It’s 1941 and as the air raid sirens blare, Lily Collins is starting work in Midlands department store Marlow’s. She learns the ropes from her sophisticated boss Miss Frobisher alongside shy fellow junior Gladys. But her friendship with young salesman Jim draws her into a swirl of secrets. And with the war progressing to crisis point, Cedric Marlow and his staff must battle nightly bombings and the absence of loved ones to keep going. A Store at War weaves together a strong sense of community with a vivid evocation of a time when every man, woman and child was doing their bit. ‘Cheerful and uplifting… I enjoyed it immensely’ Katie Fforde ‘Highly recommended’ Anna Jacobs 'A real page-turner with a spirited heroine…A sparkling new voice in fiction' Sunday Times bestseller Veronica Henry

War brings changes three friends could never foresee…‘Highly recommended’ Anna Jacobs‘A warm domestic drama’ People’s Friend It’s 1942 and as shortages of staff – and goods – begin to bite, young Lily Collins is nervously stepping up to sales junior at Marlow’s department store. Bombs are still falling and Lily and fellow shop girls Gladys and Beryl need a stiff upper lip to wave boyfriends, husbands and brothers goodbye, especially with a baby on the way and grim news on the wireless. Jim, who works with Lily at the store, seems restless, and nothing can prepare Lily for the secrets that come tumbling out when her favourite brother comes home on leave… Somehow, she must keep smiling through. Community, family and friends rally round as her home town – and the whole country – is tested once again.

The third book in the gripping wartime drama series set around a town’s department store It’s 1943 and young Lily Collins is throwing herself into a welcome home party for her friend Beryl’s husband. Shyly starting to be more than just good friends with their lodger, Jim, Lily’s life seems good and Les’s safe return is something to celebrate. But when Les returns he is a changed man from his time in the desert war. And home life is getting harder too – Marlow’s, the town’s department store where Lily and Jim work, will be forced to adapt and make some difficult decisions with shortages biting and staff harder to retain. When Jim is called away to the countryside, where an old flame would like him to stay, it’s all too easy for Lily to be charmed by attentive visiting salesman Frank. Then comes the knock on the door everyone dreads – and hot on its heels comes a further shock. Family, always the heart of Lily’s world, is everything – but will it ever be the same again?

Uplifting and heartwarming: drama, courage and romance at Marlow’s department store this Christmas For Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls at Marlow’s Department store, another Christmas with ration books, shortages of goods and staff—not to mention a store coping with war damage—will be a real challenge. But the girls rally round and put their worries aside to make this, the hardest wartime Christmas yet, one that their families, and their town, will never forget.

Spring 1944. As the Allied forces push on towards longed-for victory, Lily Collins yearns to join up and do her bit. But where does her duty lie? Her best friend Gladys faces having her first baby alone, with her new husband back with the Navy. And their friend Beryl is run off her feet building her bridal-hire business amid the bomb damage. So while wedding bells are ringing for others at Marlows Department Store, where Lily works, will they be heard for Lily herself – or does fate have another twist in store? Acclaim for Joanna Toye ‘ Warm and wonderfully page-turning ’ Annie Groves ‘A wonderful testament to friendship as the Allied Forces push on towards victory’ Women’s Weekly ‘Family drama, community spirit and love…[a] warm, compassionate read ’ People’s Friend

Summer 1945. After victory in Europe, best friends Lily, Gladys and Beryl are looking to the future. But even with this happy news, their lives are far from simple ... Despite Lily's joyful summer wedding, she has doubts over what her heart wants now. As she adjusts to her role as young wife, could this signal the end of her position at Marlows? The return of Gladys' husband Bill raises questions of their family life as he struggles to find work after the Navy, and for Beryl big changes at her bridal shop are afoot. As the girls start to move on with their lives, they have never needed to stick together more ...