Julie Maisey

Liverpool, World War II. Monica Eustace and Joan McDonald met as next-door-neighbours living in Mersey View in Liverpool. Their friendship is a close as ever, though they're married now, and sharing Monica's grand house on the other side of the city. But war clouds are gathering, casting a shadow over the happy future they dream of with their young husbands. Meanwhile, in London, Joan's half-sister Bella is overwhelmed with the glitz and glamour of...

Eliza Jones and her husband Bryn had a whirlwind romance and married shortly after meeting, but he was soon sent off to fight. In the midst of a Blitz attack on Liverpool, which leaves Eliza with amnesia, she gives birth to their baby son, Alfie. Still struggling with the aftermath of the birth, Eliza is distraught when Alfie is kidnapped from the nursery. As the search for Alfie progresses and the community bands together around Eliza, she is left...

It is 1944 and Anne Black is making the best of a new life in Somerset, but bringing up her daughters so far from their father, her mother Peggy and their real home of Cliffehaven isn't easy. The safety of Somerset makes separation bearable, until danger strikes and rocks Anne's world. Back in Cliffehaven, Peggy Reilly is running the Beach View Boarding House with her usual love and warmth. The war is taking its toll however, and Peggy longs to have...

Somerset, 1911. Miner's wife Lorna Harrison sometimes wonders what became of her marriage. The affection has gone, and now her husband Harry is surly and cold. But Lorna will always be grateful for the joy that their two daughters bring. When a devastating accident occurs at the pit and Harry is unable to work, Lorna worries about how she will make ends meet. Worse, the pit owner wants them out of their house. While Lorna's friend Flossie is a tower...

Elsie's worked her way up at Swift's Jam Factory from the shop floor to the top, and now it's her time to shine. But when she's involved in an incident involving her half-sister Millie's new husband, she is forced to keep it secret - the truth could threaten their sisterly bond. Dot is dogged by fear, coming to terms with her mother's rejection of her. She should be enjoying the happiness she craves with her beloved Cess; instead, she's trapped in...

With six unpublished novels, it feels to Jane like her writing career is going nowhere. Her husband Leon, on the other hand, is a successful author. Jane is happy for him, but it doesn't make the constant rejections any easier. She prefers to focus on what's going well, on the good things in life. But it all changes on Leon's forty-sixth birthday, when he is attacked by an unknown assailant and ends up in a coma. As Jane tries to deal with the fallout,...

War has not been kind to Carol Porter. It took her husband and baby, and with them her heart. At last she's found some peace, working as a land girl at Coombe Farm. But Carol's sanctuary, the whole local area in fact, is about to be disrupted. When Pauline Reilly hears Carol's news she's worried for her little sister. But as rumours about Slapton Sands reach Cliffehaven, Pauline can't help be more concerned for her only surviving son. And despite...

When Helen Redwood is tragically widowed, she and her daughter, Chloe, move to Liverpool to be closer to her family. But it is tending her beautiful garden with her handsome young gardener, Rex Kenwright, that ultimately saves Helen from grief.

It's the end of May 1944 and the rumours are growing of an impending allied invasion into France. The wireless is now the background noise of everyday life in Cliffehaven, and everything stops in the factories, homes and pubs when the news comes on. But Peggy and the residents of Beach View have other concerns. As D-Day draws closer, it's not just the course of war that's causing havoc in Cliffehaven.

Have you ever been betrayed by the one you love? A touching story of friendship and love from the Sunday Times bestselling and readers' favourite Carole Matthews.