Connie's Courage by Annie Groves (Harper Collins, £5.99).

North West author Anne Groves, as in her first saga Ellie Pride, sets her latest novel in the years leading up to, during and after the First World War.

When Connie Pride finds herself pregnant and deserted by her lover in Liverpool, she is close to despair.

But things look up when she is offered the chance to train as a nurse. Long shifts and hard work are balanced by lively evenings at the music hall. And when the wounded of World War 1 start to arrive, Connie finally seems to have discovered a place in the world. Even romance seems a possibility.

But then a face from her troubled past turns up to haunt her. Suddenly all Connie has achieved is put under threat.

This is a heart-warming tale which features some strong characters.