Books like 'The Reluctant Assassin'
Readers who enjoyed The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical sc-fi action / adventure mystery urban fantasy time-travel historical-fiction steampunk industrial-era crime
-
Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe tenth book in the bestselling Chronicles of St Mary's series which follows a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets as they hurtle their way around History. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor.You can't change History. History doesn't like it. There are always consequences.Max is no stranger to taking matters into her own hands...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal steampunk time-travel -
Hard Time by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsA time slip in Versailles, problems in the Ice Age and illegal time travellers in need of rescue. Must be a job for the Time Police. Luke, Jane and Matthew are back and ready to cause havoc, inadvertently or otherwise, in their latest adventures, moving towards the end of their grunt work and towards becoming fully fledged Time Police officers...Categorized as:
crime friendship historical-fiction humor time-travel action-adventure adult alternate-history -
An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsBehind the seemingly innocuous facade of St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, a different kind of academic work is taking place. Just don’t call it “time travel”―these historians “investigate major historical events in contemporary time.” And they aren’t your harmless eccentrics either; a more accurate description, as they ricochet around history, might be unintentional disaster-magnets...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal steampunk time-travel -
Plan for the Worst by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe eleventh book in the bestselling Chronicles of St Mary's series. If you love Jasper Fforde, Ben Aaronovitch or Doctor Who, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor.You know what they say. Hope for the best. But plan for the worst.Catch up with the tea-soaked disaster magnets in their latest madcap adventure as they hurtle their way around History...Categorized as:
dystopia friendship historical-fiction humor paranormal time-travel action-adventure adult -
-
Christmas Past by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe First Farrell Family Christmas Max, Leon and Matthew - together at last for Christmas at St Mary's - a time of conspicuous consumption, riotous misbehaviour and the traditional illegal Christmas jump. And this time, it's inter-generational... -
A (Non) Comprehensive Guide to Sea Serpents by A.J. Sherwood
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsTwo new apprentices. One charming engineer. A potential battle with both sea serpents and evil sorcerers.When Sorcerer Adrien Danvers takes on a job that leads him into the slums of England, he never imagined he’d end up with not one, but two apprentices. Despite his doubts in himself, he’s the only chance the two pre-teens have to escape their hellish life... -
Another Time, Another Place by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 27 ratings'A great mix of British properness and humour with a large dollop of historical fun' ***** BOOK 12 IN THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING CHRONICLES OF ST MARY'S SERIESFor fans of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club, Jasper Fforde and Doctor Who.---'It's time, Max.' And so, a whole new chapter opens up...It's long been known that if a thing can go wrong, it will. With knobs on, usually...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship historical-fiction humor time-travel action-adventure adult alpha-mc -
The Great St Mary's Day Out by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEveryone deserves to get away for a bit. Even the miscreants at St Mary's. Astonishingly, Dr Bairstow has declared a holiday. Even more astonishingly - he's paying for it. Needless to say, there are strings attached. They have to record the 1601 performance of Hamlet, with Shakespeare himself in the role of the Ghost. It doesn't go well, of course...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal steampunk time-travel action-adventure adult -
The Long and the Short of it by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFollow the disaster magnets of St Mary's as they hurtle around history! The ninth book in The Chronicles of St Mary's Series collects the bestselling short stories in print for the first time. When a Child is Born - A jump back to 1066 to witness the coronation of William the Conqueror goes slightly astray... -
No Time Like The Past by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe fifth book in the bestselling British madcap time-travelling series, served with a dash of wit that seems to be everyone’s cup of tea.Behind the seemingly innocuous facade of St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, a different kind of academic work is taking place. Just don’t call it “time travel”—these historians “investigate major historical events in contemporary time...Categorized as:
dystopia female-mc friendship historical-fiction humor paranormal time-travel action-adventure -
The Steam-Pump Jump by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsNot one to let being banged up in Sick Bay stop her, Max has had a brilliant idea. But she needs Markham to execute it on her behalf. The subject of this cunning plan is Peterson, struggling with another bereavement and not doing very well. What’s needed to get him through it is sympathy, sensitivity, tact and understanding.Step forward Mr Markham, for whom sympathy, sensitivity, etc...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal steampunk time-travel action-adventure adult -
