Book picks similar to
Night & Day by Sherrie Hansen


romance
cultural
current_issues
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Before I Knew Him


Anna Ralph - 2008
    But he doesn’t see much to look forward to. Leo doesn’t fit in. But nothing ever happens to Leo; he never has a story. Then he meets David. Moody, resentful and tough, David is everything Leo is not and an unlikely friendship soon grows between them.Events that summer take a dangerous and disturbing turn, and the results are devastating for both boys and their friendship. In the aftermath, traumatized, they pledge to keep their shared secret, never to meet again, and above all — to forget. But when the terrible truth re-emerges ten years later and forces David and Leo back together, everything and nothing has changed.

. . . and Baby Makes Two: A Novel


Judy Sheehan - 2005
    But that’s before she sees the perfect child. There he sits in his stroller, angelic and beautiful, magnetic and serene– and he makes Jane question everything she has and everything she thought she wanted. Suddenly all she can see are babies and pregnant woman everywhere. Were there always so many of them? And while there was once a man in her life–her one true love, Sam, gone from this world too soon–there is no man now. Jane must make a choice: possibly become a bitter and childless old lady, letting her biological clock tick on ’till menopause, or tend the ache in her heart now, by becoming a single mother. As Jane struggles to make the most important decision of her life, friends and family offer no shortage of opinions. There’s Ray, her “hubstitute” and gay best friend who would be jealous of any kid who got Jane as a mom; Sheila, her sister, who went from zero to sixty when she eloped with Raoul–who had two young twin sons– and has mixed feelings about being a new mommy; her strict, Catholic father who can’ t imagine what level of hell Jane would banish herself to if she becomes a single mother; and the women of Families with Children from China who are preparing to adopt orphan daughters–without a man in sight. Just as she thinks she’s made up her mind, Jane discovers one small wrench in her plans: handsome, charming, funny Peter, who just happens to be (unhappily) married. . . . And Baby Makes Two is a heartbreakingly honest, wonderfully addictive, and funny novel about love and loss, family and friendship. Judy Sheehan, co-creator of the smash hit Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, has perfectly captured the delights and dilemmas of the scariest job in the world: motherhood.From the Hardcover edition.

The Lonely Tree


Yael Politis - 2008
    She hates the hardships of life in Kfar Etzion - an isolated kibbutz south of Jerusalem - clearing rocky hillsides, bathing in rationed cups of trucked-in water, and being confined behind barbed wire. Her own dreams have nothing to do with national self-realization; she longs for steaming bubble baths and down comforters, but most of all for a place on earth where she can feel safe. She is in love with Amos, but refuses to acknowledge these feelings. She knows he will never leave his homeland and Tonia plans to emigrate to America. But can she really begin a new life there? Tonia's story in The Lonely Tree is interwoven with the true story of Kfar Etzion, a kibbutz that was overrun by the Arab Legion during pre-War of Independence hostilities.

Wildflowers and Kisses: A love story


Jaclyn M. Hawkes - 2014
    Even when she spritzes him with her florist water at their first meeting, Skye is the most refreshing thing that has ever happened to Dr. Gage Garrison. Confident, successful, and seriously disillusioned, when Gage meets Skye one evening at her shop she is like a shot of pure, sweet oxygen to his spirit. So he pesters her until she agrees to go out with him. But later, when he realizes that her dog is a guard dog, that Skye has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is an expert with a handgun, he begins to wonder what scars she’s hiding behind that beautiful, sweet smile. And what is she so afraid of?

The Christmas Contract


Jan Romes - 2013
    While he's generous with his money, he also makes the community work for it. He's the same with his family. No free handouts. What he gives has strings attached. Dax decides it's time for his fiercely independent, almost-thirty year old granddaughters to settle down. He wants them to find love and give him great-grandchildren before his lights go out. And he knows how to make it happen. Prompted by love, guilt and a desire to own their own business, the Dawson triplets -- Joy, Noelle and Christi -- enter into a Christmas contract that will change their lives forever. Finding true love is a unique adventure, so each girl has their own story. The outcome for all three, however, funnels into one giant happily-ever-after.

Secrets of A Housewife


J. Tremble - 2006
     A successful career. A beautiful wife and children...and his pick of the sexiest women in town. It seems Tarron has the best of both worlds as he manages to indulge in wild nights out with his lover and quiet nights at home with his family. But the party is about to end...When Tarron's cheating ways are revealed, his cool-headed wife, Secret, handles it like a pro. That's partly because, true to her name, Secret is hiding some bad behavior of her own. And now, as Secret starts to really live out her own fantasies, neither she nor Tarron may be ready for the explosive consequences... "A fascinating debut novel... There are so many exciting twists and turns to this story that you'll be begging for more once you read the very last page." --Urban-Reviews.com

Do Not Find Me


Kathleen Novak - 2016
    Before he can approach her, she is gone. He returns to the bar for weeks, hoping to see her again. He dreams of her at night and searches the crowds for her face. Quiet and careful, he is not the type to become obsessed by a stranger. But obsessed he is.Two years later he meets her at a party. Her name is Corrine. She seems to like his cooking and the blues albums he collects, but she never stays with him for long. As he discovers the secrets and violence of her life, Gigi finds himself unable to rescue her, and barely able to save himself. He flees New York, but his obsession with Corrine follows him, even when he returns to his home in northern Minnesota, where he marries, has a daughter, and fishes the deep, quiet lakes he knows so well.After he dies, his daughter uncovers her father’s desire for this unknown woman, leaving her to question the inherent perils of his life as well as her own.Dark and poetic, Do Not Find Me moves between the voices of Gigi Paulo and his daughter with a compelling grace, its haunting undercurrents remaining long after the story has ended.

