Fans pick 98 books like Fair is the Rose

By Liz Curtis Higgs,

Here are 98 books that Fair is the Rose fans have personally recommended if you like Fair is the Rose. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Way of the Brave

Elizabeth Goddard Author Of Shadows at Dusk

From my list on Christian stories that take readers to stunning locations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m always inspired by nature. I’m sure that’s because my parents always took us to beautiful places on our summer vacations. I enjoyed snorkeling in Florida, hiking in the Rockies, exploring at Yellowstone National Park, to name a few places. I’ve never forgotten how in awe I was at seeing such beauty, and when I started writing romantic suspense novels, it seemed natural to look for a setting that not only inspired me to write but would lend to the suspense and tension aspect of my novels as well as provide an exciting adventure. Even now, when we travel and explore, it’s always setting that inspires me with new story ideas.

Elizabeth's book list on Christian stories that take readers to stunning locations

Elizabeth Goddard Why did Elizabeth love this book?

Again, another title that really grabbed me. I absolutely adored this book about former pararescue jumper Orion Star who lives in Alaska and his romance with the CIA profiler he met while on a mission overseas.

Jenny decides she wants to climb Denali! The tallest mountain in North America doesn’t always play nice so Orion must rescue her. I loved every minute of this story, especially all the details the author includes about climbing this mountain as if she’d done it herself. Who knows—maybe she did. 

By Susan May Warren,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Way of the Brave as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Former pararescue jumper Orion Starr is haunted by the memory of a rescue gone wrong. He may be living alone in Alaska now, but the pain of his failure--and his injuries--has followed him there from Afghanistan. He has no desire to join Hamilton Jones's elite rescue team, but he also can't shirk his duty when the call comes in to rescue three lost climbers on Denali.

Former CIA profiler and psychiatrist Jenny Calhoun's yearly extreme challenge with her best friends is her only escape from the guilt that has sunk its claws into her. As a consultant during a top-secret…


Book cover of Ghost Heart

Elizabeth Goddard Author Of Shadows at Dusk

From my list on Christian stories that take readers to stunning locations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m always inspired by nature. I’m sure that’s because my parents always took us to beautiful places on our summer vacations. I enjoyed snorkeling in Florida, hiking in the Rockies, exploring at Yellowstone National Park, to name a few places. I’ve never forgotten how in awe I was at seeing such beauty, and when I started writing romantic suspense novels, it seemed natural to look for a setting that not only inspired me to write but would lend to the suspense and tension aspect of my novels as well as provide an exciting adventure. Even now, when we travel and explore, it’s always setting that inspires me with new story ideas.

Elizabeth's book list on Christian stories that take readers to stunning locations

Elizabeth Goddard Why did Elizabeth love this book?

Ghost Heart is an attention-grabbing title for starters. This is a riveting thriller novel that sweeps the reader up in an action-adventure romance brimming with danger and suspense.

Readers will travel into the African bush, compliments of a heroic bush pilot who assists a surgeon in facing danger to find the answers about why her heart patients are failing. A medical thriller on steroids, this is one of my all-time favorite novels. 

By Lisa Harris, Lynne Gentry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ghost Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

USA Today bestselling authors Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry deliver an unforgettable and chilling medical thriller about a mother willing to risk everything for her child, and a surgeon desperate to cover his crimes.

A Carol-award winning finalist!

A brutal murder convinces Dr. Mia Kendall there's more than she imagined to the mysterious spike in heart transplant rejections. Determined to find answers before she loses another patient, Mia gets sucked into a dangerous international medical web. With time running out for her youngest transplant recipient, Mia is forced to partner with a disillusioned ex-military pilot who flies brokered organs across…


Book cover of A Kiss of Adventure

Elizabeth Goddard Author Of Shadows at Dusk

From my list on Christian stories that take readers to stunning locations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m always inspired by nature. I’m sure that’s because my parents always took us to beautiful places on our summer vacations. I enjoyed snorkeling in Florida, hiking in the Rockies, exploring at Yellowstone National Park, to name a few places. I’ve never forgotten how in awe I was at seeing such beauty, and when I started writing romantic suspense novels, it seemed natural to look for a setting that not only inspired me to write but would lend to the suspense and tension aspect of my novels as well as provide an exciting adventure. Even now, when we travel and explore, it’s always setting that inspires me with new story ideas.

Elizabeth's book list on Christian stories that take readers to stunning locations

Elizabeth Goddard Why did Elizabeth love this book?

This is the book that started it all for me, I think. Or rather, this is the book that inspired me to write adventure novels set in stunning locations.