A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsSt Mary’s is back and is facing a battle to survive in this, the fourth instalment of the Chronicles. Max and Leon are re-united and looking forward to a peaceful lifetime together. But, sadly, they don’t even make it to lunchtime...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship historical-fiction humor paranormal time-travel action-adventure adult -
A Matter of Secrets and Spies by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHow many ways can a marriage proposal go wrong?One: the ring gets stolenTwo: a storm destroys the beachThree: a dead body, seriously?Four: A THEFT RING?!Come hell or highwater, he WILL propose before leaving this benighted island... -
Reticence by Gail Carriger
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsBookish and proper Percival Tunstell finds himself out of his depth when floating cities, spirited plumbing, and soggy biscuits collide in this delightful conclusion to NYT bestselling author Gail Carriger's The Custard Protocol series.Percival Tunstell loves that his sister and her best friend are building themselves a family of misfits aboard their airship, The Spotted Custard...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk victorian -
-
Roman Holiday by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAnother rollicking short story from the Chronicles of St Mary’s author Jodi Taylor. Question: What sort of idiot installs his mistress in his wife’s house? Especially when that mistress is Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, Queen of Egypt and the most notorious woman of her time? Answer: Julius Caesar – poised to become King of Rome. Or as good as...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal steampunk time-travel action-adventure -
The Kraken King by Meljean Brook
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA former smuggler and thief, Ariq-better known as the Kraken King-doesn't know what to make of the clever, mysterious woman he rescues from an airship besieged by marauders. Unsure if she's a spy or a pawn in someone else's game, Ariq isn't about to let her out of his sight until he finds out...Categorized as:
dystopia female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal steampunk victorian -
To Catch A Rogue by Bec McMaster
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn impossible heist. A thief and a rogue. But will she steal his heart, instead?The Company of Rogues finally knows the identity of the mastermind behind a plot against the queen—but their enemy is still one step ahead of them. When he kidnaps one of theirs, the Rogues plan a daring rescue mission that will lead them into the heart of the bloodthirsty Crimson Court... -
Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsIf one must flirt...flirt with danger. Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored, and now she's not sure whom to trust...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc friendship high-school historical-fiction humor industrial-era magic -
When a Child is Born by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt's Christmas Day 1066 and a team from St Mary's is going to witness the coronation of William the Conqueror. Or so they think. However, History seems to have different plans for them and when Max finds herself delivering a child in a peasant's hut, she can't help wondering what History is up to...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal steampunk time-travel action-adventure -
A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBook Two in the madcap time-travel series based at the St Mary's Institute of Historical Research that seems to be everyone's cup of tea...Categorized as:
crime female-mc friendship historical-fiction humor paranormal time-travel 21st-century -
Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsSophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style—with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey stowaway on a train to return their classmate Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc friendship high-school historical-fiction humor industrial-era magic -
Defy or Defend by Gail Carriger
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsA vampire hive descending into madness. A beautiful spy with a sparkly plan. The bodyguard who must keep them from killing each other.New York Times bestselling romantic comedy author Gail Carriger brings you a charming story of love, espionage, and Gothic makeovers set in her popular Parasolverse...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal political-intrigue steampunk -
Ferromancer by Becca Andre
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSolutions aren’t always black and white—sometimes they come in shades of iron gray.Captain Bridget “Briar” Rose wants for nothing. Each day is a new adventure, living the life she loves, running cargo on the Ohio & Erie Canal. That is, until her cousin decides to sell the family boat to finance a new business venture...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk action-adventure alpha-mc -
The Infinity Cage by Alex Scarrow
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsLiam O'Connor should have died at sea in 1912. Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010. Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026. But all three have been given a second chance - to work for an agency that no one knows exists. Its purpose: to prevent time travel destroying history . . . The end is approaching for the TimeRiders... -
-
Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsDoes one need four fully grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully grown guests?Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy--won't Mumsy be surprised? Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an... -
Meat Cute: The Hedgehog Incident by Gail Carriger
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA Parasol Protectorate Prequel ShortFrom the comedic mind of New York Times bestseller Gail Carriger comes the much requested prequel short story to Soulless.Alexia Tarabotti attends what appears to be a very dull London party, until the new werewolf Alpha turns up, is unconscionably rude to her, and sits on a hedgehog...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk victorian -
Romancing the Werewolf by Gail Carriger
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWerewolf in trouble... Biffy, newly minted Alpha of the London Pack, is not having a good Christmas. His Beta abandoned him, his werewolves object to his curtain choices, and someone keeps leaving babies on his doorstep.Professor Randolph Lyall returns home to London after twenty years abroad, afraid of what he might find...Categorized as:
friendship historical-fiction humor industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk victorian -
Of Silk and Steam by Bec McMaster
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEnemies. Allies. Lovers.When her beloved father was assassinated, Lady Aramina swore revenge. The man responsible is well beyond her grasp, but his dangerously seductive heir, Leo Barrons, is fair game. When Mina obtains evidence proving that Leo is illegitimate, she has the means to destroy both the killer and his son, a man who troubles her heart and tempts her body... -
Timeless by Gail Carriger
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsAlexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Until, that is, she receives a summons that cannot be ignored...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk victorian action-adventure -
The Very First Damned Thing by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEver wondered how it all began?It’s two years since the final victory at the Battersea Barricades. The fighting might be finished, but for Dr Bairstow, just now setting up St Mary's, the struggle is only beginning...Categorized as:
dystopia historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal steampunk time-travel action-adventure -
My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDetermined to destroy the Echelon she despises, Rosalind Fairchild is on seemingly easy mission. Get in. Uncover the secrets of her brother's disappearance. And get out.In order to infiltrate the Nighthawks and find their leader, Sir Jasper Lynch, Rosalind will pose as their secretary... -
Dukes Are Forever by Bec McMaster
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA compromising situation forced him into marriage. But has his wife been working for the enemy all along?In a steam-fuelled world where vampires once ruled the aristocracy, the Duke of Malloryn knows his nemesis, Lord Balfour, has finally returned to enact his plans of revenge...Categorized as:
assassins crime espionage historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal political-intrigue -
Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDisturbing the Dead is the latest in a unique series with one foot in the 1890s and the other in the present day. The A Rip Through Time crime novels are a genre-blending, atmospheric romp from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson...Categorized as:
time-travel historical-fiction paranormal crime industrial-era victorian friendship romance -
From London, With Love by Bec McMaster
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWith London finally at peace, there is only one threat remaining to the stability of the monarchy... The queen is without an heir.Queen Alexandra is done with marriage, but as always, the Duke of Malloryn has a plan. With Malloryn insisting upon an heir for the realm, Alexandra reluctantly agrees to accept a husband... -
-
Cold Stone & Ivy: The Ghost Club by H. Leighton Dickson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJack the Ripper gave her his heart. Now he wants it back. The year is 1888, the clockwork British Empire is crumbling and young writer Ivy Savage has literally received a heart in the post. Terrified, her father sends her north to a strange sanitarium in Lancashire where the brilliant but unpredictable “Mad Lord of Lasingstoke” makes his home...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk victorian action-adventure -
This Strange and Familiar Place by Rachel Carter
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTHESE ARE THE THINGS of which Lydia is now certain:The Montauk Project has been experimenting with time travel for years.The Project's subjects are "recruits" from across time, recruits like Wes, Lydia's ally, friend, and love.The Project is now responsible for the disappearance of two members of her family...And they're coming for Lydia next...Categorized as:
dystopia historical-fiction paranormal time-travel action-adventure book fiction forbidden-love -
Sojourn by Jana Oliver
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLondon, September 1888. An aged Queen Victoria rules. The threat of anarchy hovers in the air. A new kind of evil lurks in the back alleys of Whitechapel. Enter Jacynda Lassiter, a Time Rover on a mission find an overdue tourist' and return him to 2057 before he changes history. Victorian London is a dangerous place for the unwary... -
You Only Love Twice by Bec McMaster
