The biggest character arc has been Helen, who in the first novel was awful to the women, but through finding herself has become a key part of the women's group. And it is these women who step in to help Helen make the right choices over the man she loves. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how this plays out. I have recently discovered gardening – something I used to avoid like the plague. I’m a convert and now bore anyone who will listen to me about how wonderful it is to be out in the fresh air, pulling weeds, and creating something with my hands instead of my head. During the day, Rosie (head welder) teaches her fledgling group of trainees their new trade, however at night she hides It will take great strength and friendship if the shipyard girls are to weather the storms to come. Angie is to be married to Quentin and with that the final escape from her family and the behaviours of her parents. Little does she know, she will end up with a ready made family as soon as she is married.

I've become so invested in these characters, it's easy to forget that they are fictional, which is a measure of how good the writing actually is. We genuinely care about Gloria, Rosie, Polly, Dorothy, Angie, Helen and Martha There is one further theme running throughout the novel, and that is one of paying tribute to a cast of characters we have come to love over 12 books. The last quarter of the book, is a victory lap for these characters. Nancy Revell's writing made me feel at times really quite emotional. I got the impression that this book was a chance for the author to also say her own goodbye and thank you to the Shipyard Girls in her own way and it is all the more powerful for it.With life in the shipyards tougher than ever, will the strength of their friendship see them through to victory? However, that’s not to say I have totally closed the door to future books taking the characters beyond the war.

Secrets of the Shipyard Girls” is the third novel in the “Shipyard Girls” series and was released in the year 2017. While the war drags on, the shipyard girls find they are facing battles of their own. She's one of the main characters in the original series, but not the main one. I had left her, but I felt that there was more that could be explored with her character. I knew there was morethat we could do with her." These women didn’t just inspire me to write this series, but they also inspire me as I go about my daily life.

Full Series List in Order

At the time I was adamant that the series was finished at book 12, but then because I had a bit of time afterwards and my mind started swirling and I just started thinking about Angie.

With a brief break in air raids providing some much-needed respite from the war, things are looking up for head welder Rosie, who has fallen head over heels for Detective Sergeant Miller. But how long can their romance last in such uncertain times? At this stage to go into the various characters and all the issues and problems they have would be fruitless given this is the last book and that everything they have been through and the hold a certain person has over them is reaching its endpoint. Needless to say, these women welders and both their friends and families have been through the mill since the outbreak of war but the end point is in sight. They just need to push through these final few months and hopefully emerge victorious on the other side. As world events progress at a rapid pace so too does the personal lives of each character that I have come to know and love. There are plenty of problems and situations, both good and bad, that need an outcome to be found be it positive or negative. The author gets straight down to action, and you get the sense she has a lot she wants to say and cover and gets on with it right from the outset. That’s not to say things felt rushed or brushed neatly under the carpet. Given the length of the series to do this now at this stage would seem futile and just such a let-down for readers who have been with the girls since the beginning. No, thankfully that didn’t happen at all and the pacing and revelations were all perfect and at times you have a smile on your face to see certain characters getting the comeuppance you have longed to see them receive. Meanwhile Helen is caught between two men - but must hide her true feelings from the one she loves. Can her fellow women welders help Helen follow her heart? The book is set in Cuthbert Manor, in County Durham. This is all about Angie’s journey.” A novel with hopeMeanwhile shipyard manager Helen is determined to move on after a turbulent year. Her sights are set on breaking the yard's production record and no one, not even the handsome Dr Parker, is going to get in her way. She adds: “I’d ended The Shipyard Girls series and I had loads of my readers messaging me asking me to take the characters further. And there is finally a glimmer of hope for Polly and her family when Bel and Joe fall in love. But it isn’t long before a scandalous revelation threatens to pull them all apart. I had a similar, ‘Who do you think you are?’ moment when I learnt more about the men in my mum’s family, who were all shipyard workers and were well known. There’s even a large placard in the Sunderland Museum showing five generation of Revells, most of whom worked as platers. I already knew that my grandfather had died tragically in a shipyard accident when a large metal plate fell on him, but I hadn’t realised that my great grandfather had also died in an identical accident.

He is from the higher sort of levels of society, and I just thought, there’s a story here. The story begins at the end of the 40s and takes you into the 50s. You watch Angie go through a lot of emotional turmoil. I hope readers will enjoy seeing her grow and develop. But Quentin falls victim to a tragic accident and Angie's life is left devastated. Now, along with the prospect of rebuilding her life, she is faced with an impossible choice that will have far-reaching consequences for herself and those she loves most. Nancy Revell brings her superb series about Sunderland’s finest to a triumphant end with the final mesmerizing installment, Three Cheers for the Shipyard Girls. Brava, Nancy Revell for writing such a fantastic series and I cannot wait to see what you write next. Helen would love to find the courage to tell the dashing Dr Parker of her true feelings for him. But how can she when he clearly has eyes for someone else?I think what really resonated with readers of The Shipyard Girls series is that people felt immersed in the girl’s world, and I really want that to be the case here with The Widow’s Choice. Nancy spoke of her way of working, which tended to involve a thought that evolved into a fully formed story idea over time. Life remains full of challenges for Gloria, who must face her abusive ex-husband and confront her own guilty conscience about baby Hope’s real father. The secret is tearing her apart but if she admits the truth, she will risk losing everything.