The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front

Shipyard Girls #10

by Nancy Revell

**PRE-ORDER NOW***
THE TENTH NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING SHIPYARD GIRLS SERIES

'Emotional and gripping' Take a Break

December 1943

As the war effort gathers steam in Europe, it's all hands on deck on the home front.

Gloria is over the moon to be reunited with her sweetheart Jack. But her sons Bobby and Gordon are away with the Navy and still know nothing of their mother's divorce and new half-sister.

Rosie's squad of welders must work gruelling hours in the yard as they prepare for the Allied invasion of Normandy. All the while Rosie herself waits anxiously for news of her husband Peter, who is carrying out dangerous work as an undercover operative in France.

Meanwhile welder Dorothy has a feeling that her beau Toby is planning to pop the question when he's next on leave. But it seems that her head is being turned by someone closer to home...

It will take great strength and friendship if the shipyard girls are to weather the storms to come.

______________________________
Praise for Nancy Revell

'Nancy Revell knows how to stir the passions and soothe the heart!' Northern Echo

'Stirring and heartfelt storytelling' Peterborough Evening Telegraph

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical

410 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 18, 2021

About the author

Nancy Revell is the pseudonym of Amanda Revell Walton a writer and journalist that has worked for all the national newspapers, providing them with hard-hitting news stories and in-depth features. She has also worked for just about every woman's magazine in the country, writing amazing and inspirational true life stories. Nancy has recently relocated back to her home town of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, with her husband, Paul, and their English Bull Mastiff, Rosie. They live just a short walk away from the beautiful award-winning beaches of Roker and Seaburn, within a mile of where The Shipyard Girls series is set. The subject is close to Nancy's heart as she comes from a long line of shipbuilders, who were well-known in the area.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well what a multitude of emotions reading this book gave me ,i have followed the shipyard girls from the begining and with each book they have become friends. Gloria still can't get over the shock of finding Jack on her doorstep and to find out that he is back for good ,little Hope squeals with delight and Jack holds them both saying he will never leave them again .Dorothy Angie Martha Rosie Polly and Hannah along with Helen are all happy for gloria after she has suffered a hard couple years with jack stuck in scotland.Life and work has been hard for the girls building and repairing ships to see them off to war then they are given new orders and with these Polly returns to work knowing Artie will be well looked after. I have to say that this book has given me so many emotions and enjoyment that i made it last as an avid fan of Nancy Revell and a lover of this series i know the end is near and i have my tissues ready. If i could i would give more stars but it has to be 5* I can highly recommend this series you will not be disappointed.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming but also heartbreaking story of a group of women who worked in the shipyards of Northern England in the second World War. The women from different backgrounds and social class all pulled together as one as they did jobs that the boys and men had once done. I enjoyed the book, it was well written historical fiction and I can highly recommend it.

[Corrina Howland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve really enjoyed this series of books. Can’t wait for the next one to see what’s in store for the girls.
The author has some great story lines and leaves you wanting more my biggest question is will Helen ever find happiness with the doctor??!!
I’m hoping the end of the war won’t be the end of the shipyard series as I will really miss it!!!

[Betty Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The shipyard girls series

Loved this book from beginning to end it is a story that you get lost in as when you are reading it you feel as if you are part of the girls lives would highly recommend anyone to read it and cannot wait until the next part comes out.

[Karen Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always such a treat to be reunited with the Shipyard Girls and as 1944 dawns, it's good to know that they won't have to wait much longer for peace. However, there are still tears and tribulations ahead of them and Nancy Revell's wonderful gift for writing characters that feel like real people, meant I experienced all the emotions in this latest dramatic instalment of the wartime saga.
Jack is finally reunited with his beloved Gloria and with his daughters, Helen and little Hope but with the horrible Havelocks down but not beaten, their relationship undoubtedly still faces a few more trials yet. Indeed, Gloria realises she must write to tell her adult sons, Bobby and Gordon about Jack and Hope, a task she has been putting off for too long. However, fate has a way of intervening and for a while it looks as though her happiness will be short-lived as the dark days of her marriage to the violent Vinnie continue to cast a shadow over her relationship with her loved ones.
I've always loved that Nancy Revell never shies away from writing about some really difficult subjects and in a series where the strength of women is such a central theme, the exploration how violence and abuse affects families is handled with real sensitivity. There are moments of joy too, of course and Pearl's rehabilitation has been delightful to follow as she finally marries Bill, surrounded by friends and family.
Meanwhile, Dorothy is desperate for Toby to pop the question but as the novel progresses, it looks as if the course of true love may not run quite so smoothly for them after all and she faces a difficult decision. Sometimes in situations like this, it's only too obvious what the characters should do but there are no easy answers here and I'm intrigued to know what will come next for her. The long-running will-they-won't-they relationship between Helen and Dr Parker is deliciously frustrating and though they both admit their true feelings to themselves, there always seems to be some barrier preventing them from declaring their love for one another. Helen's dreadful mother, Miriam doesn't feature much this time but readers are given another character to love to hate in the form of the scheming Dr Claire Eris.
It's the events of D-Day which lead to the most dramatic scenes of the novel, however. With Rosie, Polly and Gloria desperately longing for the safe return of their husbands and sons, this rollercoaster read left me emotionally wrought. I can't give anything away here - but I strongly advise having tissues ready...
The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front is a captivating read from start to finish. It reduced me to tears, made my pulse race and left me desperate for more. The war is drawing to a close now and it's a bittersweet feeling to know the Shipyard Girls series is nearly over but I can take comfort from knowing we still have a few more twists and turns in their lives to look forward to - I can't wait!

