The Old House on the Corner

His car was an old Anglia, in only slightly better condition than her father’s van. The engine groaned in complaint when he switched it on and gave an anguished sigh when it was turned off outside the Brennans’ cottage. They’d hardly spoken to each other in the time between.

‘Thank you for the lift,’ Marie said. ‘Are you going back to the wedding now? Marguerite will be wondering where you are.’

‘Then Marguerite can go on wondering. I managed to escape once, I’m not going back to be captured again.’ He folded his arms, grinning. ‘I was hoping you’d ask me in for a cup of tea.’

‘Would you like to come in for a cup of tea, Mickey?’

He jumped out of the car with alacrity. ‘I would indeed, Marie. By the way, what’s happened to your freckles?’

Marie was rooting in her bag for the key. ‘They’re covered with make-up.’

Mickey put a finger under her chin and tipped her face towards his. ‘I prefer you with them,’ he said softly, kissing her cheek.

Lizzie O’Brien escapes her dark Liverpool childhood when she runs away to London – towards freedom and a new life. But the past is catching up with her, threatening to destroy her dreams …

There’s a party on Pearl Street, but a shadow hangs over the festivities: Britain is on the brink of war. The community must face hardship and heartbreak with courage and humour.

1940 – the cruellest year of war for Britain’s civilians. In Pearl Street, near Liverpool’s docks, families struggle to cope the best they can.

War has taken a terrible toll on Pearl Street, and changed the lives of all who live there. The German bombers have left rubble in their wake and everyone pulls together to come to terms with the loss of loved ones.

Just as Annie Harrison settles down to marriage and motherhood, fate deals an unexpected blow. As she struggles to cope, a chance meeting leads to events she has no control over. Could this be Annie’s shot at happiness?

When Millie Cameron is asked to sort through her late aunt’s possessions, she finds buried among the photographs, letters and newspaper clippings, a shocking secret …

War tears Josie Flynn from all she knows. Life takes her to Barefoot House as the companion of an elderly woman, and to New York with a new love. But she’s soon back in Liverpool, and embarks upon an unlikely career …

Sisters-in-law Alice and Cora Lacey both give birth to boys on one chaotic night in 1940. But Cora’s jealousy and resentment prompt her to commit a terrible act with devastating consequences …

Ruby O’Hagan’s life is transformed when she’s asked to look after a large house. It becomes a refuge – not just for Ruby and her family, but for many others, as loves, triumphs, sorrows and friendships are played out.

1960s’ Liverpool, and three families are linked by music. The girls form a successful group, only to split up soon after: Rita to find success as a singer; Marcia to become a mother; and Jeannie to deceive her husband, with far-reaching consequences …