Anne Dover

Emily was only five years old when she was sent away from her ma and pa and her brother Joe to go and live with old Granny Edwards. A loving and hard-working child, she goes into service when she is twelve at the house of Roger Francis, whose connections with Emily's own family prove to be closer than she could ever have guessed. Roger's daughter Deborah takes a great fancy to Emily, and when Emily has moved to another household in Hull she finds that her new employer's son Hugo is to marry Deborah. But Hugo, too, has taken a fancy to Emily, and dishonours and then betrays her to such an extent that she is imprisoned, tried and deported to Australia. But just when her fortunes seem to be at their lowest ebb, Emily is reunited with the one man who can save her from her miserable existence and bring her wealth and happiness.

For Amelia and her brothers and sisters, the grim past which their mother Emily had endured seemed very far away. As pretty as a picture, and now learning to be a teacher in York, Amelia looked forward with pleasure to becoming acquainted with the young men clamouring to get to know her, and especially the two gentlemen who had come all the way from Australia to meet her family. Ralph Hawkins, bringing with him his friend Jack - a handsome half-aboriginal Australian who was determined to make a good living for himself - arrived in Hull looking for his roots. He found Amelia, whose tangled family history was inextricably bound up with his.

Ralph Hawkins's whole world had been turned upside down when he learned that he had been adopted by the couple he had always called his parents. In his quest to find his real mother, he uncovered some cruel and unpleasant truths, before at last realising where his true destiny lay.

Poppy Mazzini, born in Hull over her father's grocery shop, lives up to the promise of her fiery red hair and Italian ancestry. Her lovely singing voice and good looks lead her to her great ambition - to go on the stage and see her name top of the bill. She becomes a music hall star both in her native town and in the south, after an appearance in the theatre at Brighton - she even performs in Paris, to tremendous acclaim. But when her first love, an ambitious shoemaker in her home town, becomes engaged to someone else Poppy is devastated. She disappears, believing that she will never return to her life of stardom. But her fame cannot be kep a secret...

1665: Susannah Leyton has grown up behind the counter of her father's apothecary shop in bustling Fleet Street. But Susannah is dealt a shocking blow when her widowed father marries again, and her new stepmother seems determined to remove her from the apothecary shop for good.

1688: Beth Ambrose has led a sheltered life in her family home on the outskirts of London; a place where her parents provide a sanctuary for melancholic souls. But as political tensions begin to rise in the capital, Noah Leyton arrives in the middle of the night with a proposition that turns Beth's world upside down.

Dan Hodges is devastated when his wife Nora dies during the early days of the war. Working long hours in a Portsmouth shipyard, how is he to look after his two sons, Gordon and Sammy? Then Sammy is evacuated to a village near Southampton and Ruth Purslow, a young childless widow, takes him in. Slowly, as they grow closer, Ruth begins to dread the time when Sammy must return to Portsmouth...  Book 5 of series.

Life is anxious for the Taylor family, as it is for everyone in Portsmouth during the early days of 1941. During a Luftwaffe raid, the Taylors lose their home, and when Judy's fiancé is killed a few months later, she is befriended by the Lady Mayoress who invites her to join her team of WVS workers. As they work on various projects for the WVS her grief heals, and she finds love in the least likely manner...  Book 6 of series.

As the country braces itself for D-Day, three young munitions workers at Priddy's Yard near Portsmouth, all face their own very personal problems. Kate is terrified that she carries a jinx, Maxine makes a discovery that changes her entire view of her family, while Elsie is bitter over the death of her son. Each dilemma brings the women face to face with her own strengths and failings and, ultimately, her own destiny.  Book 7 of series.

For Pixie and Rita, the Munitions Girls, work is dangerous and the hours long but they are making the most of the war while trying to stay alive. Then Pixie falls pregnant and her life changes dramatically. Alone and unable to work, she has to rely on the kindness of friends to help her survive…

Like the rest of the nation, the Burracombe villagers are shocked when King George the Sixth dies suddenly in 1952. But in the midst of their grief, the arrival of a stranger in the village on the very same day goes almost unnoticed, as the villagers have their own concerns... Book 2 of series.

There's trouble afoot in Burracombe...Life in the village is enlivened by the new drama club, formed by energetic young curate Felix Copley. Almost the entire village becomes involved in the pantomime he decides to organise - with results they didn't quite plan for! Then tragedy strikes, making everyone realise exactly what is important in their lives... Book 3 of series.

The village of Burracombe is looking forward to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, but the year of 1953 is to prove a year of heartbreak as well as celebration. Meanwhile, the life of the village goes on, with all its ups and downs, its feuds and dramas, and in the midst of it all, romance comes from a quite unexpected direction. Book 4 of series.

