Historical Fiction Books

Can love blossom in times of trouble? Life-long friends Louisa, Jeannie and Kate are following in the footsteps of their families, working at the Clarks shoe factory. But when Britain declares war on Germany, the Somerset village of Street is shaken to its core. The Clarks factory is at the heart of life in the village, but the Clark family are Quakers and pacifists. Before long, there are fierce debates amongst the workers and tensions between those who oppose the war and those who believe the village men should go to fight. Each of the girls must decide her own position but as brothers and sweethearts leave for France, Louisa is relieved that her beloved Mattie, a Quaker, won’t be signing up. But she’ll soon find that they face fierce opposition at home as well as across the Channel. Will the girls’ friendship be enough to keep them together, as everything around them falls apart? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781836784883 • Author: May Ellis • Publisher: Boldwood Books Limited • Pages: 336 • Format: Paperback • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.93 cm

1957 – Young Queen Elizabeth II is finding her way in a challenging world as the United Kingdom must adjust to having neither an empire nor a set place in post-war Europe. As she travels the world to try and build bridges, the Queen is advised by the ‘men in moustaches’, as Philip calls them – her father’s old courtiers, who may or may not have her best interests at heart. One of them is trying to sabotage her: that much she is sure of. And then two bodies turn up, horribly murdered, in Chelsea, and the Queen finds herself unwillingly used as the alibi for somebody very close to her. Elizabeth knows she can’t face these challenges alone. She needs support from someone clever, discreet and loyal, someone she can trust. Then she meets ex-Bletchley Park code breaker, Joan McGraw, and their investigation into the murders begins in earnest . . . Product Information: • ISBN: 9781838776251 • Author: S.J. Bennett • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Pages: 400 • Format: Paperback • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.4 cm

You wouldn’t suspect it, but scandalous secrets are being kept on Blythswood Square… 1846. Glasgow is a city on the cusp of great social change, but behind the curtains, neighbours are watching, and rumours of improper behaviour spread like wildfire on the respectable Blythswood Square. When Charlotte Nicholl discovers that the fortune she has been bequeathed by her father is tied up in a secret collection of erotic art, she is faced with a terrible dilemma: sell it and risk shaming her family’s good name or lose her home. An encounter with Ellory Mann, a talented working-class photographer newly arrived in Glasgow, leads Charlotte to hope she has found not only someone who might help her, but also a friend. Yet Ellory is hiding secrets of her own – secrets that become harder to conceal as she finds herself drawn into Charlotte’s world. As the truth begins to catch up with both women, will it destroy everything they’ve fought to build – or set them both free? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781399701594 • Author: Sara Sheridan • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton • Pages: 400 • Format: Paperback • Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.6 x 3 cm

Millions of people walked into Auschwitz, but she was the first woman who escaped. This powerful novel is inspired by the true story of Mala Zimetbaum, whose fate altered the course of history… Nobody leaves Auschwitz alive. Mala, inmate 19880, understood that the moment she stepped off the cattle train into the depths of hell. As an interpreter for the SS, she uses her position to save as many lives as she can. Edward, inmate 531, is a camp veteran and a political prisoner. Crucially, he’s also part of the underground Resistance. And he has an escape plan. When Mala meets Edward, he makes her believe in the impossible: they will leave this death camp. A promise is made–they will escape together or they will die together. What follows is one of the greatest love stories in history… Product Information: • ISBN: 9781836180678 • Author: Ellie Midwood • Publisher: Orion Publishing • Format: Paperback • Pages: 400 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 3.4 cm

1916, Scotland. Five years after leading a strike at the sewing factory, newly pregnant Ellen is rushed off her feet at the Clydebank Clothing Exchange, the heart of the community. Ellen is missing her husband James who is away with the Royal Navy, and worried about how to make ends meet. She desperately wants to confide in her best friend Sadie. However, Sadie is hiding a heart-breaking secret of her own which places strain on their friendship. Ignoring concerns from her sister Sadie, seventeen-year-old Rachel has signed up as a munitions worker at the former sewing factory in Clydebank. Together with the other women nicknamed ‘the munitionettes’ she finds fun and friendship as they start a local football team. When Ellen is forced to return to the factory to earn money for her growing family, she clashes with Sadie, who is angry about the working conditions. Several of the women and their babies are falling ill, despite assurances from management that the factory is safe. As the war rages on, can the women help each other cope through the difficult times ahead? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781398718852 • Author: Posy Lovell • Publisher: Orion Publishing • Format: Paperback • Pages: 304 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm

Rachel Norris wants to forge a new life and career. And she wants to forget her past. When Rachel qualifies as nurse, she does so because she wants to help others and make a difference. But she is also running from a past life that must stay hidden forever. Completing her training, Rachel moves to London but misses home desperately, so when she hears about an opportunity to train as a district nurse in a village near Rochdale, she seizes the opportunity, even though it will take her closer to the trouble she left behind. She knows nothing about Eastby End and she is shocked to find it a little more than a slum. It’s clear she will need to work hard and keep her wits about her to win the trust of the villagers. Joss Townley has been reluctantly working in his father’s factory but is dismayed at the conditions the workers endure. When his father dies, he sells up immediately to begin travelling but is called home by his mother in an emergency – in order to save the family’s fortune he must take on a house in a place called Eastby End. He has no idea what he has bought, and is appalled to see his new neighbours’ misery and anger. A meeting with the mayor, Walter Crossley, gives him direction and focus for the first time in his life, and brings him into contact with Rachel. Can they both survive life in Eastby End? Or will it be the making of them? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781399729932 • Author: Anna Jacobs • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton • Format: Paperback • Pages: 368 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 3 cm

London, 1918: the world is being torn apart by war, but for the girls of London’s Foyles bookshop, where there is friendship, there is hope… Perfect for fans of Rosie Clarke and Elaine Everest. Ellen Beckford and her sister Mary are living under their father’s shadow. Before their beloved mother died, they had dreamed of bright futures, but torn apart by grief, Harold Beckford barely lets his daughters out of his sight. Then Harold is injured during a break-in at his office at London’s docklands, and can no longer work. And with prices rising and food scarce, Ellen has no choice but to defy her father’s rules and seek employment. She finds a position at London’s renowned Foyles bookshop, and the other shop girls quickly take her under their wing. But there are dark times ahead. Ellen’s father is accused of gathering intelligence from the docklands for the enemy, and the police seem determined to see him shot for spying. With the help of her new friends, can Ellen clear her father’s name and save her family from destitution? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781836564683 • Author: Elaine Roberts • Publisher: Boldwood Books Limited • Format: Paperback • Pages: 288 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.65 cm

From Number ONE bestselling, Richard & Judy pick, Louise Douglas. 1968, Sicily.  Just months after a terrible earthquake has destroyed the mountain town of Gibellina, Enzo and his wife Irene Borgata are making their way back to the family home, Villa Alba, on roads overlooked by the eerie backdrop of the flattened ghost town.  When their car breaks down, Enzo leaves his young wife to go and get help, but when he returns there is no trace of Irene.  No body, no sign of a struggle, nothing. 2003. TV showman and true crime aficionado Milo Conti is Italy’s darling, uncovering and solving historic crimes for his legion of fans. When he turns his attention to the story of the missing Irene Borgata, accusing her husband of her murder, Enzo’s daughter Maddi asks her childhood friend, retired detective April Cobain, for help to prove her father’s innocence. But the tale April discovers is murky: mafia meetings, infidelity, mistaken identity, grief and unshakable love. As the world slowly closes in on the claustrophobic Villa Alba, and the house begins to reveal its secrets, will the Borgata family wish they’d never asked April to investigate? And what did happen to Enzo’s missing wife Irene?  Product Information: • ISBN: 9781836784944 • Author: Louise Douglas • Publisher: Boldwood Books Limited • Format: Paperback  • Pages: 400 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.31 cm

She’ll do whatever it takes to find happiness… When her mother dies, Sarah Mortonby is shocked to discover she has inherited a wealthy estate. She is advised to sell the crumbling manor house to her neighbour, Matthew Sewell, but falls in love with the charming estate and decides to keep it instead. Sewell is furious – and he is a man known for getting his own way, no matter the cost. Unable to manage the land alone and desperately needing support, Sarah proposes to her bailiff, Will Pursley, who has recently been thrown off his farm by Sewell’s thugs. With the help of her new husband, can Sarah save the estate? And will she find there’s more to her marriage than practicality? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781804367247 • Author: Anna Jacobs • Publisher: Canelo Digital Publishing Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 320 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.85 x 1.78 cm

