Book picks similar to
Duke & Jill by Ron Kolm


fiction
favorites
new-york
short-story

The Golden Persuader


Michael Reisig - 2015
    The device had the power to make anyone that it was aimed at do the bidding of the holder. What sounded like a unique opportunity for Dax actually becomes more trouble than he bargains for as people around him keep coming after him and the device.

Livy: A Love Story


Gretchen Craig - 2015
    The first time she sees Zeb, she sneers to see a slave working in the hot sun who smiles from sunup to sundown. He finds slavery tolerable? Livy will never accept it! No matter that Zeb's sweet spirit draws her, she will be free whatever it takes. Zeb is smitten by Livy the first time he sees her, but it's a challenge to even get her to say good morning. Brought up to find happiness and hope in every day, he begins his campaign to win her, his easy-going manner never faltering – until slavery's big boot crushes the spirit of his niece Faith, the child he loves as if she were his own. Even if it means he can't have Livy, he has to save Faith from living a cruel life among the master's family. From different paths, Zeb and Livy arrive at the safe haven hidden in the swamps, a place of wild flowers and abundance. But like the first Eden, Orchid Island harbors treachery and heartache. Leaving their refuge behind, Zeb and Livy and their new family begin the journey to their true heaven-on-earth.

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?

Guns on the Horizon: A Western Adventure From Randall Dale (Adventures of the Western Gunfighter Series Book 1)


Randall Dale - 2019
    These stories contain action, adventure and the wild, untamed frontier…. These are the bounty hunters, gunfighters and lawmen who protect the innocent—the men who tamed the Wild West and caught the criminal’s dead, or alive! This is “Guns on the Horizon”. Four great adventures from one of America’s leading Western writers Randall Dale. Four chances to discover crime, punishment and tales of the Old West. Inside this book you will find action, adventure, greed, gluttony and love. You will find the bodies of dead bad guys, the guns of lawman and the pleas of the desperate, wild criminal facing the end of a rope, or on the edge of a bullet. Enjoy one heck of a great Western adventure with Randall Dale—the man who tells the stories of the Old West you’ll love!

Seedtime and Harvest


Mary E. Pearce - 1984
    But a terrible accident and a surprise inheritance put pressure on the happy couple's relationship. "Sheer country magic." James Herriott The advent of the Second World War brings changes to the farm, with one depature and a new arrival. Charlie's good intentions to help a young boy, and the Truscotts' struggling neighbour, drive him and his wife further apart. And Linn's worries about her beloved son, Robert, are difficult to bear. A moving and often heart-rending account of life on a country farm in 1940s war-torn England. The fifth and final book in the Apple Tree Saga.

The Storm (Clay Brentwood Book 5)


Jared McVay - 2017
    He's looking forward to an easy job, and then settling down for a bit. At least that’s the way he had it figured. What he hadn’t considered was how plans could change in a heartbeat, bringing him closer to deaths door than he ever wanted to be. Excerpt from Book 5: The Storm It was late afternoon of the first day and they were still several miles inside the Kansas border, when Clay found a place to camp for the night, near a small lake that would provide enough water for the herd. They would have to camp out in the open, but the weather was decent enough so that it shouldn’t be a problem. By tomorrow noontime, they should reach the Panhandle of Oklahoma where water was scarce. Clay didn’t want to push the herd too hard. He wanted them in good shape because it would be at least two more days before they could reach the Cimarron River and cattle don’t travel well without water. He figured they would lose a little weight during the three-hundred-and-fifty-mile drive, but once they got to his land, it wouldn’t take them long to put the weight back on. The White River ran through his property with several small tributaries, and there was plenty of tall grass. The cattle weren’t used to walking all day and were more than ready to settle down for the night when the time came. No one knew how Mrs. McIntyre did it, but that evening for supper, they feasted on corned beef and cabbage with soda bread and large slabs of butter, and blackberry pie. She’d seen some blackberries growing wild and since the herd was moving slow, she’d stopped and picked enough for six pies. “Ya know, boss,” Riley, a tall young man from Texas, said, “if this is the way we’re gonna eat, I don’t reckon you’ll ever be wantin’ fer hands. Women or not, this is the best trail drive I’ve ever been on, and if my work suits ya, I’ll be stayin’ on when we get to yer ranch.” Riley was young, just seventeen, but he’d been around cattle drives most of his young life and he knew his business. Clay was lucky to have him. Young he might be, but Clay was guessing the young man would ride for the brand, should trouble arise. Clay looked out across the herd and watched as his men worked the cattle. There was a mixture of ages, which was good as far as he was concerned. The men new to this kind of work would learn from the more experienced riders. Colleen blushed and waved the end of her apron at him. “Ah, go on with ya now. You and yer silver tongue. Ah man works hard, he needs ah good meal, that’s all.” Bert took his slice of blackberry pie and backed away, saying, “Yes ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am.” After the evening meal, Cindy brought out her guitar and sat on the tailgate of the wagon and to everyone’s surprise, began to strum a slow, song of home. Then she began to sing and as if by magic, the cattle settled down. Singing was what cowboys did while riding night herd to help keep the cattle calm, but none of them had a voice as soothing as Cindy McIntyre. Clay had just poured himself a cup of coffee and was enjoying Cindy’s singing, when a young man came riding up to the camp and got down. He took a double take when he saw the two women, then spied Clay and walked up to him. “Mister Brentwood?” Clay smiled. He was just a boy, no more than fourteen and dressed in town clothes. “Sorry son, but I got all the wranglers I need. The boy grinned. “I’m not a cowboy, sir. I’m Ben Masterson and I work for the railroad. I’m training to be a telegraph operator.”

