37 Books like Across the Barricades

Binding 13

by Chloe Walsh

A bullied girl and a rugby star. His guilt. Her secrets. Neither can walk away.

4.45

616k+

🕯️ Slow Burn Romance 💞 Hurt Comfort 🛡️ Protective Hero 💔 Domestic Abuse Survival ☘️ Small Town Ireland

Binding 13 92%

A bullied girl and a rugby star. His guilt. Her secrets. Neither can walk away.

by Chloe Walsh 2018

4.45

616k+ ratings

🕯️ Slow Burn Romance 💞 Hurt Comfort 🛡️ Protective Hero 💔 Domestic Abuse Survival ☘️ Small Town Ireland

Trespasses

by Louise Kennedy • 2022

A Catholic teacher risks everything for an affair with a Protestant barrister during the Troubles.

3.96

53k+

🕊️ The Troubles 🔥 Forbidden Affair ⏳ Age Gap Relationship ⚔️ Sectarian Divide 📚 Teacher Protagonist

Trespasses 93%

A Catholic teacher risks everything for an affair with a Protestant barrister during the Troubles.

by Louise Kennedy 2022

3.96

53k+ ratings

🕊️ The Troubles 🔥 Forbidden Affair ⏳ Age Gap Relationship ⚔️ Sectarian Divide 📚 Teacher Protagonist

The Promise

by Emma Heatherington • 2021

After a bombing, a Catholic nurse and Protestant minister's son vow to find each other again.

3.97

449

🚫 Forbidden Love 🇮🇪 The Troubles 💔 Trauma Healing 💫 Second Chance Love 🩹 Survivor's Guilt

The Promise 93%

After a bombing, a Catholic nurse and Protestant minister's son vow to find each other again.

by Emma Heatherington 2021

3.97

449 ratings

🚫 Forbidden Love 🇮🇪 The Troubles 💔 Trauma Healing 💫 Second Chance Love 🩹 Survivor's Guilt

The Country Girls

by Edna O'Brien • 1960

A dreamy Irish farm girl moves to Dublin after loss, chasing freedom with her reckless friend.

3.70

9k+

🌱 Female Coming Of Age 🇮🇪 Mid Century Ireland 👯 Friendship And Rivalry 💋 Sexual Awakening 💔 Older Married Lover

The Country Girls 91%

A dreamy Irish farm girl moves to Dublin after loss, chasing freedom with her reckless friend.

by Edna O'Brien 1960

3.70

9k+ ratings

🌱 Female Coming Of Age 🇮🇪 Mid Century Ireland 👯 Friendship And Rivalry 💋 Sexual Awakening 💔 Older Married Lover

The Last Love Song

by Lucinda Riley • 1997

An Irish love affair in London's 1960s music scene brings fame, a bullet, and a wrongful conviction.

4.10

6k+

🎸 1960s Music Scene ⚖️ Wrongful Conviction 🏡 Irish Village Life 💔 Star-Crossed Romance 🔪 Jealousy And Obsession

The Last Love Song 91%

An Irish love affair in London's 1960s music scene brings fame, a bullet, and a wrongful conviction.

by Lucinda Riley 1997

4.10

6k+ ratings

🎸 1960s Music Scene ⚖️ Wrongful Conviction 🏡 Irish Village Life 💔 Star-Crossed Romance 🔪 Jealousy And Obsession

Always You

by Kirsty Moseley • 2012

He's the biggest player and her fiercest protector; falling for him could shatter their friendship.

3.89

22k+

🤝 Friends To Lovers 🛡️ Protective Hero 🔺 Love Triangle 👰 Young Marriage 🩹 Trauma Recovery

Always You 91%

He's the biggest player and her fiercest protector; falling for him could shatter their friendship.

by Kirsty Moseley 2012

3.89

22k+ ratings

🤝 Friends To Lovers 🛡️ Protective Hero 🔺 Love Triangle 👰 Young Marriage 🩹 Trauma Recovery

The Davenports

by Krystal Marquis • 2023

Four young Black women in 1910 Chicago face a season of debutante balls and forbidden love.

