The Most Precious Thing - One night. A lifetime of consequences.

Amidst the hardships of the 1920s, one young woman's happiness is threatened for ever because of one dramatic night...

In The Most Precious Thing, Rita Bradshaw weaves a spell-binding saga of family, second chances and true love. Perfect for fans of Cathy Sharp and Dilly Court.

'A gratifying book... Intensely powerful' - North Wales Chronicle

It's 1925 and when Renee McDarmount marries Walter Sutton, Carrie McDarmount is delighted, for the two families have always been close - the children are all similar in age and their fathers work together in the local pit. But an incident on the eve of the wedding leaves Carrie pregnant and desperately ashamed of the secret she now carries.

When David Sutton, who has always loved Carrie, discovers her plight, he volunteers to marry her and bring up the baby as his own. But their secret will inevitably come out in the end and there is much heartache ahead before Carrie can finally be happy and content with the man she loves.

What readers are saying about The Most Precious Thing:

'Rita Bradshaw has a way of weaving a tapestry of stories that are all interlaced and grab your attention at the outset... The author is very good at describing the surroundings and atmosphere of the period, that you almost feel you are there and can feel and smell what she is describing to you'

'Rita Bradshaw brings to life the poverty, the living conditions (you can almost smell the coal dust) and the despair of the general strike... As you turn the pages you actually feel that you are visiting the North East mining community and reliving the general strike. Add to this the lifelike characters and the story of Carrie's battle with adversity. The best book that Rita Bradshaw has written to date'

'A wonderful book I just could not put down. Rita kept me enthralled in the story from start to finish'