Books like 'The Wretched Needle Worker'
Readers who enjoyed The Wretched Needle Worker by Iris Cole also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical industrial-era regency historical-fiction victorian literary-fiction religion family epic female-mc
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An Orphan's Journey by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratings1874.Growing up in extreme poverty in London, Pearl thinks life can get no worse. But when her parents discover there's yet another baby on the way, they have to tighten the belt even further. Pearl's mother decides to send her and her younger sister Eliza to the workhouse, where they are forced into a new life of hardship and struggle... -
Beyond the Distant Hills by AnneMarie Brear
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Slum Angel.Beyond the Distant Hills is the sequel to A Distant Horizon.Australia 1853Settled in the colony, Ellen embarks on making a happy new life for her family and to forget the horrors of famine-struck Ireland... -
An Orphan's Christmas Dream by Rosie Darling
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the workhouse, little orphan Holly Green dreamed of a Christmas filled with roast beef and plum pudding. But Holly's beautiful Christmas dream was soon to contort into a cruel nightmare.One snowy Christmas Eve, two vulnerable little girls run away from the harsh workhouse, into the unknown and unforgiving world that was Victorian London... -
The Blind Sibling by Hope Dawson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“When you have no more hope left, sometimes you have to join forces with the enemy to survive.”Lizzie White is so happy when her baby sister is born in their gloomy dwelling in the Seven Dials slum of Victorian London. Even when it turns out that little Annie will never be able to see in her life. But then cruel fate decides to serve the girls an even rougher hand... -
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The Christmas Candle Girl by Rosie Darling
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvery Christmas Gracie Fellows would push her cart full of Christmas candles through the harsh snow covered streets of Victorian London. Despite her tender years she knew that the coins she would make selling them to the wealthy would sustain her and her war injured father for the year. Gracie was not the only child who relied on the rich market-shoppers for a livelihood... -
Emma's Duty by Rosie Clarke
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe war is over, but Emma’s battles continue at home… Emma Reece is slowly adjusting to her husband’s return from the war, even though his appalling injuries mean their marriage is in name only... -
The Workhouse Daughter by Rosie Darling
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWork hard and avoid the workhouse her Papa had always told her. But Papa was dead, and now six-year-old Amelia Gladstone was living in her darkest dreams. Life would have been unbearable if it weren’t for Robert Merriweather, a fellow workhouse orphan, who had more than a touch of daring and adventure about him... -
The Asylum Daughter by Rosie Darling
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBorn in the dark horrors of the Victorian Bedlam, Beth Thursday was a no-one. An inconsequential inconvenience.After eight years of dreaming of an unknown mother rescuing her from the workhouse, Beth is unexpectedly liberated to become an apprentice in Mr Whitaker's tailor's shop... -
Defending Danger by Wendy Vella
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen a pirate captures her heartRunning an investigative service with her siblings gives Dorset Sinclair a purpose now she’s lost her twin to love. But trouble steps into her path in the guise of a pirate.She didn’t expect to save the life of the wickedly handsome stranger, and is shocked at the sparks of attraction that flare between them...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction industrial-era literary-fiction regency victorian adult book -
A Daughter's Price by Emma Hornby
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGritty and page-turning historical saga set in Northern England in the late 1800s, for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin... -
The Forgotten Daughter by Hope Dawson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMaggie could have had a great childhood. But her mother dies while her father is far away in America. Hated by her grandparents, Maggie ends up in the dreaded workhouse where she finds a friend and protector in Jack. When Jack is sold off as an apprentice, Maggie must flee for her life. Again and again, Maggie is thrown in the deepest darkest despair as she seems to lose her closest friends... -
The Forgotton Match Girl's Christmas Birthday by Iris Cole
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the grip of a winter freeze at Christmas. Taking refuge in a garden seems Holly's only hope. She had no idea of the terrible secrets she would discover.Holly Tavistock ekes out a living on the streets of London selling matches... -
The Orphan's Scandal by Jessica Weir
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWill the sins of the mother condemn the daughter to a life of loss?Heartwarming saga romance FREE on Kindle Unlimited. London, 1879. At just 13 years old, Florence Smith's life will change forever. Losing almost everything, she must grow up quickly and hope that a secret scandal does not come back to haunt her... -
The Pit Brow Sisters by Hope Dawson
