Book picks similar to
The Gambler by Carré White


western
romance
freebie
historical-romance

Redeemed by a Rebel


Cynthia Woolf - 2014
    Now he's on the run, hunted by one of her murderers and tormented by the need for vengeance. Becky Finnegan will do anything to escape her drunken father's fists, including slave away at their mine. Her only hope is to strike gold and make a new life for herself somewhere far, far away from Deadwood. But then Jake arrives and does the unthinkable...forces her to feel, to hope...and to love. Jake would give his life to protect Becky, but all he can offer her is a broken heart, a criminal's life, and a past haunted by failure. How can he save her when he's already lost himself? Will he destroy everything, or can the beautiful rebel redeem Jake's lost soul?

The Chef's Mail Order Bride


Cindy Caldwell - 2015
    She'd been raised to bake in her parents' bakery, and after their deaths, she had planned to carry on the family tradition. Devastated to find out she was losing her family's business, she needed something to do to support herself. When she received a letter from her twin sister's husband in Arizona Territory, suggesting she come out to be the bride of his best friend who was opening a restaurant, it seemed like the perfect solution to her problems. Tripp had gone to the best culinary school in the country, and he knew exactly how to create the perfect meal. He spent hours and hours coming up with just the right menu for his restaurant, only to be told he couldn't get a loan for it unless he married. When his best friend came up with the solution of sending for his baker sister-in-law, it only made sense. Her ideas of the perfect menu were different than his, though. Would the two be able to stay together long enough to convince the bank he was a good risk? Would Sadie be able to convince Tripp that the two of them belonged together after all?

His Five Night Stand


Emma Thorne - 2015
    At least that’s what Callie’s neighbor promises when Callie moves into The Holiday apartment building. Devastated by her fiancé’s confession that he’s in love with another woman, Callie can’t imagine anything could heal her broken heart. Tragic love has brought Theo to his knees before, so he knows just how to repair Callie’s shattered confidence. After five nights in his arms, she’ll leave her heartache behind, give voice to her deepest desires, and be ready to forge a real, lasting love with someone new…it just won’t be him. Theo can give Callie back her voice and teach her to ask for what she wants from her new lover, but what if she asks for more than he can give? Will he break his only rule—no falling in love—for her?

The Sky Buries All Sorrow


Roger DeBlanck - 2013
    After she instructs him to “grow up first,” he joins the Army Air Corps. Stationed at Hickam Field, the air base adjacent to Pearl Harbor, John survives the devastation of December 7. The aftermath of the attack only begins his odyssey through the South Pacific, four years that burden him with guilt and shame. Returning home a wearied man, John seeks to start a family with Nora, but the young couple confronts hardships intensified by the harrowing memories both carry from their pasts. Amid the unrest of the Cold War and John’s worries about the arms race, he and Nora find solace in raising their daughter, Cassie. But it is not until the impact of September 11 leaves John’s grandson, Johnny DeRosa, overrun with anguish and despair that John fully comprehends how the sacrifices of his generation will have a profound influence on the decisions his grandson makes.The Sky Buries All Sorrow is a riveting, momentous novel that bridges Pearl Harbor with 9/11 and examines how those two tragic events changed the world and shaped the lives of one family over three generations. From the pivotal battles in the Pacific to the homesteads outside of Pittsburgh, and from the beaches of Southern California to the desert terrain of the Nevada Test Site, it is an unforgettable family saga and an intimate story of personal struggle and the challenges of enduring love. In the same vivid fashion as his first novel, The Ramos Brothers Trust Castro and Kennedy, Roger DeBlanck’s second epic novel explores the lives of an array of fascinating characters. The narrative also brings back Juan and Alberto Ramos, as the brothers and their father, Florencio, make appearances in The Sky Buries All Sorrow.

Shameless


Lexy Timms - 2018
     He has no shame. Dylan Hill is a born and bred country boy from Kansas. He’s never had much use for big cities or fast living. He definitely feels like a fish out of water when he hits New York City, looking for his childhood sweetheart. But it seems Maisy Dee Fowler has made quite a few changes since she left home, starting with her name. Somehow this sweet country girl has become Morvared—model for the sexiest underwear line in the country. Forget college. She’s on her way up and has no time to screw anyone who isn’t going to further her career. The snow is driving down as Dylan leaves the apartment of his lady love, wanting to erase the images of his naked sweetheart in the arms of another man. He finds himself in Times Square. And it’s just his luck his cheating girlfriend is on every billboard. In all her glory. Hard as nails agency executive Bailey O’Brien can’t take her eyes off what has got to be the sweetest male perfection she’s ever laid eyes on: Dylan, standing in the falling snow with his head tilted back, wearing a denim jacket and jeans, a cowboy hat clutched in one hand. Acting on impulse she slams out of her cab into the blizzard, snaps a picture, and tells him he should be a model. More specifically, HER male model. Dylan thinks the fiery redhead is crazy. But there’s something appealing in what she’s offering. What if there’s a way to beat one spoiled little supermodel at her own game? Revenge is only a contract away—and how hard could it be to pose for a few pictures? Impulsively he signs, having no idea that he’s just given himself, body, and soul, to a woman he barely knows. MODEL MAYHEM SERIES Shameless Modesty Imperfection