Kit: Finding Freedom and Love


Katherine St. Clair - 2017
    She’s had a bit of schoolin, and now she works at the local cannery. Her friend Letty dreams of marriage and a family of her own. Kit could choose that life, but she wants more. But it’s 1895 in North Carolina, and her options are limited. In the newspaper, she sees an advertisement calling for young women to go and work for the Harvey Company – a growing chain of restaurants - that serves hungry railway passengers traveling to the untamed west. But the interview is miles away in Raleigh…does she dare? Will she leave her family and the life she knows, and risk everything for independence and adventure? Yes, she will! But it’s not easy. Leaving home is only the first of many challenges for Kit, from facing her own doubts, to proving herself, and standing up to the judgment of others – including her closest new friend. With hard work and an instinctive knowledge of how to bring out the best in others, Kit progresses in her career, until she gets a message from home. Racing back across the country to the bedside of a loved one, Kit begins to question what will make her happy. When it looks like love will be a better choice, Kit is tempted to leave her life out west behind. Are fate, friendship, determination, and good advice enough to keep Kit on the right path? Can she have a successful career, and also the love and respect of a good man? Is there a man out there who is strong enough to value her, and give her wild heart a home? Read on to learn Kit’s fate, and discover the famous Harvey Girls, whose hard work and courage helped build a restaurant empire like no other.

Safe for Summer


Mandy Baggot - 2020
    A bodyguard. Two people whose hearts need mending.Autumn Raine is an international superstar. She's living the dream, at least that's what she's showing the world. After her safety is threatened Autumn's life begins to unravel and with her world crashing down around her, can she learn to trust anyone again?When Nathan Regan, an ex-elite soldier is assigned to protect her, Autumn might just have to let someone past the barriers she's put up around herself. But with Nathan fighting against his own demons, will they begin to find solace in each other?Two people, from very different backgrounds will have to come together to face their future.Previously published as Security.

Give Me Your Answer Do (Channel View Farm, #1)


Jo Bartlett - 2016
    After all, with a mum whose cake baking skills rival Mary Berry’s, and the perfect venue, it seems the natural choice. She might be a total novice when it comes to the first wedding, but with a bride who leaves everything until the last minute, a vengeful ex-fiancé of her own, and the world’s naughtiest donkey… What could possibly go wrong?Fabrian Books' feel good novels are heart-warming romantic stories that leave you believing a happy ever after does exist.

The Dressmaker


Benita Brown - 2007
    When her mother dies, Melissa is offered a home by wealthy Lilian Winterton, but she soon realises Lilian wants an unpaid seamstress. Treated as a servant by the Wintertons, Melissa is befriended by Reenie, a kitchen maid, and they enjoy dressing up in Lilian’s cast-off clothes. Wearing finery, Melissa meets handsome young artist James Pennington, but she runs away, frightened he will guess her true status. Scandal follows and Melissa is unfairly thrown out on to the streets. Can the rags of her life be sewn into riches...?

Amish Renegade: Amish Romance (An Amish Vows Romance, Book 1)


Rose Doss - 2018
    Furious, Kate married another Mann. Now she is a widow, her parents are dead, and she has an orphaned child to raise. Out of options, she turns to Gott for help. One night while praying she realizes she must marry and quickly. Unfortunately, the only single Mann in her Amish community is Enoch Miller, who hasn’t spoken to her in years. Trusting in His guidance, she summons her courage and asks Enoch to marry her. Will Enoch agree to marry her? Will he get over his anger or will he deviously devise ways to make Kate pay for the pain that she has caused him? Can Kate and Enoch come together to raise the orphaned child and find the love they once lost? Or will bitterness and revenge drive them apart for good?

Love on the Frontier: Mail Order Bride 16 Book Box Set


Maddie Walker - 2020
    

The Sheikh's Bride Deal


Holly Rayner - 2020
    She’s got her eyes on the prize—the CEO position of her company—and is one big deal away from getting there. After accompanying her boss to the up-and-coming middle eastern city of Kayyem to sign a contract with the ruling family of the city, she’s ready to do anything to sign the deal that will make her career. But what she doesn’t realize is that traditional Kayyem customs may make things slightly more complicated than they first seemed… Ibrahim Al-Sharim is a playboy prince with irresistible charm, and bright hopes. Though he’s involved in family business matters, he’s never been taken as seriously as he’d like, and soon comes to find out that he’s to be married off to an American woman for the sake of a securing a real estate deal. Ibrahim has lived a bachelor lifestyle for his entire life, and now he has to play husband? No sooner has the ink dried than reality sets in: Madison has just unknowingly agreed to marry a member of the Al-Sharim family to seal the deal, and she’s expected to stay in the foreign city married to a practical stranger for three months! Sparks soon fly between them—but both are painfully aware that they are contracted together into little more than a shallow arranged marriage. Will Madison discover there’s more to life than chasing titles? Will their tawdry marriage deal turn into something truly beautiful?

Texas Rein


Becky Rodgers Boyette - 2011
    Now she wants only to raise her son, Samuel, and fly high on the East Coast social scene. When her father calls from the Texas family ranch in need of help, Cassie can’t think of a worse fate than returning to sleepy Summerville. Then her father clues her into his bucket-list dream – namely to turn his prize foal into the first Olympic champion Reining horse. As if that weren’t crazy enough, he enlists the help of a hottie local cowboy who looks enough like George Strait to make Cassie’s heart quiver. The last thing she wants is a hometown hook-up, but Chase Eversoll could be their ticket to the Olympics. Willing or not, Cassie’s in for another wild ride … just once could she finish on top?