95 books like Hunting Eden

By VH Nicolson,

Here are 95 books that Hunting Eden fans have personally recommended if you like Hunting Eden. 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 Bitter Rival

Elle Nicoll Author Of Drawn to Mr. King

From my list on love with heavy topics to make your heart hurt.

Why am I passionate about this?

I worked for years as a long-haul flight attendant, and met a lot of people. Some travelling for love, honeymoons, anniversaries, some for medical care, to say goodbye to someone. And some for that bucket list item, because they knew it was their last chance. I’ve always been amazed by the human spirit and its ability to love deeply. And I love romance stories! I have read so many. My favourites are the ones about people and the emotional journeys they go on. So combine the two, and you’ve got heart-wrenching stories that make you realise what’s important, even if they do break your heart in the process.

Elle's book list on love with heavy topics to make your heart hurt

Elle Nicoll Why did Elle love this book?

What I love about LM Fox’s books are that she has spent her life working in the medical profession, and so her stories are accurate and true to life in her depiction of certain topics and issues, and the strength of the human spirit in facing them.

The Bitter Rival follows playboy surgeon, Sebastian Lee, and Isabella, who is a single Mom to Austin, who has autism. 

There are beautiful depictions of the relationship between Isabella and Austin in this book, and also the introduction of Sebastian into their lives. As always with LM Fox, there is emotion, steam, drama, and twists and turns on the way to their HEA.

By LM Fox,

Why should I read it?

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


Book cover of Hate Notes

Elle Nicoll Author Of Drawn to Mr. King

From my list on love with heavy topics to make your heart hurt.

Why am I passionate about this?

I worked for years as a long-haul flight attendant, and met a lot of people. Some travelling for love, honeymoons, anniversaries, some for medical care, to say goodbye to someone. And some for that bucket list item, because they knew it was their last chance. I’ve always been amazed by the human spirit and its ability to love deeply. And I love romance stories! I have read so many. My favourites are the ones about people and the emotional journeys they go on. So combine the two, and you’ve got heart-wrenching stories that make you realise what’s important, even if they do break your heart in the process.

Elle's book list on love with heavy topics to make your heart hurt

Elle Nicoll Why did Elle love this book?

I love Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward's way of weaving a beautiful story that makes you say, 'just one more chapter'.

They always pull you into the story and make you feel like you are there. I often read their books in a day because I can’t put them down.

I love the grumpy-sunshine trope in this book. It was fun and sexy and emotional. There is a hidden and very well-portrayed medical issue for one of the characters, which I felt added so much depth to the book and touched on very real, relatable issues.

By Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Amazon's #1 Most Unputdownable Book of the Year.

An Amazon Charts bestseller.

A Wall Street Journal bestseller.

A Washington Post bestseller.

From New York Times bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes an unexpected love story of secondhand hearts and second chances...

It all started with a mysterious blue note sewn into a wedding dress.

Something blue.

I'd gone to sell my own unworn bridal gown at a vintage clothing store. That's when I found another bride's "something old."

Stitched into the lining of a fabulously feathered design was the loveliest message I'd ever read: Thank you for making…


Book cover of Beyond The Roses

Elle Nicoll Author Of Drawn to Mr. King

From my list on love with heavy topics to make your heart hurt.

Why am I passionate about this?

I worked for years as a long-haul flight attendant, and met a lot of people. Some travelling for love, honeymoons, anniversaries, some for medical care, to say goodbye to someone. And some for that bucket list item, because they knew it was their last chance. I’ve always been amazed by the human spirit and its ability to love deeply. And I love romance stories! I have read so many. My favourites are the ones about people and the emotional journeys they go on. So combine the two, and you’ve got heart-wrenching stories that make you realise what’s important, even if they do break your heart in the process.

Elle's book list on love with heavy topics to make your heart hurt

Elle Nicoll Why did Elle love this book?

A woman who is coming to terms with her own mortality. And the man who is determined to save her.

I did not see the twists and turns coming in this book. Not strictly a romance as the happy ever after is not one in the traditional sense. But yet the main theme running through this book is love and what happens when you experience a love so strong that it changes multiple lives.

It made me cry. But it also made me feel proud of just how much impact love can have. Not just on one person, but a whole community. Beautiful.

