Mary Jane Staples

The war is only into its second year, but already it has claimed one victim from the Adams family. And love is in the air - for young and old alike - as the Adams family refuse to let Hitler get the better of them.

A must read for fans of Cecila Ahern, Fiona Valpy and Lucinda Riley - this is an evocative and exciting romantic adventure from the multi-million copy seller Mary Jane Staples. READERS ARE LOVING KATERINA'S SECRET!

South London in the 1930s ...and Mrs Hilda Jones is fed up with her dull husband. Meanwhile, a heavy East End gang has moved into the area from Shoreditch, and has established a lucrative protection racket, bringing drama and anxiety to this closely-knit neighbourhood.

Young Maisie Gibbs is a conscientious young woman, though life is harder since both her parents passed away. When tragedy strikes the Fairfax household, Maisie is lucky she has Daniel to rely on - a good sign of things to come?A delight for fans of the Adams family - the heartwarming story of Daniel and Chinese Lady.

Boots Adams celebrates his 60th birthday in style with an old-fashioned Cockney knees-up, even if Gemma, James and the rest of the younger people insist that the music has to be rock and roll.

The 1950s are in full swing, and the Adams family is blessed with many new additions. Chinese Lady now has so many grandchildren that even she can sometimes scarcely remember them all. Boots and Sammy are kept up-to-date by the Adams youngsters , some of whom are now working in the family business. But they also welcome newcomers , including the lovely Anneliese, whose German ancestry makes her less than popular with some of her South London neighbours, and Joe and Hortense , newly arrived from the West Indies and working hard for Matt and Rosie on their farm in Kent.Sammy, meanwhile, has trouble with the newly-formed trade union at his factory, and the shadows of the war continue to haunt the family when Felicity's hopes for an operation which will save her sight are threatened by an extraordinary revelation.But the Adams family is still full of hope and promise for the future.

It is 1953 - Coronation year - and like all of Cockney London the members of the Adams family are looking forward to the celebrations. Chinese Lady, now Lady Finch, worries that her friends will think she is too grand to mingle with them . But her husband has a more pressing worry - the sudden appearance of the lovely but mysterious Katje Galicia, who knows more than she should about his own chequered past. Young Jimmy Adams, meanwhile, is enjoying working at the family clothing factory, where at the retirement party for two of the oldest employees, Bert and Gertie Roper, he meets their lively granddaughter Clare. Before long he has offered her a job on the switchboard, and has hopes of seeing her after working hours as well. And brave Felicity, blinded in the blitz, thinks she notices a glimmer of light appearing in her dark world - but dare not tell her husband, in case it is just her imagination...With the young Queen now on the throne, times are changing for the Adams family.

Excitement is running high in the Adams family. Mr Finch, after a long career in secret government work, is to be knighted - which means that Chinese Lady will become a real 'Lady'! What with having to find a new outfit suitable for the occasion, and worrying about whether she'll have to curtsey to the King, the redoubtable matriarch of the Adams family scarcely knows if she's coming or going.Her grandson Paul, meanwhile, working for the Young Socialists, is worried at what his fiery colleague Lucy will say if she learns that he has titled connections. And Sammy, trying to rebuild his clothing business after the War, is horrified at the growing fashion for denim jeans, which even the young ladies of the family seem to be wearing. Should he forsake his beliefs that girls should dress like girls and start stocking these objectionable garments?All differences are resolved, as the great day dawns when the Adams family goes to the Palace for their proudest moment.

From autumn 1941 to the first months of 1942, the war continued to affect the lives of the Adams and Somers families. It was not so much the war, however, as a succession of tragic domestic events that brought a sad and little girl called Phoebe into the care of Susie and Sammy Adams. Much needed to be done to cure little Phoebe of her sadness.

Kate is imaginative and precocious, while David is happy-go-lucky , and as the war is directly affecting the lives of so many other members of the Adams family, Kate and David establish a friendship in the summer sunshine of Devon.

Boots and Tim both made it safely back, but of Bobby there was no sign, and the family all feared the worst. In a farm some miles from Dunkirk, however, Bobby was alive but injured, and trapped by the advancing Germans.

Over a long and hazy summer - the summer of 1939 - the two young people met, always at lunchtime, and never allowing their friendship to progress too far. Then, as the clouds of war gathered over Europe, Jonathan got his call-up papers.

Once they had been called Orrice and Effel, two bedraggled, scruffy waifs who lived rough off the streets of Walworth. Now they were Horrace and Ethel Cooper, grown up - quite respectable really - and living with their adopted parents, Jim and Rebecca Cooper. When Horrace saw the pretty girl who worked as a shop assistant in Adams (Ladies Fashion Modes) he was quite bowled over and knew he had to meet her. From then on he was in and out of the shop, buying hats and stockings and ribbons, trying desperately to persuade Miss Sally Brown to come out with him. And while he was laying siege to Sally, his sister Ethel was listening to her poet boyfriend spouting forth his romantic verse. But Ethel's involvement with the poet was to end more dangerously and dramatically than either she or Horrace had imagined and several quite startling events were to happen before Horrace and Ethel's affairs were resolved.

