Courage, My Love


Book Description

When the Nazi occupation of Rome begins, two courageous young women are plunged deep into the Italian Resistance to fight for their freedom in this captivating debut novel. Rome, 1943 Lucia Colombo has had her doubts about fascism for years, but as a single mother in an increasingly unstable country, politics are for other people--she needs to focus on keeping herself and her son alive. Then the Italian government falls and the German occupation begins, and suddenly, Lucia finds that complacency is no longer an option. Francesca Gallo has always been aware of injustice and suffering. A polio survivor who lost her father when he was arrested for his anti-fascist politics, she came to Rome with her fiancé to start a new life. But when the Germans invade and her fiancé is taken by the Nazis, Francesca decides she has only one option: to fight back. As Lucia and Francesca are pulled deeper into the struggle against the Nazi occupation, both women learn to resist alongside the partisans to drive the Germans from Rome. But as winter sets in, the occupation tightens its grip on the city, and the resistance is in constant danger. In the darkest days, Francesca and Lucia face their pasts, find the courage to love, and maintain hope for a future that is finally free.




Pistol Daisy


Book Description




The Postcard from Italy


Book Description

Italy, 1945. 'Where am I?' The young man wakes, bewildered. He sees olive trees against a bright blue sky. A soft voice soothes him. 'We saw you fall from your plane. The parachute saved you.' He remembers nothing of his life, or the war that has torn the world apart... but where does he belong? England, present day. Antiques-shop owner Susannah feels adrift. Her beloved father has died, and her grandmother Elsie's memories are disappearing. But everything changes when she stumbles across a yellowed postcard bearing a picture of a beautiful Italian stone farmhouse, tucked away in Elsie's dressing table. A message dated from the Second World War speaks of a secret love. Could her grandmother, who never talked about the past, have fallen for someone in Italy all those years ago? With Elsie confused and distressed by her questions, heartbroken Susannah tracks down the house on the postcard. Arriving at what is now a crumbling hotel by the sparkling Italian sea, she feels strangely at home. And after an unexpected encounter with handsome wine waiter Giacomo, she can't tell if it's his dark eyes or his offer to help solve her mystery that makes her heart race. Together they find a dusty chest tucked in a forgotten corner of the building. The white silk of a World War II parachute spills out. And the Royal Air Force identity tag nestled in the folds bears a familiar name... As a story of lost memories, terrible betrayal and impossible choices unfolds, Susannah comes closer to a devastating wartime secret at the heart of her own family. Did she ever really know her grandmother? And when she finally learns the truth, will it help heal her pain - or tear her apart for good? An absolutely stunning page-turner that will sweep you away to the olive groves and majestic views of the Italian coast. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Hughes, Fiona Valpy and Victoria Hislop. Read what everyone's saying about Angela Petch: 'A devastating, beautiful, heartbreaking, compelling and riveting page-turner... I was absolutely shocked by the two big reveals... I did not see them coming!!!... Absolutely fantastic... Will leave you thinking about the story for a long time... I LOVED it' Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Heart-breaking and compelling... A beautiful story, told with such emotion and feeling that it makes you forget where you are and what you are doing!' Stardust Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I don't even know where to begin... beautiful... I absolutely adored this book... The picture that the author paints is both beautiful and devastating... the descriptions are so detailed, I could actually picture it in my mind.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Fantastic read... I loved this book... will grab you and hold onto you long after you put it down... an amazing story.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐




The Lost Garden


Book Description

Great Britain, Women, Army, WWII 1939 - 1945.




Write Your Own Historical Fiction Story


Book Description

Explains how to create historical fiction, from crafting believable characters to creating intense plots, with examples from successful books.




Passion Blue


Book Description

In fifteenth-century Italy, seventeen-year-old Giulia, a Count's illegitimate daughter, buys a talisman hoping it will bring her true love to save her from life in a convent, but once there she begins to learn the painter's craft, including how to make the coveted paint, Passion blue, and to question her true heart's desire. Includes historical notes and glossary.




Ignatius and the Swords of Nostaw


Book Description

Fifteen-year-old Iggy is good at three things: languages, witty retorts, and running from a fight. When a guy pulls a knife on him during a high school argument, all the banter in the world isn’t enough to save him, so Iggy resorts to his backup plan—running. But before he can make his escape, the locket he always wears around his neck heats up, and someone tackles him from behind, pinning him to the ground. Iggy’s never thought of himself as a fighter. He’s spent his life running from anything that can’t be solved with a quick one-liner or a snarky comeback. But as he learns more about the strange place he’s landed, one thing becomes abundantly clear: in the World on Skye, they need a hero. And Iggy just might be the one they’re looking for, even if he’s not so sure.




The Shogun's Queen


Book Description

Japan, and the year is 1853. Growing up among the samurai of the Satsuma Clan, in Japan's deep south, the fiery, beautiful and headstrong Okatsu has like all the clan's women been encouraged to be bold, taught to wield the halberd, and to ride a horse. But when she is just seventeen, four black ships appear. Bristling with cannon and manned by strangers who to the Japanese eyes are barbarians, their appearance threatens Japan's very existence. And turns Okatsu's world upside down. Chosen by her feudal lord, she has been given a very special role to play. Given a new name Princess Atsu and a new destiny, she is the only one who can save the realm. Her journey takes her to Edo Castle, a place so secret that it cannot be marked on any map. There, sequestered in the Women's Palace home to three thousand women, and where only one man may enter: the shogun she seems doomed to live out her days.




Nothing Is Beautiful


Book Description

The oil got used up. The planet got warmer. But a few short centuries are not sufficient time to change the human psyche. Stressed lives-all lives nowadays-confronted with nature remain as Thomas Hobbes described them: solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. But for those willing to risk everything and set out into The Nothing, one hope remains: a portal to another world. A better world. Some won't make it, and those who do will never be heard from again. But they risk all to try. To find salvation, to find a place where they could finally rest, would be enough.




The Stolen Marriage


Book Description

Steeped 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. Pregnant, alone, and riddled with guilt, twenty-three-year-old Tess DeMello abruptly gives up her budding career as a nurse and ends her engagement to the love of her life, unable to live a lie. Instead, she turns to the baby’s father for help and agrees to marry him, moving to the small, rural town of Hickory, North Carolina. Tess’s new husband, Henry Kraft, is a secretive man who often stays out all night, hides money from his new wife, and shows her no affection. Tess quickly realizes she’s trapped in a strange and loveless marriage with no way out. The people of Hickory love and respect Henry but see Tess as an outsider, treating her with suspicion and disdain. When one of the town’s golden girls dies in a terrible accident, everyone holds Tess responsible. But Henry keeps his secrets even closer now, though it seems that everyone knows something about him that Tess does not. When a sudden polio epidemic strikes Hickory, the townspeople band together to build a polio hospital. Tess knows she is needed and defies Henry’s wishes to begin working at there. Through this work, she begins to find purpose and meaning. Yet at home, Henry’s actions grow more alarming by the day. As Tess works to save the lives of her patients, can she untangle the truth behind her husband’s mysterious behavior and find the love—and the life—she was meant to have? A Library Reads Top Ten Book of October 2017 Praise for The Stolen Marriage: "[A] well-crafted crime-tinged tale." —Publishers Weekly "The Stolen Marriage is the kind of story that will grab you and refuse to let you go until you turn the last page." —All About Romance "Readers will be sucked in immediately...you just can't go wrong with a book with [Chamberlain's] name on the cover." —Southern Pines Pilot