Book picks similar to
When the Stars Go Out by Vivica Dorn
historical
historical-fiction
glbt
genre-historical-fiction
One of Us Buried
Johanna Craven - 2021
She is put to work at the female factory of Parramatta; a place where the women’s only hope of food and lodgings is to offer their bodies to the settlement’s men. Nell is given shelter by Lieutenant Blackwell, a brooding soldier to whom she is inexplicably drawn. Despite warnings from the other women, Blackwell’s motives seem decent, and beneath the roof of a military officer, Nell sees a chance to become more than just a convict woman sent to the factory to be forgotten. But tensions are high in New South Wales, with the young colony teetering on the edge of a convict rebellion. And as Nell treads a dangerous line between obedience and power, she learns the role of a factory lass is to remain silent – or face a walk to the gallows.
The Dying Place
David A. Maurer - 1986
So begins The Dying Place, David Maurer’s unflinching look at MACV-SOG, Vietnam, and a young man’s entry into war. Fresh from the folds of the Catholic Church, Sgt. Sam Walden is quickly embraced by another religion, jungle warfare. After four years there may be no resolution between the two; God knows Sam has tried. But how many Hail Mary’s will absolve him of what he has done in Laos? Walden is a war-weary Green Beret, regularly tested beyond normal limits by the ever-changing priorities of the puzzle palace in Saigon. And yet he overcomes, staying alive to go on mission after mission with his one-one and his little people. To them he is everything – strength, compassion, courage. He will not let them down. David Maurer’s own experiences at MACV-SOG’s Command and Control North come to life in this tense action-packed story. The U.S. was not supposed to be in Laos during the Vietnam War and by all accounts, we weren’t. Some know better, and fortunately, Maurer is one of those. With a fine ear for dialogue Maurer takes you back and sets you down squarely on the LZ, where inner turmoil is quelled and external conflict takes over, if only for awhile. If you’re lucky, you just might make it out alive.
A Rose Among the Ruins
Ariel Tachna - 2009
While escorting the bride, comrades-in-arms Rhicer and Kanath inadvertently drink a love potion intended for the newlyweds and find themselves dealing with a newfound desire for one another. As they struggle with their growing connection in a culture that despises same-sex love, Rhicer and Kanath face a terrible decision: give in to the social mores of their time and abandon love or answer the call of their hearts and leave Ageselm forever.
Introducing Mr. Winterbourne
Joanna Chambers - 2014
Handsome, amiable, and a renowned sportsman, he is the darling of London society. As far as Adam Freeman is concerned though, Lysander is just another spoiled aristocrat.A wealthy mill owner, Adam has no time for the frivolous world of the ton, but when his younger brother becomes engaged to Althea Winterbourne, he reluctantly agrees to be introduced to society–with the Winterbourne clan’s golden boy as his guide.Resigning himself to a few days of boredom, Adam is surprised to learn that there is much more to Lysander than his perfect surface. But will Adam have the courage to introduce Lysander Winterbourne to his own secret self?Originally published in Another Place in Time anthology.
The Preacher's Bride Claim
Laurie Kingery - 2014
A new start, a new community-what more could preacher Elijah Thornton need? Not a wife-not after the pain of losing his fiancée. But something draws him to the pretty nurse whose eyes are clouded by trouble.Only by claiming her own homestead can Alice Hawthorne avoid an unwanted marriage. Even Oklahoma may not be far enough away from New York to escape her past. Yet with courage-and the handsome reverend's support-can she forge a loving future?Bridegroom Brothers: True love awaits three siblings in the Oklahoma Land Rush
Garden of Her Heart
Shanna Hatfield - 2016
Desperate to reach the Portland Assembly Center for Japanese Americans, she’s kicked off the bus miles from town. Every tick of the clock pushes her closer to becoming a fugitive in the land of her birth. Exhausted, she stumbles to her grandparents’ abandoned farm only to find a dying soldier sprawled across the step. Unable to leave him, she forsakes all else to keep him alive. After crashing his plane in the Battle of the Atlantic, the doctors condemn Captain Rock Laroux to die. Determined to meet his maker beneath a blue sky at his family home, he sneaks out of the hospital. Weary and half out of his mind, he makes it as far as a produce stand he remembers from his youth. Rather than surrender to death, Rock fights a battle of the heart as he falls in love with the beautiful Japanese woman who saves his life. A poignant, sweet romance, Garden of Her Heart proves love can bloom in unlikely places even under the most challenging circumstances. Winner of the RT Review Source Award and RONE Finalist “Shanna Hatfield's Garden of Her Heart is a warm and moving WWII story of a love hoping to bridge two cultures in a time of turmoil. Strong characters, historical authenticity, and unique twists of fate blend with details of American Japanese life near Portland Oregon and a wounded soldier's love. It both informs and inspires. Readers will remember this unique romance that blooms in the garden of the spirit and the heart.” -- Jane Kirkpatrick, NYT Bestselling Author and Award-winning author of This Road We Traveled
Claimed by the Highlander
Anne Morrison - 2019
her uncle seeks to involve her in a terrible plot!
