Freda Lightfoot Books

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.

Three girls are seeking escape. Each of them is captivated by the travelling theater, each is pretending to be someone she is not, and all are in love with the same man. Katherine is escaping her marriage and throws herself into an acting career, Charlotte can have any man she wants, and she wants Archie—whoever is standing in her way, and Esme is relishing in the theater life as a stark contrast to her life as a parson's daughter.

Patsy Bowman is a newcomer to the Champion Street market. Riddled with insecurities, her impudence wins her enemies as well as many new friends. But her curiosity soon starts to unravel secrets that the Higginson sisters would much rather keep hidden. Elsewhere, Belle Garside considers herself to be Queen of the market, and when its very existence is threatened by a housing development company, she has two choices. Either she can start a campaign to save the market, or she can let the plan go ahead and make herself a large profit.

Daisy is devastated when her lover, Percy, abandons her and her mother throws her out, having first forced the girl to give up her baby son for adoption. She is evacuated to the Lake District, where she sets up a guest house with her black-sheep aunt. Daisy meets and falls in love with a young airman, Harry, but is afraid to tell him of her past, and the longer she keeps quiet, the harder it is to tell the truth. When Percy turns up holding a baby, Daisy is torn between her yearning to reclaim her son and her love for Harry.

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.

Lissa Turner seems to have everything. But Lissa's real mother left her as a baby, and her feelings of confusion have persisted through the years. Secretly Lissa wants nothing more than to be loved and cherished, but her lack of faith in herself launches her into a disastrous marriage with sinister consequences. Wishing Water is the story of a heroine who overcomes the emotional legacy of her troubled past and discovers the confidence to grasp happiness.

World War II may be over but Polly Pride feels as though the fighting has moved to her own home. Her son, Benny, is mixed up with some very shady characters and trying to pull the wool over his mother's eyes about it. Daughter Lucy is carrying on with a fancy 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 sees she risks losing all she's worked so hard to achieve, but refuses to go back to Ancoats and a life of grinding poverty. And she won't stand by and watch her family tear itself to pieces.

Lily Thorpe is a spirited, ambitious fisherman’s daughter, desperate to escape the poverty of her Lakeland home. When the rich Clermont-Read family spoils her plans, Lily embarks on a personal quest for revenge and marries their only son, Bertie, a handsome indolent charmer. Rejected by his family, the young couple soon find themselves battling against the very poverty Lily had hoped to escape... A twist of fate brings her the freedom she craves, but the price Lily must pay is vindictive snobbery from Bertie's mother - as well as another far greater one, finally leading to a passionate affair with Nathan Monroe, a local steam boat captain. Now it is Lily who must protect herself against the threat of vengeance and decide who is more important, her husband or her lover.

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 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.