When Skies are Grey

by

Fran Clark

About the book:-

The secrets of Rayna Laurence’s past threaten to unravel the life she’s created for
herself in West London in 1957.
A young West Indian girl with a talent for singing, Rayna takes a job as a barmaid in a
local pub, and it’s there that she meets the charismatic leader of a West Indian jazz
band, Eddie Keane. But when her affections become the subject of a tug-of-war
between Terry Collins, the pub owner, and Eddie, Rayna chooses Terry, but the love
triangle is far from over.
As her fame and fortune as a performer grow, Rayna finds her past catching up with her.
Will the secrets of her former life in the West Indies destroy the life she’s built for
herself?

An emotional story of love, music, and hidden truths in post Windrush London.

My Review:-

This is the fourth book in the Island Secrets series and I have loved every one of them.

This is the story of Rayna, a young West Indian woman who had to leave her home on Dominica and her mother because of something traumatic that happened to her and something she did.  As the story unfolds we found out what and why.  It is set in the early 1950s when life as a black man or woman in London was not easy.

Rayna is alone in London until she bumps into Sandra who changes her life by getting her a job at The Pelican pub where she meets Terry, the landlord and Eddie, a jazz singer.  We watch Rayna blossom and dare to start to love again but who will she choose to spend her life with.  As Rayna finds her place in the world as a singer, her past comes back to haunt her.

A lovely story of life and love in post war London.  I was delighted that Junie, from a previous book in the series, appeared.

About the author:-

Fran Clark writes Women’s Fiction, both contemporary and historical. Her first novel was published by Indigo Dreams in 2014. In the same year she achieved a Distinction in her Creative Writing MA from Brunel University. In 2016 she was shortlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize. In February 2024, her Island Secrets Book Series will be published, starting with Holding Paradise Book 1.

Originally from London, Fran moved to the English countryside with her musician husband. A musician herself, Fran teaches vocals and leads a local choir. She has two sons.

Fran also writes under the pseudonym, Rosa Temple, writing contemporary fiction and published by HQ Digital and Simon & Schuster UK

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Fran’s Social Media:-

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Website: https://www.franclarkauthor.co.uk

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Book Links:-

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214564199-when-skies-are-grey Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/whenskiesaregrey