This story set in Africa is an absolute thrilling rush filled with romance and a fantastic hero. In Africa, so much can go wrong, and you can’t call 9-1-1, or easily call for help and expect a ready response. This is an exotic adventure with just the right number of twists and turns.

Lots of events occur that can only happen in Africa, and like the book blurb says—they face the challenges of nature. Just my kind of book. In fact, now that I’m writing this short review, I think I’m going to go read this novel again. I haven’t read it in years, but I haven’t forgotten it. Time to dive back into an adventure story set in a stunning…

By Catherine Palmer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Kiss of Adventure as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Treasures of the Heart series are fast-paced contemporary romance adventure novels. The stories follow three grown siblings who grow in their understanding of God and overcome obstacles to find lasting love and romance. (Books #1 and #2 were formerly titled The Treasure of Timbuktu and The Treasure of Zanzibar)


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Book cover of Songbird

Songbird By Laci Barry Post,

It's 1943, and World War II has gripped the nation, including the Stilwell family in Jacksonville, Alabama. Rationing, bomb drills, patriotism, and a changing South barrage their way of life. Neighboring Fort McClellan has brought the world to their doorstep in the form of young soldiers from all over the…

Book cover of Standoff

Elizabeth Goddard Author Of Shadows at Dusk

From my list on Christian stories that take readers to stunning locations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m always inspired by nature. I’m sure that’s because my parents always took us to beautiful places on our summer vacations. I enjoyed snorkeling in Florida, hiking in the Rockies, exploring at Yellowstone National Park, to name a few places. I’ve never forgotten how in awe I was at seeing such beauty, and when I started writing romantic suspense novels, it seemed natural to look for a setting that not only inspired me to write but would lend to the suspense and tension aspect of my novels as well as provide an exciting adventure. Even now, when we travel and explore, it’s always setting that inspires me with new story ideas.

Elizabeth's book list on Christian stories that take readers to stunning locations

Elizabeth Goddard Why did Elizabeth love this book?

This novel is set in a national park and is filled with danger and drug traffickers.

I love the details the author writes of this amazing national park that begins in Natchez, Mississippi, supposedly follows a Native American trail, and then ends in Nashville, Tennessee. What a great setting for a novel, especially when you factor in that drug traffickers are using this trail. In truth, they’re using our national parks because no one lives in the parks. The forest is dark and makes a good cover.

Patricia Bradley pulls the reader in with her park ranger heroine who wants to find the truth about who murdered her father. 

By Patricia Bradley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Standoff as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It's the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure drive. Unfortunately for park ranger Luke Fereday, lately it's being used to move drugs. Sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of his friend, park ranger John Danvers.

John's daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father's murder, but things are more complicated than they first appear, and Brooke soon finds herself the target of…


Book cover of Thorn in my Heart

Jennifer Deibel Author Of The Lady of Galway Manor

From my list on to scratch your travel itch.

Why am I passionate about this?

After living in Europe for nearly 10 years, I’ve spent more time in planes, trains, and cars than I could ever count. I was able to travel more in that time than I ever dreamed possible, making trips ranging from Gibraltar to Romania to the Isle of Skye. Most of my time was spent all around Ireland where I took tour groups around to help them get beyond Blarney and experience the real Ireland.

Jennifer's book list on to scratch your travel itch

Jennifer Deibel Why did Jennifer love this book?

Higgs whisks us away to 18th century Scotland in this sweeping, epic historical romance trilogy. The Scottish landscape is practically its own character as we follow the saga of Jaime, Leanna, and Rose in their quest for happiness, justice, and love. You’ll feel the misty air on your cheeks and want to wrap up against the brisk Scottish chill as you read. You’ll dine on delectable cuisine, and be left wanting more of this enchanting country and her people.

By Liz Curtis Higgs,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thorn in my Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Two brothers fight to claim one father’s blessing. Two sisters long to claim one man’s heart.

In the autumn of 1788, amid the moors and glens of the Scottish Lowlands, two brothers and two sisters each embark on a painful journey of discovery. Jamie and Evan McKie both want their father Alec’s flocks and lands, yet only one brother will inherit Glentrool. Leana and Rose McBride both yearn to catch the eye of the same handsome lad, yet only one sister will be his bride.

A thorny love triangle emerges, plagued by lies and deception, jealousy and desire, hidden secrets…


Book cover of The Portrait of a Lady

Karl F. Zender Author Of Shakespeare and Faulkner: Selves and Others

From my list on the most wonderful American, British, and Irish writers.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up on a small farm in southern Ohio, I was the first generation of my family to attend both high school and college. Literature, reading it, talking about it, studying it, was my entry into a world of larger possibilities than my family’s somewhat straitened circumstances had allowed me. Faulkner attracted me because the rural enclave in which we lived, and my neighbors, resembled locales and characters in his fiction. Shakespeare attracted me for many reasons, most notably the beauty of his language and the ability of his plays to reveal new meanings as my life experiences changed.

