Book picks similar to
Brief Encounters by Phillipa Ashley


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Tides of Autumn


Amanda McIntyre - 2014
    Recently widowed, Darci Cunningham swims against popular current that she should take her time and heal after the sudden death of her husband. But in a bold turn, she decides to follow a dream set aside and moves to Mackinac Island to pursue her dream of writing.But as she prepares for her first winter on the island, she is unaware of the dangers that have washed ashore--one that may steal her heart, while the other may steal her life(*available in ebook and soon in paperback)

Mistletoe Rules


Stacey Joy Netzel - 2009
    10K words is available in the Romancing Wisconsin Volume I boxed set. It is also FREE to newsletter subscribers who sign up at Stacey Joy Netzel’s website.**When Benedict Riley first meets Susan Whitcomb at a college holiday dance, she’s engaged to be married to another man. In this story where mistletoe rules, you’ll learn how the Riley Family Mistletoe Rules all began one fateful Christmas, not too long ago…Romancing Wisconsin, a USA Today Bestselling Series To everything there is a season...Love finds a way during the four seasons in the Romancing Wisconsin Series. Starting with the Christmas holiday/Winter, then moving on to Autumn, check out this bestselling, heartwarming series set in small town Wisconsin. Meet the Rileys, the Walshes, the Sullivans, and best of all, Butch...a.k.a. Santa Butch. The mischievous matchmaker makes a cameo in each story—adding a touch of magic to the lives of everyone he loves, and even those he's just met.Romancing Wisconsin SeriesMistletoe Mischief, book 1Mistletoe Magic, book 2Mistletoe Match-Up, book 3**Mistletoe Rules – short bonus story Autumn Wish, book 4Autumn Bliss, book 5 Autumn Kiss, book 6 **Autumn Glimmer – short bonus storySpring Fling, book 7Spring Serendipity, book 8 – early 2016

Peakview Series Box Set: Books 1-4


Jill Haymaker - 2019
    Jill Haymaker had bundled the first four books in her Peakview series. In book one, we arrive in Peakview with June Meyers as she looks for a new start in life and finds romance with the handsome widower, Jeff Walker, at his Walker Horse Ranch. In book two, Violet Woods, the owner of the town's café and self-appointed match-maker finds her own second chance at romance with Howard Crandall, the local mechanic. Although Violet is great at finding the perfect match for everyone else, can she find a happy ending for herself? In book three, we go back to Walker Ranch, where the handsome young cowboy, Luke Walker, is forced to confront his feelings when his high school sweetheart, Penny Anderson, returns for the summer. Having just finished college, Penny can't deny the feelings she still has for Luke, but can Peakview County provide a career for her? She's not willing to give up everything she's worked so hard to achieve. And finally in book four, Howard's daughter, Melanie Gentry, moves to Peakview to give herself and her daughter the chance to get to know the father she never knew. Little did she know, that she'd also have a chance at love with the dashing cowboy, Hank Dalton. Add a foster child and a rescue dog into the mix, and sparks are sure to fly. Can they all create a home and a family? Come home to Peakview, Colorado, where everyone has a chance at love.

Blackhill Ranch: A Lifetime Love


Katherine May - 2014
    She knows first hand how dating a sibling's friend is dangerous, but how can she say no? Rhet Morrison is a homegrown farm boy who has a past of horrible tragedies, but he is prepared to give Lexi a summer she will never forget. Will these two have a summer fling or have they found their lifetime love?

Betrayed by the CEO


Clare Connelly - 2015
    From grief and loss, like a Phoenix rises from the ashes, he’s built his way to the top of his profession. He can have anything and anyone he wants in life. Except for the one thing he desires most: revenge on the man who killed his sister. Until, that is, a chance meeting brings him face to face with a beautiful and bewitching woman. Desperately in need of legal help, a mistake leads Chloe to Hendrix’s door. He’s fascinated by her at first, but when he finds out her connection to his haunted past, he knows she holds the key to the payback he’s craved for so long. But using Chloe to avenge his sister’s death will mean hurting Chloe, and Hendrix has to weigh up what he wants more: revenge on his enemy, or a ‘happily ever after’ with the woman of his dreams…

Hearts Over Bellham


Danita Cahill - 2014
    Both are sweet, "clean" romances, and are prequels to the first full-length novel in the series - LOVE AT FIRST CLICK. HEARTS OVER BELLHAM - Hillary Johnson secretly admired handsome fellow firefighter, Tim Jacobs, for years. When the fire chief asks for volunteers to hang Valentine’s decorations over Main Street, Hillary’s hand shoots up immediately after Tim’s. Why pass up a golden opportunity to spend time with the guy she’s crushing on, just because she’s afraid of heights? Hillary battles her fear to prove to Tim, and to herself, that she can conquer it. After observing Hillary’s courage, Tim notices her – really notices her – for the first time. VALENTINE'S MAGIC After a dozen years of marriage, financial woes, and the possibility of losing their alpaca ranch, the honeymoon is over for Carol and Christopher Ridge. But the couple reconnects on Valentine’s Day, rediscovering their love for one another under the magical glow of the lighted hearts strung over Bellham’s Main Street. Could this be the launch of a new honeymoon phase for Carol and Christopher?

