Books like 'Substance'
Readers who enjoyed Substance by Ashlyn Forge also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical sc-fi romance mlm steampunk industrial-era drama lgbtq
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Dealing with Mapinguari and Dogged Engineers by A.J. Sherwood
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAs Shakespeare once said, the course of true love never did run smooth.Since parting with Adrien after their first case, Hugh Quartermain has committed himself to one he wants Adrien. With the months’ long trip to Brazil ahead of them, Hugh should have no problem confessing, right?The problem is the universe seems determined to thwart Hugh... -
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... -
The Emperor's Bone Palace by Hailey Turner
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEvery heart is meant to break.THE NAMELESS. As a warden, Soren’s duty is to guard against the dead, but he was never trained to guard against his heart. Drawn into a web of Solarian politics, Soren finds himself at the center of a storm of his own making, unwilling to break free if it means losing the man he loves... -
杀破狼 [Sha Po Lang] by Priest
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the age of the Great Liang Dynasty, the lives of the people were made convenient with steam-powered machines that run on a fuel named Violetstream Gold... -
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Out of Time, Into You by Jay Bell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter graduating high school, a freak accident whisks Reggie Valentine back in time to the 1950s where he meets Daniel Parker, a sweet and wholesome guy his grandmother used to date. Reggie learns that Daniel is not only closeted, but unaware that two men can fall in love or even marry... -
Lycans and Legends by Melanie Karsak
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSomeone is trying to assassinate the Queen.After stopping a mysterious preternatural assailant wielding an enchanted dagger, Clemeny is on the hunt. Why is someone after Victoria? To find answers, Clemeny Louvel must travel to the one place she's been avoiding, the Summer Country. Among the mist and standing stones, secrets about her case-and herself-are hiding... -
Can't Help Falling in Love with an Alien by Chloe Archer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRiverWorking for the Alliance is a sci-fi nerd’s dream–aka mine–come true. I’ve even won the heart of my grumpy-sexy alien boyfriend. Nothing can bring me down, baby. I’m walking on freaking sunshine! Except now one of Kai’s douchey AF exes decides to turn up like a bad case of crabs. I don’t trust him one bit. But I’ve got even bigger problems to worry about... -
Mandrake Company by Ruby Lionsdrake
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeven sizzling science-fiction romance novels!If you loved Star Wars and Firefly, but wanted way more romance, this is the series for you...Categorized as:
steampunk industrial-era military audiobook action-adventure paranormal anthologies soldiers -
This Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSergeant Nix Marr is a damn good soldier. She’s also desperate to leave her haunted past deep in the bioluminescent ocean, buried alongside her best friend, Quian. So, when Subarch Kessandra, Valkesh’s favorite royal–and Nix’s loathed ex–requests Nix’s help investigating a massacre in the abyssal city of Fall, Nix refuses. Vehemently.She should have known Kessandra would fight back... -
The Gangster by C.S. Poe
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratings1881—Special Agent Gillian Hamilton, magic caster for the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam, has recovered from injuries obtained while in Shallow Grave, Arizona. Now back in New York City, Gillian makes an arrest on New Year’s Eve that leads to information on a gangster, known only as Tick Tock, who’s perfected utilizing elemental magic ammunition...Categorized as:
industrial-era lgbtq mlm steampunk action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIn this thrilling YA fantasy/mystery duology from award-winning author Katy Pool, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with one of the most powerful nobles in Caraza City to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother's disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron... -
The Chronothon by Nathan Van Coops
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsRun from the past. Run from the future. Run for your lives. He’s a novice time traveler in a big universe.Ben just wants time with the scientist’s daughter who got him into this, but when he’s rooked into competing in a chronothon–an Amazing Race through time–getting the girl means he’ll need to make the finish line... -
The Jackal’s House by Anna Butler
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSequel to The Gilded ScarabSomething is stalking the Aegyptian night and endangering the archaeologists excavating the mysterious temple ruins in Abydos. But is it a vengeful ancient spirit or a very modern conspiracy…... -
Wingmen by Ensan Case
