The first book in a Scottish historical saga of loss, love and hope from Sunday Times bestselling author Evelyn Hood! Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Val WoodCan Lessie Hamilton remain strong in the face of misfortune? Greenock, Scotland, 1900Widowed Lessie Hamilton lives with her young son and her brother Davie. To make ends meet, Lessie works in the local grocery shop supporting Davie as he works on the docks and attends night school, hoping to become an engineer, much to the scorn of their reformed alcoholic father. With her mother’s drinking spiralling, putting their vulnerable younger sister Thomasina at risk, brother Joseph frequently in trouble with the police and sister Edith thinking herself above them all – Lessie has much to contend with. Things begin to look brighter as Lessie receives an inheritance, marries again and has the opportunity to take over the grocery shop. Meanwhile her neighbour Anna McCauley, who has had a colourful life ‘entertaining’ some high-profile male customer becomes the kept mistress to a wealthy sugar refinery owner. But her old ties to Anna, keep pulling Lessie and Davie back to their less prosperous pasts. And when multiple tragedies strike, Lessie’s mettle is tested in ways she could never have imagined. Storytelling at its best, Evelyn Hood is the original bestselling Scottish saga writerRead the sequal to this book - The Shopkeeper's War NOWPreviously published in paperback as This Time Next Year
- Genres
- Historical
- Language
- English
- Publisher
- Boldwood Books
- ISBN
- 9781806003082
More like this

Trouble on the home front
Evelyn Hood · 2026
The Shopkeeper's War
Evelyn Hood · 2026
A Suitable Bride
Fenella-Jane Miller · 2025

Red sheet
James Ellroy · 2026

Death to Pachuco
Henry Barajas · 2026

The artist
Lucy Steeds · 2025
A New Home at the Wartime Hotel
Maisie Thomas · 2025
Dreams Come True at the Wartime Hotel
Maisie Thomas · 2026
Master of War
David Gilman · 2013
The House of Light and Shadows
Lauren Westwood · 2025

Pale mistress: lover, courtesan, survivor
Naomi Kelsey · 2026
Cross of Fire
David Gilman · 2020