Books like 'Without a Summer'
Readers who enjoyed Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy paranormal urban fantasy mystery magic regency steampunk m-f competent heroine
-
An Immortal's Pain by Auburn Tempest, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe moment you let your guard down and think you’ve got a handle on life—you jinx it.I bust my butt on the daily, smoothing the rough edges after moving in with the boyfriend, making amends to angry empowered ones, and patching things up with hostile in-laws. Things are good on the home front with my job, family, and friends. I’ve got this, right?Wrong... -
![Three Charms for Murder by Honor Raconteur]()
Three Charms for Murder by Honor Raconteur
It takes more than three charms to commit murder.When an old childhood friend comes to Henri asking for help in solving his parents’ murders, Henri agrees immediately. He knows this case is not going to be easy. Mr. and Mrs. Atwood’s bodies had been found magically posed to mimic a statue, and the investigator in charge ruled it a murder-suicide... -
![]()
![]()
Sponsored links -
![Death Over the Garden Wall by Honor Raconteur]()
Death Over the Garden Wall by Honor Raconteur
Three modus operandi to die. Four employees, six house guests, and not a single witness.Confusing clues and no helpful leads cloud the death of Countess Giada Barese, who washed up on shore two weeks after her mysterious disappearance. Henri and Jamie have no idea if her death is a homicide, suicide, or accidental death, for nothing adds up... -
![A Druid Hexed by Auburn Tempest, Michael Anderle]()
A Druid Hexed by Auburn Tempest, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsSome days I kick life in the ass. Other days it kicks back.On a good day, wearing the Fianna mark tosses me into topsy-turvy trials. It’s a scramble but I manage to hold it together with the help of amazing family and friends: mythical, magical, and mortal.But despite best-laid plans, collateral damage occurs.I can live with me getting hurt but watching someone I love suffer—not so much... -
-
![Grimoires and Where to Find Them by Honor Raconteur]()
Grimoires and Where to Find Them by Honor Raconteur
How do you catch an elusive thief?There is nothing more delightful than a bookfaire with his lady love. At least, until Henri learns that a grimoire belonging to the dangerous Reaper’s Set has been stolen without its protective box. When Henri and Jamie go looking for answers, they are horrified to discover more than one volume has been stolen without its protective box... -
![Magic Outside the Box by Honor Raconteur]()
Magic Outside the Box by Honor Raconteur
Henri is quite accustomed to dangerous and unusual cases landing in his lap. Being partnered to the Shinigami Detective likely has something to do with it. What he is NOT accustomed to is the queen herself marching into his lab and handing them such a case. Former Royal Mage Joseph Burtchell was found dead in his home, all signs pointing to murder... -
![Breaking and Entering 101 by Honor Raconteur]()
Breaking and Entering 101 by Honor Raconteur
Since Jamie and Henri agreed to be Kingsmen consultants, they’d not had much call to actually consult. Which is a fortuitous thing, as Henri is up to his neck in labwork and interviews for a new Magical Examiner due to Sanderson’s departing. He is hardly in any position to add more tasks onto his shoulders.Which, naturally, means two disasters strike at once... -
![The Staff and the Blade by Elizabeth Hunter]()
The Staff and the Blade by Elizabeth Hunter
Lovers. Warriors. Enemies. Legends. Damien and Sari. Their union became pivotal in Irin history. But to understand their ending, you must go back to the beginning. A young singer and a hardened warrior meet and mate, but their life is torn apart by violence, betrayal, and grief. Yet no matter how much pain and anger stain their lives, bonds in the Irin race cannot be abandoned... -
![Charms and Death and Explosions by Honor Raconteur]()
Charms and Death and Explosions by Honor Raconteur
A dead charm maker is only the beginning. Humanity seems determined to come up with increasingly clever ways to murder one another. They seize upon new technological advances in a way that’s alarming, their creativity and blood-thirstiness knowing no bounds... -
![Gossip and Gorgons by Tilly Wallace]()
Gossip and Gorgons by Tilly Wallace
One look could turn you to stone... The newly married Lord and Lady Wycliff are cordially invited to a house party--to be mocked and ridiculed as entertainment. Wycliff insists on attending to discuss business with the host, while Hannah longs to hide in the library with its rare volumes on the Fae... -
![Vanity and Vampyres by Tilly Wallace]()
Vanity and Vampyres by Tilly Wallace
Being a reveller is such a drain… Someone is supping upon young noblemen and it’s up to Hannah and Wycliff to investigate. If only they could agree on how the men are being drained of their life’s blood... -
![Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons by Quenby Olson]()
Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons by Quenby Olson
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFirst, there was a trunk. Inside the trunk was an egg, and inside the egg was…Well, it certainly was not a chicken.Miss Mildred Percy, former wallflower and current adventurer, is now in charge of a dragon. Along with Mr. Wiggan and Mrs... -
![The Untitled Books by C.J. Archer]()
