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Spitfire Girl
By Lily Baxter. 2011
___________________________1940. The height of the Blitz.In London, eighteen-year-old Susan Banks longs to do her duty in the war. Her secret…
ambition is to learn to fly - to serve her country and realise her dream. But she knows it is out of the question for a girl like her; a foundling, unwanted and unloved and dependent on strangers for her welfare.Just as she fears she will be trapped forever in a life of servitude and loneliness, she meets Tony Richards, a flying instructor based in Hampshire. And when she is forced to flee London, she heads out into the country. She is taken in by the kindly landlord of the local inn and his daughter. As Susan works hard to earn her keep, and her friendship with Tony - now recalled to duty - blossoms into love, she dares to hope that things are at last looking up for her. But then she receives devastating news - Tony is missing in action. And Susan wonders if she'll ever see the man she loves again and realise her dream of becoming a Spitfire girl...A gripping and heart-warming saga set in Lancashire from The Sunday Times bestseller Ruth Hamilton, perfect for fans of Catherine…
Cookson. Guaranteed to keep you turning the page..."These are echoes of Cookson with its story of great homes where dark secrets lurk in the shadows." -- PETERBOROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH"A thoroughly enjoyable book, rich in gossip and events." -- LIVERPOOL DAILY POST"Another compelling family saga lets you take Bolton with you to the beach!" -- BOLTON EVENING NEWS"[My mother is] loving every minute of reading this enchanting and spellbinding story..." -- ***** Reader review. "BRILLIANT BOOK AS ALWAYS READ ALL THE BOOK IN ONE GO" -- ***** Reader review. **************************ALL SHE EVER WANTED WAS THE CHANCE TO MAKE A BETTER LIFE FOR HERSELF...Jennifer Crawley, eighteen, leads a strange and lonely life - her days in the spinning room of the cotton mill, her nights with possessive - and slightly mad - Aunt Mavis. When she's offered the chance to work as a servant at Skipton Hall, she sees this as a chance to better herself.Yet the household is as dangerous and weird as the one she left behind. Mrs Sloane, the terrifying housekeeper, takes pleasure in bullying and frightening the young maids; Henry Skipton is an embittered, solitary man who never takes the time to see his invalid wife, Eloise Skipton, who lays bed-ridden, feeding on hatred and plotting vengeance on the man she married.When she first sets eyes on young Jenny, she realizes she has found the perfect weapon for revenge...But Jenny and her friend, Maria Hesketh - her character as fiery as her hair - are determined that they will make something of their lives and succeed in spite of everything...South Riding (Vmc Ser. #659)
By Winifred Holtby. 2011
The community of South Riding, like the rest of the country, lives in the long shadow of war. Blighted by…
recession and devastated by the loss, they must also come to terms with significant social change.Forward-thinking and ambitious, Sarah Burton is the embodiment of such change. After the death of her fiancé, she returns home to Yorkshire focused on her career as headmistress of the local school. But not everyone can embrace the new social order. Robert Carne, a force of conservatism, stands firmly against Sarah. A tormented man, he carries a heavy burden that locks him in the past. As the villagers of South Riding adjust to Sarah's arrival and face the changing world, emotions run high, prejudices are challenged and community spirit is tested. Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House) and David Morrissey lead an outstanding cast in this rich and panoramic portrait of community in turmoil. Winifred Holtby's little-known and hard-to-find literary gem is a magnificent masterpiece, to be joyfully rediscovered by a whole new generation of readers.The Sound of Coaches
By Leon Garfield. 1974
One stormy December night some time in the eighteenth century, a coach came thundering down the long hill outside of…
Dorking on its usual journey into London. But something unusual was to happen that night as one of the passengers unexpectedly gave birth to a child.Not until he was eight did Sam Chichester discover that the coachman and guard he called 'Ma and 'Pa' were not his real parents. Sam will need to grow up, leave home, and find love before he will finally uncover the truth about his parentage.Sophisticated Boom Boom
By John Kelly. 2003
In Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, in the seventies, nothing happens. Every day. Teenagers Declan Lydon and his trusted friend Spit Maguire…
stand under lampposts waiting to be overtaken by some hormonal storm, to be enveloped by strange women, to finally make some connection with the glorious, glamorous world they know is out there somewhere. Their salvation comes through music. When, miraculously, Thin Lizzy come to town, Declan goes in to the concert in his brown cardigan and emerges wearing a black leather jacket...Sophisticated Boom Boom is a tender, hilarious account of the agonies and absurdities of growing up in a backwater of pebbledash and Space Invaders. Crucially, though, this is a love letter to the period and the place, and to the liberating, healing power of music that galvanises and transforms.Sons And Daughters (The Adams Family #20)
By Mary Jane Staples. 2002
By the year 1949, life in Walworth has almost returned to normal. Sammy and Boots, now in a highly successful…
partnership, are rebuilding the old family firm. But an old enemy resurfaces - Mr Ben Ford, better known as the Fat Man, who seems determined to ruin the various branches of this growing business. It takes all the well-known Adams ingenuity and determination to outwit the thugs in the Fat Man's pay.Meanwhile, an attractive blonde woman shopping in the market has caught Boots's eye. But Polly does not need to feel apprehensive - the sight of this woman has stirred the worst of memories for Boots, from the darkest days of the war. And on a happier note, there is some surprising news for Chinese Lady - news which will affect the whole of the Adams family.The Songbird
By Val Wood. 2010
The choice was hers - fame and fortune or true love.Poppy Mazzini, born in Hull over her father's grocery shop,…
lives up to the promise of her fiery red hair and Italian ancestry. Her lovely singing voice and good looks lead her to her great ambition - to go on the stage and see her name top of the bill. She becomes a music hall star both in her native town and in the south, after an appearance in the theatre at Brighton - she even performs in Paris, to tremendous acclaim. But when her first love, an ambitious shoemaker in her home town, becomes engaged to someone else Poppy is devastated. She disappears, believing that she will never return to her life of stardom. But her fame cannot be kep a secret...Song For A Dark Queen
By Rosemary Sutcliff. 1978
From the day Cadwan fashioned a sword from a willow wand and composed a victory song for his young mistress,…
Boudicca, he has loyally charted her rise to Queen. Boudicca is the strong and brave leader of the Iceni tribe - courageously guiding her people from one victorious battle to her next. Then Emperor Nero rules that the royal line of the Iceni is to be ended, and Boudicca knows this is one battle she cannot afford to lose . . .Someone Special
By Judith Saxton. 1994
On 21 April 1926, three baby girls are born. In North Wales, Hester Coburn, a farm labourer's wife, gives birth…
to Nell, while in Norwich, in an exclusive nursing home, Anna is born to rich and pampered Constance Radwell. And in London, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, has her first child, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.The future looks straightforward for all three girls, yet before Nell is eight she and Hester are forced to leave home, finding work with a travelling fair. Anna's happy security is threatened by her father's infidelities and her mother's jealousy, and the Princess's life is irrevocably altered by her uncle's abdication.Set in the hills of Wales and the rolling Norfolk countryside, the story follows Nell and Anna through their wartime adolescence into young womanhood as they struggle to overcome their problems, while watching 'their' Princess move towards her great destiny. Only when they finally meet do the two girls understand that each of them is 'someone special'.Someone Special
By Katie Flynn. 2013
On 21st April 1926, three baby girls are born. In North Wales, Hester Coburn, a farm labourer's wife, gives birth…
to Nell, whilst in Norwich, in an exclusive nursing home, Anna is born to rich and pampered Constance Radwell. And in London, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, has her first child, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.The future looks straightforward for all three girls, yet before Nell is eight, she and Hester are forced to leave home, finding work with a travelling fair. Anna's happy security is threatened by her father's infidelities and her mother's jealousy, and the Princess's life is irrevocably altered by her uncle's abdication.Set in the hills of Wales and the rolling Norfolk countryside, the story follows Nell and Anna through their wartime adolescence into young womanhood as they struggle to overcome their problems, whilst watching 'their' Princess move towards her great destiny. Only when they finally meet do the two girls understand that each of them is 'someone special'.Some Lucky Day (The Cliffehaven Series #7)
