Books like 'Beauty Among Ruins'

Readers who enjoyed Beauty Among Ruins by J'nell Ciesielski also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

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  • A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean

    A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 46 ratings
    An Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller. From the USA Today bestselling author of A Curve in the Road comes a spellbinding novel about one woman’s love, loss, and courage during wartime...
  • Running to You by Robin Patchen

    Running to You by Robin Patchen

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    Sam never understood why Eliza left him five years ago, ghosting him without explanation. He’s avoided romance ever since, focusing on building his business. Money might not keep him warm at night, but it can sure buy a lot of blankets. Then Eliza shows up on his doorstep and throws herself into his arms...
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  • The Keeper by Charles Martin

    The Keeper by Charles Martin

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    USA TODAY and ECPA bestselling seriesCombine James Patterson and Colleen Hoover and you'll start to understand why readers are riveted by the Murphy Shepherd series from New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin: gripping action, heart-wrenching emotion, and deep questions that deserve to be considered.Bones--Murphy Shepherd's teacher, mentor, priest, and friend--is gone...
  • The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley

    The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 42 ratings
    Spanning four generations, The Midnight Rose sweeps from the glittering palaces of the great maharajas of India to the majestic stately homes of England, following the extraordinary life of a remarkable girl, Anahita Chaval, from 1911 to the present day . .
  • Tides of Duplicity by Robin Patchen

    Tides of Duplicity by Robin Patchen

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    Private investigator Fitz McCaffrey went to Belize on a case, bringing his teenage sister Shelby along with him. They lost their parents years ago, he lost his job as a cop, and they both need time to heal. When Fitz meets the beautiful and charming Tabitha Eaton, he falls hard...
  • Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman, Robert Chandler

    Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman, Robert Chandler

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    Based around the pivotal WWII battle of Stalingrad (1942-3), where the German advance into Russia was eventually halted by the Red Army, and around an extended family, the Shaposhnikovs, and their many friends and acquaintances, Life and Fate recounts the experience of characters caught up in an immense struggle between opposing armies and ideologies...
  • One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

    One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

    Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
    · 35 ratings
    I’m a firefighter, God, so I know I’ve been in some tough places before. But this . . . this not knowing the people I love . . . this is the hardest thing I can imagine. The last thing Jake Bryan knew was the roar of the World Trade Center collapsing on top of him and his fellow firefighters. The man in the hospital bed remembers nothing...
  • Most Likely to Die by Christy Barritt

    Most Likely to Die by Christy Barritt

    Rated: 4.76 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    The team finally discovered the truth about Victor . . . but the truth leaves them in absolutely peril...
  • The Last Letter from Juliet by Melanie Hudson

    The Last Letter from Juliet by Melanie Hudson

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    "The USA TODAY bestseller for fans of Soraya M. Lane, Heather Morris, Fiona Valpy and Pam Jenoff. Inspired by the brave women of WWII, this is a moving and powerful novel of friendship, love and resilience. A story of love not a story of a war. A daring WWII pilot who grew up among the clouds, Juliet Caron's life was one of courage, adventure - and a love torn apart by war...
  • Glimmer in the Darkness by Robin Patchen

    Glimmer in the Darkness by Robin Patchen

    Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    From a USA Today bestselling author comes this edge-of-your-seat Christian suspense that will keep you reading all night long. Nothing could get her home…but this.Cassidy Leblanc worked hard to shake off her tragic childhood. As a foster child with a mother in prison for murder, she was an outcast in her small New Hampshire town until she met James...
  • The Girl with the Diary by Shari J. Ryan

    The Girl with the Diary by Shari J. Ryan

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    “What if you never come back?” I asked.“I will find you, Amelia. I promise I will find you.”“What if you die trying?”Nazi-occupied Prague, 1942: Amelia is hiding in her closet when flashlights blind her and she’s captured by the SS. Out on the cobblestone street, she is shoved onto a freight train with hundreds of others. Hours pass as they travel in darkness...
  • Shadow of Intrigue by Christy Barritt

    Shadow of Intrigue by Christy Barritt

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    For her entire life, Lisa Garth has felt like a supporting character in the drama of life. The designation never bothered her—until now. Lantern Beach, where she’s settled and runs a popular restaurant, has boarded up for the season. The slower pace leaves her with too much time alone. Braden Dillinger came to Lantern Beach to try to heal...
  • The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey

    The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 33 ratings
    A female American spy in Nazi-occupied France finds purpose behind enemy lines in a novel of unparalleled danger, love, and daring by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Beantown Girls.Anna Cavanaugh is a restless young widow and brilliant French teacher at a private school in Washington, DC...
  • Critical Threat by Lynette Eason

