Book picks similar to
Absinthe Minded by Kathryn M. Hearst
romance
mafia
dnf
2nd-chance
Her Second Chance Cowboy
Ellen Joy - 2020
So she escapes with her children to her small home town of Prairie Valley and takes a teaching job in hopes of restarting her life. Sam inherited his family’s ranch years ago, but running the ranch cost him everything, including his high school sweetheart, Georgie. When she returns to town, heartbroken, he soon realizes he still has feelings for her. But, he figures he’s the last guy she would look at after he broke her heart back in high school. When Sam’s nephew comes to stay with him it’s a blessing and a curse. Looking after a teenager wasn’t in his plans; however, when his nephew enrolls in Georgie’s night class, Sam and Georgie find their paths intertwined and old feelings begin to resurface; good and bad. Georgie starts to fall for Sam, but she’s afraid of love, especially with someone who’s already hurt her in the past. To make matters worse, her children miss their father, the cheating Governor. This all leaves Sam with a lot of convincing to do if he wants that second chance.Is Sam the answer to Georgie’s prayers and, if so, will she have to choose between her own happiness and that of her children? Or, will they find a way to all live happily-ever-after in Prairie Valley? Start at the beginning of this sweet, small town, western romance and fall in love with Prairie Valley.
A Dixie Christmas
Sandra Hill - 2011
. . and Santa Claus. In Blue Christmas, an uptight Boston businessman arrives in Memphis, Tennessee determined to sell the oddball "Blue Suede Suites" hotel he's inherited. Instead he lands in a pile of complications when he steps in the wrong spot at the Elvis-themed live Nativity scene on his property. Recovering from a concussion, he finds himself in the care of a gorgeous good ol' girl dairy farmer. And suddenly, all his plans begin to melt. . .originally titled Fever and published as part of the Blue Christmas anthology In Jinx Christmas, a handsome and famous NASCAR driver shows up in his ex-wife's Louisiana town determined to win her back, even if it means using the matchmaking advice of an outlandish Cajun godmother and her far-from-conservative tactics.originally available for free from the author's website
The Needing Moore Series Trilogy: Searching for Moore, Moore to Lose, & Moore than Forever
Julie A. Richman - 2014
Richman, PLUS never before seen BONUS CHAPTERS for each book. Sometimes the one you never got over is just a friend request away ... There were no cell phones or internet or google when she left me and I never knew why she walked away from our relationship. I loved her, like head-over-heels crazy loved her. And when she walked out on me at the end of our freshman year, without even a goodbye, she broke my heart. So, I got a surprise gift the other night at my birthday party, an old college friend casually mentioned he saw her on Facebook. Best present I've received in over twenty years. Now, I'm finally going to get my answer. She owes me an explanation at to why she left ... Damn, I loved her.________I was having such a crappy morning at work and then his email arrived. It was a friend request and to say I was shocked would be an understatement. A lifetime has passed since we were last in contact. But just seeing his name on my computer screen, made me react in a way I thought I was no longer capable of, you see, I have never gotten over loving him, even though he betrayed me. And so begins the saga of Schooner Moore and Mia Silver, lovers separated after their first year of college and not reunited again for over twenty years. But two decades was not long enough for their flame to be extinguished and reuniting could cost them everything.
Where We Belong
K.L. Grayson - 2014
. . she's a snarky little bitch.I’ve tried several times to regret the events that took place on June 5, 2008, but for the life of me, I can’t. I'd never regret the pain, the suffering, or the heartache because it ultimately led me to the place I am now. And I can’t regret the place I am now. What I still can't figure out is this: how is it possible that the single worst day of my life inadvertently became the very best day?Five years ago my life was irrevocably changed.Seventeen minutes was all it took—to lose my best friend…to lose the love of my life…Seventeen minutes was all it took for the seeds of hope—the seeds of my future—to be planted in the worst possible way.My name is Harley Thompson, and this is my story.
