Book picks similar to
The Girl I Was Before by Izzy Bayliss
chick-lit
romance
fiction
contemporary
My Journey to the Ocean
Lena Mikado - 2015
Her whole picture-perfect existence is planned out and allows for no deviation. She is engaged to be married and intends to be happy. Along with three of her girlfriends, she takes a summer trip across the ocean, to St. Simons Island, United States. Her whole world is about to be rock-n-rolled, and she will have to face a pretty hard choice. It all sounds like a setup for a summer-fling novel, but is it really like that in actuality, or does Miss Real Life have something more conniving under her sleeve? Are there happy endings in real life? This book is a love story. It's about love in all possible representations, forms and masks it can wear. It's a love story of a girl in her 20s, looked back on by a woman in her 30s, who is also trying to take a peek into the future. It's an ageless book, it's a borderless book, it’s a book that focuses on and laughs at our cultural differences, yet sweeps away all man-made boundaries on its way. But I made it sound too complex. It's first and foremost a story about a summer away from home, it's a story about falling in and out of love - it's a story about My Journey to the Ocean.
Meant to Be
Melody Grace - 2017
Now discover the romance, laughter, and happily-ever-afters waiting for you in her new series, Sweetbriar Cove!Poppy Somerville believes in happily-ever-after. It’s the reason her romance novels have won devoted readers all over the world—and why she’s broken off her engagement just weeks before the wedding instead of settling for less than true love. Escaping to her aunt’s beach cottage in Sweetbriar Cove, Poppy is looking for inspiration to end her writer’s block and finish her new book. She just wasn’t counting on the handsome, gruff contractor making such a racket next door…Cooper Nicholson doesn’t believe in soul-mates. He thought he’d found his forever once, and the world proved him wrong, so when the cute brunette comes storming over and demands he keep the noise down, romance is the last thing on his mind. But his new neighbor is full of surprises, and soon, their chemistry is too hot to ignore. As they grow closer, they discover fiction has nothing on the plot twists life has in store. But will Cooper find a way to let go of the past and risk his heart again? And can Poppy find her happy ending — on and off the page? Find out in the new sweet and sexy small-town romance from New York Times bestselling author, Melody Grace!
Hearts of Clover: Half My Heart & Change My Heart
Danielle Stewart - 2014
BUNDLED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. HALF MY HEART BOOK 1: THE CLOVER SERIES At nineteen, Devin Sutton lost his first love, his freedom, and his hope. Years later, the only thing he has on his mind this holiday season is finally settling the score back in Clover, North Carolina. That is, until the girl he thought he’d lost forever crosses his path. Rebecca Farrus is supposed to be off living the life of her dreams, not tending bar in some dive. When faced with the choice, will Devin decide to celebrate what he’s finally found or keep seeking retribution for everything he lost? CHANGE MY HEART BOOK 2: THE CLOVER SERIES You really can't have it all, or so Devin Sutton is finding out fast. Returning to Clover was all part of his plan to exact revenge on the town that robbed him of nearly a decade of his life. Unfortunately, things quickly begin to crumble when he's forced to choose between rekindling an old love or destroying the town. Walking the fine line between both might just end up leaving him with nothing. With his heart full of vengeance is there any room for love?
Not So Broken (Love Grows Series Book 1)
Renee Regent - 2019
An independent woman. When they collide, love grows in a most unexpected way! A bitter divorce from my cheating ex-husband left me reeling, but I forged a new life on my own. Now on the verge of a promotion, everything I want is in reach—except a family. I’ve all but given up on ever having a child.So I decided I would adopt one on my own.Then one wild night changed everything. I was swept away by Gibson, a hot-looking handyman who was, well, pretty good with his hands. And then some.But there were unintended consequences from our tryst. Now he and I are forever connected, and it turns out Gibson was not at all what he seemed to be. We barely know each other, and now he is in my life forever. Maybe we can make this work if we stay platonic.That will be easy, right?The Love Grows Series- Strong, protective heroes. Feisty, independent heroines. When they meet, Love Grows in unexpected ways.
As Deep as the Ocean
Serenity Woods - 2017
“To save the vineyard. It’ll be strictly business.”He’s right, Winifred (Fred) Cartwright thought. It was just a contract, a way to access the money tied up in her inheritance. It didn’t mean anything.She mustn’t think about his broad shoulders. About the intriguing tattoo that curled around his arm, how his muscular body gleamed when he worked in the warm sunshine, or how his ocean-blue eyes heated her from the inside out. She mustn’t think about the stolen kiss, the way he’d slipped his arm around her waist to pull her against him. The soft touch of his lips on hers.“It’ll be strictly business,” he repeated.Yeah, right.
