Here are 100 books that Summer Rain fans have personally recommended if you like
Summer Rain.
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While the pacing, suspense, and twists of a well-crafted modern-day thriller can bring their own rewards, I find that when the thriller is enriched by the cultures of the past, the story can become one of powerful depth. Exploring modern-day morals, laws, or customs can be the start of a canvas painted with far more vivid contrasts. Reading some of these mixed-genre marvels inspired me to write The Book of Judges.
This story is cleverly constructed around a mythical chess set once owned by Charlemagne that is capable, upon complete assembly, of providing its owner with untold power.
Its parallel timelines start in the French Revolution, where an order of nuns is charged with dispersing the pieces to keep them from the wrong hands. In the modern-day story, Catherine Vellis, a computer expert sent to Algeria on an assignment, gets caught up in a chase to reunite them.
The prose is as magical as the story, particularly in its richly detailed look at revolutionary France.
A fantasy novel from the author of A CALCULATED RISK. The secret of the Eight is a puzzle whose solution has challenged the most brilliant minds known to humanity. Catherine Velis is manipulated into using her unrivalled problem-solving skills to find and reassemble to legendary chess set.
As a humorous cozy mystery author, apparitions as characters are critically important members of my cast. I have introduced two ghostsβthe dead wife and young daughter of one of the men in my protagonistβs life as continuing characters in my Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series. They serve as an important yet hysterically funny bridge that connects the main characterβs past to her present life and creates an extra layer of conflict in her relationship with the widower and where she wants it to go.
Nothing tickles my funny bone more than the antics of a pampered princess who has to work like the rest of us if she wants to eat when the family fortune dries up. Pepper Martin takes the only job available as a cemetery tour guideβwho knew such a creepy job existed?
After hitting her noggin on a gravestone, suddenly she sees dead people. I laughed out loud when a whacked Mafia Don βmakes her an offer she canβt refuseβ and threatens to haunt her until she hunts down his killers. If youβre like me and the image of Lucy Ricardo on the hunt for a mobsterβs killer gets you giggling, thisΒ is the story for you.Β
Suddenly desperate, the inexperienced ex-rich girl was forced to take the only job she could get: as a tour guide in a cemetery. But a grave situation took a turn for the worse when a head-on collision with a headstone left her with an unwanted ability to communicate with the disgruntled deceased . . . and now Pepper hasβ¦
Iβve always been intrigued with books containing paranormal twistsβIβm talking ghosts, mysticism, time travel. I also have, what I like to call, a healthy curiosity about spirits. Having gone on ghost tours in York (England), Salem (MA), and New Orleans, Iβve yet to spot one. But I know what some of you may be sayingβbe careful what you wish for! My writing career began later in life, when I realized the stories in my head demanded to be released into the world. From the start I attempted writing a straight-up mystery, but paranormal aspects crept into my chapters, and I decided to let them stay.
Another series starter which Iβm happy to have found. I canβt get enough of characters talking to dead people while trying to resolve the spiritβs issues. It leads to sticky, sometimes awkward, situations relying on the main characterβs wit and tenacity to see them through to the end. Of course, the living arenβt always a delightful picnic to deal with either. Sorting out a victim of a ninety-year-old murder requires some interesting digging into the past, and Bobbi Holmes doesnβt disappoint.
When Danielle Boatman inherits Marlow House, she dreams of turning it into a seaside bed and breakfast. Since sheβs never visited the property, Danielleβs not sure what awaits her in Oregon. She certainly doesnβt expect to find one of the houseβs previous owners still in residence. After all, the man has been dead for almost ninety yearsβshouldnβt he have moved on by now?Charming Walt Marlow convinces Danielle the only way he can move on is if she solves the mystery of his death. Danielle soon discovers her real problems may come from the livingβthose who have their sights on Marlowβ¦
Iβve always been intrigued with books containing paranormal twistsβIβm talking ghosts, mysticism, time travel. I also have, what I like to call, a healthy curiosity about spirits. Having gone on ghost tours in York (England), Salem (MA), and New Orleans, Iβve yet to spot one. But I know what some of you may be sayingβbe careful what you wish for! My writing career began later in life, when I realized the stories in my head demanded to be released into the world. From the start I attempted writing a straight-up mystery, but paranormal aspects crept into my chapters, and I decided to let them stay.
The Nonsuch Lure is another book I read years ago, when it came out in the late seventies, but has stuck with me. The paranormal twist has a modern man being hypnotized to find out heβs lived two other lifetimes, each 200 years apart, in England. His soul has loved and lost the same woman over four centuries because of an unknown force. At the time I read this, I was fascinated with visiting England, which I did several times over the following decade. Nonsuch Castle, where the story centers around, actually existed and had been built by King Henry VIII on confiscated land. The three timelines depicted drew me into the mystery and broken romance, while I rooted for the modern main character to break the sad chain of events.
