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Alyssa Cole

    Alyssa Cole crafts narratives that masterfully blend historical, contemporary, and sci-fi romance. Her work delves into the complexities of human connection, often exploring themes of identity, societal expectations, and the enduring power of love against adversity. Cole weaves intricate plots and memorable characters, offering readers compelling and thought-provoking journeys. Her distinctive voice shines through her ability to intertwine romantic threads with compelling historical settings or futuristic elements, making her a standout storyteller.

    Alyssa Cole
    How to Catch a Queen
    Marple: Twelve New Stories
    A Duke by Default
    Unconditional Freedom, An
    A Hope Divided
    A Prince on Paper
    • One of Us Knows: A Thriller

      • 352 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      From the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of When No One Is Watching comes a riveting thriller about the new caretaker of a historic estate who finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer-and the ghosts of her past. Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can't refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she's determined not to ruin their opportunity.Then a surprise visit from the home's conservation trust just as a Nor'easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers-including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect.Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island-and their own past-or they risk losing not only their future, but their life.

      One of Us Knows: A Thriller2024
      3.1
    • Marple: Twelve New Stories

      • 372 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      This collection showcases the iconic detective Jane Marple, reimagined by twelve bestselling and acclaimed authors. Each short story offers a fresh perspective on Marple's investigative prowess, blending classic elements of mystery with contemporary storytelling. Readers can expect intriguing plots and diverse styles, celebrating Agatha Christie's beloved character while introducing new twists and narratives that honor her legacy.

      Marple: Twelve New Stories2022
      3.8
    • As the Civil War rages between the states, a courageous pair of spies plunge fearlessly into a maelstrom of ignorance and danger, combining their unique skills to alter the course of history and break the chains of the past in New York Times bestselling Alyssa Cole’s first installment in The Loyal League... Named a Best Book of the Year by Entertainment Weekly * Bookpage * Kirkus * Vulture * Publishers Weekly * Booklist 1861. Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice. She also possesses a photographic memory. She has the rare fortune—a human right—to live a free life. But to spy for the Union Army, she is willing to risk the brutal indignity of the slave system deeply entrenched in the South. Malcolm McCall is a seasoned detective for Pinkerton's Secret Service. His latest mission is his riskiest yet: to infiltrate and embed himself within a Rebel Virginia enclave. Together with Elle, these two brave spies stumble across a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy's favor. Caught in a tightening web of wartime intrigue, Malcolm and Elle must make their boldest move to preserve the Union at any cost—even if it means losing each other . . . “Blending the high stakes of history with convincing emotional connections, every installment in Cole's Civil War-set trilogy are must-reads.” —Oprah Daily

      Extraordinary Union, An2022
      3.4
    • A brand new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Crime's legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors. This collection of twelve original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie's Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery. · Naomi Alderman · Leigh Bardugo · Alyssa Cole · Lucy Foley · Elly Griffiths · Natalie Haynes · Jean Kwok · Val McDermid · Karen M. McManus · Dreda Say Mitchell · Kate Mosse · Ruth Ware Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930's The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie's last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time.

      Marple2022
      3.7
    • How to Find a Princess

      • 400 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      New York Times and USA Today bestseller Alyssa Cole's second Runaway Royals novel is a queer Anastasia retelling, featuring a long-lost princess who finds love with the female investigator tasked with tracking her down. Makeda Hicks has lost her job and her girlfriend in one fell swoop. The last thing she's in the mood for is to rehash the story of her grandmother's infamous summer fling with a runaway prince from Ibarania, or the investigator from the World Federation of Monarchies tasked with searching for Ibarania's missing heir. Yet when Beznaria Chetchevaliere crashes into her life, the sleek and sexy investigator exudes exactly the kind of chaos that organized and efficient Makeda finds irresistible, even if Bez is determined to drag her into a world of royal duty Makeda wants nothing to do with. When a threat to her grandmother's livelihood pushes Makeda to agree to return to Ibarania, Bez takes her on a transatlantic adventure with a crew of lovable weirdos, a fake marriage, and one-bed hijinks on the high seas. When they finally make it to Ibarania, they realize there's more at stake than just cash and crown, and Makeda must learn what it means to fight for what she desires and not what she feels bound to by duty.

      How to Find a Princess2021
      3.5
    • How to Catch a Queen

      • 384 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      An arranged marriage leads to unexpected desire, in the first book of Alyssa Cole'sRunaway Royals series... When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen finally comes true.

      How to Catch a Queen2020
      3.8
    • When No One Is Watching: A Thriller

      • 496 pages
      • 18 hours of reading

      "Finding unexpected support from a new friend while collecting stories from her rapidly vanishing Brooklyn community, Sydney uncovers sinister truths about a regional gentrification project and why her neighbors are moving away"--Provided by publisher.

