Book picks similar to
Luke by Barbara Freethy


romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary
barbara-freethy

My First, My Last


Lacey Silks - 2014
     Their roads never crossed and the stars failed to align, until now. Matured, more experienced, pierced, tattooed and hot as hell, Adrian steps back into Mia's life to reclaim his first love. And the moment she sees him she can't remember her own name. Adrian Reed had always remained in Mia's heart. After all, he was her first in every way possible, but that was twenty years ago. His sudden appearance at a bar, on a girls night out, has Mia acting like a fifteen year old girl again. But life now is not as simple as it was twenty years ago. With two kids, a hopeful ex-husband and new insecurities, Mia finds opening up to a new relationship challenging.Will she give her first love another chance, or will she push him away, this time for good?Join Mia and Adrian on their journey to finding their first love for the second time in My First, My Last.Note: This is a standalone contemporary romance second-chance novel intended for mature audience.

Running on Empty


L.B. Simmons - 2013
     Beautiful and loving husband.Three gorgeous little girls. Successful career. The only thing missing was the white picket fence. I really wanted that fence. Three years ago, I lost that life. I lost my husband. And I lost myself. But, eventually, I found my way through the darkness. I’ve made peace with my new life. I have my girls, and that’s all that matters. They are my world. I have no illusions of ever falling in love again or getting whisked away on a white horse. But then he came back into my life. On a freakin’ motorcycle.There’s no way I’ll let him turn my life completely upside down. Absolutely no way. The question is…How long can I keep pretending that I’m happy with my life being right-side up?

Caught on Camera


Kim Law - 2012
    But then she made the mistake of a lifetime. Former model Vega Zaragoza knows what scandal feels like, and she’s resolved to avoid it. Now making her living behind the camera instead of in front of it, she’s content. Life is good. But when a shot at her dream job comes along, one that puts her back in the public eye, Vega has a choice to make: continue to play it safe . . . or gamble everything to go toe-to-toe—and heart-to-heart—with the city’s most eligible bachelor.JP Davenport isn’t merely Atlanta’s most eligible bachelor, he’s the golden boy of one of America’s most prominent families. With endless charisma and movie-star good looks, JP is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. And sometimes, things even get handed to him that he doesn’t want. But what can he do? He’s a Davenport. Everyone in the family has their role to play.When JP sets his sights on Vega, he has no idea the secrets she hides. Secrets that, if exposed, could upend both their lives. But though neither is willing to back away from the attraction they feel, they each start to wonder if a relationship is truly a mistake. Or will being together lead them both down the path to the freedom they each so desperately seek? “Kim Law pens a sexy, fast-paced romance.” —New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde “The chemistry between Vega and JP is explosive and will have you rooting for the couple’s success.” —RT Book Reviews One-click now to get started reading and get drawn into the scandals that surround the Davenports! Don’t miss the other Davenport novels! Caught on Camera (The Davenports #1) Caught in the Act (The Davenports #2) Caught off Guard (The Davenports #3) Author’s note: This book was previously published in 2012 under the same title but with a different cover. The story remains the same as the original.

Commanding Sia


Zoe Dawson - 2020
    . .reunited by duty… When Lieutenant Ambrosia “Sia” Soto returns from an investigation into a “pilot error” case aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. James McCloud, she comes face to face with NCIS Special Agent and former lover, Christophe Vargas, the man who was involved in an F-18 Fighter Jet accident that took her brother’s life six years ago. But when another incident aboard the carrier involves the death of a senator’s son whose plane crashed into the deck on a routine training mission, she’s now required to return to the carrier with Chris in tow to face a cunning and dangerous foe. Bombarded both personally and professionally, Sia must trust her instincts and suppress the feelings that surface for her enigmatic and sexy partner.