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front by Nancy Revell is the 10th novel in The Shipyard Girls Series. This tale picks up where A Christmas Wish for the Shipyard Girls ends. This is a series that is best read in order (so you can understand the characters and what they have been through). I thought The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front was well-written. The author captures the time-period and locale. I can tell Nancy Revell did her research for this series and especially this book. I like how current events were included. This series has delightful characters (Rosie, Martha, Dorothy, Gloria, Angie, Hannah, and Helen). I look forward to each book in this series so I can find out what is happening next with this group of ladies. This group has dealt with many challenges since the outbreak of war. My attention was caught from the very first page and it was held throughout the book. I enjoy reading about the ladies’ latest experiences. The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front is an emotional novel. When one of the ladies receives devastating news, you need to have a tissue handy. The characters have gone through so much over the course of the series and the war is not over yet. I like how these women have formed a family. They care for each other and look after each other. It is wonderful to read about such a caring group of people. Each book in this series is better than the last. I am eager to read Shipyard Girls Under the Mistletoe. The Shipyard Girls Series would make a great PBS program. The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front is a charming book that has joy, love, grief, loss, humor, drama, and heartache.

[june peel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read

I could not wait for this next instalment of the shipyard girls I enjoyed turning every page and car to wait for the next release in September

[Doreen Atherton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent story. Couldn’t help but cry, a real tear jerker. Hopefully the girls will find their hapiness

[HM Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series can't wait for the next book

[Tracy Cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant as Ever

Great having the shipyard girls back, really enjoyable from start to finish. Seeing how things happen during the war and each character's background story develops love it.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book #10 in the Shipyard Girls series. Whilst I have read most of the series, I missed the last book, but you are easily able to pick up any of the books and read them as a standalone story. This latest book in the series takes us to the beginning of 1944. The war is still on, but it’s beginning to look like things are changing, both for the country and for the women welders that this series is about. After reading so many of the books, you feel like you know all of the characters personally and starting a new book in the series makes it feel like you being welcomed back into one big family. The women are still struggling through the ravages of what the war has brought, and many of them are still waiting for news of their loved ones. Of course, good news and bad news filters down to the women throughout the story, and we share the emotions that the Shipyard Girls go through.

I loved the location of these books, and whilst I’ve never been to the North-East of the country, I could just picture the area as I read along seeing what it must have been like throughout the war with all the shipyards where the women worked. The camaraderie of the women in this book was wonderful and heart-warming, showing how everyone was supporting and being there for each other. The era is well researched and gives you a glimpse of how difficult it must have been for the women left behind. This book definitely takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions, bringing you to tears of sadness and happiness equally. A really enjoyable book and series, which I would definitely recommend!

[wendy aldred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

I can't believe I have read books 1-10 straight through! My sister in law gave me book 5 and I discovered there were lots more I ordered them on Kindle and read no 5 again!. I have spent every night in bed reading way into the night because I could not put my Kindle down. Now I have to wait for Book 11! I've got to know these people as if they were real and I laughed and cried with them. My mum was 15 when the war started so imagined her life too! What a wonderful author Nancy Revell is.

[Geri Pigerham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love you Nancy a letter in this story had me in tears I could barely read it through blurry eyes. As usual the story is wrapped around all the characters. It is just so amazing how you bring the threads all together. This series has just got better and better and I can’t wait for the next instalment in September. A truly gifted writer.

[Jo Marlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank You For Another Great Reead

Have spent the last 3 days (since downloaded) constantly reading, I was gripped right at the start as I was with all the shipyard girls books, so so many emotions throughout the book. Nancy did it again could hold back the tears, feeling the pain Rosie went through with being told Peter had died, so glad he came back to life for Rosie & Charlie to be a family together.