Karl's book list on the most wonderful American, British, and Irish writers

Karl F. Zender Why did Karl love this book?

Is Henry James an American or a British author?  Perhaps both. Born and raised in New York City, member of a well-to-do family, James spent his adult years in Great Britain. Yet his central theme, the collision of American “innocence” with European sophistication, is inherently trans-oceanic.  

Nowhere is that theme more brilliantly explored than in The Portrait of a Lady. Isabel Archer, young, wealthy, unattached, free, it seems, to make of her life what she will, nonetheless marries a fortune-hunting expatriate, and her gradual discovery of the magnitude of her mistake makes the novel a great, heart-wrenching tragedy.

By Henry James, Roger Luckhurst (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Portrait of a Lady as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'One ought to choose something very deliberately, and be faithful to that.'

Isabel Archer is a young, intelligent, and spirited American girl, determined to relish her first experience of Europe. She rejects two eligible suitors in her fervent commitment to liberty and independence, declaring that she will never marry. Thanks to the generosity of her devoted cousin Ralph, she is free to make her own choice about her destiny. Yet in the intoxicating worlds of Paris, Florence, and Rome, her fond illusions of self-reliance are twisted by the machinations of her friends and apparent allies. What had seemed to be…


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Book cover of Returning to Eden

Returning to Eden By Rebecca Hartt,

Looking for clean romantic suspense with spiritual undertones?

Look no further than the Acts of Valor series by Rebecca Hartt. With thousands of reviews and 4.7-5.0 stars per book, this 6-book series is a must-read for readers searching for memorable, well-told stories by an award-winning author.

A dead man stands…

Book cover of The White Forest

Clare Langley-Hawthorne Author Of Consequences of Sin

From my list on historical books to incorporate magic.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a history buff I am also fascinated by folklore and magic, and how it has influenced society during various time periods. I love discovering writers who seamlessly manage to present a parallel magical universe grounded in actual history or who manage to incorporate fantastical or magical elements into a historical novel. Over the last few years I’ve been increasingly drawn to exploring the philosophical, magical, and spiritual underpinnings of society as part of my historical research. Although my own published works to date have been straight historical fiction, my current work in progress is definitely veering into the speculative, alternative history realm. 

Clare's book list on historical books to incorporate magic

Clare Langley-Hawthorne Why did Clare love this book?

Set in Victorian England, this novel is a sinister, gothic tale based on the ability of a young woman to read the souls of man-made objects and the disappearance of a young man drawn to the occult. I loved how this book was grounded in the real Victorian London and yet managed to incorporate gorgeously gothic supernatural elements as well as a love triangle involving well-drawn and believable characters. For me, the writing was what really drew me in and I have to admire anyone who can weave historical and fantastical elements as beautifully as this author. 

By Adam McOmber,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The White Forest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this hauntingly original debut novel about a young woman whose peculiar abilities help her infiltrate a mysterious secret society, Adam McOmber uses fantastical twists and dark turns to create a fast-paced, unforgettable story.

Young Jane Silverlake lives with her father in a crumbling family estate on the edge of Hampstead Heath. Jane has a secret—an unexplainable gift that allows her to see the souls of man-made objects—and this talent isolates her from the outside world. Her greatest joy is wandering the wild heath with her neighbors, Madeline and Nathan. But as the friends come of age, their idyll is…


Book cover of Adam Bede

Lucienne Boyce Author Of The Fatal Coin: A Dan Foster novella

From my list on historical stories about the common people.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write historical fiction, non-fiction, and biography. My historical fiction is set in the eighteenth century, which is often pictured as a time when people swanned about in fancy clothes, lived on country estates, travelled in gleaming carriages, and dined and danced their nights away in glittering assembly rooms. But most people didn’t live like that at all, although they are the ones who made the clothes, worked on the estates, drove the carriages, cooked the food, and cleaned the rooms. The books on my list focus on history from their point of view. In my own work – fiction and non-fiction – I’m also interested in telling the stories of so-called “ordinary” people.

Lucienne's book list on historical stories about the common people

Lucienne Boyce Why did Lucienne love this book?

I love George Eliot’s work, and this, her first novel, is my favourite. Adam Bede is a carpenter who’s in love with dairymaid Hetty Sorrell, but their lives are turned upside down when the squire seduces her. Eliot confronts issues of class, illegitimacy, gender power imbalance, and the double standard – it is not the squire who suffers the consequences of the affair. Dinah Morris, the cousin who stands by Hetty in her trouble, is a wonderful character. She’s a Methodist preacher at a time when church authorities insisted women shouldn’t minister – the Methodist Conference banned women preachers in 1803, and the Church of England didn’t ordain women until 1994 when 32 women were ordained at Bristol Cathedral – I was there! So Dinah represents a strong working woman who is making a truly radical stand against a powerful institution.

