1405: The daughter of a wealthy merchant, Anneke Sheldrake suddenly finds her family bankrupted when her father’s ship is swept away at sea. Forced to find a way to provide for herself and her siblings, Anneke rejects an offer of marriage from a despised cousin and instead turns to her late mother’s family business: brewing ale.

Armed with her mother’s recipes, she then makes a bold deal with her father’s aristocratic employer, putting her home and family at risk. Thanks to her fierce determination, Anneke’s brew wins a following and begins to turn a profit. But her rise threatens some in her community and those closest to her are left to pay the price.

As Anneke slowly pieces her life together again, she finds an unlikely ally in a London brothel owner. Determined not only to reclaim her livelihood and her family, Anneke vows not to let anyone stand in the way of her forging her own destiny. ( )

‘The Lady Brewer of London’ tells the tale of the naive nineteen year old daughter of a wealthy merchant, Anneke Sheldrake who suddenly finds her family bankrupted when her father’s ship is swept away at sea. Forced to find a way to provide for herself and her siblings Karl and Betje, Anneke rejects an offer of ‘companionship’ *cough*servantship*cough* from a despised, newly married cousin and instead turns to her late mother’s family business—brewing ale.

Armed with her mother’s recipes, she then makes a bold deal with her father’s aristocratic employer and the legal guardian of her half-sibling Tobias, putting her home set in Medieval England and family at risk. Thanks to her fierce determination, Anneke’s brew wins a following and begins to turn a profit, but her rise threatens some in her community and those closest to her are left to pay the price.

As Anneke slowly pieces her life together again, she finds an unlikely ally in the aristocratic son and Tobias’ Master, Leander. Determined not only to reclaim her livelihood and her family, Anneke vows not to let anyone stand in the way of her forging her own destiny which led to an unforgettable historical tale set in fifteenth-century England of a brilliant woman’s defiance, courage, and ingenuity.

Far exceeding my expectations, this compelling read had the perfect blend of European historical literature, minor doses of slice of life and women’s fiction. It was not over romanticized and the content feature showcased Anneke’s journey in becoming a brewmaster and everything that it entails.

Though this novel comes with praises, there were a few drawbacks that prevented this being rated five stars. Anneke was painstakingly naive, gullible and immediate trust to those whose intentions are unclear left a bad taste in my mouth especially when it pertained to her newest employee, Westel. Despite everyone's warnings and growing suspicions when it came to his odd behavior, she simply ignored them which included her very own gut instincts and put her, siblings, and the staff in danger. It was difficult to look past her actions but considering her young age and primary shelter upbringing, I did give her minor leeway. Keyword: Minor.

All in all, it was an absolute delight to receive this giveaway and I will most definitely seek out reading the author’s similar works as I had enjoyed ‘The Lady Brewer of London’ quite immensely.

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I tried several times ( )

Could the villain be any more villainous? All he was missing was a moustache to twirl... Sheesh.

The plot otherwise was quite interesting, and unique in terms of subject matter. I've never loved the type of writing style that alludes so obviously (as in "little did I know" or "soon there would be more to come" and so on.) This book is rife with this moments, so much so that I started muttering, "But wait-it gets worse" every time Anneke foreshadowed (foretold? recounted? It's hard to say what tense she was telling it in...) upcoming (past?) events in her own life.

Overall, the book is worth a read... Just be prepared for some ridiculous characterizations, doomsday statements, and lots of wasted ale & beer. ( )

I really enjoyed the book but it was *way* too long. The author seemed determined to use every historical fact about brewing in various locations of the time period, and had to create yet another awful set of circumstances for the MC to overcome in order to do it. A little less is sometimes more. ( )