Books like 'Between a Book and a Hard Place'
Readers who enjoyed Between a Book and a Hard Place by Denise Swanson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
romance mystery cozy crime dystopia humor animals female-mc
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Above the Fold & Below the Belt by Amanda M. Lee
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAvery Shaw has taken on her fair share of jerks. Often, she’s considered the jerk when she takes them down … a role she gladly relishes. Now, though, she’s taking on a whole faction of jerks. It seems a battle of the sexes is brewing in Macomb County... -
Alpaca Lies by Ellen Riggs
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCan a dancing alpaca waltz her way out of a murder allegation and go toe-to-toe with the real killer? Alvina, the alpaca, is the most popular rescue animal at Runaway Farm. Her passion for dancing with handsome men has created a cult-like following... -
Misquoted & Demoted by Amanda M. Lee
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAvery Shaw’s life is a mess – and that’s putting it mildly. County Commissioner Tad Ludington is on the warpath, and his complaints haven’t fallen on deaf ears. The new publisher is watching the staff – and Avery is of particular interest. As punishment, he’s decided to bust her down to sports – and no one is happy about it... -
On Deadline & Under Fire by Amanda M. Lee
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThere’s nothing Avery Shaw loves more than a challenge … at least when it comes to tracking down a story. The challenge she’s facing this time is the one thing she might not be able to overcome, though. Vacation. That’s right, not only is Southeastern Michigan’s busiest reporter off work for a week … but she’s also on the receiving end of a visit from her boyfriend’s mother... -
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Oracles & Obituaries by Amanda M. Lee
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHalloween is Avery Shaw's favorite time of year. What's not to love? Slasher movies, hot chocolate and corn mazes. She's addicted to them all.During a visit to one of those mazes, she runs across several men trying to kidnap a teenage girl. In true Avery fashion, she intervenes... resulting in a severe injury... -
Till the Cat Lady Sings by Ellen Riggs
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAre there some mysteries only a clever cat can solve?There’s a handsome new guy at Runaway Farm and Keats isn’t happy about the competition. The bossy border collie wants to be Ivy’s one-and-only partner in crime-solving. Cats are unwelcome here... -
Survival Clause: A Savannah Martin Novel by Jenna Bennett
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSavannah’s friend Tamara Grimaldi was fourteen when her mom was murdered, and the body dumped along the side of Interstate 65 in Indiana. Since then, Grimaldi has kept an eye out for her mother’s killer, first as a homicide detective in Nashville, and now as the chief of police for the city of Columbia, Tennessee, a few miles off I-65... -
Riddle Me This by Gina LaManna
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDetective Kate Rosetti is not a big fan of February 14th. Even worse than gigantic bouquets of roses and buckets of chocolate, however, are the love notes she’s been receiving from the murderer who very nearly stole her life.Unfortunately, a peaceful Valentine’s Day isn’t in the cards for Kate Rosetti... -
Shot Off the Presses by Amanda M. Lee
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLife should be good for Avery Shaw. She's got a hunky new boyfriend in local pawnshop owner (and sometime private detective) Elliot Kane, her cousin Lexie swears she'll be moving out of her house one day "real soon" and her family has been relatively quiet for a whole week. That's practically perfection in Avery's world... -
Buried Leads by Amanda M. Lee
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJournalists are supposed to report the news, not be it. For Avery Shaw, though, that's easier said than done.Avery has spent the last month on her boss' list -- you know the one -- and she can't figure out a way to get off it... -
Jack of Hearts: A Heart-Pounding Mystery Filled with Action, Humor and a Dash of Romance by Christopher Greyson
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThis top-rated mystery-thriller series is on sale for a limited time to introduce you to the wildly popular Detective Jack Stratton Series from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Christopher Greyson. We hope you enjoy! Jack Stratton is heading south for some fun in the sun... -
The Stephanie Plum Novels by Janet Evanovich
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThree Stephanie Plum stories in one terrific set! From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich comes the Janet Evanovich Boxed Set #1, containing one copy each of the Stephanie Plum Novels Three to Get Deadly, Four to Score, and High Five... -
Dark Side of the Moo by Ellen Riggs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSweet life on the farm turns sour when a guest mooves on to greener pastures. Permanently.Ivy was happy to put her old life at Flordale Corporation behind her, but with a recent murder tarnishing her new inn’s reputation she can’t afford to be choosy about paying guests. So when her former teammates from HR ask to hold their retreat at Runaway Farm and Inn, she throws down the welcome mat... -
Another One Bites the Crust by H.Y. Hanna
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsChampagne and ball gowns, fairy lights and music… Oxford summer balls are one of the highlights of the calendar and tearoom sleuth Gemma Rose is looking forward to taking a break and slipping into something gorgeous for the evening... -
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8 Bodies is Enough by Stephanie Bond
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen you gamble with the truth... Carlotta Wren is off on another adventure--this time following a lead from her jailbird father to Las Vegas to find out what happened to her long-lost mother. Unaware of Carlotta's mission, her brother Wesley tags along with grandiose designs of winning big with a secret bag of cash he found. But as soon as the Wren siblings hit Sin City, their luck runs cold... -
Wrongful Termination: A Savannah Martin Novel by Jenna Bennett
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"The hilarious dialog and the tension between Savannah and Rafe will delight fans of chick-lit mysteries and romantic suspense." Jo Ann Vicarel, Library Journal Savannah Martin has always been a good girl, doing what was expected and fully expecting life to fall into place in its turn... -
Another Man's Treasure by S.W. Hubbard
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOn a snowy Christmas Eve, a beautiful young mother goes out to buy a few last minute gifts and never returns…. ….thirty years later, her daughter picks up her trail. As the owner of an estate sale business, Audrey Nealon knows a lot about art, antiques, and the unlikely places old people hide their treasures... -
The Halloween House by Kathi Daley
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvery town has one. The big old house which has stood empty for so long that no one really remembers anyone living there. The iconic subject of lore and folktales which hints at supernatural occurrences, tragedy, and family curses, that can be neither confirmed nor denied... -
Five Oh: Fifty is the New F-Word by Margaret Lashley
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEver Notice How a Wedding Ring and a Noose have the Same Basic Shape? Val’s always been unlucky at love – and a whole bunch of other things. But she’s never actually felt cursed. Until now. When fiancé Tom plans a romantic getaway and can’t go, one of Val’s pals goes instead. On the first day, her friend entangles Val in a prank that ticks off the wrong tourist... -
Collateral Damage by Jenna Bennett
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA white supremacy hate group is spreading its tendrils through the bucolic hills of Middle Tennessee, holding target practice in Laurel Hill wildlife area and stockpiling weapons in preparation for a race war. It's up to Savannah's husband Rafe to find and eliminate them.. -
Book Club Blackmail by Dianne Harman
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHave you ever been blackmailed?How would you feel if you were?We all have secrets we don’t want others to know about.Several members of the book club did.But how did someone find out about those secrets?The blackmailer demanded $3,000 from each of them.Or the secrets they’d carefully kept would become public knowledge... -
Right of Redemption by Jenna Bennett
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“The hilarious dialog and the tension between Savannah and Rafe will delight fans of chick-lit mysteries and romantic suspense.” —Jo Ann Vicarel, Library Journal Savannah Martin has always been a good girl, doing what was expected and fully expecting life to fall into place in its turn... -
Unfinished Business by Jenna Bennett
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen realtor and recovering Southern Belle Savannah Martin wakes up alone on what is supposed to be her wedding day, she isn’t sure what to think. Did her fiancé—bad-boy TBI agent Rafe Collier—decide he couldn’t face being shackled to one woman for the rest of his life.. -
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The House of Lies by Debra Burroughs
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom New York Times bestselling author Debra Burroughs... P.I. Emily Parker and sexy police detective Colin Andrews are back, along with their close circle of friends. The House of Lies is Book 7 and you are in for another exciting and dangerous murder mystery with a thrilling dose of romance. Emily is fighting to clear the prime murder suspect while Colin is working to put him in jail... -
The Hitwoman Hunts a Ghost by J.B. Lynn
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBumbling hitwoman Maggie Lee has discovered the sister she thought was dead might be alive. She’s desperate to find her, but all of her bosses are making unreasonable demands. Demands she can’t afford not to meet.Once again, Delveccio, the chocolate pudding loving mob boss, needs someone whacked... -
11 Bodies Moving On by Stephanie Bond
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe latest installment in the BODY MOVERS series! Carlotta Wren's life is entering new territory--a new career path, a new direction in her love life, and possibly new family members to uncover. A big part of moving on, though, means leaving people and other pieces of her past behind... which might be harder than she realized... -
Maui Madness by Kathi Daley
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCome for the murder stay for the romance. Recipes included.Maui Madness is book 7 in the popular Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery series. Set in Maui, Zoe and the gang become involved in a kidnapping, murder, and search for a sunken treasure while on vacation in the tropical paradise... -
The Arrangements - Box Set by Annie Adams
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Final Arrangment The Vulture is dead. The body of Quincy McKay's nemesis and biggest competitor in the floral business has just been discovered in a casket at the mortuary, complete with flowers on the lid. Derrick Gibbons, aka The Vulture, stole all of Quincy's funeral business, and now she's on a mission to get it back... -
Fatal Frost by Karen MacInerney
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLucy Resnick’s nerves are as tight as a tea cozy. Her new goats, Hot Lips and Gidget, keep making a break for the town square, her truck is dying, and her boyfriend’s gorgeous ex-wife is in town for the holidays. Worse, someone’s digging holes on her land…and uprooting her peach orchard and dewberry patch in the process... -
Humpty Bumpkin by Sam Cheever
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShe's just a country girl who loves her dog. But her life is about to get less countrified and more...erm...homicide. Deer Hollow is a small community built in a verdant, rolling countryside. The nearest big city is over an hour away and big city ways are rejected at the Hollow. Unfortunately, the big city isn’t the only place where bad things can happen... -
If It Bleeds, It Leads by Amanda M. Lee
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLocal news reporter Avery Shaw’s week is going from bad to worse.It’s bad enough there’s a dead body in the parking lot of the paper, but when the investigation into the death leads to drugs – and a tie to her own family – things continue to spiral downward.If she could focus on that, though, it would just be another normal week... -
No Gravestone Left Unturned by Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe suspects everyone of everything. Now, everyone suspects her.For cemetery owner and world’s best fur-mom Jane Ladling, death is her business, romance is her misfortune and suspicion is her passion. When she discovers a fresh body on her porch, she calls Special Agent Conrad Ryan, her smoke-show of a boyfriend. Who isn’t actually her boyfriend. Whatever... -
Game of Gravestones by Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe suspects everyone of everything. Except her oldest friend. Who's found next to a body. Holding the murder weapon.For the first time, things are just right for cemetery owner Jane Ladling. Her cat only kind of hates her sort of boyfriend, Special Agent Conrad Ryan, and she isn't flat broke... -
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The Things We Said Today by Lise McClendon, Rory Tate
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Bennett sisters travel to Scotland for oldest sister Annie's wedding to a handsome Scot, taking over his family hunting lodge in the Highlands for a week... -
Death, Taxes, and a Sequined Clutch by Diane Kelly
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAN EXCLUSIVE E-BOOK by the author of Death, Taxes, and Extra-Hold Hairspray DIANE KELLY DEATH, TAXES, AND A SEQUINED CLUTCH A Death and Taxes Novella IRS special agent Tara Holloway isn’t going to let a perfect opportunity to collect pass her by. Especially when she can do it in sequins and a bedazzled hip holster … Death and taxes wait for no woman... -
Memories and Matchsticks by N. Gemini Sasson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThere's an arsonist on the loose in rural Wilton, Indiana -- and he'll do whatever it takes to keep from being found out. Even murder. Out of work, accident prone, and dateless, Sam McNamee packs up her belongings and her daughter to move to the Florida Keys, where she can pen love stories as S.A. Mack to ease the lingering pain of her husband's death... -
Banana Chiffon and Bad Deeds by London Lovett
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMeet London's newest amateur sleuth, Scottie Ramone, in Banana Chiffon and Bad Deeds—A prequel novella to the Scottie Ramone Cozy Mystery series.A missing grandmother, a murdered neighbor and a crush from the past are just a few of the surprises waiting for Scottie in the heart of the Rocky Mountains... -
Luck Be a Lady by Gemma Halliday, T. Sue Verteeg
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Kindle Bestselling author, Gemma Halliday... Tessie King has just inherited the biggest casino in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada: the Royal Lakeside. What she didn't bargain for are the problems she'd inherit with it. Having left Tahoe years ago, the underbelly of the casino trade is a far cry from the art world Tessie is used to... -
Lethal in Old Lace by Duffy Brown
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsReagan Summerside returns in national bestselling author Duffy Brown’s fifth Consignment Shop mystery, now for the first time in hardcover.There are two social functions in Savannah guaranteed to get people talking: weddings and funerals... -
Heads Will Cinnamon Roll by London Lovett
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor amateur sleuth Scottie Ramone, the only thing better than a hot, fresh cinnamon roll is an intriguing new mystery to solve!Scottie recently made some life-changing decisions. (One might even call them rash.) She’s turned her whole world upside down and desperately wants to set it upright... -
Yews with Caution by Kate Collins
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFlower shop owner Abby Knight is out to help a friend in need but soon finds herself in the weeds... The Spring of Abby's Discontent It's April in New Chapel, and Abby and her husband, Marco, are off to buy shrubs for their new house. But the owner of the local landscaping company is nowhere to be found... -
Sparkled by Gina LaManna, Caitlin Kelly
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLacey, Clay and Meg are back—this time headed to...a wedding? Assignment Numero Dos for Lacey comes straight from the Godfather himself. When one of the Luzzi Family’s low-ranking associates is found dead, Carlos believes it may be the doing of the rival Russian mob, and he orders Lacey to find the killer... -
The Diva Digs Up the Dirt by Krista Davis
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTrouble in spades... Determined not to be a garden-variety diva, Sophie Winston's neighbor, Natasha, cultivates a plan to shine on television--using Sophie's backyard. As the cast and crew of the makeover show "Tear It Up With Troy" bulldoze through her backyard--and vacation--Sophie retreats to her perennial boyfriend Wolf's to replace a dead rose bush... -
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The Color of Lies by Debra Burroughs
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIf you've become hooked on the Paradise Valley Mystery series, no doubt the sizzling romantic chemistry between Emily and Colin has kept you coming back for more. The Color of Lies, a Bridge Short Story, is the story of Colin Andrews before he came to Paradise Valley to become the Police Detective and what really happened to his previous fiancee, Miranda... -
The Brim Reaper by Diane Vallere
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFormer fashion buyer Samantha Kidd is in over her head. With no job prospects on the horizon, former fashion buyer Samantha Kidd convinces boyfriend and shoe designer Nick Taylor to give her a job in his showroom, but when a collection of vintage Hollywood costumes comes to town, it brings a hat box full of hype... -
Unhinged by Lois Greiman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsChrissy McMullen, L.A.’s most death defying psychologist, is madly juggling a couple of too-hot-to-handle beaus, several weirder-than-hell family members, and a plethora of disturbed clients when longtime friend, Micky Goldenstone, is found shot and unresponsive beside a dead adversary... -
The Advice Column Murders by Leslie Nagel
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat’s the couple next door really hiding? Vintage fashionista and amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter finds out in this engrossing cozy mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Club Murders. In a small town like Oakwood, Ohio, everyone knows everyone else’s business—except for Charley Carpenter’s standoffish new neighbors, who tend to keep to themselves... -
Apple Pie with a Side of Murder by Meredith Potts
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen coffee shop manager and amateur sleuth Sabrina Daley discovers that murder is on the menu at her favorite restaurant, she sets out to bring the guilty party to justice. As Sabrina begins investigating, she quickly realizes that catching the killer will not be as easy as pie... -
Death, Taxes, and a Chocolate Cannoli by Diane Kelly
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTRUE CRIME DOESN'T PAY...TAXES. IRS Special Agent Tara Holloway has risked her life to take down drug cartels and other dangerous tax frauds. But going after the mob is one offer she can't refuse... He's no Tony Soprano. Still, local crime boss Giustino "Tino" Fabrizio is one shady character that Tara would love to see behind bars...
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