An orphaned young woman must decide whether to follow her head or her heart in June Francis’s absorbing new Liverpool saga.

1961. Nineteen-year-old Lucia Brookes and her five younger siblings are facing their first Christmas alone since their parents were killed in a car crash. Once, Lucia had dreamed of meeting a man who would love, cherish and provide for her. Now she has lost hope because what man would want to take her on with all her responsibilities?

Everything changes when Tim Murphy enters the Liverpool coffee bar where Lucia works, looking for a room to rent. Although she knows of Tim’s troubled past and his recent spell in prison, Lucia can’t help being charmed by the lovable rogue. Ignoring the warnings from her family and friends, she accepts Tim’s offer of a date. But has Tim really changed his ways … and will his shady past catch up with him?