3.66

16k+

🖤 Black Love Story 💃 Debutante Season 🌹 Edwardian Romance ❤️ Cross-Class Love 💔 Forbidden Romance

The Davenports 91%

Four young Black women in 1910 Chicago face a season of debutante balls and forbidden love.

by Krystal Marquis 2023

3.66

16k+ ratings

🖤 Black Love Story 💃 Debutante Season 🌹 Edwardian Romance ❤️ Cross-Class Love 💔 Forbidden Romance

1916

by Morgan Llywelyn • 1998

Haunted by the Titanic, a young Irishman comes home to join a poet's doomed rebellion.

4.08

4k+

🔥 Easter Rising 🪖 Wartime Coming Of Age 😔 Survivor's Guilt 🧑‍🏫 Mentor And ProtéGé ⚔️ Tragic Heroism

1916 93%

Haunted by the Titanic, a young Irishman comes home to join a poet's doomed rebellion.

by Morgan Llywelyn 1998

4.08

4k+ ratings

🔥 Easter Rising 🪖 Wartime Coming Of Age 😔 Survivor's Guilt 🧑‍🏫 Mentor And ProtéGé ⚔️ Tragic Heroism

On Midnight Beach

by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick • 2020

A dolphin unites teenagers in a 1970s Irish town, where love ignites and old hatreds wait.

3.84

716

📖 Irish Myth Retelling ⚔️ Small Town Rivalry 💔 Tragic First Love 🌿 Rural Ireland 🕊️ Grief And Healing

On Midnight Beach 92%

A dolphin unites teenagers in a 1970s Irish town, where love ignites and old hatreds wait.

by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick 2020

3.84

716 ratings

📖 Irish Myth Retelling ⚔️ Small Town Rivalry 💔 Tragic First Love 🌿 Rural Ireland 🕊️ Grief And Healing

This Is Happiness

by Niall Williams

A failed seminarian watches an old lodger pursue the woman he jilted fifty years earlier.

4.22

32k+

🕊️ Second Chance Love 🛤️ Atonement Quest 🌿 Rural Ireland 🍃 Pastoral Fiction 📖 Quiet Literary

This Is Happiness 92%

A failed seminarian watches an old lodger pursue the woman he jilted fifty years earlier.

by Niall Williams 2019

4.22

32k+ ratings

🕊️ Second Chance Love 🛤️ Atonement Quest 🌿 Rural Ireland 🍃 Pastoral Fiction 📖 Quiet Literary

The Island of Missing Trees

by Elif Shafak • 2021

In 1974 Cyprus, a forbidden love crosses the Greek-Turkish divide, watched by a fig tree.

4.15

172k+

⭐ Star-Crossed Lovers 🧬 Generational Trauma 💣 War-Torn Romance 📜 Political Division 💜 Hidden Queer Love

The Island of Missing Trees 91%

In 1974 Cyprus, a forbidden love crosses the Greek-Turkish divide, watched by a fig tree.

by Elif Shafak 2021

4.15

172k+ ratings

⭐ Star-Crossed Lovers 🧬 Generational Trauma 💣 War-Torn Romance 📜 Political Division 💜 Hidden Queer Love

Normal People

by Sally Rooney • 2018

A popular boy and a wealthy outcast girl hide their magnetic connection in small-town Ireland.

3.81

1.9M+

📚 Literary Coming Of Age 🤫 Secret Relationship 💷 Class Difference 😶‍🌫️ Emotional Repression 🏘️ Small Town Ireland

Normal People 91%

A popular boy and a wealthy outcast girl hide their magnetic connection in small-town Ireland.

by Sally Rooney 2018

3.81

1.9M+ ratings

📚 Literary Coming Of Age 🤫 Secret Relationship 💷 Class Difference 😶‍🌫️ Emotional Repression 🏘️ Small Town Ireland

Saving 6

by Chloe Walsh

She was the boss's daughter. He was a boy falling apart. Loving her could destroy them both.