Above Reproach


Heather Atkinson - 2013
    She has a good job, a nice little cottage and has started dating again.However, when she starts to experience disturbing dreams involving Glenn Corrigan, her best friend’s husband, she fears she’s suffering a relapse. Glenn is a local celebrity, the charismatic heart surgeon but in her dreams he’s terrifying.When one of her friends dies at the hands of a serial killer operating in the area, the dreams intensify to the point where Paige finds it difficult to discern fantasy from reality. Is her worst fear being realised and she’s experiencing another breakdown, or is there a more sinister reason behind these frightening nightmares?Contains scenes of sex and violence.

Out of the Desert


Tom Walker - 2021
    Joining the proud and distinguished XXI Squadron, Peter will risk everything to win the plaudits and reputation he desires.But his navigator, Charlie Kendrick, doesn’t see it the same way, and treats his new crew as a marriage of convenience.That is until a series of unforeseen disasters befall the squadron – after their home base is attacked and its aircraft ambushed - suspicions are raised of a double-agent operating in their midst.Braving Italian and German fighters, deadly flak, and a conspiracy of silence, Peter and Charlie enlist the help of Margot Dacre, a gifted intelligence officer with secrets of her own, in a race to prevent further setbacks before it’s too late.The blistering crescendo comes in an intense air battle to prevent the invasion of Greece. XXI Squadron is committed to the fight in a last, desperate struggle to hold onto the Balkans. Peter and Charlie will have to sacrifice everything, to save their friends – and to save Greece.

The Tempest


John Escott - 1996
    '

Escape (short story)


K.A. Richardson - 2016
    It’s time. There is someone else to think about now– the tiny life doing its best to grow inside her while she hides the bruises. Finally, with the help of one of Carl’s friends, leaving is possible. Can Cass execute her plan in time? Can she and her unborn child claw their way to safety before Carl finds out? Can she really escape?

Riverbreeze: Part 3 (Riverbreeze Trilogy)


Ellen E. Johnson - 2012
     Part 3 continues the saga of the Bassett brothers and their twin wives as they face the greatest threats to their lives. After a slight mishap and reconciliation at the end of Part 2, the two couples experience a time of peace and happiness during the Christmas season. That peace is soon shattered during a Twelfth Night party when an unexpected, and unwelcome, guest arrives. Now they must find the strength to prevail against this foe from the brothers' past as he plots to ruin their lives. And finally, the climax, a historically correct event brings treachery and sorrow to Riverbreeze plantation, forcing the brothers to defend their home and protect their family from Indian attack and war. Full of drama, excitement, humor, romance and details of early American life, the Riverbreeze series will appeal to a wide range of readers.

Trap the Devil: Thriller: Free 9-Chapter Preview (A Dewey Andreas Novel Book 7)


Ben Coes - 2017
    

Operation Golden Dawn


George Wallace - 2013
    Liu Pen, spymaster for the Peoples Republic of China, envisions using Islamic terrorists to disrupt Western interests on China's vulnerable southern flank. Admiral Suluvana plots to overthrow the Indonesian government and establish an Islamic state. Together, they scheme to use a genetically engineered version of small pox to attack the West. Their secret base is Nusa Funata, a dark and inhospitable island in the Java Sea. Jon Hunter commands the nuclear submarine SAN FRANCISCO. Driven by an inner fire, Hunter relentlessly pursues every opportunity to prove himself and his beloved boat. Hunter's boss, Commodore Carlucci, will do anything to move his own career forward, including holding Hunter down. When the US intelligence agencies catch some whiffs of the activity on Nusa Funata, the SAN FRANCISCO is ordered to find out what is going on. Once they have confirmed that Nusa Funata is being used to manufacture the deadly biological weapon, the threat must be neutralized. It is exactly the type mission that Hunter had been praying for.

Brewer's Posse: A Western Frontier Adventure


Robert Peecher - 2019
    But watch your back, because not everyone is riding for justice. Get it now!

The Lion and the Leopard (The Lion and the Leopard Trilogy, #3)


Brian Duncan - 2016
    "The Lion and the Leopard" takes place during the Great 1914-18 War when German forces invaded Nyasaland, Northern Rhodesia and Portuguese East Africa. Martin Russell ("The Settler") and his step-daughter, Clare, travel to the war front, while the Spaight family (Alan, from "Lake of Slaves", and his son Drew, and daughters Mandy and Kirsty) are also drawn into the conflict. A young British officer falls in love with Mandy, but she finds her true love elsewhere. Kirsty's friend, a Britsh naval reservist, joins the gunboat flotilla on Lake Tanganyika. The Chilembwe Uprising in Nyasaland provides an unwelcome distraction early in the war. The loves and tragedies in the families unfold during the long and bitter campaign.