Read the preview of the next instalment, preordered ready for release day, I can’t wait to see what all the girls have to deal with, I really hope Helen gets her man in Dr Parker

[noreen stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this story of WW2 women keeping Britain safe

Have read all the books in this series. Strong women keeping their homes and families well cared for as well as performing a man's work in the shipyards building ships to keep Britain safe. Love the stories of each woman working in the shipyards and their strong relationships with each other.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic read

Well what can I say another amazing book by Nancy revell this had me on the edge of my seat I literally couldn’t put it down I read it in a day the only downer is I’ve got to wait till September till the next one well done Nancy this book deserve all the 5 stars and more I have given it

[Mrs Sylvia M O'Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous book from Nancy Revell, have read all The Shipyard Girl series and can't wait for the next one in the series.

[Judith Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I have read all this series of shipyard Girls and when I get started can't but the books down normally read with in 2 days. Always leaves you on the edge wondering what's going to happen next to everyone. Can't wait till September

[Emma Crowley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s hard to believe this is the tenth in the Shipyard Girls series as it seems like only yesterday we were first introduced to the remarkable crew of women that work in the shipyards in Sunderland. So much has happened since the beginning of the war but I wouldn’t worry if you are new to the series as Nancy Revell provides plenty of background information to all the main characters and the various plots that they are part of. Shipyard Girls on the Home Front was another great read. I love how the author just picks directly up where the last book ended and there is no fast forwarding of time instead those cliff-hangers that each book are always left on, well we get the answers to some of these but for other major storylines they continue on throughout the books. I feel we won’t get the answers to a lot of things until we reach the very end. Which I hope won’t be happening too soon as I really do love this series as I have become deeply invested in all the characters and the ups and downs of their lives during the war.

The war may be raging on but there is still an awful lot going on the women’s lives on the home front. Gloria, the matriarch of the group of women welder’s, has had a storyline running for the majority of the books and now at last what readers have wanted for her ever since devious Miriam had her way has finally come true. Her beloved Jack, father to her young daughter Hope, has at last been allowed to return home to Sunderland. His enforced abandonment of his new family was not of his own making and he abided by the rules but thanks to Pearl and Bel, Jack has returned home. You would think things would be all rosy for Gloria and Jack now that he is back where he belongs but there are still plenty of things sent in their direction that will test their love and commitment to each other. Nancy Revell certainly keeps her characters on their toes, once one obstacle is overcome than something else is placed in their path in order to throw their happiness off kilter. With the arrival home of Bobby, Gloria’s older son, having been injured in the navy, the secrets that Gloria has kept to herself have come to the fore and truly Bobby is not one bit happy.

I really couldn’t blame Bobby for feeling the way he did. He thought his life at home had remained the same whilst he was away and he comes back and finds his family unit has changed in so many ways. He must have been both angry and disappointed with Gloria that she had put off telling him the truth and how was he to cope with seeing Jack as the new man in her life? I could understand why Gloria felt the need to keep things secret but the minute Bobby arrived at her door she should have been honest. As always the girls come together as one unit and do their best to make Bobby see sense. Dorothy in particular takes on this role and I can see where this new storyline is going and it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the next book. The more I read the more I wished Bobby just got over things and was nicer to Gloria and accepted the new situation but maybe that’s because I am so familiar with everything and have a deep compassion and understanding of Gloria that I didn’t fully appreciate Bobby’s viewpoints.

For me the two strongest storylines in this book that have been developing over the course of the last several books was that of Helen and Dr. John Parker and Helen’s new discovery regarding her grandmother. Helen for me is the one character who has done a complete 360 since the first book. I disliked her immensely and so did all of the women but she is a reformed person and in a way she seems to be on the girls side especially when it comes to the dealings of her grandfather Charles Havelock. He really is a bane in everyone’s lives for as long as he lives. His storyline adds so much mystery, secrecy and the struggle for power over everyone and the way things are at the moment I can’t see this aspect resolving itself all that easily. Just one wrong slip and the axe could fall for so many as each women harbours a secret that they do not want the wider world to know. Of course the girls share their troubles and secrets with each other and have become like a sisterhood through doing so and that’s what makes this series so special. That through the good times and bad, the ups and downs really they can always turn to each other.

