Softly Grow the Poppies - Tapa dura

Poignant and well plotted, this is the book to curl up with to shut out troubles. * Woman's Realm * Among the dross that constitutes the Liverpool saga market for women, Howard's enjoyable 19th-century historical romance of crossed love shines out. * Daily Mail * Her thousands of fans recognise the artistry of a true storyteller. * Lancashire Life * A joy to read . . . . This saga is, like all of Audrey Howard's books, compelling and memorable. * Historical Novels Review *

Rose Beechworth is mistress of a charming country house - her own, left to her by her wealthy father. In the summer of 1914, she is not even looking for love. Alice Weatherly turns Rose's world upside down. The loveable young heiress longs to kiss Captain Charlie Summers goodbye - she takes Rose to Liverpool's Lime Street station and into the heart of Charlie's brother Harry. Even though they are neighbours, they have never met, for Rose ignores the social round, while Harry's time is taken up desperately attempting to keep his father's ramshackle estate together. When he inherits Summer Place, a magnificent mansion with a proud history, he gladly lets it become a hospital for wounded soldiers. As the war takes its terrible toll and Charlie disappears into the fog of battle, Alice - the spoilt runaway heiress - becomes a heroine, while Rose finds herself running two great houses. It seems impossible that any of them can ever find happiness again. 'Her thousands of fans recognise the artistry of a true storyteller' Lancashire Life