Arrow Books The Railway Girls Thomas Maisie

The second novel in the uplifting railway girls series. Perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Margaret Dickinson • Manchester, November 1940 • As the war continues and secrets threaten the railway girls, they will discover the true meaning of friendship • For Dot, her job on the railways is everything. Transporting parcels around the country gives her pride that she is doing her bit for the war effort, but a growing friendship causes problems when home and work collide • Joan loves her boyfriend Bob dearly, but when tragedy strikes, her heart is torn apart, and she is forced to make a decision that could hurt those she loves most • Meanwhile Mabel has finally found a place to call home and her relationship seems to be going from strength to strength

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

The sixth heartwarming, feel-good instalment in the much-loved Railway Girls series! • Manchester, 1942. There are surprises in store for the railway girls this festive season • When Cordelia's daughter Emily falls for a young chap who doesn't meet the approval of her father, Cordelia is reminded of her own first love - a love that she has never forgotten • Mabel is determined to get to the bottom of a spate of local burglaries. Her heart is in the right place as she sets out on a quest to clear her friend's name, but there will be unforeseen consequences • It's nothing short of a miracle when Colette returns to Manchester. But it's not going to be easy for her to keep living the life she once knew, and an impossible situation lies ahead • There will be more than one storm for the railway girls to weather but with the friendship and support of one another, there's hope that all will be well by Christmas

The seventh heart-warming, uplifting instalment in the much-loved Railway Girls series is available to pre-order now! • Manchester, 1943 • Emily is enjoying her new job as a station porter until she learns that a trusted friend at work may be involved in something underhand • Persephone's romance with Matt is blossoming - but can two people from such different walks of life really make a go of it? • All is going well with wedding planning for Mabel until someone divulges a secret about Harry, which could threaten their future • As war rages around them, the railway girls must face their own battles. With the support of one another, will they make the right decisions when it comes to matters of the heart?

Manchester, 1941 • Christmas is the season for family and friends, and this year the railway girls will need each other more than ever • Cordelia appears to have the perfect life. When her daughter Emily arrives home unexpectedly, she can't wait to introduce her to her friends. But when things don't go to plan, Cordelia must decide where her loyalty lies • Things aren't going too smoothly for Alison either. Her beloved boyfriend has yet to propose, but there's a charity fundraiser dance and she's dressed up specially. Surely, tonight must be the night • Colette's friends are envious of her devoted husband; he meets her after every shift on the railway, and accompanies her around town. But Colette has a secret, one that will change her life - if only she knew who to confide in

Manchester, 1942 • A new year brings new hope for the railway girls • Alison's romance with the charming Dr Maitland is blossoming, but then she is posted away from Manchester. Working in a canteen isn't part of her plan, nor is meeting her beau's old girlfriend - one who just happens to want him back • Margaret is supportive of her friend's new relationship until she realises exactly who he is. Torn between keeping her secret and warning Alison, she turns to Joan for help • Working in Lost Property wouldn't be Joan's first choice of job, but with a baby on the way she knows she can't continue being a station porter. As she looks to the future, can she put the troubles of her past behind her?

March, 1942: new mother Alice Milwood is itching to return to her job as a shop assistant at Liberty’s • Despite her husband still being missing in action, Alice is determined to give baby Arthur the best possible start. She soon settles back into the rhythm of life on the shop floor, and the Liberty Girls rally to help keep everything on an even keel • But when the American GIs start swarming into London, there are more complications to come. And each of the Liberty Girls has their own impossible storm to weather • As they each fight their battles on the home front, only their close friendship will give them the strength they need to carry on

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

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

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 . . . ?