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJack Hardigan's Hellcat fighter squadron blew the Japanese Zekes out of the blazing Pacific skies. But a more subtle kind of hell was brewing in his feelings for rookie pilot Fred Trusteau... -
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Ride the Whirlwind by Jackie North
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSoulmates across time. Two hearts, stronger together. In present day, Maxton is good at finding trouble and bad at everything else.In 1892, Trent Harrington, sheriff of Trinidad, Colorado, lives a respectable but lonely life, devoid of any closeness.Trying to escape a past that keeps chasing him, Maxton drives south to avoid getting arrested... -
A Gentleman of Means by Shelley Adina
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBook 8 in the Magnificent Devices steampunk series!How much must one sacrifice for the sake of friendship?Lady Claire Trevelyan has had to deal with betrayal before, in small ways and large. But none is quite so painful as the belief that Gloria Meriwether-Astor had deserted her and her friends and left them to die under the waters of Venice...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age fiction -
Prosperity by Alexis Hall
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA breathtaking tale of passion and adventure in the untamed skies! Prosperity, 1863: a lawless skytown where varlets, chancers, and ne’er-do-wells risk everything to chase a fortune in the clouds, and where a Gaslight guttersnipe named Piccadilly is about to cheat the wrong man. This mistake will endanger his life . . . and his heart. Thrill! As our hero battles dreadful kraken above Prosperity...Categorized as:
industrial-era lgbtq mlm steampunk 21st-century action-adventure adult alternate-history -
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... -
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Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang (Novel) Vol. 4 by Priest
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEVIL IN THE BLOODAs Chang Geng continues his dangerous mission investigating corruption in the south, Gu Yun races back to the capital in hopes of stopping a bloody insurrection. But internal unrest is not all that threatens the throne of Great Liang as foreign enemies gather on both land and sea... -
Pride by K.A. Merikan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsVolume 2 in the ponyplay erotic romance trilogy: The Copper HorseLondon1907, twenty years into the zombie PlagueAfter being kidnapped into slavery by a powerful crime family member - Erik Dal, Reuben is slowly adjusting to his new life. He is now Copper, Erik’s proud stallion, serving in any way his master might require - from pulling a cart, to pleasures in the bedroom... -
Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors by H.L. Burke
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNyssa Glass is a reformed cat burglar turned electrician's apprentice, settled into a life repairing videophones and radio-sets. However, when her past comes calling, she finds herself forced into one last job. No one has entered Professor Dalhart's secluded mansion in almost a decade, at least not and returned to tell the tale... -
Chasing the Green Fairy by Melanie Karsak
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA sabotaged airship.A recovering opium addict.A messenger with life-shattering news.With the 1824 British airship qualifying race only weeks away, Lily Stargazer is at the top of her game. She’s racing like a pro, truly in love, and living clean. But on one ill-omened day, everything changes...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book fiction -
Fear of Frogs by Angel Martinez
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhile Shax recovers from a near fatality, his shipmates have been busy. He's rather proud of them for taking the initiative and finding them a lucrative cargo run. His pride turns to outright horror, though, when he finds out what sort of cargo. Frogs. The one thing in the universe that incites mindless panic in Shax... -
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Innocence & Carnality by J. Alan Veerkamp
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings(Please note: This is a re-release with no additional content added.) Innocence is his only currency. The gilded cage of propriety where Nathan grew up as a member of the Deilian aristocracy became a true prison when, at fifteen, his homosexuality came to light and created a terrible scandal... -
Shadow of the War Machine by Kristin Bailey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMeg has come a long way from her days as a lowly housemaid, driven to learn the truth behind her parents’ murder. She’s since discovered that they were part of the Secret Order of Modern Amusementists — an underground society of inventors...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk 19th-century book fiction historical historical-fiction mystery -
Horatio by T.J. Klune
