The Kew Gardens Girls at War (Lovell Posy); Orion, 2021

It's 1940 and for newlywed Daisy Turner, Kew Gardens is a haven away from the bombs that are falling nightly on her East End home. She grew up around plants - her parents met when they were gardeners at Kew in the last war. And her work on the Dig For Victory campaign at Kew keeps her occupied while her husband Rex, is away in the RAF.

Beth Sanderson works with Daisy at the gardens, but she dreams of being a doctor while juggling her gardening job with nursing shifts. And there's the added complication of her forbidden romance with her colleague, Gus Campbell. Gus is from Jamaica and it seems impossible for he and Beth to be together. But can they overcome the prejudice they're facing and build a life together?

Meanwhile Louisa Armitage, who worked at Kew Gardens during the First World War, is feeling old and useless, having retired to the countryside. So she jumps at the chance to work with Kew again and rally the WI to get them involved in growing plants for medicines.

With Daisy and Beth becoming minor celebrities and featuring in magazines and on newsreels, the Kew Gardens Girls are the talk of the town. But when tragedy strikes and Daisy's life is changed forever, it falls to her friends at Kew Gardens to step in and save her and her family. Before it's too late...