Beyond Chance, Beyond Time, Beyond Forgetting... The 18th-century journal of a young man's tragic love affair...The four-hundred-year-old portrait of a beautiful woman, inexplicably familiar... Wealthy jet-setter Andrew Moffat is led to the ruined walls of a [16]th-century palace by what seems an alluring series of coincidences. But once inside those haunted walls, he discovers it was destiny that lured him to Nonsuch Palace--to begin a journey deep into the past, to vanquish an evil which has twice destroyed him...to consummate a love he has found and lost throughout the centuries, but which he means to have and to hold forβ¦
Since the ripe old age of four, Iβve loved the DJ. The first? My father, whose in-demand mix of music became the staple party starter in our Jamaican-American community on 176th Street in the Bronx. Iβd be at his knee watching him spin vinyl records on his turntables at home or carrying album crates for a club party. I have three loves: music, books, and romance. It seemed preordained that I'd become a writer and incorporate music. I wrote my first book in 2005. Twelve titles later, music, books, and anything romantic still top my list. I hope you enjoy the one Iβve cultivated just for you.
Listen up Jane Austen fans! I know we have our faves and it's a touchy subject comparing which one is the best, but let's go ahead and throw Dorsey Fitzgerald and DJ Liza Bennetβs names into the hat please, please, and please!
I absolutely love this modern take on Pride and Prejudice. I also got a kick out of the chapter titles as well as the supporting family cast. Talk about a juicy retelling with lots of moving parts. Gentrification is a real, relevant, and current thing, and the novelΒ hits all the right themes.
While reading, I knew the romance would deliver a happy ever after, but how? This is where Pride and Protest shines. Such a great take on the original classic!
A woman goes head-to-head with the CEO of a corporation threatening to destroy her neighborhood in this fresh and modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice by debut author Nikki Payne. Β Liza B.βthe only DJ who gives a jamβwants to take her neighborhood back from the soulless property developer dropping unaffordable condos on every street corner in DC. But her planned protest at a corporate event takes a turn after she mistakes the smoldering-hot CEO for the waitstaff. When they go toe-to-toe, the sparks flyβbut her impossible-to-ignore family thwarts her every move. Lizaβ¦
I spent a decade as a single mom, so stories featuring solo parent protagonists make my book antennae perk up. A happy ever after is a must for a relaxing read, and I prefer stories that donβt slam the door in your face when things heat up between the couple. So much character work can happen between the sheetsβespecially when youβre dealing with people who have been hurt by love before. While there are closed-door or chaste romances out there that feature single parents, those are less likely to end up in my TBR, and thus less likely for me to push them into your hands.
Iβll be honest, I didnβt like Jake at first. But, trusting the author to make it all worthwhile, I hung in there, anticipating watching the hero fall flat on his face. It was worth the wait. Chelsea has custody of her nieces and nephewsβsixΒ of themβand Jake is a lawyer who undergoes a massive transformation from Dude Bro to Father Figure.
When you're a defence attorney in Washington D.C., you see first-hand how hard life can be and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I have a reputation for being cold, callous, intimidating - and that suits me just fine. In fact, it's necessary when I'm breaking down a witness on the stand.
Complications don't work for me - I'm a "need-to-know" type of man. If you're my client, tell me the basic facts. If you're my date, stick to what will get you off. I'm notβ¦
I read my first romance novel at fourteen. I know, I know, too young to probably read any of these novels. As I grew older, my library expanded beyond Regency Romance and I entered the Contemporary genre. I found my happy place among the modern world. I related more. Who wouldnβt? And yet, my personal life was nothing like the romance novels I read. It was a tragedy. A complete train wreck. Being the single friend among the group was awkward and sometimes lonely. Between my fanciful love of romance novels and the dreaded dating era I experienced, I came up with the concept of The Martini Girl Bar and wrote my first novel.
I know, I know, this book is a paranormal romance, but hear me out. This is a series and if you can guess, I love series. I love knowing if the other characters in the stories also get a HEA. I mean everyone deserves one. Well except for the bad guys. But even thenβ¦thatβs another genre. In this case, Fated is a Vampire series however Rebecca Zanetti takes a different spin on the Vampire myth which makes this one of my favorite paranormal series. The tug and pull between the MMC and FMCβ¦chef kiss.
Talen is the ultimate ALPHA male, warrior, dominant, βI am man, you are my mateβ kinda dude and Cara is so not having it. Due to the imminent threat against herself and her daughter, Janie, Cara is left with no alternative but to trust the strange man who claims to be a Vampire. The dynamic betweenβ¦
Cara Paulsen does not give up easily. A scientist and a single mother, she's used to fighting for what she wants, keeping a cool head, and doing whatever it takes to protect her daughter Janie. But "whatever it takes" has never before included a shotgun wedding to a dangerous-looking stranger with an attitude problem. . .
