Books like 'Better Than the Beach'
Readers who enjoyed Better Than the Beach by Brit Benson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical forced proximity christmas new adult college virgin heroine suspense age difference mystery
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The Charlatan by D.K. Hamlin, Hyperion Knight
INTRODUCING A TIMELESS MASTERPIECENow appearing for the first time in English, The Charlatan, a tale of high drama, forbidden love, medicine, and mystery, was the masterpiece of Polish novelist Tadeusz Dolega-Mostowicz.Set in 1930s Warsaw, an era of prosperity and aristocracy, renowned heart surgeon Rafal Wolf suffers a heartbreak that culminates in severe memory loss... -
Lady's Well by L.J. Ross
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsTHERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WATER...When the ancient waters of Lady’s Well in the rural village of Holystone begin to run red, it seems to be a nasty Hallowe’en prank and nothing more. But things take a sinister turn when the entire village suffers severe poisoning, and one old man turns up dead... -
The Dance Teacher of Paris by Suzanne Fortin
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 24 ratings'But how will I look after them? Where can I hide them?' She looked up at me and didn't try to stop the tears from falling. 'I'm begging you. Please, save our children.'Paris, 1942. As the Germans occupy the city she calls home, Adele Basset is determined to keep her pupils' spirits up. Their dance class offers a moment of solace in the dark days of occupation... -
Murder in an Irish Castle by Verity Bright
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsIrish whiskey, rolling green hills, a traditional Christmas feast and… a murder? Lady Swift will need the luck of the Irish to survive this holiday season!Christmas, 1924. Lady Eleanor Swift has received a rather unexpected invitation to the village Christmas party in the tiny, rural hamlet of Derrydee in the west of Ireland... -
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Hope by Beverley Watts
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThere was no doubt that things had definitely looked better for Gabriel Atwood, one time Viscount Northwood. Mainly because everyone who knew him or of him almost certainly believed him dead - the bastard who’d betrayed him had made sure of that...Categorized as:
christmas forced proximity suspense mystery historical military regency length-short -
A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsLord Julian Caldicott is standing in for his ducal brother as manager of Yuletide merriment at the family seat. Alas for his lordship, nothing is going as planned. Cranky relatives arrive uninvited, family squabbles ensue, and Julian's annual case of the blue devils is worsening by the day.Julian decides to combat the mayhem and melancholia by anonymously spreading good cheer... -
Love's Bright Tomorrow by Naomi Rawlings
Rated: 4.68 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsShe’s just trying to start a new life for herself. If only it wasn’t so hard… It’s not as though there are a lot of options for a woman with barely two pennies to rub together.At least not in 1884.Or in the small town where she’s settled.Or anywhere else.It’s even harder when her past keeps coming back to haunt her. Aileen has tried putting it behind her. Truly she has... -
Petteril's Christmas by Mary Lancaster
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA merry Christmas for the Petterils?Piers wants to make their first Christmas together special, and so it proves to be - just not quite in the way he planned.His eccentric Great Aunt Prudence summons him to London with the news that she is dying and that one of her servants is stealing from her. Only one of these claims turns out to be true, though both require investigating... -
Beyond the Moonlit Sea by Julianne MacLean
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of These Tangled Vines comes a gripping novel about one woman’s search for answers when her husband vanishes in the night.Olivia Hamilton is married to the love of her life, Dean, a charismatic pilot who flies private jets for the rich and famous. But when he vanishes over the Bermuda Triangle, Olivia’s idyllic existence unravels... -
Murder at the Wedding Chapel by Catherine Coles
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTommy & Evelyn Christie have reluctantly agreed to host the wedding of Tommy's mother to Andrew Parsons, the Marquess of York, at their home Hessleham Hall.None of the happy couple's adult children support the marriage but when Andrew is found dead outside the wedding chapel on the morning of his wedding it seems one of them has taken their anger a step too far... -
Hold Me Close by Siobhan Davis, Kelly Hartigan (XterraWeb)
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSons pay for the sins of their fathers…Bodhi and Easton Lancaster O’Donoghue have grown up sheltered from the truth. Until it’s time for their parents to reveal what happened and how it shaped the events that came later.Bodhi is quiet. An intelligent, introspective boy who hides his pain deep inside... -
The Gilded Lily by Irina Shapiro
