Book picks similar to
The Problem with Pearls by Phyllis McManus
historical-fiction
inspirationalfict<br/>ion
novels-feel-good
world-war-ii
Men of Bone
David Penny - 2021
Reacting instinctively to protect a stranger, Thomas becomes their target. When the bonemen come to inflict punishment he is forced kill one of their number.As he leaves London in the company of Arthur, Prince of Wales, heir to the English throne, Thomas expects no grave consequences for his actions. It’s a mistake that might get both him and his companions killed.Sent to England by the Spanish Queen to watch over Catherine of Aragon on her marriage to Arthur, Thomas intends the duty to be short-lived. But he hasn’t reckoned on the bonemen, who are spreading their influence ever wider. As danger mounts, Thomas is no longer sure he is the man for the task but has no option but to fight, as he always has. For the innocent, for justice, and for his life.Politics and crime collide in Tudor England in a new series of adventures for Thomas Berrington. Join Thomas on his latest journey. Order The Bone Men now.
The Urchin of Walton Hall (The Victorian Village Sagas)
Emma Hardwick - 2020
She was promptly sent away by her philandering father, the colliery owner Robert Harvey, to become an educated and accomplished young woman - and to escape the beatings at the cruel hand of her vengeful stepmother, Hannah. As Bess finishes boarding school, a tragic accident strikes Robert Harvey, almost killing him, and the decline of the family's fortunes means Bess and her siblings must find spouses to provide for them. After a series of doomed arranged encounters with potential suitors, Bess's stepmother is forced to take drastic action against her to protect herself and her family. Who is the mystery fiancé Hannah Harvey has in mind? And how will Bess feel knowing the decision means she will never be free to marry her childhood sweetheart?
The Last Season
Robert Joseph - 2016
The so-called 'Season' is beginning, a traditional period during which marriageable young ladies of the aristocracy enjoy lavish balls and are 'presented' to the monarchy as they enter high society. This year, it is 18 year old LADY MARY ASHMORE'S turn.Mary hopes that her escort to her ball will be the object of her desire: the sensitive and fiercely patriotic LORD ANDREW BUCKFORD. Although Andrew's roguish younger brother NICHOLAS has his eye on Mary, she shuns him because of his reputation as a womanizer and rumors that he is involved in activities possibly detrimental to Britain.Mary is devastated when she discovers that Andrew is deeply in love with her German-Jewish tutor RUTH HERZOG. Learning of the situation, Mary's mother, LADY CELIA, immediately discharges Ruth, sending her back to Nazi Germany. There, she is forced to live under deplorable conditions in a Jewish ghetto, a stark contrast to the German life she once knew.Shocked by Ruth's sudden departure, but aware that Mary plans a visit to relatives in Berlin, Andrew, who has joined the Royal Air Force, secures documents enabling Ruth's return to England. He pleads with Mary to deliver them to Ruth, and she reluctantly agrees. Mary's jealousy, however, gets in the way.In Berlin, Mary confronts the harsh reality of Nazi militarism, extreme anti-Semitism and the ever-present threat of Ruth's deportation to one of Hitler's death camps. In addition, she must contend with her radical cousin HEINZI who is active in the Hitler Youth movement and lusts after Mary. Nicholas surprisingly turns up in Berlin on business, and Mary gets an inkling that the mysterious project with which he is involved may prove far more powerful and important than anyone ever dreamed.After a long personal struggle, Mary realizes the harm her selfish emotions and unrequited love have caused and embarks on a dangerous plan to help Ruth escape Germany.
