A Locket Full of Hope

A sweeping and heart-rending 19th-century saga about found family, romance and triumph over adversity, perfect for fans of Val Wood, Dilly Court and Gracie Hart. 1876. Life is happy for ten-year-old Rebecca Wheeler in the small fishing village of St. Leonard's Cove. Until one day a violent storm strikes and her father and older brothers are lost at sea. Destitute, Rebecca and her mother Lydia make their way to Dartmouth. Lydia is relieved when a man named Mickey Fox seemingly takes pity on them and offers her work and lodgings... but is horrified to discover that the work is in a brothel, and there's no way to back out now. While conditions in the brothel are harsh, Rebecca and Lydia soon find a sort of family among the women who work there. But when things turn violent, it falls on Lydia's new friends to devise a plan to help Rebecca escape...Alone and hunted by Mickey, Rebecca must make her own way in the world. With her family gone, will she ever find a place she truly belongs?

Lily Fielding lives in Dorset and used to work at her local branch of WHSmith, where she was fondly known as The Book Lady. She also writes as Karen Dickson.