Book picks similar to
That Dog Won't Hunt by Brandilyn Collins


brandilyn-collins
romance
50-states-challenge
thriller-mystery

Remember Me


Marion Ueckermann - 2019
     What she most needed was right there in front of her all along. At the age of thirteen, Clarise Aylward and her two best friends each pen a wish list of things they want to achieve. Deciding to bury a tin containing their life goals, the friends vow to unearth the metal box once they’ve all turned forty. But as the decades pass and each girl chases her dreams, the lists are forgotten. Heath Brock has been in love with Clarise for over twenty-seven years and counting. As a young man, he’d plucked up the courage to ask her out on a Valentine’s date, but the couple succumbed to pent-up passions, sending Clarise dashing for the other side of the country. Years after Clarise’s sudden departure, Heath serves as youth pastor. He’d held out hope of Clarise’s return, but buries his feelings for his childhood sweetheart when he learns she’s married. Almost penniless, divorced, and with nowhere to go, Clarise returns home to Chapel Cove, her future uncertain. She’s approaching forty with her dreams in tatters. When old feelings resurface, Clarise wonders whether she’s ever really fallen out of love with Heath. What’s the man of God to do when his old flame returns, seemingly to stay? With Clarise back in town, Heath is determined not to repeat past mistakes, but if he has anything to say about it, never again will he lose the only woman he’s ever loved.

The Pastor's Wife


Jennifer AlLee - 2009
    But when "the other woman" in her marriage turned out to be her husband's congregation, she ran. Six years later, she's back in the small community of Granger, Ohio, for the reading of a will that names both her and Nick as beneficiaries. Now, Maura must face the husband - and the congregation - she left behind.

His Longing Heart


Jan Thompson - 2015
    She is a billionairess violin collector with a trust fund. Living in two different worlds, will their unexpected romance last?His Longing Heart is the first novel in USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson’s Seaside Chapel Christian small-town beach romance series. This book is the updated second edition of the previously published Share with Me.The musician…Six years ago, Ivan McMillan was a budding crossover violinist on a world tour with his pianist sister. His career was cut short when Grandpa Otto died suddenly, leaving Grandma Yun saddled with enormous medical bills that ate up all their savings. In the midst of Ivan’s struggle to provide for his elderly grandmother and to save their family home from foreclosure, he finds himself falling in love with his billionairess friend, whose lifestyle he cannot afford.The muse…After Brinley Brooks’s ex-boyfriend abandons her due to her vow of purity, the twenty-something heiress goes home to St. Simon’s Island to spend time with her family and to accept her life as a single woman. At her sister’s birthday party, Brinley is mesmerized by a violinist friend, Ivan, when he plays one of Bach’s orchestral suites. Music therapy or not, her heart starts to seek its own second movement in her love life. Or is she just lonely? One thing leads to another, and Brinley enters Ivan’s world of material poverty and spiritual wealth.The minuet of their lives…When one of Ivan’s worst fears comes to pass, he feels obligated to show Brinley what it means to be a Christian living through adversity. However, trusting God is the last thing on his mind as the crisis affects his career, his life, his family, and his relationship with Brinley. Ivan cannot let her see how far he has sunk. What is a Christian man to do?

Reunited at Christmas


Debra Ullrick - 2013
    Not only does she train search and rescue dogs, but she’s a bestselling suspense author who has waterfront property in the beautiful mountain town of Grand Lake, Colorado. All is well until she receives a call to bring her dog Max and her snowmobile to help rescue a man who is lost in a blizzard up on Gravel Mountain. That man is the one person she never wants to see again—Ryker Anderson—the man who broke her heart the day he called three months before their wedding to say goodbye with no explanation as to why.After being gone for eighteen months, Ryker Anderson is back in Grand Lake where he hopes to win back the woman he loves. He only hopes Shelby understands why he left. Will he be able to convince Shelby that she can trust him with her heart again even though he broke it before?

The Hideaway


Lauren K. Denton - 2017
    She intends to quickly tie up loose ends then return to her busy life and thriving antique shop in New Orleans. Instead, she learns Mags has willed The Hideaway to her and charged her with renovating it—no small task considering her grandmother’s best friends, a motley crew of senior citizens, still live there.Rather than hurrying back to New Orleans, Sara stays in Sweet Bay and begins the biggest house-rehabbing project of her career. Amid drywall dust, old memories, and a charming contractor, she discovers that slipping back into life at The Hideaway is easier than she expected.Then she discovers a box Mags left in the attic with clues to a life Sara never imagined for her grandmother. With help from Mags’s friends, Sara begins to piece together the mysterious life of bravery, passion, and choices that changed her grandmother’s destiny in both marvelous and devastating ways.When an opportunistic land developer threatens to seize The Hideaway, Sara is forced to make a choice—stay in Sweet Bay and fight for the house and the people she’s grown to love or leave again and return to her successful but solitary life in New Orleans.

