Book picks similar to
Ruby Chadwick by Anna King


disability
drama
functionality-variants-fiction
historical

Where There's a Will


June Francis - 2020
    Now, ten years later she is forced to flee her home and journey to Liverpool seeking a better future for herself. There she is taken in by distant relatives and eventually reunited with her paternal grandmother.As Milly tries to build a new life she is haunted by her father’s mysterious disappearance. Her new friends strive to help her find answers, but meanwhile Milly’s mother seeks to remarry on the assumption that her husband is dead. Milly is caught up in the fallout when her grandmother learns of this plan, and the need to find her father is greater than ever. If she doesn’t, her hard-won security risks being ruined once more…

Paradise Park (Potter's S)


Iris Gower - 2002
    She gains a respectable post as housekeeper to an elderly man, but when he dies his waspish sister throws her out onto the streets where she faces destitution. At the entrance to the notorious Paradise Park Hotel she encounters Sal, a young street girl whom she tries to rescue. Her attempt ends in failure and Sal returns to her old life on the streets, leaving Rhiannon is even more determined to become respectable. She obtains a job as maid to unhappy Janey Buchan, who takes a liking to Rhiannon and teaches her ladylike ways. Her rascally husband Dafydd, once the lover of Llinos Mainwaring, causes Janey great unhappiness, and eventually she runs away, leaving Rhiannon once more without a job or a home. In desperation, knowing that little stands between her and a return to her old life, she finds herself back at the Paradise Park Hotel. Once scarcely more than a bawdy house, it has now changed hands and Rhiannon starts working there, helping gradually to transform it from a place of ill-repute into one of the finest hotels in Swansea. The only thing lacking in her life is love, and with Bull Beynon married to sweet, gentle Katie, she fears that she may have to live out her life alone . . . Paradise Park is the triumphant finale to Iris Gower's Firebird sequence, set amongst the romantic clay potteries of South Wales.

Racing Hearts: Historical Western Cowboy Romance (Dawson Chronicles Book 4)


Linda Bridey - 2019
    That is until a beautiful raven-haired whirlwind blows into his life. Nisha Raine is a free-spirited, unstoppable force. She races into town on a coal-black mare with the speed of a hurricane and the heart of a champion, intent on competing in the Dawson Derby. When Nisha and Eric meet, a clash of wills ensues. However, neither can deny their intense attraction. Can they bridge the divide and cross the finish line together, or will their differences make them falter and lose the race?

14/2: The Attack on Pulwama


Vikas Trivedi - 2021
    Joseph’s investigation leads him to various clues, one of which points to a prisoner terrorist Al-Khaled, in India.Through the traps of betrayal, hatred and death, Clinton is determined to bring the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack into the light of justice. Owing to his findings, the Indian Air Force launches an airstrike across the border. The strike leads to the capture of Indian Wg. Cdr Anand behind the enemy lines. As his life hangs by a thread, it is his wit that will help him survive the ordeal.The two stories meld together, taking the patriots through the maze that has vowed to kill every last one of them - and the time's running out.

Cara's Land


Elvi Rhodes - 1991
    Beckwith was isolated, sometimes beautiful, sometimes inhospitable, and had been owned by the Hendry family since 1700.When Cara fell in love with Edward Hendry, it was not what her family had intended for her.Edward was fifteen years older than Cara, a pacifist, and a widower with two children, one of whom bitterly resented her new stepmother.But Cara was determined to make the marriage work, in spite of the hard life on the farm, in spite of Edward's reserved personality and the shadow of Nancy, his former wife.Her greatest friend on the farm was Edward's mother.Edith Hendry, a loyal and wise daleswoman, was to see the young bride through many tragedies, many vicissitudes and the years of trying to run the wild sheep farm on her own.And as Cara's life began to change, so Cara changed too, finding a complete and utter happiness where she had never expected to.

