Book picks similar to
Almost a Family by Donna Alward


romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary
ibooks

Hit & Run Bride


Nana Malone - 2014
     Marketing analyst Becca Daniels has a life that looks good on paper. A coveted promotion in an exciting new city and a successful, handsome fiancé. But with her Hawaiian honeymoon fast approaching, she has to face her biggest fear… water. She can’t swim. On her way to her first swimming lesson, however, she veers left instead of right and nearly runs over her hot, new swim instructor. Caution: Rising Waters... Liam Caldwell has put his life on hold to look after his sick mother. The last thing he needs is the hit-and-run brunette who ruined his motorcycle disrupting the adult swim class. But from the first lesson, he realizes there’s more to the curvy, smart-mouthed Becca than meets the eye, and no matter what he does, he can’t resist her luscious lips and her driving determination. No U-turn... With each lesson, Becca discovers that what looks good on paper isn’t making her happy. Should she play it safe in the shallow end with her career and fiancé? Or should she dive into deep waters with a man who offers passion and freedom like she’s never imagined?**This contemporary New Adult romance is intended for readers 17+. Contains adult content, language, and situations.

Kellen's Redemption


Aden Lowe - 2015
    Sparks fly between the two when they meet for a gun deal, but Kellen doesn't know the Russian mob has put a price on Vicki's head. He and his Club could end up in the middle of all-out war as paid guns. Does Kellen like Vicki enough to risk his neck by getting involved? Can Vicki trust his help? Or is he another part of the trap her father's old foes have laid? How will she know the difference before it's too late?

Finding Hope's Ridge


Silver McKenzie - 2020
    However, he’s stunned to discover he still has feelings he can’t ignore for his sister’s best friend, the one woman in Hope’s Ridge who’s hated him since high school.When her business plans crumble overnight, Asha Jones is wrong to assume life can’t get any worse. She’s made an enemy of an influential local property developer, and the man who crushed her heart ten years earlier has returned to town. Sure, she can do her best to ignore Zane’s existence, but what will she do when her feelings resurface for him? She can’t go there again…can she?Zane needs to redeem himself and fight for a second chance. But is working with the man who wants to destroy Asha’s business a guaranteed way to reignite her hate - or could it be an opportunity to change her opinion of him?Finding Hope’s Ridge is the first story in the Hope’s Ridge small town series.

Fire at Twilight


Lila Ashe - 2013
    She's good at it, too. In her acupuncture practice, she fixes the community of Darling Bay, and in her personal life, she's rescued her sister too many times to count. Her love life, though... Grace doesn't think she needs help, especially not from a man whose very nickname is unhealthy.Tox Ellis is the hazmat expert at the Darling Bay Fire Department, and he knows about harmful substances. He knows what gases to keep apart to prevent explosions. Why, then, can't he seem to stay away from Grace, the woman who seems to think he needs fixing?Is Darling Bay ready for the chemical reaction Grace and Tox generate whenever they're in the same place at the same time? And who will be standing by to put out the flames?The Firefighters of Darling Bay seriesBook 1: Fire at TwilightBook 2: Fire at DawnBook 3: Everyday Hero (A Darling Bay Short Story)

Alexander & Rebecca


Marianne Knightly - 2015
    So seriously, in fact, that he’s followed duty over pursuing the woman he’s loved for years. However, now it’s time for him to marry, and he’s tired of waiting. He’ll pursue her despite royal objections, and despite her own.A commoner falling in love with a prince.Rebecca Campo loves her work as chief of staff to Princess Catharine, her friend and Prince Alexander’s twin sister. Alex is every woman’s dream, and it comes as a shock when he seems to want her. Even after their passions overtake them, Rebecca still doesn’t believe they’re meant for forever because she’s only a commoner, not a future queen.An unexpected threat that can destroy them both.When a death threat is made against Alex, the whole family goes on alert. What no one counted on, however, was Rebecca getting caught in the crossfire.This novel features an older virgin and the future king who wants her, a royal family that loves one another (even while they annoy each other), and a look behind fictional palace walls.*This is a standalone book in the series with no cliffhanger, and features sexy scenes and swearing. Emotional trigger warning: discussion of potential assault.* * *Meet the Royals of Valleria, a country as old as the fall of the Roman Empire. The reigning king and patriarch rules with his beloved queen. Nine children, now grown, ranging from the eldest twins to the youngest son, watch over the country they love and care for. Bound by honor, duty, and loyalty, follow their lives as they fall in love, face tragedies, and triumph against the evils facing them.

