Books like 'Brilliance'
Readers who enjoyed Brilliance by Rosalind Laker also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance 20th century historical-fiction ww1 grief friendship family
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The Words We Whisper by Mary Ellen Taylor
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAs a hospice nurse, Zara Mitchell has already seen more death than most people will experience in a lifetime. So when her older sister asks her to help care for their ailing grandmother, Zara agrees—despite strained family relationships.Though pale and tired, Nonna has lost none of her sharp mind... -
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The Sky Beneath Us by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn inspiring, uplifting story of love and loss, courage and adventure, from the bestselling author of The Skylark’s Secret.1927. Violet Mackenzie-Grant is embarking on her dream of studying at the Edinburgh School of Gardening for Women... -
A Ration Book Wedding by Jean Fullerton
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt's February 1942 and the American's have finally joined Britain and its allies. Meanwhile, twenty-three-year-old Francesca Fabrino, like thousands of other women, is doing her bit for the war effort in a factory in East London...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction 20th-century adult book fiction historical violent-conflict -
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The Cypress Maze by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this haunting tale from the bestselling author of The Storyteller of Casablanca, Beatrice kept a wartime secret to protect the innocent. Now, could telling it set her free?Tuscany, 1943. Stranded in war-ravaged Italy, Beatrice’s dream of an escapist year teaching English is shattered... -
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... -
Under a Sky of Memories by Soraya M. Lane
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Last Correspondent comes the powerful story of three brave women who go to war—and end up fighting for their lives.Sicily, 1943. Three American women, all nurses in the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron, are determined to do all they can for their country...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook book -
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 ww1 romance historical high-school literary-fiction fiction 20th-century -
The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFamily secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory—a real-life Handmaid's Tale—during World War II.In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé... -
The Queen of Beauty by Petra Durst-Benning, Edwin Miles
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPetra Durst-Benning’s captivating historical novel pays homage to the trailblazing women of the early twentieth century—like Elizabeth Arden and Estée Lauder—who shaped culture, shattered convention, and strived to make the world around them more beautiful... -
The Lost Letters of Aisling: A Novel by Cynthia Ellingsen
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA woman faces the past she fled in a heart-stirring novel about unforgettable love and indomitable courage by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Lighthouse Keeper.Rainey’s grandmother makes a startling Take me home. To Ireland, the country she fled post–World War II. Though they’re inseparably close, Rainey knows few of her grandmother’s secrets...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family friendship fiction historical ww2 20th-century coming-of-age -
When the World Goes Quiet by Gian Sardar
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn the final days of World War I, an aspiring artist’s courageous journey is just beginning in a powerful novel about love, danger, and survival by the author of Take What You Can Carry.It’s 1918 in German-occupied Bruges, Belgium. With luck, Evelien will make it to the end of the war and be given what she was a prized painting in exchange for safeguarding her employer’s possessions... -
Betsy's Wedding by Maud Hart Lovelace
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBetsy returns from Europe to marry Joe Willard—and soon learns that beloved friend Tacy is expecting a baby! It's wartime in America, but Betsy, Joe, and their wonderful circle of friends brave their hardships together... -
The Lost Valley by Jennifer Scoullar
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTasmania, 1929: Ten-year-old-twins, Tom and Harry Abbott, are orphaned by a tragedy that shocks Hobart society... -
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The Girls of Victory Street: An absolutely heartbreaking World War 2 family saga by Pam Howes
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom Amazon bestseller Pam Howes comes an emotional World War Two saga about three young women whose bravery and friendship will see them through the darkest times.Liverpool, 1939. Bella Rogers thought her life was just starting; she can’t wait to get married to her childhood sweetheart, Bobby. But when war is declared and Bobby is called up, his letters stop, leaving Bella heartbroken and alone... -
Far From Home by Lyn Andrews
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAs daughter of the blacksmith in her tiny Irish village, sixteen-year-old Kitty Doyle knows little of the ways of the world, but she has to grow up fast when her widowed father re-marries and she has no choice but to leave the family home.Luckily there's work to be found over the water in 1920s Liverpool and soon Kitty has a job in a grocer's, where she also catches the eye of the owner...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook book coming-of-age -
The Champagne Queen by Petra Durst-Benning
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Isabelle took a chance and eloped with Leon Feininger, her true love, she hadn’t stopped to consider what would happen next. Winter on his family’s isolated vineyard proves tougher than she expected, and Isabelle finds herself daydreaming, envisioning the wines she and Leon will make when they have their own land...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook book female-author -
