"Brought to you by Penguin.
Gritty and page-turning historical saga set in Northern England in the late 1800s, for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.
Minnie Maddox cares deeply for mothers and their babies – she makes a living by taking in unwanted children and finding them good adoptive homes – and is delighted for her neighbour when she finally becomes a mother after decades of trying. But when the baby dies of natural causes while under her roof, and knowing her neighbour will be devastated, Minnie swaps it with one of the infants in her care.
Now seventeen, Jewel Nightingale knows nothing of her true origins. But assaulted by her hateful cousin and making the dreadful discovery that she is pregnant, she faces a desperate dilemma. Fleeing her job as a domestic maid, she follows an advertisement to a house in Bolton's dark slums, where a woman promises to help her when the child is born. Little does Jewel know that there’s a terrible price to pay . . .
Can she keep herself – and her baby – safe? And what will happen when Jewel discovers the truth about where she came from?"
"Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Orphans of Ardwick by Emma Hornby, read by Julia Franklin.
After a cold, hard winter on the streets, three orphan children are about to give up hope when an unexpected turn of events brings them to the doorstep of a grand house in Ardwick, Manchester.
Taken in by the firm but kind-hearted cook, the young friends can hardly believe their luck. But behind Bracken House’s impressive façade lies a household steeped in troubles and mystery, with residents above and below stairs battling their own demons and dark secrets.
Not everyone is happy about the new arrivals, and soon the orphans’ safety is in danger. If they want to stay in the first home any of them have known for years, they must unravel the past and bring hope to the future. Will they succeed? Or will they come to regret ever leaving the mean slum streets they once called home?
Emma Hornby's page-turning, absorbing sagas will tug at your heartstrings. Fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Maggie Hope will love Emma Hornby.
(c) 2018, Emma Hornby (P) 2019 Soundings"
"Random House presents the audiobook edition of Manchester Moll by Emma Hornby, read by Julia Franklin.
Moll thought she could keep her family safe . . .
Eighteen-year-old Moll Chambers works her fingers to the bone doing all she can to support her family. With an ailing father and a wayward mother, Moll is the only one who can look after her siblings, Bo and Sissy.
But Manchester is an increasingly dangerous place to live, overrun with a ferocious rivalry between gangs of so-called ‘scuttlers’: young men and women bent on a life of violence and crime. And they have her brother in their sights. Soon even Moll can’t protect Bo from the lure of the criminal underworld.
Then the scuttlers looked her way.
When she herself falls for the leader of a rival gang, Moll’s choices place her and Bo firmly on opposite sides of the city’s turf war.
With her loyalties now torn in two, and tragedy lurking round every corner, will Moll be able to rise above the conflict and protect those she loves the most? Or will stepping out with a scuttler spell ruin for them all . . . ?
MANCHESTER MOLL is an absorbing saga that will tug at your heartstrings, perfect for fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Maggie Hope."
"Random House presents the audiobook edition of A Shilling for a Wife by Emma Hornby, read by Penelope Freeman.
Sally Swann thought life couldn't get much worse. Then a single coin changed hands.
A dismal cottage in the heart of Bolton, Lancashire, has been Sally’s prison since Joseph Goden 'bought' her from the workhouse as his wife. A drunkard and bully, Joseph rules her with a rod of iron, using fists and threats to keep her in check.
When Sally gives birth, however, she knows she must do anything to save her child from her husband's clutches. She manages to escape, and taking her baby, flees for the belching chimneys of Manchester, in search of her only relative.
But with the threat of discovery by Joseph, who will stop at nothing to find her, Sally must fight with every ounce of strength she has to protect herself and her son, and finally be with the man who truly loves her. For a fresh start does not come without a price . . .
A SHILLING FOR A WIFE is powerful, absorbing storytelling that is perfect for fans of saga by Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Maggie Hope."
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