Book picks similar to
A Suit of Swords by M.J. Logue


english-civil-war
historical-fiction
novella
17th-century

WINTER OF THE COMET (Molly Titchen Book 1)


Gordon John Thomson - 2014
    The action of this exciting historical mystery romance takes place in the lively and pulsating world of Restoration London, with its bear-baiting and dog-fighting pits, with its taverns and bawdy houses, its libertines and Puritans, its fops and its society beauties. In the cold winter of 1664, the Thames has frozen over, and a great comet has appeared in the skies above the city of London. The comet seems a portent of disaster because England is in a deeply troubled and divided state. The King, Charles II, had been welcomed back as a saviour four years before, but is now resented by increasing numbers of his own people. And war too is looming with the Dutch, England’s great seagoing trade rivals… Molly Titchen is a precocious 16-year-old orange seller at the new King’s Theatre in Drury Lane who dreams of becoming an actress, and strutting the stage in breeches parts. Yet being an actress in the King’s company seems to be a dangerous choice of profession at present as a succession of young actresses die in mysterious circumstances. The leader of the company, Sir Thomas Killigrew, asks a wealthy young physician and merchant, Henry Raven, to investigate the deaths of the actresses. Raven and his lawyer friends Anthony Mawdsley and Adam Strange are regular theatregoers and the three soon become drawn into the mysterious affairs at the King’s theatre. Yet Mawdsley is also chief secretary to the Lord Chancellor, the 1st Earl of Clarendon, and the King’s chief minister, and therefore has his hands full with affairs of state. When a mysterious masked man threatens the life of the King, Mawdsley is forced to turn to his friend Henry Raven for help. Raven in turn needs the help of the aspiring actress Molly, which brings them together in their search for a wicked murderer and a scarred madman with an evil plan for London on his mind...

A Slow Train To Budapest


Ann Abelson - 2013
    Along the way, however, Miriam boards the wrong train . . . Ann Abelson's novella begins a family saga based on actual events.

The Crippled and Beaten Bride Saved by His Love (Mail Order Brides for A Town Called Hope #4)


Indiana Wake - 2016
    Each day she has more offers of marriage but none of them are sincere. After all, who could love a woman who only has one good arm? What sort of wife would she make in this remote town where hard work is a way of life? Then there is Tyler, the man who makes her heart beat faster. He is a handsome horse breeder who has never sent her a letter, not that it matters, what good would she be to him?Brenda is a beautiful and fiery woman who has set her heart on Tyler. Is all lost for Nana? Should she forget her heart and marry someone else?Danger, courage, and love will be needed if Nana is to survive in a Town Called Hope and find the man who is the right husband for her. Ride along with her and see if her faith and spirit can conquer all.This is a sweet, clean and wholesome, historical romance.

Thwarted by the Duke (Love at Morley Mills #3)


Charlotte Darcy - 2018
     Philippa has never been interested in love or courtship until her best friend married her brother. Suddenly she wonders about the years ahead and who she will spend them with. As she sets out to find the perfect man she finds the promise of an exceptional dowry provided, by the wealth of the Morley Mills, brings out men with not just romance in their hearts but greed as well. She cannot help but fall for the odd man in the bunch Crawford Reed. His family fortunes have dwindled but instead of doing nothing he trained to be an attorney. Philippa finds herself at odds against family and friends and her brother the Duke is adamant she will not marry such a man. When trouble befalls the Morley Mills an unlikely alliance is forged. Can Philippa marry for love or will the change in circumstances leave her heart broken? Find out in Thwarted by the Duke a sweet and inspirational Regency romance. This is a complete standalone story but you can enjoy more of the characters from the Love at Morley Mills Series in these other books: The Duke’s Apology The Lady and the Lord

This Rough Ocean


Ann Swinfen - 2015
    Bands of renegade soldiers and broken men roam the countryside, looting, burning and raping. In Parliament, former allies are torn apart after six years of bloody conflict. Will there be peace instead of war, or a military take-over of the country? John Swynfen, a rising young MP and one of the leaders of the moderate party, is working for peace, but only if safeguards can be established to protect Parliament and control the powers of the king. Ranged against him and his friends are Oliver Cromwell and his son-in-law Henry Ireton, intent on seizing power by the sword and destroying not only the monarchy but the elected government. Within a few weeks, London is occupied by Cromwell's army, parliamentary government is in ruins, the king is executed. And John Swynfen is a prisoner. Anne Swynfen travels home from Westminster to Staffordshire with her young children through a desperate winter. There, uncertain whether she will ever see her husband again, she takes charge of the large estate, where starvation looms due to bad harvests, and violent danger threatens from outlaws and the armies of both sides. While she struggles against prejudice to do a man's job, John is shot, beaten, shackled, humiliated and tortured. Tempted by golden promises if he recants, threatened with death if he does not, he tries to cling to his sanity and his beliefs. When he finally escapes, he begins a terrible journey home across war-torn England to find his wife. This is a story about keeping faith – many kinds of faith – in the face of terror, anguish and despair.

