Books like 'The Illusionists: A Novel'
Readers who enjoyed The Illusionists: A Novel by Rosie Thomas also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy paranormal suspense magic mystery victorian
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The Healer's Secret by Helen Pryke
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsBook #1 in the Healer series.From medieval times to present day, the Healer saga spans generations of the Innocenti family, telling the stories of the women healers whose lives are entwined with legends, curses, and tragedy.Jennifer’s life isn’t going as she planned. Fired from her job and on the brink of divorce, her only salvation lies at the bottom of a wine bottle... -
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 80 ratingsA foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, and a mystery. The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, secrets, family and memory from the international best-selling author Kate Morton. Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving...Categorized as:
victorian magic suspense mystery contemporary legends & fairy tales historical paranormal -
The Prison of Buried Hopes by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn the fifth instalment of this epic fantasy series, a journey south brings together nine eclectic friends and leads them ever closer to answers – and danger. On their journey south to Freedland, Josie, Dane and their friends sense that someone is following them. Hiding in the twin cities of Merrin Fahl seems like their best course of action – until they’re recognized by strangers... -
Asylum for a Duchess by Nellie H. Steele
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen her haunting past returns, will it destroy her future?Lenora Fletcher brims with joy. Embracing motherhood, the young woman is determined to give her child the love and attention she never received. But a chance meeting with her assumed-to-be deceased father rips away her happiness and plunges her into roiling confusion... -
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The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis
Rare-book dealer Ashlyn Greer’s affinity for books extends beyond the intoxicating scent of old paper, ink, and leather. She can feel the echoes of the books’ previous owners—an emotional fingerprint only she can read. When Ashlyn discovers a pair of beautifully bound volumes that appear to have never been published, her gift quickly becomes an obsession... -
Letter to a Duchess by Nellie H. Steele
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOnly she can prove his innocence, but will it make her the killer’s next victim?Lenora Fletcher’s new role as Duchess of Blackmoore is put to the test when her brother-in-law is framed for murder. Desperate for help, he begs her to use her power to communicate with the dead to prove his innocence... -
A Dangerous Ruse by Tilly Wallace
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHer opponents have her cornered, unless Sera makes an unexpected move… Seraphina continues to pick at the secrets entangling her. Then, during a ball, she spots a piece of enchanted jewellery eerily similar to the bracelet she once wore. But before she can find out about its origins, its owner is murdered. At least this time no one is blaming Sera... -
From the Ashes by Sabrina Flynn
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAshes to ashes; dust to dust. Unfortunately, memories aren’t so easily buried.San Francisco, 1900. Atticus Riot returns home with death on his heels and grief in his heart. After twenty years of roaming the Barbary Coast, the gambler-turned detective is about to toss the game for good. But man plans and God laughs: the case of a missing heiress draws him in its wake... -
Mariana by Susanna Kearsley
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsFrom the winner of the Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize, this mesmerizing, suspenseful, and richly atmospheric tale of time travel draws us into the heart of a heroine we won't soon forget... The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew that it was her house. And now that she’s at last become its owner, she suspects that she was drawn there for a reason... -
The Unforgiven by Heather Graham
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA tragic past. An uncertain futureTwelve years after the grisly murder of her parents, Kaitlyn Delaney has finally found peace. She has friends, a good job, a place to call home and a new life to live. But then a shadow creeps in from Katie’s past, reminding her that she will never completely escape its terrifying grip... -
Death of a Duchess by Nellie H. Steele
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMy name is Lenora Fletcher. And I can communicate with the dead. Lenora expected her unique ability would condemn her to a life of solitude, shunned by society. But when she receives an unexpected marriage proposal hinging on it, Lenora is shocked... -
The Potent Perfume by Helen Goltz
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMiss Phoebe Astin of The Economic Undertaker found herself charmed by the recently deceased perfume salesman, Mr Edward 'Teddy' Tate, as were many of his former clients... -
The Book of Lost Enchantments by Jessica Dodge
