Book picks similar to
Drumbeats by Julia Ibbotson


africa
fiction
fiction-historical
a-tier

Anywhere the Weeds Grow (Brave Moments Book 1)


Danielle Stewart - 2021
    

Escape for the Summer


Ruth Saberton - 2014
     "Takes Bridget Jones's mantle and runs with it" Heat Magazine "Made me laugh out loud" Richard Madeley Can Andi Evans find the strength to start again? Betrayed and broken-hearted, Andi's redundancy is one shock too many. Suddenly single and in debt, a summer working in the pretty Cornish town of Rock seems the perfect solution.Determined never to trust again, will a chance meeting with a stranger change her mind? Andi's sister, Angel, is determined to find a man who can keep her in style. Heading to Rock, summer playground of the rich and famous, seems an inspired idea until a misunderstanding threatens to end a romance that has started to mean more to her than she ever expected... Actress Gemma is no stranger to diets and disappointments. As the future of her career hangs in the balance, Gemma hopes a summer in Cornwall solves her problems. With a reality TV show being filmed in the seaside town surely she can avoid the pasty shops and win herself a role. Arriving in idyllic Cornwall, all three girls are hoping for a holiday to remember. But will this be for the right reasons? Or, as emotions run higher than the tide, will the summer escape turn their lives upside down?

Charlock's Secret


Leah Moyes - 2020
    Trapped in time, her survival and return are threatened by her tortured heart.Ensnared by hopelessness and grief, 24-year-old Kat Shelton, accepts a position as the curator of an old English estate with the sole purpose of running away from her memories and to bury life’s pain.What she finds on her journey is much more than she bargained for—an arrogant employer, patronizing staff, and a chaotic system, to name a few. Then to top it all off, an unforeseen tumble down the antiquated cellar steps brings her to a sudden halt.Waking up in the year 1878, and mistaken for the children’s new governess, Kat scrambles to navigate nineteenth-century British lifestyle and culture. An impossible feat if it weren’t for the help of the Gilford girls and their charming and handsome brother, Merritt.Will Kat find the strength, love, and forgiveness she yearns for in the past? Or will her path bring her back to the reality she fears?

No Justice


J.K. Ellem - 2017
    He’s not looking for trouble. He just wants to be left alone but trouble always has a way of finding him. Martha’s End is a good town, filled with bad people, and Shaw soon finds himself caught between two feuding families, the McAlister’s and the Morgan’s, whose bitter rivalry dates back generations. But dark and sinister things are happening on the Morgan ranch. Women have gone missing, the local police turn a blind eye, and Jim Morgan, the rich and powerful family patriarch rules the town with his three brutal sons. And then there is Daisy McAlister, the last of the McAlister family blood-line. Since her father died she has single-handedly run the family ranch and the Morgan’s will stop at nothing to get their hands on her land. But Ben Shaw has a unique skills-set and a mysterious past that could tip the balance in her favor. There is no justice in this town. But justice is coming… No Justice is a standalone adult thriller that you won’t be able to put down. A secluded ranch with dark secrets. Best friends with bitter memories. A small town run by a family of bullies. And a new face in town who lands right in the middle of it all. It's a stand alone adult thriller BUT be warned: It has content for mature readers only. Read what others are saying about NO JUSTICE: “The story was fantastic. I loved the beginning. It drew me right in. I love the main character. He is the type I dream about. He is laid baçk, but won't back down when backed in a corner. Even after finishing the book I still picture him in my mind. I like a strong woman lead character. Daisy is that type. She won't back down. She is making it in a man's world. She is strong yet still shows her woman’s side. She knows her limits. She doesn't get clingy with Shaw. She knows what it is between them. Both are believable characters. The Morgan boys you hit dead on. You got me hating them from the start. I mean I was getting angry just reading about them. The storyline was great. I couldn't put it down once I started. It held my interest throughout the whole book. I loved the ending. I hope there are more coming.” Julie Blumke “Just finished your book and it caught me from the first sentence till the last. My favorite type of book deals with mercenaries, and vigilantes which your book touches on. It keeps you on edge as each page is turned. It holds interest throughout the book. I would not change anything. This book will be a big hit. Full of so much action. I didn't want it to end. Should you decide to continue the story of Ben that would be much welcome. I love who Ben really is was never revealed. Kept him a mystery. I can see many more stories following this one featuring Ben. Thank you for such a great book.” Bernie A Harrison

