Book picks similar to
Summer Girl by Linda Watkins


romance
literary-fiction
coming-of-age
abuse

Meatloaf And Mistletoe


Katie Mettner - 2018
    They’ve spent years ignoring their feelings for each other, but this Christmas, the townspeople of Bells Pass, Michigan have a plan. It won’t be easy, but they’ll work together to teach Ivy and Shep to stop ignoring their hearts’ desires and explore their love. It will take an old spinster, an infamous diner, a mysterious man, and a hefty dose of Christmas wishing to get them under the mistletoe. Once there, they’ll let a dash of good old Christmas magic do the rest.

I Still Do


Rosa Lee Jude - 2016
    When tragedy tore apart the life he planned with Emily James, Harry went on with his life but never forgot. Sixty years later, he makes an impulsive journey to honor Emily, his first love. A touch of serendipity intervenes when he meets a young woman who will help him learn his and Emily’s love could withstand the test of time with a miraculous outcome. Heartwarming Contemporary Romance with a twist of Suspense (standalone) I STILL DO UNTIL INFINITY NEVER GOODBYE Other books by Rosa Lee Jude Read all the books in the Legends of Graham Mansion series: REDEMPTION AMBITION DECEPTION SALVATION REVELATION BLOOMSPOONS ADVENTURES – new time travel series The Legend of Amburgey Gibboney Haunted by the Fire (Coming Winter 2019) Murder at the Boyd Hotel (Coming Summer 2019) THE ENCHANTED JOURNEY – Urban Fantasy – Magical Tremble Jasmine Neverwrong

Her Billionaire Boss


Jo Grafford - 2019
    That is, if they’ll consider hiring a hated Maddox… CEO Luca Calcagni is determined to teach the rebel youngest daughter of their biggest rival firm the lesson of her life by hiring her as his personal assistant. He never counted on their explosive attraction any more than she counted on discovering herself pregnant with his dead brother’s son. When she threatens to raise her child as far as possible from the reaches of their age-old family feud, it’ll take his most skillful negotiating to maneuver her into a marriage of convenience to keep her and the last tie to his brother – her unborn child – in town. Except marriage to the stunning, artistic, and complex Jacey turns out to be anything but convenient… Her Billionaire Boss is a turbulent flight through the lives of two shattered families. It’s a story of second chances, unexpected love, and the discovery that it only takes a little faith to make something beautiful out of nothing.

Take Hold of Me


Arell Rivers - 2018
    He has the muscle to do it ... but he’s moved on and refuses to look back. A Woman Fighting to Stay on Top After a decade as a supermodel, a younger version of me is scooping up my contracts. To regain my status in the industry, my agency devises a strategy—which so happens to require a bodyguard. And I know the perfect guy for the job: Wills Sumner, the man who saw beneath my veneer. Who currently is evading my texts like a Parisian taxi driver in the rain. A Man Surrendering Hope I need to start over. Watching my partners die on the job cemented my belief that I'm toxic. So, with the money from that fateful gig, I buy my sister’s gym. At least I can honor her in death—considering I failed to step up when she was alive. Now, if only the French beauty Emilie Dubois would lose my number. Emilie is fixated on having me at her side. I'm resigned to doing one final turn and escaping with my heart intact. But neither of us expected to be stripped bare … In the end, she may be the only one who can Take Hold of Me. ***WARNING: Due to strong language and sexual situations, this book is intended for mature audiences. It is the first standalone novel in A Hold Series Spin-off.

The Neverbride: (A Romantic Comedy)


Shae Buggs - 2017
    When Reyna is asked to be the maid of honor for not just one, but both of her best friends at the same time, she realizes that even her relaxed temperament can be pushed to the absolute limit. But then she meets Ryan, the dashing pharmacist from down the street who brings some sanity back into her chaotic life. They flirt and date their way through the city of Austin until the wedding stress gets the best of Reyna, flipping her off her rocker where she lands in the arms of another man. Another failed relationship. But Ryan’s worth fighting for.

Almost


Sally Mason - 2018
    LOVE. For advertising copywriter Holly Carmichael life has been a series of near misses. When a major career disappointment catapults her from snowbound Jersey City to a yoga retreat in balmy Thailand, will she find happiness in the arms of cute cartoonist Johnny Highnote, or will this be yet another “almost”?