The Untitled Books by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsA curated collection of magic…and murder.When a set of bound manuscripts written on magician-made paper is brought to the Glass Library, Sylvia and the professor send the owner away. After all, the library collects books about magic, not containing it.But the murder of the bookbinder who bound them sees the books returned to the library, along with Gabe in his role as consultant for Scotland Yard... -
![Marking Time by April White]()
Marking Time by April White
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 30 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... -
-
![A Matter of Secrets and Spies by Honor Raconteur]()
A Matter of Secrets and Spies by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHow many ways can a marriage proposal go wrong?One: the ring gets stolenTwo: a storm destroys the beachThree: a dead body, seriously?Four: A THEFT RING?!Come hell or highwater, he WILL propose before leaving this benighted island... -
![Galvanism and Ghouls by Tilly Wallace]()
Galvanism and Ghouls by Tilly Wallace
Together beyond death... A new unnatural horror is about to rattle Hannah Miles' quiet existence, and it's not the short-tempered viscount prowling the hallways. Someone is creating a monster by stitching together pieces of different people. When a limb makes an escape attempt, Viscount Wycliff is called to investigate... -
![Of Noble Family by Mary Robinette Kowal]()
Of Noble Family by Mary Robinette Kowal
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsThe final book of the acclaimed Glamourist Histories is the magical adventure that might result if Jane Austen walked on the darker side of the Regency...Jane and Vincent have finally gotten some much-needed rest after their adventures in Italy when Vincent receives word that his estranged father has passed away on one of his properties in the West Indies... -
![Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson]()
Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsMiss Mildred Percy inherits a dragon.Ah, but we’ve already got ahead of ourselves…Miss Mildred Percy is a spinster. She does not dance, she has long stopped dreaming, and she certainly does not have adventures. That is, until her great uncle has the audacity to leave her an inheritance, one that includes a dragon’s egg... -
![Raven's Strike by Patricia Briggs]()
Raven's Strike by Patricia Briggs
The Traveler Seraph must use all her cunning and ability as a Raven mage to track down an unimaginable force of destruction known as the Shadowed...Categorized as:
mystery magic competent heroine historical fantasy urban fantasy paranormal behind-doors -
![Hessians and Hellhounds by Tilly Wallace]()
Hessians and Hellhounds by Tilly Wallace
Fire erases all… even the undead.... One of London’s most recognisable Afflicted is erased from the earth in a fiery way. Whispers spread that a hellhound prowls the streets, snatching the lost souls who have escaped the afterworld... -
![Vanished by Nicole McKeon]()
Vanished by Nicole McKeon
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe Dresden Files meets The Parasol Protectorate in the first book of this clever, fast-paced Gaslamp Fantasy series about a woman ahead of her time who knows too much about magic, and not enough about self-control.Eccentric social outcast Lady Gwenevere St. James knows many secret things: magic, alchemy, artifice, and even the truth about the long-forgotten faeries... -
![A Death at the Dionysus Club by Melissa Scott, Amy Griswold]()
A Death at the Dionysus Club by Melissa Scott, Amy Griswold
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIn the sequel to Lambda Literary Award-winning Death by Silver, metaphysician Ned Mathey and private detective Julian Lynes again challenge magical and murderous threats in a Victorian London not quite the city in our history books. Mathey is recruited by Scotland Yard to assist the new Metaphysical Crimes Squad in the case of a literally heartless corpse... -
![The Emerald Lily by Juliette Cross]()
The Emerald Lily by Juliette Cross
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsWhen Princess Vilhelmina Dragomir is awakened from her hellish sleep with a blood kiss from a handsome stranger, she learns that much has changed while she’s been away. The armies of the Black Lily and the vampire Crown have amassed and are on the brink of war. No romantic entanglements, no family. Mikhail Romanov, Captain of the Bloodguard, took a vow when he joined the Bloodguard... -
![Mistletoe and Mireworth: A Manners and Monsters Christmas Novella by Tilly Wallace]()
Mistletoe and Mireworth: A Manners and Monsters Christmas Novella by Tilly Wallace
Will Mireworth yield her secrets to her new mistress...? The family gather at Mireworth for their first Christmas and Hannah is determined to unravel the secrets within its walls. Why did Wycliff's ancestor hide the tower, and what grip did the long ago shadow-mage cast over his family? With Barnes as her assistant, Hannah sets out to discover the truth... -
-
![Amid the Winter Snow by Grace Draven, Thea Harrison]()
Amid the Winter Snow by Grace Draven, Thea Harrison
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsAs the snows fall and hearths burn, four stories of Midwinter beginnings prove that love can fight its way through the chillest night… THE DARKEST MIDNIGHT, by Grace Draven The mark Jahna Ulfrida was born with has made her a target of the cruel and idle all her life. During the long, crowded festivities of Deyalda, there’s nowhere to escape... -
![Valour and Vanity by Mary Robinette Kowal]()