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsEvery old house has its secrets, so it comes as no surprise when a relic of a noble Victorian family is discovered in the new home of historical author Nicole Rayburn and her husband Kyle. Curious about the lovely young woman in the sepia photograph, Nicole delves into the history of the family and stumbles on a long-forgotten mystery... -
The Orphan Daughter by Sheila Riley
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsWinter, Liverpool 1947. Evie Kilgaren is a fighter. Abandoned by her mother and with her father long gone, she is left to raise her siblings in dockside Liverpool, as they battle against the coldest winter on record. But she is determined to make a life for herself and create a happy home for what's left of her family... -
Murder at Rochester Park by Catherine Coles
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsTommy and Evelyn Christie are looking forward to a quiet Christmas holiday at the home of Hugh Norton-Cavendish, the 9th Earl of Clifford, who recently married Tommy's cousin, Elise.However the suspicious death of Albert Lewis, a businessman hoping to buy land from Hugh, means the Christmas festivities are quickly over. Tommy is distracted by his sister's new relationship with a man he distrusts... -
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What the Devil Knows by C.S. Harris
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsSebastian St. Cyr thought a notorious killer had been brought to justice until a shocking series of gruesome new murders stuns the city in this thrilling historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Who Speaks for the Damned.It's October 1814. The war with France is finally over and Europe's diplomats are convening in Vienna for a conference that will put their world back together... -
Who Buries the Dead by C.S. Harris
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThe grisly murder of a West Indies slave owner and the reappearance of a dangerous enemy from Sebastian St. Cyr’s past combine to put C. S. Harris’s “troubled but compelling antihero” (Booklist) to the ultimate test in this taut, thrilling mystery.London, 1813. The vicious decapitation of Stanley Preston, a wealthy, socially ambitious plantation owner, at Bloody Bridge draws Sebastian St... -
A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Parry
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsSHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER 2022A Raven and Fisher Book 3Edinburgh, 1850. This city will bleed you dry.Sarah Fisher is keeping a safe distance from her old flame Dr Will Raven. Having long worked at the side of Dr James Simpson, she has set her sights on learning to practise medicine herself. A notion everyone seems intent on dissuading her from... -
No Stone Unturned by Pam Lecky
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsLucy Lawrence stared down at her husband, his once handsome face now a twisted mask of death. She shivered and pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. His life had held so many secrets, and now his sins were hers to bear… England, 1886. In the flickering gaslights of Victorian London, 28-year-old Lucy Lawrence's future hangs in the balance... -
When Falcons Fall by C.S. Harris
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsAyleswick-on-Teme, England, 1813. Sebastian has come to this seemingly peaceful Shropshire village to honor a slain friend and to learn more about his own ancestry. But when the body of a lovely widow is found on the banks of the River Teme, a bottle of laudanum at her side, the village’s inexperienced new magistrate turns to St. Cyr for help... -
The Whisper Sister by Jennifer S. Brown
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe author of Modern Girls delivers an atmospheric coming-of-age story set in Prohibition-era New York, tracing one immigrant family’s fortunes and a young girl’s journey from the schoolyard to the speakeasy.The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island... -
Velvet, Vol. 2: The Secret Lives of Dead Men by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe white-hot spy series from the creators of Captain America: The Winter Soldier is back!Everything Velvet Templeton ever believed about the worst night of her life has turned out to be a lie, and now she's coming back to London, taking the hunt back to the hunters, to find the truth or die trying... -
Deadly Betrayal by Carla Simpson
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"Ghosts of the past…The very case that made Brodie leave the Metropolitan Police returns to jeopardize his private inquiry business, his relationship with Mikaela Forsythe, and perhaps even his life.Ten years earlier, after Brodie refused to divulge the name of his source in a murder case, Chief Inspector Abberline threatened to have charges brought against him for withholding evidence... -
The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsHoping to make a clean break from a fractured marriage, Agatha Christie boards the Orient Express in disguise. But unlike her famous detective Hercule Poirot, she can’t neatly unravel the mysteries she encounters on this fateful journey. Agatha isn’t the only passenger on board with secrets... -
Murder Makes Waves by Anne George
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsThose hilarious southern sisters, who prove that sibling rivalry never ends, are heading for a vacation at the beach... -