Christmas At First Sight


Trevor McCall - 2019
    The self-made author, and podcaster, accepts a bet from the mayor of a tiny town in New Hampshire to see if she can resist its Christmas charm. She never expected the owner of the local bed and breakfast, Eli Ryder, and his eleven-year-old daughter, Lucy, to be the charms she wouldn’t be able to resist. Unfortunately for Eli, Paige isn’t ready to fall in love with him, or Christmas, at first sight.

Cowboy Undone: The first sassy contemporary western romance in the Wild Creek Cowboys series: (Wild Creek Cowboys Book 1)


Mary Leo - 2018
     Learning he’s the biological son of the wealthy rancher he’s grown up hating, Reese Cooper’s entire world comes crumbling down around him. To add salt to the wound the woman who has haunted his dreams, Avery Templeton, the rancher’s lawyer, delivers the disturbing news. Avery has returned to Wild Creek, to the Circle Starr Ranch, under difficult circumstances. Her law firm has put her on leave pending an investigation. All she wants to do is lick her wounds and wait it out. When Chuck Starr, the man who is like a second father, puts her in the middle of a family crisis, she has no choice but to get involved. Problem is, the cowboy she finds herself getting involved with is Reese Cooper, Chuck Starr’s greatest enemy . . . and only child. “Leo writes wonderful, relatable characters in small-town settings with stories that are fun and entertaining to read . . . laugh-out-loud funny moments.” —RT Book Reviews What Amazon readers say about Mary Leo's books: ★★★★★ "Heartwarming and entertaining and romantic!!" ★★★★★ "A BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY. YOU CAN'T LAY IT DOWN!" ★★★★★ "Such a great read. The storyline just flowed perfectly." ★★★★★ "Mary Leo brings you wonder when you read her books." ★★★★★ "I love the way this woman writes western romance, and I'm so glad I got to read this story!" ★★★★★ "Mary Leo is a fantastic author and each book leaves you happy, yet wanting even more!" ★★★★★ "Love this author's books. I think you will too. Would read again."

New York In Love


J.B. Pettry - 2019
    . . or is it?After two years of providing juicy material for her aunt’s popular relationship column, Violet Monroe decides it’s time for her career as a serial blind dater to come to an end. That is until her aunt talks her into accepting one last date . . . 1700 miles away. Future heir to his family’s media company, wildly handsome Sawyer Quinn knows what’s expected of him, but longs to break free of his overbearing mother and her suffocating expectations. When his uncle hands him an interesting opportunity, he’s pleasantly surprised when it leads to a young woman unlike any he’s ever met before, but there’s a problem—his meddling mother. New York In Love is a full-length sweet, swoony romance with a HEA.

The Incredible Life Of Jonathan Doe


Carol Coffey - 2013
    Brendan spends his days happily labouring on building sites and his evenings drinking alone in bars and hooking up with a constant stream of one-night stands. Following a second DUI, Brendan’s peaceful and predictable life ends abruptly and he is forced to go to live in the town of Dover, New Jersey, with his overbearing uncle. There he forms an unlikely friendship with his meek, downtrodden cousin Eileen. Forced into completing his community service, he meets Jonathan Doe, an intriguing man living in a local homeless shelter whose amazing stories of a happy childhood in the Appalachian Mountains captivate him. Within weeks of his arrival in Dover, Brendan loses himself in the strange man’s incredible stories. Fascinated by the fact that Jonathan Doe can no longer remember exactly where he is from, Brendan becomes obsessed with helping his new friend find his way back to the kind of home he himself has always dreamed of. But is Jonathan’s past real or are his memories the product of a deeply troubled mind? The closer Brendan gets to the truth, the more he realises that all is not what it seems with Jonathan Doe.

Heart of a Cowboy


Debra Clopton - 2020
    Now, Kurt’s bought a ranch and is determined to expand it so his brothers will have a legacy that has nothing to do with the legacy of their past. Finding a wife is not on his to-do list.But he wasn’t counting on sassy Mandy Brown coming to town with her undeniable charm and determination to go for her rodeo dreams.Now he’s got her on his mind and if the Mule Hollow matchmakers have their way he’ll soon have her on his heart.

