The Turn of the Tide — Alexandra Connor

Hugely entertaining family saga set in Blackpool, in the world of boarding houses and bookies Rose Bradshaw is clever and brave, but none of the boys will look at her -- she has a squint. So does her father, and it hasn't stopped him from being one of Blackpool's best-known bookies; but who ever heard of a woman doing business at the races? Enter Hettie Miller, one-time neighbour of the Bradshaws but now an eligible widow. She'll pay for Rose to have her eye fixed, but not out of charity. She has her own devious reasons for returning to her well-hidden roots. Rose blossoms as a beauty and rises in society, leaving behind the ambitious boy next door -- who didn't think he cared until too late. Then comes World War Two, destroying all their plans -- but will it bring opportunites as well? Heartwarming, dramatic and full of loveable characters, this is for everyone who's ever fallen out or in love with a neighbour, or who's ever grasped at an unexpected second chance.