Books like 'It Wasn't Always Like This'
Readers who enjoyed It Wasn't Always Like This by Joy Preble & Jennifer Grace also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy romance mystery action / adventure supernatural historical-fiction time-travel suspense magical-realism
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An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsA new Outlander novel — the seventh — from #1 National Bestselling author Diana Gabaldon.Readers have been waiting with bated breath for the seventh volume in bestselling author Diana Gabaldon’s epic Outlander saga — a masterpiece of historical fiction featuring Jamie and Claire, from one of the genre’s most popular and beloved authors...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal suspense time-travel action-adventure adult -
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:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal suspense time-travel action-adventure adult -
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 56 ratingsThe past may seem the safest place to be . . . but it is the most dangerous time to be alive. . . . Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1743, and it took them twenty years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal suspense time-travel action-adventure adult -
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsFrom the author of the breathtaking bestsellers Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, the extraordinary saga continues.Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser... -
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Благословение небожителей, том 1 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù, Мосян Тунсю
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsВ незапамятные времена Се Лянь был наследным принцем государства Сяньлэ. Судьба одарила его всем: прекрасным ликом, чистыми помыслами и бесконечной любовью своих подданных. И если уж кому-то и было предначертано стать Божеством, то именно Его Высочеству.Однако удержаться на Небесах оказалось для него не так просто. Се Лянь возносился дважды и дважды был изгнан на землю... -
The Lady of the Loch by Elena Collins
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratings‘Although I believe I will die here in this castle, my spirit will never be silent.’Ravenscraig Castle, Scotland. 1307When the castle she works in is sacked by the army of Prince Edward of England, kitchen maid Agnes Fitzgerald manages to escape north of Inverness to throw herself at the mercy of the Lord and Lady at Ravenscraig Castle...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal magical-realism suspense romance historical fiction mystery -
The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, Janos Farkas
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 72 ratingsThe year is 1771, and war is coming. Jamie Fraser’s wife tells him so. Little as he wishes to, he must believe it, for hers is a gift of dreadful prophecy—a time-traveler’s certain knowledge...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal suspense time-travel action-adventure adult -
Den of Wolves by Juliet Marillier
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsThe “powerful and emotionally-charged” fantasy series from the author of the Sevenwaters novels continues, as Blackthorn and Grim face haunting secrets and old adversaries... Feather bright and feather fine, None shall harm this child of mine... Healer Blackthorn knows all too well the rules of her bond to the fey: seek no vengeance, help any who ask, do only good... -
Storm Moon Rising by T.J. Green
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShifters are dying. It’s time to hunt.Wolf shifters fight hard, and play harder, and no one does this better than Maverick Hale, the Alpha of the Storm Moon Pack in London.However, when one of his team is found dead in his club, he needs answers—fast... -
The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsThe #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of NightBringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal suspense time-travel action-adventure audiobook -
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsA curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love, in this heartwarming and enchanting fantasy.Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism myths paranormal action-adventure audiobook book -
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 102 ratingsA Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal time-travel action-adventure audiobook book -
A Trail of Fire by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFour extraordinary stories featuring characters from the bestselling OUTLANDER series. In Lord John and the Plague of Zombies Lord John Grey is posted to Jamaica to assist the Governor as he faces a most unusual kind of uprising among the colony's slave population...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal suspense time-travel 20th-century action-adventure adult -
The Space Between by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsJoan MacKimmie is on her way to Paris to take up her vocation as a nun. Yet her decision is less a matter of faith than fear, for Joan is plagued by mysterious voices that speak of the future, and by visions that mark those about to die. The sanctuary of the nunnery promises respite from these unwanted visitations . . . or so she prays...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal suspense time-travel action-adventure adult audiobook -
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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 magic paranormal time-travel action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDead wizards, stolen enchantments, and broken promises force a young spellbreaker out of the shadows in the next thrilling installment of the Spellbreaker series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.England, 1895. An unsolved series of magician murders and opus thefts isn’t a puzzle to Elsie Camden... -
A Castle in the Air by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPortia Hastings has spent her life rescuing her younger sister from one scrape or another. Now, she has to step through time to do it, following Miranda from the nineteenth century to the eighteenth. Almost immediately, Portia is beset by highwaymen, which might be the most exciting thing to happen to her in a long time, even if she’d never admit it... -
Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsA brand new novel in the beloved world of Sevenwaters, a fantasy series that should appeal to "Lord of the Rings" fans (VOYA). The chieftains of Sevenwaters have long been custodians of a vast and mysterious forest. Human and Otherworld dwellers have existed there side by side, sharing a wary trust...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal suspense action-adventure alpha-mc audiobook -
Marking Time by April White
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSeventeen-year-old tagger Saira Elian can handle anything... a mother who mysteriously disappears, a stranger who stalks her around London, and even the noble English Grandmother who kicked Saira and her mother out of the family... -
