Book picks similar to
Ask Mariah by Barbara Freethy


romance
barbara-freethy
contemporary
contemporary-romance

Work in Progress


B.J. Harvey - 2019
    He’s always wanted what his parents have: a good marriage, lots of kids, and financial security. He thought he’d have the first two with his ex-girlfriend while the third would come once he got his house-flipping business off the ground. When his ex doesn’t subscribe to his five-year plan, he makes Cook Brothers Construction his sole focus.Then he moves next door to April Williams, a sassy single mom he can’t stop riling up. Throw in her matchmaking mother-in-law, who’s set her sights on Jamie being April’s knight in a leather tool belt, and a house threatening Jamie’s sanity, and it should be a recipe for disaster, but Jamie wants this three-month project to last forever. That’s if he can stop being the neighbor from hell and prove to April he’s not just flipping a house — he wants to flip her heart.

A Family Affair


Mary Campisi - 2006
    Her father has another family which includes a mistress and a daughter. Determined to uncover the truth behind her father's secret life, Christine heads to Magdalena, prepared to hate the people who have caused her to question everything she thought she knew about her father. But what she finds is a woman who understands her, a half sister who cherishes her, and a man who could love her if she'll let him. The longer she's around them, the more she questions which family is the real one. . . Attention Book Clubs! Included on my website is a Book Club Discussion Guide for A Family Affair. This story is filled with moral ambiguity, difficult choices, and second chances--all great topics for conversation and contemplation. Truth in Lies Series: Book One: A Family Affair Book Two: A Family Affair: Spring Book Three: A Family Affair: Summer Book Four: A Family Affair: Fall Book Five: A Family Affair: Christmas Book Six: A Family Affair: Winter (TBA) Book Seven: A Family Affair: The Promise (TBA)

Champagne and Lemon Drops


Jean Oram - 2013
    Two men. One meddling small town.Raised by her older sister in the small town of Blueberry Springs, all Beth Wilkinson wants is to create a family so big she’ll never be alone. Things are going great until her fiancé, Oz, rethinks everything from his own career to their nuptial plans—forcing Beth to do the same.As Beth works to rediscover herself in hopes of reattracting Oz, she catches the eye of the charming new city doctor, Nash. Not only does he see her as she’d like to be seen, but he knows exactly what he wants from life—and that includes Beth.Torn between the two men, as well as two versions of herself, Beth discovers that love and dreams are much more complicated than they seem.

Some Kind of Wonderful


Maureen Child - 2004
    But she has secrets from her past that make her all the more determined to someday have a family of her own. She never expects a sweltering July heat wave to bring the gift of a baby girl who needs a mother's love...and a man who needs to heal his wounded soul.Ex-LAPD copy Jack Reilly's back in town--temporarily--to fill in for the ailing local sheriff. Haunted by the tragedy that made him leave Los Angeles, Jack doesn't believe in "forever." His sassy landlady Carol, with her year-round Chistmas spirit, gorgeous smile, and adorable little foster daughter, Liz, begin to bring him back to life. But the past has a way of coming back again, and the dark places of the heart have a way of staying hidden. Still, good things have a way of happening in Christmas--and if the Reillys have anything to say about it, what develops between Carol and Jack will be some kind of wonderful...

Seduction and Surrender


Cali MacKay - 2014
    But when Quinn Ryker, her landlord andbillionaire playboy, refuses to renew her lease, her entire world and all thosewho depend on her, are at risk.Quinn's spent months trying to stifle his curiosity for the gorgeous chef who runs thekitchen of his favorite bistro like she's a five-star general. He can't helpbut want her, especially when she comes marching into his office full of fireand passion, furious with him and demanding he renew her lease. Yet he now hassomething she wants, and he knows just what he'll do with that heat and angerof hers, especially once she's in his bed. A bargain is stuck that will save Emma's restaurant and give Quinn what he mostdesires-Emma. But it turns out there's a lot more on the line when negotiatingmatters involving one's body, heart, and soul.*** This novel contains a Happily Ever After ending for the couple, though some minor plot lines continue to the next book and are resolved completely during that story. Due to the adult language and explicit sex scenes, this book is for adults only.***

