Book picks similar to
Beach Towel by Grace Greene


romance
short-story
borrowed
vacation-reads

The Quilt Fairy (Romantic Short Story)


Beverly Farr - 2012
    She’s never found a human attractive . . . until now. When her elderly landlady dies, Margaret, a house fairy and quilt expert, moves in with her landlady’s single grandson Jonathan. As long as she stays small, this tall, handsome human will never notice her. Or will he? The Quilt Fairy is a sweet romance -- a modern-day fairy tale. It is 12,000 words, technically a long short story or novelette. It was previously published as "If a Fairy Falls in Love."

Between Two Billionaires: The Complete Series


Sky Corgan - 2014
    Life consists of work at the coffee shop, chatting online with friends, and trying her best to uphold the morals she was taught in Catholic school. Her step-sister Ethel is the complete opposite. When Ethel guilts Sarah into sneaking into a party under the guise of being strippers, Sarah's entire world turns upside down. Everything she thought she knew about herself is changing, and she doesn't know how to stop it. What was supposed to be a night of trespassing and fun quickly turns into an unexpected love affair with a handsome stranger. Tristan Locke is perfect. Too perfect. And Sarah's about to learn that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. PART TWO: Tristan Locke is perfect. Perfectly damaged. A past marred in loss has made him apprehensive to form a relationship with anyone. Until he meets Sarah Palmer. Abandoning her religious upbringing, Sarah launches into a strained relationship with Tristan. It's hard to tell what his intentions are, however, when he runs smoking hot one minute and lukewarm the next. Luckily for Sarah, she's able to get insider information about Tristan from his brother Shawn. However, Shawn might not be the good guy whom he's making himself out to be. PART THREE: Tristan Locke has secrets that run so deep they've warped his entire life. After claiming he killed his fiance, he does his best to push Sarah away. Shawn isn't about to let that happen though. Find out what happens when the truth is revealed and Sarah is forced to make the ultimate decision.

The First Lie


Diane Chamberlain - 2013
    It’s 1958 in rural North Carolina, where Ivy lives with her grandmother and sister on a tobacco farm. As tenant farmers, Ivy and her family don’t have much freedom, though she and her best friend, Henry, often sneak away in search of adventure…and their truest selves. But life on the farm takes a turn when Ivy’s teenage sister gives birth—all the while maintaining her silence about the baby’s father. Soon Ivy finds herself navigating the space between adolescence and adulthood as she tries to unravel a dark web of family secrets and make sense of her ever-evolving life in the segregated South.

The Billionaire's Enemy


Elana Johnson - 2018
    But what do you do with the billionaire who's stealing your clients and whose brains are as attractive as his face?For Stacey Stapleton, the owner of a premier B&B, the answer is clear. You stay in his brand-new high-rise hotel to see how he's making all the money. It's not spying. It's market research.You definitely don't start dating the enemy...

The Tender Years


Janette Oke - 1997
    And now granddaughter Virginia faces the test of her young life. Caught in the difficult period between childhood and adulthood, feeling that she doesn't fit in, Virginia struggles against what she considers to be unreasonable restrictions and expectations. A new girl at school represents the daring and freedom that Virginia thinks she wants -- until one fateful day . . .

The Demon in the Wood


Leigh Bardugo - 2014
    Get a look into the past that forged a brutal and brilliant leader.

Shot by Cupid's Arrow


Brooke St. James - 2016
    The last thing she wanted to do on moving day was take time out to stop at a Valentine's Day festival. She only did it to make the move more enjoyable for her precious little girl. Her intentions were to get in and out as quickly as possible. She wasn't expecting it to be an all day affair, and she certainly wasn't prepared for a run-in with Cupid.

Come Next Winter


Linda Hanna - 2017
    Though Vermont has been their home for twenty years, betrayal and misunderstanding force Carol to leave the mountains she loves and return to her hometown of Apache Pointe, Arizona. There she is welcomed by scorching heat, lizards, scorpions, and (gulp) Aunt Penny. Carol finds a sympathetic friend in her cousin Millie as she does her best to put the pieces of her shattered life back together. But her prayers for guidance and a decent place to live away from Aunt Penny’s disapproving eye go unanswered. Has God turned a deaf ear to her just when she needs Him the most?The answer might be found in the handsome pastor of her family’s church. Frank is everything she would look for in a spouse. If she were looking. Which she is not. Especially when she discovers that Millie has set her hopes on becoming the pastor’s next wife. Aunt Penny’s outrageous attempts to ensure that Millie wins Frank’s heart bring Carol’s past crashing into her present, and might destroy any chance she has at a happy future.The writing team of Hanna and Dulworth deliver a story full of love and faith, and sprinkled with touches of humor that will have you wondering whether to laugh or cry.

