The Wartime Lodging House: Book 2
Publication Date: January 30, 2026
London, 1940. When Jess Gresham arrives in the capital, she’s completely out of her depth. With bombs falling and a heartbreaking family lie about her beloved sister to get to the bottom of, can she find the help she needs at a Mayfair lodging house?
When Jess discovers the letter from her older sister Charlotte tucked into an old typewriter, her world is shaken. It’s dated two days after their father, the vicar, said she died. How could he lie about that? Desperate to uncover the truth, Jess must find her sister. The London location in her sister’s letter is her only clue…
Leaving her quiet life in the country as a vicar’s daughter behind, now Jess is in the city in wartime, her gas mask slung around her shoulder. Her one refuge is her room at a Mayfair lodging house with two other girls. Wealthy Betony is all style and charm, but she’s trying to shake her aristocratic airs and graces. Irish nurse Grace with her easy smile is much more down to earth, but Jess is certain she’s keeping a secret…
With war throwing the three girls together, can Jess’s new friends help find her missing sister, despite the secrets between them? Or will they be torn apart for good?
An totally emotional and gripping historical novel, perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Lisa Wingate and Diney Costeloe.
The bonds of sisterhood provide a catalyst for a young woman to brave the dangers of the London Blitz.
Part of The Wartime Lodging House series, this installment, titled The Vicar’s Daughter at the Lodging House, works well as a standalone. It also offers a chance to catch up with a compelling cast of characters developed by author Natalie Meg Evans.
Jess Gresham serves as the central character, displaying resilience while searching for her allegedly dead sister. Her adventures dodging bombs and interacting with a young serviceman recovering from severe burns, coupled with her job as a censor, prove interesting.
Add in the antics of the two other young women, the landlady, and the chickens for a well-crafted storyline. The author weaves in dangerous characters along the way, along with a family secret.
The Vicar’s Daughter at the Lodging House offers a satisfying World War II historical romance amid an ongoing series.
Natalie Meg Evans has been an art student, actor, PR copywriter, book-keeper and bar tender but always wanted to write. A USA Today best-seller and RITA nominee, she is author of four published novels which follow the fortunes of strong-minded women during the 1930s and 40s. Fashion, manners and art are the glass through which her characters’ lives are viewed. Each novel is laced with passion, romance and desire. Mystery is never far away.
An avid absorber of history – for her sixth birthday she got a toy Arthurian castle with plastic knights – Natalie views historical fiction as theatre for the imagination. Her novels delve behind the scenes of a prestige industry: high fashion, millinery, theatre, wine making. Rich arenas for love and conflict. Most at home in the English countryside, Natalie lives in rural Suffolk. She has one son.
Hi Amy thanks so much for this generous review and I’m delighted you enjoyed The Vicar’s Daughter (it’s a long title…). I really appreciate your time, and also the thoughtful comments you made which I am sure will draw readers to my novels. BTW I’ve now written 13 novels! I need to update the information online. Oh, me and the internet. Thanks again and dare I mention, the last of the trilogy, The Lady at the Lodging House, is on its way. Lots of love, Natalie Meg Evans