Rita Bradshaw

Author Information
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  • Bibliography:
    25 Books
  • First Book:
    December 1999
  • Latest Book:
    September 2024
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About the Author

Rita Bradshaw was born on 1949 in Northampton, England, where she was educated as a good Christian by her mother Vi Whitsey. She met Clive, her husband, at the age of 16 and now the magic is still there. They have three lovely children, Cara, Faye, and Benjamin. For years, Rita worked as secretary.

Rita began writing in 1990 as she approached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babies and hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them. She sent off a 55,000 word romance called Deceitful Lover to Mills & Boon, that was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 under the pseudonym Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latter an unmitigated nightmare!) Under her pen name has written many successful novels and several delightful sagas under her own name, Rita Bradshaw, since 1998. Since becoming a full-time writer Rita's life has been transformed, she has been able to give up her part time secretarial job to write full time and her husband Clive, has also given up his job to become her manager. She has found her occupation one of pure joy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own but she loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. Her Mills & Boon books have attracted fans in more than 25 countries around the world. She would love to hear from any readers care of her books.

Book List in Order: 25 titles

  • Alone beneath the Heaven

    One young woman dares to dream of a better life... Alone Beneath the Heaven from Rita Bradshaw is a powerful and absorbing saga, set in Sunderland and London in the 1940s. Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Sheila Newberry. One freezing night in the...

  • Urchin's Song

    Growing up in the crushing poverty of squalid East End of 1890s Sunderland, Josie Burns is no stranger to cold and hunger. She and her brothers and sisters were sent out to beg as soon as they could walk, but by the time she is seven, Josie's beauti...

  • Most Precious Thing

    It's 1925 and when Renee McDarmount marries Walter Sutton, Carrie McDarmount is delighted, for the two families have always been close - the children are all similar in age and their fathers work together in the local pit. But an incident on the eve ...

  • Above the Harvest Moon

    It’s 1926 and the Depression is claiming its victims every day. Hannah and her mother Miriam, who have lived with Hannah’s uncle and aunt since her father died, have never really been close. As Hannah develops into a beautiful girl, so Miriam’s...

  • Eve and Her Sisters

    She gave them everything and asked for nothing in return... Rita Bradshaw's heart-stopping saga, Eve and Her Sisters, is a captivating tale of poverty, family and unrequited love. Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Kitty Neale.Following their fathe...

  • The Angel With the Wet Black Nose

    Indulge your love for reading with this fabulous collection of original stories. With over 40 stories to choose from, this stunning collection has something for everyone. Celebrating women's fiction in all its guises, take a look at the latest storie...

  • Ragamuffin Angel

    This is the third Sunderland saga writen by Rita Bradshaw. Connie Bell, newly orphaned, is just twelve when she's taken on at the laundry in Sunderland's grim workhouse. Although she's little more than a child the events of her past have forged a ...

  • Reach for Tomorrow

    Rosie Ferry is a indomitable spirit and has determination to survive no matter what. Rosie Ferry is hardly more than a child when her father and brothers are lost in a pit disaster. Her mother falls apart, leaving Rosie in charge of her two siste...

  • The Stony Path

    Growing up on a small, struggling farm on the outskirts of Sunderland in the early 1900s, Polly Farrow has a tough life, but she has gifts money can't buy - a joyful disposition and a loving heart. And her heart belongs to her beloved cousin, Michael...



  • Dancing in the Moonlight

    Heartbreak and family loyalty collide in Rita Bradshaw's number one bestselling Dancing in the Moonlight.As her mother lies dying, twelve-year-old Lucy Fallow promises to look after her younger siblings and keep house for her father and two older bro...

  • Beyond the Veil of Tears

    Beyond the Veil of Tears is an inspiring and heartfelt novel of a young woman's struggle to escape a life of exploitation and hardship, by Rita Bradshaw, author of Dancing in the Moonlight.An only child, fifteen-year-old Angeline Stewart is heartbrok...

  • The Colours of Love

    Set in the tumultous times of World War II, The Colours of Love by Rita Bradshaw is a story of a capable and resourceful woman who proves that nothing is stronger than a mother's love.Can love survive when all is lost?England is at war, but nothing c...

  • Snowflakes in the Wind

    It's Christmas Eve 1920 when nine year old Abby Kirby's family is ripped apart by a terrible tragedy. Leaving everything she's ever known, Abby takes her younger brother and runs away to a tough, hard existence in the Border farming community. Years...

  • Mermaids and Friends

  • A Winter Love Song

    A Winter Love Song is a heartwarming and moving story of survival and love from bestselling author Rita Bradshaw.Bonnie Lindsay is born into a travelling fair community in the north-east in 1918, and when her mother dies just months later, Bonnie’s...

  • Beneath a Frosty Moon

    From the top-ten bestselling author of Snowflakes in the Wind comes a heart-breaking saga set in WWII Britain.In Rita Bradshaw's Beneath a Frosty Moon, it’s 1940 and Britain is at war with Germany. For Cora Stubbs and her younger siblings this mean...

  • One Snowy Night

    From the top-ten bestselling author of Snowflakes in the Wind comes a heart-breaking saga set in the years following WW1.It’s 1922 and the Depression is just beginning to rear its head in Britain, but Ruby Morgan is about to marry her childhood swe...

  • Born to Trouble

  • The Storm Child

    From the top-ten bestselling author of One Snowy Night, Rita Bradshaw, comes The Storm Child, a sweeping family saga set during the run up to WW2 in the north-east of England.It’s mid-winter, and in the throes of a fierce blizzard Elsie Redfern and...



  • The Winter Rose

    From the top-ten bestselling author of One Snowy Night, Rita Bradshaw, comes The Winter Rose, a sweeping family saga set in the north of England.It’s December 1902 and Rose O’Leary is looking forward to her baby girl’s first Christmas. But then...

  • Believing in Tomorrow

    Set in the early 1900s in the Tyne and Wear countryside, Believing in Tomorrow is a powerful, heartfelt saga of determination in the face of hardship. From the top ten bestselling author of The Storm Child, Rita Bradshaw.'Tears will be shed and heart...

  • Always I'll Remember

  • Skylarks At Sunset

  • A Woman of Courage

    Survival means fighting back. Set across Sunderland and New York in the late 19th century, A Woman of Courage is a heartwarming saga by Rita Bradshaw, author of the bestselling Believing in Tomorrow.It's 1890, and Josie Gray is an innocent and beauti...

  • Saffron Skies & New Beginnings

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Rita Bradshaw has published 25 books.

The next book by Rita Bradshaw, Saffron Skies & New Beginnings, will be published in September 2024.

The first book by Rita Bradshaw, Alone beneath the Heaven, was published in December 1999.

No. Rita Bradshaw does not write books in series.
Pseudonyms / Co-Author
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