Bøker av Jessica Blair

A stirring saga full of life and heart, from bestselling author Jessica Blair

At the age of eighteen, Alice Ware is pretty, charming and impetuous. Back home in Yorkshire at the start of a new century, she is determined to seize any fresh opportunities and experiences that come her way. The arrival of a new neighbour, the elegant and scandalous Mrs Emma Cheevey, leads to visits from her two highly eligible soldier sons. Alice is instantly drawn to Matthew, the younger brother - and then Captain Steven Cheevey arrives home from South Africa, where he was part of the British expeditionary force at the Relief of Mafeking.Alice's choice is made, her future secure . . . until a reckless decision throws the lives of three people into turmoil. Reluctant to return home, she seeks refuge in the one place where she knows she will find peace, perhaps for ever. It will take a visit from the man who loves her to persuade Alice to reconsider and dare to live again.

When Britain declares war on Germany in 1939, Carolyn Maddison is still a schoolgirl. Her elder brother Alastair wastes no time in joining the RAF as a flying officer, and Carolyn decides that when she is eighteen she will follow him into the service by joining the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. While reporting to the Air Ministry in London she meets a good-looking, charismatic pilot, Charlie Wade, currently employed in propaganda work. He believes that with her calm demeanor and resilience, Carolyn should work as an Intelligence officer, and suggests she serve on an active bombing station. At her side throughout the courses and postings that follow is Lucy Gaston, naturally quick-witted and sparky, a perfect foil for her friend. The young WAAFs both obtain prestigious postings in 5 Group Bomber Command, where they perform the vital tasks of briefing and debriefing aircrew returning from operations over Germany. Lucy, an incorrigible optimist, falls head over heels for a member of a Lancaster bomber crew while Carolyn resists her feelings for its dashing pilot. She decides it's not worth the risk of loving a man in wartime. . . only to wonder if she has done the right thing when a new WAAF on the station sets her cap at him. For Lucy and Carolyn, life on a WWII bombing station brings drama, heartbreak and suspense in this touching love story.

The year is 1850, and Susannah Charlesworth loves the estate and open air life of the North Lincolnshire Wolds. She stands to become a very rich woman too - inheriting the estate, as well as her father's and uncle's wealth, one day. But then she meets the dashing Daniel Bullen and Susannah's life is about to change forever. As the eldest son, Daniel will take over his father's mill. He sees it as providing for a lifestyle he wants to pursue, but in order to avoid jeopardising the fortune that awaits him, Daniel must be careful how he conducts himself . . . and a marriage to Susannah will ensure that he becomes a very rich man indeed. Whilst their marriage, and the children Susannah bears, ensures that their union is a happy one at first, Susannah soon begins to realise that there is more to Daniel Bullen than she thought - and that she hasn't married the man of her dreams. When Susannah's father dies, Daniel learns that the huge wealth that he thought he would amass has gone to Susannah's uncle. The fragile bonds between them are broken. To find inner peace and save the family business, Susannah realises that she and her children must leave Daniel's cruel clutches. . . But can Susannah ever find happiness in this tapestry of dreams . . . ?

French-born Marie Gabin forms a friendship with Veronica Attwood in their final two years at school, but this is tested when Marie is forced to disclose a secret to her friend. In the shadow of this revelation, the girls grow up on a country estate in North Yorkshire. The First World War takes its toll when Marie loses the man she loves and Veronica's husband suffers injuries which eventually leave her a widow, but she finds consolation in her love for the land. Returning to France, Marie marries her childhood sweetheart, but once again life brings involvement in war for the two friends. Loving their Yorkshire land, Veronica and her daughters enlist in the Land Army. When a bomber squadron arrives on a newly constructed airfield on part of the estate, relationships are formed. Elise joins the RAF and is recruited into the SOE. But secrets will out. On a mission to France, Elise faces dangers she did not expect as she searches for Marie and the truth - a truth that will have an outcome she never envisaged.

When Kate Swan's overbearing father demands that she obey him by marrying a man she despises, she refuses and is cast out of her comfortable home in Whitby. Fortunately, a kindly local widow is looking for a lady companion and, for the moment, Kate's future is assured. Meanwhile in Shetland, Malcolm McFadden, heir to the Garstan Estate, disagrees with his father's plan to clear the crofters from his land and turn it over to sheep. The fate of one crofter's daughter in particular greatly troubles him, and he proposes to defy convention by marrying Rowena Murray, but she hesitates, and Malcolm leaves Shetland on his own.When he and Kate meet, they are instantly attracted to one other, but while Kate fulfills one last obligation to her generous employer Mrs Jordan - accompanying her on a Lakeland tour - Malcolm receives the news he has long dreaded. The Highland Clearances have begun, and old loyalties draw Malcolm back to Shetland where he vanishes without trace. Will Kate's love and determination win through, enabling her to discover what has become of Malcolm? Or will his old ties to Rowena, his first love, prove too strong, and cause Kate to regret the road she has travelled?

