Book picks similar to
Costumes of the Living by Gaurav Monga


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Don't Kiss Your Brother's Sworn Enemy (Don't Kiss! Series Book 1)


Elle Gonzales - 2020
    Well, according to her twin brother Cole, that is. Cole's resentment toward him has been there for as long as she can remember.So it goes without saying that she needs to stay away from Jake if she wants to keep the peace. That should be easy, right?Except there's one problem: Jake is assigned as her partner for a school paper. And as if that's not enough, she also needs his help to get back in her best friend's good graces.Callie knows that getting close to him is not a good idea. Too bad she's starting to like him...

Point of Impact


Lisa Phillips - 2022
    When she returns home, she has to face down every nightmare she's ever had. Is the resurgence of a series of all too familiar deadly crimes the work of a former ally, or a mastermind who has been pulling her strings all along?Recluse and artist Jacob likes his life. It's how he's managed to cope with who he became all those years ago. But he can't avoid the past any longer. Not when Addie walks back into town, and right back into his life.The past returns in a wave of unexplained crimes. Addie and Jacob find themselves at the heart of it all, at the place where their lives were torn apart.This stand-alone story is the start of the accountant’s office series – a spinoff from Last Chance County.A Christian romantic suspense novel.

Summer on the Turquoise Coast


Lilac Mills - 2018
    Nina likes her life exactly as it is. Happy(ish) in her job, and with no love interests on the horizon she knows she can’t get hurt if she doesn’t rock the boat. But Nina’s octogenarian grandmother, Flossie, has plans to drag Nina kicking and screaming from her comfort zone.Arriving on the turquoise coast Nina’s plans for a quiet holiday are blown out of the water by the sheer amounts of vodka, adult games of "pin the tail on the donkey" and tabletop dancing - and that's just her gran! Join Nina and Flossie for Summer on the Turquoise Coast as they learn to let go, enjoy the time they have and maybe even find love in the process.

The Ragged Hatmaker


Faye Godwin - 2019
    1854. For years, Fern Hall has lived in an orphanage in the East End of London. It’s a brutal life of endless chores and punishments—for even the smallest infractions. She’s able to escape it for a time when she’s hired out as a temporary maid to the wealthy Hawk family, but a servant’s lot is little better. Gerard Hawk, the second son of the prosperous merchant, is drawn to Fern from their very first meeting when she comes to work for his parents. When Fern is falsely accused of a crime, Gerard is the only one who believes her innocence. She is forced to flee, leaving behind everything—and everyone—she has ever known. A year and a half later, Fern and Gerard meet again accidentally, but the gap between their circumstances is wider than ever. Now in love with Gerard, Fern despairs of anything ever changing in her life. Then something mysterious from Fern’s past surfaces. Can Fern gather the courage to see it through? Is change really a possibility at last?

Secrets of Sunshine Inn: Prequel (A Crystal Coast Series): A Clean Mystery Romance


Annie Diamond - 2022
    

Litany of woes


Deepti Sharma - 2020
    Nida is no different.Coming from a broken marriage, she dreams to spend her life in the arms of her lover. Reality, however, has other plans for her. As she goes through different phases in her life, she encounters various heart-wrenching experiences along the way; all in her journey to be a rebellious author. Turning to comfort in everyone she meets, trying to cope up with the betrayals of her most trusted friends, Nida understands what it means to be independent when it’s her against the world.From the late-night escapades with her boyfriend in the chills of Simla, to attending her mother’s marriage, to write about all the outrageous books, to adopting an orphan child; join Nida in Litany of Woes as she searches for love in all forms and to the realization that it is indeed just a word after all.

Hearts in Georgia: Sweet Small-Town Romance Collection


Marian Wilson - 2019
    Follow the stories of four young women who discover love in Harmony Cove, Georgia. Books included in this collection: A Family for Christmas Grace is forced to choose between the possibility of a new love or a life she had already planned. Will she choose her heart’s desire? Or will she allow her history to govern her love? Taste of Home When bad luck strikes Zoey for a second time, a misunderstanding occurs, and Zoey is once again left all alone. Can Zoey and Harley look past their differences and admit to their mistakes? Do opposites really attract? Love in a Small Town With tensions high and the nomination from their boss looming, will they end up choosing to take a chance at furthering their career? Or will Nora and Asher take a chance on one another? Heart of a Farmer's Daughter When sparks start to fly, Jackson's father starts to pester Sydney about buying her farm. What will happen when the truth finally comes out?

