Fans pick 100 books like The Unwanted Wife

By Natasha Anders,

Here are 100 books that The Unwanted Wife fans have personally recommended if you like The Unwanted Wife. 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 Slow Hands

Sable Hunter Author Of Cowboy Heat

From my list on romances full of emotion, adventure, and heat.

Why am I passionate about this?

Emotional novels are my forte. I love to read them, and I especially love to write them. Most folks say they want a book they can’t put down – but I search for ones that I have to put down and walk away from long enough to pull myself together. I want stories that linger with me, that infiltrate my dreams – books that inspire me to create works in their honor. While my life is great, sometimes I just want to get away to a world where right prevails, long conquers all, and holding out for a hero is not an impossible dream. Trust me, these picks will not disappoint. 

Sable's book list on romances full of emotion, adventure, and heat

Sable Hunter Why did Sable love this book?

This was the book that inspired me to write. I loved it so. Even though it was a quick, easy read, Slow Hands made me want to step into the pages and take the heroine’s place. As I consumed it for the third time, I decided to analyze why I enjoyed it so. One of the reasons was that Maddy wasn’t perfect. I could relate to her. Also, the sex was steamy, fun, and very re-readable. Lastly, the hero was to die for. To me, the hero makes the book and Jake was one I wanted to grab onto and never let go. Slow Hands made me want to be an author and pen stories that made other people feel the same way I did – and I hope I have. 

By Leslie Kelly,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

This is Maddy Turner's lucky day. The civilized society girl just bid on sexy rogue Jake Wallace at a charity bachelor auction—and won! But Maddy knows Jake's dirty little secret. And it should keep her from trying out her new boy toy. Too bad she can't stop herself from indulging in raw, quite uncivilized sex all the same….

Jake Wallace is utterly bewitched by Maddy— and utterly bewildered. How can this tantalizing woman melt so rapturously under his ministrations one moment, then turn into a haughty queen the next? He's determined to get to the bottom of Maddy's agenda. One…


Book cover of Wild Card

Sable Hunter Author Of Cowboy Heat

From my list on romances full of emotion, adventure, and heat.

Why am I passionate about this?

Emotional novels are my forte. I love to read them, and I especially love to write them. Most folks say they want a book they can’t put down – but I search for ones that I have to put down and walk away from long enough to pull myself together. I want stories that linger with me, that infiltrate my dreams – books that inspire me to create works in their honor. While my life is great, sometimes I just want to get away to a world where right prevails, long conquers all, and holding out for a hero is not an impossible dream. Trust me, these picks will not disappoint. 

Sable's book list on romances full of emotion, adventure, and heat

Sable Hunter Why did Sable love this book?

My God, this book ripped my heart out and put it back together again. I love stories that make me cry and I’ve made that a goal in my own writing. I want to make the reader laugh, weep, and swoon – then I know I’ve done my job. This book fulfills those requirements in spades. I adored this story. I’ve reread this book a dozen times or more. The characters, Nathan & Bella, will be with me forever. 

By Lora Leigh,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

It was supposed to be simple. All Navy SEAL Nathan Malone had to do was rescue three young girls from a Columbia drug cartel, then allow himself to be captured long enough to draw out a government spy. That was before his mission went disastrously wrong...and before his wife, Bella, was told that Nathan was never coming home.Bella's mourned her husband's death for three long years. But she has no idea he's still alive. Forced to assume a new identity, the man Nathan is now dead. If he can get back to his wife, can he keep the secret of…


Book cover of Delicious

Sable Hunter Author Of Cowboy Heat

From my list on romances full of emotion, adventure, and heat.

Why am I passionate about this?

Emotional novels are my forte. I love to read them, and I especially love to write them. Most folks say they want a book they can’t put down – but I search for ones that I have to put down and walk away from long enough to pull myself together. I want stories that linger with me, that infiltrate my dreams – books that inspire me to create works in their honor. While my life is great, sometimes I just want to get away to a world where right prevails, long conquers all, and holding out for a hero is not an impossible dream. Trust me, these picks will not disappoint. 

Sable's book list on romances full of emotion, adventure, and heat

Sable Hunter Why did Sable love this book?

Wow. This book almost broke my kindle. I cried so much, I nearly shorted it out. Talk about flawed characters – this story has two of the best. Alyssa had been through hell and back and come out stronger for it. Ironically, she is a stripper and a virgin. I ate this stuff up! Plus, Luc, the hero was such a hard head. I enjoyed his come to Jesus moment when he realized what he was letting slip through his fingers. Merciful heaven, this book set a standard for me that I have strived to attain as far as weaving an emotional roller coaster tale. Shayla Black is a master.   

