LIVERPOOL LOU by Lyn Andrews is a warm-hearted, dramatic and nostalgic saga not to be missed by readers of Kate Thompson and Donna Douglas.

Babsey has always worked hard to provide for her family; she runs a greengrocers publicly and a money-lending business in private. Babsey makes sure that her family doesn't mix with the rougher people in the neighbourhood - she considers herself a cut above the local community. When her niece Louisa needs a home - her mother is dead, and her father at sea - Babsey does her duty and brings the girl into the household.

But Louisa doesn't quite fit in with Babsey's plans. Although life under Aunt Babsey's roof is comfortable, Louisa is acutely aware of the desperate poverty around her. And, as she grows up into a thoughtful young woman, the harsh realities of love and betrayal, war and death, make her determined to find her own way.

Louisa will eventually be made famous throughout her city - known for ever as Liverpool Lou. And she might just find love along the way...