Forever Christmas


Christine Lynxwiler - 2007
    But after two broken engagements, she's content to forget romance and run her Christmas shop in Jingle Bells, Arkansas. She thinks her biggest fear is making it down the aisle as maid of honor in her best friend's Christmas wedding, with at least one ex-fiancé looking on. But when her beloved Jingle Bells is threatened, Kristianna struggles to sort through her jumbled feelings concerning the handsome lawyer hired to change the town name and her childhood sweetheart who has returned just in time to come to her aid. Will her heart discover the truth before both her town and her Christmas spirit is extinguished?

Just Friends


Jenn Faulk - 2014
    When the man of her dreams marries someone else, she begins to wonder if she’s been missing out on life and shortchanging Christ in the process. That’s when she runs, very literally, into Micah Johnson. Micah is content to be alone after a failed relationship destroyed any trust he had in women. Still, he finds himself welcoming Rachel’s friendship and valuing her thoughts, especially when his sister’s plans threaten to change his entire future.Will Rachel and Micah learn together that giving Christ everything means giving every day to Him and having the faith to trust Him? And is there more to their relationship than being just friends?

The Secret to Hummingbird Cake


Celeste Fletcher McHale - 2016
    We all had.When all else fails, turn to the divine taste of hummingbird cake.In the South you always say “yes, ma’am” and “no, ma’am.” You know everybody’s business. Football is a lifestyle not a pastime. Food—especially dessert— is almost a religious experience. And you protect your friends as fiercely as you protect your family— even if the threat is something you cannot see.In this spot-on Southern novel brimming with wit and authenticity, you’ll laugh alongside lifelong friends, navigate the sometimes rocky path of marriage, and roll through the outrageous curveballs that life sometimes throws . . . from devastating pain to absolute joy. And if you’re lucky, you just may discover the secret to hummingbird cake along the way.

All for You


Kate Perry - 2013
    At least she used to. Somewhere between law school and real life, she lost her sparkle. Now she wears boring business suits to boring dates in her boring life. The last time Anna remembers feeling that sizzle was with the one man who's all cayenne and passion: Max Corazao, the one who got away. Except Max still sees Anna as a woman full of spice. And Anna intends to do whatever she can to be that woman again—with his (unknowing) help...

The Radcliffes


T.J. Kline - 2017
    KLINE, PRESENTED BY JAMES PATTERSON!THE WEDDING FLORIST: After losing her job and getting evicted from her home, the last thing florist Anna Nolan needs is to ruin her new gig. But it's hard for her to work for the powerful and sexy Gabriel Radcliffe. Namely, because Anna's arranging the flowers for his wedding to society girl Stephanie Maurier--and she wishes she were the bride...THE HORSE TRAINER: Fallon Radcliffe can only escape her socialite family and their expectations when she's in the stables with her horse, Destiny's Dreamer. But she doesn't realize that her love for racing will develop into something more-- a yearning for her trainer, Travis Mitchell, even though they live worlds apart...THE GOURMET CHEF: Alexandra Radcliffe has never been a dreamer. But when she meets the man of her secret fantasies --a sexy, driven chef who wants to open a restaurant--she starts to believe in happily ever after. Or is there something about the smooth Nico Donacelli that could destroy their precious, fragile bond?

Driving in the Dark


Jack Harding - 2021
    There’s something in his bag. Something silver and glistening, sparkling with hopes and dreams of a bright and beautiful future. The only thing standing between him and his soon to be fiancée Emma is his arduous, mind-numbing drive home. But something isn’t right. His phone, his hearing, the music, the traffic; everything just seems off and out of sync, and Riley can’t quite put his finger on it.All he has to do is keep his eyes on the road…All he has to do is take it slow…In this brooding and deeply moving short story by Jack Harding, buckle up and settle down for a journey that will stir your senses and pull on your heart strings, keeping you guessing right until the end of the road.

The Variant


John August - 2009
    But when a terrified woman falls through his bathroom ceiling, he's forced back into a life of gunfights, double agents and paranormal research. The secret he's been keeping for nearly four decades might reunite him with his lost love, or kill millions.This new short story by John August falls into the genre of paranoid "spy-fi" popularized by writers like Jorge Luis Borges and shows like The Prisoner and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.== What Others Say =="I really dug the story. Gave it a glance just to see, got totally hooked, and blazed on through to the end."-- Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, The Yiddish Policemen's Union) "The Variant" is both a good, fun, smart story and an interesting experiment in indie self-publishing for fiction."-- John Gruber, daringfireball.net== About the Author ==An excerpt of The Variant is available at johnaugust.com/variant About the AuthorJohn August is the screenwriter of eight feature films, including Go, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride. He wrote and directed the 2007 movie The Nines.He can be found on Twitter, @johnaugust