Hidden


Shelley Shepard Gray - 2008
    Rob has completely won over her parents, and the entire community, with his good looks and smooth charm. Only Anna has seen his dark side.Desperate, she runs to the only place she's ever felt completely safe—the Amish Brenneman Bed and Breakfast, where Anna met life-long friend Katie Brenneman. The family welcomes her in, and with few questions asked allows her to stay, dressed in Plain clothing, and help around the inn.Katie's older brother Henry is the only one who doesn't take too kindly to the intrusion. He tries to ignore Anna, knowing no good would ever come from caring for an Englisher like her. But as he gets to know Anna, he discovers her good heart and is surprised with her readiness to accept their lifestyle.The more time Anna spends with the Amish, the more she feels she's found a true home. But how can she deny the life she left behind? And will her chance for happiness be stolen away by the man from her past?

A Time to Dance


Karen Kingsbury - 2006
    But John and Abby know they're just pretending to be happy. In fact, they're waiting for the right time to tell the kids they're going to divorce. But at the family meeting where they plan to tell their children, Nicole shares a surprise of her own: she's getting married. How can they spoil her joy with their announcement?They can pretend a little longer—until after the wedding. But questions begin to haunt them as the date draws nearer. What happened to the love and commitment that held them together for so long? Is it still there somewhere under all the pain and misunderstanding? And is it still possible, alone in the moonlight on an old wooden pier, to once more find . . . a time to dance?The first novel in Karen Kingsbury's celebrated series about the power of commitment and the amazing faithfulness of God.

How the Light Gets in


Jolina Petersheim - 2019
    She hopes the Mennonite community will be a quiet place to grieve and piece together next steps.Ruth and her family are welcomed by Elam, her husband's cousin, who invites them to stay at his cranberry farm through the harvest. Sifting through fields of berries and memories of a marriage that was broken long before her husband died, Ruth finds solace in the beauty of the land and healing through hard work and budding friendship. She also encounters the possibility of new love with Elam, whose gentle encouragement awakens hopes and dreams she thought she'd lost forever.But an unexpected twist threatens to unseat the happy ending Ruth is about to write for herself. On the precipice of a fresh start and a new marriage, Ruth must make an impossible decision: which path to choose if her husband isn't dead after all.

Journey of Grace


T.K. Chapin - 2018
    He had written off love after losing his wife years ago. A chance meeting changes these two lives forever.JOURNEY OF GRACE is book one of the tightly woven Christian romance series entitled JOURNEY OF LOVE by T.K. Chapin. Follow the lives of three grown siblings as they face challenges of faith, love, and heartache. The JOURNEY OF LOVE series is a spin-off of the best-selling DIAMOND LAKE SERIES. When Grace Anderson left Newport, Washington, she thought it was for good. But now she's back and trying to start a new life after running away from her abusive husband. Even surrounded by the love of her family, she can't help but cling to the pieces of her past that hurt the most.Owen McBride never dreamed of finding love again after losing his wife. The dashing Newport High School history teacher had written off love and was solely focused on living a life devoted to God and teaching children. That is, until he met Grace Anderson.Will these two find love in each other's arms? Or will God's will be something completely different?From the best-selling Christian Romance author T.K. Chapin comes a love story that will keep you reading until the very last page. Heartfelt, inspirational, and clean, Journey of Grace will remind you how God can work in the lives of those who place their trust in Him.

The Bridge


Lisa Tawn Bergren - 2000
    As an adult, he remains without an anchor. With his marriage truly over--despite his attempts at reconciliation with his ex-wife--and his young son far away at boarding school, Jared discovers that his success as a commodities broker has brought him little inner peace. On impulse he suggests to his son, Nicolaus, that they go to Montana over the boy's summer break. Jared's plan is simple: to spend time with his child and to clean out the cabin he has inherited, in order to make a quick sale in the hot real-estate market. But when he gets to the river in Montana, Jared encounters three things that will change his life forever: the forces that have been driving him toward empty success, love for a spiritually grounded ceramist named Eden Powell, and the bridge that will finally lead him home. From the Hardcover edition.

The Mountain Between Us


Charles Martin - 2010
    But when unthinkable tragedy strikes, the pair find themselves stranded in Utah's most remote wilderness in the dead of winter, badly injured and miles from civilization. Without food or shelter, and only Ben's mountain climbing gear to protect themselves, Ashley and Ben's chances for survival look bleak, but their reliance on each other sparks an immediate connection, which soon evolves into something more.Days in the mountains become weeks, as their hope for rescue dwindles. How will they make it out of the wilderness and if they do, how will this experience change them forever? Heart-wrenching and unputdownable, The Mountain Between Us will reaffirm your belief in the power of love to sustain us.

