The Match Factory Girls
A Victorian saga of hope, survival and the fight for a mother's future from Kay Brellend
Published on 24. January 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
328 pages
978-1-80658-410-9 (ISBN)
Description
Discover a heart-pounding Victorian industry saga of courage, survival and redemption. Perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin, Dilly Court and Daisy Styles ????'Kay Brellend is a new star in the making!' Bestselling author Rosie Clarke In the shadows of 1887 London, one woman must fight for her future - and her child's.
When Amelia Spencer finds herself unmarried, pregnant, and cast out by society, she flees to the Bryant & May match factory, searching for her estranged sister, Sadie. But the East End is no refuge - Sadie is trapped in a violent marriage, and the factory is as dangerous as the streets outside.
Desperate for a fresh start, Amelia takes work at Bryant & May and dares to dream of a better life for herself and her son. A chance meeting with the kind-hearted Nicholas Dupree offers hope - but Whitechapel is no place for fragile dreams.
When the shadows of Amelia's past return with a vengeance - and a killer begins stalking the women of Whitechapel - Amelia must fight to protect her child and the life she's struggled to claim, before everything she's fought for is destroyed.
Love, survival, and dark secrets collide in a heart-pounding saga of courage and redemption.
'Kay Brellend is a new star in the making! I was hooked immediately. Well written and compelling. I really felt the atmosphere of Victorian London and was absorbed by the characters.' Rosie Clarke
'Victorian melodrama, in the stews of the East End, where life is cheap, and grit is needed to survive. I was captured from the first page.' Lizzie Lane
'A gripping tale set in darkly atmospheric Victorian London, the Match Factory Girls overcome immense hardship and dire poverty to protect those they love. A powerful read that kept me turning the pages.' Tracy Baines
'Whitechapel is no place for fragile dreams. Kay Brellend's new saga is a fabulous story that takes you deep into London's dark east end streets.' AnneMarie Brear
'A heart-rending saga that depicts a mother's indomitable love for her baby son, and her courage and determination in the face of the dangers that threaten them.' Liz Harris
'An evocative story of courage, hope and the brave Match Girls who changed history, cleverly woven into the dark, terrifying world of the Ripper's Whitechapel' Kirsty Ferry
More praise for Kay Brellend:
????? 'Vividly rendered' Historical Novel Society
????? 'A fantastic cast of characters' Goodreads
????? 'Thoroughly absorbing' Goodreads
????? 'Loved this book, couldn't put it down.' Reader Review
????? 'Absolutely loved this book!' Reader Review
????? 'Best read ever! Kay Brellend books are fantastic.' Reader Review
When Amelia Spencer finds herself unmarried, pregnant, and cast out by society, she flees to the Bryant & May match factory, searching for her estranged sister, Sadie. But the East End is no refuge - Sadie is trapped in a violent marriage, and the factory is as dangerous as the streets outside.
Desperate for a fresh start, Amelia takes work at Bryant & May and dares to dream of a better life for herself and her son. A chance meeting with the kind-hearted Nicholas Dupree offers hope - but Whitechapel is no place for fragile dreams.
When the shadows of Amelia's past return with a vengeance - and a killer begins stalking the women of Whitechapel - Amelia must fight to protect her child and the life she's struggled to claim, before everything she's fought for is destroyed.
Love, survival, and dark secrets collide in a heart-pounding saga of courage and redemption.
'Kay Brellend is a new star in the making! I was hooked immediately. Well written and compelling. I really felt the atmosphere of Victorian London and was absorbed by the characters.' Rosie Clarke
'Victorian melodrama, in the stews of the East End, where life is cheap, and grit is needed to survive. I was captured from the first page.' Lizzie Lane
'A gripping tale set in darkly atmospheric Victorian London, the Match Factory Girls overcome immense hardship and dire poverty to protect those they love. A powerful read that kept me turning the pages.' Tracy Baines
'Whitechapel is no place for fragile dreams. Kay Brellend's new saga is a fabulous story that takes you deep into London's dark east end streets.' AnneMarie Brear
'A heart-rending saga that depicts a mother's indomitable love for her baby son, and her courage and determination in the face of the dangers that threaten them.' Liz Harris
'An evocative story of courage, hope and the brave Match Girls who changed history, cleverly woven into the dark, terrifying world of the Ripper's Whitechapel' Kirsty Ferry
More praise for Kay Brellend:
????? 'Vividly rendered' Historical Novel Society
????? 'A fantastic cast of characters' Goodreads
????? 'Thoroughly absorbing' Goodreads
????? 'Loved this book, couldn't put it down.' Reader Review
????? 'Absolutely loved this book!' Reader Review
????? 'Best read ever! Kay Brellend books are fantastic.' Reader Review
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
294 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80658-410-9 (9781806584109)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Kay Brellend
The Match Factory Girls
A Victorian saga of hope, survival and the fight for a mother's future from Kay Brellend
E-Book
01/2026
Boldwood Books Ltd
€3.49
Available for download
Person
Kay Brellend was born in north London and her first saga, based in the early twentieth century slums of Islington, was published in 2011. She drew inspiration for The Street from her grandmother's reminiscences about growing up in 'the Bunk' as the notorious road was known. Her own mother was born there in 1921.
The ensuing Campbell Road series of seven book was followed by more gritty East End and World War sagas, but she has turned her attention to the Victorian era for the Match Factory Girls series of books published by Boldwood and set in the time of the infamous Whitechapel murders.
Kay has worked as a shop assistant, an oil company secretary and a library assistant. She's also been a property developer and landlady. She now concentrates on writing and lives in a village in Hertfordshire where an unruly garden also keeps her busy.
The ensuing Campbell Road series of seven book was followed by more gritty East End and World War sagas, but she has turned her attention to the Victorian era for the Match Factory Girls series of books published by Boldwood and set in the time of the infamous Whitechapel murders.
Kay has worked as a shop assistant, an oil company secretary and a library assistant. She's also been a property developer and landlady. She now concentrates on writing and lives in a village in Hertfordshire where an unruly garden also keeps her busy.