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAt twenty-nine, Nora Cameron's life feels adrift, her days are spent working in her parents’ bakery, and her nights are spent alone watching Hallmark movies. She yearns for something beyond her predictable existence, though she has no idea what that might be. That is, until fate intervenes, and Nora is swept into an unforeseen adventure to Scotland... -
The Book of Lost Enchantments by Jessica Dodge
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAt twenty-nine, Nora Cameron's life feels adrift, her days are spent working in her parents’ bakery, and her nights are spent alone watching Hallmark movies. She yearns for something beyond her predictable existence, though she has no idea what that might be. That is, until fate intervenes, and Nora is swept into an unforeseen adventure to Scotland... -
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The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods, Evie Gaughan
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsEdie is … not in Paris?Edie Lane left everything behind in Ireland for a once-in-a-lifetime job at a bakery in Paris. Except, thanks to a mistranslation, the bakery is not in Paris, and neither is Edie.The tiny town of Compiègne, complete with its local bakery on the Rue de Paris, holds many secrets... -
Dreaming Death by Heather Graham
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSWEET DREAMS AREN’T MADE OF THISEver since she was a child, Stacey Hanson has had strange dreams—and sometimes they come true. Her skills and experience led her straight to the FBI’s Krewe of Hunters. Now a serial killer is stalking Washington, DC, and people are scared. And it will be Stacey’s first case... -
Opening Gambit by Tilly Wallace
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis pawn is going to take control of the game… Seraphina Winyard is an abomination—a female mage. The first magic wielder of her sex to reach adulthood in three hundred years, she is treated like a zoological exhibit and leads a restricted life. Determined to escape and control her own destiny, she seizes a chance for freedom. But when her guardian is murdered, suspicion falls on the young mage... -
Master of Restless Shadows: Book One by Ginn Hale
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFreshly graduated Master Physician Narsi Lif-Tahm has left his home in Anacleto and journeyed to the imposing royal capitol of Cieloalta intent upon keeping the youthful oath he made to a troubled writer. But in the decade since Narsi gave his pledge, Atreau Vediya, has grown from an anonymous delinquent to a man renowned for penning bawdy operas and engaging in scandalous affairs... -
The Two Lives of Florence Grace by Tracy Rees
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFlorrie Buckley is an orphan, living on the wind-blasted moors of Cornwall. It's a hard existence but Florrie is content. But when she is fourteen, she inherits a never-imagined secret: she is related to a wealthy and notorious London family, the Graces. Overnight, Florrie's life changes and she moves from country to city, from poverty to wealth...Categorized as:
magic victorian mystery legends & fairy tales fantasy historical paranormal length-long -
Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsGlen David Gold's literary debut dazzled critics and fans from coast to coast. Now Carter's center stage for a spectacular paperback . . . The response to Glen David Gold's debut novel, Carter Beats the Devil , was extraordinary. He hypnotized us with his portrait of a 1920s magic-obsessed America and of Charles Carter--a.k.a... -
The Mystery of Rufford Abbey: A dual timeline novel with a paranormal twist by Stephen Taylor
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn absorbing Medieval mystery you won’t be able to put down! For fans of Freda Lightfoot, Anthony Doerr, Sebastian Faulks and Kate Atkinson... -
Danger for a Duchess by Nellie H. Steele
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAmidst the shadows of unsolved mysteries, Lenora faces a new enigma that could shatter her world. Who killed her father?As Lenora struggles to decipher the eerie happenings surrounding her daughter and strives to free her friend’s trapped spirit, a new puzzle emerges–one that hits too close to home... -
Forget Me Not by Michelle M. Pillow
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsRe-Edited and Revised 17th Anniversary EditionRegency Paranormal Gothic RomanceFrom NYT Bestselling Author Michelle M. Pillow comes a tragically beautiful love story that defies perception.When the scandalously independent Isabel Drake refuses to marry the man her parents choose for her, they force her to take lessons on how to become a respectable lady... -
The Color of Light by Karen White
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAt thirty-two, pregnant and recently divorced, Jillian Parrish and her seven-year-old daughter find refuge and solace on Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Jillian had experienced her best childhood memories here-until her best friend Lauren Mills disappeared, never to be found. At the time, Linc Rising, Lauren's boyfriend and Jillian's confidant, had been a suspect in Lauren's disappearance... -
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Passage of Shadows by Chasity Bowlin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsDon’t miss the exciting conclusion to The Victorian Gothic Collection… The plots, schemes and machinations at Cysgod Lys, from both mortal and immortal sources, are coming to a head... -
Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsA young Puritan woman--faithful, resourceful, but afraid of the demons that dog her soul--plots her escape from a violent marriage in this riveting and propulsive historical thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant.Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four-years-old. Her skin is porcelain, her eyes delft blue, and in England she might have had many suitors... -
The Temple of Forgotten Secrets by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGlancia is plunged into perilous times, but it's the events in her village that worry Josie more. A terrible fire puts the lives of those she loves at risk and threatens to shatter the uneasy peace. Josie and the captain investigate the cause of the blaze, but powerful enemies try to stop them. As the dangers grow more intense, so do the feelings between Josie and the captain... -
Violet and the Bow Street Runner by Emily Larkin
A nosy duke’s daughter and a sharp-eyed Bow Street Runner join forces to solve a rather peculiar crime. Violet Garland may be a duke’s daughter, but she has a strong streak of daredevil. What she wants most in life is adventure—and when she spots a Bow Street Runner among the ton, she knows she’s finally found it... -
Spirited: The spellbinding new novel from bestselling Richard & Judy author Julie Cohen by Julie Cohen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA moving and gripping story about three women who keep unspeakable truths, from the Richard & Judy recommended bestselling author Julie Cohen.Viola has an impossible talent. Searching for meaning in her grief, she uses her photography to feel closer to her late father, taking solace from the skills he taught her - and to keep her distance from her husband... -
Violent Delights by Rebecca Massey
"I didn’t deserve to live. Not after this. This was the final sin to damn my soul."Cherry is running away from her abusive boyfriend when she picks up a stranded hitchhiker on an Indiana highway.Kasper is an escaped murderer from a Kentucky prison trying to make his way across the Canadian border... -
Mistress of Darkness: A Gothic Romance by Hazel Hunter
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsGwen Archer does not fear the curse of Dredthorne Hall. Instead it is the message she must deliver that gives her pause: she will inform her future brother-in-law, Christopher, that her sister has run away. But what Gwen discovers at the Hall is far worse than being the bearer of bad tidings. She finds Christopher’s older brother, the reticent and rude Robert Sheraton, there to greet her... -
The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsCold cases are a lot easier to solve when you can travel back in time to find new evidence—unless, that is, you get stuck in the nineteenth century.Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old they’re frozen—or so their inside joke goes... -
Warlock: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Wilbur Smith
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsOne of the world's most acclaimed adventure writers returns to the world of ancient Egypt with the stunning sequel to the New York Times bestselling River God. In the wake of a sixty-year war over the reign of the kingdoms of Egypt, two young pharaohs have risen to claim power, but only one can succeed, deciding the fate of his empire forever.. -
This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsWhen Lucy's sister Phyllida suggests that she join her for a quiet holiday on the island of Corfu, Lucy is overjoyed. Her work as an actress has temporarily come to a halt. But the peaceful idyll does not last long... -
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Conspiracy To Murder by Heather Graham
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsDon’t miss this heart-racing story from “the queen of romantic suspense,” New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham. Is she a suspect or a target? A year after the chilling death of her mentor, criminologist Harley Frasier is still rattled. Secretly she’s suspected murder all along... -
House of Shadows by Pamela Hartshorne
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Kate Vavasour wakes in hospital, she can remember nothing about the family gathered around her bed, or of her life before the accident. The doctors diagnose post-traumatic amnesia and say the memories should start returning. Which they do . . . but these memories are not her own. They belong to Isabel Vavasour, who lived and died at Askerby Hall over four hundred years earlier . . -
The House of Lost Wives by Rebecca Hardy
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSecrets. Lies. And four missing wives. 1813. Lizzie's beloved older sister Esme is sold in marriage to the aging Lord Blountford to settle their father's debts. One year later, Esme is dead, and Lizzie is sent to take her place as Lord Blountford's next wife. Arriving at Ambletye Manor, Lizzie uncovers a twisted web of secrets, not least that she is to be the fifth mistress of this house... -
A Midnight Requiem: The Ghostly Hour by Maeve Greyson, Celeste Barclay
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen doors creak in darkened chambers and eerie sounds echo through the corridors. When the distant sounds of church bells signal the midnight hour — that is the time when spirits dwell, singing their spectral requiem for lost loves and beckoning the living with ghostly fingers… join us, join us…... -
