Book picks similar to
Christmas to Come by Carol Rivers


fiction
historical-fiction
england
paperback

Izzy's War


Isla Dewar - 2010
    It came when she was flying. She thought she could write a book about the things she'd seen from above - herds of deer, hundreds of them, rippling across hilltops, houses...people small as matchstick men. Once, she'd seen a couple entangled in their own not-as-private-as-they-thought rapture on a sun-soaked moor. She was addicted to the air. 'Vicar's daughter Izzy feels hugely guilty that she's having a very good war. Having learned to fly in a travelling circus before the war, she's now joined the Air Transport Auxiliary as one of their few female pilots and is having the time of her life. The only cloud on the horizon is having to lie to her father about her exact role in the ATA. Her father is against the whole notion of women flying - he certainly wouldn't approve of her becoming a 'spitfire girl'.Izzy also feels distinctly out of place among the more upper class ladies of the ATA. She would love to be as worldly as her flighty housemate, Julia, or as sophisticated as society wife Clare. But when Izzy finds herself falling for the charms of a dashing American doctor it is to Julia and Clare that she turns for help...

Towards a Dark Horizon


Maureen Reynolds - 2007
    The legacy Ann has inherited from her kindly employer has been a godsend, but just as the lives of Ann and Lily Neill and their father Johnny look set to improve, the threat of war with Germany looms and they seem headed for a dark horizon. Coping with the trials and tribulations of working-class life in their close-knit Dundee community, no one can escape the conflict or what fate has in store.

My Beloved Son


Catherine Cookson - 1991
    Whatever else her marriage had lacked, however, she had her son Joseph. She resolved he should have all in life she had missed and to achieve that end, she would stop at nothing.It was Sir Arthur Jebeau, her late husband's brother, who came to her aid, and soon Ellen and Joseph were living at the old fmaily seat at Screehaugh. It was a convenient arrangement, one which Ellen was not slow to recognise could work to her advantage, for Sir Arthur was a widower and Screehaugh had no mistress . . .That was in 1926, but the working out of so many increasingly intertwined destinies would continue for twenty more years and only come to final resolution with Joseph Jebeau's escape from the traumatic heritage of his mother's ruthlelss ambition and his emergence as his own true self.

Come Rain Or Shine


Susan Sallis - 1998
    Close friendships were forged as Natasha, Prudence, Rachel and Maisie worked together under the benevolent rule of the two Markham brothers. Now, in 1980, Natasha, newly divorced and back from America with a fifteen-year-old daughter, decides there must be a reunion. Pru, always the mysterious one, deeply involved with her commune in Cornwall, unexpectedly offers Prospect House, a property she has inherited in the Malvern hills where they may all forgather. Rachel, married to her former boss, a Liberal MP, gladly leaves a tangled domestic situation to join the friends she hasn't seen for so long. And Maisie ... Maisie, perhaps the most vulnerable of the four, mother of five children, married to the unpredictable Edward, fails to arrive at Prospect House. The drama of her disappearance has a far-reaching effect on the lives and destinies of them all. Come Rain or Shine is a poignant and unforgettable story of the particularly close friendships that women enjoy - and of the complications that can arise when friends meet again after many years have passed.

Seven Brides of South Dakota Series 1-3 (Seven Brides of South Dakota Box Set Book 1)


