Book picks similar to
Betrayal by Karen Fenech


historical-romance
medieval
romance
historical-fiction

Fire Hawk’s Bride: Forbidden Love - Savage Passion


Judith E. French - 2019
    She is kind, but everyone fears her—her eyes being of two different colors—and she grows up concealing a rebellious heart. In the middle of a harrowing chase through the forest, Kate first meets Fire Hawk, who dispatches the pack of ravenous wild dogs that were attacking her. Fire Hawk lives on Kate’s fiancé’s property as an indentured servant and everyone treats him disdainfully as a savage. When Fire Hawk and Kate gaze into each other’s eyes, their souls become one. THE CHOSEN OF THE CHEROKEE Fire Hawk is a Cherokee prince who carries the destiny of being “Chosen of the Cherokee,” the one who must lead and defend his tribe. He has secretly been sent to England by his tribe on a mission to learn the ways of those they must someday fight. Fire Hawk must find a way to journey back to his homeland. But his heart will not let him leave without Kate, for their savage passion burns like forbidden fire. REVIEWS OF FIRE HAWK’S BRIDE 4.08 average rating, 72 ratings, 8 reviews, added by 206 people, 56 to-reads, 94% of people like it—Goodreads 4.5 out of 5 stars (45 customer reviews)—Amazon “Ms. French’s Indian romances are always wonderful, but FIRE HAWK’S BRIDE is her best yet!”“Usually Indian romances take place in the west and this was so different! This book was historically correct in the Native American research and had such a compelling love story... Having Cherokee blood in our family, I know that they were a beautiful people with an amazing culture. Kate and Fire Hawk fell in love from the first day they met, but had many trials and reasons that they could not be together. Four hundred years ago, Europeans hardly believed that American Indians were human. I loved the way that Kate and Fire Hawk saved each other over and over, and I wanted her to run away with him. Loved this book. The ending was exciting and left me thinking about the story for days. A real keeper!”—Az Val, Kindle Edition, Verified Purchase“A must read!”--Romantic Times“Wonderful…This powerful novel will leave you breathless!”Affaire de Coeur“Great storytelling with well-drawn characters and rich historical detail….”—Regan Walker, Goodreads ABOUT JUDITH E. FRENCH Judith E. French captures the essence of passion and brings her special characters alive in her award-winning and bestselling historical romances. She is the mother of bestselling novelist Colleen French. Judith’s novels have been translated into French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Bulgarian, and Mandarin. Many of her historical romances are inspired by her Scottish, Irish, Welsh, English and Lenni-Lenape ancestry rooted in the region around the Chesapeake Bay, where the French family has made its home for more than 300 years. Judith E. French’s novels appeal to readers of Christi Caldwell, Mary Balogh, C. J. Petit, Shirleen Davies, Karen Kay, Madeline Baker, Elle Marlow, Ellen O'Connell, Vonna Harper, Kathryn Le Veque, Colleen French, Julie Garwood, Cecelia Mecca, Caroline Fyffe, and Hannah Howell.

Nova Praetorian


N.R. Walker - 2018
    Tall and strong in build, fearsome in manner, and sharp of wit, he trains the best gladiators bound for the arenas of Rome. When Senator Servius Augendus seeks personal guards, he attends the Ludus Varus for purchase of the very best. He puts to Quintus an offer he cannot refuse, and Quintus finds himself in Neapolis, contracted as a trainer of guards instead of gladiators. Kaeso Agorix was taken from his homelands of Iberia and delivered to Rome as a slave. Bought by a senator to be trained as a guard, his fate is handed to the man who would train him. Absent free will, Kaeso knows his life is no longer his own, though he soon realises the gods have favoured him when he learns his new master has a kind heart. Quintus and Kaeso forge a bond that far exceeds the collar at Kaeso's neck, and together they discover the senator's move for promotion has an ulterior motive. Thrown into a world of politics and conspiracy, of keeping enemies close, they move against time to save Rome before traitors and the gods themselves see to their end. And in doing so, see the dawn of the nova praetorian--the new guard--rise.

The Tenth Gift


Jane Johnson - 2008
    It appears to be a book of exquisite 17th-century embroidery patterns but on closer examination Julia finds it also contains faint diary entries. In these, Cat Tregenna, an embroideress, tells how she and others were stolen out of a Cornish church in 1625 by Muslim pirates and taken on a brutal voyage to Morocco to be auctioned off as slaves.Captivated by this dramatic discovery, Julia sets off to North Africa to determine the authenticity of the book and to uncover more of Cat’s story. There, in the company of a charismatic Moroccan guide, amid the sultry heat, the spice markets, and exotic ruins, Julia discovers buried secrets. And in Morocco – just as Cat did before her – she loses her heart.Almost 400 years apart, the stories of the two women converge in an extraordinary and haunting manner that will make readers wonder – is history fated to repeat itself?

