Books like 'Diamond Ruby'
Readers who enjoyed Diamond Ruby by Joseph Wallace also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical historical-fiction sports family
-
Moonlight and Ashes by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDespite being trapped in an abusive marriage, Maggie still feels blessed with her eight-year-old twins, Danny and Lizzie, and baby girl, Lucy. But when the Second World War begins it seems that her blessings may have run out.Although the war lets her escape her husband when he's sent to the front, she must also lose the twins, as they're evacuated to North Wales... -
The Ribbon Weaver by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOne winter’s night, Molly Ernshaw rescues a baby from the snow and changes two families for ever.The tiny girl grows into a gifted young woman. Although devoted to Molly, Amy has far-reaching ambitions – encouraged by her neighbour’s son, Toby, she longs to move beyond ribbon-weaving to designing the hats and clothes the ribbons adorn... -
With a Kiss and a Prayer by Ellie Dean
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCliffehaven, May 1944 Peggy Reilly is enjoying a rare moment alone in the garden of her Beach View Boarding House. Against the now familiar backdrop of squadrons roaring overhead and the wireless humming, it seems both impossible that war continues, and yet inconceivable that it will ever come to an end... -
An Orphan's Journey by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratings1874.Growing up in extreme poverty in London, Pearl thinks life can get no worse. But when her parents discover there's yet another baby on the way, they have to tighten the belt even further. Pearl's mother decides to send her and her younger sister Eliza to the workhouse, where they are forced into a new life of hardship and struggle... -
-
The Bloodstone Brooch by Katherine Lowry Logan
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFormer Navy SEAL meets childhood crush in 1896 New York CityWhere danger lurks, romance blooms, and old wounds surface...Former Navy SEAL Tavis Stuart knows he has a lot to be thankful for... -
Beyond the Distant Hills by AnneMarie Brear
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Slum Angel.Beyond the Distant Hills is the sequel to A Distant Horizon.Australia 1853Settled in the colony, Ellen embarks on making a happy new life for her family and to forget the horrors of famine-struck Ireland... -
Shipyard Girls in Love by Nancy Revell
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratings'the author is one to watch' Sun'A riveting read is just what this is in more ways than one.' The Northern Echo'I enjoyed The Shipyard Girls very much indeed . . -
Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA debut about three women whose lives are bound together by a long-lost letter, a mother’s love, and a secret network of women fighting for the right to choose—inspired by true stories.2017: When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession, she is determined to find the intended recipient... -
Born to Trouble: All she wanted was a better life by Rita Bradshaw
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA compelling saga guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings.Born into the worst of families in Sunderland's filthy, crime-ridden East End, Pearl Croft's childhood is miserable. Shortly after her violent, drunken father is killed in a fight, Pearl's elder brothers are sent to prison leaving her, still a child herself, to care for her baby brothers... -
-
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTwo-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall invites readers to peek through windows that shine like real glass on this lavish book’s cover, and explore the dollhouse-like world of a beloved farmhouse where twelve children were born and raised.Over a hill, at the end of a road, by a glittering stream that twists and turns stands a farmhouse...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction children-books fiction historical realistic children multigenerational -
The Ballymara Road by Nadine Dorries
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe final gripping instalment of the great trilogy, which began with THE FOUR STREETS and continued in HIDE HER NAME. On Christmas morning, in the unforgiving harshness of a convent in Galway, Kitty Doherty gives birth to her baby - who is immediately taken away for adoption in America... -
The Blessed Child by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratings'A vibrant page-turner with entrancing characters' Margaret Dickinson'Rosie writes such heartwarming sagas' Lyn Andrews 'The new Catherine Cookson' Coventry Evening Telegraph Wednesday's child is full of woe . . -
Calico Road: The Staley Family, Book 2 by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCalico Road runs through a tiny Lancashire hamlet up on the edge of the moors, miles from anywhere. Its folk are an independent breed -- and in 1827 they are a thorn in the side of the vicious mill owner in the valley below. Toby Fletcher's father ignored his bastard son while alive. Now Toby is the new owner of the rambling old inn, an unwitting keeper of its secrets... -
