Rosie Goodwin - Classic Sagas

I've always loved writing about warm and loving characters who have to find their own path in life. These novels take place in different times, from the nineteenth century, to the Second World War, to the 1960s, but each has at its heart people whose story I had to tell.

NEW RELEASE! A Band of Steel | Buy Online

Hardback - 12/05/11 | Out in Paperback - 10/11/2011 - Pre-order Paperback Online

When Adina and her family are forced to flee Cologne to escape the vicious menace of German invasion in 1938, leaving their luxurious lifestyle is painful. Harder still is finding herself a refugee in a foreign country. But Adina is a compassionate and determined girl and as they settle into a new life in the Midlands she finds the strength to survive.

However, ’her brother and sister aren't so lucky and their family ties are stretched to breaking point. And then Adina runs the risk of losing her family forever when she is drawn towards the one man she should never fall in love with.

Hardback - 11/11/10 | Paperback - 09/06/11

One winter’s night, Molly Ernshaw rescues a baby from the snow and changes two families for ever.

The tiny girl grows into a gifted young woman. Although devoted to Molly, Amy has far-reaching ambitions – encouraged by her neighbour’s son, Toby, she longs to move beyond ribbon-weaving to designing the hats and clothes the ribbons adorn. Her talent is recognised by Samuel Forrester, the owner of famous hat factories and shops. But Samuel and his family are haunted by the past. His son’s wife, Eugenie, is deeply troubled, and when Amy’s flair leads her to London and then Paris, Eugenie is consumed with jealousy.

Amy’s dreams are coming true, but when secrets are revealed she is caught between two worlds, and must choose where her heart truly belongs.

A Rose Among Thorns | Buy Online

Hardback - 12/11/09 | Paperback - 10/06/10

Despite losing her mother at a young age, Sassy has grown up surrounded by love: although poor, she is happy. So Sassy is devastated when her father marries wealthy widow Elizabeth Bonner. Social climber Elizabeth despairs of a step-daughter who is more at ease with servants than those above stairs, and is jealous of Sassy's growing beauty which threatens to outshine her own daughter.

Unwelcome and out of place in this unfamiliar world, Sassy often escapes to her old home on Tuttle Hill and the company of her childhood friends, brothers Thomas and Jack Mallabone. But the trio's bond is threatened by the consequences of her blind adoration for wayward Thomas, much to the dismay of Jack, who has long worshipped Sassy in secret...

Yesterday's Shadows | Buy Online

Paperback - 11/06/09

Kate Cleary feels no sorrow when her brutal father dies. At last she will be free from him, even though she and Nuala, the sister who depends on her for everything, must now leave his miners cottage. Then Kate discovers they have an aunt in the Midlands whom their father had kept secret, and who now offers them a home.

Despite leaving her heart in Durham with Matthew, a young artist, Kate feels loved and safe with Aunt Beth. But her peace is shattered by an astonishing revelation from Nuala, and a series of brutal attacks on the women of Nuneaton . Kate turns to a handsome widower, Martin Denby, but is his kindness too good to be true?

Moonlight and Ashes | Buy Online

Paperback - 28/06/07

Despite being trapped in an abusive marriage, Maggie still feels blessed with her eight-year-old twins, Danny and Lizzie, and baby girl, Lucy. But when the Second World War begins it seems that her blessings may have run out.

Although the war lets her escape her husband when he's sent to the front, she must also lose the twins, as they're evacuated to North Wales . Lizzie seems to be in the perfect family, while Danny is left with a man who seems to resent his presence. But appearances can be deceptive, and while Maggie struggles to survive the bombings at home, her children face danger of a different kind.

Dancing Till Midnight | Buy Online

Paperback - 20/11/06

Life has been cruel to Grace Collins. Orphaned as a child, she is raised by her severely religious aunt, Emily. Starved of love, she falls for the first man who shows her affection, Barry Swan. And when Grace falls pregnant, Emily disowns her.

Barry and Grace marry and, for a while, she knows happiness. Barry adores her and is a wonderful father, but Grace feels that something is missing. When Barry indulges her passion for ballroom dancing, the gap seems to be filled - until she meets Philip Golding. He sweeps Grace off her feet, showing her what she believes is a better way of life. But as he draws her into a web of deceit, she discovers that all that glitters is not gold...

No One's Girl | Buy Online

Paperback - 10/04/06

Jane Reynolds' father dominates her life. Though she seems a devoted daughter, his cruelty has left her afraid to love. After his sudden death she becomes a virtual recluse, leaving her small farm only to sell the fruit and vegetables she grows.

But everything changes on a dark, cold night when she finds a young runaway hiding near her cottage. Alice, too, is unloved and in pain, and as the pair become friends, Jane begins to wonder whether she could offer the girl the loving home she's never had. But dark secrets in both their pasts threaten everything Jane hopes for...

The Bad Apple | Buy Online

Paperback - 02/05/05

Louise Hart has endured a great deal of pain from her callous husband Paul, but one cold December night in 1959 she can take no more. She and her son Davey escape their Coventry high-rise flat and flee to Tanglewood, the dilapidated ivy-clad mansion where her mother Dolly runs an animal sanctuary. Miserable and frightened, Louise longs to turn her back on the past, and create a happy new life for Davey. But Paul is in trouble with men more dangerous than himself. Unable to pay his debts, he blackmails Louise and those who love her, keeping a shadowy presence in their lives. Even the arrival of Charlie Fox, a stranger who becomes a true friend, cannot guarantee that the future will be safe...