A Daughter’s Hope is the conclusion to the Yorkshire Blitz trilogy by Donna Douglas. I do hope it’s not the last we see of the MacGuire family who are a fantastic bunch of characters – or are they real? They seem like it when you’re reading. It’s like peering into a window and watching as their lives unfold. Matriarch Big May MacGuire leaps from the page, a strong woman in charge of her noisy, squabbling, good-hearted brood.

It’s Autumn, 1942; the Blitz has come to an end and the residents of Jubilee Row begin to get their lives back on track. Twins Sybil and Maudie join the WAAF to do their bit for the war effort. The girls may be twins but each has their own personality, and they face their own struggles when it comes to adapting to force’s life and discipline.  Will they be able to thrive in this new environment?

Back in Hull, 42 year-old Florence, the eldest of May Maguire’s daughters, has a good job as supervisor of a typing-pool but feels thwarted when a new manager joins the staff and threatens to undermine her authority.

May understands Florence least of all her children and Florence’s strong independence keeps her hovering on the edge of family life. The love and awkwardness, the misunderstanding between the two women was gently revealed from the first chapter and I really enjoyed the complex relationship between Florence and her mum.

There is humour and warmth,  and a strong sense of making the best of things – there’s never a dull moment among the folks of Jubilee Row.

I have to say that having read the others in the trilogy this is my favourite. The plotlines are deftly interwoven and the skilled writing and storytelling draws the reader along until the very last page. I was sad when it came to an end.

I hope there’s more to come from the MacGuires, but if there isn’t I eagerly await the next book from Donna Douglas.

A Daughter’s hope by Donna Douglas is published by Orion and available from all independent bookstores, Amazon, and other online retailers from 28th April 2022 .