Books like 'The Light Heart'
Readers who enjoyed The Light Heart by Elswyth Thane also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance military, war & conflict 20th century action / adventure historical-fiction ww1 industrial-era epic family
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The Letter by Ruth Saberton
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Letter is a beautiful novel set in England between the First World War and the present day. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey, it is the story of an aristocratic family, a forbidden love affair and the darkest of secrets kept for over one hundred years. On the eve of the First World War aspiring poet Kit Rivers looks forward to a bright future... -
![An Hour Unspent by Roseanna M. White]()
An Hour Unspent by Roseanna M. White
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOnce London’s top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clockmaker’s daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction industrial-era war ww1 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![Return to Robinswood by Jean Grainger]()
Return to Robinswood by Jean Grainger
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsOne Irish house, two very different families, and a war that changed everything. Robinswood Estate, County Waterford, Ireland. 1946.Years of neglect and abandonment have left the family seat of the Keneficks almost derelict, but the new Lord Kenefick and his charming young wife Kate, are determined to breathe life into the old house once more... -
![Arch of Triumph by Erich Maria Remarque]()
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... -
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![The Secrets We Left Behind by Soraya M. Lane]()
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... -
![A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White]()
A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEdwardian Romance and History Gains a Twist of Suspense Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they concentrate on stealing high-value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction industrial-era war ww1 20th-century action-adventure audiobook -
![So Much Owed: An Irish World War 2 Story by Jean Grainger]()
So Much Owed: An Irish World War 2 Story by Jean Grainger
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsIn a turbulent and uncertain world, the birth of two children revitalise a small Irish town and set the stage for a closer look into lives torn asunder by war. When Dr. Richard Buckley returns home to his wife and beloved hometown of Dunderrig, his mind is wearied by the ravages of The Great War... -
![Under a Sky of Memories by Soraya M. Lane]()
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 historical-fiction military war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin]()
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... -
![The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin]()
The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn 1944, American naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton arrives in London to prepare for the Allied invasion of France. He works closely with Dorothy Fairfax, a "Wren" in the Women's Royal Naval Service. Dorothy pieces together reconnaissance photographs with thousands of holiday snapshots of France--including those of her own family's summer home--in order to create accurate maps of Normandy...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction military war 20th-century action-adventure animals audiobook -
![The Long, Long Trail 1917 by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles]()
The Long, Long Trail 1917 by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn 1917 the Great War rages on, and for the Hunters, their friends and their servants the war is where they live now. David has returned from the Front a shadow of his former self; his sister Diana, newly married, copes with pregnancy alone, her husband at the Front... -
![The Forbidden Promise by Lorna Cook]()
The Forbidden Promise by Lorna Cook
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe stunning new story of love and secrets from the Number One bestselling author of The Forgotten VillageScotland, 1940:War rages across Europe, but Invermoray House is at peace. Until the night of Constance’s twenty-first birthday, when she’s the only person to see a Spitfire crash into the loch... -
![The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy]()
The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsLoch Ewe, 1940. When gamekeeper’s daughter Flora’s remote highland village finds itself the base for the Royal Navy’s Arctic convoys, life in her close-knit community changes forever. In defiance of his disapproving father, the laird’s son falls in love with Flora, and as tensions build in their disrupted home, any chance of their happiness seems doomed... -
![The Spitfire Girls by Soraya M. Lane]()
The Spitfire Girls by Soraya M. Lane
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThree skilled aviators determined to help win the war. Three brave women who know their place is not at home. At the height of World War II, the British Air Transport Auxiliary need help. A group of young women volunteer for action, but the perils of their new job don’t end on the tarmac. Things are tough in the air, but on the ground their abilities as pilots are constantly questioned... -
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![The Girl from the Tea Garden by Janet MacLeod Trotter]()
The Girl from the Tea Garden by Janet MacLeod Trotter
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn the dying days of the Raj, Anglo-Indian schoolgirl Adela Robson dreams of a glamorous career on the stage. When she sneaks away from school in the back of handsome Sam Jackman’s car, she knows a new life awaits—but it is not the one she imagined... -
![The Riviera House by Natasha Lester]()
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:
family historical-fiction military war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Girls on the Line by Aimie K. Runyan]()