Indelible Love - Emily's Story


D.W. Cee - 2012
    Her world shattered, she picks up the pieces when she finds love again with Jake.Dr. Jake Reid - Successful doctor, loving boyfriend, the one who wants to fulfill Emily's happily ever after - falls in love with Emily at first sight and pushes their relationship fast and furious.Max Davis - Reserved, indecisive, Emily's first love - believes he let go of his first love for her sake, for all the right reasons. Eighteen months after the break-up, he's ready to win Emily's heart again.Insecure from her broken relationship, Emily can't fully trust Jake's passion and love for her and struggles between Jake, the man who wants to create a future with her, and Max, the man who wants to relive the past. When both men propose, Emily's indecision causes her to lose her true love. Laugh, cry and cheer for Emily as her relationships unfold through culinary delights that begin in Napa Valley and weaves through eateries in San Francisco, Kyoto, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Paris. Who she chooses for her happily ever after may surprise you in the end.

The Misadventures of Catie Bloom


Brooke Stanton - 2016
    He's a player ready to settle down. Can they fake it till they make it into each other's arms? Catie Bloom dreads being found out as a hot mess. So when the high-profile domestic goddess’s supposedly perfect life is scheduled for a TV special, she’s desperate to hide the slovenly reality while she scrambles to learn to cook and find a studly pretend hubby. And with her future on the line, she reluctantly accepts the office playboy’s lifeline to help her cover up the cracks and look the part… Sportswriter Sam Harding buries authenticity behind his breezy charm. And though he knows Catie’s less-than-tidy secret, he’s frustrated when his lady’s man reputation gets in the way of intriguing the one woman who holds his heart. So when he discovers her goose could be cooked, he jumps at the chance to stand in as her handsome prince. As Catie struggles with burned offerings, her growing attraction to Sam is a grease fire waiting to happen. While Sam worries if he keeps his desires hidden for much longer, he’ll lose his opportunity to move from bogus husband to the real deal. Is their passion about to be roasted, or can they whip up a gourmet romance?The Misadventures of Catie Bloom is the hilarious first book in the Bloom Sisters romantic comedy series. It’s a dash of Sophie Kinsella’s Can You Keep a Secret, with a helping of Christmas in Connecticut, and a recipe all its own, mixed into a delicious and romantic romp. Buy The Misadventures of Catie Bloom to set a table for two today!

Hundred Reasons


Ali Parker - 2018
     Declan Gamble cares about two things–his daughter and his company. Nothing can compete with the devotion he shows to both. Until the day Alex Tanner appears in his life. Struggling to keep her late father’s repair shop afloat, Alex doesn’t have time for anything else. When she isn’t repairing motorcycles, she’s dreaming up ways to continue doing so. She won’t let anything stand in her way. Failure is not an option, and she’s determined to make things work without asking for help from anyone. So, when Declan Gamble saunters into her shop, she can’t possibly prepare for the impact he will have on not only her business, but her life. The man is too sexy for his own good. ** Please note that this is book 1 of a trilogy. There is a cliffhanger, and you will have to purchase book 2 and 3 to complete the story. Book one is on us to make sure you like the story before continuing.

When the Stars Align


Isabel Jolie - 2019
    I can’t stand the place. But when an offer to move to NYC includes a fast track to partner at a well-respected law firm, there’s no way I can decline. My move to the city goes exactly according to plan, everything falling perfectly into place…until the elevator door in my new apartment building opens, and I come face to face with my past. Four years ago we parted ways, neither of us willing to change our future career plans. We were too stubborn, too ambitious, and refused to make sacrifices. To add salt to the wound, she ended the year dating my roommate. But right now, staring at her beautiful face after all this time, I can still feel it. The attraction, the desire—it’s palpable. Four years ago, I wanted forever with Anna. Now, I’m a different man. A relationship isn’t in the cards. She threw that chance away. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun…right?

Wizard's Chance


Eve Langlais - 2010
    Pure adventure follows as Samantha finds herself magically teleported to a tropical island where she meets a hunky wizard in need of rescuing.A curse traps Sinclair on a tropical island with little hope of rescue, that is until a luscious librarian is dropped on his beach. Having been betrayed by love once, he’s leery of trusting again but as he and Samantha overcome the magical obstacles set in their way, they discover that true love awaits them if they’re ready to take a chance.Please note, Wizard's Chance was originally titled Take A Chance and was published by Champagne Books from June of 2010, until June of 2013. Published anew in August 2013 by Eve Langlais, this book has been revised from its original version to read more smoothly and was given a new title along with a new look. The story itself, however, remains the same.

Billionaire for Hire


Cat Johnson - 2018
    Or that it could cost me my life.I'm Brent Hearst, for God's sake. A member of the one percent. As in old family money. Yet somehow I'm standing here, smiling while there’s a gun strapped to my leg ruining the line of my Italian suit.But my real issue isn’t with that gun. Oh, no. It’s my other weapon I can’t control when I’m around the sexy-as-sin brunette who might or might not be a spy. It seems I don’t care which while I’ve got her against the wall with my hand fisted in her hair.Oh, and while I figure out if I’ve been sleeping with the enemy, I’ve also got to keep us both from being killed by a couple of gun-toting Russians.No problem.Billionaire for Hire is a full-length standalone contemporary romance in the For Hire series, a loose spinoff from Cat Johnson's Hot SEALs with cameo appearances from favorite characters.

