Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, so I was prepared to like this from the word go. And I did.

Grace is a very likeable character and you want her to do well. The fact that the author lays down very obvious signs along the way so that you know she will eventually make good, only detracts a little from the enjoyment of the overall story.

Grace and her special needs sister are orphaned in Victorian London. They are left destitute and have to find a way to fend for themselves. They sell herbs at the markets, they pawn their few possessions, but when Grace finds herself pregnant, they fall on even tougher times.
Grace ends up working for a family with a funeral business with all kinds of underhanded tricks going on behind the scenes.
There is a newspaper clipping about a missing heiress and there is a love interest.

Fallen Grace is well-written and talks about an industry in Victorian London that I knew very little about. There are no sex scenes and the events surrounding the pregnancy are dealt with vaguely so that younger teens could safely read this.
12+