Book picks similar to
Written in the Stars by Barbara Pace


20th-century-historical-romance
first-reads
seperation
shelfari-college

Short Stories


Thomas Ryan - 2013
    Ryan believes all good short stories should have unexpected twists and turns. Applying his thriller techniques he manages to achieve this end. Readers will find Ryan’s short story writing gripping and easy to read.In this first collection one of the short story’s ‘Ruth’ was included in an anthology recently published in the USA.Quoting a recent reviewer, ‘these are very intriguing, original stories, all well written and enjoyable. Ryan really gets inside his characters and makes their world our world, whatever its moral code or unwritten rules. These stories are powerful and stay with you once you've finished them.’Short Stories by Thomas Ryan are a must read.

Sneaking Candy


Lisa Burstein - 2013
    Of course, secretly I already have made a name for myself: as Candy Sloane, self-published erotic romance writer. Though thrilled that my books are selling and I have actual fans, if anyone at UM found out, I could lose my scholarship…and the respect of my faculty advisor, grade-A-asshole Professor Dylan.Enter James Walker, super-hot local barista and—surprise!—my student. Even though I know a relationship is totally off-limits, I can’t stop myself from sneaking around with James, taking a few cues from my own erotic writing…if you catch my drift. Candy’s showing her stripes for the first time in my real life, and I’ve never had so much fun. But when the sugar high fades, can my secrets stay under wraps?

The Sheikh's Marriage Bargain


Leslie North - 2020
    Marriage was never in the picture. But when her grandfather is tricked into signing a binding marriage contract to a man she finds repugnant, she has one choice: Run away. Her flight ends with a fortuitous meeting with Zayid Hasan, Crown Prince of Raihan, who offers the perfect solution to Laila’s predicament: marry him and solve both their problems. Zayid’s younger brother must marry his pregnant fiancé, and ancient laws dictate the oldest brother is required to marry first. Desperate for a way to protect both her grandfather and herself, Laila agrees. After all, their marriage will last only until Zayid’s brother can marry—and her marriage to the brooding, handsome prince isn’t much of a sacrifice. It’s not like she’s going to be foolish enough to fall in love…Zayid doesn’t know what to think about his new half-American wife. He doesn’t really want to think about her at all, but for some reason, he can’t stop himself. Strangely enough, all the royal functions that used to bore him silly are now entertaining with Laila by his side—even though he knows she’d much rather be alone creating her art. Though the marriage of convenience was his idea, he can’t help but start to wish it was the real deal. No way can he ignore the simmering chemistry that’s driving them both a bit crazy. He’s much better at ignoring what’s in his heart—until he realizes it just might break if he can’t convince Laila to stay with him forever…

Every Beat (Every Series, #1)


Samantha Rey - 2014
    Her heart is so fractured that she has walls built up around it thick enough to keep everyone out, which means at least she won’t get hurt again. When her roommate, Henley, takes her on a tour of her new campus, Sadie literally falls into the arms of a devastatingly handsome stranger. She tries to ignore the feelings that have been awakened in her, but when she meets him again, she realizes she’s losing the battle. To make matters worse, the brooding boy in the back row of her literature class stops her heart and makes it beat faster at the same time, even when he completely ignores her. She had all intentions of focusing on her studies and refusing relationships, but she finds herself in situations where she is unable to help herself. Her past may have created the fears, but now she must decide if she is going to face them. Intended for mature audiences: 18+ Can be read as a stand-alone. A follow up novella, Every Chance, is now available! Also, look for book 2 in the Every Series, Every Choice!

Lucifer's Son


Sergey Mavrodi - 2008
    the world of angels and devils, of Lucifer and Lucifer's son, the world of temptation and seduction in his latest masterpiece of deviltry and suspense. In a world of horror and fear that is almost too realistic to be fiction, Mavrodi's characters burst from the pages, come alive and open up their innermost beings... revelations that will shock and astound the reader, who--while filled with fear and anxiety--will be unable to put LUCIFER'S SON down until the last terrifying scene.

