Book picks similar to
Shirley F'N Lyle: VIVA the REVOLUTION by Clayton Lindemuth


chick-lit
crime-thriller
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nitty-and-dowright-gritty

The Girl From Area 51


Cliff Black - 2012
    She makes her way to Simpson Springs in Utah's west desert, and there finds help from a most unlikely family. The girl's first contact is with an old man who names the girl Jane. Jane knows nothing of the society she is entering, but her special powers let her know who she can trust. When Jane meets the old man's fourteen-year-old grandson, she discerns a kindred spirit. The problem is, the government scientists want Jane back in their lab, and Jane doesn't want to go back.

Hot Off the Press (A Hailey Webb Mystery, Volume 1)


Deany Ray - 2020
    

If the Cursed Shoe Fits


Nyx Halliwell - 2020
    Oh my!When it comes to magic powers, I hit the oddball lottery. All I have to do is step into people’s shoes and—poof—I instantly learn all the most private things about them, those things they most desperately want to hide from the world.Naturally, when a woman turns up dead wearing an actress’s very famous—and very cursed—glass slippers, everyone looks to me for answers.I just want to sell soap and candles with my sisters in our family’s shop, but turns out nobody is willing to let me off the hook that easily. And that hook includes going undercover at a swanky ball with the deceased spoiled prince of a son.Will donning my party dress and stepping into these cursed shoes lead me down the right path, or will I wind up tumbling headfirst into my grave?

Changeling Justice


Frank Hurt - 2019
     She does her job and keeps her true abilities secret—that is, until she discovers a dark conspiracy.They never should have underestimated her.Ember Wright hates high heels, steep staircases, and having to cook for herself. She lives mostly on instant noodles and old western novels. She sometimes chats with dead people.Newly-promoted to Associate Investigator, Ember is sent undercover on her first assignment to rural North Dakota. Mages and changelings have been living in harmony, hidden in plain sight among humans for centuries. But now a shadow is upsetting the balance.With time running out for the infected residents, she must root out the source of dark magic—or become its next victim. Ascending Mage 1: Changeling Justice is page-burning modern urban fantasy with a kick-ass heroine and magic that will grab you by the throat. WARNING: this story is written for mature audiences; it contains adult language and graphic depictions of violence.

Ain't Nothing But a Pound Dog


Jeannie Wycherley - 2019
     The only witness to the brutal murder of his owner, Toby is hexed by a woman with evil intentions. “Speak to none but me,” she tells him. Wretched and misunderstood, he’s incarcerated in the local pound. With a death sentence hanging over his head, Toby has almost given up hope. But then he meets Clarissa. Not only is she a witch, she’s a local investigative journalist, and—amazingly—she can understand what he says too. Finally, he’s found somebody who believes his story. Can Clarissa save Toby? Will they identify who killed his owner and why? And will Toby ever eat his fill of sammiches? Find out in the first instalment of this brand new paranormal cozy dog mystery series from the bestselling author of the beloved Wonky Inn books. Pre-order it now!

Heroes of Last Resort


JK Galioto - 2021
    

Batter Up


Robyn Neeley - 2014
    A delicious premonition she shares every Monday evening with the bachelors of Buttermilk Falls as they gather at the Sugar Spoon bakery for Batter Up night. Investigative reporter Jason Levine just found himself as the man candy for a bachelorette party in Las Vegas. Roped into attending the Vegas nuptials, was he hearing things when the groom shares that the only reason he’s getting married is because a small town baker conjured up the name of his soulmate in her cake batter? Sparks fly when Jason tries to expose Emma as a fraud, but reality and logic go out the window as he begins to fall under her spell.

Carrots


Colleen Helme - 2011
    Her life is organized and predictable, revolving around her husband and two children. All that changes the day she stops at the grocery store for some carrots. As the cashier rings up her purchases, a gunman is busy robbing the bank inside the store. When a customer grabs the robber's mask, he is shot and everyone runs for cover. Everyone except Shelby, who finds herself face to face with the killer. The next thing she knows, she's lying on the floor with a bullet wound to her head. Luckily, the bullet only grazes her scalp, and she doesn't suspect any lasting affects until later, when she suddenly 'hears' what people are thinking. With this uncanny ability, her life takes on a whole new dimension. Her kids think she's bossy and too old to understand them, but that's nothing compared to her husband. He says he loves her, but what is it about the redhead at work that he doesn't want her to know? As if that isn't enough, the gunman knows she can identify him, and he's out to silence her forever. In her fight to stay alive, she is saved from certain death by a handsome hit-man with ties to organized crime. This pulls Shelby even deeper into danger, where knowing someone's thoughts can not only hurt her feelings, but get her killed.

