Read A-Likes May 2022
Do you ever finish reading a book and wonder what to try next?
Try these suggestions for popular titles.
Try these suggestions for popular titles.
Our Read-A-Like Suggestions This Month Are For:
Marcia Willett, Donald L. Westlake, David Weber, Jo Goodman
Marcia Willett, Donald L. Westlake, David Weber, Jo Goodman
The Way We Were
By Marcia Willett
On a cold winter day in 1976, unmarried and pregnant, Tiggy packs up her camper van and drives west to the Cornwall moors to live with her friend Julia. Tiggys fiancé recently died, and Julia, alone with her kids while her husband is at sea, gladly accepts Tiggy as her houseguest. Life is chaotic with the two women, two dogs, and Julia's three children, but for Tiggy, with no family and a growing belly, its a haven. But there's something sinister lurking under the idyllic days on the moor, and years later, Julia, having buried the memories as best she can, finds herself watching her children make mistakes that could expose family secrets about Julia, Tiggy, and her visit so long ago. How can Julia protect and guide her family but still stay true to Tiggy?
By Marcia Willett
On a cold winter day in 1976, unmarried and pregnant, Tiggy packs up her camper van and drives west to the Cornwall moors to live with her friend Julia. Tiggys fiancé recently died, and Julia, alone with her kids while her husband is at sea, gladly accepts Tiggy as her houseguest. Life is chaotic with the two women, two dogs, and Julia's three children, but for Tiggy, with no family and a growing belly, its a haven. But there's something sinister lurking under the idyllic days on the moor, and years later, Julia, having buried the memories as best she can, finds herself watching her children make mistakes that could expose family secrets about Julia, Tiggy, and her visit so long ago. How can Julia protect and guide her family but still stay true to Tiggy?
The Woman from Paris
By Santa Montefiore When Lord Frampton dies in a skiing accident, a beautiful young woman named Phaedra appears at his funeral—claiming to be the Lord’s illegitimate daughter. In his will, Lord Frampton has left the priceless Frampton suite of sapphires to this interloper, confirming her claim and outraging his three adult sons and widow. Eventually, however, Phaedra’s sweet nature thaws the frosty relationships. She becomes the daughter that Antoinette Frampton never had and a wise and compassionate granddaughter to the formidable Dowager Lady Frampton. But an attraction grows between Phaedra and the eldest son, David. It seems an impossible love—blocked by their blood connection and by the fury of one family member who is determined to expose Phaedra as a fraud. |
The Endless Beach
By Jenny Colgan When Flora MacKenzie traded her glum career in London for the remote Scottish island of Mure, she never dreamed that Joel--her difficult, adorable boss--would follow. Yet now, not only has Flora been reunited with her family and opened a charming café by the sea, but she and Joel are taking their first faltering steps into romance. With Joel away on business in New York, Flora is preparing for the next stage in her life. And that would be ...? Love? She's feeling it. Security? In Joel's arms, sure. Marriage? Not open to discussion. In the meanwhile, Flora is finding pleasure in a magnificent sight: whales breaking waves off the beaches of Mure. But it also signals something less joyful. According to local superstition, it's an omen--and a warning that Flora's future could be as fleeting as the sea-spray |
Forever with You
By Jennifer L. Armentrout Some things you just believe in, even if you've never experienced them. For Stephanie, that list includes love. It's out there. Somewhere. Eventually. Meanwhile she's got her job at the mixed martial arts training center and hot flings with gorgeous, temporary guys like Nick. Then a secret brings them closer, opening Steph's eyes to a future she never knew she wanted—until tragedy rips it away. Nick's self-assured surface shields a past no one needs to know about. His mind-blowing connection with Steph changes all that. As fast as he's knocking down the walls that have kept him commitment-free, she's building them up again, determined to keep the hurt—and Nick—out. But he can't walk away. Not when she's the only one who's ever made him wish for forever. |
Money for Nothing
By Donald L. Westlake
Once a month they came in the mail, as regular as clockwork, a check for $1,000 made out to Josh Redmont and issued by something called United States Agent. Josh tried to find out find out if some mistake had been made, but to no avail. Eventually he simply accepted that some obscure untraceable government agency was sending him $1,000 a month.
