Books like 'Empress Orchid'
Readers who enjoyed Empress Orchid by Anchee Min also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical royalty poor heroine east-asian-mc cruel hero political-intrigue survival war m-f age difference
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The Dark of the Moon by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Dressmaker’s Gift. She’s spent a lifetime searching for him. Is this her last chance to find the truth? Philly Delaney risked everything during the war... -
![The Secret Midwife by Soraya M. Lane]()
The Secret Midwife by Soraya M. Lane
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsLondon, 1995: When on the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz a news broadcast runs an appeal for information on the identity of a midwife who saved hundreds of lives, Emilia knows it is time to finally tell her story... -
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![The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham]()
The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsParis, 1940: He pressed the tattered book into her hands. ‘You must go to the café and ask at the counter for Pierre Duras. Tell him that I sent you. Tell him you’re there to save the people of France. ’... -
![The Violinist of Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood]()
The Violinist of Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsBased on the unforgettable true story of Alma Rosé, this novel brings to life one of history’s most fearless, inspiring, and courageous heroines. In Auschwitz, every day is a fight for survival. Alma is inmate 50381, the number tattooed on her skin in pale blue ink. She is cooped up with thousands of others, torn from loved ones, trapped in a maze of barbed wire... -
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![A View Across the Rooftops by Suzanne Kelman]()
A View Across the Rooftops by Suzanne Kelman
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAn unforgettable story of love, hope and betrayal, and a testament to the courage of humanity in history’s darkest days. As Nazis occupy his beloved city, Professor Josef Held feels helpless. So when he discovers his former pupil Michael Blum is trying to escape the Gestapo, he offers Michael a place to hide in his attic... -
![Ha'Penny Schemes by Gemma Jackson]()
Ha'Penny Schemes by Gemma Jackson
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsIn 1920’s inner-city Dublin tenements, Ivy Rose Murphy struggles to survive and thrive in the harsh poverty-stricken environment she was born into. She is trying to adapt to her new role as a married woman. There are those jealous of the improvements she has managed to make in her life. To Ivy it seems everyone wants a piece of her. She is stretched to breaking point... -
![The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester]()
The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 27 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... -
![The Parisians by Marius Gabriel]()
The Parisians by Marius Gabriel
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsParis, 1940. The Nazis have occupied the city—and the Ritz. The opulent old hotel, so loved by Parisians, is now full of swaggering officers, their minions and their mistresses. For American Olivia Olsen, working as a chambermaid at the hotel means denying her nationality and living a lie, every day bringing the danger of discovery closer... -
![The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham]()
The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFor readers of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Kate Furnivall comes a gritty tale of courage, betrayal and love in the most unlikely of places. Germany, 1944. Taken from the camps to serve the Fuhrer himself, Anke Hoff has been assigned as midwife to one of Hitler’s inner circle. If she refuses, her family will die... -
![Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada, Michael Hofmann]()
Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada, Michael Hofmann
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsInspired by a true story, Hans Fallada's Alone in Berlin is the gripping tale of an ordinary man's determination to defy the tyranny of Nazi rule. This Penguin Classics edition contains an afterword by Geoff Wilkes, as well as facsimiles of the original Gestapo file which inspired the novel. Berlin, 1940, and the city is filled with fear... -
![The Ha'Penny Place by Gemma Jackson]()
The Ha'Penny Place by Gemma Jackson
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThrough hard work and determination, Ivy Rose Murphy has come up in the world. She still begs for discards from the homes of the wealthy which lie only a stone’s throw from The Lane, the poverty-ridden tenements where she lives. These discards she repairs and sells around the Dublin markets. But being in the ha’penny place may soon be a thing of the past for Ivy... -
![When the World Goes Quiet by Gian Sardar]()
When the World Goes Quiet by Gian Sardar
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 30 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... -
![The Rebel by Tess Thompson]()
The Rebel by Tess Thompson
She watches helplessly as the man she loves leaves to fight with the Allies overseas. He promises her he will return to her alive and well. Will he be able to keep his promise, or will he be yet another lost soldier in a war against tyranny? After four years at a university, Delphia Barnes returns home to Emerson Pass as America prepares to join the war... -
