Book picks similar to
Stay as Sweet as You Are by Joan Jonker


fiction
family-saga
audiobooks
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A Nurse at War


Maggie Holt - 2005
    So at twenty-one she escapes to London to train as a nurse, where she gathers many admirers - none more dashing than RAF officer Sandy Redfern, with whom she falls in love.But the coming of war, with the chaos of the Blitz, brings upheavals and unforeseen entanglements. On hearing of Sandy's reckless affair with a married woman, a heartbroken Lily throws herself into her work. Then further changes in circumstances bring her to a busy RAF hospital in Hampshire, where a faithful childhood sweetheart persuades her to become engaged to him.And then fate brings Sandy Redfern back into her life, physically scarred by burns and inwardly embittered. What of their once passionate love and her present commitment? Can the past ever be recaptured?

No Silver Spoon


Katie Flynn - 1999
    Dympna, the only girl, adores her father Micheál. She does her best to help her English mother and the family rub along by working hard and expecting little.But beneath the smooth-seeming surface there are hidden secrets. Beatrice idolises her clever eldest son, but her attitude to her husband and to Dympna is puzzling. Yet when the family desperately needs money it is Dympna who crosses the water to Liverpool, to send money back for them.Meanwhile, in Liverpool orphaned, half-starved Jimmy Ruddock struggles to escape from his background with little success until he meets Elsie, a tough young slum-dweller who helps him to better himself. Then he starts work abroad a Fleetwood trawler, and meets up with Dympna...Set in the late 1920s and 30s, No Silver Spoon charts the pleasures and pains of life - and love - in the glorious countryside of Connemara and in the fiercely competitive streets of the Liverpool slums. It confirms Katie Flynn as one of the most beloved and bestselling saga writers in Britain.

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.

Come Home, Dear


Lucy Walker - 2020
    Penny Bartlett has loved John Dean from afar for years. Will two arrivals to Green Valley prevent Penny from revealing her true feelings to him?From the bestselling author of Australian outback romance. Over 12 million books sold worldwide.When Ross Bennet returns home to the neighbouring estate he doesn't hide his interest in Penny. But Penny long ago gave her heart to family-friend John Dean, despite their ten-year age difference. Could John recognise that Penny is now a young woman, or will she be pushed into Ross's arms?There are more complications when Miss Lucille Ditton comes to the Bartlett homestead as housekeeper. Her brisk efficiency soon seems more like interfering to Penny. Then Miss Ditton crosses a boundary which Penny finds difficult to forgive.Thanks to unsubtle hints from Miss Ditton, everyone in the valley assumes that Penny and Ross will marry. Has Miss Ditton made an innocent mistake, or is her real intention to win John Dean for herself?

A Sister's Struggle


Mary Gibson - 2018
    Ruby is always hungry, but she will go without if it means her young brothers can eat. 1930s Bermondsey might be called the larder of London, with its pie, pickle and jam factories, but for the poor working classes, starvation is often only a heartbeat away. When Ruby's neighbour suggests she ought to go to the Methodist Mission for free food, Ruby knows her father will be furious, but that she has no other option. It is a decision that will change the course of her life forever, split her family and in the end lead her to face a terrible choice between duty and a great love.

The Willow Pool


Elizabeth Elgin - 2000
    But before Meg can take her first steps into the unknown alone, she must look to her past. Why, she wonders, did her mother wear a wedding ring but never marry? Why, for instance, does the tallyman never call at No. 3 Tippet's Yard to collect any rent? He does everywhere else. With Ma gone, Meg must go back to her roots to uncover her 'family tree'. However, the process of simplfying her life leads to unforseen complications. But there's always Kip, reliable and loving, to pick up the pieces of her unsolved life and love.

