The Officer's Affair: A novel of World War II


Samantha Grosser - 2018
    When at last he arrives, she is devastated to find he is a different man, a man she cannot love. Disabled and embittered, Danny can never resume a normal life, and though Rachel is determined to restore their marriage, it seems the war has broken their lives beyond repair.Then Captain Andrews comes to visit, and despite a deep unease between Danny and his former commander, for Rachel the attraction is instant, her heart captured by the officer.But the tension between the two men seems to stem from an earlier time. What happened in Italy to make Danny so hostile to an officer he once trusted and admired? And why has Andrews come to visit him in the face of it?As Rachel struggles to shake off the ghosts of the war, she is torn between her loyalties to an empty marriage and her deepest desires. Only one can prevail in this heart-wrenching novel, which delves into the devastation left behind by the Second World War.

Nowhere Man: Another John Pickett Novella


Sheri Cobb South - 2020
    As weeks go by with no responses to his newspaper advertisement, he has taken to spending his days wandering idly about London rather than admit his failure to his beloved wife Julia, the former Lady Fieldhurst.One day, while loitering amidst the crowds thronging the Covent Garden market, he wonders morosely if it might have been better had he not been born at all. Then he sees one of his former colleagues and, in an attempt to make a discreet exit, contrives instead to knock himself unconscious.He awakens to discover that his Bow Street colleague doesn’t seem to remember him, and after staggering back home to Curzon Street, he finds someone else living in the house where he lived with Julia. But still greater surprises are in store for Pickett as he attempts to navigate his way through a world in which he never existed…With a wink and a nod to Frank Capra’s classic film IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, NOWHERE MAN offers an alternate version of many of the earlier entries in the John Pickett mystery series.

Beyond the Moon


Catherine Taylor - 2019
    Part war story, part timeslip, part love story – and at the same time a meditation on the themes of war, mental illness, identity and art, Beyond The Moon is an intelligent, captivating debut novel, perfect for book clubs.In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. A gifted artist, he’s been wounded fighting in the Great War. Shell shocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems increasingly hopeless. A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother – her only family. Heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol on the South Downs cliffs – only to fall accidentally part-way down. Doctors fear she may have attempted suicide, and Louisa finds herself involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall – now a psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly and chaotic place.Then one day, while secretly exploring the old Victorian hospital’s ruined, abandoned wing, Louisa hears a voice calling for help, and stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned hospital room. Inside, lying on the floor, is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was hurt at the Battle of the Somme, a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lieutenant Robert Lovett…*NB Contains graphic descriptions of war violence and injuries, as well as profanity and mild sex.

The Rigel Affair


L.M. Hedrick - 2019
    will their love survive the separation and wartime bloodshed?

The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom


Alison Love - 2014
    Olivia fears Antonio will betray the secrets of her past, but little by little they are drawn together, outsiders in a glittering world to which they do not belong. At last, with conflict looming across Europe, the attraction between them becomes impossible to resist--but when Italy declares war on England, the impact threatens to separate them forever.The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom is a story of forbidden love and family loyalties amid the most devastating war in human history.

Enduring Passions


David Wiltshire - 2007
    He’s a lot more interesting than most of the men in Fay’s usual set.They would never normally have met. And they certainly should never have fallen in love.But as Neville Chamberlain announces that the country is at war with Germany, their differences turn out to be the least of their worries.Tom joins the RAF and Fay volunteers as a nurse.Theirs was love at first sight, but now it seems that fate might not be on their side.A COUPLE SEPARATED BY CLASS AND WARIn a stunning conclusion Tom must risk everything to rescue the woman he loves.A totally breathtaking wartime saga perfect for fans of Kate Eastham, Pam Howes, Dinah Jefferies, Tania Crosse and Josephine Cox.

Two Penn'orth Of Sky


Katie Flynn - 2004
    Her main aim in life is to escape and she sees marriage as her best way out. When Peter Wesley, First Officer aboard a cruise ship, proposes, she accepts eagerly.The Wesleys have a baby, Diana, and all seems set fair for the small family, but Peter is killed and Emmy left penniless. She and Diana are forced to move back to Nightingale Court. Emmy has to take work as a waitress but she becomes ill and when suitors appear, Diana detests them all...A tale of hardship, heartbreak and hope from a beloved storyteller, Two Penn'orth of Sky is classic Katie Flynn and sure to delight every one of her readers.

The Diamond Courier


Hannah Byron - 2020
    But her aspirations as a political journalist are thwarted when she is instead sent to a finishing school in Switzerland in the summer of 1939. On her way to Lausanne she meets Leo Oppenheim in Paris. He is not only the leader of the British communist party but also the prodigal son of Chaim Oppenheim, London’s richest diamond merchant. Lili’s time at the posh Swiss school even becomes bearable knowing Leo will take her under his wing. The Second World War breaks out and Lili ends up in London, finally indulging in free love and communism. But Leopold needs money, for his personal needs and for the communist party. He has his eye on the largest diamond centre in Europe: Antwerp. However, Germany, too, is in dire need of Antwerp’s diamonds for its war industry. Lili infiltrates in Antwerp’s Jewish community and befriends both the Goldmunz family and the German military commander Ulrich Lemberg. She becomes the diamond courier between Antwerp and London via Vichy France.Until she is caught in 1943 … The Diamond Courier is a young woman’s fight to liberate herself from her privileged upbringing, for which she pays the highest price. Will she ultimately choose politics over love?