Seven years later Josh is successful in his field, with a wife and child, when a smiling stranger approaches him with words that chill him to the spine: "I'm from United States Agent. You are now active." It turns out that josh has been paid for a job that he now must do... a job that will turn out to be a growing horror for him, for his family, and possibly for all of us.
By Donald L. Westlake
Once a month they came in the mail, as regular as clockwork, a check for $1,000 made out to Josh Redmont and issued by something called United States Agent. Josh tried to find out find out if some mistake had been made, but to no avail. Eventually he simply accepted that some obscure untraceable government agency was sending him $1,000 a month.
Seven years later Josh is successful in his field, with a wife and child, when a smiling stranger approaches him with words that chill him to the spine: "I'm from United States Agent. You are now active." It turns out that josh has been paid for a job that he now must do... a job that will turn out to be a growing horror for him, for his family, and possibly for all of us.
The Cocktail Waitress
By James M. Cain Following her husband's death in a suspicious car accident, beautiful young widow Joan Medford is forced to take a job serving drinks in a cocktail lounge to make ends meet and to have a chance of regaining custody of her young son. At the job she encounters two men who take an interest in her, a handsome young schemer who makes her blood race and a wealthy but unwell older man who rewards her for her attentions with a $50,000 tip and an unconventional offer of marriage. The final novel written by James M. Cain and never before published. |
Small Town
By Lawrence Block A beautiful young woman called Marilyn picks up a stranger in a bar and takes him home to her Manhattan apartment. The next morning her housekeeper discovers Marilyn's body. Marilyn's life and death have far-reaching effects on others, even people she has never met: a charismatic former police commissioner on the verge of a breakdown; a struggling writer; a folk art dealer plumbing the depths of her own fierce sexuality; a lawyer who prefers murder trials because there's one witness fewer. And in a city reeling from 9/11, an unlikely mass murderer wages a one-man war against everyone. In this gripping, multi-faceted story, Block not only brings to life in brilliant detail the city of New York, but proves he is one of the most talented, innovative and surprising crime writers in the business. |
Skylar
By Gregory McDonald Everyone loves Skylar Whitfield, Greendown County's winsome charmer. He has innate sexiness that makes women smile. But he doesn't make his cousin Jonathan smile. Jonathan's a Harvard preppy gracing the South for the first time and he has a hard time with Skylar's penchant for hot summer nights, long-legged women and southern masculinity. Skylar has an equal distaste for Jonathan's presumptions, snobbery and northern propriety.When the county beauty queen, Mary Lou Simes, is found beaten to death with Skylar's pocket knife nearby, Skylar must put his sex-filled mind and incorrigible love of the good life on hold. To find the murderer, he'll have to outwit the dimwitted police - and drag Jonathan along with him. Gregory McDonald heaps this rollicking series debut with enough enchantment and Eros to make a naughty girl blush. Uproariously funny, Skylar is fresh, quirky, and so delicately crafted that it is at once painfully suspenseful and sweetly moving. |
Shadow of Freedom
By David Weber
Queen Elizabeth of Manticore's first cousin and Honor Harrington's best friend, Michelle Henke, has just handed the ""invincible"" Solarian League Navy the most humiliating, one sided defeat in its entire almost thousand year history in defense of the people of the Star Empire's Talbott Quadrant. But the League is the most powerful star nation in the history of humanity. Its navy is going to be back—and this time with thousands of superdreadnoughts.
Yet she also knows scores of other star systems—some independent, some controlled by puppet regimes, and some simply conquered outright by the Solarian Office of Frontier Security—lie in the League's grip along its frontier with the Talbott Quadrant. As combat spreads from the initial confrontation,the entire frontier has begun to seethe with unrest, and Michelle sympathizes with the oppressed populations wanting only to be free of their hated masters.
