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Worktown Girls at War #1
Her Wartime Secret
Bolton, 1940
A family torn apart by war, held together by a secret . . .
Janie and her husband James have a strong, loving marriage. A move from an inner-city slum to a peaceful new estate outside of Bolton should have been a fresh start for them and their three children. But when war is declared and James announces he has signed up, Janie fears it's the beginning of the end.
Waving goodbye to their menfolk is a sacrifice that families are making all over the country and Janie does her best to make do, forging friendships in her new community.
But when James comes home on leave a traumatised and desperate man, then goes AWOL, Janie's heart goes out to him. Determined to keep him safe, she plans to hide him in their new house. But how long can they keep the secret, and what threats lie ahead if they're found out?
A page-turning new wartime saga about love, friendship and secrets, for fans of Katie Flynn and Rosie Goodwin.
A family torn apart by war, held together by a secret . . .
Janie and her husband James have a strong, loving marriage. A move from an inner-city slum to a peaceful new estate outside of Bolton should have been a fresh start for them and their three children. But when war is declared and James announces he has signed up, Janie fears it's the beginning of the end.
Waving goodbye to their menfolk is a sacrifice that families are making all over the country and Janie does her best to make do, forging friendships in her new community.
But when James comes home on leave a traumatised and desperate man, then goes AWOL, Janie's heart goes out to him. Determined to keep him safe, she plans to hide him in their new house. But how long can they keep the secret, and what threats lie ahead if they're found out?
A page-turning new wartime saga about love, friendship and secrets, for fans of Katie Flynn and Rosie Goodwin.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published November 15, 2021
19 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Emma Hornby
12 books61 followersMother-of-three Emma Hornby was born and raised in Bolton, England.
History has always been her passion and she grew up with her nose buried in sagas. Before pursuing a career as a novelist, she had a variety of jobs, from care assistant for the elderly to working in a Blackpool rock factory. She later wrote short stories and non-fiction pieces for the internet, print and stage and also worked as a freelance poet.
Emma's books are gritty historicals set in Victorian and WWII Bolton and Manchester, which she began writing after researching her family history. The colourful folk she unearthed gave her plenty of inspiration; like the characters in her novels, many generations of her family eked out life amidst the squalor and poverty of Lancashire's slums. Her first book, A Shilling for a Wife, was the bestselling debut saga novel of 2017. Her subsequent titles regularly appear in the official bestsellers' charts.
Visit Emma's website at emmahornby.com for more.
History has always been her passion and she grew up with her nose buried in sagas. Before pursuing a career as a novelist, she had a variety of jobs, from care assistant for the elderly to working in a Blackpool rock factory. She later wrote short stories and non-fiction pieces for the internet, print and stage and also worked as a freelance poet.
Emma's books are gritty historicals set in Victorian and WWII Bolton and Manchester, which she began writing after researching her family history. The colourful folk she unearthed gave her plenty of inspiration; like the characters in her novels, many generations of her family eked out life amidst the squalor and poverty of Lancashire's slums. Her first book, A Shilling for a Wife, was the bestselling debut saga novel of 2017. Her subsequent titles regularly appear in the official bestsellers' charts.
Visit Emma's website at emmahornby.com for more.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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August 25, 2021A fantastic debut novel
From historical to wartime saga the first from this wonderful author, Janie Hudson in Bolton Lancashire her husband James leaves for training in the morning, it's his duty and she is not happy. WW2 has been declared and he cannot wait to leave the farm and fight for his country. Leaving her in the stinking hovel of Velvet Walks with three children their son Joey will now be the man of the house and take over his job at the farm. Their new home is meant to be a new start for them at Padbury Way in Breightmet Town a dream home. Janie always had a gift of visions in her dreams and they were now including James in them. Her new neighbour and friend Lynn Ball also on her own with twins helped her settle in, but it's not all plain sailing. The characters in this book all blend in together and trouble comes to the door when we lease expect it. I loved this story right up to 1945 and the end of the war is indeed nigh. So many changes for better for worse with fresh beginning ahead for Janie. A must read for all saga reader's. Absolutely loved this story and hope to read more in war time sagas from Emma Hornby.