By Monica James,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

To the outside world, my life is perfect.


I'm young and rich, and some may even say I'm beautiful. But I would give anything to be somebody else because after being extraordinary all my life, all I wish for is...silence.


My name is Lola Van Allen, and there's no easy way to say it, but...I'm dying.


When my doctors reveal all hope is lost, I decide to spend the time I have left sharing my experience at Strawberry Fields, a summer camp for terminally ill children. No matter my fate, I yearn to make a difference.


Things are quiet and…


Book cover of A Thousand Boy Kisses

Elle Nicoll Author Of Drawn to Mr. King

From my list on love with heavy topics to make your heart hurt.

Why am I passionate about this?

I worked for years as a long-haul flight attendant, and met a lot of people. Some travelling for love, honeymoons, anniversaries, some for medical care, to say goodbye to someone. And some for that bucket list item, because they knew it was their last chance. I’ve always been amazed by the human spirit and its ability to love deeply. And I love romance stories! I have read so many. My favourites are the ones about people and the emotional journeys they go on. So combine the two, and you’ve got heart-wrenching stories that make you realise what’s important, even if they do break your heart in the process.

Elle's book list on love with heavy topics to make your heart hurt

Elle Nicoll Why did Elle love this book?

Prepare to cry! That’s my advice.

It is a beautiful story about childhood friends, Poppy and Rune, who are fated to be together. But circumstances break them apart, and when teenager Rune returns, Poppy has a secret – she has a terminal diagnosis.

This isn’t strictly a romance because the ending isn’t a traditional happy ever after. But it is bursting with love and all the strength that a gripping love story brings. I loved it.

It’s a book that makes you look at life and feel grateful again. To really remember how powerful we all are and can be when we harness our true meaning of loving ourselves and each other.

It is breathtakingly beautiful and will stay with you a long time after turning the final page.

By Tillie Cole,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Thousand Boy Kisses 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?

DISCOVER THE UNFORGETTABLE TIKTOK SENSATION THAT HAS CAPTURED MILLIONS OF HEARTS

'This book is breathtakingly, heartbreakingly beautiful. You will cry ugly tears' 5***** READER REVIEW

'So moving that it left me sobbing but at the same time filled my heart. Beautiful, tragic, heartbreakingly wonderful' 5***** READER REVIEW

'It is without a doubt the biggest ugly cry I have ever had from a book' 5***** READER REVIEW
________

Two hearts. One love story. An ending you will never forget . . .

Rune Kristiansen and Poppy Litchfield met as children and swore to be friends forever.

As teenagers, their friendship grew…


Book cover of The Golden Apples of the Sun

Phil Giunta Author Of Testing the Prisoner

From my list on ordinary people thrown into bizarre and extraordinary circumstances.

Why am I passionate about this?

Two themes run through my book recommendations. First is the lone protagonist against impossible odds. Don’t we all feel this way from time to time in our lives? I’m no exception and still have the scars to prove it, which is why my first novel was intended to promote awareness and prevention of child abuse and domestic violence. Secondly, I’ve had an affinity for speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal) since I was a child so it only stands to reason that I would be inspired by the likes of Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury, Philip José Farmer, Philip K. Dick, and other masters of these genres.

Phil's book list on ordinary people thrown into bizarre and extraordinary circumstances

Phil Giunta Why did Phil love this book?

The variety of subjects covered in this collection of 22 short stories demonstrates Bradbury's prowess as a master craftsman and the reason why I count him among my literary heroes. 

More than a few of these tales have become legendary, including “A Sound of Thunder.” Bradbury's premise of how the death of a butterfly in prehistoric times could have drastic changes in the future is a variation on the famous “butterfly effect” and a fine example of the relationship between chaos theory and the physics of time travel.
For me, the most incredible story in the collection is “The Fog Horn” in which an elusive sea monster attacks a lighthouse after being attracted by its foghorn for years. This story was the inspiration for the 1953 film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.

