Book picks similar to
States of Grace by Mandy Miller


mystery
beautifully-written
romance
arcs-ive-received

Guardians of the Garden (Guardians Book I)


Theresa Pocock
    At least there she would be free from the garden’s magic, free to lead her own life, and free to never again think about ancient apples, or duty, or life unending. Seth Johnson's sister is losing her battle with cancer, and his parents seem to have given up on trying to save her. He cannot let her die. He will do anything to stop it including cutting a deal with a mercenary. Neither Seth nor Miriam want to be caught up in the tide of fate and feelings destined for them, but with such harshly opposing goals their worlds are bound to collide. If Miriam and Seth cannot find a way to have faith in each other this will end with the death of a beloved sister, a destroyed relationship, and the secret of immortality revealed to a pre-apocalyptic world.Pocock takes her readers to a land where myth, folklore and reality merge, where love is strong, fear runs deep, and the end of the world is coming.

Power Play


C.J. Cartwright - 2022
    But does time truly heal all wounds?Levi Fawkes knows hockey, and not much else. As the captain of the Astoria Bay Thunder, his eyes are always locked on the goal. He’s perpetually unlucky in love and he’s been burned more times than he cares to count, but he’s determined to find his successes on the ice… not off it.Recently divorced and looking for a new kind of freedom, Brynn Mackintosh is ready for a fresh start in a new city. For too many years, her dreams have been sidelined to suit someone else’s goals. But not anymore! Making a life for herself as a photographer is a chance to carve out her own path, and she won’t let anything stand in her way.On a whim, Brynn calls into a local radio show and wins a ticket to a home game for the Astoria Bay Thunder. She’s not a big hockey fan, but a new life means taking chances. What she doesn’t know is that she’s about to hit her past…. square in the balls.With chemistry that melts the ice and a second-chance to do things right, will Levi and Brynn find the happiness they crave in each other or will the wounds of the past be too much to overcome?Power Play is a full-length, contemporary hockey romance novel and book one in the Astoria Bay Thunder series by CJ Cartwright. Scorching chemistry, exquisite care, and all the feels will make you fall in love with Levi and Brynn and the boys of the Astoria Bay Thunder.

Journeys Through SpaceTime


James Talisman - 2021
    Wielding godlike powers, these teachers help illuminate the secrets of all creation.Follow the amazing stories and unity of our heroes across diverse worlds as they fight for victory. Even their powerful inner mentor must fight for continued existence in this ancient battle of ideals on how reality should form.With the fate of the entire MultiVerse at stake, which side will become the victor in the end?

Red's Peril Part 1: The Making of an MC Prez (Satan's Devils MC Vegas #1)


Manda Mellett - 2021
    I hadn’t much ambition, my main aim being to find somewhere warmer where I could ride my motorcycle all year around. I saw my future as most men do, finding a steady job, eventually getting married and spitting out a couple of kids. Fate seemed to comply, throwing into my path my soul mate only a few hundred miles from my home. But it wasn’t to be. I’d found her, loved her then lost her, all in a matter of days. I’d ridden on alone until the gods stepped in once again and put me in the sights of the Satan’s Devils MC. Despite my initial reluctance, I was soon accepting the prospect patch, and from that point on, never looked back. I rose through the ranks, eventually becoming prez of the Vegas Chapter of the club. I’ve gained respect and loyalty from my brothers, and in many ways have everything that I want.Except, I’ve never quite lost my dream of finding my own old lady and of starting a family. But while life on the whole has been good to me, it seems my destiny is to ride through it alone.

The Cross of Ciaran


Andrea Matthews - 2020
    The body is in perfect condition, right down to the intricate tattoos adorning the Celt’s skin. In fact, if scientific data hadn’t proved otherwise, she would swear he hadn’t been interred more than a few hours.Eager to discover more about the mysterious Celt, Caitlin accompanies the body back to the New York museum where she’s employed, but before she has time to study him, the priest disappears without a trace. Rumors surrounding the event begin to circulate and result in the excavation’s benefactor pulling the plug on the entire expedition.The rumors are not far off the mark though. After being buried alive for betraying his goddess and his priesthood in the dawning age of Christianity, Ciarán wakes to a strange new world. Alone and frightened in an unforgiving city, he stumbles upon the only thing familiar to him and seeks sanctuary within the church walls. With the help of the parish’s pastor, Father Mike, Ciarán slowly grows accustomed to his surroundings, though he’s plagued by dark dreams and the disturbing sensation that an evil from his past has followed him into the future. But a more immediate danger lurks on his doorstep.Caitlin is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery concerning her missing Celt, and when she meets her Uncle Mike’s new handyman, Ciarán Donnelly, she’s convinced the handsome Irishman knows more about the theft than he’s letting on. Yet, even she can’t deny the attraction between them, simmering below the surface and blurring the lines between her personal and professional life. But will Ciarán’s secrets draw them together or shatter their future forever.