A Very Weaver Christmas


Kit Morgan - 2019
    Cinnamon rolls, budding romance and of course one cantankerous Mrs. Dunnigan make for a hilarious holiday romp in this sweet, clean and wholesome historical western! Enjoy the coming together of two of Kit Morgan’s most iconic families!

Immigrant Bride


Jean Dunstan - 2021
    Devastated, Sophia, a naïve farm girl, is forced to marry a young man named Domenic and leave for the United States. As part of a large Italian exodus heading to the United States looking for a better life, Sophia must adjust to being in a strange country and build a life as a young immigrant bride in New York City. Can Sophia overcome her fears and learn to build a life for herself and the ones she loves when fate steps in and steals her happiness away once more? And will she be strong enough to move forward when destiny hands her a new adventure?

For Want of a Penny


Fenella J. Miller - 2016
    A family tragedy means Sarah is forced to go into service at Grey Friars House as an under nursery-maid. Meanwhile her younger brother Alfie, to avoid being taken into the workhouse, runs away to London to seek his fortune. Although the situation wasn’t of her making Sarah thrives, but just as she is becoming established in the household her past returns to shatter her happy life and she is dismissed without references. Alfie arrives in London but is tricked and sold to work as a slave on a coal barge. However, eventually he prospers and begins to make himself a better life. 'One Good Turn' the second and final part of this series will be published in July.

The Shadows of Versailles


Cathie Dunn - 2020
    Broken by tragedy. Consumed by revenge.Fleur de La Fontaine attends the court of King Louis XIV at Versailles for the first time. Dazzled by the opulence, she is soon besotted with handsome courtier, Philippe de Mortain. When she believes his words of love, she gives in to his seduction – with devastating consequences.Nine months later, when the boy she has given birth to is whisked from her grasp, she flees the convent and finds shelter at the brothel of Madame Claudette.Jacques de Montagnac, a spy working for the Lieutenant General, investigates a spate of abducted children from the poorer quartiers of Paris when his path crosses Fleur’s. He searches for her son, but the trail leads to a dead end – and a dreadful realisation.Her son’s suspected fate too much to bear, Fleur decides to avenge him. With the help of her new acquaintance, the Duchess de Bouillon, Fleur visits the famous midwife, La Voisin, but it’s not the woman’s skills in childbirth that Fleur seeks.La Voisin dabbles in poisons.Will Fleur see her plan through? Or can she save herself from a tragic fate?Delve into The Shadows of Versailles and enter the sinister world of potions and black masses during the Affairs of the Poisons, a real series of events that stunned the court of the Sun King!

Succession


Steven Veerapen - 2020
    She has yet to nominate an heir.The crown looks set to fall to James of Scotland.But it is far from inevitable.Gowrie, a sinister Scottish traitor, has arrived in England. On him is a document containing a shocking secret that will compromise King James.Languishing in prison, artful thief Ned Savage is freed by his patron, the queen’s principal secretary, Sir Robert Cecil. His mission is to find the document before it can be made public. If he succeeds, his life will be spared.But he is not alone in seeking Gowrie.On his trail are a ruthless gang of conspirators. The Red Cross Plot aims to prevent any foreigner from taking the English throne. And the Knights of the Red Cross will kill to secure the document.In a journey that will take him from London to Derbyshire and Scotland, Savage must foil the Red Cross Plot, protect King James’s darkest secret, and keep himself safe from execution.And he must do it all before the curtain falls on Elizabeth’s reign.

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.

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

Raid of the Wolves: A fast-paced Viking Saga filled with action and adventure (Ormstunga Saga Book 2)


Donovan Cook - 2021
    

Brought To Battle: A Novel of World War II


J. Payne - 2016
    Army sergeant, recovered from battle with Rommel’s Afrika Korps, is appointed the leader of a dozen very bright, know-it-all draftees being poured into the Army’s replacement pool. He toughens them into an effective but naïve team. After they come ashore at Utah Beach, the Wehrmacht hands out its own bloody lessons. In minutes, one is dead and a second wounded, the start of a pitiless 10-month ordeal. In horrific combat from Normandy through the Bulge to the Elbe River, they learn to fight a more skilled and hardened enemy. All pay a steep price.