Book picks similar to
A Portrait for Toni by Annette Lyon


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Broken Valentine: A Broken Novella


Dawn Pendleton - 2014
    With a baby on the way, they think nothing could ruin their happiness. When the baby's life is in danger, though, they've got a touch decision to make. This novella takes place after all three of the Broken Series books.

He's Irresistible Collection (Boxed Set)


Susan Hatler - 2013
    Three authors. Three kinds of romance. Sweet. Sassy. Sexy. Sweet: Love at First Date by Susan Hatler Ellen may not believe in storybook love, but it’s about to rewrite her life. . . . Ellen’s figured out that finding the right guy is all about compatibility. That’s why she signs up for Detailed Dating—the local online dating scene in Sacramento. They ask men the hard questions, compare their answers with hers, then she filters through the profiles of each provided “match.” After numerous email exchanges, she narrows it down to two promising candidates she’s excited to meet in person. When Ellen’s best friend asks her for a favor, dog-sitting leads to disaster and Ellen ends up at the local vet where she meets a man she can’t get out of her mind. Henry isn’t a logical choice, but she finds herself paying for dog obedience class to spend more time with him. Ellen knows that in order to have a lasting relationship, she should take the safe route and go for one of the pre-screened guys. But, how can she think with her head when her heart keeps begging her to give Henry a chance? Sassy: From Fame to Shame by Veronica Blade When good-girl Maddie switches places with her famous bad-girl twin Jackie, she has some pretty high stilettos to fill. Despite the danger of tabloid drama if their identity swap is discovered, Maddie has to save her sister's butt. When Jackie’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a rekindled spark for “Jackie,” his deep gray eyes and sweet kisses make Maddie's heart thumpety thump. But dating the guy who dumped her sister is a no-no. Too bad Dallas isn’t used to girls saying no. What will happen when he discovers Maddie’s deception? Sexy: Wild For Mr. Wrong by Virna DePaul Can an uptight prosecutor and a laid-back defense attorney find love despite their opposing agendas? Bryn Donovon became a prosecutor for a reason and defense attorney Daniel Mays seems to take his job about as seriously as he does his love life. While straight-laced Bryn can’t deny she’s attracted to the southern charmer, she’s determined to keep her distance. Instead, she ends up finding something she’d lost long ago—a willingness to risk all for love.

Dreams Come True Boxed Set


Emma Nichols - 2016
    Meet the billionaire playboys from Montreal: Gabriel, Sebastian, and Ben. Their lives have been a fairy tale, both charmed and tragic. Only love can heal and help them find balance. Read their stories, in the contemporary retellings of Cinderella, Beauty & the Beast, and Aladdin. Book One: First a Dream Her life had never been a fairy tale. Adopted at birth, Isabella never felt like she fit in. All she ever wanted was a happy family and a love of her own. When she suddenly became a single mother of two, her life changed for the worst until she ran into a handsome stranger. A billionaire playboy, Gabriel had lived a charmed life. Never one to settle down, he didn’t understand why he was drawn to this woman he knew his father would never accept. Still, one date leads to another and suddenly he had the life he never knew he always wanted. Together, their life was perfect, until the lies were exposed. Then, their happily ever after couldn’t be further away. Book Two: Second Chances For as long as he could remember, Sebastian had been cursed. It began with the tragic death of his parents when he inherited the modern art gallery. It continued every day when he looked in the mirror and saw a monster where a man should be. He’d tried everything without success. Then he happened upon her, his cure, the one who could give him a second chance at life, love and happiness. After years of repairing what her father destroyed during his drunken rampages, opening a shop for repurposed and redesigned furniture seemed a natural progression for Marisa. When Sebastian hired her, she finally had a chance to get paid to do what she’d done for years for free. It seemed like a win, until he proposed. The moment they met, Sebastian was drawn to her. Of course, losing everything in thirty days if he didn’t marry was a huge incentive. So he asked and she refused. An experienced negotiator, he never gave up when he had his heart set on something. For Marisa, marriage wasn’t on the table and love wasn’t negotiable. Still, always quick to see the best in others, she looked at him and saw a project, her ultimate redesign. Maybe even Sebastian deserved a second chance. Book Three: Three Wishes With his gift for storytelling and his degree in film making, his plan had always been to see the world. A semester from finishing his graduate degree, Ben was assigned to make a dying girl’s wish come true. If he could hold it together, he might just fulfill one of his own. The problem was he’d never been good with kids and even less comfortable with beautiful women. Life hadn’t been easy for Charlie after being kicked out of her parent’s house and dumped by her boyfriend when she refused to have an abortion. Now, six years later, Charlie’s daughter had leukemia and all she wanted was the same thing she’d wanted since she took the pregnancy test so long ago: for her baby to live. After two long years of treatment, and news it hadn’t helped, Olivia had one last wish: to leave a legacy for her mother. As she worked on the documentary with Ben, it seemed to be working and Olivia felt better than she had in a very long time. Then the father she’d never met showed up. Three people. Three wishes. One chance to make all their dreams come true.