Rough Terrain
Cheryl Douglas - 2016
He signed the adoption papers, but he never stopped loving the baby he’d never met. Years passed, success found him, but there was a hole in his heart and life that he knew only one thing could fill. His son. Sage Breville was stunned to learn her ex-boyfriend was back in town. With him came a rush of memories and questions about the kind of life they could have had if she’d been brave enough to stand up to her parents years ago and raise the child she’d so desperately wanted with the man she loved. There were some wounds time couldn’t heal, and Sage was convinced there was no way back for them. But did Wes see it her way or was he ready to forgive… and move on?
Discovered
Kim Black - 2013
After Adam, her ex, cheated on her with not one, but two of her co-workers, Emily fled from her former workplace, forgoing her internship, and decided to start anew.Though her decision to write off love had held up for over a year, her chastity belt would soon be put to the test when Julien Belmont, a French billionaire, takes an interest in her.In one night, she questions everything she believes, and though she is determined he is no different from the rest, she finds herself in a whirlwind of affairs, lies, and a tug of war between old and new men…Can she learn to love again, or will she flee from Julien, who she admits is the best lover she’s ever had?Julien Belmont is a gorgeous, commanding, passionate Frenchman who enjoys his freedom. His ever-growing sexual hunger means his appetite is never quite quenched. At least not until he meets Emily. One night with her changes everything he has ever believed.Will his past destroy his potential future with Emily?Or will the fire between them burn eternal?
So Much More
Kim Holden - 2016
It comes out of nowhere. There’s no logic to it. It’s not methodical. It’s not scientific. It’s pure emotion and passion. And emotion and passion can be dangerous because they fuel love…and hate.I’m now a reluctant connoisseur of both—an expert through immersion. I know them intimately.When I fell in love with Miranda, it was swift and blind. She was the person I’d elevated to mythical status in my head, in my dreams.Here’s the thing about dreams, they’re smoke.They’re spun as thoughts until they become something we think we want. Something we think we need.That was Miranda. She was smoke.I thought I wanted her. I thought I needed her.Over time reality crept in and slowly dissected and disemboweled my dreams like a predator, leaving behind a rotting carcass.Reality can be a fierce bitch.So can Miranda.And I can be a fool...who believes in dreams.And people.And love.Note from the author: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is recommended for mature audiences only.
Bidding on Brooks
Katy Regnery - 2015
He's been down that road before and only escaped by the skin of his teeth. And maybe Cameron, because he's super hot, but too hot-headed to be decent boyfriend material...)Railroaded into a bachelor auction by his sister, Jessica, Brooks Winslow asks his friend, Skye Sorenson, to bid on him to avoid the possibility of any romantic entanglements. Fiercely competitive and protective of those he cares for, Brooks was profoundly affected by the loss of his father at an early age. A witness to his mother’s terrible loneliness and his siblings’ grief, the ex-Olympian has never allowed himself to fall in love.Skye Sorenson, the plucky mechanic at Sorenson Marina, where Brooks moors his three sailboats, is a credible sailor in her own right…and has quietly lusted after Brooks for years. But her longstanding friendship with Brooks has always made romance seem impossible.When Skye agrees to bid on Brooks, the two cast off for a weeklong ocean adventure on Brooks’ sailboat, The Zephyr.And…what happens in Zephyrland stays in Zephyrland.******The Winslow Brothers books are a companion series to the English Brothers books, but all can be read as standalones. All books in The Winslow Brothers series are approximately 200 pages. The RWA classifies this as "Mid-length Contemporary Romance."
Single Dad's Waitress
Amelia Wilde - 2017
Valentine is serving up the exact opposite at the Short Stack Café.She’s a disaster waiting to happen—a gorgeous, irresistible disaster.Ryder can’t risk his newfound stability on a whirlwind like Valentine. He definitely can’t risk his heart. But one taste of her has him willing to pick up the tab, no matter the price.(Previously titled Over Easy.)
