Book picks similar to
What's in a Flame?: A Jewish Regency Story by Libi Astaire


unread-historical
unread-mystery
costume-drama
female-author

Ronan O'Higgins


R.O. Lane - 2020
    He and his fellow marshal, Clive Sutton, take on the gang and start arresting them. O'Higgins narrowly escapes death. The Irish marshal meets an Irish woman with a son, and they make a life together. It's the romantic story of Irish-Americans who live on the western frontier in the wildest frontier territory of them all. Another classic western with a touch of romance from R.O. Lane

The Missing Gun (Hawker of the Yard Book 1)


W.H. Oxley - 2014
    Hitler has just conquered Poland, but life in London continues much as it did in peacetime, albeit a little more restricted since the introduction of petrol rationing. No bombs have been dropped on the city as yet, but the population go about their daily business under the constant threat of German air raids, and a blackout remains in force at night. For Scotland Yard and the criminal fraternity, however, it is business as usual. When a pawnbroker’s assistant is wounded by a gunman wearing a gasmask, it appears to be a straightforward case of a bungled armed robbery, but as Hawker proceeds with his investigation, the more facts he uncovers the more confusing the affair becomes. A red-headed soldier, a missing gun, a dead cat, an empty violin case and a damaged violin are only a few of the threads that have to be unravelled before he can wrap up the case – with a little help from Sherlock Holmes.

Anita Diamant's The Red Tent: A Reader's Guide


Ann Finding - 2004
    A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a through and readable analysis of each of the novels in question. The books in the series all follow the same structure: a biography of the novelist, including other works, influences, and, in some cases, an interview; a full-length study of the novel, drawing out the most important themes and ideas; a summary of how the novel was received upon publication; a summary of how the novel has performed since publication, including film or television adaptations, literary prizes, and so forth; a wide range of suggestions for further reading, including web sites and discussion forums; and a list of questions for reading groups to discuss.

Love & Treasure


Ayelet Waldman - 2014
    Jack Wiseman, a tough, smart New York Jew, is the lieutenant charged with guarding this treasure—a responsibility that grows more complicated when he meets Ilona, a fierce, beautiful Hungarian who has lost everything in the ravages of the Holocaust. Seventy years later, amid the shadowy world of art dealers who profit off the sins of previous generations, Jack gives a necklace to his granddaughter, Natalie Stein, and charges her with searching for an unknown woman—a woman whose portrait and fate come to haunt Natalie, a woman whose secret may help Natalie to understand the guilt her grandfather will take to his grave and to find a way out of the mess she has made of her own life.A story of brilliantly drawn characters—a suave and shady art historian, a delusive and infatuated Freudian, a family of singing circus dwarfs fallen into the clutches of Josef Mengele, and desperate lovers facing choices that will tear them apart—Love and Treasure is Ayelet Waldman’s finest novel to date: a sad, funny, richly detailed work that poses hard questions about the value of precious things in a time when life itself has no value, and about the slenderest of chains that can bind us to the griefs and passions of the past.

Bridge of Sighs: A Short Story of the Bubonic Plague


Laura Morelli - 2016
    But as the Black Death reaches its hand into his uncle’s workshop, young Tonino is faced with making a choice to survive. From the author of THE GONDOLA MAKER and MADE IN VENICE comes a short tale of pestilence, Venetian artisanship, and the will to live.

The Puttermesser Papers


Cynthia Ozick - 1997
    Her love life hopeless, her fantasies more influential than wan reality, she nevertheless turns out to be the best mayor New York City has ever elected. Soon enough, though, paradise gained becomes paradise lost, and--even for a wistful visionary like Puttermesser--the problem of disappointment remains unresolved.

