Books like 'Martha's Girls'
Readers who enjoyed Martha's Girls by Alrene Hughes also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical 20th century military, war & conflict historical-fiction ww2 military family romantic-love war
-
Nellie's Heartbreak: A compelling saga from the bestselling author the Mulberry Lane and Harpers Emporium series by Rosie Clarke
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA new stand-alone saga set in Yorkshire around out the outbreak of the second world war and the unlikely relationship between a master and servant.As a small child, Nellie Peace was always dreaming but sensed her mother’s rejection... -
As the Sun Breaks Through by Ellie Dean
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratings************** PRE-ORDER NOW: THE FIFTEENTH CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEAN A fabulous, heart-warming Second World War novel in Ellie Dean's bestselling Cliffehaven series (previously called the Beach View Boarding House series)... -
With Hope and Love by Ellie Dean
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCliffehaven, May 1945. The war in Europe is over, but for the residents of Beach View Boarding House its effects are still far reaching.Cockney evacuee Ivy and her sweetheart Andy are saving to get married and return to London. But when her sister and parents succumb to one of the last V-2 attacks, Ivy must make a heart-wrenching choice... -
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... -
-
The Child Without a Home by Ann Bennett
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratings‘So captivating, I was on edge while flipping through the pages as fast as I could… Truly heartwarming… Emotional, heartbreaking… I loved this… A must read… Amazing’ Pageturners ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Inspired by the lives of the forgotten orphans of World War Two, this heart-wrenching and moving tale is about fighting for your loved ones when all hope is lost... -
The Star and the Shamrock by Jean Grainger
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAriella Bannon has no choice: she must put her precious children, Liesl and Erich, on that train or allow them to become prey for the Nazis. Berlin 1939... -
A Code for Tomorrow by John J. Gobbell
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“The sea action is exciting and thoroughly convincing.” —Kirkus Reviews Todd Ingram is back in the fight. After narrowly escaping the Japanese-held Philippines, he is promoted to the destroyer USS Howell.His new assignment puts him in the middle of two epic naval engagements: the Battle of Cape Esperance and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands... -
All My Tomorrows by Ellie Dean
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe compelling new Second World War novel from the author of Always in My Heart.In defending herself against her brutal husband, eighteen-year-old Ruby Clark is forced to flee London.She has no idea where Cliffehaven is, or what she will find there, but she knows that she will never be able to return home again.At first it seems she’s fallen on her feet... -
Shelter from the Storm by Ellie Dean
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNineteen-year-old April Wilton has just enlisted in the WRENs in Portsmouth, where she works servicing engines on ships. She finds herself immersed in dockyard life and surrounded by soldiers - from England and America. The atmosphere is one of spontaneity and impulsiveness, brought on by the unpredictability of war... -
Wedding Bells on Victory Street: Gripping and heartbreaking World War 2 saga fiction (The Bryant Sisters) by Pam Howes
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom Amazon bestseller Pam Howes comes a heartbreaking World War Two novel about a young woman trying to make the best of history’s darkest hour. Is a happy ever after impossible?Liverpool, 1943. For Bella Rogers, life is looking up... -
Wartime at Woolworths by Elaine Everest
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Woolworths girls have come a long way together . . . Fun loving Maisie, is devoted to her young family and her work at Woolworths. But her happy life with her RAF officer husband, their baby daughter leads her to think of the family she left behind . . -
Always in my Heart by Ellie Dean
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAs the Japanese begin their assault on Singapore, Sarah Fuller is forced to leave her parents and fianc�, Philip, behind. The long journey to England is fraught with danger, and Sarah and her sister Jane don't even know if their great-aunt is alive, let alone waiting for them. They arrive in Cliffehaven, on the south coast of England, and here Sarah must find work to support them both... -
A Ration Book Christmas by Jean Fullerton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt's 1940 and the German Luftwaffe have started their nightly reign of death and destruction over London's East End. The Brogan family is braced and ready to take on Hitler single-handed, if need be, but with rationing, air-raids and the threat of Nazi invasion hanging over this doughty family, their spirits are taking a bit of a battering.. -