STIFF (Ten Book Box Set)


Olivia Chase - 2017
    That’s how he wants me… It was supposed to be a one-night stand. One night with some guy I picked up at a bar. Totally unlike me, but a girl’s got to have some fun, right? He was hot as hell, all broad shoulders and brooding stares. He whispered dirty words when he took me back to his house and made me his. I thought I’d never see him again, so I told him some lie about how I was an office manager instead of a college student. And then I got to class the next day and found out he’s my professor.  My professor was the hot guy who’d given me the best orgasm of my life. I try to pretend nothing happened, even though I’m dying inside. But then he tells me to come to his office.  He tells me to bend over his desk, because that’s how he likes it… If anyone finds out, he’ll lose his job. And I’ll lose my reputation.  But before that happens, he’s determined to teach me everything I need to know. About pleasing him. Submitting to him. Letting him take what’s his… Even if it ends up costing us everything. Rough Hand by Olivia Chase A standalone romance with a guaranteed HEA from bestselling author Olivia Chase... LEVI I’m no good for her. And she’s probably no good for me, either.  But hell if I don’t find myself wanting her right now. My c*ck is slamming against my zipper at the thought of thrusting my tongue in her mouth, swallowing her moans… She’s so pure that I can almost see the glow of white around her. I’m too wicked, too dirty to touch her.  But there’s something about the way I can feel her emotions pouring from her, like she’s a broken dam spilling over, that makes my chest tight.  I can’t let her break me apart, not when I’ve worked so hard, so long, to keep myself glued together. To be strong and impenetrable.  No, I’ll just keep my distance. Surely that won’t be a problem. Even if she does live right across the street from my shop.  ALEXA I’ve never had this feeling before, this burning need to be around someone as much as I can. When we touch, I want to keep on touching.  When he’s inside me, our limbs tangled together, our sweat-slicked bodies connected in the most intimate way possible, I feel like I’ve found my other half. He’s so scared to open up to anyone. So scared to dig into the things that hurt him in his past. I just want to help him be happy. If only he’d drop all his walls and talk to me, he could let it go and move on. Will I ever be happy with Levi? Right or wrong, I need more.  Jackson by Paige North Meet the Croft brothers. Filthy rich, devastatingly handsome, and sexy as all hell… JACKSON I don’t do slow and easy.  I do fast and hard. I don’t do dates. I do … arrangements.

More Than a Tiara


Valerie Comer - 2016
    Her family farm is now part of a CSA program teaching gardening and cooking to single moms, but when the coordinator begs her to represent the program in the Miss Snowflake Pageant, Marisa balks.Jase Mackie has long regretted the hot accusations he'd flung at Marisa over two years before. God has forgiven him but hasn't answered his prayer to bring Marisa back into his life… until Jase finds himself out West as the official photographer for a beauty pageant, face to face with the woman he's never forgotten.Can Jase make amends for past mistakes and offer Marisa not only a tiara, but a partner in her crusade to help needy children and families?More Than a Tiara was available as part of Snowflake Tiara in 2014 and Home For Christmas multi-author box set in 2015. This is its first solo release.

Waffles & Weddings


Ashley Lauren - 2016
    The locals gossip that at Cupid’s Café love is on the menu… and they would be right! Katy Cupid has put more than just her heart and soul into her 50’s style diner; she’s also added a bit of her magical touch into spicing up the love lives of her patrons. Katy’s always had a ‘gift’ for knowing who would be perfect together, and she just can’t help doing a little matchmaking. From obvious introductions to sly schemes, Katy is always looking to put two hearts together so that they find a sweet romance that blossoms into true love. In Waffles and Weddings, Sophie Rivera was supposed to be married and on her honeymoon but her fiancé had other plans, ones that didn’t include her. The jilted bride finds herself in Cupid’s Café eating a waffle and explaining her plight to Katy Cupid. Katy has the perfect plan to get Sophie back on her feet. First is to find Sophie a place to stay and Katy knows just who to call, the handsome Chase Peters. Chase owns several furnished apartments, and after he takes one look at Sophie, he’s determined to have her in his life, but Sophie is a bit wary of men. Can Chase change her mind with a sweet courtship? Each novella in the Cupid's Café series is a complete story and can be read in any order. This is a clean and wholesome romance.