-
London Calling by Helen Carey
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA poignant, warm-hearted and engaging saga of south London's women during the Second World War. It will take more than Hitler's Luftwaffe to break the spirit of the residents of Lavender Road. If courage, resilience and a shared sense of humour could win wars, the conflict would already be over. It's not all harmony, though... -
The Lost Song of Paris by Sarah Steele
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratings'For a moment she closed her eyes and imagined she was perched on the diving board at the Piscine Molitor, the sun beating down on her bare shoulders and the sound of Parisians at play beneath her. All she had to do was jump.'1941. Darkness descends over London as the sirens begin to howl and the bombs rain down. Devastation seeps from every crack of the city... -
Shipyard Girls at War by Nancy Revell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings1941: It takes strength to work on the docks, but the war demands all hands on deck and the women are doing their best to fill the gap. Rosie is flourishing in her role as head-welder while still keeping her double life a secret. But a dashing detective is forcing Rosie to choose between love and her duty... -
Lancashire Legacy by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAt eighteen Cathie longs for more than life as a settler in the Australian bush. She accepts her uncle's offer to send her to England and runs away from her family, not realising he is using her to get revenge on his sister Liza. Attacked at the docks in Liverpool, Cathie takes refuge with the man who saved her, a man who has his own troubles... -
The Mother’s Day Club by Rosie Hendry
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPregnant Marianne Archer is evacuated from London to the beautiful Norfolk countryside - but the villagers are expecting to house children! Thea wants to welcome more people to Rookery House - the rambling five-bedroom farmhouse is too big for just herself, especially in wartime. But when Marianne arrives, Thea quickly realises that she has her own secrets... -
No One's Girl by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJane Reynolds' father dominates her life. Though she seems a devoted daughter, his cruelty has left her afraid to love. After his sudden death she becomes a virtual recluse, leaving her small farm only to sell the fruit and vegetables she grows.But everything changes on a dark, cold night when she finds a young runaway hiding near her cottage... -
Camellia by Lesley Pearse
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHow far would you go to discover your true identity? Camellia Norton is orphaned at fifteen when her mother's body is fished from a river in rural Sussex. And when she discovers a cache of letters amongst her mother's effects she realises that the past she has always been so sure of has been built on a tissue of lies... -
Beyond the Crushing Waves: A gripping, emotional page-turner by Lilly Mirren
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTwo generations face heartbreak and injustice in this poignant and emotional novel inspired by true events.Mary Roberts is a poor gutter child living in a council flat in 1950’s London. When she and her sister are left at an orphanage by their mother, they don't think their lives can get any worse... -
Gilding the Lily by Rita Bradshaw
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA heartrending tale of two sisters and their quest for a place to belong, from much-loved author Rita Bradshaw.Lily and Sarah Brown's childhood is an unhappy one. Sarah escapes by marrying Ralph Turner, a Sunderland dock worker, but Lily doesn't trust Ralph - a dark volatile man with a hidden cruel streak. When he tries to seduce Lily on his wedding day, her worst fears are confirmed... -
A Mother's Grace by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTuesday's child is full of grace . . . Pious young Grace Kettle escapes the world of her unsavoury and bullying father to train to be a nun. But when she meets the dashing and devout Father Luke her world is turned upside down. Her faith is tested and she is driven to make a scandalous and life-changing choice - one she may well spend the rest of her days seeking forgiveness for . . -
-
Belle of the Back Streets by Glenda Young
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA dramatically powerful and romantic saga of tragedy and triumph, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin... -
A Mother's Wish by Dilly Court
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSince the untimely death of her husband, young mother Effie Grey has been forced to live on a narrowboat owned by her tyrannical father-in-law Jacob. In spite of her own despair, she is determined to protect her brother Tom and her baby son Georgie from Jacob's bullying ways - for she is all they have in the world... -
