The Yankee Years series: During the Second World War Northern Ireland hosted 
American, British and Canadian troops. County Fermanagh welcomed Air Force squadrons hunting U-boats and defending shipping convoys in the Atlantic Ocean and Army battalions training and preparing for deployment to Europe’s Western Front. After the Allied troops arrived, life would never be the same again. The Yankee Years novels and Short Reads weave thrilling and romantic tales of the people and the era.
Novels and Short Reads in the series: Books 1-3 are available in a boxset, The Yankee Years Books 1-3 or as individual stories. Books 4-6 are available in a separate boxset, The Yankee Years Books 4-6 or as individual stories. See below for individual story descriptions.
To order a copy of Books 1-3 boxset:
To order a copy of Books 4-6 boxset:
The Shadow Ally: Book 1 (a Short Read)
June 1941: America is not yet at war but the country is preparing for it – this includes secretly building a flying boat base in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. When Fermanagh girl Ruth Corey finds a letter her journalist boyfriend, Harry Coalter, has written, discussing details of the airbase’s construction, she fears he plans to disclose information that will destroy America’s neutrality and land him in serious trouble. Ruth enlists the help of a guest at her family’s hotel, attractive American civilian contractor Frank Long, to help her stop Harry. Can Ruth safeguard this military secret and protect her beau? Or must she make a difficult choice?
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Acts of Sabotage: Book 2 (a Short Read)
December 1941: The attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into the war have eliminated the need for secrecy surrounding the construction of the American flying-boat base but now there is an urgency to complete the project before the first US troops arrive on Northern Ireland’s shores. Frank is doing his utmost to ensure the airbase will be ready but religious conflict within the workforce and suspected IRA involvement in the theft of materials and tools from the construction site make his job nearly impossible. When Frank confides his worries to Ruth, despite the risks entailed in meddling in the activities of terrorists, the pair devise a plan to catch the thieves. Can Ruth and Frank stop the acts of sabotage that threaten the military project and what does the future hold for the two of them?
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Keeping Her Pledge: Book 3 (a Short Read)
June 1942: Pearl Grainger’s life is much more exciting and fun since the Allied troops arrived in County Fermanagh and RCAF seaplane navigator, Chuck Walker quickly becomes special to her. After witnessing a plane crash on her family’s farm, she realises that she must play a part to help the war effort. But she isn’t prepared for what this will entail when she volunteers at a US Army Station Hospital and Chuck’s disapproval and jealousy don’t make it any easier. Can Pearl fulfil her pledge to herself without losing her RCAF sweetheart?
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The Christmas Cure: Book 4 (a Short Read)
December 1942: Lieutenant Marjorie Baxter is an intelligent, competent U.S. army nurse newly posted to the 160th Station Hospital at Necarne Castle, Irvinestown, Northern Ireland. Preparing to spend her first ever Christmas away from home, she appears aloof as she struggles to hide her homesickness. And everywhere she goes, she hears “White Christmas”. Reverend Herbert Lindsay, the widowed rector of a nearby village church and a keen herbalist, is rebuilding his life after his beloved wife’s unexpected death two years ago. Exempt from military service after a childhood accident left him blind in one eye, he is dedicated to serving his parishioners as well as the Allied military personnel he encounters in his community. The pair cross paths when Reverend Lindsay brings a civilian woman, injured by a U.S. army vehicle, to the U.S. military hospital. Although they intrigue each other, the nurse’s determined reserve stymies the minister’s friendly overtures. As they continue to be thrown together during the Christmas season, can Marjorie open her heart to Herbert’s friendship, homespun remedies and advice, and maybe more?
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Only One Remedy: Book 5 (a short read)
January 1943: Lieutenant Marjorie Baxter is finally settling into the 160th Station Hospital, at Necarne Castle, Irvinestown, Northern Ireland. Since her recovery from a bout of pneumonia during the Christmas season, the U.S. Army nurse is more approachable, and even friendly, especially toward the local village minister. But, the arrival of her nursing colleague and former friend, Lieutenant Dot Nichols, awakens old hurts and anxieties. Reverend Herbert Lindsay, the widowed rector of a nearby village church and a keen herbalist, is continuing to rebuild his life after his beloved wife’s unexpected death two years ago. He is ready to steer his relationship with Marjorie from friendship to romance, but encounters with Allied servicemen stationed in his community make him question whether he has anything to offer her. When a Sunderland flying-boat is forced to land in foggy weather near the rectory then bursts into flames, the pair work together to assist in the evacuation of injured crew members. Afterwards in the chaotic Receiving wing at the military hospital, Herbert’s concern for an overwhelmed staff member arouses Marjorie’s jealousy and threatens to drive a wedge between them. In the aftermath of the flying-boat accident, can Marjorie and Herbert find a remedy that will salve their doubts and fears, and save their budding romance?
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Whispers on Water: Book 6 (a Short Read)
May 1943: After helping to foil suspected sabotage activity and an espionage attempt at the nearby American flying-boat base, Ruth Corey plans to steer clear of fifth columnists. But when her friend, Home Guard Robbie Hetherington is injured during an IRA raid on a police station, she is determined to find his attackers, especially since they have reclaimed a quantity of gelignite. But, despite venturing onto a deep, cold lough in a very small boat, eavesdropping in pubs and tailing smugglers in the dark woods late at night, Ruth and her American sweetheart, Frank Longo are no closer to finding the IRA men or the gelignite. The terrorists’ trail is elusive and the answers Ruth is searching for lie beyond the boundaries of her world so she must cross the strict line dividing the province’s two religious communities, a journey that will send ripples through her relationship with Frank and challenge some of her long held convictions. Can Ruth find the Republican terrorists, before they use the gelignite, and avoid religious tensions coming between her and her sweetheart?
To order a copy:
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