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWith the clock ticking down, the Company of Rogues must find a deadly killer and stop them from assassinating the Queen... before London burns. First rule of espionage: don't ever fall in love with your target.Five years ago, Gemma Townsend learned the hard way what happens when you break this rule. She lost everything. Her mentor's trust. The man she loved. And almost her life...Categorized as:
assassins crime dystopia espionage historical-fiction industrial-era paranormal political-intrigue -
Peacemaker by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHalf-breed tinkerer Kali McAlister doesn’t care that the gold rush has stormed into Dawson and prospectors are flooding the north—all she wants is to finish construction of her airship, so she can escape the Yukon and see the world... -
A Lady of Spirit by Shelley Adina
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsYou can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your family … or can you? Under normal circumstances, Maggie and Lizzie would be delighted to meet their long-lost relatives and be reunited with those who had believed them dead, but when are the Mopsies’ circumstances ever to be considered normal? With her half-brother Claude Seacombe, Lizzie travels to Cornwall to meet her mother’s parents... -
Nero's Fiddle by A.W. Exley
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOne death by spontaneous human combustion is a rare act of God. Two... is surely a freakish coincidence. Three... well, that's starting to look deliberate. Cara has a new role as Queen Victoria's artifact hunter, she's adapting to married life and living in a country manor that more closely resembles a mausoleum...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk victorian action-adventure -
Hunted by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSelf-taught tinkerer Kali McAlister is determined to build an airship and escape the frigid Yukon forever. Unfortunately, she’s the heir to the secrets of flash gold, an alchemical energy source that tends to make her a popular target for bandits, gangsters, and pirates... -
Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsXandra Vardan thought life would be simpler when she accepted the goblin crown and became their queen, but life has only become more complicated. Everyone -- vampires, werewolves and humans -- wants the goblins on their side, because whoever has the goblins -- wins... -
The Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAnd then she mouthed a word at me—an unmistakable word that told me everything I needed to know. “Checkmate.”Evaline Stoker & Mina Holmes have reluctantly agreed to act as social chaperones and undercover bodyguards for Princess Lurelia of Betrovia, who has arrived in London to deliver a letter that details the secret location of an ancient chess queen that’s been missing for centuries...Categorized as:
crime friendship high-school historical-fiction industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk -
-
The Queen Is Dead by Kate Locke
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsNothing lasts forever---and immortality isn't all its cracked up to be.When her brother Val gets in over his head in an investigation of Half-Blood disappearances and goes missing himself, it's up to Xandra, newly crowned Goblin Queen, to get him back and bring the atrocities to light... -
Evernight by Kristen Callihan
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOnce the night comes . . .Will Thorne is living a nightmare, his sanity slowly being drained away by a force he can't control. His talents have made him the perfect assassin for hire. But as he loses his grip on reality, there is no calming him—until he finds his next target: the mysterious Holly Evernight.Love must cast aside the shadows . .Categorized as:
assassins female-mc historical-fiction industrial-era magic paranormal political-intrigue steampunk -
Forged by Desire by Bec McMaster
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA fear she can't escape....Nine years ago, Perry fled her thrall contract to find sanctuary among the Nighthawks. In that time, she's become a respected member of the Guard, and she's wanted Garrett Reed for as long as she can remember. But when a new case takes a chillingly familiar turn, Perry finds herself once again in the path of a madman...only this time, there's nowhere left to run...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era paranormal political-intrigue steampunk -
Competence by Gail Carriger
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger comes the delightful sequel to Imprudence.Accidentally abandoned!All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.When she uncovers rumors of a new kind of vampire, Prim and the Custard crew embark on a mission to Peru...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk victorian -
Time's Divide by Rysa Walker
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Cyrists are swiftly moving into position to begin the Culling, and Kate’s options are dwindling. With each jump to the past or the future, Kate may trigger a new timeline shift. Worse, the loyalties of those around her—including the allegiances of Kiernan and the Fifth Column, the shadowy group working with Kate—are increasingly unclear... -
Time's Edge by Rysa Walker
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsTo stop her sadistic grandfather, Saul, and his band of time travelers from rewriting history, Kate must race to retrieve the CHRONOS keys before they fall into the Cyrists' hands. If she jumps back in time and pulls the wrong key--one that might tip off the Cyrists to her strategy--her whole plan could come crashing down, jeopardizing the future of millions of innocent people...Categorized as:
crime dystopia female-mc historical-fiction magic paranormal time-travel action-adventure
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.