![The Orphans of Berlin: The BRAND NEW heartbreaking World War 2 historical novel by Jina Bacarr for 2022 by Jina Bacarr]()
The Orphans of Berlin: The BRAND NEW heartbreaking World War 2 historical novel by Jina Bacarr for 2022 by Jina Bacarr
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 24 ratings'A moving novel of strength and resistance in the face of evil but also an inspiring journey of resilience after loss. ' Erin Litteken, bestselling author of The Memory Keeper of Kyiv. A heartbreaking World War 2 novel that tells the story of two women’s fight for love, family and hope, as the world crumbles around them... -
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![The Restoration Garden by Sara Blaydes]()
The Restoration Garden by Sara Blaydes
A landscape architect unearths the tangled history of a once-celebrated English garden—and all its mysteries—in a captivating novel by the author of The Last Secret of Lily Adams. Julia Esdaile is hired to restore the historic gardens at Havenworth Manor—the grounds of which are now an abandoned snarl of bramble and weeds—to their original splendor... -
![Tears of Amber by Sofía Segovia, Simon Bruni]()
Tears of Amber by Sofía Segovia, Simon Bruni
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Murmur of Bees comes a transportive novel of two families uprooted by war and united by the bonds of love and courage. With war looming dangerously close, Ilse’s school days soon turn to lessons of survival. In the harshness of winter, her family must join the largest exodus in human history to survive... -
![The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham]()
The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe Home for Unwanted Girls meets Orphan Train in this unforgettable novel about a young girl caught in a scheme to rid England’s streets of destitute children, and the lengths she will go to find her way home—based on the true story of the British Home Children. 2018... -
![The Water Women by Bonnie Blaylock]()
The Water Women by Bonnie Blaylock
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA powerful, emotional, and redemptive novel about the interwoven lives of mothers and daughters and the bonds of an ancient craft that link them through two world wars and beyond. In 1930s Sardinia, Allegra and her daughters maintain the tradition of the water women... -
![A Motherland's Daughter, A Fatherland's Son by Ellie Midwood]()
A Motherland's Daughter, A Fatherland's Son by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsPoland, 1939. A country, torn by the occupation of two unlikely allies - Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. On the border of this newly divided territory, a young Wehrmacht Unteroffizier, Werner and a Soviet Military Interpreter, Kira meet and fall in love against all odds. Both forced into the military against their will, they wish for one thing only - a peaceful life together... -
![The Lilac People by Milo Todd]()
The Lilac People by Milo Todd
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFinalist for the New England Book Award. "Reminiscent of Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See . . . Heart-stopping in its suspense and dramatic reveals. " —The Boston Globe. A moving and deeply humane story about a trans man who must relinquish the freedoms of prewar Berlin to survive first the Nazis then the Allies, all while protecting the ones he loves... -
![Ha'Penny Chance by Gemma Jackson]()
Ha'Penny Chance by Gemma Jackson
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIvy Rose Murphy dreams of a better future. For years she has set out daily from the tenements known as ‘The Lane’ to beg for discards from the homes of the wealthy – discards she turns into items to sell around the Dublin markets. And now she has grander schemes afoot... -
![People Like Us by Louise Fein]()
People Like Us by Louise Fein
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsFor fans of The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See, a spellbinding story of impossible love set against the backdrop of the Nazi regime. As the dutiful daughter of a high-ranking Nazi officer, Hetty Heinrich is keen to play her part in the glorious new Thousand Year Reich... -
![The Loving Cup by Winston Graham]()
The Loving Cup by Winston Graham
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe tenth book in Winston Graham's classic Poldark saga, now a major TV series from Masterpiece PBS. Cornwall 1813. A silver cup lies half-forgotten in a dank cave, amongst a pile of stolen goods... -
![Night Angels by Weina Dai Randel]()
Night Angels by Weina Dai Randel
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsFrom the author of The Last Rose of Shanghai comes a profoundly moving novel based on the true story of a diplomat and his wife who risked their lives to help Viennese Jews escape the Nazis. 1938. Dr. Ho Fengshan, consul general of China, is posted in Vienna with his American wife, Grace... -
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![The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood]()
The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 13 ratings“We must die standing up for something. ”. “And what are we standing up for? ”. “The most important thing there is. Freedom. ”. Millions of people walked through Auschwitz’s gates, but she was the first woman who escaped. This powerful novel tells the inspiring true story of Mala Zimetbaum, whose heroism will never be forgotten, and whose fate altered the course of history…... -
