Book picks similar to
Lost in Carmel by Terri Lee


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The Italian Party


Christina Lynch - 2018
    Newly married, Scottie and Michael are seduced by Tuscany's famous beauty. But the secrets they are keeping from each other force them beneath the splendid surface to a more complex view of ltaly, America and each other.When Scottie's Italian teacher--a teenager with secrets of his own--disappears, her search for him leads her to discover other, darker truths about herself, her husband and her country. Michael's dedication to saving the world from communism crumbles as he begins to see that he is a pawn in a much different game. Driven apart by lies, Michael and Scottie must find their way through a maze of history, memory, hate and love to a new kind of complicated truth.Half glamorous fun, half an examination of America's role in the world, and filled with sun-dappled pasta lunches, prosecco, charming spies and horse racing, The Italian Party is a smart pleasure.

The Sock Wars


Maia Sepp - 2012
    But as she struggles to settle into a life of cohabitation, organic lentils, and sock thievery, she starts to wonder how she ended up there--and when she'll feel alive again.As she works through her grief and tries to find somewhere to belong, Lucy begins to understand that sometimes, realizing one dream means giving up another. Can a person who spends her time fixing other people's lives learn to let go enough to live her own?The Sock Wars is a poignant, funny reminder that there's one thing harder than living up to other people's expectations; facing your own.The Sock Wars has been a top 100 digital bestseller. Reach Maia online at www.maiasepp.com.

The Last Valentine


Felix Alexander - 2017
    Olivia, daughter of a drunkard police investigator who never knew the truth behind her mother’s disappearance, finds a bloodstained love letter in the hidden compartment of her father’s coat. Convinced it belonged to the man recently found dead she sets out to deliver it to the Labyrinth of Love Letters. A mysterious place believed to be an urban legend where the transients of forbidden love leave missives for one another. She enlists the help of Isaac Quintero to find the Labyrinth and they soon realize their quest has opened the door into Old Sienna’s darkest secrets—the perils, madness and depth of tragic love

The Helicopter Pilot


Darcy Hoover - 2018
    Modern day explorers, these hard men endure months away from loved ones, exposed to foreign cultures and exotic dangers, all to scrape out a life, and perhaps find a little adventure. An established career in the First World grows stagnant, an opportunity presents itself, and a timid man ventures abroad. In the unforgiving world of offshore oil exploration in a small African village, Edward tentatively drifts beyond his self-imposed boundaries, and finds himself drawn deeper into an existence he cannot escape. This is Edward’s struggle with his environment as much as his own nature, and the man he desires to be.

Spoken


Melanie Weiss - 2019
    A relationship with his father. When Roman’s life gets turned upside down, (thanks, Mom!?), he is forced to leave his pampered Hollywood lifestyle and move into his grandparents’ Midwestern home. Sleeping on a lumpy pullout sofa and starting at a new high school is the worst, but Roman’s life starts to look up when his pink-haired friend, Zuzu, and his crush, a classmate named Claire, introduce him to performance poetry through the high school's Spoken Word Club. While his mom is flying back and forth to L.A., trying to return them to the life they had, Roman becomes part of a diverse group of characters who challenge his rather privileged view of the world. Through Spoken Word, Roman recognizes the hole in his own life he needs to fill and discovers his voice. Spoken Word leads Roman on a journey of new friendships, first love, and finding the dad he never knew. “Spoken” is an uplifting, funny, and heartfelt coming-of-age story that captures how the honesty of performance poetry binds together students from all different walks of life and forever changes Roman’s life.

In The Now


Jennifer Ann Shore - 2020
    Scratch that. There are many reasons why I haven’t been home—family drama, small-town gossip, and my career probably take up the top three spots.But when my career stalls and I get devastating family news, I’m back to the very place I ran away from a decade ago. The last thing I want to do is pick up right where I left off, and as I'm drawn to Noah, my terrifyingly gorgeous high school bully, I know that things have certainly changed.I was supposed to run away and never look back, but I’m stuck dealing with my past and planning for the future. But all I want to do is live in the now.—“In The Now” is an enemies to lovers, second chance adult romance by Amazon bestseller Jennifer Ann Shore.

