Book picks similar to
Love Like Water by D.E. Malone


romance
chick-lit
contemporary
contemporary-romance

Kiss Me, Dancer


Alicia Street - 2011
    Dance instructor Casey Richardson takes an immediate dislike to the brash, arrogant Drew Byrne when he pulls his nine-year-old son out of her “silly” dance class. Still, she cannot help noticing his smoking hot body and bedroom eyes. A working class girl raised in the small fishing and farming community on Long Island’s rural North Fork, Casey knows all too well how easily a girl can get hurt by the notorious womanizing hunks that flourish on the South Fork in the Hamptons. Men like Drew Byrne. The last thing she needs is for him to be the only one who can save her from losing her dance academy, the dream she has worked so hard to turn into a reality.Remarrying is definitely off Drew’s list of things to do. As head of his Fortune 500 trucking company, he enjoys his wealth and has no problem keeping it a game with some of the world’s most beautiful women. So why should his son’s challenging, straight talking dance teacher get under his skin in a way no other female has? Sure, Casey Richardson has luminous brown eyes and a lean, taut body that drives him nuts, but he’s seen plenty in his day with the supermodels he is used to dating. He tells himself it is because Casey is the only one who was able to bring his shy, uncommunicative son out of his shell. But even that isn’t it. Bewildered, Drew decides he just might make use of those ridiculous psychic readings he won at North Cove’s Annual Fourth Of July Bazaar raffle. Little does he know the local psychic who donated the readings has taken off last minute for some trekking in Tibet —and Casey was swayed into substituting for her with phone readings to the anonymous winner. Add in a stint on a hit TV dance-off series, a cozy local coffee shop, a narcissistic rock star and a protective big brother to make KISS ME, DANCER a sexy, heartfelt and fun read.In addition to being part of today’s Indie author movement, Alicia and Roy Street are also traditionally published (under another penname). In 2009 they received a Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.

Leashed


Zoe Dawson - 2012
    It must be puppy love! It's doubly embarrassing since she's a professional dog trainer. Of course, the neighbor would have to be hot, hot nightclub owner bad boy Owen McKay, just the kind of man Callie is determined to avoid.Owen’s comfortable with his playboy status and the hype in the media. But the ground moves beneath his feet when he gets an eyeful of the girl next door. The Dog Whisperer never looked this good! How can he convince this wholesome honey that his player days are behind him? Maybe Jill, his Great Dane can help him with this dilemma now that she’s pregnant and Callie’s dog is to blame.Is this bad boy a bad bet?Beware of dogs, romance and deep belly laughs!Going to the Dogs is a romp through the urban jungle of New York City to find true love, the perfect cocktail, and expensive heels. Dog is a man’s best friend, but sometimes a woman just needs a hot man in the city. This series will appeal to a mature crowd, especially fans of Sex in The City.

Rushing Into Love: A small-town sports romance


Kara Kendrick - 2021
    Work. Football. That’s my life summed up in three words.Sure, I used to be a pro NFL baller, but now I’m perfectly content with a quiet life in my small hometown of Peachtree Grove, Georgia.That is until Bree, a beautiful blonde dating expert, gets tackled at my Pee Wee football practice, knocking me off my game.I swore I’d never get involved again after my messy divorce left me reeling, but one date with Bree and I’m dropping all my hesitations—along with my jersey. Now she has me rethinking my plays.But will the tabloids, my ex, and Bree’s complicated past keep us in the friendzone?

