Books like 'A Splendid Ruin'
Readers who enjoyed A Splendid Ruin by Megan Chance also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance mystery 20th century north-america usa california historical-fiction suspense family
-
The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsAn enchanting novel about fate, second chances, and hope, lost and found, by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Last of the Moon Girls.Soline Roussel is well schooled in the business of happy endings. For generations her family has kept an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, where magic is worked with needle and thread...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook -
An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a tale of love, loss—and one last extraordinary dance.Christmas Eve, 2019. Ninety-four-year-old Molly lies in her hospital bed. A stroke and a fall may have broken her body—but her mind is alive with memories.London, 1940s. Molly is a bright young woman, determined to help the war effort and keep her head up despite it all...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook book -
A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFrom the USA Today bestselling author of A Curve in the Road comes a spellbinding novel about one woman’s love, loss, and courage during wartime.After a crushing betrayal by the man she loves, Gillian Gibbons flees to her family home for a much-needed escape, but when she finds an old photograph of her grandmother in the arms of a Nazi officer, Gillian’s life gets even more complicated...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction suspense 20th-century action-adventure -
The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Orphan comes an unforgettable historical novel about a secret collection of Dior gowns that ties back to the first female pilots of WWII and a heartbreaking story of love and sacrifice.England, 1939: The Penrose sisters couldn't be more different. Skye is a daring and brash pilot, and Liberty the one to defy her at every turn...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure -
-
The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSpanning four generations, The Midnight Rose sweeps from the glittering palaces of the great maharajas of India to the majestic stately homes of England, following the extraordinary life of a remarkable girl, Anahita Chaval, from 1911 to the present day . .Categorized as:
drama family friendship gothic historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century 21st-century -
The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsFollowing on from the bestselling The Seven Sisters and The Storm Sister, The Shadow Sister is the third book in Lucinda Riley's spellbinding series, loosely based on the mythology of the Seven Sisters star cluster...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook -
The Girl From the Island by Lorna Cook
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA world at war.One woman will risk everything.Another will uncover her story.1940: When the island of Guernsey is invaded by the Nazis, two sisters are determined to rebel in any way they can. But when forced to take in a German soldier, they are shocked to find a familiar face on their doorstep – a childhood friend who has now become their enemy...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship historical-fiction suspense 20th-century action-adventure -
Where the Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA woman’s future is determined by fate and choice in a gripping WWII novel about danger, triumph, and second chances by the New York Times bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Tuscan Child.London, 1940. Bombs fall and Josie Banks’s world crumbles around her. Her overbearing husband, Stan, is unreachable, called to service. Her home, a ruin of rubble and ash... -
The Riviera House by Natasha Lester
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Secret weaves a lush and engrossing novel of World War II inspired by a true story and perfect for fans of Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff. Paris, 1939: The Nazis think Éliane can't understand German. They’re wrong. They think she’s merely cataloging art in a Louvre museum and unaware they’re stealing national treasures for their private collections...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult -
Bluebird by Sharon Cameron
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA historical novel, set in postwar New York City.In 1946, Eva leaves behind the rubble of Berlin for the streets of New York City, stepping from the fiery aftermath of one war into another, far colder one, where power is more important than principles, and lies are more plentiful than the truth...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family suspense friendship drama literary-fiction urban new-york-state -
The Whisper Sister by Jennifer S. Brown
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe author of Modern Girls delivers an atmospheric coming-of-age story set in Prohibition-era New York, tracing one immigrant family’s fortunes and a young girl’s journey from the schoolyard to the speakeasy.The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island... -
The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsIn an intoxicating story of resilience, repulsion, and the Roaring 20’s, the glamorous world of a silent film star’s wife abruptly crumbles when she’s forcibly quarantined at America’s only leper colony in Carville, Louisiana…Based on the little-known true story of America’s only leper colony, The Second Life of Mirielle West by RUSA Award-winning author Amanda Skenandore brings vividly to life...Categorized as:
california drama female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction north-america usa 20th-century -
