Freda Lightfoot

Can true love conquer all?Sisters Bette Tredinnick and Sara Marrack live quiet lives, content with the comings and goings of their small Cornish hometown. But when hundreds of US Marines arrive, everything changes.Bette, footloose and fancy free, embarks on a whirlwind romance and finds herself bound for America as a GI bride. Meanwhile, married woman Sara finds herself falling for officer Charles Denham, despite her better judgement and her husband’s jealous attempts to control her.As the GIs prepare to invade Normandy it becomes clear that this is a bigger operation than ever before – one that they might not come back from, one that will change the lives of both sisters forever…An emotional saga of sisterhood set in wartime Cornwall, perfect for fans of Betty Walker, Donna Douglas and Tracy Baines.

She will keep her head held high, no matter what…Polly Pride’s life is falling apart. Her husband has lost his job, there’s no money coming in, and she has two young mouths to feed.With the prospect of poverty looming over her, and her husband wallowing in apathy, Polly takes control. She sells everything they own and buys a rickety old handcart. Polly piles it high with second-hand rugs and spends hours hawking her wares around Manchester’s cobbled streets.But her determination to persevere will be tested to its limits, as she juggles her work, the pressures of her young family, and her husband’s wounded pride. Will her life fall apart completely – especially when tragedy strikes – or can she keep it together?A compelling story of a woman making her way in a man’s world, perfect for fans of Sheila Riley, Maggie Ford and Rosie Harris.

Will she lose everything she’s worked so hard for?The Second World War may be over, but the war in Polly Pride’s home is only just beginning, and it will test her like never before.Her son, Benny, never seems to be far from trouble, spending all his time with shady characters and winding up in the wrong places at the wrong times. Her daughter, Lucy, is seeing another man behind her husband’s back and leaving her children to run riot. And Charlie, Polly’s beloved husband, is battling ill health and doesn’t want her interfering.Polly refuses to go back to a life of poverty – but managing a business, a family, and the trials of living in post-war Manchester might prove to be too much, even for her…An inspiring, gritty family drama set in the 1940s, perfect for fans of Ruth Hamilton, Emma Hornby and Kitty Neale.

Her desire for love will have disastrous consequences…Lissa Turner has everything a girl could wish for. She’s beautiful, intelligent and has a wonderful family in the picturesque Lake District. But despite her good fortune, Lissa is unhappy. Her mother abandoned her as a baby, and ever since, she’s been wracked with insecurity, fearing everyone else will leave her too.As soon as she is old enough, she takes up a job in Carreckwater, a lively village in the heart of Lakeland. She makes many friends, but Lissa’s need to be loved and cherished leads her to rush into marriage. Can she make the relationship work, or will she live to regret her decision?An enchanting saga set in the Lake District, perfect for fans of Ruth Hamilton and Rosie Goodwin.

When her life is thrown into disarray, can she remember what matters most?Beth Brandon and her twin sister, Sarah, are polar opposites in every way, except in their love of their home, Larkrigg Hall. Beth is the romantic one, with dreams of an idyllic life in rural Lakeland, while Sarah is willing to take risks to achieve the lifestyle she craves.When tragedy strikes, and both sisters are thrown into chaos, they are forced to come to terms with an entirely new situation. Sarah flees to Italy while Beth loses the man she loves and throws herself into an unplanned marriage. Facing emotional turmoil and financial ruin, Beth must learn to fight for, or lose, the things that matter most to her.An unputdownable saga of love and resilience, perfect for fans of Anna Jacobs and Ruth Hamilton.

As she struggles to find her feet with her work, new problems emerge… Meg Turner is finally doing the job she loves, but life as a sheep farmer proves tougher than she anticipated. She is a woman trying to prove herself in a man’s world against the backdrop of a brutal war.With her faith being tested in her work, she also fears that the man she loves will betray her again. Meg struggles to allow herself to love baby Lissa when her mother may return to claim her at any moment.Meanwhile, Kath faces new challenges in the WAAF, but cannot stop thinking about her child. Can she ever get over the guilt of leaving her child behind?A heartwarming story of love and loyalty, perfect for fans of Anna Jacobs and Rosie Harris.

Can she overcome her family’s doubts to achieve her dream?Meg Turner has a hard life. She lives on a lonely farm in the Lake District and her only company is her bully of a father and her brother, who resents her. They want to keep her at home, but Meg is desperate for more. She finds comfort in her best friend, Kath, and Lanky Lawson, who is more of a father figure to her than her own. Her true source of hope though, is Lanky’s son, Jack, who she loves and hopes to marry one day. However as war looms on the horizon and the world is thrown into chaos, Meg realises that the only thing she can really count on is the land she loves. She throws herself into tending the farm, but when a stranger arrives in the dale, her world will change forever.A vivid and enchanting saga of Lakeland life in the Second World War, perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Anna Jacobs.