Washington Black


Esi Edugyan - 2018
    When his master's eccentric brother chooses him to be his manservant, Wash is terrified of the cruelties he is certain await him. But Christopher Wilde, or "Titch," is a naturalist, explorer, scientist, inventor, and abolitionist. He initiates Wash into a world where a flying machine can carry a man across the sky; where two people, separated by an impossible divide, might begin to see each other as human; and where a boy born in chains can embrace a life of dignity and meaning. But when a man is killed and a bounty is placed on Wash's head, Titch abandons everything to save him. What follows is their flight along the eastern coast of America, and, finally, to a remote outpost in the Arctic, where Wash, left on his own, must invent another new life, one which will propel him further across the globe. From the sultry cane fields of the Caribbean to the frozen Far North, Washington Black tells a story of friendship and betrayal, love and redemption, of a world destroyed and made whole again--and asks the question, what is true freedom?

One More Chance


Bonnie R. Paulson - 2020
    Fall for the competition...again...and lose. In Mistletoe, anything is possible. Everyone wants the small-town whirlwind fantasy, but no one knows where to find that kind of romance.But there’s a rumor you can find it in Mistletoe and only during the Christmas season.Enter the Mistletoe Matchmakers.Checking on her father recovering in the hospital, Taylor Dean ducks out of the shared room to fill the flowers with water – okay, and to text her sister that their dad is sharing a room with his sworn enemy, the matriarch of the Wilson family!Taylor can’t believe she’s made a successful career as a world-renowned matchmaker yet can’t find love herself. Maybe she compares everything to the one who got away… or maybe… everyone really does only get that one shot at happily-ever-after.Just her luck, the two original matchmakers, while mortal enemies, also took their jobs seriously. After Taylor begs her father and the Wilson matriarch to help her, she can’t fight the surge of hope when they agree.Until he walks in.When Roman Wilson returns to Mistletoe, Montana after his mother’s heart attack scare, he makes wild claims and even crazier challenges when he runs into Taylor in the hospital room.The last thing he needs is a Dean telling him what to do and that specific Dean to boot. No matter what he says though, he just digs himself a deeper hole.Before Roman knows it, he and Taylor are pitted against each other in the yearly matchmaking contest to help their recovering counterparts. The second chance Roman and Taylor have always wanted is given to someone else. Is true love in their matches or will they find their way back to each other? ***Books by Bonnie R. Paulson*** Clearwater County CollectionThe MONTANA TRAILS SERIESBroken Trails (book 1) Forbidden Trails (book 2)Unbridled Trails (book 3)Hidden Trails (book 4)Forgotten Trails (book 5)Endless Trails (book 6)Forsaken Trails (book 7)Lonesome Trails (book 8)Lost Trails (book 9)Untamed Trails (book 10)LONELY LACE SERIESSpurs and Lace (book 1)Secrets and Lace (book 2)Sorrows and Lace (book 3)Boxset (all 3 books)REDEMPTION SERIESRomancing Redemption (book 1)Riding for Redemption (book 2)Resisting Redemption (book 3)Regretting Redemption (book 4)Rewarding Redemption (book 5)

Hotel Las Flores


Kate McCabe - 2005
    But underneath the surface, all is not what it seems.There's Trish who has arrived with a pressing problem, and her oblivious writing-obsessed husband Adrian in tow. Mollie McGinty and her family are celebrating a win with a trip to Tenerife, even though she cannot stand the heat and her husband will not eat the food. Charlie Dobbins has made the trip to try to overcome his shyness with women. Bobby Bannon is escaping a public humiliation, and society hostess Monica Woodworth is determined to crawl her way back up to the top after a fall.What will happen when this quirky cast of characters all find themselves staying in the Hotel las Flores?Will they return home with a new outlook on life or even with someone new? One thing's for sure - nothing in their lives will ever be the same again.

Ellipsis: The Novel


Kristy McGinnis - 2021
    When unplanned pregnancy threatens to derail everything, she fears life is over. Instead, she discovers motherhood to be her new calling. For thirteen years she and her son Charlie are a unit and her world is complete. Everything changes when violence erupts at Charlie’s school. As she reaches out via text in desperation, only the words and the animated ellipsis on the phone screen offer a buffer between life and death. Can she save the person on the other end of the messages in time, and in the process can she save herself too?

