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Can she put right the secrets of the past?

London, 1939. Winnie Berry has been the landlady of the Battersea Tavern for nearly twenty-five years, and the pub is like home to her - a place of tears and laughter, full of customers that feel like family. A place where she's learned to avoid the quick fists of her husband, and where she's raised her beloved son, David.

He's inherited his father's lazy streak and can't seem to hold down a job, but when war is declared Winnie is determined to keep her son safe. She's still haunted by the choice she made years ago as a desperate young woman, and she won't make the same mistake of letting her family be taken from her...

But when a young woman crosses her path, the secrets of Winnie's past threaten to turn her world upside down. There's nothing stronger than a mother's love - but can it ever have a second chance?

The first book in The Battersea Tavern series

Denied
Seventeen-year-old Constance has had a privileged upbringing in Clapham, with staff to attend to her every need. But her parents have always been cold and distant, never showing her love.

Disowned
Craving affection, Constance falls into the arms of Albie Jones, the cook’s grandson. But one fateful encounter leaves her ashamed and pregnant, and she is soon shunned from the family home.

Desperate
Heartbroken and threatened by scandal, Constance is forced to wed Albie and moves to Battersea, where she suffers unforgiving stares and cruel whispers from the neighbours. Trapped in a bitter and loveless marriage without a penny to her name, Constance has no choice but to stay and surrender. Will she ever find freedom – or happiness – again?
Seventeen-year-old Constance has had a privileged upbringing in Clapham, with staff to attend to her every need. But her parents have always been cold and distant, ner f Albie Jones, the cook’s grandson. But one fateful encounter leaves her ashamed and pregnant, and she is soon shunned from and threatened by scandal, Constance is forced to wed Albie and moves to Battersea, where she suffers unforgiving stares and cruel whispers from the neighbours. Trapped in a bitter and loveless marriage without a penny to her name, Constance has no choice but to stay and surrender. Will she ever find freedom – or happiness – again?

All they ever wanted was somewhere to call home…

Beaten

When Jenny’s mother abandons her and her younger siblings, Jenny is left at the mercy of her abusive father Henry. And when Henry beats his eldest daughter so badly that she ends up in the hospital, it seems like there’s nowhere left for them all to go.

Broken

But carpenter Craig has fallen head over heels for Jenny, and he offers her a place to stay. Happy at last, Jenny begins a new life with him, but when tragedy strikes, she’s left to pick up the pieces of both her broken home – and her broken heart.

Bereft

Desperately trying to make ends meet, Jenny is alone and working round the clock. Will she ever be able to give her siblings the happy home they deserve? Or is the worst yet to come…?

It’s Sarah and her brother against the world…

When Sarah Jepson’s mother Annie dies, Sarah is left with her little brother Tommy to care for. Alone in the world, the two of them must make a life for themselves in the wake of the terrible upbringing they have endured.

But when Tommy is struck down by illness, Sarah’s new life collapses. Lost in grief, she turns to the handsome Roger to save her – only to find that he is not who he seems…

Waiting in the wings is George – kind, but brutally scarred, Sarah’s never seen him as anything more than a friend. But could all that be about to change?

Her strength is all she has left…

When Dorothy meets Robbie, she falls for him quickly and it’s not long before the pair are engaged. But then an unexpected pregnancy puts everything at risk, and Dorothy is left alone – with Robbie nowhere to be seen.

Heartbroken, Dorothy picks up the pieces of her life as a working girl in Battersea helping to support her mother and father. But before long, things start to become difficult. Her father’s health is worsening, money is tight and worst of all, Robbie hasn’t come back for her.

Can Dorothy find a way back to happiness in the face of real adversity? Will she have the courage to make it on her own – or is someone else waiting in the wings to save her?

