Book picks similar to
Sweeter in the Summer by Olivia Miles
contemporary-romance
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romance
romance-contemporary
The Closer You Come
Gena Showalter - 2015
And now, he has only one goal: stay out of trouble. Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, sounds like the perfect place for him and his two brothers-by-circumstance to settle down and live a nice, simple life. But model citizen isn’t exactly this rugged bachelor’s default setting—especially when it comes to a certain hot-blooded Southern beauty… Brook Lynn Dillon has always been responsible. Not that it’s done her much good. The down-on-her-luck waitress is broke, single and fun-deprived. Until Jase comes along. He is dangerous, stunningly protective, breathtakingly sexy and as tempting as sin, and the passion sizzling between them is undeniable. But can it melt her resistance? After all, the right kind of trouble might be just what they both need.
The Mill on Magnolia Lane
Tilly Tennant - 2019
But is she just about to fall in love with someone she shouldn’t? When Lizzie loses her larger-than-life Dad she doesn’t know how to move forward. Encouraged by a childhood dream she shared with her beloved father, she is determined to continue his legacy and moves to the old Mill on Magnolia lane, a place he had always longed to own. Restoring the old windmill is a much bigger job than Lizzie bargained for, especially when she is distracted by her new next door neighbour Jude, who has temptingly twinkly eyes and a body to die for. But when Jude’s ex- girlfriend Harriet arrives back on the scene, Lizzie begins to wonder if life wasn’t far simpler before she moved to the mill. Especially when it emerges that Harriet knows something about Jude’s past, something that could shatter her new start and her heart into smithereens … If your heart is warmed by Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Josie Silver’s One Day in December, you’ll fall in love with this beautiful feel-good story about finding love when you least expect it.
Flirting with Fire
Piper Rayne - 2018
Even back when I was 'Fatty Maddie' to all my classmates, I had eyes for the quarterback of our football team. Not like I was the only one.Mauro Bianco may fight fires for a living, but he still sets my heart ablaze. One look at the rugged, muscular man he's turned into and I want to slide down his pole. One date. That's all I'm committed to. A few hours and I can tuck him back into that tattered old shoebox in my closet.As always, the universe has other plans. I never would've predicted that in a matter of days he'd turn from my dream guy into my business partner — and that's when things got interesting.
Like a Memory
Abbi Glines - 2017
One special summer. The one thing Bliss had lost herself in when the fear and sickness were too much, moments never to be damaged by the harsh reality that followed… until now. Bliss York didn’t live a normal teenage life. She didn’t go to Friday night football games, walk the halls with her friends every day, go to her prom or even walk to receive her diploma. It had all been taken from her the fall that she was fifteen years old and she was given the diagnosis no one ever wants to hear. She had leukemia. Seven years after spending a summer with a girl who he knew would always be his first love and the one who got away, Nate Finlay returns to Sea Breeze to help his fiancé open her new boutique clothing store. When the new employee walks in Nate is taken back seven years to the girl he thought he’d love forever. The one who never answered his calls or returned his text. The one who shut him out completely with not even a goodbye and broke his heart. They’ve each become someone different. No longer the young teens with stars in their eyes. But does that matter when your heart still says that’s the one.
Barely Breathing
Pamela Clare - 2016
Now, here she is—over thirty, out of a job and with little choice but to move back in with her father. Lexi knows it’s just a matter of time before she runs into Austin Taylor, her first boyfriend and her first heartbreak. She’s determined to show him she’s over him—until he steps out of a pickup truck and back into her life, looking sexy as hell in his mountain ranger uniform.As far as Austin is concerned, Lexi can turn her snazzy little convertible around and drive back to Chicago. After all, she ripped his teenage heart apart and turned her back on the town he loves. But from the moment he sees her again, he can’t get her out of his mind. Even her smile messes with his head. When an evening of conversation turns into something else, Lexi and Austin agree to be friends again—with benefits. But as Lexi starts making plans to return to the big city, Austin realizes he’ll lose her a second time unless he can show her that what she’s searching for has been right here all along.Note to readers: This is straight contemporary romance, not romantic suspense.
Before We Were Strangers
Renee Carlino - 2015
I like to think it was more.We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other.Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding…I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello.After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half?MFrom the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City.
Daisy's Back in Town
Rachel Gibson - 2004
But some things you can't just leave in the past. Now she's back and she needs to clear the air by confessing to Jackson the reason she left him all those years ago. But Jackson doesn't want to know. When she walked out on him, he vowed he'd never let a woman get close enough to hurt him again.As Daisy tries to pursue Jackson to tell him the truth, he tries just as hard to stay out of her way. Except, maybe, sometimes, not quite hard enough. One things for sure, the sparks are still flying between them. Will they ever be able to forget their troubled past for long enough to enjoy the present?
My Hero Next Door
Melody Sweet - 2020
He’s following the beat of his heart. Will a moment of impromptu harmony cue a romantic duet?Ella:Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m not the most self-confident person on the planet. In fact, I’m pretty sure I have, well… none.That’s why I followed David all the way to UChicago. He’s my boyfriend. The one with the meticulous plans for our future. If I just cling tight enough to his hand, I can survive anything.Or maybe not.Because the thing that usually calms my nerves—singing to myself in the dorm shower—has just been blown apart by an impromptu duet with a guy over the wall, and it’s making my heart pound like nothing ever has before.How can one duet send my life into a spiral of confusion?Cole:I’m in my last year at UChicago and I can’t wait to graduate and get on with my big dreams, but whoever sang with me over the shower wall… Oh man, I have to find this girl. Something about her voice spoke to me like nothing ever has before.But she’s shy. Timid. She won’t accept my invitations to meet up in the hallway. And that’s not my only problem.My roommate’s new girlfriend, Ella, has just moved here and she’s sparking things inside of me I never thought I could feel.I don’t get it.I thought I was set. Happy. But now I’m locked in a battle between pining for Ella and desperately hunting for a shower songbird that I swear could change my life for the better.