By Ellie Dean. 2014
THE SEVENTH CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANMay 1942. War can bring hope as well s heart…
ache . . . Kitty Pargeter loves the life she’s leading as a talented young pilot, serving her country. But tragedy strikes when she is forced to crash-land and is badly injured. She is taken to a specialist hospital in Cliffehaven, where she must come to terms with the disabling injury that threatens her career. Then comes the shattering news that her beloved brother has been shot down and presumed dead. And she wonders if she’ll able to find the courage and fortitude to carry on.As Kitty slowly recovers – with the help of Peggy Reilly and her family at Beach View boarding house – she is more determined than ever to return to the job she loves, whatever it takes.A fabulous, heart-warming Second World War novel in Ellie Dean's bestselling Cliffehaven series (previously called the Beach View Boarding House series).The Soldier's Girl (The Adams Family #29)
By Mary Jane Staples. 2006
Young Maisie Gibbs is a conscientious young woman, though life is harder since both her parents passed away. She is…
relieved when she finds a position as a housemaid in Kensington, under the watchful eyes of the formidable housekeeper, Mrs Carpenter, and she quickly settles in.When she meets a handsome young soldier, she is tempted to give him his marching orders. But gradually Corporal Daniel Adams starts to win her over. When tragedy strikes the Fairfax household, Maisie is lucky she has Daniel to rely on - a good sign of things to come?A delight for fans of the Adams family - the heartwarming story of Daniel and Chinese Lady.A Soldier's Girl
By Maggie Ford. 2001
In his absence, she will find her strength…After a childhood in poverty and leaving school to work at the age…
of thirteen, life is beginning to look up for Brenda Wilson. Freshly married to her handsome soldier husband, she finds her true vocation in hairdressing.However, Brenda is forced to give up her dreams of owning her own salon as Harry is called into service, leaving her to bring up their daughter all by herself...A warm-hearted and gripping saga, from the author of The Factory Girl and A Girl in WartimeThe Soldier's Bride
By Maggie Ford. 2013
Torn between love and duty...Letty Bancroft longs to be married but her father has other ideas – he wants his…
daughter to stay at home and help run his East End shop.Heartbroken, Letty must remain unwed while her sweetheart goes off to fight in France. But her love affair has had consequences that will see her more determined than ever to be a soldier’s bride...Soldiers and Lovers
By Leslie Thomas. 2009
In a sunlit, secret valley in the green mountains of central Italy, two people meet away from the horrors and…
clamour of battle. David Hopkins, a young fisherman from west Wales and Kate Medhurst, from a genteel town in the Thames Valley, embark upon an idyllic love affair away from the conflict that surrounds them. However, they cannot escape the war forever, and when they are targeted by a single enemy aeroplane their dreams are destroyed.Weeks later, Hopkins wakes up in a Russian hospital in Vienna where he's slowly recovering from serious wounds - with no recollection of the past. Eventually, transferred to an American hospital and then repatriated to Britain, Hopkins reluctantly returns to Wales. And there, alone and haunted by the months he cannot remember, Hopkins embarks upon a journey of rediscovery...If you like Catherine Cookson, Dilly Court and Katie Flynn, then this absorbing, moving and highly emotional saga from much…
