100 books like The Prodigal Son

By Melanie Marchande,

Here are 100 books that The Prodigal Son fans have personally recommended if you like The Prodigal Son. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Untamed

Amiee Smith Author Of Love Sounds

From my list on steamy romance to make you stay up all night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love the art of writing romance fiction. I’m a character-driven author. My stories are contemporary romance with steam, humor, and diversity. I run my business from my living room. When I'm not writing and telling people about my books, I run another online business. Read lots. Watch tons of series. Drink coffee and wine. Listen to music. Cook comforting vegetarian meals. Say prayers, meditate, and light candles. Text with my girlfriends. And try to squeeze in a walk and a shower. My sexy little stories are my attempt at keeping someone up all night. May you always feel loved, seen, and heard. The Smart Girl Mafia Series books 1-4 are currently available. 

Amiee's book list on steamy romance to make you stay up all night

Amiee Smith Why did Amiee love this book?

This sweet with heat M/M romance invites readers into a loving age play story between two cowboys. Late night clicking on my e-reader app led to me discovering this book and it truly made my night. The author does a wonderful job of making these characters seem like these two gallant heroes next door. It is one of the books that inspired my book. 

By Carly Marie,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Pretending to be boyfriends gets a lot more complicated when hearts get involved

Kyle Mitchell has forged his own path in life. He’s happy with his job as the head of horse breeding operations at Untamed, working for his best friend, Rand. Knowing his family has never accepted his sexuality, Kyle is shocked to find out he’s expected to be at his brother’s wedding with his boyfriend… a man who doesn’t exist.

After inheriting Untamed from his parents, Rand Everette is living his dream. His quiet life is turned upside down when his best friend, Kyle, asks him to be…


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Book cover of This Heart of Mine

Amiee Smith Author Of Love Sounds

From my list on steamy romance to make you stay up all night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love the art of writing romance fiction. I’m a character-driven author. My stories are contemporary romance with steam, humor, and diversity. I run my business from my living room. When I'm not writing and telling people about my books, I run another online business. Read lots. Watch tons of series. Drink coffee and wine. Listen to music. Cook comforting vegetarian meals. Say prayers, meditate, and light candles. Text with my girlfriends. And try to squeeze in a walk and a shower. My sexy little stories are my attempt at keeping someone up all night. May you always feel loved, seen, and heard. The Smart Girl Mafia Series books 1-4 are currently available. 

Amiee's book list on steamy romance to make you stay up all night

Amiee Smith Why did Amiee love this book?

A funny contemporary romance that I skipped worked because I stay up all night reading it. The heroine is a smart and quirky children’s book author and the hero is the hottest of a hot football star. They find themselves having to work at a summer camp after a potentially scandalous hookup. This is one of my favorite authors and a true master of happily-ever-after storytelling. 

By Susan Elizabeth Phillips,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is the gold standard for women's fiction - an award-winning, bestselling phenomenon whose talent for blending laughs and tears with heartfelt, passionate, ingeniously conceived romance has made her one of America's most loved authors. The Phillips magic is vibrantly alive and on display in her long-awaited e-book debut.

Molly Somerville knows she has a reputation for trouble. She did give away her fifteen-million-dollar inheritance, but, hey, nobody's perfect.

Still, if anyone has an almost perfect life, it's Molly. While her Daphne the Bunny children's books could be selling better, she loves her cramped loft, her French poodle,…


Book cover of The Space Between

Amiee Smith Author Of Love Sounds

From my list on steamy romance to make you stay up all night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love the art of writing romance fiction. I’m a character-driven author. My stories are contemporary romance with steam, humor, and diversity. I run my business from my living room. When I'm not writing and telling people about my books, I run another online business. Read lots. Watch tons of series. Drink coffee and wine. Listen to music. Cook comforting vegetarian meals. Say prayers, meditate, and light candles. Text with my girlfriends. And try to squeeze in a walk and a shower. My sexy little stories are my attempt at keeping someone up all night. May you always feel loved, seen, and heard. The Smart Girl Mafia Series books 1-4 are currently available. 