The Web of Karma


Anurag Shrivastava - 2019
    Control over law and order has long since passed from the hands of the administration to caste-based gangs and organized crime syndicates enjoying political patronage. Kidnapping has become one of the flourishing businesses of the state, while every other industry has dwindled down and the development plank has gone on a pause mode, on account of Rangdari, which is yet another booming business apart from contract killing, smuggling, illegal tree cutting, and vehicle snatching. Migration to other states is at peak: not only of big businessmen, but also of lowly laborers. And those who can’t leave the state are either sucked into the crime world or are forced to live under fear. Albeit the local newspapers everyday sketch the sordid saga of the state, the execrable condition is not likely to improve by any means in the near future. Digambar Babu, a middle-aged man of a small town Motihari (the place of Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagrah), is dejected and dismayed for his family falling apart, and so sets himself on a mission to make amends for the mistakes he has done in the past. Shakuntala Devi, his wife, infuriated at herself for having devoted her whole life selflessly and arduously for her ungrateful family, wants to make up for the injustice she has done to herself, by living the rest of her life selfishly. Sarvesh, their asthmatic son, whose first marriage perished about a decade ago, is still struggling with both his career and his married life, and Nisha, their daughter, is married to someone whom she thinks she will never be able to love. The biggest threat to the already troubled family is Nisha’s ex-lover Kanhaiya Tiwari, who is the youngest corporator of the town, and has sworn to ruin the family. Shyam, Nisha’s husband, who is ‘the absorber of the emotions’, in keeping with his fluidity, writhes in pain but transforms time and again, in order to win his wife’s heart, while Savita, Sarvesh’s current wife, colludes with Kanhaiya Tiwari in his evil intent, in order to have all the strings of the family in her hands. Benighted in Sodom, they weave their web of Karma, and fabricate their fates, but the biggest sufferer in the ruthless game of dominance and survival are the innocent children of the family.The story tries to draw parallels between Digambar Babu’s disarrayed family and the disordered town. The novel is inspired from the real events happened in the town during 90’s era of jungle-raaj.

Gentle Courage


Connie Johnson - 2019
    Though, one month out of the Kansas Territory, Hank disappears leaving Rebecca and Jace, their older son, responsible for finding the wagon train in his absence. Without Hank, Rebecca is forced to kill an outlaw who threatens her and her children. The courageous act thrusts her on a course of unforeseen danger. Rebecca finds it necessary to make one critical decision after another for the survival of her family. Joining the wagon train, Rebecca begins the long journey west. Two thousand miles of untamed wilderness and overwhelming adversities draw her closer to the group of travelers whom she soon considers family. Their strength overshadows her fears of retaliation by the outlaw’s brothers determined to make good on their promise. Music by the campfires, starlit nights, and God’s constant presence make the unrelenting wind and long, hot days bearable. Along with the unexpected romance which catches Rebecca by surprise. Gentle Courage tells the story of a woman with extraordinary faith and courage to give her children a future. With powerful insight, author of the Tales of Hackett County series, Connie Johnson captures the essences of the historical epic of the Oregon Trail seen through the eyes of Rebecca Quaid.

The Cotton Spinner (The Mill Town Lasses Book 1)


Libby Ashworth - 2020
    . .Then Titus is arrested and sent to prison for attending a Reform meeting. Jennet is left to fend for herself and things go from bad to worse as she finds herself pregnant and alone – with another man’s child . . .

Bear Creek Brides: Books 9 - 12


Amelia Rose - 2021
    As he struggles to make a dent in the icy exterior of the townspeople he wonders if his efforts will be wasted--then he meets Matilda, and everything changes.From the moment they meet Danny finds himself entranced by her ambition, and Matilda is captured by his passion and determination. But life in Bear Creek is difficult for outsiders and despite the attraction, their blossoming romance could end in tragedy.How can Danny choose between the chance at love and his life's dream? Will Matilda lose her independence if she admits how she feels?Grace Cranfield dreams of freedom from high-society and the suitors her parents push onto her. When all seems lost, she finds a chance at hope when she spots an ad in the church from a Montana rancher looking for a wife.Left alone after the sudden deaths of his brothers, Malcolm Wilson longs for someone to help build a new life from the rubble of his old one. Grace is charming and kind, and as sparks fly she finds herself on a train speeding towards a new home, but also a world like nothing she's ever known.Will Grace be able to find a place in this new world and discover who she truly is? More importantly, will she survive long enough to get the chance?All Mayme Ruble wants is to feel like she belongs. When she comes across an ad from a farmer looking for a wife, she feels a glimmer of hope--a chance to start over and maybe even find love.Thomas Harris has spent most of his life running his farm, and now it's time for him to marry. Mayme's kind, honest response strikes a chord with him and there is instant chemistry. She leaves her hometown with tentative optimism that a new chapter in her life is about to begin.Despite Thomas' warmth and the welcoming townspeople, Mayme struggles to shed her self-consciousness. All seems well, until disaster strikes in Bear Creek and Mayme is forced to make a decision: will she step up and be the woman she hopes to become? Or will she lose this chance at happiness once and for all?When Rachel Maxwell discovers that her home - and her hand in marriage - have been sold to notorious poker player, Salis Dangerfield, her world is thrown into turmoil. Despite the stories swirling around town, Rachel has no plans to give in easily.Salis is a ruthless businessman and highroller. But right now, he's just a man in search of a safe haven. Faced with distrust from both his wife and the locals, it seems as though he and his young sister will never find their footing in Bear Creek.Rachel soon discovers the kind man behind the facade and Salis thinks he may have finally found the peace he's been looking for.Will Salis be able to overcome his demons? Can he and Rachel find a way to be together even when the whole world is against them?In Bear Creek Brides: Books 9-12, you will discover four captivating stories of vulnerability, danger, and determination as these four brides navigate peril and heartache to hold onto the chance for true love.

A Bounty Hunter Never Sleeps


Ethan Westfield - 2021
    However, his life has not always been a bed of roses. When was just a 12-year-old boy, he saved his best friend from a grisly death at the hands of the outlaw gang that killed her parents. As if that wasn’t enough, his friend was sent away to an orphanage in Denver City and John vowed to one day find the murderers and bring them to justice. Years go by and he works out a plan to shed some blood and take down those who stood in the way of his friend’s happiness. What will John be willing to risk in order to get the revenge he’s been waiting for his whole life?Maggie McDermott is deeply traumatized by the events of that nightmarish night. Having lost all of her childhood memories—even those of her best friend, John, she can’t help but wonder whether she’ll find peace one day. That is until John shows up at her door many years after the haunting event that changed her life. He has become a successful bounty hunter and has a bold plan to recover her childhood memories. His plan involves Maggie joining him on a dangerous mission of vengeance, in order to capture the gang that destroyed her life. Will Maggie find the courage to follow this dangerous prescription to get her childhood memories back?Even though John and Maggie haven’t seen each other for many years, their wild thirst for revenge will take them on a sprawling adventure with gunfire, romance, and a longing for justice. Will John be able to protect the girl from the most infamous outlaw gang in the West? Or will they be forced to abandon all hope for a better life once and for all?

Four Sisters


Val Wood - 2019
    Matty has had to care for her three younger sisters ever since their mother’s death ten years ago. She and the girls’ beloved father have worked hard to keep the family together and now it’s time to celebrate as Matty turns eighteen. But their joy is short-lived when tragedy suddenly strikes and their father disappears on his way to London. The sisters have no way of knowing what has happened to him – only that he hasn’t returned home. With little money left they’re now forced to battle life’s misfortunes alone…

The Duke's Legacy


Wendy Soliman - 2008
    As sole heir to the late Duke of Penrith's vast estate, she can only surmise that her fortune is her aggressor's objective but cannot accept that any of her relations are culpable.In desperation she turned to the nortorious rake, Lord Sebastian Denver, for help. Unable to deny a lady in distress, Sebastian inveigles his way into Abbey's hunting lodge, where all the prime suspects are gathered. Distracted by his growing attraction towards Abbey, Sebastian is unprepared when a further daring attempt is made on her life.Determined not to be found wanting for a second time, Sebastian delves into Abbey's past, looking for clues. Satisfied he knows who is behind the plot to kill her, although not why, he lays a daring trap for her aggressors in a race against time to keep her safe...

House in the Hills


Erica Brown - 2019
    Years later, when Catherine's ruthless father, Walter Shellard, reappears, he presumes she's malleable. But Catherine has never forgotten her mother, and never forgiven him for marrying someone else. One day she will have her revenge... A compelling family saga of loss and love perfect for fans of Sharon Maas and Dinah Jefferies

A Paris Secret


Caroline Montague - 2019
    A terrible sacrifice. A second chance... 1952. In the fragile atmosphere of post-war Paris, Sophie Bernot is training as a heart surgeon. A young woman in a man's world, Sophie is determined to bury her past and forge her medical career, whatever the costs.Across the channel, Sebastian Ogilvie is burning with ambition for his first architectural project. As his schemes lead him to France, and to a chance encounter with Sophie, his future seems full of promise.But when Sophie and Sebastian find themselves entangled in a brief, passionate affair, they each face a choice that will change their lives irrevocably, and a secret that will take years to be uncovered... Sweeping from Paris to London, to the snow-capped peaks of the Alps, this is an unforgettable story of passion, heartache and forgiveness. Perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore and Lucinda Riley

Valor's Measure: Based on the heroic Civil War career of Joshua L. Chamberlain


Thomas Wade Oliver - 2013
    From his legendary bayonet charge down the slopes of Little Round Top hill during the Battle of Gettysburg, to the startling calling of Union troops to salute as the defeated Confederate Army surrendered to him at Appomattox, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain redefined the scale of greatness in this country. Wounded six times in battle, twice assumed to be a fatality, the volunteer officer from Maine continued to lead gallantly until the final shot was fired during the Civil War. Valor's Measure tells the death-defying tale of this Medal of Honor hero and captures his spirit as no autobiography can.