Hometown Christmas Dreams: A Contemporary Christian Christmas Romance Collection


Lesley Ann McDaniel - 2021
    After a fight with her aunt, and a frustrating conversation with her daughter’s father, she sets up an autumn display at her dream home with beautiful thrift store finds.Jordon is mourning the loss of his parents. Weird things, like someone decorating his parents’ porch with his mother’s donated decorations, make grieving harder. Still, the oddness is the distraction, and call to faith, he needs.My True Love Gave to MeCassidy loves her life. She has a job in a vintage store, a cute Seattle bungalow, and a dog who adores her. But being single is getting old. She receives a Christmas party invitation, and an excuse to find a plus-one. Someone from her singles group...?Sean's favorite thing about his delivery job is the pretty woman at the vintage store. But from what he’s overheard, she has plenty of prospects already. Would she be interested in adding him to her dance card?The Wonder of ChristmasCheyenne heads north for Christmas, with no idea that a storm will strand her in the small town of Misty Cove. But when she bumps—literally—into handsome Grady, and learns about a family in need, she realizes God sent her there for a bigger reason than meeting a handsome man. But with the way her pulse kicks up in Grady’s presence, maybe God has a dual purpose in mind.Mountain LaurelWhen tragedy strikes, Laurel is left alone to raise her son. She wonders if the Lord she’s trusted all her life will help her as she raises her feisty boy.Jon, who has loved her for as long as she can remember, is good with her son and steadies her through each crisis that comes along. He’s a close friend, but will she ever be able to love again?Cephalopod CupidWhen Lacey’s boyfriend breaks up with her it opens the opportunity to join a research vessel for six-months.Then she meets an autistic boy who shares her love of Gabriel the giant Pacific octopus. And Anders, his dad.Lacey considers staying. It might be crazy to give up her dream for a man she barely knows. It might seem crazier still to stay so she can protect her beloved cephalopod from himself.But sometimes love means letting go.To Hear the Angels SingDevlin enjoys her role as temporary guardian of her niece while her sister goes through drug rehab, but it isn’t easy. If she works dinner shifts, her job at a Seattle restaurant brings in enough. So, when her niece is invited to evening rehearsals for a church show, the free childcare is hard to pass up. But when they learn Devlin knows how to sew, she’s enlisted as costume designer. How will she find time?One of Jonah’s favorite parts of his job as church worship leader is directing the music for the kids’ Christmas musical. Between his job and writing his own music, he barely has time for a social life. But there’s something about the costumer for the show this year that gets him thinking. Could there be more to life than music?The Heart of ChristmasWhen Wynn sees police lights at Misty Cove’s one-and-only bar, she goes inside to investigate, just in time to see her ex-boyfriend punch the star of her favorite TV show in the face. What is Ryland Sage doing in their tiny Pacific Coast town? Since Wynn is the only medical help for miles around, she has to stitch his face—and maybe his heart—while protecting her own heart from the worldly charmer.Prairie RoseFor years, Rose has lived alone with her dog. Mitch, a handsome, unmarried neighbor, brings her a bright red geranium and insists on helping with chores. But who should appear but the scoundrel husband who deserted her years ago. Later, a pre-teen runaway adds his troubles to hers, so Rose decides to recapture the peace and serenity of Christmas.

NOT HERS TO TAKE: a dark and twisty, psychological thriller


Keiron Cosgrave - 2021
    Are some more precious than others?Ruby Harper is lost...Betrayed by the man she loves, ostracised by her wealthy mother and high-flying sister, Ruby runs away to a world populated by drug users and abusive men.When her mother dies prematurely, Ruby finds the strength to rebuild her life and start anew.But life is never that simple... Ruby has something precious... Something people want...Who can she trust?Her sister? Best friend? Her lover?Who stands to gain the most from Ruby's death?

The Hotwife Fix: A New Arrangement


David Stone - 2019
    Following an alcohol-induced indiscretion, he fears the worst: He can no longer perform as a husband should. It’s a problem and the sort of thing that could ruin a marriage. It did (but did it really?). After receiving no explanation from Jack for his lack of interest, his wife Heather loses her patience. A year later and now divorced from Jack, she sends him a text. She wants “to talk”. Can Jack come clean? Can he tell her why he turned so cold? And if he does, will she take him back? His heart wants nothing more. As always, nothing is as it seems on the surface, and soon Jack learns secrets abound. They’re not all his. The Hotwife Fix: A New Arrangement, is part of The Wife Chronicles, a collection of standalone, thematically linked stories investigating the perils and humorous adventures of smart couples finding their happy-ever-afters. They are intended for mature readers.