![The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin]()
The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
Inspired 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... -
![The Oceans Between Us by Gill Thompson]()
The Oceans Between Us by Gill Thompson
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 30 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... -
![Within These Walls of Sorrow: A Novel of World War II Poland by Amanda Barratt]()
Within These Walls of Sorrow: A Novel of World War II Poland by Amanda Barratt
Rated: 4.73 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"As superbly written as it is haunting in its truth. " --Kate Breslin, best-selling author of For Such a Time. Zosia Lewandowska knows the brutal realities of war all too well. Within weeks of Germany's invasion of her Polish homeland, she lost the man she loves... -
![The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul]()
The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFrom Gill Paul, the author of Another Woman’s Husband and The Secret Wife, comes a powerful new chapter in her Romanov saga… a gripping journey through the decades and across the continents, a novel of eternal love, devastating loss, and courage against all odds. Summer 1918: Pretty, vivacious Grand Duchess Maria Romanova faces an uncertain future... -
![The Midwife of Berlin by Anna Stuart]()
The Midwife of Berlin by Anna Stuart
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAuschwitz, 1943: I stroke my beautiful baby's hair. It's a miracle it's blonde because it will keep her alive, it will keep her safe. Soon they will come and take Pippa out of Auschwitz-Birkenau - and out of my arms. But while there's life, there's hope I might find my daughter again. . -
![Marriage and Mayhem for the Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane]()
Marriage and Mayhem for the Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsDiscover the brand new instalment in Lizzie Lane's bestselling Tobacco Girls series! War is fleeting, but true love last forever. .. May 1944. Hope and excitement is in the air when news breaks of the allied forces landing in Normandy. D Day has arrived. However, the day-to-day struggles for the Tobacco Girls continue. Carole Thomas wants her old life back... -
![The Singer Behind the Wire by Shari J. Ryan]()
The Singer Behind the Wire by Shari J. Ryan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAuschwitz, 1943. Ella tries to ignore the coughs and crying, the whispered prayers. Her eyelids grow heavier, but then a melody floats though the block as if on a breeze. Her lips open on a gasp, joy making her heart sing even as it shatters. She would know that voice anywhere…. Sitting bolt upright, Ella rubs at her eyes and concentrates on the music... -
![The Singer Behind the Wire: Completely heartbreaking and page-turning World War Two fiction by Shari J. Ryan]()
The Singer Behind the Wire: Completely heartbreaking and page-turning World War Two fiction by Shari J. Ryan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAuschwitz, 1943. Ella tries to ignore the coughs and crying, the whispered prayers. Her eyelids grow heavier, but then a melody floats though the block as if on a breeze. Her lips open on a gasp, joy making her heart sing even as it shatters. She would know that voice anywhere…. Sitting bolt upright, Ella rubs at her eyes and concentrates on the music... -
![The Nanny Outside the Gates by Shari J. Ryan]()
The Nanny Outside the Gates by Shari J. Ryan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAuschwitz, 1944. With trembling hands, Halina unfolds the letter hidden in the book her mother left her, then drops it with a strangled cry. The letter contains the answers she’s always searched for—and puts her in unimaginable danger…... -
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![The Riviera House by Natasha Lester]()
The Riviera House by Natasha Lester
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 21 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... -
![The Riviera House by Natasha Lester]()
The Riviera House by Natasha Lester
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 21 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... -
![Winter Wishes for the Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble]()
Winter Wishes for the Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe BRAND NEW instalment in Rachel Brimble's emotional, heart-wrenching Home Front Nurses saga series A uplifting story of courage, friendship and love against the odds, perfect for fans of Lizzie Lane, Rosie Clarke, and Call the Midwife. Winter, 1942... -
![A Light Beyond the Trenches by Alan Hlad]()
A Light Beyond the Trenches by Alan Hlad
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsA WW1 Novel of Betrayal and Resilience. From the USA Today bestselling author of Churchill’s Secret Messenger comes a WWI novel based on little-known history, as four very different lives intertwine across Europe from Germany to France—a German Red Cross nurse, a Jewish pianist blinded on the battlefield, a soldier tortured by deadly secrets of his own, and his tormented French mistress... -
![Paris at First Light by Amanda Lees]()
Paris at First Light by Amanda Lees
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsParis, 1944: secret agent Juliette is on her most dangerous mission of the war so far. But then her children are kidnapped, and to get them back she may have to commit the ultimate betrayal – that of France itself…. Four years ago, when France fell to the Nazis, Juliette made the ultimate sacrifice, leaving behind her two precious children to join the Resistance and defend her country... -