The Heart Hears: Kansas MacPhersons (MacPherson Brides Book 4)


Mischelle Creager - 2019
    He needs to banish his distrust of women. War widow Salina Meier Moffett Dunham doesn’t trust men. Shamefully treated by her father and husband, she is on the run with her children to escape a forced marriage or worse—death. In Ainsley, Kansas, she shortens her name to Lena Meier to hide from the man pursuing her. She finds a position as a clerk in the mercantile with the grouchy storekeeper. But there is something within that grumpy man that her heart hears and draws her. She isn’t sure what that thing is until she discovers a book in the storeroom of the mercantile. Returning from the war, Angus MacPherson takes back the running of his mercantile and keeps his distance from the young women in Ainsley. After a run-in with Lena Meier—literally, his buggy ran into her cart, leaving him injured, he agrees to let her work in his store. After all, his MacPherson family creed is to help and protect all widows and orphans. But this woman, this stranger in town, irritates and interests him as no woman has since Amelia, the woman who betrayed him to marry his rich cousin. Matters get worse when his former fiancé, who is now a wealthy widow, returns to Ainsley and wants Angus as her new husband. Can love weave its way through the heart by things unspoken?

Partners in Justice and Love


Lorelei Brogan - 2019
    Her life in Baltimore has always been a quiet one until she suddenly discovers that her brother has found himself arrested. Sara has no other option than to travel immediately to Kansas so as to attend his trial. After witnessing him being sentenced to a 5-year prison-time for a crime he could never commit, she decides it's her duty to take action. To her surprise, she is not the only one to rush in, willing to do anything to help him... Will the handsome former Bounty Hunter, who offers to join her mission, eventually lead them to the solution they desperately crave?Logan Payne has spent most of his teenage years trying to protect his sister and mother from his abusive father. As an adult man, he has promised to stay away from trouble and leave his life as a Bounty Hunter behind. But when his brother-in-law is trapped in a controversial trial, he has no other choice but to jump in and help him gain his freedom back. Sara, the prisoner's beautiful sister, will be his valuable partner to this plan. When emotions he had never experienced before start rising to the surface, will he manage to straighten things out and capture her heart, just like she captivated his?While Sara and Logan's hearts are growing closer, misunderstood motives and a well-kept secret are about to leave the heroes in a state of confusion and pain. Can they really prove Sara's brother's innocence? Or will the crime spree take a dangerous turn for the worse?

Once Upon the Prairie


Lenny Davis - 2014
    Once Upon The Prairie - A Western Romance Novella (The Brides Of Courage, Kansas, Book 1)Married to the meanest rancher in Kansas, unhappy Mina Morlock lives in a golden cage, as her husband is also the richest man in the state.Her husband's foolishness puts him in awful opposition to the charismatic cowboy Jesse Bartleby and his men.Drawn to Jesse, but married to Neville Morlock, Mina does the right thing — and finds a happily-ever-after that she had not dared to dream of.Enjoy this clean sixty-page Western romance by Lenny Davis.The Brides of Courage, Kansas, Series of historical Western Mail Order Bride Romances:"Once Upon the Prairie," Book 1"She Came One Winter," Book 2"A Bride In Spring," Book 3"Heart of Summer," Book 4

Olivia: A Summer of Second Chances (The Harris Legacy Book 1)


Jasper Trey - 2017
    It’s been more than a year since her husband died and she’s spent most of that time helping everyone else heal. This vacation is for her, but taking a beer to a stranger at the insistence of the staff, and making a five-minute friend? That won’t cut into her time too much, right?How do you adjust to palace life when you've been a soldier for ten years? For Dante, it’s flying halfway around the world to a beach where no one knows who you are. He's been called home to fulfill his duty to family and country, filling the princely role he left ten years before when he joined the military. His father gives him mere weeks to figure out how to adjust to royal life again.Neither is looking for anything more than a friend in a remote land, but after spending a week together, will they really be able to walk away and find their happy ever after with someone else?Romance meets duty in this modern day love story. Can Dante convince Olivia to take a chance on a future with him, or will Olivia’s past hold her back?

