Books like 'A Strange Beginning'
Readers who enjoyed A Strange Beginning by Gretta Curran Browne also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance historical-fiction literary-fiction epic
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The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAuschwitz, 1943: As I held the tiny baby in my arms, my fingers traced the black tattoo etched across her little thigh... -
Ponniyin Selvan - Part 3 by Kalki
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThis ebook is a product of Kizhakku pathippagam, which is a imprint of New Horizon Media Private Limited (NHM)... -
The Devil to Pay in the Backlands by João Guimarães Rosa
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsLively reminiscences of bandit warfare in the sertao, the still primitive Brazilian back country, told by a wise, retired outlaw chief. ~Worldcat.orgGrande Sertão: Veredas (Portuguese for "Great Backlands: Tracks"; English translation: The Devil to Pay in the Backlands) is a novel published in 1956 by the Brazilian writer João Guimarães Rosa...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book classics fiction historical -
Els assassins de l'emperador by Santiago Posteguillo
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsRare...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book fiction historical romantic-love -
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The Secrets of the Tea Garden by Janet MacLeod Trotter
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsShe’s gone in search of happy memories. But was her idyllic childhood in India an illusion? After the Second World War, Libby Robson leaves chilly England for India, and the childhood home where she left her heart—and her beloved father, James—fourteen years ago. At first Libby is intoxicated by India’s vibrant beauty: the bustle of Calcutta, the lush tea gardens of Assam... -
The Girl in the Striped Dress by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGermany, 1947. A strange case scheduled for the Denazification Court lands on the desk of an American psychiatrist currently serving in Germany, Dr. Hoffman. A former Auschwitz guard, Franz Dahler, is set to appear in court, and he has requested to bring the most unexpected witness to testify in his defense - one of his former inmates and current wife, Helena... -
The Girl with the Diary by Shari J. Ryan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“What if you never come back?” I asked.“I will find you, Amelia. I promise I will find you.”“What if you die trying?”Nazi-occupied Prague, 1942: Amelia is hiding in her closet when flashlights blind her and she’s captured by the SS. Out on the cobblestone street, she is shoved onto a freight train with hundreds of others. Hours pass as they travel in darkness... -
The Slum Angel by AnneMarie Brear
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPerfect for the fans of Anna Jacobs and Dilly Court. Orphan, Victoria Carlton is brought up by her uncle, a banker, to be a lady and make a good marriage. Yet, she is drawn to help the poor families in the slums, much to her family’s disgust. When her uncle dies suddenly, her cousins blame Victoria, and she is thrown out of the house with nothing... -
The Berlin Sisters by Soraya M. Lane
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Secret Midwife comes a story of bravery, sacrifice and resilience in war-torn Berlin―and two sisters who will risk it all to make a difference. Berlin, 1943: Ava Müller is a proud supporter of the German war effort, working for Joseph Goebbels alongside her father, a high-ranking official in the Reich... -
The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy: Gracelin O'Malley, Leaving Ireland, and 'Til Morning Light by Ann Moore
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis “elegantly written” trilogy follows an unforgettable Irish heroine from the potato famine through immigrating to America (Eileen Goudge)... -
The Dark One: Dark Knight by Kathryn Le Veque
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings1486 A.D. Fresh from his treacherous turning of the tides against Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth, Sir Gaston de Russe’s reputation is dark and dirty. Those loyal to Richard hate him and those loyal to Henry Tudor fear him. He is, after all, The Dark One...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction literary-fiction adult ancient-civilization anti-hero audiobook book -
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... -
Dreams of the Island by Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHenry McAvoy leaned forward. “I have been looking for an artist just like you—a diamond in the rough, so to speak. And really, Miss Copley,” he said gently, “what do you have to lose?”1911, Amherst Island, Canada: When a chance encounter takes Ellen Copley away from the beautiful island she has called home since she was orphaned as a child—she believes it is the new start she has been waiting for...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction romance historical ww1 high-school fiction 20th-century -
The Doctor's Daughter by Shari J. Ryan
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAuschwitz, 1941: It was her father’s job to save the lives of the SS. But she chose to risk everything and save the lives of prisoners.In Nazi-occupied Poland, Sofia cannot look her father in the eye. Sofia’s mother, her papa’s cherished wife, is Jewish—how dare he work as a doctor for the SS? She cannot forgive him, even if the bargain was made to spare their lives... -
