Annie Aldington

Sheltered and naïve Carmen Darby has lived under the thumb of her father Rex, a brutal criminal businessman, her whole life. But when Rex announces his retirement and plans to leave his vast wealth to his three daughters, Carmen doesn't thank her father as effusively as he'd like, enraging him. Cast out from her home, Carmen assumes a new identity and starts her life over, but she knows she can't outrun the sins of her family for ever...

Meanwhile her sisters, disappointed by the terms of their inheritance, formulate a vicious plan to get their money in full. They'll kill whoever stands in their way, even their own father. But they aren't the only ones who'd love to see Rex dead. Surrounded by backstabbers and treating his allies like dirt, it's only a matter of time before someone snaps...

Soho 1962. When Rory Sheehan decides he wants Maggie Riley as his own, her fate is sealed.

Luca Romano knows all too well that what Rory wants, Rory gets. And the violence that erupts between their rival gangs is just the start of it.

Thomas Johnson owes Rory big time, and he must deny his feelings for Maggie to protect her. Faced with no alternative, Maggie throws herself on Rory's mercy, unaware of the brutality that she will face.

But Maggie Riley is a survivor. And the secret she's hiding could be her best weapon...

Young Maisie Gibbs is happy to find a position as a housemaid in Kensington after her parents pass away. Then tragedy strikes the Fairfax household and Maisie is thankful for the support of handsome Corporal Daniel Adams.  Book 29 of series.

London, 1940. Winnie Berry is at the heart of the community in her pub, The Battersea Tavern. Her door is always open to those in need of a cup of tea and sympathy.

Winnie's abusive husband has left and she finds herself foolishly falling in love with black-market trader, Have-it Harry Hampton. But Harry is married and Winnie soon finds herself tied up in his web of secrets.

Meanwhile Winnie's son is back in London - not to visit his own child, but to charm the latest barmaid at the Battersea Tavern, which will lead to devastating consequences for the family.

With bombs dropping all around them, is it too late for Winnie to uncover the secrets of those closest to her in order to protect her true family?

Book 2 in the Battersea Tavern series.

London, 1944. With bombs raining over London, keeping the Battersea Tavern open is no easy feat for owner Winnie Berry - but the community need the warmth and familiarity of the pub more than ever.

After marriage, Maureen Fanning had moved out to Wandsworth with her bad-tempered husband Brancher. But when he loses both his job and their lodgings, the only people who will take them in are her kindly grandparents, Len and Renee. Getting a cleaning job at the Battersea Tavern is the least she can do to pay them back. It would all be fine... if it weren't for Brancher.

Winnie is determined to take timid Maureen under her wing. But when tragedy strikes, it will be up to Maureen to find the strength she didn't know she possessed...

Book 3 in the Battersea Tavern series.

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?

Book 4 in the Battersea Tavern series.

Anna Craven grew up captivated by stories of her mother Kate's childhood in Birmingham. But when Kate dies, she leaves her daughter one final story, and Anna is shocked to discover how little she really knew about the mother with whom she once felt so close.

Pretty 17-year-old Greta has never known a stable family life, and is happiest at work with her friends at the Cadbury factory in Birmingham. But life takes a turn for the worse when her missing vixen of a sister Marleen turns up during the freezing winter of 1962.

Sixteen-year-old Sally is evacuated to Cliffehaven on the south coast, and is terrified by what lies ahead of her. But when she is welcomed by the open-hearted Reilly family, life begins to improve. Then her mother Florrie arrives, bringing disaster with her, and Sally is forced to work out where her true loyalties lie....

February 1941. Julie Harris is working in London's East End as a midwife when a bombing raid destroys her family and the house she grew up in. All she has left is her motherless baby nephew William.

Determined to uphold her promise to her sister to keep William safe until his father, Bill, returns from the war, she accepts a post as a midwife in Cliffehaven on the south-coast of England. Here they are taken under the wing of the Reilly family at the Beach View boarding house.

