Poppy's Dilemma by Staffordshire-resident Nancy Carson is a standalone installment of her Black Country Chronicles series of historical literary drama/women's fiction personal saga novels with strong romantic elements starring plucky young women throughout various time periods in the eponymous northern England West Midlands region (
Wikipedia), this installment apparently set during the 1840s, starring a young woman who falls into desperate straits after the death of her father, a construction worker on the railway and part of the itinerant "navvy" community of such (
Wikipedia) and upon the ensuing journey of personal growth makes the acquaintance of a sympathetic young engineer from whom she is barred by their differing social classes, free courtesy of publisher HarperCollins UK's Maze imprint, who are reprinting it from an earlier edition out from Hodder & Stoughton originally titled
Poppy Silk.
Currently free @
B&N UK,
Amazon UK,
iTunes UK, and
Kobo (probably just available to the UK, as it was decidedly unfree in most other regional iTunes and Amazon stores that I spot-checked, though YMMV). Probably also free at Google Play UK.
Unlikely to cross the pond in any direction, as we've a pretty low transmigration rate for HC UK freebies anyway.
If it turns out you like this setting and would like to read more, there's a 1920s short story in the series which is still free,
The Girl from the Opera House, and it looks like all the other novels in the series are priced between £0.99-£1.99 as a sale promotion for the upcoming latest-in-series.
Description
From the newest name in saga writing comes a tale of one girl’s brave escape from a world of poverty in her search for true love.
IS TRUE LOVE WORTH RISKING EVERYTHING FOR?
Sixteen-year-old Poppy Silk is one of the navvy community – a group of poor, rough-living men who work the railways and take their families wherever the tracks lead. When Poppy is left fatherless, her world becomes fraught with danger, men vying to claim her as their own.
Her one ray of hope is Robert, a young engineer, who she meets one day by the tracks. But his wealthy family have different plans for him… Can Poppy ever hope to win his heart?
And would she give up her whole way of life for him?
A compelling, heartwarming story about one girl’s brave search for happiness against all odds…