Or Else
Sure, the mysterious Talen says that he's there to protect Cara and Janie. He also says that he's a three-hundred-year-old vampire. Of course, the way he touches her, Cara might actually believe he's had that long to practice. . .β¦
As a lover of all things love and being a published author who has read and watched countless romance books and movies, I wanted to recommend bad/gray characters who have stolen my heart because itβs not easy writing a bad guy who deserves your undying love. Most think a bad guy should redeem himself. I believe some should but I also believed some should remain as they are, bad and proud. If I can write a dark character who can steal your heart, then Iβve won a fan for life. Even through bad guys, we can learn life lessons. So, embrace the dark souls in my recs and the ones Iβve written.
Lothaire features a Vampire on the brink of madness with revenge in mind. He is known as the Lothaire the Enemy of Old because heβs been around for hundreds of years. He was tortured and has done bad things to get what he wants and that is the throne. Who doesnβt love a revenge story? I love them but ones with a love interest he must kill to gain his goal when he is deeply attracted to her, is rough. I love a bad guy, especially one who really has little care for redemption, and that is Lothaire.
From the humblest of beginnings a millennia ago, Lothaire the Enemy of Old rose to power, becoming the most feared and evil vampire in the immortal world. Driven by his past, he will not rest until he captures the vampire Horde's crown for himself. The discovery of his Bride, the female meant only for him, threatens to derail his plot.
Elizabeth Peirce is a mere mortal, a glaring vulnerability for a male with so many deadly foes bent on annihilating anything he desires. Yet soon he discovers his Bride's secret. A magnificent power dwells inside the fragile human, one thatβ¦
Iβve always been attracted to strange things. When I was a kid, I loved to picnic in graveyards and make up stories about the people buried there. I think I gravitate toward the strange because itβs an escape from the gray every day. The best horror writing fills readers with wonder, opens the door to that magical question, βwhat if?β But being truly engaged depends on caring about what happens to the characters in a book. Thatβs why I chose Horror with A Heart as my theme. I like horror with well-developed characters, people that matter to me. People who I could imagine as my friends.
Just when I thought I was done with vampires, Silvia Moreno-GarciaβsCertain Dark Things came along.
I was burned out on the genre. Most of the characters in vampire stories are rich, privileged, and frankly, not that interesting. Atl, the main character in Certain Dark Things, is the exception.
A descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, she finds herself caught between the rival vampire clans that dominate Mexico City. When she develops an unexpected attachment to a street kid named Domingo, her life gets even more complicated.
Domingo could have been nothing but a Renfield, a plaything for her vampire lead. But Moreno-Garcia explores the tender bond that develops between them, a connection that puts both in jeopardy. An engrossing new spin on the vampire tale.
Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood-drinkers, is smart and beautiful - and very dangerous. Domingo is mesmerised.
Atl needs to escape the city quickly, to get far away from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn't include Domingo, but little by little, she finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail ofβ¦
Give me all the supernatural and fantasy intrigue with love on the side. Sometimes this world of ours is too much to deal with and itβs nice to visit other worlds. To read and write about the justice, love, and magic of other things that may be lacking in your life can be cathartic and gives us something to look forward to and strive for. While some of the more supernatural aspects might be out of reach, the beauty of unbreakable bonds forged in love and trust, people willing to sacrifice for what they believe in, and seeing justice prevail also gives me the hope that it's not unreachable if you believe it.Β
Mythology, romance, twisted villains, and a reluctant hero come together to make a book you will not want to put down. Iβm a sucker for greek mythology and love it when it's brought into the modern world. The idea of a whole culture and supernatural world intertwined with ours will always catch my attention. Thereβs something so intriguing about the idea that thereβs more going on in our world than we can imagine and this story pushes the narrative brilliantly. The main characters can irk your nerves at times but if there is no drama thereβs no story in my opinion. These are realistic characters in unrealistic conditions and theyβre always fun to read about.
"Elisabeth Naughton has created a world dark, dangerous, and absolutely addicting." ΒChristina Dodd, New York Times bestselling author
Demitrius has done all he could to protect Isadora, his soul mate, from himself. But when she is kidnapped, he'll stop at nothing to get her backβeven opening his broken heart in order to save them both.
DEMETRIUSβHe's the hulking, brooding warrior even his fellow Guardians avoid. Too dark. Too damaged. And given his heritage, he knows it's best to keep everyone at arm's length.
Isadora is missing. The words pound through his head like a frantic drumbeat. For her own protection,β¦
