Books like 'The Dagger and the Cross'
Readers who enjoyed The Dagger and the Cross by Judith Tarr also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsA Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book drama -
The Topaz Brooch by Katherine Lowry Logan
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn 1814, I took a little trip... Due to the subject matter (pirates and war), this story contains violence, sexually explicit scenes, and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Starring Rick O’Grady and Billie Malone, with David and Kenzie, Pete and Sophia, and introducing Cajun Remy Benoit and special guest stars General Andrew Jackson and the pirate Jean Lafitte...Categorized as:
historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book british-isles europe -
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsBy scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making.Then he drags a naive young guard into the center of the political maelstrom. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but his contempt for Eugenides slowly turns to grudging respect...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book children disability -
The King's Traitor by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAgainst all odds, Owen Kiskaddon grew from frightened boy to confident youth to trusted officer in the court of Kingfountain—and watched its regent, Severn Argentine, grow ever more ruthless and power-mad. Robbed of his beloved protector, his noble mentor, and his true love, Owen has anticipated the day when the king he fears and reviles, yet loyally serves, will be toppled...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure alternate-history arthurian audiobook book coming-of-age -
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Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It's inhabited by the race that rose from the seed of angels, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child. Her bond was purchased by a nobleman who recognized that she was pricked by Kushiel's dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction spirituality action-adventure adult alpha-mc alternate-history angels -
The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe sequel to the critically acclaimed The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, The Words of Kings and Prophets is the powerful new historical fantasy novel by Shauna Lawless.Ireland, 1000 AD. Gormflaith is unhappily married to Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, and although a queen she struggles with her limited position... -
Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsHaving learned a lesson about thwarting the will of the gods, Imriel and Sidonie publicly confess their affair, only to see the country boil over in turmoil. Younger generations, infatuated by their heart-twisting, star-cross romance, defend the couple... -
The Thief's Daughter by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsA Wall Street Journal bestseller Owen Kiskaddon first came to the court of the formidable King Severn as a prisoner, winning favor with the stormy monarch by masquerading as a boy truly blessed by the Fountain...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction spirituality action-adventure alternate-history arthurian audiobook book -
Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsMighty Kushiel, of rod and wealLate of the brazen portalsWith blood-tipp'd dart a wound unhealedPricks the eyen of chosen mortalsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The inhabiting race rose from the seed of angels and men, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction spirituality action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book dark -
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings... -
Champions of Time by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsApril 1294. With David returned from Ireland and Anna from Avalon, the time has come to confront the traitors who sought to assassinate David and take his throne.But before that can happen, David is tested yet again by his inability to account for everything or everyone in his life--and especially the magic that surrounds him...Categorized as:
historical-fiction action-adventure alternate-history book fiction high-fantasy historical medieval -
Dragons Beyond the Pale by Maria Grace
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSmugglers. A kidnapping. A fire-breathing fairy dragon? The Blue Order is falling apart at the seams.After months in Bath mentoring Dragon Keepers and Friends, Dragon Sage Elizabeth Darcy actually anticipates traveling to London for the Keeper’s Cotillion. Which says a great deal considering the she-dragons who make up the Cotillion board would very much like to show the Sage her proper place...Categorized as:
historical-fiction romance fantasy dragons industrial-era regency fiction action-adventure -
Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsMy blood beat hard in my veins and hammered in my ears, like the sound of bronze wings clashing. And I understand for the first time what it meant that Kushiel, the One God's punisher, had loved his charges too well...Imriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, while his adoptive parents, Phèdre and Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history angels audiobook book -
The Forbidden by Lori Holmes