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOn October 15, 1979, two men take to the road, leaving their town behind, waiting for the peanut farmer president to come onto the radio to make an important announcement about the future of all mankind. In the hours leading up to the broadcast, Jamie and Harry will look back on their relationship, and what it means to live in defiance like there's no tomorrow... -
A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEnter the bazaar of the bizarre where fate and fortunes are for sale in this high-stakes magical adventure across a London not quite like our own, perfect for fans of Neverwhere and The Night Circus.Below Covent Garden lies the Untermarkt, where anything and everything has a price: a lover’s first blush, a month of honesty, a wisp of fortune... -
The Emperor’s Aeronaut by Shelley Adina, R.E. Scott
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNapoleon is determined to conquer the world with his steam-powered weapons. Nothing in England can stop him … except two young lady inventors.In 1819, France is surrounded by armies. With Russia in the north, the Karlsruhe Confederacy in the east, and a pirate kingdom in the south, Napoleon cannot break out, nor can the English Navy seem to break in. Europe teeters on the edge of a sword...Categorized as:
steampunk industrial-era romance historical-fiction fantasy sci-fi historical mystery -
Fields of Air by Shelley Adina
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBook 10 in the Magnificent Devices steampunk series! Her father started a war. She intends to stop it. Her father may have sacrificed his own life to save hers, but heiress Gloria Meriwether-Astor is finding it difficult to forgive him...Categorized as:
industrial-era lgbtq steampunk action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book fiction -
The Gilded Scarab by Anna Butler
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen Captain Rafe Lancaster is invalided out of the Britannic Imperium’s Aero Corps after crashing his aerofighter during the Second Boer War, his eyesight is damaged permanently, and his career as a fighter pilot is over...Categorized as:
industrial-era lgbtq mlm steampunk action-adventure adult alternate-universe assassins -
Honey from the Lion by Jackie North
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSoulmates across time. A love that was meant to be.In present day, Laurie, tired of corporate life, takes a much-needed vacation at Farthingdale Dude Ranch.The very first night a freak blizzard combined with a powerful meteor shower takes Laurie back to the year 1891... -
Banners of Silk by Rosalind Laker
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe ruled an empire of elegance. Louise Vemet. Raised in the slums of Paris. Coming of age around the splendor and corruption of the Second Empire. She ruled the world of fashion, clothing the most fabled women of title and of pleasure in a society where even sin had to have style... -
Vinyl by Sophia Elaine Hanson, Sophia Slade
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAll citizens within the soaring black walls of Revinia have metal Singers grafted into their skulls at birth. The parasitic machines issue a form of auditory hypnosis called The Music, which keeps their minds malleable and emotions flat. All artistic expression—especially real music—is strictly prohibited... -
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A Lady of Integrity by Shelley Adina
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBook 7 in the Magnificent Devices steampunk series! Will a daring rescue put a wedding and a future at risk? Lady Claire Trevelyan and renowned scientist Andrew Malvern are looking forward to domestic felicity in London when they are surprised by an unexpected visitor...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age fiction -
Come Home to Me by Peggy L. Henderson
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJake Owens is tired of life on his parents' Montana ranch, catering to city folk who want a taste of old-fashioned country living. He enjoys life in the fast lane, with fast cars and even faster women. When he falls in with the wrong crowd and is accused of murder, a stranger's bizarre offer at a second chance might be his only hope to clear his name. Rachel Parker is highly devoted to her family... -
Claimed by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAfter years on the hunt, Cedar Kartes is finally within striking distance of Cudgel Conrad, the criminal who slew his brother and framed him for murder. With the help of Kali McAlister, his business partner and the woman he’s mustering the courage to court, he believes he can finally rid the world of a bloodthirsty felon. But nothing is ever easy in the Yukon...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk action-adventure adult alternate-history book fiction historical -
The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe tantalizing romance of These Violent Delights meets the mechanical wonders of Cinder in The Last Bloodcarver, the first in a two-book debut -- with a riveting medical magic system and lush Vietnam-inspired fantasy world.Nhika is a bloodcarver. A cold-hearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch... -
Blood and Steam by Jamie Sedgwick
