Book picks similar to
Harvesting the Past by Madge Swindells


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Her Maine Attraction


Rebecca Gannon - 2019
    I used to love life. I used to consider myself an artist. But these days, all I do is get through the day, and I haven’t touched a paintbrush in seven years.I need something new. Up and moving to a small coastal town in Maine is the last thing anyone expected of me, but the moment I set foot there, I instantly feel at home. On my first night, I’m startled awake by loud crashing sounds outside, and to my rescue comes a man that, with one look, I know will be the reason I break every rule I have about men.Jake Taylor is the town loner.He’s tall, dark, and handsome personified, and would rather spend all of his time in his workshop than around people.I just so happen to be the exception to that. With every minute we spend together, I can’t help but fall for the man who brings out everything I thought I lost in myself.But when his past comes back to town, all the reasons I’ve been avoiding men send the walls around my heart right back up. I thought I had finally found where I belonged, but now I’m second guessing everything.**Fully re-edited as of April 2021**

All In


Simona Ahrnstedt - 2014
    Ruthless. Notorious. Unstoppable. He's out to hijack the ultimate prize, Investum. After years of planning, all the players are in place; he needs just one member of the aristocratic owning family on his side--Natalia De la Grip. Elegant, brilliant, driven to succeed in a man's world, Natalia is curious about David's unexpected invitation to lunch. Everyone knows that he is rich, dangerous, unethical; she soon discovers he is also deeply scarred. The attraction between these two is impossible, but the long Swedish nights unfold an affair that will bring to light shocking secrets, forever alter a family, and force both Natalia and David to confront their innermost fears and desires. "Fast-paced, sexy and smart!" --New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster"Given the popularity of Steig Larsson and Jo Nesbo, the idea is to introduce American audiences to another kind of Swedish commercial fiction. . . .I'm grabbing this one." --BookRiot

In the Grasp: A Second Chance Sports Romance


Cadence Keys - 2021
    I thought I’d have more accomplished by now - like a wife and family - but for nine years I’ve held onto the memory of the girl who got away. Now she’s back and I’m more determined than ever to make her mine. For good this time.PaigeAfter years of working tirelessly, I just landed my dream job at the largest newspaper on the west coast. Unfortunately, that lands me in the same city as the man who broke my heart nearly a decade ago - the same one I’ve never really been able to let go of. When my editor assigns me to write an exposé on Jack, I’m forced to decide where my loyalties lie - with the career of a lifetime, or the love of my life.In the Grasp is the first steamy standalone contemporary sports romance in the LA Wolves series.

Bel Air


Katherine Stone - 1990
    The most elegant men and women of high society meet their destinies as they go from one palatial mansion to the another, from one extravagant party to the next.

The Way He Loves Me


Diamond D. Johnson - 2016
    All the boys wanted her and majority of the girls envied her. She was even captain of the school’s varsity cheerleading team. But she only had eyes for Darryon Jordan. Darryon was no good for Mackenzie, but it was something about him that kept her coming back for more. Fast forward, ten years later, and Mackenzie King looks the total opposite of how she did in high school. How could the most talked about and popular senior go from being fit and in shape to overweight and miserable? Well, the way Darryon loved her brought her down that path. Along Mackenzie’s journey, she comes into contact with ex NFL player for the Miami Dolphins, Janeiro Armstrong. Janeiro is every woman’s dream, but the only woman he seems to want is Mackenzie, and she just can’t seem to understand why. This book will make you laugh, cry, and smile. Filled with lots of secrets that have been going on for years, heartbreak, and most importantly, loved ones trying to get Mackenzie to see that the way Darryon loved her wasn’t the right way after all.

Here's Looking at You


Mhairi McFarlane - 2013
    Our heroine Aureliana returns to school after fifteen years for a reunion. School doesn't hold happy memories for her, as being a roly poly Italian (known as the Italian Galleon), and always armed with a Tupperware full of pungent Mediterranean food, she was bullied incessantly throughout her years there. Now in her 30s, Aureliana wants to put the past behind her once and for all and face up to the bullies who made her life hell. But she is much-changed from the girl she once was - all curves and because I'm worth it hair - and no one recognises her when she arrives. Losing her bottle, she backs out on her plan for revenge and slinks off, hoping never to be reminded of her years at school again. But fate gets in the way, and after the reunion her path keeps crossing with James - major hunk and Aureliana's major crush back at school. But alas, as a cronie to the bullies, Aureliana to this day believes that his beautiful exterior hides an ugly interior. As they continue to cross paths a love/hate relationship ensues until eventually something shifts, and they both start to discover what the person underneath is really like...Full of Mhairi's trademark laugh out loud humour, Here's Looking At You is a novel about facing your demons and being happy with who you really are.

How to Keep a Secret


Sarah Morgan - 2018
    Just. Not. Happening. Her heart is breaking, but she's determined to keep her trademark smile on her face.Nancy knows she hasn't been the best mother, but how can she ever tell Lauren and Jenna the reason why?Then life changes in an instant, and Lauren, Mack, Jenna and Nancy are thrown together for a summer on Martha's Vineyard. Somehow, these very different women must relearn how to be a family. And while unraveling their secrets might be their biggest challege, the rewards could be infinite...Heartwarming and fresh, Sarah Morgan's brilliant new novel is a witty and deeply uplifting look at the power of a family of women.