Kidnapped by the Pirate


Keira Andrews - 2017
    Under the thumb of his controlling father, the governor of Primrose Isle, he’s sailing to the fledging colony, where he’ll surrender to a respectable marriage for his family’s financial gain. Then pirates strike and he’s kidnapped for ransom by the Sea Hawk, a legendary villain of the New World.Bitter and jaded, Hawk harbors futile dreams of leaving the sea for a quiet life, but men like him don’t deserve peace. He has a score to settle with Nathaniel’s father—the very man whose treachery forced him into piracy—and he’s sure Nathaniel is just as contemptible.Yet as days pass in close quarters, Nathaniel’s feisty spirit and alluring innocence beguile and bewitch. Although Hawk knows he must keep his distance, the desire to teach Nathaniel the pleasure men can share grows uncontrollable. It’s not as though Hawk would ever feel anything for him besides lust…Nathaniel realizes the fearsome Sea Hawk’s reputation is largely invented, and he sees the lonely man beneath the myth, willingly surrendering to his captor body and soul. As a pirate’s prisoner, he is finally free to be his true self. The crew has been promised the ransom Nathaniel will bring, yet as danger mounts and the time nears to give him up, Hawk’s biggest battle could be with his own heart.This May-December gay romance from Keira Andrews features classic tropes including: a tough alpha pirate too afraid to love, a plucky virgin captive half his age, enemies to lovers, first-time sexual discovery, and of course a happy ending. 85,000 words.

The Spitfire Girls


Soraya M. Lane - 2019
    Three brave women who know their place is not at home. At the height of World War II, the British Air Transport Auxiliary need help. A group of young women volunteer for action, but the perils of their new job don’t end on the tarmac. Things are tough in the air, but on the ground their abilities as pilots are constantly questioned.There is friction from the start between the new recruits. Spirited American Lizzie turns heads with her audacity, but few can deny her flying skills. She couldn’t be more different from shy, petite Ruby, who is far from diminutive in the sky. It falls to pragmatic pilot May to bring the women together and create a formidable team capable of bringing the aircraft home.As these very different women fight to prove themselves up to the task at hand, they are faced with challenges and tragedies at every turn. They must fight for equal pay and respect while handling aircraft that are dangerously ill-equipped; meanwhile, lives continue to be lost in the tumult of war.Determined to assist the war effort doing what they love, can May, Lizzie and Ruby put aside their differences to overcome adversity, and will they find love in the skies?

Courting Misfortune


Regina Jennings - 2020
    When she's assigned to find the kidnapped daughter of a mob boss, she's sent to the rowdy mining town of Joplin, Missouri, despite having extended family in the area. Will their meddling expose her mission and keep Lila Seaton from being recovered?When Matthew Cook decided to be a missionary, he never expected to be sent only a short train ride away. While fighting against corruption of all sorts, Matthew hears of a baby raffle being held to raise funds for a children's home. He'll do what he can to stop it, but he also wants to stop the reckless Miss York, whose bad judgment consistently seems to be putting her in harm's way.Calista doesn't need the handsome pastor interfering with her investigation, and she can't let her disguise slip. Her job and the life of a young lady depend on keeping Matthew in the dark.

The Evening and the Morning


Ken Follett - 2020
    England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.

Heart of a Highlander


Emilia Ferguson - 2017
     Can the memories of the past be put aside for the sake of love? A Tormented Highlander… Duty-bound to seek revenge, Broderick MacConnaway, son of the Thane of Dunkeld, lives haunted by memories of his lost wife Aisling. Forming an alliance with the Lochlann family presents its own trials, but if the marriage allows him to fulfil his vengeance, then so be it. Even if the guilt over Aisling prevents him from ever loving again... The Lochlann Lass… With her uncle seeking to marry her off advantageously, Amabel du Mas, great-niece of Brien, Earl of Lochlann, is still empathetic to the plight of Broderick MacConnaway. Believing she would never meet a man she would look at twice - let alone marry - Amabel nonetheless knows a ghost lies between them. A ghost that she may never be able to lay to rest... Revenge Takes a Strange Path… But when sinister intentions surface and Amabel is captured before she has a chance to reveal them, Broderick is forced to see past the deceptions and begin another campaign of vengeance. With conflicts between powerful clans escalating and the well-laid plans unraveling into senseless violence, Broderick has no choice but to work together with his new wife to bring Aisling’s killers to justice. But can they find love? Will Broderick find a way past the memories that torment him? Or will he fail, and risk losing yet another wife?

My Steadfast Heart


Jo Goodman - 1997
    His two younger brothers were lost to him, perhaps forever, and now a dark mission of revenge had brought the ruthless ship captain to England.Penniless aristocrat Mercedes Leydon was beautiful...and desperate. Colin Thorne was claiming the estate of her dissolute uncle, the Earl of Weybourne, as payment for a gambling debt. She was treated as a servant at Weybourne Park, but it was home to her and the earl's children. Now Mercedes would use anything—lies, promises—even her own body—to stop Thorne from destroying their lives.A man consumed by the fires of vengeance. A woman determined never to love. An unexpected passion that could damn them both...

The Daring Ladies of Lowell


Kate Alcott - 2014
    From dawn until dusk, these ladies work the looms, but the thrill of independence, change in their pockets, and friendships formed along the way mostly make the backbreaking labor worthwhile. In fact, Hiram Fiske, the steely-eyed titan of industry, has banked on that. But the working conditions are becoming increasingly dangerous and after one too many accidents, Alice finds herself unexpectedly acting as an emissary to address the factory workers' mounting list of grievances.After traveling to the Fiske family's Beacon Hill mansion, Alice enters a world she's never even dared to dream about: exquisite silk gowns, sumptuous dinners, grand sitting parlors, and uniformed maids operating with an invisible efficiency. Of course, there's also a chilliness in the air as Alice presents her case. But with her wide, intelligent eyes and rosy-hued cheeks, Alice manages to capture the attention of Hiram's eldest son, the handsome and reserved Samuel Fiske.Their chemistry is undeniable, soon progressing from mutual respect and shy flirtation into an unforgettable romance. But when Alice's best friend, Lovey, is found strangled in a field, Alice and Samuel are torn between loyalty to "their kind" and a chance for true love.