By Shayla Black,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

He can't control his desire.

Luc Traverson's entire future is planned out--but there is one very sexy obstacle in his path: Alyssa Devereaux. She's a former exotic dancer turned strip club owner and restaurateur. Recently, Alyssa and Luc shared one night of wild abandon that left Luc terrified by his loss of self-control--and Alyssa desperate for more.

And that's just the way she wants it.

Fulfilling a promise, Luc is the guest chef for Alyssa's restaurant debut. The sight of her makes Luc wild, so how can he survive a week without letting loose and ravaging her--especially when she's begging…


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Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest By Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Book cover of Promises Prevail (Promise Series Book 3)

Sable Hunter Author Of Cowboy Heat

From my list on romances full of emotion, adventure, and heat.

Why am I passionate about this?

Emotional novels are my forte. I love to read them, and I especially love to write them. Most folks say they want a book they can’t put down – but I search for ones that I have to put down and walk away from long enough to pull myself together. I want stories that linger with me, that infiltrate my dreams – books that inspire me to create works in their honor. While my life is great, sometimes I just want to get away to a world where right prevails, long conquers all, and holding out for a hero is not an impossible dream. Trust me, these picks will not disappoint. 

Sable's book list on romances full of emotion, adventure, and heat

Sable Hunter Why did Sable love this book?

Promises Prevail turned me inside out. This is another book I’ve read more times than I can count. The plot took me to places I’d never been before. I learned to love historical westerns when I inhaled this whole Promises series. Jenna is such a sweet heroine and strong beyond measure. Yet – when her vulnerabilities emerge – I melted in sympathy. The hero, Clint, is scary as heck but gentle as a lamb. My favorite kind of man. And…the sex was surprisingly hot and opened my eyes in more ways than one. All in all, I would recommend anything Sarah McCarty writes – she’s that good.  

By Sarah McCarty,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Promises Prevail (Promise Series Book 3) as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Promises Prevail

Book 3 in the Promises series by Sarah McCarty.

1870 Wyoming Territory

Widowed and barren, Jenna sees the newborn left on her doorstep as a priceless gift worthy of any sacrifice. She knows she'll need a husband to keep the baby, but nothing prepares her for the one who steps up. Big and dark, simmering with deadly intensity, Clint McKinnely could put fear into the devil. He certainly strikes fear into her, but Jenna soon discovers the man behind the reputation is the one man she longs to trust.

A hard man burned out by the choices he's…


Book cover of The Unwanted: America, Auschwitz, and a Village Caught in Between

Rebecca Erbelding Author Of Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America's Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe

From my list on the Holocaust and the United States.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a historian who specializes in the American response to the Holocaust. Growing up, I remember being confused—it seemed like the United States knew nothing about the Nazi persecution and murder of Europe’s Jews—or it knew everything!—but either way, the US didn’t do anything to help. And that didn’t make sense with what I knew about the United States, a country that never speaks with one voice on any issue. And as I dug in, I learned that this is a fascinating, infuriating, nuanced history full of very familiar-sounding struggles over whether and how the country will live up to the ideals we claim for ourselves. 

Rebecca's book list on the Holocaust and the United States

Rebecca Erbelding Why did Rebecca love this book?

The Unwanted is perhaps the best all-around book explaining the crisis faced by Jewish refugees trying to escape to the United States. Dobbs merges the intimate histories of members of the Jewish community in the small German town of Kippenheim, the work of the US State Department officials in Germany and France, American refugee aid workers, and President Roosevelt. By utilizing both personal and official sources, Dobbs allows all the people he writes about to speak for themselves. It’s beautifully written and heartbreaking, and whatever you think about this history when you start the book, those thoughts will be more nuanced and complicated when you’re finished.

By Michael Dobbs,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Published in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, a riveting story of Jewish families seeking to escape Nazi Germany.

In 1938, on the eve of World War II, the American journalist Dorothy Thompson wrote that "a piece of paper with a stamp on it" was "the difference between life and death." The Unwanted is the intimate account of a small village on the edge of the Black Forest whose Jewish families desperately pursued American visas to flee the Nazis. Battling formidable bureaucratic obstacles, some make it to the United States while others are unable to obtain the necessary…


Book cover of Polar Bear, Why Is Your World Melting?

