Books like 'The Waiting Sands'
Readers who enjoyed The Waiting Sands by Susan Howatch also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
romance mystery gothic suspense historical-fiction
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Echoes Among the Stones by Jaime Jo Wright
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter Aggie Dunkirk's career is unceremoniously ended by her own mistakes, she finds herself traveling to Wisconsin, where her grandmother, Mumsie, lives alone in her rambling old home. She didn't plan for how eccentric Mumsie has become, obsessing over an old, unsolved crime scene--even going so far as to re-create it in the dollhouse... -
The Devil's Den by Irina Shapiro
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn 1540, newly married and pregnant Isobel Devlin vanished from a tiny island in Lancashire, never to be seen again.In 2020, leaving London for the first time since the pandemic began, Nicole Rayburn and Kyle Walsh head to a guesthouse in the Lake District for a much-needed holiday...Categorized as:
historical-fiction gothic suspense mystery historical fiction paranormal 21st-century -
Dangerous Lover by Mary Lancaster
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA danger to the world? Or just to her heart? Alexandra Battle is desperate enough to accept a new post as governess to the illegitimate daughter of Sir Nicholas Swan, without having met either of them. Fortunately, Evelina turns out to be delightful as well as challenging, though her father, from their first encounter in the dead of night, remains a disturbingly attractive mystery... -
The Gilded Lily by Irina Shapiro
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEvery old house has its secrets, so it comes as no surprise when a relic of a noble Victorian family is discovered in the new home of historical author Nicole Rayburn and her husband Kyle. Curious about the lovely young woman in the sepia photograph, Nicole delves into the history of the family and stumbles on a long-forgotten mystery... -
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The House at the End of the Moor by Michelle Griep
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat Can a London Opera Star and an Escaped Dartmoor Prisoner Have in Common? Opera star Maggie Lee escapes her opulent lifestyle when threatened by a powerful politician who aims to ruin her life. She runs off to the wilds of the moors to live in anonymity. All that changes the day she discovers a half-dead man near her house... -
Hearts of Steel by Elizabeth Camden
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMaggie Molinaro survived a hardscrabble childhood in the downtrodden streets of Manhattan to become a successful businesswoman. After a decade of sacrifice, she now owns a celebrated ice cream company, but when she offends a corrupt banker, she unwittingly sets off a series of calamities that threaten to destroy her life's work... -
Lightning on a Quiet Night: In the years following World War II, a town too proud of its own virtues deals with its first murder. by Donn Taylor
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"Taylor’s powerful historical romance is filled with passion and heart, spiced with mystery and a keen understanding of the human condition." ~ Publishers Weekly Despite the implications of this crime, the town of Beneficent, Mississippi, population 479, tries desperately to hold onto its vain self-image... -
An Uncommon Grace: A Novel by Serena B. Miller
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA moving and inspirational novel about the power of faith, family and above all, love, as a young Amish man must turn to his Englisch neighbor for help after a devastating tragedy. Grace Connor, a military nurse formerly stationed in Afghanistan, hopes that moving to a farm in rural Ohio will help her recover from the ravages of war, and keep her teenage brother out of trouble... -
Mystery at the Edge of Madness by Beth Byers
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJuly 1925Severine DuNoir was twelve when she discovered the bodies of her parents, and the day after the funeral, she was sent to a convent in another country. By the time she resolves to go home, her sole focus is to reveal what happened to her parents.Coming home, however, unveils a far more sinister plot than she could have expected. It’s clear from her first night that something is afoot... -
Specters in the Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn 1921, Marian Arnold, the heiress to a brewing baron's empire, seeks solace in the glass butterfly house on her family's Wisconsin estate as Prohibition and the deaths of her parents cast a long shadow over her shrinking world... -
Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn pursuit of an author who could help get her brother published, Rebecca Lane stays at Swanford Abbey, a grand hotel rumored to be haunted. It is there she encounters Sir Frederick--the man who broke her heart. When a mysterious death occurs, Rebecca is one of the suspects, and Frederick is torn between his feelings for her and his search for the truth... -
The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWren Blythe has long enjoyed being among the Northwoods, helping her father with programming at a youth camp. But when a little girl in the area goes missing, an all-out search ensues, reviving the decades-old campfire story of Ava Coons, the murderess, who still roams the woods. Joining the search, Wren stumbles upon the Coons cabin ruins and a rotting porcelain doll... -
The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 4 by Natsu Hyuuga