But all too soon Julie learns that Bill is 'missing in action' and William falls dangerously ill. As she begins the long vigil by William's beside, she fears she will lose the little boy she has grown to love as her own…

After the death of her parents in a bombing raid, Mary Jones discovers a secret in the pages of father's diaries. Her search for the truth brings her to Cliffehaven on the south coast.

Here, she finds work at the Kodak factory, sifting through the Airgraphs which are being sent from all over the world by the men and women in the armed forces, and by their loved ones. All the while she longs for news of her own sweetheart, fighting in Europe.

With the help of Peggy Reilly and her family at Beach View Boarding House Mary starts to build a new life for herself.

But events that happened eighteen years before still echo, and should a promise Peggy made then be broken, it will have a devastating affect not only on Mary, but them all…

It's 1943 and Peggy Reilly is at her best when the troubles of war come knocking at the door of Beach View Boarding House - especially when it concerns her younger sister, Doreen.

Doreen is divorced from Eddie, but his letters have taken on a more threatening tone of late. When Doreen barely survives a traumatic disaster whilst on leave in London, she returns home to Peggy and Cliffehaven in the hope that the love and comfort she will find there can help her recover.

However, Eddie continues to be an unsettling reminder of her past - and Doreen's life is about to change dramatically.

George Markham has a nasty little hobby, one that erupts into an orgy of viscous sexual depravity.

Patrick Kelly is a hard man. His one soft spot is his daughter, and when she falls victim to the Grantley Ripper, Kelly wants revenge.

The DI in charge of the case is Kate Burrows. She feels for Kelly but her growing involvement with a known villain is putting her career at risk... As the forces of law and order and London's underworld converge in a huge manhunt, Kate fears she'll lose everything she's ever cared about... to the ladykiller.

Book 1 in the DI Kate Burrows series.

When the bodies of missing schoolgirls start turning up, former DCI Kate Burrows is dragged out of retirement.A new Grantley serial killer is in town and DCI Annie Carr turns to Kate for help. She welcomes the distraction from her home life with former gangster Patrick Kelly, whose long-lost son has turned up out of the blue, bringing trouble with him.It soon becomes clear the killer is on their doorstep and as the body count grows, Kate and Annie face a race against the clock.But they have no real leads...and there's more to these murders than meets the eye. Can Kate take the killer down before another schoolgirl dies?

It's 1916, and England is at war. Desperate to help in whatever way they can, Ivy and Louisa enlist as gardeners at Kew, taking on the jobs of the men who have gone to fight. Under their care, the gardens begin to flourish - but Ivy and Louisa aren't being treated fairly, and not everyone wants them there. Without women's rights, the pair begins to struggle - but can the support of the Suffragettes help their cause? And when a tragedy overseas affects the people closest to them, can the women of Kew pull together to support themselves and their country through the darkest of times?

Book 1 in the Kew Gardens Girls series.

1940. For newlywed Daisy Turner, Kew Gardens is a haven away from the bombs that are falling nightly on her East End home.

Beth Sanderson works with Daisy at the gardens, but she dreams of being a doctor while juggling her gardening job with nursing shifts. And there's the added complication of her forbidden romance with her colleague, Gus.

Meanwhile Louisa Armitage, who worked at Kew Gardens during the First World War, is feeling old and useless, having retired to the countryside. So she jumps at the chance to work with Kew again and rally the WI to get them involved in growing plants for medicines.

 Book 2 in the Kew Gardens Girls series.

World War II has begun and the evacuation of Dunkirk approaches. The nation braces itself for war, but the residents of Lavender Road are dealing with troubles of their own. As the threat of a German invasion looms, the lives of the women on this south London street are about to change for ever...

September 1940. As the Luftwaffe bomb London, the women of Lavender Road are fighting their own battles. For shy Katy Parsons, enrolling as a nurse was always her dream, but the reality is tougher than she ever imagined. Louise Rutherford secretly hoped the war would bring her some fun and romance. But so far it has brought her pain and grief. London during the Blitz is a dangerous place to live but the Lavender Road residents never stop believing their sunny day will come.