Girls on the Line by Aimie K. Runyan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the celebrated author of Daughters of the Night Sky comes a stirring novel inspired by the courage, dedication, and love of the unsung heroines of the Great War. December 1917. As World War I rages in Europe, twenty-four-year-old Ruby Wagner, the jewel in a prominent Philadelphia family, prepares for her upcoming wedding to a society scion... -
![A Maiden's Voyage by Rosie Goodwin]()
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]()
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...Categorized as:
epic family historical-fiction industrial-era military war 20th-century action-adventure -
![Pocketful of Dreams: A Heart-Warming East End Saga by Jean Fullerton]()
Pocketful of Dreams: A Heart-Warming East End Saga by Jean Fullerton
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJean Fullerton, queen of the saga, returns with a charming new war-time series. It's 1939, and the Brogan family of London's East End are ready to show Hitler what-for. But things don't seem so rosy when rationing, evacuation, and air-raids start to put this larger-than-life family to the test...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction military war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Island in the East by Jenny Ashcroft]()
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...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction military war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![North and South by John Jakes]()
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:
epic family historical-fiction industrial-era military war 20th-century action-adventure -
![The Liberty Girls by Fiona Ford]()
The Liberty Girls by Fiona Ford
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratings***THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE COMPELLING LIBERTY GIRLS SERIES. Perfect for fans of Nancy Revell, Elaine Everest, Nadine Dorries and Mr Selfridge. *** March, 1942: new mother Alice Milward is itching to return to her job as a shop assistant at Liberty’s. Despite her husband still being missing in action, Alice is determined to give baby Arthur the best possible start...Categorized as:
military historical-fiction industrial-era war romance historical 20th-century fiction -
![The Longest Echo by Eoin Dempsey]()
The Longest Echo by Eoin Dempsey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAgainst the backdrop of WWII-ravaged Italy comes a powerful and emotional novel of love, survival, justice, and second chances by the bestselling author of White Rose, Black Forest.Occupied Italy, 1944. In the mountain regions south of Bologna, Liliana Nicoletti’s family finds escaped POW James Foley behind German lines... -
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![The Poppy Field by Deborah Carr]()
The Poppy Field by Deborah Carr
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratings‘One to Watch’ Good Housekeeping This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Young nurse, Gemma, is struggling with the traumas she has witnessed through her job in the NHS. Needing to escape from it all, Gemma agrees to help renovate a rundown farmhouse in Doullens, France, a town near the Somme... -
![The Loving Cup by Winston Graham]()
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...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction industrial-era war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![The Girls of Pearl Harbor by Soraya M. Lane]()
The Girls of Pearl Harbor by Soraya M. Lane
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of Wives of War comes a harrowing tale of four brave young nurses whose lives change forever in the wake of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.When Grace, April, and Poppy join the US Army Nurse Corps, they see it as little more than an adventure, one made all the better by their first station: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction military war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![What Once Was True: An Irish WW2 Story by Jean Grainger]()
What Once Was True: An Irish WW2 Story by Jean Grainger
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsRobinswood, Co Waterford, 1939. The once grand Irish house is home to two very different families. Despite delusions of grandeur, Lord and Lady Kenefick and their adult children, live a life of decayed opulence as the money needed to keep such a large house and grounds ever dwindles... -
![Heartaches and Christmas Cakes by Amy Miller, Amy Bratley]()
Heartaches and Christmas Cakes by Amy Miller, Amy Bratley
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDecember, 1940: All that Audrey Barton wants is her family together for Christmas. But the war changes everything… The Barton family bakery in Bournemouth has been at the heart of the town for generations: Audrey and Charlie Barton have never been rich, but their bread and cakes – and their love and advice – have enriched the lives of others in the town for many years... -
![Angels of the Resistance by Noelle Salazar]()
Angels of the Resistance by Noelle Salazar
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“Angels of the Resistance brings to life a deadly-effective and deeply moving sisterhood.” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose CodeFrom the bestselling author of The Flight Girls comes a story inspired by true events, about courageous women who risked everything for country, for family, and for each other... -
![Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin]()
Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOne Plucky Female Pharmacist + One High-Society Naval Officer = Romance--and Danger For plucky Lillian Avery, America's entry into World War II means a chance to prove herself as a pharmacist in Boston. The challenges of her new job energize her. But society boy Ensign Archer Vandenberg's attentions only annoy--even if he "is" her brother's best friend... -
![Wartime with the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker]()