Valour and Vanity by Mary Robinette Kowal
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAcclaimed fantasist Mary Robinette Kowal has enchanted many fans with her beloved novels featuring a Regency setting in which magic--known here as glamour--is real. In Valour and Vanity, master glamourists Jane and Vincent find themselves in the sort of a magical adventure that might result if Jane Austen wrote Ocean's Eleven... -
![Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang]()
Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsMysteries abound in Spindle Manor.For Huntress Isabeau Agarwal, the countryside inn is the last stop in a deadly hunt. Armed with gaslamp and guns, she tracks an insidious beast that wears the skin of its victims, mimicking them perfectly. Ten guests reside within Spindle Manor tonight, and the creature could be any one of them... -
![Seeing Darkness by Heather Graham]()
Seeing Darkness by Heather Graham
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsShe’s being murdered.It was supposed to be a fun girls’ weekend in Salem, but when a past-life regression session instead sends a terrifying vision of murder to Kylie Connelly, she’s shaken and doesn’t know what to think. Worse, later she identifies the attacker from her vision: he’s a prominent local politician... -
![Point of Sighs by Melissa Scott]()
Point of Sighs by Melissa Scott
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAutumn downpours soak the city of Astreiant and cast a gloomy pall over its streets, while storms at sea have delayed merchant ships bearing important cargoes from distant lands. For Philip Eslingen, whose stars are bad for water, the season adds damp misery to the complications of organizing the new and controversial City Guard... -
![Ferromancer by Becca Andre]()
Ferromancer by Becca Andre
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSolutions aren’t always black and white—sometimes they come in shades of iron gray.Captain Bridget “Briar” Rose wants for nothing. Each day is a new adventure, living the life she loves, running cargo on the Ohio & Erie Canal. That is, until her cousin decides to sell the family boat to finance a new business venture... -
![Raven of the Inner Palace Vol. 3 by Kouko Shirakawa]()
Raven of the Inner Palace Vol. 3 by Kouko Shirakawa
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA tale of dark magic and court intrigue in a setting inspired by historical China–now an anime!Deep within the palace’s walls lives the secluded and mysterious Raven Consort. Some say she is an old woman, while others claim she is young and beautiful. What all stories agree upon is that she has the power to exorcise spirits, lay fatal curses, and find lost objects—for a price... -
![Quicksilver by Amanda Quick]()
Quicksilver by Amanda Quick
In the New York Times-bestselling author's latest Arcane Society novel, a paranormal killer pushes an unlikely duo's powers and passions to the limit. Virginia Dean wakes at midnight beside a dead body, with a bloody knife in her hand and no memory of the evening's events. Dark energy, emanating from the mirrors lining the room, overpowers her senses... -
![Tinker by Wen Spencer]()
Tinker by Wen Spencer
Inventor, girl genius Tinker lives in a near-future Pittsburgh which now exists mostly in the land of the elves. She runs her salvage business, pays her taxes, and tries to keep the local ambient level of magic down with gadgets of her own design. When a pack of wargs chase an Elven noble into her scrap yard, life as she knows it takes a serious detour... -
![The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley]()
The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAn Indie Next PickNow in paperback, Natasha Pulley's "witty, entrancing novel . . . burnishes her reputation as a gifted storyteller" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).In 1859, ex–East India Company smuggler Merrick Tremayne is trapped at home in Cornwall with an injury that almost cost him his leg... -
-
![Sun, Sand, Sex by Linda Lael Miller, Jennifer Apodaca]()
Sun, Sand, Sex by Linda Lael Miller, Jennifer Apodaca
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhat's better than a long, lazy day at the shore? Think beachblanket bingo with a sizzling hottie (or three). So sit back, relax, and don't worry about tan lines, because in this scorching collection, swimsuits are definitely optional... LINDA LAEL MILLER One Last Weekend College sweethearts Teague and Joanna Darby, once passionately in love, are on the brink of divorce... -
![Fairs' Point by Melissa Scott]()
Fairs' Point by Melissa Scott
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsDuring Dog Moon, the chief entertainment in the great city of Astreiant, for nobles and commons alike, is the basket-terrier races at New Fair. This year, with spectacularly bad timing, the massive and suspicious bankruptcy of a young nobleman has convulsed the city, leading to suicides, widespread loss of employment, and inconvenient new laws around the universal practice of betting on the races... -
![The Bandalore by D.K. Girl]()
The Bandalore by D.K. Girl
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings1885 London, England Silas Mercer died once. He'd rather not do it again.On his return to the world of the living, Silas finds himself in the hands of the mysterious Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Order has London society clamouring for their services, with tarot readings, seances and exorcisms among their arcane specialities. Now they seem intent on making Silas their newest recruit... -
