Winter Wishes for the East End Girls

 Winter Wishes for the East End Girls

Reviewed By  Janet Mawdesley       November 25, 2025

 

Author  Jean Fullarton

Distributor:      Amazon
ISBN:                 978-1805500827
Publisher:         Bookouture
Release Date:   21 November 2025  

   Website:   https://www.amazon.com.au/Winter-Wishes-East-End-Girls-ebook

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Winter Wishes for the East End Girls follows the life a group of young women from vastly differing backgrounds who form the ten strong team of site 312 Barrage Balloon based at Wapping in the heart of the London Docks. With Christmas fast approaching the girls are doing their best to remain hopeful that this year with rationing hitting hard, they will still be able to celebrate in style, even if it is war time style.

Once again Jean Fullarton has created a heartwarming story that sees Alice Starling, widowed early in the War, struggling to cope with fledgling feelings for an America Lieutenant who gave her a dressing down, mistaking her for one of a group of women fighting over several young American soldiers.

Lieutenant Brogan Rafferty is the liaison officer for the US Army’s public relations office but as it turns out he is also the nephew of Florrie, the girls land lady and owner of the Maid of Norway where eight of the team are billeted.

As the days move towards Christmas the girls are trying their best, led by Florrie, to create a great Christmas for the families of the Shadwell Relief Centre, saving coupons and beginning to coach the children in carols and a small Nativity play.

Brogan Rafferty is co-opted into helping out wherever possible at the Centre and as he and Alice are forced to work together, they discover they are really enjoying each other’s company, but neither one is keen to take the situation any further than friendship.

When bombs start dropping on Wapping on the eve of the Christmas concert Alice, terrified her friend has been killed or injured, flees to rescue Effie who, heavily pregnant decided to stay behind at the Maid of Norfolk, which was badly damaged in the bombing.

Brogan follows Alice into the badly damaged building and between them they manage to get Effie to safety with the most surprizing bonus, the birth of Effie’s babe.

If you are looking for a feel good escape from the everyday world, Winter Wishes for the East End Girls is the prefect indulgence as the girls set about making the most out of what they have with an utterly heartwarming conclusion in the best of Christmas tradition. A new life, a new beginning and a further mystery to be solved in the next book in the series.

Fiction, General, Historical