Book picks similar to
First Came Us by Rachel Cullen


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contemporary
romance
fiction

The Art of Hiding


Amanda Prowse - 2017
    Forced to move out of her family home, Nina returns to the rundown Southampton council estate—and the sister—she thought she had left far behind.But Nina can’t let herself be overwhelmed—her boys need her. To save them, and herself, she will have to do what her husband discouraged for so long: pursue a career of her own. Torn between the life she thought she knew and the reality she now faces, Nina finally must learn what it means to take control of her life.Bestselling author Amanda Prowse once again plumbs the depths of human experience in this stirring and empowering tale of one woman’s loss and love.

Sweet Temptations: The Babysitter


L.M. Mountford - 2014
    He had everything most men nearing middle age could want. A beautiful wife. A young son. All his hair.He still has his hair, but not all is at it seems. His idyllic life was turned upside down when he and his family were forced to move from their home in Bristol to a small Gloucester flat because of Richard’s new job and now he finds himself beset on all sides. However, that is not the sum of his problems. When his new supervisor, a promiscuous bombshell more than ten years his junior, sets her sights on him, she is by no means subtle about her interest in him, no matter who might be watching.But temptation comes in many forms, and Richard has recently found his eyes lingering on the woman from down stairs who babysits for them. Was it his imagination, or were her skirts getting shorter? In this first volume in L.M. Mountford’s sizzling debut series: Sweet Temptations, A naughty babysitter sets out to seduce her man. No matter what his wife might think, this tempting little wench is determined to rock his world…

Sweet Temptation


Angel Steel - 2013
    especially men. After escaping an abusive relationship she attempts to start a new life in a new city. Living close to her childhood friend Chantal, she's finally starting to feel at home. Men are the last thing on her mind, that is until she meets her smoldering bad boy neighbor Nathaniel Jackson. Her hesitation is huge, but the attraction is even greater. Nathaniel doesn't do relationships, just can't see himself as being a one woman man. His instant attraction to Skylar makes him think that he could change. Their connection is explosive. Nothing has ever felt this good. Being together with Nate, Skylar feels like she can finally trust a man. That is until they are presented with an unexpected surprise. Exes reemerge and with them a falling out neither saw coming. With all their past troubles and demons ready to emerge, can they escape the undeniable pull they have to each other, or will the dark past they both possess prove to be too difficult and keep them apart?

Archer


Haley Jenner
    The same could be said about my mind in the aftermath. Love is affection, tenderness, and warmth. Words that no longer reside within me. She promised to love me forever. I promised her the same. But forever no longer exists, it died alongside any goodness in my soul a long time ago. I’m broken, I’m empty and she’s nothing but a painful reminder of what I’ve lost. She promised to love me forever and she failed.

2142 Green Hollow Rd


Katie Winters - 2020
    One they'll never break. One stronger than the winds off the Nantucket Sound and deeper than the great Atlantic Ocean.There had always been six of them. Until suddenly, the Nantucket Sound waters took one of their own. Michelle drowned at the age of seventeen.Everything changed after that.Now, Michelle's twin, Jennifer, along with Olivia, Amelia, Camila, and Mila, make up The Sisters of Edgartown. Through divorce, trauma, abandonment, childbirth, sickness, and even death, they've been there for one another through and through.But as they enter their forties, new problems arise. Their hearts find new bruises, new aches.And just as they were there for one another at age four, they find strength and confidence within their Sisterhood.Nothing will ever break them—ever.Dive into this new women's fiction series here in Martha's Vineyard - a backdrop of white sand and crystal blue waters that follow the stories of The Sisters of Edgartown, the town just southeast of Oak Bluffs. It's a heartwarming journey of friendship, loss, and love, one that will make you fall in love with the Sisters of Edgartown and want the next book.

Summer Island Book Club


Ciara Knight - 2021
    The arrival of her wildly successful, buttinski friends, overwhelms Julie when her life goes from peaceful to melodrama, makeovers, and matchmaking. Especially when they make her believe there is still life to be lived with one handsome sailor who’s just moved to town. Trevor Ashford retreats from big city life to sunny Florida after a failed marriage and damaged reputation. His only wish is to open a small boat charter company in peace, but when Houdini-a mischievous pet ferret-steals an engine part and leads him on a merry chase into the arms of Julie Boone, he has to choose between being a recluse or embracing a new love.

Hollywood Husband, Contract Wife


Jane Porter - 2006
    This time the sexy Spanish superstar has outdone himself: he’s taken Alexandra, an unknown, ordinary girl, and turned her first into an overnight celebrity, then into his Hollywood bride! But all the glitz and glamour of their lavish wedding is tarnished by a dirty secret—and if the tabloids ever find out, there’ll be shock waves throughout the world!

Happily Whatever After


Stewart Lewis - 2020
    Unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend of four years and fired from her art gallery job in the same week, she flees to Washington, DC, and moves in with her big brother. She hopes the new setting and familial comfort will help her finally find her bearings. What Page finds instead is an unlikely refuge: a park for the neighborhood’s poshest pooches, and a quirky pack of companionable dog-run regulars who become fast friends.Both four-legged and two-, these new allies offer Page a world of possibilities. The woman who hit rock bottom now has dreams: of having her own business, getting her own place, and even wilder ones about the ruggedly handsome owner of a vineyard and two equally fetching Bernese mountain dogs.Unleashed from all that once held her back, Page finds everything might be falling into place. But just when she thinks her life is headed in the right direction, the road takes a sharp turn to show her just how unpredictable second chances can be. Will Page get her happily ever after? Is there even such a thing?Witty, smartly funny, and modernly romantic, Happily Whatever After shows us all that sometimes imperfect can still be good enough.

