East End Orphan: An enthralling historical saga, inspired by true events

Kay Brellend

Sep 2024 · Little, Brown Book Group · Narrated by Annie Aldington

About this audiobook

The second in a brand-new trilogy from bestselling author Kay Brelland, inspired by true events, following A Daughter's Heartbreak.

Abandoned twice, can he find a way to trust again?

When orphaned Jake Harding is sent away from his adoptive home aged just seven, he does not understand why - especially as his adopted brother, Toby, is kept by their mother.

Forced to make his own way in the world, Jake falls in with a gang of petty thieves, who make their living lifting valuables from those who are better off. At sixteen, he crosses paths with the charismatic Johnny Cooper and his nemesis George Payne, and risks making an enemy when he attracts the attention of George's beautiful daughter Rebecca.

Johnny Cooper is a rogue with a heart of gold. He senses a kindred spirit in Jake and a talent he could put to good use if Jake worked for him. However, Jake is determined to make something of himself so that no one can ever reject him again. But as he forges his own path, he cannot escape the reach of Johnny, George and their network of cronies, all of which will have far reaching consequences for Jake's future in ways he could never have imagined.

Praise for Kay Brellend:

'Vividly rendered' Historical Novel Society

'A fantastic cast of characters' Goodreads

'Thoroughly absorbing' Goodreads

About the author

Kay Brellend was born in north London and her first saga, based in the early twentieth century slums of Islington, was published in 2011. The opening novel in the Bittersweet Legacy trilogy came out in 2017. Published by Piatkus, this series was set in a London sweet factory and on the Somme battlefields.

Kay's Workhouse to War trilogy was also set during the Great War, beginning in the Whitechapel Union Workhouse and moving to the bustling markets of East London, between 1914 and 1918. Now she's beginning a new trilogy with A Daughter's Heartbreak, inspired by true wartime events in the Silvertown area of East London. Kay writes with all the heart, grit and personal connection that distinguishes her as one of the most exciting voices in the saga genre.