Book picks similar to
Between Hope & the Highway by Charissa Stastny


romance
western
contemporary
between-hope-the-highway

No Turning Back


Casey Peeler - 2013
    Her best friend, Cash Montgomery is the only one who truly knows what happened that night and is a constant source of strength. After a summer of questioning who she wants to be, Charley decides to put the past behind and leave the small town of Grassy Pond to stand on her own two feet again. While Charley is living her life to the fullest at college she meets Joe Olsen and falls head over heels. But one letter is about to change everything and this time Cash isn’t there to help her. Will she be able to escape her past and on her own? Will she run home to Cash? Or will she find comfort in the arms of Joe?

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.

Renegade Ridge


Arabella Steedly - 2018
    His prized mare is injured while barrel racing and needs medical attention fast! He is forced to turn to Dr. Vanessa Hart… The young, HOT inexperienced veterinarian who is new to town. When she shows up at the ranch, they get off on the wrong foot… Jake’s PTSD kicks in from his military days, and he gets angry with her. Jake can’t deny his attraction for the BBW, but he has a shady past. One he is afraid to admit to Vanessa for fear she will label him as a bad boy loser. Vanessa has come to town for a fresh start… She keeps to herself but when Jake does her a favor she agrees to go out with him. After their first kiss, Vanessa can’t keep her eyes off him. She wants more… But she holds a deep dark secret too that she isn’t about to share… a deadly secret! Will Jake and Vanessa’s love for each other be strong enough for them to find happiness and put their pasts in the rearview mirror? Renegade Ridge is a Bad Boy Action-Adventure Romance with a guaranteed HEA. This full-length novel is a contemporary romance but has elements of a thriller as well. Renegade Ridge is book #1 in the Renegade Series and can be read standalone. The book comes to a natural ending with no cliffhangers even though the novel has been developed to create interest in future books in the series.

Confessions of a Queen B*


Crista McHugh - 2015
    After years of being the subject of ridicule, she revels in her ability to make the in-crowd cower via the exposés on her blog, The Eastline Spy. Now that she's carved out her place in the high school hierarchy, she uses her position to help the unpopular kids walking the hallways. Saving a freshman from bullies? Check. Swapping insults with the head cheerleader? Check. Falling for the star quarterback? So not a part of her plan. But when Brett offers to help her solve the mystery of who’s posting X-rated videos from the girls’ locker room, she’ll have to swallow her pride and learn to see past the high school stereotypes she’s never questioned—until now.

Caught Up in Her


Lauren Blakely - 2014
    I don’t believe in that. Because love isn’t about falling for someone’s looks. Though she was beautiful in every single way, from her dark, wavy hair to her gorgeous brown eyes, to the soft curves of her body. But that’s not why I fell so hard for her that summer. She took my breath away for reasons that had nothing to do with her looks. It was the the movies, the conversations, the walks through the small town, the nights on the beach with the waves rolling in, the way I could hold her hand and feel as if the world had simply melted away and we were all that was left. So, there was no love-at-first-sight. That would come later, and if it happened first it would take away all the reasons that stayed with me for the next five years. Even though you’re not supposed to fall for your best friend’s little sister. But that didn't stop me...A prequel novella in the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Caught Up in Love series.

Across the Creek


Jeremy Asher - 2012
    An unlikely childhood romance between a poor boy and a wealthy girl began the day Jesse decided to do the impossible and cross the creek. A love was born, one that would become their shelter, protecting them from the storms of their lives, until the day Jesse witnessed his mother’s murder, forcing him to leave his childhood home…and first love. Ten years later, life has finally gotten better for Jesse. He has a loving family, a charming pet shop to run, and one semester left before graduating with a degree in architecture. Everything is great, until the day fate intervenes and his long-lost love walks into his shop and back into his life.Sarah, engaged to a budding attorney, is struggling to keep everything together. Her father, diagnosed with terminal cancer, is running out of time. Sarah races to build their dream business while planning her wedding in time for her father to walk her down the aisle.Their brief encounter starts a series of events that neither Jesse nor Sarah expects. After a decade of running, Jesse is now forced to face the demons from his past, while Sarah has to choose between her handsome attorney and her first love. Just when they think love has given them a second chance, Jesse is faced with an impossible decision, one that will change their lives forever.Across the Creek is the first in a 2-book series. Beneath the Willow is the second.

