Showing titles in 20th Century

China, 1941. With Japan’s declaration of war on the Allies, Elspeth Kent’s future changes forever. When soldiers take control of the missionary school where she teaches, comfortable security is replaced by rationing, uncertainty and fear. Ten-year-old Nancy Plummer has always felt safe at Chefoo School. Now the enemy, separated indefinitely from anxious parents, the children must turn to their teachers - to Miss Kent and her new Girl Guide patrol especially - for help.

A compelling saga from Margaret Dickinson, Fairfield Hall charts the changing fortunes of Annabel Constantine, in the devastating lead up to the First World War. Ruthlessly ambitious Ambrose Constantine is determined that his daughter, Annabel, shall marry into the nobility. A fish merchant and...

London, 1940. Britain is gripped by the terror of the Blitz, forcing Nell Spelman to flee the capital with her young daughter—leaving behind her husband, Arthur, the clockmaker who keeps Big Ben chiming. When Arthur disappears, Nell is desperate to find him. But her search will lead her into far darker places than she ever imagined.

Windsor, 1940: War rages, and as bombs rain down across Britain, nowhere is safe: not even a royal palace. Secretly tasked with foiling a suspected plot, Sophie Klein is placed in the Royal Library at Windsor castle, where the princesses reside. But when she learns that Windsor is compromised, Sophie must sacrifice everything she knows to save the future queen of England. Philadelphia, Present day: Digging into her great aunt’s family tree, Lacey Turner comes across a mysterious book bearing the stamp of Windsor Castle’s royal bindery. But how did it come to be in her family’s possession?

The Clippie Girls is a compelling story of love, loss and heartbreak in the Second World War, by the author of the Fleethaven Trilogy, Margaret Dickinson. Rose and Myrtle Sylvester look up to their older sister, Peggy. She is the sensible, reliable one in the household of women headed by their...

Bristol 1941. Having left her abusive husband for very good reasons, Mary Anne Randall finds herself judged harshly by her friends and neighbours, after courageously risking everything for a second chance at happiness with Michael. With Michael away fighting, Mary Anne is less concerned by her tarnished reputation and focusses on keeping her beloved children safe. But with the bombs beginning to fall on Bristol, danger is all too close to home.

When 18-year-old Dot meets Sol, she feels that love has arrived at last. Soloman Arbuthnott is a man who can bring colour and warmth to her drab life in 60s London - and what's more, he is a young, handsome soldier with excellent prospects. They stroll hand-in-hand by the Serpentine, dance cheek-to-cheek in Soho's smoky bars, and begin to plan their idyllic future, growing old together in Sol's ancestral home on the island of St Lucia. But this is 1961. East End girls don't date West Indian boys, let alone fall in love with them and leave the country.

Rose Barlow has loved and lost. She has done her fair share during the war and seen her dreams shattered. As the British class system crumbles Rose is determined not to return to service at Trenwith Estate instead, she’s keen to pursue new opportunities and her own happiness now the war is over. Luke Trenwith survived the war and has returned home as the next Trenwith Baronet. But the life he once accepted as his fate feels cold and empty. He is left wanting more. But has the world changed enough to allow him to live his dream?

Proper Scoundrels Their scandalous pasts have left them wounded and unworthy—and hopelessly perfect together. London, 1925 Sebastian de Leon is adjusting to life after three years spent enthralled by blood magic. The atrocities he committed under its control still weigh heavily on his...

New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux will capture your heart with this miraculous time slip romance between a modern woman and a literal knight. Dougless Montgomery has tried everything to achieve the perfect balance between self-sufficient and sexy, independent and...

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz. When Lale, given the job of tattooing the prisoners, saw Gita waiting in line, it was love at first sight. In that moment he determined to keep them both alive.

When Hazel is given the chance to parachute into Nazi-occupied France, she seizes the opportunity to do more for the British war effort than file paperwork. Alongside her childhood friend, French-born Rose, she quickly rises up the ranks of the freedom fighters. For Rose, the Resistance is a link to her late husband, and a way to move forward without him. What starts out as helping downed airmen becomes a bigger cause when they meet Sophia, a German escapee and fierce critic of Hitler who is wanted by the Gestapo.

The Empire is not just a theatre. From music hall to vaudeville, from revue to grand musical spectacular, it holds a special place in the nation's heart. For its audience, for its actors and singers, for the stagehands, the front-of-house staff, for its backers and its debtors—and above all for its owners—it truly is a palace of dreams. And for young Jack Treadwell, struggling to adapt to civilian life after the horrors of the trenches, it's a lifeline. When he receives a letter out of the blue inviting him to work at The Empire, he leaps at the chance.

England, 1939. Geraldine Fitz-Herbert, stifled by her aristocratic upbringing, has always found solace in the sky, the one place she can be truly free and push all limits. As war breaks out, Fitz seizes an opportunity to put her flying skills to good use when she sees an advert for volunteers at the Air Transport Auxiliary. But a chance meeting with American Flight Officer Sam Carter suddenly turns her world upside down. Embarking on a passionate and high-octane affair, Fitz has never known a love like this before and starts to dream of a future together, only for the reality of war to hit.

Read by Anna Popplewell, known for her role in The Chronicles of Narnia. Richard & Judy Book Club Pick Sunday Times Bestseller Set during London's blitz and filled with warmth, wit and heartbreak, Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce is a wartime story about the power of friendship, the kindness of...

From a tender age little Evie struggled . . . Evie spent her early years left outside on the step. With a drunk for a father and a neglectful mother, all little Evie has ever craved is a safe home and a normal existence. Her young eyes had seen so much but this never tainted her spirit. If it...

Tragedy strikes the village and Sheila is determined to help those who are suffering. Sheila is determined to help those who are suffering and soon finds herself seeking out new ways to make a difference. But when her long-term beau proposes, she faces a dilemma: can she give up her new purpose in life? Land Girl Caroline throws herself into her work after her close friend Selina leaves the farm, and finds solace in new friendships. But when a new arrival comes to the farm, she can’t deny the attraction that springs up between them. Will she find the courage to follow her heart?

The final book in Cynthia's War at Home series 'Always a stay-up-all-night read with Cynthia Harrod-Eagles! ***** 'Fabulous series of books, this author never disappoints' ***** 'I love Cynthia Harrold-Eagles' historical novels' ***** 1919: The war is over, but peace is yet to come. As men are...

Nineteen-year-old April Wilton has just enlisted in the WRENs in Portsmouth, where she works servicing engines on ships. She finds herself immersed in dockyard life and surrounded by soldiers - from England and America. The atmosphere is one of spontaneity and impulsiveness, brought on by the unpredictability of war. So when April meets Daniel, a young American soldier, whose mother is Sioux and father is of African descent, she doesn't hesitate when she starts to fall for him.

West Yorkshire, 1914. Newly married to Noah Jackson, Beth is happily content working on her family's market stall while Noah fulfils his dreams of being a teacher. When war erupts, Beth's peaceful life is shattered by events beyond her control. Noah enlists to fight alongside his brothers. A devastating accident occurs that changes all their lives. Once a loving home, Beaumont Farm becomes Beth's responsibility.