The Halfpenny Girls at Christmas by Maggie Mason #BookReview #TheHalfpennyGirls2 #BlogTour #Sphere #LittleBrown #5*

THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE BRAND NEW SAGA SERIES BY MAGGIE MASON – MEET THE HALFPENNY GIRLS. . .

Will their prayers be answered at the most wonderful time of the year?

As Christmas approaches, Alice, Edith and Marg continue to face hardships growing up on one of the poorest streets in Blackpool. Penniless, their friendship has helped them survive this far, but it’ll take more than that to see them through the dark days that lie ahead . . .

Newly married Alice receives shocking news about her pregnancy that threatens the future she’s always dreamed of, Marg is struggling to care for her ailing mother and ensure her little sister receives the education she deserves, and Edith is grieving the loss of her family while preparing to marry her sweetheart.

The Halfpenny Girls once again are faced with a struggle, but with the festive season upon them will family, friendship and Christmas spirit see them through?

The second in a brand new series from reader favourite Maggie Mason, The Halfpenny Girls is the perfect heart-warming family saga about overcoming hardship and the value of friendship. Perfect for fans of Val Wood, Kitty Neale and Rosie Goodwin.

A Dazzling Read!

Another fabulous read in this terrific wartime series!

Alice, Edith and Marg have been friends since they were small children; living in one of the poorest streets in Blackpool they have come through some hard times – which are not over yet. Alice is married and looking forward to the birth of her first baby, Edith is still mourning her family but looking forward to a future with her fiance while Marg has the hardest life of them all. Looking after her sick mother and her aging gran while also keeping an eye on her younger sister on a very small – and tight – budget, she needs her friends more than ever. With another war on the horizon, they don’t have to look far for their troubles but their friendship has seen them through most things – can it do so again?

It didn’t take me long to recall the events of the first book when I began reading this one; Maggie Mason has created some very memorable characters with this series and this latest story is even more delectable than the first. The author has the knack of making each person both real and interesting; the problems they face along the way are no less than those faced by many others at this time in history but it’s the personal details which makes the reader care about each and every one of them. I loved everything about this one and couldn’t find fault even if I tried. A dazzling read, easily worth all five glowing stars. Highly recommended!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy and to Francesca Banks of Little Brown Book Group for my spot on this tour; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Tags: historical women’s fiction, WWII

• Format: ebook, paperback, audiobook
• Size: 360 pages
• Publisher: Sphere
• Publication Date: 28 October 2021
• Book Links:
• https://www.goodreads.com
• https://play.google.com
• https://www.barnesandnoble.com
• https://uk.bookshop.org
• https://www.foyles.co.uk
• https://www.kobo.com
• https://www.whsmith.co.uk
• https://www.waterstones.com
• https://wordery.com
• https://www.amazon.co.uk

Author Details

Maggie Mason is a pseudonym of author Mary Wood. Mary began her career by self-publishing on kindle where many of her sagas reached number one in genre. She was spotted by Pan Macmillan and to date has written many books for them under her own name, with more to come.

Mary continues to be proud to write for Pan Macmillan, but is now equally proud and thrilled to take up a second career with Sphere under the name of Maggie Mason. A Blackpool Lass is her first in a planned series of standalone books and trilogies set in her home town of Blackpool.

Born the thirteenth child of fifteen children, Mary describes her childhood as poor, but rich in love.
She was educated at St Peter’s RC School in Hinckley and at Hinckley College for Further Education, where she was taught shorthand and typing.

Mary retired from working for the National Probation Service in 2009, when she took up full time writing, something she’d always dreamed of doing. She follows in the footsteps of her great-grandmother, Dora Langlois, who was an acclaimed author, playwright and actress in the late nineteenth – early twentieth century.

It was her work with the Probation Service that gives Mary’s writing its grittiness, her need to tell it how it is, which takes her readers on an emotional journey to the heart of issues.

• Website: https://www.authormarywood.com/maggie-mason
• Twitter: @authormary
• Facebook: @MaryWoodAuthor