Book picks similar to
Gardenia Duty by Kathleen Varn


military
historical-fiction
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Dambuster


Robert Radcliffe - 2011
    Twenty Lancaster bombers stand poised to fly one of World War 2’s most daring and dangerous missions, 617 Squadron’s legendary bouncing-bomb attack on Germany’s dams. Success could shorten the war, the crews are told, but will inevitably come at a cost. Many of them, hand-picked by their charismatic if volatile leader, Guy Gibson, will not be coming back.After two tours of duty and fifty-nine missions, combat-seasoned pilot Peter Lightfoot and his loyal crew are already on borrowed time. Narrowly escaping death on a disastrous final operation over the Alps, a flight which ends by ditching their wrecked Lancaster into the Atlantic, the seven men are at last relieved from operational flying, job done. But haunted by a face from his past, Lightfoot cannot rest, and unknown to his crew applies to join Gibson’s 617 Squadron, and fly the dams mission. A mission many see as certain suicide.Tense, thrilling, and meticulously researched as always, Robert Radcliffe’s DAMBUSTER - like his bestselling UNDER AN ENGLISH HEAVEN - is an old-fashioned adventure of the most gripping sort.

The Gunny: A Vietnam Story


Raymond Hunter Pyle - 2001
    Then, if he makes it, life doesn’t get easier—he gets tougher. He may get to do the toughest job around: combat infantry. And in 1966, he will almost certainly end up in Vietnam. Frank Evans is a Navy sailor willing to do whatever is necessary to become a Marine. He’s tough enough—and he has a General interested in his success. But success is measured in many ways. Frank finds out combat and the Marine Corps’ definition of success change a man. Some of the changes are a matter of pride. Others—well, you learn to live with them.

Like Father, Like Son


Diane Allen - 2015
    . . From birth, Polly Harper seems destined for tragedy. Raised by her loving grandparents on Paradise Farm she is unknowingly tangled in a web of secrecy regarding her parentage. When she falls in love with Tobias, the wealthy son of a local landowner of disrepute, her anxious grandparents send her to work in a dairy. There she becomes instantly drawn to the handsome Matt Dinsdale, propelling her further into the depths of forbidden romance and dark family secrets. But tragedy strikes, Polly is forced to confront her past and decide the fate of her future. Will she lose everything, or will she finally realize that her roots and love lie in Paradise?

Dancing on Deansgate


Freda Lightfoot - 2003
    But when the Blitz reaches Manchester, she is locked in the cellar by her feckless mother, Lizzie. As bombs rain down from a sky turned blood red with flame, Jess waits for Lizzie to return.But fortunes are fickle, and soon Jess finds herself packed off to live with her tyrant Uncle Bernie, a bullying black marketeer. Though he treats her like a servant, she seeks refuge in the Sally Army and her natural musical talent offers both an escape route and the chance for love.But Uncle Bernie never forgives his niece for refusing to join his illegal schemes and threatens to deprive Jess of her hard-won freedom once and for all. This is a sweeping saga of hope and resilience perfect for fans of Kitty Neale and Rosie Goodwin. Praise for Dancing on Deansgate ‘A heart-wrenching story’ 5* Reader review‘It drew me in straight away’ 5* Reader review‘Another gem from a great writer’ 5* Reader review‘A compelling story of separation and hardship, and heartache overcome at last’ 5* Reader review

The Forgotten Girl


Heather Chapman - 2018
    Her only hope of surviving is to travel to America, a land of freedom and opportunity, and reunite with her brother in Baltimore. There she'll find new challenges, and perhaps, if she can put her painful past behind her, a new chance for love and lasting happiness.

