Writing came into the picture soon after, an activity that added further stability to Kitty Neale’s life. She started out slow. At the insistence of a friend, Kitty started attending a regular gathering of writers. A Mother’s Secret’ is superbly written. The author certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and draws you into what proves to be one hell of a compelling story. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fast pace throughout. I felt as though I was part of the story myself and at the heart of all the action, which is thanks to Kitty’s very realistic and vivid storytelling. I always think that a sign of a good book is when I get far too involved with the story. Well I certainly got involved with ‘A Mother’s Secret’. I found that as I was reading, I would say random comments out loud about what I would like to say to certain characters if I could catch up with them- the main one being David. I also can't speak enough of Winnie, she is definitely one of my favourite characters, terrified of what the break out of War means for her family and pub, trying to look after her son. To do best even when it was hard. And then there are the other ladies of the book - Rachel, Jane and Hilda - whom you can just pull up a stool and have a chat with. Then she hears two pieces of terrifying news – Kevin Dolby is up for parole and that her dear friend Bessie is gravely ill. Rachel, Winnie's granddaughter takes a shine to Alberto King the colour of his skin doesn't bother her a single mum to her daughter Martha she was glad to have a bit of excitement in her life.

sadly the last in this three book series but I shall look forward to more adventures from Kitty Neale her book just keep coming in heaps and bounds with so many feel good emotions as you can't put them down. She could do a little bit of everything but there wasn’t one skill she had truly mastered because no particular arena of employment ever satisfied her. And after a while, Kitty’s family came into the picture at which point they became the primary focus of her life.I was on tenterhooks at times and feared for a character who I also came to like and I was hoping that their life would get better.

Bessie has taken on Nora Dobbs, a young woman and she asks Pearl to take over her care when dies. Pearl, thinking that Bessie will recover from her illness and live for many more years, agrees, but less than a week later, Bessie passes away. In the meantime, his ex wife Pearl Button has divorced him and remarried, determined to protect her son from knowing who his real father is. This is a story of lots of mother's secrets throughout the whole fantastic book. My emotions made me laugh cry and cheer, all the way through. It's the third of September 1939 in Battersea London, Winnie Berry her husband Brian and son David had the wireless on and it's not good news, they are at war with Germany and Winnie has a main worry of her beloved son been called up. Dear Rachel, another likeable character and with her own story to tell - as do many of the character's - and this is what made the story more interesting. Even though the Battersea Tavern is the heart of the story, it's what is going on with its inhabitants, the drama that kept the story flowing - there was never a dull moment! I think that the Battersea Tavern is London's equivalent to Manchester's Rovers Return. I enjoyed every moment of it.But when a young woman crosses her path, the secrets of Winnie's past threaten to turn her world upside down. There's nothing stronger than a mother's love - but can it ever have a second chance? Even though Kitty knew that she enjoyed telling stories, it wasn’t until she arrived at Tennyson Street Secondary school that the notion of pursuing a career in writing and publishing finally took root in her mind.

But it turned out that her mother died when she was born. As an adult, Jennifer has tried to fill the void in her heart. She married Marcos because she was convinced he would finally make her happy. He's inherited his father's lazy streak and can't seem to hold down a job, but when war is declared Winnie is determined to keep her son safe. She's still haunted by the choice she made years ago as a desperate young woman, and she won't make the same mistake of letting her family be taken from her... Over time, her work began to take on a life of its own. Kitty found that she could take the people she had met over her lifetime and the experiences she had encountered and turn them into compelling stories.For all these mother's in this book I say " Bless em all" with the war on going what will the future bring? Seventeen-year-old Constance has had a privileged upbringing in Clapham, with staff to attend to her every need. But her parents have always been cold and distant, never showing her love.

This is my first ever Kitty Neale book, set just before world war two we meet Winnie, she runs the Battersea Tavern. Her aggressive and known to be violent husband stays behind the scenes letting Winnie do all the hard graft. She dotes on her only son, David, an attractive (and he knows it) spoilt man child who thinks nothing of using his looks and mothers good nature to skate by in life. Rachel is her dab hand barmaid who works hard, is respectable and has her own family nightmare, her sister Hilda, sober she is the sweetest and kindest, drunk she opens her mouth and embarrasses and hurts poor Rachel with her bile. We also meet sweet Jan as she starts up an innocent relationship with one of the regulars in the Tavern. As the story develops we get to meet the characters and more of their lives, belt up and prefer for an emotive ride. Craving affection, Constance falls into the arms of Albie Jones, the cook’s grandson. But one fateful encounter leaves her ashamed and pregnant, and she is soon shunned from the family home. Battersea Tavern is run by Winnie & Brian Berry, but these days it's more Winnie doing all the running around. This book was so heart breaking in a lot of chapters, that broke my heart I literally sobbed. The feeling it brings you to feel involved like they are all your friends. Victoria Oundjian, commissioning editor at Orion Fiction, acquired world English rights to the three new titles from Judith Murdoch at the Judith Murdoch Literary Agency.Now 16 years old, she's finally managed to escape the cruel confines of the orphanage, and enter the real world. Finding work at a nearby café, Pearl is thrilled to start earning her own money, even if she must contend with sharp-tongued Dolly Dolby.