Blood is thicker than water…It’s a rainy day on Champion Street as Harriet attends the funeral of her beloved father. But then her grandmother drops a bombshell on her out of nowhere and she can hardly take in the words for shock and grief.Joyce, the woman she has always called Mam, isn’t really her mother. After all this time, it at least explains why Joyce always favoured Harriet’s brother, Grant. Her emotions in turmoil, Harriet discovers a streak of rebellion that puts everything she holds dear into jeopardy.Can she ever come back from the brink or will her life be full of nothing but lonely teardrops?An emotional saga of love and loss set around a family hair salon in 1950s Manchester, perfect for fans of Maggie Ford and Kitty Neale.Praise for Lonely Teardrops 'You can’t put a price on Freda Lightfoot’s stories from Manchester’s 1950s Champion Street Market. They bubble with enough life and colour to brighten up the dreariest day and they have characters you can easily take to your heart’ Northern Echo‘I found it hard to put down. The reader is transported in time’ 5* Reader review‘An excellent read’ 5* Reader review‘Freda Lightfoot never disappoints’ 5* Reader review

There were never such devoted sisters…Things are far from simple in the noisy, warm-hearted Bertalone family. Carmina is the quintessential extrovert with beaus flocking to her side like bees round a honeypot – all except Luc Fabriani. For some unaccountable reason, he seems to prefer Carmina's sister.Gina has always been quiet and shy, the apple of her over-protective parents’ eye, so she believes her sister when Carmina spreads malicious rumours about Luc in an effort to sabotage any blooming relationship.But lies have a habit of unravelling and tangling those who spin them in a web of deceit, as Carmina soon discovers. The question remains: who’s sorry now?A bewitching saga of budding romance and family feuds set around an Italian ice cream parlour in 1950s Manchester, perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Maggie Ford.Praise for Who's Sorry Now? 'You can’t put a price on Freda Lightfoot’s stories from Manchester’s 1950s Champion Street Market. They bubble with enough life and colour to brighten up the dreariest day and they have characters you can easily take to your heart’ Northern Echo‘A real page-turner and an insight into times gone by’ 5* Reader review‘Fabulous, just like all the other Champion Street books’ 5* Reader review‘A lovely heart-warming story, you actually feel you are there living their lives with them’ 5* Reader review

Chocolate can also be bitter…It is a truth universally acknowledged that everyone dotes on Aunty Dot, as much as they do on her homemade sweets. The plump, smiling woman has provided a loving home for many a troubled child over the years, and Lizzie Pringle is no exception.Lizzie would do anything for her foster mother – even take on local sweet manufacturer and notorious bully, Cedric Finch. Until, that is, she falls for his son, Charlie.Meanwhile, Dena can’t believe that Barry Holmes would hurt her beloved daughter: he’s been like a favourite uncle to the little girl. But rumours are rife and her fears only grow…A thrilling saga of new love and old rivalries set around a sumptuous sweet shop in 1950s Manchester, perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Rosie Goodwin.Praise for Candy Kisses 'You can’t put a price on Freda Lightfoot’s stories from Manchester’s 1950s Champion Street Market. They bubble with enough life and colour to brighten up the dreariest day and they have characters you can easily take to your heart’ Northern Echo‘Brings to life the characters and the goings on in a close local community’ 5* Reader review‘Superb reading with a mixture of pathos and victory’ 5* Reader review‘This book will tug at your heart’ 5* Reader review

An old secret is about to be uncovered…Daisy is devastated when her lover, Percy, abandons her. All alone, Daisy is forced by her own mother to give up her baby son for adoption – shortly before she throws Daisy out. War is imminent, and Daisy is evacuated to the Lake District, where she eventually tracks down her black-sheep aunt, Florrie. Together they set up a guest house, and when Daisy meets and falls in love with a young airman, Harry, happiness is within her reach. The guest house is full of eccentric characters, and all of them use Daisy's shoulder to cry on. But when Percy turns up holding a baby, Daisy is torn between her yearning to reclaim her son and her love for Harry. Will the truth set Daisy free, or break her heart once more?A compelling saga of wartime struggle and triumph over adversity, perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Val Wood.

