In the Shelter of Hollythorne House

This is a review of Sarah Ladd's upcoming book, In The Shelter of Hollythorne House, book 2 of the Houses of Yorkshire series, that will be released on July 11, 2023. I am reviewing this book for NetGalley, and also received a copy from the author in return for my honest review.  I am a huge fan of Sarah Ladd, and own all her books, and I have been across anxiously waiting for this book to be released ever since I read book 1 The Letter from Briarton Park last year, and I was so glad to get an advanced copy, because I absolutely loved the book as Sarah Ladd has again written an amazing story!  I didn't feel like I needed to read book 1 to follow this, even though I did, but you can follow it without reading book 1, but I highly recommend both books!  Sarah wrote a book that was well written, with an exciting plot from the beginning, characters that drew me in from the beginning, and kept me reading till the end because I just had to find out what happened!  The characters felt like old friends by the end of the book, but I totally was turning pages because I couldn't even begin to guess what was going to happen, and was so excited to finish it, but a little sad because I didn't want the story to end! Our story begins Charlotte Grey, in 1814, who grew up at Hollythorne House located in Yorkshire, England with a loving family, fell in love with Anthony Welbourne, a man who went off to war in America without knowing how deeply she loved him, and so to please her dying father, she agreed to marry another.  in 1817, Charlotte found herself in a love less and very strict marriage to Roland Prior, a wealthy man, but was not a gentleman by any means because of his cruel treatment of Charlotte by controlling every part of her life, even to the extent of limiting her comings and goings, what she wore, who she interacted with, and even the time she was allowed to spend with her own child!  She agreed to marry Roland to please her father, but years before her heart had belonged to another, but that seemed like a lifetime ago to Charlotte who had buried those memories deep, and just tried to survive daily life with Roland.  A few months after their son is born,  Charlotte finds Roland dead in his study, but she feels no love loss because of it.  Not soon after, her husband's death, his brother, Silas Prior, comes to Leeds because he wants to take control all of Roland's affairs which include his estate in Leeds, and the future of the heir to that estate, the son of Roland and Charlotte.  Silas is no better than Roland, and Charlotte finds her voice, and refuses to allow Silas to control her or her son in any way.  She refuses his offer to financially take care of her, and she finds out there was one thing Roland didn't steal from her, her childhood home in the Yorkshire Dales, Hollythorne House, where Charlotte grew up in a happy home, with parents who loved her!  She decides to leave Leeds for good, and return herself, her son, and her lady's maid and dear friend Sutcliffe, to Hollythorne House, and try to build a life for themselves, free from the grasp of Silas Prior, but that might not be as easy as she thought! She didn't realize that danger would follow her and her son, and that help would come from someone she had once loved, but never thought she would see ever again, Anthony Welbourne. Anthony Welbourne, who grew up in the Yorkshire Dales with his uncle who had a mill in the area, but left his home, and the woman he loved to become a soldier, who came back from the war in America to join up as a thief-taker, one of Walstead's Watchmen, cleaning up the criminals off the streets of Leeds. He works close with his close friend Timmons, who he owed his life to because he nursed Anthony back to health on the ship back to England after the war.  He and Timmons are both theif-takers on Mr. Walstead's payroll, and find themselves given an assignment to guard a woman and her son who find themselves in great danger, and who are unawar