And that puts her in something of a quandary when a messenger from Mobius arrives, because someone's obviously gotten a wrong number. According to him, the Mobians' uprising has been carefully planned to coordinate with a powerful outside ally: the Star Empire of Manticore. Only Manticore—and Mike Henke—have never even heard of the Mobius Liberation Front.
By David Weber
Queen Elizabeth of Manticore's first cousin and Honor Harrington's best friend, Michelle Henke, has just handed the ""invincible"" Solarian League Navy the most humiliating, one sided defeat in its entire almost thousand year history in defense of the people of the Star Empire's Talbott Quadrant. But the League is the most powerful star nation in the history of humanity. Its navy is going to be back—and this time with thousands of superdreadnoughts.
Yet she also knows scores of other star systems—some independent, some controlled by puppet regimes, and some simply conquered outright by the Solarian Office of Frontier Security—lie in the League's grip along its frontier with the Talbott Quadrant. As combat spreads from the initial confrontation,the entire frontier has begun to seethe with unrest, and Michelle sympathizes with the oppressed populations wanting only to be free of their hated masters.
And that puts her in something of a quandary when a messenger from Mobius arrives, because someone's obviously gotten a wrong number. According to him, the Mobians' uprising has been carefully planned to coordinate with a powerful outside ally: the Star Empire of Manticore. Only Manticore—and Mike Henke—have never even heard of the Mobius Liberation Front.
Echoes of Betrayal
By Elizabeth Moon All is not well in the Eight Kingdoms. In Lyonya, King Kieri is about to celebrate marriage to his beloved, the half-elf Arian. But uncanny whispers from the spirits of his ancestors continue to warn of treachery and murder, and a finger of suspicion points in a shocking direction. Meanwhile, in Tsaia, the young king Mikeli grapples with unrest among his own nobility after granting the title and estates of a traitorous magelord to a Verrakaien—who not only possesses the forbidden magic but is a woman. The controversial decision and its consequences put the king’s claim to the throne in peril. But even greater danger looms. A dragon’s wild offspring are sowing death and destruction, upsetting the ancient balance of power. A collision seems inevitable. Yet when it comes, it will be utterly unexpected—and all the more devastating for it. |
Seas of Venus
By David Drake Earth is a dead cinder beyond the dense clouds. On a terraformed Venus the land is ruled by savage plants and the even more savage beasts that prey on them, while monsters out of nightmare swim though the globe-girdling seas. Mankind huddles in domed underwater Keeps, living a purposeless static existence—dedicated to pleasure but destined for oblivion later if not sooner. Only the Free Companions, the mercenaries who fight proxy wars for the Keeps, live on the surface of Venus. Their warships course the seas, battling one another in struggles to decide victory or defeat for one day, life or death for a few individuals. The Free companions live till they die with the searing thrill of danger, and their deeds bring excitement and color to the bored residents of the Keeps; but Mankind is doomed unless something changes. Few are willing to risk their lives for that change, battling both the terrifying environment and the ruthless oligarchs for whom the status quo means a lifetime of luxury. But there are a handful of courageous visionaries in the Keeps and in the Free Companies where death is a way of life!I |
Perilous Shield
By Jack Campbell Following a successful coup, the leaders of the rebel Midway Star System struggle to forge a government free enough to please its citizens yet strong enough to secure power. But in a world where former rulers have become new foes, an alien threat to humanity may turn old adversaries into uncertain allies. General Artur Drakon knows three words describe someone who confides in a Syndicate CEO: Stupid. Betrayed. Dead. Despite his misgivings, he partnered with another former CEO to overthrow Syndic forces. Now, with an enigma fleet menacing their hard-earned independence, he can ill afford to trust her - or lose her support. President Gwen Iceni believes Midway is humanity’s defense against the enigmas. Syndicate training taught her self-preservation in a crisis, yet she’s determined to fight for the star system’s fate…even if it means joining forces with Drakon - and an officer of the hated Alliance. Their plan places the Midway flotilla at great risk in hopes of greater reward: recruiting the personnel necessary to man warships against the enigmas. But before facing the alien advance, Drakon and Iceni must survive hidden dangers closer to home: all-too-human threats that could jeopardize Midway’s freedom…and their own lives. |
The Price of Desire
By Jo Goodman
Olivia Cole is devastated to learn that her ne'er-do-well brother has promised her to the operator of a London gaming hall as payment of his debts. Olivia accepts her fate--even if it means that her reputation will suffer from living among rogues and gamblers. But when she meets the sexy and mysterious Griffin Wright-Jones, Viscount Breckenridge, Olivia has more than just her good name to worry about—for he rouses in her wanton thoughts she's never dared entertain—until now.
