100 books like Two Years Without You

By Kelly Moore, Dark Water Covers (illustrator), Kerry Genova (editor)

Here are 100 books that Two Years Without You fans have personally recommended if you like Two Years Without You. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Wait for You

K.B. Andrews Author Of Shattered

From my list on beautiful romances that bloomed from trauma or grief.

Why am I passionate about this?

So many people want perfection. There are so many books out there where boy meets girl, they fall in love, get married, and have a happily ever after. But the books on my list show you that not everything is perfect. Life isn’t perfect. Things aren’t always good or happy. I like when something beautiful is born from something ugly, and every book on this list is exactly that. Perfect with imperfections.

K.B.'s book list on beautiful romances that bloomed from trauma or grief

K.B. Andrews Why did K.B. love this book?

Wait for You by Jennifer L. Armentrout was a book I read long ago, and it's one that still sticks with me to this day. It's a book I've read and reread.

I love how the main character, Avery, is flawed–making her feel real. And I love Cam and how patient he is with her. Avery is a character who's had some trauma, and she's running. Little does she know she's running right into the arms of the man she's supposed to be with. These characters felt so real.

The writing was good, but not over the top to where I had to stop and think, "Who talks like this?" And it was paced perfectly–the couple grew to be closer over a longer amount of time rather than to meet, fall in love, and overcome everything in a matter of days or weeks. It's another example of something beautiful coming…

By Jennifer L Armentrout,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times and USA Today Bestseller

“J. Lynn creates a wonderful cast of characters that will make you laugh, swoon, and cry. Cam stole my heart.”

—Cora Carmack, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Losing It

Some things are worth waiting for...

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago--an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left…


Book cover of When It Rains

K.B. Andrews Author Of Shattered

From my list on beautiful romances that bloomed from trauma or grief.

Why am I passionate about this?

So many people want perfection. There are so many books out there where boy meets girl, they fall in love, get married, and have a happily ever after. But the books on my list show you that not everything is perfect. Life isn’t perfect. Things aren’t always good or happy. I like when something beautiful is born from something ugly, and every book on this list is exactly that. Perfect with imperfections.

K.B.'s book list on beautiful romances that bloomed from trauma or grief

K.B. Andrews Why did K.B. love this book?

I loved this very emotional read. I loved the characters, the writing, and the story. The romance is steamy yet tasteful—extremely beautiful.

This is another book that gave me all the feels, but another story that left me feeling happy with the ending rather than feeling like I was left wanting more.

By Lisa De Jong,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

One night changed my life forever. Beau Bennett has been my best friend since I can remember. He was my first crush before everything came crashing down, and now he wants more, but it's more than I can give him. Things are different now. I wish I could tell him why, but I can't. I haven’t told anyone. I never knew how much I really needed him until the day he left for college, and I was completely alone. Then one day, Asher Hunt rides into town with his dark, captivating eyes and cocky grin. He doesn't care who I…


Book cover of Falling Into You

K.B. Andrews Author Of Shattered

From my list on beautiful romances that bloomed from trauma or grief.

Why am I passionate about this?

So many people want perfection. There are so many books out there where boy meets girl, they fall in love, get married, and have a happily ever after. But the books on my list show you that not everything is perfect. Life isn’t perfect. Things aren’t always good or happy. I like when something beautiful is born from something ugly, and every book on this list is exactly that. Perfect with imperfections.

K.B.'s book list on beautiful romances that bloomed from trauma or grief

K.B. Andrews Why did K.B. love this book?

This book was an emotional rollercoaster. I love a good book that pulls every emotion out of you, even when you try to resist. And boy, did I try and resist. This book grabbed my heart and took me on a ride that I didn’t want to get off.

The writing is amazing, the author painting a picture so beautifully that I felt like I was right there, experiencing everything right along with the characters. It’s been years since I’ve read this book, but it’s always one I think about when I’m wanting something deep and emotional.