The Letter by Michelle Vernal
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWORDS HAVE THE POWER TO HEAL, REUNITE AND TO HURT... Isabel opened her bag and pulled the letter out, glancing at the address one last time before she slid it through the slot, hearing it land with a plunk. It was gone. She’d done it, and now she’d have to wait to see what happened next... -
The Colours of Love by Rita Bradshaw
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCan love survive when all is lost? England is at war, but nothing can dim land girl Esther Wynford's happiness at marrying the love of her life - fighter pilot Monty Grant. Their short honeymoon results in a baby, but on the birth of her daughter, Joy, Esther's world falls apart... -
A Glimpse at Happiness by Jean Fullerton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratings1844: when Josie returns to London after twelve years in America, she is overjoyed to discover her childhood sweetheart, Patrick, who she believed to be dead, is alive and well. But her happiness is short-lived – Patrick now belongs to another. Heartbroken, Josie tries to settle back into the East End... -
The Tuppenny Child by Glenda Young
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratings'Real sagas with female characters right at the heart' Woman's HourIf you love Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin, you'll LOVE Glenda Young's 'amazing novels!' (ITV's This Morning presenter Sharon Marshall)'In the world of historical saga writers, there's a brand new voice' My WeeklyWhat readers are saying about Glenda's dramatically powerful saga of secrets, friendship, motherhood, love and... -
Lancashire Lass by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Liza is happy working as a lady's maid - until her employers decide to emigrate and her father makes up his mind that she is to wed an older widower whom she detests... -
One Special Village by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLancashire, 1932 Widower Harry Makepeace lives in Manchester with his sickly daughter Cathie, scrimping and saving to get by. But after she suffers a violent asthma attack, the doctors say she must move to the clean, fresh air of the countryside to have any hope of survival... -
One Quiet Woman: Book 1 in the heartwarming Ellindale Saga by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratings1930, Lancashire: Leah Turner's father has been killed in an accident at the laundry, and since her mother died years ago it falls to her to become sole provider for her little sister. But women's wages are half those of men and pawning the few belongings she has left will only keep their vicious rent collector at bay for a few weeks, so even if she finds a job, they'll lose their home... -
Jessie's Promise by Rosie Clarke
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of LIZZIE'S SECRET and LIZZIE'S WAR, a story about resilient, strong women surviving adversity post World War 1. DEVON 1918. When Jessie Hale loses her nursing job at the end of the First World War, she leaves London to become the nursemaid to the Kendle family in Devon. On arrival she finds the family in disarray... -
-
The Liverpool Matchgirl by Lyn Andrews
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTHE LIVERPOOL MATCHGIRL is a nostalgic and poignant saga of Liverpool in the years before the First World War from bestselling author Lyn Andrews, not to be missed by readers of Donna Douglas and Dilly Court. Liverpool, 1901. The Tempest family is all but destitute, barely able to put food on the table... -
Tara by Lesley Pearse
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCan you ever be free from the past?In the East End, twelve-year-old Tara witnesses her villain of a father almost kill her mother. She forges a determination then and there to change her life.This is the story of three beautiful and talented women... -
A Daughter’s Return by Josephine Cox
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFlorence Stanville is a woman with a past. When she moves to Guisethorpe on the east coast of England, the townsfolk are intrigued by the glamorous and mysterious stranger. Florence doesn’t care about the gossips – she’s drawn to the peaceful seaside town by the pull of her childhood, when she lived for a brief but happy time with her beloved late mother... -
Wedding Bells for Nurse Connie by Jean Fullerton
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEast End saga queen Jean Fullerton returns with a delightful new novel in the Nurse Connie series It's 1948 and the nurses of the East End of London are making the most of life post-war. For Connie in particular, things are looking rosy as she looks forward to planning a future with her sweetheart, Malcolm... -
At the Corner of King Street by Mary Ellen Taylor