The Billionaire Wins the Game


Melody Anne - 2011
    See the first book of the Anderson Series.Joseph Anderson has decided it's time for his three successful sons to find brides. Joseph wants grandchildren to fill his mansion, and he wants them immediately. His eldest son, Lucas, is successful in all areas of his life, except love, and Joseph begins matchmaking. He finds Amy Harper and deems her the perfect daughter-in-law. He just needs to get her and Lucas to both realize they're made for each other.Lucas Anderson is wealthy, sexy, and stubborn. He has no desire to have any woman enter his life, causing chaos, or using his family's name. Many women have tried, and he's been successful in finding out who they are beneath their false smiles.Amy Harper was raised in tragic circumstances and doesn't like pampered, rich men who have been handed everything with a silver spoon. She spent years finishing her education and then received a job with the Anderson Corporation. She instantly doesn't like her incredibly sexy boss, who is arrogant and thinks every woman should fall at his feet.When Amy becomes pregnant after one reckless night of passion, she's scared he'll take the baby and run. Lucas is demanding, and used to getting his way, but Amy has just the right amount of spark to ignite his fuse, and challenges him each step of the way.Lucas's father, Joseph, and his brothers Alex and Mark, offer laughter, love, and support. With the love of Lucas's family, who aren't only rich and successful, but also kind and giving, Amy starts to realize that being wealthy doesn't make or break a man, and starts to picture the happily ever after she never believed in for herself.

Marriage by Mistake


Alyssa Kress - 2011
    She knows the cold and puritanical man who claims to be her husband is not the man she'd married. But she suspects the warm and tender man she does love is buried somewhere deep inside. And she's determined to find him...

Sunkissed Days


Samantha Chase - 2019
    Coming back to Magnolia Sound to celebrate her great-grandfather’s birthday provides the perfect opportunity to show Jake that she’s no longer a child. The last thing Jake expected to do at his mentor’s birthday party was to find himself kissing Mallory under the moonlight. Though he’s known her for years, the thought of kissing her never crossed his mind. But the shy tomboy he once knew is gone, and in her place is a woman he can’t resist. They have one summer before they go their separate ways. Insecurity wars with the possibility of a future together, but it could all come to an end before it even has a chance to start.

Refuge at Pine Lake (Pine Haven)


Rose Chandler Johnson - 2019
    This sweet, Southern romance doesn’t disappoint.” – Liz Talley Robin Lancaster, a twenty-six-year-old former kindergarten teacher, has her summer and her life all figured out. She’s ready to be on her own, writing and illustrating her children’s stories at her family’s beloved lake house. Once there, she intends to rekindle a romance with Caleb Jackson, the area’s top hunting and fishing guide, and bag him for herself.Complications arise from the start when Robin finds out her mother has rented the lake house to a man they know nothing about. Matthew McLaughlin, forty-year-old widowed university professor and author from California, shows up at Pine Lake in crisis. A sabbatical might be his only hope to save much more than his career. He needs a place of refuge. Sharing the lake house with a lighthearted young woman and her dog is the last thing on his mind. Caleb Jackson has his own plans. He’s used to things going his way, but a man staying in Robin’s house presents unforeseen challenges. When paths unavoidably entangle for these three, hearts are on the line.

Snowfall and Secrets


Kierra Quinn - 2016
    She needs to find someplace to lay low and hide from her overbearing family. Mackinac Island, Michigan, should be the perfect place to hide out. However, her timing is a little off, it's the dead of winter and she's never been in temperatures below fifty degrees. Just her luck, her landlord, Lukas, is as hot as the sun. He's also moody and hiding secrets as well. Which suits Tess fine. A man is the last complication she needs. A Michigan blizzard leaves them trapped in the same house together and things heat up, fast. Tess finds herself falling for Lukas, in spite of the secrets that could ruin everything before it even begins.

7 Miles High


Leslie Pike - 2020
    Trust issues from ex-husband? Check.Meeting my soulmate on a plane to Cancun? Not what I expected. This bachelorette weekend was all about letting loose and having fun, not finding the man of my dreams. Guess you can’t pick when you find your soulmate. Oops. I’m not ready for another commitment, but Parker drives me crazy. One wild weekend in the tropics later, and I’ve found Parker’s the man that stands out from all the boys I’ve had before.But can we really last once this trip is over? I have my doubts, but Parker wants to take our relationship sky-high...ParkerI’m not a guy that likes to get serious. Flings are more my thing, and I know exactly how to satisfy any lady that crawls into my bed. But Natalie offers something more, and with one look at her, I know this bachelor’s getaway just became a romantic quest to chase down the girl of my dreams. We’ve got a strong connection, but Natalie’s trust issues have forced us to remain distant. I could never break her heart like her ex did. And I’m about to prove it.In all the right ways. The party’s just gotten started, but what Natalie and I have… it’s forever.I just have to convince her of that. ***The first novel in the Easy Street series, 7 Miles High is a contemporary romance of finding your true love on a plane, then never letting them go. Adventurous, funny, and full of heart, this love story by author Leslie Pike will have readers flying into an emotional rollercoaster of passion and new beginnings.