The Shop on Main
Kay Correll - 2014
As she scrambles to maintain her fragile financial security and independence, she fears she may lose more than just The Shop on Main and her home.Nothing is working out like Bella planned--she finds out the man she is falling for, Owen Campbell, is the businessman at the center of all her problems.Owen has secretly longed to belong--somewhere--anywhere--his whole life. When he decides to give his long-lost brother, Jake, back his birthright, he unknowingly thwarts his briefly held hope of a place where he can put down roots and a family he longs for.Nothing is working out like Owen planned--neither Bella nor Jake wants anything to do with him.How can a man who is used to being in control and a woman determined to make it all on her own find a way to happiness?The Shop on Main is Book One of the Comfort Crossing series. Bella and her best friends, Jenny and Becky Lee, navigate the heartaches and triumphs of love and life in the small southern town of Comfort Crossing, Mississippi.
Dakota Peace
Megan Kinney - 2020
Her peace is short lived when a flat tire strands her on the other side of South Dakota with nothing but her high heels and a speeding ticket. State Trooper Travis Wilkins offers to keep her company while she waits for a new tire, but the quick fix turns into an overnight stay which turns into an extended stay. She soon finds herself in the middle of a foster child’s kidnapping case helping the handsome law man. His presence doesn’t quite settle her anxious heart. With the support of her new friends and her blossoming relationship, Natalia starts to believe she could finally experience a peaceful life … until an armed madman threatens it all.
Tangled up in Blue: A Rainy Day Women Romance
Linda Steinberg - 2021
Deadbeat dads, that is. Until she's arrested by a handsome detective who won't listen to reason. But when she discovers a dead body while working a case, she needs Detective Tall, Dark and Handsome's Help.Protect and serveWhen Dallas P.D. detective Trey Donovan arrests a feisty, gun-toting woman with a stack of hundred dollar bills stashed in her camisole, he senses this is no ordinary drug bust. He manages to maintain his professional composure but he can't get her out of his mind. On his next case, when he finds Selena standing over a dead body, they agree to work together to catch a killer.Trey is by the book; Selena prefers to color outside the lines. But the chemistry between them sparks creative detective work. And ignites simmering passions. Despite their intentions to keep the relationship professional, a rainy night stakeout leaves them 'tangled up in blue.' And when Selena's out-of-the-box ideas put her in danger, Trey realizes this is a woman he will never put out of his mind. And that's a 'Dunn deal.'Tangled up in Blue is the first book in the Rainy Day Women series, featuring women empowering women--and the men who love them. In a converted warehouse near downtown Dallas a group of strong, professional women come together to volunteer their services to the women of an under-served community. They name their facility the Rainy Day Women's Center. Each book is a stand-alone romance about competent, independent women and the equally competent, independent men they can't ignore--or live without.
Love Handles
Gretchen Galway - 2011
She hates the gym, is nice to everybody, and shops at Ross Dress for Less. When she's not teaching preschool, she's wearing yoga pants... to nap in. So when she inherits her estranged grandfather's fitnesswear company in San Francisco, nobody expects her to keep it. Fite Fitness needs a heartless suit to save it from bankruptcy, not a thirty-year-old woman who cries when her students leave for kindergarten.Someone like Liam Johnson. A former Olympic swimmer, Liam is Fite's executive vice president. Unlike Bev, he's devoted his life to Fite's success. Managing one little preschool teacher — and his attraction to her — shouldn't be an issue. Right?But Bev's tired of being underpaid and underrated, and refuses to step aside as an obedient figurehead. To everyone's shock and horror, she moves up to San Francisco, sets up an office, and dives into the business. Nothing — not mockery, not exercise, not sabotage, not a disastrously hot night with her aggravating VP — is going to scare her away.As Liam realizes she's tougher than she looks, he discovers that losing Fite might not be nearly as bad as losing her...A story about the pursuit of love, happiness, and the perfect yoga pants, Love Handles will speak to anyone who's ever had to face the thing that scares her most.Warning: contains at least two loves scenes and a happy ending.