The Rogues Club Boxed Set


Annette Blair - 2012
    Laughter, romance, calamity and tears.“Annette Blair is a master artist in the world of romantic fiction. A strong plot provides the canvas for her compelling characters. Vivid settings and engaging minor characters beautifully augment the portrait. Fascinating subplots add depth. Spicy sexual encounters supply bold strokes . . .” MyShelf.comBio: A New York Times Bestselling author, Annette Blair left her job as a Development Director and Journalism Advisor at a private New England prep school to become a full time writer. At forty books and counting, she’s added cozy mysteries and bewitching romantic comedies to her award-winning Historical Romances.The Rogues Club Awards at First Printing:UNDENIABLE ROGUE2003 Laurel Wreath Award Winner, VCRW 2002 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award Nominee2003 Holt Medallion Award Finalist, VRW 2003 Barclay Gold Top Ten Favorite, LCRW 2003 Aspen Gold Finalist, HODRW 2003 Winter Rose Winner, Yellow Rose RW 2003 A Lories Best Overall Award of Excellence Winner UNFORGETTABLE ROGUE2003 Booksellers Best Award, GDRW 2003 Laurel Wreath Award Winner, VCRW 2003 Orange Rose Finalist, Orange County RWA 2003 Aspen Gold Finalist, HODRW 2003 Blue Boa Award of Excellence Winner, Peninsular Chapter RWA 2002 Romantic Times K.I.S.S., Knight In Shining Silver AwardUNMISTAKABLE ROGUE2003 Booksellers Best Award, GDRW 2005 Gallant Rogue of the Year Nominee, Reed Gilbride, HRC2004 Readers' Poll Favorite, Best Regency [Historical], AdC2003 Most Exciting Start to a Story, Romance Reviews 1996 Hook, Line & Sinker Winner, Hudson Valley RWA1996 RWA Golden Heart Finalist as Act of CharityUNTAMABLE ROGUE, Formerly A Christmas Baby2005 Aspen Gold Winner, HODRW 2004 A Reviewers' International Organization Winner 2005 Regency Romance of the Year Nominee, HRC 2005 Bravest Heroine of the Year Award Winner, Larkin McAdams 2005 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Finalist, S Magic RWA 2005 Top Ten Reads for 2004, Lynda Lukow, MyShelf 2004 #1 Top Pick, October, ARR 2004 Top Pick Award, RRAH

The Stolen Child


Jennie Felton - 2019
    

The Black Knight's Tune: Ruby's Story


Naomi Finley - 2019
    She abides in turmoil longing to know where she came from. This unrest has caused her to be plagued by dreams and visions of a man she calls the Black Knight and a woman with haunting green eyes. Ruby's only recollection of her past is the name Mag, until she receives a letter from friend Willow Hendricks in the South describing a slave girl that passed through her family’s plantation over twenty years ago. Does Ruby dare hope this slave child might be her? Meanwhile her job as a journalist at the Manhattan Observer––a penny newspaper––has Ruby fighting feelings for boss and friend Kipling Reed. She struggles with the impossibility of a relationship between a woman of color and a white man. But her skin color isn’t the only hindrance standing in the way of this romance. The unavailable Willow Hendricks has won the eye of Kipling. Torn by her feelings of a love that can never be, will Ruby be able to put the questions of her past to rest?

Snow Falling


Jane Gloriana Villanueva - 2017
    With these tumultuous events as inspiration, Jane’s breathtaking first novel adapts her story for a truly epic romance that captures the hope and the heartbreak that have made the television drama so beloved. Snow Falling is a sweeping historical romance set in 1902 Miami—a time of railroad tycoons, hotel booms, and exciting expansion for the Magic City. Working at the lavish Regal Sol hotel and newly engaged to Pinkerton Detective Martin Cadden, Josephine Galena Valencia has big dreams for her future. Then, a figure from her past reemerges to change her life forever: the hotel’s dapper owner, railroad tycoon Rake Solvino. The captivating robber baron sets her heart aflame once more, leading to a champagne-fueled night together. But when their indiscretion results in an unexpected complication, Josephine struggles to decide whether her heart truly belongs with heroic Martin or dashing Rake. Meanwhile, in an effort to capture an elusive crime lord terrorizing the city, Detective Cadden scours the back alleys of the Magic City, tracking the nefarious villain to the Regal Sol and discovering a surprising connection to the Solvino family. However, just when it looks like Josephine’s true heart’s desire is clear, danger strikes. Will her dreams for the future dissolve like so much falling snow or might Josephine finally get the happy ever after she’s been dreaming of for so long?

