Books by June Francis

The secrets of the past can never be forgottenAn orphaned young woman is overjoyed to find a family she never knew existed, but has to come to terms with their troubled history. Since her parents died Clara O'Toole has lived with her grandmother, Bernie. When Bernie seeks an audience with a medium in the hope of reaching her son, Clara discovers her links to the Bennett family in Chester, and clues to the whereabouts of Bernie's long-lost daughter. Meanwhile, Alice Bennett is relieved to learn that her husband, Seb, is alive. However, her joy is short lived when she discovers the extent of his injuries. The family struggle to come to terms with Seb's damaged body, and mind. As Clara spends more time with her newfound relatives, she finds hope for the future. But she has no idea that the family she is so glad to be part of are going to place her in grave danger...

Her sister paid a terrible price. Can she avoid the same fate?A quest for revenge leads a young woman to a new friend, but also puts her in grave danger. Can love triumph over evil?Chester, 1907. Emma Griffiths' sister took her own life when she became pregnant out of wedlock to a man who refused to take responsibility. Now Emma is out to avenge her sister's death. Emma leaves her job as a maid, no longer willing to put up with unwanted attention from her employer. As poverty threatens to engulf her, she meets another young servant, Alice, who is struggling to escape her own unhappy past. Emma and Alice become close and it soon becomes apparent that the two girls' lives may be linked in more ways than one. Just as she finds love Emma's newfound happiness is threatened when she realises that she may not be the only one seeking revenge...

Will their friendship survive against all odds?In the early 1900s two girls see each other through good times and bad. But can their friendship endure when an dreadful act of violence sees their families turn against one another?Hannah Kirk and Alice Moran have been friends since childhood. Growing up in the back streets of Chester, they support each other through hard times. But when Alice‿s mother dies in childbirth, the girls both must take on great burdens. Alice‿s violent father attacks Hannah‿s mother and the friends are separated when Alice is forced to flee with her father while Hannah cares for her bedridden mother and the rest of the family. As Hannah struggles to cope and suffers awful mistreatment at the hands of her devious older brother, she questions whether Alice is her friend ‿ or the cause of all her troubles. Will Hannah and Alice reconcile, or are the wrongs of the past impossible to make right?

A letter will change everything she thought she knew about her life...Orphaned as a young child, Emma Booth was raised by her grandparents in a Lancashire village. Following her grandfather's sudden death, Emma assumes she is now without family, until she finds a letter written in 1940 from a woman to her widowed father. The letter reveals that before his death at Dunkirk, her father had fathered another child, and that Emma has a half-sister, Betty Booth. Determined to find Betty, Emma is drawn away from the countryside to the austere city life of post-war Liverpool. But building a relationship with Betty isn't easy, and Emma has to overcome dogged obstruction from Betty's aunt, Elsie, to be a part of her sister's life. Despite the challenges, the sisters discover common ground and get along well, until a secret threatens to disrupt their newfound relationship and life together. An engaging post-war family saga, perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Kitty Neale.

With war on the horizon, can she find peace?Grace and Dougie have been courting for years, so when Dougie decides to emigrate to Australia he expects Grace to follow once she turns twenty-one. Grace used to be besotted with the handsome man, but she is increasingly worried by his bullying behaviour and gambling. On her way home from seeing Dougie off at the docks, Grace is nearly run down by a truck driven by widower Ben, who is on his way to the hospital to see his young son. Soon, Grace has agreed to look after Ben's child while he recovers from his accident. As they spend time together Ben struggles to ignore his growing feelings for Grace. But Dougie is determined not to let Grace go and when war breaks out he returns to England. With her old flame to contend with, never mind the relentless German bombers, will ever Grace find peace and love? From Liverpool's much-loved saga novelist comes a tale of love and heartache in wartime, which fans of Kitty Neale and Katie Flynn will love.