As for Helen she has certainly been through the ringer and the reader can see happiness is just within her grasp. She has proved her worth and been forgiven for her past misdemeanours of which there were many. But really my heart breaks for her, she is desperately in love with Dr. Parker but his co worker who works as a psychologist, Claire, well she has gotten her claws into him and she is not letting go in a hurry. Claire is now the character I detest, there is not one good thing to be said about her. I can’t quite fathom how a woman can be so cruel to a fellow woman and get such satisfaction from it? The threat she is dangling in front of Helen to stop her admitting to John how she feels. You’d think Helen would say sure I don’t care, do what you will, I want to express how I feel. The old Helen would have done that in a heartbeat but it just goes to show how much she has changed and how she now has more empathy and understanding that actions have consequences. She may not be as firmly planted in the women ship welders group but still they are her friends and the leverage that Claire holds over her is just too explosive if revealed.

I admired Helen in that she had realised that her own happiness should come first and she should resurrect a love that she had entombed for so long. But then just when she had plucked up the courage to do this, bitter and twisted Claire steps in. My admiration grew when Helen thought about things and she knew to pursue anything with John would just lead to heartbreak for so many others. This shows how much she has grown since we were first introduced to her character. I feel there is a lot more in store for Helen and that there will be many testing times coming her way. I am completely riveted by her storyline as it connects to so many others in the books. Nancy Revell has done a brilliant job of interweaving everything. There are so many balls up in the air that all it will take is for one to drop and so many earth shattering things will come to the fore.

I got the feeling that for the majority of this book was like a waiting game. The characters were holding their breaths in more ways than one. Waiting for the planned invasion of France to occur, waiting on news of the Allies making advancements around the world and waiting for someone to let slip something that would upset the apple cart altogether. For head welder Rosie, she has been in limbo ever since her new husband Peter left for France. He is deep in enemy territory carrying out work that Rosie can only guess at. This aspect of the overall storyline was tension filled and packed full of emotion. So raw, heart-breaking and visceral as you read and experience a tumultuous set of emotions. Rosie and in fact all of the women that feature deserve happiness as they make so many sacrifices at a time when the world needs all the help it can get. But what price may they have to pay?

I loved The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front from start to finish. There are so many brilliant themes being explored against the backdrop of war and the more the series progresses the more I think it would make a brilliant tv drama. Perfect to curl up and watch on a Sunday night. The only complaint I have is that I couldn’t start a new book as soon as I finished reading this one as I am beyond eager to see what direction things may go in next. I’ve a bit of a wait ahead as the next instalment Shipyard Girls Under the Mistletoe is not published until the end of September.

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 10 of the series is another strongly written book.The author captures the time-period and local area greatly. I love the slang it in book it makes me laugh been been from the area I can image myself in these places. Gloria oh she's such a doll. Pearl make me laugh so hard she such a feisty character. Lucille, what a cutie pie. These books are great, they put a right smile on my face and I felt really connected to the characters.

[Tricia Toney · Rating 4 out of 5]

1944 has dawned and the tide of war is changing. France is liberated and the bombing is virtually nonexistent. Gloria, Bobby and Jack form an uneasy truce. Rosie receives some terrible news. Helen and John finally confess their feelings, but there is yet again a major obstacle. With the events of D Day in the background, we come to appreciate the strength of the shipyard girls.

[mois reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie

What a book had me in tears a real tear jerker reading about my friends yes I class all these girls as friends we all been on this journey together. I was in tears at the end. This is the best book yet 5 stars so well deserved

[Catherine Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just gets better with each book

This has been the tenth book and has told a story about each girl who worked at the ship yard there difficulties in day to day lives can’t wait for the next book

[MS Julie Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping

Get so lost in Nancy's books . They are full of twists and turns and they are gripping and well written . I got my mum them and she's addicted now . Very much looking forward to the next book .

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing as so far all the series has been
So glad of the happy ending for Rosie hope she continues to be happy
And that Gloria’s son now loves and cares for his mother aswell as his little sister
Great read as always amazing Author

[Heather Copping · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better and better, I really love reading about the lives and loves of a group of women in Sunderland during WW2. Now onto the next book, which is the penultimate book. If you love saga stories you will love this series.

[Mrs Pam Hindhaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book

I so enjoyed this book , the characters come to life with Nancy Revells words. The subject is the shipyards of the northeast of Britain in WW2

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Shipyard Girls series. This one again sees the 'girls' experience happiness and heartbreak. This one concentrates on mainly Helen, Rosie and Dorothy. May there be a 11th book soon.

[JoAnne Guest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

Another fab novel. Absolutely love this series. So pleased there is another one planned for September. Such a huge distraction at this unprecedented time.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved all the books in this series. This one had so many twists I started to get dizzy but can't wait for the next one.