A Time for Peace

by Sylvia Broady

An absolutely heartbreaking and uplifting wartime story of love, loss and friendship.

February 1945. Hull, East Yorkshire.

As the Second World War nears its bitter and brutal end, the city is a shell of its former self. Row upon row of houses reduced to rubble by German bombs.

Factory worker Rose Ellerby longs for the fighting to be over so she can be reunited with her sweetheart Harry.

Then a letter brings devastating news — and Rose’s dreams of marriage are crushed to nothing, just like the bombed-out houses around her.

As Rose wanders blindly along the seafront, tears streaming down her face, she hears someone softly ask what’s wrong. The man is unshaven, his dark eyes red-rimmed, but his voice is surprisingly gentle — and Rose finds herself pouring her heart out to him.

Joe is a widowed airman, whose wife and unborn baby were killed in a bombing raid. He’s as lost and lonely as Rose. But gradually the two become friends as their broken hearts begin to mend.

But the end of the war brings its own challenges. Just as Rose and Joe’s friendship grows into love, a devastating secret threatens to tear them apart. Do they have a chance to build a peaceful future together?

Fans of Nadine Dorries, Rosie Goodwin, Dilly Court, Anna Jacobs, Rosie Clarke, Tania Crosse, Dominic Luke, Lizzie Lane and Catherine Cookson will devour this emotional wartime saga.

READERS LOVE A TIME FOR PEACE:

‘Will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.’ Sunday Times bestselling author Val Wood

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved reading this book. Wonderfully emotional and a beautiful ending.’ Booklover Bev

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I was caught up in Rose’s story . . . A joy to read.’ Lesley W.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Couldn’t put it down. Absolutely loved it.’ Sandra

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A lovely story of romance . . . with warm, relatable characters.’ Sherrie

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A lovely read.’ Marina

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Perfectly captures in astonishing detail life in England after the Second World War . . . A very warm and satisfying read.’ Susan P.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I absolutely loved it.’ Joy W.

Genres: Historical Fiction

301 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2014

Reviews

[Debbie Westerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book and my first book from Ms Broady and I certainly will be reading more from this lady. I felt a connection to Rose & Joe I felt as I knew them personally. Heartbreaking in places but funny in others, I was so engrossed in the story that I couldn't put it down an read the book in one day only breaking off when I had to if you catch my meaning! I very much recommend this book.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hull East Yorkshire 1945, and Rose Ellerby works at Clarke's and son's factory, living at home number 9, Church terrace, with parents her father a shipyard and firewatcher worker, her brother fred this is definitely a time for peace Rose die is away fighting. Harry Carter her sweetheart is also away and she cannot wait for him to return as they plan to marry even though she's still only eighteen years old. Sally her friend is always asking her to go dancing but she promise Harry to save up and pop in to look after his mother. But all that crumbles when she receives a letter from him, that breaks her heart. The war has finally come to an end and Victoria Square is buzzing with celebrations and Rose decides to help others joining the WVS at the community hall. Joe Tennison widow along with his son peter becomes a big part of her life and on New years eve bringing in 1946 Joe proposes and Rose accepted. Her brother Freddie arrives back but not alone, and so does Harry with trouble. I certainly loved reading all this book. As we travel through all the characters, it's a heartbreaker and will bring plenty of tears as you read. Wonderful emotional and a beautiful end to it all.

[Sherrie Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set at the end of WWII in Hull, A Time for Peace is a heartwarming story of a community trying to regain some kind of normal life after the destruction of war. There are two men in Rose Ellerby's life, very different men, one honourable the other not and in time she discovers the true nature of the man she thought she loved. She gets to know Joe, a widowed airman with a young son and becomes fond of the two of them. It is a lovely story of romance but also of community life and spirit. I lived in Hull for a year in the 70s so some of the place names were familiar to me and although a very different era I had some idea in mind of where places were. It is a very well written story with warm, relatable characters, definitely worth a read and deserving of 5*.

[c m bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real story

Slow to start but once I go into it I really enjoyed every page. It was lovely to read about the war and how everyone managed. Think you will enjoy Sylvia Broady books like I do.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cracker of a story. Loved loved loved

[Caralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a good book, it's not something I would normally pick up. I was surprised at how much I thought about it when I wasn't reading it.

[Janie Lingard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Page Turner

Set just post-war it describes the daily lives of a family struggling with the aftermath of the 2nd World War. Plenty of suspense and romance .

[Linda Acaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too young to have been conscripted during WW2, Hull-born Rose Ellerby finds the new peace holds as many problems, and even with the cessation of the bombing some of those problems aren’t much different from those during the years of black-outs and air-raids. Rationing doesn’t ease; it gets worse. Housing, even a rented room, is so scarce a commodity that bribery is commonplace. Brothers and husbands are demobbed to find their work places a pile of rubble or their jobs taken by others. Irritation mounts on all sides, sometimes fuelled by symptoms modern readers would now associate with post-traumatic stress.

When Rose is offered a job with the WVS she comes into her own, becoming a calming influence and a never-ending source of support and recreation for families in her area of the city. But she can’t conjure up a dwelling for herself and widowed Joe to enable them to get married and set up home with his young son, and she can’t totally disown an ex-boyfriend on the skids and turning to crime. When her brother returns with a pregnant German wife, she finds she’s not the only one with secrets.

Kingston upon Hull was the unnamed “north east coastal town” often quoted in news bulletins during the WW2, having 92% of its housing stock either destroyed or damaged and over half its population made homeless. Sylvia Broady makes a good story of different people living in the aftermath and working towards a hoped-for better future.

[Kathy E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely excellent read which once you start it you just cannot put it down. This is a very different type of story which is well written by Sylvia Broady. I look forward to reading more of her books.