Chasing Pebbles


Felicia Blaedel - 2020
    When she suddenly finds herself without a place to stay for the summer, she is forced to go back. A stubborn, foolish part of her wants to show them that she can’t be broken. She’ll hold on to her anger, push the nostalgia away even if the scent of seawater and beach-roses is making it difficult.Ever since Frida left, Oliver’s life has been a little lonelier and a little greyer, despite him staying busy to distract himself. When he realises that Frida, his favourite human, the one person who was always up for his shenanigans is coming home, he knows he has to make it right.She’s hurting, and so much is left unsaid.Frida is afraid to trust. Oliver can’t let go of his guilt.Neither of them is prepared for how everything can feel the same and yet so, so different.Chasing Pebbles takes place in Denmark; it’s a new adult, slow burn, friends to lovers romance with a nerdy, talkative hero and a stubborn, compassionate heroine.Chasing Pebbles is book one in The Without Filter Series and it’s a complete standalone.

Nobody Else But You


Claire Marti - 2022
    She doesn’t care how gorgeous he is––she wants him gone after he threatens to pull her family back into the paparazzi filled world they escaped from over a decade ago.Holt knows Sam hates him on sight and the feeling is becoming mutual. But his entire career is riding on a favor from Sam’s legendary film director father. No way will he allow one irritating, sexy redhead to stand in his way.Sam intends to fight him at every turn…if only her heart didn’t race when they’re together. Holt does his best to steer clear of her…except all he wants to do is hold her close. The sizzling attraction between them is either going to burn up the sheets or burn down the ranch…

The Lost Groom


Taylor Hart - 2017
    After apologizing for missing her husband’s funeral, she slaps him, and he kisses her -- revealing the sparks he'd long since hidden. Savannah Loveless, matchmaker extraordinaire, ventured back to Park City to visit her family and save enough money to get to California. There was no room in her fresh start to deal with Luke Freestone or the secret she’d kept for ten years. As far as she was concerned, the past could just stay in the past. But Luke wants closure, so she agrees to help him find a wife - -she is a match maker after all and if she can't find a match for someone she loves -- used to love -- then she might as well walk away from the business. However, the more time she spends with Luke the harder it is to tell if the feelings she’s having are from the past… or from right now.As things heat up, they have a choice to make -- stay lost because of the past or let love find them once and for all. This also includes excerpt's of: Love at the Ocean Breeze by Jennifer Youngblood and Sandra Poole and How to Love a Dog's Best Friend by Cami Checketts.

When We Left


Elena Aitken
    He needs her to see how he’s changed. Can time really heal everything and make a second chance at love possible? Reeling from a painful divorce, and with a teenager in town, Cam’s returned to her hometown to heal. Not only is Timber Creek the only place that’s ever felt like home, her best friends are there...and the first boy she ever really loved. Evan has only ever loved one woman. Sixteen years ago he knew he wasn’t good enough for her, but now she’s back, and time has a way of changing things.Cam’s got her hands full trying to come to grips with her new life. The last thing she needs is to get involved with Evan again. But their attraction is impossible to ignore, and the connection that existed between them so many years ago is still very much alive.This could be the second chance they’ve always wanted, but there are years of hurt and misunderstandings between them. Never mind the truth of the past and the reality of the present that could once again threaten to pull them apart. This time for good.

Redeeming Ryker


Kelly Collins - 2017
    He’s haunted by his mistakes. Can their love survive the painful truth behind a shared tragedy?After years in jail, Ryker Savage is still guilt-ridden over the bloody crime that traumatized his small town and tore his family apart. So when a stranger moves into a beloved victim’s house, old emotions come bubbling to the surface. But he can’t afford to turn down the alluring owner’s odd jobs: it’s the only way he can bankroll the search for his long-lost brother. Working alongside the beautiful woman, Ryker starts to feel her kindness melt his hardened heart to make room for love.After her grandma’s death, Ana Barrett lost her only family in the world. So when the down-on-her-luck artist unexpectedly inherits property in Colorado, she hopes the move could be her chance at a new beginning. After hiring an ex-con to help whip the house in shape, she wonders if she should trust the small-town gossip… or what her heart is telling her.When shocking revelations intertwine their half-forgotten pasts, will the painful truth strengthen their love or tear them apart?

Hooked on You


Lea Coll - 2020
    Attorney was the last person I needed in my business... or my bar. The way she walked in wearing a tight suit and red power heels, flashing that badge should be illegal.Asking her for help was a mistake. Wanting her was a complication, one that I couldn't afford. We were from two different worlds.Taylor was spoiled, privileged and in way over her head. I was just the bad boy that girls like her were attracted to, a passing phase. An itch to scratch.I was no good for her and never would be.Hooked on You was previously titled Easy Moves, and is the prequel to the Annapolis Harbor Series.

