The Rainbow Years

As soon as she finds happiness, her past threatens to snatch it away...

Rita Bradshaw writes a heart-warming saga in The Rainbow Years, the story of a young woman finding happiness and independence during the dark days of war. Perfect for fans of Kate Thompson and Nadine Dorries.

'Expect the unexpected in this enthralling story with a wealth of colourful characters' - Coventry Evening Telegraph

Born during World War One, Amy Shawe gets off to a bad start as her unmarried mother dies in the 1919 flu epidemic and Amy is only spared the workhouse because her uncle grudgingly takes her in. Her cousin torments her as she grows up and when she gets the chance to marry a rather older and apparently loving man she seizes the chance to escape what is becoming a dangerous situation.

Tragically she's gone from the frying pan into the fire and endures some difficult years with a violent husband, made bearable only by the arrival of a baby. When tragedy strikes, she joins the WAAF at the start of WWII; in her new life she keeps her marriage a secret and eventually falls in love with a Spitfire pilot, Nick. Her chance of happiness with him seems to be blighted, though, when fate compels her to care for her now ailing husband: but her suffering has not, in the end, been in vain, and Nick will be waiting when the time is right.

What readers are saying about The Rainbow Years:

'I could not bear to put it down. What a wonderful book full of love, hope, sadness and triumph over adversity'

'Rita Bradshaw has written a captivating book which kept me enthralled'

'A beautiful story with a magical ending'