By George Eliot,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Adam Bede as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Our deeds carry their terrible consequences...consequences that are hardly ever confined to ourselves.'

Pretty Hetty Sorrel is loved by the village carpenter Adam Bede, but her head is turned by the attentions of the fickle young squire, Arthur Donnithorne. His dalliance with the dairymaid has unforeseen consequences that affect the lives of many in their small rural community. First published in 1859, Adam Bede carried its readers back sixty years to the lush countryside of Eliot's native Warwickshire, and a time of impending change for England and the wider world. Eliot's powerful
portrayal of the interaction of ordinary people brought…


Book cover of The Postman Always Rings Twice

G.E. Nordell Author Of Backlot Requiem: A Rick Walker Mystery

From my list on hardboiled noir detective mystery stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

Among other things, I'm an existentialist. A well-constructed mystery novel is an existential puzzle given to the reader to solve at his/her leisure, and the noir sub-genre has the further subtext that the protagonistand the reader—are doomed in some way even if the solution is nailed. Romance novels are drivel and have no basis in reality, but noir and other types of mystery fiction reflect the way that the world works: you may solve this puzzle problem, but then you are left to a vast world that is rife with puzzles but without a coherent plot. The detective trudges on, achieves a kind of satisfaction, and then is thrust into the next crisis.

G.E.'s book list on hardboiled noir detective mystery stories

G.E. Nordell Why did G.E. love this book?

Watching bad people self-destruct is hard work, but author Cain makes sure that the bad people get what they deserve. A drifter takes a job at a roadside diner that is run by an old man and his beautiful and unhappy wife; the two youngsters begin a dangerous affair and then plot to kill the husband so that the girl inherits the property. But matters do not turn out as they planned. The novel has been adapted for film at least seven times, with the favorite being the 1946 movie starring Lana Turner.

By James M. Cain,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Postman Always Rings Twice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Nobody has ever quite pulled it off the way Cain does, not Hemingway, and not even Raymond Chandler' Tom Wolfe

'It is no accident that movies based on three [of Cain's novels] helped to define the genre known as film noir' NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS

'The most starkly elemental thing that has been written for years' EVENING STANDARD

The torrid story of Frank Chambers, the amoral drifter, Cora, the sullen and brooding wife, and Nick Papadakis, the amiable but inconvenient husband, has become a classic of its kind, and established Cain as a major novelist with a spare and…


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Book cover of Dulcinea

Dulcinea By Ana Veciana-Suarez,

Dolça Llull Prat, a wealthy Barcelona woman, is only 15 when she falls in love with an impoverished poet-solder. Theirs is a forbidden relationship, one that overcomes many obstacles until the fledgling writer renders her as the lowly Dulcinea in his bestseller.

By doing so, he unwittingly exposes his muse…

Book cover of These Hollow Vows

Stephanie M. Allen Author Of Dueling Fates

From my list on fantasy with a little zingy romance thrown in.

Why am I passionate about this?

I absolutely adore fantasy! I love leaving our world and being transported to another. I love that characters might have magic or crazy heritages. I love the creatures that come with the genre. I adore everything about fantasy. Throwing romantic elements into the story just makes it all that much sweeter. Having a hero with a weakness for a heroine is so comforting to read. Giving the characters someone else to fight for is also a heart-warming, sometimes gut-wrenching, affair. But in the end, having romance in a fantasy just gives it a little extra push to the readers.

Stephanie's book list on fantasy with a little zingy romance thrown in

Stephanie M. Allen Why did Stephanie love this book?

This was an unexpected read on a few levels. First, that ending! Oh, that ending was rude! It definitely left me on a cliffhanger, which I both love and hate. Let’s be real, I do it in my own writing. It keeps the reader guessing and leaves the reader wanting more. But I also found it to be fast-paced, which isn’t the usual for a romantic fantasy. It had all the elements I love: morally gray heroine, lovers to enemies, love triangle, all the tropes that just go deliciously in a fantasy.

By Lexi Ryan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked These Hollow Vows as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

From New York Times best-selling author Lexi Ryan, Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this sexy, action-packed fantasy about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes. Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she'll do whatever it takes to get her back - including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics…


Book cover of The Way of the Brave
Book cover of Ghost Heart
Book cover of A Kiss of Adventure

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Interested in love triangle, inheritances, and Scotland?

Love Triangle 78 books
Inheritances 93 books
Scotland 345 books