A Mother's Choice

When Laura Page returns to the remote Holderness village of Welwick, it is to try and discover the mystery of her mother Susannah's early life. Now a local property owner in Hull, Susannah never speaks of her childhood, when she was brought up with the terrible stigma of illegitimacy - of being nobody's child.<BR><BR>Born into poverty, living in a tiny labourer's cottage with her father, Susannah's mother had caught the eye of the local landowner's son. She was his one and only great love, but when she died giving birth to their daughter Susannah he could not acknowledge his child but had to watch her growing up in hardship. As the years passed and Laura had begin to be curious about her mother's past, would she ever be reunited with the father she had scarcely known?<BR><BR>If you've liked books by Katie Flynn and Dilly Court, you'll love Val's heartwarming stories of triumph over adversity.

Rosa grew up an orphan in a remote, watery island fastness on the wild East coast of Yorkshire. Taken in as a small child by the motherly Mrs Drew, she realised as she grew up that this large and seemingly close farming family contained many troubled souls. Mr Drew, whose religious fervour held a dark secret; Jim, the eldest son, who was terrified of something from his past; Delia, longing to escape from the island; and tall, handsome, confident Matthew, who wanted only one thing - Rosa herself.<BR><BR>But Rosa's background was one of mystery. Her mother, before she drowned in the dyke near their home, had always promised that one day Rosa's father would return to her - a handsome Spaniard, with jewels and silks in treasure chests, sailing in on a ship with golden sails. Mr Drew knew the secret of Rosa's past - and so did the two mysterious Irishmen, who came back to the island after many years and who threatened everything which Rosa held most dear.<BR><BR>Other novels by Valerie Wood include: The Hungry Tide, winner of the Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction, Annie, Children of the Tide, The Romany Girl, Emily, and Going Home.

The stunning follow-up to The Lonely Wife from bestselling author Val Wood.<BR><BR>'With fully developed characters and a compelling story, it's no wonder the author won the Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction for her debut... A great choice for a book club' Belfast Telegraph<BR><BR>---------------------------<BR><BR>1864: Following the untimely death of her cold-hearted husband, Beatrix and her three children are finally free. While Ambrose has already determined his path in life, eldest son Laurie's future is less certain. With the responsibility of the family estate on his shoulders, Laurie must decide between staying in Yorkshire to farm the family land and following his dreams.<BR><BR>Meanwhile, headstrong and independent Alicia is defying expectation and excelling at school. There she befriends the enigmatic Olivia Snowdon and they quickly become inseparable. But Olivia's past is shrouded in mystery and as the two families grow closer, secrets start to come tumbling out...<BR><BR>A powerful story of family ties, long-held secrets and the fleeting days of childhood.<BR><BR>---------------------------<BR><BR>Praise for Val Wood:<BR><BR>'A heart-warming story filled with compelling action' Rosie Goodwin<BR>'Hull's answer to Catherine Cookson' BBC Radio 4's Front Row<BR>'Wonderfully fully-fleshed characters are the mainstay of [Val Wood's] stories' Peterborough Telegraph<BR><BR>Readers are loving Children of Fortune: <BR><BR>***** 'Excellent story, great characters bounding with interest from start to finish. Strongly recommend'<BR>***** 'Another excellent book from Val Wood and cannot wait for the next one'<BR>***** 'Val Wood never fails to keep me interested in her books, I love them'