Showing results by author "Lizzie Lane" in All Categories

Barbados 1818. One fateful night, a terrible tragedy occurs at the Strong family sugar plantation on the paradise island of Barbados. The Strong family quickly move to keep the shocking event a secret. But secrets can’t stay hidden forever. Twenty-two years later Blanche Strong, the living, breathing proof of that night, is left following her mother's sudden death. Now, alone in the world Blanche is determined to get answers about her past.

Ten-year-old Magda Brodie’s world is torn apart when her mother dies in the workhouse two weeks before Christmas. Her wastrel father arranges for her sisters to be sent to their grandparents in Ireland and for her younger brother to be adopted, leaving Magda distraught with worry as her family are scattered far and wide. Magda, as the eldest girl, is sent to live with her Aunt Bridget who, for whatever reason, holds a bitter resentment towards Magda. But adversity makes Magda strong and determined.

Bristol 194. As the clouds of war grow bleaker both at home and abroad, the Tobacco Girls are determined to do their bit for king and country. To that end Maisie Miles and Bridget Milligan become voluntary ambulance drivers. As well as coping with the frequent air raids, Maisie is kept on her toes with three new junior employees, one of whom is particularly testing. Bridget’s heart becomes torn between family loyalty and Lyndon O’Neill III, the man she loves. Meanwhile Phyllis Harvey has joined the WAAF, opting to serve overseas whilst trying to escape her past.

The Tobacco Girls cling together as they realise that the clouds of war are turning dark, the world is becoming more dangerous and their lives more unpredictable. Bridget Milligan’s big, happy family fragments when her siblings are evacuated to North Devon, then a letter from America further fills her with dismay. Maisie Miles safe haven from both Eddie Bridgeman and her father is jeopardised, and she is forced to move on, but where to this time? Phyllis Mason is struck down by tragedy, and her life spirals downwards into despair until a new horizons beckons.

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.

1925 - The Midland Canals. Born on the canals, feisty Beth Dawson, knows danger lurks in the shadows. When she falls victim to a vicious attack and knowing she might be pregnant, she quickly marries a fellow boatman. Her mundane existence is interrupted by the arrival of Anthony Wesley whose mission is to organise the impoverished boatmen for strike action. Anthony makes her feel valued and she wants to help the cause in any way she can. Along the way she makes friends with rebellious Abigail Gatehouse, daughter of the owner of the company. She too is in love with Anthony.

After a seemingly endless labour, Horatia Strong is delighted to announce that she’s given her husband, Tom, a much-needed son and heir to the entire Strong fortune. But the birth of the child is soon shrouded in secrets and Horatia will do anything to keep the truth from her husband – it could destroy the Strong family completely. Tom’s enduring love for Blanche is still as deep as ever, but his marriage to Horatia is the only thing keeping the Strong family – and his new baby son - from destitution. Can he really risk their safety for passion?

1930 - Douro Valley, Portugal. Twelve-year-old Catherine is watching the Rabalo race in Porto when the sound of a shot being fired changes her life forever. Her beloved mother, mistress for some years to Walter Shellard, a Bristol-based wine and port merchant has received distressing news that her lover, Walter, has married a wealthy heiress. In her anguish she takes her own life, leaving poor Catherine alone and heartbroken. Angry and grieving, Catherine is sent to live under the guardianship of her eccentric Aunt Lopa in a small farmhouse high above the rich vineyards of the Douro valley.

As Cholera sweeps through the streets of Bristol, no one is immune. Blanche and her husband Conrad Heinkel, sugar merchant and master sugar baker, are devastated when their seven-year-old daughter, Anne, is taken by the deadly disease. Lost in her own immense grief, her childhood sweetheart Tom Strong is the only man who can heal Blanche’s terrible hurt and reignite the passion for life and love that has died within her.