This is the second book in this series. It is a lovely Christmas novella that you won’t be able to put down once you start reading. There are the same great characters as in book one but this one concentrates on Ella. I loved reading this book and it put me in the Christmas spirit

A perfect light read for the Christmas period by the acclaimed Jean Fullerton.
We catch up with Ella and James who we have met in a previous novel
it's a lovely light read and I recommend this as a 2023 Christmas purchase.

A fantastic book following Ella and her son James as they look towards Christmas. We met Ella and the Rector and his family in a previous book A Stepney Girls Secret so it was really good to catch up with them again. A bit cheesy in places but then it’s Christmas after all. Thanks to Jean and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

Another great read from Jean Fullerton, the 2nd book in the Stepney girls series, and it didn’t disappoint. This time centred around Ella, who’s husband was killed at Dunkirk and her miserable life with her awful in laws. A great story and I’m already looking forward to the 3rd book. ⭐️

A lovely gentle read which was just what i needed. The story has more than a hint of Cinderella about it. Engrossing and quick read. Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

A beautiful feel good heart warming Christmas novella to curl up to.
Stepney London.
Ella Jolly and her six month old son James live with her in laws Ruby and Ernie that run the fruit and veg stall in the waste market along with her sister Pearl Tugman, Ella's husband Barry was shot at Dunkirk, Ella keeping busy running the house, cooking the meals, and also rolling bandages and stitching slings for the red cross, she's always kept busy with only three weeks to Christmas she wants to make it a special one for James, as Ruby would say a load of old cobblers and her sister Pearl is just as bad the three of them spend more time in the pub than anything else.
There's a war on and most nights are spent down the shelter, so Ella has plenty of company.
This book is so good for a quick break with a cuppa, and the story takes us with Ella finding love that she has never experienced before. perfect for the season and the long cold days. I loved it.

Excellent book with a story that takes you into the book alongside the characters, Jean Fullerton always writes such lovely books that saga fans love.5*

Fantastic second instalment in the stephney girls series.
Ella is living with her in laws from her abusive husband was killed at Dunkirk, they treat her like a skivvy always reminding her of how wonderful their precious son was. Ella meets Klaus a German who has been through the camps and now is enrolled with the British forces.
This is a Christmas Cinderella story.
You need a few hours a comfy blanket and a cup of tea for this book as you won’t be able to put it down.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc

Another brilliant book in this series and such a lovely Christmas theme

A wonderful christmas saga. With the feel of a Christmas movie. A absolutely great read..
Cant even wait for the next one
5*****

Another book in the series and it did not disappoint we continue with the families in Stepney.

Ella Jolly has a 6 month old son and lives who her in laws who treat her like a dogsbody. Unfortunately her life wasn’t as jolly as seemed with her husband who was killed in Dunkirk. Ella ends up take refuge in the crypts with her friends where Prue decides to put on a pantomime to cheer the people up. Ella notices Klaus who is a German dissenter and they become friends.

I really enjoyed the book and it continues on from the last book but you could actually read it as a stand alone. It is well written and I could not put the book down. It was interesting to read about the times what London went through with the bombing.

Would recommend this book.

Settle in, you’ll read this in one sitting. The second in this series so there are familiar characters.
Eleanor (Ella) lives with her in-laws Ruby and Ernie, now their surname may be Jolly but that certainly doesn’t apply to Ruby’s nature, or her sister Pearl. Ella puts up with her life as a drudge mainly because after the death of her husband Barry she has nowhere to live with her young son, James. She is glad to seek solace in the shelters with others at night rather than share the Anderson shelter with the in-laws.
One night her friend Prue suggests putting on Pantomime to cheer everyone.
Meanwhile the rev. Carmichael at st.Winifred’s has the son of an old friend staying with him, this causes some difficulty as Klaus is German.
When the cast are practicing for the pantomime Klaus is roped it to play along side Ella. When Ruby gets to hear about it she doesn’t hold back, blaming him for the death of her son. Could there be a growing romance, time will tell.
While I wasn’t too keen on Ruby and Pearl, I thought their antics funny, making me laugh out loud.
I look forward to another in the series.

I just loved this retelling of Cinderella. Eleanor Jolly, known as Ella, had brute of a husband who had died during the war, leaving her with a young son. She was living with her mother and aunt-in law. They saw her as lucky to have a roof over her head and treated her like a skivvy.

When Klaus Wagner came to Stepney, he wasn't given a warm welcome. A German in England during WW2 was always going to be a conflict. He didn't agree with the war, and so he came to help.

But it was love at first sight between him and Ella.

For a novella, it packed in as much as a full-length novel. Set around Christmas, they put on a pantomime, and instead of a glass slipper, it's a gas mask. This made me chuckle. You don't need to read the first book to be able to follow the storyline. It truly is the perfect read over the holiday season.

Jean Fullerton provides a festive historical short story set in London's East End during WW2 featuring Eleanor 'Ella' Jolly. Not even a white Christmas will hide the bleak bombed out streets of Stepney in December, and Ella Jolly is having to endure the misery and drudgery of living with her in-laws, Ruby and Ernie, having to put up with Pearl too, market traders too fond of the pub. She has little choice, looking after her 6 month baby, James, her husband Barry lost in the war, although we are left with the distinct impression that it was far from a happy marriage. Whilst taking shelter from the bombs, a plan is hatched to lift the spirits of locals, St Winifred's Players are going to be putting on a pantomime, despite the short notice.

The beautiful Ella is chosen to play Cinderella, a rather apt role given its echoes of her current real life situation. In the shelter, she meets the good looking German Klaus Wagner from Munich who had opposed the Nazi regime and is planning to join British efforts to fight Hitler's plans. He is living with Reverend Carmichael, who offered him shelter, as might be expected, many locals ferociously oppose his presence, seeing him only as a Nazi. However, Ella is mesmerised by Klaus who is helping behind the scenes in staging the pantomime, an interest that is returned in spades by a lonely Klaus.

Surely circumstances dictate there will be no future for them? However, amidst a White Christmas, there is magic in the Stepney air. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This was a lovely Christmas story about Eleanor and her baby son James .Eleanor's husband had been killed at Dunkirk and so she lived with her in - laws who she didn't get on with.Klaus Wagner has come to live at the rectory a German .This is the story of what happened too them both.Thank you to netball and Atlantic Books.