Books like 'The Last Concubine'
Readers who enjoyed The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance action / adventure military, war & conflict historical-fiction war classics drama
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Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe year is 1928. On the outskirts of a large German city, three young men are earning a thin and precarious living. Fully armed young storm troopers swagger in the streets. Restlessness, poverty, and violence are everywhere. For these three, friendship is the only refuge from the chaos around them... -
Arch of Triumph by Erich Maria Remarque
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIt is 1939. Despite a law banning him from performing surgery, Ravic – a German doctor and refugee living in Paris – has been treating some of the city’s most elite citizens for two years on the behalf of two less-than-skillful French physicians... -
A Time to Love and a Time to Die by Erich Maria Remarque, Denver Lindley
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the quintessential author of wartime Germany, A Time to Love and a Time to Die echoes the harrowing insights of his masterpiece All Quiet on the Western Front. After two years at the Russian front, Ernst Graeber finally receives three weeks’ leave. But since leaves have been canceled before, he decides not to write his parents, fearing he would just raise their hopes... -
Tell Me Who I Am by Julia Navarro
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe memoir of an entire century, this novel adds a new, original chapter to Julia Navarro's best-selling career. Tell Me Who I Am surprises and enchants with a captivating and heartrending story... -
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The Secrets We Left Behind by Soraya M. Lane
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsOccupied France, 1940. When the staff at a field hospital draw straws to find out who will join the evacuation from Dunkirk, Nurse Cate is left behind. But when the Nazis arrive to claim prisoners of war, she takes her chance and flees into the night, taking one patient with her.Fifty miles away, the surrendering soldiers of the Royal Norfolk Regiment are shot dead by the advancing Germans... -
For All Their Lives by Fern Michaels
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom the wildly beloved bestselling author Fern Michaels, a haunting portrait of love and war—and the passionate woman swept into an epic of desire, heartbreak, and destiny. Casey Adams, a dedicated nurse, loses her heart overseas to idealistic officer Mac Carlin, the rebellious scion of a wealthy family. Then tragedy strikes... -
The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNumbed by grief and harboring shameful secrets, Lt. Adler Paxton ships to England with the US 357th Fighter Group in 1943. Determined to become an ace pilot, Adler battles the German Luftwaffe in treacherous dogfights in the skies over France as the Allies struggle for control of the air before the D-day invasion... -
Return to the Island by Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat would her life look like without her beloved island in it? Where would she go? Ellen had come back here—to the place she felt she belonged—thinking she would stay here. But was it home… or just a place to hide?1918, Canada: The First World War is over and those who have been fighting in Europe are heading for home, forever changed... -
Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sardar
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAn aspiring photographer follows her dreams and faces her fears in a poignant novel about finding beauty, promise, and love amid the chaos of war-torn Kurdistan.It’s 1979. Olivia Murray, a secretary at a Los Angeles newspaper, is determined to become a photojournalist and make a difference with her work...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book coming-of-age -
Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThis is Simon de Montfort's story—and the story of King Henry III, as weak and changeable as Montfort was brash and unbending. It is a saga of two opposing wills that would later clash in a storm of violence and betrayal, a story straight from the pages of history that brings the world of the thirteenth century completely, provocatively, and magnificently alive... -
The Autobiography of a Turkish Girl by Reşat Nuri Güntekin
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsTranslated from the Turkish by Sir Wyndham Deedes. Original title Çalıkuşu (1922)... -
A Maiden's Voyage by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThursday's child has far to go . . . 1912, London.Eighteen-year-old Flora Butler is going up in the world. She has the prized position of lady's maid to young Constance Ogilvie, and is able to provide for her beloved parents and four younger siblings. She has even fallen in love, and though she does not feel quite ready to marry the charming Jamie Branning, her future seems clear... -
Warleggan by Winston Graham
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen Ross and Elizabeth's old attraction rekindles itself, Demelza retaliates by becoming dangerously involved with a Scots cavalry officer. With bankruptcy an increasing possibility, the Poldarks seem to be facing disaster on all fronts... -
