperate position trying to flee from her husband, but her original plan fails when an accident results in all her belongings being washed away down river. With no where to go and unsure of what her next step would be she meets Blue who is very persistent and offers for her to come and stay with her family until she is ready to be on her way.

Will Delphine be able to escape the clutches of her brutal husband and will Blue find the love of her life even if she doesn’t agree with her father’s arrangement?

I was instantly taken by the characters I this book. I found them all so charming and as the book progressed it soon felt like I was amongst friends. The book is set back in the 1920’s and is told from Blue, Delphine and Blue’s step mother Midges points of view. They each have their own issues that weave together to create this wonderful storyline. Blue does seem to be the main focus and I loved how strong minded and passionate she is not only about finding the right man for her but also in her passion for writing. Although Blue is from a privileged family she doesn’t take this for granted she still has hopes and dreams that she wants to go out and achieve for herself and I couldn’t help but admire her for this.

As much as I loved Blue I personally found I was more interested in Delphine’s story. She was such a brave woman who took a real risk by running away and as we begin to uncover wat poor Delphine has been through over the years I was desperate for her to find a safe haven and a new life for herself to bring the joy and love she deserved.

Midge was the only character who I didn’t quite take to. My feelings towards her throughout the book change at times my heart went out to her but at another point I was completely shocked my her actions. It was her situation that I didn’t like in this book and I almost wish that she wasn’t a part of this book. I can see that it was a delicate topic that could raise more awareness for such a tender issue but I found that for such a major situation it was very easily accepted and almost swept under the carpet which I find incredibly hard to believe that anyone would react in the way her husband and daughter in-laws did. This was only a small part of the book so I didn’t find this had any effect on my enjoyment of the book.

I loved the authors descriptive writing style which really sets the scene for us and the inclusion of the letters from those trying to win Blue’s heart was a great addition, I really miss that thrill of receiving a hand written letter! I was pleased that I was kept guessing the whole way through as to who would end up winning Blue’s heart, I do enjoy an unpredictable romance.

Tracy Rees has created another atmospheric read with such vivid characters whilst tackling a number of delicate issues and wrapping it up with a sweet romance. The support and friendship between the Camberwell’s and Delphine was so uplifting it was almost as though she was an extension of their family.

I enjoyed this book and I look forward to the next release by Tracy Rees.

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