Book picks similar to
Rio Grande Wedding by Ruth Wind


contemporary-romance
romance
marriage-of-convenience
contemporary

The Summer Seekers


Sarah Morgan - 2021
    After she has a run-in with an intruder, her daughter wants her to move in to a residential home. But she’s not having any of it. What she craves—what she needs—is adventure.Liza is drowning under the daily stress of family life. The last thing she needs is her mother jetting off on a wild holiday, making Liza long for a solo summer of her own.Martha is having a quarter-life crisis. Unemployed, unloved and uninspired, she just can’t get her life together. But she knows something has to change.When Martha sees Kathleen’s advertisement for a driver and companion to share an epic road trip across America, she decides this job might be the answer to her prayers. She’s not the world’s best driver, but anything has to be better than living with her parents. And traveling with a stranger? No problem. Anyway, how much trouble can one eighty-year-old woman be?As these women embark on the journey of a lifetime, they all discover it’s never too late to start over.

Operation Cinderella


Hope C. Tarr - 2012
    After he smears her article on his show, nearly costing Macie her job, she devises a plan to masquerade as a modern-day Cinderella and get her revenge on the infuriating Texan.All Ross wants is a woman with old-fashioned values to be his housekeeper and role model for his troubled teenage daughter. When the perfect woman shows up, Ross is relieved—until he finds himself drawn to his gorgeous, red-stiletto-wearing new employee. “Martha Jane” is opinionated and sexy, and Ross is intrigued…and more than a little turned on.Macie thought Operation Cinderella was foolproof, but Ross, with his rugged good looks and southern charm, proves to be as perfect behind-the-scenes as he does in public. But when she finally uncovers a secret that could destroy Ross's reputation, she faces losing her job or losing the fairy-tale ending she didn't even know she wanted.

Corporate Affair


Stephanie James - 1982
    But she hadn't expected the sparks to fly with Rand Alastair, artist and fisherman, the stranger whose caresses left her yearning for more.Kalinda had come to Colorado determined to avenge a lost love. She had arraged the set up, and her ex-fiance had taken the bait. But she was shaken by Rand's powerful embrace, torn between her passion for revenge and hunger for this lover who conquered her heart, stole into her world and proceeded to make it his own.

The Trouble with Joe / Someone Like Her


Emilie Richards - 1994
    They'd gotten married quickly and moved to an idyllic small town. They'd bought a crumbling shack in the middle of nowhere and turned it into a home. In the yard, Joe had built a tree house for the half-dozen kids he knew they'd have. Except that the tree house remained empty. Their home echoed with silence. And Joe started staying at work later and later. So Sam decided it was time to find a new dream. She might never hold her own baby, but she could love a child who needed her desperately—and she knew just the one. But first she had to convince Joe that their dreams of parenthood could come true.

The Dysfunctional Test


Kelly Moran - 2013
    Enter one "Big Fat Overly Romantic Serbian Family." Sit back and watch the magic happen.Growing up in her large, crazy Serbian family, Camryn Covic became an expert at shutting down her emotions in order to maintain her sanity. But when she loses her apartment, her job, and her boyfriend all in one day, she hits her breaking point. Worse, if her family finds out she's single again, her sister's upcoming wedding will be a disaster. The bride-to-be has a plan, though. A plan that involves an old friend, a pretend relationship... and the probability of ending up in a padded cell. This time for real.Troy Lanske agrees to the insane charade only because, when he was a lonely foster child, Camryn was his lifeline. But she isn't the idealistic girl he remembers. She's become so jaded that she doesn't even believe in love anymore. He sets out to restore her faith in happily-ever-afters, but his plan backfires when the fake relationship begins to feel all too real. Falling for the one woman he can't have could mean losing more than just his honorary family. He could lose everything.

We Can't Keep Meeting Like This


Rachel Lynn Solomon - 2021
    At the end of last summer, Quinn confessed her crush on him in the form of a rambling email—and then he left for college without a response.Quinn has been dreading seeing him again almost as much as she dreads another summer playing the harp for her parents’ weddings. When he shows up at the first wedding of the summer, looking cuter than ever after a year apart, they clash immediately. Tarek’s always loved the grand gestures in weddings—the flashier, the better—while Quinn can’t see them as anything but fake. Even as they can’t seem to have one civil conversation, Quinn’s thrown together with Tarek wedding after wedding, from performing a daring cake rescue to filling in for a missing bridesmaid and groomsman.Quinn can’t deny her feelings for him are still there, especially after she learns the truth about his silence, opens up about her own fears, and begins learning the art of harp-making from an enigmatic teacher.Maybe love isn’t the enemy after all—and maybe allowing herself to fall is the most honest thing Quinn’s ever done.

A Hero to Keep


Susan Gable - 2009
    So she lives, loves, and lets go. She’s not looking for a hero.But with custody of her traumatized six-year-old nephew on the line, she needs help. Charming Greg Hawkins, a comic book artist and art therapist insists he can coax Ryan into speaking again, enabling the boy to reveal what he saw the night of his mother’s death at his father’s hands. And though Shannon’s skeptical of Greg’s methods, there’s no denying that he brings light and color to their lives.Greg, one of twelve siblings, knows anything worth having is worth fighting for. If anyone can prepare Shannon for the upcoming battle, it’s Greg and his family.But will she fight to keep him, too?A Hero to Keep is a contemporary family drama romance set near Lake Erie, featuring the Hawkins Family.***This book was originally published under the title A Kid to the Rescue.***

Kissing Tolstoy


Penny Reid - 2014
    A shorter version of this story (28k words) was entitled ‘Nobody Looks Good in Leather Pants’ and was available via Penny Reid’s newsletter over the course of 2017.