Sleigh Ride


Breezie Bennett - 2020
    When the players and their families gather for a holiday dinner with their beloved coach John Watson, they learn that he’s facing heartbreak in his happy home. Determined to do whatever they can to turn the tide, the couples devise a plan to save Christmas and their coach’s marriage by recreating the night John and Jeanette met…in Vermont. In the snow. On a sleigh.Can they turn the beaches of South Florida into a romantic winter wonderland? Can they make it snow? Find a sleigh? Get a reindeer to South Beach? When love is on the line, these guys and their wives have to get quite creative. But if there’s one thing a South Florida Rider can do, it’s win at love. All they need is a Christmas miracle and some holiday magic under the palm trees.The South Florida Riders Series:Sexy rom coms that sizzle with sass. On this NFL team, you'll find fake fiancees, single dads, buds-with-benefits, friends-to-lovers, and one smokeshow of a roommate. These guys score on and off the field and take your breath away with every play they make.

Slippery When Wet


Cairo - 2013
    So when she goes on a weekend getaway with her friend, Ava allows curiosity to get the best of her.​ Miasha Simmons is the perfect little trophy wife for her wealthy attorney-husband, and she knows how to keep her man happy. But when he’s away, his sweet, loving wife likes to play with other women.​ Laila Reynolds loves the sweet sting of a whip from those who seek her out through her website, promising solicitors a night of hot, steamy fun they’ll never forget. There’s nothing more delicious to businesswoman Ebony Rice than being on the receiving end of a gangbang with six lovely, harness-strapped women. Playboy-stud Reggie Sanders loves the chase of beautiful straight women. That’s until she seduces a woman who gives Reggie a taste of her own medicine—straight with no chaser.

Delaney's People: A Novel In Small Stories


Beth Duke - 2011
    Delaney is one of them."When you meet Delaney Robinson, she is a two-year-old with a serious attachment to her wonderful great-grandmother, who guides her through life with the wisdom of a nonagenarian. Margaret's reminiscences, along with the rest you will read, tell the story of how this adorable little girl came to be.There is murder, mayhem, humor, romance--and a bit of heartbreak. The stories are about her parents, grandparents, distant ancestors, and family friends, from Delaney's Irish forebears and how they settled in Alabama to a chapter written entirely from the point of view of a Confederate battle sword hanging on her grandfather's wall.

Going for a Ride


Kylie Gilmore - 2016
    Now he’s spending the summer working for his uncle’s traveling carnival company and trying to figure out who he is without football.Free-spirited Kelsey Brown returns to her hometown of Sapphire Falls, Nebraska for the annual festival and a much needed break to figure out her next career move—follow her corporate advertising job in its relocation or feed her artistic soul with the photography that she loves. But when she discovers her long-time football hero crush is working the festival, she quickly decides she’s going for a ride. With him.Sizzling summer nights in Sapphire Falls soon lead to a future neither of them could have imagined. But can two very different people follow their dreams together?

Tiaras & Teacups (Berry Lake Cupcake Posse Book 2)


Melissa McClone - 2021
    She’s struggling to leave her trophy wife identity behind and make ends meet as a full-time event planner. When her handsome new neighbor needs to throw the perfect birthday party for his niece, Juliet offers her services. If she pulls this off, maybe she can get her life back on track. But to do so, she’ll need the help of the Cupcake Posse. Too bad her friends are grappling with problems of their own:Missy’s recovering from injuries; Nell’s trying to thwart her mother’s matchmaking efforts; Selena’s husband wants her to work less when she needs to do more; and Bria’s facing obstacles she never anticipated trying to save her late aunt’s bakery.Join the Cupcake Posse as they work together to navigate the difficulties of life, loss, and love. They continue to rely on each other, never losing sight of the importance of friendship and family, but will that be enough to save the Berry Lake Cupcake Shop?

Checking Inn


Emily Harper - 2013
    Make sure the caterers don't serve devil's food cake to the Christian Women's Alliance- check. Tell my mother that having a séance to get rid of any unwanted spirits in the kitchen during dinnertime is not okay- check. Send a friendly reminder to all staff that the pens are colour coded for everyone's enjoyment, and therefore it is not a good idea to put them all in one jar in order to spice things up as was anonymously suggested- check. But, when an acclaimed hotel critic dies at the Inn, just before she's about to publish a scathing review that would ruin the business, Kate's life and checklists are thrown into disarray. And it doesn't help matters that the detective assigned to the case is messy, unorganized, and too charming for his own good. Now Kate has to prove her innocence and save her Inn, or else the only thing that she'll be organizing is the prison's next bake sale.