Amiee's book list on steamy romance to make you stay up all night

Amiee Smith Why did Amiee love this book?

This book will have you up all night. It is a humorous, steamy contemporary romance between a boss and his apprentice. Both are architects in a family business. You will fall in love with the witty dialogue and the irresistible chemistry between the hero and heroine in this multicultural romance. 

By Kate Canterbary,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Patrick Walsh needs a win.

He needs a good year. He needs something to-finally-go his way.


After their father's slow, angry death, the Walsh family's third-generation historic preservation architecture firm is back on its feet and Patrick finally stands at the helm.


Andy Asani is not what Patrick expected from an apprentice. First, she's competent. Not just that, she's scary-brilliant. Second, she's obsessed with historic preservation-and the only person outside of Patrick's partners who shares his passion for crumbling buildings. And most troubling of all, he's obsessed with her.


He doesn't need her complicating his life but he wants her…


Book cover of The Hook Up

Amiee Smith Author Of Love Sounds

From my list on steamy romance to make you stay up all night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love the art of writing romance fiction. I’m a character-driven author. My stories are contemporary romance with steam, humor, and diversity. I run my business from my living room. When I'm not writing and telling people about my books, I run another online business. Read lots. Watch tons of series. Drink coffee and wine. Listen to music. Cook comforting vegetarian meals. Say prayers, meditate, and light candles. Text with my girlfriends. And try to squeeze in a walk and a shower. My sexy little stories are my attempt at keeping someone up all night. May you always feel loved, seen, and heard. The Smart Girl Mafia Series books 1-4 are currently available. 

Amiee's book list on steamy romance to make you stay up all night

Amiee Smith Why did Amiee love this book?

This college romance is full of steam and humor. A star football player has a chance encounter with an edgy nerd at a party. My first novel is based on a hook up at a party, so I am in mad love with this story. A true relationship unfolds between these two that goes deeper than witty bits and coed antics. You will definitely stay up all night to finish this book. 

By Kristen Callihan,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

USA TODAY BEST-SELLING BOOK The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all... No falling in love Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy right? Too bad he's committed to making her break every rule... Football…


Book cover of Self-Help

Mike Schnaidt Author Of Creative Endurance: 56 Rules for Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Your Goals

From my list on books to help you achieve your creative goals.

Why am I passionate about this?

As both a professor of graphic design and creative director of Fast Company, I’m dedicated to helping others be more creative. At Fast Company, my job is to ensure the visuals for the world’s leading business media brand are consistently innovative. (Yea…no pressure.) Honestly, sometimes it’s tough to be innovative when I’m faced with a squeezed schedule, a towering to-do list, and a bargain basement budget. But, as a marathoner, I’ve learned that if you want to be successful, you need to push through sub-optimal circumstances. That’s where these five books come into play: they all provide relatable stories and insights into achieving success, despite tough odds. Let’s do this.

Mike's book list on books to help you achieve your creative goals

Mike Schnaidt Why did Mike love this book?

I dig Lorrie Moore’s sense of humor in this book. Before I began my journey as a writer, I read the chapter “How to Become a Writer.” (Ironic, I know.) While this chapter pokes fun at the torture of being a writer, it also taught me that humor can help us feel like our obstacles aren’t so insurmountable.

By Lorrie Moore,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

From the national bestselling author of A Gate at the Stairs—and a master of contemporary American fiction—comes “a funny, cohesive, and moving collection of stories" (The New York Times Book Review). 

In these tales of loss and pleasure, lovers and family, a woman learns to conduct an affair, a child of divorce dances with her mother, and a woman with a terminal illness contemplates her exit. Filled with the sharp humor, emotional acuity, and joyful language Moore has become famous for, these nine glittering tales marked the introduction of an extravagantly gifted writer.


Book cover of Son of the Shadows

K. A. Gandy Author Of The Lost Talisman

From my list on sci-fi to fall in love with morally gray heroes.

Why am I passionate about this?