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThough her main duty is still looking after Consort Gyokuyou, Maomao finds time to help her friends and acquaintances in the rear palace, including Xiaolan, who will need a job after her term of service ends, and Consort Lishu, who’s convinced she’s seen a ghost! When complications arise with Gyokuyou’s pregnancy, however, Maomao knows she’s not skilled enough to handle a situation that could... -
Scorned Justice by Margaret Daley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTexas Ranger Brody Calhoun is with his parents in west Texas when an unexpected attack injures the brother of Rebecca Morgan, Brody's high school sweetheart. The local sheriff, a good friend, asks for Brody’s help. At first, it seems like an open-and-shut case. As Brody digs deeper, he realizes the attack may be related to an organized crime trial Rebecca will be overseeing... -
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The Dragon Lady by Louisa Treger
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings'A daring blend of romance, crime and history, and an intelligent exposé of the inherent injustice and consequences of all forms of oppression' Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions Opening with the shooting of Lady Virginia 'Ginie' Courtauld in her tranquil garden in 1950s Rhodesia, The Dragon Lady tells Ginie's extraordinary story, so called for the exotic tattoo snaking up her leg... -
Curse of the Wicked Scoundrel by Sadie Bosque
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPeople call him Hades. He is like the dark prince himself: enigmatic, mysterious and dangerous. Nobody knows his real name. Nobody knows anything about him. Only that he's been cursed to lead his life in loneliness. Because everyone who's ever been close to him, very soon, died.Eloise has led a dull, practical life... -
Bitter House by Kiersten Modglin
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsVera Bitter is dead, but her secrets have yet to be buried.After the tragic death of Bridget’s parents, her grandmother took her in. Vera Bitter raised her from behind a closed door—cold and uncaring from the moment she arrived at Bitter House. After Bridget’s high school graduation, Vera kicked her out without so much as a goodbye, and Bridget never heard from her again... -
A Rip in Time by Monique Martin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Crosses are back in book 7 of the Out of Time Series. An old enemy returns threatening to destroy not just Simon and Elizabeth, but the timeline itself. To keep that from happening, they must travel back to 1888 London to find Jack the Ripper…and save his life. If he dies, the timeline changes, and everything they know, their lives together, will be lost... -
Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWill Seeking Justice Lead to Her Own Demise? A Gothic-Style Regency Romance from a Promising Young Author Second daughter of a baron—and a little on the mischievous side—Ella Pemberton is no governess. But the pretense is a necessity if she ever wishes to get inside of Wyckhorn Manor and attain the truth. Exposing the man who killed her sister is all that matters... -
An Appearance of Goodness: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery Variation by Heather Moll
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCan a Derbyshire meeting lead to love or will Pemberley be plunged into mystery?In the rainy summer of 1812, Mr Darcy returns to Pemberley with a large party with the hope that coming home will help him recover from his disappointment. He lost Elizabeth Bennet’s good opinion, but Darcy did all he could to rectify his errors...Categorized as:
historical-fiction suspense romance mystery fiction industrial-era regency historical -
Deadly Caress by Brenda Joyce
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBrenda Joyce's New York Times best-selling novels have thrilled millions of readers. Now, in her latest Francesca Cahill novel, return to the lush mansions and teeming streets of New York City's Gilded Age, where intrigue and seduction lie on every corner... The year is 1902. The place is New York City... -
The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDisappearances, strange activities in the night, and secret organizations abound in this mysterious Regency romance.Haunted by the assault she’s kept hidden over the past four years, Charity Halliwell finally has a chance to return home to the quaint village she left more than five years before and the happy life she wants so badly to reclaim... -
The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFor over a century, the town of Gossamer Grove has thrived on its charm and midwestern values, but Annalise Forsythe knows painful secrets, including her own, hover just beneath the pleasant faade. When a man is found dead in his run-down trailer home, Annalise inherits the trailer, along with the pictures, vintage obituaries, and old revival posters covering its walls... -
Contra la fuerza del viento by Victoria Álvarez
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsInglaterra, 1905. Han pasado unos años desde los acontecimientos narrados en Tu nombre después de la lluvia y la vida ha sido generosa con el equipo del periódico Dreaming Spires... -
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Tregaron's Daughter by Madeleine Brent
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsExcitement, drama and suspense were only part of Cadi Tregaron's new life. It had been a sunny afternoon when she glanced from the cliff where she sat reading and saw below her in the sea a sight that would change her life...Categorized as:
gothic historical-fiction suspense 20th-century action-adventure adult book classics -
