Book picks similar to
The Tacksman's Daughter by Donna Scott


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Kit: Finding Freedom and Love


Katherine St. Clair - 2017
    She’s had a bit of schoolin, and now she works at the local cannery. Her friend Letty dreams of marriage and a family of her own. Kit could choose that life, but she wants more. But it’s 1895 in North Carolina, and her options are limited. In the newspaper, she sees an advertisement calling for young women to go and work for the Harvey Company – a growing chain of restaurants - that serves hungry railway passengers traveling to the untamed west. But the interview is miles away in Raleigh…does she dare? Will she leave her family and the life she knows, and risk everything for independence and adventure? Yes, she will! But it’s not easy. Leaving home is only the first of many challenges for Kit, from facing her own doubts, to proving herself, and standing up to the judgment of others – including her closest new friend. With hard work and an instinctive knowledge of how to bring out the best in others, Kit progresses in her career, until she gets a message from home. Racing back across the country to the bedside of a loved one, Kit begins to question what will make her happy. When it looks like love will be a better choice, Kit is tempted to leave her life out west behind. Are fate, friendship, determination, and good advice enough to keep Kit on the right path? Can she have a successful career, and also the love and respect of a good man? Is there a man out there who is strong enough to value her, and give her wild heart a home? Read on to learn Kit’s fate, and discover the famous Harvey Girls, whose hard work and courage helped build a restaurant empire like no other.

The Family Shadow: A historical mystery with long-buried secrets and dual timeline suspense


Suzanne Winterly - 2021
    A modern-day family researcher. Can she solve the century old puzzle of a racehorse trainer’s death and his wife’s disappearance?Ireland, 1891. Rosalind Thornton only wants to be a perfect mother and spouse. Happy at first to have given her husband the son he longed for, she begins to worry about his increasingly erratic spending and volatile moods. And when his body turns up in the local woods, her guilt remains in question for 130 years…2019. Fiona Foley needs to put her husband’s betrayal behind her. Offered a chance to get away and recover, the disillusioned history teacher travels to an old rambling house on the sweeping Wexford coast to assist an eccentric descendant of the Thornton family. Fending off a prying journalist intent on digging up dirt, Fiona finds herself in a race to uncover the truth.As the two women separately untangle a devastating plot, only an old journal full of riddles might be the key to solving the crime.Can Fiona figure out what really happened on the fateful night Rosalind disappeared forever?The Family Shadow is a gripping historical mystery novel. If you like long-buried secrets, dual timeline suspense, and surprising twists and turns, then you’ll love Suzanne Winterly’s evocative page-turner.

The Daisy Gumm Majesty Cozy Mystery Box Set 3 (Three Complete Cozy Mystery Novels in One): Historical Mystery (Daisy Gumm Majesty Mystery)


Alice Duncan - 2019
    But when the producer's wife experiences a mysterious illness and another cast member is murdered, it looks like someone doesn't want the show to go on.AWARDS:Romantic Times Top PickReviewer's Choice Awards, finalistTHE DAISY GUMM MAJESTY MYSTERIES, in series orderStrong SpiritsFine SpiritsHigh SpiritsHungry SpiritsGenteel SpiritsAncient SpiritsSpirits RevivedDark SpiritsSpirits OnstageUnsettled SpiritsBruised SpiritsSpirits UnitedSpirits UnearthedShaken SpiritsScarlet Spirits

Blood & Honour


Richard Foreman - 2018
    But what is his ultimate plan?Varro must get to the heart of the conspiracy, or die trying.'Spies of Rome: Blood & Honour' is the first book in a new series by bestselling author Richard Foreman.

The Coal Miner's Daughter


Maggie Hope - 2017
    But then she falls for Timothy Durkin, a wealthy Oxford student…Following her heart, Hannah sacrifices everything she holds dear and follows her new husband to Oxford. But will her new life of luxury be everything she expected - or will she find that once a coal miner's daughter, always a coal miner's daughter..?

Giordano Bruno Series Books 1-3: Heresy, Prophecy, Sacrilege


S.J. Parris - 2013
    Sansom and The Name of the Rose, three Sunday Times bestselling historical thrillers featuring Giordano Bruno, heretic, philosopher and spy.HERESY: Oxford, 1583. A place of learning, and of murderous schemes. The Queen’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, recruits Giordano Bruno, a radical thinker fleeing the Inquisition, to expose a Catholic conspiracy at Oxford University. When a series of brutal murders ruptures close-knit college life, Bruno realizes that the Tudor throne itself is at stake…PROPHECY: London, 1583. As Mary Stuart’s supporters scheme to usurp the rightful monarch, a young maid of honour is murdered in Queen Elizabeth’s court, occult symbols carved into her flesh. When maverick agent Giordano Bruno is instructed to infiltrate the plotters, he must use all his cunning to secure evidence against them before his true identity is exposed…SACRILEGE: Canterbury, 1584. Heretic-turned-spy Giordano Bruno travels to Canterbury to clear the name of the woman he once loved. But when a series of mysterious crimes strike the city, a far bigger puzzle emerges. Bruno’s investigation leads him deep into the shadows of the Cathedral, and to the heart of a sinister and powerful conspiracy…

Along the Endless River


Rose Alexander - 2021
    But when Anselmo dies suddenly on the treacherous waters of the Amazon, a pregnant Katharine must decide whether or not to continue her husband’s dream, alone.Meanwhile her sister Mabel is struggling to support their family back in London. Navigating new worlds in the upper class, she discovers that life as a housemaid has its own dangers, and Mabel soon learns that the whims of men can prove deadly…Mabel and Katharine must both fight for their futures if they are ever to be reunited. Can they find love and happiness along the way?A stunning saga of love, betrayal, secrets and family for fans of Dinah Jefferies, Erica Brown and Renita D'Silva.