Kate (Curvy Girls Can, #8)


Sadie King - 2020
    When he gets an offer to attend the Crossley Music School for Gifted Children, I’ll do whatever it takes to get him there.
Then I meet Lance. He’s a client, and I’m the hired help. But it’s been so long since I’ve even looked at a man that I’m powerless to resist him.
But will one night of passion ruin everything I’ve worked so hard for?

Lance
I didn’t know anything was missing from my life until Kate turned up at my door. She’s curvy, determined, and passionate.
I’m determined to keep her and her son in my life, if only she’ll let me help her.Kate is book Eight in the Curvy Girls Can series. Short, sweet and steamy insta-love stories about women with big curves, big attitudes, and big dreams and the alpha men who are man enough to love them.High heat, oh so sweet, and always with a happily ever after. Each book in the series is a standalone. No cliffhangers.

No Strings Attached


Bella Grant - 2017
     Whatever I want, I buy. I need a sexy escort for the evening - the best money can buy. When the annoying girl I –met on the plane is on the list, I can’t refrain from hiring her. She was stunningly beautiful, though she seemed a little stupid, and since I didn’t like her, the evening should be “clean”, just the way I wanted. No strings attached. No sex. No commitments. But I was wrong, and I hate being wrong. JACIE: I’m a “clean escort”, the summer job I took hoping to make some extra cash. A clean escort means no ties…or sex. Just dates with lonely men who take me to fancy places. All is going well until the jerk from the plane hires me for the evening. I’m furious and want to refuse, but I have bills to pay. A few hours won’t hurt. Plus, he’s incredibly sexy. I expect to have a horrible night, but I go home with him and give him my virginity. So much for being a “clean” escort. NO STRINGS ATTACHED is a full-length Sexy Romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger! This copy contains another full-length romance story.

Kissed


Tess Thompson - 2020
    Yet when the darling woman known as Mama Soto to half of Cliffside Bay meets the handsome Dominic Perry, she's suddenly ready for her dry spell to end. Even if the rich and powerful Dominic could never be serious about a nobody like her, Rosa is more than happy to have his company, and his kiss, for one New Year's Eve. But when the pair is still kissing in stolen moments almost a year later, Rosa has fallen for the big man with the chocolate eyes despite knowing he will eventually grow tired of her. Can she brace herself for the disappointment, or will a Christmas surprise save her from a broken heart?

Spirits in the Oak


L.J. Hutton - 2020
    But these houses aren’t normal, and nor is what’s inside them! With her old wounds recently reopened, Jenna is in desperate need of a new start, and her friend Tiff thinks she’s found just the thing when her company needs someone to watch over a trio of houses. Set in an idyllic location in the Shropshire Hills, the houses lie empty, tied up in a legal battle, but from the outset Jenna knows there’s something wrong with them – and it’s not just down to the vicious wrangling between the owners, either! Why does it feel like the houses are talking to her? And who is the mysterious ex-soldier in the only other house on the hill? Why does he hate the owners so badly, and does he know more of what’s going on than Jenna has been told? Join Jenna as she unravels the secret of the houses while she struggles to heal her own inner scars, and in the process finds unexpected friends and inner reserves she didn’t know she had. If you love paranormal mysteries by authors such as Barbara Erskine and Phil Rickman; the magical realism of J S Donovan, Diane Setterfield and Melissa Payne; or the magical elements of Diana Gabaldon’s Lord John Grey novels, then this is a book for you! Grab a copy today and join Jenna on the mysterious Welsh Borders!

Sheikh's Purchased Princess


Sophia Lynn - 2016
     When Emily Dorne is kidnapped off the street, she has no idea what kind of dangers await her—or what long forgotten feelings will be stirred up by the man who buys her. Her crush from high school is no longer a starry-eyed boy; he’s a powerful and sexy sheikh, and he’s ready to make Emily his. The last person Sheikh Adnan al Mahsi expected to see during his sting operation was an old flame. Now that he has her in his sights again, he wants to explore the sizzling heat between them. But will Emily let him, or will she run? Note: Story contains steamy scenes of passion and romance between an alpha Sheikh and a passionate young woman.