Book picks similar to
Rules Are For Breaking by Imelda Evans


romance
australian-woman-writer
category-romance
contemporary-romance

The Problem with Crazy


Lauren K. McKellar - 2014
    It can be good crazy, bad crazy ... or "crazy" crazy--like it was when my ex-boyfriend sung about me on the radio." Eighteen-year-old Kate couldn't be more excited about finishing high school and spending the summer on tour with her boyfriend's band. Her dad showing up drunk at graduation, however, is not exactly kicking things off on the right foot--and that's before she finds out about his mystery illness, certain to end in death. A mystery illness that she could inherit. Kate has to convince everyone around her that her father is sick, not crazy. But who will be harder to convince? Her friends? Or herself? The Problem With Crazy "is a story about love and life; about overcoming obstacles, choosing to trust, and learning how to make the choices that will change your life forever.

The Man Plan


Elise K. Ackers - 2012
    She has no family, and all her friends are couples. Fed up with feeling sorry for herself, Cora hatches a plan to find a good, loving man she can call her own. Her deadline is Christmas – she doesn't want to spend another holiday by herself.Just as she decides her strategy, she meets Matt, her downstairs neighbor. They become unlikely friends, with Matt an amused bystander as Cora tries various methods in search of a man.Then something strange happens. Matt, who spends his life avoiding commitment, begins to feel jealous of the men Cora is dating and his resolve to never fall in love begins to crumble. Cora finds herself increasingly attracted to Matt. But is he Good Husband material? She thinks not.A light-hearted, contemporary romance about a young woman who goes looking for love, only to find it right under her nose.

Connected Hearts (Connected Hearts #1-5)


Ellie Danes - 2016
     Harper Browning has it all, but it didn’t come without struggles. She’s put it all behind her and turned over a new leaf with her extremely romantic, good-looking and billionaire matchmaker boss, Mason Asher, but not to the liking of his personal assistant and right-hand girl, Natalie. Mason Asher is known for his ability to find a match for anyone, including the hundreds of wealthy clients that pay him handsomely for his services. But when he makes a promise to Harper’s best friend, Avery Gains, he’s taken on more than he can handle and now risks not only losing his business, but Harper’s love too. Connected Hearts is the follow-up series to It Takes Two and can be read as a stand-alone series or you can follow along from the start by downloading the complete series.

Fake Bride


Cassandra Bloom - 2017
    Anaconda,’ they call me. I don’t chase women, they chase me. I’ve made my fortune, I’ve built my empire. I play to win and live by my own set of rules. My darkest secret? There's something I’m missing. Something all my billions can’t buy. Till she came into my life. Every inch of her curvy form makes my mouth water. But she’s heard of my womanizing reputation. Now she needs a job. And I have the perfect assignment for her. $50’000 for her to be my Mrs. for two weeks. She is mine now. Now the game is on. And I play Dirty… I won’t let anybody f*ck with my plans. But to really fall for a girl. To make her completely and utterly mine. Claim her for my own. My wildest dream and my darkest nightmare all in one… Which one will it be? If I toy with my desires, will she steal my heart? Fake Bride is a steamy fake marriage romance story with no cheating, no cliffhanger and, as always, a happy ever after ending. Includes bonus content for your reading pleasure! Enjoy.

Billionaire Matchmaker


Summer Cooper - 2018
    Which Billionaire is your best match?Power, money, good looks—they have it all!Or so it seems.They have no problems making big bucks.They have no problems getting hot dates.But what they all need is more than that, they need a partner in life!Lucky for them, there’s someone who knows just how to find them the perfect match...

You Were Made For Me


Jenna Guillaume - 2020
    A boy six-feet tall with floppy hair and eyes like the sky on a clear summer’s day. A boy whose lips taste like cookie dough and whose skin smells like springtime. A boy completely devoted to Katie. But silly musings and kitchen antics with her best friend, Libby, have definitely taken a whimsical twist into something bigger than Katie could have ever daydreamed. Turns out the consequences of fumbling a human being into existence are rather complicated. More importantly, does Guy, the golden Adonis Katie’s created, like her because he wants to, or because he has to? And will he be Katie’s very first kiss?

