Book picks similar to
Wingarden by Elsie Lee


gothic
romance
romantic-suspense
vintage-gothic-romance

The Eye Stones


Harriet Esmond - 1975
     She soon discovers that both her sister and her new husband have tragically perished in a fire which destroyed their home. Alone in the bleak Norfolk brecklands, Deborah is at first forced to accept hospitality from the handsome yet forbidding widower, Sir Randall Gaunt. Yet even when Deborah later stumbles upon the warm companionship of Lord Stannard, the charming young aristocrat wooing her with such passionate urgency, the strange events that follow cause her feelings of uneasiness to grow. And then, before long Deborah becomes inextricably involved in a nightmare of unimaginable evil…

The Voice of the Dolls


Dorothy Eden - 1950
    Since her mother's accidental death, Jennie has been withdrawn; she plays only with her dolls, "communicating" with them in a macabre game that resembles reality in the secretive Foster household all too accurately.

The Other: A traditional clean Victorian Gothic (Gothika Series)


L.C. Kincaide - 2017
    She was wrong. New widow, Haley Colbrooke travels to Ashdown to meet her husband’s family and to visit his grave. The shocking news of their recent marriage is awkward enough. That her brother in-law is Lance’s identical twin is worse. Given her circumstances, she accepts the invitation to stay, which sets in motion a chain of events that will risk Haley losing all she has left. Rather than finding solace, she is drawn into past tragedies and deadly secrets. Perhaps coming to the family estate was a terrible mistake.

The Stormy Petrel


Mary Stewart - 1991
    One evening, she is shocked to discover an attractive stranger, Ewen Mackay, in her kitchen, who claims to have grown up in the cottage. She is tempted to believe him, when another man seeks shelter from the storm. John Parsons also rouses Rose's skepticism...and more tender feelings as well. And as the truth about the two men unfolds, the stormy petrels, fragile elusive birds who fly close to the waves, come to symbolize Rose's confusion and the mystery of her future....From the Paperback edition.

The Master of Blacktower


Barbara Michaels - 1966
    Suddenly her fate—her life itself—was in the black silk-gloved hands of Gavin Hamilton, a man scarred and tortured by an unspoken past, whose mocking laughter echoes through his ancient Scottish estate. Damaris has heard the whispers that accuse Gavin Hamilton of his wife's death and his young daughter's crippling injury. But the pain and sadness barely hidden behind his blazing dark stare touch Damaris deeply—and a courageous heart is luring her to the estate's topmost tower in search of his dangerous secrets.

Falconridge


Jennifer Wilde - 1969
    When lovely, young Lauren Moore arrives at Falconridge, a mysterious mansion with many hidden secrets, to live with relatives, she becomes caught up in the house's dark mysteries and falls in love with a man who might be the evil force behind it all.

Watch the Wall, My Darling


Jane Aiken Hodge - 1966
    A barricade blocked the way. Dark figures surrounded them. Christina had no time to cry out as strong arms caught her from behind. A hand covered her mouth. She bit it as hard as she could.She looked up at the tall, masked stranger, and a mysterious, frightening sensation swept over her. Those fiery brown eyes gazed at her in a way she had never known before ...

Ford's Rise: Party time with Fords, Brothers, Alpha-Bits and Alexia (Badass Security Council (BSC) Book 11)


L. Ann Marie - 2020
    

Message from Absalom


Anne Armstrong Thompson - 1975
    Four years later, Susannah left her covert job with the CIA, still wondering where Novak had been sent, what important and dangerous assignment claimed him. Then - on an innocent vacation in Bulgaria - she watches as Novak is shot down on a street in Sofia. But Susannah already has his message, an urgent message that she alone must deliver to the President of the United States.And Susannah is back in the business again - with no one to trust, no one to help her, and one of the best agents in the Russian KGB pursuing her. As this shrewd, handsome, magnetic man comes closer to her secret, Susannah finds herself irresistibly attracted to the one man who can destroy her.

Summons to the Chateau D'Arc


Kay Cornelius - 2005
    She finds herself falling for the attractive estate manager, who carries secrets of his own. As the tension grows more unbearable, Ellen will have to risk everything she holds dear to discover the secrets that lurk in the shadows of the Chateau D'Arc.

Loving the Firefighter


Cami Checketts - 2022
    When he tries to protect her will she fall for him or head for danger to spite him?Grady Holman knows the Lanza family murdered his father but the Lanza men are charming, wealthy, and they fund the healthcare for the small town of Emerald Coast. When the Lanzas bring a new pediatrician to town, Grady vows to protect her at all costs. She seems to return his feelings, until he punches Jonathon Lanza without provocation.Can Grady gain her trust and be able to protect her, or will she be the Lanzas’ next victim?

Skeleton Bayou


Melanie Atkins - 2009
    After seven months in hiding, she resurfaces at Mossy Oak, her ramshackle family home on a Louisiana bayou, and attempts to restart her life. The empty house provides shelter, but isn't the fortress she needs when her cruel ex comes calling. Mack O'Malley, former cop turned handyman, conflicted over a bad shoot on the job, comes to Savannah's rescue when the psychopath draws them into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Fearful of Mack at first, she soon discovers that beneath his steely exterior lies a resolute defender with a heart hungry for love. Will their alliance save them, or will they fall victim to the Legend of Skeleton Bayou?

Fall of the Trident (Season SEALs Book 3)


KaLyn Cooper - 2021
    His work hadn’t changed so it had become his life. He went from one command to another, wherever the Navy sent him.His world was focused on the SEALs he commanded…until the day in his exuberance over a highly complicated operation, he hugged his administrative assistant.Marta Merkel had been a force to be reckoned in the SEAL world. For over twenty-five years, since her SEAL husband had been killed on active duty, she could make or break a career.Even though they were single adults past fifty, she worked directly outside his office, controlling his work life.With years of baggage, could they make this work?

The Mystery of Drury House


Elizabeth Wilde - 2015
    For Jack Saxon, a semi-retired magician from the mainland, the icy weather is an acquired taste to say the least. After Saxon inherits an enormous mansion and vast fortune from an eccentric recluse named Drury, disturbing things begin happening on the island. A young girl vanishes without a trace. A woman takes her own life under mysterious circumstances. And finally, a vicious murder is committed, shocking the peaceful residents of the normally placid island. All too soon, Saxon finds himself in the middle of a deadly game of madness and deception… Original American title: Mystery of the Red Alders

The Dark Shore


Susan Howatch - 1965
    But already Jon's estranged son Justin has changed the game by asking if he can return to Canada with them and Sarah becomes increasingly unsettled by Jon's insistence that they visit the house in Cornwall where he lived with Sophia. Buryan is a beautiful house with breathtaking views and cliff walks and Sarah momentarily forgets her misgivings. But all too quickly Jon's mood seems to shift, he becomes secretive, short tempered and withdrawn and Sarah realises that Jon is inexorably drawn to this house because he is trapped in the past. Too late, however, to stop a nightmarish replay of the mysterious events, which led to Sophia's death ten years before.