Cirrus@Austlit

'Carrie Preston is used to hard work – oldest of ten, with an incompetent mother and a drunken father, she struggles to find food for the younger children. But nothing could have prepared her for the day fate deals her family the cruellest of hands, rendering the Prestons more helpless and desperate than ever.

'In a harsh world, small acts of kindness can bring great hope –Eli Beckett’s offer of a job at the Dragon pub promises a better future for Carrie, especially as Eli’s uncle has offered his nephew some spare land to build a music room.

'With the great cities of England beginning to come alive to the sound of music halls, the locals of Hedderby are soon looking forward to their own place of celebration and merriment. Yet not everyone in the town shares this excitement, and some will stop at nothing in the pursuit of selfish gain...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Marjorie is the pretty one of the Preston sisters. So pretty that when a performer at her sister’s music room breaks her leg, Marjorie is asked to fill in as the assistant to the singer Denby Sinclair.

'He offers to take her with him, away from Lancashire and into London theatres. It seems as if her dreams will come true, but Denby is not what he seems. He has a dangerous secret, which, if it were to be revealed, would ruin her. Marjorie, however, is reckless and will take any risk for a chance to work on the stage.

'And when disaster strikes, she is left alone and away from the North. Can she regain her heart’s desire and find happiness again? When it seems as if she has overcome her troubles, another danger arises in Hedderby, one that threatens her and her family.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Gwynna had fallen from grace once, bearing a stillborn child out of wedlock. Determined to have a respectable future, she finds a position for herself as a nursemaid at Hungerton House. But just as she begins to find her feet, the secrets of her past are revealed. She is swiftly dismissed but not before she becomes the target of a lascivious groom. And even afterwards she is pursued by Hungerton, an evil old man who wishes to send her back to the gutters. She returns home to Hedderby, only to find the small Lancashire town reeling after the arson attack on the local pub and music hall, The Pride. Her only ally is a talented carpenter, also once employed by Hungerton. His former employer will stop at nothing, however, to bring him back to the estate. Will money buy revenge and destroy two lives, or will the young lovers find a way to achieve their dreams?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Gideon, recently discharged from the Army, has just arrived in Hedderby, only to discover that another man has stolen his name and inheritance - and he can’t prove who he is. Would it be fair to court Dora when he can offer her so little? Despite his anger, he patiently bides his time, working in the markets until he can reclaim what is his.

'The little dog Dora has rescued proves to be extremely intelligent and suddenly she can see a chance to go on the stage with it. But Gideon and her family all disapprove.

'With the town’s new orphanage vandalized, the music hall not yet rebuilt, and the impostor prepared to kill to keep what he has stolen, trouble is brewing on several fronts. Gideon and Dora’s lives are threatened. And even if they survive, how will they find a future together?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.