    Critical Threat by Lynette Eason

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    FBI Special Agent Grace Billingsley tracks serial killers, using her skills as a psychiatrist and behavioral analyst to get dangerous people off the street and safely behind bars. But prison psychiatrist Sam Monroe knows that just because a killer is incarcerated doesn't mean they're not a threat...
  • The Words We Whisper by Mary Ellen Taylor

    The Words We Whisper by Mary Ellen Taylor

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    As a hospice nurse, Zara Mitchell has already seen more death than most people will experience in a lifetime. So when her older sister asks her to help care for their ailing grandmother, Zara agrees—despite strained family relationships.Though pale and tired, Nonna has lost none of her sharp mind...
  • True Valor by Dee Henderson

    True Valor by Dee Henderson

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 37 ratings
    Heroes get a new meaning when you see inside their lives. Gracie is a Navy Pilot; Bruce works Air Force Pararescue. With dangerous jobs--often away from home--they write love letters. When Gracie is shot down behind enemy lines, Bruce has one mission: get her out alive...
  • In Harm's Way by Irene Hannon

    In Harm's Way by Irene Hannon

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 31 ratings
    FBI special agent Nick Bradley has seen his share of kooks during his fifteen years with the Bureau. But Rachel Sutton is an enigma. She seems normal when she shows up at the FBI office in St. Louis--until she produces a tattered Raggedy Ann doll she found and tells him she thinks something is wrong because of a strange feeling of terror it gives her when she touches it...
  • Redemption for Ransom by Robin Patchen

    Redemption for Ransom by Robin Patchen

    Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Previously published as Tides of Duplicity by Robin Patchen. Brand-new title, same great story!A jewelry heist, a kidnapping, and a choice. When Fitz’s sister disappears, he’ll do anything to get her back, even if it means betraying the woman he’s come to love. Private investigator Fitz McCaffrey went to Belize on a case, bringing his teenage sister Shelby along with him...
  • When a Secret Kills by Lynette Eason

    When a Secret Kills by Lynette Eason

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    Investigative reporter Jillian Carter knows it's time to put the past to rest. She's tired of looking over her shoulder, letting a killer go free. She's no longer the scared kid who changed her name and disappeared. Now, no matter what the cost, Jillian must do what she is trained to do--ferret out the truth and expose it...
  • Solid as Steele by Susan Sleeman

    Solid as Steele by Susan Sleeman

    Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    He lost his memory…Mackenzie Steele has been instrumental in keeping Steele Guardians afloat, working long hours for months. Nearing burnout, her family encourages her to take a vacation, and she reluctantly agrees. She needs solitude and quiet, and a vacation rental home in the Oregon desert is just the ticket. But she’s no sooner unpacked her bags when a man lands on her doorstep...
  • A Million Little Choices by Tamera Alexander

    A Million Little Choices by Tamera Alexander

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    Sometimes secrets just won’t stay hidden . . .From USA Today bestselling author and Christy Award Hall of Fame inductee Tamera Alexander comes the story of two women from different centuries living in the same house who share strikingly similar journeys.Claire Powell’s life is turned upside down when her beloved husband admits to a “near affair...
  • Tactical Force by Lynn Shannon

    Tactical Force by Lynn Shannon

    Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Some wounds never heal.  As a former Navy SEAL, Walker Montgomery faces danger without flinching. But not even a combat zone halfway around the world was far enough to escape the trauma of his teen years. His younger sister was murdered and the killer never caught. Since returning home, he’s been quietly working the case, unable to move on with his life until justice is served.  She’s a survivor...
  • Traitor in the Scottish Isles by Paige Edwards

    Traitor in the Scottish Isles by Paige Edwards

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    An intercepted message. Missing MI6 agents. And a traitor hiding in plain sight.To receive her inheritance and escape a scandal not of her making, wealthy socialite CairstieHenderson moves to a small town in the Scottish Isles, far from the city lights and runways shefrequents...
  • The Desperate Warrior by Jennifer Youngblood

    The Desperate Warrior by Jennifer Youngblood

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    She thought she was falling in love.Until the man she trusted shattered her heart.And then the threats began ...Jules Sterling wasn’t looking for romance when she met Brock Ellis—the rugged former Navy SEAL assigned to protect her sister from a stalker. But from the moment they met, sparks flew fast and hot.Now she’s in deeper than she ever intended… and something feels off.Brock is pulling away...
  • Covert Mission by Lynn Shannon