From Prejudice to Love


Aria Norton - 2019
    Being a tenacious girl, she chose to take education into her own hands after losing her father. So, from a very young age, she has been working her way up in educating younger children. But little does she know that her life is about to change drastically when she gets interviewed by a handsome Earl for the position of the new governess for his orphaned nephews. Will she deny the tender feelings she will start having for her charming employer, fearing they could complicate her work? Or will she let her heart decide what is the right choice?Richard Langley is the Earl of Hawkscombe and lives a peaceful life until he receives word that his twin sister and her husband have perished in a tragic accident. When he surprisingly learns that their two boys made it alive, he considers it his duty to take them as his own. However, he could never expect that choosing to hire the Irish governess he initially looked down upon would make him question his own values like no one has ever before. Will he let his prejudice aside, look deep into the lady's beautiful soul and accept her unconventional methods? Or will he decide that his perfect match should fit into society's standards and rules?Just when Molly and Richard start getting closer to each other, Molly's sophisticated former employer is about to arrive at the estate, and things will get truly complicated. Who will eventually succeed in capturing the Earl's heart?

House of Shadows


Nicola Cornick - 2015
    Once home to the daughter of a king, its secrets will unite three women across four centuries in a tangle of romance, deceit and destiny... 1662--A queen Bound by sex and birth to live for everyone but herself--and to love always in secret--Elizabeth Stuart entrusts a pair of arcane artifacts to her faithful cavalier to keep safe for her rightful heir. But fate will not be generous to the Winter Queen, throwing the question of succession into turmoil, the aftermath of which will resonate through the generations.1801--A courtesan Lavinia Flyte wanted so much more from life than to be a courtesan at the mercy of the cruel Lord Evershot. He has brought her to Ashdown, the home of his ancestors, for reasons he guards greedily. But the maids' whispers of hidden treasures--a pearl with the power to foretell the future--consume her with a curiosity she confides only to her diary, unaware of the misfortune that threatens.And the mystery that binds them Alarmed to hear her brother has gone missing at Ashdown Park, Holly Ansell is inexplicably drawn to the clues contained in the journal of a Regency courtesan who was living at the historic home when it burned to the ground two hundred years ago. Lured by the tragedy at Ashdown, Holly's search leads her not only to the truth about Lavinia, but deeper into her own connection with the Winter Queen. For fans of Kate Morton and Barbara Erskine comes an unforgettable novel about the power one lie can have over history.

Summerset Abbey


T.J. Brown - 2013
    . . . Rowena BuxtonSir Philip Buxton raised three girls into beautiful and capable young women in a bohemian household that defied Edwardian tradition. Eldest sister Rowena was taught to value people, not wealth or status. But everything she believes will be tested when Sir Philip dies, and the girls must live under their uncle’s guardianship at the vast family estate, Summerset Abbey. Standing up for a beloved family member sequestered to the “underclass” in this privileged new world, and drawn into the Cunning Coterie, an exclusive social circle of aristocratic “rebels,” Rowena must decide where her true passions—and loyalties—lie. Victoria BuxtonFrail in body but filled with an audacious spirit, Victoria secretly dreams of attending university to become a botanist like her father. But this most unladylike wish is not her only secret—Victoria has stumbled upon a family scandal that, if revealed, has the potential to change lives forever. . . . Prudence TatePrudence was lovingly brought up alongside Victoria and Rowena, and their bond is as strong as blood. But by birth she is a governess’s daughter, and to the lord of Summerset Abbey, that makes her a commoner who must take her true place in society—as lady’s maid to her beloved “sisters.” But Pru doesn’t belong in the downstairs world of the household staff any more than she belongs upstairs with the Buxton girls. And when a young lord catches her eye, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever truly carve out a place for herself at Summerset Abbey.

The Berlin Escape (An Aubrey Endeavours Spy Thriller Book 1)


Warren Court - 2021
    America's newest spy is trying to stop it!Young, beautiful and fearless, Aubrey Endeavours fought for recognition in the male dominated world of aviation.And Won!Then her country called.Recruited into America’s fledgling spy agency. Her first mission; to steal vital information about Hitler's next move.Now she is alone and undercover in Berlin. Hunted by the Gestapo. Torn between her loyalty to her country……and the enemy she’s fallen in love with.This time, Aubrey is fighting for her life.If you like historical spy thrillers mixed with romantic suspense then you’ll love The Berlin Escape.Get your copy today!

A Scent of Lavender


Elizabeth Elgin - 2003
    It's 1940 and the threat of invasion hangs over Britain. But in the isolated hamlet of Nun Ainsty it is the arrival of the Army that turns things turned upside down – especially for two young women.Lorna Hatherwood, married to a man ten years older, lives a quiet life. Then she volunteers to read to blind soldiers at the nearby Manor and everything changes – because of a handsome medical officer named Ewan MacMillan. But their relationship could spell disaster…Then there is Ness Nightingale. A Land Girl billeted with Lorna, Ness is trying to forget a disastrous love affair. But when she meets Mick Hardie, a conscientious objector, she has to remind herself that she has vowed never to trust a man again …

Hazzard Blue


Tabitha A. Lane - 2015
    Hunt, Eyes Wide Shut?” Kathryn Hazzard needs a miracle if she's going to pay her huge tax bill and urgently repair Hazzard Hall’s leaking roof - inheriting the family stately home isn't the rose garden it’s cracked up to be. When salvation turns up on her doorstep in the form of gorgeous Daniel Hunt, can she risk her reputation by letting him use her beloved home as the venue for his high class and outrageous sex party? It's tempting. But then lots of things are tempting, aren't they? It doesn't mean they're good for you. Just ask Eve about that apple… HAZZARD BLUE IS AN EROTIC ROMANCE WITH NO CLIFFHANGER!

Letters from Skye


Jessica Brockmole - 2013
      March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.   June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.