The Shopgirl of Ironbridge

<p><b>** New from Mollie Walton, twice finalist for the Romantic Novelist Association's 'The Romantic Saga Award' **</b><br><br><b><i>Will she find love again?</i></b><br><br><b>Ironbridge, 1892. </b>When seventeen-year-old Maria Keay is offered an exciting job in a department store in Shrewsbury, she is determined to follow her dream, even if that means leaving behind her childhood sweetheart, Charlie.<br><br>At first, Maria's new life is everything she dreamed it would be. Her new job is glamorous, and she even catches the eye of Oskar, a charming German chemistry student who makes several trips to her sales desk.<br><br>But the true reality of shop work - with its long hours and low pay - soon takes its toll, and when her relationship with Oskar takes a dark and devastating turn, Maria must decide if moving away from home - and Charlie - was the right decision after all . . .<br><br><b>Praise for The Ironbridge Saga:</b><br><br>'A compelling blend of real history, rich period detail, and a gritty, authentic story brimming with love, loss, intrigue, hope, and bitter revenge' <b><i>Lancashire Evening Post</i></b><br><br>'A Journey. Compelling. Addictive.' <b>Val Wood</b><br><br>'Walton has created a brilliantly alive, vivid and breathing world in Ironbridge' Louisa Treger<br><br>'Evocative, dramatic and hugely compelling . . . I loved it' <b>Miranda Dickinson</b><br><br>'Feisty female characters, an atmospheric setting and a spell-binding storyline make this a phenomenal read' <b>Cathy Bramley</b><br><br>'Such great characters who will stay with me for a long time' <b>Beth Miller</b><br><br>'The attention to period detail and beautiful writing drew me right in and kept me reading' <b>Lynne Francis</b><br><br>'Vivid, page-turning drama' <b>Pippa Beecheno</b><br><br>'A powerful sense of place and period, compelling characters and a pacy plot had me racing to the end' <b>Gill Paul</b><br><br>'A story that is vivid, twisting and pacy, with characters that absolutely leap off the page' <b>Iona Grey</b><br><br>'Beautiful and poignant' <b>Tania Crosse</b></p>