The Children Left Behind

by Eliza Morton

Published 18 July 2024

Full of nostalgia and set against a backdrop of the Festival of Britain and the aftermath of the Second World War, The Children Left Behind is a gritty, emotional, heartwarming and uplifting saga.

1940, Liverpool


When Alice Lacey was seven, she and her two best friends, Bob and Matty, watched the sky set on fire. Ten years later, the three remain friends, and Bob is now Alice’s sweetheart. He would marry her tomorrow, but Alice has ambitions to better herself; she finally leaves her factory job to work as an architect’s secretary, dreaming of a brighter future and of playing some small part in rebuilding Liverpool.

But will the hope last? The war has ripped families apart, and many children are left with nowhere to go but the orphanage. When tragedy strikes and Alice’s mother struggles to cope, Alice is horrified to see her brothers and sister facing the same fate. And, to make matters worse, both Bob and Matty seem to be harbouring secrets . . .

The Children Left Behind is the second book by Eliza Morton in the Liverpool Orphans trilogy, following The Orphans from Liverpool Lane.


Betsy's War

by Eliza Morton

Published 8 May 2025

In this gritty saga set in Liverpool, comes a heartfelt story of new love and hope in times of war from the acclaimed author of Angel of Liverpool.

A wartime secret . . .


Betsy Drew has one thing on her mind. And that’s the hope that Alvis Dooley might glance in her direction. But it’s the outbreak of World War II in Liverpool and whilst everyone is fearful of what Hitler might do next, Betsy is full of dreams for a future with Alvis. But one afternoon when he eventually does take notice of her, her life changes forever.

On the fateful night when Hitler drops his bombs on Mill Road Maternity hospital Liverpool, Betsy’s mother, full of shame over Betsy being an unwed mother, sees an opportunity to give her daughter a second chance and tells her daughter a devastating lie, that her baby is gone.

Years later, Betsy falls in love with handsome RAF pilot, James, it seems that their love can conquer their differences. But it’s a love that’s built on a terrible secret. And whilst her mother and the nuns at the orphanage thought that they were doing the very best for Betsy by giving away the child, how soon will the lie destroy her?

Betsy's War is the third book by Eliza Morton in the Liverpool Orphans trilogy, following from The Orphans of Liverpool Lane and The Children Left Behind.