Showing results by publisher "Boldwood Books" in Genre Fiction

Bristol 1938. A shadowy presence overshadows Coronation Close, watching and waiting. Jenny Crawford is the first to notice the stranger and wonders why his attention is fixed on Thelma Dawson’s house. When challenged he makes a hasty retreat. Meanwhile Thelma is having trouble with her precocious daughter Mary who is about to leave school and start work. Mary considers herself an adult but to Thelma she’s still a little girl; an attitude resented by her daughter.

Five years after seventy-something Tess jetted off to Paris with her best friends, Jen, Rose, Della and Pam - the Five French Hens - for Jen’s hen do, a lot has changed. Prospective groom Eddie has been given the heave-ho, Tess’s husband has been sent packing and the Hens are making the most of their golden years. But Tess is stuck in a rut. Rather than embrace her independence, she watches on as Rose wows Paris, Jen explores Iceland and Pam heads to Greece. But when tragedy strikes Della, Tess is shaken into action.

As if my mum breaking her hip and being rushed to hospital isn’t shocking enough for one day, now in her post-operative delirium, she’s just told me I’m not her daughter. That she has never been able to have children. The nurse reassures me that people are often confused after a trauma. But I know this woman so well and I can tell there’s a grain of truth in what she says. Which begs the questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? When I dig into the truth, I suddenly stir up a hornet’s nest of secrets, lies – and possibly a crime so unfathomable – that stretches back decades.

Tabitha Thomas gave up on a happy family life with Michael, her absent, high-flying husband, long ago. Instead, she pooled all her energies into their daughter, Rosie, and her career as headteacher at a local primary school. However, trouble is looming all around her. Unbeknown to Tabitha, Rosie is having a crisis of confidence with the most important exams of her life, and best friend Clodagh, a top TV news broadcaster, is being edged out by an ambitious younger model. And Tabitha’s eco-warrior mother is protesting outside the school over a development.

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.

Charlie Wolfe jumps at the chance to help his uncle renovate a tumbledown cottage overlooking Nomansland Common. Number One Constable’s Cottages was once the home of the man charged with ridding the common of the highwaymen who terrorised travellers. But it’s the story of The Wicked Lady, the notorious female highway robber, that captures Charlie’s imagination, and some long winters’ nights he’s sure he can the hoofbeats of her horse echoing across time.

As friends and family gather for the funeral of charming and charismatic Seb Cooper, three women sit in the congregation, mourning his loss. Three women who loved Seb in their own different ways. Three women whose lives have now changed forever. But only one woman knows what really happened at the end...and only one truly had his heart.

Kitty Wilson, who, after losing her father, rejects the unsuitable suitor her mother has chosen. Abandoned by her mother, Kitty faces the challenges of navigating life alone. Amidst the turmoil, Kitty finds solace and support from friends, securing a promotion at Harpers Emporium. However, tragedy looms, threatening to shatter her newfound stability. Sally and Ben Harper face their own challenges. A decision by Ben regarding the restaurant, made without consulting his partner Jack Burrows, jeopardizes not only their friendship but also the stability of Harpers itself.

With the heat of their beloved India far behind them, Evie Davenport and her widowed British Army officer father, are starting a new life in England. But Evie is struggling. With her dearest mother gone, Yorkshire with its cold, damp countryside and strict societal rules makes Evie feel suffocated and alone. Her friendship with Sophie Bellingham, the gently reared daughter of a wealthy rail baron, is Evie’s only comfort. Until the arrival of local cotton mill owner, Alexander Lucas. Newly returned from America, it is expected Alexander will marry and finally make England his home.

Bookkeeper Megan has always lived life by a set of very rigid rules, but with impending divorce papers on the horizon, she throws herself into a new challenge. She finds solace and purpose in her volunteer work at a dogs’ home but with finances tight, and soon-to-be ex-husband Lyle controlling her purse strings, she might have to trade the work for something more permanent. But spending her time in the fresh countryside air, Megan discovers a glimmer of hope for a new beginning, finding strength, love, and the promise of a brighter tomorrow – and maybe, even possibly, a new romance.