Whitby 1901. Sarah Brook has kept diaries for most of her life. Now eighty-five and at the end of her own journey, she allows her favourite great-niece Esther to read them. But while full of Sarah's thoughts and dreams, and family stories, the diaries also hold dark family secrets about the past, which are about to be exposed. . . Whitby 1832. When their mother tragically dies, life changes dramatically for Sarah and her siblings. Arabella is ordered by their father to assume the domestic role - something she fears will destroy her hoped-for relationship with John Sharp, captain of her father's whale ship, the Sea King. Little does she know that Harriet has an idea to ensure she doesn't end up with a hard life like Arabella: she will ensnare John and marry him. Charley too has his own escape plan: determined to forge a life at sea against his father's wishes, he stows away on the Sea King. But when tragedy strikes the Sea King in the Arctic the Brook family, and those near to them, are forced to make crucial assessments about their futures. . .

It is 1802, and when her beloved father dies, Lucy Mitchell's curiosity is fired by his last words, "e;the de Northbys owe you"e;. Who are the de Northbys and why do they "e;owe"e; the Mitchells? Her mother says he was too sick and confused to make sense but Lucy undertakes some investigations of her own.

Whitby farmer, John Dugdale, is involved with a local band of smugglers, seeing it as an easy and harmless way of making money. But John is shocked when Mark Roper - his daughter Emma's childhood sweetheart - turns up on a secret mission for the local excise officer.Emma is forced to face the harsh realities of a world she never knew existed, and must also decide who it is she really Ioves; the dependable Joe, or the handsome schoolboy, who has disappeared from her life.

The Other Side of the River tells the story of Gennetta Turner, whose father owns a large jet-carving company. Competition between the companies is intense, and Mr Turner devises a way of consolidating his hold over the town by marrying his daughter off to the son of his arch-rival. However, Gennetta is wildly in love with her childhood sweetheart, a young sailor. How Gennetta foils her father's plan, defies local custom and makes a success of her own career is related in Jessica Blair's inimitable style, full of pace, adventure and appealing local detail.

When Sam Harland returns a World War I hero to St Robin's Bay on the Yorkshire coast, he brings with him a French wife. He hopes that she will be accepted by the villagers, but one person, Mary Lawson, can never forgive what she sees as the ultimate betrayal.When Jean Lawson and Colin Harland fall in love, the match is opposed by both of their families because of a rift that began a generation ago. But as World War II casts a shadow over Britain and its people, Jean and Colin both strive towards their futures, as they volunteer to serve their country at war.

Young David Feernley is determined to escape the drudgery of his life as a Yorkshire farmhand. Setting off for the coast, his aim is to join the whaling fleet at Whitby, to earn his living on the stormy and icy Arctic seas. Although he has few sailing skills, a Captain soon recognises his worth - for David is strong and unafraid of danger. David is followed to the small fishing town by Ruth, his childhood sweetheart, her heart set on marriage. Passionate and proud, she is sure to be a worthy wife. Yet David is drawn to another's betrothed: the pretty, gentle Jenny. And it is Jenny's bright red shawl that David searches for on the cliff-tops on his return from the long months at sea...

Recently widowed, Katherine Chambers takes her young son to visit her husband's family when disaster strikes. The ship they are sailing on runs into a severe storm off Robin Hood's Bay on the Yorkshire Coast. Among the bodies on the beach, a survivor is found. Identified as Katherine from the engraving on the bracelet she wears on her wrist, she has no knowledge of who she is or where she is from. Dr Bennett, the local doctor in Robin Hood's Bay, is called in but though he can treat Katherine's cuts and physical ailments, there is little he can do to heal the gaps in her memory. Determined to save Katherine from being placed in an institution, he asks his spinster sister to take care of her until her family can be traced. But jealous of her brother's interest in Katherine, Amelia Bennett takes a cruel pleasure in her predicament. Until Katherine can remember her past, her future is far from certain . . .

When Emily Thornton discovers a will linked with the murder of a sea captain in Hull in the 1860's, she is determined to discover what happened - but a vital witness is missing. So, Emily enlists the help of Thomas Laycock, a young man who has come to Hull to open his own detective agency. As the pair travel to Middlesborough and Whitby, the investigation unfolds, and their attention is brought to a locket worn by a mysterious young woman. Emily and Thomas are convinced that this is a crucial link in the case. Can they unravel the meaning behind this unusual locket? And escape the danger following them every step of the way . . .