    Covert Mission by Lynn Shannon

    Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Duty is all he knows.  Logan Keller spent his military career saving lives, but none of that prepared him for raising his out-of-control teenage niece. He’s desperate to get through to her. A charity designed for teens seems like the answer, but when Logan arrives to speak to the director, he interrupts an attack on the woman’s life.  Danger surrounds her...
  • The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer

    The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    In the spring of 1942, young Elzbieta Rabinek is aware of the swiftly growing discord just beyond the courtyard of her comfortable Warsaw home. She has no fondness for the Germans who patrol her streets and impose their curfews, but has never given much thought to what goes on behind the walls that contain her Jewish neighbors...
  • Expired Vows by Laura Conaway, Lisa Phillips

    Expired Vows by Laura Conaway, Lisa Phillips

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Fire. Family. Faith.Last Chance Fire and RescueShe sees the promise of freedom. He vowed to always be the hero.EMT Trace Bently came back to Last Chance County to escape his past. After the loss of his wife, he gave up a promising career as a police officer for the chance to save lives every day as part of the Fire Department...
  • One Last Shot by Susan May Warren

    One Last Shot by Susan May Warren

    Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    When country music star Oaken Fox joins survivalist Mike Grizz's new adventure show in the Alaskan wilderness, he just wants to boost his fan base. But when tragedy strikes and Air One Rescue must save them, Oaken wants to quit. Too bad his producer has other plans--signing him on with Air One Rescue as a recruit and making a reality show...
  • Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer

    Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 31 ratings
    Once An Eagle is the story of one special man, a soldier named Sam Damon, and his adversary over a lifetime, fellow officer Courtney Massengale. Damon is a professional who puts duty, honor, and the men he commands above self interest. Massengale, however, brilliantly advances by making the right connections behind the lines and in Washington's corridors of power...
  • Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams

    Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 38 ratings
    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives comes another riveting novel of the Schuyler sisters—where the epic story of star-crossed lovers in pre-war Europe collides with a woman on the run in the swinging '60s...In the autumn of 1966, Pepper Schuyler's problems are in a class of their own...
  • Disconnect by Traci Hunter Abramson

    Disconnect by Traci Hunter Abramson

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Brent Miller is still trying to get past the nightmares of his last mission into Nicaragua when a new commander takes charge of his Navy SEAL team. Commander Gardner has just one to further his career. And the so-called Saint Squad is in his way...
  • Chain Reaction by Christy Barritt

    Chain Reaction by Christy Barritt

    Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    When an explosion rocks Lantern Beach, authorities scramble into action. Was the WWII relic that washed ashore merely bad luck—or something far more sinister?Dr. Raven Newton, a forensic archaeologist, is called to investigate the bomb that killed one person. With her specialized knowledge of military artifacts, she’s the perfect person for the job—until she discovers who else is on the case...
  • Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher

    Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    Against the backdrop of an elegant Cornwall mansion before World War II and a vast continent-spanning canvas during the turbulent war years, this involving story tells of an extraordinary young woman's coming of age, coming to grips with love and sadness, and in every sense of the term, coming home..
  • A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

    A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 51 ratings
    Jean Paget, a young Englishwoman living in Malaya, is captured by the invading Japanese and forced on a brutal seven-month death march with dozens of other women and children. A few years after the war, Jean is back in England, the nightmare behind her. However, an unexpected inheritance inspires her to return to Malaya to give something back to the villagers who saved her life...
  • The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen

    The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 59 ratings
    Love and secrets collide in Venice during WWII in an enthralling novel of brief encounters and lasting romance by the New York Times bestselling author of The Tuscan Child and Above the Bay of Angels.Caroline Grant is struggling to accept the end of her marriage when she receives an unexpected bequest. Her beloved great-aunt Lettie leaves her a sketchbook, three keys, and a final whisper…Venice...
  • Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin

    Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 35 ratings
    New York Times bestselling author Martin offers us “grace, mercy, and forgiveness in this sweeping love story.”*Allie is still recovering from the loss of her family’s beloved waterfront restaurant on Florida’s Gulf Coast when she loses her second husband to a terrifying highway accident...
  • Ranger Bravery by Lynn Shannon

    Ranger Bravery by Lynn Shannon

    Rated: 4.68 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Shadows of the past linger…Piper Jensen escaped her small-town, seeking a new life without the baggage of her childhood. Her only regret: breaking up with her first love through a hastily scrawled note. A decade later, when her sister is hurt in a car accident, Piper moves home to help care for her niece and nephew...
  • Ned by Susan May Warren

