Harpers Emporium Books in Order

In 1929, Ben Harper travels to New York to rescue a failing American store tied to his late aunt and finds himself entangled with fraud and gangsters. Back in London, Sally, Beth, Kitty and Ruby fight to keep Harpers thriving as clouds gather over the economy.

Set in 1926, this story follows clerk Kitty Wilson after she rejects an unwanted suitor and is abandoned by her mother. Supported by friends at Harpers, Kitty wins promotion even as tragedy looms, while Sally and Beth confront dangerous decisions that could threaten the store itself.

In 1920, Harpers emporium flourishes again, but Sally Harper's marriage is under strain as Ben grows distant and secretive. On the shop floor, women like Marion and Lilly battle their own private scars while new staff arrive and others say difficult goodbyes.

As the First World War draws toward its end, the women of Harpers dare to imagine peace while loved ones are still in danger. Preparing for longed-for victory celebrations, they balance grief, hope and the challenge of rebuilding lives changed forever.

By 1917, with American troops arriving, the Harpers women shoulder even more burdens at home and at work. A sinister stranger shadows Sally, frontline nurse Maggie returns gravely ill, Marion dreads her violent father's reappearance, and pregnant Beth prays her sailor husband will come home.

Two years after Harpers opens, Sally and Ben Harper prepare for their first child just as war threatens Europe. Shortages, worries for loved ones and new staff test the Oxford Street store, but the women of Harpers refuse to let darkening skies crush their spirit.

In 1913, the Harpers girls throw themselves into work, friendship and the suffrage cause. Sharing a boarding house and big dreams, some find romance and wedding bells, while others face betrayal, grief and the hard choice between independence and security.

By 1915, husbands and brothers are scattered across distant battlefields, and the staff of Harpers confront war's cost. Sally struggles to keep the store afloat, Beth fears for her seafaring husband, and nurse Maggie faces horrific casualties in France while grieving a devastating loss of her own.

In 1911 four young women, Sally, Beth, Margaret and Rachel, win jobs at the dazzling new Harpers emporium on Oxford Street. As they learn the trade, they also find friendship, first love and heartbreak while balancing ambition with family duty.