The Forgotten Pharaoh


David Adkins - 2017
     The ancient civilisation is enjoying unprecedented prosperity during the 18th Dynasty under some of Egypt’s most famous Pharaohs – Ahmose I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten and Tutankhamun. But every empire has its rivals – here the Hittites, the Mittani, Nubians and Assyrians – and every royal family its enemies. Smenkhkare is the youngest son of Amenhotep III and brother to Akhenamun – later to become the ruler Akhenaten – and Thutmose, plus three older sisters. The scheming Akhenamun dismisses Smenkhkare as a mere stripling, but the wise warrior Thutmose takes the boy under his wing and sets out to make a man of him. This is crucial for Smenkhkare whose father has decided that the only role for the boy will be through a marriage of convenience to the beautiful Mittani princess Taduheppa. The bride is ravishing – but older and more worldly – and refuses to consummate the coupling. Full of sympathy for his little brother, Thutmose advises patience and also invites Smenkhkare to accompany him on a raid to hunt down bandits who have attacked a caravan in the desert. It is a fateful moment. Thutmose is killed by an arrow through the neck, igniting a calamitous chain of events as Smenkhkare discovers the arrow did not come from a bandit’s bow. Who, then, did fire the fatal missile? Who would benefit most from the death of the man next in line for the pharoah’s throne? Could the murderer be within his own family? Or was someone else close to the family plotting to seize power? Can Smenkhkare trust his favourite sister Nebetah with his thoughts? Can trusted general Coreb help him in his bid to avenge the death of Thutmose? Who would try to eliminate Smenkhkare by placing a deadly cobra in a basket under his bed? And what are the ghastly contents in two other baskets thrust under Smenkhkare’s nose? David Adkins’ absorbing historical re-imagining The Forgotten Pharaoh, explores the extraordinary and dangerous life and times of a real but little known figure from history – from his child-marriage to exile and then reinstatement in Thebes as pharaoh of one of the most influential dynasties of the ancient civilised world. David Adkins is a retired civil servant who worked for many years at English Heritage. He lives in Letchworth Garden City with his wife. His other historical fiction books to date are The Eagle’s Nest and the Wolf’s Lair, The End of a Dynasty and Season of the Gladiatrix.

The Reaper


Michael Aye - 2005
    He has just been decorated for extraordinary bravery under fire, been given command of the fourth-rate Drakkar, learned from his father's deathbed that he as a fully grown illegitimate brother, and will soon be dispatched on a special mission chasing pirates in the Caribbean…and that's just in the first fifteen pages! Honoring his dying father, the eponymous "Fighting James Anthony," Vice Admiral of the Blue, Gil takes his half-brother Gabriel into the ship's company as a senior midshipman. As Drakkar sails, Captain Anthony soon realizes having his brother aboard might not be the family reunion he hoped for when he encounters the resentment of one of his officers, Lieutenant Witzenfeld.But the real conflict lies ahead with the menacing pirate raiders who must be captured to end the depredations against peaceful English merchants. There Drakkar will find the feared pirate frigate Reaper and have her entire crew tested in savage combat!Boson Books also offers HMS Seawolf and Barracuda by Michael Aye. For an author bio, photo, and sample read visit bosonbooks.com

Spindrift


Cindy Brandner - 2013
    This spray, which "drifts" in the direction of the gale, is one of the characteristics of a wind speed of 8 Beaufort and higher at sea.Stories are like waves, slowly building and coming in toward the shore. In a book series, the waves build one upon the next, and for each wave there is the spindrift, the bits of story that build around those big books, but have no real place within them. These stories are the spindrift of the Exit Unicorns series.Spindrift- Caught in a fierce storm off the coast of Ireland, Brian Riordan is shipwrecked with a mysterious young man on a timeless island. Another Man's Country- Ireland of the 1920s, a time of rebellion and brother fighting against brother. Brendan Riordan, a leader in the Irish Republican Brotherhood, is at the center of the conflict and caught between the love of a woman and dedication to his country. Terence McGinty, 'the brother of his soul, if not his blood' is right there beside him, seeing the events of his war-torn country and counting the cost to them all.Grain by Grain- A glimpse of the two young Riordan boys-- a misbehaving Casey and a curious Patrick--seen through the eyes of their father, Brian.Athalia's Shoes- A pair of red shoes and a story that has been waiting to be told for three decades. This is the tale of the mysterious Russian Jew, Yevgena, and her life through a world war, through loss, love and tragedy, and the ultimate phoenix-like nature of the human soul.And as a special bonus- A sneak peek of the first chapter of book four of the Exit Unicorns series, In the Country of Shadows.

