Living hand-to-mouth ever since her mother's tragic death, Amelia sells the last of her treasured possessions to avoid being cast out of her home onto London's streets. Her estranged grandfather unexpectedly offers her a job as manager of a small, struggling factory making mourning dresses, and Amelia dares to dream... Drawing sketches by candlelight, she longs to sew elegant gowns from fine silks and beautiful ribbons for the rich. As the cold winter...

Leaving Liverpool behind, Libby Gilbert embarks on a transformative journey to London with her newfound friend Suzie. Amidst the bustling city streets, they find Libby's parents' cherished stall on Petticoat Lane has been taken over and run into the ground by Libby's conniving uncle. Libby is determined to reclaim what rightfully belongs to her and with Suzie's support, she is able to bring the stall back to the way it used to be. But when they unravel...

At the end of Hawthorn Close there is a charming park which boasts two magnificent magnolia trees, and an assortment of houses and units. Several new occupants are moving into the neighbourhood and will live in units fronting the park, built and managed by a charity for people needing a home for a while. Amongst them are Brett, 18, an orphan just out of the foster child system; Carla, who is escaping an abusive ex-partner; and Matthew Woodley, a widower...

Grace Collins, orphaned as a child, has been brought up by her severely religious aunt, Emily. Starved of love, she falls for the first man who shows her affection. Then she discovers the joy of ballroom dancing, and she meets Philip, who sweeps her off her feet and promises to show her a better way of life.

The last time Esther Wilding's beloved older sister Aura was seen, she was walking along the shore towards the sea. In the wake of Aura's disappearance, Esther's family struggles to live with their loss. To seek the truth about her sister's death, Esther reluctantly travels from Tasmania to Copenhagen, and then to the Faroe Islands. On her journey, Esther is guided by the stories Aura left behind in her treasured journal; seven fairy tales about selkies,...

1946: The war might be over but for the Gilby family there are still battles to be fought at home. For Birmingham and the Gilby family the war years have been a time of great change. With husband, Len, having left her for another woman, Ann Gilby is finally free to follow her heart. While the neighbours may be scandalised by having a divorcee in their midst, Ann is determined to rise above the local gossip and make a happy home with her former sweetheart,...

Lancashire, 1895. Abigail Dawson has lived in fear of her father for 30 years. But when, after uprooting them to a grand new home in Ollerthwaite, he's found murdered in the street, her life is turned upside down. Alone and caught in a web of her father's secrets, Abigail needs someone to rely on - so when hardworking handyman Rufus promises her a new life, she's thrilled at the chance to have a family of her own. But as they grow closer, could it...

Heartbroken Sarah Quinn is left to care for her father and siblings when their beloved mother dies. Putting her own dreams aside to keep the family together, she's watchful of her youngest sister, Janette, fast on the way to becoming a tearaway. Her father Fred, often in the pub rather than striving to pay the bills, delivers a shock. He's taken up with Mavis Swindel, the landlady of a shabby boarding house and swiftly marries her, moving them all...

Clemmie throws herself into volunteering with the very organisation who helped her and her sisters when they were homeless: the WVS. Demonstrating a natural flair, painfully-shy Clemmie is soon drafted to set up one of the British Welcome Clubs aimed at easing American troops' integration into English life. There, she meets Squadron Leader Dunning who, shot down in the Blitz, has been left partially paralysed. As friendship turns to something more,...

In Barbados 1818 a terrible tragedy occurs at the Strong family sugar plantation, and they keep the shocking event a secret. But secrets can't stay hidden forever. Twenty-two years later Blanche Strong, the living, breathing proof of that night, is left following her mother's sudden death. Now, alone in the world Blanche is determined to get answers about her past. Otis Strong, the second eldest son of the Strong Sugar dynasty arranges for Blanche...