It's a summer's day in 1953. When a beautiful French woman and her son knock on her door, Hilary Napier can't help but notice that the young boy has the same eyes as the brother she lost in the war. As she listens to Marianne's sad tale, she realises that her soldier brother lives on in the son he never met. But this is only the first revelation... Book 5 of series.

It's autumn 1953. The village is delighted when Joe Tozer - who left Burracombe as a young man in 1919 - returns to visit his family. His life since emigrating to the States has been a world away from rural Devon. With him is his eldest son, Russell, who sets hearts fluttering in the village - but will there be anyone on his arm when he catches the boat back to America? Book 6 of series.

It's December 1953 and as snow falls softly on the village, Burracombe proves once again that there's always a surprise just around the corner. For Stella Simmons, recovering from a car crash, the winter wedding that she had planned, seems impossible. The darkest time of the year finds everyone asking questions with no easy answer. Book 7 of series.

It's been a long, hard winter in Burracombe. But as the first crocuses bring colour and the promise of change, there are two weddings to plan and it won't be long before everyone in this very special village comes together in a joyful celebration of love, life, and the things that matter most. Book 8 of series.

It's the late 1950s and for the Napier family, up at the big house, the old ways are shifting. Hilary must discover if a chance of happiness means breaking away from the life expected of her, while Patsy, their young housekeeper's help, is facing motherhood without her own family around her. Down the hill, change comes to the village school and the Tozer family continue to find surprises in their midst. Book 9 of series.

Hilary Napier has had enough of secrets. The engagement party at the Barton is finally a chance for her and David to celebrate their good news. But the course of true love never did run smooth. Amongst all the drama, old friends are always on hand and when Dottie falls ill, and an old face comes back to Burracombe to lift her spirits, and perhaps change her life. Book 10 of series.

Devon, 1943. In the village of Burracombe, 'Dig for Victory' is more than just a wartime slogan. While the young men are away, everyone at home knows the war effort needs them too. Whether it's Land Girls on the farms, wives and mothers having to make do and mend, or the villagers knowing how to stretch rations to keep spirits bright, there is always something to be done to help. Book 12 of series.

When a young girl is found dead at the base of Hadrian's Wall, it's not long before Detective Chief Inspector Kate Daniels realises her death was no ordinary homicide. As the murder investigation team delve deeper into the case, half truths are told, secrets exposed, and while Daniels makes her way through a mountain of obstacles time is running out for one terrified girl.

Lancashire, 1930: After the death of their mother and father, it falls to Leah Turner to become sole provider for her little sister. But women's wages are half those of men, and pawning the few belongings she has left will keep their vicious rent collector at bay for only a few weeks.

Out of the blue, Charlie Willcox, the local pawnbroker, offers her a deal. His brother Jonah, an invalid since being gassed in the Great War, needs a wife.

The idea of a marriage of convenience doesn't please Leah, but she finds Jonah agreeable enough, and moving with him to the pretty hamlet of Ellindale may be the only chance of a better life for her sister. But other people have plans for the remote Pennine valley, and the two sisters find themselves facing danger in their new life with Jonah.

Book 1 in the Ellindale series.

Lancashire, 1932. Widower Harry Makepeace lives in Manchester with his sickly daughter, Cathie. But after she suffers a violent asthma attack, the doctors say she must move to the clean, fresh air of the countryside to have any hope of survival. When Harry chances upon a patch of land for sale in Ellindale and an advert for a disused railway carriage that can be made into a home, he snaps both up quickly.

Harry swiftly becomes part of the community in Ellindale, making friends with the locals, and soon finds himself attracted to Nina, another newcomer to the village.

But times are hard in Ellindale - Harry is not the only one struggling to find work. Then there's his old boss, who will stop at nothing to punish him for daring to leave. And Harry's already made an enemy in Ellindale…

Book 3 in the Ellindale series.

Lancashire, 1934. When Tam Crawford is unexpectedly bequeathed some money, he can finally realise his dream of settling down in the beautiful village of Ellindale.

Tam knows he can be impulsive but this time he is determined not to be ruled by his big heart and hot head. Yet somehow, within just one day, he has taken on a fiancée and two children to keep them out of the poorhouse - or worse.

Tam and his makeshift family are not the only ones facing difficulties. Local benefactor Finn Carlisle's attempts to help the unemployed are being sabotaged by an unscrupulous local councillor, and Tam's cousin-by-marriage Hilda Kerkham has been widowed and is struggling even to feed her son. Will the people of Ellindale be able to help one another in these hard times?

Book 4 in the Ellindale series.

Lancashire, 1931. When Finn Carlisle loses his wife and unborn child, he spends a few years travelling to keep the sad memories at bay. Just as he's ready to settle down again, his great-uncle dies and leaves everything to him. This includes Heythorpe House in Ellindale.

Finn finds a village of people in dire need of jobs, a house that hasn't been cleaned or lived in for thirty years and Reggie, an eleven-year-old who's run away from the nearby orphanage and its brutal Director Buddle. When Finn sees the marks left by regular beatings, he decides Reggie will never go back there.

