Penelope Freeman

It is 1946: The war is over and three young women face a new kind of life. But peacetime brings its own pressures, with each facing life with all its joys, sorrows, and surprises.

Cliffehaven, June 1944. As the planes continue to circle over Cliffehaven, Peggy Reilly's sister Doris must seek refuge after a V-1 blast destroys her home. Rita, Sarah and the other residents at Beach View Boarding House quickly find their peace disturbed and it's not long before even Peggy loses her patience. But with more bad news to come, will Doris finally be forced to swallow her pride?

Meanwhile Peggy's father-in-law Ron Reilly is delighted when his sweetheart Rosie returns home. Until a heart-breaking confession suggests things may never be the same between them.

With loved ones scattered far and wide across the globe, and tensions running high, the end of the war feels somehow further than ever. And yet with the long-awaited Allied invasion in sight, a glimmer of light is starting to break through…

1951, Brighton. With the war over, Mirabelle Bevan, ex-Secret Service, moves to the seaside to put the past behind her. She takes a job as a secretary at a debt collection agency run by Big Ben McGuigan, but when confronted by the case of Romana Laszlo, a pregnant Hungarian refugee, Mirabelle discovers that her specialist knowledge is vital. With assistance from the pretty insurance clerk, Vesta Churchill, Mirabelle follows a mysterious trail of gold sovereigns, betting scams and bodies to a dark corner of Austerity Britain where forces of evil remain.

Celia Frost has always thought herself a cut above the other residents of Lark Rise in Battersea. When her beloved son, Thomas, marries Amy Miller, a girl from the bottom of the Rise, Celia disapproves, thinking her common. As a tide of jealously and hate grows, Amy must fight for her marriage, and her baby.

It's 1945 and, as the troops begin to return home, the inhabitants of London attempt to put their lives back together. Twenty-five-year-old Millie, a qualified nurse, tends to the needs of the East End community around her. But when misfortune befalls her own family, it is the enduring spirit of the community that shows Millie that even the toughest of circumstances can be overcome.

When novelist Sophie Carr’s path crosses that of ageing pop star Jez Winter, she’s aware that he’s had a tough time with accident and injury. Life has not been easy for Sophie either, losing her husband just as she was taking off as a novelist and having difficulties with her son William and her daughter Andi, who has lost her way in life since her father's death. And Sophie also has a secret to hide. One that makes her very wary of getting involved with Jez.

The year is 1912 and Britain is gripped by fear of war with Germany. Headstrong Leonora Malham Brown with the feisty Victoria Langford decide to head to Bulgaria to offer their assistance on the battlefield, but neither of them are fully prepared for the grim realities of war. As well as danger, fear and excitement, Leo will find unexpected and passionate romance.  Book 1 of series.

Val Thorn, Paula Richardson, Cheryl Cutter and Betty Grayson have one thing in common - they have all been betrayed by men. Now these four women want revenge. Masterminded by Val, the four women set out to right past wrongs. But will their role of avenging angels take them down a terrible road?

Jennifer Lavender learns she was adopted, but her dream of finding her real family can never be fulfilled - her mother died alone giving birth. Then Jenny meets a young woman who will change her life forever. Together they search for the truth, but what they discover may be more than they can bear.

1938, When her sister Evadne needs her help in Athens, Penelope George seizes the opportunity to escape London society. Arriving in the historic city, she reinvents herself..until war breaks out. Sixty years later she returns on a journey which leads her to a reunion with the friend she thought she had lost forever - and the truth behind a secret buried deep in the past...

In 1914, Britain faces a new kind of war. For Edward and Beatrice Hunter, their children, servants and neighbours, life will never be the same again. The once-tranquil village of Northcote reels under an influx of khaki volunteers, wounded soldiers and Belgian refugees. The war is becoming more dangerous and everyone must find a way to adapt to this rapidly changing world.  Book 1 of series.

1916. Working as a volunteer with the Red Cross, feisty young Englishwoman Leonora Malham Brown has secretly become the lover of the dashing Colonel Sasha Malkovic. Meanwhile Leonora's fiancé Tom is engulfed in the horrors of the Somme, where he discovers a shocking secret about Leo's brother Ralph. Book 3 of series.