Morally gray heroes are my absolute favorite kind. Whether it’s Batman, Dean Winchester from Supernatural, or the heroes on this list—if he’s not dark and stormy, well, I’m not interested. There’s a depth to these characters that others often lack, and I find it so fascinating. Especially when there’s romance involved. The books on this list are nearly all polar opposites, and yet... they each stretch our capacity to love to the very breaking point—and then make us catch our breath. How far into the darkness can he go, and still come back with a heart left to give to his heroine?

K. A.'s book list on sci-fi to fall in love with morally gray heroes

K. A. Gandy Why did K. A. love this book?

This book will grip you in its fist, and never let you go. I read this book nearly a decade ago, and it still stands out in my memory as a fierce example of love conquering all. A bad past, a bad beginning, and all the messed-up hurts a person can accumulate over the years? Liadan and Bran will wreck you in the best possible ways. The fact that it’s wrapped in mythological goodness and a healthy dose of magic? That only made me love it more. The entire series is worth a read, but this one is far and away my personal favorite.

By Juliet Marillier,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Son of the Shadows is the sequel to Juliet Marillier's evocative first novel Daughter of the Forest.

It continues the saga of beautiful Sorcha, the courageous young woman who risked all to save her family from a wicked curse and whose love shattered generations of hate and bridged two cultures.

It is from her sacrifice that her brothers were brought home to Sevenwaters and her life has known much joy. But not all the brothers were able to escape the spell that transformed them into swans, and those who did were all more--and less--than they were before the change.

It…


Book cover of Me Before You

Yuki Carlsson Author Of Prison of Loneliness

From my list on when death appears better than life.

Why am I passionate about this?

The inner world of people has always fascinated me, which is why I created the initiative “student for students” where people could just come and talk about what they are going through. In countless sensitive conversations, I got to know many people struggling with the question “to be or not to be”. Then, my sister took her life. I accepted her decision. However, many struggled to do the same. “How can she do this to us?”, “It was selfish of her”, “But she was intelligent.” etc. Countless statements showed that people could understand, but not comprehend what happened. Therefore, I want to create awareness for mental health topics.

Yuki's book list on when death appears better than life

Yuki Carlsson Why did Yuki love this book?

This novel is also about love, but draws its intense emotions including suicidal ideation from a different matter: being bound to a wheelchair after an accident.

It is a lot deeper than a normal romance novel. It dives into the topic of physical disablement and by that creates awareness about something the average person is not shedding any thought to. I personally appreciate this aspect, because creating awareness is also one of my goals in writing.

Also, the novel is thought-provoking, because it poses the dilemma of selfishly wanting someone to stay alive vs. selflessly respecting their wish to die. The book has left a lasting impression on me because I’ve been confronted with this dilemma several times in my life and had countless discussions on the topic.

By Jojo Moyes,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Me Before You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE MAJOR FILM AND THE NEW YORK TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLING NOVEL THAT IS LOVED AROUND THE WORLD, ME BEFORE YOU . . .

Will needed Lou as much as she needed him, but will her love be enough to save his life?

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun teashop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps…


Book cover of Georgiana Darcy's Diary

Stephen W. Bartlett Author Of The Bridal Prospectus

From my list on romance without sappy character introspection.

Why am I passionate about this?

I like to write more than I like to read, but when I do read, I want to learn about other places and times besides my own. Since my own novels are contemporary fiction, it makes sense that historical fiction is my favorite category to read. Likewise, my interest in romance isn’t from unrequited love, but rather, a desire to explore the difficulties of choosing a life partner in our complicated world. (Even my detective novels contain romance!) But I don’t like sappy introspective thought processes, a variation of teen angst, and most readers of historical romance have this same aversion. So none of my recommendations will be that way. 

Stephen's book list on romance without sappy character introspection

Stephen W. Bartlett Why did Stephen love this book?

Although I can’t say much about the book’s cover, this is a wonderful sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It answers the question many readers have about life at Pemberly after Elizabeth and Darcy marry. Set at the end of the Regency period in England in 1814, it follows the courtship of Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana, and deals with the issues faced by women of that day. I must confess, I have an attraction for strong female characters who must battle the norms of their society in order to find true happiness. If you have the same attraction, you’ll like this book. 