Island in the East by Jenny Ashcroft
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSet in 1890s and 1940s Singapore, the stunning Island in the East is a story of love, sisterly rivalry and the true cost of betrayal. Vivid, authentic and utterly beautiful, it's the perfect read for fans of Victoria Hislop, Fiona McIntosh and Kate Morton. 1897: twenty-year-old identical twins, Harriet and Mae, born from a scandalous affair, have spent their lives slighted by gossips... -
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On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLt. Georgiana Taylor has everything she could want. A comfortable boyfriend back home, a loving family, and a challenging job as a flight nurse. But in July 1943, Georgie’s cozy life gets decidedly more complicated when she meets pharmacist Sgt. John Hutchinson. Hutch resents the lack of respect he gets as a noncommissioned serviceman and hates how the war keeps him from his fiancée... -
War And Peace, Volume 3 by Leo Tolstoy
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible... -
North and South by John Jakes
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsPart history, part novel, this book chronicles two great American dynasties over three generations. Though brought together in a friendship that neither jealousy nor violence could shatter, the Hazards and the Mains are torn apart by the storm of events that has divided the nation...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure american-civil-war audiobook -
Heaven Has No Favorites by Erich Maria Remarque
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom one of the twentieth century’s master novelists, the author of the classic All Quiet on the Western Front, comes Heaven Has No Favorites, a bittersweet story of unconventional love that sweeps across Europe. Lillian is charming, beautiful . . . and slowly dying of consumption. But she doesn’t wish to end her days in a hospital in the Alps... -
The Crystal Butterfly by Hannah Byron
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJoin us as we dive deep into the heart of the Dutch Resistance during World War II in the sixth installment of ‘The Resistance Girl Series’, 'The Crystal Butterfly.'Amsterdam, 1939In a world on the brink of war, Edda Van der Valk, a talented prima ballerina, seeks refuge from a ruthless Russian rival at a Swiss finishing school... -
House of Glass by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWith House Of Glass comes the final chapter of Pramoedya's epic quartet, set in the Dutch East Indies at the turn of the century. A novel of heroism, passion, and betrayal, it provides a spectacular conclusion to a series hailed as one of the great works of modern literature... -
Two Captains by Veniamin Kaverin
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTwo Captains is the most renowned novel of the Russian writer Veniamin Kaverin. The plot spans from 1912 to 1944. For more than half a century the book has been loved by children and adults alike. The novel has undergone more than 100 printings, including translations into other languages. Based on its story, plays have been staged and an opera has been written... -
Fire Along the Sky by Sara Donati
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsWith epic sweep and breathtaking adventure, Sara Donati’s bestselling saga of an Early American family’s struggle for survival in the Northeast wilderness continues with the story of an indomitable woman and an unforgettable journey of redemption across a young nation threatened by the flames of war.The year is 1812 and Hannah Bonner has returned to her family’s mountain cabin in Paradise... -
The Loving Cup by Winston Graham
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSet in the closing years of the Napoleonic Wars, this novel is part of the Poldark saga. At the heart of the novel stand Demelza and Ross Poldark, their son, Jeremy, their daughter, Clowance, and the rival family, the Warleggans... -
Yankee Stranger by Elswyth Thane
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOn the eve of the Civil War, Eden Day encounters Cabot Murray on Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg. As they shelter together from a passing thunderstorm, they fall in love. The obstacles to their future are instantly obvious. Hers is a prominent Virginia family, and he is a Yankee newspaperman. Their country is about to split apart, and they will be on opposite sides...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction war action-adventure adult american-civil-war book civil-war -
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Miss Delightful by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMiss Dorcas Delancey, vicar’s daughter and advocate for the less fortunate, has been guarding her heart from fortune hunters and fashionable fribbles for years. She’s completely unprepared for Alasdhair MacKay, former officer and all around grouch, to steal that heart... -
A New York Secret by Ella Carey
