Arrow Books The Liberty Girls Ford Fiona

During the 1870s diamond rush in southern Africa, Clementine is left to be raised by her destitute father following the death of her mother. Her care falls largely to their companion, Joseph, and the two form an unbreakable bond • When the two men uncover a large, flawless diamond, a dark bargain is struck to ensure Clementine's return to a respectable life in northern England. Her father believes he has finally secured their future, but the discovery of the gem comes at a considerable cost • Years later, Clementine must confront long-buried memories of her childhood to solve the mystery of what happened to her loved ones all those years ago • Can she find the justice she seeks?

A passionate love affair. An impossible choice • England, 1932. Dr Isla Fenwick has little interest in marriage, until a reunion with an old friend blossoms into to something more. But Isla is determined to fulfil a long-held promise to practice medicine in India. With her fiance's blessing she sails to Calcutta to set up a midwifery clinic - promising to return within the year • There, Isla does her best to navigate a complex new world, and forms a deep connection with one of her colleagues - against all better instincts • When a desperate rescue mission to save the one person who needs her the most takes her into the foothills of the Himalayas, Isla will be asked to pay the ultimate price for her passions

December 1943 • As the war effort gathers steam in Europe, it's all hands on deck on the home front • Gloria is over the moon to be reunited with her sweetheart Jack. But her sons Bobby and Gordon are away with the Navy and still know nothing of their mother's divorce and new half-sister • Rosie's squad of welders must work gruelling hours in the yard as they prepare for the Allied invasion of Normandy. All the while Rosie herself waits anxiously for news of her husband Peter, who is carrying out dangerous work as an undercover operative in France • Meanwhile welder Dorothy has a feeling that her beau Toby is planning to pop the question when he's next on leave. But it seems that her head is being turned by someone closer to home • It will take great strength and friendship if the shipyard girls are to weather the storms to come

Love is in the air, and together the railway girls can overcome even the hardest of times • Mabel has finally put the past behind her, and her relationship with the dashing Harry is stronger than ever. That is, until an old flame shows up, leaving Mabel questioning her future • Meanwhile Joan has made amends with Bob - if only she could do the same with Gran. And there's still that family mystery she wants answer to, isn't there? • As a mother and grandmother, Dot Green has always put her family first. Her job as a parcels porter has brought new purpose to her life, so is it finally time to start following her heart • Life as a railway girl is busy but as war rages on and air raids disrupt daily life, the women realise they need each other more than ever, especially when there might be wedding bells on the horizon

Sunderland, 1940, and the women go to the shipyards to do their bit for the war effort • Polly never dreamed she would be able to work in the shipyards like the men in her family but times are tough. However, her new job ends up giving her more than she ever expected when she meets enigmatic dock diver Tommy Watts • During the day, head welder Rosie teaches her fledgling flock of trainees their new trade, but at night she hides a secret life • And mother hen Gloria signs up to escape her brutal husband, but finds she cannot run from her problems • The Shipyard Girls start off as strangers - but end up forging an unbreakable bond of friendship in the most difficult times

The first novel in the wonderful new Railway Girls series, perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Ellie Dean • In February, 1922, at the western-most entrance to Victoria Station in Manchester, a massive plaque was unveiled. Beneath a vast tiled map showing the lines of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway network, a series of seven bronze panels recorded the names of the men of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway who gave their lives for King and Country in the Great War - a total of 1,460 names • In March, 1940, a group of women of varying ages and backgrounds, stand in front of the memorial, ready to do their bit in this new World War • Mabel is determined to make a fresh start as a railway girl where no one will know the terrible thing she did and she can put her guilt behind her

Three very different girls sign up as student nurses in 1936, while England is still mourning the death of George V. Dora is a tough East Ender, driven by ambition, but also desperate to escape her squalid, overcrowded home and her abusive stepfather. Helen is the quiet one, a mystery to her fellow nurses, avoiding fun, gossip and the limelight. In fact she is in the formidable shadow of her overbearing mother, who dominates every aspect of her life. Can a nursing career free Helen at last? The third of our heroines is naughty, rebellious Millie an aristocrat on the run from her conventional upper class life. She is doomed to clash over and over again with terrifying Sister Hyde and to get into scrape after scrape especially where men are concerned

War lands them in the same boat. Can they pull together? • October 1943, West London • Nineteen-year-old Polly Holmes is leaving poor bombed London behind to join the war effort on Britain’s canals • Stepping aboard the Marigold amid pouring rain, there’s lots for Polly to get to grips with. Not least her fellow crew: strong and impetuous Verity, whose bark is worse than her bite, and seasoned skipper Bet • With her sweetheart away fighting in the RAF and her beloved brother killed in action, there’s plenty of heartache to be healed on the waterway. And as Polly rolls up her sleeves and gets stuck into life on board the narrowboat – making the gruelling journey London up to Birmingham – she will soon discover that a world of new beginnings awaits amid the anguish of the war

1913 • Seventeen-year-old Evie Murphy has chosen to leave behind her native Ireland for the city of Liverpool. She takes her baby daughter Linnet with her, but leaves behind her child’s frail twin, Lucy. A decision that will change their lives for ever • 1924 • When tragedy strikes, Linnet is left destitute and alone, disappearing into the unforgiving Liverpool slums. Meanwhile, Lucy is desperate to find her sister but is she willing to leave behind the beautiful Irish countryside where she has grown up • With uncertain times ahead, will the sisters ever be reunited . . . ?

September, 1941: Mary arrives in war-torn London nursing a broken heart and a painful secret • When she is offered her dream post as an assistant in the fabric department at Liberty store, she knows this is the fresh start she needs. Amid the store’s vibrant prints and sumptuous interiors, Mary finds a new family who can help her to heal • But not everyone will give Mary such a warm welcome, and the trauma of her past will soon catch up with her • As Mary and the Liberty Girls endure the heartache and uncertainty of war, it will take a steady heart to keep the magic of Christmas alive

It’s the final year of training for three young nurses at The Nightingale Hospital… • Helen is at a crossroads in her life as she battles with her domineering mother over both her love life and her future career • Dora can't stop loving Nick, who is married to her best friend, Ruby. But Ruby is hiding a dark secret with the potential to destroy Ruby's marriage • Millie is anxious about her fiance, sent to Spain to cover the Civil War, and things only get worse when she encounters a fortune teller who gives her a sinister warning • With war looming in Europe, and the East End of London squaring up to the threat of Oswald Mosley's blackshirts, the women of the Nightingale have to face their own challenges, at work and in love • From the author of The Nightingale Girls and The Nightingale Sisters, this is the perfect read for fans of Call the Midwife

The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the presents are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding • Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby's four children have drifted apart, each consumed by the turbulence of their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together since their father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married - and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day - she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays • But the wedding isn't the only surprise - there is one more unexpected gift, and it could change all their lives for ever • With deeply affecting characters and the emotional twists of a James Patterson thriller, The Christmas Wedding is a fresh look at family and the magic of the festive season