The War Nurse


R.V. Doon - 2014
    This historical thriller begins on the eve of WWII in the Philippines. Katarina Stahl an American Red Cross nurse, is the happiest she’s ever been in her life. She’s making love and playing music with Jack Gallagher in an idyllic paradise. Their medical mission is over, the boat tickets to home are purchased, and all that remains is to fly a sick child to the hospital at Clark Air Field. She never expected to witness bombs falling out of planes. In those terrifying first minutes, she frees a German doctor accused of spying and saves his life. She turns to nursing the injured, unaware she’s unleashed an obsession more dangerous to her and those she loves, than the war she’s trapped in. Doctor von Wettin, the man she freed, finds Katarina pregnant and starving in a POW camp after the surrender. He begs her to nurse his bed-ridden wife. She knows other Americans will despise her, but wants her baby to live after surviving Bataan. Their uneasy alliance is destroyed when she discovers he exploited Red Cross diplomatic channels and contacts at the German embassy to wire money to her parents. His benevolent mask slips when he informs her that her brothers and parents are interned on Ellis Island. When the Stahl family is swept up in the FBI’s dragnet, Josep Stahl believes it’s all a misunderstanding. He’s interrogated like a criminal at the city jail, a military camp, Ellis Island, and then the civilian internment camps in Texas. His anger and pride blind him. One by one in this painful family drama, his wife and sons join him behind barbed wire in. There they face ostracism, segregation, and, most frightening, repatriation. Katarina begins an even more terrifying journey into depraved darkness as Manila descends into occupation and chaos. The doctor threatens everyone she loves: infant son, POW husband, and Filipino friends. She’ll do anything to protect them; she lies, steals, and smuggles. As the war turns against the Japanese, they withhold the doctor’s wife’s life-saving medications until he finds a hidden radio inside the civilian internment camp. If Katarina refuses to help him, her son pays the price. Survival has corrupted Katarina; but she’s not about to become his camp rat. After years of hell, she’s earned her nickname, war nurse. Doctor von Wettin is about to find out what that means.

To Have and To Hoyden


Eva Devon - 2021
    A fortune being stolen by her guardian. She's found the perfect laird. Now, she just needs to convince him. And when he agrees, Laird Dunbroch's kisses convince her that passion is in her future. But will passion prevent the pursuit of her dreams?Conn Sinclair, Laird Dunbroch is in dire needs of funds. His lands have been left in terrible debt by his ne'er do well father! So, when Pheobe Danvers turns up on his doorstep and proposes marriage, he can't refuse. But first, he must extricate her from her guardian, and as they race to the highlands and the fulfillment of her dreams, he discovers that she is more than a plump purse. She may be the answer to his wounded heart... If he can but give it.

In a Grove of Maples


Jenny Knipfer - 2021
    An almost magical grove of maples on their property inspires them to dream of a real home built within the grove, not the tiny log cabin they’ve come to live in. Misunderstandings and tempers get the better of them when difficulties and troubles arise. Just months after they wed, Edward leaves pregnant Beryl in the midst of the coming winter to tend the farm and animals while he goes to be a teamster at a northern Wisconsin logging camp. Will Beryl and Edward walk into the future together to build their house of dreams in the grove of maples, or will their plans topple like a house of sticks when the winds of misunderstanding and disaster strike?

When She Came Back


Yaron Reshef - 2020
    When Syma – a young doctor, an independent woman with a mind of her own, decides to leave home and embark on an adventure in a strange land, she cannot imagine the powerful emotional whirlpool she’ll find herself in.Daily life in Palestine is far from comfortable, replete with obstacles. The conflict between the lure of civilized, bourgeois life in Europe and the option of living the Zionist dream while embarking on a love affair is agonizing.She chooses to leave everything behind, and sails back home, to Poland.When WWII breaks out and the situation of Europe’s Jews goes from bad to worse, Syma’s choice turns out to be unfortunate.November, 1942. In the midst of a harsh winter in Poland, Syma stands waiting at the railway station, on the same platform she was so familiar with in her previous life, a bygone reality.As the train approaches the station, Syma grasps that this voyage will be different. Where is she headed now?

Grand Canyon Thunder


Gary McCarthy - 2011
    THE 1869 POWELL EXPEDITION...deep in a chasm of roaring water and soaring stone and at a deadly stretch of river now named Separation Rapids, three desperate men abandoned the expedition after months of unspeakable hardships and near starvation. But only one of the three could survive high up on the wild, uncharted North Rim. WILLIAM DUNN...a mountain man forever haunted by guilt and driven by the love of extraordinary women will cast his fate across the vast and magnificent Grand Canyon of the Colorado in an epic tale of undying courage. This is a story of fearless river adventurers, brave and beautiful women and the early Mormon pioneers all of whose lives are interwoven with the Navaho, Hopi and the Havasupai...“The People of the Blue Green Water.” GRAND CANYON THUNDER is a never to be forgotten American saga written by multiple award-winning author Gary McCarthy.