The River: A Christopher Radcliff Short Story


A.D. Swanston - 2018
    . . Cambridge on the morning of a day in April, the year of Our Lord 1569.And Christopher Radcliff, Doctor of Civil Laws at Pembroke Hall and recruiter of clever young men to the service of the Earl of Leicester, is amongst a crowd of excited townsfolk and university scholars gathered on a field to watch a game of foot ball. It is to be played between the apprentices of the town and pupils of the colleges and it is hoped it will reconcile differences between town and gown. Bets are placed, wagers made. On the field long-standing animosities surface and violence breaks out but not before the college team is victorious, thanks to the skill of a Pembroke Hall man, John Groom.Later that day, Radcliff is summoned to the senior tutor’s rooms. It transpires that John Groom has been locked up on a serious charge of assault – he’d nearly caused a cobbler’s apprentice to drown. If found guilty, Groom would be expelled from college and face imprisonment. But Christopher smells a rat. He believes the charge to be the fabrication of someone with a serious grudge against the young man, and yet it does seem as if Groom is hiding something. Enlisting the help of his friend Edward Allington and his wife Katherine, Dr Radcliff knows the truth lies somewhere within the infamous den that is Slegge’s gaming house…

Highlander's Forbidden Lass


Fiona Faris - 2019
    From hunting in the woods to killing enemies, she was the pride of her father, but the pain of her mother. When she is sent to France to find a suitable match, Madeleine attracts the eye of the most desirable bachelor. James II of Crussol is the ideal man for every woman, but he is not the one that wakes up her passion... Fyn Stewart never imagined that in a court filled with French roses he would find a Scottish thistle. From the first moment, Madeleine steals his heart, haunts his dreams and fuels his desires. But the road to everlasting love is long and there are many secrets that the dashing Fyn must find the courage to reveal. Like his true name...

Double Dare


Rhonda Nelson - 2000
    Sheltered by her overbearing father, Louisa has years of catching up to do and can think of no better person than gorgeous Sam Rawlins to show her. Is she ready for the time of her life? Hell, yes.Ordinarily unflappable adventure guide Sam Rawlins makes his living showing the wealthy how to have fun, but nothing in his experience could have prepared him for the "adventure" Louisa Honeycut asks for. He might be showing Louisa the time of her life, but the quirky little snack-cake heiress is soon turning Sam's own life upside down...and perversely, he likes the new vantage point.

Love Without Rules


Kate Goldman - 2014
    Her dating advice blog becomes a smash hit overnight due to a shout-out by a big celebrity. Pretty soon, she has published a book, and goes live on national television with her long-term boyfriend, Scott, to promote it. On air, Sydney decides to make a bold move by breaking traditional gender roles and proposing to him. But he surprises her with the wrong answer and instead reveals that he has been cheating on her. Heartbroken and humiliated, Sydney watches as her book sales and her reputation as America’s love doctor go down the drain after the televised fiasco. In order to help Sydney, her best friend introduces her to a talented publicist, Drew Young, who she doesn’t like at first glance. However, after Sydney unexpectedly meets Drew in a shopping mall they begin to fall in love with each other. What Sydney wasn’t counting on was Drew breaking every rule that she had ever believed about men, and changing her life forever.

Everything a Lady Craves


Meghan Sloan - 2020
    However, when a charming man asks for her hand in marriage, she is hesitant to turn a new page in her life. Having heard the whispers about the man's missing fiancée, she can't help but wonder whether she could ever be anything but second best for him. Once they finally meet, the desire that sparks between them is undeniable, but there will soon be clouds on the horizon... Will Alice be able to finally satisfy the burning passion she holds for him, or will this romance be doomed forever?The last thing Silas Wilmington expected after the unforeseen disappearance of his fiancée, was another tempting woman by his side. Tired of being haunted by his tormented past, he chooses to accept his inevitable fate with a heavy heart. But little did he know that the beautiful and seductive Alice was about to start a fire inside him... After having mourned his great love for a long time, he could have never imagined that romance could be on the cards for him again. Will Silas eventually let his wounds heal and surrender to Alice's charm?Just when they start unfolding their growing feelings, someone who holds the key to Sila's broken heart appears and everything is about to crash down. Will their newly fledged passion endure a quick death, as the wounds from the past are still bleeding? Or will they survive to meet the passionate future they could have together?"Everything a Lady Craves" is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Falling on Main Street


Tara Grace Ericson - 2018
    Endless thoughts of her best friend's betrayal and her tattered reputation follow her to the small town where she takes refuge. Luke Brand has a good life, though not a perfect one. A widower while he was still young, he chases off any threat to the memory of his young bride and the house they lived in together. Can Luke get over his stubbornness and follow his mother-in-law’s desire and God’s instruction to help the town’s newest resident? Between the infuriating hot and cold signals of her landlord's son and the sincere faith of those in her new circle, Charlotte is left questioning a lot more than how to take back her career. Can Luke let go of a bride viewed through the skewed lens of memory? Will Charlotte’s pride and ambition thwart her efforts to find happiness again? Or, can this time in the charming Indiana town of Minden spur healing for both Charlotte and Luke and help them find the way to a new life, together? Tara Grace Ericson's debut novel is a sweet inspirational romance that introduces readers to the idyllic Midwestern town of Minden. Themes include forgiveness, purpose, and community - presented throughout the story of friendship and romance that hints at the passion of true love.