Against the backdrop of the theatre, a real life drama plays out…After fleeing from a marriage arranged by her ambitious mother, Katherine throws herself into an acting career, but a scandal threatens to wreck everything she has worked for.Charlotte believes she can have any man she wants, and she wants Archie – no matter who is standing in her way. Esme is in love with the life and vibrancy of the theatre, and the contrast to the life of duty she has known as a parson’s daughter. But can a quiet and trusting girl ever be truly at home on the stage?All three girls are seeking escape. Each is pretending to be someone she is not, and all are in love with the same man…An enthralling tale of love and rivalry from bestselling author Freda Lightfoot, perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Annie Clarke.

War puts their friendship to the test, but can they unite against their true enemy?It’s 1942 and Gracie is eager to do her bit for the war effort. She joins the Women’s Timber Corps, relieved to get away from her quarrelling, interfering parents. Her training leads her to Cornwall where she meets energetic newly-married Lou, and Rosie who is desperate to escape her bully of a brother. The three girls become fast friends and are happy to learn they will stay together for the next posting to the Lake District.Against the backdrop of rolling hills and dense forests, they soon discover that emotions are heightened in wartime. Rosie is swept off her feet by an American GI, Lou must come to grips with the prospect of tragedy when she is told her husband is missing in action, and Gracie is cast out after she falls in love with a German POW. Will the bond of friendship be strong enough for them to overcome these hardships, and do their bit for the war effort? A page-turning saga of love and loyalty, perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Katie Flynn.

She must decide if her childhood sweetheart is worth the struggle…Alena Townsen is in love with Rob and wants to spend the rest of her life with him. But he is the only son of James Hollinthwaite, a wealthy landowner who has his own ideas about Rob’s future, and he forces the two to part. With no other option, Rob and Alena run away together and plan to start a new life.Their dreams are shattered when they are discovered, and Rob is sent away by his father. Alena starts work at the local bobbin mill but life is hard and lonely for her, and her love for Rob is tested with the arrival of the mill’s new foreman. Torn between two men, Alena must decide where her heart truly lies.A charming romantic saga packed full of love and conflicting loyalties, perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Annie Clarke.

When tragedy strikes, she must find a new path…Lily Thorpe is spirited, ambitious and desperate to escape the poverty of her Lake District home, and marry her secret sweetheart Dick Rawlins. But tragedy strikes and Dick is killed in a boating accident caused by the wealthy and arrogant Clermont-Read family. Lily is forced to reassess her future, and she embarks on a quest for revenge and marries Bertie Clermont-Read. The young couple are rejected by his family and suffer the same poverty Lily had tried to escape. Lily starts a passionate affair with local steam boat captain Nathan Monroe and when she is threatened with vengeance she must decide who is more important – her husband or her lover.A page-turning saga of love and heartache, perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Val Wood.

Where there’s muck, there’s mettle…Dolly Tomkins has always known what it is to live hand to mouth. In the mean streets of a Salford struggling under the mantle of the Great Depression, the only one making a decent living is the talleyman.Though Nifty Jack has a money bag where his heart should be, Dolly’s mam is in hock up to her ears and in dire need of assistance. But when Jack offers to wipe the slate clean, Dolly just can’t bring herself to trust him.Instead, she takes him on at his own game and in the process endangers everything she holds most dear as a revelation about the past rocks the very foundations of her world.This is an enchanting story of love and endurance perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Kitty Neale.Previously published as Watch for the Talleyman.Praise for The Castlefield Collector 'A story which in some ways could be written about today as easily as the 1920s' 5* Reader review'This is my first novel by Freda and it will definitely not be the last' 5* Reader review'I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish' 5* Reader review

Where there’s a rulebook, there’s a rebel…Ruby McBride has always been on the wrong side of authority. The grand opening of the Manchester Ship Canal is set to be a day of unfettered festivity for Ruby and her younger sister and brother. Even Queen Victoria will be in attendance.But the glories of the ceremony fade into insignificance when their dying mother delivers them to the imposing oak doors of Ignatius House. Abandoned in the not-so-tender care of the nuns, the siblings are soon separated.So when the Board of Guardians force Ruby into a marriage that sends her to a new home upon the Salford waterways, she makes only one vow: to reunite her family whatever the cost.This is an enthralling story of romance and rebellion perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court.Praise for Ruby McBride ‘An inspiring novel about accepting change and bravely facing the future’ Bangor Chronicle‘Compelling and heart-wrenching’ Hull Daily Mail‘The kind of character-driven saga that delights the Catherine Cookson and Josephine Cox audience’ Peterborough Evening Telegraph‘This book deals with gritty, real-life situations and shows how the heroine’s strength of character triumphs through adversity’ 5* Reader review