From No.1 bestselling author Toni Maguire comes a new true story of abuse and survival.'Whatever you do, don't go back to him, not this time. If not for your sake, then for your children's.'Ava Thomas knew leaving was the right decision. Trapped and manipulated in her relationship, and after yet another violent beating whilst she was pregnant, Ava was helped to a women's refuge with her children.Listening to the stories of...

How does an abusive childhood lead you into the world of drug dealers and addiction?When Marc was a small child, his father committed suicide. When his mother remarried, Marc thought his life was going to be OK but he could never have imagined just what was going to happen...Unloved is Marc's powerful story of sinking into the depths of addiction and despair and then finding the inner strength to rise above it. Marc is now at peace with his past and leads a happy a...

Unlike people with carefree previous lives, I packed away my past. There are some memories labelled 'Look at', and others 'Leave well alone'...Emily Smith was held in a prison of fear for ten years. When she was four, her father left and a new man was brought into her life. He loved her, he kept telling her so, but the emotional and physical abuse she suffered at his hands were a daily nightmare. Until one day, after he crept into her bedroom, her life bec...

There was only one man Sammy could turn to…With his young mother in and out of prison, Sammy has been in care since he was nine years old. Left feeling entirely alone, he has never had a proper safe haven.There is one person looking out for Sammy: his neighbour, ‘Uncle Kenny’. But while Sammy may turn to Kenny for comfort, alarm bells soon start to ring for experienced foster carer Casey Watson…Will Casey be able to save Sammy before it’s too late?

Daniel just wants someone he can rely on…With his parents in and out of prison, Daniel has spent the last three years in a children’s home, feeling forgotten and with nowhere to truly belong.When he arrives at Casey and Mike’s, his challenging and unpredictable behaviour soon reveals a much darker past than anyone had imagined.Can Casey find a way to reach Daniel and help him build a brighter future before it’s too late?Perf...

'Please help me,' he said in a small voice. 'Will you help me?'Six-year-old Ralph has only been in the care system for three days and has already been rejected by three different foster carers. After hitting a teacher at his school and causing mayhem since he arrived four months ago, staff are unable to get a hold of his mum and her partner.Social Services are called and when Ralph turns up at Maggie's house, she knows immediately it's going to be a challenge. Wi...

* The new Sunday Times bestseller *'It's ok, Felix, don't worry. We're going to find your mummy.'When newborn baby Felix is found abandoned at a train station, the police launch a desperate search for his mum. It doesn't take long for their inquiries to lead them to Emily.While baby Felix is placed in Maggie's care, the police and Social Services try and work out why Emily, a single mum, who has gone through fertility treatment to get pre...

The moving true story of a little girl with Asperger syndrome, controlled and abused by the one person she called her friend.Taylor had always struggled to make friends – she felt ‘different’. Taylor never knew her father and her mother wasn’t around much. She just didn’t understand people, and was alone and scared most of the time.That was until, aged just 11, an older married man called Tom befriended her. She loved having someone who would talk to her, listen to her, a p...

Evil walked in...From No.1 bestselling author Toni Maguire comes a new true story of abuse and survival - written in aid of NSPCC, with a portion of the royalties being donated to the charity.Gerry was only a young girl when she was first abused by her father. After her mother found out, and believing there was nothing she could do to help her child, nor deal with the stigma attached to it in their small Northern Irish tow...

'They made me do it, it wasn't my fault!'When three brothers come to live with Maggie, she knows that it's going to be challenging. They are all already struggling with rejection after their dad abandoned them, their mum having died several years before.While four-year-old Billy is a delight, eleven-year-old Keegan is quiet and withdrawn, and teenager Cooper is a whirlwind of destruction. His behaviour at school is disruptive and Maggie struggles t...

‘Each time my mother laid a finger on me… it was another step into the jaws of hell. Her abuse, more so than any other, destroyed me. It was the ultimate betrayal.’Abused from the age of eight by her older brother and then her step-father, Maureen Wood quickly became numb to the constant suffering. But Maureen’s world crumbled when her own mother started to abuse her too…A Family Secret is the harrowing true story of how one little girl survived sickening ...

'Mum and Dad. Gone?' asked Louisa. 'Yes,' I nodded. 'They're gone.'After a horrific car crash, thirteen-year-old Louisa is left fighting for her life in hospital. She wakes to find that her loving, happy family has been shattered overnight, with both of her parents now dead. With no one to care for her, Louisa is entirely alone.Britain's most-loved foster carer Maggie Hartley is called in to help Louisa cope with her d...