Candles in the Storm

Book excerpt: Her actions during one violent storm change a young woman's life forever... Candles in the Storm is a spell-binding saga from Rita Bradshaw that follows a young woman as she faces prejudice, war and true love. Perfect for fans of Josephine Cox and Dilly Court. 'Rita's sharp, darting prose with deliciously gossipy undercurrents, perfectly portrays the fragility of lives dependent on the sea... Rita takes us into the heart of a hardy community in a novel full of local flavour, atmosphere traditions and habits' - Sunderland Echo The storm that's raging when fisherman's daughter Daisy Appleby is born in a village just north of Sunderland could be taken as a warning of a turbulent life ahead. It's during another storm fifteen years later that her father and brothers are lost and Daisy rescues William, heir of a wealthy Southwick family, with whom she falls in love. Soon, as her reward for saving him, Daisy is working for William's irascible aunt, while local lad Alf continues to court her. Warned off by Daisy's grandmother, William denies his own feelings and so it will be many years later, after much hardship and turmoil, that Daisy finds the happiness she deserves, amidst the drama of the Great War. What readers are saying about Candles in the Storm: 'The historical setting is brilliant. You feel as though you are living during those times. Sometimes your heart is in your mouth as you turn the pages' 'Best book I have read for a long time. Could not put it down' 'Was enthralled from start to finish'