Book picks similar to
Enduring Passions by David Wiltshire


historical-fiction
wwii
romance
first-only

Never Say Forever


Karen King - 2009
    She’s seen too many people give up their dreams for love, and is determined that’s never going to happen to her. Travelling the world teaching English, Kendall dreams of turning her jewellery-making hobby into a proper business one day. ‘No commitment’ is high-flying businessman, Jake Newman’s motto. He’s never met anyone he wants to settle down with, and that’s the way he likes it. But when Kendall and Jake meet sparks fly. It's obvious to everyone except themselves that they're meant to be together. Will their fear of commitment prevent them from admitting their love for each other? And if they do, will Kendall have to give up her dream?

The Long Patrol


Chris Glatte - 2016
    It will be the Division’s first combat test, as well as its bloodiest.The fighting has come to a standstill with neither side giving ground. The 164th is desperate to break the stalemate and the mounting casualties.Their possible solution comes in the form of a British Coast Watcher. Thomas Welch offers to take a small unit into the jungle to meet up with a force of natives to instigate a guerrilla war against the Japanese rear.A unit from Able Company is selected for the job. Each man’s been battle-tested, defending Henderson field from hordes of attacking Japanese. The mission goes badly from the outset and the unit is cut off and desperate to continue their mission.As the battle for Guadalcanal rages on, their mission changes. As more men fall, the likelihood of completing it is slipping away. Alone, hurt and betrayed, they find themselves as the only soldiers able to deliver victory from the jaws of defeat.

The Bounty Hunter's Baby


Erica Vetsch - 2017
    And the only person he can think of to ask for help is Esther Jensen, the woman whose heart he broke when he left town. But can he convince her to put aside the past until he tracks down the baby's outlaw father?Esther is ready to run Thomas off her Texas ranchuntil she spies the abandoned newborn in his arms. Soon, working together to care for the precious babe stirs old hopes of a family. With trouble heading to their door, they could overcome it togetherif she'll entrust her wary heart to this sweet, second-chance family"

The Iron Stallions (The Goff Family War Thrillers Book 3)


Max Hennessy - 1982
    In the 1920s, Josh Goff runs away from school and enlists under another name in the ranks of what to his family was always simply known as The Regiment.Soon enough, he finds himself on the front lines in the Second World War, from France to the Western Desert, from the D-Day beaches to Nazi Germany.The time of cavalrymen has long since passed, but Josh finds himself thinking that the mindset still prevails. Though the weapons have changed, the men have not, and so he moves forward bravely, in his iron stallion. The awe-inspiring finale to the Goff war trilogy, perfect for fans of Alistair MacLean, Jack Higgins and Frederick Forsyth.

A Most Precious Gift


Jacqueline Freeman Wheelock - 2014
    Having never cooked a day in her life, she is terrified of being found out and banished to the cotton fields as was her mother before her. But when she accidentally burns the freedom papers of Jonathan Mayfield, a handsome free man of color to whom she's attracted, her fear of the fields becomes secondary.A gifted cabinetmaker, Jonathan Mayfield's heart is set on finally becoming a respected businessman by outfitting a bedroom at the palatial Riverwood—until a beautiful new slave destroys his proof of freedom and his fragile confidence along with it. When the mistress of Riverwood orders Dinah to work alongside the sullen Mr. Mayfield, sparks fly setting the two on a collision course. Is their mutual love for God strong enough to overcome deep-seated insecurities and set the couple on a path toward self-acceptance and love for each other?

The Long Journey Home


Cecily Blench - 2021
    

One Snowy Night


Rita Bradshaw - 2019
    Or so she thinks. An unimaginable betrayal by those she loves causes her to flee her home and family one snowy night. Crushed and heartbroken, Ruby vows that despite the odds stacked against her she will not only survive, but one day will show the ones she left behind that she’s succeeded in making something of herself. Brave words, but the reality is far from easy. Dangers Ruby could never have foreseen and more tragedy threaten her new life, and love always seems just out of reach. Can a happy ending ever be hers?

The Winter Guest


Pam Jenoff - 2014
    The constant threat of arrest has made everyone in their village a spy, and turned neighbor against neighbor. Though rugged, independent Helena and pretty, gentle Ruth couldn’t be more different, they are staunch allies in protecting their family from the threats the war brings closer to their doorstep with each passing day.Then Helena discovers an American paratrooper stranded outside their small mountain village, wounded, but alive. Risking the safety of herself and her family, she hides Sam—a Jew—but Helena’s concern for the American grows into something much deeper. Defying the perils that render a future together all but impossible, Sam and Helena make plans for the family to flee. But Helena is forced to contend with the jealousy her choices have sparked in Ruth, culminating in a singular act of betrayal that endangers them all—and setting in motion a chain of events that will reverberate across continents and decades.Originally published in 2014. Look for Pam Jenoff’s new novel, The Woman with the Blue Star, an unforgettable story of courage and friendship during wartime.Read these other sweeping epics from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff.The Lost Girls of ParisThe Orphans TaleThe Diplomat’s WifeThe Kommandant’s GirlThe Last Summer at Chelsea BeachThe Ambassador's Daughter

Maggie's Market


Dee Williams - 1997
    But when Tony disappears into thin air, Maggie's world collapses. Struggling on her own, Maggie cannot tell who her friends are, like Inspector Matthews, to whom Maggie is increasingly drawn.

