Anna Jacobs

Germany 1939, and Christa Sommer boards the Kindertransport, unsure that she'll ever see her beloved mother and father again.Once in England she is taken in by elderly Mrs Pelling, who grows to love Christa as the daughter she never had. But in 1945 Mrs Pelling dies. While her will cannot be found, her money-grabbing niece appears out of the blue to claim her inheritance and turfs Christa out, with only a suitcase to her name. The prejudice against Germans still runs high in England, and Christa is unable to secure a job or a place to stay...Luck comes her way when a lady she saves from being mugged turns out to be Mayne Esher's friend Daniel's mother. Taking pity on Christa, they take her to Rivenshaw where they plan to start a new life as part of the Esher building firm.There Christa is welcomed with open arms and she soon develops a love for the place, the people and, Daniel... But Esherwood is not the trouble-free sanctuary she first thinks. Determined to do their bit for soldiers returning from the war they have agreed to allow the council to build prefabs on some of Esherwood's garden. But an empire-building town planner seems set on taking all of Mayne's land for the war effort... Mayne has also discovered a secret door at the back of the old Nissen hut, with a complicated locking mechanism that has local locksmiths dumbfounded.Just what is hidden behind the door to warrant such high security?

1916: Bella is working as a Voluntary Aid driving ambulances in England when she gets engaged to Philip, on leave from fighting in France. His family strongly disapprove of her but the two of them are happy together. Georgie, Philip's sister, is in trouble having broken her engagement and fled from her bullying family. Who can she turn to for help when she needs it most? When the worst happens, Bella must manage on her own, though there are shocks and dangers she did not foresee ahead. Thankfully, Philip's best friend Tez, injured in France, steps in to offer assistance. Can he also help Bella build a new life?

Jessica Lord is dismayed when she meets bestselling author Jivan Childering; he is arrogant and stand-offish. Later, their paths cross once more - and she begins to see a different side to this troubled man. Jivan is drawn to Jessica; but following a bitter divorce, he has vowed never to love again. Can Jessica break down his barriers?

'Anna Jacobs' books are deservedly popular. She is one of the best writers of Lancashire sagas around' - Historical Novels Reviews'Anna Jacobs' books have an impressive grasp of human emotions' - Sunday Times'Catherine Cookson fans will cheer!' - Peterborough Evening Telegraph***************The heartwarming third instalment of the Rivenshaw series from bestselling saga writer Anna Jacobs.After a stray bomb scored a direct hit on his childhood home in Hertfordshire, the only thing that has kept Francis Brady going while he works day and night salvaging what he can from the rubble is the thought that soon he'll be joining war-time friends Mayne, Daniel and Victor as electrician in their new dream building firm in Lancashire. But things are not going to plan: Mayne isn't answering any of his letters; Francis' wife is having a change of heart about moving up north - and her parents seem set on destroying his reputation... A lot of marriages are breaking up in these times of change, and Francis is loathe for his to be one of them... But how can he turn down the opportunity of a new life and career in Rivenshaw? Meanwhile in Rivenshaw itself, newly married Mayne and Judith's plans to convert Esherwood house into flats have come to an abrupt halt. While clearing out the house in readiness for the rebuild, they've discovered that someone has been stealing valuables and hiding them in the old Nissen hut. But who hid them there - and are they planning on returning for them? And are they also responsible for something else found in the shelter: a body, buried in a shallow grave...With so much going against them, can these four friends ever turn their dreams into reality?

Now that Nell's three sons are in work, she's ready to build a new life for herself. She's been left a house in England by an elderly aunt and decides to leave Australia for a while. But her house on Peppercorn Street isn't fit to live in and Nell is happy to sell it and allow a builder to create Cinnamon Gardens. Her elderly neighbour Winifred however wants to stay in the only home she's ever known. Violence escalates as someone tries to frighten the old lady into selling, and to make matters worse, her young friend Janey is being stalked. Can Nell build a new life with a new love? Will she find out why her parents quarrelled with their relatives? And, more importantly, what can she and her new friends do to help each other stay safe?

The second instalment in the best-selling Rivenshaw series, by beloved saga author Anna Jacobs. In the wake of World War Two, the whole country is desperate for houses, with very little money available to rebuild. In the town of Rivenshaw in Lancashire, Mayne Esher has no choice but to turn Esherwood, the war-damaged stately home which has been in his family for generations, into flats. Rebuilding Esherwood won't be easy but with Judith Crossley by his side, Mayne hopes to restore it to its former glory. First, he must open it up to some of his long-suffering army friends... and it soon becomes clear that the house isn't the only thing which needs rebuilding.Victor is fighting his late wife's rich and arrogant mother for custody of his daughter Betty. Ros has been cheated out of her money and has nowhere to go now she's been demobbed from the army. Daniel is still unsettled after his wartime experiences. He's waiting for his divorce to go through and has family problems that take him away from Rivenshaw. Francis hasn't even been in touch. On top of these troubles, saving Esherwood proves to be a difficult undertaking for Mayne and Judith. And certain people will stop at nothing to prevent it happening. In this time of renewal, will the group find a way to rebuild their lives, and the old house, as planned?A heartwarming saga of strong-spirited, resilient women in post-war Lancashire.

