The Ballroom Girls

Readers LOVE Jenny Holmes's WWII sagas: 'There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book' 5 star review 'In all the women at war series of book I have read so far, I think this is the best' 5 star review 'I couldn't put this book down' 5 star review 'Loved the whole story. Hated it coming to an end' 5 star review 'Just the kind of book I like' 5 star review **The first book in Jenny Holmes's brand-new WWII saga series - The Ballroom Girls. Perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Donna Douglas. ** Blackpool, summer 1942. Meet the Ballroom Girls: Sylvia, Pearl and Joy. Three girls dancing through the turbulence of WWII. Sylvia is the spoiled only child of an ambitious mother, Lorna Ellis, who runs a dancing school in Blackpool. Approaching 21, Sylvia is under pressure to scoop up prizes by fair means or foul. Pearl is the oldest daughter in a large, chaotic family who all work at the Pleasure Beach. She often sneaks away to watch ballroom contestants in their glittery finery. She dreams of joining them, but will she ever be anything other than an outsider looking in? Joy is an evacuee who lost her parents to the Blitz. Now she lives and works in a shabby boarding house and works as a cleaner. Though shy and modest, she falls in love with the newest dance craze - the American Jitterbug. When Lorna's rival dance school spots her talent, Joy is given a chance to break away from boarding house drudgery and enter the glamorous world of professional ballroom dancing. Through blackouts and air raids, the excitement of the ballroom never dims. But competition is fierce. Will the Ballroom Girls find what they're looking for in the joy of the dance?

'Live for the day' is the motto for the times, and our girls plan to waltz their worries away... Ever-ambitious Sylvia wants more from her life, so starts planning a Dance Weekend at the Winter Gardens – not easy in wartime when air raids could cancel an event at the last minute. What she doesn't expect is for the competition to bring the dashing Vernon into her life too! Could everything finally fall into place for Sylvia? Joy's life has entirely turned around in the last year. Newly married to her beloved Tommy and at the helm of her family's business in Manchester, she can't believe how far she's come. But will the plight of her young employee Mildred throw things off course? Or will she and Tommy still be able to perfect their waltz in time for the competition? Pearl is still longing for her darling Bernie to return from the war. Dancing is the best way to distract herself from her worries, so she throws herself into rehearsing the jive with handsome GI partner Errol. But as tongues begin to wag, will the ballroom still provide the solace she needs? As the war wears on, can the Ballroom Girls really hit the big time

As war rages on, can they keep dancing? Blackpool, November 1942 Wartime worries fail to dampen the glitz and glamour of the ballroom in the run-up to Christmas. After all, life is for living. Newlywed Pearl's bliss is cut short when her beloved Bernie is called up into the Army. Will dancing at the Tower Ballroom take the edge off her heartache or will it throw temptation her way? Unexpected news of an inheritance presents Joy with a different dilemma. Should she move to Scotland in line with her parents' final wishes or stay in Blackpool to dance with Tommy, the man she loves? Meanwhile, ambitious Sylvia ditches Eddie, her loyal dance partner and launches into a new career teaching jive and jitterbug. Regrets soon set in, however. Is this the worst mistake she's ever made? Change is in the air. Can our Ballroom Girls fulfil their dreams and make this a Christmas to remember?

**The first book in Jenny Holmes's brand-new WWII saga series - The Ballroom Girls. Perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Donna Douglas. Preorder now!** Blackpool, summer 1942. Meet the Ballroom Girls: Sylvia, Pearl and Joy. Three girls dancing through the turbulence of WWII. Sylvia is the spoiled only child of an ambitious mother, Lorna Ellis, who runs a dancing school in Blackpool. Approaching 21, Sylvia is under pressure to scoop up prizes by fair means or foul. Pearl is the oldest daughter in a large, chaotic family who all work at the Pleasure Beach. She often sneaks away to watch ballroom contestants in their glittery finery. She dreams of joining them, but will she ever be anything other than an outsider looking in? Joy is an evacuee who lost her parents to the Blitz. Now she lives and works in a shabby boarding house and works as a cleaner. Though shy and modest, she falls in love with the newest dance craze - the American Jitterbug. When Lorna's rival dance school spots her talent, Joy is given a chance to break away from boarding house drudgery and enter the glamorous world of professional ballroom dancing. Through blackouts and air raids, the excitement of the ballroom never dims. But competition is fierce. Will the Ballroom Girls find what they're looking for in the joy of the dance? Readers LOVE Jenny Holmes's WWII sagas: 'There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book' 5 star review 'In all the women at war series of book I have read so far, I think this is the best' 5 star review 'I couldn't put this book down' 5 star review 'Loved the whole story. Hated it coming to an end' 5 star review 'Just the kind of book I like' 5 star review