What's Done in The Dark: Season 1


Solae Devhine - 2011
    Not only is he different but his wife, sister, brother, and best friend have changed.The only thing they have in common are their secrets and their need to hide them. They soon find out that all things will be brought to light… one way or another.This is the Complete First Season of the Best Selling Saga What's Done in the Dark.(27,136 Words) Revised Edition

Napoleon's Run


Jonathan Spencer - 2020
    Late one night, a junior naval officer at the Admiralty intercepts a coded despatch, marked with blood: Napoleon Bonaparte is about to launch the largest invasion fleet in history. Target: unknown.England is vulnerable, bereft of allies, and the Sea Lords fear a direct assault on Britain. Admiralty Intelligence sounds the alarm and prepares to unleash Nelson and the Mediterranean squadron.But before they can, they need vital information. They need a special officer to infiltrate by land or by sea to uncover the destination of Napoleon’s armada – a man who never stops.Marine Lt William John Hazzard.But will he agree to help them?Betrayed by the Admiralty at the African Cape three years earlier, Hazzard has vowed never to trust them again. Bitter memories poisoned his return home, and his devoted fiancée Sarah, unable to bear his pain any longer, disappears in Naples – never to be seen again.But the Admiralty knows just how to get him back.They know where Sarah is, and her life is in danger…From pitched sea-battles to back-street duels in a covert war, this is the epic adventure of the new hero of Napoleonic fiction: Hazzard. Perfect for fans of Seth Hunter, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forester.Never give up the boat.

Worth Their Colours


Martin McDowell - 2010
    The year is 1805 and Nelson has robbed the French of their way across The Channel, but Napoleon’s Grande Armee’ remains a potent threat. Faced with this, the Secretary of State for War gathered all possible forces to resist invasion. This included sweeping up into Detachment Battalions the surviving soldiers of various minor disasters and combining them together with a very much less than re-assuring mixture of recruits. This is the story of one such Battalion, a collection of veterans, social outcasts, untried Militia, volunteers, criminals and poachers who march and train together until the desperate British military deem them fit to be part of General Stuart’s army that invades Calabria to support one the few allies Britain has, the King of Naples. There they confront a veteran French army on the plains of Maida for the first set piece confrontation between the armies of Great Britain and Napoleon’s all-conquering forces. At the campaign’s end, as a Detachment Battalion, usually considered as inherently inferior, they could be broken up and sent to reinforce under strength, well established, Regiments. Or, perhaps, by their own deeds and prowess, they deserve to be recognised as a numbered Regiment, and be““Worth Their Colours.”

The Wellington and Napoleon Quartet: Young Bloods, The Generals, Fire and Sword, Fields of Death


Simon Scarrow - 2015
     Arthur, Duke of Wellington, and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte were adversaries on an epic scale. Across Europe and beyond, the armies of Great Britain and France clashed, from the Iberian Peninsula to India, from Austerlitz to the final confrontation at Waterloo. What drove the two clever, ambitious, determined men who masterminded these military campaigns? How did the underdog from Corsica develop the strategic military skills and the political cunning that gave him power over swathes of Europe? And how did Wellington, born to be a leader, hone his talents and drive an army to victory after victory?From an outstanding historian and novelist come four epic novels, now available in one volume for the first time, which tell the full story of both these men, from their very early days till the momentous battle at Waterloo which decided the future of Europe.INCLUDES MAPS

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


Ava Winters - 2021
    

The Foot Soldier


Mark Rubinstein - 2013
    The Foot Soldier brings you to the hell of jungle combat. Close your eyes and this novella takes you there. It conveys the terror and brutality of jungle warfare and their effect on the American riflemen--those who bore the greatest burden. It's every bit as compelling as The Things They Carried.

