"England, 1944. As I look around the childhood room I used to share with my twin brother, Ed, I realize just how much the war has taken from us already. Ed was never the same after he helped our father in the Dunkirk rescue. Clutching his call-up letter in my hands, I know that Ed has fled, leaving behind his family and all he has ever known. But I know that if Ed fails to accept his call-up then he will be found and imprisoned. I’m his sister, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect him. As I step into his overcoat and study myself in the mirror, I realize there might just be a way to save him, if only I can find the courage to do it. Arriving at the call up, I’m told that I’m to become a Bevin boy, one of the many men called to work in the mines and power the country through the war. I hesitate, unsure if I can really take on such difficult work whilst my friends become land girls and nurses. But my brother and my country need me, and in that moment, I vow to do whatever it takes. As I adapt to my new life, I meet a young man named Peter, and as we grow closer, I realize that I am slowly losing my heart to him. But I know the risks if the secret of who I really am is ever revealed. How much am I prepared to sacrifice for the ones I love the most? Perfect for fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale, and Rhys Bowen, this completely gripping and heartbreaking story of love, courage, and a sister’s sacrifice shines a light on the forgotten heroes of World War Two."
"The war may be over, but for Molly life is still in turmoil. Uprooted from London after the death of her mother, Molly, her father and younger brother Jimmy are starting again in a quiet village in the countryside of Colchester. As summer sets in, the heat is almost as oppressive as the village gossip. Molly dreams of becoming a journalist, finding a voice in the world, but most of the time must act as Jimmy’s carer. At just ten years old he is Molly’s shadow, following her around the village as she falls under the spell of local boy Kit. Kit is clever, funny and a natural-born rebel. Rowing on the waters of the lake with him becomes Molly’s escape from domestic duty. But there is something Kit is not telling Molly.
As the village gossip starts building up with whispers against Molly’s father over missing charity funds, everything Molly thought she knew is turned upside down. And on one stormy night, when she sneaks out of the house to try to put things right, Jimmy vanishes. Never to be seen again.
Decades later, Molly is an elderly woman in a care home, still haunted by the disappearance of her brother. When two police officers arrive to say that the remains of a body have been found at the bottom of the lake, it seems like Molly will at long last have her answer . . ."
"The war changed everything for Lily Verner.
As the Nazis storm Europe, Lily becomes an apprentice at her family’s silk weaving factory. When they start to weave parachute silk there is no margin for error: one tiny fault could result in certain death for Allied soldiers.
The war also brings Stefan to Lily: a German Jewish refugee who works on the looms. As their love grows, there are suspicions someone is tampering with the silk.
Can their love survive the hardships of war? And will the Verner’s silk stand the ultimate test?
The Last Telegram is an evocative and engaging novel for fans of The Postmistress and Pam Jenoff."
"A stunning book set in the Edwardian era about a seamstress working at Buckingham Palace. Full of drama, betrayal and compelling historical detail, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Tracy Rees.
It is 1914 and Maria, a shy teenager, is appointed to Buckingham Palace as a seamstress for the royal family.
There, she is lucky enough to meet the Prince of Wales and is soon captivated by his glamour and intensity. But theirs is a doomed love affair and before long Maria’s life takes a tragic turn.
Torn between passion and integrity, she makes a choice that has devastating consequences …
Can a beautiful quilt, discovered many years later reveal the truth behind what happened to Maria?"
"Under a Wartime Sky is an enthralling historical novel by Liz Trenow, based on real-life events at a top-secret wartime research station. Telling the story of the heroes behind the discovery of radar, it’s perfect for readers of Kate Furnivall and Rachel Hore.
Bawdsey Manor holds a secret.
1936: the threat of war hangs over Europe. Churchill gathers the brightest minds in Britain at a grand house in Suffolk. Bound to complete secrecy, they work together on an invention that could mean victory for the Allies. Among them is Vic, a gifted but shy physicist who, for the first time, feels like he belongs.
