Book picks similar to
The Chamber And The Cross by Deborah K. Reed


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Son of the Morning


Linda Howard - 1997
    John, a scholar, unwittingly discovers the Knights of Templar's secret treasure. Suddenly, her life is upturned when she spies her boss murdering her husband and brother. With no reason to live, except to extract vengeance, Grace becomes a fugitive of the law as she attempts to find an explanation for this horrible act.Grace simultaneously translates 14th century medieval documents written by Black Niall. This embittered knight reaches into Grace's subconscious and the two begin to share dreams 700 years apart. A scholar specializing in ancient manuscripts, Grace St. John never imagined that a cache of fragile, old documents she discovered was the missing link to a lost Celtic treasure. But as soon as she deciphers the intriguing legend of the Knights of the Templar -- long fabled to hold the key to unlimited power -- Grace becomes the target of a ruthless killer bent on abusing the coveted force.Determined to stop him, Grace needs the help of a celebrated warrior bound by duty to uphold the Templar's secret for all eternity. But to find him -- and to save herself -- she must go back in time.Summoning the magic of an arcane ritual, Grace steps back to the barren hills of 14th-century Scotland, enduring the perils of an untamed land to confront Black Niall, a fierce man of dark fury and raw, unbridled desire. Driven by a mix of fear and passion, Grace enlists this brazen knight to join her in a modern-day search for a killer.In their quest to protect a timeless secret, they uncover a love for all time -- and a deadly duel of honor that risks everything they have.

First Light


Tami Lund - 2015
    My mission in life is to track and kill the Lightbearers.Why do I want to seek out these unique people? Because if I kill them, I’ll inherit their magic. And who the hell doesn’t want more magic?But get this, when I finally find them, this hella badass female doesn’t try to run from me. She actually stands and fights. And she damn near wins.Now, my goal isn’t so much to track and kill, but to get to know this fascinating woman…Lightbearer series reading order:First LightBroken LightInto the LightDawning of LightLight Beyond the DarknessChange in the LightCupid's Light

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes


Denise Grover Swank - 2011
    She’s had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone’s toilet’s overflowed, but she’s never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.Rose realizes she’s wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She’s well on her way with the help of her next door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking, but won’t help with number fifteen-- do more with a man. Joe’s new to town, but it doesn’t take a vision for Rose to realize he’s got plenty of secrets of his own.Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all.

Bury the Living


Jodi McIsaac - 2016
    So when faced with the tragic death of her brother during Northern Ireland’s infamous Troubles, a teenage Nora joined the IRA to fight for her country’s freedom. Now, more than a decade later, Nora is haunted by both her past and vivid dreams of a man she has never met.When she is given a relic belonging to Brigid of Kildare, patron saint of Ireland, the mystical artifact transports her back eighty years—to the height of Ireland’s brutal civil war. Here she meets the alluring stranger from her dreams, who has his own secrets—and agenda. Taken out of her own time, Nora has the chance to alter the fortunes of Ireland and maybe even save the ones she loves. In this captivating and adventurous novel from Jodi McIsaac, history belongs to those with the courage to change it.

The Lost Page: An Archaeological Thriller


Joe Edd Morris - 2021
    Paralleling their quest is the story of the evangelist’s escape with the scroll from the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., his struggles to complete the manuscript and his journeys and efforts with the daughter of Peter the Apostle to protect and save it for the ages. For both couples, time is running out and enemies are closing in.Richly evocative and fiercely moving, this literary thriller explores the hard questions: Did Mark intentionally omit the resurrection story, leaving it shrouded in mystery? Or did it become detached and lost forever?Discover the answer in The Lost Page.