The Dark by Marianne Curley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEthan and Isabel, heroes from The Named, are on a more exciting journey than ever and are joined by Isabel's brother Matt, who is still getting accustomed to life in the Guard. Arkarian, their ageless mentor, has been kidnapped and sent by the Goddess of Chaos to a frighteningly dark underworld...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal suspense time-travel action-adventure alternate-history -
The Key by Marianne Curley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe battle to protect the future is coming to an end as the evil Order of Chaos launches their final attack on the Named. To defeat the Order, the Named must locate the Key to a treasury of weapons hidden somewhere in the ancient city of Atlantis. The race is on to capture the Key before a horde of undead soldiers find it...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal suspense time-travel action-adventure alternate-history -
Legendary by Stephanie Garber
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 76 ratingsA heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism myths paranormal action-adventure audiobook book -
Forgetting to Remember by M.J. Rose
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDiscover a spellbinding love story in this dazzling time-travel adventure from the NYT bestselling author of The Last Tiara, M.J. Rose...Categorized as:
historical-fiction time-travel magical-realism paranormal suspense romance fantasy fiction -
Hidden in the Mists by Christina Courtenay
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA love forged in fire lives on through the ages . . .Skye Logan has been struggling to run her remote farm on Scotland's west coast alone ever since her marriage fell apart. When a handsome stranger turns up looking for work, it seems that her wish for help has been granted.Rafe Carlisle is searching for peace and somewhere he can forget about the last few years...Categorized as:
historical-fiction time-travel myths paranormal europe scandinavia historical fiction -
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Unseen by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLibrarian Sebastian Rath and his lover Vesper Rune are tasked with seeking and containing the evil Books of the Bound. But one of the Books has been freed from its prison—and is in the hands of a killer.As more bodies turn up, Sebastian finds himself tempted to use forbidden magic to locate the Book and stop the murderer...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal suspense action-adventure adult book cosmic-horror -
The Prisoner's Key by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIndia's study into the language of spells is interrupted by the arrest of her teacher for an unpaid debt. Before Matt can repay it for him, the powerful magician escapes from his prison cell. To make matters worse, the moneylender is murdered and the magician is implicated...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal action-adventure audiobook book fiction -
The Cheater's Game by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe arrival of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in London brings trouble. When the sharpshooter who beats Willie at poker is murdered, Matt and India investigate. Willie is convinced the victim cheated, but no one knows how until India discovers his secret - he was a paper magician. When their list of suspects grows to include a member of the mysterious magic Collector's Club, they uncover a spy...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal action-adventure audiobook book female-author -
The Journal of a Thousand Years by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn ancient family diary. A timely prophecy. An epic conclusion.As Sylvia prepares to meet Gabe’s parents for the first time, the last thing she needs is for her long-lost father to cause trouble. While his answers to her questions finally bring clarity, they also usher in danger.But that's not all her elusive father brings into Sylvia's life...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal magical-realism suspense romance fantasy mystery -
The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSemele Cavnow appraises antiquities for an exclusive Manhattan auction house, deciphering ancient texts—and when she discovers a manuscript written in the time of Cleopatra, she knows it will be the find of her career. Its author tells the story of a priceless tarot deck, now lost to history, but as Semele delves further, she realizes the manuscript is more than it seems...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism myths paranormal suspense time-travel 21st-century -
Tower of Thorns by Juliet Marillier
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsAward-winning author Juliet Marillier’s “lavishly detailed”* Blackthorn & Grim series continues as a mysterious creature holds an enchanted and imperiled ancient Ireland in thrall. Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn’s bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism myths paranormal suspense action-adventure audiobook -
The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsNicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes glimpses those who have owned it before. When a woman arrives with a small wooden carving at the gallery Nicola works at, she can see the object’s history and knows that it was named after the Firebird—the mythical creature from an old Russian fable...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal suspense time-travel 20th-century 21st-century -
Spellbound After Midnight by Jenna Collett
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA spellbinding mystery leads an unlikely pair on the hunt for a killer.Tessa Daniels needs a miracle. Preferably, the kind that comes with cold hard cash. Her magic shop is failing, and she'll be tossed into the street unless she clears her debt.When a financial boon arrives in the form of a young woman determined to attend the prince's ball, a risky spell turns out to be the miracle she needed... -
Rook by William Ritter
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis standalone adventure set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Jackaby series brims with humor, heart, and—of course—a hefty dose of supernatural mayhem. Abigail Rook never intended to be the mortal bridge between the human and supernatural world...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal magical-realism magic fantasy mystery young-adult historical -
The Mummy by Max Allan Collins, Stephen Sommers
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBased on the Universal Studios major motion picture starring Brendan Fraser!Rick O'Connell, dashing American and legionnaire, is in Egypt looking for a good time. His discovery of the Lost City of the Dead is a fluke—but to British librarian Evelyn Carnahan it's the archaeological find of the century. The city contains all the treasures of Egypt and possibly the secrets of life and death... -