BEATEN

Glenda Jenkins has been beaten by her husband Harry one too many times – and this time he’s put her in a hospital bed. Battered and bruised, Glenda slowly makes her recovery. But she fears what awaits her back at home…

BROKEN

When Glenda meets kind hospital porter Frank, he offers her a lifeline she can’t refuse. The pair decide to run away together, escaping the terror of Harry. But, fearing for her life, Glenda has to make the biggest sacrifice of all and leave her baby, Johnnie, behind.

BEREFT

Safe on the Kent coast, Glenda finally has the life she dreamed of. But without Johnnie, she’s a broken woman. Will she ever see her baby again? And will she ever be able to escape the fearsome shadow of Harry after all?

You can never leave a bad man behind…

Mavis Pugh has had a hard life. Despised and abused throughout her teenage years, she turned to the first man who showed her kindness. But her new husband, Alec, quickly revealed himself to be a violent bully.

When Mavis escapes from Alec, she thinks the worst is behind her. Moving to a large family house with her two children is more than she ever dreamed of, and when handsome sign-writer Tommy takes an interest in her, she can't believe her luck.

But Alec is far from a distant memory and, unbeknown to Mavis, he’s watching her and her happy family closely. Just waiting for the right time to make his next – and final – move…

1950s Battersea is no place for a shamed woman…

Fractured

Alison is the ugly duckling of her family and has always been treated with disdain by her mother. After years of being bullied, she is drawn to the one man who shows her affection. But when he brutally rapes her, leaving her pregnant, she is cast out.

Forgotten

Shunned by her family, Alison must start to make her own way and plan a life for herself and her unborn child – and for the first time she is master of her own destiny.

Forgiven?

But when the baby arrives, Alison feels no love for her new son. Terrified that history will repeat itself, can she find a way to love her child? And will she ever find the forgiveness she craves from her family?

All she wanted was a mother’s love …

DESPISED

Penny’s childhood was spent in the shadows of her mother’s business schemes, feeling alone and unimportant. It fell to Lorna, her mother’s acquaintance, to take care of the lonely little girl, but the rejection always cut deep.

DETERMINED

When Penny turns sixteen and tragedy strikes, Lorna’s cousin Maureen, a feisty ex-stripper from London, strides into her life. Penny determines to make her own way in the world and, with Maureen, throws herself into a thrilling new life on the grimy streets of Soho. She makes new friends, but can’t avoid crossing the paths of some very dangerous men.

DANGER

In this seedy world of dancing girls and gangsters Penny must grow up quickly, she must be brave, and she’s forced to face the truth about some very dark secrets from her past.

Celia Frost has always thought herself a cut above the other residents of Lark Rise in Battersea. When her beloved son, Thomas, starts seeing Amy Miller, a girl from the bottom of the Rise, Celia disapproves, thinking her common.When Celia's husband leaves her and Thomas announces he is to marry Amy, she is more determined than ever to split them up.Celia needs an ally, so she writes to her elder son, Jeremy, asking him to come home.

Jeremy’s arrival unleashes a tide of jealously and hate. He wants everything that belongs to Thomas – especially Amy. As Jeremy’s dangerous obsession for his brother’s wife grows, Amy must fight for her marriage, and her baby.

A mother must fight to protect all she holds dear…

Thirteen years have passed since Kevin Dolby was sent to prison for robbery with violence.

In the meantime, his ex wife Pearl Button has divorced him and remarried, determined to protect her son from knowing who his real father is.

Then she hears two pieces of terrifying news – Kevin Dolby is up for parole and that her dear friend Bessie is gravely ill.

Bessie has taken on Nora Dobbs, a young woman and she asks Pearl to take over her care when dies. Pearl, thinking that Bessie will recover from her illness and live for many more years, agrees, but less than a week later, Bessie passes away.

Pearl will now have to take over Nora’s care and plans to take her to Winchester. However, when Bessie’s will is read, she has left the shop and premises to Pearl, yet with a proviso. Pearl not only has to take over Nora’s care, she must do it in Battersea, moving into the shop and premises and living there for the rest of Nora’s natural life. Then, and only then, can she sell up.