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe unforgettable story of one woman’s perilous journey to save, The Forbidden. Rebaa’s adopted tribe lies slaughtered behind her. Rebaa’s lover, Juran, lays down his life for hers and now she must use all of her cunning and extraordinary powers to survive the inhospitable wilderness alone, ensuring that Juran’s sacrifice was not in vain. But Rebaa’s battle for survival has only just begun..Categorized as:
historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history book fiction historical magic -
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A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBased on the troubadour culture that rose in Provence during the High Middle Ages, this panoramic, absorbing novel beautifully creates an alternate version of the medieval world...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
Bright We Burn by Kiersten White
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsHaunted by the sacrifices he made in Constantinople, Radu is called back to the new capital. Mehmed is building an empire, becoming the sultan his people need. But Mehmed has a secret: as emperor, he is more powerful than ever . . . and desperately lonely. Does this mean Radu can finally have more with Mehmed . . -
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsRevengeWhen Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, stole Hamiathes's Gift, the Queen of Attolia lost more than a mythical relic. She lost face. Everyone knew that Eudenides had outwitted and escaped her. To restore her reputation and reassert her power, the Queen of Attolia will go to any length and accept any help that is offered... she will risk her country to execute the perfect revenge...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book children disability -
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsImriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phèdre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions.Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty, and desire...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age -
Miss Bennet's Dragon by M. Verant
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRoyal Dragonfly Award Winner for Fantasy. Foreword INDIE Finalist for Fantasy.An unforgettable fantasy retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that is romantic, funny, and more relevant than ever.Elizabeth Bennet is hiding a forbidden power. She can speak to draca, the fire-breathing creatures kept as status symbols by English gentry. If only Mr...Categorized as:
historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history book dragons drama female-mc -
Tempting Fate by April White
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Clocker, Saira Elian is back on the run and being hunted by Mongers. The Descendants of War are amassing power in the 21st century, bent on controlling all the Immortal Descendants. Their attempt to kidnap Saira, a rare Descendant of Time and Nature, reveals just how brazen they’ve become...Categorized as:
historical-fiction action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book fiction historical magic -
Winter Sun by Hollee Mands
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsHe’d do anything to keep her safe...except give her up.Declan lost her once. Never again. He is an archmage. Fearsome. Terrible. Divine. Yet deadly whispers dare echo in his ear. None more threatening than those of his still-incomplete mate bond and his love’s failing health. In a twist of irony, he must now protect his mate from the greatest danger she's ever faced...Himself... -
Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsReturning to Terre d'Ange, Moirin finds the royal family broken. Wracked by unrelenting grief at the loss of his wife, Queen Jehanne, King Daniel is unable to rule. Prince Thierry, leading an expedition to explore the deadly jungles of Terra Nova, is halfway across the world...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history angels audiobook bisexuality -
The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this magical tale of self-discovery from New York Times bestselling author Carrie Vaughn, a young widow taps into the power that will change the world—if the man’s world she lives in doesn’t destroy her and her newfound friends first.In the summer of 1880, the death of Beth Stanley’s husband puts her life’s work in jeopardy...Categorized as:
historical-fiction romance fantasy fiction magical-realism historical magic alternate-history -
The Pen and the Sword by Olan Thorensen
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsDestiny’s Crucible: Joe Colsco boarded a flight from San Francisco to Chicago to attend a national chemistry meeting. Through a freak accident, he never sets foot on Earth again. He is unaware he has been poured into a crucible, where time and trials will transform him in ways unimagined, and that will send him and his descendants to a destiny beyond one planet...Categorized as:
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The House of the Red Balconies by A.J. Demas
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHylas has come to Tykanos to build an aqueduct. He has not come to enjoy the island’s main attraction: the six houses where the companions of Tykanos, courtesans both female and male, offer tea and elegant conversation. Yet he cannot ignore them as he finds himself renting a room in one of the tea houses and meeting his neighbour, the beautiful, chronically ill companion Zo... -
Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsJacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of the Kushiel's Legacy series, delivers book two in her new lushly imagined trilogy featuring daughter of Alba, Moirin.Far from the land of her birth, Moirin sets out across Tatar territory to find Bao, the proud and virile Ch'in fighter who holds the missing half of her diadh-anam, the divine soul-spark of her mother's people...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook bisexuality book -