Forbidden Mate


C.R. Robertson - 2021
    Now, as an outside danger tests the tentative alliance between the species, their only chance of survival is together.As every step forward takes them deeper into a web of lies and deceit that spans centuries, the secrets hiding around every corner threaten to destroy everything they ever believed. Time is running out, and the only hope left is to unravel the mystery behind lycan and vampire genetics.Evolution defined them, but it also created a monster that could annihilate them all. As Levi and Tasha’s love defies every law their species lived by, it still may not be strong enough to save them from the Hellspawn.

A Hundred Wishes (Band of Sisters)


Marianne Rice - 2022
    She has found a sense of inner peace through her sewing, crafting, and teaching children online. Jobs that keep her at a distance from everyone but her sisters.Arson inspector Bryce Cambridge has never been shot down so quickly or so curtly as he is by the woman with gorgeous brown eyes selling quilts. Luck is on his side when he runs into her at a bowling alley the next day. He’s intrigued and turned on by her smart mouth. The chemistry is explosive between them, and even though she tries to resist, the spark between them is too hot to ignore.Those blue-grey eyes and charming smile have Gina lowering the wall she’s built around her heart. But as their relationship grows more serious, Bryce wants to see all Gina is hiding. The puckered, scarred skin and the shrapnel buried in her flesh are just the surface layers of the wounds Gina tries to keep hidden. But her deepest, darkest secret may be too repulsive even for someone as strong as Bryce.Because his fears are her reality.

Rock Me To The Top (Gracefall: Vicious Love Tour Book One)


Victoria Zak - 2021
    Now one of the hottest metal bands on the charts, things are looking up, until a tragic accident threatens to rip the band apart. Can the guys recapture the beat that rocketed them to the top, or will they crash and burn?He believed the lie.Uber-sexy drummer, Joe Grace, has it all, except the one woman he wants to share it with, his best friend, Melody. When he hires Mel to manage his band’s tour, hot summer nights flame into a new passion neither can deny, but their fire ignites the darkness hiding behind long-buried secrets and lies. Lies that could lose him the woman he loves unless he bares his soul and lays it all on the line.She fell for the fantasy.Melody Sterling is no stranger to rock and roll. As the daughter of a legendary rocker, she had a front row seat to the destruction that lifestyle did to her parents’ relationship. Dating a rock star after that disaster? Out of the question! Until her best friend becomes one. Down on her luck—and apparently out of her mind—she joins Joe on their Gracefall summer tour, and soon finds herself falling fast for the fantasy of his crazy world. Now she must decide if her own dreams are worth fighting for, even if believing in herself again means losing the man she loves.

Three Sides To Every Story (In Laws and Play Cousins)


Robyn Gant - 2011
    She shut down and sold the successful movie production company they ran together and fled the country, refusing to hear his excuses. Now she is in hiding, but is she hiding something as well? Her best friend Tracie has undergone a dramatic transformation in order to elude Angelo Gonsales, head of the Internet Crime Division of the FBI. He has discovered her identity, and tracked her location. Will she be convicted of her alleged crimes? "In-Laws and Play Cousins: Three Sides to Every Story," reunites four childhood friends, brings closure to the unfortunate circumstances and renders bittersweet justice for the true villains.

No Strings Attached


Lara Ward Cosio - 2021
    Especially not random guys in my local coffee shop. I mean, I’m a single working mom, completely devoted to my four-year-old daughter. This so isn’t me. It’s just that his backside is … phenomenal.Turns out his name is Tanner and he’s been watching me right back. Not at the coffee shop, but from his construction site across the street from my apartment. After a couple of flirty encounters, our mutual attraction leads to a no strings attached bargain based purely on convenience and pleasure. This arrangement is totally uncharacteristic for me, but it’s also perfect. Or so I tell myself. Before long, we’re spending time with each other that has nothing to do with our agreement and things between us start to feel all too real. When my swoony, completely unreliable, rock star ex comes back into town begging for a chance to reunite our family, things get … complicated. Suddenly, Tanner is jealous and I’m trying to figure out where I stand and what I want, torn between what makes me happy and what’s best for my daughter. No Strings Attached is a steamy stand-alone romance with a guaranteed HEA by the author of Hula Girl.★ Author's Note: No Strings Attached is based on a previously published short story titled One More Try. The main premise is the same, but there's a whole lot more romance and story to be had with No Strings Attached!