Sally's Christmas (Frontier Christmas Brides and Babies Series Book 1)


Katie Wyatt - 2018
    Grieving the loss of her parents, and on the verge of being homeless as the bank threatens to repossess her home after her father’s loan is forfeited, Sally knows she has to find a way to stay strong for her little brother, Enos. When Enos tells her of a mail-order bride he saw in town, Sally immediately writes to Blue Holloway in Nacogdoches, Texas.Blue responds immediately and soon, Sally and Enos are off to meet Sally’s new fiancée. Only … Blue has a surprise in store for them. Or rather, Blue’s friend Aleta has a surprise for them all! Will Blue and Sally’s fledgling relationship survive the shock of Aleta’s revelation? Will Enos fit in with his three new sisters? Will the bully making little Miriam’s life miserable finally be brought to justice? Tis the season for family, faith, and friends. Join us for the wintry ride!Frontier Christmas Brides and Babies SeriesBook 1: Sally’s ChristmasBook 2: Amelia’s ChristmasBook 3: Jenny’s ChristmasBook 4: Margaret ChristmasBook 5: Jane Brown’s ChristmasBook 6: Bessie’s Christmas ....“a story of hope, fear, romance, suspense and true love.”.... Katie Wyatt: #1 Best Seller in New Release Romance #1 Best Seller in 90 Minute Short Reads #1 Best Seller in Frontier & Pioneer Western Fiction #1 Best Seller in Western & Frontier Christian Romance #1 Best Seller in Christian Westerns #1 Best Seller in Historical #1 Best Seller in Collections & Anthologies #1 Best Seller in Teen & Young Adult #1 Best Seller in Religion & Spirituality #1 Best Seller in Children's Christian Books Katie Wyatt Clean and Wholesome novelette American Mail Order Bride historical Western romance series is enjoyable for all ages.

At Long Last Love


Milly Adams - 2017
    A motley crew of friends has replaced the family she’s not spoken to in years. That is until the evening Kate’s sister Sarah walks back into her life. Sarah has a favour to ask: she needs Kate to return home to Dorset for one month to look after her daughter, Lizzie. Reluctantly Kate agrees, even though it means facing the troubled past she hoped she’d escaped. Kate is confronted once again by the prejudice and scrutiny of the townsfolk, including the new village vicar. As the war continues, Kate must fight her own battles and find not only the courage to forge a future but perhaps, at long last, love.'Milly Adams' readers will find the story and its rich cast of characters very appealing.'Lizzie Lane

Christmas to Come


Carol Rivers - 2007
    It’s December 1940 and the London Blitz has provided them with one essential; scraps of food they scavenge on the debris of bombed buildings. There’s no love and little for them to eat in the derelict dockside slum they once called home. This is a danger area and to Bella almost worse than the Luftwaffe’s nightly raids. Their mother is a drunkard and earns her meagre living on the streets, turning a blind eye to the abuse her boyfriend dolls out to her two unwanted and neglected children. It’s left to Bella to protect Terry, who has endured so many beatings he is mentally scarred. Bella has learned at a young age that life doesn’t play fair. Her hero is Micky Bryant, a good-looking, streetwise teenager, and the one person she truly trusts. And it’s to Micky that Bella turns in her desperation. But is Micky the kind benefactor Bella believes him to be and will her decision have serious consequences in the years ahead?

Maybe This Time


Anna King - 2004
    It was she who ended Rory’s relationship with the poor but pretty Josie Guntrip, and then broke his heart leaving him for the better-off Barney.Having snagged herself a rich man, no one was expecting her to return to the slums. With Rory under Cathy’s spell once again, he hasn’t the time to give Josie a second thought. Which is a shame, because Josie never stopped loving him… An unputdownable saga and brilliant read for anyone who enjoys Dilly Court, Sally Warboyes and Katie Flynn.

Mail Order Bride And The Gift of Children (A Western Historical Romance Book) (Evergreen Frontier)


Florence Linnington - 2020