The Montana Bride


Jeannie Watt - 2015
    She knows she’ll have to confront mistakes she made in the past, but she didn’t expect to be living right next door to the guy she once asked to be her husband.When Brett Starr was approached ten years ago by Jacie Rose with the wild scheme of marrying her to help her out of a jam, his white knight instincts kicked in and he agreed to be her emergency groom. The only problem was that the bride didn’t show up for the wedding. How’s he supposed to get used to seeing the woman he’s never forgotten every day now that she’s his neighbor?Determined to provide the secure home life for her daughter that she never had, Jacie is not about to bring a man into her life—even one that she sometimes thinks should have been there all along. But Brett and Jacie soon discover the spark between them is even stronger than before… Now that their paths have crossed again, will they lead them back to the wedding that almost was?Previously titled The Secret Bride

Breakup Boot Camp


Beth Merlin - 2019
    To put the past and her heartache behind her, she sets off for two weeks at the renowned Retreat House Breakup Boot Camp in Topsail Island off the coast of North Carolina.Despite her sadness, Joanna throws herself into the experience hoping surfing, yoga, spa treatments, meditation, and talk therapy will be enough to help her get over the one man she’s ever loved. But she soon learns the Boot Camp is only the first step to healing her broken heart. Joanna will have to come to terms with the career she abandoned, the loss in her life she never fully accepted, and the role she played in the ending of her relationship.When she meets Todd Aldrich, the handsome and mysterious hotel chef, she has the chance to take her renewed heart out for a test drive and see if she is ready for new beginnings and new love.Will 12 steps be enough to get her life back on track? Or will her getaway to get over him prove healing the heart takes a whole lot more?

Inevitable


Angela Graham - 2013
    Logan will never be able to give her what she wants…love.

Those Red High Heels (Those and That Book 1)


Katherine May - 2015
    Emma's recently engaged best friend, Brynn, calls for Emma to ditch her life in Chicago, and to come immediately out to the Big Apple to perform her maid of honor duties. What Emma doesn't expect is to find the man of her dreams in Brynn's social circle. Not only is he taken, but he lives in a very different world than Emma is used to. Will Emma be able to fit into this new life, or will she return back to where she started? In this witty romantic novel by Katherine May, you will follow Emma on a life-changing adventure to New York City. Will Emma snag the man of her dreams, or just a really cute pair of red high heels? *This is book 1 in the 'Those and That' series. Both books are stand-alones, and you do not need to read them in order to understand the storyline. There are no cliffhangers. **Book 2 will release in late 2015.

Fate


Nikki Sex - 2014
     Unfortunately, he just sees her as his friend's little sister. Desperate and infatuated, Emily resorts to lies and deception. She only needs one night with Paul, to finally get over this obsessive crush. But Fate has other ideas. . .

Nora Roberts Land


Ava Miles - 2013
    All dreams of happily ever after—or Nora Roberts Land as her mother calls it—went up in smoke. But when her family asks her to temporarily help their Dare Valley, Colorado newspaper, she decides it’s time to change her life and prove her ex wrong. She’s determined to find her own small-town Nora Roberts hero, prove that true love exists, and publish a story about her quest.War correspondent Tanner McBride has just returned stateside to work for a major newspaper, and the last thing he expects is blackmail. Yet, before he can even unpack, he’s headed to Colorado. His assignment? Make his boss’s ex-wife fall for him and then break her heart. Her article about discovering love à la Nora might air dirty laundry about her marriage to the media mogul, threatening his senate run. The mogul wants Meredith stopped, and he makes sure Tanner has no choice in the matter.When the two meet, the sparks between them are undeniable. Meredith, who vowed never to date another journalist, begins to succumb. Could Tanner be her Nora Roberts hero? As they work together to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death, the depth of their feelings unfolds and both realize they’ve kept their secrets for far too long. But before the truth can be revealed, their investigation takes a deadly turn, one that might make Meredith’s personal Nora Roberts Land go up in flames.

