Book picks similar to
Down the Hatch by John Winton


fiction
humour
light-english-novels
modern

Black Diamond


Havana Adams - 2014
    The PRETTY one. And the OTHER one… Abandoned at birth, identical twin baby girls lie side by side in an orphanage cot. Until the arrival of Hollywood film star Scarlet Wilde, desperate to adopt a baby. Chubby beautiful Lola is the chosen one. Sickly, weak Grace is left all alone One pastor’s daughter Rescued from the orphanage by a violent pastor, the sense of abandonment haunts Grace still. She knows there’s not one person in the world she can ever rely on. One Hollywood wild-child From her tangled and publically played out love life, to her first arrest, Lola Wilde has lived in the spotlight as long as she can remember. And the paparazzi know, and care, more about her than her washed-up starlet of a mother… Two strangers, both unwanted and unloved. Two worlds is about to collide. Two sisters about to discover dark secrets and unlock their destiny

Champion of Rome: A Tale of the Ancient Republic


Ken Farmer - 2018
    A young Patrician, having fled from the wrath of a king, returns to find his city in the turmoil of war and now ruled with a regime of some strangeness.

HOW CAN YOU JUDGE ME 2


Robert Cost - 2015
    Luck has begun to shine in her favor and Tanisha Jordan has finally found love!Although Marcus happens to be everything Tanisha could want in a man, unfortunately Tanisha is living a lie. A lie she is willing to protect BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY! She would've loved to have told Marcus the truth, but she knew he would never understand. Whether he would place judgement on her like the inmates of Hampton Roads Regional Jail, Or feel sorry for her like her so called friend Crystal... Both of those thoughts were a chance Tanisha wasn't willing to take. Therefore it was only right of her to lie.Now that Tanisha finally found love... That deep desire which fuels her soul... Something her heart been yearning for her entire life... You will see there are no limitations to her madness and exactly how far she's willing to go to cover up her lies in the name of love!

The Other Side of Hell: Book One


Les Macdonald - 2017
    The Hell Hath No Fury series focuses on murders committed by women while this new series tackles male murderers. The Other Side of Hell: Book One features 19 new true crime stories including more than 100 photos which appear at the end of each chapter. The book also includes a bonus chapter which is pulled from Hell Hath No Fury 7: Around the World.

Another Way Home (Petrus and Garrett)


C. Marten-Zerf - 2013
    They are using him to force his father to reveal to them the location of a secret arms cache left over from the South African apartheid war. Petrus calls on his friend Garrett to return to Africa once again to do what he does best. And together, the two friends set out to rescue Freedom and to exact retribution on all involved. But the depth of deceit, betrayal and corruption go deeper than they had ever expected. Once again they are pitted against overwhelming odds ”" but they won’t stop. Because this time, they are fighting for Freedom.

Married To An East Cleveland Bully 3


Keisha Elle - 2019
    Since meeting and marrying Chevron, she’s seenenough to last a lifetime. She’s no longer the ‘goody-two-shoes’ that she was known to be. Life is different; even unbearable at times. Sadness, guilt, anddepression loomeverywhere she turns, but she is Chevron’s rib; anything that affects him, affects her. Pregnant or not, she’s determined to seek justice for her mother and help eliminate Chevron’s new archnemesis, Ro. Coming face-to-face with the devil himself, Roxie’s past comes back to haunt her. Ambria continues to distance herself from Jaren. He may have been her long-lost love, but his commitment to another woman proves that he’s not the man for her. Reconciling with Roxie, she’s pulled into her sister’s crazy scheme for revenge. Trying to be the peacemaker, Ambria agreesbut soon realizes that they are in way over their heads. Everything in Jonah’s life isn’t good for him. His loyalty to Cicely has resulted in a sleuth of bad decisions that put his entire operation with Chevron in jeopardy. Those decisions cost him money, and that’s something Jonah doesn’t play about. Vowing that Ro’s days are numbered, Jonah contemplates what to do about the woman who used to share his bed. Cicely will always have a piece of Jonah’s heart, but someone he least expects slowly moves in to take that spot. His guard is up, but she’s loyal – a trait he’s never been able to find in another woman. Romaine continues to cause trouble all over Cleveland. He hates Jonah and Chevron with a passion, but his number one mission is to get rid of Cicely for good. After kidnapping her from Jonah’s spot, he takes her on a wild ride that results in Cicely’s life hanging in the balance. His cockiness, invincible persona, and unexpected luck runs out when his greediness leads him right into the lion’s den. Will he be able to use his wit and quick thinking to get away once again? Or, will his reign of terror finally come to an end? Find out the answers to these questions and more in the third installment of Married to an East Cleveland Bully!

