«Martha’s Girls» by Alrene Hughes

A moving saga that takes the reader to the very heart of a close-knit, fiery, loving family – perfect for fans of Mary Larkin, Pam Weaver and Maggie Craig.

Belfast, 1939, and Martha’s daughters are beginning to make their way in the world.

Irene, the eldest, is on the lookout for a new job and romance. She is torn between Sean O’Hara – wanted by the police for something he didn’t do – and RAF radio engineer Sandy, serving in India.

Pat is sensitive and thoughtful, and dreams of life beyond the Ulster Linen Works. When she is introduced to a dashing tenor, the possibility of a new life seems ever more real …

Peggy, hot-headed and glamorous, loves her job in Mr Goldstein’s music shop on Royal Avenue, where she catches the eye of a Humphrey Bogart lookalike, but he isn’t all he appears …

Sheila, the youngest, wants to stay on at school, but her family desperately needs another wage. Above all, she longs to be treated like a grown-up.

Although they lead very different lives, the sisters share a passion for singing, and when they are asked to join a new troupe of entertainers, Martha fears this will put them in temptation’s way. Can she hold her family together and keep her girls safe, even when the bombs begin to fall?