By Anna Elliott, Laura Masselos (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Georgiana Darcy's Diary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Mr. Darcy's younger sister searches for her own happily-ever-after...

The year is 1814, and it is springtime at Pemberley. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have married. But now a new romance is in the air, along with high fashion, elegant manners, scandal, deception, and the wonderful hope of a true and lasting love.

Shy Georgiana Darcy has been content to remain unmarried, living with her brother and his new bride. But Elizabeth and Darcy's fairy-tale love reminds Georgiana daily that she has found no true love of her own. And perhaps never will, for she is convinced the one man she…


Book cover of A Theatre for Dreamers

Cynthia Watson Author Of Wind

From my list on capturing the unusual charm of other countries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love books that take the reader to another country. Travel (even vicariously in a book) takes us out of our comfort zones and inspires us to open our minds to other cultures, ways of life and thought. These books constantly challenge us, not only to understand different surroundings, but also to understand unique people, to embrace adventures, glamour and romance and to share these new and meaningful thoughts and ideas with others.

Cynthia's book list on capturing the unusual charm of other countries

Cynthia Watson Why did Cynthia love this book?

A Theatre for Dreamers captures the halcyon days of the 60s artistic community on the Greek Island of Hydra. It focuses on the international bohemian set, including the authors Charmian Clift and George Johnston. Among the artists, poets and hangers-on are a Norwegian couple—Axel Jensen and Marianne Ihlen—and a young, charismatic Canadian by the name of Leonard Cohen. It is narrated by the likable ingenue Erica, a novitiate novelist in her late teens whose mother’s dying wish was for her daughter to go off on an adventure. Erica is like Nick Carraway, mainly on the periphery of events, observing and learning from the more experienced, glamorous people she has fallen in with. Interesting fact: author, Polly Samson, is married to David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.

By Polly Samson,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked A Theatre for Dreamers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Delicious' Nigella Lawson
'Clever and beguiling' Guardian
'Sublime and immersive' Jojo Moyes

Erica is eighteen and ready for freedom. It's the summer of 1960 when she lands on the sun-baked Greek island of Hydra where she is swept up in a circle of bohemian poets, painters, musicians, writers and artists, living tangled lives. Life on their island paradise is heady, dream-like, a string of seemingly endless summer days. But nothing can last forever.

'A surefire summer hit ... At once a blissful piece of escapism and a powerful meditation on art and sexuality' Observer
'Heady armchair…


Book cover of DragonSpell

Cy Bishop Author Of DragonBond

From my list on sassy non-human sidekicks.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always loved a good sassy sidekick, human or otherwise. I started my first book, DragonBond, at the age of fifteen, and throughout the various drafts between its inception and its completion, the dragon Axen’s sass game has always been fierce. Since then, I’ve published a total of thirteen books, seven of which are in the Endonshan Chronicles series. I have a Master’s degree in psychology which I use to create well-rounded characters with unique quirks and personalities. I hope you enjoy these picks and all the snark contained within!

Cy's book list on sassy non-human sidekicks

Cy Bishop Why did Cy love this book?

DragonSpell follows a freed slave named Kale who delves into a world of magic, wizards, and dragons when she discovers a clutch of small dragon eggs. She’s sent to rescue a meech dragon egg stolen by the evil Wizard Risto and must find the reclusive Wizard Fenworth to do so. Along the way, some of the dragon eggs hatch into tiny dragons who have special abilities of their own. Their antics alone are enough to keep the pages turning, much less the dramatic adventure and delightful cast of characters accompanying her.

By Donita K. Paul,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked DragonSpell as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One Dragon Egg Holds the Key to the Future.

When Kale, a slave girl, finds a dragon egg, she is given the unexpected opportunity to become a servant to Paladin. But on her way to The Hall, where she was to be trained, Kale runs into danger. Rescued by a small band of Paladin’s servants, Kale is turned from her destination.

Feeling afraid and unprepared, Kale embarks on a perilous quest to find the meech dragon egg stolen by the foul Wizard Risto. But their journey is threatened when a key member of the party is captured, leaving the remaining…


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