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom top-ten bestseller Ella Carey comes a stunning Second World War novel. The glitter, glamor and danger of 1940s New York collide in this dazzling story about a young woman striving to survive in a world where everything is set against her.War forces her to choose a side…1942, New York... -
Shadow of the Moon by M.M. Kaye
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsM. M. Kaye, author of The Far Pavilions, sweeps her readers back to the vast, glittering, sunbaked continent of India. Shadow of the Moon is the story of Winter de Ballesteros, a beautiful English heiress who has come to India to be married. It is also the tale of Captain Alex Randall, her escort and protector, who knows that Winter's husband to be has become a debauched wreck of a man... -
Vienna Prelude by Bodie Thoene, Brock Thoene
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsPredating the events of The Zion Chronicles Series, Vienna Prelude opens in pre-World War II Austria. Elisa Lindheim, a violinist with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, is of Jewish heritage but has adopted an Aryan stage name. Thus she is able to travel and play in Germany even though a 1935 law forbade Jewish musicians to do so... -
Jessica by Bryce Courtenay
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratings'A superb storyteller ... it is impossible not to be impressed by Courtenay's talents' - The Times JESSICA is based on the real life of a remarkable young Australian woman who defied the conventions of her time. She had a stubborn streak and the courage to act out her convictions ... in spite of the consequences... -
The Black Moon by Winston Graham
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe birth of a son to Elizabeth and George Warleggan seems to make the rift between the Poldark and Warleggan families worse. When Morwenna Chynoweth, governess to Elizabeth's son, grows to love Drake Carne, Demelza's brother, things get worse... -
Where Treasure Hides by Johnnie Alexander
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsArtist Alison Schuyler spends her time working in her family’s renowned art gallery, determined to avoid the curse that has followed the Schuyler clan from the Netherlands to America and back again. She’s certain that true love will only lead to tragedy—that is, until a chance meeting at Waterloo station brings Ian Devlin into her life... -
Berlin Butterfly: Ensnare by Leah Moyes
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDeath or Freedom? Hardly a choice. Aug 12, 1961, Berlin Germany. Nationale Volksarmee soldiers roll barbed wire across the war-torn city to create the first Berlin Wall. Families are separated, livelihoods destroyed, death comes easily as crippling fear paralyzes the occupants on both sides of the wall... -
Braveheart by Randall Wallace
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFor love of country, for love of maiden, for love of freedom ... he became the hammer and scourge of England.In one of history's darkest hours there arose from humble beginnings a man of courage and honor—the likes of whom the world may never see again... -
The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsJulianne Westcott was living the kind of life that other Protestant girls in prewar Liverpool could only dream about: old money, silk ball gowns, and prominent young men lining up to escort her. But when she learns of a blind-and-deaf brother, institutionalized since birth, the illusion of her perfect life and family shatters around her...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book disability -
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Daughters of the Night Sky by Aimie K. Runyan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA novel—inspired by the most celebrated regiment in the Red Army—about a woman’s sacrifice, courage, and love in a time of war. Russia, 1941. Katya Ivanova is a young pilot in a far-flung military academy in the Ural Mountains. From childhood, she’s dreamed of taking to the skies to escape her bleak mountain life...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book female-author -
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsNevil Shute's most beloved novel, a tale of love and war, follows its enterprising heroine from the Malayan jungle during World War II to the rugged Australian outback.Jean Paget, a young Englishwoman living in Malaya, is captured by the invading Japanese and forced on a brutal seven-month death march with dozens of other women and children... -
Miss Dauntless by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMatilda Merridew, former hoyden of the first water, finds herself widowed, weary, and in want of coin. Along comes Marcus, Lord Tremont, with an interesting–and decent–proposition. Tremont will provide Matilda a handsome salary and keep a commodious roof over her head if she will relieve him of the burden of managing a houseful of unruly former soldiers... -
The Secrets Between Us by Laura Madeleine
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA gripping mystery with a heart-breaking revelation, The Secrets Between Us is a sublimely satisfying story of lost love, betrayal and the dangers of war. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton's The Lake House and Dinah Jeffries' Before the Rains. High in the mountains in the South of France, eighteen-year-old Ceci Corvin is trying hard to carry on as normal... -