The Promise by Ruth Saberton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNo matter what promises you make, some dark secrets refuse to stay buried... When Nell Summers stumbles across a photograph in her late father’s belongings, the faded image of a young soldier leads her to question everything she knows...Categorized as:
historical-fiction ww2 war military fiction historical 20th-century violent-conflict -
-
The London Girls by Soraya M. Lane
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Last Correspondent comes a remarkable story of three young women who defy the bombs to do their bit for Britain. Will they survive the dark streets of London to see the Allies win the war?London, 1941. The Blitz... -
I'll Be Seeing You: A spellbinding and emotional wartime novel of love and secrets by Margaret Mayhew
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Juliet Porter's mother dies, she leaves Juliet some old letters and a photograph which shatter all her previously-held beliefs. They show that her real father was an American bomber pilot in the second world war, some forty years before, and that he had met her mother while serving in England... -
Emilia: The Darkest Days in History of Nazi Germany Through a Woman's Eyes by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSilver Medal Winner of the International Book Award contest Readers' Favorite in the Historical Fiction category (2017) This story is dedicated to all the victims of sexual slavery in German concentration camps, who had to endure inhumane suffering under the Nazi regime... -
A Ration Book Daughter by Jean Fullerton
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCathy was a happy, blushing bride when Britain went to war with Germany three years ago. But her youthful dreams were crushed by her violent husband Stanley's involvement with the fascist black-shirts, and even when he's conscripted to fight she knows it's only a brief respite - divorce is not an option. Cathy's only solace is her little son Peter... -
A Mother's Journey: Book 1 in the Yorkshire Blitz Trilogy by Donna Douglas
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratings*FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE NIGHTINGALE SERIES* A dramatic and heartwarming new saga series from the well-loved Donna Douglas, this will be one of Orion's biggest launches of 2020.Hull, 1940. Edie Copeland has just arrived on Jubilee Row, carrying a secret and a heavy suitcase... -
Churchill's Secret Messenger by Alan Hlad
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA riveting story of World War II and the courage of one young woman as she is drafted into Churchill’s overseas spy network, aiding the French Resistance behind enemy lines and working to liberate Nazi-occupied Paris… London, 1941: In a cramped bunker in Winston Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, underneath Westminster’s Treasury building, civilian women huddle at desks, typing up confidential... -
On a Wing and a Prayer by Helen Carey
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratings‘This dramatic and poignant novel depicts the resilience of ordinary people caught up in an extraordinary war.Unputdownable!’ Western Telegraph Life is hard in London in 1941, and yet Helen de Burrel finds herself volunteering to join the SOE. Nobody knows that her cool exterior conceals such courage ... and such fear. It also means that love, when it strikes unexpectedly, is doubly dangerous... -
The Allotment Girls by Kate Thompson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDuring the Second World War, life in the iconic Bryant & May match factory is grimy and tough. Annie, Rose, Pearl and Millie carry on making matches for the British Army, with bombs raining down around them. Inspired by the Dig for Victory campaign, Annie persuades the owners to start Bryant & May allotment in the factory grounds... -
The Waiting Hours by Ellie Dean
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSlapton Sands, Devon1943Carol Porter has had a difficult war. Less than a year ago she lost both her husband and baby, and with them her heart. Only recently has she’s found peace, working as a land girl at Coombe Farm. But Carol’s sanctuary, the whole local area in fact, is about to be disrupted.When Pauline Reilly learns of Carol’s situation she’s worried for her little sister... -
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... -
-
Final Mission: Zion - A World War 2 Thriller by Chuck Driskell
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratings**2018 NEW RELEASE** In 1938, as the Third Reich is just beginning its reign of terror, hundreds of Jewish orphans are hidden away in Austria, in the midst of their underground escape to Palestine. The only man who knows their location is killed, leaving the children with precious little time to survive. The dead man leaves a single set of instructions: Find U.S... -