But Buddle has other plans for the child, and will stop at nothing to get Reggie back in his cruel grasp. Finn's new neighbours help him save Reggie but other surprises throw his new plans into turmoil.

Book 2 in the Ellindale series.

They call them the custard tarts - the girls who work at Pearce Duff's custard powder factory in Bermondsey before the First World War. Conditions are hard but nothing can quench the spirit of humour and friendship - or the rising tide of anger that will finally bring the girls out on strike for a better deal.

Handsome Frank Rossi took Matty Gilbie away from her working class roots in East London, promising her fame and fortune. But the Wall Street Crash puts paid to all that, and as Frank becomes more violent, Matty flees back home to Bermondsey. But Frank is determined to find her and get her back.

Three sisters in 1920s struggle to make ends meet and protect their mother from their violent father. Milly works in Southwells jam factory, Elsie dreams of a career on the stage, while little Amy runs wild with her friends. The three girls fear the unforgiving temper of their father and their courageous attempts to protect their defenceless mother will have dramatic, disastrous consequences for them all.

As London goes up in flames during the Blitz, two sisters from Bermondsey find their lives changed out of all recognition… When a bombing raid destroys nearly everything she holds dear, May joins the ATS and becomes a gunner girl. Peggy is trapped in a stifling marriage yet amid the chaos of war, a route to freedom beckons. From war will come hardship and tragedy, as well as new, unexpected friendships and love affairs.

It's no rest for the wicked as Kate Shackleton picks up her second professional sleuthing case. But exposing the culprit of a pawn-shop robbery turns sinister when her investigation takes her to Harrogate, and murder is only one step behind ...

When Harriet and her brother Austin find their stone mason father dead at the quarry, they scarper quick smart and look for some help. It seems like another unusual case requiring the expertise of Kate Shackleton. But for Kate, surprising family ties makes it her most dangerous, and delicate yet...

Deirdre Fitzpatrick is married to a man who wants to know where she really goes when supposedly taking care of her sick mother, and calls on the expertise of Kate Shackleton, amateur sleuth extraordinaire, to investigate. Everett Runcie is a banker facing ruin and disgrace. His American heiress wife will no longer tolerate his infidelity, and is seeking divorce. When a chambermaid enters Runcie's hotel room, she finds herself staring at a dead body. Suddenly Kate is thrown into the depths of an altogether more sinister investigation. Can she uncover the truth of her most complex and personal case to date?

When amateur sleuth, Kate Shackleton, receives a dawn telephone call from her cousin James, his news soon snaps Kate into wakefulness. The India office seek her on-the-spot help in finding a maharajah last seen on the Bolton Abbey estate. He has with him a hugely valuable diamond...

Kate Shackleton's sterling reputation for courageous sleuthing is put to the test when the body of the respected Horatio Potter is found in the Leeds Library basement. The quiet literary community is suddenly turned upside down with suspicions, accusations and - much to Kate's surprise - the appearance of a particularly intelligent Capuchin monkey!

August 1940: As the Luftwaffe swarm over Liverpool, Shane Quinn decides to move his family back to the safety of Ireland. But his only child, the beautiful Dana, would rather stay and serve her country than flee to a foreign land. 

Determined to make it on her own, she joins the WAAF with newfound pals Patty and Lucy. There's plenty of excitement to be had on a RAF station, even a chance or two at love… But the stark reality of war begins to take its toll and the three girls soon discover they need their friendship more than ever. And when shocking news arrives from Ireland, Dana will realise the true importance of family.

Book 1 in the Liverpool Sisters series.

Liverpool, 1940. When war comes to Britain, Jessica Wilson and her friend Ruby seize the opportunity to leave behind the orphanage they grew up in and start new lives in the NAAFI. With only forged papers as identification the girls expect to be turned away but are delighted with an offer of work.

For the first time in their lives they experience real independence and it isn't long before they're spending their evenings enjoying the delights of Liverpool. When Jessica meets the handsome Tom, she feels as though her life is complete, but after a chance encounter with a friend, she soon learns that not everything is as it seems. As Jessica begins to uncover the truth, she unravels a web of lies, starting with the night of her birth...

Liverpool 1939: Olivia Campbell appears to have the perfect life. However, behind closed doors she lives in constant fear of her abusive father, and has no support from her mother. Longing for love and affection she begins a relationship with Ted, a young lad who works in her father's factory. But her family disapprove of the relationship and forbid them from seeing each other. When war comes to Liverpool, Olivia seizes the opportunity to leave behind her unhappy life and join the WAAF. There she meets a fellow trainee, Maude and the two embrace their newly found independence. Soon Olivia meets the handsome Ralph, and all thoughts of Ted are brushed aside. Until he returns to her life with some shocking news that turns her world upside down . . .