1930 - Douro Valley, Portugal. Twelve-year-old Catherine is watching the Rabalo race in Porto when the sound of a shot being fired changes her life forever. Her beloved mother, mistress for some years to Walter Shellard, a Bristol-based wine and port merchant has received distressing news that her lover, Walter, has married a wealthy heiress. In her anguish she takes her own life, leaving poor Catherine alone and heartbroken. Angry and grieving, Catherine is sent to live under the guardianship of her eccentric Aunt Lopa in a small farmhouse high above the rich vineyards of the Douro valley.

Just when Daisy thought she had canal life understood, Theo, her primary go-to for all of her boating questions has left Wildflower Lock, not to mention the budding romance that has been steadily growing. Not one to sit and wallow, Daisy takes matters into her own hands. Who said long-distance relationships can’t work? With the help of trusted friend Yvonne, Daisy takes the September Rose on a round trip to surprise her new boyfriend. The best thing about a home on the water? You can go anywhere!

When Lin, Josie and Minnie left Miss Hamilton’s class at Middleton Ferris County Primary School, sixty years ago, they could only dream about what the future had in store for them. The one thing they knew for certain was that their friendship would thrive. Years later and life hasn’t always been kind. Josie is still mourning the loss of her beloved husband Harry a year after his sudden demise. Lin is hoping to celebrate her fiftieth wedding anniversary with husband Neil, but he’s suddenly keeping secrets and telling her lies, so she’s suspecting the worst.

Kate dreamed of a happy marriage, a house full of children and a fulfilling teaching career. But after twenty-five years of married life and about to hit the big 5-0, it’s clear that her dreams haven’t quite come true. Then her husband leaves her for his golf partner, forcing Kate to take stock of what has become of her life. Luckily, new friendship comes her way in the form of three feisty older women who take Kate under their wings, plus a new flame (could it be more . . .?) sparks with local divorced dad, Milo. As her big birthday approaches, Kate’s zest for life begins to return.

When smooth-talking Alex Fellows tells Jen Faraday he can predict her future – and leaves a note with a bartender for her to collect in one year’s time – she thinks it’s just a chat up line. After all, how can a man she’s known for one night see what her future holds? With her best friend heading down the aisle, and even her beloved grandfather having more romance in his life than she does, Jen knows it’s now or never. And whatever Alex’s prediction says – and how Jen wishes she knew – she’s beginning to wonder if he may play a part in her future plans…

As the boss of a high-end nightclub in the West End and with a never-ending string of gorgeous women on his arm, Tony is the darling of the tabloids. However, despite his success, the little boy who lived on the streets is never far away. Desperate for respect, he’s driven to achieve more and more. Most of all, he craves the acceptance of Ralph Gold and to become a bigger part of his extensive web of organised crime.

When successful songwriter Tabitha Callahan swaps a summer of sadness for pet sitting around the world, she intends to use the time to heal her broken heart. Tabitha can’t believe her luck when she picks up a housesit on the rugged and beautiful Portuguese island of Madeira. The villa is luxurious, the views breath-taking and her charges, a gorgeous but aloof cat and two cute and friendly Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, are perfect companions while she works on some new material and attempts to reconcile her past.

After escaping her parents’ unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever. But with the rundown inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found...quickly. So, when her oldest friend, Pete Kennedy, returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed. The trouble is, Pete has some rather radical ideas for the renovation which Belle disagrees with.

‘If you want everyone you love to stay safe, you must walk away…’ The fortune teller told me my fate. But I ignored her. I married the man of my dreams. We made a family. A life that’s beautiful, safe and happy. I’ve pushed it to the back of my mind: what she said about the tragedy that lay ahead for me. I want to believe that we are in charge of our own fate. Looking at my two perfect, beautiful children, I refuse to believe things could go wrong for us. But as strange things begin to happen, I begin to wonder… could there be any truth behind what the fortune teller told me that day?

London 1950. Peggy Ronoscki is happily settling into life running her guesthouse on Mulberry Lane, surrounded by close friends and family. Life just seems too good...but then disaster strikes. Pip, her beloved son, is left in a coma following a devastating car crash, and a young girl collapses in the market, leaving Peggy no option but to nurse her back to health. As things begin to go awry, Peggy worries she has brought trouble to her doorstep Can her life ever return to normal? Or has Peggy’s good nature led her astray?