Summer Magic


T.M. Cromer - 2018
    It can be even tougher when you’re a witch whose magic regularly backfires. But Summer Thorne only wants one thing: to create the perfect sanctuary for unwanted animals. Nothing and no one is going to stop her. Not even the sexy sheriff who is determined to shut down her rescue center. And certainly not the laboratory where she illegally obtained her mischievous chimpanzee, Morty. Sheriff Cooper Carlyle has one goal: to keep his town safe. That includes his stubborn neighbor, Summer, whether she wants him to or not. When the animals of Summer’s menagerie get loose and create havoc, he decides enough is enough. But things aren’t always as they appear, and Coop stumbles upon the secret the Thorne sisters have been hiding. Coop and Summer discover Morty holds the key to unlock a twenty-year-old mystery surrounding the death of Summer’s mother. Now Coop is faced with breaking the law he is sworn to uphold in order to protect Summer and her beloved pet from a threat more dangerous than any of them imagined. Book 1 in a 6 book series.

Be My Love


Lucy Kevin - 2014
    and five beautiful, close-knit sisters who are each about to find their one true love.After four years on the Seattle mainland, when Hanna Walker returns to Walker Island to make a documentary about the infamous Peterson-Walker feud from the early 1950s, she’s shocked to realize that passions still run high. Especially when it comes to Joel Peterson, the one man who is totally off-limits… but that she’s never been able to stop dreaming about. The last thing Joel wants is for Hanna to dredge up the past, but when he realizes she’s determined to follow through with her documentary no matter what, he knows he has no choice but to join her. But despite vowing to hold back his growing feelings for her, as Joel works with Hanna to unravel the mystery of what really happened between their two families, he soon begins to see that love is an unstoppable force… and that sometimes two people are meant to be. BE MY LOVE is the first fun, sweet, and emotional contemporary romance in the Walker Island series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Lucy Kevin.

Home from Within


Lisa Maggiore - 2015
    But her mother wears a frown and her father wears his Colt .45s, with a warning: no dating allowed. Seeking warmth, Jessica finds herself in a secret relationship with bad boy Paul Peterson. When the relationship-and Jessica's pregnancy-are discovered, Paul will be dead by nightfall.Seventeen years later Jessica and her daughter live a quiet life with horse farmer, Matt Johnson. Marriage is on the table but Jessica's remorseful heart will not comply. When an unexpected death brings Jessica back home, she uncovers her father's secrets and discovers that her true path in life, and love, are just a choice away.

Love on the Boardwalk


Nikki Lynn Barrett - 2019
    He’s concealing his true birth heritage. They’ll have to trust their hearts even if they’re sure love is a lie. Now that Eva Halloway is back in her hometown of Cinnamon Bay, she has one full plate with the grand re-opening of her newly inherited boardwalk cafe and a broken engagement to hide from the town gossip mill. First, Eva must bury her bruised heart, and second, she must ban the ridiculous Cafe Amour drink from the menu. But, sexy stranger, Mac Jenssen strolls into her cafe and before she knows it, they’ve both sipped on the legendary love concoction. By the end of the day, Eva is up to her neck in a feud with a trio of matchmaking little old ladies and wondering if she can trust herself to help Mac uncover his past. Macklin Jenssen arrives in Cinnamon Bay to search for the family who gave him up for adoption. Instead, he finds Eva, a legend about love, and a lighthouse with ties to his past. Plus, a spiced drink that is out of this world delicious. He hasn’t bargained for any of it, but he isn’t saying no to love either. In fact, the more he comes to know Eva, the more he’s considering a permanent move. Too bad she’s made up her mind about him, and the odds aren’t in his favor. With town gossip and crazy bat-wielding locals, Eva and Mac face an uphill battle. It might be opposites attract or even fate, but they will have to learn to trust in each other and the power of love if they ever want to find their happily ever after. Delve into a new world of romance, mystery, and magic in the quirky coastal town of Cinnamon Bay, North Carolina.