The Castle family lives in Dover, just across the English Channel from France when WWII begins. The family consists of mom Nellie and her six adult or almost adult children. She is widowed and the family makes their livelihood by owning a small, but busy cafe where Nellie's daughter Marianne is the chief cook.

Marianne lives with a great deal of strife because as a teen she had a child out of wedlock. She was and still is badly treated by some and even worse, her innocent 10 year old son is as well. She did not tell the truth about who the father was and this secret is about to unravel. Not only will Marianne be affected by the exposed lie, so will others in her family.

The story of the family is written against the backdrop of the war. As a port city Dover was often under assault. The primary characters are well written, especially Nellie. She's a brash and forceful personality but has become that way having full responsibility for providing for her family. Her husband, who died before the book begins, suffered from mental injury during the previous war and wasn't able to provide much support.

Although this is the first in a series, it can be a standalone. I throughly enjoyed it and will continue the series. ( )