My Hero Next Door
is the first standalone book in the Lyrics of Love sweet contemporary romance series. If you like offbeat meet-cutes, soulful men to swoon over, and love’s beautiful ballads, then you’ll adore Melody Sweet’s tale of destiny.PLEASE NOTE:This book was previously published as
Fever
by Melissa Pearl. It has been rewritten and re-edited to this sweet romance edition. Enjoy!
Cruising Speed
Donna McDonald - 2014
The big bike in her garage hasn’t been ridden for a couple years now. It is no more than a symbol of her loss and reminds her of her own lack of usefulness.When the very large, very excited Mikkel Gunnarsen arrives to buy it, his pleasure in the bike makes the decision to sell to the younger man much easier than she imagined it would be. The same is also true for the decision that ends with Mikkel spending the night in her bed.Kia knows the blissful moments with Mikkel are only momentary relief, but being with the younger man is certainly inspiring.
Single All The Way
Portia MacIntosh - 2019
The only problem is that Lexi hasn’t called ahead to let her parents know she’s coming… Lexi arrives at her Hope Island childhood home only to realise that her parents have decided to go on holiday for the festive season this year. With nowhere else to go, and no one else to stay with, Lexi is going to have to spend Christmas home alone in her parents’ big house, but the bigger the house, the emptier it seems. With her nosy neighbours suspicious and her childhood friends asking her all about her life, Lexi lies that she’s here to use her parents’ house for a big Christmas party while they are away, but as more and more people find out about the party, it’s going to take a lot more than some loud music and some flashing lights to convince everyone that she isn’t alone. With just 12 days to go, will Lexi find someone to spend the holidays with, or will she be home alone for Christmas? Home Alone on Hope Island is a festive stand-alone novella set in Portia MacIntosh’s Marram Bay series. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Holly Martin and Jo Watson. Readers love Portia Macintosh! ‘A hilarious, roaringly fun, feel good, sexy read. I LOVED it!‘ – Holly Martin ‘Portia’s books just get better and better!’ – Got Books, Babe? ‘Hilarious and refreshingly brilliant!’ – The Writing Garnet ‘I just couldn’t put it down!’ – Sweet Is Always In Style
In with the Tide
Charlee James - 2018
When car trouble leaves her stranded on the side of the road, ex-Marine Damien Trent rides to the rescue on his motorbike. Once upon a time, they’d been friends and briefly, they'd been something more...until he enlisted and left her behind. As Lindsey and Damien reconnect, the attraction is still as strong as ever. But Lindsey’s knows Damien's not the staying kind. Damien would rather do anything than come home to deal with his father’s estate. After years of abuse, he was more than ready to leave town the moment he graduated. With Lindsey back in his life, everything is complicated. He’s used to being a lone wolf - until Lindsey and her newborn baby give him a glimpse of the kind of family and future he’s always dreamed of. Can he be brave enough to reach out and grab it?
Virgin River
Robyn Carr - 2007
Make a difference against a backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included.When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad, she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to reenergize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving—the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she’s made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning.But a tiny baby abandoned on a front porch changes her plans…and former marine Jack Sheridan cements them into place.
Second Chance Summer
Jill Shalvis - 2015
And it's the last place Lily Danville wants to be. But she needs a job, and there's an opening at the hottest resort in her hometown. What has her concerned is the other hot property in Cedar Ridge: Aidan Kincaid-firefighter, rescue worker, and heartbreaker. She never could resist that devastating smile . . .The Kincaid brothers are as rough and rugged as the Rocky Mountains they call home. Aidan has always done things his own way, by his own rules. And never has he regretted anything more than letting Lily walk out of his life ten years ago. If anyone has ever been in need of rescuing, she has. What she needs more than anything are long hikes, slow dances, and sizzling kisses. But that can only happen if he can get her to give Cedar Ridge-and this bad boy-a second chance . . .
The Map That Leads to You
J.P. Monninger - 2017
She’s left school responsibility behind and adult responsibility is looming, but this is her one, one last summer to be free. Heather doesn’t expect to even meet Jack, let alone fall in love with him. Jack is an enigmatic Vermonter a few years older than she is, who is following his grandfather’s journal to various cities around Europe. But in the same way that forces are bringing Jack and Heather together, life and duty are pushing them apart. And Jack has a secret that is going to change absolutely everything.
Chasing I Do
Marina Adair - 2016
Even though her fiancée turned out to be unfaithful and a big disappointment, Darcy walked away from her wedding fully committed—to her unborn daughter. Now, a single mom, it’s up to Darcy to secure her daughter’s future, which is why she’s invested her life savings into renovating Belle Mont Manor, Portland’s oldest, and nearly forgotten, wedding venue. So when Wedding Magazine offers her the cover for their June issue, in exchange for planning the wedding of a high-profile couple, Darcy thanks her lucky stars. Until the star’s best man turns out to be her ex’s brother… The last time Gage Easton saw Darcy, she was sneaking out the back door of her own wedding—destroying his brother’s life. No way is he going to entrust the gorgeous jilter with his biggest client’s special day, no matter how much in love with her he secretly was. Determined to take his client’s wedding elsewhere, he confronts Darcy, only to meet a toddler with Darcy’s blonde curls and the Easton blue eyes that has him renegotiating—the wedding for a chance to know his niece. But when a fun day in the park leads to warm family dinners, Gage finds himself stuck between his loyalty to his brother—and the two women who have stolen his heart.