Book picks similar to
Pretty/Ugly by Jennifer Anne Gordon


horror
gothic-horror
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Her Hidden Destiny (#1)


Tami Payton - 2021
    The night my dad died and I survived. I lived with guilt ever since and it doesn’t help that my mother and twin sister don’t ever let me forget it. I’ve always asked myself why.Why did I survive and he didn’t?I’ve built walls around myself. Walls so high and thick that it would take a wrecking ball to knock them down. I need to escape and start over, away from my mother and sister. Away from their constant reprimands. So I take a job that sets me away from them all.Only I didn’t expect what I found. Triplets. Three very hot men who I have to work with every day. Men who seem to be hiding something. Even worse? Men who seem to be breaking down the walls I have been building for years. They say everyone has a destiny, that fate has something planned for them. Maybe my destiny is hidden in the form of these hot men in the small town of Hot Sulphur Springs.

The Coldwater Haunting


Michael Richan - 2019
    Ghosts in the windows. Something climbing the stairs. Ron lands the home of his dreams, isolated on a rural mountain, away from the noise and crowds of the city. With the house in need of repairs, he works on fixing it up before his wife and son join him. Unfortunately, the more he repairs, the more problems he uncovers. During the day, he works on the mundane: septic system, plumbing, electrical wiring. But when the night comes and a deep darkness settles on the lonely property, a whole new set of troubles develop: scratching at the windows, the sound of footsteps on the stairs, shadowy figures in the yard. Threats. Attacks. Ron comes to realize the house is unsafe — not because of the physical problems, but because of the unseen. He needs to rid the building of whatever evil has taken hold, but there’s one huge obstacle: he doesn’t believe in ghosts. He’s a total skeptic. His friend Jake helps with the repairs. Jake is more willing to accept that the nightmarish apparitions in the house are real, and his girlfriend Freedom attempts to cleanse the house. Her methods backfire, so she leaves, frightened, refusing to return to the house. She demands Jake leave too, but Ron convinces Jake not to abandon him. Desperate to solve the haunting, Jake ropes in others who claim to have “the gift,” but they all fail, unable to confront and outwit the evil inside the house. While Ron and Jake try to uncover the mystery, they go on a frightening journey, eventually coming to terms with the mountain’s troubled history. An ugly, brutal war waged between two families still consumes the area, and Ron’s house is caught in the middle of it. The Coldwater Haunting is a ghost novel of over 100,000 words. It contains chilling scenes some may find disturbing. Advance readers report the book interfering with their dreams… “Extremely creepy!” “Kept me on edge…no way to escape it.” “Goose flesh on my arms!” “The warning was merited…dreamt about it ALL night.” “The best book you’ve written.”

One Breath Away


Heather Gudenkauf - 2012
    Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town's children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

Night Chill


Jeff Gunhus - 2013
    Jack Tremont moves his family to the quiet mountains of Western Maryland hoping to leave behind a troubled past and restart his life. Instead, he finds himself caught up in a nightmare when his daughter Sarah is targeted by Nate Huckley, a mysterious and horrifying stranger driven by a dark power that will stop at nothing to possess Sarah. When Sarah goes missing, suspicion falls on Jack and he must uncover the secrets of the small mountain town of Prescott City and face the evil secret hidden there. As he digs further, he learns the conspiracy reaches more deeply than he could have imagined. Finally, he will have to face the question, What is a father willing to do to save his child? The answer? Anything. Anything at all.

A Far Distant Land


David Field - 2021
    Amongst them is a young woman calling herself Mary Murphy, serving seven years for offences of dishonesty.Second Lieutenant Daniel Bradbury of New South Wales Marine Corps, looking to start a new life in Australia, is in charge of the female prisoners. And when Mary is bullied on board, he steps in and rescues her.As the passengers come ashore and begin creating the new settlement of Port Jackson, Mary and Daniel grow closer, but it soon becomes clear that Mary is not who she first pretended to be.The unfamiliar and unforgiving climate, the ever-present threat of native attack, and the residual snobbery of the old English society that travelled with them across the Equator, combine to throw obstacles in the path of this new settlement. And growing tensions threaten to pull Daniel and Mary apart.But in the end, nothing can stand in the way of what destiny has prescribed for them…A Far Distant Land is the first historical novel in The Australian Saga Series: a set of books chronicling the early years of British settlement in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Infects


Sean Beaudoin - 2012
    As in any classic monster flick worth its salted popcorn, plentiful carnage sends survivors rabbiting into the woods while the mindless horde of “infects” shambles, moans, and drools behind. Of course, these kids have seen zombie movies. They generate “Zombie Rules” almost as quickly as cheeky remarks, but attitude alone can’t keep the biters back.Serving up a cast of irreverent, slightly twisted characters, an unexpected villain, and an ending you won’t see coming, here is a savvy tale that that’s a delight to read—whether you’re a rabid zombie fan or freshly bitten—and an incisive commentary on the evil that lurks within each of us.

