A Wife's Courage: The BRAND NEW Battersea saga for 2023

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A Mother’s Secret’ is superbly written. The author certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and draws you into what proves to be one hell of a compelling story. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fast pace throughout. I felt as though I was part of the story myself and at the heart of all the action, which is thanks to Kitty’s very realistic and vivid storytelling. I always think that a sign of a good book is when I get far too involved with the story. Well I certainly got involved with ‘A Mother’s Secret’. I found that as I was reading, I would say random comments out loud about what I would like to say to certain characters if I could catch up with them- the main one being David. Oundjian said: "I have been a long-time fan of the incredible Kitty Neale. She never shies away from the realities of life for people (especially women) in the past, but always manages to show that strength, hope and kindness are there – you just need to know where to look for them. Kitty is a powerhouse author and the team are so excited to be working with her to establish Kitty Neale as a major commercial saga brand and cannot wait to introduce readers to The Battersea Tavern." Winnie Berry is her own boss and doesn't take any nonsense in her pub a well respected woman liked by everyone, then sorrow is about to hit not only Winnie but a lot more of the character's for the war is still on going bringing more tragedy and sorrow. Even as a child, Kitty had an incredible imagination. She was always telling her friends and family stories some of which were quite horrific; though, to her family, they were more of a source of amusement than a cause for concern. Abandoned on the cold stone steps of an orphanage, only a few hours old and clutching the object which was to give her name, Pearl Button had a hard start to life.

From there she began to master the craft, fixing her punctuation and gaining a basic understanding of the publishing industry. Writing was just a distraction at that time, a means of burying her grief by getting immersed in imaginary worlds. Winnie is running The Battersea Tavern at the onset of the Second World War, and alongside her faithful barmaid, Rachel, they welcome their regulars in with pleasant conversation and the promise of a pint. Winnie’s lazy husband, Brian, spends most of his time in his armchair, whilst their son, David, doesn’t have an honest bone in his body. But when a young woman crosses her path, the secrets of Winnie's past threaten to turn her world upside down. There's nothing stronger than a mother's love - but can it ever have a second chance? It wasn’t until she met Jim, her second and final husband, that Kitty Neale achieved a sense of stability in her life. By the time they got married, Kitty’s children had grown up and started lives of their own, so Kitty was free to indulge in her passions.I would like to think that a surprise will appear in another book, I'm not sure, but I'm hoping! And I am really hoping to meet these precious characters again. This is my first ever Kitty Neale book, set just before world war two we meet Winnie, she runs the Battersea Tavern. Her aggressive and known to be violent husband stays behind the scenes letting Winnie do all the hard graft. She dotes on her only son, David, an attractive (and he knows it) spoilt man child who thinks nothing of using his looks and mothers good nature to skate by in life. Rachel is her dab hand barmaid who works hard, is respectable and has her own family nightmare, her sister Hilda, sober she is the sweetest and kindest, drunk she opens her mouth and embarrasses and hurts poor Rachel with her bile. We also meet sweet Jan as she starts up an innocent relationship with one of the regulars in the Tavern. As the story develops we get to meet the characters and more of their lives, belt up and prefer for an emotive ride. Jennifer Lavender never felt like she belonged. She was always working so hard to earn her parent’s love and attention but nothing she did felt like it was ever enough.

She might have never recovered if it wasn’t for a bereavement group she joined, one that constituted women who had lost children in tragic circumstances. The group allowed Kitty to heal. Rachel, Winnie's granddaughter takes a shine to Alberto King the colour of his skin doesn't bother her a single mum to her daughter Martha she was glad to have a bit of excitement in her life. She could do a little bit of everything but there wasn’t one skill she had truly mastered because no particular arena of employment ever satisfied her. And after a while, Kitty’s family came into the picture at which point they became the primary focus of her life. Winnie is the landlady of the Battersea Tavern that she runs with her barmaid Rachel Robb, it was home and all the punters now are all in conversation about the coming war how long will this one last? Winnie is a wonderful character: caring, loving and she's always there for her son, David; Rachel who works at the Tavern and anyone else who needs a listening ear.Kitty Neale will return to Orion after 15 years in a three-book,six-figure deal. The move marksthe end of the author's time at Avon where she has published 20 books. Kitty Neale comes from a working-class family. She grew up in South London. Her parents worked in the local factories. Kitty spent a lot of time on the streets around Battersea. sadly the last in this three book series but I shall look forward to more adventures from Kitty Neale her book just keep coming in heaps and bounds with so many feel good emotions as you can't put them down.

The author married her first husband in 1966. Their son and daughter were born soon after. Then came the divorce, followed by a number of years during which Kitty struggled to survive as a single mother. Neither Elsie nor Bert nor their children wanted to move to Candle Lane. The street in Battersea is modest but they all miss their home in Wimbledon, especially the kids, Ann and Arthur. But then she learned that she was adopted and she finally understood the true nature of her plight. Jenny would have loved nothing better than to find her real family and to finally understand where she came from. This book was so heart breaking in a lot of chapters, that broke my heart I literally sobbed. The feeling it brings you to feel involved like they are all your friends.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Most modern authors would have used such affirmation as a reason to immediately make their mark in publishing. However, even though her writing talents were so clear to everyone who knew her, it would be years before Kitty Neale sat down to write fiction. I have a little confession to make- yes yet another one. Although I have several of Kitty’s books on my ever increasing ‘to be read’ mountain, I haven’t actually read one before……until now that is. When I was invited to take part in the blog tour for ‘A Mother’s Secret’, I thought that it would be an ideal opportunity to get to know Kitty’s work. Having enjoyed reading ‘A Mother’s Secret’ as much as I did, I am now rather cross at myself for leaving it this long to realise just how flipping fantastic Kitty Neale is. I absolutely adored reading ‘A Mother’s Secret’ but more about that in a bit. I miss Winnie, Rachel and Jan, and I adored Mrs Savage who although played a small part made up for it with character! Kitty Neale is a British author that writes thrilling dramatic novels that explore friendships, family life and the hardships that plague normal life. Kitty’s stories are inspired by her own personal experiences and the tragedies she has encountered in her life. This is a story of lots of mother's secrets throughout the whole fantastic book. My emotions made me laugh cry and cheer, all the way through. It's the third of September 1939 in Battersea London, Winnie Berry her husband Brian and son David had the wireless on and it's not good news, they are at war with Germany and Winnie has a main worry of her beloved son been called up.