While Pearl is persuaded to move back to Battersea, Kevin is granted parole but desperate for money, approaches his parents. Once he gets what he wants Kevin intends to see his son, and nothing is going to stand in his way.

Abandoned and alone, you'll do anything to survive…

A gritty new saga from the bestselling author of Outcast Child.

Abandoned on the cold stone steps of an orphanage, only a few hours old and clutching the object which was to give her name, Pearl Button had a hard start to life.

Now 16 years old, she's finally managed to escape the cruel confines of the orphanage, and enter the real world. Finding work at a nearby café, Pearl is thrilled to start earning her own money, even if she must contend with sharp-tongued Dolly Dolby.

But soon she becomes tangled up in the murky South London underworld in which Dolly's son – the cruel but handsome Kevin – operates. By chance, she sees something she shouldn't, something dangerous, and her life is thrown into jeopardy. Can gentle giant Derek Lewis protect vulnerable Pearl from Kevin – and her own heart?

Meanwhile, a local boy is snatched, terrifying this close-knit community, and at the orphanage where Pearl lived out her wretched childhood, the past is coming back to haunt its owner – and the secret she has promised to guard for so many years…

Emma Chambers has an way out of the poverty-stricken life she lives – but it might just destroy her to take it…

DESPERATE…

Left to raise eight siblings after her mother's death, 17-year-old Emma Chambers faces a daily battle with hunger and her father's drunken rages.

Until she is offered a way out. If she marries landlord Horace Bell - twenty years her senior - Emma can swap abject poverty for comfort.

DEGRADED…

But Horace soon reveals his true, sadistic colours. Emma is thankful when he eventually abandons her - until she realises she is again penniless and in peril.

A chance meeting plants an idea in her mind. All her life, men have taken advantage of her. Now it's time to turn the tables.

IN DANGER…

Years later, and Emma has built up a successful business on South London's meanest streets. But then tragedy strikes - and it becomes clear that someone has been watching Emma, intent on revenge…

Meet the Drapers – they're as tough at they come… Set on the mean streets of 1960s South London.

MENACING…

The Drapers rule the streets of South London. Everyone's afraid of them – and that's just how they like it.

But when tempers flare and a family feud spirals out of control, tragedy strikes, leaving eldest son Danny in charge.

MANIPULATED…

But he has shocking plans for the family business and Petula, the baby of the family, becomes the scapegoat for the Draper’s dirty dealings.

MISSING…

Years later, and the once united family has now split up. Petula returns to the place she once called home to face her family as well as her demons, unleashing a terrible secret that could destroy them once and for all…

Four women seek the ultimate revenge against the men who betrayed them.

SWINDLED…

Val Thorn, Paula Richardson, Cheryl Cutter and Betty Grayson have one thing in common - they have all been betrayed by men.

SHAMED…

Rape victim Paula has been terrified ever since her brutal attack.

High-flyer Val's life has fallen to pieces since she was forced out of her job.

Grief-stricken by her grandmother's death, nurse Cheryl was tricked out of her inheritance.

Timid housewife Betty sacrificed all for her husband. Now, 20 years later, he's left her and she's destitute.

SACRIFICED…

Now these four women want revenge. Masterminded by Val, the four women set out to right past wrongs. But will their role of avenging angels take them down a terrible road?

Will she ever find a home where she can belong?

ALONE…

Jennifer Lavender was a lonely child. She always felt like second best and desperately craved her parents love.

ADOPTED…

When Jenny learns she was adopted everything falls into place. But her dream of finding her real family can never be fulfilled - her mother died alone giving birth.

ABANDONED… 

Now a grown woman, she attempts to fill her void by marrying Marcos. For a while she feels loved, but when the police show up at their door Jenny realises that her marriage is not what it seemed. Destitute, she is forced to move away and start again.

ASTOUNDED… 

While adjusting to her new life by the sea, Jenny meets a young woman who will change her life forever. Together they search for the truth, but what they discover may be more than they can bea

You can’t choose your family…

When Sally and her family have to move back to Candle Lane to look after her grandmother, the cracks in their family soon begin to show.