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe sweet and heartbreaking Victorian romance saga of a young woman who loses nearly her entire family in the coal mines of LancashireJenny Swift is born into a coal mining family in the north of England. As the eldest daughter, it's her responsibility to look after her three siblings. A duty that doesn't always sit well with her... -
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The Pickpocket Girl by Rosie Darling
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMolly had been a pickpocket for as long as she could remember. In Victorian London on the filth covered streets of the Old Nichol, everyone was a thief, it was a way of life, the only way to survive. Molly had spent her childhood perfecting her craft. A craft that had snatched her father from her, like she snatched pocket watches... -
The Toymaker's Daughter by Rosie Darling
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“Guilty.” Sixteen-year-old Anne Besant was thrust into the role of mother, father, and bread-winner to her young siblings when her father was incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit. She battles to save the little shop where her father crafted the toys of children's dreams... -
The Lost Daughter by Iris Cole
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsClary only wanted to find her mother. She couldn’t know the terrible price she would pay.Clary’s home is the foundling hospital where she has lived since birth. When a terrible tragedy occurs, Clary is blamed and thrown to the streets with her only possession - a token, left by her birth mother...Categorized as:
epic family historical-fiction industrial-era literary-fiction regency religion spirituality -
Saltwick River Orphan: Historical Victorian Saga by Dolly Price
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDrugged and supposedly drowned by the mother who should have loved her, 6-year-old Gwendoline is dredged from the Saltwick River. Poverty-stricken but rich in love Mr. and Mrs. Paul love the tiny child as their own until hard times and tragedy drive them to the workhouse...Categorized as:
epic family female-mc industrial-era literary-fiction religion spirituality victorian -
The Cotton Mill Girl by Rosie Darling
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe mill was set to break Lottie. Heston mill had already broken so many young lives, robbed innocents of digits and limbs, snuffed out the light behind so many eyes, all without a glimmer of remorse. Such was life for thousands in Victorian England. Why should Lottie be any different? But the mill was Lottie’s World; she knew nothing else... -
The Orphans of Warrenby Mill by Catharine Dobbs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFREE with Kindle UnlimitedThe ominous letter arrives… and what of its repercussions for Warrenby Mill?When fate delivers a series of terrible blows, Veronica must first look out for her brother and sister.Outrageous. Perilous. Disheartening.These are their living conditions for several years, abandoned and alone with few options to consider... -
The Marquess and the Wallflower by Tiffany Baton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Historical Regency Romance Novel “I love you not in spite of your imperfections, but because of them.”The Bolton family has a tradition, kept for generations: they make dashing children, and they marry for love. Lady Emily, however, fears she will be the first to break both of these traditions...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era regency religion spirituality victorian adult book -
Carved in Stone by Margaret Manchester
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFROM AMAZON INTERNATIONAL NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR Northern England 1881. Sent away during her brother’s trial, Phyllis Forster returns home as mistress of Burnside Hall only to find that the Weardale people have turned against the Forster family, and she desperately wants to win back their respect...Categorized as:
epic family female-mc historical-fiction industrial-era literary-fiction religion spirituality -
Coming Home to Liverpool by Kate Eastham
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA stirring and inspiring story perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Call The Midwife Heartbroken but determined, Maud Linklater returns to her hometown of Liverpool intent on healing the sick and building a new life for herself and her son, Alfie Liverpool 1872 After spending time training at the Infirmary for Women in New York, Maud can't wait to put her new-found skills to the test... -
The Maid's Christmas Wish by Annie Shields
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsChristmas should be a time of joy and happiness. But Elspeth Swann lives in constant fear. Her husband, Clarence, the man who is meant to love and protect her, is the reason for this dread. This Christmas, there seems to be no escape from her life of hardship and pain.Elspeth works as a maid for the town's recluse, Silas Moore... -
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A Sea Rose for the Duchess by Fanny Finch
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor a Sea Rose appeared to save her when all seemed lost, and from the storm of her past, a new life shall come forth... Captain Arnold Reynes has found a lot of things at sea: peace, freedom, and an escape from a past he avoids facing. What he never expected to find, however, is a beautiful young woman who has lost her memory. All he knows about her is her name.. -
A Christmas Worth Remembering by Abby Ayles