Charmed by the Cowboy (Sage Valley Ranch Book 4)


Melanie D. Snitker - 2019
    He's a cowboy assigned to help. Will their growing attraction get in the way, or blossom into true love?Alyssa Reid has never shied away from a challenge, but she may be in over her head this time. The single mom is juggling two landscaping projects with strict deadlines. Having her young son and an ornery runaway goat underfoot certainly isn’t helping. A handsome cowboy is assigned to help her, and she finds herself losing focus in a whole new way.Dare Jackson knows what it’s like to be raised by a single mom. When the Sage Valley ranch hand meets Alyssa and her son Noah, he’s immediately drawn to them. The more he gets to know them, the more he wants to be there for them both. But with every attempt he makes, he can feel Alyssa pulling farther away. He needs to change his game plan, and fast, because he's already having trouble imagining life without her.Alyssa is afraid to trust her heart—and her son's—to the kind cowboy. Dare doesn’t know how to convince her he’s worth the risk. Can they meet in the middle? Or, like Hopscotch the goat, will true love escape their grasp?~*~Charmed by the Daring Cowboy is the fourth book in a heartwarming group series that’ll keep you laughing and swooning from one clean romance to the next. You’ll have fun watching the meddlesome owners of Sage Valley Ranch as they work their matchmaking magic on the unsuspecting cowboys. Be ready to fall in love with Sage Valley Ranch, where country life is sweet, and romance is even sweeter!Sage Valley Ranch Romance Series:1. Romancing the Cowboy2. Adored by the Cowboy3. Cherished by the Cowboy4. Charmed by the Cowboy5. Inspired by the CowboyA standalone romance! Read the series in any order! Previously titled "Charmed by the Daring Cowboy."

Til Death We Do Part


Bruno Beaches - 2021
    Through decades of quiet dedication and single-minded devotion he has achieved the successes one strives for in life, both with his family and career. Close to retirement and to sitting back and enjoying the fruits of a successful career and marriage, a malicious spurious complaint at work should have no material consequences on his life, but it starts a domino effect, and before long he finds himself shockingly dismissed, divorced, without a home, and with a criminal record. This story explores a convoluted tragic journey of divorce, rich with emotion, loss, betrayal, revenge and confusion. Along the way it explores the dynamics of what makes a relationship weak and vulnerable, or strong and resolute. It’s not a miserable story, but one of resilience, hope, and true love. It is told with an immense depth of feeling, insight, humour and faith, and there are many truly surprising twists and turns as the story unfolds.

Model Behavior


Chloe Morgan - 2019
     It’ll be my business to know curves, but this new model we brought on is going to be the end of me. Money was the name of the game when I started this venture, but now, I’m tied up in knots. This woman has my mind in places it doesn’t belong, at least not in the office. Her curves. Her passion. The fire behind her eyes. I can’t get her out of my mind, and I sure as hell don’t want her out of my bed. But life doesn’t always play fair. A few bad decisions later, I’m losing my grip on the one thing I want most. Her and our secret baby she's carrying.

Halloween Land


Kevin J. Kennedy - 2021
    A travelling carnival, making its debut on Halloween.Anticipation builds, and the mysterious 'Halloween Land' carnival is the talk of the town; the calliope music, bright lights, and sweet and savoury smells from the pop-up carnival lure in the crowds flocking to the pier. The two teenage friends Zak and Wendy are eager to be among the first.Revelations unfold, mysteries peek from the outer limits. The kids have to think and act fast to defeat the evil that's come to town and it’s nothing like in the movies!This tale is full of mystery, fun, magic, tension and dread.Step up for the ride, give your ticket to the clown, she'll show you a good time; no one can say where you will end up, but it'll be a wicked ride!

The Woman in the Mirror


Rebecca James - 2018
    Falling under the de Greys’ spell, Alice believes the family will heal her own past sorrows. But then the twins’ adoration becomes deceitful and taunting. Their father, ever distant, turns spiteful and cruel. The manor itself seems to lash out. Alice finds her surroundings subtly altered, her air slightly chilled. Something malicious resents her presence, something clouding her senses and threatening her very sanity.In present day New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright has learned she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne. Adopted as an infant, she never knew her birth parents or her lineage. At long last, Rachel will find answers to questions about her identity that have haunted her entire life. But what she finds in Cornwall is a devastating tragic legacy that has afflicted generations of de Greys. A legacy borne from greed and deceit, twisted by madness, and suffused with unrequited love and unequivocal rage.

The Dark Chorus


Ashley Meggitt - 2020
    He has never questioned the fact that he can see them. He thinks of them as the Dark Chorus. When he sets out to restore the soul of his dead mother it becomes clear that his ability comes from within him. It is a force that he cannot ignore – the last shard of the shattered soul of an angel. To be restored to the kingdom of light, the shard must be cleansed of the evil that infects it – but this requires the corrupt souls of the living! With the help from Makka, a psychotically violent young man full of hate, and Vee, an abused young woman full of pain, the Boy begins to kill. Psychiatrist Dr Eve Rhodes is seconded to assist the police investigation into the Boy’s apparently random ritualistic killings. As the investigation gathers pace, a pattern emerges. When Eve pulls at the thread from an article in an old psychology journal, what might otherwise have seemed to her a terrible psychotic delusion now feels all too real…Will the Boy succeed in restoring the angel’s soul to the light? Can Eve stop him, or will she be lost to realm of the Dark Chorus?

Condemned


Julia Mills - 2018
     My only hope is renowned attorney, Remy Newman, and his price is nonnegotiable - my body and my blood. This is about survival; not love or happily ever after or even a white picket fence…or is it? The Vampire Blood Courtesans. It's not supposed to be about love...until it is.

Valencia and Valentine


Suzy Krause - 2019
    To confront those fears, Valencia’s therapist suggests that she fly somewhere—anywhere—before her upcoming birthday. And as Valencia begins a telephone romance with a man from New York, she suddenly has a destination in mind. There’s only one problem—he might not actually exist.Mrs. Valentine is an eccentric old woman desperate for company, be it from neighbors, telemarketers, or even the funeral director (when you’re her age, you go to a lot of funerals). So she’s thrilled when the new cleaning girl provides a listening ear for her life’s story—a tale of storybook love and incredible adventures around the world with her husband before his mysterious and sudden disappearance.The stories of Valencia and Mrs. Valentine may at first appear to have nothing in common…but then again, nothing in life is as straightforward as it seems.

The English Billionaire (The Billionaire Princes Book 3)


Serenity Woods - 2021