The Cambridge Fens, 1938. Little Rosanna is part of a close-knit Fenland family and the youngest of three cousins. In a time of childhood abandon and adventures on the water, life couldn't be more perfect. But things are not always as they seem. When Rosanna's new baby brother is born, tragedy strikes the family. And with the outbreak of World War II just around the corner and a move to the Norfolk countryside, Rosanna's life is changed forever.

Number five Kitchener Avenue heralds the start of a new life for the Hope family. For pregnant Miriam, it is a warm, safe environment to bring up her child. For her sister, 14-year-old Barbara, it means independence...and boys. And for Fred, it means the security he craves for his young family. In the lead up to Christmas, the Hopes settle in, and start to make happy memories in their new home. But World War II is round the corner, and this carefree life can't last.

Yorkshire Dales, 1850. As a terrible storm rages, Annabelle Wallis is shocked to find a distressed young woman at her cottage door, heavy with child. Moments later a baby girl is born. But by dawn, the mother has vanished, leaving behind the helpless child wrapped only in a silk peacock shawl. When news spreads that Lady Eliza Hartley, sister to a wealthy estate owner, has been found dead, Annabelle realises the terrible secret she has stumbled on. Terrified she’ll be blamed for Eliza’s death, Annabelle flees to the slums of York, where she plans to raise the orphan as her own.

A heartwarming novel from the queen of family saga and author of Bicycles and Blackberries, Sheila Newberry. Suffolk, 1925. At only 16 years old, May Moon travels to West Wick, Suffolk, to become the local Punch and Judy girl. Determined to fulfil her dead father's wishes and to continue his business, May has her work cut out for her during her summer on the beach. Staying with a local family, she not only enjoys the silvery sand and sunshine; she also experiences first love, partings and reunions.

August 1914. Twelve-year-old Mattie and her little sister, Evie, lead an idyllic life in the Suffolk countryside, playing in the meadows and picking watercress in the streams. Living with their family in Plough Cottage, little do they know that this perfect childhood will soon come to an end with the start of the First World War. As the years pass the girls go on to live very different lives. Mattie travels from Suffolk to Plymouth and then to Canada and America, whilst Evie remains in England and pursues her career. 

The East End, 1939. When war comes to London, the bright and irrepressible Georgia Smith is torn from her tight-knit family and packed off as an evacuee. She moves in with Phoebe Bliss, whose cheerful smile masks a dark past that 10-year-old Georgia couldn't possibly understand. Georgia soon finds herself involved in the small town's complicated love lives. But some secrets aren't meant for little girls, and she finds herself in danger. Can a good heart keep a mischievous girl out of trouble?

A warmhearted and nostalgic festive family saga. Will Tilly finally find a family to call her own? As Christmas grows nearer, Tilly, a young maid, is sent away from her home in London to care for a sick child in an old cottage on the Isle of Sheppey, and she little imagines how her life will change.... Having settled in with her new family, Tilly dares to believe that the happiness she's longed for could be hers at last and that she might finally be free from the secrets of her past. 

Abigail Beadle has given two decades of her life to caring for her late father and looking after the centuries-old family home. She has never married because Lucas Chadwick, the man she loved when she was young, left the village with his family. When her loathed stepmother dies, Abigail is glad to be released from the woman's nagging and bullying, but the will she left casts doubt on Abigail's inheritance. It is not until Lucas returns to the village and helps to get to the bottom of the complicated situation that Abigail begins to believe her life might be able to start at last.

When Mara Gregory receives a letter from the father whom she believed to have died when she was a child, her world is turned upside down. Aaron Buchanan only discovered that he had a daughter a couple of years ago and now he's desperate to play a part in her life. In the face of her mother's opposition, Mara arranges to meet her father and his family. In a breath-taking corner of the world, amid a waterfront community on Australia's west coast, will Mara find him the disappointment that her mother promises?

Alone at Christmas, will she find somewhere to call home? No more than 18 years old, alone and heavily pregnant, Kathleen stumbles through the snow, desperate for somewhere to rest her weary head. As the Christmas bells chime around her, she glimpses a man through the haze before collapsing into his arms.

Following the untimely death of her husband, Beatrix and her three children are finally free. While Ambrose has already determined his path in life, eldest son Laurie's future is less certain. Meanwhile, headstrong and independent Alicia is defying expectation and excelling at school. There, she befriends the enigmatic Olivia Snowdon and they quickly become inseparable. But Olivia's family past is shrouded in mystery and as she begins to dig deeper secrets come tumbling out.

It's 1938, and Cadi is chosen to be Rose Queen in the annual Rose Fete. She is thrilled to be treated like royalty for the day. But deep down she is desperate to leave the Welsh mining community where she grew up. When war is declared, Cadi and her best friend, Poppy, see a chance to escape. Cadi leaves behind her parents and local boy Aled, whom she is meant to marry, for Liverpool.

Shocked beyond measure at her wrongful imprisonment, Phoebe Pardoe finds it hard to adjust to the harshness of life in the infamous Handsworth Prison. She struggles to maintain her unconquered spirit, little suspecting that her arrest is the work of her jealous Aunt Annie. Phoebe has a guardian angel in the form of Sir William Dartmouth, who eventually engineers her release. But even so, cruelly disinherited, Phoebe must strive to make a living for herself in a man's world.

West Yorkshire, 1901. When Eli Simmonite takes in a heavily pregnant woman fleeing from peril, he feels sure no good will come of it. After all, settled folk don't need much reason to take against the travellers, so having one seek safety amongst his people is unheard of. When danger comes knocking, they leave devastation in their wake. Eli is left with the baby girl and his orphaned grandson; a reminder of the offer of aid that cost him his family. With no kin but the adopted family who hold her responsible for their demise, Rosie is filled with questions of her past.

London, 1942: Thirteen-year-old Nell and five-year-old Olive are being sent away from home to escape the devastation of the East End during the Blitz. Leaving behind their beloved mother and brothers, they don’t know if they will ever see them again. As the sisters adjust to their new life in a close-knit Welsh village, they gradually find hope in the friendships they make. And Nell kindles a special bond with fellow evacuee Jimmy, who makes her smile even at the hardest of times. But when little Olive’s safety is threatened, Nell makes a decision that will change their lives forever.