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn his search for a lost lady, he found true love… Now he must save her from those who would try to harm her again, just like all those years ago on a tragic Christmas night…As a friend of the Duke of Hartford, Lewis Darby feels it is his duty to help the man track down his long-lost daughter, Anastasia... -
Taming the Thorn of Blackwell by Fanny Finch
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA rose may be full of thorns, but that does not take away from its beauty… And lucky is the man that finds a way to hold it without getting hurt…Selina Griffiths created a fierce reputation for herself, after being forced to run a Duchy all by herself. But it was all worth it to protect her son’s heritage... -
Love Lessons for a Lady by Collette Cameron
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsYielding to their hearts’ desires would be oh-so-sweet…and oh-so-dangerous…She’s illegitimate… Chastity Noble finally has the security she’s always craved. She may have been born on the wrong side of the blanket, but now that she’s been promoted to assistant headmistress at the girls’ seminary, that no longer matters...Categorized as:
industrial-era regency historical-fiction spirituality female-mc victorian historical fiction -
A White Rose for the Marquess by Fanny Finch
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA bush of white roses there once was, and she was the fairest of them all. Then that cold winter came and wiped them all away, leaving her alone against a monster… until he comes, and he is not afraid of her thorns... After losing her family in a terrible accident, Gwendoline Hathaway becomes a servant in her cruel aunt’s home... -
The Orphan Star of the Dockyard: Victorian Romance by Rachel Downing, Dolly Price
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAlthough Isabella’s family never had much money in the dockyards, that never stopped her from feeling like a star. That is until a shipping accident kills her father, and illness takes her mother, leaving her alone to fend not only herself but her two younger sisters as well, in the cruel slums of Liverpool... -
A Winter Chase by Mary Kingswood
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA family in trade moving up in the world. A family of landed gentry stepping aside for them. And the sons and daughters caught in the middle.Julia Fletcher is the unimportant daughter of the Fletcher family, with neither beauty nor wit nor accomplishments, but always in a scrape. Somehow she never manages to get through the day without breaking or spilling or tearing something... -
The Christmas Pauper by Iris Cole
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the early hours of Christmas eve, a young girl hides in doorways seeking refuge from the icy streets. But London is not kind to orphans and paupers and survival can exact an unthinkable price.On Christmas Eve in 1881, eight year old Luella Morris is suddenly and tragically alone in the world... -
The Abandoned Waif's Christmas Miracle: Victorian Romance by Nell Harte
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the small hours of Christmas morning, a shrouded figure moves quickly through the biting storm in the Old Nichol, a tiny bundle wrapped in tattered rags hidden beneath its coat. “I’m sorry” the figure whispers, as it places the bundle on the cold stone of the work-house steps, “There is no other way... -
The Lost Orphan of Cheapside: Victorian Romance by Dolly Price
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCaroline is an orphan. Vulnerable and passed from family member to family member until the fateful day she disappears in Surrey Gardens.No one could imagine the hell this innocent girl would now endure at the hands of her kidnappers. All hope seems lost until Arthur stumbles through the doors of the Lanyard Arms... -
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A Mother’s Dilemma by Emma Hornby
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMinnie 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...Categorized as:
epic family historical-fiction industrial-era regency religion spirituality victorian -
The Christmas Convent Child: A Warm PureRead Christmas by Dolly Price
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAfter her parents die in a suspicious boating accident little Eliza is abandoned by her uncaring, unscrupulous guardians. If not for the love of the nuns in the convent she would surely have died. Little did she know that her coming of age would throw her back into peril when, after so many years, her scheming guardians reappear to kidnap and incarcerate her... -
When the Clouds Go Rolling By by June Francis
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe secrets of the past can never be forgotten An orphaned young woman is overjoyed to find a family she never knew existed, but has to come to terms with their troubled history. Since her parents died Clara O’Toole has lived with her grandmother, Bernie...Categorized as:
epic family historical-fiction literary-fiction religion spirituality 20th-century adult -
Ragged Girl of the Manor (Diary of Family Girls) (Victorian Saga Romance) by Rachel White
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOrphaned and illiterate, her baking skill is all she relies on to survive in a manor full of mistrust and jealousy. Mabel Elton loves the feeling of dough between her fingers and the smell of warm bread in the air. When a vicious banker takes her home and her bakery after Mabel’s father dies unexpectedly, Mabel’s livelihood is lost...Categorized as:
