Book picks similar to
A Great Hope: A Prequel to The Beauty Of Secrets & Lies Series by Faith Isabel Bloom
4-star
death
historical-fiction-ww2
italy
At Home with Diana
Deb Stratas - 2020
Read her entire life story - the ups and the downs - from her birth to her final days. Victoria Arbiter, CNN Royal Correspondent praises At Home with Diana: “Packed full of historical facts, touching anecdotes and top tips for visiting, ‘At Home with Diana’ is the perfect addition to any royal lovers’ library. Taking readers on a poignant journey from home to home it serves as the perfect guide to the life and times of a shy young girl the world came to know as the People’s Princess. I thoroughly enjoyed it!"
The Sweetest Taste of Cyn
Kimberly Brown - 2021
Together they have two beautiful children and live quite a comfortable lifestyle. While Drew has always felt like she was it for him, Cyn has not and seemingly will not fully commit to him. Time after time, she has rejected his attempts to be a family. Ever persistent, Drew continues to be the man he has always been in hopes that one day Cyn will finally accept him whole-heartedly.Harboring years of pain from the abrupt departure of her estranged father, the only thing she has committed to was guarding her heart from the only other man she has ever really loved. Cyn is terrified of suffering the same fate as her mother, being heartbroken, left alone, and struggling to raise her children by herself. When a car accident lands her father right at the hospital where she works as a trauma nurse, Cyn must come face to face with the very source of her pain.In confronting her father, will she finally be able to let go of her hurt and allow herself to fully love Drew, or will her past hurt continue to be the deciding factor in their ongoing relationship?
His Heart Belongs To the Streets
Latisha - 2020
Three Women & A Murder
Chitrangada Mukherjee - 2020
Leaving behind three distressed women. The shocked mother, Sagota. The hapless wife, Kalpana. And the paranoid paramour, Shayantika.Sukanto wasn’t brutally murdered. On the contrary, he was found dead in his study, sleeping peacefully. His autopsy report too indicated organ failure. And, Sukanto left an intriguing letter under his favourite crystal jug, which reads like a suicide note.Baffled and clueless the about-to-retire Superintendent of Police, Mr Roy after spending months on the investigation reluctantly closes the case in absence of evidence. Even though his colleague Inspector Malakar is unconvinced.This is when the three women narrate their stories of loving, hating and wanting Sukanto.Only one of them is a killer.But the question is who and why?
When You Touch Me
Monica Walters - 2019
Dayton Gauthier experiences this first-hand when his wife of almost thirty years dies suddenly. Trying to come to grips with what happened and moving on with his life has proven to be harder than he ever imagined. Once his three adult children help him to see that his life is worth living after his wife’s death, he seems to be doing well… until a year later when a woman catches his attention. She not only catches his attention, but she keeps it, holding it hostage. But Dayton still finds it difficult to move on because he’s at war with his heart and his flesh. Ladonna Owens has lived a peaceful life for years and that’s mainly because she shut her family out. Because they were the source of her depression, abuse, and hostility, she chose to move away and not deal with any of them anymore. Being a professional singer afforded her a life that she could live comfortably. Because of her victimization, it made her heart hard toward men. She became somewhat selfish… taking what she desired sexually and moving on. However, that approach didn’t work for Dayton Gauthier. She realizes immediately that there is something between them and tries to prove herself worthy of his affection, but the insecurities of her past rear their ugly heads. Dayton and Ladonna have demons to overcome before than can fully explore a relationship with anyone, let alone each other. But each other is who they want. Will Dayton be able to overcome his grief to pursue a relationship with Ladonna? Can Ladonna trust Dayton long enough to entertain more than a physical connection?
A Telegram from Berlin
A. O'Connor - 2020
While there, Gabriel, recently engaged and the son of a War of Independence hero, has his life thrown into turmoil when he meets a beautiful mysterious woman, Karina Harper.Karina watched as a child as her magnificent home in Ireland was burned down by rebels and her family were driven out of the country. Now a secretary at the British Foreign Office, she is using all her contacts as she desperately tries to rescue the man she loves from Nazi Germany.As war erupts and Karina is posted to Dublin, Gabriel risks everything for a scandalous affair with her. Gabriel and Karina become engaged. But is she all she seems? Is she just using Gabriel’s diplomatic status to rescue her true love trapped in wartime Germany? Or does she have some other darker motive for pursuing the relationship?As a Nazi victory in Europe looks imminent, Gabriel is sent to Berlin by De Valera to try to avert a feared invasion of Ireland. Karina uses the opportunity to accompany him, to find her old love.But as she and Gabriel board a plane for Berlin, Karina is hiding one more secret. And if discovered, this secret will ensure neither ever return.
