Set in a north-east pit village near Durham in the early 20th century, a lusty tale from a new author in this area; it’s only her second. The first, A Sovereign for a Song, won the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Award. Comparison: Catherine Cookson, Josephine Cox, Meg Hutchinson. Similar this month: Rosie Goodwin.
Pit deputy John Wilde knows it's high time he settled down and found himself a wife. Elsie Hartley, the butcher's pretty daughter, seems a worthy candidate. But although at first she encourages his courtship, Elsie abruptly changes her mind for reasons John cannot understand. John's wounded pride is soothed by his growing friendship with another attractive young woman. Feisty and outspoken, Alice Peters' passionate support of the suffragette cause is bound to make her unpopular among the traditional mining community. But her fervent political beliefs are destined to lead her into far more serious trouble. Elsie meanwhile is hiding a shameful secret - a secret that's about to cause widespread disruption in the close-knit village of Annsdale.
The daughter of a Durham miner, Annie Wilkinson now lives in Hull where she divides her time between supporting her father and helping with grandchildren.