The Boss Prince


Alix Nichols - 2021
    Go, Lucie!The bad news? My boss, Max Delaroche, looks like a remastered Greek god, as dazzling as the alarm in my head.Whoop, whoop, whoop! Run while you can!But the man intrigues me.Wildly charismatic, he has no office savvy. He skips important staff meetings because they bore him to death. He won’t even say where he’s from!Instead, he keeps staring at me like he’s on a treasure hunt and I have the map.Who is this guy, and what exactly does he do here? Could he be an undercover cop investigating government agencies?Haha. I’m très hilarious.If a cop can afford bespoke suits, then I’m a princess.You shall call me Your Royal Highness, Lucie la Magnifique!Looking for a romantic comedy that’s laugh-out-loud funny, steamy, and full of thrills? Look no further than The Boss Prince, book 1 in Alix Nichols’s new IT’S RAINING ROYALS series!

Why we don't die in Dreams


Debbie Zello - 2016
    Gavin McLean is an astute, accomplished and dedicated homicide detective. His days are filled with solving brutal murder cases, delving into the psyches of the worst humanity has to offer. His work comes first, to the detriment of his personal life. His sleeping hours are plagued by a reoccurring dream of a beautiful naked woman with long brown hair. He's mesmerized by her shapely backside, which is all he can see in the vision. The dream is erratic, with no patterns to help discern frequency or cause ... with one complicated exception. She is always suspended by her hands, from a meat hook, on the ceiling, and pleads for her life. With his personal life in turmoil and dreams shortening his sleep, he struggles to keep his world in operating order. He distracts himself by having an encounter with a frequent lover. Then fate steps in when a woman is found naked and dead, in a dumpster. Is Gavin's dream becoming his reality. Sometimes nothing is as it seems.

The Girl and The Raven


Pauline Gruber - 2013
    But can a gifted teen find her place when she's caught between good and evil?After the sudden death of her mother, Lucy Walker leaves her small town for a fresh start in the City of Chicago. Lucy hopes life with her uncles will be less dramatic than the one she left behind. But her hopes are quickly turned upside down.Beginning with a disturbing encounter at the airport, Lucy steps into a world she never imagined. From the discovery that she's half-witch, half-demon, meeting the father she never knew, and run-ins with the mysterious boy who lives in the apartment upstairs, Lucy's new life is not what she expected. And her world becomes even more complicated when the family's treasured raven goes missing.Persistent attacks from a dangerous stranger temporarily sideline Lucy's search for the beloved family pet. Despite her reluctance to embrace her new gifts, Lucy is forced to team up with her brooding, dark-eyed neighbor to hunt down the truth. But when she discovers the connections between her own history and the secretive boy's true nature, she's thrust headfirst into an ancient battle...where choosing the wrong side could prove fatal.Will Lucy accept her destined role before the darkness destroys everything she loves?

Holiday Hope


Shanna Hatfield - 2021
    She arrives in town to be greeted by her future father-in-law with her betrothed nowhere to be found. When it becomes obvious her reluctant groom-to-be has no intention of showing up at the family ranch where she’s staying, Cora Lee must decide if she’ll follow her head or heart.Jace Coleman has loved trains since the first time he rode on one as a boy. Now, he spends his days as an engineer driving the Holiday Express line on a new engine named Hope. When a mail-order bride turns up at his father’s ranch to wed his brother, Jace has an idea his meddling father has tried his hand at matchmaking. The longer Cora Lee stays at the ranch, the harder Jace works to keep from falling for his brother’s intended bride.Will Jace and Cora Lee discover the gift of hope? Find out in this sweet holiday romance full of memorable characters, warmth, and Christmas cheer.Holiday Hope is the first book in the Holiday Express series, a collection of heartwarming, wholesome, holiday romances brimming with the spirit of the season.

The Sheikh's Marriage Bargain


Leslie North - 2020
    Marriage was never in the picture. But when her grandfather is tricked into signing a binding marriage contract to a man she finds repugnant, she has one choice: Run away. Her flight ends with a fortuitous meeting with Zayid Hasan, Crown Prince of Raihan, who offers the perfect solution to Laila’s predicament: marry him and solve both their problems. Zayid’s younger brother must marry his pregnant fiancé, and ancient laws dictate the oldest brother is required to marry first. Desperate for a way to protect both her grandfather and herself, Laila agrees. After all, their marriage will last only until Zayid’s brother can marry—and her marriage to the brooding, handsome prince isn’t much of a sacrifice. It’s not like she’s going to be foolish enough to fall in love…Zayid doesn’t know what to think about his new half-American wife. He doesn’t really want to think about her at all, but for some reason, he can’t stop himself. Strangely enough, all the royal functions that used to bore him silly are now entertaining with Laila by his side—even though he knows she’d much rather be alone creating her art. Though the marriage of convenience was his idea, he can’t help but start to wish it was the real deal. No way can he ignore the simmering chemistry that’s driving them both a bit crazy. He’s much better at ignoring what’s in his heart—until he realizes it just might break if he can’t convince Laila to stay with him forever…