Never a Lawman


Rachel Bird - 2018
    Since then, guilt and regret have made him impervious to love. But when he rescues a family of would-be homesteaders attacked by the notorious Deckom gang, one of the sisters shines a light on his cold, locked-down heart.The last thing Brady deserves is happiness, and he fights his unwelcome feelings for Belle. Which is fine with her, since she'll never let herself care for another lawman—even one as wonderful as Brady.Heat level 3/5: contains some violence, minor cursing, and not-so-minor kissing.

Risking it All for the Sinful Earl


Lucy Langton - 2019
    But all she ever wanted is a loving home to call her own. So, it comes as a surprise when she catches the eye of the most powerful man in London at the ball that Lady Constance Belmore organised. What does the future hold for her after that fateful meeting?Lord Joshua Pembroke, Earl of Derby, is a powerful man who is no stranger to high society. In fact, he governs it. When it comes to women, the Earl can pick and choose as he pleases. But upon seeing Emilia, a woman unlike any other he has ever met, a fire will start inside him. Lord Joshua is certain that he will have her. But how far is he willing to go to get her?When blackmail is the tool used to get Emilia, there’s no going back. Is their undeniable attraction enough to make a forced marriage succeed? Does she have the courage to give full rein to her deepest desires? When it comes to the union between Emilia and the Earl of Derby, all bets are off.

Beautifully Tainted


A.M. Guilliams - 2014
    Perfectly boring. Which is how I preferred it to be. Trust didn't come easy and for good reason.When I ran into the new detective in town, I knew the second our eyes locked, he'd be my downfall. He had too many questions. Pressed too hard for me to let him in. And they were both the dangerous combination neither of us could afford.

Undeniable


Laura Stapleton - 2013
    When Daggart sells the farm to join the Gold Rush, Beth must go with him, never expecting how much her life will change.Nicholas Granville is forced by his brother to help a group as they travel the Oregon Trail from Missouri to Oregon. Mourning his late wife, Nick's heart began healing the moment he saw Beth.Now, the couple must find a way to fight a love that is undeniable.

Highlander’s Buried Identity


Shona Thompson - 2020
    Since he was a child there was a mystery about his true identity, but he was not willing to talk about it, not even to the woman who found him and raised him.When a beautiful lass needs his help, he will find himself into trouble…Sine refuses to live as her father wants. She may be the only child of the Laird of the Duncan Clan, but she is too rebellious to listen to his commands. When her life is in danger, one mysterious man with different colored eyes will become her protector.No matter how reactive she is to the decision of having a guard, she will soon realize that her feelings for Finlay are much more complicated. But her father has different plans for her life and a rich suitor soon arrives to claim her…When Finlay sees her future husband, he knows she must be protected at all costs. But that means he should reveal who he really is… Can he take that risk?He always preferred his solitude, until he met her…"Highlander’s Buried Identity" is a STANDALONE Historical Scottish romance novel. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.*If you like brawny Highland warriors with a soft heart, and steamy romantic stories depicting the majestic and mysterious Scottish Highlands, then Highlander’s Buried Identity is the perfect novel for you.

Everything a Lady Craves


Meghan Sloan - 2020
    However, when a charming man asks for her hand in marriage, she is hesitant to turn a new page in her life. Having heard the whispers about the man's missing fiancée, she can't help but wonder whether she could ever be anything but second best for him. Once they finally meet, the desire that sparks between them is undeniable, but there will soon be clouds on the horizon... Will Alice be able to finally satisfy the burning passion she holds for him, or will this romance be doomed forever?The last thing Silas Wilmington expected after the unforeseen disappearance of his fiancée, was another tempting woman by his side. Tired of being haunted by his tormented past, he chooses to accept his inevitable fate with a heavy heart. But little did he know that the beautiful and seductive Alice was about to start a fire inside him... After having mourned his great love for a long time, he could have never imagined that romance could be on the cards for him again. Will Silas eventually let his wounds heal and surrender to Alice's charm?Just when they start unfolding their growing feelings, someone who holds the key to Sila's broken heart appears and everything is about to crash down. Will their newly fledged passion endure a quick death, as the wounds from the past are still bleeding? Or will they survive to meet the passionate future they could have together?"Everything a Lady Craves" is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.