In 1761, on a sunny day in September, a King and Queen met for the very first time. They were married within hours. Born a German Princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was beautiful, headstrong, and fiercely intelligent, not precisely the attributes the British Court had been seeking in a spouse for the young King George III. But her fire and independence were exactly what she needed because George had secrets... secrets with the potential to shake the very foundations of the monarchy. Thrust into her new role as a royal, Charlotte must learn to navigate the intricate politics of the court, all the while guarding her heart, because she is falling in love with the King, even as he pushes her away. Above all, she must learn to rule and to understand that she has been given the power to remake society. She must fight - for herself, for her husband, and for all her new subjects who look to her for guidance and grace. For she will never be just Charlotte again. She must instead fulfil her destiny... as Queen. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780349436678 • Author: Julia Quinn & Shonda Rhimes • Publisher:  Little, Brown • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  352 • Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.6 x 3.4 cm

The award-winning author Liz Fenwick returns with a glorious, sweeping novel full of intrigue and passion. As one of the Navy's most skilled mapmakers, Merry knows that lives depend on her work in the War Office. But when a family crisis draws her back to her beloved Cornwall, she finds herself working alongside Jake, an enigmatic American officer, on secret operations spanning the rugged coasts of Cornwall and Brittany which she knows so well. As rumours and suspicion swirl around her family, Merry is increasingly drawn to Jake, despite the defences she's built around her heart. It's a dangerous time to fall in love; the tides of war are rising and there is everything to lose… Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008532307 • Author: Liz Fenwick • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 480 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 2.9 x 3.8 cm

London, 1930s. Years after she first fled to South Shields, Cathy is known by everyone as the landlady of the Robin Hood pub. But Cathy has a secret from her life before – a daughter, June, whom she had to leave behind. After all these years, can June accept her? Cathy’s friend Sofia faces her own dilemma. Encountering a man from her past, Sofia is given the opportunity to return to her hometown, Naples. It would mean escaping her own troubles in the Sixteen Streets… if only she dares take the chance. Cathy and Sofia have worked hard to shed the sorrows of their youth. But maybe by revisiting the past, they can work towards a happier future… Product Information: • ISBN: 9781398708990 • Author: Elsie Mason • Publisher: Orion Publishing • Format: Paperback • Pages: 368 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 3 cm

1866. On a train bound for Portsmouth, an elegant woman shares a compartment with the lecherous Giles Blanchard. It is a lucky encounter for her, as she steps off the train after picking his pocket and in possession of scandalous material for a potential blackmail. It is a less fortuitous meeting for Blanchard, who will never reach his home on the Isle of Wight alive. Detective Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming are swiftly dispatched to sift through the evidence. With Queen Victoria poised to spend the summer on the island, a speedy resolution to the case is imperative for their superiors. Tracing Blanchard’s killer is an endeavour freighted with difficulties, but will the fact that their inquiries lead them to the door of a royal residence be one complication too many? Product Information: • ISBN: 9780749030179 • Author: Edward Marston • Publisher: Allison & Busby Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 352 • Dimensions: 19.61 x 12.8 x 2.59 cm

All alone during winter - will she find somewhere to call home . . ? As the year ends, seventeen-year-old runaway Kathleen stumbles through the snow, alone and about to give birth. But when she's carried to safety by a mysterious figure, her life is set on a new path . . . Welcomed by the Mason family at Home Farm, Kathleen believes she may have finally found a safe place to raise her newborn child. But her past cannot be forgotten and no matter how hard her new family tries, she has secrets she refuses to share. Will Home Farm be the safe haven Kathleen has been searching for? And will a chance at love allow her to finally break free of her past? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781804187692 • Author: Sheila Newberry • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback     • Pages: 400 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.4 cm

Can true love win the day? Hetty Affleck is working as a maid at the prestigious Beach Hotel in Littlehampton. Her beau, Lorcan, is away at war and has recently stopped replying to her letters but she is determined to keep her spirits up. When she meets wealthy shipbuilder’s son Victor Perryman, they pass the time of day and they both feel a connection but she can’t allow herself to think anything more of it - not only does she have Lorcan to think of, but she and Victor are divided by wealth and class. Yet they meet again and Hetty is charmed and intrigued by Victor and his openness towards her. It becomes harder to ignore the attachment growing between them. When Lorcan comes back on leave, Hetty is forced to face her true feelings. Who does she really love, and can that love conquer everything in its path? An uplifting, emotional WW1 saga perfect for fans of Ginny Bell and Jean Fullerton Product Information: • ISBN: 9781804368466 • Author: Francesca Capaldi • Publisher: Canelo Digital Publishing Ltd • Pages: 368 • Format: Paperback • Dimensions: 19.84 x 12.85 x 2.06 cm

