Book picks similar to
Song of the Siren by C.P. Lesley
historical-fiction
1500s
new
poland
The Lost Daughter
Iris Cole - 2021
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.When Bill Whitely finds Clary beaten in a back alley, he offers her sanctuary, but a startling discovery spurs her forward into a dangerous undertaking.As Clary navigates a forbidden world, secrets and suspicions are rife, forcing her to flee for her life.Alone and destitute on the streets, Clary is lured into a world of debauchery, where she must fight to regain herself and find the answers she is looking for.Will Clary ever discover the truth of her past? And what of Bill? Is he lost to her forever?For fans of Dilly Court and readers who love historical romance.
Sharpe's Victory
Rachel Murrell - 1997
The series is scheduled to appear on A&E in the U.S. this fall. "Sharpe's Victory" relates the stories of all 14 films with on-set anecdotes and detailed historical information on Sharpe's battles and the military world leading up to Waterloo.130 color and b&w illustrations.
An Untamed Governess for the Rogue
Olivia Bennet - 2019
She is his ultimate risk...
After losing both her parents, Teresa Dowels' future seems uncertain. Forced to leave the house she grew up in, she finds employment as a governess at the Duke of Rowfex’s mysterious manor. Luke Morton, second son of the Duke of Rowfex, is trying to preserve a well-hidden family secret. But life as he knows it changes the day he saves his younger sibling’s ravishing governess from rape. However, it is only a matter of time before the attacker, a notorious criminal with an ulterior motive, strikes again... When Luke disappears, all pieces seem to connect. With Teresa discovering the ugly truth about his family, time is against her. And only a miracle can keep them both alive... *If you like a realistic yet steamy depiction of the Regency and Victorian era, then An Untamed Governess for the Rogue is the novel for you. This is Olivia's 5th novel, a historical Regency romance novel of 80,000 words (around 400 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a strong happily ever after. Pick up "An Untamed Governess for the Rogue" today to discover Olivia's amazing new story!
The Land is Bright
Elizabeth Murphy - 1989
Sally lavishes all her hopes and dreams on her baby sister Emily, determined that she’ll leave the mean streets of their Liverpool home and enjoy a better life. When Emily is sent to live with rich relatives, it seems like her wish has come true, but the chance is bittersweet.Sally and her family may face poverty and hardship in Liverpool, but the warmth and love shared will help them overcome whatever the world has to throw at them; Emily, however, wanting for nothing, might find out that happiness is harder to find…Full of authentic details of Liverpool life at the turn of the century, The Land is Bright is a totally absorbing saga perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Helen Forrester.‘A family saga you just won’t be able to put down’ Prima‘The whole-heartedness of Liverpool shines through in a refreshing tribute to Merseyside’ Liverpool Daily Post‘Murphy is born and bred, and sets her first novel in her beloved city, giving the book that vital authenticity which makes it so realistic’ Hull Daily Mail‘Rich in authentic period details, The Land is Bright is a time machine back to the past. This is how history should be written!’ Terrace Review‘Evocative writing’ Woman’s World‘Richly nostalgic’ Publishing News‘A thundering great read’ Liverpool Echo The Liverpool Sagas
The Land is Bright
To Give and To Take
There is a Season
A Last Goodbye
Dee Yates - 2018
In time they're joined by rugged farmhand Tom, come to lend some muscle to Ellen's ageing father, who has begun to find sheep farming hard to manage alone. Almost inevitably romance grows between Ellen and the new arrival but once married however, Ellen discovers that Tom has a brutish side to his character. As war in Europe spreads, she begins to dream of him leaving for the trenches as a way for her to escape.Even with Tom fighting abroad however, the family can not hide from the realities of war as a group of POWs are brought to their valley to build a reservoir. And amongst the men, sworn enemies and shunned by all the locals, Ellen finds a gentler heart that she finds difficult to resist...
