Showing titles in 20th Century

A nursing orderly in the WAAF, Ruby Morris is keen to stick with her friends Holly and Meg when they volunteer for the air ambulance, and soon all three are moved to RAF Starsden on the outskirts of London. Nervous not only at flying during wartime but also being responsible for life-or-death decisions, Ruby works hard to overcome her fears, helped by her new friendship with pilot Flight Sergeant Laurie Foster. When it seems like Laurie and Ruby could become more than friends, he starts to blow hot and cold, and she worries her feelings aren't reciprocated.

An unforgettable, heart-wrenching story tying together past and present, from the bestselling author of The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris Provence, 1940. Thrown out of occupied Paris by the Nazis, brave, beautiful Mathilde finds refuge with her cousin in Provence, where she’s soon drawn into the...

France, 1916. Sophie Lefevre is ordered to serve the German officers who socialise in her hotel. When the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie's portrait - painted by her husband Edouard - a dangerous obsession is born. Almost a century later, Sophie's portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston. A chance encounter reveals the painting's true worth - and its troubled history that is about to resurface and turn Liv's life upside down…

In the India of 1942, two rapes take place simultaneously - that of an English girl in Mayapore, and that of India by the British. In each, physical violence, racial animosity, the coercion of the weak by the strong all play their part, but playing a part too are love, affection, loyalty, and recognition that the last division of all to be overcome is the colour of the skin.

It’s autumn 1940 and the Blitz has cast its shadow over London. Everyone is doing their bit to help, including the three Harrison sisters of the East End’s Victory Walk. Nurse Rose is snowed under in the hospital tending to victims of the bombings. Her sister Clover is on active duty on the south coast, while the baby of the family, Daisy, is growing up quickly working on the London Underground, now that thousands of people are taking shelter down below. Even in wartime, the sisters find time for a wedding, but the bride is keeping a secret, which threatens to come to light.

Growing up in fear of their cruel, drunken father, Olivia Bone and her siblings haven't had an easy start in life. But when Livvie's fiancé, Joe, is killed at Ypres, and he bequeaths her his house in Islington, it seems like the Bone family might finally escape the worst street in North London. Though their new life is anything but settled, at least Livvie has a good friend in Matilda Keiver and a better one in Lieutenant Lucas Black, her old boss at the Barratt's sweet factory. Lucas and Livvie might be from very different worlds, but he treats her with kindness and respect.

When heart-broken Sarah Quinn is left to care for her father and siblings when her mother dies, it’s hard to watch their loving dad, Fred, drift into drink and despair. With money tight, Sarah is determined to keep the family together. But they receive a shock when Fred Quinn announces he is to marry Mavis Swindel, the landlady of a boarding house on the edge of the moors. Mavis seems to offer the answer to the family’s problems, and soon they are all moving into her shabby lodgings. It quickly becomes clear that their stepmother has plans for her new family.

Bristol 1939. At forty years of age, Mary Anne Randall still turns heads. With an abusive husband spending most of his wages on beer, she has resigned herself to be the sole breadwinner to protect her family and keep the wolves from the door. In order to make ends meet, Mary Anne runs a pawnbroking business from the wash house at the end of the garden. Following the outbreak of war an opportunity presents itself to escape her loveless marriage and find true love. Will she take that chance, or carry on living just for her children and not for herself?

Following on from her bestselling historical fiction The Woolworths Girls, Christmas at Woolworths is the heartfelt second book in Elaine Everest's Woolworths series, set during World War 2. Even though there was a war on, the Woolworths girls brought Christmas cheer to their customers. Best...

In this third and final novel in the Lancaster Burning series, author Linda Byler takes us inside the home of Davey Beiler, the leader of this Amish district. He clearly feels the heat in more ways than one. Some of the younger members of his church are ready to testify against the man who has allegedly started at least several of the fires. Davey counsels patience and forgiveness.

She is a servant girl... When her father becomes ill, Emily Carter finds herself sent into service at Priorsfield Manor in order to provide the family with an income. He will be the Lord of the Manor... Emily strikes up an unlikely friendship with the daughters of the house, as well as Nicolas, son of the Earl. But as the threat of war comes ever closer, she becomes even more aware of the vast differences between upstairs and downstairs, servant and master...If you like Downton Abbey you’ll love this!

Living on the edge of the beautiful Norfolk Broads with her father, the only ripple in Tess Delamere's calm life is the disturbing dream about her dead mother which haunts her. She yearns to know more, but the arrival of a new stepmother heralds the end of Tess' hopes that her father might divulge the past. As she grows up, Tess slowly starts to put together the pieces herself. But the outbreak of war brings tragedy and upheaval, changing Tess' priorities....

Transporting you to 1930 and the beautiful, remote island of St Kilda, The Lost Lover is the sweeping historical romance from bestselling author Karen Swan. An epic first love. A second chance . . . Young Flora MacQueen has always dreamt of more than life on the small Scottish island of St Kilda...

Bestselling historical fiction author Molly Green is back with her most engrossing, heartfelt World War Two saga yet! Preorder The Wartime Librarian's Secret now! War rages, but the women and children of Liverpool’s Dr Barnardo’s Home cannot give up hope… LIVERPOOL, 1941 Haunted by the...

Brought to you by Penguin. London, 1939 When tragedy strikes, Libby Andrews is left homeless and destitute, fending for herself on the capital's most dangerous streets. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Libby is on the cusp of making a decision that could jeopardise her future...

Brought to you by Penguin. The war to end all wars has come to an end and Nell Tanner is overjoyed to have her father home. But the harsh reality of post-war Britain soon leaves her dreams of a brighter future in tatters. And when her best friend, Alfie, is posted miles away from home, Nell’s...

Fans of Katie Flynn, Rosamunde Pilcher and Dinah Jeffries will love this emotional and sweeping wartime romance set in Singapore from bestselling author Margaret Mayhew. READERS ARE LOVING THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE! "Moving tale of bravery and human endurance...the sounds and smells and life of...

Throughout her childhood, Mia has watched her sisters leave their Tuscan villa and start their own families. Now it's her turn and, having promised them that she will follow her heart, she hopes she will finally be brave enough to fall in love herself. In London, Mia meets Ben, a bookseller. Just as her affection grows, Ben tells her he can never leave London. Loving him would mean saying goodbye to her home in the Tuscan hills forever. Then Mia finds a locket, along with a long-forgotten love story that mirrors her own.

From the author of the Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley's The Italian Girl takes you from the back streets of Naples to the world's finest opera houses on a poignant, unforgettable journey of love, betrayal and self-discovery. Read by Yolanda Kettle (Philippa Gregory's The Queen's Fool)...

Nurse Connie Byrne has lived and worked through the Second World War, has celebrated its ending with friends and patients in the East End of London and is now enjoying a fresh new chapter in her life and looking forward to her wedding. But, as many a young bride-to-be has proved, the path of true love never runs smooth.... Connie's busy professional life and the characters who are her patients serve to give her a much-needed sense of perspective.