Kari Trumbo - 2020
    Plus A Ruby Glows, the prequel, as a bonus! Prequel A Ruby Glows Ruby’s heart froze as she threw her dead husband over the cliff. When Beau walks into her life, one glance has her running from her past. He couldn’t want someone like her. It should be easy to avoid his quiet charm. If he can convince her she’s a prize, not prey, he might have a chance. Beau’s captivated when Ruby scrambles from him whenever he gets too close. Her sweetness is an allure he can’t fight. Can Beau convince Ruby she is beloved? Book 1 Dreams in Deadwood He has a vice as bad as her father. Jennie Arnsby wants nothing more than to turn around and go home. Her family is on their way to Deadwood, SD, when Aiden finds his way to their small wagon train. His teasing and banter leave her wanting to toss him out the back and in the dust. When they are separated outside the city, she is left wondering if she’ll ever see him again. Aiden Bradly wants to find his gold and return home. Nothing more. He can’t afford to get tangled with a woman. He’s doing just that until he meets the feisty Jennie. She gets him thinking about his past and forgiveness, but what’s more important, his past or his new future? Aiden will either redeem his past or claim a treasure greater than he could ever imagine, but he must choose one. Book 2 Kisses in Keystone Hattie Arnsby’s been a slave to men and whiskey for the last year. She’s drowned herself in drink to avoid her life at the Red Garter Saloon in Keystone, SD. When a handsome deputy finds her after a year of searching, she finally sees a sliver of hope. Hugh Bradley is deputized to find Hattie and bring her home, but her captors aren’t ready to set her free. He must help her be rid of the drink and the binds of the brothel. But when Hattie’s handed temptation, will she run back to her past or embrace the love growing between them? Book 3 Love in Lead He found her at her worst, can she love him at his? Eva Arnsby can’t stay indoors, her need to draw the woodland creatures around her home near Lead, South Dakota gets her in a heap of trouble. And none more troublesome than a shadowy stranger who steals her notebook and her spirit. Ranger, Captain George Roth, is suspicious when he finds a small woman in man’s trousers sneaking around in the woods. Determined to discover the woman’s secrets, he takes on an assignment, ready to investigate her under the guise of a harmless town dandy. A chameleon in a suit, Mr. George Roth is asking too many questions, and wearing too many masks. Despite Eva’s reluctance, they work together, and soon, she sees parts of George she can’t resist. Shouldn’t she follow her heart? But when the mask slips, and Eva realizes George isn’t who she thinks he is, the damage to her heart may never be mended. One lie will break them apart, and George must convince her that the man she fell for in Lead is the same man who loved her in the woods. Save now when you buy this set. Scroll up to get your copy! Other Books by Kari Trumbo: Brothers of Belle Fourche Teach Me to Love What the Heart Holds Deep Longing of the Soul Seven Brides of South Dakota Dreams in Deadwood

The Crying Game


June Hampson - 2013
    As a teenager, she covers up the terrible truth of her father's death and she and her pregnant mother go on the run. Little does she know that fate has more cruel twists in store.Determined to build a life for her herself against all odds, Trixie becomes a singer in the pubs and clubs of Gosport - but her heart is still set on finding the little brother she had to leave behind in Portsmouth years before.It will take Trixie many years and many tears before the truth can finally emerge - but will it finally give her the courage she needs to fall in love?

The Orphans of Ardwick


Emma Hornby - 2018
    But behind Bracken House's impressive façade lies a household steeped in troubles and mystery, with residents above and below stairs battling their own demons and dark secrets.Not everyone is happy about the new arrivals, and soon the orphans' safety is in danger. If they want to stay in the first home any of them have known for years, they must unravel the past and bring hope to the future. Will they succeed? Or will they come to regret ever leaving the mean slum streets they once called home?Emma Hornby's page-turning, absorbing sagas will tug at your heartstrings.---------------------------- Readers love Emma Hornby: 'Similar to Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court, Emma Hornby tells a brilliant story that will keep you guessing with twists and turns. Pure talent.''Emma Hornby's books just keep getting better and better. Honest, gritty, lovely characters.''Keep writing Emma, you are very talented and can't wait for your next book. I've read them all.''Emma is a wonderful storyteller and I can't wait for the next one!''Thank you again Emma Hornby for a captivating read''Another beautifully written story by Emma Hornby'

Maid of Oaklands Manor


Terri Nixon - 2013
    A chance meeting between scullery maid Lizzy Parker and heiress Evie Creswell is about to break them all . . . Their meeting leads to more than an enduring friendship and a new job for Lizzy - it draws her into a world of privilege and intrigue and delivers her into the loving arms of a killer. Meeting the handsome but mysterious Jack Carlisle, Lizzy begins to fall for him despite rumours he had been involved in the death of Evie's father. As she becomes further embroiled in the dangerous life that Carlisle lives, she must decide if he can be trusted with the life of a close friend, and, ultimately, if he is worth the risk to her own . . . Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Dilly Court and Annie Murray. The story continues in The Roses of Flanders Field, out now! 'This is the kind of novel that makes you look forward to bedtime so you can read some more - an epic true romance story' - Historical Novel Society *Shortlisted for RNA Best Historical Novel 2013*