The Carson Brothers of Kansas


Carré White - 2015
     Desperate for grandbabies and cursed with four wayward sons, Maggie Carson concocts a scheme to impersonate them in letters sent back east for mail order brides. Charlie Rebecca Hart is the first ensnared, romanced by sweet words, poetry, and the promise of a new life. When she arrives in Topeka, she is eager to marry the man she thought she had come to admire, but the groom, Grant Carson, is nowhere to be found. It is his younger brother, Charlie, who greets her at the train station. Charlie is appalled after discovering his mother’s deception, yet jealous that Rebecca is meant for his older brother, who, in his estimation, does not deserve her. Grant reluctantly makes an effort to romance Rebecca, but his heart is elsewhere, as he is involved with a married woman in town. Rebecca and Charlie find themselves thrown together often, and a friendship emerges. An unexpected kiss confuses Rebecca, and she questions if it is Grant she really wants. Bronson Fleeing from an abusive marriage, Charlotte Mills and her five-year-old son, Dudley, travel to Kansas in the hope of securing a better future. While on the train to Topeka, the passengers are robbed by a band of outlaws. In the midst of the chaos, one of the bandits, a tall, rugged man in a bandana, shamelessly steals her last ten dollars. Injured after a robbery, Bronson Carson is forced to return to the Carson Ranch to recuperate. His mother has once again schemed to find a wife for his younger brother, Grant, having brought in a woman from back east. But there is something about Charlotte that catches his eye, as she nurses him to health. Falling in love was the last thing he expected or wanted, preferring to live wild and unencumbered. As the blonde with the sweet smile softens his heart, he finds himself in a quandary. His lifestyle as a hardened criminal is hardly appropriate for a woman and her son, but his feelings will not be denied. The past is never far behind, and Charlotte’s day of reckoning is at hand. Her husband has found her, and he is not a forgiving sort of man. Wyatt Hired for a cattle drive, Wyatt Carson is surprised when his boss, Mr. Hardin, expects him to transport his mail order bride, Sofia Parker, from San Antonio, Texas to Abilene, Kansas. Little does Wyatt know that the real Sofia Parker has just passed away from blood poisoning. Her roommate, Eugenia Madsen, has taken her place, determined to escape poverty by marrying a rich cattle baron. While on the Chisholm Trail, Eugenia’s drawn to the handsome trail boss, but Wyatt Carson, oldest of the Carson brothers, has no plans to settle down just yet or anytime soon, preferring his freedom. Eugenia is a raven-haired beauty with big, dark eyes. Her fun and flirty manner begin to wear him down, especially after she dons a pair of men’s denim pants and learns to ride and shoot. Two months on the trail is a long time—far too long to be spent with a woman like Eugenia and not touch her. The flirtatious vixen tempts him like no other, and his good intentions begin to evaporate. As the cowboys pull into Abilene, Wyatt must let Eugenia go. This could be the biggest challenge of his life. Grant Eva Caldwell is on the hunt for the gunslinger who attacked her sister, Cora, vowing to kill the man when she sees him again. The orphaned sisters have never had an easy life, struggling to fend for themselves by any means possible. A pickpocket by profession, Eva brazenly robs several men on the train to Topeka.

Ashenden


Elizabeth Wilhide - 2012
    Its walls hold stories. Births and deaths, comings and goings, people and events passing through... For now, however, it lies suspended in a kind of emptiness, as if it has fallen asleep or someone has put it under a spell. This silence won't last: can't last. Something will have to be done."When brother and sister Charlie and Ros discover that they have inherited their aunt's grand English country house, they must decide if they should sell it. As they survey the effects of time on the the estate's architectural treasures, a narrative spanning two and a half centuries unfolds. We meet those who built the house, lived in it and loved it, worked in it, and those who would subvert it for their own ends. Each chapter is skillfully woven into the others so that the story lines of the upstairs and downstairs characters and their relatives and descendants intertwine to make a rich tapestry. A beautifully written novel full of humor, heart, and poignancy, Ashenden is an evocative portrait of a house that becomes a character as compelling as the people who inhabit it.

Survival


A.M. Hargrove - 2011
    I was having serious trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality."While on a backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, nineteen-year-old Maddie Pearce finds her world has been thrown into a vortex and is madly spinning toward the impossible. Abducted by a mad psychopath, Maddie narrowly escapes with her life. But that is only the beginning. Her mysterious rescuer introduces her to a world that Maddie has difficulty accepting as reality. Will this strikingly gorgeous stranger be the key to her future or will she return to her mundane world, scarred from her experience? Follow Maddie as she is forced to make difficult decisions that carry her to mysterious places.