By Ray D. Bradbury,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Golden Apples of the Sun as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ray Bradbury is a modern cultural treasure. His disarming simplicity of style underlies a towering body of work unmatched in metaphorical power by any other American storyteller. And here, presented in a new trade edition, are thirty-two of his most famous tales--prime examples of the poignant and mysterious poetry which Bradbury uniquely uncovers in the depths of the human soul, the otherwordly portraits of outré fascination which spring from the canvas of one of the century's great men of imagination. From a lonely coastal lighthouse to a sixty-million-year-old safary, from the pouring rain of Venus to the ominous silence of…


Book cover of Butterfly Isles: A Summer in Search of Our Emperors and Admirals

Leif Bersweden Author Of The Orchid Hunter: A Young Botanist's Search for Happiness

From my list on nature in Britain.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a writer and a botanist with a lifelong interest in nature. I grew up in southern England where I spent my time running around the fields and woods searching for birds, insects and wild plants (as one does). As well as writing about nature, I run plant identification training courses and have a genetics PhD.

Leif's book list on nature in Britain

Leif Bersweden Why did Leif love this book?

This book is a classic natural history quest: Patrick Barkham tries to find all the butterfly species in Britain and Ireland in one summer. It explores our age-old relationship with these fantastic insects, the eccentricities of the butterfly watcher's world, and the author’s adventures along the way, all tied together by the challenge he’s set himself. This is a really entertaining book and brilliantly captures the butterfly obsession, offering an excellent portrayal of what makes butterfly watchers tick.

By Patrick Barkham,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Butterflies animate our summers but the 59 butterfly species of the British Isles can be surprisingly elusive. Some bask unseen at the top of trees in London parks; others lurk at the bottom of damp bogs in Scotland. A few survive for months while other ephemeral creatures only fly for three days. Several are virtually extinct. This bewitching book charts Patrick Barkham's quest to find all 59 - from the Adonis Blue to the Dingy Skipper - in one unforgettable summer. Barkham brings alive the extraordinary physical beauty and amusingly diverse character of our butterflies. He witnesses a swarming invasion…


Book cover of Dirt & Deity: Life of Robert Burns

Claire R. McDougall Author Of Veil of Time

From my list on to lose yourself in the dream that is Scotland.

Why am I passionate about this?

There is a saying that you can take the girl out of Scotland but not Scotland out of the girl. I am that girl. Born and raised in Scotland, I earned an MA from Edinburgh University and a M.Litt from Oxford. I met my husband during the summer at  Dartmouth College and the rest, as they say, is history. Or, at least it would be, except for the hankering back to Scotland that never leaves. My novel set in Scotland was published by Simon & Schuster.

Claire's book list on to lose yourself in the dream that is Scotland

Claire R. McDougall Why did Claire love this book?

This is an extensive biography of Scotland’s celebrated bard, Robert Burns, and includes a collection of unpublished letters. Scotland’s own “heaven taught ploughman,” gave life a run for its money, giving us in his few but fruitful years lines of poetry that match Shakespeare himself. 

Oh, would some 
Power the giftie
gie us
To see ourselves as
Others see us!

McIntyre gives Burns a good shot. No Scottish writer, including myself, could think of their career trajectory without Robert Burns standing out prominently along that line. He gave us the gift of hubris and the gift of the poetic gab. 

By Ian McIntyre,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

This biography illuminates and explores the complexities and contradictions of Burns's character and personality, untangling the myth from the legend. Based on new evidence from 700 letters Burns wrote during his life, McIntyre concentrates on the circumstances of the writing of poetry itself, and paints a vivid picture of Burns's emotional and impulsive political views, the cruelty and gentleness of which he was capable, stressing the importance and the quality of the satirical poetry as well as the unforgettable love poetry immediately associated with his name.


Book cover of Glen of the Lapwing

Chris Andrews Author Of Belfast, A View of the City

From my list on landscape, architecture, and the natural world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a photographer based in Oxford who has published books for 40 years. I love to be outside, whether it's enjoying the urban landscape of historic Oxford or the wild beauty of the Scottish hillside. The charm of the natural world and the romance of historic buildings are equal enthusiasms. To capture some essence of this, either by camera or paintbrush is a true skill. And it's not easy! To really create a new view is a constant challenge which is my driving force, in my own books I try for images that are just slightly different, atmospheric, romantic, yet always recognisable. I love to search out others who achieve the same, this is why I love these books.

Chris' book list on landscape, architecture, and the natural world

Chris Andrews Why did Chris love this book?