The third book in the Air Raid Girls series - a heart-warming new story of friendship, love and duty in wartime, perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Donna Douglas. Spring, 1942. Lizzie is making plans for her wedding with fiancé Bill. But preparations during wartime aren't easy, and attacks on the Yorkshire port of Kelthorpe are only getting worse. Connie wants to be there for her sister, but she has troubles of her own - a secret that is driving a wedge between herself and those who love her. Meanwhile, Pamela faces new complications in her romance with Fred, and the arrival of two new RAF servicemen stirs up trouble. As bombs fall and friendships are tested, will the air raid girls keep their fighting spirit and find their happy endings? --------------------------------------------- Readers LOVE the Air Raid Girls series: 'There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book' 5 star review 'In all the women at war series of book I have read so far, I think this is the best' 5 star review 'I couldn't put this book down' 5 star review 'Loved the whole story. Hated it coming to an end' 5 star review 'Just the kind of book I like' 5 star review

**Don't miss Jenny Holmes's latest wartime series, The Air Raid Girls. Part 3 - The Air Raid Girls: Wartime Brides - is available for pre-order now!** ---------------------------- 1936. George Street, West Yorkshire, houses a gleaming, brand-new telephone exchange where a group of capable girls works the complicated electrical switchboards. Among them are Cynthia, Norma and Millicent, who relish the busy, efficient atmosphere and the independence and friendship their jobs have given them. But when Millicent connects a telephone call for an old friend, and listens in to the conversation - breaking one of the telephonists' main rules - she, and then Norma and Cynthia too, become caught up in a story of scandal, corruption and murder. Soon, the jobs of all three girls are on the line. Norma's romance is in ruins. And Millicent has entered a world of vice . . . In tough times, the telephone girls will need to call on their friends more than ever. A wonderful story of camaraderie, friendship and triumph over adversity that fans of Daisy Styles, Donna Douglas and Call the Midwife will adore. ---------------------------- Readers love Jenny Holmes: 'There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book' 5 star review 'I couldn't put this book down' 5 star review 'Loved the whole story' 5 star review 'This is a totally absorbing book' 5 star review 'An excellent read put together in fine style' 5 star review

May, 1941. Meet the Air Raid Girls: three young women keen to do their bit during the Yorkshire blitz. Connie's life has taken an unexpected turn since her husband died - she's living at home and working in the family bakery - but night shifts as an ARP Warden give her a firm sense of purpose. Her younger sister Lizzie is eager to play her part too, perhaps as an ambulance driver. Her fiance refuses to support her decision... but does he really know what's best for her? Twenty-year-old Pamela has led a sheltered life, but when her family's home is destroyed in a raid she must learn to stand on her own two feet - helped by new friends. As bombs fall and fires rage, the young women face the destruction of everything they've ever known. Can their fighting spirit prevail? And what of their families and the men they love? A thrilling and heartwarming new story of friendship, love and duty in wartime by the author of The Spitfire Girls, for fans of Elaine Everest and Rosie Hendry. **Don't miss the next two instalments in the series. The Air Raid Girls at Christmas and The Air Raid Girls: Wartime Brides are available now!** --------------------------------------------- Readers LOVE the Air Raid Girls series: 'There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book' 5 star review 'In all the women at war series of book I have read so far, I think this is the best' 5 star review 'I couldn't put this book down' 5 star review 'Loved the whole story. Hated it coming to an end' 5 star review 'Just the kind of book I like' 5 star review