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.

'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

Sunday Times bestselling author Freda Lightfoot was born in Lancashire. She was a teacher, a bookseller in the Lake District, then a smallholder and began her writing career publishing short stories and articles before finding her vocation as a novelist. She published over fifty novels, mostly sagas and historical fiction. She died in 2025 aged 83, leaving a legacy of books that continue to be enjoyed by thousands of readers.