Three women find new hope in Peppercorn Street, a small village in a beautiful corner of Wiltshire with a mixture of homes and people. Janey is 18 and living in a small flat with her baby daughter. Just as her new life starts to show promise, her past catches up with her. Nicole is renting one of the new luxury flats. She's just walked away from her husband and teenage sons, tired of being treated as a servant, suspecting her husband of having an affair. Winifred has lived in her large family home at the top of the street for over eighty years but it's all getting too much, though she doesn't want to leave. Things are not what they seem in any of the three women's lives and danger can strike at rich and poor alike. The trick is to survive it, and for this you need good friends and courage: all freely available in Peppercorn Street.

The fourth novel in the Lancashire-based Gibson series by beloved saga writer Anna Jacobs. In 1858 Annie Hallam has at last found complete happiness. She has three healthy babies and adores her husband Frederick. After years of struggling to make a living in the small Lancashire town of Bilsden, Annie knows she deserves to sit back and enjoy her life - after all, she's not yet forty, and still in her prime. But worries - at first faint clouds on the horizon - are imminent. Frederick has been looking pale and ill lately. Her brother Tom hasn't moved on after the death of his wife. Rebecca, her half-sister, is longing for something more than her work in the salon. And William, her son, isn't happy at university. In spite of Frederick's gentle urging not to take the entire burden of the Gibson family on her shoulders, Annie can't help feeling concerned. And something much more dangerous is looming - a threat not only to Annie's peace of mind, but to her life...

The second in the heartwarming Lancashire saga series that began with SALEM STREET, by beloved author Anna Jacobs.In 1845 Annie Gibson can finally leave Salem Street. Her dreams of being able to open an elegant dressmaking salon in the High Street of Bilsden, a Lancashire mill town, have come true. And she is going to take her father and his second family with her, away from poverty, away from the Rows.But Annie has not left trouble behind. Someone is trying to undermine her business. Her family have their own ideas about what they want to do with their lives. And several men are persistently trying to win favour with the beautiful young widow - including Frederick Hallam, the mill owner, and Daniel O'Connor, her childhood friend.As Annie gets better acquainted with both, she becomes increasingly confused about her feelings. Can she really be in love And can she risk trusting any man again

Book threein the heartwarming Lancashire-based Gibson series by beloved saga author Anna Jacobs. It's 1848 and preparations are underway for Annie Gibson's wedding to Bilsden's wealthy millwoner, Frederick Hallam. But not everyone is as pleased as they are. Frederick's daughter, Beatrice, is horrified at the prospect of a new attractive stepmother arriving at the house on Ridge Hill. Even Annie's own family feels threatened. The only person who seems pleased is Tom, Annie's brother. Soon, however, real troubles begin to pile up for the Gibsons. Tom's happiness is jeopardised by the news that he is father to a child he never knew about. Annie's son, William, is devastated to find out that his real father is not the man who brought him up. And even Annie's joy cannot last. Because someone has uncovered the secrets she has fought so hard to keep hidden...

The final novel in the heartwarming Lancashire-based Gibson Family series by beloved saga author Anna Jacobs.It is 1860 in Bilsden, the Lancashire mill town, and Frederick Hallam is dying. But first he makes secret plans to smooth the future path for his beloved wife Annie. Her sister, Joanie, is fed up with everything until a dshing new admirer crosses her path. But a spurned suitor is determined that Joanie will be his, whatever the cost. And he is not the only one who wants to harm the Gibson family. Meanwhile the Civil War in America cuts off cotton supplies, so that times are hard in Bilsden and unemployment is rife. Annie had to rebuild her life after her husband's death and plans to create Spinners Lake, an extraordinary project that will keep her workers from destitution and assuage her own grief. Tian Gilchrist is caught up in the American war and nearly dies there. He fights his way back to Bildsen, to Annie, whom he has never forgotten. And the plans that Frederick made for Annie will change her life in unforeseen ways, bringing her hope and happiness once again...