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Remnants on the Tides of Time by Trinity Dunn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFinding themselves captive to Juan Josef, the combined group of survivors must come to terms with their own morality as they are faced with the dilemma of altering history in order to prevent tragedy.Escaping Juan Josef and returning home sit at the forefront of their minds as the group blends... -
The Witch of Black Isle by Keira Montclair
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTwo misfits both feel the sting of loneliness.But are their differences too great to overcome? Jennet Ramsey has lost her dearest friend. Not to death, but to marriage. The inseparable girls grew up traveling with Jennet’s mother, the most renowned healer in Scotland. Now alone, Jennet feels adrift with no compass...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction literary-fiction adult ancient-civilization audiobook book fiction -
Philippa Gregory's Tudor Court 6-Book Boxed Set: The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance, The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover, and The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe six-book bosed set of the bestselling Tudor Court novels by Philippa Gregory, #1 New York Times bestselling author and "the queen of royal fiction" (USA TODAY): The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance, The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover, and The Other Queen... -
The Promise by Michelle Vernal
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA wonderfully heartwarming, touching and romantic story - Tammy Robinson Author of Differently Normal Two women from different generations brought together by another’s wrongdoing. When British backpacker, Isabel Stark happens across a car accident on a lonely stretch of road in the South Island of New Zealand her life changes forever...Categorized as:
historical-fiction epic literary-fiction romance historical 20th-century fiction mystery -
Race of Scorpions by Dorothy Dunnett
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWith the bravura storytelling and pungent authenticity of detail she brought to her acclaimed Lymond Chronicles, Dorothy Dunnett presents The House of Niccolò series. The time is the 15th century, when intrepid merchants became the new knighthood of Europe...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult audiobook book early-modern -
Yuletide Angels by Keira Montclair
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt all starts with an invitation. One Maddie Grant is determined to accept.When an invitation to spend the Yule season at Ramsay Castle arrives at the door of the Grant keep, Maddie Grant immediately begins to plan for the journey. But soon, an obstacle emerges, and it comes in the shape of her husband.Alex Grant refuses to take such a risk with his family...Categorized as:
literary-fiction historical-fiction epic ancient-civilization holidays historical fiction medieval -
The Memory Tree by Linda Gillard
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsCan the power of love overcome life’s darkest memories and deepest losses? When her favourite beech tree is felled in a storm, Ann feels as if someone has died. But when long-hidden seed packets are found inside the trunk, Ann realises there are more memories than her own lurking within the ancient tree . . -
Bitter Winds by Kay Bratt
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe third book of the Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughters series, Bitter Winds continues the saga of Chinese couple Benfu and Calli, and the abandoned young women in their care.Since the night her sister was almost burned alive in a fire and they were taken from their mother, Ivy has been the self-appointed guardian and guide to her blind twin, Lily... -
Our Polly by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLittle Billy is the light of Polly's life -- it's for her son's sake that she puts up with an unkind mother-in-law and an isolated farm. Then Billy is knocked down by a car, his father killed attempting to save his life, and Polly, cast off by her husband's family, is left with a child who may never walk or talk again... -
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... -
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A Family’s Heartbreak by Kitty Neale
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAll they ever wanted was somewhere to call home… Beaten When Jenny’s mother abandons her and her younger siblings, Jenny is left at the mercy of her abusive father Henry. And when Henry beats his eldest daughter so badly that she ends up in the hospital, it seems like there’s nowhere left for them all to go...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction romance historical family audiobook fiction urban -
Catrina's Return by AnneMarie Brear
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Scottish Highlands, 1899. A life altering event led Catrina Davies to hide from her family and society. Alone in The Highlands she exists in a lonely world cared for only by her savior, a kind old gentleman. When she receives a surprise visitor, Travis Millard, the man she used to love, her head and heart are thrown into turmoil... -
The Chief's Maiden by Cecelia Mecca
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Scottish chief. An English maiden. Their forbidden love threatens to destroy them both. The Chief The Scottish king gives Toren Kerr a dangerous but important mission—kill the English Warden. The man’s rumored corruption threatens to destroy the fragile peace along the border, and Toren reluctantly agrees to do his duty... -