Chasing the Wild Sparks


Ren Alexander - 2013
    Just ask Hadley Beckett.Marriage. Even the mention of the word drives my nuptial-phobic, love-of-my-life boyfriend of three years, Finn Wilder, who is also Richmond’s sexy, golden boy sportscaster and daredevil, to the brink of total madness. Even though the daredevil thrives on adrenaline and danger and eagerly professes his love for me, becoming my husband is a dare he always eludes. What’s more, Finn Wilder is single, according to his coworkers and viewers—Finnatics—as they’re called. I don’t exist.Despite his marriage fears and questionable relationship status, Finn increasingly pressures me to move in with him, but being unusually traditional by today’s standards, I want to be married first, adhering to my moral beliefs, just as he desperately clings to his own religious upbringing regarding starting a family with me. Something he wants no part of either.As much as I love Finn, I’ve reached my limit with the lies, secrets, and his reluctance. Something has got to give. We’re forever at a standstill, a faceoff which one of us will lose. Everything.

When I Come Home Again


Jennifer Rodewald - 2020
    But in a matter of a year’s time, everything she’d counted on fell apart, leaving her devastated. Seven years later, she’s stable again. She has a supportive boyfriend, fulfilling career, and close friends. She keeps her past heartache where it belongs—in her rearview mirror. Until the man who broke her heart finds his way back to Big Prairie.Craig Erikson had it all—popularity, success, and the love of his high school coach’s daughter. But after a year of mistakes that ended in a tragic accident, he’d left Big Prairie—the place he’d thought to always call home—hoping that without his antagonizing presence, Brenna would be able to heal. Now his mother desperately needs him, as do two young boys in her care. Craig has little choice but to return for good.Unsure that she can forgive him, Brenna does her best to avoid him. Irritated that she ignores him as if they’d never meant anything to each other, Craig becomes determined not to allow it. Life in a small town forces their interaction, making them confront their unresolved issues and igniting emotions that have smoldered for seven years. As Craig and Brenna are pushed together, can they endure the hard places still littering their lives? If so, is it possible to find their way back to love and home again?

Beautifully Wounded


Susan Griscom - 2014
    is to take a leap of faith.What would you do if you had no place to go and no one you could trust?"The lyrics are about you, Lena," he confessed, and I watched his mouth as the tip of his tongue moistened his lips before he leaned his head down. Then those beautiful lips were on mine, soft, tender at first, then his tongue glided over my lips, breaking the seal. My pulse throbbed and quickened as his tongue swirled around mine. Taking and controlling, and... and I wanted this, needed his touch. I went limp in his embrace, and the heat rose under my skin, my body vibrated against his strong powerful one. Was this really happening?" Jackson Beaumont prides himself on being a nature-loving, guitar-strumming, carefree sort of guy. When the mysterious Lena Benton walks into his bar looking scared and defeated, it's not something he can ignore. He's immediately consumed by concern for her and driven by his desire to help. She's just so beautiful. So wounded. After being shuffled from one foster home to another growing up, Lena Benton dreamt of finding her prince charming. When the captivating Troy Harington sweeps her off her feet shortly after high school graduation, she's certain she's found her happiness. Unfortunately, Troy's true colors surface shortly after their marriage and things turn ugly. Lena only has one choice. She has to leave him. She has to run... Lena's escape has brought her to Jackson, and he clearly wants to be there for her, but can she trust anyone again after what she's gone through? And will Jackson be able to help her heal without losing his heart?18+ due to sexual content and mature subject matter.

You Make Me


Erin McCarthy - 2014
    Then he left without a word. The betrayal devastated Caitlyn and made her vow to forget the compelling bad boy. But forgetting his sensual touch and their deep all-consuming friendship is easier said than done. Isn’t the guy she needs… Determined to move on, in college Caitlyn has risen above her small town impoverished roots and has joined a sorority, reinvented her appearance, and landed the right boyfriend. Pre-law major and frat president, Ethan, is thoughtful and always laughing, and he makes her feel happy, calm. He also gives her the social acceptance she craves. But the perfect world she tried so hard to attain is ripped apart when Heath appears one night out of nowhere. Caitlyn remembers all the reasons why she loves him, even if they don’t make sense to anyone but her. Out of the military, Heath is as brooding and intense as ever, and he is determined not only to win her back, but to exact revenge on everyone who kept him from her… And when one love allows her to breathe, but the other feels as essential to her life as air, how does she choose between them?