A Dopegirl Needs Love Too: A Hood Love Story
Shan - 2017
Mulani's uncle taught everyone under his roof to get it how you live and by any means necessary. Mulani and her cousins took that to heart pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into the streets. Along with her cousins, and best friend Asim Patrick, the game wasn't ready for what they had to offer. Especially not the beautiful, tomboyish, and deadly Mulani. A force to be reckoned with while carrying a no nonsense type attitude, ran off every man that even tried to get close to Mulani, but it didn't matter, because all she ever wanted was Asim. Asim is everything a boss should be. His street status is undeniable and at the young age of 21, he's well on his way to having everything a man his age could ever want. The Respect, the riches...but there was only one thing missing...Mulani. When tragedy brings them together, giving Mulani what she's always wanted, she feels like the streets now has their king and queen and Asim couldn't help but feel the same. But one mistake is all it took for Asim to walk away from Mulani and into the arms of another woman and even down the path of matrimony. After the hurt that Asim has caused, Mulani goes harder than ever unwilling to love again. When a problem arises, Mulani's motivation and undeniable dedication to get it handled is what leads her to meet the sexy Maddox aka Dox from the Bronx. Dox is a boss in his own right and wants to give Mulani all the love that she deserves. The time and attention Dox puts in is enough to break down Mulani's walls. She's ready to give in and ready to move on finally, but someone isn’t going to allow that to happen…Asim. There can only be one king in the streets and in Mulani’s heart, but who will it be? The fight to the crown will be nothing nice. Who will be the one Mulani choose to show her that love A Dopegirl Needs Love Too.
Tangled: What Would You Do For Love: A Standalone
Kaylyn - 2021
Towards a Dark Horizon
Maureen Reynolds - 2007
The legacy Ann has inherited from her kindly employer has been a godsend, but just as the lives of Ann and Lily Neill and their father Johnny look set to improve, the threat of war with Germany looms and they seem headed for a dark horizon. Coping with the trials and tribulations of working-class life in their close-knit Dundee community, no one can escape the conflict or what fate has in store.
My Love Affair With Italy: Memoir of a single woman's travels to Italy spanning 45 years from a teenager to retirement
Debbie Mancuso - 2017
Friendships form with another American student, and with Cesare, an Italian medical student living in the same "hotel." But what transpires is something no one ever expected, especially her mom. Over the next 45 years, Debbie returns 11 more times, mostly alone. Other trips include her two best friends, another with her father, and horseback riding adventures in the Chianti Region of Tuscany with cousins. Some of the places visited include Rome, Tuscany, the Almalfi Coast, Sicily, Capri, and a 2,500 year-old village in Umbria where the only mode of transportation allowed is a moped or donkey. One hundred years after her great grandmother migrated to America, Debbie locates her family in the most unusual way, culminating with a heartwarming reception. Rarely staying in hotels, My Love Affair With Italy describes each of the trips, all the types of accommodations such as the agriturismi (farmhouses), the apartments, vineyards, the medieval villages, monastery, villas, and horseback riding centers she stayed in addition to the romances and friends met along the way. At the age of 50, Debbie learns how to horseback ride English style and takes a 100-mile tour cantering through Tuscany, something she was not nearly qualified to do. Within a year, she becomes an exchange student and enrolls in school in Siena, one of Tuscany's most magnificent cities, to learn Italian and moves in with a local family, she not knowing Italian and they not knowing English. While in school, she befriends a German woman who invites her to stay at her home in the beautiful Bavarian Alps during her next visit to Europe, and Debbie accepts in an attempt to practice Italian with her former classmate, but the trip becomes a shocking revelation. The book also details the "jewels" of Rome not mentioned in brochures such as The Scala Sancta, the Holy Stairs, holy because they are said to be the stairs that Jesus climbed on his way to his trial before Pontius Pilate, and the Aventine Keyhole, a nondescript-looking door on the Aventine Hill, neatly placing the dome of St. Peter’s right in the center. Each trip also details why she returns each time, the struggles endured at home after becoming a caregiver, the 50-year friendships that get her through it all, and the shocking way her father shows his presence in Piazza Navona. Lastly, four decades after it all began, there are very surprising reunions and the most unusual romance.
A Merry Bramblewick Christmas: A Fabrian Books' Feel-Good Novel
Sharon Booth - 2018
Switch on those Christmas tree lights and settle down with a hot chocolate. It's time for another festive trip to beautiful Bramblewick. Christmas is approaching once again, but the residents of the little village on the North York Moors are almost too busy to notice. Receptionist Anna is on maternity leave, awaiting the arrival of her baby, while husband Connor and colleague Riley are busy interviewing candidates for the post of third GP at Bramblewick Surgery. Izzy, meanwhile, is recovering from a broken relationship by focusing her attention on the primary school Christmas play. But even with the help of fellow teacher, Ash Uttridge, she’s beginning to wonder if she’s taken on more than she can cope with. The weather's not the only thing getting chilly, either. Having confided in Anna the real reason for her break-up with her ex-boyfriend, Izzy is hurt when her best friend seems suddenly cold towards her. Has she made a mistake trusting Anna, after all? As Christmas draws nearer and the snow begins to fall, Izzy and Ash develop a warm and growing attraction. But Ash has real concerns about their relationship and, with Anna judging her so harshly, dare Izzy really tell Ash the truth about herself and risk everything they have built so far?