White Hat Security Series - Boxed Set: Hacker Exposed; Royal Hacker; Misunderstood Hacker


Linzi Baxter - 2018
    When Alex contacts Bridget, it isn't to catch up. He needs her help! Bridget carries a lot of guilt over what happened to Alex Ross and his family. She had been good friends with the Ross boys until her greedy father lost part of the Ross family's savings in a pyramid scheme. He went to jail, and Bridget and her family changed their name sand went into hiding. Bridget imagines that Alex and his brothers feel just as betrayed as she does by her father's criminal acts. When she meets Alex again as a young hacker and the owner of White Hat Security, he has something more important to talk about than her father's transgressions. A million dollars has been stolen from his company, and Alex needs Bridget's help to track down the culprit. Alex has certainly grown up since they last met. The man looks like a Greek god, and Bridget can't help but be attracted to him. As she digs deeper into the theft from Ross Enterprises, Bridget doesn't need any more distractions. This is a more dangerous job than either Bridget or Alex expected. The thief is willing to go to incredible lengths to evade the police, and the two amateur sleuths find themselves caught in the crossfire. Royal Hacker Secrets aren't meant to be kept... Patty and her twin, Jessica, seem like typical modern women, both successful and self-confident. When Patty suspects her brother-in-law is cheating on her sister, she uses her secret hacking skills to track him to a BSDM club. After Patty confronts her brother-in-law at the club, the owner, Sam, seduces her. Several months later, Patty's life is turned upside down when someone dangerous begins stalking her. But there's an even bigger secret--Patty and her sister are the daughters of the King of Shialia, and Patty is next in line for the throne. Fortunately, Sam is there to protect her, body and soul. And he's going to have to work overtime, because everyone around him has their sights set on Patty. She's worth a lot of money, but Sam is the only one who knows she's priceless. And just when everything seems to work out, fate has a way of turning the tables. Misunderstood Hacker A life that should have been a dream... Jessica Beckett is trying to put her life back together. Again. She should be used to danger and drama, it came with the royal territory. She might be a Princess, but she's no 'princess'. No, she's tough because she had to be. After living through a kidnapping and cheating husband, Jess is ready for a fresh start. Unfortunately, there are new attempts on her life. And there's only one man she can trust with protecting her body... but can she trust him with her heart? Became a living nightmare. Brock McKenzie is a security specialist. But protecting Jessica is becoming more personal every day--and night--he spends with her. He knows mixing business and pleasure won't end well, but Jessica is more than business. She's pure pleasure, the kind of woman who brings out his Dom personality. But she's got trust issues from a life filled with traitors to the Crown and her royal family. Brock knows Jessica is the woman for him. If he can keep her alive from those determined to kill her. Can he find her before it's too late?

Witch of Key Lime Lane


Gabrielle Keyes - 2021
    A house on a haunted island. A woman needing a fresh start. Lily Blanchett, restaurant owner and ex-wife of celebrity chef, Derek Blanchett, has had enough. After publicly setting fire to the last of his things (and making headlines for it), she needs a break from the divorce, and her Aunt Sylvie’s cottage in the Florida Keys seems just the thing. The twins are halfway through college, her mother insists she’ll go crazy if she doesn’t leave NYC for a bit, and nobody seems to need her middle-aged butt around anymore.So, why not break away for a while? It'll only be temporary.But the little Victorian at the end of Key Lime Lane is a strange place where doors open and close as they please, a mermaid fountain watches her, a strange cat appears when Lily least expects it, and her witchy neighbors hold “moon parties” on the beach. Throw in a woke ol’ sea dog and a hot captain with a boat named the “Sea Witch” and Lily is soon surrounded by an eccentric motley crew.Can big-city, fast-paced Lily get a fresh start on a sleepy little island with a name like Skeleton Key? At forty-five with nowhere else to go, she’s about to find out.WITCH OF KEY LIME LANE, a story about starting over in midlife, harnessing the magic within, and friendships after divorce, is Book #1 in the Dead & Breakfast series by Gabrielle Keyes.

Olivia Holmes Has Inherited A Vineyard


Mark Daydy - 2018
     In this humorous, feel-good story, 44-year-old Olivia Holmes has had more than her fair share of ups and downs – but then she inherits something entirely unexpected that could change everything. However, there’s a catch...

