The Coronation Party: The heart-warming and uplifting new saga for fans of Nancy Revell

Product Information

Meanwhile Helen is caught between two men - but must hide her true feelings from the one she loves. Can her fellow women welders help Helen follow her heart? Sunderland, 1943: As Christmas approaches in the shipyards, everyone is hoping for a little magic... 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...

Head-welder Rosie is just about managing to keep her double life hidden from little sister Charlotte's prying eyes. But Charlotte senses something is up and, with a secret this big, the truth is bound to come out. Both women are determined that their love and faith will be enough to keep the most difficult of promises, but nothing is as simple as it seems…It feels that we've reached an important point in the series with one particular storyline coming to a head. The consequences of what happens here will undoubtedly continue to feature in the future but there are less secrets between the characters now and a real sense of moving forward. One of my favourite aspects of this series is the way in which the characters are allowed to change; Helen has already become a much different person but this time around we see a different, softer side to Bel's mother, Pearl. Bel herself is going through a difficult time and I really felt for her as she tries to cope with her understandable anger and desire for retribution while also dealing with her continued longing for another baby. Helen has changed more than any other character in the series and has become one of my favourites - unlike her dreadful mother, Miriam who is as awful as ever here. However, one of her terrible actions at least puts Helen in touch with somebody who may be able to satisfy her own questions about Bel. Those who have read the previous novels will know the truth in advance but newcomers needn't worry because they will find out alongside Helen. Although she gets her answers, there is obviously much more to come from this storyline and I'm really looking forward to finding out what it will mean for the women involved. Helen also has romantic troubles to contend with as her will-they-won't-they relationship with Dr Parker continues. I'm not going to give anything away here but I'm sure I won't be the only reader who wants to shout at the pair at times! There will be storms to weather, but guided by their strength and friendship there is still hope for each of the shipyard girls that their Christmas wishes will come true. And there is something odd about yard manager Helen's newest recruit Bel. But in resolving to uncover the truth, Helen might discover more than she bargained for...

The book starts New years eve 1945 Thompson's shipyards on the North sands, The river wear Sunderland, hundreds of cargo vessels had birthed the wear, merchant navy ships to transport food and fuel through WW2. She's one of the main characters in the original series, but not the main one. I had left her, but I felt that there was more that could be explored with her character. I knew there was morethat we could do with her." Dorothy and Angie, best friends in and out of work, wish that falling in love would be easy and that there should be no barrier to it. There are so many little subplots spanning out from the main storyline of how the women are coping with all the challenges, difficulties and emotions that the war is casting in their direction and I thoroughly enjoy each and every one of them. Nancy Revell does a fantastic job of making you care deeply for each and every character and there is not any thread that I am not deeply invested in. Quite often you can become bored with minor little plots put in for the sake of it but that’s not the case here as each women has a great story to tell and everything combines to make a fantastic read and overall it’s a series that continues to go from strength to strength.

Full Series List in Order

Triumph of the Shipyard Girls is the eighth book in the Shipyard Girls series from Nancy Revell which follows the ups and downs, the good times and the bad, in the lives of a group of women welders who work in the shipyards in Sunderland during World War Two. With each book I just love this series more and more and as we are progressing further through the series we are moving away from descriptions of the women's daily work welding and the routines they have in the ship yard. This is a good thing as now I feel the author is really concentrating on the women's personal stories much more. Storylines that began maybe a book or two ago are getting great attention and focus now and I am enjoying how everything is developing with some of the most important threads being continued throughout each book. THE FIFTH NOVEL IN THE COMPELLING SHIPYARD GIRLS SERIES FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, NANCY REVELL. With life in the shipyards tougher than ever, will the strength of their friendship see them through to victory? As frequent readers of my blog will know, I’m a huge fan of this fantastic series. There is just something about it which is perfect to snuggle up with and lose yourself in for hours at a time. The author has cleverly blended real historical events into the story and by doing so has managed to vividly describe what life during the war must have been like. The constant fear of not knowing what will happen to their loved ones fighting and the nightly raids of the blitz is almost palpable at times allowing the reader to experience how things would have been themselves.

The storyline doesn't just follow Polly, of course and Rosie has her hands full with the return of her little sister, Charlotte (Charlie). Rosie is initially desperate for her to return to her boarding school, partly because she understandably fears for her safety - this was a period when Sunderland was still being heavily bombed - but also because she is concerned that Charlotte will find out about her past. Rosie once worked as a prostitute to fund her sister's school fees and she still does the bookkeeping for Lily's bordello. It's clear, however, that Charlotte is as inquisitive as she is resourceful and she is fascinated by Lily and the women who work in the bordello, particularly Vivian and Maisie. Another such series is 'Steel Girls' by Michelle Rawlins, about a steelworks in Sheffield during wartime. It somehow feels unfair to single out a single character for further analysis so instead I will focus on the two women welders Polly & Rosie and the lady in charge of the shipyard, Helen. Poor Polly has been through the mill a fair bit. She lost one of her brothers in an incident, whilst he was overseas. Her other brother also suffered whilst fighting for his country and he has been left with a disability. If that wasn't enough for the poor lass, then her handsome fiancé Tommy, who joined the navy, has been posted as being missing. Polly has found it hard to carry on, which is no wonder. I really felt for Polly and I so wanted her to get her happy ever after ending after all the trauma she has been through. A miracle happens and it emerges that Tommy is actually in a hospital having suffered quite serious injuries. Polly is over the moon but it emerges that the Tommy she knew and loved is different to the Tommy that she meets up with in the hospital. Tommy has suffered some quite severe emotional, mental and physical trauma. Will Tommy and Polly get married? Is there another twist in the Tommy and Polly story? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out. Angie will need to draw on the help of her family, the community of Cuthford Manor and her old friends from the shipyards if she's to find happiness again.Life remains full of challenges for Gloria, who must face her abusive ex-husband and confront her own guilty conscience about baby Hope’s real father. The secret is tearing her apart but if she admits the truth, she will risk losing everything. I was intrigued by the other women in their little group of welders, I want to know more about Rosie and Helen, they really caught my eye, I am now searching for both their stories as I am desperate to know their secrets and Polly is an absolute sweetie-pie. I loved how Helen really was starting to grow up and become more aware of the bigger picture as to what is going when it comes to her family. I'm still waiting for that big show down with her mother Miriam though and I hope it will come soon as I detest the hold she has over so many of the women welders. The mystery element surrounding family relationships only intensified throughout the story and though some hard revelations for Helen to hear came to the fore I was glad things were coming out in the open. She can't believe what she is hearing as it throws everything she had ever known, believed in and thought into doubt. I love the way she is going about investigating things. She wants all her ammunition gathered together before she confronts the culprits because she knows the fall out will be huge, damaging and explosive. At the same time I admire the way she is handling what she is discovering about family secrets and hurts and I can't wait to see what is going to happen in the next book. It will take great strength and friendship if the shipyard girls are to weather the storms to come.