Out of Breath
Julie Myerson - 2008
And suddenly there's a strange boy at the bottom of Flynn's garden. Soon, she and her wayward brother Sam are walking out of the house in the middle of a hot summer's night and crossing four fields to find him again. But as well as the boy, Flynn and Sam find a whole gang of runaway kids. There's Diana, who's just had a baby. There's Mouse, who's only five and likes to set fire to things. And there is the boy himself, who stirs up feelings in Flynn that she's never felt before.But there's also someone else - the unspeakably malign and terrifying presence they're all running from. Escaping him, they stumble on an amazing and extraordinary house by a waterfall, a house which seems to offer safety and meets their every desire and need - or does it? The youngest character in the novel is one day old, and the oldest only seventeen. But the themes that lie at the heart of this ferociously original story are as adult, unsettling and universal as those of Julie Myerson's other novels.
Under a Tuscan Sky
Karen Aldous - 2017
Perfect for fans of Erica James and Cathy Kelly.
A summer she’ll never forget… When Olivia Montague’s grandmother passes away, she decides it’s finally time to make some changes in her own life. So she breaks up with her ‘going nowhere’ boyfriend and embarks on a journey to her Nonna’s home in Tuscany.Until now, Olivia has always believed that she’s incapable of love, after being abandoned by her parents as a baby. But with each day spent at the gorgeous villa nestled in the rolling Italian hills, she feels her heart begin to flutter…And when handsome antiques dealer Hugh St. James arrives on the scene, she realises things might be about to change forever! Praise for Karen Aldous: ‘A story of relationships, love and the importance of family, a romantic tale that leaves the reader with a glow.’ Postcard Reviews‘I could have been lost in this book for months on end and I wouldn't have noticed the days slipping by…’ Becca’s Books‘Light, easy to read and entertaining, perfect for a summer holiday read.’ Portybelle‘A perfect book for these final summer days, to indulge in with a glass of wine or two.’ Paris Baker (Amazon Reviewer)‘Escapism with more than a touch of reality…Karen Aldous is an author that you need on “auto order”!’ Crooks on Books‘A great holiday read – quick, easy and entertaining!’ Ginger Cat Blog‘Gently paced and seductively built…a great summer read.’ Brizzlelass Books‘Gloriously escapist, wonderfully entertaining and absolutely impossible to put down! Sure to appeal to fans of Cathy Kelly and Erica James.’ Bookish Jottings‘Fascinating, heartwarming, engaging, romantic and utterly compelling.’ Sparkly Words
The Funeral Bride
Kathleen McKenna Hewtson - 2015
Tsar Nicholas never wanted to be Tsar, was never trained to be Tsar, and indeed proved to be catastrophically inept in the role. Empress Alexandra was stunningly beautiful but socially and physically clumsy to the point of being repellent to her mother-in-law, Dowager-Empress Marie, most of the Russian court, and therefore by extension to the Russian people at large.When King George V of Britain heard of the executions, he remarked that, as they regarded Nicholas and Alexandra, they were probably for the best, but the children's deaths were truly tragic. The British Ambassador to France, Lord Bertie, reported that seasoned diplomatic observers considered Nicholas to have been criminally weak and Alexandra to have been criminally insane.So what is the truth, and what was the truth as Empress Alexandra saw it? Pulling together what is known about Empress Alexandra and her family, and indeed much that is little known, in the 'Autobiography of Empress Alexandra' series Kathleen McKenna Hewtson is placing the reader in Empress Alexandra's shoes and behind her eyes from the moment she first met the heir to the Russian throne, Nicholas Romanov, when she was twelve, to the early morning that she and all five of their children died violently at his side.All six volumes are (planned) as follows:1. 'The Funeral Bride' 1884-1894 - published November 20152. 'The Empress of Tears' 1895-1904 - published March 20163. 'The Shaken Throne' 1904-1907 - published July 20164. 'The Pride of Eagles' 1907-1913 - published May 20175. 'No Greater Crown' 1914-1917 - published September 20186. ' The Far Kingdom' 1917 - 1918 - to be published Spring 2020
Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook
Celia Rees - 2020
The Control Commission hires British civilians to work in Germany, rebuild the shattered nation and prosecute war crimes. Somewhat aimless, bored with her job as a provincial schoolteacher, and unwilling to live with her stuffy genteel parents any longer, twentysomething Edith Graham applies for a job with the Commission—but is instead recruited by the OSS. To them, Edith is perfect spy material…single, ordinary-looking, with a college degree in German. And there’s another thing—the OSS knows that Edith’s brother went to Oxford with one of their most hunted war criminals, Count Kurt von Stabenow, who Edith remembers all too well from before the war.Intrigued by the challenge, Edith heads to Germany armed with a convincing cover story: she’s an unassuming schoolteacher sent to help resurrect German primary schools. To send information back to her OSS handlers in London, Edith has crafted the perfect alter ego, cookbook author Stella Snelling, who writes a popular magazine cookery column that embeds crucial intelligence within the recipes she collects. But occupied Germany is awash with other spies, collaborators, and opportunists, and as she’s pulled into their world, Edith soon discovers that no one is what they seem to be. The closer she gets to uncovering von Stabenow’s whereabouts—and the network of German civilians who still support him—the greater the danger. With a unique, compelling premise, Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook is a beautifully crafted and gripping novel about daring, betrayal, and female friendship.