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The Kidnapper's Accomplice by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTo investigate the source of gossip about Cyclops, Willie does the unthinkable – she dons a dress. However her plan goes awry when she’s kidnapped by a disgruntled magician with the power to detonate gunpowder at will. The magician forces India and Matt to race all over London in the hunt for her before the bombs go off...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal suspense action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Imposter's Inheritance by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA sordid scandal rocks the Glass household and threatens to ruin Matt's family unless he can suppress it. But after word gets out, and a rare magical coronet is stolen, he and India find themselves scrambling to recover the heirloom and suppress the gossip before reputations are ruined...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal action-adventure audiobook book fiction -
In Pursuit of the Green Lion by Judith Merkle Riley
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe unforgettable Margaret of Ashbury returns in the second book of the trilogy that began with A Vision of Light.Margaret, a resourceful midwife, is living with the insufferable relatives of her third husband, Gilbert de Vilers, known as Gregory. She is carving out a life for herself and her daughters despite the hostility and greed of her in-laws...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal suspense action-adventure adult alchemy audiobook -
The Ghosts of Tullybrae House by Veronica Bale
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTHE PATH TO HER DESTINY LIES IN SOLVING A CENTURIES-OLD MYSTERY Emmie Tunstall is in over her head. Not yet thirty, and she’s been hired as curator at Tullybrae House. A three-hundred year old manor in the Scottish Highlands, Tullybrae has more antique and historically significant artefacts than a museum. It will fall to Emmie to inspect, research and catalogue every last one...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal time-travel action-adventure adult book fiction ghosts -
Chainbreaker by Tara Sim
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsClock mechanic Danny Hart knows he's being watched. But by whom, or what, remains a mystery. To make matters worse, clock towers have begun falling in India, though time hasn't Stopped yet. He'd hoped after reuniting with his father and exploring his relationship with Colton, he'd have some time to settle into his new life. Instead, he's asked to investigate the attacks...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal time-travel action-adventure alternate-history asian-mc -
The Ink Master's Silence by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt should be a happy time for India and Matt, but forces beyond their control conspire to ruin their future. A distraction from their troubles comes in the form of murder. When the editor of The Weekly Gazette is killed, controversial journalist and ink magician Oscar Barratt asks India and Matt to investigate... -
Secrets of the Chocolate House by Paula Brackston
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe second novel in a bewitching series "brimming with charm and charisma" that will make "fans of Outlander rejoice!" (Woman's World Magazine)New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston’s The Little Shop of Found Things was called “a page-turner that will no doubt leave readers eager for future series installments” (Publishers Weekly)...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal suspense time-travel action-adventure adult -
Spectred Isle by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsArchaeologist Saul Lazenby has been all but unemployable since his disgrace during the War. Now he scrapes a living working for a rich eccentric who believes in magic. Saul knows it’s a lot of nonsense...except that he begins to find himself in increasingly strange and frightening situations. And at every turn he runs into the sardonic, mysterious Randolph Glyde...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism myths paranormal suspense action-adventure adult -
The Named by Marianne Curley
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsEthan lives a secret life as a Guardian of the Named. Under the guidance of Arkarian, his mentor, and with the help of Isabel, his unlikely but highly capable apprentice, Ethan has become a valued member of this other-worldly corps...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic myths paranormal time-travel 21st-century action-adventure book -
Starcrossed by Allie Therin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen everything they’ve built is threatened, only their bond remains…New York, 1925Psychometric Rory Brodigan’s life hasn’t been the same since the day he met Arthur Kenzie. Arthur’s continued quest to contain supernatural relics that pose a threat to the world has captured Rory’s imagination—and his heart...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic paranormal suspense 20th-century action-adventure adult age-gap -
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Midnight's Master by Donna Grant
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsDefenders against evil. Bound by the gods. The Dark Warriors are taking their battle from ancient Scotland to the modern world—where a woman’s love can set them free…A MYSTERY OUT OF TIMEGwynn Austin has no idea why her father has disappeared on a mysterious trip to Scotland... -
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 75 ratingsPicking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal time-travel action-adventure audiobook book -
How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsIt's the Salem Witch Trials meets Mean Girls in a debut novel from one of the descendants of Cotton Mather, where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past.Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic magical-realism paranormal suspense action-adventure audiobook book -
Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsGet swept away in the romantic fantasy of this national bestselling author's world of Sevenwaters The young seer Sibeal is visiting an island of elite warriors, prior to making her final pledge as a druid. It's there she finds Felix, a survivor of a Viking shipwreck, who's lost his memory. The scholarly Felix and Sibeal form a natural bond... -
Lord John and the Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsDiana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Outlander series, delivers a captivating tale of history and suspense, with a touch of the supernatural, featuring Lord John Grey. This novella, originally published as “Lord John and the Plague of Zombies,” is now available as a standalone eBook...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal suspense time-travel action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Mapmaker's Apprentice by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen an apprentice from the Mapmakers' Guild goes missing, Matt and India are employed to find him. Going undercover as a married couple, they discover that not everyone at the guild is what they seem, and the lad's unearthly maps caused jealousy, suspicion and fear...
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