![Ghoulfire by Rabia Gale]()
Ghoulfire by Rabia Gale
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsA ghoul is at large. A Guardian is dead. Trouble has come to Lumen. Aided by the shadowy figure known as the Master, the ghoul has eluded Trey Shield and the Bureau for months. As it consumes the souls of magicians, it grows more powerful. And now it hungers for the Guardian’s successor, a young woman suddenly charged with bearing a centuries-old magical artifact: the debutante Arabella Trent... -
![We Both Go Down Together by Seanan McGuire]()
We Both Go Down Together by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWith their second child due to arrive any day, it would be reasonable for Jonathan and Frances Healy to stay safe at home. Unfortunately, the world has other ideas... -
![Much Ado About Magic by Patricia Rice]()
Much Ado About Magic by Patricia Rice
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHer scandalous painting ruined his reputation, and now he's about to return the favor! Lady Lucinda Malcolm Pembroke's paintings may have caused scandals in the past, but never one of this magnitude... -
![The Shores of Spain by J. Kathleen Cheney]()
The Shores of Spain by J. Kathleen Cheney
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA brilliant new chapter in the Novels of the Golden City. Even as the branches of peace are being offered, there are some who still believe those who are not human should be used as chattel. And they are willing to go to great lengths to retain their power... -
![The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark]()
The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsA girl visits a bazaar in Cairo, seeking a favor from a mysterious angelic being.This story first appeared in the anthology Clockwork Cairo: Steampunk Tales of Egypt... -
![Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook]()
Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe Iron Duke introduced the gritty, alluring adventure of the Iron Seas, where nanotech fuses with Victorian sensibilities—and steam.As the mercenary captain of Lady Corsair, Yasmeen has learned to keep her heart as cold as steel, her only loyalty bound to her ship and her crew... -
![Sweet Poison Wine by Seanan McGuire]()
Sweet Poison Wine by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJonathan and Frances Healy are beginning their new lives together with that most traditional of celebrations: the honeymoon. Leaving their infant son with Jonathan's parents, the Healys are leaving Buckley Township, Michigan for the cosmopolitan wonders of the city of Chicago, where they can properly celebrate the fact that they managed to have a wedding without anybody winding up dead... -
-
![The Vanishing Bookstore by Helen Phifer]()
The Vanishing Bookstore by Helen Phifer
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 14 ratings‘Every story needs a happy ending. And you can’t have yours until you find the bookstore.’1692. On the outskirts of Salem, a bookstore stands covered in overgrown vines. Inside, a young woman hides a linen-wrapped journal under a loose floorboard and runs away, panicked by the sound of hounds barking in the distance. The bookstore vanishes into thin air…Present day... -
![A Pendant for Trouble by Rosalie Oaks]()
A Pendant for Trouble by Rosalie Oaks
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsA mysterious pendant, a distracting earl, an unfolding scandal...Miss Elinor Avely can’t resist the call of a large jewel mysteriously concealed at a ducal garden party. After all, if the Earl of Beresford isn’t attending, what else is Elinor to do with herself? Her talent for divining jewels can be an intriguing distraction for once, instead of a carefully guarded family secret... -
![The Seer by Jordan Reece]()
The Seer by Jordan Reece
Detective 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... -
![The Courtship of Julian St. Albans by Amy Crook]()
The Courtship of Julian St. Albans by Amy Crook
Alexander Benedict is a misanthropic thirtysomething magical consultant, working with the Agency's top homicide detective, and perfectly content with his life, thank you very much.Julian St. Albans is the youthful heir to his family's fortune and affiancéd to his beloved Cecil Mandeville, a family friend as well as Julian's lover... -
![The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber]()
The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Goddess: In the beginning, there were lovers: a winged deity of power and light, and a queen of grace and beauty. Phoenix was murdered, his beloved stolen away to the Whisper-world. But their passion inspired the Muses. Through great sacrifice, it could live again. The Guard: There are always six, mortal hosts for the divine... -
![Heart's Blood by Gail Dayton]()
Heart's Blood by Gail Dayton
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMaster conjurer Grey Carteret regains consciousness in a London gutter next to a concerned street urchin and not far from the body of a man murdered by magic. Some fool is hoping to use murder to raise a demon. Arrested for the crime, Grey must rely on the street urchin for help. But the lad turns out to be a comely lass, and she wants something in exchange...
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
Find out more about romance.io.
Find out more about romance.io.
Get recommendations by genres & tropes
Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.
