Showing results by publisher "Soundings" in World War I

Olivia Brodie is a devoted parlour maid serving the Broadbent family at Hawthorn Manor and spending precious time with her father and brothers at the family forge. But everything changes the day Spencer Middleton, the Broadbents' charming and enigmatic grandson, arrives. Sparks fly between Olivia and the army officer. Their connection is undeniable - but so too are the rigid boundaries of class and propriety. When Spencer departs, promising to return, Olivia dares to dream of a future that defies society's expectations. However, tragedy strikes Olivia's family, devastating her.

West Yorkshire, 1914. Newly married to Noah Jackson, Beth is happily content working on her family's market stall while Noah fulfils his dreams of being a teacher. When war erupts, Beth's peaceful life is shattered by events beyond her control. Noah enlists to fight alongside his brothers. A devastating accident occurs that changes all their lives. Once a loving home, Beaumont Farm becomes Beth's responsibility.

York, 1852. When Caroline Lawson becomes a young widow, her grief is deepened by the loss of her farm. A rash decision to travel to York to find work doesn't turn out as she expected. With money running low, Caroline fears she will soon have no choice but the workhouse. However, she is not without hope, and with her new friends, feisty Trixie, and her two little sisters and the unique Mussy, Caroline learns she is stronger than she realised and that even in the worst of times, friendship is all you need.

London, 1914. While young men enlist up and down the country, the Nightingale Hospital has its own set of new recruits.... Anna Beck is the daughter of the best baker in Bethnal Green. Her German father built the business out of nothing, but as the shadow of war descends, his fate is at the mercy of their neighbours. Meanwhile Katie Carlyle has always wanted to become a doctor. She fought hard to get into medical school, and even now she faces prejudice from her fellow students as well as the tutors. Can she prove them wrong?

Working at the Foyles bookshop was Molly Cooper's dream job. But with the country at war, she's determined to do her bit. She must face the tribulations of being the 'new girl' at Silvertown munitions factory, as well as the relentless physical work. The happy-ever-afters Molly read about in the pages of her beloved books have been lost to the war. And yet the munitions girls unite through their sense of duty in the most unlikely of settings....

England, 1913. Eighteen-year-old Rose Strong has loved childhood friend Michael Redfern for as long as she can remember. However, believing that Michael loves her beautiful but aloof younger sister, Delphi, Rose vows to keep her feelings hidden. When war breaks out, Michael enlists, and Rose fears for his life as he heads to the trenches in France. As the war rages on, Rose strikes up a friendship with Thom, a budding engineer. And when Thom’s feelings for her grow warmer, Rose must decide whether she is prepared to betray her heart.

Former cook Hettie Brown hears some shocking news, making her question her new life at Rookery House. Expectant mother, Gloria Jessop, is having doubts about her new evacuated life in the village. She's missing her family, and she's tempted to return to London. But is that the right thing to do? Hettie and Gloria decide to take action and quickly hatch a plan. Can they support each other, celebrate Christmas, and bring the whole village together in their time of need?

March, 1941. World War Two is well underway and the Blitz is taking its toll on Central London with bombs raining down almost every night. Inspector Coburg and his trusted Sergeant Lampson are just recovering from the devastating bomb attack on the Café de Paris when they get a call asking them to go to the disused Lord's Underground station. Once there, they are taken to see the body of a man on the former platform. He's been beaten to death by blows on the back of his head, by what Dr Welbourne believes to have been a cricket bat.

After a difficult few years with her husband Victor, Prue's life is about to change in a dramatic and unexpected way. Will she have the strength to carry on into a more positive future? Rookery House is bursting at the seams after Thea welcomes two WAAFs to stay while their accommodation is being built on the new aerodrome.

Belinda Layton is a surplus girl. One of the many women whose dreams of marriage perished in the Great War, with the death of her beloved fiancé, Ben. After four years of mourning, she finally feels ready to face whatever her future holds without him. But Ben's family can't countenance her putting him to rest, while all her own family care about is getting hold of her meagre factory wages. When Belinda joins a secretarial class to try to better herself, little does she imagine that it will open up a whole new world to her.