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Thunder of Heaven: A Joshua Jordan Novel by Tim LaHaye
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsEconomies have fallen, freedom has been suppressed, and peace is a distant memory. The world is falling apart. Joshua Jordan's protege Ethan March, along with Jimmy Louder and Rivka Reuban have been left behind in a world that is rapidly coming under the complete influence of the Antichrist... -
The Marriage of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsLaurie R. King takes readers way back in her bestselling series with this exclusive ebook short story, as Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes embark upon the riskiest adventure of their their wedding. Includes a special preview of the highly anticipated new mystery from Laurie R... -
The Devil's Teeth by Sabrina Flynn
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIsobel Amsel is wasting away in an asylum. Mad with boredom, she recklessly risks her future wandering the countryside. When an excursion nearly turns deadly, Isobel fears one of her enemies is targeting her, but she quickly discovers something far more insidious. The lives of two boys are at stake, and she desperately wishes her partner were by her side.But Atticus Riot has problems of his own... -
The Cottage in the Highlands by Julie Shackman
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhen Leonie Baxter finds herself out of a job and out of a relationship, she’s at her wits end. Her life has just been turned upside down and she needs a plan, fast.By chance, on a walk with her rescue puppy, Leonie stumbles across a striking house in the woods; fully furnished but unoccupied. As a journalist, she is determined to find out more, after all, reporting is in her nature...Categorized as:
mystery new adult suspense contemporary small town historical length-medium audiobook -
Deadly Kin by Lucinda Brant, Matthew Lloyd Davies
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAlec is back! Summer 1764. Alec and Selina anxiously await the birth of their first child at their estate in Kent. It should be a time of family celebration, but the death of a young poacher has Alec investigating murder. And when renovations to his sprawling manor unearth a secret burial chamber, a shocking family secret comes to light... -
The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsMary Russell is used to dark secrets—her own, and those of her famous partner and husband, Sherlock Holmes. Trust is a thing slowly given, but over the course of a decade together, the two have forged an indissoluble bond. And what of the other person to whom Mary Russell has opened her heart: the couple’s longtime housekeeper, Mrs... -
The Mersey Girls: A gritty family saga by Sheila Riley
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe latest instalment in Sheila Riley's brilliant Reckoner's Row seriesLiverpool 1950When Evie Kilgaren takes over the running of the back office at Skinner and Son's haulage yard, she has no idea she is walking into a hive of blackmail, secrets and lies... -
A Noble Scheme by Roseanna M. White
Gemma Parks is known throughout high society as G. M. Parker, a columnist renowned for her commentary on the cream of society. Behind the scenes, she uses her talent to aid the Imposters in their investigations by gathering intel at events and providing alibis for the elite firm's members through her columns...Categorized as:
mystery christmas suspense christian historical 20th century glimpses-kisses length-medium -
The Sapphire Intrigue: A Crown Jewels Regency Mystery by Lynn Morrison, Anne Radcliffe
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA stolen code, a locked-down Pavilion, and a love on the line—Regency Brighton’s season of secrets is just beginning.Brighton, 1813: The upper class departs London’s bustling streets for the serene seaside elegance of the Royal Pavilion. A summer of relaxation and romance beckons, especially for Lord Roland Percy and Lady Grace Tilbury... -
Carnage from the Cursed Crown by Deb Marlowe
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsKara and Niall explore a new phase, a new estate . . . and another murder? Niall Kier’s life is changing in unexpected ways, but his latest forge art installation is a triumph. He’s thrilled with the result, until his patron sends payment in the form of an ancient crown, dripping in emeralds and rubies . . . and bringing along an ancient curse... -
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A Deadly Scandal by Carla Simpson
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMurder is such a nasty business…Mikaela Forsythe has returned from safari in Africa with her great aunt, and Lily.The continent survived, but not so the victim in a new murder investigation that she is asked to undertake – that agreement she made with Sir Avery of the Special Services Agency to save Brodie’s life... -
The Queen's Cook by Tessa Afshar
In the heart of ancient Persia, the empire's Jewish citizens face an ominous edict that threatens their very existence. Roxannah, the daughter of a once-privileged but now impoverished Persian lord, is devastated by the news... -
Evidence of Evil: Victorian Historical Romance Mystery by Mary Lancaster