4.46

298k+

🏑 Sports Romance 💕 Friends To Lovers 💖 First Love 🔥 Slow Burn 🇮🇪 Small Town Ireland

Saving 6 91%

She was the boss's daughter. He was a boy falling apart. Loving her could destroy them both.

by Chloe Walsh 2023

4.46

298k+ ratings

🏑 Sports Romance 💕 Friends To Lovers 💖 First Love 🔥 Slow Burn 🇮🇪 Small Town Ireland

The Irish Midwife

by Stacey Reynolds • 2019

Amid The Troubles, a Belfast midwife and a Dublin Garda discover a love fated by legend.

4.68

733

💖 Fated Mates 🤰 Midwife Heroine 🇮🇪 1970s Ireland 💣 The Troubles 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Saga

The Irish Midwife 91%

Amid The Troubles, a Belfast midwife and a Dublin Garda discover a love fated by legend.

by Stacey Reynolds 2019

4.68

733 ratings

💖 Fated Mates 🤰 Midwife Heroine 🇮🇪 1970s Ireland 💣 The Troubles 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Saga

The Letter

by Kathryn Hughes • 2013

A woman in a violent marriage finds a 1939 love letter and vows to deliver it.

4.06

67k+

🕰️ Dual Timelines ✉️ Lost Letter 💔 Domestic Abuse 🥀 Forced Adoption 💫 Star-Crossed Lovers

The Letter 91%

A woman in a violent marriage finds a 1939 love letter and vows to deliver it.

by Kathryn Hughes 2013

4.06

67k+ ratings

🕰️ Dual Timelines ✉️ Lost Letter 💔 Domestic Abuse 🥀 Forced Adoption 💫 Star-Crossed Lovers

Little Pieces of Light

by Emma Scott • 2025

They reunite at prep school, but lost promises and class divides threaten their second chance.

4.12

2k+

💞 Friends To Lovers 🔄 Second Chance Romance 🧲 Opposites Attract 🔒 Forbidden Love 😭 Tearjerker

Little Pieces of Light 91%

They reunite at prep school, but lost promises and class divides threaten their second chance.

by Emma Scott 2025

4.12

2k+ ratings

💞 Friends To Lovers 🔄 Second Chance Romance 🧲 Opposites Attract 🔒 Forbidden Love 😭 Tearjerker

Binding 13

by Chloe Walsh • 2018

When a rugby captain hurts a fragile new girl, guilt drives him into her nightmare.

4.20

9k+

🖤 Dark High School Romance 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 🛡️ Alpha Protector 🐦 Wounded Bird Heroine 🌱 Trauma Healing

Binding 13 91%

When a rugby captain hurts a fragile new girl, guilt drives him into her nightmare.

by Chloe Walsh 2018

4.20

9k+ ratings

🖤 Dark High School Romance 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 🛡️ Alpha Protector 🐦 Wounded Bird Heroine 🌱 Trauma Healing

Lovely War

by Julie Berry • 2019

To sway the gods, Aphrodite weaves two mortal love stories torn by the Great War.

4.22

70k+

🕊️ Wartime Romance ⏳ Historical Fantasy 🕰️ Dual Timeline ❤️ Interracial Romance 💌 Love Letters

Lovely War 91%

To sway the gods, Aphrodite weaves two mortal love stories torn by the Great War.

by Julie Berry 2019

4.22

70k+ ratings

🕊️ Wartime Romance ⏳ Historical Fantasy 🕰️ Dual Timeline ❤️ Interracial Romance 💌 Love Letters

Angel of Greenwood

by Randi Pink • 2021

Two Black teens in 1921 Tulsa find first love on the eve of a massacre.

