The Winter Rose: The heartwarming festive novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author

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Cadi Williams nightmares have returned of the almighty explosion at the greyhound public house. Now staying and working with Maria and Bill Shankley at the B&B in Derby Road her troubled sleep worries her as she applies to join the WAAF with Jez in the RAF she maybe a bit closer to him so they can see more of each other she misses him so much. It looks , in a gentle and unobtrusive way at the way a woman’s rights to cultural and bodily autonomy were decided for her, even before she gained the voice to challenge this narrative. Set just before the War, in a little village in Wales, two friends are part of the yearly celebrations with Cadi being The Rose Queen. Cadi has her heart on escaping her village and making something of her life, and not settling down and marrying Aled, the farmers son, which is her dad's desire. It starts off quite innocently in 1938 with Cadi Williams getting ready for the annual village fete in Rhos, a small mining community in Wales, where she lives with fairly poor family. She is to be crowned Rose Queen and it will be the most important day of her life so far.

The Winter Rose: The heartwarming festive novel from the The Winter Rose: The heartwarming festive novel from the

Having said that, once I had reset my brain to understand this was more of a sentimental piece focusing on love and friendship, I began to enjoy myself. Flynn looks at the joys of leaving home to discover yourself, and the relinquishment of the protection and comfort of a family bubble. The kindness of this stranger sets her on a different path, and Libby heads to Liverpool with a determined mind and hope in her heart.The girls are left looking for work and eventually secure jobs in a local pub. Life takes different turns for the girls, as they relish their independence and we follow their adventures along the way. There, she reconnects with long lost family - but will she be able to uncover the truth that tore them apart all those years ago? After arriving they have a violent encounter leading them to The Greyhound pub run by Landlady Maria. She takes them under her wing putting them to work and paying them with bed and board.

The Winter Rose by Katie Flynn - Penguin Books New Zealand The Winter Rose by Katie Flynn - Penguin Books New Zealand

All across the USA, people are showing up dead. The deaths don't appear to be connected in any way until one particular death occurs and gets the Secretary of Defense's attention. He arranges for a task force to investigate. Cad and her best friend Poppy are both desperate to leave their small mining community, so when war is declared the girls see a chance to escape. Brilliant character in Cadi , strong yet vulnerable , in love with her partner Jez but now torn away from each other having to ensure the perils of the war. Liverpool brings a tough life for her following the years of the great world war’s end. Kitty finds that she’s always starving and has only rags to wear. She’s the oldest child in her family and takes her drunken mother’s rages while dreaming of running off to find a life that is better than the one she lives. The Winter Rose had many sub-plots that weren't closed in a satisfying way for example, the Daphne - Aled - Cadi plot, Izzy's father Eric wasn't explored - why was he murdered? Who was he involved in? The plot twist of Izzy and Jez as sibling was out of the blue after saving Raquel. I liked the idea of these female characters feeling empowered with their war work, but this empowerment is undermined by their attention to gossip.The girls help develop the pub into a thriving b&b, and befriend a girl who is beaten by her father trying to persuade her to leave home just as they did. Also for the added romance is Jez, who had rescued them from the hands of a drunken man, and now has his sights firmly on Cadi. I did feel rather sorry for poor Poppy at this point as all the boys seem to fall for Cadi. Absolutely loved this newest Katie Flynn book. You can always depend on this author to give you your money's worth! Cadi and Poppy encounter "adult life" during WW2 in a way that would teach them both the true meaning of family and love. Along the way they meet many characters, some unsavoury, but who leave their marks. Cadi, a young girl, wants to do her bit in WW2-torn Britain and decides to persuade her parents to let her travel to her Aunt with her brest friend and support the war effort in Liverpool. The story is kind of slowly burning, sometimes even a bit on the dull side. A little less could have been more. We continue to see what happens in Cadi’s life she joins the WAAF and makes new friends. Cadi is such an organised person and does well in the WAAF. Jez and her seem to be at odds with each other with secrets will they overcome these. Their lives in Liverpool could not be more different that where they have run from, they meet Maria, single handedly running a pub, and this gives them hope that without a man around, they can still stand on their feet. Cadi and Poppy may have a Rhos sensibility, but opening their eyes to the outside world gives them choices-will they remain the girls who want to be remembered for competing at the Rose Queen festival, or do they want to become women of the world?

The Winter Rose By Katie Flynn |The Works

Katie Flynn is the pen name of the much-loved writer, Judy Turner, who published over ninety novels in her lifetime. Judy's unique stories were inspired by hearing family recollections of life in Liverpool during the early twentieth century, and her books went on to sell more than eight million copies. Judy passed away in January 2019, aged 82. It’s nothing like the life of Lilac Larkin. This beautiful young woman is assured and self-possessed. She has a nice job working as a maid. But when that comes to a close and she starts up working at a factory, she hopes that her life continues to hold that same promise. In her darkest hour, Cadi is comforted by her friends, and with their support and guidance she begins to see a light at the end of the tunnel. But she will face more than one unexpected turn along the way. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Libby is on the cusp of making a decision that could jeopardise her future when a local boy saves her from ruin.The country and the times are also relentlessly moving forward. Nellie is excited to find that she has a whole new world of romantic prospects open to her and hopes to find love. Even as she becomes an established young woman, she still has not found someone that has not betrayed her. The more that she needs love in her life, the more she finds that it is eluding her. I've never read a book by this author that I've not loved and could easily rate higher than five stars and this one is no exception. This book is the follow up to The Rose Queen, it is best to read this book first or the story will not flow as well. Liverpool, 1941: After German bombs shatter the life Cadi has built for herself in Liverpool, she is more determined than ever to sign up and do her bit. Joining the WAAF also means she is closer to her beau - until Jez is sent thousands of miles from home. While Jez is in Africa, someone from the past starts spreading vicious rumours that could threaten their relationship, and Cadi finds herself torn between keeping secrets and telling the truth to protect those she holds dear. Cadi has always believed that their love can weather any storm but as the snow sweeps in, she faces an impossible choice. Will her decision leave her broken-hearted or will Cadi and Jez be reunited in time for Christmas? The two face a shared struggle as they attempt to try and simply survive. Their lot is one of poverty, and it grinds the energy out of the. It is a very tough life and even though the two girls have each other, even they know that they will not be able to lean on the other one forever and make it through on that shared support alone.

The Winter Rose: The brand new heartwarming Christmas 2022

I have to admit that 'The Rose Queen' of the title is only a very small part at the beginning but does start the tale of 2 Welsh lasses who want to see the wider world offered in Liverpool in WW2 A lovely, easily read and meaningful tale written by one of my favourite authors, can't wait for the next book! A different type of read from those I normally lean towards, this was a delightful break from one world inhabited by horror, to another, more real one, set at the start of the second World War. Thank you for sharing thus book with me, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It begins before the Second World War in Wales as 2 young girls become bored by the life mapped out for them in their community and long to travel further with the approaching storm clouds of war they head off to Liverpool to sign on for the WRAF despite being under age. As they are unsuccessful, the story takes unexpected turns through the war it is a lovely heart warming story.Katie Flynn is a published author and the pen name used by Judy Turner. She has written under a few different pen names, including Judith Arden, Lydia Balmain, Judy Turner, and Judith Saxton. I made the book last me 3 days. I wanted to find out what happened to Cadi but also didn’t want it to end.