Keith is another talented and hard-working artist with a fascination for nature. He paints from life, travelling miles over the rugged country of Scotland recording, birds, animals, landscape, and life. Often accompanied by at least one of his dogs, sometimes by bike as well as the essential 4 wheel drive. 

Kieth’s ability to find wildlife in spectacular surroundings is extraordinary, his valuable work shows us the beauty of a stunning landscape and the charm of the life within.

Meeting Keith is a pleasure, a man who imparts knowledge lightly and gives constant encouragement to enjoy the environment he knows.

By Keith Brockie,

Why should I read it?

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


Book cover of Scabby Queen

Elissa Soave Author Of Ginger and Me

From my list on Scottish reads centring working-class women.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Scottish writer and have long loved books from and about Scotland. But I would love to see more written about the working-class Scottish experience from women’s perspective as I think that would lead to less focus on the violence and poverty that is featured in so many contemporary Scottish books from male authors. There is so much joy in the Scottish working-class experience – a pot of soup always on the stove in someone’s kitchen, the stories, the laughter, a community that cares for their own. Let’s see more of that, and more stories from and about Scottish working-class women.

Elissa's book list on Scottish reads centring working-class women

Elissa Soave Why did Elissa love this book?

Scabby Queen opens with the death by suicide of Clio Campbell, at different times a popstar, a political activist, a lover of life.

The book stretches back five decades to tell her story, from different perspectives and jumping around between time periods. I really love that such a complicated, strong, and uncompromising woman gets to take centre stage in a story that is both political (poll tax riots, miners’ strikes, Brexit) and personal.

By Kirstin Innes,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Scabby Queen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Gripping and moving. A literary triumph' Nicola Sturgeon

'A humane and searching story' Ian Rankin

'Kirstin Innes is aiming high, writing for readers in the early days of a better nation' A.L. Kennedy

A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR * A SCOTSMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

Three days before her fifty-first birthday Clio Campbell - one-hit wonder, political activist, lifelong love and one-night-stand - kills herself in her friend Ruth's spare bedroom. And, as practical as she is, Ruth doesn't know what to do.

As the news spreads around Clio's collaborators and comrades, lovers and enemies, the story of…


Book cover of Consider the Lilies

Victoria MacKenzie Author Of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain

From my list on short historical novels that pack an emotional punch.

Why am I passionate about this?

Understanding history is essential for understanding ourselves as human beings – for recognising where we’ve come from and why we live as we do. What I love about historical fiction is that it can take tumultuous times and show their effects on the individuals who lived through them. As a historical novelist, I try to bring history back to a tangible, human level. These short novels show that if a writer’s prose is fresh, witty, and moving, then historical novels don’t need to be enormous tomes to give us a new slant on the past and allow us to inhabit lives utterly different from our own.

Victoria's book list on short historical novels that pack an emotional punch

Victoria MacKenzie Why did Victoria love this book?

The beauty of this novel is that it takes sweeping historical change – the Highland Clearances of Scotland – and manages to make history intimate, showing the impact of events on one vulnerable old woman. In the nineteenth century, much of rural Scotland was forcibly "cleared" of people to make room for sheep grazing. Outside of Scotland, this great tragedy of Scottish history is not as well known as it should be, and neither is Smith’s book.

I love its deliberately naïve style, as we see the world through the old woman’s eyes and feel her pain as history crashes down on her. It’s full of the beauty of the natural world, but it’s also chilling, as it demonstrates the indifference of outsiders to a long-established way of life. 

By Iain Crichton-Smith,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

50th anniversary edition of a true modern classic.

'Vividly depicted ... sheer beauty' OBSERVER

'A masterpiece of simplicity' FINANCIAL TIMES

'A simple but noble book ... this deserves to be read' SCOTSMAN

'When she rose in the morning the house at first seemed to be the same. The sun shone through the curtains of her window. On the floor it turned to minute particles like water dancing. Nevertheless, she felt uneasy ...

What had the girl said? Something about the 'burning of houses'. They just couldn't put people out of their houses, and then burn the houses down. No one…


Book cover of The Bitter Rival
Book cover of Hate Notes
Book cover of Beyond The Roses

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Interested in Scotland, butterflies, and miscarriage?

Scotland 339 books
Butterflies 39 books
Miscarriage 23 books