.
There is only one solution, one hope for her.
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That is to run north.Her cousin Devon Montgomery holds an English claim on Scottish land.She disguises herself as a maid, never thinking what is ahead of her.
.The only one who can help her is the blank-shield soldier who pulls her from a terrible situation.Reade MacTaggart. .
But ... Reade is not as he seems.He's no more a mercenary than she is a maid.Instead ... he's a Scottish Highlander, the younger brother of Laird MacTaggart--of the infamous Clan Mactaggart. .
There is only one reason that Reade came south.That is to spy for his clan.
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Just when he thought to go home, an English girl with more beauty than money falls into his lap, and Reade finds that he cannot resist.In a dark and violent era, Elizabeth and Reade find each other, but will they be able to keep each other?Or will she be taken from him? (The Highlands Warring Scottish Romance) (A Medieval Historical Romance Book)
The Promise of Light: A Novel
Paul Watkins - 1992
Determined to learn the truth about his family's cloudy past, he sets sail for Ireland, and quickly becomes involved in a struggle between soldiers of the newly formed Irish Republican Army and the brutal British troops. Amidst the lush and rugged Irish countryside, and the horrible violence unfolding across it, Ben must search for the truth of his identity, and the ties of his family's blood.
Samurai's Apprentice
David Walters - 2011
All this seems far removed from Kami, a boy who quietly goes about his everyday life in his farm village until one day he trips over the unconsious body of a warrior hidden in the long grass.That discovery will lead him on an adventure across the warring kingdoms, facing assassins and enemy soldiers as he journeys to the capital to face the new Shogun. Through his travels he aspires to become a samurai, and in his many challenges he eventually comes to understand what it means to be one.
The Bright Blue Sky
Max Hennessy - 1982
Dicken Quinney never forgot that first flight in a fragile contraption of sealing-wax and string, the start of a lifelong obsession with aviation. He was to spend the next four years in the deadly cut-and-thrust of aerial dogfights over France and Italy, collecting a chestful of medals, and a reputation as one of the Great War’s leading aces.He would hone his skills in an array of aircraft – the BE2, the 1½-Strutter, the Camel – and as the war reaches its climax, Dicken is maturing into a daring pilot. But then he must undergo one final test in order to emerge victorious. And with his life intact…
The Bright Blue Sky is a love letter to aviation, a brilliant read, perfect for fans of Thomas Wood, Wilbur Smith, and Mark Sullivan.
The Devil Lancer
Astrid Amara - 2014
Facing a harrowing winter campaign, Elliott must rally disheartened men through sickness, battle and starvation.But when he is assigned the additional task of spying on a fellow officer, the inscrutable Cornet Ilyas Kovakin, he finds himself disconcerted and fascinated by both the work and the man.The half-Russian officer reports to none in his division. Rumors of demonic power and black magic surround him, but the truth turns out to be worse than the suspicions.For Ilyas, his return to the Crimea is marred by the terrible mistake that cursed him with a horrifying power nearly beyond his control. His grip on his humanity is slipping away daily. Torn between a master he cannot trust and the family he must not return to, his only hope for salvation lies hidden in the long-forgotten symbols of centuries-old relics. But their meanings remain a mystery until the cheerful Captain Parrish offers assistance.Although Ilyas fears trusting the young captain, Elliott’s company is almost irresistible.Surrounded by deprivation, cruelty and war, both men know the closer they are drawn together, the greater the stakes. But with the balance of European power on the line, retreat is not an option.
