Here are 65 books that The Refusal fans have personally recommended if you like
The Refusal.
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I lived vicariously through Nancy Drew when I was young. I was naturally observant and curious, and my mom was known to tail a car through our neighborhood if she thought the driver looked suspicious. So, it’s not surprising that I developed a love for all things thrilling. While working in the oil and gas industry for fifteen years, I spent some time focused on a foreign deal that served as inspiration for my first novel. I worked with people seeking power; negotiations bordered on nefarious; the workplace became toxic. If you ever ponder the moral implications behind the pursuit of power, you’ll enjoy the books on this list!
I tell everyone I know that if they want a book with incredible character development, read The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo.
This book is highly atmospheric. You can feel the biting cold, the fear, the pain. It also has characters with questionable ethics. It made me question how I feel about vengeance and retribution. Some of the content is very dark, yet it doesn’t feel sensationalized.
This is also a thriller with hints of a happy ending—at least, for some people—while also leaving some things uncertain or unresolved. I prefer a thriller to leave me hanging a little . . .
Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own tightly-knit but dysfunctional family.
He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history.
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I was raised by my Grandmother who escaped Nazi-occupied Germany. A strong, proud, capable woman who eventually, despite arriving in the UK as a refugee, ended up working for Winston Churchill as a war secretary. Not a feminist but rather a true champion of women. I believe a woman's body, her mind, her essence is her own! I write about strong females, sex positive not under the control of an Alpha male. I have a rare gift for writing Erotica with a real story, which will transport you as if in the room with my characters. More than this, I create characters you'll care about and take with you on your own journey path.
This book splits public opinion right down the middle it seems from hateful 1-star reviews to glowing 5-star ones. Well, for me it was a crystal clear five stars! Our protagonist Gi and her friend IL-sun escape North Korea and end up in a horrific sex trafficking ring, eventually finding themselves in America. Even now, years on since I turned that last page, I feel Gi. I visualised with ease every step she took, every breath, every torment and heartache she endured. The book is beautifully written. I'm confused how anyone can give this book a poor rating other than accepting the simple fact not all books are for all readers! I couldn't put it down and cancelled two business appointments having to reschedule them as I wasn't leaving the house. Get the tissues at the ready.
“A gripping novel” of two North Korean teenage girls, and their harrowing journey as they escape the authoritarian state (O, The Oprah Magazine).
Before she met Il-sun in an orphanage, Gi was a hollow husk of a girl, broken from growing up in one of North Korea’s forced-labor camps. A mathematical genius, she learned to cope with pain by retreating into a world of numbers and calculations. Gi becomes enamored with the brash and radiant Il-sun, a friend she describes as “all woman and springtime.”
But Il-sun’s pursuit of a better life imperils both girls when her suitor spirits them…
I was raised by my Grandmother who escaped Nazi-occupied Germany. A strong, proud, capable woman who eventually, despite arriving in the UK as a refugee, ended up working for Winston Churchill as a war secretary. Not a feminist but rather a true champion of women. I believe a woman's body, her mind, her essence is her own! I write about strong females, sex positive not under the control of an Alpha male. I have a rare gift for writing Erotica with a real story, which will transport you as if in the room with my characters. More than this, I create characters you'll care about and take with you on your own journey path.
Believing in Fate by Veya Thorn is my first read into Mafia romance and the underworld of International crime. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, such a fantastic read. It’s full of danger, intrigue, chaos, charm, lust, more lusting, love, friendship, and family. Asimina, the MC is one of the reasons I loved the book. She’s independent, strong, brave, intelligent, feisty, and full of determination to succeed and survive on her own. She’s a beautiful woman who you don’t ever want to cross but you admire her courage. She’s someone you punch the air for and would wish to fight alongside. Ah, if only books were real life!!
It is said your fate is sealed at infancy, love, happiness, and sorrow. Asimina Alexiou is impulsive, brave, vibrant, and Independent. She finds herself with unwanted attention. She sought help from her cousin, a man that is nothing less than a brother. However, Petro has secrets of his own that will land Asimina in the hands of one Capo Dei Capi Raffaele Dante Morelli.Raffaele the crime boss of the biggest mafia family across the States and Europe. His close, inner cycle of men is his underboss and capos running extensive drug and gun operations throughout multiple sectors. Raffaele's training has…
A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.
Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…
I was raised by my Grandmother who escaped Nazi-occupied Germany. A strong, proud, capable woman who eventually, despite arriving in the UK as a refugee, ended up working for Winston Churchill as a war secretary. Not a feminist but rather a true champion of women. I believe a woman's body, her mind, her essence is her own! I write about strong females, sex positive not under the control of an Alpha male. I have a rare gift for writing Erotica with a real story, which will transport you as if in the room with my characters. More than this, I create characters you'll care about and take with you on your own journey path.
So, a totally underrated, amazing writer and poet. I don’t know much about poetry. I was told by a friend to read this book and I’m so pleased I listened to her. Love the poems in here as some really spoke to my soul, my heart. Beautiful, relatable, powerful, original, heartfelt, heart-warming. I mean I could list adjectives until the cows come home people! Any book which helps women to understand and inspire them on how to grow and become happy in what is sometimes a world full of toxic masculinity gets my thumbs up, esp when it doesn’t read like a feminist on a power rant!! Read it, you can thank me on Instagram after.
The Evolution of a Girl is a collection of poetry and prose taking the reader from girl to woman; from heartbreak and anger to transformation and rebirth. It speaks of the strength we find when learning to accept ourselves and the unbreakable softness that comes from unyielding self-love. The Evolution of a Girl is a book for those who are hurting, for those who are healing, and for those who are ready to try again.
Well, that’s a deep ask, can we rain check that for when I feel the need to deep dive my jacked-up psyche? I feel grossly unprepared.... What I do love, are romance novels. I have fairly strict requirements in what books should be allowed into that category. There needs to be, at least one, panty-dampening, heart-racing, mouth-watering sex scene. More than that, I'm a firm member of bitches who are too much. It should be no surprise my reading taste trends to similar loudmouthed female leads. If you've happened upon my personally curated list of my favorite panty-dampening books with badass female leads, I welcome you and rejoice in the companionship.
Do you ever have that moment while reading, when you look up at normal life happening blissfully, while you are balls deep in a dirty scene? Yeah, me too. This one is one, of many books, I’m eternally grateful for a privacy screen protector on my phone. Don’t have one? Highly recommend, so that you too can enjoy deliciously naughty scenes while at your children’s jiu jitsu class. What? There’s no judgment here.
While my other recommendations have included females who are literally kicking ass, taking names, and leaving a trail of dead bodies, this book reminds me that badassery takes on many forms. And finding a happily ever after is unique to each and every person.
Harmony's used to her mom's BS hitting her doorstep. She's mastered saving her mom's ass, but her latest stunt might get them both killed. The local drug dealer, as well as the Mexican Mafia, want blood. Unfortunately, the sexy MC President wants more from Harmony. To keep them both breathing, she'll work off the debt—on her knees. A slave to the MC.
No one was ever supposed to find out about Harmony’s darkest fantasies—but the Penetrators MC has, and they intend to fulfill every dirty detail.…
I’m an indie romance author obsessed with all things romance, the spicier the better! I’m all about the happy ending, so all my books feature a happy ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN).
Although this is book 4, I recommend starting with the first book of the series. I chose this book because it ended the American Street Kings with a bang and it’s my favorite out of all the books in the series, even though it’s super dark (readers should note the trigger warnings). Throughout the book, there were so many twists and turns that I wasn’t sure how, or even if, Ink and Neon would get their happy ever after (HEA).
Rage. It’s toxic. It poisons you. Corrupts you. Smothers your heart until it no longer beats. You can’t run from it. There’s no escape. Once it seizes control, it won’t stop until revenge bleeds the tears of justice.
The day he took her, he destroyed my humanity, turning me into a bloodthirsty savage. Now, I’m driven by my hunger to see the snake bleed. To hear his screams and relish his cries.
He should have known she wasn’t his to take. By touching her, he dared the beast, sealing his fate to breathe his last breath while…
The Duke's Christmas Redemption
by
Arietta Richmond,
A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.
Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…
I’m a complete bookworm and romance addict. I love to see the old tropes being written with a fresh feel, and I’m a true believer that romance is so hard to write because everyone knows the end, but it’s up to the writer to bring you on a worthy journey. After reading countless friends-to-lovers novels, I can say with certainty I have the list with the best books written by the contemporary romance rock stars. Let’s get to it!
It was recently on the number one spot on Amazon, even two years after its original publication! And for a good reason. Amy Dawns gives us all the feels in this romance between a curvy, shy heroine and a sweet soccer player of a hero. Dawns plays with the lines between friendship and something more in a remarkable way. Their banter is hilarious, their chemistry is off the charts. The whole book is *chef’s kiss*.