4.18

3k+

🖤 Black Historical Fiction 👥 Dual Pov 💕 First Love 📖 Bookish Heroine 💔 Bittersweet Romance

Angel of Greenwood 91%

Two Black teens in 1921 Tulsa find first love on the eve of a massacre.

by Randi Pink 2021

4.18

3k+ ratings

🖤 Black Historical Fiction 👥 Dual Pov 💕 First Love 📖 Bookish Heroine 💔 Bittersweet Romance

The Seven Sisters

by Lucinda Riley

A stone and coordinates send a woman to Rio, where a 1920s affair reveals her origin.

4.20

199k+

🕰️ Dual Timeline 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Saga 🔍 Adoption Mystery 💔 Forbidden Love 🎨 Artist Muse

The Seven Sisters 91%

A stone and coordinates send a woman to Rio, where a 1920s affair reveals her origin.

by Lucinda Riley 2014

4.20

199k+ ratings

🕰️ Dual Timeline 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Saga 🔍 Adoption Mystery 💔 Forbidden Love 🎨 Artist Muse

Hattie Big Sky

by Kirby Larson • 2006

An orphan inherits a Montana claim in 1918 and must survive brutal prairie and war prejudice.

4.03

20k+

🏡 Female Homesteader 🎖️ WWI Home Front 🔥 Wartime Hysteria 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 👧 Orphan Protagonist

Hattie Big Sky 91%

An orphan inherits a Montana claim in 1918 and must survive brutal prairie and war prejudice.

by Kirby Larson 2006

4.03

20k+ ratings

🏡 Female Homesteader 🎖️ WWI Home Front 🔥 Wartime Hysteria 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 👧 Orphan Protagonist

The Irishman's Daughter

by V.S. Alexander • 2019

Famine forces an Irish woman to choose between her land and a man across the sea.

3.84

2k+

🥀 Irish Famine ⛵ Emigrant Journey 👭 Sisters Divided 🏚️ Lost Homeland 🚢 Atlantic Crossing

The Irishman's Daughter 91%

Famine forces an Irish woman to choose between her land and a man across the sea.

by V.S. Alexander 2019

3.84

2k+ ratings

🥀 Irish Famine ⛵ Emigrant Journey 👭 Sisters Divided 🏚️ Lost Homeland 🚢 Atlantic Crossing

Don’t Forget to Write

by Sara Goodman Confino

Banished to her matchmaker aunt, a coed discovers the old woman's secret life and her own voice.

4.48

79k+

🕰️ Midcentury Womanhood ✡️ Jewish American Life 👵 Unlikely Mentorship 🏳️‍🌈 Hidden Queer Love 🫂 Found Family

Don’t Forget to Write 91%

Banished to her matchmaker aunt, a coed discovers the old woman's secret life and her own voice.

by Sara Goodman Confino 2023

4.48

79k+ ratings

🕰️ Midcentury Womanhood ✡️ Jewish American Life 👵 Unlikely Mentorship 🏳️‍🌈 Hidden Queer Love 🫂 Found Family

The Lost Letters of Aisling

by Cynthia Ellingsen • 2024

Her Irish grandmother's letters reveal a wartime love and a child the family never named.

4.31

25k+

🍀 Irish Historical Fiction 🔄 Dual Timeline Narrative 💌 Hidden Love Letters 🔍 Lost Child Search 🤝 Ride Or Die Friendship

The Lost Letters of Aisling 91%

Her Irish grandmother's letters reveal a wartime love and a child the family never named.

by Cynthia Ellingsen 2024

4.31

25k+ ratings

🍀 Irish Historical Fiction 🔄 Dual Timeline Narrative 💌 Hidden Love Letters 🔍 Lost Child Search 🤝 Ride Or Die Friendship

The Heart's Invisible Furies

by John Boyne • 2017

Adopted into a family that calls him stranger, a gay man searches a lifetime for belonging.

4.51

217k+

🕰️ Epic Historical Saga ☘️ Mid-Century Ireland ✝️ Catholic Guilt 🏠 Found Family 👶 Adoption Story

The Heart's Invisible Furies 91%

Adopted into a family that calls him stranger, a gay man searches a lifetime for belonging.

by John Boyne 2017

4.51

217k+ ratings

🕰️ Epic Historical Saga ☘️ Mid-Century Ireland ✝️ Catholic Guilt 🏠 Found Family 👶 Adoption Story

The Wall

by William Sutcliffe • 2013

He crosses under the wall, finds a starving girl, and loses the world he knew.