1952. With smog blanketing London, little Grace is in trouble. Her grandmother is dangerously ill but she doesn’t want Grace to tell anyone as she’s worried they will take her away. But with no money and their food supplies dwindling, what’s a little girl to do? Winnie Berry knows something is wrong when she catches Grace trying to steal some food. And she soon realises it won’t be long before Grace is alone in the world. The big-hearted owner of Battersea Tavern, Winnie has taken in more than her share of waifs and strays. But will this orphan child be more trouble than she’s worth? The fourth standalone saga in the beloved Battersea Tavern series, AN ORPHAN’S HOPE is impossible to put down. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781398713697 • Author: Kitty Neale • Publisher: Orion Publishing • Format: Paperback • Pages: 448 • Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 3 cm

Queenie’s past threatens more than one person’s future Queenie Bedford fled her native Blackburn and the bitter knowledge that she and Rick Marsden, the man she loved, could never marry. But in 1965 she returned north again to stand by her friend Sheila Thorogood, imprisoned for running a brothel with her mother Maisie. Though Rick had vowed to find her, Queenie took care that he should not know of her whereabouts. The magnificent Edwardian house in Blackpool was sadly neglected – but Queenie moved in with the ailing Maisie, and set about transforming it into a sparklingly clean, highly respectable guesthouse. Meanwhile, Queenie was to meet the frail and confused Hannah Jason, locked away years ago for murder, and desperate for news of her long-lost son. As Rick continued his dogged search for Queenie, she set out to find Hannah’s son. But both their enquiries threatened to unlock the cage where crucial secrets had long been held captive. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781035417230 • Author: Josephine Cox • Publisher: Hodder Headline • Format: Paperback • Pages: 304 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm

Bristol 1938 A shadowy presence overshadows Coronation Close, watching and waiting. Jenny Crawford is the first to notice the stranger and wonders why his attention is fixed on Thelma Dawson’s house. When challenged he makes a hasty retreat. Meanwhile Thelma is having trouble with her precocious daughter Mary who is about to leave school and start work. Mary considers herself an adult but to Thelma she’s still a little girl; an attitude resented by her daughter. Unknown to her mother, Mary is secretly befriended by a stranger, an older man who treats her as the grown up she thinks she is. But what does this man want with this naïve young girl? Problems shared are problems halved. Jenny and Thelma certainly share theirs as the shadow of war rolls over from Europe and nothing seems certain. Product Information:  • ISBN: 9781836564607 • Author: Lizzie Lane • Publisher: Boldwood Books  • Format: Paperback • Pages: 298 • Dimensions: 12.9 x 1.7 x 19.8cm

The final book in the bestselling Mulberry Lane Saga series from Rosie Clarke. Sweeping changes are on the horizon and Mulberry Lane is in for a shock… London 1962 At first it was a rumour that Peggy Ronaski and Maureen Hart could hardly believe. If true, it would turn the lives of everyone on Mulberry Lane upside down. Peggy could lose her beloved pub. Maggie her acclaimed restaurant. Maureen her business and her home. Everyone had something to lose. Whilst old friends try to come to terms with the shocking news, the younger generation continue to forge ahead in the swinging sixties. Relationships flourish and new opportunities blossom; the ever changing world becoming their oyster. But family bonds remain strong, after all, it’s people that matter not the buildings. Could this be the end of Mulberry Lane or a new beginning for everyone? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781836564638 • Author: Rosie Clarke • Publisher: Boldwood Books Limited • Format: Paperback • Pages: 296 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.7 cm

THE BRAND-NEW WARTIME SAGA BY MAGGIE MASON – PERFECT FOR READERS OF VAL WOOD, KITTY NEALE AND ROSIE GOODWIN 1939 The threat of war is looming over Blackpool, but Martha and Trisha are determined not to let it dampen their spirits. With two young evacuees for Martha to take care of, and Trisha’s market garden business growing as Britain digs for victory, the friends have their hands full. Both are proud to see their daughters making their own way in the world, even in wartime. Sally has become a ballerina and Bonnie is training to become a doctor. The girls’ friendship brings them all happiness and hope. But Martha is troubled by her visions for their daughters’ futures. War, tragedy and falling in love will put Sally and Bonnie’s lifelong friendship to the test. But can their families pull together and see them through? The third and final heart-warming tale in The Fortune Tellers series from Maggie Mason, much-loved author of The Halfpenny Girls. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781408728185 • Author: Maggie Mason • Publisher: Little Brown • Format: Paperback • Pages: 432 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 4 cm