The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes


Lyndsay Faye - 2017
    She immediately became enamored with tales of Holmes and his esteemed biographer Dr. John Watson, and later, began spinning these quintessential characters into her own works of fiction—from her acclaimed debut novel, Dust and Shadow, which pitted the famous detective against Jack the Ripper, to a series of short stories for the Strand Magazine, whose predecessor published the very first Sherlock Holmes short story in 1891.Faye’s best Holmes tales, including two new works, are brought together in The Whole Art of Detection, a stunning collection that spans Holmes’s career, from self-taught young upstart to publicly lauded detective, both before and after his faked death over a Swiss waterfall in 1894. In The Lowther Park Mystery, the unsociable Holmes is forced to attend a garden party at the request of his politician brother and improvises a bit of theater to foil a conspiracy against the government. The Adventure of the Thames Tunnel brings Holmes’s attention to the baffling murder of a jewel thief in the middle of an underground railway passage. With Holmes and Watson encountering all manner of ungrateful relatives, phony psychologists, wronged wives, plaid-garbed villains, and even a peculiar species of deadly red leech, The Whole Art of Detection is a must-read for Sherlockians and any fan of historical crime fiction with a modern sensibility.

The Whitechapel Girl


Gilda O'Neill - 1994
    As her mother sinks deeper into alcoholism, the violent lodger with whom they share their one-room slum has been turning his attentions to Ettie, and she can’t stand it any longer. So when debonair Professor Jacob Protsky picks Ettie out of the crowd at a penny gaff, she is determined to seize her chance. Despite the warnings of her friends, Ettie goes to live with Protsky in Bow, assisting him with his skilful brand of spiritual clairvoyance. But when Ettie befriends Celia Tressing, she soon finds herself increasingly worried by events down the road in Whitechapel. A series of gruesome murders and whispers of a man called ‘Jack the Ripper’ have shaken even that resilient community, and outsiders like Protsky are prime suspects… An East End drama perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Sheila Newberry.

Only When the Sun Shines Brightly


Magnus Mills - 1999
    The wind tries first, but however hard it blows it fails to make any progress because the traveller simply buttons his coat even tighter than before. Only when the sun shines brightly does he finally remove it, and the wind roars away in a bad temper.

Oregon Trail Dreamin' Series


Kathleen Ball - 2018
    She takes her horse and rides to Independence Missouri to join a wagon train and start a new life. Mike Todd, the Wagon Master doesn’t allow single women to have their own wagons. It causes fights and distractions. Susan solves her problem by marrying Clancy Willis in name only. Unfortunately Clancy’s true nature doesn’t take long to show and Susan finds herself married to a drunkard. Along the trail, once again, Susan is forced to marry another man in name only and this time it is Mike Todd. As soon as they make it to Oregon they plan to have the marriage annulled but their hearts become hopelessly entangled. Mike Todd has two brothers to raise. They are guides on the wagon train and he decided long ago he’d raise them and forget about having a wife and child of his own. Both vow to sacrifice their hearts’ desire to give the other happiness. Will they come to realize their lives and love have only just begun? A Lifetime to Share Eli Todd is a tall, handsome captain of a wagon train bound for Oregon. Life has taught him if he allows people into his heart, he ends up losing them. Amelia Cruthers is a pretty, young woman with a limp. She's a hard worker who starts out the trip to Oregon with her parents, until they try to leave her behind. In shock, she watches them cross a river by ferry without her. Thankfully, the kind, strong Eli Todd takes her with him. Admiring her spunk and work ethic, he gives her a job cooking for the crew. After a fall from his horse, Amelia tends him and he realizes she is sweetness on earth. Her parents demand he marry Amelia, since she spent time alone with him, nursing him. Eli figures why not? He won't be home most of the year anyway, and Amelia could have a safe place to live on his ranch. What could possibly go wrong? Amelia never thought to be married. She'd been told her hip was too hideous for a man to look upon and that she couldn't have children. The distance they try to place between them doesn't work, leaving them both hurt with longings that could never be fulfilled. But there are secrets, and when they realize they'd been lied to, do they take the leap at a lifetime to share? A Love Worth Searching For Jed Todd has been looking for Lily since the day she was abducted along the Oregon Trail. This time he is the wagon master. Word comes that his trapper friends have found and bought Lily for him. He rides fast and fierce to get to her and is relieved to find her in one piece. The way he felt about her before she'd been stolen wasn't a figment of his imagination. From the moment he saw her again, he knew his love was real. Lily isn't well received by the others on the wagon train and realizes that having a relationship with Jed would only hinder him in life. He'd never be accepted in polite society. Once in Oregon, she plans to leave for Washington territory to live alone. Attempts on her life and the life of a young girl make Lily realize that she and Jed share a love worth searching for. So Many Roads to Choose It’s finally time for Smitty to settle down after all of his trips on the Oregon Trail. He has Lynn and a houseful of orphans but he also had a wife, he’s always been faithful to. Brenda lied and said she was with child, Smitty’s child over ten years ago. It’s time to dissolve their marriage.