Mulberry Lane Babies by Rosie Clarke
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings1941 Mulberry Lane, London. War rages but new life brings new hope. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Cathy Sharp. Times are hard for all on Mulberry Lane as the war rages into yet another year. Desperate times push people into dangerous situations, and the residents of Mulberry Lane are not exempt...Categorized as:
family friendship grief historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
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... -
A Cuckoo in Candle Lane by Kitty Neale
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Elsie and Bert Jones move with their children, Ann and Arthur, to Candle Lane, a modest street in Battersea, they miss their comfortable house in Wimbledon. But the move is the right thing to do, as it will enable Bert to finance his new removal business. They are a warm-hearted family, and Elsie soon makes friends with her less fortunate neighbour, Ruth and her daughter Sally... -
Winning Through by Marcia Willett
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt's nearly thirty years since the Chadwick siblings arrived from Kenya at The Keep in Devon to live with their grandmother Freddy. And while much has altered since in their lives, The Keep remains a sanctuary for the whole family; warm, unchanging, filled with love... -
Millie by AnneMarie Brear
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA brand new series from the author of the Kitty McKenzie series and The Slum Angel. The Great War is over, and Millie is ready to leave her loving family home and be a wife to Jeremy who is everything she had hoped for. Until… Not long after their wedding, Millie discovers Jeremy is affected by shell shock and moving into his late father’s cold dark estate escalates the problem... -
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... -
Daughters of War by Lizzie Page
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAn emotional tale of wartime love and sacrifice, inspired by an incredible true story… As a teenager in Chicago, May always dreamed of travelling the world. So when she meets handsome George Turner, she jumps at the chance to return to London as his wife. Ten years later, May is wondering if she’s made a terrible mistake. It’s 1914 and war has been declared in Europe... -
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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... -
A Lady Unrivaled by Roseanna M. White
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhite Is Quickly Becoming the Top Name in Edwardian Romance Lady Ella Myerston can always find a reason to smile--even if it's just in hope that tomorrow will be better than today. All her life everyone has tried to protect her from the realities of the world, but Ella knows very well the danger that has haunted her brother and their friend, and she won't wait for it to strike again...Categorized as:
family friendship grief historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book -
Winter at Bletchley Park by Molly Green
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe second inspiring novel in the heartwarming and hopeful Bletchley Park Girls series from historical fiction queen, Molly Green...When Rosie Frost was jilted on her wedding day, she didn't think life could get any worse. But six years later in the throes of the Second World War, she is unceremoniously dismissed from her job after they discover her illegitimate child... -
Walking My Baby Back Home by Joan Jonker
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEver since Dot Baker lost her husband in the war she's tried to keep his memory alive. But when John Kershaw turns up on her doorstep, she can't blame her kids, Katy and Colin, for wanting another man about the house. John's the boss of a local factory, and a kind and caring man who can't seem to do enough for the Bakers and their friends and neighbours... -
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 family romance historical 20th-century literary-fiction fiction epic -
Be Still the Water by Karen Emilson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFinalist 2019 Canadian Book Club AwardsShortlisted for the 2017 Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction2017 IPPY Silver Medal WinnerSet in 1906 along the unspoiled shores of Lake Manitoba, Be Still the Water brings us into the fold of the Gudmundsson Family—immigrants determined to begin life anew in the Icelandic farming and fishing community of Siglunes...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family friendship fiction historical literary-fiction outdoors survival -
Liverpool Annie by Maureen Lee
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAnnie Harrison has a difficult childhood and she eventually goes to live in the Grand Hotel with a rich school friend. Marriage follows and when her husband dies, she throws herself into providing for her children. Starting with a market stall she discovers a talent for designing clothes that develops into a successful business... -
The Coal Miner's Daughter by Maggie Hope
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA wealthy landlord’s son and a coal miner’s daughter . . . Growing up in poverty, one of six siblings, Hannah Armstrong never thought she’d know anything other than her little mining town. But then she falls for Timothy Durkin, a wealthy Oxford student. Following her heart, Hannah sacrifices everything she holds dear and follows her new husband to Oxford...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family romance historical 20th-century fiction industrial-era victorian -
The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II by Madeline Martin
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsInspired by the true World War II history of the few bookshops to survive the Blitz, The Last Bookshop in London is a timeless story of wartime loss, love and the enduring power of literature.August 1939: London prepares for war as Hitler’s forces sweep across Europe...Categorized as:
family friendship grief historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book -
