The Maid’s Disgrace

by Emma Hornby

**Don't miss Emma Hornby's gripping new wartime saga, A DAUGHTER'S WAR - available for pre-order now**

---------------------

A gritty and page-turning historical saga from the bestselling author of A Shilling for a Wife, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.

Manchester, 1842

Phoebe Parsons is a liar...a shameless harlot with unscrupulous morals...

Phoebe Parsons is destitute, disgraced, and alone. After her mistress tragically dies, Phoebe is forced back onto the poverty-ridden streets of Manchester by her unforgiving new master. Desperately searching for work as a domestic maid, Phoebe soon discovers her reputation is in ruins.

Fearing for her future and haunted by the harshness of her abandonment, Phoebe finds herself living with thieves and drunks in the smog and squalor - until she meets Victor Hayes. An officer removed from his duty and shamed by a cruel lie, Mr Hayes is a kind face among the uncertain threats of living in the alleyways. But Phoebe soon realises the sacrifices she must make to rebuild from the ground up...

As their two worlds collide, can they make a new life from the wreckage? Or will the judgement of their peers make a pauper of Phoebe?

----------------------------

Readers love Emma Hornby:

'Similar to Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court, Emma Hornby tells a brilliant story that will keep you guessing with twists and turns. Pure talent.'

'Emma Hornby's books just keep getting better and better. Honest, gritty, lovely characters.'

'Keep writing Emma, you are very talented and can't wait for your next book. I've read them all.'

'Emma is a wonderful storyteller and I can't wait for the next one!'

'Thank you again Emma Hornby for a captivating read'

'Another beautifully written story by Emma Hornby'

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance

390 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 18, 2021

About the author

Mother-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.

Reviews

[Kornelia · Rating 1 out of 5]

i know a lot of people are going to be mad but that's okay cuz i just did not enjoy this book in fact i had to dnf it cuz i just found it so obnoxious and i am never reading anything from this author again and im sure this book is good for other people but i am just not one of those people therefore 1 star i just hated the plot and the way some of the scene's where carried out really bugged me for some reason

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Phoebe Parsons in Manchester in the year 1842 find herself jobless and homeless after her employee has taking her last breathe, a chance meeting in a eating house with Victor Hayes a dismissed policeman changes her life for the better well only in some ways as you read the story.
Throughout this book is a truly enchanting, inspirational story that will grip readers.
Like her other work the author has a way of her drawing in the readers so they feel part of sharing all the worries and woes and there is plenty in this book, and I could not put it down.
I enjoyed especially how my emotions change as I start all the chapters that to me is a good sign and this author did this to me and pushed all my buttons,
looking forward to more of this authors work to come.
just beautiful.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very readable ... it was full of drama, relationships, and intrigue. However, it lacked depth to me. It was definitely a fun read; just not what I am looking for in a book right now. The story is set in 1840s Manchester. The main character, Phoebe, loses her job as a lady's maid as her mistress dies. She is ejected from the house by the the mistress's stepson. The drama begins here! In looking at the characterization, all of the characters but one were pretty static. Susannah was by far the most interesting character in the book. She is the character who changed the most ... from someone with little conscious and outrageous behavior to a friend and someone who cared about those friends. Also, I’ve never read so much about serving and drinking tea in my entire life of book reading! Every other page the characters are drinking tea. If you are interested in a quick read that will keep your interest, you may enjoy this book.

[Shirley Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the basis of this story but I can only award 3 stars.

The characters were well thought out and there were very good descriptions of the conditions of the times, although some explanations seemed like a history lesson, a bit lengthy and unnecessary - in fact I was tempted to skip some more than once.

I also noticed the author started omitting joining words, like so many others are doing these days. Do they not see that sentences do not make good grammar or sense when 'and' and 'but' etc are missing? It is really annoying to the reader when sentences do not flow!

Without giving away any spoilers, I found the ending a bit too unreal with regards to Victor's wife. The whole meeting with Phoebe was a bit 'too easy' and knowing Kate's character, she wouldn't have taken things so well! A bit of a disappointment but so many stories are with 'happy ever after' endings.

[Klissia]

Um plot interessante e unusual desse gênero,(que retrata só personagens romanticas da aristocracia inglesa)um pouco de Thomas Hardy e seu estilo dramático de dilemas morais, com o lado b dos pobres , desafortunados,prostitutas e bandidos em Londres , o desfecho poderia ter sido melhor...
Nessa minha intersecção de leituras sobre as expectativas e limitações financeiras e de vida da mulher do século 18 e 19, consegui compreender a "ingenuidade e indulgência " da protagonista,ainda que me causasse raiva durante a leitura.
Gostaria de um epílogo sobretudo apos a decisão da personagem feminina em viver com um homem casado, algo escandaloso na época.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It started off with the maid being the main character and her falling on hard times . The story developed as the book went on to be include a business partner, a love interest and also friends and enemies. Many things turned out to be not as they seemed but everything worked out in the end .

[Robin L · Rating 1 out of 5]

The mmc rapes his wife on page and the FMC is also raped on page. These rapes are treated as being very small and unimportant.

Every character is absolutely contemptible and often too stupid to live.

Audio Book

[Miss T A Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

To begin with I found the book slow and took time for me to get into the story. About half way through it became a page turner for me. The story of Phoebe Parsons and victor Hayes is a fantastic tale, lots of twists and turns and well worth a read.

[Brian Priest · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an author!
Emma Hornby you are brilliant!

Your characters are so believable and the situations they find themselves in are far from predictable

Thanks for a throughly enjoyable read

[Trudie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooked from the first page, this was very easy to read as it flowed nicely.

[Pauline Chamberlain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good saga

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really entertaining, good book.

[Arksongbird · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kinda hated this book. 2 stars for being well written but otherwise it was terrible.

[Robyn Echols · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Hard Life

Manchester in the 1840s was not an easy place to live as Phoebe finds herself facing one difficulty after another. Good characters and engaging plot. A great read.

[Nadine · Rating 2 out of 5]

How could this woman consistently believe this guy?

[Brianna Tran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent storyline and very well-written. I lobed how many twists there were throughout the book!

[Book faery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant story and highly addictive. I loved it and could not stop reading. Kept me up all hours , it was so emotional.

[Brenda Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.fantastic read