      When No One Is Watching: A Thriller2020
      3.5
    • Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning... Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but the neighborhood she loves is being erased before her very eyes. FOR SALE signs are popping up everywhere, and the neighbors she's known all her life are disappearing. To preserve the past, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour: "Displaced: A People's History of Brooklyn," and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block - her neighbor Theo. But Sydney and Theo's deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the efforts to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised. When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other - or themselves - long enough to find out, before they too disappear - permanently?

      When No One Is Watching2020
      3.4
    • A Prince on Paper

      • 384 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      The Reluctant Royals series returns with a good girl searching for the life that’s not too big, and not too small, and the bad boy prince who might be just right for her… Nya Jerami fled Thesolo for the glitz and glamour of NYC but discovered that her Prince Charming only exists in her virtual dating games. When Nya returns home for a royal wedding, she accidentally finds herself up close and personal—in bed—with the real-life celebrity prince who she loves to hate. For Johan von Braustein, the red-headed step-prince of Liechtienbourg, acting as paparazzi bait is a ruse that protects his brother—the heir to the throne—and his own heart. When a royal referendum threatens his brother’s future, a fake engagement is the perfect way to keep the cameras on him. Nya and Johan both have good reasons to avoid love, but as desires are laid bare behind palace doors, they must decide if their fake romance will lead to a happily-ever-after.

      A Prince on Paper2019
      4.0
    • Once Ghosted, Twice Shy

      • 160 pages
      • 6 hours of reading

      But her romance had ended in heartbreak, and now, back in NYC again, she's determined to rediscover her joy-so of course she runs into the woman who broke her heart.When Likotsi and Fabiola meet again on a stalled subway train months later, Fab asks for just one cup of tea.

      Once Ghosted, Twice Shy2019
      3.8
    • Unconditional Freedom, An

      • 288 pages
      • 11 hours of reading

      Daniel Cumberland’s uneventful life as a freed man in Massachusetts ended the night he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. To then have his freedom restored by the very man who stole his beloved’s heart is almost too much to bear. When he’s offered entry into the Loyal League, the covert organization of spies who helped free him, Daniel seizes the opportunity to help take down the Confederacy and vent the rage that consumes him. When the Union Army occupies Janeta Sanchez’s small Florida town, her family’s goodwill and ties to Cuba fail to protect her father from being unjustly imprisoned for treason. To ensure her father’s release, Janeta is made an offer she can’t refuse: spy for the Confederacy. Driven by a desire for vengeance and the hope of saving her family, she agrees to infiltrate the Loyal League as a double agent. Daniel is both aggravated and intrigued by the headstrong recruit. For the first time in months, he feels something other than anger, but a partner means being accountable, and Daniel’s secret plan to settle a vendetta and strike a blow for the Union can be entrusted to no one. As Janeta and Daniel track Jefferson Davis on his tour of the South, their dual hidden missions are threatened by the ghosts of their pasts and a growing mutual attraction—that might be their only hope for the future.

      Unconditional Freedom, An2019
      4.0
    • A Princess in Theory

      • 373 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise .

      A Princess in Theory2018
      3.8
    • A Duke by Default

      • 376 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      Award-winning author Cole continues her new series with the story of a woman on a quest to be the heroine of her own story and the duke in shining armor she rescues along the way. Original.

      A Duke by Default2018
      3.9
    • The Civil War has turned neighbor against neighbor--but for one scientist spy and her philosopher soldier, war could bind them together . . . For three years of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother's traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her--until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie's home for their new base of operations in the guerilla war against Southern resistors of the Rebel cause. Unbeknowst to those under her roof, escaped prisoner Ewan McCall is sheltering in her laboratory. Seemingly a quiet philosopher, Ewan has his own history with the cruel captain of the Home Guard, and a thoughtful but unbending strength Marlie finds irresistible. When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlie's freedom on the line, she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of love--and freedom--before they ever cross state lines.

      A Hope Divided2017
      4.0
    • An Extraordinary Union

      • 258 pages
      • 10 hours of reading

      "As the Civil War rages between the states, a courageous pair of spies plunge fearlessly into a maelstrom of ignorance, deceit, and danger, combining their unique skills to alter the course of history and break the chains of the past... Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South--to spy for the Union Army. Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton's Secret Service. Subterfuge is his calling, but he's facing his deadliest mission yet--risking his life to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia. Two undercover agents who share a common cause--and an undeniable attraction--Malcolm and Elle join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy's favor. Caught in a tightening web of wartime intrigue, and fighting a fiery and forbidden love, Malcolm and Elle must make their boldest move to preserve the Union at any cost--even if it means losing each other..."-- Page [4] of cover.

      An Extraordinary Union2016
      3.8