Where to Start with Ellie Curzon
Ellie Curzon is the celebrated pen name of writing duo Catherine Curzon and Helen Barrell. Together, they craft immersive World War II historical fiction that captures the bravery, romance, and community spirit of the home front. If you are new to their work, you have a few excellent options for your reading journey. The most popular starting point is The Ration Book Baby, which kicks off their beloved Bramble Heath series. Alternatively, if you prefer tight continuity and emotional survival stories, you can begin with The Lost Orphans in their Runaway Evacuees series. For readers who enjoy standalone mysteries with a shared background, their Cottisbourne novels offer an excellent, self-contained entry point.
A Village at War: The Bramble Heath Sagas
This series centers on the fictional, charming English village of Bramble Heath. While the books are designed to work as standalones, reading them in order allows you to see the village change as the war progresses and watch familiar background characters reappear. The recommended reading order is by publication date:
1. The Ration Book Baby (2023)
Set during the height of the Blitz, this novel follows Anna, a dedicated nurse in Bramble Heath who discovers an abandoned baby during an air raid. As she cares for the child, she crosses paths with Jackson, a handsome worker carrying secrets of his own. It is a heartwarming story about finding hope and family in the darkest times.
2. The Spitfire Girl (2023)
This installment shifts focus to the skies and the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). It follows a daring female pilot navigating the dangers of wartime transport flights and the complexities of love under fire. The book highlights the vital contributions of women in aviation during WWII.
3. The Wartime Vet (2024)
In this story, the focus turns to the local veterinary practice in Bramble Heath. It explores the challenges of keeping local farms and animals healthy under wartime rationing, offering a unique look at rural life during the war, mixed with a tender romance.
4. Wartime Wishes for the Land Girls (2024)
Set during the winter of 1943, this book follows Lottie, a grieving member of the Women's Land Army. When a German bomber plane crashes near the village just before Christmas, Lottie and the local vicar, Matthew Hart, must navigate the resulting community tensions and a growing affection for one another amid a search for a missing child.
The Runaway Evacuees Series
Unlike the Bramble Heath novels, this series is much more sequential and should be read in chronological order to follow the lives of its young protagonists. The series focuses on the "Blitz Kids" and the perils they face trying to survive both the London Blitz and dangerous wartime travel.
1. The Lost Orphans (2025)
This novel introduces orphans Jack and his little sister, Elsie, who flee a cruel placement during the 1941 London Blitz. They join a tight-knit band of runaway children in the city, learning to survive on their wits and support one another through the bombings.
2. The Lifeboat Orphans (2025)
This direct sequel follows Connie, a young girl sent on a ship to escape the war in America, only for her vessel to be torpedoed in the Atlantic. Back in London, Jack intercepts a secret radio transmission and desperately tries to help guide a rescue effort, making for a high-stakes, emotional journey.
The Cottisbourne Companion Novels
These two novels are officially standalones, but they are deeply satisfying companion pieces because they share a fictional setting: the military and intelligence base at Cottisbourne. You can read them in either order, though publication order is recommended.
Under a Spitfire Sky (2021)
Set in 1944 at the Cottisbourne airbase, this novel follows Florence, a skilled and determined engineer working with the Spitfires. It details the daily pressures of maintaining fighter aircraft and the romantic spark that develops with a pilot stationed at the base.
The Codebreaker Girls (2021)
This novel moves the action to Cottisbourne Park, a highly secretive location inspired by the real-life codebreaking operations at Bletchley Park. The story follows Rosie Sinclair, a driver who stumbles upon a web of espionage that threatens the British war effort, blending romance with historical suspense.
Standalones & Future Releases
The Resistance Book Club (2026)
This standalone novel features a dual-timeline structure, dividing its focus between 1941 France—where a group of women secretly gather to read forbidden books as an act of resistance—and the present day, where a granddaughter uncovers her family's hidden wartime history.
What to Know Before You Start
The name Ellie Curzon represents the joint efforts of Catherine Curzon (a historian specializing in royal and cinematic history) and Helen Barrell (a novelist and expert in Victorian crime). When writing paranormal romance and gothic mysteries, they also write under the Eleanor Harkstead pen name (a pseudonym used primarily by Barrell, often co-writing with Catherine). Their historical sagas as Ellie Curzon are highly praised for their authentic period detail, which stems from their deep research. While there are minor overlaps in settings or character mentions across their standalone books, their series are distinct, making it easy to jump in wherever you prefer.