Rita Bradshaw

Rita Bradshaw's passion for the North East grew on visits to family in the area as a child, which inspired her gritty sagas set around Sunderland. Each new book is a bestseller, enthusiastically promoted by book shops and supermarkets. A committed Christian and passionate animal lover, Rita's life is always full and busy - the way she likes it!

Her latest novel A Woman of Courage (November 2023, Macmillan) is set in 1890. Innocent and beautiful 15-year-old Josie Grey falls for the charms of Adam McGuigan, the youngest son of a dangerous crime family. But as the fairy-tale turns to a nightmare, she flees with her baby son to a different country. Josie fights to make a good life for her child and then love beckons again but the McGuigan family’s power is far reaching. When the day of reckoning comes, can Josie survive it?

Rita's next novel Saffron Skies and New Beginnings is due out in November 2024. Set in England and Germany during the Second World War, it is a beautiful story of overcoming betrayal and learning to love once more. Bella McFadyen has a privileged lifestyle but from a child she isn't afraid to kick against an upper-class society that is restrictive and narrow-minded, especially where the female sex is concerned. When a terrible family secret is revealed, tragedy follows. In the years that follow Bella's strength of mind is tested to the limit, will she ever find peace and happiness?