Fall for Me


Heather Slade - 2017
    When his plane was shot down months later, right before the birth of their daughter, Liv’s world shattered. She returned to her parents’ isolated ranch in Colorado to raise her daughter alone. One year led into the next, and before she knew it, her daughter was grown and gone—leaving Liv bored and cranky. She finds herself spending too much time on social media feeds, cyber-stalking the hot guitar player she met at a concert over the summer.Ben Rice recognized her as soon as he saw her sitting at the bar. Liv, that was her name, and fate kept bringing them together. The first time he saw her, after his band CB Rice opened at Red Rocks, he watched her. She loved music—and she felt it. Not everyone did. She danced, she laughed, she smiled, she lived. That was why he remembered her name when he introduced himself at the end of the show. “I’m Liv,” she’d said. And he was ready to. He’d endured too many struggles in the last few years. He’d worked hard to keep the band going, and he wasn’t going to give up. With a new record about to be released, this was their year—he could feel it. Used to getting what he wants, Ben pursued the reluctant Liv. But knowing he wanted more from her than she was willing to give, she told him following a man around the globe wasn’t in the stars for her. Been there, done that, retired the t-shirt. She had her own stars to chase this time.When those stars fall around her feet, and Ben refuses to let her sweep them up alone, how could a girl not love him? And when she does, how can she let him go? A better question is how can she ask him to stay when she sees how bright his future could be without her?This is book can be read as a standalone with no cliffhanger.

Saving Wishes


G.J. Walker-Smith - 2013
    Thankfully, it's temporary. Her lifelong dream of travelling the world is just months away from becoming reality. All she has to do is ride out the last few months of high school, which is easier said than done thanks to a trio of mean girls known as The Beautifuls.When Adam Décarie arrives in town, all the way from New York, life takes an unexpected turn. His arrival sets off a chain of events that alters her life forever, convincing her of one thing. Fate brought him to her.

The Keatyn Chronicles: Books 1-2


Jillian Dodd - 2016
    She's popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most-coveted lunch table. But she's thinking about giving it all up to date an adorable surfer. So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life come together in perfect harmony. But little does she know, there's someone who will do anything to make sure that doesn't happen.Book 2 - Kiss Me Keatyn's always written scripts for her perfect life. But she never would have scripted this ... She's now at a boarding school, where she has new challenges to face. Like tutoring a hottie god that tortures her with his smile. And having the most popular girl hate her, because of a guy. So she's decided to stop trying to script her life, and just live it. Because who knows how long she has left.

Feels like Home


Evelyn Adams - 2014
    But when her carefully constructed life crumbles around her, Autumn's forced to return to the small southern town that never let her forget she came from the wrong side of the tracks. Jude Southerland, the town doctor, is used to taking care of people and with a pedigree that has the Ladies Auxiliary reaching for their fans, he’s easily the town’s most eligible bachelor – a status he has no intention of changing. That is until he almost runs down the Maddox girl he never noticed in school and suddenly finds her lush curves, dark curls and blue eyes consuming his thoughts, day and night. Autumn would like nothing more than to live happily ever after with Jude. But with every local matron in the valley trying to marry him off to their own daughters, she knows they won’t let her forget that she's not good enough and never will be. With the chance to finally find happiness, can she overcome her family history and find the confidence she needs to believe in herself or will she let love pass her by?

BADASS


Kasey Millstead - 2016
    She's a fiery, sassy little thing, and he's an alpha male intent on fighting the temptation he feels for her. Their combination is explosive and you'll enjoy every smoking hot, thigh clenching moment! FIGHTING TO STAY Lacey Monroe was used to running. When things got bad, when things got dangerous, when there was a chance that she would get hurt – physically or emotionally – she did what her momma said. She ran. She kept running, until she landed in Salt Rock, Alabama. She meets Roam Cooper, the Vice President of the Mayhem Motorcycle Club. For the first time in her life, Lacey considers staying…and then right before her eyes, her world falls apart, and she runs again. VENGEANCE IS MINE A tale that will leave you gripping the edge of your seat as you live the life of Ella Moore. What would you do if you were given the opportunity to avenge the death of your family? Would you sit back and let justice take its course, meaning those responsible are never held accountable? Or, would you do everything you could to seek retribution? Right or wrong, I chose revenge. But, what happens when not everyone is who you thought they were? Sometimes, even the best-laid intentions don’t go to plan… My name is Ella Moore. Vengeance will be mine. ILLICIT DESIRE Desire. Angst. Heart-churning emotion. Beau Diesel…He was my “one”. My one that I would sacrifice everything for. My one that I wanted to be with until I took my final breath. My one that completed me. I wanted him. I needed him. But he was off limits. I knew this, but the risk of consequences didn’t outweigh the depth of my desire. So, I fought for our love. But, I wasn’t Beau’s “one”. So, he fought against our love. He fought so hard, eventually I had to give up. I had to admit defeat. But, that’s the thing about love – when you’re down and out, true love wins. It prevails…and it raises you up. COWBOY TOWN Explosive. All-consuming. Tear-jerking. Eden Cross leaves Sydney in a hurry and begins an adventure that takes her across four Australian states before she lands in Pine Creek, Northern Territory. Jackson Henley is cocky, sweet-talking, arrogant cowboy with a heart of gold. He's determined to play the field after a disastrous relationship. Then he sees Eden, and something about her has him determined to win her over. The problem is, she won’t tell him her name, she won’t give him the time of day, and she won’t give him a chance to prove himself. What’s it going to take for Eden to give Jackson a chance? Does he have the patience to even bother fighting for her? How will he handle the competition? In the end, will Jackson have what it takes to convince Eden to start living again, instead of just existing?