Storm from the East by Joanna Hathaway
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBattles, revolution, and romance collide in Joanna Hathaway's stunning, World Wars-inspired sequel to Dark of the WestPart war drama, part romance, Storm from the East is the second novel in Joanna Hathaway’s immersive, upmarket YA fantasy series that will appeal to readers of Sabaa Tahir, Marie Rutkoski, and Evelyn Skye... -
Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsI lean forward, pushing my body out past the battlements. The wind plucks at my cloak, buffets against me, as if it would carry me off in flight, just like the birds or the knight's soul. Let go, it cries, I will take you far, far away. I want to laugh at the exhilarating feeling, I will catch you, it whistles seductively.The convent has returned Sybella to a life that nearly drove her mad... -
Magdalen Rising: The Beginning by Elizabeth Cunningham
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsYoung Magdalen and Jesus, brimming with youthful charm and arrogance, find each other and fall in love, forging a bond that is stronger than death. Their pleasure is overshadowed by a brilliant but unbalanced druid who knows a perilous secret about Maeve’s past. The prequel to The Passion of Mary Magdalen... -
Radical by Colleen Cowley
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWomen have no ability to cast spells. That's what wizards have said for generations—and it's a lie.In this second book of the Clandestine Magic trilogy, Beatrix Harper wants to expose that lie to protect her sister's life. Her desperate plan: Train tens of thousands of women in secret, then shock the nation with a display of their magic...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction adult alternate-history audiobook book dystopia fantasy-of-manners -
The Winter Garden by Nicola Cornick
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSweeping across generations from the 1600s to the present day and inspired by the true story of the leader of the infamous Gunpowder Plot, Nicola Cornick’s latest historical mystery combines past and present story lines that fans of Philippa Gregory and Susanna Kearsley will devour.1605: Anne Catesby fears for her family...Categorized as:
historical-fiction historical fiction mystery audiobook magical-realism suspense womens-fiction -
The Glamourist by Luanne G. Smith
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsA spellbinding novel of bloodlines, self-discovery, and redemption by the author of the Washington Post bestseller The Vine Witch.Abandoned as a child in turn-of-the-century Paris, Yvette Lenoir has longed to uncover the secrets of her magical heritage and tap her suppressed powers. But what brave and resourceful Yvette has done to survive the streets has made her a fugitive...Categorized as:
historical-fiction alternate-history audiobook book fae female-author fiction historical -
Heavier Than a Mountain by Olan Thorensen
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsBeware of creating your worst enemy. All Joe Colsco wanted out of life was a reasonably interesting job supporting a quiet, comfortable suburban lifestyle, eventually a small family, and time to pursue hobbies. Instead, a freak accident casts him naked onto a beach of another planet inhabited by humans with technology circa 1700...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure adult aliens alternate-history audiobook book -
Heaven's Net Is Wide by Lian Hearn
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe new beginning — and the grand finale to — the beloved Tales of the Otori series.Heaven's Net Is Wide is the new first volume of the now complete Tales of the Otori — prequel to Across the Nightingale Floor, the book that first introduced Hearn's mythical, medieval Japanese world...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book children drama -
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The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEverything she loved is gone.Trapped. Aileana Kameron, the Falconer, disappeared through the fae portal she was trying to close forever. Now she wakes in an alien world of mirrors, magic, and deception—a prisoner of the evil fae Lonnrach, who has a desperate and deadly plan for his new captive.Tortured...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history book dark dystopia -
Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWith the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves... -
Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsOnce there were great magicians born to the Maghuin Dhonn, the folk of the Brown Bear, the oldest tribe in Alba. But generations ago, the greatest of them all broke a sacred oath sworn in the name of all his people. Now only small gifts remain to them. Through her lineage, Moirin possesses such gifts—the ability to summon the twilight and conceal herself, and the skill to coax plants to grow...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure alternate-history audiobook bisexuality book dark -
Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know whether Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her...Categorized as:
historical-fiction alternate-history audiobook book dark-academia fiction gothic historical -
The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAfter spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history audiobook boarding-school book -