    Ned by Susan May Warren

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    After four years of training to become a Navy SEAL, Ned Marshall is finally ready to marry the woman of his dreams, Shae Johnson . And Shae’s been uber patient, waiting, building a life as a free-lance graphic artist, moving around the globe to be with him. So, when she said yes to his proposal in Geneva, he fully expected to live happily-ever-after...
  • Fraser by Susan May Warren

    Fraser by Susan May Warren

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Fraser Marshall is pretty sure his career as a Spec Ops fighter is over. Yes, he’s gone into private security, working for Jones, Inc, but his last gig ended with him wounded and taken captive. And those wounds just won’t heal. The last thing he wants to do is stick around his family’s winery pressing grapes...
  • Hidden Sins by Edie James

    Hidden Sins by Edie James

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Former Black Ops SEAL Bridger North has no life. Three years after being forced out of the military, his tight-knit black ops team scattered, he’s a man adrift.Until an old teammate begs a favor...
  • Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason

    Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    Honorably discharged from the Army after an explosion nearly killed her, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams has set up shop to help others--but her days of helping military personnel are over. She's got her own battles to fight from her time overseas, and she's not equipped to take on more...
  • Something Dangerous by Penny Vincenzi

    Something Dangerous by Penny Vincenzi

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    The dazzling Lytton twins, Adele and Venetia, are born into the great Lytton publishing empire. In 1928, on their eighteenth birthday, they are rich and admired, with a confidence verging on arrogance. But the spectre of Nazi Germany is growing... Gradually their privileged world darkens in unimaginable ways - but it is not just the twins whose lives have been irrevocably changed...
  • The Spitfire Girls by Soraya M. Lane

    The Spitfire Girls by Soraya M. Lane

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Three skilled aviators determined to help win the war. Three brave women who know their place is not at home. At the height of World War II, the British Air Transport Auxiliary need help. A group of young women volunteer for action, but the perils of their new job don’t end on the tarmac. Things are tough in the air, but on the ground their abilities as pilots are constantly questioned...
  • The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken

    The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Beekeeper of Aleppo.In the 1930s, Stalin’s activists marched through the Soviet Union, espousing the greatness of collective farming. It was the first step in creating a man-made famine that, in Ukraine, stole almost 4 million lives...
  • Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks

    Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 53 ratings
    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the acclaimed author of The Longest Ride and The Notebook comes an emotional, powerful novel about wondering if we can change—or even make our peace with—the path we’ve taken.“Sparks is superb at what he does. The setting is postcard perfect. The characters are immensely likable. . . . This is a tidy miracle you can count on...
  • Fallout by Rebecca Deel

    Fallout by Rebecca Deel

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Waking up with amnesia next to a dead body means big trouble for Willow Knox. Worse, the police believe she's a cold-blooded killer. On the verge of being arrested, Willow asks a black ops warrior for help. But someone wants Willow dead at any cost. If they're not careful, Willow and Max will lose everything, including their lives...
  • Silent Sins by Edie James

    Silent Sins by Edie James

    Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Rescuing his black-sheep younger brother from yet another mess is nothing new for former SEAL and current Redemption Creek operative Mason Ortiz. Being forced to team up with a brilliant––and seriously controlling––FBI agent absolutely is, though. Mason will do anything to get his brother out of danger, but Special Agent Avery Ellis is only going to compromise this mission, in every way possible...
  • True Courage by Dee Henderson

    True Courage by Dee Henderson

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 34 ratings
    Dee Henderson wraps up her Christy Award-winning Uncommon Heroes series with a riveting story from the home front. When someone snatches his cousin's wife and son, FBI agent Luke Falcon hunts the kidnapper. He has never worked a case involving family, and it's tempting to let his hardened exterior weaken, given the circumstances. But he has to be strong if he's going to bring them home...
  • Hostile Intent by Lynette Eason

    Hostile Intent by Lynette Eason

    Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Ava Jackson entered the military shortly after high school, but her mother's illness has forced her to request an early discharge. She already lost her father while deployed, and there's no way she's going to let her mother die alone. But after a visit to the nursing facility where her mother lives, Ava is attacked walking back to her car...
  • Nightshade by Ronie Kendig

    Nightshade by Ronie Kendig

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    Soldiers all across the globe are returning home to their families after brutal tours of duty. They are discharged from the service. . .and on their own. Meet Max Jacobs, one of these discarded heroes, as he faces a wall of failure—in his career, his friendships, and his marriage. Failing again—this time to end his life—he is offered a thread of hope...
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