Georgia on My Mind


Marie Force - 2011
    Stuck running the senior center her mother founded in Newport, RI, until a replacement director is found, Georgie dreams of returning to her glamorous life in Atlanta. As that life begins to unravel, she discovers a whole new one in Newport where the jogger turns out to be sexy detective and tree hugger Nathan Caldwell. Determined to get her mind off her many problems—including a possible threat to her own health—Georgie indulges in what she intends to be a no-holds-barred one-night stand with Nathan. Unfortunately, Nathan has other ideas and sets out to have a relationship with her.Tess, on the run from an abusive husband, and Cat, who raised her younger brother and sister, hook up with Nathan's brothers, Ben, an injured Iraqi war veteran, and Ian, a single-father and talented musician. Add a zany cast of seniors who seem determined to drive Georgie slowly mad with their never-ending needs and comparisons to her sainted mother, and you've got the ingredients for a fast-paced, often comical, emotional journey that leads Georgie straight to the home of her heart.Three romances for the price of one!

Ready to Fall


Daisy Prescott - 2013
    With rugged good looks, his ever present plaid shirt, and a dog named Babe, John is a modern alpha male lumberjack.After his favorite neighbor rents out her beach cabin for the winter, John finds himself playing tour guide to Diane Watson, a beautiful brunette with her own messy past and recent battle scars.Will he be ready to fall in love? Or will he go back to his old, flirty ways?Hold onto your heart as John Day tells his story in this male POV contemporary adult romance/romantic comedy.Ready to Fall is the first novel in the Wingmen series of standalone, lighthearted small town romances set in the Pacific Northwest. Each book can be read without having read the previous titles.

Coming Up Roses


Staci Hart - 2019
    Maybe it’s the day-to-day grind. Maybe it’s that client who never knows what they want, or the guy who always cooks fish in the microwave.But not me. I love every corner of the Longbourne Flower Shop, every flower, every petal, every stem. I love the greenhouse, and I love Mrs. Bennet, my boss. I love creating, and I love being a florist. I don’t hate anything at all.Except for Luke Bennet.The Bennet brothers have come home to help their mom save the flower shop, and Luke is at the helm. His smile tells a tale of lust, loose and easy. He moves with the grace of a predator, feral and wild. A thing unbridled, without rules or constraint. When he comes home to save Longbourne, I almost can’t be mad at him. Almost.He doesn’t remember that night I’ll never forget. That kiss, touched with whiskey and fire. It branded me like a red-hot iron. But it meant nothing to him.Everyone hates part of their job, and I hate Luke Bennet.Because if I don’t, I’ll fall in love with him.

Life, Unscheduled


Kristin Rockaway - 2021
    As a user experience designer at Virtuality, an artificial intelligence company in Los Angeles, Nicole is at her desk from sunrise to sunset. She doesn’t have time for a social life (or a love life), but that’s perfectly fine with her. Until her best friend, Parisa Shahin, announces her engagement and asks Nicole to be her maid of honor.That’s when Nicole decides to meticulously schedule out the next six months of her life—from her project due dates to her dress-fitting appointments to how many hours she plans to sleep each night. If she can stick to her schedule, she’ll balance everything fine. Of course, that’s a really big if. And after she crosses paths with emerging restaurateur Brandon Phelps, Nicole is feeling feelings she hasn’t felt in…well, ever. But scheduling time to fall in love might push even the most meticulous plans into pure chaos.

Crashed


Danielle A. Elwood - 2013
    After a series of losses, betrayals, and a few crap-tastic dating experiences, she has settled into a simple life which includes little more than her cat, work, and a foul-mouthed best friend. Then, she meets Avery...Avery Martin is a simple man, a country boy at heart who is working at his dream job as a fireman. When he responds to a nasty car accident, he is immediately taken with the petite blonde he finds pinned in the wreckage. Crossing professional lines, he strikes up a friendship with her. But can they settle for friendship when their forever is staring them in the face?Or will an ex with a vendetta drive them apart?**Contains: Adult Content and Some Explicit Scenes

A Perfect Fit


Heather Tullis - 2012
    Learning her father picked him out to be her future husband, she is not amused, but neither can she back off the path they’ve begun together. But can two people miles apart in so many ways really make things work?