Girl Jacked


Christopher Greyson - 2013
    They were old friends. He knew only one way to deal with pain. Hunt it down and kill it." Police Officer Jack Stratton is hiding. Hiding from the world. From pain. From the memories of losing his best friend, Chandler, in Iraq. Suffering from PTSD and isolated from those he cares about, the last thing Jack expects to hear is his foster sister Michelle, Chandler’s sister, is gone. The words cut straight to his core. Although the police think she just took off, he knows Michelle would never leave those she loved behind–like he did. Now he must take action, find Michelle, and bring her home or die trying. The first novel in the Jack Stratton Collection introduces us to handsome rogue, Jack Stratton. A debt of honor to his dead foster brother drives Jack into a world of deception and lies. As Jack’s walls begin to crumble, he must navigate the quirky characters that seep into the mystery of his foster sister’s disappearance. And in the sleepy community of Darrington, like so many places in this world, nothing is as it appears. The hidden mysteries that often go unnoticed begin to emerge as Jack and his new unpredictable sidekick begin to turn over the rocks. Following a trail that has grown cold, Jack must tread carefully to protect his job, his family, and his life. This stand-alone novel features rogue hero Jack Stratton. Look for other books in the Jack Stratton Collection including Jack Knifed, Jacks are Wild, and now Jack and the Giant Killer. They can be read in any order, however, they are best experienced in sequence.

The Formation of Just Such a Plan: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary


Kimbelle Pease - 2022
    While the revenge taken is not fully or graphically detailed, it is extreme.“He had certainly formed such a plan, and without meaning that it should effect his endeavour to separate him from Miss Bennet, it is probable that it might add something to his lively concern for the welfare of his friend.” Pride & Prejudice, chapter 45This vagary proposes an alternate path for the characters of Pride and Prejudice. Some character aspects are embellished, and longstanding plans change, fail, or are realized and perhaps regretted in this fanciful twist.Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy’s plan to avoid being compromised by Miss Caroline Bingley leads to an unexpected friendship with Miss Elizabeth Bennet. In this tale, the two of them work together on one plan to help his sister, and another, which, with the aid of his friend Mr. Charles Bingley and her elder sister Jane, will assist her family in correcting some of their most embarrassing behaviors. The plan, if brilliant in its execution, has results which are beyond any they could have imagined. After Mr. Darcy dashes her plans to become the next mistress of Pemberley, Miss Bingley chooses to leave Netherfield, take her mother’s maiden name of Northwood and control of her dowry, and returns to town. What machinations will she resort to in order to force Mr. Darcy to marry her? Miss Mary Bennet, at her sisters’ encouragement, devises a plan of her own to win the future she wants for herself. Sent by his mother to Meryton in order to assist his cousin, to what lengths will Colonel Fitzwilliam go in order to persuade Miss Charlotte Lucas that she is exactly the woman he has been searching for? And which plans of that scoundrel George Wickham's can be thwarted using the infamous gossip chain of Meryton, and to what measures will he resort if they succeed?CAUTION: This vagary does have some uses of profanity. In defense of Mrs. Bennet, however, sometimes an indolent husband needs to be told to get off his arse.CAUTION: For those who are on Team Richard, I do hope you enjoy him in this tale as much as I have. For those of you who prefer to look at Darcy as the man above all men, I preemptively apologize. While an almost perfectly proper gentleman who makes a decision or acts on a plan only after considering all angles, a situation sometimes requires a man whose strengths include quick, strategic action.NOTE from the author: The whole of the book takes place between Jane and Elizabeth’s sojourn at Netherfield and the ball. I confess that I find the journey to the courtship or altar, whichever comes first, the most exciting part of a variation/vagary/retelling. The original novel, and the movies derived from it, end quite quickly after all pertinent parties have chosen their partner for their HEA. So, too, do I hope that when this tale ends, there is no doubt that they will ever after be happy.NOTE from the author: Readers may notice what would be considered an improper use of capitalization when referring to members of the militia throughout this novel. These capitalizations were not made in error, they simply demonstrate respect for the rank earned by the characters portrayed in this novel, a form of deference and respect that could not be overlooked by the author.