Into the Fire


Alexander Fullerton - 1995
    Their average life expectancy is six weeks.But Rosie is brighter than most, well-aware of the consequences of a second’s carelessness, or bad luck, or treachery. Or a fellow agent crumbling under torture, naming names.Her brief is to set up a new network in Rouen, where the old one has been blown and an agent is suspected of betrayal. If she gets there, that is. Landing from a gunboat on the Brittany coast, she must to travel to Paris – carrying forged papers, a radio transceiver and more than a million francs in cash… Frighteningly realistic, unbearably exciting, the Rosie Ewing Spy Thrillers are perfect for fans of Philip Kerr, Ian Fleming and John Le Carré. ‘You don’t read a novel by Alexander Fullerton. You live it.’ South Wales Echo

An Angel's Work


Kate Eastham - 2020
    Then, a tiny hand poked out through a layer of grit... With tears pouring down her cheeks, she stood rocking and soothing the baby, knowing there was very little chance the child’s mother had survived.England, 1941. After three nights of relentless bombing from German aircraft, trained nurse Jo Brooks is told to report to the basement theatre of Mill Road Hospital. She goes with a heavy heart, not wanting to leave behind her best friend Moira, who is desperately soothing new mothers on the maternity ward. As Jo arrives safely underground, the ward takes a direct hit.Pulling herself from the rubble, Jo’s first priority must be her patients… but she can’t stop herself frantically searching for Moira. When Jo eventually finds her, buried beneath a foot of bricks and stone, Moira is barely clinging to life. Jo makes a solemn vow: she will do whatever it takes to help the allies win the war, even if it means sacrificing her own safety.But when, in the line of duty, Jo makes the acquaintance of a young American soldier with bright blue eyes and a voice like warm caramel, she feels her heart skip a beat and all her promises are put to the test. Because sacrificing everything in war is so much more difficult when suddenly you have so very much to live for…

The Marchioness Who Tempted Fate


Hanna Hamilton - 2020
    The day she finds herself at the mercy of a peculiar Marquess, she realizes that trying to steal from a nobleman, was a very bad idea.When Percival Dandridge, Marquess of Northbury, apprehends a suspiciously feminine thief in his house, he decides to offer her a position in his kitchen. He never intended to fall in love with her.But when an attempt against his life is made, all clues point to her.Realizing she is being framed, she becomes a ghost, working to prove her innocence. A dagger, an old gold pouch, and a diligent constable are all she has to solve this mystery and uncover a string of old ones…

The Last Daughter


Belle Ami - 2010
    The Nazis have begun their brutal march through her hometown of Radom, Poland. Dina’s happy world comes tumbling down and her family will never be the same. As the Nazi regime implements the systematic annihilation of every Jewish man, woman, and child throughout Europe, Dina and her family do everything they can to stay together. But can they make it through the war unscathed?As Dina matures from child to teenager, every day brings a daunting new challenge to survive. When she meets Natek Korman, a young man with sky-blue eyes that crinkle when he smiles, Dina experiences the first blush of love and a longing for a normal life. But what could be normal in a world of endless terror and numbing fear?From the harsh day-to-day existence in the Jewish ghetto under Nazi occupation to the grueling toil of the ruthless workcamps to the utter despair of the death camps of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belson, Dina’s story of survival is a heart-rending testament to the power of the human spirit.The Last Daughter is an extraordinary story of an ordinary girl. Based on the remarkable true story of Dina Frydman, a Jewish girl from Radom, Poland who is thrust into an unforgettable journey from the dawn of World War Two to the darkest days of the Holocaust. You will never forget Dina nor the millions of others like her.

Light of the Moon


Elizabeth Buchan - 1992
    Set in resistance France, this is a grand and passionate story of forbidden love between an English Special Operations Executive and a German Abwehr officer.

The Memory of Us


Camille Di Maio - 2016
    But when she learns of a blind-and-deaf brother, institutionalized since birth, the illusion of her perfect life and family shatters around her.While visiting her brother in secret, Julianne meets and befriends Kyle McCarthy, an Irish Catholic groundskeeper studying to become a priest. Caught between her family’s expectations, Kyle’s devotion to the church, and the intense new feelings that the forbidden courtship has awakened in her, Julianne must make a choice: uphold the life she’s always known or follow the difficult path toward love.But as war ripples through the world and the Blitz decimates England, a tragic accident forces Julianne to leave everything behind and forge a new life built on lies she’s told to protect the ones she loves. Now, after twenty years of hiding from her past, the truth finds her—will she be brave enough to face it?