Local girl Kathleen wants to do more than serving tea and biscuits to ‘do her bit’. So when the Bawdsey team begin to recruit women to operate their top secret system, she dedicates herself to this life-or-death work. Kath and Vic form an unlikely friendship as the skies over Britain fill with German bombers. Little does Kath know just whose life she will change forever, one fateful night . . .
Based on the real history of Bawdsey Manor, Under a Wartime Sky is a novel about courage, belonging and hope.
Praise for Liz Trenow:
‘The characters shine . . . Fabulous’ - Dinah Jefferies
‘It was a wrench to put the book down after the last beautifully written page’ - Gill Paul
‘Trenow’s exquisite novel puts a real focus on the characters’ journeys’ - Woman"
"The richest silk hides the deepest secrets . . .
The Dressmaker of Draper’s Lane by Liz Trenow is an immersive historical novel set during the opulence and extravagance of the London silk trade in the mid-eighteenth century.
1768, London.
As a foundling who rose from poverty and now runs her own successful dressmaking business in the heart of society London, Miss Charlotte is a remarkable woman, admired by many. She has no need, nor desire, to marry. The people she values most are her friend Anna, her recently-found sister Louisa and nephew Peter.
She feels herself fortunate, and should be content with what she has. But something is missing.
A small piece of rare silk discovered in a bundle of scraps at auction triggers a curious sense of familiarity, and prompts her to unpick a past filled with extraordinary secrets and revelations . . ."
"From the bestselling author of The Poppy Factory comes this moving novel that brings together a group of women in ways they could never have imagined.
July, 1919. At the Hotel de la Paix in the small village of Hoppestadt, three women arrive at the end of the war, searching for traces of the men they have loved and lost to the battlefields of Ypres in Belgium.
Ruby is just twenty-one, a shy Englishwoman looking for the grave of her husband. Alice is only a little older but brimming with confidence; she has travelled all the way from America, convinced her brother is in fact still alive. Then there’s Martha, and her son Otto, who are not all they seem to be . . .
The three women in Liz Trenow’s In Love and War may have very different backgrounds, but they are united in their search for reconciliation: to resolve themselves to what the war took from them, but also to what life might still promise for the future . . ."
"*Published in the US as The Hidden Thread*
Inspired by real historical events and characters, Liz Trenow's The Silk Weaver is a captivating, unforgettable story of illicit romance in a time of enlightenment and social upheaval.
1760, Spitalfields. Anna Butterfield’s life is about to change forever, as she moves from her idyllic Suffolk home to be introduced into London society. A chance encounter with a French silk weaver, Henri, draws her in to the volatile world of the city’s burgeoning silk trade. Henri is working on his ‘master piece’, to become a master weaver and freeman; Anna longs to become an artist while struggling against pressure from her uncle’s family to marry a wealthy young lawyer.
As their lives become ever more intertwined, Henri realizes that Anna’s designs could give them both an opportunity for freedom. But his world becomes more dangerous by the day, as riots threaten to tear them apart forever . . ."
"A captivating story of two young women, bound together by the tragedy of two very different wars. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Maureen Lee.
With the end of the First World War, Rose is looking forward to welcoming home her beloved husband ,Alfie, from the battlefields. But his return is not what Rose had expected. Traumatised by what he has seen, the Alfie who comes home is a different man to the one Rose married. As he struggles to cope with life in peacetime,Rose wrestles with temptation as the man she fell in love with seems lost forever.
Many years later, Jess returns from her final tour of Afghanistan. Haunted by nightmares from her time at the front, her longed-for homecoming is a disaster and she wonders if her life will ever be the same again. Can comfort come through her great-grandmother Rose’s diaries?
For Jess and Rose, the realities of war have terrible consequences. Can the Poppy Factory, set up to help injured soldiers, rescue them both from the heartache of war?"
