It’s 1938, and Cadi is chosen to be Rose Queen in the annual Rose Fete. She is thrilled to be treated like royalty for the day. But deep down she is desperate to leave the Welsh mining community where she grew up.

When war is declared, Cadi and her best friend Poppy see a chance to escape. Cadi leaves behind her parents and local boy Aled, whom she is meant to marry, for Liverpool.

But city life doesn’t bring the opportunities they’d hoped for. Unable to join the forces, the girls are left looking for work in poverty-stricken Vauxhall Ward.

They secure jobs in a local pub, and Cadi’s blossoming relationship with a handsome dock worker deepens after he rescues her from a terrifying encounter.

But when Aled unexpectedly appears dressed in RAF uniform Cadi finds her worlds colliding again. Now the Rose Queen must decide: who will become her King?

My Thoughts:

This is my first book by Katie and will certainly not be my last. I really enjoyed this story set in 1938 about two girls who are bored with where they live and want to experience the bright lights of Liverpool. This is at the time war had been declared too, so it was interesting to see how they would cope by themselves and what life was like in that era too. Both girls go through a lot and I was wondering if they had made the right decision to leave, but it is a powerful story about friendship, love and doing what is best for you. I liked the characters and to see the girls experience what they had seen or been through was an eye opener. I thought the story had a good pace to it and kept me hooked till the very last page. I will be reading more of Katie Flynn’s books now as I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here: