Books like 'A Ruse of Shadows'
Readers who enjoyed A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical mystery romance historical-fiction retellings female-mc
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The Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsChicago, 1923: Ten-year-old Dani Flanagan returns home to find police swarming the house, her parents dead. Michael Malone, the young patrolman assigned to the case, discovers there’s more to the situation - and to Dani Flanagan herself - than the authorities care to explore. Malone is told to shut his mouth, and Dani is sent away to live with her spinster aunts in Cleveland... -
![The Problem Child by Tess Thompson]()
The Problem Child by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCymbeline Barnes declared Viktor Olofsson her arch-enemy when they were children. When he saved her beloved sister, she started to see him as a hero instead. Still, she can't let go of the idea that her destiny is waiting somewhere else in the world.Viktor Olofsson has cared for Cymbeline his whole life... -
![The Tell Tale by Clare Ashton]()
The Tell Tale by Clare Ashton
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA small town, enduring love, a web of secrets.The Tell Tale has been watching and waiting, because there’s something queer about the village of Foel.Beth Griffiths has returned home to raise her daughter in the Welsh hills. They arrive to the open arms of the community, but not all is what it seems and Beth isn’t home for the reason she pretends either... -
![The Sheriff's Mail Order Rescue by Amelia Rose]()
The Sheriff's Mail Order Rescue by Amelia Rose
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLove is perilous – and that’s before you involve bandits and kidnapping.After five years of being the town’s sheriff, Matt Hanson is well and truly settled into his life in Iron Creek.Sure, there are still challenges, like the bandits that are occupying the nearby mountains, but Matt is content with his life in this small town...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction action-adventure adult book christian fiction historical -
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![The Love Note by Joanna Davidson Politano]()
The Love Note by Joanna Davidson Politano
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFocused on a career in medicine and not on romance, Willa Duvall is thrown slightly off course during the summer of 1859 when she discovers a never-opened love letter in a crack of her old writing desk. Compelled to find the passionate soul who penned it and the person who never received it, she takes a job as a nurse at the seaside estate of Crestwicke Manor...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction adult book christian fiction friends-to-lovers historical -
![Masquerade in London by Emily L. Finch]()
Masquerade in London by Emily L. Finch
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSuspected of murder, Samantha Kingston leaves behind the world she knows when she flees to the streets of London to discover the truth in this, the first book in a new historical mystery series.London, 1861. Samantha Kingston has lived under the control of her overbearing uncle since the death of her parents six years ago...Categorized as:
historical-fiction female-mc romance mystery historical fiction action-adventure cozy -
![A Lark's Flight by Lynn Messina]()
A Lark's Flight by Lynn Messina
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsVerity Lark — England's most tenacious gossip, the London Daily Gazette ’s most dogged reporter — relishes a challenge, which is why she refuses Colson Hardwicke's offer of menial employment...Categorized as:
historical-fiction female-mc romance mystery industrial-era regency fiction historical -
![A Trick of the Light by Carolyn Brown]()
A Trick of the Light by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAngels would have trouble getting along with Micah Burnet, and Tempest Lavalle's halo is twisted plumb out of shape by the time she gets to the plantation where her two married sisters are living. Micah was the handsomest of the three outlaws who escorted her and her sisters from San Antonio to Louisianabut he also has the biggest ego... -
![The Promise by Michelle Vernal]()
The Promise by Michelle Vernal
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA wonderfully heartwarming, touching and romantic story - Tammy Robinson Author of Differently Normal Two women from different generations brought together by another’s wrongdoing. When British backpacker, Isabel Stark happens across a car accident on a lonely stretch of road in the South Island of New Zealand her life changes forever... -
![An Agent for Darcy by Laura Beers]()
An Agent for Darcy by Laura Beers
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWidow Darcy Spencer abhors the very idea of marriage, but to become a Pinkerton agent, she must marry her trainer. She's assured that it's in name only, so she begrudgingly takes the position. Although her new husband is infuriating, she’s determined to prove herself worthy as an agent – and as a person. Agent Porter Shaw can’t help but tease his tight-lipped, stubborn bride... -
![The Stationmaster's Cottage by Phillipa Nefri Clark]()
The Stationmaster's Cottage by Phillipa Nefri Clark
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsChristie is happy in her life... or so she tells herself. Despite the tragedy in her childhood, she has a satisfying career, a city apartment, and a long-term relationship. But deep down she yearns for a simpler life. Family. A garden. And a place to heal her heart.The decision to attend a funeral in a town she's never heard of throws her safe world into disarray, exposing the holes in her life... -
![The Memory Tree by Linda Gillard]()
The Memory Tree by Linda Gillard
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsCan the power of love overcome life’s darkest memories and deepest losses? When her favourite beech tree is felled in a storm, Ann feels as if someone has died. But when long-hidden seed packets are found inside the trunk, Ann realises there are more memories than her own lurking within the ancient tree . . -
![An Echo in Time by Boo Walker]()
An Echo in Time by Boo Walker
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA woman delves into a centuries-old murder to find the truth behind her self-destructive behavior in a powerful novel about love, loss, and healing by the bestselling author of An Unfinished Story and The Stars Don’t Lie.Unable to catch a break in life or love as she approaches thirty, Charli Thurman sees red lights at every crossroads...Categorized as:
historical-fiction female-mc romance fiction mystery historical audiobook magical-realism -
![Survivor Pass by Shirleen Davies]()
Survivor Pass by Shirleen Davies
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSurvivor Pass, Book Five, Redemption Mountain Historical Western Romance Series “The Redemption Mountain series is as good as historical romance gets—vivid settings, memorable characters, love, and lots at stake. Shirleen Davies knows how to bring the old west to life. You feel as if you've traveled, with the characters, to the frontier...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction 19th-century action-adventure adult book fiction historical -
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![Wildfire Creek by Shirleen Davies]()
Wildfire Creek by Shirleen Davies
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“A passionate story of rebuilding lives, working to find a place in the wild frontier, and building new lives in the years following the American Civil War. A rugged, heartwarming story of choices and love in the continuing saga of Redemption Mountain...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction 19th-century action-adventure adult book fiction historical -
![Circled Heart by Karen J. Hasley]()
Circled Heart by Karen J. Hasley
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMeet a remarkable woman. Read an unforgettable love story. Johanna Swan is a survivor. She escaped death twice—as a child in China during the Boxer Uprising of 1900 and twelve years later as a young woman aboard the ocean liner Titanic. Now a forward-thinking suffragist and an heiress besides, Johanna intends to use her intelligence, energy, and fortune to help poor and immigrant women... -
![The Secrets She Carried by Barbara Davis]()
The Secrets She Carried by Barbara Davis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen a young woman returns to North Carolina after a thirty-year absence, she finds that the once grand tobacco plantation she called home holds more secrets than she ever imagined... -
![Eternal Deception by Jane Steen]()
Eternal Deception by Jane Steen
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLove or independence? Few choices remain for Nell and her new family on the Kansas frontier… Kansas, 1872. Unwed mother Nell Lillington hopes to support her daughter Sarah and friend Tess by working as a seamstress in an isolated seminary. When her only ally among the seminary's leaders dies, she must choose between returning to her old life in Chicago and remaining in charge of her destiny... -
![The Gang of St Bride's by Emily Organ]()
The Gang of St Bride's by Emily Organ
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLondon 1885. A gang of lady thieves is targeting Piccadilly’s wealthy shoppers and no one seems able to stop them. As frustrations build, the body of a young woman is pulled from the River Thames. Reporter Penny Green has a lot to write about, and she faces a new challenge when a stranger approaches her with a riddle... -
![The Conspiring Woman by Kate Parker]()
The Conspiring Woman by Kate Parker
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the author of The Counterfeit Lady and The Royal Assassin comes an all-new Victorian Bookshop Mystery featuring antiquarian bookseller Georgia Fenchurch, who doubles as a private investigator for the secret Archivist Society... When Georgia Fenchurch is called in to find Sir Edward Hale's missing son, she's soon embroiled in multiple mysteries... -
![Beyond This Broken Sky by Siobhan Curham]()
Beyond This Broken Sky by Siobhan Curham
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratings1940, London: An unforgettable novel about the strength of the human spirit in the face of war and the remarkable women who put themselves in danger on the front lines during the Battle of Britain.As a volunteer for the ambulance service, Ruby has the dangerous task of driving along pitch-dark roads during the blackout...Categorized as:
historical-fiction female-mc ww2 historical mystery fiction literary-fiction friendship -
![Murder in Tuscany by L.B. Hathaway]()
Murder in Tuscany by L.B. Hathaway
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsUnder the Tuscan sun, ice-creams melt and dark secrets unravel…March, 1925Pregnant, bored, and longing for an adventure, Posie Parker accepts a rather last-minute Wedding Invitation from an old friend who is getting married out in the gorgeous town of San Gimignano, Tuscany.But what Posie -and her husband, Richard Lovelace- arrive into is not a blissfully happy wedding party at all... -
![Her Last Promise by Kathryn Hughes]()
Her Last Promise by Kathryn Hughes
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA mysterious letter from Spain. A surprising new beginning... Fall in love this summer with Her Last Promise, a gripping, heartwrenching story of how hope can blossom in the ruins of tragedy and of the redeeming power of love. From No. 1 bestselling author Kathryn Hughes. Tara Richards was just a girl when she lost her mother... -
![Miss Bennet's Dragon by M. Verant]()
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:
female-mc historical-fiction retellings action-adventure adult alternate-history book dragons -
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![Forsaken Falls by Shirleen Davies]()
Forsaken Falls by Shirleen Davies
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWyatt Jackson has lost everything. Successful in his role as a soldier, he can no longer find a home in the region he fought so hard to save. Sick and on the edge of starvation, he journeys west, searching for the one man who might help him. A deputy in Splendor, Montana.Nora Evans has never found a place to call home...Categorized as:
historical-fiction female-mc romance mystery historical fiction western action-adventure -
![An Agent for Audrey by Laura Beers]()
An Agent for Audrey by Laura Beers
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen heiress Audrey Hardwick is given the opportunity to become a Pinkerton Agent, she wholeheartedly leaves her life in Cincinnati behind and sets out for a new adventure. But her mission turns into mayhem when she meets Agent Warren Rockwell, a former gunslinger, who is too stubborn – and handsome – for his own good... -
![An Agent for Belle by Nerys Leigh]()
An Agent for Belle by Nerys Leigh
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMarriage is the last thing Belle wants, but she’ll have to get married to avoid it.When Isabelle Wood answers a newspaper advertisement for female Pinkerton detectives, it seems the perfect way to avoid her parents’ desire for her to wed… until she discovers she has to marry her training agent for the duration of her first case... -
![Restless Wind by Shirleen Davies]()
Restless Wind by Shirleen Davies
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA headstrong rancher determined to make it on his own. A society belle intent on creating her own life. Is there any chance they’ll become each other’s future? Restless Wind, Book Thirteen, Redemption Mountain Historical Western Romance Series Dominic Lucero is a man driven to succeed. Leaving his family’s profitable ranch in Texas, he strikes out to build a new life. Becoming a Montana U.S...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction romance mystery historical fiction western industrial-era -
![A Single Thread of Moonlight by Laura Wood]()
A Single Thread of Moonlight by Laura Wood
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIris Grey's childhood was idyllic... until her father remarried. Iris's new stepmother and two stepsisters were cold-hearted schemers, and when her father dies in mysterious circumstances, Iris knows that something is wrong. Far too spirited to be forced into a life of servitude, she runs away to London...Categorized as:
historical-fiction retellings book dystopia enemies-to-lovers fairy-tale fiction historical -
![The Fragrant Concubine by Melissa Addey]()
The Fragrant Concubine by Melissa Addey
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsChina, 1760. The Emperor conquers Altishahr, a Muslim country to the west of his empire and summons a local woman from his new dominion to come to the Forbidden City as his concubine. Meanwhile in the market of Kashgar a girl named Hidligh is kidnapped by Iparhan, a woman scarred by the Emperor’s conquest of her homeland and bent on vengeance...Categorized as:
historical-fiction female-mc romance historical fiction royalty ancient-china ancient-civilization -
![Dukes to Fall in Love With by Bridget Barton]()
Dukes to Fall in Love With by Bridget Barton
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThree of my best-selling Regency romance stories! Combined the three books have more than 1,000 positive reviews on Amazon and have been downloaded over 100,000 times! Delightful romances full of emotion, drama, action, plot twists, and of course, love! A Beauty for the Scarred Duke When the Earl of Upperton sells his daughter off as a bride for the disfigured Duke, Isabella has never been...Categorized as:
historical-fiction female-mc anthologies mystery historical industrial-era regency victorian -
![The Mystery of the Debonair Duke by Ellie St. Clair]()
The Mystery of the Debonair Duke by Ellie St. Clair
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThere was one man Lady Emma vowed she would never marry.The rakish Duke of Warwick — brother to her very best friend.But one chance encounter on a balcony has Lady Emma questioning all she ever believed about the duke. When her friend — and the duke’s sister — is abducted, they must work together to find her, and determine who has been threatening the Remington family...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction adult book fiction historical industrial-era literary-fiction -
![Dauntless by Adele Clee]()
Dauntless by Adele Clee
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNoah Ashwood has suffered his fair share of injustices. It’s why he joined the Gentlemen of the Order, why he solves crimes committed against the vulnerable and needy. To his friends he’s known as Dauntless—a fearless fighter, a man with steely determination. And yet his strength is tested when he forms an infatuation for his new client... -
![Truly Beloved by Grace Burrowes]()
Truly Beloved by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFabianus Haviland, Viscount Penweather, did not journey to the wilds of Dorsetshire in the dead of winter to engage in yet another dalliance with yet another lonely widow. Being a trifle lonely himself—only a trifle—he's looking for a fresh start in fresh surrounds.Fabianus has always enjoyed the company of sensible women, though, and Lady Daisy is very sensible... -
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![The Fourth Daughter by Lyn Liao Butler]()
The Fourth Daughter by Lyn Liao Butler
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn Taiwan, the bond between grandmother and granddaughter opens up a healing world for them both in an inspiring family saga about the comfort of food, untold histories, and indomitable mother love.Chef Liv Kuo’s star is on the rise…until a traumatic incident leaves her emotionally unable to venture outside her Manhattan apartment... -
![Faith by Lesley Pearse]()
Faith by Lesley Pearse
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHow far can you trust a friend? 1995, Scotland. The prison of Cornton Vale. Laura Brannigan is in jail for murder. For two years she's been battling for justic - insisting that she didn't kill her best friend, Jackie. Yet with her spirits at their lowest ebb, she receives a letter that takes her back to a different time and memory of an old love .. -
![A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood]()
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Great Gatsby meets I Capture the Castle in this gorgeously dreamy coming-of-age romance perfect for fans of A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.It is the summer of 1929. Lou Trevelyan is a small-town girl with big dreams of becoming a writer. Then she meets the Cardew siblings: the bubbly Caitlin and her handsome, enigmatic brother, Robert...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction retellings 20th-century audiobook book classics coming-of-age -
![Before the Rain Falls by Camille Di Maio]()
Before the Rain Falls by Camille Di Maio
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAfter serving seventy years in prison for the murder of her sister, Eula, Della Lee has finally returned home to the Texas town of Puerto Pesar. She’s free from confinement—and ready to tell her secrets before it’s too late... -
![With Dreams Only Of You: The Legend of the Theodosia Sword by Kathryn Le Veque, Christi Caldwell]()
With Dreams Only Of You: The Legend of the Theodosia Sword by Kathryn Le Veque, Christi Caldwell
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne family. One Legend. One chance to reverse the tides of fortune. Welcome to a multi-genre collection unlike any other historical romance collection. Six of the top authors in their respective genres bring you this powerhouse collection, WITH DREAMS ONLY OF YOU... -
![Mischief & Mayhem: A Pride & Prejudice Novella by Christie Capps]()
Mischief & Mayhem: A Pride & Prejudice Novella by Christie Capps
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHow much trouble could one small baby be? Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are about to find out.Fitzwilliam Darcy avoids unsavory characters, unattached females, and messy babies--until he meets the Bennet family from Longbourn in Hertfordshire. Something about one of the daughters and the only son intrigues him until thoughts of them fill his waking hours and his dreams... -
![The Bridled Tongue by Catherine Meyrick]()
The Bridled Tongue by Catherine Meyrick
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDeath and life are in the power of the tongue. England 1586 Alyce Bradley has few choices when her father decides it is time she marry as many refuse to see her as other than the girl she once was—unruly, outspoken and close to her grandmother, a woman suspected of witchcraft... -
![His White Wager by Tammy Andresen]()
His White Wager by Tammy Andresen
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe’s no lady...Rebecca White makes her own way. She’ll dress as a man to support her mother if she chooses, she’ll participate in illegal gaming if it pleases her, and she’ll even cheat a lord now and then if the idea catches her fancy. But what she didn’t count on was an entire family of White’s tracking her down and being just as stubborn and independent as—well—herself... -
![Five Daughters Out at Once: A Pride & Prejudice Variation by Jayne Bamber]()
Five Daughters Out at Once: A Pride & Prejudice Variation by Jayne Bamber
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter the untimely death of their parents, Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters are left to make their own way in the world, and the dubious decision to stay at Longbourn until they are forced out leads to chaos and confrontation two years later, when their cousin Mr. Collins comes to claim his inheritance...Categorized as:
historical-fiction retellings historical regency industrial-era audiobook womens-fiction gothic -
![The Vengeance Trail by Elizabeth Bailey]()
The Vengeance Trail by Elizabeth Bailey
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJoin Lady Fan in her most dangerous case yet! For fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Barbara Erskine and Jane Austen.Is someone from her past trying to kill Lady Fan…?1796, EnglandWhen Lady Ottilia Fanshawe finds herself launched into a river and fighting for her life, she becomes convinced someone pulled her under the water... -
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![Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley]()
Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTo save an innocent man’s life, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must expose a financial scam that could ruin the most powerful aristocrats in Victorian-era London, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret of Bow Lane... -
![Mary and the Captain: A Pride and Prejudice Continuation by Nancy Lawrence]()
Mary and the Captain: A Pride and Prejudice Continuation by Nancy Lawrence
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPride and Prejudice … the story continues.Jane and Charles Bingley's plan for a quiet stay at Netherfield with Kitty and Mary Bennet takes a wrong turn, thanks to Caroline Bingley. Caroline is determined to add her brother Robert and her best friend Helena to the party...Categorized as:
historical-fiction female-mc romance historical industrial-era regency fiction mystery -
![A Measure of Menace by Jennifer Ashley]()
A Measure of Menace by Jennifer Ashley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOctober 1883When cook Kat Holloway and the kitchen staff maintain the empty Mayfair house while the family resides in the country, Lord Clifford, Lady Cynthia’s confidence-trickster father, arrives in London and asks Kat and Daniel McAdam for help. Lord Clifford might be accused of murder but won't go to the police because his involvement with the victim will implicate him in another crime...Categorized as:
historical-fiction female-mc romance historical mystery industrial-era victorian cozy -
![Governess to the Duke's Heir by Maggi Andersen]()
Governess to the Duke's Heir by Maggi Andersen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGet Book Four in the Dangerous Lords series! Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited! Andrew, the Duke of Harrow, has returned to his Oxfordshire estate after years away in Vienna on a diplomatic engagement. He left England after losing his beloved wife in childbirth. But his children consider him a stranger, and the new governess disapproves of him... -
![The Unlikely Chaperone (Dorothy Mack Regency Romances) by Dorothy Mack]()
The Unlikely Chaperone (Dorothy Mack Regency Romances) by Dorothy Mack
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA captivating Regency adventure! Perfect for fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Jane Aiken Hodge and Jane Austen. Can Alexandra reach the end of the season without losing her heart? Regency England At twenty-eight, Alexandra Farrish has no hopes of marrying... -
![Heir of Hope by Stephenia McGee]()
Heir of Hope by Stephenia McGee
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMy dear one, You come to me in my dreams and we talk of things that cannot be explained in this life. How we have been brought together, I do not know, but I do wish to see you again… A Mississippi Plantation: 150 years after the Civil War nearly tore a nation asunder, the battle for freedom still rages in the heart of Ironwood's newest mistress...
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