This is an enthralling saga of rags-to-riches on the eve of the First World War. September, 1914. Eighteen-year-old Daisy Gilbert is the star seamstress at Mrs Evans' prestigious gown shop in Southampton. Hard-working and well-liked by customers, she has also started to take on a few private clients to supplement her family's meagre finances. Daisy's ambition, ultimately, is not to marry her sweetheart, Jack, who works at the docks, but to set up her own dressmaking business. When her beloved father, ill with TB, is advised a stay at a private nursing-home, Daisy determines that she will find the money to pay for it. So a suggestion from one of her clients, the flamboyant Mrs Cummings, that she should work evenings as a waitress at the Solent Club, one of the town's upmarket brothels, is tempting. Though her mother is horrified, Daisy takes up the offer, reassured that she will only be working behind the bar. Young, innocent and beautiful, Daisy proves popular with the Club's clientele. But with success come further temptations, and danger too from some of the town's less-reputable inhabitants. Will Daisy be able to care for her father, and preserve her own virtue?

Author-illustrator June Tate makes her debut with a heartwarming picture book comparing the seemingly small but tenderly profound moments hidden in our world. A modern-day classic in the making for fans of Margaret Wise Brown and William Steig. This extraordinary book focuses on the everyday moments that slow the world down for us: a hug from someone we haven't seen in a long time, the soft spot behind a cat's ear, a ladybug landing on your arm. And in the end, the answer to the question of what's sweeter rings truest of all. The perfect gift for occasions ranging from celebrations like birthdays and graduation to a just-because gift appreciating someone. Pass this book to the sweetest around you.

Southampton 1920. Phoebe Collins rose to the challenge of running the family fruit and veg stall when her father did not return from the front. The work outside in Kingsland market in all weathers can be hard, but with her mother and younger brother Tim to support, she's determined that it continue to be a success. However, when Phoebe finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses something terrible, she will need all her strength to face the trials ahead and the fear that her loved ones may come to harm.

Southampton 1920. Phoebe Collins rose to the challenge of running the family fruit and veg stall when her father did not return from the front. The work outside in Kingsland market in all weathers can be hard, but with her mother and younger brother Tim to support, she's determined that it continue to be a success. However, when Phoebe finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses something terrible, she will need all her strength to face the trials ahead and the fear that her loved ones may come to harm.

Southampton, 1912. Jessie is made from tough stuff. At just 19, after the death of her father, she opted not to follow her mother back to Ireland, preferring instead to take charge of her own destiny. When Jessie marries an Irishman and takes over the running of the cafe she works in, it seems as though all the pieces are coming together. But when destiny and a pushy local businessman have other ideas, everything she has worked for is taken away, bit by bit. Will she find the strength to keep fighting for the life she wants in the face of personal loss, gang bosses and embezzlement?