Book picks similar to
Cadaver Dog by Luke Best


fiction
natural-disaster
poetry
speculative-fiction

Anabella: Strength From Within (The Mail Order Brides of Russets Reach #1)


Indiana Wake - 2016
    A day when she must leave her home and travel halfway around the world to marry a man she has never met. She has been sold! Anabella is a lady. This is the last thing she expected. Yet, mismanagement and brutal debt have forced their father to peddle his three daughters as brides to three brothers in the Wild West. All that keeps Anabella sane is being strong for her sisters. Ashley Carrow is tall and broad, with sun-lightened hair and vivid blue eyes. Finding out his Ma has bought him a bride made him almost choke on his steak. Then when he sees the proper English lady he knows things will end badly. Not that he needed a wife... but if he did, she would be strong and capable, able to work beside him and make him proud. This Anabella is soft, spoilt, and totally out of her depth... as well as being scared of almost everything. Still, she provides him with a laugh as she chases a snake with a broom amongst other disasters. Can love can cross borders and mend bridges in this sweet and clean historical western romance?

The Splitting Earth


Ryan Zavis - 2018
    There is only one rule: the temple must be made of materials only from the earth, nothing else.That won’t be a problem. Not for him. Because Rok isn’t a normal little boy. No, not at all. He is a demigod: a quarter of the blood in his veins is the blood of the gods. His heritage grants him power over the earth and its many elements—over stone and soil and the deep, dark, hidden ores. Just like his three siblings, Rok has a unique magical power.However, it isn’t all meditation and peace in Zuuland. Unknown to Rok and his family, his father’s vengeful brother Labec lurks in the shadows with his two children, Coltin and Menga. Uncle Labec is consumed by the desire to steal the greatest treasure of Rok’s father, King Nyark: the ZUKOPAL, a mysterious and powerful opal ring that shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow.But it isn’t just power Uncle Labec seeks. His motivations run far deeper. Labec is the yin to King Nyark’s yang. He seeks a balancing of light and dark, and even more—revenge for past wrongs. Will Rok and his siblings be able to bring peace between their father and uncle? Or will the Zukopal drive them even further apart?

Lily of Love Lane


Carol Rivers - 2008
    Young Lily Bright works long hours on a market stall, selling furniture and bric-a-brac in order to make ends meet. When a handsome stranger approaches in search of a bargain, It's love at first sight. Swept off her feet, Lily falls for the debonair Charles Grey - only to discover, too late, that he is not what he seems. Pregnant, Lily turns for comfort to her childhood friend Ben James, but as World War II looms, Lily must find the courage to seize control of her own destiny, confront her past mistakes and win true love...

Faces in the Clouds


Matt Nable - 2011
    But then their parents are killed in a car accident and the boys are sent to stay with people they barely know. How the boys live with their grief and with each other defines the rest of their lives. They move through adolescence and into adulthood, via girlfriends, jobs, sibling rivalry and loyalty. And somewhere deeply buried within them both is the question of how one deals with the past in order to live in the present and embrace the future. The answer is surprising.

Stronger


Suzanne Jenkins - 2018
    Her handsome FBI Director ex lives in Manhattan. Then his fashion-model girlfriend is invited to walk in London Fashion Week, but it can only lead to trouble, right? A former marriage is tested to its limits when Michael's team puts a mobster behind bars and no one in his circle of colleagues or his family is safe.

Brett, Billionaire Bodyguard


Alexa Verde - 2019
    They'll risk their lives to protect a woman in danger. But will they risk their hearts? When his stepbrother disappears and his niece and nephew are in danger, billionaire security expert Brett Jarvis doesn't hesitate. His responsibility is keep the twins safe. Even when they come as a package deal with their pretty, faith-filled nanny. Being forced to spend more time with her convinces him he's not the man for her. She's a forever kind of girl, and he can't offer her that.Ashley Lamott won't leave the children she cares for when their lives are threatened. But that means going on the run with their uncle. Surely she can deal with her attraction to the man she's spent the past year avoiding. In her experience, men don't stay around, especially men like Brett. The last thing she wants is to fall for him.But as the danger escalates, she sees beyond Brett's bad-boy reputation to the man he really is. And more, the man he could become, if he'll surrender his painful past to God. Can they not only keep the children and Brett's brother safe, but let faith and love heal their wounded hearts?Book 1 Brett, Billionaire BodyguardBook 2 Colt, Billionaire ReunionBook 3 David, Billionaire CowboyBillionaire Protectors series. Not your ordinary billionaires!

Landing the Billionaire


Macie St. James - 2021
    Her task is to clean it out and prepare it to sell, since she has no interest in living in the oversized space. But the billionaire living next door keeps distracting her from getting her work done.Grayston Young isn’t just Fiona’s neighbor. He owns the very building where her father lived. But he’s also the man who plans to take away the thing that matters most to her: her small bookstore. One of his top projects involves buying up the entire strip mall and turning it into a medical center.In their battle, they both start to realize there’s more to life than work. But one of them has to give in if they can ever be together, which means choosing love over business.The Music City Billionaire series is a sweet, clean contemporary billionaire series filled with swoon-worthy heroes and plenty of romantic moments.

