The Sixpenny Winner — Alexandra Connor

Saga set in Lancashire, following the fortunes of the family who run The Sixpenny Winner pub Beware of dark, handsome strangers! Ada Hargreaves is a tough woman, which is just as well -- she's needed to be. Born in a Stockport slum, she and her husband have worked hard to raise their own family in better conditions. When they take over The Sixpenny Winner, a thriving pub, the dream comes true. For a while. As World War Two is looming, a stranger comes to the door. He's the brother of Doug the barman, but Ada senses the newcomer is no replacement for his reliable brother. Yet labour is hard to find, and for once she doesn't heed her instincts. It's a fatal mistake, for Ada, for her daughters, and for the family that seeks refuge with them, but it certainly gives Stockport a scandal that will last for years. Dramatic, witty, heartbreaking and heartwarming, THE SIXPENNY WINNER is the best yet from this author who is steadily increasing in popularity with every new novel.