The first book in a heartwarming new Lancashire-based series by beloved and bestselling saga writer Anna Jacobs, set at the end of World War Two. 1945 - the war in Europe is over. It should be a time of utter joy and celebration.Most women can't wait for their men to return, but in the small town of Rivenshaw in Lancashire, Judith Crossley fears having her husband back in the house. He'd grown into a bully and a drunkard, and on the occasions he'd come home from leave, he'd hit her. He wasn't a good father, either. Luckily Judith has found an unlikely ally, a friend to turn to - Maynard Esher, from an old aristocratic family on the other side of town. But Judith knows that when her husband returns, she and her children will be back in the firing line again. She decides that for the children's sake, she must leave her husband. But with the house rented in his name and other accommodation scarce, where on earth can they go...?

When her marriage comes to a brutal and bitter end, a young woman discovers just how little she really knew the man she once lovedWhen Gabrielle Newman throws her cheating husband out, Stu cares more about the money than the break-up, getting more than his fair share from their house sale. An unexpected bequest offers Gabrielle a new start and she tries to leave the past behind, heading north with Dan Monahan, the private investigator sent to find her. Meanwhile, Stu has got entangled with organized crime in Eastern Europe and is desperate to pay his gambling debts. Gabrielle needs Dan's help to protect herself and her inheritance. She's very attracted to Dan - but dare she trust any man again? Then Stu tracks down his ex-wife and Gabrielle discovers just what the man she once loved is capable of, as her life is threatened. Can she and Dan find a way to stop Stu and his ruthless new friends?

The first book in the heartwarming Gibson series by beloved saga author Anna Jacobs.In 1820 Salem Street is sparkling and new: eight small terraced houses built by a Lancashire mill owner for his best workers. Annie Gibson's family is one of the first to move in - a step up in the world for them. But when her mother dies, Annie's happy childhood ends and she is left to bring up her brother and sister. Red-haired, intelligent and startlingly pretty, Annie soon finds herself banished from home by a jealous stepmother. She finds work in the local doctor's household where she learns about the fascinating world outside Salem Street. And when her adored childhood friend Matt asks her to marry him, Annie thikns her dreams are coming true. But suddenly everything turns upside-down. Abandoned and pregant, Annie returns to Salem Street, where an unexpected offer gives her independence. One day, she vows, she will move into the wider world again. One day...

An unhappy wife seizes the chance to embrace a bright new future in this engrossing tale of romantic suspenseAn unexpected inheritance offers Libby Pulford the opportunity to escape her abusive marriage and return to her Lancashire roots with her young son Ned. But her domineering husband Steven won't let her go so easily. Just as she's beginning to settle into her new life, Libby's troubled past catches up with her. The one person she can turn to for help is her new neighbour, former police detective Joss Atherton, to whom Libby feels a growing attraction. But Joss has troubles of his own.In the meantime, Emily Mattison is enjoying new-found domestic happiness with her fiance Chad. The only blot on the horizon is the fact that she's been unable to make contact with the long-lost daughter she was forced to give up for adoption so many years before.People's lives are destined to intertwine in ways they could never have imagined.

Fate can take you to places beyond your dreams . . .1866. Three Blake sisters remain in the Swan River Colony and two are quite happy to forge new lives for themselves there. The third, Xanthe, yearns to see the world. But even if she could afford to travel, could she persuade her beloved twin to let her go? Maia has fallen in love with their employer, and would surely be happiest staying behind with him.Xanthe's opportunity comes in the form of a handsome Irishman bringing some of the sisters' inheritance from England. But for Maia, the same man brings trouble in his wake: someone who has the power to make her life a misery.Can both sisters find the courage to finally find a home to call their own?******************What readers are saying about DESTINY'S PATH'Excellent ending to the series' - 5 stars'This is a book you cannot put down' - 5 stars'This is my ninth Anna Jacobs in 10 weeks! Can't wait to start my next one' - 5 stars'Another great read' - 5 stars'A jolly good read' - 5 stars

'Enjoyed this book so much I didn't want it to end!!!' - 5-star reader reviewIn the untamed outback of Western Australia, the Blake sisters are together again despite what seemed like unsurmountable odds. For Cassandra - reunited again with the man she loves - the Swan River Colony is a refuge that seems like a miracle after all her ordeals. And two of her sisters have fallen in love with their new way of life.But then a messenger arrives from faraway England, and it is the fourth sister, Pandora, who jumps at the chance to make her way back to the Lancashire moors that she misses so badly. The way home, though, will be even harder than the voyage to Australia. The only ship that can take her and her new protector back to England lies many days' journey away, across country that would daunt even a hardened explorer. And when she reaches Outham, a devious, dangerous enemy will do anything to prevent her from taking charge of her family's inheritance . . .What readers are saying about BEYOND THE SUNSET'Another Anna Jacobs novel I could not put down' - 5 stars'Just loved this book - a great read - couldn't put it down!' - 5 stars'A great book' - 5 stars'I enjoyed every page' - 5 stars'Anna Jacobs is brilliant at her craft' - 5 stars