Made in Yorkshire
3 total works
Can the festive cheer warm her heart again?
October 1941. Despite the hardships of life during wartime, Bobby Bancroft has never been happier. Engaged to her airman sweetheart Charlie, living in the beautiful Dales village of Silverdale and gainfully employed at The Tyke magazine, her life seems to be going exactly the way she always hoped it would.
As the festive season approaches, Bobby is recruited to help produce a Christmas pantomime for the evacuee children billeted in the village. The project introduces her to some new friends, including a handsome Canadian, Flying Officer Ernie King, and her friend Topsy’s upper-crust cousin Archie Sumner.
However, fresh troubles arise when Charlie discovers his RAF training is to be cut short and he must prepare to join the fight imminently. What’s more, his upcoming leave has been cancelled, leaving him to spend a lonely Christmas in his barracks. Can a miracle bring Charlie and Bobby together for Christmas?
An absolutely captivating, heart warming and uplifting festive saga that fans of All Creatures Great and Small, Gervase Phinn and Maggie Mason will adore.
Readers can’t get enough of Wartime Christmas in the Dales:
‘This was such a heartfelt story of a beautiful story in the wartime of Christmas. All the feel good, but all the honest feels also. It was wonderful!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘A wonderful tale set during wartime. While the war is serious the characters’ antics and the festive season keep the story lighthearted.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘This is a delightful read set during WW2. … What could possibly be better than snow, Christmas with diverse characters and an amusing extraordinary engagement party?’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘Such a heartwarming read. Written with feeling.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘I loved this latest instalment in Bobby Bancroft's story…Plenty of detail make wartime life in the Dales feel very real.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘Amazing storyline, loved the setting and the characters and as always Betty has come up trumps, once you start you can’t put it down.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘I love the setting and likeable characters.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
War pulled them apart, but can love bring them back together?
January 1942. After spending a happy Christmas with her fiance Charlie and his family at Moorside Farm, the new year brings heartache for Bobby Bancroft. Not only must she prepare to say goodbye to Charlie as he is summoned to join the fight, she must also leave behind her job at The Tyke magazine to join the wartime effort, as conscription of women is rolled out across the country.
But there are hopeful times ahead as Bobby's friends, Topsy and Teddy, get engaged following a romance beset with obstacles. And when Bobby finally names a date for her own nuptials, the village of Silverdale is cheered by the prospect of weddings to lift the gloom of wartime. Bobby finds herself far from home training as a WAAF, with few friendly faces other than her Canadian friend Ernie King, who is acting as an instructor at her training centre.
With Ernie showing signs of a romantic interest in her and with Charlie’s sudden silence, a lonely Bobby finds herself drawn to the young Canadian. But could there be more to Charlie’s silence than a cooling of his feelings? And can Bobby’s faith in the man she truly loves stay strong while the two of them are far apart, long enough for them to walk down the aisle?
A heart-warming, emotional WW2 saga set in the glorious Yorkshire Dales. Fans of Diane Allen and Maggie Mason will love this!
Readers adore the Made in Yorkshire series:
‘A gorgeous setting, appealing characters and brimming with warmth and humour. It’s a long time since a book has so thoroughly captured my heart. Don’t miss it!’ Kate Field
‘LOVED IT!!!...My heart ached when reading this… A lovely story, full of heart and home. I didn't want it to end…’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘There are real echoes of All Creatures Great and Small in this story…I loved it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘The characters are realistic, likable, and heartwarming’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘Loved this one. Full of warmth and romance during very difficult times.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘Heartwarming, historical and humorous. Thoroughly enjoyed it from cover to cover.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘The descriptions of the countryside are so descriptive and beautiful. Bobby’s devotion to her community is commendable and heartwarming.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘Such a heartwarming read. Written with feeling.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
‘I loved this latest instalment in Bobby Bancroft's story…Plenty of detail make wartime life in the Dales feel very real.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
Can joy be found, even in the sorrows of war?
May 1943. The tide of war has turned at last, with an Allied victory looking increasingly certain, but all is not well for the residents of Silverdale.
Unusually journalist Bobby Bancroft is struggling to find enjoyment in her work at the rural Dales magazine, The Tyke, weighed down by family problems and a contemplating a future with husband Charlie which might never see them blessed with their own bundle of joy. Not only that, but the Charlie that has returned to her is far from the man she fell in love with ... now she must face the challenge of living with a man mentally and phsyically scarred by war.
Her sister Lilian, meanwhile, is trapped in a loveless marriage with Tony Scott but is battling an attraction to Captain George Parry, recently moved to Silverdale after his discharge from the Army.
Then, on the day of Italy’s surrender, Bobby discovers that in spite of her doctor’s pronouncement that it could never happen, she is expecting a baby.
Can her little wartime miracle heal both Bobby and Charlie, and repair the rift between them? Will the end of war bring joy to the country as well as Bobby and Charlie?