A Haunting in Rose Grove


Rockwell Scott - 2018
    A violent haunting. A house with a bloody history. Jake Nolan left it all behind, but now he must return. Jake has it all — a new home, an amazing girlfriend, and nearing a promotion at work. Best of all, he feels he’s finally moved on from the horrors of his traumatic past. But when he learns that his estranged brother, Trevor, has moved back into their haunted childhood home, Jake knows his past is not quite finished with him yet. Jake rushes to the old house in Rose Grove — a small town with a tragic history — to pull his brother from that dangerous place. But it’s too late. There, he finds Trevor trying to make contact with the spirit that tormented them years ago. And Trevor refuses to leave. He is determined to cleanse the house and remove the entity. But the supernatural activity becomes too much to handle, and Jake knows they are both unprepared for the fight. Worse, the entity targets Daniel, Jake’s young nephew, and wants to bring him harm. And when the intelligent haunting shows signs of demonic infestation, Jake realizes they aren’t dealing with a mere ghost. Jake attributes the evil spirit for driving his parents to an early grave. Now it wants to claim the rest of the family, and the only way Jake and Trevor will survive is to send the entity back to hell. A Haunting in Rose Grove is a supernatural horror novel for readers who love stories about haunted houses and battles with the demonic — the truest form of evil that exists in our world. You are only one click away from enjoying this scary tale. Start reading today!

When A Thug Has Feelings


Senoj - 2017
    When her parents found out, they decided to uproot them to another city. After losing contact with Dreon, she experienced her first heartbreak and decided to shift her focus back on her education. Now twenty-three, Niya is in her final year of law school, but over the years she continued to experience the short end of any relationship she was in, including the relationship with her parents. She finally accepts that her heart has never fully healed, but that all changes once she sees Dreon again. She doesn’t know how he will feel about the secret she’s been keeping from him. Dreon Carter was known for the havoc he wreaked growing up. But after being abandoned by his mother on his grandmother’s steps, he was angry and released that anger on other kids. Sometimes, even letting Niya tag along. Barely graduating high school, due to poor attendance, he went into the streets full time and was now known by the street name Menace. He ended up serving some time in prison, but now at twenty-five, he is the king of the dope game in Cleveland, running the streets with his right-hand man, Renzo. He has a two-year-old daughter by a crazy baby mama who’s set on being a pain in his ass and causing friction between him and Niya. Along with running the streets, he’s trying to run his home, but with the streets and his home life trying to cross, he runs into problems. The bond of Menace and Niya is undeniably unbreakable, but is Niya strong enough to be the woman of a thug, going against everything she’s about, and dealing with the drama that comes along? Can Menace avoid the pressures of the street life and be the man Niya wants him to be, while also not giving up his streets, or will it all be too much?

The Fat of The Land


R. Allen Chappell - 2012
    While some of these narratives are loosely based in fact, they are written with a large dollop of literary license. The characters are not "politically correct" in today's parlance and speak in the vernacular of their time and culture. Some of them you will like ...others you may not. No disrespect or offense is intended in the telling. These are their stories.The lead story "Fat of The Land" was a past runner-up in the national Raymond Carver short story awards.

The Beautiful Years


Katia Lief - 2016
    Unfolding the story over seven years on three separate milestones—a graduation, a funeral, and a wedding— Katia Lief weaves between perspectives to reveal a tapestry rich in motive and emotion. The Beautiful Years is a dazzling rendering of hubris, consequence and the complexity of love.

Aftermath


Elle Charles - 2014
     Every action has a consequence and this is the aftermath. My name is Kara Petersen. I am one of life’s survivors, but my life has not been easy. I am the product of a dysfunctional, broken home and parents who don’t care. Fallen from grace, abandoned and betrayed, I am now alone. Then there was hope. A boy, a saviour. He saved me, empowered me, and gave me the strength and courage to leave. To live. His actions will not be in vain. I will do whatever it takes to survive. My name is Sloan Foster. I am one of life’s failures, but my life has not been fair. I am the product of a loving home, a mother and father who adored each other, until death paved the way for the devil. Trapped inside a world with a gilded façade, I have always felt alone. Then there was hope. A girl, an angel, a beacon of pure light in the dark. She subconsciously called to me, reached deep into my soul, unknowingly claiming a part of myself I had let die years ago. I promised I would do whatever it took to be her protector. My promises were unachievable and futile. I will do whatever it takes to find her again. Please note this is a 36,000 word novella, chronicling the lives of Kara and Sloan and the ‘missing’ eight years. It is not a continuation of the present story, and should be read after Fractured and Tormented.

News From the Squares


Robert Llewellyn - 2013
    He soon realises he has travelled sideways through time to another possible future, as unlike Gardenia as our own era.Arriving in a teeming megacity, Gavin discovers a highly technologically developed society in a vast urban landscape constructed around a seemingly endless series of squares dense with lush vegetation and trees.Much of what Gavin sees is recognisable. But there is one important difference. Here, women make up the majority of the global population and run the majority of institutions, including the vast and mysterious Institute of Mental Health where Gavin is required to live...

The Reluctant Billionaire


Krista Wagner - 2020
    Struggling to navigate the constant presence of bodyguards and a sudden deluge of eligible bachelorettes, he is convinced that getting back to his private life is the answer, until he meets Shelly. She doesn't care about his money or his star status, and she seems to genuinely like him, but his heart has been broken once before. Can he risk opening himself up again?After Shelly meets Shawn at a charity event, she can't stop thinking about him. He’s humble, kind, and generous, everything her ex-husband wasn’t. But when his wealthy status is leaked to the press, it’s impossible to ignore all of the women who are vying for his attention, triggering her painful past. Will she be able to give love a second chance?

The Curse of the Langfords


Amy Cross - 2020