The Christmas Club by Barbara Hinske
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsVerna Lind expects Christmas of 1952 to be the best holiday she’s had since the war ended. But as she’s leaving the bank, a frigid wind off Lake Erie catches her hard-earned Christmas club savings, whisking the bills into the busy streets of downtown Cleveland and devastating her plans...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book female-mc fiction historical -
The Legend of Fire Mountain by Sarah Lark, Kate Northrop
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBold new paths in life and love are forged in nineteenth-century New Zealand in the stirring final chapter of bestselling author Sarah Lark’s multigenerational Fire Blossom Saga.It’s 1880 in the North Island town of Otaki, where Aroha lives contentedly with her mother, Linda—until a fateful tragedy leaves Aroha traumatized and plagued by a cursed guilt... -
The Girl on the Doorstep: from the bestselling author of The Workhouse Children (A Black Country Novel) by Lindsey Hutchinson
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLeft an orphan, five-year-old Rosie Harris is found and raised by Maria, a Romany gypsy. Life on the road is hard, but the little girl soon feels one of the tribe with the travellers. As she grows older, Rosie realises she has 'second sight' and is able to read people's palms and see into their futures...Categorized as:
historical-fiction epic literary-fiction romance humor historical 20th-century holidays -
Snowbound: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Joana Starnes
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA narrow escape and a staggering encounter mere miles from the gates of Pemberley leave Mr Darcy in no doubt: the Fates have grown tired of nudging him gently. And now Elizabeth is in his home. Beside him. Every waking hour of every day.“I missed you. Dreadfully. And now you are here...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction romance historical industrial-era regency retellings fiction -
Every Mother's Son by Lyn Andrews
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMolly and Bernie have been friends forever. As young girls they left Ireland seeking new beginnings in Liverpool. Now they are marrying their sweethearts and looking forward to enjoying the lives they've worked so hard to build. But as the Liverpool Blitz begins, it seems as if their dreams are about to be destroyed. Night after night, horrific bombing tears the city apart... -
A Wild Hope by Celeste De Blasis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBanished from her uncaring family home for her growing friendship with older neighbor St. John, Alexandria Thaine is unprepared for the new life she encounters with her distant cousins in England’s West Country... -
Though Mountains Fall by Dale Cramer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsUnique Amish Historical from a Bestselling, Award-Winning Author Amish pacifism is sorely tested in the Paradise Valley settlement in the 1920s. When an army of bandits descends on them, the Amish are saved by the last-minute arrival of government troops. But they soon learn that soldiers can be as cruel as the bandits themselves...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book christian fiction historical -
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Ha'Penny Schemes by Gemma Jackson
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn 1920’s inner-city Dublin tenements, Ivy Rose Murphy struggles to survive and thrive in the harsh poverty-stricken environment she was born into. She is trying to adapt to her new role as a married woman. There are those jealous of the improvements she has managed to make in her life. To Ivy it seems everyone wants a piece of her. She is stretched to breaking point...Categorized as:
historical-fiction epic literary-fiction fiction historical cozy mental-illness family -
The Girl Who Survived by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“It was very dangerous for him, and he knew it. But his love for me was stronger than fear.” - Ilse Stein This novel is based on the inspiring and moving love story of Ilse Stein, a German Jew, and Willy Schultz, a Luftwaffe Captain in the Minsk ghetto, who risked his life to save the one he loved the most... -
Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters by Wendy J. Dunn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDońa Beatriz Galindo. Respected scholar. Tutor to royalty. Friend and advisor to Queen Isabel of Castile. Beatriz is an uneasy witness to the Holy War of Queen Isabel and her husband, Ferdinand, King of Aragon. A Holy War seeing the Moors pushed out of territories ruled by them for centuries. The road for women is a hard one...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction romance historical medieval fiction royalty young-adult -
The Rose Stone by Teresa Crane
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA dazzling jewel holds the key to a prosperous new life… or total ruin The Rose Stone. A diamond, gained through betrayal and blood, upon which the Rosenberg family's fortunes were founded and whose price is yet to be paid. Kiev, 1875: Josef Rosenberg narrowly escapes death from a Cossack raid, rescuing Tanya, the youngest daughter of his old friend Boris Anatov...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction epic romance historical 20th-century family fiction -
Bitter Tears by Marion Kummerow