Rebecca's Children: A saga of love & betrayal in 19th Century Wales


Kate Dunn - 2016
    For fans of Nadine Dorries, Maeve Binchy, Freda Lightfoot and Dilly Court. Lives are on the line as the workers fight back in the Welsh countryside… 1829, Wales For centuries. generations of the Jenkins family have eked out a living from their Carmarthenshire hill farm. But when a fire destroys virtually all of their possessions the children witness their lives crumbling around them. Mary and William find they have barely enough land left to provide for their basic needs. Their only option is to take on more work, but William longs for action, and Mary begins to suspect that he has become embroiled with the Rebecca-ites, a shadowy group of nationalists pitted against the English landowners whose tolls have bankrupted so many Welshman. As tensions mount, Mary becomes ever more torn between her mistrust of the rebels’ violence and her growing attraction to Jac Tŷ Isha, one of their leaders. And when the British government decides to put a stop to the revolt, the danger to the men she loves increases a hundredfold… REBECCA’S CHILDREN is a poignant, beautifully crafted saga of love and betrayal, set against the background of Wales in mid-1800s – a country aflame with political and social unrest. "An accomplished first novel." - The Times "A well-handled tale of passion, social injustice and nationalist fervour in nineteenth century Wales." - The Liverpool Post “Kate Dunn is a fine storyteller.” - Ben Elton

Bloody Iced Bullet


Andrew McGregor - 2014
     Leutnant Hausser, a young experienced infantry officer with the 76th Infantry Division is assigned with a handful of men to the south of Stalingrad. As the fighting heightens in the city, the officer and his men are sent to bolster the defences of their allies, the Romanians. The front is relatively quiet, most believe the Russian Army is finished. The end of the bitter war in the east may only be days away. Thinking of loved ones and home, they await the conclusion of the battle, comforted by promises that the victorious outcome will decide the war…that it will soon be all over. It may only be a matter of time before they see their families again. Daily life has become more relaxed, in warm bunkers and well dug defences, they write letters and socialise with their allies. It may soon be time to go home. As the German Sixth Army discovers just how vicious the fighting in Stalingrad can become, they take troops from their flanks in final attempts to take the city before the onset of 'another bitter Russian winter.' One last push will finish the Russians once and for all. The German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, has virtually driven the Red Air Force from the skies. The Russian high command, STAVKA, are secretly planning to turn the tide of the war in the southern sector of the front as they see the weaker German allies occupy defensive positions either side of the city that holds Stalin's name. As the Russian offensive engulfs the flanks around Stalingrad, the young officer and his men desperately begin a battle for survival against bitter temperatures and time, oblivious to what the overall picture may be…and what their future holds. Not everything is as it seems in the deepest cold of winter as a small group of men combat nature and a vicious and cunning enemy motivated by revenge to survive and escape. With temperatures dropping to minus 25 to 35 degrees Celsius and a vicious struggle for survival against both nature and the cruelties of war, the portrayal of individual human reaction to fate and historical events is a gripping insight into the soldier on the frontline, thousands of miles from the decisions that will forge their individual destinies. Having spent thirty years studying World War 2 and in particular, the Russian Front, these offerings are based on historical fact. The characters are fictitious, attempting to portray a realistic account of what the battle would have been like for individual soldiers. All units and actions are in accordance with actual events, including propaganda, deployment and individual division engagements. Bloody Iced Bullet is available as an E-Book on Kindle, paperback in US book stores and via mail order across the world. The author aims to provide a thoroughly enjoyable and imaginative reading experience at an affordable price for the reader. All three works from the author's World War 2 Series concentrating on Stalingrad have achieved Best Seller status on Amazon in the UK and many more stories are outlined. Imagination is personal, free and to be cherished.

Riverbreeze: Part 2 (Riverbreeze Trilogy)


Ellen E. Johnson - 2012
     Part 2 continues the saga of the Bassett brothers and their twin wives as they return to Riverbreeze and begin their married lives. All is not well at the Bassett home though. A pair of misfortunes set the stage for this action-packed sequel. Robert must also face the consequences of his reckless behavior in Part 1; and Elizabeth and Evelyn discover a strange phenomenon about themselves that threatens to destroy their young relationships with their husbands; and finally Robert makes the one dreaded mistake that almost drives a wedge between the two brothers. Full of drama, excitement, humor, romance and details of early American life, Riverbreeze, the series will appeal to a wide range of readers.

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.