The Wretched Needle Worker


Iris Cole - 2021
    Her father was a monster.How could Vera have been so blind to what was right before her eyes?After the death of her kind and loving Papa, Vera’s home is claimed by ne’er do well Uncle Merritt, who drives the household with cruelty and deprivation. Working for her keep, the once privileged Vera is driven to skin and bone and dreads the harsh beatings that Merritt regularly delivers.Ralph, Papa’s loyal and brave stableboy, cannot bear to see Vera shrinking daily under the hand of Merritt. In an attempt protect her, he challenges Merritt and now, tossed to streets, must survive however he can.With the loss of Ralph, Vera’s soul aches, made worse as she watches her father’s elderly servants treated with cruel indignity. In a desperate bid to protect them from Uncle Merritt, his rage is fuelled, and Vera is delivered an ultimatum, causing her to flee from her home. With nowhere to go, Vera too, finds herself on the streets.As starvation threatens, it is only Ralph and her new friend, Maggie, that keep her alive. But when Maggie unexpectedly reveals the truth about Vera's Papa, Vera is plunged to new despair. Will the truth destroy her? Can she keep secrets for the rest of her life? Will she ever be able to make things right? And will she agree to Ralphs’s plan, even though it means she may lose him forever?For fans of Dilly Court and Historical Romance

Loving & Losing


Marion Reynolds - 2020
    But this is 1930s Ireland where they must fight against repressive laws and social attitudes.Harry has married his childhood sweetheart but finds his wife’s life and his marriage jeopardised by the strict laws of Church and State.As he struggles to become a writer, Joseph rejects the love of the girl next door. He goes to fight in the Spanish Civil War where he finds a different kind of love.Kathleen, an actress, has romantic ideas about going to Hollywood but a love affair threatens to ruin her life and shatter the happiness of her family.Mary becomes a teacher and forms some strong emotional bonds, but gossip and injustice may rob her of everything she holds dear.Can they overcome prejudice or must they bow to convention?

Virgil Dalton: Mountain Man: Vengeance in the Rockies: A Mountain Man Adventure (Virgil Dalton: Mountain Man: West of the Rockies Series Book 1)


Harvey Wood - 2020
    

The Bloody Legionnaires: An action-packed military thriller


Geoffrey Davison - 2020
    

City Boy


Jean Thompson - 2004
    The city is theirs to enjoy as Jack struggles to pursue a writing career and Chloe works downtown, applying herself to the world of high finance. While Jack aspires to be the perfect husband, his own self-doubts and Chloe's office flirtations cast shadows. Jealousy and misbehavior undermine their notions of themselves and of each other, and their lives take on uncomfortable parallels with the volatile, chaotic existence of their raffish, menacing neighbors. In the intense heat of one Chicago summer, Jack and Chloe's marriage roils into a queasy chemistry of vanity, lust, and greed. Thompson writes with piercing insight and emotional truth, setting off literary fireworks.

Mother Country


Libby Purves - 2002
    A heroin addict living in a sordid London squat, she was already close to death when her American lover took charge, carrying off the baby Alexander to give him an affluent future and a loving home in the Midwest. But now Alex is 27 and afflicted by his lost roots and a romantic vision of England. When a business trip provides the chance to go and trace his unknown relatives, he discovers that while some British people are, indeed, very hard to get along with, others turn out to be more closely akin to him than he ever could have imagined.

Whirligig


Magnus Macintyre - 2013
    He is a fat man. A fat man with thin limbs, like an egg with tentacles. And life is not going well. He’s alone, idle, and on the brink of a medical crisis when a childhood acquaintance makes him an offer he can’t understand, can’t talk about, but ultimately can’t refuse. A week later, he finds himself in the wilds of Scotland, plunged into an eccentric community at war over a wind farm. He’s supposed to be a backer, but he has no idea what side he’s on, even though it may bag him a lot of money. All he wants is to look like a hero in front of the woman with the bright blue eyes who brought him here. To do so he must run the gauntlet of a family with many dark secrets, some dangerous hippies and their hallucinogenic potions, and the wilderness itself with all its threats and dangers. Whirligig is a raucous, joyous, often poignant comedy about the redemptive power of the countryside. Written with peerless wit, it’s a timely fable that takes its place within the tradition of the Great English Comic Novel. It’s The Wicker Man as told by P.G. Wodehouse.

Topher Nightshade vs. The Camp of The Undead Apocalypse


Drew Hayes - 2014
    That was, of course, because they didn’t know that Camp Tekonichia was home to boundless spirit energy, three very bored ghosts, and a powerful magic spell on the verge of completion. Now, these three will have to race against time and an ancient evil trying to stop the whole world from turning into a haven for restless spirits. Aided only by a mysterious medium and the camp’s resident ghosts, none of them have a clue how they’re supposed to save the world. Especially since they only have until sunrise to do it.

The Thompson Gunner


Nick Earls - 2004
    She's an icon to her fans, a darling of the media, schmoozed by television networks and an A-list guest at festivals abroad. She's a month and three countries into her current tour, a week away from home – through what exactly 'home' means is problematic these days. On a flight between gigs, a recurring dream raises disturbing questions. Haunting flashbacks provide clues to a past long ago buried – a secret life in another time, a life of lies, pacts and forbidden alliances. Then there's her relationship with Murray and where it went wrong. Out of the spotlight and beneath the punchlines, Meg discovers that memory will find a way to break the surface . . .