epic family female-mc historical-fiction industrial-era religion spirituality victorian -
Marriage by Mistake by Abby Ayles, Starfall Publications
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe was the most beautiful lady he had ever laid his eyes upon. Well-educated, opinionated, well-spoken, intelligent…but she was Helena, not Elizabeth!She bumped into him. The woman he had been waiting for his whole life, the one who could calm even the stormiest of seas and make them more beautiful than ever before...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction industrial-era literary-fiction regency spirituality victorian adult -
The Orphan Thieves by Nell Harte
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt’ll be quick, the child thought, her feet wading further to the deep waters of the Irish Sea.. Don’t, a soft voice murmured, as a hand came to rest on her shoulder. Whatever’s happened, this isn’t the answer.On the brink of the unthinkable, eight year old Maggie is snatched from death by the lion hearted notorious Liverpool thief, Irene Westfield...Categorized as:
epic female-mc historical-fiction industrial-era religion spirituality victorian adult -
Falling for a Duke by Rebecca Connolly, Nichole Van
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the publisher of the USA TODAY bestselling & #1 Amazon bestselling Timeless Romance Anthology series in Clean & Wholesome Romance, comes FALLING FOR A DUKE...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era regency religion spirituality victorian anthologies fiction -
The Victorian Millhouse Sisters: Victorian Romance by Dolly Price
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBlossoming in a Victorian slum is an impossible dream. Hopes and dreams come here to die, not to be born.But Daphne is an unusually determined dreamer.Despite the disappearance of her parents and siblings, she holds to her goal. The workhouse can't stop her. The slums won't prevent her. Disaster and degradation only fuel her intentions... -
Workhouse Girl and The Veiled Lady: Victorian Romance by Dolly Price
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAbandoned by all who should protect her the workhouse swallows the young life of Olivia Coomb. It also swallows her voice.Who could ever love a mute and broken girl like Olivia? Franklin Slater wants nothing more, but society slays his advances and Olivia is forced to flee once again.It seems that even the prayers of the voiceless fall on deaf ears... -
Married to a Scandalous Spinster by Harriet Caves
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“I wake up to find you in my bed, and it’s my doing?”To be called Lady Highbrow is one thing, but to be known as the daughter of a drunkard and a gambler is Gemma’s worst nightmare come true.As the Duke of Larsen, Wyatt must fulfill his duties by marrying a quiet bride with exceptional manners… despite being a notorious rake himself...Categorized as:
industrial-era regency historical-fiction victorian religion spirituality romance historical -
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The Slum Sisters: Dot's Story by Annie Shields
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFor Dot Williams, each day on the harsh London streets is a battle to feed the family, pay the rent and stay alive. Its a battle she is struggling to win.*For fans of Dilly Court & Rosie Darling *The only light in her life is Bertie, the grocer's son, but his overbearing father conspires against their happiness... -
The Mudlark Orphan by Rosie Darling
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEight year old Maise Clegg was plucked from the workhouse by the Rynotts to work on the banks of the Thames seeking treasures as a Mudlark. Abandoned as a baby Maise never gave up hope that one day her mother would return to claim her as her own, but as she stood in the dirty river water that dream soon washed away. She soon learnt that life was like the river; dark, fast moving and dangerous... -
A Runaway Star by Gretta Curran Browne
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWith the instant success of his brilliant new works, The Corsair and Lara, Lord Byron's literary fame as a poet of stature has spread to all parts of America and throughout Continental Europe... -
The Carter's Orphan by Hope Dawson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAll Emily ever wanted was a happy family. But first she loses her father. Then the match factory takes her mother's life. Now Emily must look after her sickly younger brother all on her own. When a saviour rescues them from the dirty streets of Victorian London, friendship blossoms into romance. But death isn't through with young Emily yet.. -
The Odd Mystery of the Cursed Duke by Abby Ayles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance Novel When all hope seems lost, a deal between them offers them a new life. But within his castle walls, something evil seeks to destroy their happiness... After her heart was broken, Beatrice Leeson has forsaken love. Close to spinsterhood, she is content to help with her sister’s family... -
Dancing with a Gracious Lord by Bridget Barton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter a childhood illness left her with a scarred face, Juliana Rothmond is determined that no man will ever look at her except for her generous dowry. When her father announces that she is soon to marry Ira Galbrathe, an opportunistic and arrogant man, Juliana desperately tries to escape from her future misery...
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