Valerie Woodová patrí medzi najpopulárnejšie autorky vo Veľkej Británii, pričom jej debutový román získal ocenenie Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction. Jej diela, často situované do východného Yorkshire, čerpajú inšpiráciu z prostredia, kde vyrastala. Okrem písania sa autorka aktívne venuje podpore knižníc a charitatívnych organizácií, čím odráža svoju oddanosť komunite.
It is the late 1850s and a tired woman holding a baby walks from Hull to one of the big houses in Anlaby - the home of the wealthy Rayners. No one wants to take responsibility for the baby and it is about to be put into an orphanage when Sammi, James's cousin, decides to take the baby back to her parents' home on the Holderness coast.
When Georgiana Gregory and her maid, Kitty, make the long sea journey from their native Hull for New York, they hope to begin a new life in the freedom of the newly-formed United States of America.
As the sea claims the land, can she claim the love she deserves? In the old fishing town of Hull, Sarah Foster's parents have been fighting a constant battle with poverty, disease and crime. When her father Will, a whaling man, is involved in a terrible accident at sea, their lives became even harder. But Will's good deeds of the past pay off as John Rayner decides to rescue the Fosters. John provides them with work and a house on the estate owned by his wealthy family. It is at this new home on the crumbling coastline of Holderness that Sarah is born - and grows into a bright and beautiful girl, and a great source of strength to those around her. As John grows closer to Sarah, he becomes increasingly aware of his love for her. But could these two very different people ever make their love story truly work? If you enjoy books by Katie Flynn and Dilly Court, you'll love Val's heartwarming stories of triumph over adversity.
Scarborough, 1880 Jeannie spends her days watching the harbour girls and waiting for Ethan Wharton to come in on his father's fishing smack. Jeannie had always expected to marry the loyal and dependable Ethan. But then she meets Harry, a stranger who has come to visit from Hull for the day, and she falls for him. When Jeannie finds herself pregnant and Harry breaks his promise to come back for her, she is left isolated. She and her child move to Hull where her life is touched by illness, tragedy and poverty. She longs for the simpler times of her past, and wonders if she will ever find someone who will truly love her - and if Ethan will ever forgive her . . . If you enjoy books by Katie Flynn and Dilly Court, you'll love Val's heartwarming stories of triumph over adversity.
With the responsibility of the family estate on his shoulders, Laurie must decide between staying in Yorkshire to farm the family land and following his dreams. Meanwhile, headstrong and independent Alicia is defying expectation and excelling at school.
After her devious husband Billy tries to sell her at a wife sale, Lily Fowler finds herself alone, frightened and heavily pregnant on the streets of Hull. Seeing potential where others see only destitution, Lily and her `fallen angels' join forces to outwit the low-life brothel-keeper.
A powerful story about a woman's struggle in a loveless marriage, from the Sunday Times bestselling author Val Wood. 1850: Beatrix Fawcett is just eighteen when her father tells her she is to marry a stranger. Hesitantly, but with little choice, she agrees to the match - in the hope of a good husband in Charles, and a happy new life together in rural Yorkshire. As Beatrix sets about making their house a home, she falls in love with it and the surrounding countryside. But she does not fall in love with her husband... Charles has chosen her simply to meet the requirements of his inheritance and has little interest in his young wife. Soon, the only spark in Beatrix's lonely life is her beloved children. But when Charles threatens to take them away from her, Beatrix must find strength in desperate times. Can she fight against her circumstances and keep what is rightfully hers? Readers love Val Wood: 'Val Wood tells a brilliant tale.' 'Brilliant book. Brilliant author. Loved it.' 'Val Wood is a fantastic author . . . I love the detail in her books.' 'Cannot put these down once I start reading one.'
In discovering the mysteries of Jewel's past the girls realise that this is a life-changing voyage of discovery for both of them, as they learn important lessons about family, friendship, love and home.
And this new way of life might just offer her the chance of love, in spite of all the tragedy that has gone before...If you enjoy books by Katie Flynn and Dilly Court, you'll love Val's heartwarming stories of triumph over adversity.
Harriet and Fletcher Tuke have worked hard to raise their children well. Daniel, the eldest son, has always accepted that his birth father died soon after he was born, and Fletcher has raised Daniel as his own.