Moorend Farm (Sinclair Family Saga Book 2)
Gwen Kirkwood - 2019
“A thoroughly entertaining read.” Customer review “I was drawn to the novel for the farming aspect, and was not disappointed by discovering such a wonderful read.” Discovering Diamonds SET DURING THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY Moorend Farm, Yorkshire, Before the First World War. William and Emma Sinclair have settled into life at Moorend Farm in West Yorkshire and live happily with their growing family, believing they have left the shame of their past behind. William is determined to prove his success to his embittered mother, and chart a secure living for his sons. DISCOVER A BEAUTIFUL AND HEART-WARMING TALE When Emma takes Jamie and Meg to visit her parents in Scotland, they receive a warm welcome from all their relations, except 'Grandmother Sinclair'. She sows seeds of doubt in Jamie's mind, telling him he is not a Sinclair. Her animosity stems from a secret in her own past. This also affects the happiness of her eldest daughter, Maggie, who is on the threshold of discovering it is never too late to experience the tenderness of love. WILL SECRETS FROM THE PAST DESTROY THEIR FUTURE? PERFECT FOR FANS OF NADINE DORRIES, GLENDA YOUNG, DILLY COURT OR SHEILA NEWBERRY. ALSO BY GWEN KIRKWOOD SINCLAIR FAMILY SAGA Book 1: Moorland Mist Book 2: Moorend Farm
Joy at Quail Crossings (Quail Crossings, #5)
Jennifer McMurrain - 2020
The Brewer children have all grown up and started families of their own and Dovie Pearce is content. She’s married to a wonderful man, Gabe, and her adoptive daughter, Ellie, is a wonderful companion. But one cold March night, the peace is broken with a midnight knock at the door that ends with the cries of an abandoned baby by sunrise. Joy Smith has fallen into her own quiet life. At sixteen, she has little to worry about, until she finds the marriage certificate of her parents that doesn’t make sense. She questions her family members, trying to figure out the mysterious document, but once she discovers the truth, her life is shattered.Jaded by her parent’s lack of trust, Joy finds a kinship with baby Jeffery. When she finds out who the abandoned baby belongs to, she vows to make things right for him. Will her actions give Jeffery the life he deserves or is she putting him in the hands of the very person who will destroy him?
The Train Part 1: Escape From Hell's Kitchen
Keith Schafer - 2013
Over the years it was visited by a diverse hodge-podge of notables, including Davey Crockett and Charles Dickens, all who left aghast at the horrible living conditions, the poverty and the decadence of the people they found there. At their zenith, these vulgar, diseased and murderous streets housed 30,000 homeless children of all ages--the street urchins--who played, scavenged for food, fought the elements and each other, and tried to avoid the perpetual violence that routinely threatened their survival. Death was their constant competitor, and death often won. They were the discarded refuse of the great 19th century immigrant migrations to America, and they were an undesirable nuisance to the good citizens of New York. This is the story of two such children, Anna Murphy and Ben McDonald, abandoned to the streets and thrown together in a desperate attempt to achieve the impossible: to escape from Hell’s Kitchen in search of new beginnings in far and distant lands.
Mail Order Bride- Box Set
Katie Wyatt - 2015
Beauregard Kearny be all that he seems? Will he find it in his heart to forgive her when he finds out the whole truth she’s been hiding? Can Summer rise above her misfortune and find true love and happiness?Will they survive what Mother Nature has in store for them?So come on down and hang out with the folks at Laramie including intimidating US Marshal Beauregard Kearny with a menacing smile, happy Mary, and of course beautiful petite feisty Miss Summer Percy from Pennsylvania.… “a story of hope, fear, romance, suspense and true love.” Rayne's Meadow ~ Book #2 Meet Rayne, she ain’t getting any younger, and its slim Pick'ens for eligible men in her tiny Wisconsin town of Taylor falls. What is it that Wyatt Earp’s brother told Rayne that shakes her trust in her fiancé and their love before it even starts? Will she find it in her heart to get over the secret about him that she discovered? Will Mr. Joseph Hunter be all that he seems? Can she find true love and happiness in these Montana Meadows?Mother Nature can be cruel, will they be able to survive what is coming their way? June's Choice ~ Book #3 Meet June Dennings her husband died she’s running out of money there is no good local man left to marry. Her generosity and kindness has her meet a stranger named Belle one fateful afternoon.What is it that she has in here power that can save her fiance’s cattle ranch and their lives? Will she find it in her heart to forgive him when she finds out the whole truth? Can June rise above her misfortune and find true love and happiness?Will they survive what some no good for nothing cattle rustlers have in store for them?So come on down and hang out with the folks at Amarillo including the tall handsome cattle farmer Mr. Jarrod Bedford that scares the heck out of our pretty miss June, the faithful friend foreman Yancey Williams and Belle the attractive strong woman who holds the key to their lives.… “a story of hope, fear, romance, suspense and true love.” April's Dilemma ~ Book 4 Meet April at 23 years old if she doesn’t find a husband soon it will be too late and her native town of Ohio holds no hope for a husband.she had no choice….… waiting for her future husband to appear. Despite her appearance of bravado, her heart thundered, her palms grew clammy, and if knees really could knock, hers would certainly be doing so. For a second she felt a wave of uncertainty passed through her….