CRUEL 

When her beloved Gran has a stroke, Sally and her family move back home in order to look after her. But Sadie's illness has made the wise woman they once knew bigoted and bad-tempered. Sadie is testing everyone's patience, including Sally's mum Ruth, and her husband Arthur.

CALLOUS 

Their problems are nothing compared with Tommy, the little ruffian next door. With an absentee father and an alcoholic mother, Tommy has a hard life. However, Ruth sees the good in him and takes him under her wing, but his unpredictable and violent mother has other ideas.

CRISIS 

Meanwhile, the stress of living cheek-by-jowl with Sally's family is starting to push Arthur away. As cracks in their marriage begin to appear, both Sally and Arthur must work out where their priorities lie before it's too late…

Hope never dies…

Desperate
Without any possessions or even a home, Hilda Stone and her 14-year-old daughter Ellen are desperate for a miracle. Approached by a strange woman foretelling that Hilda's lost husband is alive, they are astonished when the prediction becomes a reality and against all odds, Douglas Stone returns home.

Devastated
Years later Ellen is happily married when her baby daughter, Sarah, is tragically killed. Blaming herself for the accident Ellen feels unable to go on until she remembers the woman's prediction all those years ago.

Distraught
Eager to believe that Sarah is still with her Ellen becomes obsessed with finding proof of an afterlife, only to be disappointed. She reaches rock bottom.

Determined
But then one day, when she least expects it, Ellen is given a sign. But will it provide her with the answers she so desperately needs?

Bullied by everyone around her for years, has Mavis Jackson finally found happiness? Or is it a case of going from the frying pan straight into the fire?

BULLIED

Taunted by everyone around her, including her mother Lily, 15-year-old Mavis Jackson is devastated when her only ally, her father Ron, leaves home to beat his gambling addiction. Forced to walk the streets in search of junk to sell, the future seems bleak.

BRIBED

Until an unexpected fairy godmother arrives in the form of Edith Pugh. Struck down with a debilitating illness, she needs help around the home. In Mavis, she sees the perfect solution. Especially as she has ulterior motives…

BLAMED

Meanwhile, Ron has fallen off the wagon and disappeared. Best mate Pete doesn't know where he is and has to break the terrible news. But does he have another reason for his sudden interest in the Jackson family?

BETRAYED

Back at Edith's, Mavis revels in her new job. But when Edith reveals her true motives for taking Mavis under her wing, she faces a monumental decision, one which could change her life for ever…

Daisy Bacon has an ordinary, happy life living with her family in South London. Until tragedy strikes and her mother is killed in a devastating accident. Blaming herself, Daisy retreats into a world of silence, unable to utter a word.

When her father remarries, the family home becomes unbearable at the mercy of cruel stepmother Vera. Luckily, Daisy can always count on her cousin Lizzie to bring sunshine to her life. But when shocking truths about Vera come to light, could it bring the possibility of a fresh start for Daisy after all?

Millie Pratchett's life is not an easy one.

Her dad, coalman Alfie, is a bully, and his vicious temper dominates their small terraced house in Battersea. His teenage children, handsome John and ugly-duckling Millie, have learnt to dodge his moods but Millie lives in fear for her mother, Eileen.

When Alfie's tyranny forces Eileen into an impossible position, a crisis erupts. The Pratchetts' old life collapses around them and a new, darker future looms. But people are not always what they seem; could Millie turn out to be far stronger and more resilient than anyone could have imagined?

When Elsie and Bert Jones move with their children, Ann and Arthur, to Candle Lane, a modest street in Battersea, they miss their comfortable house in Wimbledon. But the move is the right thing to do, while Bert starts a new business.

They are a warm-hearted family and Elsie soon makes friends with her less fortunate neighbour, Ruth, and her daughter Sally.

But before long Elsie realises that all is not well in the house next door...