A family torn apart by war, held together by a secret . . .

Janie and her husband James have a strong, loving marriage. A move from an inner-city slum to a peaceful new estate outside of Bolton should have been a fresh start for them and their three children. But when war is declared and James announces he has signed up, Janie fears it's the beginning of the end.

Waving goodbye to their menfolk is a sacrifice that families are making all over the country and Janie does her best to make do, forging friendships in her new community. But when James comes home on leave a traumatised and desperate man, then goes AWOL, Janie's heart goes out to him.

Determined to keep him safe, she plans to hide him in their new house. But how long can they keep the secret, and what threats lie ahead if they're found out?

Emma Brown is a happy-go-lucky child, content to work hard at school, and to play hopscotch with her friends in the run-down Nechells area of Birmingham in the 1930s. But her life is turned upside down when her mother, Cynthia, has another baby, and doesn't seem able to cope.

When a new feature on Pete Newbury s popular TV programme shows his adult image digitally transformed to that of a young child, Beth is shocked to realise that he s her baby brother, who disappeared without a trace thirty-eight years ago. He vanished at the age of three and her family has grieved for him ever since, believing him to be dead. But the path to reunion and happiness is fraught with complications, not least Beth s feelings towards a close friend of her long-lost brother and then the reappearance of her runaway daughter, complete with child. Bridges take time to build, but after so many years of heartache, can Beth manage to keep hold of everything she holds dear?

Tensions are running high in the small mining village of Bellingsworth. A retired miner, who was known to be against a new strike, is murdered. Was he killed due to the stand he took against further strikes? Or are there more sinister forces at work? Detective Inspector Monika Paniatowski investigates.

It is 1916 and the Hunters, their friends and their servants are settling down to the business of war. As conscription reaches into every household, Britain turns out men and shells in industrial numbers from army camps and munitions factories up and down the land. But as the battle of the Somme grinds into action, the shadow of death falls over every part of the country, and the Hunter household cannot remain untouched. Book 3 of series.

Bullied by everyone around her for years, has Mavis Jackson finally found happiness? Or is it a case of going from the frying pan straight into the fire?

After losing everything in the Blitz, Hilda Stone is desperate for a miracle. But her world is shattered when her beloved husband is lost at sea. In the depths of despair, Hilda is one day approached by a strange woman with a message - and both she and her daughter Ellen are astounded when the prediction becomes a reality...

Eleven-year-old Stella Barry is forced into service in a country house outside London. When she returns home one Sunday, she discovers her family have been thrown out of their lodgings, and no one knows where they have gone. Years later, when circumstances compel her to flee, she is determined to find out what happened to them.

Phoebe Parsons is destitute, disgraced, and alone. After her mistress tragically dies, Phoebe is forced back onto the poverty-ridden streets of Manchester by her unforgiving new master. Desperately searching for work as a domestic maid, Phoebe soon discovers her reputation is in ruins. 

Fearing for her future and haunted by the harshness of her abandonment, Phoebe finds herself living with thieves and drunks in the smog and squalor - until she meets Victor Hayes. An officer removed from his duty and shamed by a cruel lie, Mr Hayes is a kind face among the uncertain threats of living in the alleyways. But Phoebe soon realises the sacrifices she must make to rebuild from the ground up... As their two worlds collide, can they make a new life from the wreckage? Or will the judgement of their peers make a pauper of Phoebe?

Molly Peel feels trapped by her family: her ex-husband Craig cannot seem to abandon his controlling ways despite abandoning her for a younger woman, her lazy son Brian has long been taking advantage of her generosity, and her selfish daughter Rachel is embarrassed by her. When she is blamed for ruining Rachel's wedding in circumstances beyond her control, Molly decides enough is enough and makes a clean break to Wiltshire to begin a new life. However, the persistent interference of her ex presents difficulties. Can Molly find the courage to stand up for herself and finally move on?

In 1984, two young mothers meet at a toddler group in Birmingham. As their friendship grows, they share with each other the difficulties and secrets in their lives. They both come to discover the heartbreak in their own mothers' lives, and how mothers create daughters - and learn from them.