Fix My Heart


Angel Devlin - 2020
    But he has another mission too… to capture her heart.However buried family secrets threaten not only their budding relationship, but to tear their families apart.When the dust settles, can Milo and Violet have a happy ever after?*Previously released as Waiting for Milo*

Unforgettable


Linda Barrett - 2021
    A rocking career in finance, a great group of friends and singing with the community chorus fill her calendar and provide her with total satisfaction. Until the phone rings. Until an upbeat familiar voice from the past reawakens her heart and reminds her of what she’s been missing.Playwright Doug Collins has never forgotten the girl he left behind. Even though it was Jennifer who’d made that final decision. “Go to New York and have a wonderful life,” she’d said before running back to her family, a family that still needed her. But that was five years ago. Five years of Jen in the back of his mind, nestled in his heart. Now memories are not enough! Doug packs up his car and heads to Boston in search of that “wonderful life.”Most reunions have bumpy beginnings and not all end well. Jennifer and Doug have a lot to figure out. But they’re smart, honest, and were once madly in love. Do they have a chance at finding the ending they so richly deserve?

Bouquet Toss


Melissa Brown - 2012
    Be it a blessing or a curse, Daphne (a hopeless romantic and perpetual single girl) catches the bouquet at every single wedding she attends. Daphne’s love life is a mess. Her first love, Mayson, haunts her heart and keeps her from pursuing happiness with any man who comes along. As she struggles to move on from the one who got away, Daphne wonders if she will ever break her curse and find her happily ever after.

The Color of Heaven


Julianne MacLean - 2011
    When it seems nothing else could possibly go wrong, her car skids off an icy road and plunges into a frozen lake. There, in the cold, dark depths of the water, Sophie experiences something profound and extraordinary--something that unlocks the secrets from her past, and teaches her what it means to truly live"--Publisher description.

Accidentally Matched


Cathryn Brown - 2020
    She needs a ride. There’s just one catch ... Rachel has a mission: get to her brother in small town Alaska and bring him home. She has a job to return to as soon as possible. Even a handsome pilot can’t distract her, and romance isn’t on her schedule.Noah flies for work and play. Ready for a vacation, he accidentally ends up in an adventure with Rachel. His mother’s been busy matchmaking, but Noah and Rachel may have a way to get her to stop. If they can keep their hearts out of it.If you enjoy Hallmark movies, Alaska, and sweet romance with a dash of fun, Accidentally Matched and the Alaska Matchmakers series may be right for you. Pre-order today to get your copy of Accidentally Matched. You may have met Jonah’s brother, Adam, in Crazy About Alaska. Adam has four brothers and each will find love in the Alaska Matchmakers Romances.This is a standalone book which is part of a series. It’s clean and wholesome with no sex or swearing. The author is from Alaska, so she knows the real Alaska.

A Wish for Christmas


Michele Brouder - 2018
    After the death of her mother, the last two years have been rough and money is tight. A full-time nursing student, she feels her prayers have been answered with the temporary job of personal assistant to John Laurencelli. The billionaire is rumored to be demanding and difficult but India soon realizes there’s more to him than bad press and weapons-grade dangerous good looks. But with everything on her plate, she doesn’t have time to be falling for her new boss.John Laurencelli lives, eats, and breathes his business and making money. For his own reasons, he’s avoided Christmas for two decades. But it’s proving difficult this year when his new assistant wears vintage holiday aprons, hums Christmas tunes, and likes to spread good cheer. Despite his determination not to celebrate the season, it isn’t long before India opens his eyes to what’s missing in his life.Can they overcome their fears and misgivings to make it a truly wonderful Christmas for each other?Each book in The Happy Holidays Series is a standalone novel and can be read in any order.