loved author Jess Foley is perfect for you. A wonderful coming of age saga you'll want to revisit time and time again...'A jolly good read... Abbie is a great character, buffeted by fate but a powerful woman of her time' -- Susan Sallis'Jess has really captured the sense of a family united against great odds. Her heroine, Abbie, is strong but flawed as all good heroines should be and as we follow her triumphs and trials we see her change from a girl to a woman in the most dramatic and satisfying of ways' -- Iris Gower'Compulsive and well-paced' -- Wiltshire Times'Couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'I have read this book over and over and never get tired of reading it.' -- ***** Reader review'Lovely read!' -- ***** Reader review*****************************************************************************LOVE, PASSION AND THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE...Growing up in a small Wiltshire village, Abbie Morris has always known what lies ahead of her - a dull and dismal life of drudgery. Matters get worse when Abbie is twelve and their emotional, spirited mother casts them into a crisis for which no one is prepared.Six years later, the Morris family have rebuilt their lives, and when Abbie and Beatie, Abbie's adored elder sister, set off for the county fair, the world seems a good place.But their new-found happiness is short-lived. A chance encounter with Louis, a personable, handsome stranger, has repercussions that threaten to destroy Abbie's peace of mind for ever.Abbie struggles to forget what happened that night and to get on with her life, and when she meets charming, honourable Arthur - and re-encounters Louis - it becomes clear that she might never recover from the night they stayed so long at the fair...Snow
By Ellen Mattson. 2001
'The sky was now a block of darkness, punctured only by driving snow. The stars had gone out, the king…
was dead. And the wound on his arm refused to heal.' So begins Snow, the first novel by Ellen Mattson to be published in Britain - a brilliant exploration of an individual's codes of ethics and honour in the face of political and social collapse. The man is Jakob Torn, a small-town apothecary, stumbling drunkenly through the streets, a refugee from his own home, carrying a deep stab-wound inflicted by his wife. He does not understand what brought on this sudden violence, any more than he can come to terms with the death, in battle, of his king. When the town begins to fill with the starving, frostbitten remnants of the defeated army, and Jakob is conscripted into helping to embalm the king's body, all his certainties are called into question.Though set in 1718 in the west coast of Sweden, Snow is a profoundly modern and universal novel, interested less in the real-life historical drama that forms the backdrop than in the emotional and moral dilemma of Jakob Torn - a simple, loyal, honourable man who finds himself the damaged centre of a collapsing world.The Smuggler’s Wife (The Smuggler’s Daughters #3)
By Evie Grace. 2020
The brand new novel from bestselling author Evie Grace, set amongst the Napoleonic Wars in the 1800s. Perfect for fans…
of Dilly Court and Poldark. _______________________KENT 1815 Her heart led her to him, but will loyalty be enough to make her stay . . .When the beautiful but naïve Grace Lennicker falls for Isaiah Feasey, son of a rival smuggling family and owner of a local tavern, her sisters try to intervene. But as tensions grow, there is another suitor also hoping to win her hand in marriage, the dashing and more favourable Albert Enderby, a young lieutenant in the Revenue.Grace is unwittingly drawn back into the world of smuggling that her sisters fought hard to leave behind, and as violence erupts, she finds herself unable to stand by, knowing the rival gangs will kill anyone who stands in their way. When her husband becomes involved, Grace is forced to make a difficult decision - turn him in and risk her life, or stay loyal and risk the lives of those she loves . . .Praise for Evie Grace'Intriguing' Val Wood'A charming historical read that hits all the right notes' Woman's Weekly'Heart-tugging saga of which Catherine Cookson would've approved' Peterborough Evening TelegraphA Skull in Shadows Lane
By Robert Swindells. 2012
The war has just ended in the tiny village of Coney Cley, and Josh and his gang are desperate for…
some excitement. When they head for the eerie, abandoned Shadows Lane to explore a deserted house, they find more than they bargained for - a human tooth. Then a creepy, skeletal face appears at a dark window . . .Believing there's a skeleton haunting Shadows Lane, the children are shocked to learn the truth about 'Boney' - he's an escaped prisoner of war. But someone else is also hiding in the village - someone much more dangerous.Tense and chilling, this is another fantastically gripping tale from the award-winning author of Room 13 and Stone Cold.A Sixpenny Christmas
By Katie Flynn. 2012
A heart-tugging read - Yours Heartwarming - My Weekly You won't be able to put this down until you have…
read every word - No. 1 One of the country's most popular storytellers - Scottish Daily Record