The Dressmaker’s Secret by Charlotte Betts
4 star
The Dressmaker’s Secret is historical fiction. It opens in 1819 Italy, with Sarah and Emilia Barton who are dressmakers. We first meet them when as they move location, in what has been a lifetime of travelling. Emilia cannot understand her mother’s nervousness and insistence that they leave every home secretly and run to yet another destination.
On the way to Pesaro they are involved in a coaching accident, which results in them becoming friends with Princess Caroline Of Brunswick. Luckily, the Princess is able to offer Emilia a home when an unexpected event leaves her alone. Later Emilia travels to London on behalf of Caroline, and it gives her an opportunity to investigate recently revealed details of her own past.
The sprinkling of details involving Princess Caroline added good historical interest to this storyline. There’s romance and intrigue as well as glimpses of life among London’s aristocracy. I particularly enjoyed the moments of countryside residence that were set in my home county of Hampshire. In general, it was a solid piece of historical fiction and I would happily read more books from this author.
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Italy, 1819. Emilia Barton and her mother Sarah live a nomadic existence, travelling from town to town as itinerant dressmakers to escape their past. When they settle in the idyllic coastal town of Pesaro, Emilia desperately hopes that, this time, they have found a permanent home. But when Sarah is brutally attacked by an unknown assailant, a deathbed confession turns Emilia’s world upside down.
Seeking refuge as a dressmaker in the eccentric household of Princess Caroline of Brunswick, Emilia experiences her first taste of love with the charming Alessandro. But her troubling history gnaws away at her. Might she, a humble dressmaker’s daughter, have a more aristocratic past than she could have imagined? When the Princess sends her on an assignment to London, she grasps the opportunity to unravel the truth.
Caught up in a web of treachery and deceit, Emilia is determined to discover who she really is – even if she risks losing everything . .
Rosie Amber 
This sounds great
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This definitely appeals to me.
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I really enjoyed learning about Caroline of Brunswick.
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Thank you for reviewing The Dressmaker’s Secret, Rosie and I’m pleased you enjoyed it!
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You’re welcome Charlotte, it was a lovely find.
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