Manchester, 1922. Molly Watson has had enough. Engaged for the last three years to a penny-pinching pedant, she finally decides she'd rather be a surplus girl than marry a man she doesn't truly love. Aware of the need to support herself if she is to remain single all her life, she joins a secretarial class to learn new skills and a whole world opens up to her.

Since the death of her parents, orphan Ann Felton has had to struggle to survive. The grimy and gruelling Black Country is no place for a girl all alone, and Ann is relieved when she gets work at The Bell public house. Victoria Beckett and Viscount Richard Wyndham grew up with silver spoons firmly in their mouths, and neither can understand Ann's struggles. But before long Ann will change both their lives forever.

Manchester, 1923. Jess Mason is determined to make her own way in the world. When she's appointed manager for Holly Lodge, a new home for old soldiers, she must convince the owner that she can run things just as well as any man - if not better. To everyone around him, Tom Watson seems a cheerful and sociable man, but he has secretly vowed to go through life alone. However, when he takes on the renovation of Holly Lodge and meets Jess, the walls he has built around himself start to crumble.

Flo Butterworth and the village singing group are asked to perform a carol concert at the local hospital. This stirs up bad memories for Flo, who lost her family at Christmas in the Blitz. VAD nurse, Evie Jones, is faced with a dilemma that throws her life into turmoil. Will Evie find a way to solve the problem and keep all she holds dear?

1914. Working in a bustling café on London's Shaftesbury Avenue, Joyce Taylor dreams of opening her own restaurant. But when the man she loves enlists in the war and a surprise request comes through from her dying grandmother, Joyce's life gets turned upside down. Struggling to keep the café afloat with her new found responsibilities, it's not long before Joyce starts to feel the pressure might be all too much. Luckily, her supportive friends Annie and Rose are on hand to help.

Farm girl Veronica McDermott is desperate to find more to life than peeling potatoes. Persuading her family to let her attend college in Dublin, she has no idea what she is getting into. Recruited to type for Eámon De Valera, she is soon caught up in the danger of those fighting for Ireland's independence from Britain. The attentions of a handsome British soldier do not go unnoticed by Veronica's superiors. But when she is tasked with earning his affections to gather intelligence for Sinn Féin, it isn't long before her loyalty to her countrymen and her feelings are in conflict.

Staffordshire, 1911. Money is in short supply for Ginnie Jones’ family, and she is sent to Haddon Workhouse. When she meets Clara and Sam, she hopes that she has made friends for life...until tragedy strikes. Three years later, Ginnie finds work as a mouldrunner at the Potteries, but never stops thinking about her friends. When Sam and Ginnie are reunited, their bond is as strong as ever, until Sam is sent to fight in the war. Can Ginnie find the joy that she’s never had?

March, 1918. British newspapers carry the dreadful news that the German Spring Offensive has begun, with thousands of British lives lost. Detective Sargeant Joe Keedy is awaiting release from hospital in London and is anxious to resume the fight against crime on the Home Front. Late one night, a bank is raided by a gang and the villains escape by car with a sizeable haul. Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion is put in charge of the case, but without Keedy at his side he faces an uphill battle to solve this perplexing case.

Thea welcomes her best friend, Violet Steele, to Rookery House. Violet has been in charge of an ambulance station in London's East End during the Blitz, and is in need of a holiday. Will a week in the countryside give her the rest she deserves? VAD nurse Evie Jones receives unwelcome news that stirs up her past and forces her to make an uncomfortable decision. Though she has a surprise when her friend Ned Blythe returns to start a new job in the hospital gardens. Can Evie let go of the past and give her future happiness a chance?

It is 1920, and DI Albert Lincoln is still reeling from the disturbing events of the previous year. Before the war, he'd investigated the murder of a child in a Cheshire village, and now a woman has been murdered there and another child is missing. With the help of the village schoolmistress, Albert closes in on the original prewar killer. He soon realises the only witness is in grave danger, possibly from somebody he calls 'the Shadow Man'. And as he discovers more about the victims he finds information that might bring him a step closer to solving a mystery of his own.