A Year Like No Other
Pauline Lawless - 2011
Each has different expectations, fears and dreams of what this year will bring. Ashling is thrilled when her banker husband is asked to relocate to Paris to work on a financial project which is all very hush-hush. She has always loved France and feels she will be living a dream come true. New Yorker Taylor has no choice but to join her husband when he too is posted there. A spoilt, prescription-drug addict, the only thing that makes the move bearable for her is all that designer shopping on Rue St Honoré. Felicity is devastated at the thought of leaving London when her husband is chosen to work on the project. Nervous and uptight, how can she face a whole new world? Jazz is a beauty. She is also clever and ambitious but her biological clock is ticking loudly. Then in Paris she meets the man she once loved and lost. He’s married but surely this is her last chance of happiness. Yet Paris manages to surprise them all . . .
Looking for Leon
Shirley Benton - 2011
That is, until the wheel of fortune steps in and separates them during a fire drill. With next to no info on Leon, Andie finds it impossible to track him down - despite staging a series of publicity stunts to get the media in on the act. Back in Ireland, journalist Andie begins to write a regular newspaper column about her search. Readers love it and a local TV station flies her back to Vegas to take up the hunt for the man she can't forget. What starts off as a simple low-budget documentary spirals into a frenzied national media search. With the world's most ambitious PR agent on board, Andie becomes a heroine for those who are looking for love. But does Leon want to be found?
Her Billionaire Inventor
Dobi Daniels - 2018
She’d been emotionally scarred from her last relationship and has just managed to pay off the mountain of debts she was saddled with.Now all she wants for Christmas is to rediscover Christmas joy—no love in the equation, and what better place than her hometown Dexington where she recalled spending the happiest times of her life. She is determined to stick with her plan and not even a chance encounter with Phillip—billionaire hospital heir and inventor, and the town’s most eligible bachelor—can change her mind.Until she discovers he is the boy she kissed in high school.Phillip Dexington is finally about to launch a new medical device after having his last invention stolen by his former girlfriend and sold to his archenemy. He’s determined that nothing must go wrong this time around—which means avoiding a relationship at all costs—and is content with spending Christmas with the children at the orphanage.But when Phillip runs into Sarah Nash, the girl who stole his heart in high school, his world flips upside down. She’s only in town for Christmas, and the time before the launch party is Phillip’s only chance at determining if she is the one.Will they open their hearts to the fullness of Christmas and give love a second chance, or will their trust issues rob them of a happily ever after?This is a sweet/clean emotional scars Christmas medical billionaire romance with no cliffhangers and a guaranteed HEA.
For Love...and Donuts (Sweetwater Island Ferry #1)
Sophie Mays - 2016
If you like a good fixer-upper, fresh donuts and solid storytelling, jump on the ferry and make your way over to Sweetwater Island! After several stressful years, Virginia’s self-esteem is shot. So when she inherits her beloved Aunt’s house in the quaint, neighboring island town of Sweetwater, her longtime boyfriend Jason convinces her to sell it so that they can pocket the money. The only catch is, there are substantial fixes that need to be made before she can sell it. Fueled by HGTV shows, they decide that the house can be fixed up and flipped. On a recommendation, she hires Tristan, a cute, funny, church-going contractor, with a good heart and a dark secret. As Virginia puts more and more time into fixing up the old house, she rekindles her love of art and interior design, she reflects on all the wonderful times she had in the house growing up, and she spends time getting to re-know herself, and her new friend Tristan. Through their combined strengths, they renovate the old home into something gorgeous, and along the way they find that sometimes the most unsuspectingly beautiful things can be uncovered with a little sweat, proper attention, and some TLC. AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a 42,000-word stand-alone story with an HEA ending! Story is a clean romance with no offensive language. I love this story so much, and I truly hope you enjoy it!
Whisling Island Series Books 1-3: Inspiring Women's Fiction
Julia Clemens - 2021
Sunset on Whisling Island - Meet Bess, Olivia, Deb, and Gen as they endure and overcome loss. A visit to the beautiful island just off of the coast of Washington State will change you. You'll laugh, cry, and rejoice with these wonderful women as they navigate through life.New Beginnings on Whisling Island - After darkness, there will always be light. A new beginning. Join the women of Whisling on this next thrilling and lovely chapter of their lives as they find purpose, love, and discover who they really are.Sisters and Sunrises - The women of Whisling are back! Through the mess and craziness of life's ever-present changes, the women continue to rely on each other. And they're reminded that even after the longest of nights, the sun always rises again.
Kiss Me Forever
Barbara Freethy - 2014
But whenever she is on the trail of a big story, things just... happen. Andrea is given one last chance to prove herself with the cover story on sexy billionaire heartbreaker, Alexander Donovan. The wealthy philanthropist appears to be living the American dream, but Andrea is determined to uncover the real story. When Alex’s secrets are revealed, Andrea will have to choose between climbing the ladder of success or falling in love…