Now and Then


Brenda Rothert - 2013
    But then – in the years before she went to art school in Paris – she was a shy, awkward teenager with frizzy hair, a flat chest and a massive crush on the boy across the street, Cole Marlowe. Too bad her incredibly hot neighbor only had eyes for Layla.Cole is now a confident, laid-back attorney who’s even hotter than he used to be. He’s planning to stay single while working his way up the corporate ladder – until he’s knocked off course by a chance run-in with Emma.Everything is different between Cole and Emma now. He finally sees her in a way she only dreamed of, and their hot chemistry is fueled by a growing friendship. But Emma’s deception of her sister – who wants Cole for herself – and the secret Cole’s been keeping for more than a decade threaten to tear apart what’s only just begun. Because sometimes the only thing standing in the way of now is then.

Gone


Anna Bloom - 2014
    Not after what happened on that night six months ago... a night which she can't remember and yet managed to change her life forever. When Rebecca comes across Joshua Adams, a man equally haunted by past tragedies, on a moonlit beach, both of their lives are destined to change, and when the girl made out of the sun meets the boy made out of the moon and sea, anything can happen... but will the knowledge of their murky pasts bring them together or drive them apart? Will Rebecca finally be able to claim her freedom? Will she stay and fight to be the girl she found on the sandy beaches of Cornwall or is she destined to keep running and hiding from a past that won't stay Gone? One thing's for certain: either way, nothing will ever be the same again GONE is a mature Young Adult Novel and is only suitable for readers over the age of 16

Some Lucky Woman: Jana's Story


Carmen DeSousa - 2016
    Some lucky women focus on a career and make their own happily ever after. And then some women wake up after fifteen years of marriage and discover that their luck just ran out ... right into the arms of another woman.Jana Embers isn't one to sit back, though. The first thing Jana realizes she needs to do is empty the joint bank account, then she's thinking she might take a tire iron to her soon-to-be-ex-husband's truck. After that, she's not sure what she'll do ... Maybe she'll adopt a cat.After her divorce and a few too many crummy dates, Jana decides she doesn't need a man. A perfectly sized and shaped device and writing about the perfect hero will more than suffice. Determined to share her philosophy, she pens You Don't Need a Man, encouraging women everywhere to go out and experience life instead of waiting for a man to complete them.Three years later, Jana has a New York Times bestseller and a contract for a movie adaptation, but she also has a shoulder injury, which has put a crimp in her new carefree lifestyle. Worse yet, she can't write. Her only hope is Dr. Adrian Kijek, a renowned physical therapist who hates her simply because she wrote a book about not needing a man, or so she thinks ...WARNING: Although there are many adult situations in Some Lucky Woman, if say ... something crazy happened and a famous producer adapted this contemporary women's fiction into a movie, it would have a PG-13 rating. There are no erotic scenes, no graphic violence, and while there are a few allowed-on-TV curse words, there aren't a plethora of gratuitous foul words. Oh, and if you were looking for a cliffhanger, you won't find that here either. Please proceed at your own risk.

Love in a Small Town Box Set 1


Tawdra Kandle - 2018
    In this farm community, the women are sassy, the men are sexy and reading their love stories will require both a fan and handkerchief. THE LAST ONE: He was the last one she wanted. She was the last one he needed. Nobody ever said love was easy. THE FIRST ONE: They were each other's first love. When he left town and broke her heart, she thought she'd never love again. But sometimes first love can be the one that lasts forever. THE ONLY ONE: After he lost his wife, Mason never wanted to risk his heart again. With her quiet innocence, shy Rilla Grant seems to be a safe choice to help him with his daughter's care. But he didn't count on her being his greatest temptation. Sometimes love's not the easy choice. Sometimes it's the only one. BONUS CONTENT: The Perfect One, a One Trilogy Short ONLY available here! When former Burton native Alex Nelson ducks into a Savannah art museum, he's only looking for an air-conditioned spot to hang out before a business meeting. But meeting Cal Rhodes amps up the heat instead. Now he just has to convince a gun-shy Cal to risk his heart on love. The sparks fly when the perfect one comes around.