When Butterflies Cry


Ninie Hammon - 2014
    And that's not even the worst thing he's come home to. And just so you know going in—that dam holding back a 300-million-gallon lake on the mountainside above the little coal camp town of Saddler Hollow—that dam’s going to blow. Grayson Addington comes home to Saddler Hollow, West Virginia, from Vietnam a broken man, ravaged by post traumatic stress syndrome, a chaplain who left his faith in the jungle mud with his massacred unit. His wife, Piper, doesn’t know her husband anymore. In his absence, she turned to his brother Carter for support. Now, she must choose between them—and Carter will stop at nothing to have her. And into this family torn apart by jealousy, deceit and clan loyalties comes a mysterious little girl. Maggie, a battered child with amnesia, shows up on the Addington's front porch and instantly bonds to Sadie, Piper and Grayson’s cripplingly shy toddler. When Maggie runs away and takes Sadie with her, the warring brothers must team up to search for them. But something more than chance has brought the child called Maggie to this wounded family. And nothing less than destiny will be fulfilled by her incredible act of love--on the foggy morning when the coal slag dam at the top of the hollow explodes. Interview with the author: Q. What’s so special about When Butterflies Cry? A. It’s real life on paper. It’s been a Kindle bestseller because the characters in the novel come to life on the page—like the family next door in a small town. The story is gripping, the action nail-biting. Q. Is this a Christian book? A. There’s no religion in it. But there is spirituality--themes of love and sacrifice that touch the soul of readers of any faith—or no faith at all. Q. Why should readers give this book a try? A. Because it’s a book that will break your heart, and then put it back together again. Goodreads and Amazon Reader Reviews Wow. I have found a new favourite author. She is so good and I’ve been burned a lot lately by really bad free books, written poorly and full of mistakes. This is the kind of contemporary women’s fiction I want but usually don’t find in a free book. A (no spoilers) sacrifice makes the book inspirational, but its filled with suspense too. Even though its during the 60's or 70s war in Vietnam, the story itself felt timeless and contemporary and so real I forgot it was fiction and it kept me in suspense way past my bedtime to find out what happened. Sarah Bridges I’m a city girl and I never thought my heart would break over a story about a small town in West Virginia. Not what I expected from a typical paranormal thriller--its a mystery with lots of suspense, like other reviewers said, it was unique. But it is during the Viet Nam war times, and not contemporary fiction like it said. You should read it, but have lots of tissues handy. It was inspirational to me how the chaplain kept hanging on and "doin’ the necessary" and then got home and found his brother with his wife—but I won’t spoil the suspense. I think the mystery about the butterflies landing on her was she was paranormal.

Lover's Intuition


Noelle Greene - 2015
    On the night she meets reclusive vineyard owner Will Holloway, her sixth sense goes haywire.Although Camille’s intuition whispers that evil will strike, she doesn’t know when, why, or where.Sweet and sexy Camille is Will’s worst nightmare. She’s the only one who senses deep passion beneath his icy indifference. But tenderness checked out of Will’s soul long ago, and logic — unlike the people he loved — has never abandoned him.After a friend is brutally murdered, Camille resolves to use her psychic gift to help find the killer. Now she and Will are in the crosshairs of a sociopath with powers of his own and a shocking secret.Camille must outsmart both the sociopath and the drug cartel thugs tailing him, or she and Will won’t survive to find the love they deserve.If you like intense romance with a touch of the supernatural, you’ll enjoy Lover’s Intuition, Book 1 in the Blue Mill Intuition series.

Crossing in Time


D.L. Orton - 2015
    The future isn't hidden, it's a trap. If she ever wants to see him again, she'll have to take the risk. Fall into this "Funny, Romantic & Harrowing" (Publishers Weekly Starred Review) dystopian love story and prepare to encounter a finicky time machine, a mysterious seashell, and a very clever dog (some sex, some swearing, some violence, but no vampires and absolutely NO ditzes!)When offered a one-way trip to the past, Isabel sacrifices everything for a chance to change the rapidly deteriorating present--and see her murdered lover one last time. When she arrives twenty years in the past, buck naked and mortally wounded, she has 24 hours to convince a stunned but enraptured nineteen-year-old to change their future. Definitely easier said than done, as success means losing him to a brainy, smart-mouthed bombshell (her younger self), and that's a heart breaker, save the world or not.This offbeat tale is about falling madly in love when one is too cynical for such things, letting go of pessimism when it's the last life jacket on a sinking ship, and racing against the clock when one doesn't have the proper footwear. It's a coming-of-age story for old fogeys, a how-to-make-love guide for diehard celibates, and a laugh-out-loud tragedy with a hopeful twist.Alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here