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... -
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... -
The Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratings' A real insight into how it was for these women in a Sunderland major ship building yard ... The foundation book of a series. Which I shall be reading as each one is written. Loved it. ' - 5 star real reader review Sunderland, 1940, and the women go to the shipyards to do their bit for the war effort... -
The Midwives of Lark Lane by Pam Howes
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAn absolutely heartbreaking historical family saga All’s fair in love and war… but what happens when the war is over? After the heartbreak of World War Two, newlywed midwife Cathy hoped Liverpool life would offer some joy. But a terrible miscarriage and the escape of her abusive stepfather Jack from prison make happiness hard to find. Meanwhile, Cathy’s beloved granny is ailing... -
The Dollmaker's Daughters by Dilly Court
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwo sisters, tragically divided by love, jealousy and ambition ... For Ruby and Rosetta Capretti life in the slums of the East End holds little promise. Although very similar in looks they dream of very different futures... -
Lizzie's War by Rosie Clarke
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLONDON 1940. Another gritty, heart-warming and wholesome drama. A gripping sequel to LIZZIE'S SECRET. Perfect for the fans of Katie Flynn and Nadine Dorries. Against the devastating Blitz of London, normal life must continue for Lizzie Larch. With Sebastian returning to War, Lizzie, must, alone make a success of her business in order to survive and care for herself and her young child... -
Surviving the Fatherland by Annette Oppenlander
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSpanning thirteen years from 1940 to 1953 and set against the epic panorama of WWII, SURVIVING THE FATHERLAND is a sweeping saga of family, love, and betrayal that illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the children's war... -
The Bomb Girl Brides by Daisy Styles
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt's 1944 and Britain is a country at war. The young women of the Phoenix munitions factory are giving their all to the cause, but romance is beckoning . . . The life of a Bomb Girl isn't usually glamourous. But Maggie is getting married, so she is going to make sure her wedding day is - even if she does have to spend every other day slaving on the factory floor... -
Rosa's Gold - A Story of Holocaust Echoes by Ray Kingfisher
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsNicole Sutton is a young girl with problems. A tragic car accident has taken away her brother, and ripped her parents' marriage apart. Together with her mother she moves to a new house, a new town, and a life she never wanted. In the dusty cellar of the house she stumbles upon a well-worn notebook – the scribbled war memoirs of Mac, an old soldier... -
-
The Oceans Between Us by Gill Thompson
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsInspired by heartrending real events, a mother fights to find her son and a child battles for survival in this riveting debut novel.For readers of Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly, The Letter by Kathryn Hughes, and Remember Me by Lesley Pearse.A woman is found wandering injured in London after an air raid.She remembers nothing of who she is... -
We Shall Remember by Emma Fraser
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratings1939. Irena is a young medical student living in Warsaw when the German army invade Poland. Those closest to her are dying and when Irena realises that no one is coming to Poland's aid, it's clear that she is alone. Forced to flee to Britain, Irena meets Richard, a RAF pilot who she's instantly drawn to and there's a glimmer of happiness on the horizon... -
The Lifeline by Deborah Swift
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the heart of Norway to Shetland in Scotland, one couple fight to overthrow the Nazis…1942, Nazi-occupied NorwaySchoolteacher Astrid Dahl has always kept out of trouble. But when she is told to teach the fascist Nazi curriculum, she refuses and starts a teacher’s rebellion, persuading eight thousand teachers to go on strike... -
Christmas with the Bomb Girls by Daisy Styles
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsChristmas time with our favourite Bomb Girls at the Phoenix Munitions Factory Christmas time is approaching at the Phoenix Munitions Factory and Gladys, Kitty, Edna and the rest of the Bomb Girls are determined to make this a year to remember... -
The Puppet Maker's Daughter by Karla M. Jay