From historical to wartime saga the first from this wonderful author, Janie Hudson in Bolton Lancashire her husband James leaves for training in the morning, it's his duty and she is not happy. WW2 has been declared and he cannot wait to leave the farm and fight for his country. Leaving her in the stinking hovel of Velvet Walks with three children their son Joey will now be the man of the house and take over his job at the farm. Their new home is meant to be a new start for them at Padbury Way in Breightmet Town a dream home. Janie always had a gift of visions in her dreams and they were now including James in them. Her new neighbour and friend Lynn Ball also on her own with twins helped her settle in, but it's not all plain sailing. The characters in this book all blend in together and trouble comes to the door when we lease expect it. I loved this story right up to 1945 and the end of the war is indeed nigh. So many changes for better for worse with fresh beginning ahead for Janie. A must read for all saga reader's. Absolutely loved this story and hope to read more in war time sagas from Emma Hornby.
February 5, 2023
Good read it was a quick ending.
November 13, 2025
A family torn apart by war… and a secret that could destroy—or save—them.
Janie and James have built their marriage on love, loyalty, and the hope of a better life for their three children. Their move from the slums to a quiet estate outside Bolton feels like the fresh beginning they’ve fought so hard for. But when war is declared and James tells Janie he has signed up, her world cracks. She watches the man she loves walk away, terrified she may never see him whole again.
Like so many women left behind, Janie forces herself to stay strong—keeping the children safe, making do with what little they have, and forming fragile new friendships to fill the aching silence of her home. But nothing prepares her for James’s return. The man who comes back on leave is traumatised, haunted, and no longer the husband she remembers. When he disappears from duty and turns up on their doorstep, broken and desperate, Janie is faced with an impossible choice.
Hide him… or lose him.
Driven by love and fear in equal measure, Janie risks everything to keep James safe beneath their own roof. Every knock at the door, every raised voice from the neighbours, every whisper in the street threatens to tear apart the fragile world she is fighting to protect.
How long can love hold when danger presses in from every side? How far will Janie go to save the man who can no longer save himself?
Emma Hornby delivers a heartbreaking, beautifully raw story of love tested by war, the courage of ordinary women, and the secrets that bind a family together. Emotional, gritty, and unforgettable.
Janie and James have built their marriage on love, loyalty, and the hope of a better life for their three children. Their move from the slums to a quiet estate outside Bolton feels like the fresh beginning they’ve fought so hard for. But when war is declared and James tells Janie he has signed up, her world cracks. She watches the man she loves walk away, terrified she may never see him whole again.
Like so many women left behind, Janie forces herself to stay strong—keeping the children safe, making do with what little they have, and forming fragile new friendships to fill the aching silence of her home. But nothing prepares her for James’s return. The man who comes back on leave is traumatised, haunted, and no longer the husband she remembers. When he disappears from duty and turns up on their doorstep, broken and desperate, Janie is faced with an impossible choice.
Hide him… or lose him.
Driven by love and fear in equal measure, Janie risks everything to keep James safe beneath their own roof. Every knock at the door, every raised voice from the neighbours, every whisper in the street threatens to tear apart the fragile world she is fighting to protect.
How long can love hold when danger presses in from every side? How far will Janie go to save the man who can no longer save himself?
Emma Hornby delivers a heartbreaking, beautifully raw story of love tested by war, the courage of ordinary women, and the secrets that bind a family together. Emotional, gritty, and unforgettable.
September 25, 2021
A clear 5 stars - absolutely brilliant story!
