Book picks similar to
Down, Then Up by Beth Labonte


romance
beth-labonte
contemporary-romance
chick-lit

Cruising Speed


Donna McDonald - 2014
    The big bike in her garage hasn’t been ridden for a couple years now. It is no more than a symbol of her loss and reminds her of her own lack of usefulness.When the very large, very excited Mikkel Gunnarsen arrives to buy it, his pleasure in the bike makes the decision to sell to the younger man much easier than she imagined it would be. The same is also true for the decision that ends with Mikkel spending the night in her bed.Kia knows the blissful moments with Mikkel are only momentary relief, but being with the younger man is certainly inspiring.

The Boss's Runaway Bride


Pamela Burford - 1998
    Not only does free-spirited Molly shower naked outside, and practice her trumpet at all hours, and encroach on Quinn’s personal space in the most distracting way... she’s the woman who ran out of the church moments before she was due to exchange I-do’s with the boss!All Quinn wants is a solitary vacation, a few weeks alone with no distractions to examine his options and get his life and career back on track. He doubts he’s ever been more distracted with the boss’s sexy runaway bride sleeping right upstairs. And that’s before the hurricane hits!A feel-good romantic comedy novella. Originally published as “July” in the anthology Summer Heat.

The Billionaire's Pregnant Girlfriend 1: Best Friends


Danielle Jamesen - 2016
    It should be here today. My acceptance - or, God forbid, my rejection - to Stable College in Northern Maine. It was the one school I actually cared about getting into out of the seven I applied to. It was a small school compared to a University, but it was of the larger colleges I had come across during my search. Jack was applying there too, and I had always hoped we would stick together past high school since the start of our friendship freshman year. I think he thought the same thing, though he would never admit to it out loud. My feet nearly slid on the slick ground, wet from the first of spring’s cold rain, as I hurried myself to open the mailbox. A fat stack of various envelopes sat inside, waiting for a human hand to rescue them from the cold tin can they were subject to. I snatched them up and quickly sorted through various junk, mostly addressed to my mom. Nothing. I sighed with disappointment. A knot formed in my stomach; the tardiness of the letter felt like a bad sign. I shook my head, forcing negative thoughts out of my mind. It would probably just be here tomorrow. Mail arrives late sometimes.

The One You Want


Gena Showalter - 2014
    The supposed bad girl is determined to walk the straight and narrow, a seemingly impossible task when Tall, Dark and Sexy shows up…Rich and powerful, Dane Michaelson is every woman's dream. When he returns to Strawberry Valley after a sixteen-year absence, he is unprepared for the redheaded girl he's never been able to forget. She's all woman now—and he's never wanted anyone more. But to have her, he'll have to break through her defenses… and surrender his own.* First published in the 2014 anthology, All For You.

The Wedding Gift


Lucy Kevin - 2012
    She plans to dazzle the bride and groom so the Chalet’s owner will keep her around, but fate has other plans for her when the bride’s brother shows up for the first food tasting.Andrew Kyle is not only the Cuisine Channel’s Edgy Eats host and chef, but his recent review of Julie’s restaurant was the final nail in its coffin. Once he meets Julie at the Rose Chalet, he’s certain she’s playing it safe. And he wants nothing more than to be the one to break her guarded passions loose.But despite the undeniable sparks between Julie and Andrew — and the fact that he seems to believe in her when no one else does — can she afford to be taking risks with her cooking, with her career… or with her heart?

A Place in Her Heart


Trish Milburn - 2014
    Now three bestselling Harlequin authors honor these remarkable women with stories inspired by their extraordinary contributions.In A Place in Her Heart, Boston bakery owner and women's shelter volunteer Katy McShea has traveled far to overcome her traumatic past. But apparently not far enough, because Callum Walsh suddenly reenters her life. The handsome navy SEAL doesn't have a clue how she felt about him in high school…or what happened after he shipped out. Five years ago, Cal thought he was doing the right thing. Now Katy�along with her mouthwatering miniature cupcakes�are awakening feelings too irresistible to ignore. All Cal wants is to cherish and protect her. Or will his guilt and Katy's reluctance to trust keep their chance reunion from becoming a mission possible?Look for A Place in Her Heart by Trish Milburn, along with two more free ebooks inspired by real-life heroines: Never Too Late by Christi Barth, and A Wing & A Prayer by Andrea Laurence. Visit the Harlequin More Than Words website at www.harlequinmorethanwords.com, or your favorite ebook retailer, to download these free novellas today.

After the Storm


Yvonne Lehman - 1998
    For decades she has protected herself and "his family" from the damage this secret could cause. But when Bobby’s well-being depends on her honesty, will she have the courage to speak the truth? When tragedy strikes, can love and honesty save a life? Finding Love in the Low Country ... Contemporary Christian fiction portraying real-to-life characters in search of lasting love in the Low Country of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Caught Up in Her


Lauren Blakely - 2014
    I don’t believe in that. Because love isn’t about falling for someone’s looks. Though she was beautiful in every single way, from her dark, wavy hair to her gorgeous brown eyes, to the soft curves of her body. But that’s not why I fell so hard for her that summer. She took my breath away for reasons that had nothing to do with her looks. It was the the movies, the conversations, the walks through the small town, the nights on the beach with the waves rolling in, the way I could hold her hand and feel as if the world had simply melted away and we were all that was left. So, there was no love-at-first-sight. That would come later, and if it happened first it would take away all the reasons that stayed with me for the next five years. Even though you’re not supposed to fall for your best friend’s little sister. But that didn't stop me...A prequel novella in the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Caught Up in Love series.