Combat


Emma Calin
    Interpol cop Anna Leyton meets world champ cruiser-weight Freddie La Salle in a black London cab. Both have pasts and secrets. They need each other openly but neither must reveal the truth. A sports reporter is slain. Organised criminals conspire to rig international gambling. A cop in love with her number one suspect risks the fire to express the heat of her erotic love. The do-or-die passion of a fighter in his prime feeds the flames to a white heat of lust. Follow the big fight build up through London, Paris and California all the way to that round one bell in New York City. Can Freddie La Salle do what he has to do in the ring? Can true love be built on deception? Take off the gloves and buy this book now for a front row seat. Enjoy this novel 'Combat' from Emma Calin's 8-part 'Passion Patrol Series', combining thrilling crime mystery with explicit steamy suspense romance. If you enjoy James Patterson, Catherine Coulter, Nora Roberts and Kendra Elliot you'll love a series that combines all of their best traits in fast-paced, pulse-pounding roller-coaster adventures full of passionate romance, deception, danger and love.

The Cornish Princess


Tanya Anne Crosby - 2021
    And before Boudicca, there was Gwyndolyn of Cornwall, a fierce warrior queen who raised an army to unite nations. Said to be a changeling child awarded to the King and Queen of Cornwall, Gwyndolyn is “blessed” at her christening with three fae gifts: a prophecy for her future, a gift of “Reflection,” and a golden mane—literally. Every lock of her clipped hair will turn to filaments of gold, provided it is cut by her one true love.Alas, no one understands more than Gwyn that her blessings are in reality curses. Any man who gazes upon her will see his own heart reflected in her countenance, and depending on his virtue, she is either the loveliest woman in all the land... or the most hideous. It's a cruel jest of the capricious Fae, for unless a man's heart be true, she is destined to be coveted for her wealth, and despised for her face.To make matters worse, Gwyn's aging and ailing father is desperate for an alliance with King Brutus of Loegria. The Romans are coming, and according to the Goldenchild Prophecy, only by uniting their Draig banners can they stem the Red Tide. He offers her to the ambitious and cruel Loch, who fought his way through the ranks and is reputed to have murdered his elder brothers. But so far as Loch is concerned, his betrothed is only an eyesore to be tolerated. He would never have married the girl if it weren’t for the fact that her shining golden tresses were supposed to fill his coffers—a lie, because her hair is no more than a tangled nest of golden curls.But Gwyndolyn was not destined to be a spurned wife. To achieve her destiny as the Pen Draig, she must survive the treachery of Loegria's court, and the torments of her betrothed...

Cauldstane


Linda Gillard - 2014
    Lust, betrayal and murder have blighted family fortunes for generations, together with an ancient curse. As members of the family confide their sins and their secrets, Jenny learns why Cauldstane’s uncertain future divides father and sons. But someone resents Jenny’s presence. Someone thinks she’s getting too close to Alec MacNab – swordsmith, widower and heir to Cauldstane. Someone will stop at nothing until Jenny has been driven away. Or driven mad. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Especially a dead woman.

Rebecca's Tale


Sally Beauman - 2000
    It has been twenty years since the death of Rebecca, the hauntingly beautiful first wife of Maxim de Winter, and twenty years since Manderley, the de Winter family's estate, was destroyed by fire. But Rebecca's tale is just beginning.Colonel Julyan, an old family friend, receives an anonymous package concerning Rebecca. An inquisitive young scholar named Terence Gray appears and stirs up the quiet seaside hamlet with questions about the past and the close ties he soon forges with the Colonel and his eligible daughter, Ellie. Amid bitter gossip and murky intrigue, the trio begins a search for the real Rebecca and the truth behind her mysterious death.