For the Love of Armin by Michael G. Kramer
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn September of the year 9 A.D., the young Germanic warrior known as Armin to his friends and Arminius to his Roman enemies, successfully took on and defeated three entire Roman legions. This resulted in the deaths of over twenty thousand Roman soldiers. This in turn resulted in the Roman emperor called Tiberius recalling all Roman military units from Germania...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction war 21st-century action-adventure ancient-civilization book fiction -
Unbroken by Carolynn Amara
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Alex Ramirez returns home from Afghanistan, his wife is thrilled to have her husband back. But the man that returns isn't the same fresh-faced eager soldier that boarded the plane so many months ago. He may have left the war in another country but the one that brews inside follows him everywhere he goes... -
The Irish Princess by Elizabeth Chadwick
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIreland, 1160Aoife MacMurchada is just 14 years old when her father Diarmit, King of Leinster, is brutally deposed, and her family is forced to flee Southern Ireland into English exile. Diarmit seeks help from King Henry II, an alliance that leads him to the charismatic Richard de Clare, lord of Striguil, a man dissatisfied with his lot and open to new horizons... -
Territory by Judy Nunn
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA priceless 16th century locket threads two riveting stories together in this saga set in and around Darwin, Australia’s ultimate frontier town... -
The Assyrian by Nicholas Guild
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn ancient Assyria, Tiglath Ashur and Esarhaddon, half-brothers, best friends, and rivals for the throne, share their women, secrets, and dreams as together they seek a destiny that will change the course of the empire...Categorized as:
historical-fiction war romance fiction historical ancient-civilization epic politics -
The She-Wolf by Maurice Druon
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratings‘This was the original game of thrones’ George R.R. MartinCharles IV is now king of France and his sister is Edward II of England’s Queen. Having been imprisoned by Edward as leader of the rebellious English barons, Roger Mortimer escapes to France, where he joins the war against the English Aquitaine... -
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Finding Rebecca by Eoin Dempsey
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNothing could keep Christopher and Rebecca apart: not her abusive parents, or even the fiancé she brought home after running away to England. But when World War II finally strikes the island of Jersey, the Nazi invaders ship Rebecca to Europe as part of Hitler's Final Solution against the Jewish population... -
Désirée: The Bestselling Story of Napoleon's First Love by Annemarie Selinko
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFirst published in 1953, this riveting true-life tale comes to life in diary form, giving readers an inside glimpse at the young Napoleon and his family. Désirée is enchanted by the young officer, and he asks her to marry him. But he must leave for Paris, where he meets his eventual wife Josephine. A heartbroken Désirée is unsure she'll ever find anyone again... -
Love and War by John Jakes
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe Hazards and the Mains -- the first fatal shot fired at Fort Sumter divided them irrevocably with loyalties more powerful than family ties. The young would clash on the bloody battlefields of Bull Run and Fredericksburg, while in intrigue-ridden Washington and Richmond strong-willed men and beautiful women would defend their principles with their lives..Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction war action-adventure adult american-civil-war audiobook -
The Bastard by John Jakes
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsOne man’s quest for his destiny leads him to the New World and into the heart of the American Revolution. Meet Phillipe Charboneau: the illegitimate son and unrecognized heir of the Duke of Kentland. Upon the Duke’s death, Phillipe is denied his birthright and left to build a life of his own... -
When the World Fell Silent: A Novel of the 1917 Halifax Explosion by Donna Jones Alward
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA story of loss, hope and redemption against the most impossible odds. 1917. Halifax, Nova Scotia.Nora Crowell wants more than her sister’s life as a wife and mother. As WWI rages across the Atlantic, she becomes a lieutenant in the Canadian Army Nursing Corp. But trouble is looming and it won’t be long before the truth comes to light... -
Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War by Sebastian Faulks
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsPublished to international critical and popular acclaim, this intensely romantic yet stunningly realistic novel spans three generations and the unimaginable gulf between the First World War and the present...
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