Secrets' (Bonanza Brides Find Prairie Love #1)


Kat Carson - 2016
    Out of desperation, Ruby responds to an ad, hoping this could be the answer to her prayers. Running out of plan, she took the risks and traveled out West with her daughter to meet her anonymous husband and courageously face their unknown future. Why is a blackberry patch so important to them? Will she get through the challenges that will test her strong faith? Where had Matthew been the past couple of days that had him terribly injured? Feel at home and get comfy in their small humble cabin where you can collect chickens eggs and berries at the barn to make a perfect pancake for breakfast, milk the cows and make some cheese and butter for lunch, and get cozy in the fireplace at night. Y'all get to know Mr. Matthew Allen's, a strong, well-built man with a long beard covering his lips. Pete, his dark and mysterious friend who's always giving Ruby the chills and that sweet Eliza, her beloved daughter who's always eager to help them with the chores. ....“a story of hope, fear, romance, suspense and true love.”.... While this book is part of a romance series, it can definitely be read as a standalone book.Kat Carson: #1 Best Seller in Historical #1 Best Seller in Religious #1 Best Seller in Religion & Spirituality ALWAYS FREE on Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime Kat Carson’s Clean and Wholesome novelette American mail order bride historical Western book romance series are enjoyment for all ages from Teen & Young Adult to a more mature audience.

The UnAmericans


Molly Antopol - 2014
    An actor, phased out of Hollywood for his Communist ties during McCarthyism, tries to share a meaningful moment with his son. An Israeli soldier comes of age when his brother is maimed on their communal farm. A gallerist, swept up by the 1970s dissident art movement, begins smuggling paintings out of Moscow and curating underground shows in her Jerusalem home. This is a rare collection as accomplished at capturing our soaring triumphs as it is our crippling defeats--a hopeful reminder that we are all closer and more capable than we sometimes feel.

Merry Christmas Rabbi


Paul O'Neill - 2013
    In this novella, Trans-Siberian Orchestra creator Paul O'Neill spans generations, from WWII Germany to the modern inner-city, and fearlessly dives into the darkest places of the human condition to spin a modern parable about how, even in the grip of great evil, redemption is possible and the spark of hope can burn brightly.

And Then He Loved Me


Rebecca Ruger - 2019
    When she is called to the manorial court to answer false charges of 'lying with a man', she expects to be confronted by the kindly Earl Cameron, hoping to have the ridiculous claim dismissed. Instead, she faces the earl's son, James Cameron, who confounds her and intrigues her at the same time. James Cameron is instantly captivated by the very alluring Isla Gordon, but the lass repeatedly rebuffs his overtures, wanting nothing to do with any man. His offer of a position inside the keep is looked upon with suspicion, and her skepticism is only heightened by his seeming inability to NOT kiss her whenever they meet. Isla is quite sure that no man has anything worthwhile to offer her, but James is determined to prove her wrong. AND THEN HE LOVED ME is a stand-alone novella, a prelude to the HIGHLANDER HEROES SERIES. Enjoy!

The American Wife


Elaine Ford - 2007
    She writes of the human condition with precision, in language that is both grave and conversational. Her characters step out of the real world onto the page, where she develops them quietly, but with compassionate fullness. This writer grips the reader with her keen knowledge of the psyche of individuals-—their motives and secrets—and also with the surprising things that happen to them.”—Laura Kasischke, judge, Michigan Literary Fiction AwardsOf Elaine Ford’s novel, Missed Connections, the Washington Post wrote that it is a work “of small episodes, of precise sentences, of unusual clarity.” That same clarity proves an unsettling force in Ford’s stories, where precision of prose often belies uncertainties hidden beneath. In the title piece, an American woman in England, embroiled in a relationship doomed to fail, discovers how little she understands about her own desires and impulses. In another story, another American wife, abandoned in Greece by her archaeologist husband, struggles to solve a crime no one else believes to have been committed.Throughout her stories Ford touches on the mysteries that make up our lives. Each story in itself is a masterpiece of such detail and power as to transform the way we see the world.