Let the Dead Keep Their Secrets by Rosemary Simpson
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsFor fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age, explore the dark side of the alluring world of America’s 19th century elite in this gripping series of riveting mysteries… In Gilded Age New York, heiress Prudence MacKenzie and ex-Pinkerton Geoffrey Hunter investigate crimes that take them from the slums of Five Points in lower Manhattan to the Fifth Avenue mansions of society's elite... -
The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan Vol. 2 by Aki Shikimi
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsTHE RAT PRINCESS DIARIESRuiying, princess of the rat clan, has begun her formal training to become a worthy bride for dragon king Yawen. Much to her excitement, this comes with unconditional access to a treasure trove of knowledge! However, her teacher, Meiyu, informs her that being a “fated mate” holds special meaning in the dragon clan... -
The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsNew Mexico, 2017: Sylvia Wren is one of the most important American artists of the past century. Known as a recluse, she avoids all public appearances. There’s a reason: she’s living under an assumed identity, having outrun a tragic past. But when a hungry journalist starts chasing her story, she’s confronted with whom she once was: Iris Chapel... -
The Angels' Share by James Markert
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSome believed he was the second coming of Christ. William wasn’t so sure. But when that drifter was buried next to the family distillery, everything changed. Now that Prohibition has ended, what the townspeople of Twisted Tree, Kentucky, need most is the revival of the Old Sam Bourbon distillery... -
The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsSemele Cavnow appraises antiquities for an exclusive Manhattan auction house, deciphering ancient texts—and when she discovers a manuscript written in the time of Cleopatra, she knows it will be the find of her career. Its author tells the story of a priceless tarot deck, now lost to history, but as Semele delves further, she realizes the manuscript is more than it seems... -
Taming the Marquess, Season 1 by Rofan Gourmet, Golji
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsLaranora Ador gets more than she bargained for when she rescues a young boy from being sold off in an infamous auction house. The boy is actually Eskal Van Dyck, the "Crazy Marquess," in disguise! Unaware of his violent and heartless true nature, Laranora takes Eskal under her wing... -
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Unmasking Miss Appleby by Emily Larkin, Rosalyn Landor
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsBook #1 from the series: Baleful Godmother🎧Listening Length = 11 hours and 37 minutesA captivating Regency romance from a USA Today bestselling author! Performed by Audie-winning narrator Rosalyn Landor. When she turns 25, Charlotte is bestowed with an extraordinary gift: the ability to change shape... -
The Seat of Magic by J. Kathleen Cheney
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsMagical beings have been banned from the Golden City for decades, though many live there in secret. Now humans and nonhumans alike are in danger as evil stalks the streets, growing more powerful with every kill…. It’s been two weeks since Oriana Paredes was banished from the Golden City... -
The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick, Jayne Ann Krentz
The Earl of St. Merryn needs a woman. His intentions are purely practical - he simply wants someone sensible and suitably lovely to pose as his betrothed for a few weeks among polite society. He has his own agenda to pursue, and a false fiance will keep the husband-hunters at bay while he goes about his business. The simplest solution is to hire a paid companion...Categorized as:
mystery suspense victorian historical regency paranormal fantasy marriage of convenience -
Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick, Louisa Jane Underwood
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsGentle Reader,It could have been a scene from one of my novels. As a rule, respectable ladies do not accept calls from Mysterious Gentlemen on business of the most grave importance--but I confess that I was possessed of a lively curiosity. The past three years had been so determinedly dull, I hoped Mr. Adam Hardesty would offer a tiny respite from it. Indeed, upon first glance, Mr... -
Dunmoor: A compelling journey in gothic suspense by London Clarke
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA lush gothic from bestselling author London Clarke set in the Regency era, Dunmoor is a tale of generational curses that threaten to destroy the most innocent and vulnerable.England, 1818. Lady Helena Winters hasn’t seen her husband in over a year—not since he disappeared without a trace... -
Clockwork Alchemist by Sara C. Roethle
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe clock ticks for London… Liliana is trapped alone in the dark. Her father is dead, and London is very far away. If only she hadn’t been locked up in her room, reading a book she wasn’t allowed to read, she might have been able to stop her father’s killer. Now he’s lying dead in the next room, and there’s nothing she can do to bring him back...
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