Crushing It


Lorelei Parker - 2020
    . .To pitch her new role-playing game at a European conference, developer Sierra Reid needs to overcome her terror of public speaking. What better practice than competing in a local bar's diary slam, regaling an audience with old journal entries about her completely humiliating college crush on gorgeous Tristan Spencer?Until the moderator says, "Next up, Tristan Spencer . . ."Sierra is mortified, but Tristan is flattered. Caught up in memories of her decade-old obsession as they reconnect, Sierra tries to dismiss her growing qualms about him. But it's not so easy to ignore her deepening friendship with Alfie, the cute, supportive bar owner. She and Alfie were college classmates too, and little by little, Sierra is starting to wonder if she's been focusing her moves on the wrong target all along, misreading every player's motivations.Maybe the only winning strategy is to start playing by her heart . . . "Relatable, funny, and charming, this gamingesque book delivers laughs and romance in a warm, satisfying bundle." --Elly Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Frostblood "Sexy and delicious." --Kristin Wright, author of Lying Beneath the Oaks

Lulu's Cafe


T.I. Lowe - 2014
    By a stroke of fate, Leah is drawn to the Southern hospitality of a small caf�, looking for a warm meal but finding so much more. Lulu, the owner, offers her a job, a place to stay and a new lease on life. Through Lulu's tenacious warmth and generosity, Leah quickly finds herself embraced by the quaint community as she tries to put herself back together. Given she's accustomed to cruelty, the kindness is overwhelming.Soon Leah meets Crowley Mason, the most eligible bachelor in town. A lawyer and friend of Lulu's, Crowley is wary of Leah's sudden, mysterious arrival. Despite his reserve, something sparks between them that can't be denied. But after all she's been through, can Leah allow herself to truly love and be loved, especially when her first urge is to run?Exploring the resiliency of both the heart and the spirit, Lulu's Caf� gorgeously illustrates how old scars can finally heal no matter how deep they seem.

The Returning Tide


Liz Fenwick - 2017
    Decades later, the efforts of one reckless act still echo - but how long will it be until their past returns?The Returning Tide will sweep you away to the beautiful Cornish coast, full of secrets and mystery, and will be loved by fans of Kate Morton and Rachel Hore.

Break the Stone


Cassie Swindon - 2021
    She doesn’t have time to learn what’s inside when Pa uproots her from the only home she’s ever known, leaving the mysterious trunk behind. Meanwhile, Specialist Kody Walsh focuses on his advancement in the army. Raelyn walks into his life and derails his plans. They awaken a spark inside each other, but deny their interest. Forced to work together, Raelyn and Kody find evidence that her Ma might still be alive. While hunting for the truth, the two grow closer as complications and danger arises. Will Raelyn ever find out what really happened to Ma? Will Kody tear down his walls and let Raelyn into his heart? Or will the challenges tear them apart?

Daughters of the Night Sky


Aimie K. Runyan - 2018
    Katya Ivanova is a young pilot in a far-flung military academy in the Ural Mountains. From childhood, she’s dreamed of taking to the skies to escape her bleak mountain life. With the Nazis on the march across Europe, she is called on to use her wings to serve her country in its darkest hour. Not even the entreaties of her new husband—a sensitive artist who fears for her safety—can dissuade her from doing her part as a proud daughter of Russia.After years of arduous training, Katya is assigned to the 588th Night Bomber Regiment—one of the only Soviet air units composed entirely of women. The Germans quickly learn to fear nocturnal raids by the daring fliers they call “Night Witches.” But the brutal campaign will exact a bitter toll on Katya and her sisters-in-arms. When the smoke of war clears, nothing will ever be the same—and one of Russia’s most decorated military heroines will face the most agonizing choice of all.