The Highwayman of Tanglewood by Marcia Lynn McClure
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA chambermaid in the house of Tremeshton, Faris Shayhan well knew torment, despair and trepidation. To Faris it seemed the future stretched long and desolate before her--bleak and as dark as a lonesome midnight path. Still, the moon oft casts hopeful luminosity to light one's way...Categorized as:
gothic historical-fiction suspense action-adventure book fiction historical industrial-era -
A Winter's Madcap Escapade by Elizabeth Bailey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLose yourself in this entertaining Regency romp! Perfect for fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Jane Aiken Hodge and Jane Austen. Can a daring young girl take control of her future? 1804, England Alexander, Lord Dymond’s life is thrown into chaos when he finds young Appoline Greenaway hiding in his coach... -
Claim the Crown by Carla Neggers
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsYesterday's secrets are more dangerous than ever… For five years, anonymity has been Ashley Wakefield's refuge, ever since she and her twin brother, David, discovered they were the beneficiaries of a mysterious trust fund worth a fortune. Their lives forever changed, Ashley and David turned to the uncle who raised them for answers, but he couldn't—or wouldn't—help... -
Romancing the Earl by Darcy Burke
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMajor Elijah Hollister never wanted to be an earl, particularly not when it meant losing his brother. When a bold adventuress shows up at his door seeking a treasure map, Elijah suspects his brother’s death may not have been accidental and that the lady knows more than she’s willing to share...Categorized as:
suspense historical-fiction romance regency historical mystery industrial-era action-adventure -
A Bridge Apart by Joey Jones
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Bridge Apart is a remarkable love story that tests the limits of trust and forgiveness . . . In the quaint river town of New Bern, North Carolina, at 28 years of age the pieces of Andrew Callaway's life are all falling into place. His real estate firm is flourishing and he's engaged to be married in less than two weeks to a beautiful banker named Meredith Hastings...Categorized as:
historical-fiction suspense romance fiction mystery christian contemporary spirituality -
Dark Intentions by Diana Bold
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLady Allison Croft has vowed never to wed. An heiress in her own right, she is determined not to let any man have power over herself or her money. She's convinced herself she can be happy living a quiet life doing charitable works. But when Polly, a former prostitute she's trying to help, is brutally murdered, her entire world is turned upside down...Categorized as:
historical-fiction suspense romance historical mystery industrial-era regency fiction -
The Secret of the Lady’s Maid by Darcie Wilde
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe resourceful and intrepid Rosalind Thorne, a heroine after Jane Austen’s heart, has a scandalous mystery to solve within Regency-era high society, in the latest novel in this nationally bestselling historical series. Ideal for fans of Andrea Penrose, Lauren Willig, and Deanna Raybourn.Rosalind Thorne’s quick wits and discretion have proved invaluable to London’s haut ton... -
Pursuing the Traitor by Leighann Dobbs, Harmony Williams
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Lucy Graylocke intercepts a message meant for her spymaster brother regarding the dangerous French spy Monsieur V., she arranges a trip to London to catch the spy herself. After all, she may be the only person in England who could recognize him. But when her efforts to catch the enemy spy throw her in the path of the Marquess of Brackley, she gets more than she bargained for... -
What You Deserve by Adele Clee
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLove — Betrayal — A wicked deception. A gentleman desperate to numb the pain of the past. Tristan Wells lost everything the day he discovered love was nothing more than a bitter lie. Now, having spent five years working for the Crown in France, his brother’s death forces him to return to London... -
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Tell No Lies by Tanya Anne Crosby
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"Crosby serves up suspense, secrets and Southern scandal like no one else!" —Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author New York Times bestselling author Tanya Anne Crosby returns to the salt marshes and crumbling plantations of Charleston, where a gruesome murder and kidnapping reawaken fears of a serial killer on the loose. . -
Reckless Vows by Lisa Lovell
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe comes as the villain in search of vengeance.What he finds instead is me.I’m flirting with death.Buried beneath scarred muscles and black tattoos.Face down on his bed,Over the desk and out in the open.It’s impossible to stop.He will either destroy me or I’ll destroy him.But now there’s more at stake than just us.Because I’m carrying his baby... -
Sick Little Devotion by Teresa Wolf
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe promised to protect her forever. Then he disappeared without a trace.SaharaAiden swore he’d always be there for me. Then one day I never heard from him again.My heart never recovered from his betrayal. I keep waiting for him to return and sweep me away from my creepy Uncle and abusive family.Then he walks back into my life.. -
Stranger at Wildings by Madeleine Brent
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHere is a tale of charm and adventure-set in Europe around the turn of the century-whose colorful action ranges from a touring circus in Hungary to the fox-hunting society of the English countryside to the elegant circles of wealth and fashion in London...Categorized as:
gothic historical-fiction suspense 20th-century action-adventure book fiction historical -
The Long Masquerade by Madeleine Brent
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEmma Delaney knows nothing of life's shams. She is without pretext and assumes that a bright future awaits her as the bride of the wealthy Oliver Foy. Too soon she discovers that her life is a masquerade and pretense her only salvation. No one is whom he or she appears to be.Brushing against the concealed identities and hidden motives of others, Emma quickly acquires secrets of her own... -
The Gentleman's Law on Love by Eleanor Meyers
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThey were ill-matched... The rules didn't matter, after all...As the daughter of a very powerful earl, Lady Rebecca Garrett has lived under the rule of Society by day.However... at night, she becomes one of London's most notorious authors.Living under the shadows no longer fulfills this heiress, so she's ready to come out of the dark with her own book and has found just the story.. -
Bayou Bodyguard by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsONE REMOTE BAYOU MANSION WAS HOLDING TIGHT TO ITS SECRETS Bodyguard Brian Marcentel knew Justine Chatry had a job to do, but so did he. He'd been hired to keep her safe-- from whatever lurked behind the walls of a long-neglected mansion... -
Merlin's Keep by Madeleine Brent
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTHEY CALLED HER JANI BUT SHE ONCE HAD ANOTHER NAME. AND A PAST SHE NEVER KNEW.From far-off Tibet to England's rich countryside, this marvelously enchanting novel unfolds the incredible saga of a beautiful, young half-caste whose strange destiny pulls her into a world of love and terror--a worlds a mysterious power moves slowly toward her, threatening her sanity...and her life... -
In the Midnight Rain by Ruth Wind, Barbara Samuel
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLooking For The Past...Ellie Connor is a biographer with a special talent for piecing together fragments of the past. Her latest project, though, promises to be her most challenging--and personal. Not only is she researching the life of a blues singer who disappeared mysteriously forty years ago, but Ellie is also trying to find the truth about the parents she never knew... -
Echoes of Titanic by Mindy Starns Clark, John Campbell Clark
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsKelsey Tate comes from sturdy stock. Her great-grandmother Adele endured the sinking of Titanic and made it safely to America, where she not only survived but thrived. Generations later, Kelsey works for the firm Adele founded nearly 100 years ago. Now facing a hostile takeover, the firm’s origins are challenged when new facts emerge about Adele’s actions on the night Titanic sank... -
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A Stranger in Wynnedower by Grace Greene
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRachel Sevier, a thirty-two year old inventory specialist, travels to Wynnedower Mansion in Virginia to find her brother who has stopped returning her calls. Instead, she finds Jack Wynne, the mansion’s bad-tempered owner. He isn’t happy to meet her. When her brother took off without notice, he left Jack in a lurch. Jack has his own plans... -
Lady Jayne Disappears by Joanna Davidson Politano
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Aurelie Harcourt's father dies in debtor's prison, he leaves her just two things: his wealthy family, whom she has never met, and his famous pen name, Nathaniel Droll. Her new family greets her with apathy and even resentment. Only the quiet houseguest, Silas Rotherham, welcomes her company... -
Sanctuary by Beverly Lewis, David Lewis
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom bestselling authors David & Beverly Lewis Melissa James has a pictureperfect existenceor so it seems. In reality, she has been looking over her shoulder her entire life. Just as her secrets are about to catch up with her, she seeks a haven in Pennsylvania Amish Country... -
The Secrets Between Us by Louise Douglas
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA chance encounter: When Sarah meets dark, brooding Alex,she grasps his offer of a new life miles away from her own. They’ve both recently escaped broken relationships, and need to start again. Why not do it together? A perfect life: But when Sarah gets to the tiny village of Burrington Stoke, something doesn’t add up... -
The Cabin: The Manhattan Stories by Donna Foley Mabry
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the third of The Manhattan Stories, it's 1930, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains are home to a town of renegade Mormons. On Nancy's 18th birthday, her father tells her she must marry her cousin Abner, the town's blacksmith. He's already married to three other women, one of them her younger sister.Terrified of what being married to Abner would mean, Nancy runs away and gets lost in the woods... -
Never Look Back by Linda Lael Miller
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLinda Lael Miller delivers "heart-stopping suspense" (Winter Haven News, FL) in her New York Times bestsellers featuring savvy defense attorney Clare Westbrook and sexy homicide detective Tony Sonterra. A hungry attraction. A hidden enemy...
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