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe author of The Union Street Bakery presents a new novel about a woman searching for a fresh start—while unable to forget the past… Adele “Addie” Morgan grew up in a house filled with pain and loss. Determined to live life on her own terms, Addie moves to the country and finds a job at a vineyard where she discovers stability, happiness, and—best of all—love with the kind owner, Scott... -
Yesterday's Girl by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Great War opened up an exciting new career for Vi in London. But that was yesterday. Now, the war's over, her husband is dead and she needs to pick up the pieces of her life. On her way home she meets a man who needs her help. Recently demobbed, Joss Bentley has no job or home, and with his wife dead, there's a new baby to care for -- and it's not his... -
Down Weaver's Lane by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEmmy Carter's mother is a prostitute - and her life has made Emmy determined to avoid the same fate. But Emmy is beautiful, so attracts unwanted attention; her mother's protector has his eye on her, as does evil Marcus Armistead, her employer's nephew. Marcus is excited by Emmy's virginity and has her kidnapped, but Emmy hits him over the head and escapes... -
Heart of the Town by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDora Preston has guts but it will take more than that for her to break free from Hedderby and make a life for herself on the stage. Then she meets Gideon - and pursuing her ambitions becomes even harder. Gideon has returned from the fighting in India only to discover that an impostor has stolen his inheritance. He has vowed he will claim his birthright but his enemies are ruthless and desperate... -
Return to Sarah's Valley: Sequel to Sarah's Valley by Sharon Mierke
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsReturn to Sarah's Valley is a follow-up story to Sarah's Valley, which was published in 2012 by the same author, Sharon Mierke. In Sarah's Valley, Patrick Smithson meets Frank Lawdry. Frank, who prefers his Abenaki name, Winnipesaukee, spends the night recalling his life story. He and his sister, Sarah, were left orphans when everyone on a wagon train died in a horrific tragedy... -
We'll Meet Again by Rosie Archer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGosport, 1941. The Bluebird Girls - Rainey Bird, Bea Herron and Ivy Sparrow - are on their way to stardom. From working mens' clubs to the glamour of the Savoy Hotel, fame and fortune beckon as the south coast's favourite singing trio work to charm their way into the hearts of the nation.But the war rages on, and reaching the top of their game will not be easy... -
-
Rindu by Tere Liye
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratings"Apalah arti memiliki, ketika diri kami sendiri bukanlah milik kami?Apalah arti kehilangan, ketika kami sebenarnya menemukan banyak saat kehilangan, dan sebaliknya, kehilangan banyak pula saat menemukan?Apalah arti cinta, ketika menangis terluka atas perasaan yg seharusnya indah? Bagaimana mungkin, kami terduduk patah hati atas sesuatu yg seharusnya suci dan tidak menuntut apa pun?Wahai,... -
A Mother's Courage by Dilly Court
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Eloise Cribb receives the news that her husband's ship has been lost at sea she wonders how she is ever going to manage. With two young children, the rent overdue and almost nothing to live on, she has no alternative but to turn to his estranged family for help... -
The Orphan's Scandal by Jessica Weir
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWill the sins of the mother condemn the daughter to a life of loss?Heartwarming saga romance FREE on Kindle Unlimited. London, 1879. At just 13 years old, Florence Smith's life will change forever. Losing almost everything, she must grow up quickly and hope that a secret scandal does not come back to haunt her... -
Emma's War by Rosie Clarke
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAll she wanted was her husband to come home… Newly married to the caring RAF pilot Jonathan Reece, Emma thinks that life couldn’t be better. But her happiness is short-lived: within months, Jon’s plane is shot down over France and he is declared missing, presumed dead. Alone and with two children to care for, Emma’s first thought is how to support her family... -
The Liverpool Girls: A heartbreaking family saga with a tragic romance by Pam Howes
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWill tragedy tear them apart – once and for all? It’s 1966 and in Liverpool two sisters are about to have their lives turned upside down… Sisters Carol and Jackie haven’t had the easiest of childhoods, but as they grow up and begin their own lives both hope for happier times ahead... -
Walk About by Aaron Fletcher
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWrested from the primordial Australian wilderness, Tibooburra Station had taken the blood, sweat and tears of generations of Kerricks and given them a magnificent heritage in return. But now the golden legacy of the outback station was threatened by the disappearance of the young boy who would one day inherit it all...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.