Totally different to her previous books - completely different genre .. and, impressively, this didn’t even ‘sound’ like Emma! No repetition on over-used phrases, as some authors are wont to do…. fresh and refreshing in its language - not simply because it is set in different times to the previous Emma Hornby tales - and I’ve read I think all of them, from her very first novel A Shilling for a Wife, Manchester Moll, The Orphans of Ardwick etc but because she’s adopted a whole different feel, regardless of era. I was 100% absorbed in this story and it is in my opinion one of her best yet. As with all her books Emma gives me parts of history I knew little about and inspires me to read separately.
In this tale, Emma applies such clever nuances, and layers her characters with many dimensions - for example (whilst I’m trying not to spoil here) - will just mention the words ‘night vision’ - that weave themselves brilliantly in to the story, although you have no clear idea of their significance … they just create a realness to characters - we all have peculiarities and idiosyncrasies don’t we …. and then, it all comes together in a brilliant culmination.
As someone else mentioned in their review, Emma Hornby is shaping into a very accomplished writer.
Absolutely loved this story 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Totally different to her previous books - completely different genre .. and, impressively, this didn’t even ‘sound’ like Emma! No repetition on over-used phrases, as some authors are wont to do…. fresh and refreshing in its language - not simply because it is set in different times to the previous Emma Hornby tales - and I’ve read I think all of them, from her very first novel A Shilling for a Wife, Manchester Moll, The Orphans of Ardwick etc but because she’s adopted a whole different feel, regardless of era. I was 100% absorbed in this story and it is in my opinion one of her best yet. As with all her books Emma gives me parts of history I knew little about and inspires me to read separately.
In this tale, Emma applies such clever nuances, and layers her characters with many dimensions - for example (whilst I’m trying not to spoil here) - will just mention the words ‘night vision’ - that weave themselves brilliantly in to the story, although you have no clear idea of their significance … they just create a realness to characters - we all have peculiarities and idiosyncrasies don’t we …. and then, it all comes together in a brilliant culmination.
As someone else mentioned in their review, Emma Hornby is shaping into a very accomplished writer.
Absolutely loved this story 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
October 12, 2021
This book was such a surprising read for me, I hadn’t heard of this author before but the storyline drew me in and I’m so glad it did. This book genuinely blew me away as there were so many twists and turns throughout the story I didn’t know what would happen next. I adored every character in the story and how close the relationships were throughout the story as every time I got back into the world I just felt at home. I found the writing style so easy to follow but struggled slightly with the dialogue but once I got into the story I found myself getting used to it. As I said the book had so many twists and turns I was just so surprised each time something happened next. I found certain parts predictable but still enjoyed the story overall. I will definitely pick up more books in this series once they get released as I just enjoyed it so much, definitely a new favourite for me.
September 18, 2021
I eagerly awaited the release of this book after reading and thoroughly enjoying the authors previous books. I chose this time to listen rather than read and boy was I disappointed. The story itself was excellent, sadly, the narration left me cold. As a Boltonian born and bred both the accent and the characters were so wrong. The characters all sounded over the age of 60 - even the younger ones - the main characters sounded more like Ena Sharples and Minnie Caldwell from the very early days of Coronation St, not two 30 year olds with young babies/children . So spoiled this long awaited novel for me.
August 16, 2021
Emma Hornby does it again
Believable characters situations a really great read
All it needed was the cavalry to come riding in
I am really looking forward to more and ask anyone reading this NOT to hesitate getting into this and her other books
Thank you Emma
Believable characters situations a really great read
All it needed was the cavalry to come riding in
I am really looking forward to more and ask anyone reading this NOT to hesitate getting into this and her other books
Thank you Emma
December 27, 2021
Can’t really get into this one. 🙁😞☹️😢 could only get past a few pages.
March 20, 2022
This was a really good read which I enjoyed, it starts before ww2 and ends just after and covers the struggles of a wife and mother coping after her husband is sent off to war.
October 3, 2022
BRILLIANT book I loved it
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews