Book picks similar to
Grains of Paradise by B.A. Collins


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contemporary-fiction
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Ryonna's Trials: Novella 1


Christian Kallias - 2016
     While acquiring vital information to infiltrate Hellstar, the maximum security prison her son is being held in, she makes an unlikely alliance that raises shadows from her past. It quickly becomes clear that the reasons behind the bounty on her head run deeper than she could ever have imagined. The shocking implications will turn Ryonna's entire life upside down. While attempting to break Ronan out of Hellstar remains her top priority, she embarks on a series of highly dangerous trials in order to uncover the truth behind it all, putting her life, mission and even her sanity on the line at every turn. --- The events of this Novella take place between book one (Earth – Last Sanctuary) and book two (Fury to the Stars) of the Universe in Flames saga. They focus around Ryonna's character. While it is not necessary to have read these books to enjoy this Novella, you’ll understand each reference to other characters and mention of races as well as some other world building details better if you did. If this is the first book you read from me, worry not, you can still go ahead and read it.

Adam's Journey (The Aliomenti Saga - Book 8)


Alex Albrinck - 2016
    They are the journeys of self-discovery, when one learns one’s true history and destiny. They are the times when self-discipline must trump the massive desire to act in a manner that offers a short term benefit… but a long term disaster. Adam long knew he faced such a journey, one he’d face completely alone. He didn’t know how he’d ever begin; fate seemed stacked against him. And yet he knew the stakes, knew that his failure — or his discovery — could doom him and those he loves most. And then… fate smiled on him. For just a few brief moments, the window opened, and he commenced that journey. He—and the world—would never be the same.

Wanted


Terry Compton - 2014
    He hunts them down and brings them to justice – one way or another. When he and his android partner Cherry Kang close in on one of the worst, the fireworks start. After the big explosion, they wake up in a different galaxy with their spaceship crashed on an asteroid and shot to smithereens. When they get a derelict spaceship ready to fly with parts from their ruined ship and escape, Josh finds something he hates worse than pirates. Josh Gunn and Cherry Kang intend to hunt every last one of them down and make sure they pay.

Bloody Heroes


Damien Lewis - 2006
    This is the story of the trials and exploits, the victories and defeats, of one of those units. This book takes us from the first ever assault against a terrorist ship carrying weapons of mass destruction to attack London, to the epic siege of the terrorist-held Qala-I-Janghi fortress in Afghanistan. In the interim, our half-a-dozen soldier-characters deliver suitcases stuffed with millions of dollars in cash to 'friendly' Afghan warlords; they penetrate the towering heights of the uncharted Naka Valley, where allied intelligence has identified the mother of all terrorist training camps; they fight in the labyrinthine tunnels running beneath the Afghan mountains; and they risk all to rescue their fellow soldiers from a downed aircraft stranded on a snow-blasted mountain peak. The book culminates in the single battle in which more terrorists were killed than any other in Afghanistan: the siege of Qala-I-Janghi, an ancient mud-walled fortress used to imprison the most dangerous Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. The battle for Qala-I-Janghi would last a staggering eight days, from the moment of the first shots being fired at the start of the uprising to the hour that the fort yielded up the last Al Qaeda fighters. It is a battle in which over 500 terrorists would die - but which would also claim the life of a US serviceman and dozens of Northern Alliance allies, with scores of severely wounded British and American soldiers. And in the final denouement, this savage battlefield turns out to be populated by the most ultimately shocking enemy - John Walker Lindh, the white American Taliban who held out in the forts' bunker until the very last. At the same time as the story of the fort siege played out on TV screens all across the world, our band of British and American special forces were involved in a secret, deadly dual to rescue their fellow men - a duel that only one side could win.

The Scientist and the Supermodel


Tara Lain - 2011
    Despite his flagging interest in women and his past experience with a man, he’s convinced himself he’d be happy if he could just have his older boss, Emmaline Silvay, as his lover. Living in his closeted dream world, he’s unprepared for the powerful attraction he experiences to supermodel Roan Black, “the most beautiful man in the world.”Jake can’t resist the gorgeous, androgynous creature. Who could? he thinks. But Roan refuses to accept him until Jake admits that it’s a man he wants and this man in particular. Jake tells himself it’s just sex, but his refusal to understand what he really needs threatens the best chance at happiness he’s ever had. Is there a future for a PhD scientist who refuses to see and a high school dropout supermodel who understands all too clearly?Publisher's Note: This book is predominantly a romance between two bisexual men and features primarily male/male sexual practices; however, it contains m/f and m/m/f scenes and is therefore classified as menage, not strictly LGBT.

Evelyn, After


Victoria Helen Stone - 2016
    Her husband, a prestigious psychiatrist, has been in an accident. And he isn’t alone.Suddenly Evelyn’s world isn’t as tidy as she thought. And in the midst of it all is Juliette, not only her husband’s secret lover but also his patient. If news of the affair were to get out, it would ruin more than just Evelyn’s marriage. Although it’s a bitter pill for Evelyn to swallow, protecting her family means staying silent—even if, as she begins to discover, the night of the accident has consequences far more dangerous than the unmasking of an affair.But the more Evelyn learns about Juliette’s picture-perfect life—complete with a handsome, unsuspecting husband—the more she yearns for revenge…and satisfaction. Her growing obsession fuels her rage, burning away her complacency. What will be left of her after it flames out?

Storm Tide


Marge Piercy - 1998
    There he meets the eminent professor, Gordon Stone, and his beautiful wife, Judith Silver, with whom he soon falls into a passionate affair. Into this explosive mix, a young woman appears--a single mother at the end of her emotional rope. Crystal desperately needs David. Yet caught between two women, David bears witness to a heartbreaking turn of events that seems as inevitable as the push and pull of ocean waves. . . .

Blood Dance (The Lost Lansdale #3)


Joe R. Lansdale - 2000
    Family, friends and farms lost in the conflict, they’ve been drifting for the past decade—driving sheep, punching cattle, chasing Indians. It pays a man’s bills, mostly… but just mostly. More than panning for gold, it turns out, though that had seemed like a good idea at the time.And so they find themselves in the Dakota Territory, looking at a cold December with empty pockets and emptier prospects. Which is how otherwise (mostly) upstanding southern gentlemen come to contemplate signing-on as hired guns for a train robbery.If the robbery came off well, no one was double-crossed, and the boys retired to live a comfortable life south of the border, it wouldn’t be much of a Western. Fortunately, Lansdale knows better, and has written a rip-roarer. You probably guessed that from the title, though. Long-unavailable, having fallen between the cracks of the publishing industry, Joe R. Lansdale's Blood Dance is a genuine Western Adventure to rival any of the classics. Fans of Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour, take note.

Take Your Pleasure


Jasmine Haynes - 2010
    Not only has she been betrayed, but Natalie loses her belief in herself as a desirable woman. When she starts making mistakes at work, her career being the one thing she’s always excelled at, she’s in danger of losing her self-worth and her job.Lincoln Masters isn’t like most bosses. Instead of issuing a reprimand, he decides his sexy executive assistant needs a good spanking, something he’s been dying to deliver for almost a year. And afterward, he hatches a plan to help Natalie rebuild her self-confidence and show her wandering man the error of his ways; become the sexy dominatrix her boyfriend is looking for. Being a Master himself, Lincoln’s the perfect dom to help her execute the delectable punishment.Lincoln’s terms for helping her? He wants a piece of Natalie, too. Suddenly, Natalie finds herself with a growing fascination for her boss and all the exciting, deliciously naughty things he can do for her. When Van’s punishment is complete, can she go back to being just Mr. Masters’ assistant?

Beauty


D.J. Manly - 2010
    So when his introverted friend asks Bruno to break the ice for him with the sexy guitar playing paramedic in a bar one night, he doesn’t hesitate.But when Bruno sees Holden, he is as infatuated with him as Freddy is. Can he keep in sight that Freddy saw him first, or will a late night trip back to the hot medic’s condo throw all his good intentions to the wind.

Shades of Gray


Andy Holloman - 2011
    Get your copy today."Debut novelist Andy Holloman speeds us on a journey with punch, twist, and emotional dilemmas straight from our worst fears. Shades of Gray is a colorful, rollicking ride from start to finish." - Franz Wisner, New York Times bestselling author of "Honeymoon with My Brother" and "How the World Makes Love" "Wow! Holloman delivers on a taut thriller that will keep you turning the pages far into the night. This book should be at the top of everyone's reading list for 2012"- S. Burnham, PeakCityPublishing.com ---------------------------------------------------How far would you go to save your child's life? Could you break the law? What if your travel business was suddenly in danger of going under because of 9/11? A single father decides to partner up with woman from the opposite side of the tracks.Can their partnership deliver the cash they BOTH desperately need?Could they fall in love? And will they survive to see the Summer of 2002? ------------------------------------------------Start with "Breaking Bad", add dash of "Cops", and stir in a darker version of the "Love Boat" and you get all the right flavors for "Shades of Gray".

Before the Fall (Irish Trilogy, #2)


Orna Ross - 2012
    "A highly ambitious, engaging, and evocative novel and a hauntingly captivating read." -The Sunday IndependentWhat happens when a woman is haunted by the sins of her foremothers–and the men who betrayed them?Facing the birth of her child, and single motherhood, Jo Devereux has spent the last six months in Mucknamore, the Irish village she fled twenty years ago.A trunk of letters and diaries left by her grandmother and great-aunt has revealed a heartbreaking legacy of bitter secrets that have haunted the women of her family for four generations.Now she must find out the ultimate truth: What other secrets and lies lie under her mother’s and grandmother’s unshakeable silence? How does it connect with her failed life as a gender-bending agony aunt in San Franciso? And what of Rory… her lost love, son of her family’s sworn enemies?Will Jo’s mission to uncover the past unlock a possible future together? Or are they about to lose everything all over again?As she pieces together the poisonous fragments of the past, Jo must now face into the guilt and shame that were her legacy and see how she might best redeem them in her own life.

Small Kindnesses


Fiona Robyn - 2009
    But after her sudden death, Leonard is shocked to find a train ticket in her handbag to a town Rose had never visited. Then a letter arrives from a childhood friend of Rose’s, hinting at a past she never told him about.Reluctantly embarking on an investigation into the life of the woman he thought he knew as well as himself, Leonard is faced with questions that threaten to destroy his happy memories. Why did Rose secretly leave work every Tuesday? Why did she tell lies about her family? And why is their daughter so desperate for him to stop digging into the past? As his whole life threatens to unravel, Leonard must make an impossible choice – between his memories and a truth he could never have imagined…From the bestselling author of The Most Beautiful Thing, Small Kindnesses is a gripping and ultimately life-affirming novel that explores the power of secrets and the healing qualities of love. Previously sold as 'The Blue Handbag'.

The Goodbye Quilt


Susan Wiggs - 2011
    Wedding quilts, baby quilts, memorial quilts—each is bound tight with dreams, hopes and yearnings.Now, as her only child readies for college, Linda is torn between excitement for Molly and heartache for herself. Who will she be when she is no longer needed in her role as mom? What will become of her days? Of her marriage?Mother and daughter decide to share one last adventure together—a cross-country road trip to move Molly into her dorm. As they wend their way through the heart of the country, Linda stitches together the scraps that make up Molly's young life. And in the quilting of each bit of fabric—the hem of a christening gown, a snippet from a Halloween costume—Linda discovers that the memories of a shared journey can come together in a way that will keep them both warm in the years to come….

Blood Knot


Tracy Cooper-Posey - 2011
    Her healing created a symbiotic pairing between them that neither of them wants.Nathanial, a sexy thousand-year-old vampire and Sebastian's ex-lover, talks Sebastian and Winter into stealing evidence that will expose all vampires to the world. But Nathanial is a puppet-master who doesn't believe in falling in love with humans, leaving Winter unsure of his real feelings for her once he seduces her, or how he feels about Sebastian, the former vampire-now-human whose life he has turned upside down once more.But the evidence they steal is hot property.  The future of all vampires is on the line and others will stop at nothing to get it, leaving Sebastian, Winter and Nathanial with no allies but each other.  They must trust each other to survive.  Only...can they?WARNING:  This book contains two hot, sexy alpha heroes, frequent, explicit and frank sex scenes and sexual language.It includes heart-stopping sexual scenes between the aforementioned sexy heroes, menage  scenes, anal sex and the use of sex toys.  Don't proceed beyond this point if hot love scenes offend you.No vampires were harmed in the making of this novel.The Blood Stone series:Blood Stone 1: Blood Knot (#1 Amazon Best Seller, Fantasy Romance)Blood Drops 1.1: Southampton Swindle*Blood Drops 1.2: Broken Promise*Blood Stone 2: Blood StoneBlood Stone 3: Blood UnleashedBlood Stone 3.5: Blood Drive - Blood Stone Boxed Set 1Blood Stone 4: Blood Revealed (Upcoming)[*Blood Drops are short and novella length stories featuring the characters and situations in the Blood Stone series.  Droplet sized morsels for your reading pleasure.]These are continuing characters and storylines. Reading the series in order is strongly recommended.Now also available:  Blood Drive -- Books 1-3 in one volume at a discount price!____#1 Best-Selling Fantasy, Futuristic & Ghost Romance Amazon Best-SellerTop 100, Amazon Vampire Romance Best-SellerWinner of the Coffee Time Reviewer's Recommended AwardListed as one of Goodread's "Most Drool-worthy Covers"Nominated for Erotic Vampire Book of the Year by The Romance Reviews, November 2011CAPA Nomination:  Best Paranormal Book of the Year by The Romance Studio, December, 2011