3.71

1k+

🏚️ Occupied Territory 💔 Forbidden Friendship 🗳️ Political Awakening 🤫 Secret Helper 🕊️ Bridging Divides

The Wall 91%

He crosses under the wall, finds a starving girl, and loses the world he knew.

by William Sutcliffe 2013

3.71

1k+ ratings

🏚️ Occupied Territory 💔 Forbidden Friendship 🗳️ Political Awakening 🤫 Secret Helper 🕊️ Bridging Divides

Young Mungo

by Douglas Stuart • 2022

A Glasgow doocot shelters a forbidden love, but a gang-brother and a fishing trip menace.

4.37

91k+

🏙️ Gritty Glasgow ☯️ Sectarian Divide 🌈 Queer First Love 🏋️ Toxic Masculinity 🕊️ Hidden Sanctuary

Young Mungo 90%

A Glasgow doocot shelters a forbidden love, but a gang-brother and a fishing trip menace.

by Douglas Stuart 2022

4.37

91k+ ratings

🏙️ Gritty Glasgow ☯️ Sectarian Divide 🌈 Queer First Love 🏋️ Toxic Masculinity 🕊️ Hidden Sanctuary

Dear Mr. Kilmer

by Anne E. Schraff • 1999

An Iowa boy writes to poet Joyce Kilmer, then must defy his town's war-fueled prejudice.

3.96

272

🏠 WWI Home Front ✉️ Letter Correspondence 💚 Gentle Masculinity 🏘️ Small-Town Prejudice 🎨 Artistic Awakening

Dear Mr. Kilmer 91%

An Iowa boy writes to poet Joyce Kilmer, then must defy his town's war-fueled prejudice.

by Anne E. Schraff 1999

3.96

272 ratings

🏠 WWI Home Front ✉️ Letter Correspondence 💚 Gentle Masculinity 🏘️ Small-Town Prejudice 🎨 Artistic Awakening

The Edge of Lost

by Kristina McMorris • 2015

A stolen name, a stranger's letter: an Irish orphan crosses an ocean to find his father.

4.06

19k+

📚 Immigrant Family Saga 🏠 Found Family ⚔️ Brotherly Rivalry 🎭 Adopted Identity 🔍 Secret Parentage

The Edge of Lost 91%

A stolen name, a stranger's letter: an Irish orphan crosses an ocean to find his father.

by Kristina McMorris 2015

4.06

19k+ ratings

📚 Immigrant Family Saga 🏠 Found Family ⚔️ Brotherly Rivalry 🎭 Adopted Identity 🔍 Secret Parentage

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

by Zoulfa Katouh

A teen surgeon haunted by Fear falls for the boy filming Syria's dying city.

4.45

124k+

🏚️ Syrian Civil War 💔 Wartime Romance 🌀 Unreliable Narrator 🩺 Survivor's Guilt 🌊 Refugee Journey

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow 90%

A teen surgeon haunted by Fear falls for the boy filming Syria's dying city.

by Zoulfa Katouh 2022

4.45

124k+ ratings

🏚️ Syrian Civil War 💔 Wartime Romance 🌀 Unreliable Narrator 🩺 Survivor's Guilt 🌊 Refugee Journey

The Irish Princess

by Elizabeth Chadwick • 2019

Exiled and bartered to a Norman invader, an Irish princess turns marriage into power and survival.

4.14

3k+

🏰 Medieval Ireland 🤝 Political Marriage 👑 Women In History ⚔️ Norman Conquest 💕 Arranged Marriage To Love

The Irish Princess 90%

Exiled and bartered to a Norman invader, an Irish princess turns marriage into power and survival.

by Elizabeth Chadwick 2019

4.14

3k+ ratings

🏰 Medieval Ireland 🤝 Political Marriage 👑 Women In History ⚔️ Norman Conquest 💕 Arranged Marriage To Love

El tiempo que tuvimos

by Cherry Chic • 2023

Ten years after leaving Ireland, she returns to the boy she left under the fairy tree.

