Anna Jacobs

This collection of stand-alone short stories is a treat for new readers and dedicated fans alike. In each of these 17 stories, an ordinary person takes on an extraordinary journey to a new life, discovering facets and strengths they never knew they possessed. Across a variety of time periods and settings, these stories capture Anna Jacobs' unique style and showcase her mastery of emotional tales.

Wiltshire, 1901: Young Kathleen Keller is being forced by her cruel father into marriage with a man she despises. In an act of desperation, she runs away in a bid for a safer life, although one she might not otherwise have chosen. But when tragedy strikes, Kathleen is left vulnerable, and one man threatens the fragile peace she has made for herself... Meanwhile, Nathan Perry works for his father's accountancy firm but yearns for something more satisfying....

Three women find new hope in Peppercorn Street, a small village in a beautiful corner of Wiltshire. Janey is eighteen and living in a small flat with her baby daughter. Just as her new life starts to show promise, her past catches up with her. Nicole has just walked away from her husband and teenage sons, tired of being treated as a servant, and suspecting her husband of having an affair. Winifred has lived in her large family home at the top of the...

In the aftermath of World War Two, there's a desperate shortage of housing and goods across the nation. Mayne Esher's only hope of preserving his family's war-damaged stately home of Esherwood is to turn it into flats. When he opens it up to his Army friends who will be starting a building business with him, it soon becomes clear that the house isn't the only thing that needs fixing... Victor is fighting his late wife's mother for custody of his daughter...

In a quiet Wiltshire village, Larch Tree Lane winds slowly up a gentle hill. Among the residents is Maggie Hatherall, full of life despite her advancing years, who worries what she is going to do with her 200 year old home. Lucia Grey has escaped a bad marriage but her ex is reluctant to let her start a new life free of him. And for architect Angus Drayton, an unexpected inheritance is the start of a complicated family wrangle but it does lead to...

After a stray bomb scored a direct hit on his childhood home in Hertfordshire, the only thing that has kept Francis Brady going while he works salvaging what he can from the rubble is the thought that soon he'll be joining war-time friends Mayne, Daniel and Victor as electrician in their new building firm in Lancashire. But Mayne isn't answering any of his letters, Francis' wife is having a change of heart about moving up north - and her parents seem...

1945: The war in Europe is over, and most women can't wait for their men to return. But in the small town of Rivenshaw in Lancashire, Judith Crossley fears having her husband back in the house. Before Doug left for the war, he'd become a bully and a drunkard, and on the few occasions he'd come home on leave, he'd hit her and the children. Judith has found an unlikely ally in Maynard, only son of the aristocratic Esher family - but she knows that when...

As a longstanding fan of bestselling author Jivan Childering, aspiring young novelist Jessica Lord is dismayed on encountering the man himself to find him aloof, arrogant, and stand-offish. But, some months later, many thousands of miles away in Western Australia, Jessica's path is destined to cross with Jivan's once more - and she begins to see a different side to this talented yet reserved and private man.

Olivia Hanbury's work brings her to Greyladies, where she meets Phoebe, who seems to be the owner. She loves the old house on sight and becomes friendly with Phoebe. But not everyone approves of what Olivia is doing and she makes enemies as well as friends. Will she manage to make a life for herself in her new home in Wiltshire or will her family and those who don't approve of her work stop her?

Now that Nell's three sons are in work and becoming more independent, she's ready to build a new life for herself. She's been left a house in England by an elderly aunt, and decides to leave Australia to start a new chapter. On her arrival at Peppercorn Street, Nell encounters Angus Denning, a software engineer with an Honourable title and a stately home at the end of the road. Then there's Winifred, an elderly lady who lives alone but has made friends...