Lucinda Riley wrote sweeping historical fiction and family sagas that readers worldwide adored. Her books often moved between past and present, and they explored family secrets, love, and loss across different countries and generations.
If you enjoy stories with a similar blend of history, romance, and family drama, there are many authors you might find just as captivating.
Books by Kate Morton offer rich narratives filled with secrets, family legacies, and beautifully depicted historical settings. If you’re a fan of Lucinda Riley’s novels, you might enjoy Morton’s “The Forgotten Garden.”
The story spans generations, weaving together the lives of three women connected by a mysterious cottage and a hidden garden on the Cornish coast.
When Cassandra inherits the cottage from her grandmother, she discovers a century-old mystery involving a missing child and a forgotten author of fairy tales.
The novel smoothly transitions between historical periods and unforgettable characters, holding readers captive until the final secret is uncovered.
If you enjoy Lucinda Riley’s blend of romance, mystery, and historical intrigue, then Susanna Kearsley’s novels could become your next favorites. Her stories often weave a contemporary timeline together with intriguing historical narratives that hold surprising secrets.
In “The Winter Sea,” author Carrie McClelland travels to a quiet Scottish village to research her new novel. Soon, Carrie finds herself drawn into the lives of her own characters from the early 1700s.
As she writes, unexpected connections between past and present surface, revealing buried memories and echoes from history. This intertwined storytelling keeps you eagerly turning pages as Carrie slowly uncovers truths both deeply personal and long-forgotten.
Isabel Allende is a Chilean author known for her vivid storytelling and engaging characters. Readers who enjoy Lucinda Riley’s emotional sagas and rich family histories might appreciate Allende’s novel “The House of the Spirits.”
This story follows the lives of the Trueba family through several generations, as they navigate love, tragedy, and political turmoil in Chile.
The narrative beautifully portrays powerful women, mysterious family secrets, and complex family dynamics, offering the type of depth and intrigue fans of Riley often look for.
Readers who enjoy Lucinda Riley’s novels might also appreciate books by Santa Montefiore. Montefiore is known for warm storytelling, vivid characters, and emotional depth. Her novel “The Beekeeper’s Daughter” is set between 1930s England and 1970s Massachusetts.
This story follows Grace Hamblin, the beekeeper’s gentle and spirited daughter, as secrets of love and family span generations. Montefiore captures the lush countryside and tender romance beautifully.
Her ability to weave past and present together creates an absorbing read for those who love romance intertwined with historical drama and family intrigue.
Kristin Hannah is an author known for heartfelt narratives and richly detailed storylines. If you enjoy Lucinda Riley’s ability to weave family dramas across different eras, you might appreciate Hannah’s novel “The Nightingale.”
Set in World War II France, it follows two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, whose lives diverge drastically after the Nazis invade their homeland.
Vianne struggles to protect her daughter as a frightened mother caught in the chaos of war, while young Isabelle boldly joins the resistance and undertakes risky missions.
Filled with bravery, sacrifice, and the bonds of sisterhood, “The Nightingale” goes deep into the emotional journey of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances.
If you enjoy novels by Lucinda Riley full of family secrets and touching historical details, you’ll likely find Tatiana de Rosnay’s work appealing. Her novel “Sarah’s Key” tells two connected stories set in different times.
First, in 1942 Paris, Sarah, a young Jewish girl, hurriedly hides her little brother to protect him from the Nazis during the Vel d’Hiv roundup.
In the second story, decades later, a journalist named Julia investigates Sarah’s history and discovers unsettling truths that affect her own life. De Rosnay creates characters you care about deeply and weaves history into her stories in a gentle but powerful way.
Books by Rachel Hore often offer a satisfying blend of history, romance, and emotional depth. Her novel, “The House on Bellevue Gardens,” follows the lives of three strangers brought together in an elegant London townhouse in need of restoration.
Each character carries personal secrets marked by love and loss. As connections form among them, the past slowly emerges through discovered letters and forgotten artefacts, mirroring the evocative historical narratives that readers of Lucinda Riley cherish.
Rachel Hore draws readers into carefully crafted stories that move seamlessly between past and present, filled with family mysteries and heartfelt emotions.
Readers who enjoy Lucinda Riley’s emotional stories and vivid historical settings will appreciate Victoria Hislop’s novels. Hislop blends compelling drama with rich historical details that transport you to captivating places.
Her novel “The Island” offers readers a moving tale set in Greece, centered around Alexis Fielding, a woman searching for answers about her mother’s mysterious past. Alexis travels to Crete and discovers the small, abandoned island of Spinalonga, once a leper colony.