London has been ravaged by war and life couldn't be tougher for those living on Lavender Road. Inspired by the courage of her friends on this south London street, Lady Helen de Burrel volunteers to join the Special Operations Executive and puts her life in jeopardy for the sake of her country. But it's hard to know who to trust, and when her heart is on the line even love becomes dangerous.

It will take more than Hitler's Luftwaffe to break the spirit of the residents of Lavender Road. If courage, resilience and a shared sense of humour could win wars, the conflict would already be over. It's not all harmony, though. It's probably just as well that no one knows what challenges lie ahead.... Book 3 of series

It's 1944. With rumours of an invasion of France, the tide of war seems to be turning. In Lavender Road, however, everyone still has challenges to face. Young widow Louise Rutherford longs to make a new life for herself. When a glamorous American officer arrives at her factory, she senses an opportunity, only to find her efforts hampered by ten-year-old war orphan, George Nelson. And then V1 retaliation rockets start hitting London. Will the war finally wear down the women of Lavender Road, or can love thrive even in the toughest of times?

September, 1941. Mary arrives in war-torn London nursing a broken heart and a painful secret.

When she is offered her dream post as an assistant in the fabric department at Liberty store, she knows this is the fresh start she needs. Amid the store's vibrant prints and sumptuous interiors, Mary finds a new family who can help her to heal.

But not everyone will give Mary such a warm welcome, and the trauma of her past will soon catch up with her.

As Mary and the Liberty Girls endure the heartache and uncertainty of war, it will take a steady heart to keep the magic of Christmas alive.

Book 1 in the Liberty Girls series.

March, 1942. new mother Alice Milward is itching to return to her job as a shop assistant at Liberty's.

Despite her husband still being missing in action, Alice is determined to give baby Arthur the best possible start. She soon settles back into the rhythm of life on the shop floor, and the Liberty Girls rally to help keep everything on an even keel.

But when the American GIs start swarming into London, there are more complications to come. And each of the Liberty Girls has their own impossible storm to weather.

As they each fight their battles on the home front, only their close friendship will give them the strength they need to carry on.

Book 2 in the Liberty Girls series.

London, 1942 Flo Canning's heart is beyond repair following the news that she has been dreading since the outbreak of war. As Flo throws herself into the role of fabric manager at Liberty's, old and new friends alike help pull her from a whirl of despair. Between work and home life there's plenty to keep Flo occupied. Not least new deputy store manager, Henry Masters, whose arrival has consequences that Flo and her workmates could never have foreseen. But there is more tragedy still to come, and Flo and her friends will need each other more than ever if they are to survive the uncertainty ahead.

Jennifer Worth relates her experiences as a midwife in London’s East End during the 1950’s. She witnessed both brutality and tragedy but also met with kindness and understanding, all mixed with a good sprinkling of cockney humour.. The book succeeds in being both funny and very moving.

Jennifer Worth, a midwife working in the East End in the 1950’s, shares her stories of people she met at that time. Many bore the scars of abject poverty and retained memories of a time when the threat of ‘The Workhouse’ was an ever-present reality.

To escape her abusive stepfather, young Maryann Nelson befriends Joel Bartholomew, who works on the canal. Aboard his narrowboat, she finds herself falling in love with her new life. But old nightmares that she had thought were long buried resurface, and in panic she takes flight...

Deal, Kent, 1812. Eighteen-year-old Winnie Lennicker yearns for a peaceful life as a respectable married woman. However, when she becomes involved in her family's free-trading operations and caught by the Revenue, she is sent before the magistrates. Forced to confess that she is with child, now more than ever, Winnie is determined to give up smuggling. But the only way she can support herself and her unborn child is to carry on.

An opportunity presents itself to carry despatches on behalf of British agents and spies, and gold for Wellington's army. Needing the money, Winnie can't afford to refuse, but the journey across the Channel is treacherous. When Winnie discovers the despatches she's carrying aren't what they seem, she's determined to right her wrongs in the hope of achieving her dream and leaving the free trade behind for good.

When Jenny Gregory leaves wartime London for the quiet town of Allanby Cross, she feels as though her hopes for the future are slipping away. But an unexpected offer to become the editor for the struggling Allanby Cross Gazette gives her a chance to begin again.