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPursuing murder and fighting love… Several weeks after they parted company, courtesan Constance calls on the wealthy business-man Solomon Grey to request his help solving another mystery. Her old friend Elizabeth, now the wife of respected magistrate Sir Humphrey Maule, is being accused of murder... -
MURDER AT THE CHRISTMAS CASINO by Andrea Hicks
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLONDON - CHRISTMAS 1925Camille and Richard thought they were in for a festive evening out when they were invited to a glamorous Christmas celebration at one of London's most exclusive casinos, The London Ivy Rooms... -
Enemies of Doves by Shanessa Gluhm
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOn a summer night in 1932, twelve-year-old Joel Fitchett wanders into an East Texas diner badly beaten and carrying his unconscious brother, Clancy. Though both boys claim they have no memory of what happened, the horrific details are etched into their minds as deep as the scar left across Joel's face... -
So True a Love by Joanna Barker
Danger and passion collide when a plucky young woman becomes embroiled in a Bow Street investigation alongside a handsome officer. London, 1803As the daughter of a renowned actress, Verity Travers is a privileged lady of high society —and the last woman one would suspect of working as a private investigator... -
The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsThe unflinching, spellbinding new book from the acclaimed author of The Second Life of Mirielle West... -
Inseparable: Hardcover by Siobhan Davis, Kelly Hartigan (XterraWeb)
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsA gritty, angsty, friends-to-lovers standalone romance from USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Siobhan Davis.A childhood promise. An unbreakable bond. One tragic event that shatters everything.It all started with the boys next door…Devin and Ayden were my best friends. We were practically joined at the hip since age two... -
The Girl from Ballymor by Kathleen McGurl
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhat would you sacrifice for your children?Ballymor, Ireland, 1847As famine grips the country Kitty McCarthy is left widowed and alone. Fighting to keep her two remaining children alive against all odds, Kitty must decide how far she will go to save her family... -
A Midwinter Murder: A gripping and addictive historical cozy murder mystery by Verity Bright
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHomemade baubles, reindeer-shaped cookies and snowy walks across the rolling moors… but Lady Swift’s festive plans are ruined when a body turns up!Winter 1924. When Lady Eleanor Swift unexpectedly finds herself a guest of the reclusive Duke of Auldwyke, she’s determined to enjoy Christmas with all the trimmings at his sprawling manor house... -
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Deadly Illusion by Carla Simpson
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWhat is real or only an illusion?Ghostly images that appear and float across the stage, objects that levitate into the air, and a beautiful assistant who disappears inside a glass box, then reappears inside a second glass box. All while the audience at the Crystal Palace, including amateur investigator Mikaela Forsythe, watch the performance... -
The Mistletoe Seller by Dilly Court
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsIt’s Christmas Eve. Flurries of snow fall on the cobbled streets of Whitechapel and an abandoned baby, swaddled in a blanket, is found on a doorstep in Angel Lane . . .Named after the street on which she was found, Angel Winter was blessed to be taken from the harsh streets into a loving home... -
The Coldest Fear by Debra Webb
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsA killer with nothing left to lose… Afraid or not, Detective Bobbie Gentry has a monster to confront. The pain of losing her family and nearly her life to a criminal's vile hunger is still fresh, but now the landscape is different. Now she's not alone. Now she has Nick Shade to trust. Nick treats the terror of his past with vengeance... -
The Business of Blood by Kerrigan Byrne
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsLondon, 1890. Blood and death are Fiona Mahoney’s trade, and business, as they say, is booming. Dying is the only thing people do with any regularity, and Fiona makes her indecorous living cleaning up after the corpses are carted away. Her childhood best friend, Mary, was the last known victim of Jack the Ripper... -
Kiss The Rake Hello by Tracy Sumner
Cortland DeWitt is the most infamous second son in England. Twin to a duke, he thankfully lost out on the ducal title by a mere three minute's grace. And he's never looked back, living his life with one rule and one rule only: no attachments.But to Alexandra Mountbatten, the fearless woman who's known him since childhood, Cort is merely the loathsome boy next door... -
The Last Protector by Andrew Taylor
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsFrom the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Ashes of London comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood and Cat Lovett. A dangerous secret lies beneath Whitehall Palace… Brother against brother. Father against son. Friends turned into enemies. No one in England wants a return to the bloody days of the Civil War...
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