Pictures of You
Leta Blake - 2016
Growing up gay in Knoxville, Tennessee is even harder. Eighteen-year-old Peter Mandel, a private school senior—class of 1991—is passionate about photography. Peter doesn’t have many friends, preferring to shoot pictures from behind the scenes to keep his homosexuality secret.Enter Adam Algedi, a charming, worldly new guy who doesn't do labels, but does want to do Peter. Hardly able to believe gorgeous Adam would want geeky, skinny him of all people, Peter's swept away on a journey of first love and sexual discovery. But as their mutual web of lies spins tighter and tighter, can Peter find the confidence he needs to make the right choices? And will his crush on Daniel, a college acquaintance, open a new path?Join Peter in the first of this four-part coming of age series as he struggles to love and be loved, and grow into a gay man worthy of his own respect. This new series by Leta Blake is gay fiction with romantic elements.Book 1 of 4. Warning! These books contain: New Adult fiction, ‘90s gay life, small city homosexual experiences, Southern biases, sexual exploration, romance, homophobia, bisexuality, and twisted-up young love. Oh, and a guaranteed happy ending for the main character by the end of Book 4.
Push Not the River
James Conroyd Martin - 2000
It is then, at the young and vulnerable age of seventeen, when Lady Anna Maria Berezowska loses both of her parents and must leave the only home she has ever known. With Empress Catherine's Russian armies streaming in to take their spoils, Anna is quickly thrust into a world of love and hate, loyalty and deceit, patriotism and treason, life and death. Even kind Aunt Stella, Anna's new guardian who soon comes to personify Poland's courage and spirit, can't protect Anna from the uncertain future of the country. Anna, a child no longer, turns to love and comfort in the form of Jan, a brave patriot and architect of democracy, unaware that her beautiful and enigmatic cousin Zofia has already set her sights on the handsome young fighter. Thus Anna walks unwittingly into Zofia's jealous wrath and darkly sinister intentions. Forced to survive several tragic events, many of them orchestrated by the crafty Zofia, a strengthened Anna begins to learn to place herself in the way of destiny--for love and for country. Heeding the proud spirit of her late father, Anna becomes a major player in the fight against the countries who come to partition her beloved Poland. PUSH NOT THE RIVER is based on the true eighteenth century diary of Anna Maria Berezowska, a Polish countess who lived through the rise and fall of the historic Third of May Constitution. Vivid, romantic, and thrillingly paced, it paints the emotional and unforgettable story of the metamorphosis of a nation--and of a proud and resilient young woman.
Worth It: The Complete Series
Peter Styles - 2019
But I never dreamed that he would make me feel alive again, either." Caleb Barker is trying. But it's difficult being a widowed single dad. Keeping up with three kids, the house, and his sales job doesn't leave him much time to sleep, let alone even think about moving forward, romantically. Right now, his sole focus needs to be creating a stable home for his kids, and to do that, he needs to get a promotion - and to get a promotion, he's finally ready to admit that he needs some help. "I know I should be careful. He's my boss. But it's so easy to forget that when he touches me." Ethan Collier is ready to escape the city - and more importantly, his string of loser ex-boyfriends. It's time to get his life back on track, and to do that, he needs a job. Getting the position as Caleb's manny should help Ethan gain enough stability to go back to school. He just never accounted for the children's dad being a DILF. Welcome to Worthington, Texas, where the heat doesn't just rise in the summer - you'll feel it all year long in these stories of older men and their younger lovers. Every book in the Worth It series can be read on its own, but with so many familiar characters to love, why stop with just one? This book features a little hurt with a lot of comfort, the courage to come out of your comfort zones, and a teenager who really does have all the answers. Get Worth Trying and the rest of the 9 fantastic books in the Complete Worth It Series Bundle!
When Empires Collide
Andrew Wareham - 2016
Never far from his mind is his ‘Monkey’ otherwise known as squire’s daughter, Grace; friends since Tommy returned from America with his aircraft designer father, over time their friendship blossoms into something deeper. With the conflict and speculation about his shadowy half-brother intensifying, Tommy is eventually sent to France as the Corps makes its first haphazard attempts to engage the enemy in the skies over Europe. Books best read in series order. About the Series The Royal Flying Corps grew from the amateur hobbyists flying the earliest and most dangerous machines. Mostly drawn from the Army and Navy, the pilots regarded themselves as gentlemen members of a new club. The Great War saw the death of amateurism - except in the higher ranks - and the unplanned, fortuitous creation of a professional force. Innocents at War follows the career of Anglo-American flier, Tommy Stark, an enthusiastic boy forced to grow up quickly as many around him die. His deep affection for squire’s daughter, Grace is his only certainty as the bitter conflict threatens to strip the world of its innocence. Published by The Electronic Book Company