Struggling artist Richard is persuaded by his benefactor to leave his home town for the grand salons of London. He is encouraged to paint the beautiful Charlotte's portrait, and in doing so, the couple begin to fall in love. But Charlotte is married to an older man, who cares for her deeply. How can she reconcile her passion for Richard with her loyalty to her husband?In an attempt to forget her, Richard returns home to Whitby. But when unexpected events force the Lincolnshire countryside and the London art world to become entangled, Richard and Charlotte's worlds are forced to collide once more . . .

1858 - When a wheel breaks on 20-year-old Betsy Palmer's trap as she is crossing the North York Moors on her way to Rosedale with jewellery to sell to the ironstone miners, she is helped by Jim Fenwick, a supervisor on the mining project, and a special relationship between them develops.In Newcastle, love is also blossoming between Robert Addison, son of a successful merchant, and Adele Jordan when Robert discovers something scandalous that he fears will ruin many people's lives. He changes his identity and disappears, but the Addison family believe that Adele is the cause and blame her, which makes her determined to find Robert.But all is not straightforward as relationships are further complicated when Betsy, whose relationship with Jim is now struggling, meets Robert and falls in love for the second time. As these lives become interwoven the story moves to an exciting climax before some unexpected and dramatic truths are revealed...

A story of seafaring men and the women who love them, by the author of "e;The Red Shawl"e;. Captain David Fernley has made and lost a fortune in the whaling trade, fishing the frozen Arctic wastes from the Yorkshire port of Whitby. Then his erring wife and best friend die in an accident at sea.

Whitby, 1879. Following the death of her parents in the Tay Bridge disaster, twenty-three-year-old Lena Carnforth expects to inherit at least half of her father's thriving shipping and merchant business. But, though leaving her comfortably off, her father leaves the entire business to his stepson, James. Instead of working, it's generally accepted that Lena will wed lifelong friend, Alistair, even though she has doubts about their relationship.Then Lena meets the attractive shipping rival Peter Hustwick and sees him as the answer to all her prayers. She also now has the opportunity to help build up Peter's business - and undermine James's firm, which she regards as rightly hers. But when disaster strikes, Lena is devastated to realise just how carried away she's become with her desire for success...

Scarborough, 1938. When Jane and Nell are brought together by a chance encounter, Jane, unhappy at home, sees an opportunity to escape when Nell invites her to visit her family in Lowestoft. However, they have no idea that their friendship will be tested through the trials of love, hardship and war.Nell's friends, Simon and Ewan, accept Jane as one of their own and welcome her into their world. But the threat of war soon brings changes for all four of them. Simon and his ship are involved in mine sweeping, Ewan joins the RAF and, feeling frustrated at their helplessness, Nell and Jane join the Land Army so that they can do something positive for the war effort while remaining together. But it is only when both girls fall for the same man that the strength of their friendship is truly challenged...

Lydia Middleton faces a bright future, secure in the knowledge that her childhood sweetheart, David Drayton, will one day be her husband. Their parents heartily approve of a match between Whitby's foremost ship-owning families. But then Mr Middleton loses his fortune and later his life, and the Draytons reconsider. Lydia's uncle repossesses the family home and she is forced to leave Whitby. Her brother Luke finds a job in the new town of Middlesbrough and Lydia decides to accompany him and make her own way in life. But she vows that when her fortunes have changed she will return to her beloved home and exact a fitting revenge on her uncle. Driven by this desire, Lydia prospers but risks losing the most precious thing of all: the love of David, who has stayed faithful to her throughout their enforced separation. Vengeance or the path of true love - which will Lydia choose?

Olivia Coulson is pretty and determined enough to attract any man's eye. George Chilton-Brookes, heir to the Cropton estate, is visibly enchanted by her, while handsome gentleman farmer Kit Fernley is also drawn to her looks and vivacity. Olivia wavers between her two suitors, eventually inclining towards the wealth and social position that marriage to George will bring - only to find that he has turned his attention elsewhere. So she marries Kit: handsome, attentive, loving...and in her eyes second best. Unable to forgive her fickle lover for his rejection of her, Olivia sets out to make George sorry he ever slighted her; becoming so intent on settling old scores that she is barely aware of the deadly danger her husband faces. Challenged by his father to undertake a long and perilous sea journey to the Arctic wastes, Kit accepts, comforted by thoughts of his wife awaiting his return and oblivious of the lengths to which Olivia will go to achieve her revenge.