Mouth to Mouth


Erin McCarthy - 2005
    Police detective Russ Evans gets more than he had bargained for when he is assigned to watch gorgeous coffee shop owner Laurel Wilkins, supposedly the latest target of con man Trevor Dean, in a sensuous and witty novel of mistaken identity and romance.

Donut Fall in Love


Jackie Lau - 2021
    After the sudden death of his mother and years of constant work, Ryan is taking some much-needed time off. But as he tries to be supportive to his family, he struggles with his loss and doesn't know how to talk to his dad—who now trolls him on Twitter instead of meeting him for dim sum. Innovative baker Lindsay McLeod meets Ryan when he knocks over two dozen specialty donuts at her bakery. Their relationship is off to a messy start, but there’s no denying their immediate attraction. When Ryan signs up for a celebrity episode of Baking Fail, he asks Lindsay to teach him how to bake and she agrees.As Lindsay and Ryan spend time together, bonding over grief and bubble tea, it starts to feel like they’re cooking up something sweeter than cupcakes in the kitchen.

The Matchmakers of Minnow Bay


Kelly Harms - 2016
    Her career hasn't taken off, her best friend may no longer be the trusted friend she thought, her boyfriend is a disappointment, and now she can't keep up with the rising cost of living in the city. With no one to turn to, Lily is forced to move from her beloved apartment, but while packing she comes across a piece of mail that had slipped to the back of her junk drawer: a letter detailing further action needed to finalize the annulment of a quickie Vegas wedding. Ten years ago!Lily decides it's time to turn over a new leaf and the first item on her list of things to fix is getting the annulment... but you can't just send a reply ten years later, "Hey by the way we are still married." This is something that must be addressed in person. Lily takes to the road to track down her husband - the charming, fun, and sexy man she connected with all those years ago - Ben Hutchinson.Ben Hutchinson left a wealthy dot-com lifestyle behind to return home to his family and the small town he loves, Minnow Bay. He's been living off the grid and the last thing he expects is a wife he didn't know he had to show up on his doorstep.By chance, Lily arrives at the magical Minnow Bay Inn, and there she will discover not just a place to lay her head, but new friends, a thriving art community, and maybe even the love of her life.

White Whiskey Bargain


Jodie Slaughter - 2019
    People have been gettin’ married in situations like this for hundreds of years, and they’ve made it work. It doesn’t matter if this doesn’t last forever. I’m goin’ to make sure I’m good to you, and I’d appreciate it if you extended me the same courtesy.” - Javier MezaThe sudden and tragic death of her mother throws Hannah Hawkins into a position she doesn’t feel at all prepared for. With the duty of leading her family’s decades-long moonshining business weighing heavy on her shoulders, the last thing she needs is something making her transition even harder. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she gets. A band of vicious new players has arrived in small-town Harlan, Kentucky, and while what they really want remains a mystery, it quickly becomes clear they’re willing to stoop to dark lengths to get it. To fight off a beast, Hannah realizes she needs to join forces with a rival. Javier Meza may be the sole heir to his family’s moonshining empire, but he’s certainly no leader. He has no head for business or diplomacy, preferring to spend his days in the trenches, making corn liquor with the rest of the “cooks.” That doesn’t mean he isn’t more than willing to step up and take charge when his family finds themselves in danger. Forming a shaky partnership with the Hawkins family is one thing, but marrying Hannah Hawkins to keep their deal on the straight and narrow is something else entirely. While Hannah is determined to keep their marriage as something that exists in name only, Javier is eager not to leave this wife hurt and disappointed like his last one. They both quickly learn that their feelings, much like their enemies, don’t plan on going away without a fight.From All Things Burn author, Jodie Slaughter - illegal white whiskey, a marriage of convenience between decades-long rival families, and Black Appalachia. Jodie blends romance and suspense to bring to the forefront a spotlight on the impact of populations of color in small-town Kentucky. A full-length romance novel with a very satisfying HEA.

Stripped Down


Kelli Ireland - 2014
    He knows how to take it off … Eric Reeves is the CEO of a real estate development firm that's on the cusp of a huge breakthough. Soon, he'll taste the first fruits of true success—or watch his dreams go up in smoke. But first he has to earn a living…by becoming Dalton Chase, the most sought-after stripper at Beaux Hommes, one of Seattle's most exclusive adult clubs. Cass Jameson hires Dalton for her best friend's bachelorette, but from the moment he steps through the door, his eyes never leave her. Dalton is hot, ripped and exactly what Cass needs to let off a little steam. Nothing can stop the primal need between them—to touch, to taste, to take…and to want more. Nothing except their real identities.

In Bed With Her Boss


Brenda Jackson - 2007
    But as the star of her feverish nighttimefantasies, the man was simply divine. Still, Opal Lockharthad no chance with Detroit's self-made millionaire. Whatwould a high roller like him want with a buttoned-up, naive secretary like her?Enter the Lockhart sisters--for some attitude adjustmentand a wardrobe makeover. With some d�colletage andcome-hither heels, they have the sex kitten in Opaldownright purring.Now she's giving D'marcus notice--he'd better watch out!

Innocent Secretary...Accidentally Pregnant


Carol Marinelli - 2009
    Plain and prim Emma Stephenson might not look like a tycoon's assistant, but for Luca D'Amato--a playboy who likes to play-- breaking through her no-nonsense exterior is his favorite new game!Sensible Emma thought all they'd be sharing was an office--not a "bed!" But she's learning fast about what being Luca's "personal" assistant really means!Now he's standing there offering her a promotion, and she's trying to find the words to tell him...she's pregnant!