The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel, Sandra Burr
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsLibrarian note: See an alternate cover edition here.This unforgettable odyssey into the distant past carries us back to the awesome mysteries of the exotic, primeval world of The Clan of the Cave Bear, and to Ayla, now grown into a beautiful and courageous young woman...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history animals audiobook book -
Storming by K.M. Weiland
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn the high-flying, heady world of 1920s aviation, brash pilot Robert “Hitch” Hitchcock’s life does a barrel roll when a young woman in an old-fashioned ball gown falls from the clouds smack in front of his biplane. As fearless as she is peculiar, Jael immediately proves she’s game for just about anything, including wing-walking in his struggling airshow...Categorized as:
historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history book dieselpunk female-mc fiction -
One Night in Boukos by A.J. Demas
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOn a night when the whole city is looking for love, two foreigners find it in the last place they expected.The famous Psobion festival is about to begin in the city of Boukos, and the ambassador from Zash has gone missing. Marzana, captain of the embassy guard, and Bedar, the ambassador’s long-suffering secretary, hunt for him through the streets and taverns and brothels of Boukos... -
Harbor for the Nightingale by Kathleen Baldwin
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA girl’s spy school amid Jane Austen’s high society . . .London, 1814. Emperor Napoleon has forced Europe to its knees, and now he plots to seize control of Britain. Miss Maya Barrington, one of Miss Stranje’s unusual girls, must act as a double agent and rely upon her uncanny gift of persuasion to stop Napoleon.She brought the mystery of India with her . . .Maya is from two different worlds...Categorized as:
historical-fiction alternate-history book espionage fiction high-school historical industrial-era -
Extra Scenes by S.A. Chakraborty
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn addition to the main trilogy books, there have been a number of alternate, deleted, or extra scenes involving the main characters that have been posted online by the author. Some were pre-order bonuses, fluff written during the Covid-19 quarantine, or old scenes that got cut from the final book script.As a treat for readers in the lead-up to the publication of The Empire of Gold, S.A... -
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The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA royal palace. A closed book. A betrayal that will echo through generations…Windsor, 1940: War rages, and as bombs rain down across Britain, nowhere is safe: not even a royal palace.Secretly tasked with foiling a suspected plot, Sophie Klein is placed in the Royal Library at Windsor castle, where the princesses reside... -
The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsThe Cruel Prince meets The Selection in this captivating duology opener brimming with heart-pounding romance, vicious competition, and beautiful, cruel fae, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith.Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen...Categorized as:
historical-fiction romance fantasy young-adult fae historical fiction alternate-history -
Courting Magic by Stephanie Burgis
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn Kat Stephenson's Regency England, magic is even more shocking than a stolen kiss. But now that she's eighteen, it's time for wild and magical Kat to be introduced to high society by her older sisters, whether she likes it or not...and to finally have a romance of her own!Of course, her true love is hopelessly ineligible...Categorized as:
historical-fiction alternate-history book children fantasy-of-manners fiction gaslamp historical -
The Devil's Diadem by Sara Douglass
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom one of the world's greatest storytellers comes a gripping tale of what hell on Earth truly means ... A foolish monk stole the Devil's favourite diadem and the Devil wants it back.It is mid-twelfth century Europe and Maeb Langtofte joins an aristocratic household to attend Adelie, the wife of the Earl of Pengraic. the earl is a powerful Lord of the Marches, the dark Welsh borderlands...Categorized as:
historical-fiction adult alternate-history arranged-marriage book demons fae female-author -
Noblesse Oblige by Maiwenn Alix
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"Très chers téléspectateurs, bienvenue dans cette nouvelle saison de Noblesse Oblige !"La révolution de 1789 n'ayant pas abouti, la France est dirigée par le Roi Louis XXI. La monarchie autoritaire s'assure néanmoins le soutien du peuple en mettant en scène son faste et sa cour dans des émissions de téléréalité. " Noblesse oblige " est la plus regardée d'entre elles...Categorized as:
historical-fiction romance alternate-history young-adult dystopia fantasy sci-fi fiction -
An Echo in Time: Atlantis by Traci Harding, Edwina Wren
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe narrow stairway inside the mountain led to a door that opened into a huge marble plateau. Upon this stood a stone circle of nine of the largest hunks of polished crystal Tory had ever seen. A turbulent cloud erupted overhead, its core alive with electromagnetic activity...Categorized as:
historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book fiction high-fantasy
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