4.31

10k+

🫂 Friends To Lovers 💔 Second Chance Romance 🏡 Small Town Romance 💛 Eating Disorder 🔥 Slow Burn Romance

El tiempo que tuvimos 90%

Ten years after leaving Ireland, she returns to the boy she left under the fairy tree.

by Cherry Chic 2023

4.31

10k+ ratings

🫂 Friends To Lovers 💔 Second Chance Romance 🏡 Small Town Romance 💛 Eating Disorder 🔥 Slow Burn Romance

Sunburn

by Chloe Michelle Howarth

Her first love is another girl. 1990s Ireland demands she hide behind the boy next door.

4.28

61k+

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Coming Of Age 🤫 Secret Relationship 💕 Best Friends To Lovers 📜 Compulsory Heterosexuality ✝️ Catholic Guilt

Sunburn 90%

Her first love is another girl. 1990s Ireland demands she hide behind the boy next door.

by Chloe Michelle Howarth 2023

4.28

61k+ ratings

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Coming Of Age 🤫 Secret Relationship 💕 Best Friends To Lovers 📜 Compulsory Heterosexuality ✝️ Catholic Guilt

The Princes of Ireland

by Edward Rutherfurd • 2004

A Celtic prince risks sacred prohibitions to love a chieftain's daughter, defying kings and fate.

3.88

18k+

📜 Multigenerational Saga ☘️ Ancient Ireland 🧙 Irish Mythology 💔 Forbidden Love 🌅 Old Gods Fading

The Princes of Ireland 91%

A Celtic prince risks sacred prohibitions to love a chieftain's daughter, defying kings and fate.

by Edward Rutherfurd 2004

3.88

18k+ ratings

📜 Multigenerational Saga ☘️ Ancient Ireland 🧙 Irish Mythology 💔 Forbidden Love 🌅 Old Gods Fading

Out of Darkness

by Ashley Hope Pérez • 2016

1937 Texas: a Mexican American girl, a Black boy, and a love their town wants dead.

4.14

9k+

💔 Forbidden Love 💕 Interracial Romance 🏚️ Jim Crow South 📜 Depression Era 🌊 Lyrical Tragedy

Out of Darkness 91%

1937 Texas: a Mexican American girl, a Black boy, and a love their town wants dead.

by Ashley Hope Pérez 2016

4.14

9k+ ratings

💔 Forbidden Love 💕 Interracial Romance 🏚️ Jim Crow South 📜 Depression Era 🌊 Lyrical Tragedy

Brooklyn

by Colm Tóibín • 2009

An Irish emigrant finds love in Brooklyn, then a death back home forces an impossible choice.

3.75

163k+

🗽 Immigrant Experience 📚 Quiet Literary Realism 🌍 Between Two Worlds 🕯️ Quiet Melancholy 🇮🇪 Small-Town Ireland

Brooklyn 90%

An Irish emigrant finds love in Brooklyn, then a death back home forces an impossible choice.

by Colm Tóibín 2009

3.75

163k+ ratings

🗽 Immigrant Experience 📚 Quiet Literary Realism 🌍 Between Two Worlds 🕯️ Quiet Melancholy 🇮🇪 Small-Town Ireland

Cuts Both Ways

by Candice Brathwaite • 2022

After her brother's murder, a London teen falls for a boy who might know the killer.

3.74

830

🖤 Black British 🏫 Elite Private School 💔 Sibling Grief ☠️ Forbidden Love 🔺 Love Triangle

Cuts Both Ways 90%

After her brother's murder, a London teen falls for a boy who might know the killer.

by Candice Brathwaite 2022

3.74

830 ratings

🖤 Black British 🏫 Elite Private School 💔 Sibling Grief ☠️ Forbidden Love 🔺 Love Triangle

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