Brookland Security


Clara Kendrick - 2017
    Lots of suspense, mystery, and romance. No cliffhangers! Protecting Faun When Faun moves away from the big city to start up her very own cafe in the middle of nowhere, she thinks she's left her stalker behind her. Her sister doesn't think so and employs the local security firm to watch over things. When thinks start getting broken and Faun believes she is being watched, she becomes grateful for the steady, confident presence of Randal Brookland, owner of Brookland security. Randal becomes sure that what is hunting Faun isn't human. It's a good thing that he isn't human either. Can this cowboy werewolf protect the woman that he comes to love? Bear Dreams Growing up, Tiffany Bowman wanted for nothing. But she desperately wanted to make a name for herself outside of her father's business of selling artifacts as unique as they are rare. When her father recieves a blackmail note that shows Tiffany is in the cross hairs Orson has to take on the job of keeping her safe. Orson, werebear and former military, can't keep memories of his old unit being taken out at bay. Can he keep the woman he doesn't want to like safe? Can he admit to himself that he is falling for this princess of fashion? In the Eye of the Tiger Leon Nmir loves women, and they love him too, but when prickly detective Eloise Barlow gets under his skin he realizes that no one but her will do. Eloise has no interest in repeating a one night incident with Leon, even when it becomes clear that single night is going to give her nine months of problems, nameless becoming princess of the Nmir Tiger Clan. When a vengeful Oni targets Eloise Leon must put every skill he has as an agent of security to work to keep the woman he is falling in love with safe. Siren's Song All Serena has ever wanted to do was sing. She knows that being a hopeful star comes with risks, and even takes the weird messages she gets after achieving some social media notoriety in stride. But can she handle it when her own strange musical gifts start to awaken? Uther has spent a millennia as a dragon trapped in a human body, with his gifts limited by a witches curse. Will being half the dragon he was be enough to keep the naggingly charming Serena safe while a super fan becomes criminally obsessed? The Raven's Heart When Adelle Harper loses her job as the top CEO of Harper Industries she thinks it's the worst thing that could happen. That is, of course, until someone starts writing strange symbols and leaving dead animals in her upper New York home. Adelle has to turn to biker bad boy Bran Quinn to keep her safe when her life turns from the mundane to the magical. Who is trying to kill her? And can they stop it in time?

Guardians of Mayhem MC Box Set 1


Hope Stone - 2021
    I have to know who, what, how and when. That’s the Sergeant code.I never knew the striking redhead, Chloe, from back in the day that well, but we were about to be reacquainted. Pity she was off limits.With a newly formed Albuquerque police task force tracking clubs and the Devils working to infiltrate our network we have our work cut out for us.Will good girl Chloe be able to hold her ground with Finn?Or will she get wrapped up in the mayhem of the Guardians?BOOK 2: HavocI’m the man with the iron fists on a bike, and I raise Havoc...She had that good girl image down pat, but I knew it was a lie. The Mayor’s daughter; a taste of forbidden fruit with links to dismantle or elevate our whole organization to the next level. I had problems of my own. A rival gang alliance that left me for dead on the side of the road.My fighting spirit wasn’t about to lay down without a fight. There’s always one more round.Do Havoc and the Mayor’s daughter have what it takes to finish the round?Or will outside forces break them apart for good?BOOK 3: AxleShoot first, ask questions later, that’s Axle’s motto...I’m the wild, the reckless, the untamable beast who knows my way around a car. We’re up against it with a rival gang allegiance threatening our chop shop operation and the cops are on our ass. When the Reaper’s badass daughter showed up leading the charge…Let's just say I wanted to taste and kill my prey at the same time. A sassy hellcat with a mane of ebony night and a heart as dark as mine stepped on my turf and the temptation was like bitter chocolate.Will this vixen break down all of Axle’s defenses and ruin the Guardians?Or will they find a way to break all the taboo’s to be together?BOOK 4: RushThey nicknamed me the blonde haired pretty boy of the Guardians…From the moment I saw her I wanted the long-legged dancer. Penn, with the champagne cascading locks and movie star looks. The one works the pole for her dollars.A hit on our crew, arrogant cops looking for a takedown, in-fighting, a loss of revenue and a call for me to get a little grimy.Can Rush trust the woman with the expensive taste?Or will she be the reason for the Guardian’s demise?BOOK 5: RedWhen the past catches up with you...you have to turn and face it...When the wild heart of a free-spirited gypsy casts a spell on me I can’t look away.Is Brody the calm before the storm or is she more trouble than she’s worth?Or can this perfect storm come together to be a one-two punch of passion?BOOK 6: ShadowSometimes even those in the shadows have to step into the light...When he met sweet Ava with her cute apron and pretty smile his whole life changed. She’s the only one who knows about Shadow’s secret hobbies and shares them with him.He found her knee deep in the midst of chaos in his life, she’s like an angel to him.Will the sultry Ava be able to withstand the heat that threatens to unravel a beautiful beginning for them both? BOOK 7: ShaggyDara made my world light up in the darkened chaos of the club’s woes. She had a rocky past of her own, with a known enemy on her heels.D-day for the Guardians was approaching and I had to prove myself. Will Shaggy and Dara be able to withstand the enemies from their past and present? Does Shaggy have what it takes to be part of the Guardians crew?