Poggibonsi, An Italian Misadventure


Dan Alatorre - 2017
    But romance gets derailed by head colds, constant bickering, and assaults from ankle-breaking cobblestone streets. Their daughter develops a gelato addiction. Mike’s Italian partner has a coronary. And as for amore . . . Mattie tells Mike to handle things himself—and storms back to America. Mike is trapped. Leaving Italy will blow a promotion; staying might cost him his wife and family. While reeling from Mattie's frantic departure, a replacement liaison is assigned—a top-notch, beautiful young Italian woman who is instantly smitten with Mike and determined to reveal the passions of her homeland—whether he wants to see them or not! Normally immune, Mike is tempted—but is headstrong, voluptuous Julietta worth the risk? “Funny, Sexy, Heartbreaking, Hilarious” In Poggibonsi, Dan Alatorre tells a compelling and hilarious story while giving its serious and heartfelt themes fair treatment. Protagonist Mike Torino is a hard-working family man who is struggling in his marriage, and when temptation looms on a business trip in Italy, he can't help but indulge. His winding and sometimes bumbling misadventure leads him on a journey that ends only when he discovers what is truly important to him. Funny, sexy, and at times heartbreaking, Poggibonsi is much more than a riotous romp. It's an exploration into what makes us human and drives us through life. - Allison Maruska, The Fourth Descendant and Project Renovatio trilogy “Outrageously funny” Poggibonsi is disarmingly charming; a laugh-out-loud, bumbling romp through lust and love in central Italy. Alatorre captures the breathtaking romance of the novel’s namesake perfectly, peeling back each layer of story until all that remains is genuine, raw emotion. An outrageously funny, guilty pleasure of a read. - J. A. Allen, Old Souls

Becoming Me


Staci Stallings - 2018
    Just ask her. She’ll tell you. After all, he is her sister’s best friend, “royalty” in her high school, a senior, and so talented he would never notice a nobody like her. So Paige resorts to pouring her non-existent feelings for Nelson into a very special notebook, a notebook of the words that cascade through her without her knowing how or where they come from. She’s always been like that, writing words that are poetic, ephemeral, and too precious to share with anyone else. But what happens when she loses the notebook that contains the words that are such a part of her? Worse, when Nelson starts to want to hang out, can she play it cool or will he learn all the secrets she’s been keeping from everyone, even herself? Nelson Samuels knows he’s always been a little weird. For as long as he can remember, he’s done his best to keep just how weird a secret from those closest to him. Yes, they know he writes music. What they don’t know is that he hears music in haunting melodies all the time. Having learned to capture some of them into notes on a page, he struggles to share just enough of his talent without risking anyone knowing all of it. It’s only when Nelson starts to notice his best friend’s younger sister that life is about to dare him to open the deepest secrets he holds about himself to someone else. Will he be brave enough to share the imagination side of him, or will he forever stay trapped in knowing he has this amazing gift but being too afraid to share it with anyone? “Becoming Me” begins The Imagination Series by USA Today Best-Selling Christian author Staci Stallings. This set of stories begins in the very real world and takes the reader on a journey to learn that we all have gifts and talents, and those were placed inside of us by a God Who loves us and wants us to learn to use them—for ourselves, for our friends and family, for the world, and for His Kingdom. Come along on this journey that dares to ask what would happen if we all stopped judging our differences and started celebrating them instead.

Fiona and the Whale


Hannah M. Lynn - 2019
    However, she’s certain that it's only a hiccup and he'll be back in no time, begging for forgiveness. Fortunately there’s a distraction of mammoth proportions swimming in the River Thames. Absorbed by the story of Martha the sperm whale, Fiona attempts to carry on life as usual as she awaits her husband's return. However, nothing can prepare her for the dramatic turn of events that throw her life into ever greater turmoil. The road ahead has many paths and for Fiona it’s time to sink or swim.Fiona and the Whale is a poignant and often hilarious contemporary fiction novel. If you enjoy topical tales, second chances and a little bit of romance, you'll love this new book from the Kindle Storyteller Award Winner, Hannah Lynn.

Monday: Sweet Romance (Sweet and Timeless Book 1)


Lily Rose - 2017
    L. Todd's steamy contemporary romance novel Monday. This story is the same as the contemporary romance and conveys all the passion of the original book without any explicit scenes or harsh language. I don’t believe in destiny. In fate. Or in soul mates. But I believe in Hawke. My life has never been whole since my parents left forever. I have my brother, someone I can barely tolerate most of the time, and I have my best friend, Marie. And I have myself. But when Hawke walks into my life, there’s an immediate connection. Our eyes lock and an unspoken conversation is exchanged. For the first time in my life, I actually feel something. But he doesn’t. He keeps me at arm’s length and pretends there’s nothing between us when there clearly is. I’m not the kind of girl to wait around for any guy, so I don’t. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t in the back of my mind. Our paths cross again in a way neither one of us expect and it changes everything. Was it destiny that made it happen? Was it fate? Or was it something else?