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFive Stars: "Cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. Author knows how to write an interesting story."-Goodreads ReviewFive Stars: "Sedgwick's imagination soars for this tale..."-Amazon ReviewFive Stars: "... the best series I've read in a long while... This series gets top marks from me.. -
Downtime by James Allen, Tamara Allen
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFBI Agent Morgan Nash is on assignment in London when his case goes awry and he finds himself moments away from a bullet through the heart. But fate has other plans: Morgan gets knocked out pursuing a suspect... and wakes up in 1888... -
A Study in Ashes by Emma Jane Holloway
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAs part of her devil’s bargain with the industrial steam barons, Evelina Cooper is finally enrolled in the Ladies’ College of London. However, she’s attending as the Gold King’s pet magician, in handcuffs and forbidden contact with even her closest relation, the detective Sherlock Holmes.Not even Niccolo, the dashing pirate captain, and his sentient airship can save her...Categorized as:
drama industrial-era steampunk action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book dragons -
The Silver Skull by Anne Renwick
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn illegal border crossing.A fake marriage.A mad German count determined to create an army of unbreakable soldiers.Lady Olivia is not all she seems.Trained for marriage to an assigned political target, her skills lie in programming household steambots to serve tea, dress her hair...and sound the alarm while she picks locks and listens at doors... -
The Engineer by C.S. Poe
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratings1881—Special Agent Gillian Hamilton is a magic caster with the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam. He’s sent to Shallow Grave, Arizona, to arrest a madman engineer known as Tinkerer, who’s responsible for blowing up half of Baltimore. Gillian has handled some of the worst criminals in the Bureau’s history, so this assignment shouldn’t be a problem...Categorized as:
industrial-era lgbtq mlm steampunk action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
Clockwork Tangerine by Rhys Ford
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe British Empire reigns supreme, and its young Queen Victoria has expanded her realm to St. Francisco, a bustling city of English lords and Chinese ghettos. St. Francisco is a jewel in the Empire’s crown and as deeply embroiled in the conflict between the Arcane and Science as its sister city, London—a very dark and dangerous battle... -
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Devices Brightly Shining by Shelley Adina
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOn the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me Dreadful relations, high expectations, And a sudden urge to pull up ropes and flee. It is the event of the season—on Twelfth Night, the Dunsmuirs have invited the cream of London society to celebrate the marriage of Lady Claire and Andrew Malvern at a reception to which the Prince Consort himself is expected... -
The Mysterious Madam Morpho by Delilah S. Dawson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTaking place after Wicked as They Come, this original eBook features a mysterious lady and a reclusive mechanical genius who find love and danger in a traveling circus. An elusive woman arrives at Criminy’s doorstep with a steamer trunk, begging for a position in the caravan to perform her unique new act. She opens her trunk to reveal a menagerie of brilliantly colored butterflies... -
The Seer by Jordan Reece
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDetective Laeric Scoth is good at his job, but he’s also an ass. And Jesco Currane has just gotten stuck with him on the most frustrating case of their careers.When the body of a courier is discovered in an alley, Jesco is called in to assist with his seer skills. All he has to do is touch the clothing of the deceased to identify the killer... -
Under the Rushes by Amy Lane
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTen years after Dorjan trusted a boy’s word over his superior officer’s, he and his best friend, Areau, are still living the aftermath—and trying to stop the man responsible. Locked in a careful dance to bring down a corrupt government, Dorjan struggles to balance his grief with Areau’s anger... -
Paniha's Taniwha by A.W. Exley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCaptain Lachlan Hawke, notorious rogue and airship pirate, is about to explore uncharted territory… inside his own headLoki pilots a long-range airship to the farthest reaches of the globe and touches down in an alternate Aotearoa under Maori rule... -
Time Ship, Book One by Ian C.P. Irvine
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGripping, Enthralling, Imaginative & Hard to Put Down! A rip-roaring, page-turning thriller! If you don't believe time travel is possible, based upon the infamous US Defence Department's 'Project Rainbow', this book will make change your mind..
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