Plastic Hearts
Lisa De Jong - 2013
I like it that way. I grew up in a fake society where plastic hearts rule. If our hearts are made of plastic, they can never be broken. My parents have expectations and I do everything I can to meet them, even if it means giving up on my own dreams. Now, all I want is to be free to make my own choices.Dane Wright is everything I have been warned to stay away from. We met one night while I was with my perfect, parent-approved boyfriend and I haven’t stopped thinking about him. I don’t want to like him. I am doing everything I can to ignore his pull, but my heart seems to want what it cannot have, what it has never had.Can he measure up? He may think I am too good for him, but maybe he is too good for me. Life is a series of choices and I have never been able to make my own. Until one day, when my heart decides to make a choice for me.Recommended for mature readers due to sexual content and language
Bargain in Bronze
Natalie Anderson - 2012
So when an Olympic hopeful invites her to his flat to make her delicious cereal, she’s bewildered when his brother Jack walks in, accusing her of trying to ruin his brother’s career. Libby has every intention of staying single, but with Jack around, no way can she suppress the personal pleasure she’s long denied herself.Investment banker extraordinaire Jack Barnes’s attraction to Libby is instantaneous, but he’s raised his two siblings after their parents died in an accident, and it’s been all work and no play for as long as he can remember. He can’t let down his guard now—not when his brother is so close to the gold. But keeping Libby busy and out of his brother’s life challenges every ounce of his self-control.Until now…Neither wants a relationship, and though they can’t deny their incredible chemistry, Libby and Jack agree that what they have is temporary. So when things start to sizzle between them, will they be able to take the heat?
The Wedding Game
Meghan Quinn - 2021
So it’s only natural that Luna would convince her brother and his husband-to-be to compete on The Wedding Game, a “do-it-yourself” TV show, for the title of Top DIY Wedding Expert.As a jaded divorce lawyer, Alec Baxter scoffs at weddings and romance. But when his recently engaged brother begs him to participate in The Wedding Game, Alec grudgingly picks up a glue gun and prepares for some family bonding.Both fierce competitors, Luna and Alec clash on national TV as harsh words and glitter fly with abandon. But as they bicker over color swatches and mood boards, they find themselves fighting something else: their growing mutual attraction. While Luna is torn between family loyalty and her own feelings, Alec wonders if he might have been wrong about love and marriage all along…
Starting Over
Evan Grace - 2014
And if it weren’t for her brother’s imminent deployment, she wouldn’t even have considered coming back home. But she did. And now she needs to do everything she can to avoid the reason she left in the first place. Luke Carter. The man who turned his back on her when she needed him most. There’s just one problem…Luke seems to have other plans. He’s determined to set things right, making it impossible for Bellamy to ignore the connection they still share after all these years. But Bellamy has a secret. And it’s the kind of secret that has the potential to destroy every last bit of hope she has for a second chance at happiness. The question is, will the truth bring them closer together…or will it tear them apart for good?
Rough
Skye Warren - 2015
A statistic. A victim. A single teenage mother from the poor part of town. Most of the time I'm too busy working and struggling to care what people think. Survival doesn't come easy.I have a dark secret, a pressure valve, a rare moment just for myself. On these nights I visit a club. There I find men who give me what I need. Men who aren't afraid to take what they want.Men like Colin.But he takes more than a few stolen hours. He demands more than my body. He wants my heart and soul--my happily ever after. I never thought I'd be Cinderella. I never thought a man that rough could be my prince.
Killian
Kasey Krane - 2021
We're enemies.I have no interest in being a pawn.But if that's what the family's want,Then that's what they get.Reese is pretty, powerful, and sassy to boot.But when we learn this isn't the truce,We were all expecting,She threatens to run.I didn't think I could stand her,Now I can't live without her.What's an Irishman to do?Drink and chase the lass of course.She'll be mine,No matter what war our families are brewing.