It was June 1916 when Sergeant Boots Adams of the Royal West Kents, together with his men, was billeted on the Descartes farm in Northern France. It was a short break from the turmoil and horror of the trenches, and Boots and his men, in return for their free billeting, were to help the farmer in his fields. It came as something of a surprise to discover that the land was being managed by a young French war widow, Cecile Lacoste and, to the distant sound of guns, a brief wartime friendship flared between Boots and Cecile. The friendship was cut brutally short when, once more, the West Kents were called back to the trenches and Boots suffered an injury that was to take him home to London, to Sammy and Chinese Lady, and all the valiant cockney friends of Walworth who were to help him through the darkest period of his life. It was to be many years before Boots' friend, Miss Polly Simms, visiting the old battle haunts of France, stumbled once more upon the Descartes farm, and the memories of the past were rekindled.

There was a new family in Browning Street, Walworth - the Harrisons.

Certainly not Doreen - who works for Boots in Adams Enterprises and thinks him just wonderful... Could the strange lodger be plotting the downfall of the irrepressible, outrageous, and larger-than-life Adams clan?A Family Affair is the fifth in Mary Jane Staples's Adams Family series.

A wonderfully humourous Cockney saga from multi-million copy seller Mary Jane Staples. Perfect for fans of Maggie Ford, Kitty Neale and Katie Flynn. Perfect to settle down with!READERS ARE LOVING THE TRAP!"Loved this book, a very easy read with a lovely story" - 5 STAR REVIEW"Loved the humour in this book; also a great story" - 5 STAR REVIEW"Brilliant book. Love all Mary Jane Staples books." - 5 STAR REVIEW"Captivating" - 5 STAR REVIEW*********************************************************THE MOMENT HE MET HER HE KNEW LIFE WAS NEVER GOING TO BE THE SAME AGAIN...When Jamie Blair, twenty-four, unemployed, and back from the trenches, takes lodgings at Larcom Street in Walworth, he has no idea he is walking into a trap. The house is owned by Henry Mullins - a big, burly, hard drinker who makes life hell for his four stepchildren, all half-starved and frequently hit.It's Kitty, seventeen, who Jamie feels most sorry for. She takes the brunt of Mullins' bad temper, whilst trying to protect her sisters and brother.When Mullins suddenly dies - in somewhat suspicious circumstances - Kitty realises they could be in trouble. If she isn't careful the authorities could take the younger children away - split the family up...Too late Jamie finds himself with a ready-made family and a stubborn and fiery young lady called Kitty determined not to let him go.

A heart-warming Cockney saga from multi-million copy seller Mary Jane Staples. Perfect for fans of Maggie Ford, Kitty Neale and Katie Flynn. You won't be able to put it down! READERS ARE LOVING SERGEANT JOE!"Another fun read with some surprising twists and turns" - 5 STARS"A lovely story, and so funny I couldn't help but burst out laughing at times" - 5 STARS"Excellent read" - 5 STARS"A brilliant book...Mary Jane Staples brings her characters to life! Excellent!" - 5 STARS"Awesome - a lovely fun read" - 5 STARS***********************************************************************SHE'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO KEEP HER FAMILY SAFE FROM HARM...Everyone likes Sergeant Joe. From the family with whom he has lodgings to the bookseller who employs him in a little lucrative and harmless forgery. He is a universal favourite.When he bumps into Dolly Smith - quite literally - he meets a girl who makes quite an impression on him. Dolly is quick, lively, and full of cockney cheek. She is also a little frightened - running from a vicious-looking thug and a sinister foreigner who seem to think she has stolen something valuable. When Joe takes Dolly under his wing he thinks he is just helping her in a momentary predicament. Little does he know his life is going to change forever... For Dolly, bewitching and beguiling - is involved in something quite dangerous...

A wonderfully warm, uplifting and moving saga from multi-million copy seller Mary Jane Staples. Perfect for fans of Maggie Ford, Kitty Neale and Katie Flynn. Perfect to settle down with!READERS ARE LOVING THE PEARLY QUEEN!'I couldn't put it down' - 5 STARS'I really enjoyed this book from start to finish' - 5 STARS'Good plot and believable characters. Thoroughly enjoyed this book' - 5 STARS'Fantastic' - 5 STARS'A very light and refreshing story!' - 5 STARS*******************************************************************CAN SHE BE THE MOTHER THEY SO DESPERATELY NEED?The Pearly Queen is really Aunt Edie. Everyone in Camberwell Green loves her Aunt Edie - especially the Andrews family.Jack Andrews is having a tough time. Not long after he came back from the First World War, his wife decides to leave him and their three children to join Father Peter's League of Repenters - never to return.Jack and the children manage as best they can, but things are pretty tough until Aunt Edie turns up. Having failed to convince her cousin, Maud Andrews, to come back, Edie moves in and takes over the Andrews family. For the first time in years life begin to look good again.Aunt Edie: warm, generous, kind, and, above all, their very own Pearly Queen.

Tim Parkes became Gunner Parkes and Aunt May spent most of her nights in the Walworth air raid shelters with Tim keeping an eye on her whenever he was able. When he got posted to Suffolk he wasn't too pleased - Suffolk was Country, not like London at all.