Through Alexis’s eyes, you’re drawn into her family’s hidden past and a community filled with courage, love, and resilience. If you’re drawn to depth of character, vibrant settings, and heartfelt storytelling, Victoria Hislop’s “The Island” is a story worth experiencing.
Readers who enjoy Lucinda Riley’s blend of historical fiction and heartfelt storytelling might connect with the novels of Sarah Jio. Jio crafts emotional narratives that alternate between past and present, often set against richly detailed backdrops.
Her novel “The Violets of March” follows Emily, a heartbroken writer who travels to Bainbridge Island to escape her struggles. There, she discovers an old diary tucked away in her aunt’s home, which reveals a decades-old love story marked by mystery and romance.
Emily is drawn deeply into the diary’s secrets and finds her own life strangely intertwined with the past. Jio weaves various timelines smoothly and gently uncovers secrets, creating an emotional journey that fans of Riley’s style may appreciate.
Readers who enjoy Lucinda Riley’s blend of historical intrigue and emotional depth might also appreciate Jenny Ashcroft. Ashcroft writes sweeping historical fiction full of vivid settings and heartfelt relationships.
Her novel “Meet Me in Bombay” transports readers to India in 1913, where Madeline Bright, newly arrived in bustling Bombay, meets Luke Devereaux. As their romance blossoms beneath Bombay’s vibrant skies, war’s shadow soon threatens their happiness.
With evocative descriptions of India and absorbing storytelling, Ashcroft captures readers with a moving tale of love, loss, and hope amid the turmoil of the First World War.
If you enjoy the sweeping, emotional storytelling of Lucinda Riley, Dinah Jefferies may become a new favorite. Jefferies crafts novels rich in historical atmosphere and vivid settings, often against lush, exotic backdrops.
Her novel “The Tea Planter’s Wife” is set in colonial-era Ceylon and follows Gwen, a young bride who leaves England to join her husband on his tea plantation.
As she adjusts to her new life, Gwen struggles with hidden family secrets, cultural differences, and unexpected challenges that test her strength, loyalty, and love.
Jefferies skillfully explores themes of identity, marriage, and colonial tension, giving readers an emotional and engaging journey into the past.
Books by Kate Atkinson often blend family drama, historical elements, and a keen understanding of human emotions, which appeals to fans of Lucinda Riley.
In her novel “Life After Life,” Atkinson explores the story of Ursula Todd, a woman who experiences multiple lifetimes throughout the turbulent events of the early 20th century. Each cycle gives Ursula another chance to change her fate and the fates of her loved ones.
Atkinson skillfully weaves personal relationships with broad historical events, like the London Blitz, offering readers emotional depth and engaging characters.
If you enjoy Lucinda Riley’s layered storytelling and historical settings, Kate Atkinson’s unique narrative approach could resonate warmly with you.
Books by Jojo Moyes often explore emotional connections, hidden family secrets, and characters facing life-changing decisions. If you enjoy Lucinda Riley’s stories about family histories and personal discovery, you may appreciate Moyes’s novel “The Girl You Left Behind.”
This book moves between two eras. It starts in World War I France, where Sophie Lefèvre risks everything to protect a cherished painting of herself by her husband, Édouard.
Nearly a century later, this very painting brings turmoil to Liv Halston, a woman who treasures it deeply but faces losing it through a difficult legal battle.
The painting links these two women across time, revealing heartfelt connections and dilemmas about love, sacrifice, and the need to hold onto what truly matters.
Readers who are fans of Lucinda Riley’s vivid historical fiction might also enjoy Ellie Midwood. Midwood brings powerful emotional storytelling and rich historical settings to life in her novels.
In “The Violinist of Auschwitz,” Midwood takes readers into the terrifying yet brave world of Alma, a gifted violinist forced to play music in Auschwitz.
Alma’s courage and the moving bond she develops with fellow prisoner Miklos highlight the humanity and hope found even in dark times. Midwood’s carefully researched details and heartfelt character portrayals create an unforgettable read.
Fiona Valpy is a Scottish author known for heartfelt novels that blend history, strong female characters, and family bonds. Readers who enjoy Lucinda Riley’s books might find Valpy’s “The Dressmaker’s Gift” appealing.
This novel moves between contemporary Paris and World War II, uncovering the hidden stories of three courageous women who worked as seamstresses amid the German occupation. Decades later, Harriet arrives in Paris to trace her grandmother’s mysterious past.
As she uncovers secrets, Harriet learns about bravery, sacrifice, and resilience. Fans drawn to emotional narratives with historical settings may find Fiona Valpy’s storytelling resonates similarly to Riley’s style.