The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSteeped in history and filled with heart-wrenching twists, The Stolen Marriage is an emotionally captivating novel of secrets, betrayals, prejudice, and forgiveness. It showcases Diane Chamberlain at the top of her talent.One mistake, one fateful night, and Tess DeMello’s life is changed forever. It is 1944...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction north-america suspense -
The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOceans and decades apart, two women are inextricably bound by the secrets between them.Japan, 1957...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family female-mc historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult -
-
Pushin' Up Daisies by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCatherine O'Shea is the oldest and most responsible of the three O'Shea sisters. She has just buried her mother, one of the last victims of the flu epidemic of 1918. Her father had been one of the first to succumb to the flu and her fiance was killed in the war. And now there is a detective living at her hotel, the Black Swan, looking into the disappearance of her abusive brother-in-law... -
Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives comes another riveting novel of the Schuyler sisters—where the epic story of star-crossed lovers in pre-war Europe collides with a woman on the run in the swinging '60s...In the autumn of 1966, Pepper Schuyler's problems are in a class of their own...Categorized as:
drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction suspense 20th-century action-adventure adult -
All the Flowers in Paris: A Novel by Sarah Jio
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsTwo women are connected across time by the city of Paris, a mysterious journal, and shocking secrets, sweeping from World War II to the present--for readers of Sarah's Key. When Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her past, she's confused to learn that she's lived a sad, reclusive life for years in a sprawling apartment on the Seine...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction suspense 20th-century -
Spring House by Mary Ellen Taylor
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe lives of two women, generations apart, converge in this enthralling novel of love, mystery, memories, and secrets. Pregnant and still grieving the death of her fiancé, historian Megan Buchanan is forging ahead on a dream project: to restore to its original glory the landmark hunting lodge her own great-great-grandfather built on Virginia’s Eastern Shore... -
The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe six D’Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister? They only have one clue – an image of a star-shaped emerald ring...Categorized as:
drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century audiobook book female-author -
Beyond This Broken Sky by Siobhan Curham
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratings1940, London: An unforgettable novel about the strength of the human spirit in the face of war and the remarkable women who put themselves in danger on the front lines during the Battle of Britain.As a volunteer for the ambulance service, Ruby has the dangerous task of driving along pitch-dark roads during the blackout...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction female-mc friendship ww2 historical mystery fiction -
Into the Darkest Day by Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShe had to step outside and hold the paper up to the moonlight to read it, but when she was able to make out the words, her heart felt as if it would drop right out of her chest. Because the message was in German.1944, London:When Lily meets enigmatic GI Matthew in war-torn London, she doesn’t expect to fall in love... -
Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn all failed relationships there is a point that passes unnoticed at the time, which can later be identified as the beginning of the decline. For Helen it was the weekend that the Hidden Man came to Westbury Park.Croydon, 1964. Helen Hansford is in her thirties and an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital where she has been having a long love affair with a charismatic, married doctor...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction family female-mc coming-of-age friendship romance fiction -
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 65 ratingsMaia D’Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, “Atlantis”—a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva—having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died. Each of them is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage—a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult -
The Paris Secret by Lily Graham
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOn the brink of the second world war, a beautiful Parisian bookshop hides a heartbreaking secret that will tear one family apart forever … The last time Valerie was in Paris, she was three-years-old, running from the Nazis, away from the only home she had ever known...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook book -
-
The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIf you loved I AM ANASTASIA you won't want to miss this novel about her sister, Grand Duchess Maria. What really happened to this lost Romanov daughter? A new novel perfect for anyone curious about Anastasia, Maria, and the other lost Romanov daughters, by the author of THE SECRET WIFE...Categorized as:
drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult alternate-history audiobook -
Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOn a quiet Philadelphia morning in 1906, a newspaper headline catapults Alma Mitchell back to her past. A federal agent is dead, and the murder suspect is Alma’s childhood friend, Harry Muskrat. Harry—or Asku, as Alma knew him—was the most promising student at the “savage-taming” boarding school run by her father, where Alma was the only white pupil...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction north-america usa 20th-century -
The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe author of the engrossing international bestseller The Room on Rue Amélie returns with a moving story set amid the champagne vineyards of northern France during the darkest days of World War II, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale.Champagne, 1940: Inès has just married Michel, the owner of storied champagne house Maison Chauveau, when the Germans invade...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult -
Her Last Promise by Kathryn Hughes
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA mysterious letter from Spain. A surprising new beginning... Fall in love this summer with Her Last Promise, a gripping, heartwrenching story of how hope can blossom in the ruins of tragedy and of the redeeming power of love. From No. 1 bestselling author Kathryn Hughes. Tara Richards was just a girl when she lost her mother... -
You'll Never See Me Again by Lesley Pearse
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND WOMAN & HOME BEST BOOKS OF SUMMER 'Compelling, rich in detail and vividly told. Storytelling at its best' Daily Express Betty is running for her life.When Betty's husband returns from the war broken and haunted, she knows her marriage is doomed.Taking a fleeting chance to escape, she goes on the run armed with a new identity...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction suspense 20th-century action-adventure adult -
The Last Night in London by Karen White
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Karen White weaves a story of friendship past and present, love, and betrayal that moves between war-torn London during the Blitz and the present day. A captivating story of friendship, love and betrayal – and finding hope in the darkness of war.London, 1939...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult -
On the Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss, Helen MacCormac
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs World War II draws to a close, can two young people find love, hope—and freedom?February 1942: Terrifying reports of the Wehrmacht’s advance across the Soviet Union spread like wildfire, striking new fear into the already oppressed German families living there.Harri Pfeiffer, now sixteen, is summoned to the forced labour camp in Chelyabinsk...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure -
Honeysuckle Season by Mary Ellen Taylor
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom bestselling author Mary Ellen Taylor comes a story about profound loss, hard truths, and an overgrown greenhouse full of old secrets.Adrift in the wake of her father’s death, a failed marriage, and multiple miscarriages, Libby McKenzie feels truly alone. Though her new life as a wedding photographer provides a semblance of purpose, it’s also a distraction from her profound pain...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult -
Across the Winding River by Aimie K. Runyan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA woman unlocks the mystery of her father’s wartime past in a moving novel about secrets, sacrifice, and the power of love by the bestselling author of Daughters of the Night Sky.Beth Cohen wants to make the most of the months she has left with her elderly father, Max...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century abuse action-adventure -
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 70 ratingsA lost child: On the eve of the First World War, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her - but has disappeared without a trace. A terrible secret: On the night of her twenty-first birthday, Nell Andrews learns a secret that will change her life forever...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship gothic historical-fiction literary-fiction suspense -
-
The Button Box by Dilly Court
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe new heartwarming novel from Sunday Times bestselling author, Dilly Court.Clara held onto the precious button, glimmering like a jewel in the dark alleyways of London’s notorious Seven Dials. She needed to save her family… but who was going to save her?There was a time when the Carter sisters’ father was their hero...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction 20th-century 21st-century adult -
A Life for a Life: A Mystery Novel by Lynda McDaniel
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen a young woman is found dead in a wilderness area of the North Carolina mountains, the county sheriff says suicide. Della Kincaid disagrees. As a former reporter in Washington, D.C., she knows how to hunt down the real story. But she's living in Laurel Falls, N.C., trying to create a new life for herself...Categorized as:
female-mc suspense historical-fiction drama coming-of-age friendship romance christian -
The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Tuscan Child comes a beautiful and heart-rending novel of a woman’s love and sacrifice during the First World War.As the Great War continues to take its toll, headstrong twenty-one-year-old Emily Bryce is determined to contribute to the war effort...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship gothic historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century -
Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsRich Man, Poor Man is the story of two brothers whose contrasting natures reflect the turmoil of post-war America. Rudy is the rich man - a romantic who would let no one stand between him and success. Tom is the poor man - the black sheep of the family on the run from his violent past...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century audiobook book -
The Fourth Daughter by Lyn Liao Butler
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn Taiwan, the bond between grandmother and granddaughter opens up a healing world for them both in an inspiring family saga about the comfort of food, untold histories, and indomitable mother love.Chef Liv Kuo’s star is on the rise…until a traumatic incident leaves her emotionally unable to venture outside her Manhattan apartment...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family literary-fiction female-mc romance fiction mystery historical -
The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The German Midwife comes the heart-wrenching story of a country on the brink of war, a woman who puts herself in the line of fire, and a world about to be forever changed.Berlin, 1938: It’s the height of summer, and Germany is on the brink of war...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult -
Dead to Me by Lesley Pearse
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDiscover a compelling story of loyalty, love and the strength of friendship in war-torn Britain, from the international bestselling author Lesley Pearse'Glorious, heartwarming' Woman & Home'Full of love, passion and heartbreak' Best___________Spring 1935.On London's Hampstead Heath, two girls meet by chance: well-mannered and smartly dressed Verity and dishevelled and grubby Ruby...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult -
Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn 1947, photographer and war correspondent Janey Everett arrives at a remote surfing village on the Hawaiian island of Kauai to research a planned biography of forgotten aviation pioneer Sam Mallory, who joined the loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War and never returned...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction suspense 20th-century action-adventure -
September by Rosamunde Pilcher
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAs spring comes to Scotland and the hills burst into life, a dance is planned for September. The invitations summon home the group of people Violet Aird has cared for most in her long life...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook -
Absent in the Spring by Mary Westmacott, Agatha Christie
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsReturning from a visit to her daughter in Iraq, Joan Scudamore finds herself unexpectedly alone and stranded in an isolated rest house by flooding of the railway tracks. This sudden solitude compels Joan to assess her life for the first time ever and face up to many of the truths about herself...Categorized as:
drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction suspense 20th-century adult audiobook -
-
The Christmas Key by Phillipa Nefri Clark
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA hot summer Christmas Day is just around the corner in the Australian seaside town of River’s End. Beachside BBQs and sumptuous dinners are on the menu. But Martha Blake is like a dog with a bone, determined to solve the last of the cottage mysteries. She and great-niece Christie begin a secret investigation. Meanwhile, Thomas is busy with his own clues and enlists a reluctant Martin...Categorized as:
female-mc suspense historical-fiction literary-fiction christian mystery fiction holidays -
The Vanished Bride of Northfield House by Phyllis M. Newman
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsEngland, 1922. Times are hard. Anne Chatham is a clever, modest young woman with little money, no prospects for marriage, and a never-shared secret—she can see spirits. Anne finds employment as a typist at Northfield House, the grand country manor of the Wellington family. Her employer, the wheelchair-bound Mr. Wellington, is kindly. His haughty wife is not... -
Deadly Caress by Brenda Joyce
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBrenda Joyce's New York Times best-selling novels have thrilled millions of readers. Now, in her latest Francesca Cahill novel, return to the lush mansions and teeming streets of New York City's Gilded Age, where intrigue and seduction lie on every corner... The year is 1902. The place is New York City... -
The Hidden Palace by Dinah Jefferies
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe second book in the sweeping new historical series from the number one Sunday Times best-selling author.An island of secrets. A runaway. And a promise....A rebellious daughter1923. Among the ancient honey-coloured walls of the tiny island of Malta, strangers slip into the shadows and anyone can buy a new name...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult -
The Beautiful Strangers by Camille Di Maio
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA legendary hotel on the Pacific becomes a haven where dreams, love, and a beguiling mystery come alive.1958. Kate Morgan, tethered to her family’s failing San Francisco restaurant, is looking for an escape. She gets her chance by honoring a cryptic plea from her grandfather: find the beautiful stranger...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook -
Golden Earrings by Belinda Alexandra
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA powerful saga of family, love, honour and betrayal You who judge me: come! Let me tell you a story … Paloma Batton is the granddaughter of Spanish refugees who fled Barcelona after the Civil War...Categorized as:
drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction suspense 20th-century adult audiobook
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.