A twist of fate will force her to start anew...When Adam Rhoades tires of the political climate in Ireland and decides to leave for America, his daughter Rebekah's future happiness is threatened. For Rebekah, against her father's wishes, has fallen in love with handsome young Republican, Daniel O'Neill. Then Daniel, too, is forced to flee from his homeland and joins Rebekah on an ocean liner headed for New York. In the enclosed shipboard society, their love is impossible to hide. But Rebekah is left alone in Liverpool, isolated and vulnerable. Until, that is, the day she rediscovers the happiness she thought had been lost to her forever. A 1920s saga of love lost and found, set in Ireland, America and Liverpool, perfect for fans of Kitty Neale and Katie Flynn.

Faced with hurtful memories, can she learn to forgive?Vivien's mother, Hilda had always been the black sheep of the family: the only person to have a child out of wedlock; the first person in the family to shake the dust of Liverpool off her feet and emigrate to America; the very last person Vivien had expected to see again. But then, quite suddenly, her scandalous mother returns to stir up painful memories and barely suppressed resentment. In her quest to discover who her father is, Vivien finds she and her mother have more in common than she expected. An enchanting 1950s saga perfect for fans of Kitty Neale and Katie Flynn.

Should she listen to her friends, or dare to hope for happiness?Lucia Brookes had once dreamed of meeting a man who would love, cherish and provide for her. Now, left to care for her five younger siblings alone, she has lost hope - because what man would want to take her on with all her responsibilities?Everything changes when Tim Murphy enters the Liverpool coffee bar where Lucia works looking for a room to rent, and Lucia can't help being charmed by the lovable rogue. Ignoring the warnings from her family and friends, she accepts Tim's offer of a date. But has Tim really changed his ways... and will his shady past catch up with him?A thrilling saga of forbidden love and following your heart, perfect for fans of Lyn Andrews and Katie Flynn.

Will a new romance only lead to more heartbreak?With her modelling career in tatters and her long-term relationship with her sailor boyfriend at an end, Maggie Gregory returns to her family in Liverpool to decide what to do with the rest of her life. A chance encounter with a handsome stranger offers the possibility of new romance, but is the man who calls himself Tim Murphy really all he seems, and what secrets has he been keeping from Maggie?An engaging saga of love and family, perfect for fans of Pam Howes and Kitty Neale.

She must decide whether to follow her head or her heartIrene Miller can't help falling for her friend Peggy's handsome older brother, Marty. But Marty is trapped in an unhappy marriage and nothing can come of it. Meanwhile, Peggy is desperate to marry her long-term boyfriend Pete. But Peggy's staunchly Catholic parents would never accept a Protestant son-in-law, and she decides the only way to resolve her issues is to escape to a place where nobody can find her. With no job, no family to stay for and no hope of a future with Marty, an unexpected job offer from America offers Irene a lifeline. But it would mean never seeing Marty again. Will Irene and Peggy solve their problems by running away - or should they follow their hearts back home to Liverpool?An inspirational tale of love and friendship, perfect for fans of Kitty Neale and Lyn Andrews.

When a daughter has no home can she ever hope to find happiness?Despite being part of the large O'Donnell family Milly has felt alone in the world since her father went missing in the Irish Civil War. Now, ten years later she is forced to flee her home and journey to Liverpool seeking a better future for herself. There she is taken in by distant relatives and eventually reunited with her paternal grandmother. As Milly tries to build a new life she is haunted by her father's mysterious disappearance. Her new friends strive to help her find answers, but meanwhile Milly's mother seeks to remarry on the assumption that her husband is dead. Milly is caught up in the fallout when her grandmother learns of this plan, and the need to find her father is greater than ever. If she doesn't, her hard-won security risks being ruined once more... From Liverpool's much-loved saga novelist comes a tale of family strife and hidden lives, which fans of Kitty Neale and Katie Flynn will love.