Julie Dunlap Author Of I Begin with Spring: The Life and Seasons of Henry David Thoreau

From my list on children's books about the climate crisis that won’t scare their socks off.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a biology professor, I communicate frankly with adults about climate change, trusting them to comprehend the accelerating crisis. As a mom of Millennials, I channeled worries about their coping with wildfires, droughts, and extinctions into editing an anthology of young adults’ climate essays. Grandchildren posed a new worry: how should climate realities be introduced to the newest generation? My attempt at that task is a biography of Thoreau, focusing on his 1850s nature observations that ecologists now use to assess 21st-century climate shifts. Luckily, other children’s book writers also offer stories, memoirs, and other approaches to inform without alarming young readers; the best inspire determination to craft a better future.

Julie's book list on children's books about the climate crisis that won’t scare their socks off

Julie Dunlap Why did Julie love this book?

Facts matter to kids, of course, and library shelves groan with attempts to distill climate causes and effects down to child-sized volumes. For middle graders, visual encyclopedia-style nonfiction can work well, covering broad ranges of information from atmospheric chemistry to statistics on carbon emissions sources in photo-rich chunks. 

But I’ve seen younger readers wince at graphic pictures of bleached coral or violent wildfires. Pen and acrylic drawings soften this book’s approach, supporting student learning by avoiding traumatic imagery. The polar bear theme draws readers in yet gradually widens to encompass people and places affected near home.

My special kudos for spreads that explain scientific concepts, like the greenhouse effect, with accurate prose and illustrations abounding with life. 

By Robert E. Wells,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Polar Bear, Why Is Your World Melting? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the Arctic, the summer ice is melting, making it hard for polar bears and their cubs to survive. Why is the world getting warmer? The heat of the sun is trapped by the "greenhouse" gases that surround Earth―carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor. If there is just the right amount of these trapped gases, the air is warm enough for plants, animals, and people to thrive. But now there is too much greenhouse gas, especially carbon dioxide. Polar bears, and all of us, are in trouble. Robert E. Wells shows why so much carbon dioxide is going…


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Book cover of Return to Hope Creek

Return to Hope Creek By Alyssa J. Montgomery,

Return to Hope Creek is a second-chance rural romance set in Australia.

Stella Simpson's career and engagement are over. She returns to the rural community of Hope Creek to heal, unaware her high school and college sweetheart, Mitchell Scott, has also moved back to town to do some healing of…

Book cover of The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor

Rupert Sheldrake Author Of The Science Delusion: Freeing the Spirit of Enquiry

From my list on science, consciousness, and spirituality.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a biologist and I am also interested in spiritual explorations and sacred places. These books discuss some of the most interesting issues in science, and the nature of ultimate consciousness - the primary subject of theology, consciousness. I am also very interested in spiritual practices that have measurable effects, as discussed in my books Science and Spiritual Practices and Ways to Go Beyond and Why They Work.

Rupert's book list on science, consciousness, and spirituality

Rupert Sheldrake Why did Rupert love this book?

One of the best science books I know, at the same time profound, stimulating and accessible. Pollock describes discoveries made in his own laboratory and by others about a highly ordered state of liquid water that can be revealed in very simple experiments, that can lead to the generation of energy in new ways, and that plays a major role in all living cells. Pollack also opens extraordinary new areas for investigation through imaginative speculations, each with an “out on a limb” index to indicate how far it goes beyond established orthodoxy.

By Gerald H. Pollack,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Professor Pollack takes us on a fantastic voyage through water, showing us a hidden universe teeming with physical activity that provides answers so simple that any curious person can understand. In conversational prose, Pollack lays a simple foundation for understanding how changes in water's structure underlie most energetic transitions of form and motion on earth.


Book cover of When Ice Cream Had a Meltdown

Claire Freedman Author Of Aliens Love Underpants!

From my list on laugh out loud pictures for 3-5 yr olds.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've written over 100 picture books for children, and am best known for the Aliens Love Underpants series of books, some of which have been turned into touring theatre shows worldwide, and TV animations. My books are all fiction picture books, aimed at children aged from babyhood to seven years. I write gentle bedtime stories to lull your little ones to sleep, fun and zany laugh-out-loud stories, rhyming books, and encouraging and inspiring tales to make children smile and reach for the sky. I enjoy visiting schools and libraries via Zoom, and love to share my passion for reading and writing, to hopefully encourage the next generation of budding young authors.

Claire's book list on laugh out loud pictures for 3-5 yr olds

Claire Freedman Why did Claire love this book?