Eager to prove herself, Jenny throws her energy into reviving the paper and finding her place in the community. But when mistakes and mishaps begin to threaten her hard work, she starts to suspect someone wants her to fail.

With the support of new friends, Jenny must hold her nerve and uncover the truth before her chance at a fresh start slips through her fingers...

Book 1 in the Newspaper Girls series.

London, 1854: Twenty-year-old Essie Chapman lives with her father in poverty stricken Limehouse, working on the river as a boatman. Then, one night, she must transport a mysterious man from a foreign ship to the banks of the Thames, a man who ends up renting a room in Essie’s house, identifying himself only as ‘Raven’. When curiosity gets the better of her, Essie follows him and finds herself on a ship bound for the penal colonies in Australia.  Book 1 of series.

When Carrie Manning’s father dies her mother, Esther, is heartbroken and leaves London to convalesce. It is down to Carrie to take charge of the shipping company that her father has left behind. But the company is in dire straits and Carrie’s journey is as unpredictable as the waters that link rival shipping companies. But will her determination be enough to preserve the legacy of her family’s name?  Book 2 of series.

Rose Munday is on the way back to the city she was born in, but expecting to be met by her sweetheart, she is left alone on the docks, surrounded by whistles and scornful glances. How could Max have abandoned her? With no money left, Rose must go to work. Finding herself a position as a typist, Rose’s future begins to take shape. But London is a treacherous place for a young woman, and what initially seemed a brave decision, might just be a dangerous one…  Book 3 of series.

Rockwood was home, and she would do anything she could to stop it being stolen from them. Abandoned by their parents and left to fight for themselves, headstrong Rosalind Carey has no choice but to take charge of her younger brothers and sister in Devonshire’s grand Rockwood Castle. But their once much-loved home is crumbling like the family that lives within it. Living hand to mouth and desperate to provide for the estate that depends on them, the Carey family are one debt away from ruin. Until the day comes when the dashing Piers Blanchard appears on their doorstep from Cornwall, claiming he is Rosalind’s distant cousin and that Rockwood Castle is his. Piers says he wants to help pay off the family’s debts. But how can Rosalind be sure he isn’t out to take what is his and leave them all homeless? Only a closely guarded secret will convince Rosalind she can trust Piers to protect her family - and her fragile heart. Book one of series.

As the first Christmas snowflakes fall, Rosalind finds herself pregnant and alone…Christmas is coming to the village of Rockwood. But the happiest time of the year is marred by the news that Rosalind Blanchard's husband, Piers, is close to death after a shipwreck at sea. The fate of her beloved family home, the crumbling Rockwood Castle, is once more in her hands. She must find the strength to keep her family together.

Pregnant, Rosalind comes face to face with the only man who ever made her heart truly sing: her husband's brother, Alex. As the Christmas bells ring, news of Piers arrives that changes everything. And another chance of happiness might be the gift Rosalind has been waiting for…

After the sudden death of her husband, Patricia Greystone is left with nothing, and at twenty-four, she finds herself a penniless widow. As the youngest child of a large family, she has always been headstrong and proud - so she's determined not to return to her family cap in hand. Instead she strikes out on her own.

The dark streets of London are the perfect place to hide from the world, and Patricia makes her living singing on the streets. But the city is a dangerous place. Without her family around her, will Patricia lose her way?

Left on the steps of an orphanage when she was just days old, Nancy Sunday was brought up in hardship - until the kindly Rosalind Carey took her in. Now eighteen years old, Nancy is an adopted member of the Carey family. But she can't help wondering who her parents really were...When Nancy is sent away to finishing school, she finds herself in the midst of London society. There she meets Freddie Ashton - kind and warm-hearted, he might just be the man of Nancy's dreams. But she knows his wealthy parents would never let him marry a penniless foundling.And she has also caught the eye of another man - the charming and dangerous Gervase North, who has reasons of his own for discovering Nancy's parentage.Will Nancy ever find where she truly belongs?