The Gull Motel (A Barefoot Book)


Amie Denman - 2014
    Finally finished with college, she heads to her favorite shabby motel on Florida’s Gulf Coast where her aunt and uncle always save her room twenty-four. She quickly finds out, though, that The Gull Motel is not just her home away from home. It’s hers to manage while her aunt and uncle take an extended trip. Skip McComber, The Gull’s former maintenance man, has been working on Savvy’s nuts and bolts for years. Now the new owner of the bar next door, his mission is to renovate a pirate bar while being a walking temptation for the girl he can’t get off his mind.For Savvy, keeping her cool running a motel in Florida heat is one thing, but navigating the steamy waters of a former fling takes a whole other kind of savvy. In addition to the motel and the man next door, Savvy stumbles on a plot to swindle land from the residents of Barefoot Key. Devalued properties tumble like dominoes until Savvy musters her colorful crew from The Gull Motel to make the pillagers walk the plank.

Match Cut


Julie Olivia - 2020
    And I’m still a mess for him.KEATONI noticed the girl behind the camera.She was the town’s little sister to everyone but me.But it’s been too long and I’ve been too patient.Ten years later, I’m not sure I have any more patience to spare.Violet’s shy pink lips are now a fiery red.And, this time, I can’t stay away.Match Cut is a full-length, stand-alone, small town romance with fun campfire hangouts, movie theater makeouts, and campfire shenanigans. It is the first book in the Foxe Hill Series. Each book in the series can be read individually but are most enjoyed as a whole! Dual POV. 18+ for language and spice.

Let Me In


Jordan Bates - 2020
    Something that I longed to have in my life every day, and when I found it at a young age, I clung to it. I snatched up the boy as fast as I could, intending to make him mine forever. Commitment I never expected my marriage to turn out the way it did. I never expected for my husband to let me go. For that love that I had invested in to come crumbling down around me. Something that once gave me such great joy. Him After the pieces of myself broke, I was surprised to find a man who was willing to pick them up, to catch me as I fell. What he wanted from me though, I didn’t know if I could give him. All he wanted was for me to let him in.

My First: Jason & Katie


Melanie Shawn - 2013
    With his easygoing charm, whiskey-colored brown eyes, and sinfully sexy half smile, women just seem to fall all over themselves when he’s around.Well... most women, anyway. Katie Lawson’s the one woman who isn't putty in his hands, and she's the only one he’s ever wanted in his arms.Katie Lawson left Harper's Crossing in the middle of the night ten years ago, immediately after her high school boyfriend Nick's funeral. She left behind all memories of Nick, and she left behind her life-long best friend, Jason Sloan.Now she's on the fast track to junior partner at one of San Francisco's top law firms. She's made a life for herself that's all about maintaining order and sticking to the rules. Rule #1 is keeping herself WAY too busy to think about all that she ran away from. If she can do that, after all, she can keep everything under control.But that rule is about to be broken. She’s headed back home to be the maid of honor in Nick’s little sister’s wedding. It's time to face the truth she's been avoiding all these years, the same one that sent her running ten years ago - that maybe she didn't lose her first love the summer after high school. Maybe her first love has been waiting for her all this time, at home in Harper's Crossing.

Searching for Glory


Hunter J. Keane - 2012
    She's on a hit television show and engaged to one of the most desired men in Hollywood. Her life is perfect. But then she gets a letter in the mail that changes everything. The past she has been trying to forget for so long has finally come back to haunt her. Gloria Star hasn't always been an A-list celebrity. She used to be just a regular Midwestern girl named Glory Stark. Now she is forced to reconcile her two lives because Johnny Carter, the only man she ever loved, has asked her to return to her hometown, and she can't say no. Ten years ago, one night changed everything for Gloria and Johnny. Not only did Gloria lose Johnny, but she also lost herself.Now she's headed back to Princeton, Missouri, to reconnect with her sister and make amends with Johnny. She quickly realizes that returning to Glory Stark's life isn't going to be easy. As she faces painful truths about her past and an uncertain future, Gloria learns that forgiveness is essential, family is everything and love is forever.