![The Girl Who Survived by Ellie Midwood]()
The Girl Who Survived by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 17 ratings“It was very dangerous for him, and he knew it. But his love for me was stronger than fear. ” - Ilse Stein. This novel is based on the inspiring and moving love story of Ilse Stein, a German Jew, and Willy Schultz, a Luftwaffe Captain in the Minsk ghetto, who risked his life to save the one he loved the most... -
![The Kites by Romain Gary]()
The Kites by Romain Gary
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsOn a small farm in Normandy, as Hitler rises to power in Germany, young Ludo comes of age in the care of his Uncle Ambrose, an eccentric mailman, kite-maker, and pacifist. Ludo’s quiet existence changes the day he meets Lila, a girl from the aristocratic Polish family who own the estate next door. In a single glance, Ludo instantly falls in love forever; Lila, on the other hand, remains elusive... -
![Light at Lavelle by Paullina Simons]()
Light at Lavelle by Paullina Simons
'Paullina Simons pulls on every heartstring, she's a master of epic love stories' COLLEEN HOOVER. TORN BETWEEN WHAT THEY CANNOT HAVE AND WHAT THEY CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT. It is 1929. The world is about to change. Finn Evans is a successful Boston banker harboring a secret that threatens to unravel his carefully constructed idyllic life... -
![The Tuscan Secret by Angela Petch]()
The Tuscan Secret by Angela Petch
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe tragic consequences of war echo through the generations in this stunning tale, inspired by true events, about how family secrets can haunt us; and how love can guide us through the darkest times. Fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and The Letter by Kathryn Hughes will be captivated. ‘Anna, I kept a diary during the war... -
![The Code Breaker's Secret by Catherine Law]()
The Code Breaker's Secret by Catherine Law
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsLove and duty, codes and spies. .. Kent, 1939. Soon to marry her childhood sweetheart, Eliza thinks her life is set. But when war breaks out, everything changes and, while helping the soldiers returning from Dunkirk, she bumps into Lewis, an unforgettable stranger from her past... -
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![Heaven and Hell for the Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane]()
Heaven and Hell for the Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsALL NEW from the Tobacco Girls. BRISTOL 1943 and life for the Tobacco Girls isn’t getting any easier. .. Bridget Milligan has donned a uniform and joined the nursing services where she becomes intrigued with the miracles of modern medicine. She’s also torn between family loyalty, her new career and Lyndon O’Neill, the love of her life... -
![The Family Behind the Walls by Shari J. Ryan]()
The Family Behind the Walls by Shari J. Ryan
Germany, 1943. Jordanna cries out desperately to her mother, tears spilling down her cheeks. She is being torn one way, her parents another. And in Jordanna’s terrified, wide brown eyes, there is only one question: Will I ever see you again? Poland: Day in and day out, fifteen-year-old Jordanna holds tight to the hands of her siblings as they’re forced into back-breaking labor... -
![The German Officer's Girl by Jina Bacarr]()
The German Officer's Girl by Jina Bacarr
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThis was a version of The Resistance Girl offered to reviewers until changes were made (before publication) to prevent confusion. Two women. One heartbreaking secret. Paris, 1943. Sylvie Martone is the star of French cinema, adored by fans and on the good side of the Nazi officers who swarm the streets of Paris... -
![The Family Behind the Walls by Shari J. Ryan]()
The Family Behind the Walls by Shari J. Ryan
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGermany, 1943. Jordanna cries out desperately to her mother, tears spilling down her cheeks. She is being torn one way, her parents another. And in Jordanna’s terrified, wide brown eyes, there is only one question: Will I ever see you again? Poland: Day in and day out, fifteen-year-old Jordanna holds tight to the hands of her siblings as they’re forced into back-breaking labor... -
![Wartime with the Tram Girls by Lynn Johnson]()
Wartime with the Tram Girls by Lynn Johnson
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 13 ratings‘ Absolutely loved this book from start to finish, I couldn’t put it down ' ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review While the men are off fighting, the women keep the country moving… July 1914 : Britain is in turmoil as WW1 begins to change the world. While the young men disappear off to foreign battlefields, the women left at home throw themselves into jobs meant for the boys... -
![The Undercover Secretary by Ellie Midwood]()
The Undercover Secretary by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrance, 1942. “I forced myself to hold his gaze. My heart thrashed inside my chest like a bird battering its wings. They knew who I was. They knew what I’d done. ” This heartbreaking and unputdownable World War Two novel tells the incredible true story Dora Schaul, who risked her life by coming face-to-face with enemy—the monsters who killed her loved ones. Dora has lost everything to the Nazis...
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