Is it all well that ends well?

Synopsis

Abandoned, penniless and orphaned as young children, Bertram and Alice saved each other from a terrible fate.

For seven long years they have been kept apart, Bertram, BJ to his friends, learning how to survive and then thrive in the penal colonies of Australia, and Alice growing her prosperous chain of bakeries in the Black Country town of Wednesbury.

Now BJ’s sentence is nearly up and he has a choice to make. Queen Victoria’s England has changed since he’s been away and so has Alice. Should he leave behind the life he’s built and face the terrifying, months-long voyage back home?

The memory of the boy who saved her from starvation by teaching her how to pick pockets has sustained Alice for all these years and now he may be coming back to her. Can Alice and BJ finally get their happy ending or does fate have other plans for the pickpocket orphans?

The Queen of Black Country sagas is back with an unforgettable story of friendship and bravery, heartbreak and joy. Perfect for all fans of Katie Flynn, Val Wood and Lyn Andrews.

My review

Even if they have been seven years apart, BJ and Alice have been able to maintain their friendship. Even living in different continents couldn’t break their bond.
Alice has been able to create a successful chain of bakeries in the Black Country town of Wednesbury. And BJ’s sentence is nearly over, meaning that he can finally move from Australia back home, even if his life and own personal success thrived in Australia.
But both BJ and Alice aren’t the children anymore that they were when they met. So will Fate them the final happiness they long for? Or is there something in store for the orphans?

Starting the last book of a series is always giving me contradicting feelings. While I want to see how the bigger story ends for the main characters, I am not always ready to say goodbye to them. And I of course also know that before there may be even an indication of a happy ending for them, things won’t be that straightforward.

Knowing Alice from before, from when she was just a child, and seeing her now as a grown up, somehow made me feel proud. Not that I have anything to do with the way she turned out, but still 😊.
She has come from very far, and perhaps not always in the most legal ways, yet she managed to not only have several bakeries of her own, but she also has the most loyal friends. Friends that are more family for her, even if there is no blood connection.

With everything that has happened to her, Alice is also the kind of person that has a lot of wisdom. What she sees, she has her own opinion about it, and her gut feeling often proves to be right. And that both when goods things appear to be happening, but unfortunately, also in the bad things. Life for sure brings experience and knowledge…

I loved reading how the friendship with BJ just keeps going from strength to strength. Distance and time do not have an effect on their reciprocal love and care. The pair of them bonded together in the direst times, and that connection cannot be broken by anything.

Not even the life that BJ seemingly has been building up in Australia. Yes, he has been sent over there as a sentence, but he has shown his worth, his loyalty and knowledge over the years, and with Mac it truly was more a father – son relationship than something more business or prison – like.

BJ has truly matured in a responsible, loyal, and reliable young man, and just like with Alice, I was very proud of his journey and his maturity.

Separately, their stories were already amazing ones, and I was eager to read of and when the friends would meet again. And of course, I was hoping for a certain direction the story would take, like everyone else I think 😊.

And it truly warmed my heart to read that first encounter, how easy it all felt for the both of them, like no years has passed at all. Once again only proof that the good kind of friendships may be tested, but that nothing could possibly break them.

Of course we also see how those around Alice and BJ are doing. And it’s not an understatement to say that also for them, there may be several ups and downs. But that’s life, isn’t it?

I truly enjoyed reading this last chapter, as it shows how no matter how bad things may start and continue in life, there is always hope, a ray of light and good things that will cross your path. Even if this story is taking part in a past that is darker, and luckily not something we may have experienced ourselves, there are lessons to be learned for all of us.