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Shared Secrets for the Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble #Review #HomeFrontNurses

  It is now 1943 and we follow the lives of the Home Front Nurses as they cope with the effects of the Second World War. Shared Secrets for the Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble is published on February 13th by Boldwood Books .     ‘Come on, Kathy… tell me a secret.’ 1943: Becoming a Home Front nurse, meant Kathy Scott was finally able to escape the violence of her childhood. At long last, her life has taken a turn for the better. Particularly because, for the very first time, she’s made some wonderful friends–fellow nurses Sylvia, Freda and Veronica. Kathy’s known for not being short of a word or two. So nobody’s more surprised than her when she finds herself tongue-tied around Freda’s handsome brother, James – who’s home from war with an unexplained injury.   My Thoughts   The story of the Home Front Nurses continues into 1943 and Freda's ambition to nurse abroad gets ever closer. Her brother ,James, returns from the war having had a traumatic experi...

The Mersey Girls by Sheila Riley #ReckonersRowBook2 #Review

 

The second in the Reckoners Row series, this historical novel by Sheila Riley was publioshed by Boldwood Books on 18th August.  

Liverpool 1950

When Evie Kilgaren takes over the running of the back office at Skinner and Son's haulage yard, she has no idea she is walking into a hive of blackmail, secrets and lies.

Her fellow co-worker and childhood nemesis, Susie Blackthorn, is outraged at being demoted and is hell-bent on securing the affections of local heartthrob Danny Harris.

Grace Harris, a singer on the prestigious D’Angelo transatlantic ocean liners, is returning home engaged to be married. But Grace is harbouring her own shocking secrets and something valuable her fiancé very desperately wants back.

As we return to the lives and loves of those who live and work in the Mersey Docklands, not everything is as it seems and love and luck are rarely on the same side.

 

My Thoughts

Set in Liverpool in the aftermath of the Second World War, you see the inhabitants beginning to adjust to life in post war Britain. The story centres around two women. Evie is capable, hardworking and well- meaning and she sets about her new job as office manager with a determination and belief in her own worth, Grace has led a glamorous life on board a luxury cruise liner but has returned to Liverpool with a secret. Their lives are intertwined. There is plenty to enjoy in the story and some surprises in store. 

    There is plenty of period detail in the story as 1950 dawns. Times are hard for most and it is a struggle for some to make ends meet. You also see some family values, with both good and poor parenting on show. I found Danny and Evie's story the more relatable. You feel that hard work is going to bring success for them. In all, this is a satisfying read. 

In short: 1950's Liverpool

 

About the Author

 

Sheila Riley wrote four #1 bestselling novels under the pseudonym Annie Groves and is now writing the Reckoner's Row series under her own name. She has set it around the River Mersey and its docklands near to where she spent her early years.  She still lives in Liverpool.

You can follow Sheila here:  Website

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Book link:  Amazon UK

Thanks to Sheila Riley, Boldwood Books and Rachel of  Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

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