Wartime with the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratings1941. The Blitz rages over London. And even in Cornwall, the war is being fought…When Violet loses her sister in the Blitz, she must take her nieces to safety in Cornwall. On the coast, she meets carefree chorus girl Eva, who is also running from the dangers of London.But Porthcurno hides a secret military base, and soon Violet and Eva realise there’s a battle to fight in Cornwall, too... -
![A New York Secret by Ella Carey]()
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... -
![You'll Never See Me Again by Lesley Pearse]()
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... -
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![The Pearl Thief by Fiona McIntosh]()
The Pearl Thief by Fiona McIntosh
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSeverine Kassel is asked by the Louvre in 1963 to aid the British Museum with curating its antique jewellery, her specialty. Her London colleagues find her distant and mysterious; her cool beauty the topic of conversations around its quiet halls. No one could imagine that she is a desperately damaged woman, hiding her trauma behind her chic, French image...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction military war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Shadow of a Century by Jean Grainger]()
Shadow of a Century by Jean Grainger
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA journalist in modern New York stumbles across a story from a century earlier when the streets of Dublin were ablaze as men and women fought valiantly for liberation from the British Empire. This is the story of three women. Mary Doyle was reared by nuns and knows nothing of her parents, except that they were a source of shame...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction industrial-era military war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![The Paris Orphan by Natasha Lester]()
The Paris Orphan by Natasha Lester
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFrom the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress comes a World War II novel that spans continents and crosses generations as an American soldier and an enterprising Vogue photographer brave war-torn France to help a lost little girl find the one thing she never had: a family... -
![Yesterday's Tomorrow by Catherine West]()
Yesterday's Tomorrow by Catherine West
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWINNER of the 2011 INSPY AWARDS in the Romance Category SILVER Medalist in The Reader's Favorite 2012 Awards (Christian Historical) FINALIST in the 2011 GRACE AWARDS (Christian Historical) She's after the story that might get her the Pulitzer. He's determined to keep his secrets to himself. Vietnam, 1967... -
![Winter at Bletchley Park by Molly Green]()
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... -
![Bitter Tears by Marion Kummerow]()
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... -
![On the Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss, Helen MacCormac]()
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... -
![Where the Heart Is by Annie Groves]()
Where the Heart Is by Annie Groves
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA fabulous drama of the Campion family, struggling to stay together as World War Two rages over Liverpool Lou Campion has joined the WAAFs, against the wishes of her parents and twin sister Sasha. Lou's always been a rebel, but now finds that if she wants to succeed she'll have to follow extremely strict rules... -
![The Heart of the Family by Annie Groves]()
The Heart of the Family by Annie Groves
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe much-loved author of ACROSS THE MERSEY tells of Liverpool under bombardment as never before – but the Campion family refuses to give in.The Campions have always stuck together through danger and sorrow, but even they begin to wonder if it’s time to take their youngest, the twins, to safety away from the bombing raids...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction military war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Among the Poppies by J'nell Ciesielski]()
Among the Poppies by J'nell Ciesielski
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe ideal lady wears lace, speaks quietly, and never under any circumstances fixes her own automobiles. But Gwyn Ruthers has never cared two snaps for the ideal lady. With the war to end all wars exploding across the Channel, she leaves behind her restrictive life as a chauffer’s daughter to serve in an all-female ambulance unit in France... -
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![Legacy of Greyladies by Anna Jacobs]()
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... -
![The Secrets Between Us by Laura Madeleine]()
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... -
![Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin]()
Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life--a woman he believed to be dead... -
![The Kew Gardens Girls by Posy Lovell]()
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... -
![The Last Hours in Paris by Ruth Druart]()
The Last Hours in Paris by Ruth Druart
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA powerful portrait of war and retribution. A beautiful story of love and forgiveness."Words are power. They can bring you down, lift you up, make your heart soar, make you fall in love. Or make you hate."Paris 1944. Elise Chevalier knows what it is to love . . . and to hate. Her fiancé, a young French soldier, was killed by the German army at the Maginot Line...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction military war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![An Orphan’s Wish: The new, most heartwarming historical fiction novel you will read this year by Molly Green]()
An Orphan’s Wish: The new, most heartwarming historical fiction novel you will read this year by Molly Green
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWar rages, but the women and children of Liverpool’s Dr Barnardo’s Home cannot give up hope. What more could you wish for than a poignant, heart-warming saga to read this Christmas? LIVERPOOL, 1943Yorkshire is the place Lana has always called home, but it’s now filled with painful memories of her fiancé, Dickie, who was killed at sea...
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