Some secrets can't stay buried forever...In 1942, two young women, Dorothy Wilson and Lynne Donegan, give birth in a home for unwed mothers. Thirteen years later, Dorothy is offered her first major role in a feature film and it becomes clear that she and her boyfriend Sam have different ideas for their future together. Meanwhile, Lynne, having lost her childhood sweetheart in the war, is a struggling dressmaker bringing up her daughter on her own. Though their lives have taken different paths, Dorothy and Lynne are brought back together in ways that neither could have predicted, and the secrets both women are keeping from their loved ones threaten to burst into the open and change the two women's lives forever. A gripping saga of heartbreak and family drama, perfect for fans of Lyn Andrews and Katie Flynn.

Is she prepared for the answers she might find?Jeanette Walker's mother disappeared without a trace during a wartime bombing raid and for twelve years she has been left to wonder what happened to her. Was she killed outright, or did she choose to leave?Determined to find out the truth, Jean embarks on a mission to discover what really happened to her mother, but she is not prepared for the web of family secrets and lies that her investigation uncovers. Will she find any answers? And will they be the ones she was hoping for?An enthralling saga of love and heartache in 1950s Liverpool, perfect for fans of Pam Howes and Kitty Neale.

Will she get another chance at happiness?Flora Cooke is struggling to raise her children alone amidst the ruins of war-torn Liverpool. As the months pass and she struggles to come to terms with her loss, Flora is swept off her feet by a handsome American soldier.

Torn between duty to her family and a last chance at love...Busy bringing up her motherless brothers and sisters, romance is the last thing on Lily Thorpe s mind. But when the handsome preacher Matt Gibson asks Lily to return with him to Australia as his wife, she finds it very hard to say no.But with rumours of war on the horizon, will she have to choose between her head and her heart? A story of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of wartime Liverpool.

Happiness always comes at a cost...Having grown up in a convent after the death of her mother, Lizzie Knight has never known what it s like to have a real family. So when a strange woman turns up with promises of a new life in Liverpool, she is thrilled.Warm-hearted and kind, Phyl is everything she wants in a stepmother. But then Lizzie falls in love with the one man who should have been out of bounds. Should she follow her heart and risk losing it all?From the author of A Sister s Duty and Lily s War(Note: previously published as Going Home to Liverpool)

She will do what it takes, for the sake of the children Rosie Kilshaw is only fifteen when her mother Violet is killed in a tragic accident, but as the oldest of her siblings, she vows to keep her family together, no matter what the sacrifice.But as distant family members begin to resurface into their lives, Rosie quickly realizes that there is a lot more to parenting than she first thought. And when her estranged aunt Amelia decides to take them in, she will have a difficult choice to make

Seventeen year old Katie is about to discover a devastating family secret...Katie is the apple of her mother s eye and is being groomed to take over the family business. But when Celia, her natural mother, re-enters her life, her world is turned completely upside down.Tormented by her divided loyalties, Katie is plagued by a question Celia refuses to answer who is her real father? (Note: Originally published as Somebody Else's Girl)

A family at war...Raising three boys and running the Arcadia Hotel almost single-handed are enough to keep widow Kitty Ryan busy. She has no time for romance unless it s in the form of a rare evening out at the local picture house.Then along comes John Mcleod, bringing with him a second chance at happiness. However, Kitty finds her sons unwilling to accept another man into their household.Unless she can reunite her menfolk, the future looks set to be that of a family in conflict, in a world on the eve of war...

Liverpool, 1955. Actress Dorothy Wilson is offered her first major part in a feature film. But her boyfriend Sam wants her to settle down and start a family. Meanwhile, Lynne Donegan is bringing up her daughter on her own, eking out a meagre living as a dressmaker. The two women's lives are destined to intertwine in ways they could never imagine.

Liverpool, 1958. Nursery nurse Irene can't help falling for her friend Peggy's older brother. But nothing can come of it, for Marty is already married. Meanwhile, Peggy is desperate to marry her long-term boyfriend, but her Catholic parents would never accept a Protestant son-in-law. Could Irene and Peggy solve their problems by running away?