Belladonna


Anbara Salam - 2020
    Her best friend, Bridget, keeps quietly to the fringes of their Connecticut Catholic school, watching everything and everyone, but most especially Isabella.In 1957, when the girls graduate, they land coveted spots at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Pentila in northern Italy, a prestigious art history school in the grounds of a silent convent. There, free of her claustrophobic home and the town that will always see her and her Egyptian mother as outsiders, Bridget discovers she can re-invent herself as anyone she desires.Only Isabella knows the real Bridget, just as Bridget knows the true Isabella. But as that glittering year goes on, Bridget begins to suspect Isabella is keeping secrets from her, secrets that will ruin all of her plans and that will change the course of their lives forever.

Lucky's Beach


Shelley Noble - 2020
    Julie also plans to use the time to figure out why her perfectly planned life has gone terribly amiss. They've barely hit the road when a frantic call from Julie's mother hijacks their best laid plans. Uncle Tony "Lucky" Costa is missing. Always entertaining, often irresponsible, never reliable, Uncle Lucky was a favorite with her friends. For Julie, for whom he'd been a sometimes surrogate father, not so much.Her mother wants them to take a "teeny" detour to look for the irascible retired surfer. Julie makes excuses. After all, she was the one who decided she never wanted to see Lucky again. Overruled in this as she is in much of her life, Julie and her friends detour to Lucky's latest scheme, Lucky's Beach Bar and Grill. They find it tucked away in a quaint coastal town on the Delaware coast. With a crescent beach of white sand, large waves, plenty of tanned young men, a lively night life, it's a perfect beach getaway.Beth and Aggie see good times ahead, Julie is determined to get through it as quickly as possible. But that will change as she gets to know Lucky's friends and confidantes. The taciturn bartender, the loyal housekeeper, the local fortune teller, the whole town shares a determination to protect him. But from what?Soon Julie and her friends are swept up in an effort to save the town's--and Lucky's-- most closely guarded secret. And Julie begins to see her uncle in a new light.Julie Barlow has a few things to learn about life--and love--and sacrifice. Her lesson begins this summer at Lucky's Beach.

Deep Blue


Kristy McCaffrey - 2021
    Grace Mann knows great white sharks. As the daughter of an obsessed shark researcher, Grace spent her childhood in the company of these elegant and massive creatures. Now, finally, she’s testing a prototype shark array that may lead to a reliable alert system for swimmers and sharks to coexist. All that stands in her way are two men—her ex, Brad Michaels, fellow shark researcher and the man trying to steal her work, and Alec Galloway, an underwater filmmaker hired to produce a documentary about Grace’s project. Grace mixed her work and love life before and it was a disaster. No matter how sexy Galloway is, she won’t make that mistake again …Alec Galloway prides himself on being the best in the business, so he’s baffled when Dr. Mann rejects his application to capture her work on film. When her boss overrules her decision and gives Alec the job, he learns that winning over Grace won’t come easy. But Alec is accustomed to dealing with unpredictable creatures, and Grace’s passionate focus on great whites puts her in a class of danger all her own. As his fan-boy crush on the woman quickly turns into something more, his greatest competition turns out to be the sharks themselves.“This book has it all … danger, intrigue, romance, scientific fact and a fast-paced plot …” ~ Allison Brady, Love Books Group“… Grace is a brilliant character … five stars …” ~ donnasbookblog“… like shark week in a book …” ~ Rachel H., reader2019 Write Touch Readers’ Award – Second Place in Long Contemporary2019 Carolyn Readers’ Choice Award – Finalist in Contemporary Romance2019 I Heart Indie Contest – FinalistEach Pathway novel can be read as a stand-alone, but don’t miss the other books.Book 1: Deep Blue (Dr. Grace Mann and Alec Galloway)Book 2: Cold Horizon (Lindsey Coulson and Tyler Galloway)Book 3: Ancient Winds (Dr. Tristan Magee and Brynn Galloway)After reading the novels, enjoy these short stories in The Pathway Short Adventure Series:Short 1: Deep Blue AustraliaShort 2: Deep Blue Réunion IslandShort 3: Deep Blue Cocos IslandShort 4: Cold Horizon TellurideRelated novella:Blue Sage (Dr. Audrey Driggs and Braden Delaney)

Sleepaway


T.R. Pearson - 2019
    A Blue Ridge camping trip goes sideways for two young brothers and their minder in this sweet, brief novel of calamity and kindness.