By Jasinda Wilder,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

I wasn't always in love with Colton Calloway; I was in love with his younger brother, Kyle, first. Kyle was my first one true love, my first in every way.Then, one stormy August night, he died, and the person I was died with him.Colton didn't teach me how to live. He didn't heal the pain. He didn't make it okay. He taught me how to hurt, how to not be okay, and, eventually, how to let go.

***

Nell Hawthorne is in love with her life-long best friend, Kyle Calloway. Their young love is invincible and life is full of…


Book cover of The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

K.B. Andrews Author Of Shattered

From my list on beautiful romances that bloomed from trauma or grief.

Why am I passionate about this?

So many people want perfection. There are so many books out there where boy meets girl, they fall in love, get married, and have a happily ever after. But the books on my list show you that not everything is perfect. Life isn’t perfect. Things aren’t always good or happy. I like when something beautiful is born from something ugly, and every book on this list is exactly that. Perfect with imperfections.

K.B.'s book list on beautiful romances that bloomed from trauma or grief

K.B. Andrews Why did K.B. love this book?

I loved this book because it gripped me the moment I picked it up. It’s suspenseful, so I never wanted to put it down. It was one of those books that I couldn’t stop thinking about. I devoured this book as quickly as possible and found myself thinking about it long after I finished.

By Jessica Sorensen,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of The Secret of Ella and Micha comes a mesmerizing novel of fate, friendship, and the healing power of love . . .

The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden

For Kayden, suffering in silence was the only way to survive. If he was lucky, he could keep his head down, do as he was told, and make it through the day. But one night it seemed like his luck-and his life-might finally end . . . until an angel named Callie appeared just in time to rescue him.

Callie has never believed in luck. Not since…


Book cover of Chasing Fire

LoLo Paige Author Of Alaska Spark

From my list on the perilous world of firefighting.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a former wildland firefighter, so I am passionate about writing about it. I’ve included several personal experiences in my books, and I learned integrity and an outstanding work ethic with the firefighters who trained me in the wildland fire community. I met my husband on another fire crew, so I had to write these fire stories in the romance genre. I have friends who also met their spouses in the world of firefighting, and I loved their romances. While not all wildfire stories in real life may have happy endings, I choose to write these as romances because a happily-ever-after is required for the romance genre.

LoLo's book list on the perilous world of firefighting

LoLo Paige Why did LoLo love this book?

Nora Roberts can always be counted on to write authentic stories, and she makes me care about her characters. This one is dear to my heart because I lived and worked in Missoula, Montana, where the story is set.

This story is also set at the Missoula Smokejumper Base, where I trained as a wildland firefighter. This story has twists and turns, and the slow-burn romance, along with the close-knit wildland fire community, kept me turning the pages.

By Nora Roberts,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Nora Roberts delves into the world of elite firefighters who thrive on danger and adrenaline-men and women who wouldn't know how to live life if it wasn't on the edge.

Little else in life is as dangerous as fire jumping. But there's also little else as thrilling-at least to Rowan Tripp. Being a Missoula smoke jumper is in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend in the field. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home-even with reminders of the partner she lost last season…


Book cover of Fire on the Mountain: The True Story of the South Canyon Fire

LoLo Paige Author Of Alaska Spark

From my list on the perilous world of firefighting.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a former wildland firefighter, so I am passionate about writing about it. I’ve included several personal experiences in my books, and I learned integrity and an outstanding work ethic with the firefighters who trained me in the wildland fire community. I met my husband on another fire crew, so I had to write these fire stories in the romance genre. I have friends who also met their spouses in the world of firefighting, and I loved their romances. While not all wildfire stories in real life may have happy endings, I choose to write these as romances because a happily-ever-after is required for the romance genre.

LoLo's book list on the perilous world of firefighting

LoLo Paige Why did LoLo love this book?

I read this book as research to write my wildland fire series and because I’m a former wildland firefighter, having fought wildfires in Montana, Alaska, and California.

