Showing results by publisher "Boldwood Books" in World War II & Holocaust

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.

1941: A world away from idyllic childhood summers spent in Devon, Cassie Marsh steps through the sandbagged entrance to the War Room, determined to do her part for the war effort. The clatter of typewriters, the urgency of whispered conversations, the weight of secrets – nothing in her quiet upbringing has prepared her for this. Here, women like her are expected to work tirelessly, remain composed, even as their homes – and lives – are devastated by the Blitz. But Cassie's heart is already divided between love and duty.

As war tightens its grip, the residents of Harbour House are doing their bit for King and country—keeping calm through air raids, blackouts and family issues. When Elizabeth Roby's glamorous young cousin Lucinda Somiton arrives from London, scandal at her heels and a broken heart in her past, she brings a spark of chaos to the quiet Essex town. Accustomed to champagne parties and bright lights, Lucinda struggles to adjust to ration books and village gossip. But when she volunteers to aid the war effort, Lucinda begins to find a sense of purpose—and perhaps a chance to redeem her name.

Frances is finally about to see her dreams realized as Marcus finally returns from the war. But the threat of her father-in-law and a much-changed Marcus, leave Frances in a perilous situation. Emily’s lie has trapped her in a new future. She lives in a big house and has a job she loves. But it could all come tumbling down around her if her shocking secret is ever revealed? Alice believes Daniel will return home to her, but if he does, will he be the same man he was if he does survive?

As the new housekeeper at Harbour House, Lily Turner and her teenage daughter Daphne have forged a resilient life since Lily’s husband Patrick abandoned them. But as war rages, Patrick, now vital to the war effort, is dispatched to Wivenhoe shipyard, forcing him to confront his past—and Lily—once more. He's no longer the reckless boy who deserted his family; hardened by the years, he’s determined to make amends.

Cambridgeshire - March 1939. As the clouds of war begin to gather in Europe, the Talbot family of rural Blackberry Farm will be torn apart, just as so many families all over the world will be. Life will never be the same again. Whilst in London, the Salmons family will feel the pain of parting and loss. Brought together by war, the two families become intertwined and, as the outlook looks bleak, they must draw on each other’s strength to fight through the hard times.

Bristol, 1939. School leaver Maisie Miles suspects her father, a small-time crook, has an ulterior motive for insisting she gets a job at the W. D. & H. O. Wills tobacco factory but keeps it to herself. She's befriended by effervescent Phyllis Mason and kind-hearted Bridget Milligan who take pity on her and take Maisie under their wing. But beneath their happy-go-lucky exteriors, they all harbour dreams and worries about what the future holds.

Bristol 1939. At forty years of age, Mary Anne Randall still turns heads. With an abusive husband spending most of his wages on beer, she has resigned herself to be the sole breadwinner to protect her family and keep the wolves from the door. In order to make ends meet, Mary Anne runs a pawnbroking business from the wash house at the end of the garden. Following the outbreak of war an opportunity presents itself to escape her loveless marriage and find true love. Will she take that chance, or carry on living just for her children and not for herself?

Cambridgeshire – 1942. As a new year begins and the war continues, young Artie Talbot feels trapped. In his heart he longs to fight, like his two brothers, for his king and country but is duty tied to Blackberry Farm. As feelings grow between Artie and Jeanie Salmons, Artie wonders if marriage will help him to finally accept his lot and settle down. Meanwhile, his brother John Talbot must come to terms with the tragic loss of a lost love. Can he overcome his trauma and begin to build a new life for himself and his new born son?

Pam Talbot dedicates her life to keeping those who live and work at Blackberry Farm fed, safe and sound as Artie holds the fort whilst brothers Tom and John are away on national service. Still reeling from the death of her beloved husband Arthur, Pam makes a rash decision in Arties’s favour which backfires causing him to neglect his duty on the Farm. Now Artie is struggling to run two farms and to add to his woes a new land girl sets her sights on him and won’t take no for an answer.

