Where the Heart Lies

My late mother in law started reading this collection, initially from sainsburys at full price until I showed her the Amazon way! Unfortunately she passed away halfway through the series. Having all 18 books I decided they should be completed and set to on book one in her memory. She absolutely loved the stories so I wanted to see how it all ended. The Whole collection takes you into the heart of a family through WW2 and it is a joy to read and I have learned more from these books than any history lesson. I cannot understand why some clever TV producer hasn’t made it into a series. Buy the whole collection, you won’t regret it, my little Sheelagh was right x

After a stressful time at work I was happy to settle down to enjoy a long Easter weekend off with a good book. This was just the right book for the job. It was an easy read and kept me engaged throughout. Maybe because I work with someone an awful lot like Eunice and could relate to Julie that way. It was heartwarming and touching, I loved catching up with the recurring characters Peggy and her family and friends, happy that at last Anne had her baby, that seemed a long time coming it felt like she was pregnant through most of the books. But there were parts that I didn't enjoy as much, the first being we never did find out what happened between Rosie and Eileen, at least not from Rosie's perspective and I found the storyline with Jim and his brother Frank dragged at times and difficult to read, but those were fairly minor things in an otherwise wonderfully engaging book.

I’m absolutely in love with this series. The characters have a good my my heart. Definitely recommend it!!

I am enjoying this series of books by Ellie Dean - there is a little bit of repeating the basics as each book could stand alone but apart from that they are good stories and paint a good picture of how it was in world war 2 - just glad I didn't have to live through the air raids etc.

**WW2 we know of the London Blitz, of the D-Day invasion, but how did this history affect the regular people of a sea side town? Ellie Dean in her Beach View Boarding House series, give you an up close and very personal look at the war and its impact on one family and their neighbors. Each book tells the reoccurring story of the Reilly family and the people they take into their home. Escaping for the bombs in London, Julie Harris is the guardian of her dead sister's baby. With the loving support of the Reilly family, the challenges Julie face are overcome. This is a wonderful glimpse into a time in history that many only know through textbooks. A mud read for everyone impacted by war no matter what the era or the times.