Small Town Girls Don't Marry Hollywood Hunks


Carol Moncado - 2019
    She has half a working face. What could possibly go wrong? Beaches of Trumanville Book 1 Mia Beach has spent her life being overlooked. And she’s just fine with that. It’s far better than being seen and found lacking. Especially with her recent diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy. So when a Hollywood hunk shows up, she decides to keep her distance. Eli Whitaker has different plans. He’s fascinated by the girl with the eye-patch, and her faith in a Savior he’s just coming to know. Paparazzi, family indifference, and a stunning revelation from Eli’s not-so-distant past may derail his chances at an Happily Ever After TV movie career before it begins - and convince Mia they don’t have a future. Because Mia knows… Small Town Girls Don’t Marry Hollywood Hunks. Except for when they do.

Cherish


Kimberly Rae Jordan - 2017
     Kimberly Rae Jordan Elizabeth Maddrey Autumn Macarthur Lesley Ann McDaniel Lynnette Bonner Heather Gray Jan Thompson The Tenderness of His Love by USA Today Bestselling Author Kimberly Rae Jordan When Tennyson Page gives a struggling single mom and her daughters a helping hand, he never imagines the impact they’ll have on his life. But having been hurt twice before by women he’d helped, Tennyson isn’t sure he’s able to interpret Olivia Duncan’s motives correctly. Is it just gratitude on Olivia’s part? Or is it something more? A Heart Reclaimed by Bestselling Author Elizabeth Maddrey Two landscape architects and former college rivals work together to restore the grounds at Peacock Hill. Will the garden they plant blossom into love? His Father’s Son by USA Today Bestselling Author Autumn Macarthur Can a small-town single mother regain her lost faith and forgive the past, when her disabled child’s father returns, determined to help the son he unwillingly left behind – and the woman he’s never stopped loving? Sink or Swim by USA Today Bestselling Author Lesley Ann McDaniel Still reeling from the dangerous relationship she fled a year ago, Jen Bloom is finally getting her head above water. Her job as a housekeeper at the Inn at Crescent Cove has been a lifesaver, and the inn’s chef—Luke Strong—has become her best friend. But what she really wants now is to manage the inn. Then another woman arrives in town to interview for the management job. Realizing that the woman has her eye on more than just the job, Jen questions her own motives for staying in Crescent Cove. Is it the town…or the promise of love? Angel Kisses and Riversong by Bestselling Author Lynnette Bonner After a career ending injury, Jett Hudson escapes to a B&B in the mountains of Washington. But when he arrives and has to wake owner Salem Finn, who is sound asleep at her desk, he starts having second thoughts about his choice of lodging—even if her messy bun reminds him of a halo, and her soft gaze has a way of making him forget to breathe. Sometimes the river of life takes unexpected turns. And sometimes those turns lead to angel kisses…and Riversong. Skye by Bestselling Author Heather Gray When Skye reaches her limit, she packs a bag and runs away from it all…without realizing what she’s running toward. Sam is the only wrinkle in her plan. What happens when a woman chased by guilt and fear runs headlong into a battle-hardened Marine who isn’t used to backing down? Ask You Later by USA Today Bestselling Author Jan Thompson He lives and breathes expressive art.

I Don't Look Like What I've Been Through


Jenica Johnson - 2015
    With the lack of love, dealing with rejection, bitterness and abuse Kierra and Brandon feel as though life couldn’t get any worse.Kierra is a motherless child who feels as though no one wants her. She regrets the day her mother and father conceived her. Being from a family that didn’t have much, she was determined to leave and never come back to the life she once lived. That is until she pops up pregnant from her overly possessive and abusive boyfriend, who doesn’t want her but doesn’t want anyone else to have her either. He goes through extreme measures to make sure that Kierra doesn’t get the attention she deserves from anyone else, even her best friend Brandon.Brandon comes from a family of wealth but everything that glitters is not always gold. Brandon deals with rejection from his father and although Brandon has everything he wants he still feels a void in his life. Brandon is raised in church but feels that all church is about is a fashion show and money. Brandon decides to leave his family and venture off into a world of his own, only to realize that there were some life lessons only his drunk father could teach him. Brandon ends up right back where he started; home. Kierra and Brandon are going through a lot from their youth all the way to adulthood, until a mentor steps into their life and guides them into the direction they should go. Only God can take the sting of rejection and depression and give them beauty for ashes.

Past Forward: Volume II


Chautona Havig - 2012
    Jerked from a life of isolation with her mother, Willow learns what alone really means when she finds her mother still in her bed, never to awaken again in this life.From the moment Willow arrives in the police station with her startling announcement, Chad Tesdall fights the friendship he knows he can't avoid.This collection includes episodes six through nine of Past Forward. Willow, battling grief and anger, drives Chad from the farm, but he finds himself drawn back, despite her determination to keep a wall between them. An accident and the chance of a lifetime threaten everything she thought she held dear. As the walls crumble, Chad and Willow's friendship deepens into something truly special, but to what end? Everyone around him pushes Chad into a relationship he both wants and fights, knowing that Willow simply is not ready. Someone is wreaking havoc around her farm. Afraid for Willow's safety, the police take turns guarding her place when off duty and she finds it hard to endure the disruption of her tranquility. And then, Chad asks her to dance. Can she trust him? Find out in this second volume.Follow as Willow's story unfolds past forward.