What happens when an almost thirty-year-old virgin agrees to let her Scottish footballer best friend give her some lessons in seduction? Lots of banter, awkwardness, jealousy, and heat. Midfielder Maclay “Mac” Logan is a loud-mouthed, tattooed ginger content with focusing on football. But when an adorable, freckled seamstress comes barreling into his life, he finds Netflix-And-Bickering with her to be his new favorite pastime. Freya Cook is used to being the invisible woman with a needle and thread, offering cheeky punchlines as she helps dress London’s finest. She’s plus-sized in body and spirit, and other than her friendship with Mac,…
As a long-time expat in France, a creative and a Black woman, I get othered and rejected a lot. I’ve had to learn how to own my story – of starting over, of building something from nothing, of remembering where I’ve been, and reminding myself of where I’m going. I had to learn to reject the labels that others want to put on me and draft my own personal hype mantra – then embellish it with a little bombshell sparkle. The books I’ve chosen are meant to entertain while giving you the chance to remind yourself of who you are and who you can choose to be.
Sometimes you just gotta move far away and start all over.
That’s what Karim, my male lead does in my book, and what Dr. Sloan, the female lead does in Rafe. Neither is looking for love, but as luck would have it…
What I loved about Rafewas the reversal of a common trope – male nanny hired by well-to-do single mother. A bearded, muscular, tattooed nanny who cooks and can fold a fitted sheet? Sign me up!
This book is a fun, spicy ride and poses the question, “why not?” Why can’t a woman killing it in her field come home to a man taking care of the home front, ready to meet all of her needs?
All Dr. Sloan Copeland needed was someone to watch her kids. What she found was the man of her dreams…After a nasty divorce and a thousand mile move, Dr. Sloan Copeland and her twin daughters are finally getting the hang of their new life in Los Angeles. When their live-in nanny bails with no warning, Sloan is left scrambling to find a competent caretaker to wrangle her smart, sensitive girls. Nothing less will do.Enter Rafe Whitcomb. He's all of those things, not to mention good-natured and one heck of a whiz in the kitchen. He's also tall, and handsome, and…
As a child, I fell in love with picture books and the magical, whimsical worlds they opened! I recall snuggling up and listening to these tales being read to me. Later, after a bit of a struggle, I learned to read myself. From there, there was no stopping me. My library card was my most treasured, most loved possession! I quickly moved on to chapter books, then to novels, but never outgrew my love and passion for picture books! As a former teacher and now great-grandparent, I treasure the opportunity to usher children down the rabbit hole of reading!
This book is by an Indie author like me! It is the modern, squirrel version of Rudolph, The Red Nose Reindeer! Being a ginger myself I totally related to Olly and his human friend.
Also, check out the gorgeous illustrations!! All that and a powerful message about bullying? Count me in!
A Charming Children’s Book on Squirrels, Nature, and Inclusion.
"Olly is ared squirrel who enjoys watching the gray squirrels playing outside. He longs to be part of that fluffy group and to be their friend. Whenever he approaches the other squirrels, he is rejected because he is different. Not being accepted, Olly feels lonely and sad, until unexpected gifts from the forest change everything."
★★★ A beautifully illustrated story that raises awareness of bullying and racism, showing the importance of kindness, friendship, diversity and inclusion. ★★★
"My niece (6 years old) and I really enjoyed reading this warm and heartfelt…
This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.
In these and other intimate conversations, the book…
Gina Meyers is well known for her popular culture television trivia and cooking expertise books related to Harry Potter, Twilight, and the iconic television show Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. Gina's Love At First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook was featured on the NBC hit show, The Office. Gina's goal is to reignite the spark of imagination and creativity in the kitchen, introducing youth, teens, and fans of magical sitcoms to the culinary arts.
I met Marika Blossfeldt in Paris, France at the Gourmand Cookbook Fair. She wrote a beautiful and nourishing cookbook from her farm in Estonia. Essential Nourishment is a cookbook and nutrition guide fusing an appreciation for the sensual pleasures of natural foods with a sensible approach to nourishment. There is a yummy carrot ginger soup and lots of immunity booster recipes.
Visually stunning and potentially life-changing, Essential Nourishment is a cookbook and nutrition guide fusing an appreciation for the sensual pleasures of natural foods with a sensible approach to nourishment. It is your feel-good guide to living well, one delicious meal at a time, one nurturing action at a time.
The recipes inspire you to create dishes that are both mouthwatering and easy to make. These flavorful, nutrient-dense meals also give you the energy you need to lead an active life for years to come and pursue your passions with enthusiasm and delight.