Blonde Date


Sarina Bowen - 2014
    A nervous sorority girl. A mean-spirited fraternity prank. What could possibly go wrong?As a sorority pledge, there are commandments that Katie Vickery must live by. One: thou shalt not show up for the party without a date. Two: the guy shall be an athlete, preferably an upperclassman.Unfortunately, Katie just broke up with her jerkface football player boyfriend. Even worse, her last encounter with him resulted in utter humiliation. She’d rather hide under the bed than attend a party where he'll be.Yet staying home would mean letting him win.Enjoying herself tonight was out of the question. She could only hope to get through the evening without her blind date noticing that he was spending the evening with a crazy person.Andrew Baschnagel is living proof that nice guys don’t finish first. He’s had his eye on Katie since the moment her long legs waltzed into his art history class. So when her roommate sets Andy up to be Katie’s date, he’d be crazy to say no. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a lot of practice with either girls or parties. Yet.BLONDE DATE is a 23,000 word novella covering a four hour span of Katie & Andy's night. ALSO INCLUDED: a sneak preview of the third novel in the Ivy Years series, THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR.

Flowers for Mama (Lakeside #1)


Serafina Lyndon - 2015
    Working for low pay as an aide in a special needs classroom, she is flattered when the handsome guardian of a student asks her out on a date. The chemistry between them is intense. But she can’t be fully honest with Chalton, scared that he’ll back off fast once he knows how out of control her brother is becoming. And what she doesn’t know is that Chalton isn’t being fully honest with her either . . . and the truth is worse than anything she could imagine.

Love on the Line


Kimberly Kincaid - 2013
    But when her brother’s police detective partner is injured in the line of duty and needs help during recovery, she makes an exception. Violet lost her father to the job seven years ago, and worries for her brother’s safety every day. The last thing she wants is to get up-close with her brother’s career-cop partner…again.For Noah Blackwell, being a detective isn’t just a lifestyle, it’s a legacy. So when he’s forced to take mandatory leave and deal with the trauma amnesia keeping him from identifying his shooter, it’s a literal case of adding insult to injury— and now he’s got to deal with an unwanted culinary caregiver on top of it. Never mind that he and Violet shared a steamy, secret kiss last New Year’s Eve. She rejects everything related to the job, and Noah’s not about to be distracted from recovering his memory and getting back to what he does best. No matter how pretty Violet is.Despite their differences, Violet and Noah share a surprising bond in the kitchen that grows into something neither of them expect. But as Noah heals and their feelings for each other extend from the kitchen to the bedroom, Violet knows she must make an impossible choice. She may wear her heart on her sleeve when it comes to food, but can she risk it all to put love on the line?

A Tide Worth Turning


Beth Wiseman - 2015
    But following a stroke and a recent fall, Addison is forced to hire a caregiver for her estranged mother, Lee Ann; a job Addison chooses not to take on, despite her financial freedom to do so. She hires an agency to fill the position, and to her surprise, they send a man for the job. Logan has somehow managed to keep his act together despite a past that is slowly catching up with him. If he can make enough money over the next couple of months by tending to Lee Ann Burke, he should be able to flee the country before his world comes crashing down around him. But when Lee Ann’s beautiful daughter, Addison, begins to awaken feelings in him that he thought died long ago, he begins to question whether or not fleeing from the past is worth leaving Addison forever. Will Addison let down her guard for love and renew her relationship with her mother? Can Logan face his past, come out unscathed, and act on his feelings for Addison? And why is Lee Ann selling everything she owns on Ebay and Craig’s List?

Royally Raised


Emma Chase - 2017
    They all are. When they’re not busy giving us migraines.” ~King HenryNo one ever said raising children was easy...but raising a future monarch? That's another story all-together. Get a glimpse into the happily ever after of Wessco's irresistible royals in Royally Raised - a sweet, sexy, heartwarming short story set twenty years after Royally Matched.

The Last Single Girl


Bria Quinlan - 2012
    Last minute. Who doesn't already have plans on the busiest date night of the year.But, so far the best part of the search for a great date has been the cute café I found and the geeky-hot owner who keeps rescuing me from these crazy eLove.com dates. This should be easy-peasy. The internet is the home of all your hopes and needs, right?Spoiler Alert: it isn't.Between the bromance date and the crazed single dad who needs to hire a nanny and housekeeper, not get a date, I'm running out of options. If only a certain cutey didn't have a phone call with "sweetheart" every day.The weirder things get, the more I think just going solo is very I Am Woman, blah blah blah. Forget about the fact that my heart keeps bringing me back to a certain café even when I don't need to be there...I mean, my heart doesn't always get what it wants, does it?

When We Touch


Brenda Novak - 2012
    Olivia Arnold is arranging the festivities ... It's the hardest thing she's ever done ... Because SHE should be marrying Kyle Houseman ... After all ... until fairly recently ... Kyle and Olivia were together ... for more than a year ... But her jealous sister, Noelle ... stole Kyle away ... and now ... Noelle's pregnant ...All their friends in Whiskey Creek know as well as Olivia does that Kyle's making a mistake. His stepbrother, Brandon, knows it, too. But Kyle's determined to go through with it, for his child's sake.Olivia's devastated, but surprisingly Brandon ... the black sheep of the family ... is there to provide comfort and consolation. The intensity between them, both physical and emotional, shows Olivia that maybe Kyle wasn't the right man for her ... But is Brandon!!!?!