Another great title! When all the other ices and lollies get chosen by the children, Icecream feels sad and unwanted. “No one wants me!” she cries.

It gets so bad for Icecream she has a meltdown! “I give up!” she cries, flopping to the floor! Will Icecream be stuck in the freezer forever? Will no one choose her?  Find out in this funny tale, with a kind-hearted message, that all children will be able to identify with.

Super illustrations with lots of fun detail.

By Michelle Robinson, Tom Knight (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked When Ice Cream Had a Meltdown as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Life inside the ice cream van is full of excitement - the ice creams and lollies can't wait to be picked! But - oh no! - no-one wants a plain ice cream, and that's exactly what our friend Ice Cream is. As she sees friend after friend being picked instead of her, Ice Cream has a meltdown! Will Ice Cream be stuck in the freezer for ever, or is her happy ending just around the corner ... ?


Book cover of A Farewell to Ice: A Report from the Arctic

Jorge Daniel Taillant Author Of Meltdown: The Earth Without Glaciers

From my list on science from a cryo activist.

Why am I passionate about this?

Jorge Daniel Taillant is a cryoactivist, a term he coined to describe someone that works to protect the cryosphere, ie. the Earth’s frozen environment. Founder of a globally prized non-profit protecting human rights and promoting environmental justice he helped get the world’s first glacier law passed in South America. He now devotes 100% of his time to tackling climate change in an emergency effort to slow global warming … and to protect glaciers.

Jorge's book list on science from a cryo activist

Jorge Daniel Taillant Why did Jorge love this book?

Ice ice ice. The Arctic region of the world is heating much faster than the rest of the planet. That means that ice is melting fast and radically changing this delicate polar region. Going through a history of ice on the planet, the cycle of ice ages, the impacts of greenhouse gases, and the consequence of rapidly melting ice, Wadhams warns us of the looming death spiral of climate change from methane gas release from permafrost and from self-reinforcing feedback loops that take us deeper and deeper into climate collapse. This is a must-read if you are a climate activist, a scientist focusing on climate change, or if you simply want to learn about how climate change is completely destabilizing our planetary ecosystem. He ends with a list of actions that we can take to slow this process down and stabilize our climate.

By Peter Wadhams,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Based on five decades of research and observation, a haunting and unsparing look at the melting ice caps, and what their disappearance will mean.Peter Wadhams has been studying ice first-hand since 1970, completing 50 trips to the world's poles and observing for himself the changes over the course of nearly five decades. His conclusions are stark: the ice caps are melting. Following the hottest summer on record, sea ice in
September 2016 was the thinnest in recorded history. There is now the probability that within a few years the North Pole will be ice-free for the first time in 10,000…


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Book cover of All They Need to Know

All They Need to Know By Eileen Goudge,

On the run from her abusive husband, Kyra Smith hits the road. Destination unknown. With a dog she rescued in tow, she lands in the peaceful California mountain town of Gold Creek and is immediately befriended by an openhearted group of women who call themselves the Tattooed Ladies. They’re there…

Book cover of Dance of the Goblins

Austin Crawley Author Of A Halloween Tale

From my list on great horror and dark fantasy off the beaten track.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been reading Horror and Dark Fantasy books since I was twelve and prefer this genre over any other. The depths of the human psyche explored in these genres expose the core of storytelling itself and the themes that make the best stories really come alive!

Austin's book list on great horror and dark fantasy off the beaten track

Austin Crawley Why did Austin love this book?

For Fantasy readers who wonder why goblins are always at war with humans.

The three books together are epic in scale and the friendship between the leader of the humans and one of the old wise ones among the goblins will be awesome for Dark Fantasy readers who recognize that goblin culture is very different from humans.

Some recognizable mythology is worked into the story and makes perfect sense, especially the purpose of changelings. Also there are dragons, especially in the second book. A strange symbiotic relationship between dragons and goblins is very original and the diversity of different types of goblins makes this Fantasy world one of a kind!

By Jaq D Hawkins,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The cult Fantasy book that started it all!Discover a dark world where legends begin and natural magic reignsThey say that the earth shifts on its axis every 200,000 years...When the planet shifted, most of the surface dwellers were destroyed. The few pockets of survivors were left without technology and little supplies, but they built a simple feudal society on the rubble of the city.Meanwhile the creatures in the deep places moved closer to the surface, taking over the old underground transport tunnels abandoned by the humans. Their own Shamanic way of life had survived only by staying out of sight…


Book cover of Slow Hands
Book cover of Wild Card
Book cover of Delicious

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