Falling for Jack


Joanne Hill - 2013
    Set in New Zealand.Jack Fletcher has survived his rough upbringing to become a mega success, but with his personal life down the toilet, discovering he has a son sends his life even further into turmoil.Robyn Taylor was the brainy girl destined for great things who now waits tables for a living to support her twins. Life is a struggle, but when Jack convinces her he needs her to look after his son, the conditions are too good to turn down. Robyn has always had a bit of a crush on Jack, but being this close means the crush is rapidly turning into something else altogether, and when Jack gets shocking news, it draws the two of them even closer together.But how can Jack ever believe he can be a father to his son, and a husband to a woman who must learn not only how to trust him - but to have faith in herself as well.

Roots and Wings


M. Mabie - 2016
    Yet, all could think about was Mutt, or at least that’s what they called her.To me, she was gorgeous and witty ... and perfect. She knew more duty than desire, more perseverance than passion, and more acquaintance than affection, but here was no way I’d ever want to change her. In fact, I was dying to show her the life she'd been missing, but first she'd have to trust me enough to tell me her real name.I wanted to plant roots, but I refused to clip her wings. Not when she was everything I’d been looking for and all the home I’d ever need.Roots and Wings is a standalone contemporary romance. If you're looking for a good time, then you've come to the right place. Welcome to Wynne.

Lighting Candles in the Snow


Karen Jones Gowen - 2012
    But what does Suzie, married to the ideal husband, know about the shattering effect of living with someone tormented by addictions? When Karoline meets a handsome new man, things just might be looking up. Until the day she learns about a tragic event in ex-husband Jeremy's childhood. Faced with the horrifying experience that shaped the man she used to love, Karoline reconsiders what she thought was real. In the process, she comes to know the true meaning of love and forgiveness.

Wanted


Demelza Watts - 2015
    Although she is open to love, she wants to be sure the man she finally sleeps with is the One. She envisions a perfect union; just like her parents. She isn’t worried and she certainly isn’t looking. She is free now and has plenty of time. Or so she thought. Then she goes to work for Theo Steele and her life is turned upon its head... Theo is an arrogant American, bursting to take the London market by storm. He plays by the rules… his rules. Only his rules. People could either live with them or go. He doesn't care. Until he finds himself toe to toe with a beautiful blonde. All he knows it that he wants her… now. Join Beth and Theo as they navigate the treacherous journey of love in Wanted, the first book of the Love in London Series. This is a complete novella with no cliffhangers. The following novellas will feature friends and family who weave into each other's lives. Please note this is written by an English author so there may be some phrases different to that in the US.

Bittersweet


Jennifer Labelle - 2011
    After a year of mourning Tyler and struggling to raise their son on her own, Jenna’s best friend whisks her off to fulfill her lifelong dream of visiting Ireland. She never dreamed her trip would include a self-appointed tour guide in the form of a sexy Irishman with piercing blue eyes and a smile that promises to fill her empty heart. Brady Connelly is irresistibly drawn to the lovely, broken Yank… As the weeks pass, Brady comforts and supports Jenna, convincing her to live and chase her dreams. His attraction to her grows and their chemistry ignites, but Jenna isn’t sure she’s truly ready to move on. How can he convince her to release the past and take a leap of faith…with him? The impossible happens, and Jenna’s world is thrown into chaos… Tyler is alive and re-enters Jenna’s life, burdened with guilty secrets. Jenna knows she has to try to make things work between them, if only for their son’s sake, but she’s blessed—or cursed—with vivid visions of Brady. The visions begin to consume her and leave her questioning her sanity and the bittersweet nature of her marriage. Jenna’s dreams of Brady become her lifeline as she questions the boundaries of fantasy and reality. Is her one hope for happiness waiting for her somewhere across the sea?

Fluffy


Julia Kent - 2019
    Of course it did. I’m a professional fluffer. It’s NOT what you think. I stage homes for a living. Real estate agents love me, and my work stands on its own merits. Sigh. Get your mind out of the gutter. Go ahead. Laugh. I’ll wait. See? That’s the problem. My career has used the term “fluffer” for decades. I didn’t even know there was a more… lascivious definition of the term. Until it was too late. The ad for a “professional fluffer” on Craigslist seemed like divine intervention. My last unemployment check was in the bank. I was desperate. Rent was due. The ad said cash paid at the end of the day. The perfect job! Staging homes means showing your best angle. The same principle applies in making a certain kind of movie. Turns out a “fluffer” doesn’t arrange decorative pillows on a couch. They arrange other soft, round-ish objects. The job isn’t hard. Er, I mean, it is — it’s about being hard. Or, well… helping other people to be hard. Oh, man… And that’s the other problem. A man. No, not one of the stars on the movie set. Will Lotham – my high school crush. The owner of the house where we’re filming. Illegally. In a vacation rental. By the time the cops show up, what I thought was just a great house staging gig turned into a nightmare involving pictures of me with an undressed star, Will rescuing me from an arrest, and a humiliating lesson in my own naivete. My job turned out to be so much harder than I expected. But you know what’s easier than I ever imagined? Having all my dreams come true.