As Spring blossoms, it seems love is in the air. 21 year-old, John Talbot dreams of a world not at war, where he can be a father to his young son Jonny and have a wife by his side. But is nurse Lucy Ross the woman for him? When brothers Tom and John are recalled to active service, Artie is left to look after the farm. But tragedy strikes at the very heart of the family, when Arthur peacefully passes and John is reported missing in action. Pam, is left grief-stricken and fearing the worst with John lost at sea – has John’s luck finally run out?

As the bombs fall, three women are forced to remake their lives… When the uniform factory is reduced to rubble in a devastating air raid, Amanda, Maisie and Bethan are left without work, and without the sense of safety they once clung to. Shocked by the devastation she sees around her, Amanda signs up as an ambulance driver, putting her life on the line to save those in the poorest areas of the East End. Meanwhile, Maisie and Bethan find work in the heart of Petticoat Lane, trying to scrape pennies together to put dinner on the table.

When Yvette Dubois's husband inherits a remote chateau, she reluctantly leaves Lyon behind – only for Armand to abandon her there to manage the vineyard alone. Everything changes the day she hears a mysterious knocking in the library. Behind a tapestry, she discovers a hidden tunnel – along with two frightened orphans. Yvette vows to continue the important work, wanting to honour the legacy. But Armand insists their safety depends on appeasing the occupiers.

Young Julia Fowler's life revolves around Poole Harbour and its lifeboat – her older brother Wilbur is a volunteer crew member, and every blast of the mortar fills her with fear for his safety. When news of the Titanic disaster reaches the town, the close-knit seafaring community is rocked to its core. Julia and her friends – Kathy, Flora, and Betsy – are discovering new opportunities for themselves, stepping up in a world that is slowly beginning to open doors to women. Opposition rises at home and in the community, and tensions grow as the country edges closer to war.

he Sweet family have run the local bakery for as long as anyone can remember. Twins Ruby and Mary Sweet help their widowed father out when they can. Mary loves baking and has no intention of leaving their small Gloucestershire village. while Ruby dreams of life in London. But as war threatens, there will be changes for all of the Sweet family, with brother Charlie off to serve and cousin Frances facing evacuation. But there will be opportunities, too, as the twins' baking talent catches the attention of the Ministry of Food.

The war has ended; the men are returning home to their loved ones, but for some, things have changed. Charlotte Hennessey-White's husband, David, is no longer the gentle loving man he once was and Charlotte, so independent during the war, is devastated. Edna Burbage's strong fiancée, Colin, has suffered appalling physical injuries. He won’t hold her to her promise of marriage, but she insists her feelings are unchanged. But is that true? And Polly Chandler's sweetheart, Gavin, who’d she’d planned her whole future around, hasn’t come home at all.

Frances Sweet can’t really remember her real parents. Brought up by her uncle, her cousins Ruby and Mary have always treated her like their little sister. As the war continues to keep her cousins separated from the men they love – Frances is growing up fast enough to catch the eye of dashing American soldier Declan. But she also has a greater longing – to find the mother who abandoned her years before.

The war continues to rage, but for now, Harbour House continues to keep the Roby family safe from harm. Not so for new lodger Richard Stoneleigh. As one of the few men who can captain a ship, Richard is called to help with the dangerous evacuation of troops from Dunkirk – it’s a perilous voyage that almost costs Richard his life…

The war has had a devastating effect on the Sweet family, with young Charlie Sweet, lost at sea, presumed dead and bombs falling on nearby Bristol. Still there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon in the form of Mary Sweet’s upcoming wedding to her Canadian beau. But even that has failed to rouse their father from his grief. But in London a baby has been found in a bombed out house, sheltered in the arms of his dead mother. A child to make life worth living again...

Manchester, 1943. Kitty's new venture, hosting wedding receptions at Dunbar's Hotel, has got off to a flying start, and she's looking to the future. With the tide of the war turning and victory on the distant horizon, Kitty is keen to keep her independence once the men come home. Beatrice's work in welfare is hugely rewarding, and she loves the children's clubs she runs at Dunbar's. But when a spate of thefts breaks out locally, the police become involved. Former hotel maid Lily knows she still loves her estranged husband, Daniel.