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRichard Klausen is a fugitive. A Wehrmacht deserter, hiding out on a farm in Poland. He thought once the war was over, he’d be safe. Wrong. Things only get worse and staying in Poland threatens his very life. Katrina Zdanek longs for peace. But when it’s finally there, she soon finds out that loving the wrong man still is a crime. She’s Polish. He’s German. Antagonists even after the war... -
A Daughter’s Dream by Cathy Sharp
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHeartache and hardship in London’s East End, from the bestselling author of The Orphans of Halfpenny StreetAmy Robinson and her fiance Matthew are struggling to resist the temptations faced by a soon-to-be-wed couple. To avoid these, Matthew throws himself into a new job and she goes to work in an exclusive new dress shop, where she meets Mary Maitland...Categorized as:
historical-fiction epic literary-fiction female-mc psychological family romance 20th-century -
Birthright by Patricia Dixon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA woman's quest to save her family's chateau in France brings danger, rivalry, and romance--and reveals a secret buried since World War II . . .1931, Chateau de Chevalier: Ophélie, La Duchesse de Bombelle, receives a love letter from her admirer Picasso along with a gift: a priceless painting. Nine years later, the Nazis invade France and steal countless works of art, including Ophélie's gift . -
The Wartime Vet by Ellie Curzon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEngland, 1941. Dedicated local vet Laura cares for the farm animals of the little village of Bramble Heath. But falling bombs aren’t the only danger as the war hits close to home…Despite everyone telling her it’s not a suitable career for a woman, Laura has worked hard to become a successful livestock vet... -
Freedom's Land by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHer husband was killed in the Great War. His wife is dead. Why not journey to the other side of the world and start again from scratch? What does it matter if they don't know each other, they will in time, after all? Norah thinks it is the most stupid idea she has ever heard. But Andrew needs no persuading... -
Gold Digger: The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor by Rebecca Rosenberg
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne look at Baby Doe and you know she was meant to be a legend! She was just twenty years old when she came to Colorado to work a gold mine with her new husband. Little did she expect that she’d be abandoned and pregnant and left to manage the gold mine alone. But that didn’t stop her! She moved to Leadville and fell in love with a married prospector, twice her age...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book female-author female-mc feminism -
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Before the Darkness Falls by Eugenia Price
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGeorgia, 1842. A grand and passionate era of American history, forged by the dreams of extraordinary men and women...the willful Natalie Browning Latimer, whose newfound marital bliss was threatened by a shattering loss...the ambitious W. H. Stiles, whose daring political trail led his family into the turmoil of Western Europe..Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book christian fiction historical spirituality -
In a Kingdom by the Sea: An enchantingly beautiful and heartbreaking historical romance novel by Sara MacDonald
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA sweeping, evocative story of love, secrets and betrayal, set against the stunning backdrops of Karachi and Cornwall. Perfect for readers who love Santa Montefiore, Rosanna Ley and Dinah Jefferies.When Gabby’s husband accepts a transfer to Pakistan, she discovers a new world of heat and colour, of exotic bazaars and trips to the breath-taking Kashmiri mountains... -
To See Your Face Again by Eugenia Price
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWith a compelling mix of historical personalities and fictional characters, Eugenia Price paints a vivid portrait of the Old South that has enchanted tens of millions of readers worldwide...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book christian fiction historical spirituality -
Tread Softly on My Dreams by Gretta Curran Browne
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Emmets are Protestants, belonging to the elite society of Ireland’s ruling class. Born in 1778, Robert Emmet, the youngest son of the State Physician of Ireland, has grown up in the heart of a prosperous and loving family, one of the most respected in Dublin city. From his parents he acquired a deep love of Ireland and a commitment to justice...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult book conspiracies fiction -
Impossible Dream by Gemma Jackson
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn 1898 three young girls leave a Dublin orphanage to enter a life of domestic service. They are placed in the home of Captain Charles Whitmore but soon discover that the household is in turmoil. Charles, hoping to amass a fortune, is preparing to set off on a long sea voyage, deliberately leaving his wife Georgina almost penniless to fend for herself and the servants...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult book caribbean dominican-republic -
Our Last Goodbye by Shirley Dickson, Joan Walker
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA heart-wrenching, poignant and totally unforgettable tale of a young woman who must finally face up to the secret she has hidden for a lifetime. A beautiful World War Two novel for fans of Wives of War, Lisa Wingate and Diney Costeloe, that will have you reaching for the Kleenex...
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