Bunco: A Comedy About The Drama Of Friendship


Robin Delnoce - 2020
    Maybe you’ve known them since childhood, or met in college, or while waiting for a child’s practice to end. Maybe you found yourself living on the same street. There’s no single path to friendship. Relationships don’t follow a script and neither do the lives of smart, funny, complicated suburban women. Jill, Anne, Mary, and Rachel met years ago through a neighborhood group that regularly got together to play a dice game called bunco. Although players have come and gone, they continue to use bunco as an excuse to abandon their day-to-day responsibilities and enjoy food, drinks, and the company of their best friends. When new neighbors move in under the cover of night, the foursome sees an opportunity to expand their bunco circle. But within hours, suspicions run rampant as the odd behaviors of the newest residents are interpreted differently. Are they quirky, or kinky? Diabolical, or misunderstood? Time after time, as the truth sheds light on some secrets, more emerge. Each woman finds herself shocked by the friends she thought she knew.Through the friendly banter, intimate confessions, and tongue-twisting insults, you may see yourself or your friends in these characters. Wipe away tears of laughter and loss as you join the four metaphorical rounds of bunco, and feel part of the conversation. Whether engaging in playful exploits, providing unconditional support, making uncomfortable sacrifices, or winding up in handcuffs again, these ladies are those rarest of friends who become true family. Of course, families don’t follow a script either, unless it is a plot-twisting, slightly off-color comedy about the drama of friendship. And bunco, sort of.

Very Like a Queen


Martin Lake - 2016
    As the King’s favorite, she enjoys his protection, but after seeing the downfall of three of his wives, she’s determined to avoid the same fate. Alice must walk a fine line between mistress and wife.She finds a powerful protector in Thomas Cromwell, and Alice has every reason to believe that she will continue to enjoy a life of wealth and comfort at Court…until she puts everything at risk by falling in love with a Frenchman, Nicholas Bourbon.When Cromwell is executed, Alice loses her only ally and flees to France. There she hopes to live in peace with Nicholas. But Alice is lured into a perilous game of treason, and peace doesn’t last long. Will Alice get back the life and love she’s fought for? Or will she lose herself to the whims of a capricious monarch?

A Keepsake Christmas


Elle Rush - 2021
    Bring the spirit of Christmas into your heart with this collection of all new sweet holiday romances set in the popular series of eight bestselling authors.No Matter How Far by Barbara Hinske. Where hidden treasures can hold the key to a heart and offer an unexpected path home...A Lot Like Christmas by Kathryn Cantrell. The place where destiny is the ultimate matchmaker. All you have to do is believe.The Last Cottage on Pinewood Lane by Melissa McClone. Will performing during a Christmas fundraiser bring a former figure-skating star the healing and love that have eluded her? Or will being back under the glaring spotlight only lead to more heartache and regrets?Tinsel and Teacups by Elle Rush. A bubbly barista and a shy, single-father antique dealer must set aside their rivalry to find the best Christmas teacup ever when they are nominated to run the Holiday Beach food bank fundraiser. Will the spirit of Christmas overcome their competitive streaks?Blessings on State Street by Rachael Bloome. Abigail Preston wants nothing more than to skip Christmas this year. But her holiday-free hideout in the quaint, charming town of Blessings Bay comes with a mysterious and unexpected house guest. Can two heartbroken strangers find hope and healing in the most Christmassy town on the coast?One Unforgettable Christmas by Tammy L. Grace. An exhausted ER doctor looking to escape the city. A beach-loving workaholic executive stuck in a snow-covered valley. Will the charm of the town and the magic of the holidays be enough to mend their broken hearts?The Cowboy's Christmas Wish by Kristen Ethridge. Sarah Murdoch knew bringing her daughter, Jamie, halfway across the country to Port Provident, Texas would cause more anxiety than feel-good Christmas memories. But when Jamie bonds with Grant McCray, the owner of Beachcomber Stables, she begins to come out of her shell.I'll Be Home For Christmas by Tess Thompson. High school sweethearts Jennifer and Jack were supposed to be together forever. But Jack's one night mistake tore them apart. Will they have the ultimate second chance at love more than 30 years later? Or is the secret she kept from him too much to forgive? Can the magical spirit of Christmas in Emerson Pass bring forgiveness and healing for these two star-crossed lovers?

Mayhem, Murder and the PTA


Dave Cravens - 2019
    When a key source vanishes on a politically toxic story, this single mother of three finds herself at the center of a media storm and out of a job. Ready to reset, Parker moves her family back to the rural town where she grew up. But a gossip-filled PTA, a tyrannical school principal and a gruesome murder make adjusting to the "simple life" anything but. Parker Monroe is about to chase the story of her lifetime...