Come Into My Cave
Linda Hardy - 2011
Instead they live out of doors, only minimally protected from the elements, and must travel long and difficult distances each year to protect themselves against the vagaries of weather. As a consequence of the long treks each year these people fail to accumulate tools and treasurers to make their lives easier. Two young friends wish to change the migratory pattern of their people's lives by living through the winter which they call The Dark Times, instead of making the annual, long and hazardous journey southward.
The Women of Paragon Springs: The Complete Series
Irene Bennett Brown - 2019
How they find their way through the struggles are what pull you into these heartwarming stories.Women of Paragon Springs includes: Long Road Turning, Blue Horizons, No Other Place and Reap The South Wind.
“If you enjoy western novels, such as Little House on the Prairie and Lonesome Dove, you will enjoy this series by Irene Bennett Brown.”
To So Few: A Novel of the Battle of Britain
Russell Sullman - 2013
Pilot Officer Harry Rose, fresh from training and eager to prove himself, is posted to Excalibur Squadron, a Hawker Hurricane fighter unit based in southern England. In the coming weeks and months of that fateful summer, as the outnumbered RAF battle grimly with the Luftwaffe in the skies above Britain, Rose will come to know what it is to love, and will experience both the glorious euphoria of success and the desperate bitterness of loss. As his friends dwindle in number, Rose knows that it can be only a matter of time before it is his turn...
The Wretched Needle Worker
Iris Cole - 2021
Her father was a monster.How could Vera have been so blind to what was right before her eyes?After the death of her kind and loving Papa, Vera’s home is claimed by ne’er do well Uncle Merritt, who drives the household with cruelty and deprivation. Working for her keep, the once privileged Vera is driven to skin and bone and dreads the harsh beatings that Merritt regularly delivers.Ralph, Papa’s loyal and brave stableboy, cannot bear to see Vera shrinking daily under the hand of Merritt. In an attempt protect her, he challenges Merritt and now, tossed to streets, must survive however he can.With the loss of Ralph, Vera’s soul aches, made worse as she watches her father’s elderly servants treated with cruel indignity. In a desperate bid to protect them from Uncle Merritt, his rage is fuelled, and Vera is delivered an ultimatum, causing her to flee from her home. With nowhere to go, Vera too, finds herself on the streets.As starvation threatens, it is only Ralph and her new friend, Maggie, that keep her alive. But when Maggie unexpectedly reveals the truth about Vera's Papa, Vera is plunged to new despair. Will the truth destroy her? Can she keep secrets for the rest of her life? Will she ever be able to make things right? And will she agree to Ralphs’s plan, even though it means she may lose him forever?For fans of Dilly Court and Historical Romance
The Widow Makers:Strife
Jean Mead - 2012
The eldest Standish boy, Tommy, was something of a changeling: he desired a different life and ruthlessly went in pursuit of his dream of the grandeur and riches of the landowners' class.His ambitions realised, Tommy, is intent on higher profits even though it risks the lives of the quarrymen. Joe, his father, fights for a union to secure fairer conditions for the men. The quarrymen are close to becoming victims as the war between father and son escalates.
Finding Forgiveness in the West: A Christian Historical Romance Book
Chloe Carley - 2021
A Question of Duty
Martin McDowell - 2012
England rules the waves and Wellington is taking on the French in the Spanish Peninsula, but the French Navy yet remains a potent threat, especially their fast, well-armed frigates. Also, another threat is creeping Northward; slaver/pirates in fast galleys from the North African coast, are raiding North, taking advantage of the warring Navies preoccupation with each other, to capture for slavery the highly valuable women and children of Northern Europe. Into this, Captain Reuben Argent sails his first command, HMS Ariadne, a fast, 32 gun, Spanish built frigate. He has moulded both his ship and crew into a tight fighting unit, which he immediately uses to capture La Mouette, a French 42 gun frigate. A brilliant start, but all is not well at home. The Enclosures movement could force his family from their farm, and his Admiral is their immediate neighbour, who hates the Argent family and will use any means available to force them from their home and gain their land. On top is Argent’s rivalry with “Flogger Cheveley” the Captain of the Herodotus, who has a very different concept of how to run a ship of the Royal Navy. Also, as Captain, Argent has to contend with the machinations within the community that is his own crew. The day comes when Argent has to make a career threatening choice, either, as ordered, to take a vital despatch to Wellington at the fastest possible speed or to search for the slaver that has just captured Cornish women and children, including members of his own family. In the background is the smuggling of linen from Ireland to France and his relations with the feisty Sinead Malley and the society beauty Charlotte Willoughby