Sentenced


L.L. Collins - 2015
    An ex-con with a bad attitude and a controlling demeanor that somehow made the women flock to my bed but never my heart. It was unavailable for possession.THE TEMPTATION: She was just supposed to be a two day hookup. But one taste of her and I knew I was in danger of never getting enough. She had her own demons to contend with, and dealing with my own was hard enough. I won't allow temptation to take control of me.THE SENTENCE: I'd given myself a life sentence a long time ago, and she made me want things I wouldn't allow myself to have. Giving into it just might destroy us both.

Wedding in the Pines


Cassidy Carter - 2021
    Life took them in very different directions… But a wedding in the pines brings them together.  Slater’s job has never been busier at Cabins in the Pines, the recently expanded resort. On top of everything else, he’s the best man for his boss’s upcoming wedding, and he’s trying to make sure everything goes perfectly. But there was one detail he didn’t plan on: the arrival of his ex-girlfriend, Hope. Years ago, when Hope dated Slater, she dreamed of a musical career. Now, she’s working at her father’s financial firm, and he expects her to take over someday. Hope’s determined to make their conference at Cabins in the Pines a success…while ignoring her misgivings about her own future. When Slater and Hope meet again, all their memories come rushing back—including the pain of their breakup. Could this unexpected interlude lead to a new beginning? This charming second chance romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Chicken a la Rose.

Whatever It Takes


S. Jones
    I’ve moved on, married his enemy, and started my own family. Everything was perfect…until it wasn’t. My new life was a lie, and my husband turned out to be a fraud. The man that I married was now a wanted fugitive, and my ex-fiancé was the cop who was intent on making him pay. He’s convinced that a simple apology and a dimpled smile is enough to fix that broken heart that he tore apart years ago. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him at a distance. Yet, all it takes is one kiss, one touch for me to remember how great our love was before he threw it away. Little does he know that I’m not the young, foolish girl who he left behind. If he thinks he can waltz back into my life like the past never happened, he has another thing coming. I can accept that fate sent him back to me. Now, I need to assure my foolish heart that this means nothing.

The Evolution of Us


D. Kelly - 2017
    Balancing one another perfectly, Holly Ryan and Declan James were together through most of college—until their relationship blew up, leaving Declan with more questions than answers.For the past two years, Declan has tried everything he can think of to earn Holly’s forgiveness, but even if he manages to help her let go of the past and give them another chance at happiness, she still has a secret. Not to mention, she can’t get over the revolving door of women he seems to have coming in and out of his apartment.Declan is desperate to prove to Holly she’s the one for him and isn’t above using his celebrity status or enlisting the help of their friends to win her back.All’s fair in love and war, right?

Summer of Second Chances


Andrea Hurst - 2020
    At the mercy of yet another move, she’s left to spend the summer with her grandmother at Moonwater Lake. Theo, a widowed, elderly man in town suggests she start a dog-walking business. Sometimes all it takes is one bright idea and an abundance of dogs to bond two unlikely friends and show them that dreams can still come true.Theo is grieving the precious memories of his fifty-year marriage. If not for his aging beagle, Wally, he wouldn’t have a reason to get out of bed in the morning, much less go for walks. Theo is pleasantly surprised by his awakened feelings of hope, after crossing paths with Shelby and her grandmother.It’s turning out to be a summer of many things; a summer of healing and starting over. A summer of friendship and unconditional love that will remind Shelby, Theo, and the town of Moonwater Lake that it’s never too late for second chances.

Sunshine and Second Chances


Kim Nash - 2020
    But honestly? She’s running on empty. Desperate for a break from her needy family, Liv is determined that as she and her three life-long friends turn fifty they will honour their promise to each other – made on a beach at sunrise twenty-nine years before – to celebrate this milestone together.And what better place to celebrate than a gorgeous villa in the Algarve? They’ll enjoy the stunning beaches, picturesque fishing towns and glorious climate, and maybe be spoiled by the gorgeous Eduardo, who’s making one particular heart unexpectedly flutter…Liv’s friends can’t wait to escape with her: Debs is newly single, Fiona is caring for her mum, and Samantha is grieving. But does time away make the heart grow fonder? Is the thought of returning to reality too hard to bear? Is what they have really all there is to life?It begins as a reunion in the sunshine, but little do the four friends know what life-changing decisions they’ll all be making before their flight home…

Material Girls


Elaine Dimopoulos - 2015
    A top fashion label employs sixteen-year-old Marla to dictate hot new clothing trends, while Ivy, a teen pop star, popularizes the garments that Marla approves. Both girls are pawns in a calculated but seductive system of corporate control, and both begin to question their world’s aggressive levels of consumption. Will their new “eco-chic” trend subversively resist and overturn the industry that controls every part of their lives?         Smart, provocative, and entertaining, this thrilling page-turner for teens questions the cult like mentality of fame and fashion. Are you in or are you out?