What do you do when the small town that you love is divided down the middle and that division makes its way into your home? What if you were that sister that loves her brother but is also fiercely loyal to her father? This is the situation Kate Dearborne finds herself in. She is The Weaver's Daughter.

It is 1812 in Amberdale, England and there are two prominent families with successful textile businesses that keep the little town afloat, the Dearborne's and the Stockton's. There has been bad blood between the families for as long as anyone can remember but now the division is spreading to others in their small-knit community. It is the weavers against the millers. The Dearborne mill wants textile production to continue the way it always has but the Stockton mill wants to be progressive and use a new type of machine that will increase production substantially but will also take away jobs away from men in the community. To add to the drama, the Dearborne estate and the Stockton estate are right next to each other.

Kate is a Dearborne who feels suffocated and unheard by her stubborn, weaver father. She is not content to be like all the other women in their community, staying home and sewing, being a wife and mother but that's exactly what her father wants her to be and he refuses to allow her to be anything else. Wanting to please her father Kate fights the restlessness she feels inside and tries her best to be obedient. The only thing that she refuses to yield to is not having a relationship with her brother. He is one of her only friends.

Henry is a Stockton, a miller who had been agreeable to the direction of the mill, and his life, until he went off to war for three years and comes home a changed man. The Stockton's are a prominent family and act as such and though Henry previously enjoyed those spoils it now all seems frivolous and pointless. It is the things that money cannot buy that now matter.

The Weaver's Daughter is multi-faceted which makes this Regency unlike many others in the genre. Yes, there is a love that grows throughout the story but you also feel the angst and strife this feud has on the community and includes characters that you yourself fall in love with and stubborn characters that you feel yourself growing frustrated with.

The author has a wonderful writing style that draws the reader in with wonderful character depth and vivid imagery. Highly recommend! ( )

Sarah E. Ladd has once again penned a fantastic story that kept me captivated from the start. She is a master at creating colorful, engaging characters and plopping them down in intriguing settings and situations. Her obvious attention to historical detail and events adds authenticity to the tales. Kate Dearborne is intelligent, capable, and fiercely loyal, and I admired her from the start. Henry Stockton is an admirable, compassionate hero who is torn between the past and the future in the mill business his family owns. As the mills add new machinery, the jobs for the weavers are eliminated. As the conflict between the mill owners and weavers grows, things get dangerous.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Kate and Henry change as they tried to navigate the divide between Kate’s weaver family and Henry’s mill owning family. A stellar cast of supporting characters add to the intrigue.

If you enjoy clean, fascinating historical romance, you should like Sarah Ladd’s stories. She’s one of my go-to authors. I always look forward to reading her books. 4.5 stars

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. ( )

I love it when a historical novel teaches me about a time and place I have not read about before. When mills are replacing the way cloth has been made on looms for centuries, it causes problems for Kate and her family. I liked the romance between Kate and Henry Stockton and was glad when it ended up in marriage. I definitely will read more of this author's books. ( )

A betrayal by Kate Dearborne’s best friend, Frederica Pennington, left Kate confused and angry. Twelve years later Henry Stockton seemingly appears from the dead. How can these two seemingly unrelated events be a harbinger of things to come in Yorkshire, England?

Sarah E. Ladd’s book, A Weaver’s Daughter, covers many social issues germane to the English Industrial Revolution, though many are still around nowadays. For instance, we have child labor and sweatshops in parts of the world today. She vividly portrays the history of the era, specifically how the industrial revolution affected those who were hand weavers at the advent of new machines which could weave much faster.

I was drawn deeply into the story and could see advantages and disadvantages to both types of weaving. I felt the frustrations of the hand weavers and the excitement of the mill owners. I also felt Kate’s frustrations, pain and anger at her father’s betrayal of her and her brother.

A Weaver’s Daughter is a well written, profound book. Although it is written during the Regency era, Ladd focuses on the grittier side of the time period as opposed to the glittery opulence of the Regency balls, clothing and homes. She realistically portrays the pull of old to new, past to future and customary to visionary. This is not your typical Regency romance, as it doesn’t follow traditional styles for the time period. It is a wholesome, uplifting story that I highly recommend.

I received this book from The Fiction Guild. However, I was under no obligation to post a review.

The well defined characters in The Weaver’s Daughter face family loyalty while risking integrity. Kate Dearbourne lives in a community that survives on their weaving trade steep in tradition. Henry Stockton returns home from the Three Years War, seeking solace and restoration. Instead, he finds a battle about to explode between his wealthy, visionary family and the local weavers.

Kate’s eyes begin to open to her father’s stubborn ways as she continues to run into Henry. Both Kate and Henry must find their place with God, themselves, and the ongoing weaver’s barrage against progress. Henry struggles inwardly looking for his own path. Kate challenges everything she’s always known, even the suitor her father desires for her.

The Weaver’s Daughter moves quickly, delves into history, and shows the reader the real heart of her characters. I enjoyed this novel set in the Industrial Revolution.

I received a copy from Net Galley and Thomas Nelson Fiction. I was not compensated for this review. All thoughts are my own. ( )