The Coffin Maker
Christine Sterling - 2018
Living under the overprotective and overbearing nature of her mother, Charlotte Daniels, made it easy to keep her distance from the townsfolk of Silverpines apart from a few close acquaintances. However, when Tess finds a man sleeping in her deceased father’s studio, it sets in motion a series of events that she is not prepared for. The town needs assistance burying the bodies from the aftermath of the double-earthquakes and the new stranger challenges Tess to assist her community. As she steps in to help, she realizes that there are many secrets her mother has been keeping from her, including the mystery of how her father died. Dawson Elliot was in Silverpines for one reason only: to find the man who murdered his wife and unborn child. Helping a small community get back on its feet wasn’t in his plans. But the weather had other ideas, so he decides to put some long-retired carpentry skills to use, building coffins to bury the dead. Working side by side with Tess will he find healing and love again? As Tess uncovers the secrets of her past, what will happen when she finds out the biggest secret of all? What is the secret Dawson is hiding? With every coffin he builds can he heal his heart and possibly open it to love again?
The Casebook of Inspector Blackstone
Sally Spencer - 2017
Yet to Inspector Sam Blackstone, the case is as puzzling as any he has ever come across. As his investigation proceeds, Blackstone finds himself entering the world of the aristocracy and tramping the dangerous streets of London's Little Russia, where English law and order are not welcome. So begins the illustrious career of the talented inspector, who earns the equal ire and respect of his superiors for his controversial tactics. Absorbing in their detailed depictions of the period, gripping in their ingenious plots, this trilogy of historical whodunnits is the perfect box set for any mystery-lover. Praise for Sally Spencer 'Spencer's finest hour: a tightly plotted puzzler with surprises at every turn' – Kirkus Reviews 'Spencer is an accomplished craftsman who serves up a good puzzle and deftly solves it with intelligence and insight' – Publishers Weekly Sally Spencer worked as a teacher both in England and Iran - where she witnessed the fall of the Shah. She now writes full time.
Ardnish Was Home
Angus MacDonald - 2017
There he falls in love with his Queen Alexandra Corps nurse, Louise, and she with him.The story moves back and forth from their time at the field hospital to the west highlands of Scotland where Donald grew up. As they talk in the quiet hours he tells her the stories of the coast and glens, how his family lived and the fascinating life of a century ago: bagpiping, sheep shearing, celidhs, illegal distilling, his mother saving the life of the people of St Kilda, the navvies building the west highland railway and the relationship between the lairds and the people. Louise in turn tells her own story of growing up in the Welsh valley: coal mining, a harsh and unforgiving upbringing.They get cut off from the allied troops and with another nurse are forced to make their escape through Turkey to Greece, getting rescued by a Coptic priest and ending up in Malta. By this time their love is out in the open, but there is still another tragic twist to their story waiting on the way back to Donald’s beloved highland home . . .
On the Sickle's Edge
Neville Frankel - 2016
What we cannot lose.A sweeping masterwork of love and loss, secrets and survival, On the Sickle's Edge is told through the voices of three characters who lay bare their family's saga: the endearing, scrappy South-African born Lena, transported to Latvia and later trapped in the USSR; her granddaughter Darya, a true Communist whose growing disillusionment with Soviet ideology places her family at mortal risk; and Steven, a painter from Boston who inadvertently stumbles into the tangled web of his family's past. Against the roiling backdrop of twentieth-century Russia and Eastern Europe, the novel delivers equal parts historical drama, political thriller and poignant love story.On the Sickle's Edge takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride through some of the most tumultuous events of the 20th century. Instantly immersed in seven generations of the Shtein family, we witness their exhilarating celebrations and provocative controversies, and gain an intimate understanding of the pivotal events in South Africa, Latvia and the Soviet Union. Neville Frankel's ability to combine historical insight and human passion is spellbinding. I couldn't put it down. --Pamela Katz, The Partnership: Brecht, Weill, Three Women, and Germany on the BrinkIn the hands of a masterful storyteller, On the Sickle's Edge pits the weight of an oppressive regime against individual tenacity and profound personal courage. Inspired by Frankel's own family history, this multi-generational epic holds up a mirror to a universal truth: all immigrants face the powerful tension between assimilation and cultural identity. We have--all of us--lived life on the edge of the sickle. --Rabbi Andrew Baker, Director of International Jewish Affairs, American Jewish Committee
Yesterday's Shadows
Rosie Goodwin - 2008
At last she will be free from him, even though she and Nuala, the sister who depends on her for everything, must now leave his miners cottage. Then Kate discovers they have an aunt in the Midlands whom their father had kept secret, and who now offers them a home. Despite leaving her heart in Durham with Matthew, a young artist, Kate feels loved and safe with Aunt Beth. But her peace is shattered by an astonishing revelation from Nuala, and a series of brutal attacks on the women of Nuneaton. Kate turns to a handsome widower, Martin Denby, but is his kindness too good to be true?