I love true stories about people I know, and one of the smokejumpers in this book is someone I worked with a long time ago in Missoula, Montana. I enjoy reading this author’s books because he does thorough research, and his novel writing style keeps me on the edge of my seat.

However, it is hard to read because not all books have happy endings. This is why I write romance: I must guarantee a happy ending.

By John N MacLean,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In 1994, a wildfire on Colorado's Storm King Mountain was wrongly identified at the outset as occurring in South Canyon. This unintentional, seemingly minor human error was merely the first in a string of mistakes that would be compounded into one of the greatest tragedies in the annals of firefighting. Before it was done, fourteen courageous firefighters—men and women, hotshots, smokejumpers, and helicopter crew—would lose their lives battling the deadly, so-called South Canyon blaze. John N. Maclean’s award-winning national bestseller Fire on the Mountain is a stunning reconstruction of the killer conflagration and its aftermath.


Book cover of The Lines Between Us

Sarah Sundin Author Of Until Leaves Fall in Paris

From my list on World War II novels to inspire you.

Why am I passionate about this?

Sarah Sundin’s love for the stories of World War II comes from family members who served during the war on the US Home Front and abroad. Her passion for research and travel has fueled her award-winning novels. The horrors of the war brought out the worst in humanity. Yet they also brought out the best in humanity, and those stories—of people who chose kindness and courage and right in trying times—are the stories that inspire us to choose kindness and courage and right in our own trying times.

Sarah's book list on World War II novels to inspire you

Sarah Sundin Why did Sarah love this book?

Filled with spunk and humor, this novel also highlights a less-known aspect of the war. A conscientious objector serves as a smokejumper in Oregon, parachuting into forest fires to fight them. His former sweetheart, who broke up with him for being “cowardly,” serves in the Women’s Army Corps. When her brother dies fighting a mysterious fire, she breaks every rule imaginable to investigate—but the results could be devastating. The exploration of the true meaning of courage and honesty adds incredible depth to this story.

By Amy Lynn Green,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A WWII novel of courage and conviction, based on the true experience of the men who fought fires as conscientious objectors and the women who fought prejudice to serve in the Women's Army Corps.

Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families' and country's chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting, parachuting into and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes they're called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack badly injured, Gordon realizes the…


Book cover of Burning Up

Marysol James Author Of Enemy Within

From my list on first books of great romance series.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m the best-selling romance author of 29 books which span six series. I love creating whole worlds for readers to enter and spend time with smoking-hot bodyguards, motorcycle club members, ex-military bad boys, sexy cowboys, and MMA fighters. Although I love pretty much everything about writing for a living, I do get special joy from having characters from one series wander into a different series and interact with a totally different group of people – keeping track of all the relationships definitely keeps me on my toes! I have three new books coming out this year, so I’m really looking forward to sharing some new stories with my wonderful readers.

Marysol's book list on first books of great romance series

Marysol James Why did Marysol love this book?

Is there anything hotter than a man willing to launch himself into a wilderness fire to save complete strangers? If you think there isn't, may I direct you to Marsh’s three-book series with action, suspense, drama – and scorching-hot men risking everything to help others. Burning Up introduces the reader to a close-knit group of smokejumpers, vengeful arsonists, regrets, and lost love… and reminds us that the riskiest jobs often result in heartbreak. I doubt that I could handle the stress of loving someone who lays down their life every single time they go to work, but I do find the psychology of the risk-taker fascinating and sexy: real heroes are rare and maybe that’s what makes them so irresistible… even if they are fictional.

By Anne Marsh,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

It takes a special kind of hero to be a smoke jumper. To take the greatest risks. To live or die in the raging heat of the moment. And it takes a special kind of woman to love him. . .

Where There's Smoke. . .