Griffin wears the scars of his life on his striking face. Although he wants Olivia like no other woman before, he could never force her to share his bed. But with each passing night, Griffin and Olivia's resolve weakens until finally they take their greatest gamble on one night of reckless pleasure
By Jo Goodman
Olivia Cole is devastated to learn that her ne'er-do-well brother has promised her to the operator of a London gaming hall as payment of his debts. Olivia accepts her fate--even if it means that her reputation will suffer from living among rogues and gamblers. But when she meets the sexy and mysterious Griffin Wright-Jones, Viscount Breckenridge, Olivia has more than just her good name to worry about—for he rouses in her wanton thoughts she's never dared entertain—until now.
Griffin wears the scars of his life on his striking face. Although he wants Olivia like no other woman before, he could never force her to share his bed. But with each passing night, Griffin and Olivia's resolve weakens until finally they take their greatest gamble on one night of reckless pleasure
Rustler's Moon
By Jodi Thomas If there's any place that can convince Angela Harold to stop running, it's Ransom Canyon. And if there's any man who can reveal desires more deeply hidden than her every fear, it's Wilkes Wagner. Beneath the rancher's honorable exterior is something that just might keep her safe or unwittingly put her in danger's path. With his dreams of leaving this small Texas town swallowed up by hard, dusty reality, all Wilkes has to show for his life is the Devil's Fork Ranch. Though not one to let false hope seduce him, he can't deny the quiet and cautious beauty who slips into his world and changes everything. Lauren Brigman finally has freedom at her fingertips. All she needs is Lucas Reyes's attention a look, a touch, some sign that she's more to him than a girl he rescued one dangerous night. But now it's her turn to rescue someone, and the life-altering decision may cost her more than a chance with Lucas. |
Mulberry Moon
By Catherine Anderson After a career on the rodeo circuit, Ben Sterling longs to settle down on his farm and start a family like his brothers. He’s searched all over for the woman of his dreams. Yet the only one to spark his interest is the new owner of the local café. Getting her attention, however, won’t be easy. Sissy Sue Bentley has worked hard to make it on her own, and she doesn’t need another man in her life. From her alcoholic father to the men she’s dated, who were after only one thing, they are nothing but trouble. Except Ben keeps showing up whenever she really needs help. Sissy struggles to deny her growing feelings for him—but soon Ben’s tender concern has her hoping for a happier future. Then her past comes barreling back into her life, and it will take more than the love in Ben’s heart to hold them together. |
The Winter Bride
By Anne Gracie Four young women face a life of destitution—until a daring act changes their fortune and turns them each into a beautiful bride. In The Winter Bride, a compromising situation leads to an unexpected wedding and delicious temptation.... Damaris Chance’s unhappy past has turned her off the idea of marriage forever. But her guardian, Lady Beatrice Davenham, convinces her to make her coming out anyway—and have a season of carefree, uncomplicated fun. When Damaris finds herself trapped in a compromising situation with the handsome rake Freddy Monkton-Coombes, she has no choice but to agree to wed him—as long as it’s in name only. Her new husband seems to accept her terms, but Freddy has a plan of his own: to seduce his reluctant winter bride. Will Damaris’s secrets destroy her chance at true happiness? Or can Freddy help her cast off the shackles of the past, and yield to delicious temptation? |