At the Going Down of the Sun by Elizabeth Darrell
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis family epic, set during World War I, follows the fortunes of three brothers and the women who loved and waited for them. One, heir to the exquisite family home of Tarant Hall in Dorset, will be driven to the Front by accusations of cowardice... -
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Through the Storm by Maureen Lee
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe third novel in bestseller Maureen Lee's outstanding Liverpool sequence about family life during World War IITwo years of war have taken a terrible toll on Pearl Street, Liverpool. German bombs have reduced some houses to rubble and most of the inhabitants have lost friends and family... -
Under the Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroft
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsUnder the Golden Sun is the new, captivating World War II historical love story by Jenny Ashcroft set against the raw beauty of Australia.. -
Mistress of Greyladies by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDuring World War I, the ancient manor house of Greyladies in rural Wiltshire is requisitioned for a hospital. Its mistress, Harriet Latimer, her husband Joseph and their two sons are allowed to stay in part of the house, but when tragedy strikes Joseph's brothers, his future at Greyladies is at risk... -
Legacy of Greyladies by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWiltshire, December 1915. Widow Olivia Harbury has been persuaded by her cousin Donald to live with him and his wife, but tensions soon rise between the pair. Then, much to Donald’s disapproval, Olivia becomes involved in starting a new Women’s Institute.A chance meeting brings Olivia to Greyladies, an ancient manor house run by Phoebe Latimer, and she feels as though she’s finally come home... -
Holding on by Marcia Willett
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOver the years, the magnificent Keep in Devon has provided a bolt hole for the Chadwick family. Now the five young cousins who grew up there have left home and their grandmother Freddie wonders anxiously whether she will live to see the arrival of the next generation. No matter what happens to them, she knows that The Keep must remain within the family, ready and waiting for their return... -
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... -
The Kew Gardens Girls by Posy Lovell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWe will commission a historical fiction writer to write two wartime novels that highlight the important role women played in the history of Kew. The novels will feature strong heroines, real life events and as well as celebrating the beauty of the botanical gardens...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction ww1 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Peach Rebellion by Wendelin Van Draanen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA historical tale of friendship, family, and the power of sisterhood to help heal the wounds of the past and step boldly into the future of post-WWII America.Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends at seven, picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose’s were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms... -
When I Was Yours by Lizzie Page
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWe stand in the back of the hall as the children troop in. Big ones, little ones. Straggly hair, cropped hair, curls… the adults surge forward to choose and soon there is just one child left, a little girl sitting on the floor. She is thin as a string bean and her sleeve is ragged and damp – like she’s been chewing it. 1939... -
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... -
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The Fallen Kings by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings1918: German troops flood back from the Eastern Front for an all-out assault in France, before the Americans can join the war. The under-strength British retreat, and for the first time the real possibility of defeat comes home to a shocked nation... -
The White Road by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAugust 1914 The whole country is thrilled by the declaration of war. The British Expeditionary Force goes off to France to defend gallant little Belgium, and thousands more young men rush to volunteer, hoping to see action before the war ends at Christmas. At home everyone competes to be doing the most for the war effort... -
The Question by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings1898 - Late Victorian/Edwardian; the Second Boer War; Automobiles; the Suffragettes On the brink of a new century, the great stability of Victorian England is under threat. Europe is dividing into armed camps, while at home socialism and the suffragette movement challenge traditional values... -
The Winter Rose by Katie Flynn
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe heatwarming festive follow-up to The Rose Queen , from beloved Sunday Times bestselling author Katie Flynn._____________________________________________Liverpool, 1941: After German bombs shatter the life Cadi has built for herself in Liverpool, she is more determined than ever to sign up and do her bit... -
The Hungry Hills by Janet MacLeod Trotter
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWith the Great War still raw in the memory and life in the 1920s mining village of Whitton Grange hard and dangerous, Louie Kirkup dreams of a better future. But with a sick mother and a large family of pitman brothers and father, the daily burdens fall heavily on her young shoulders... -
The Narrowboat Girl by Annie Murray
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsYoung Maryann Nelson is devastated at the loss of her beloved father. But worse is to come when her mother, Flo, sees an opportunity to better herself and her family in a marriage to the local undertaker, Norman Griffin. Though on the surface a caring family man, Norman is not at all what he seems, as Maryann and her sister Sal soon discover...
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