Master Wu's Bride
Edward C. Patterson - 2016
Chi Lin becomes the Fourth Wife – the ghost bride in the House of Wu, a respectable Ming Dynasty household. But to keep her honor, Chi Lin assumes her role under the stern command of her mother-in-law and the disdainful eye of the First Wife. Still, as Mistress Purple Sage, Chi Lin survives, managing to bring fresh breath into this ancient household. Women in Fourteenth Century China played a subservient role. Most accepted their lot and worked within a man’s world, supporting their husbands, revering their fathers and elders, and assuring their children followed the same dauntless path. Still, within the narrow confines of a subservient life, there was always a place to leave a mark and make a difference for the future.Master Wu’s Bride is a journey seen from a woman’s point of view — a woman who held secrets and cultivated them to everyone’s advantage. From yesterday’s stale cabbage, Chi Lin manages to cultivate her world to bloom. Come take this journey with Mistress Purple Sage, the ghost bride. Come take this journey that many women in a host of cultures still take today in the shadow of inequality’s quagmire.
The Cruel Romance: A Novel of Love and War
Marina Osipova - 2016
With only moments left together, she places a cross around her beloveds neck and reluctantly releases him into a cruel world where nothing is certain, especially whether she will ever see him again.Days later, Germans invade her village and take over her tiny house. Serafima and her mother must comply with orders, endure abuse, and stay put, or their village will be annihilated.As World War II intertwines Serafimas and Vityas life with that of a young German violinist and a Russian intellectual, their destinies are irrevocably altered. Can they rise to the challenge of agonizing moral choices and learn to forgive and love again?
Whistledown Woman
Josephine Cox - 1991
In his blind jealous rage he later gives away the baby to gypsy Rona Parrish, summoned to help with the delivery. Kathleen, frenzied with grief, is soon after locked away in an asylum.
Rejected by her father, the little girl begins her new life with only a valuable brooch pinned to her shawl as a clue to her true origins. Named after Rona's own mother, the lovely raven-haired Starlena grows up in ignorance of her true parentage and vast inheritance, believing her birthplace to be the beautiful Whistledown Valley. And Rona, always afraid, stays watchful over the years for any sign that someone might track Starlena down - someone who wishes her harm...
Elizabeth Chater Regency Romance Collection #2
Elizabeth Chater - 2013
When her father's dies, she's left as the guardian to her younger brother, Sholto Grant, who, through his drinking and gambling, loses the family property to the infamous Devil Fallon. Griselda devises a scheme to regain the family estate, but she must first win a wager between her and the most notorious gamester in London . . . and not fall in love with him.THE KING’S DOLLThe Duke of Landsdale and his mother are sent a written request from the King of England to take in and support the Comtesse and her beautiful daughter, Tiri. The Duke's mother is enraged by the inconvenience and endeavors to make life as difficult as possible for her unwanted houseguests. To be rid of them once and for all, she begins by searching for the first available bachelor to marry off Tiri, but she's horrified to discover that the young tart has caught the eye of her son the Duke.LADY DEARBORN’S DEBUTClea Bradford’s Aunt, Lady Floss Dearborn, intends on marrying off her niece, though it’s no easy deed finding a suitable parti for a young lady who stands six feet of height, not counting the golden halo of blond hair. Lady Floss goes so far as to announce her niece’s engagement to Glendon, though he couldn't be more wrong for her niece and more right for her! When Lord Ranulf gets wind of a Dearborn entering the Ton, he believes he’s been given a chance at revenge for a wrong committed against him by Lady Floss Dearborn. But he mistakes Clea for the Lady, and suddenly there’s a lot more at stake than Clea’s reputation . . . it just may be her life.LORD RANDAL’S TIGERLord Randal found Chloe living in a horse’s stable, dressed in rags. Despite her impoverished appearance, she claims to have an affinity with horses and will one day teach children to ride and care for them properly—as soon as she can get away from her abusive half-brother. Lord Randal is charmed by the big beautiful cat eyes and devises a plan to masquerade her as his servant, to have her become his “tiger”. After she’s cleaned up, he finds himself besot by her beauty, and as the young girl grows into a capable woman, she attracts more attention than just that of Lord Randal.