Black Camp 21


Bill Jones - 2018
    Every day, thousands more pour in on ships from France. But only the most dangerous are sent to Camp 21 - 'black' prisoners - SS diehards who've sworn death before surrender. Nothing will stop their war, unless it's a bullet.As one fanatic plots a mass breakout and glorious march on London, Max Hartmann dreams of the oath he pledged to the teenage bride he scarcely knows and the child he's never met. Where do his loyalties really lie? To Hitler or to the life he left behind in the bombed ruins of his homeland?Beneath the wintry mountains, in the hell of Black Camp 21, suspicion and fear swirl around like the endless snow. And while the Reich crumbles - and his brutal companions plan their assault - Max's toughest battle is only just beginning.Inspired by terrifying actual events, Black Camp 21 takes readers on a gut-wrenching journey from the battlefields of France to its shocking climax in a camp which still stands today.

Fall From Lace


Emily Claire - 2021
    Everyone knows it, from her dearest friends within the Spinsters’ Sewing Circle to her most distant acquaintances within the parish.So when the beloved new curate turns up dead the night before Valentine’s Day, stabbed through the heart with Lydia’s own knitting needle, not even Lydia’s closest friends expect her to do more than cry and perhaps arrange a luncheon after the funeral service. After all, the tragedy was only a robbery gone wrong, and how could any vicar’s daughter hope to bring the long-gone thief to justice?
But Lydia can’t shake the feeling that this crime was somehow personal. The clues suggest the curate was murdered for some terrible purpose, and everyone at the house party seems to have a motive. Was it the high-born lady whose charitable endeavors are at risk? The beautiful young lady of the house who's hiding an agonizing secret? Her mother, who had every reason to want the curate gone? Or even the butler, whose private life is more scandalous than it seems?
And that’s to say nothing of handsome Mr. Pemberton, a notorious gambler and infuriating flirt from London who seems equally likely to have killed the curate and to drive Lydia to commit a murder herself.
This cozy, romantic Regency murder mystery—full of strong female friendships, gripping twists and turns, and witty repartee sharper than a knitting needle—is sure to delight fans of Jane Austen, Lynn Messina, and Patricia C. Wrede.

Born to Trouble


Rita Bradshaw - 2009
    Shortly after her violent, drunken father is killed in a fight, Pearl's elder brothers are sent to prison leaving her, still a child herself, to care for her baby brothers. Pearl's mother brings her 'clients' to the house, one of whom has a penchant for little girls... Terrified and hurt, Pearl runs away from home and is found, feverish and near death, by Romany gypsies. But this is far from the end of Pearl's struggles. Years pass, and as Pearl reaches womanhood she begins to wonder if she is simply born to trouble or will she find happiness one day?

Pride And Prejudice


Diana Stewart - 1981
    At the turn of eighteenth-century England, a spirited young woman copes with the suit of a snobbish gentleman as well as the romantic entanglements of two of her four sisters.

Killigrew Clay


Rowena Summers - 1987
    After all, he was the heir to the biggest clay works in all of Cornwall, and she was but the daughter of one of their workmen.For just as an unexpected passion began to blossom between Morwen Tremayne and Ben Killigrew, the fates seemed determined to stifle its growth. A long, bitter struggle between owner and workforce brought about Charles Killigrew’s sudden illness, and with it Ben’s summons to the head of the family firm.Morwen and Ben, innocent victims of other men’s antagonisms, find themselves party to a conflict not of their making, that threatens to cut them off not only from their families, but from each other…A touching, heartbreaking tale of a love that conquers all, Killigrew Clay is perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin, Lesley Pearse and Linda Finlay

It's Killing Jerry


Sharn Hutton
    For treachery, blackmail and murder.He might be saving the world in his imagination as an MI5 agent, but Jerry's real life boss, wife and ex are all sick of his shenanigans and figure they’d be better off without him.More use dead than alive, he winds up on the news, reported missing and presumed murdered, his fate a mystery to all but one person. Lies used to make life easier, but now one thing’s for sure: being Jerry is murder.

Three Brides on a Journey to the West: A Western Historical Romance Book Collection


Ava Winters - 2021