Salem Street (Book 1)
~ In 1820 Salem Street is sparkling and new: eight small terraced houses built by a Lancashire mill owner for his best workers. Annie Gibson’s family is one of the first ones to move in – a step up in the world for them. But, when her mother dies, Annie’s happy childhood ends and she is left to bring up her brother and sister. Red-haired, intelligent and startlingly pretty, Annie soon finds herself banished from home by a jealous stepmother. She finds wok in the local doctor’s household where she learns about the fascinating world outside Salem Street. And when her adored childhood friend, Matt, asks her to marry him, Annie thinks her dreams are coming true. But suddenly everything turns upside-down. Abandoned and pregnant, Annie returns to Salem Street, where an unexpected offer gives her independence. One day, she vows, she will move into the wider world again. One day…
High Street (Book 2)
~ In 1845, Annie Gibson can finally leave Salem Street. Her dreams of being able to open an elegant dressmaking salon in the High Street of Bilsden, a Lancashire mill town, have come true. And she is going to take her father and his second family with her, away from poverty, away from the Rows. But Annie has not left trouble behind. Someone is trying to undermine her business. Her family have their own ideas about what they want to do with their lives. And several men are persistently trying to win favor with the beautiful young widow – including Frederick Hallam, the mill owner, and Daniel O’Connor, her childhood friend. As Annie gets better acquainted with both, she becomes increasingly confused about her feelings. Can she really be in love? And can she risk trusting any man again?
Ridge Hill (Book 3)
~ It’s 1848 and preparations are underway for Annie Gibson’s wedding to Bilsden’s wealthy millowner, Frederick Hallam. But not everyone is as pleased as they are. Frederick’s daughter, Beatrice, is horrified at the prospect of a new attractive stepmother arriving at the house on Ridge Hill. Even Annie’s own family feels threatened. The only person who seems pleased is Tom, Annie’s brother. Soon, however, real troubles begin to pile up for the Gibsons. Tom’s happiness is jeopardized by the news that he is father to a child he never knew about. Annie’s son, William, is devastated to find out that his real father is not the man who brought him up. And even Annie’s joy cannot last. Because someone has uncovered the secrets she has fought so hard to keep hidden.
Hallam Square (Book 4)
~ In 1858, Annie Hallam has at last found complete happiness. She has three healthy children and adores her husband Frederick. After years of struggling to make a living in the small Lancashire town of Bilsden, Annie knows she deserves to sit back and enjoy her life – after all, she’s not yet forty, and still in her prime. But worries – at first faint clouds on the horizon – are imminent. Frederick has been looking pale and ill lately. Her brother Tom hasn’t moved on after the death of his wife. Rebecca, her half-sister, is longing for something more than her work in the salon. And William, her son, isn’t happy at university. In spite of Frederick’s gentle urging not to take the entire burden of the Gibson family on her shoulders, Annie can’t help feeling concerned. And something much more dangerous is looming – a threat not only to Annie’s peace of mind, but to her life…
Spinners Lake (Book 5)
~ It is 1860 in Bilsden, the Lancashire mill town, and Frederick Hallam is dying. But first he makes secret plans to smooth the future path of his beloved wife Annie. Her sister, Joanie, is fed up with everything until a dashing new admirer crosses her path. But a spurned suitor is determined that Joanie will be his, whatever the cost. And he is not the only one who wants to harm the Gibson family. Meanwhile the Civil War in America cuts of cotton supplies, so that times are hard in Bilsden and unemployment is rife. Annie has to rebuild her life after her husband’s death and plans to create Spinners Lake, an extraordinary project that will keep her workers from destitution and assuage her own grief. Tian Gilchrist is caught up in the American war and nearly dies there. He fights his way back to Bilsden, to Annie, whom he has never forgotten. And the plans thay Frederick made for Annie will change her life in unforeseen ways, bringing her hope and happiness once again…