For Jack Donovan, smoke jumping is a way of life. He lives for the adrenaline rush--the thrill of flying over the burning California hills, the intensity of diving straight into the inferno, the glory of taming the forces of nature. Love is a distant ember compared to the feeling he gets fighting fires--until an…


Book cover of Seeing What Others Don't: The Remarkable Ways We Gain Insights

Edward D. Hess Author Of Own Your Work Journey! The Path to Meaningful Work and Happiness in the Age of Smart Technology and Radical Change

From my list on helping you become your best self.

Why am I passionate about this?

My entire academic life of over 20 years has been focused on how to help people and organizations become their Best Self. I am the author of 15 books. Six of my books were published by Academic Presses: Cambridge University Press; Stanford University Press; and Columbia Business School Publishing. My work has appeared in over 400 global media publications including Fortune magazine, European Business Review, HBR, SHRM, Fast Company, WIRED, Forbes, INC., Huffington Post, Washington Post, Business Week, the Financial Times, CEO World as well as on CNBC Squawk Box, Fox Business News, Big Think, WSJ Radio, Bloomberg Radio with Kathleen Hayes, Dow Jones Radio, MSNBC Radio, Business Insider, and Wharton Radio.

Edward's book list on helping you become your best self

Edward D. Hess Why did Edward love this book?

In the Era of Smart Technology, many of you will have work if you can think differently than the Technology can think. Examples are thinking creatively, innovatively, and going into the unknown and figuring things out.

This book is all about Insights - seeing new associations, new connections, new trends, patterns, and irregularities. Gary Klein gives you the tools to become an explorer: an Insightful Person who can open new avenues, new opportunities, and new ways of thinking. I learned a lot from Gary Klein, and I am sure you will, too.

By Gary Klein,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Seeing What Others Don't as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Insights--like Darwin's understanding of the way evolution actually works, and Watson and Crick's breakthrough discoveries about the structure of DNA--can change the world. We also need insights into the everyday things that frustrate and confuse us so that we can more effectively solve problems and get things done. Yet we know very little about when, why, or how insights are formed--or what blocks them. In Seeing What Others Don't, renowned cognitive psychologist Gary Klein unravels the mystery. Klein is a keen observer of people in their natural settings--scientists, businesspeople, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, family members, friends, himself--and uses a marvelous…


Book cover of Young Men and Fire

Matthew O. Jackson Author Of The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs, and Behaviors

From my list on fiction driven by rich historical context.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a lover of both fiction and nonfiction, I find that the ultimate pleasure in reading is when the author combines the two without short-changing either. These are books that provide accurate and deep historical background, but also tell stories shaped by that context. These are also books that have intricate, unusual, and effective narrative structures.   

Matthew's book list on fiction driven by rich historical context

Matthew O. Jackson Why did Matthew love this book?

This book concerns a group of young firefighters known as smokejumpers and the catastrophic Mann Gulch Forest Fire in Montana in 1949. 

Maclean was from the community and worked in the US Forest Service before he became a professor and eventually an author who spent years researching the event. You learn about the physics of forest fires, the invention of the first "escape fire," how multiple and cascading errors can lead to a disastrous outcome, and about the lives and heroics of a group of firefighters.

Interestingly, it is all seen through the journey of a man trying to understand a captivating event from his past. This book falls pretty squarely in the non-fiction category, but has multiple stories interwoven with the facts. It helps that Maclean was not only an author of many nonfiction articles, but also the author of the highly successful novel (and movie) A River Runs…

By Norman MacLean,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Young Men and Fire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Norman Maclean sent the manuscript of A River Runs through It to New York publishers, he received a slew of rejections. One editor, so the story goes, replied, "It has trees in it." Forty years later, the title novella is widely recognized as one of the great American tales of the twentieth century, and Maclean as one of the most beloved writers of our time. Maclean's later triumph, Young Men and Fire, has over the decades also established itself as a classic of the American West. And with this twenty-fifth-anniversary edition, a fresh audience will be introduced to Maclean's…


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