Renowned war artist Dame Laura Knight is commissioned to paint propaganda portraits of the girls of the ordnance factories in her hometown of Nottingham. When she starts work on a portrait of two particular women, Violet Smith, and Zelah Fitzlord, memories begin to resurface that she has spent half a lifetime trying to forget. Just like Laura, Violet and Zelah have something hidden. Will the night shift keep these women’s secrets, or will the past explode into the present and change all of their lives forever?

As Christmas 1938 approaches, the staff at the Nightingale Hospital have their own wishes for the festive season. But as the country prepares itself for war, one thing is for sure - nothing at the Nightingale Hospital will be the same again.  Book 5 of series.

It's 1957, and three young women are beginning their nursing training at the Florence Nightingale Hospital in London's East End... Winne desperately wants to win her mother's approval - but will following in her footsteps and becoming a nurse help? Tearaway Viv has never been one to follow the rules, though the Nightingale may help her mend her ways. Beth is following her late sister's dream by training as a nurse. Will it be the right path for her? There's a steep learning curve ahead. But with friendship on their side, the Nightingale Daughters are ready to rise to the challenge.  Book 11 of series.

Three very different girls sign up as student nurses in 1936, while England is still mourning the death of George V. To the Nightingale student nurses, the ward sisters are heartless, hard to please harridans, with impossibly high standards. But what makes a woman give up any hope of family life to care for the sick?  Book 1 of series

It's the final year of training for three young nurses at The Nightingale Hospital. With war looming in Europe, and the East End of London squaring up to the threat of Oswald Mosley's blackshirts, the women of the Nightingale have to face their own challenges, at work and in love.  Book 3 of series

The lives and loves of the young nurses at the Nightingale Hospital in the 1930s entwine with the stories of the ward sisters, each with her own heart-rending secrets. Book 2 of series.

1937 sees new challenges for the trainee nurses. Dora and her old enemy Lucy are paired up on the children’s ward. The two nurses couldn’t seem more different, but they may have more in common than they think, as each hides a secret heartache.  Book 4 of series.

Sally Jones is heartbroken when she finds her husband in the arms of her friend Patsy. Devastated, she returns to her mother's house, only to find that Patsy is hiding a dark secret. It is only when divorce proceedings are in progress that the shocking truth emerges, but for Sally, it has come too late . . .

This is Edith Cotterill's insight of training in a hospital in the 1930s, containing hilarious and soul wrenching stories of patients, hospital practice, wartime traumas and post-war austerity. Although hospital life did have its compensations - it was there during World War 2 she met an injured sailor who became her husband.

Cliffehaven, October 1944. As the Allied troops draw closer to victory, life at Beach View Boarding House is still full of uncertainty

Rosie's plans for her wedding to Ron Reilly are plagued with misunderstandings. And when Ron takes on a secret assignment just days before they are due to say their vows, it seems their plans for a future together may be doomed.

Meanwhile, Peggy Reilly embraces her new managerial role at the uniform factory. It's a welcome distraction while her husband Jim is still away fighting in the Far East. But when an old school adversary joins the factory's ranks, Peggy must win her own battles on the home front.

As a new year dawns, hopes grow brighter for the return of loved ones - but a big sea change is still to come before Victory in Europe can be declared.

1955. When Mirabelle Bevan is rescued from a fire at her home on the Brighton seafront she's lucky to escape unharmed - but the blaze takes the life of her neighbour, Dougie Beaumont, a dashing and successful racing driver living in the flat above. It soon becomes clear that this was arson, raising questions about the young man's death that Mirabelle can't resist investigating further.

When Leonora Malham finally gets the chance to go to the Front as part of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, she bravely faces the dangers of her new position, while hoping to someday be reunited with her beloved Colonel Sasha Malkovic.  Book 2 of series.

Kent, 1876. With doting parents and siblings she adores, 16-year-old Rose Cheevers leads a contented life at Willow Place in Canterbury. She dreams of following in her mother's footsteps and becoming a teacher. Then one traumatic day turns the Cheevers' household upside-down, and Rose is forced to flee with the younger children. Desperate, she seeks refuge in a remote village with a long lost grandmother. But safety comes at a price, and the arrival of a young stranger from her past raises uncomfortable questions about what the future holds.