Playing with Power (Book 5)


Adele Huxley - 2014
    MyBFC is on the brink of launching and Lauren has to decide if she is willing to leave New York City to make it a reality.Someone isn’t happy with the choices she’s making. With a violent and invasive stalker tracking her every move, Lauren turns to the only person who she knows can protect her, Damon Kael. Can she resist the power he has over her?Sparks fly when Landon finally confronts Nick and Parker finally takes it too far.Can she find the inner power she needs to demolish those who stand in her way? Will she find Damon or Landon at her side?

Homesong


Misha Crews - 2008
    Or do they? For twenty years, Kate Doyle has been haunted by the night when she was forced to flee from her tiny Virginia home town and abandon her childhood sweetheart, Reed Fitzgerald. So when Kate, now in her mid-30s, escapes her unhappy life in Washington, DC and takes a much-needed vacation, the last thing she expects is to be reunited with Reed. Now, under the warm clear Caribbean sun, amid ancient churches and pink flamingos, Kate and Reed seek to revive the love that they thought was gone forever. But will small-town secrets ruin their last chance for happiness? Woven into the modern tale of Kate and Reed are the tales of those who came before them. Their mothers: teenagers in the chaotic 1960s, best friends who are in love with the same man - although only one of them knows it. Reed's grandmother: already a bitter old woman by the 1930s, she would do anything to carry on the family name.and would drive away anyone who came between her and her grandson. And even the founder of the town: in 1865, what guilty secret drove one man to bring his two daughters across the ocean from Ireland and settle in the dark Virginia hills? At its heart, Homesong is the story of a small town: its lies and truths, its beginnings and endings. It's about proud secrets, unrestrained joy, and the old adage that you may leave your home, but it never really leaves you.

The Girl Next Door


Elizabeth Noble - 2009
    Set in a turn-of-the-century New York apartment building on the Upper East Side, 'The Girl Next Door' features a collection of interwoven stories about love, life, and living together.

Mistletoe on Main Street


Olivia Miles - 2014
    . . Briar Creek's quaint shop windows, cozy homes nestled in snow, and neighborly residents are what Christmas dreams are made of--for everyone except Grace Madison. She left her hometown years ago to pursue a writing career. But when her father's death leaves his bookstore empty, Grace must return to face why she fled Vermont in the first place: Luke Hastings, who still heats her up like a shot of smoky whiskey on a cold winter's night. Grace is back, and Luke is worried. How much has she changed as a bestselling author in the big city? What memories will she stir up? And was the choice he made five years ago the biggest mistake of his life? Now, with their past, present, and future rocking around the Christmas tree, it's time for Grace and Luke to face the music . . . and the mistletoe.

Always and Forever


Cathy Kelly - 2004
    There's Mel, a compulsively ambitious mother/publicity manager at a high-powered PR firm — living proof that balancing motherhood and a full-time job is no walk in the park. The hot-headed, indomitable Cleo, just out of college with a degree in hotel management, would like nothing better than to modernize and revive her family's dwindling hotel — but faces a constant battle with her old-fashioned parents. And finally, there's the stylish, sweet-tempered Daisy, a self-consciously curvy fashion buyer for an upscale clothing boutique, who has been struggling — and longing — to have a baby with her absolutely perfect boyfriend. Although unconnected, these three women have one thing in common: they all need a break from their stressful lives. ...these tough gals hit the nearest spa! So each one sets out for a little R & R at the new Clouds Hill spa, built by an American woman with her own secret turmoil. It is there that Mel, Cleo, and Daisy meet — their worlds and troubles colliding — forming an intimate bond that helps them to realize what matters most in life, always and forever.

What Happened That Night


Sheila O'Flanagan - 2017
    He's used to getting what he wants...and she can't resist him. Until one night he forces her to make an impossible choice. If she'd known then what she knows now, everything might have been different.NowLola's daughter Bey has inherited her mother's impulsive streak and it takes her down dangerous paths. Then one night she too finds herself in front of a man she loves, with impossible choices of her own to make. For both women, what happened that night changes everything. For better. For worse. For ever.

Scandalous


Tilly Bagshawe - 2010
    After falling for the lies and charms of her Director of Studies ′Theo Dexter′ she finds herself betrayed, humiliated and nursing a bundle of broken dreams. Heading to the US she is determined to rebuild her life.Years later, Sasha emerges from Harvard Business School with one thing on her mind, the downfall of the now famous Professor Theo Dexter.Meanwhile Theo′s long suffering wife Theresa also finds herself betrayed and cast aside for a younger and prettier model. Unable to cope she returns to Cambridge a broken woman and tries to rebuild her life away from the scheming Theo Dexter.One night Sasha turns up at Theresa′s door, she wants revenge at any cost, will Theresa help her?From the deepest betrayal comes a shocking alliance.Two vengeful women, one very unlucky man ...

Happy Endings: A Will and a Way / Loving Jack


Nora Roberts - 1989
    But that isn't part of the plan—one that isolates them both in a Catskills mansion for six months. Pandora knows it won't be easy living with Michael, but the hardest thing of all might be not falling in love with the man! Loving Jack Romance author Jackie "Jack" MacNamara is thrilled when her own fictional brooding hero turns up in person right under her roof! Unfortunately, confirmed bachelor Nathan Powell has no interest in fairy-tale romances. But Jackie is certain that together they can have their happily-ever-after—now all she has to do is convince her stubborn Prince Charming!