The Garment Maker's Daughter


Hillary Adrienne Stern - 2016
    It is the story of Lena Rothman, a shirtwaist-maker and active suffragette whose plans get derailed when she falls in love with her best friend’s boyfriend; Jake Brenner, a passionate labor organizer determined to lead the shirtwaist-makers on a high-stakes strike; and Daniel Cowan, a brilliant and ambitious night-school student hobbled by a shameful past. Fate draws them together. Emotions bind them to each other. But secrets will tear them apart. When a devastating blaze engulfs the shirtwaist factory, Lena must fight for her life. And in the chaos of the fire’s aftermath, mistakes will be made with consequences that continue into the next generation. Spanning the first half of the twentieth century, this is a story about unforgettable characters and the threads of friendship, love, betrayal, and redemption that form the fabric of their lives. FAns of Adriana Trigiani, Kristin Hannah, and Christine Baker Kline, will love The Garment Maker’s Daughter. It's that rare novel you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished it.

For the Love of a Corporate Thug


N'Dia Rae - 2021
    With lives vastly different from one another, they are connected by one single traumatic event that's changed their lives forever. While they are strangers to one another their lives become connected once Chloe sets out on a mission to find Chance. Chloe the daughter of a prominent attorney is now an assistant attorney to the DA's office. Her plate is filled with a life-threatening trial, a wayward brother and her blossoming relationship. Despite all that she's currently juggling she wants a relationship with her estranged half-sister. Unlike Chloe, Chance has no education and is regulated to a life as a stripper in a hole-in-the-wall club. Impoverished she is taxed with the tough job of raising a little girl. Chloe is doing her best but when she get's entangled in an accidental killing her life is turned upside down. Both women are connected to two real-estate developers; Hassan and Pharoah. Hassan is engaged to Chloe. While he's deeply in love with her, he's torn between being faithful. Hassan's being tempted by the Mayor of DC who holds the keys to prime land for his property. He and Pharoah are dying to get their hand on the land but it comes at a steep price. For the Love of a Corporate Thug is drenched in drama, secrets, and passion. This urban African American romance is dripping with excitement from page one to the end.

Highlander's Fate


Alisa Adams - 2018
    An expert with weapons, she can also hold her own with any man in a battle of wits.She dreams of adventure in the great world. She wants it more than she can bear. And when suitor after suitor comes to offer their hand in marriage, Alexa is firm with each refusal.No man shall lay claim to her heart!Little does she know that from across the sea… her true destiny draws ever nearer.However, love is not without obstacles.Alexa will be faced with a choice: freedom or love?

Crow Hollow


Michael Wallace - 2015
    She’s convinced her daughter is alive but cannot track her into the wilderness alone. Help arrives in the form of James Bailey, an agent of the crown sent to Boston to investigate the murder of Prudence’s husband and to covertly cause a disturbance that would give the king just cause to install royal governors. After his partner is murdered, James needs help too. He strikes a deal with Prudence, and together they traverse the forbidding New England landscape looking for clues. What they confront in the wilderness—and what they discover about each other—could forever change their allegiances and alter their destinies.

Playing for her Heart (Games Lovers Play Book 1)


Danielle Burton - 2017
    Claire is through with love. Not everyone gets a happily ever after, and she’s okay with that. After all, it’s not like Mr. Right is just going to come knocking at her door… Aspiring entrepreneur, Khalil “K.C.” Campbell has been delivering mail to a beautiful workaholic for five long months. An ever-growing crush has plagued him since day one, but she has no idea he exists. That is until the day she finally looks up from her computer…

Loving Sydnee Jones


A.C. Taylor - 2020
     He’s been hooked on her since he caught her singing in her garage. She felt their souls intertwine the moment they touched. But their love goes deeper than a chance encounter. Just how far will one of them have to go to prove it?

The Everything Girl


L.E. Maleki - 2018
    Determined to avoid crawling back to her dead-end life in California, Paris applies for an assistant position to a hedge fund CEO. Sure, she's not totally qualified for the position, but who is these days? Fake it till you make it, right? Wrong. All too quickly, Paris realizes her "job" is to cater to the whims of a maniacal dictator intent on ruining her day and possibly even her life. Between ducking her new employer's random tantrums, arranging his exotic entertainment, balancing office politics, and nurturing a new relationship, Paris can't possibly keep her head above water. But when she discovers incriminating evidence against the CEO, information that could take her down in the process, she finds herself faced with a decision: sacrifice her life and dignity for the job or her chance at a real future.