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratings2022 New York City Big Book WINNER2022 Independent Author Network) IAN FINALIST2022 Shortlist for the Selfie Award by Publisher's Weekly2021 FINALIST Self-Published Review ContestHungary 1944. The war comes late to Budapest. Nineteen-year-old Marika, forced out of nursing school, believes she and her Jewish family will remain safe, even as Nazi soldiers fill their cobbled streets... -
The Eternal Zero by Naoki Hyakuta, 百田尚樹
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsYour grandfather was a coward.That is the angry recollection with which a former Zero fighter pilot greets two Japanese siblings who, typically, despite being educated, know next to nothing about a defining war in the Pacific that took place within living memory... -
The Scarlet Nightingale by Alan Titchmarsh
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAs war rages across Europe, one young woman is torn between love and loyalty.Set in wartime London and occupied France, this is a thrilling story of love, danger and sacrifice from bestselling novelist Alan Titchmarsh.It is the late 1930s when seventeen-year-old Rosamund Hanbury leaves behind the endless summers of her coastal Devonshire home for the fast pace of high society London... -
The Amulet: A heart-breaking novel of love and loss set in WW2 Singapore by Ann Bennett
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom award-winning author Ann Bennett, comes a new, heart-breaking novel set in Singapore, during World War Two.Perfect for fans of Dinah Jeffries and Victoria Hislop.After her mother’s death, Lara discovers a beautiful amulet amongst her belongings, engraved with the words “for Suria... -
The Green Gauntlet by R.F. Delderfield
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPaul and Claire Craddock have grown older in years - but not in spirit. World War II is over. But for Craddock and his family there are new battles to be fought and won. The new property laws enable speculators to reap huge profits from agricultural lands, and Paul's livelihood is threatened... -
The Factory Girls of Lark Lane by Pam Howes
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCan friendship get them through the struggles of war? 1940, Liverpool: Alice Turner and her best friend, Millie Markham, work for the war effort at Rootes munitions factory, making shell caps and Halifax bombers. Alice’s sweetheart Terry is home from the front for a brief period of leave. She’s been in love with him since school, and the women are excitedly planning a whirlwind wedding... -
-
The Lost Children by Shirley Dickson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAs they walked towards the railway station, their mother took an envelope from her handbag. ‘I want you to keep this somewhere safe.’‘What’s in the letter?’‘Listen carefully. You’re never to open it unless you or your sister are in real trouble. Promise me.’England, 1943: Home is no longer safe for eight-year-old twins Molly and Jacob... -
Slepá mapa by Alena Mornštajnová
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratings„Lidé přicházejí na svět z různých důvodů – z lásky, náhodou, nebo omylem. Já jsem se narodila kvůli bytu,“ předesílá hlavní hrdinka Anežka na začátku ságy o trojici žen, která se začala psát už před první světovou válkou.Do Anežčina osudu se promítají nejen životní příběhy jejích rodičů a prarodičů, ale i krutý dopad dějinných událostí... -
Those Who Dare by Phil Ward
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsBy May 1940, panzer divisions had decimated Belgium and reached Calais. Lietenant John Randal, a veteran of the U.S. 26th Cavalry Regiment, volunteers his expertise to help slow their advance. What unfolds is a blend of military guerrilla tactics, suspense, humor, and brotherly camaraderie-plus a little romance between the American GI and the widowed Lady Jane Seaborn... -
The Steel Wave by Jeff Shaara
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJeff Shaara, America's premier author of military historical fiction, brings us the centerpiece of his epic trilogy of the Second World War.General Dwight Eisenhower once again commands a diverse army that must find its single purpose in the destruction of Hitler's European fortress... -
The Sugar Men by Ray Kingfisher
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Sugar Men - A Story of Holocaust Echoes. Susannah Morgan has been settled in sleepy North Carolina for almost sixty-five years, but is still haunted by memories of her escape from the holocaust as a child. For most of her life the flashbacks have been a lonely obsession - one she has managed to hide from her children... -
Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratings1940. In a world newly burning with war, and in spite of her American family’s wishes, Virginia decides to stay in occupied France with her French husband. She’s sure that if they keep their heads down they’ll make it through. But as the call to resist the enemy grows around her, Virginia must decide if she's willing to risk everything to help those in need...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.