Stolen Kisses


Kerttu-Liis Kiili - 2017
    Create a list of rules and stick to it as if your life’s survival and happiness depend on it. For seventeen-year- old Ella Perry, the only thing bigger than her obsession for Nuttela brownies and sushi is her lip balm collection, and if something happened to it, she would not survive. And when attractive Seth Lee decides to steal her most precious collection –all hell breaks loose. A rebel with a good sense of humor, Seth Lee is every girl’s manic pixie dream boy. And nothing gives him more pleasure and delight than pestering his best friend’s sister, Ella. With Seth’s warm and funny personality, Ella soon sees him past the smirks, chuckles, and well-groomed hair. Their story is the picture-perfect high school romance, except for one tiny problem: Seth Lee has a troubled past. Tangled in his own family’s dark secrets and trapped in a prison of his own making, he must do everything he can to keep the only girl he ever cared for safe—even if protecting her means breaking her heart. Will Ella ever get her stolen lip balms back or will Seth steal her heart as well? This new young adult book is for everyone who’s looking for a light hearted read. Smile and be surprised at every turn of the page. Bring back bittersweet memories of your first love and grab a copy now.

The Fragments


Toni Jordan - 2019
    The woman quotes a phrase from the Karlson fragments that Caddie knows does not exist—and yet to Caddie, who knows Inga Karlson’s work like she knows her name, it feels genuine.Caddie is electrified. Jolted her from her sleepy, no-worries life in torpid 1980s Brisbane, she is driven to investigate: to find the clues that will unlock the greatest literary mystery of the twentieth century

The Devil in Denim


Melanie Scott - 2014
    Baseball’s in her blood, and she’s always dreamed of the day when she would lead the Saints to victory herself. That was before her dad had to sell the team to Alex Winters. The fast-talking, fiercely attractive businessman has a baseball pedigree that’s distinctly minor league. Maggie wants to hate him but his skills of seduction, however, are off the charts.Will Love Be A Home Run?Alex could never have imagined how much this team means to Maggie. He needs her to help show the players that they’re still a family…even if he and Maggie are at the verge of exchanging blows. But her fiery determination and gorgeous looks prove irresistible to Alex. And much as he wants to relegate their relationship to the playing field—and get the Saints back in the game—Alex just can’t help himself: What he wants to win most is Maggie’s heart…

A Bush Christmas


Margareta Osborn - 2012
    Especially when she needs rescuing from stampeding cattle, falling Christmas trees and town ladies wielding catering lists and tablecloths.And two, in Burdekin's Gap there's no chance of escaping the festive season. For the town has its own unique way of celebrating Christmas – big time, BUSH style!Includes an extract from Margareta's upcoming novel, Hope's Road.

The Book Ninja


Ali Berg - 2018
    Or a relationship. Or just a date with a semi-normal person will do.It’s not that she hasn’t tried. She’s the queen of online dating. But enough is enough. Inspired by her job at The Little Brunswick Street Bookshop, Frankie decides to take fate into her own hands and embarks on the ultimate love experiment.Her plan? Plant her favourite books on trains inscribed with her contact details in a bid to lure the sophisticated, charming and well-read man of her dreams.Enter Sunny, and one spontaneous kiss later, Frankie begins to fall for him. But there’s just one problem – Frankie is strictly a classics kind of gal, and Sunny is really into Young Adult. Like really.A quirky and uplifting love letter to books, friendship and soulmates.

A Room Called Earth


Madeleine Ryan - 2020
    And what appears to be an ordinary night out is--through the prism of her singular perspective--extraordinary. As the evening unfolds, each encounter she has reveals the vast discrepancies between what she is thinking and feeling, and what she is able to say. And there's so much she'd like to say. So when she meets a man and a genuine connection occurs, it's nothing short of a miracle. However, it isn't until she invites him home that we come to appreciate the humanity beneath the labels we cling to, and we can grasp the pleasure of what it means to be alive.The debut novel from the inimitable Madeleine Ryan, A Room Called Earth is a humorous and heartwarming adventure inside the mind of a bright and dynamic woman. This hyper-saturated celebration of love and acceptance, from a neurodiverse writer, is a testament to moving through life without fear, and to opening ourselves up to a new way of relating to one another.

Summer of Serenity


Nicola Marsh - 2021
    A free-spirited country girl with a cause. Fireworks are guaranteed...Upstanding principal Jy Atherton dreads the next four weeks. As punishment for crossing his bosses, he's been lumped with the inglorious task of assessing Acacia Haven's tiny school with its, dare he say, 'hippie' curriculum. With the lowest test scores in the state, it's no wonder shutting it down is practically a forgone conclusion. But then he crosses paths with a spitfire who knocks him for six - pity he's already public enemy number one...Teacher Summer O'Reilly loves her small town nestled along the beautiful coast. Returning was the best decision she ever made. The intentional living community of Serenity is thriving, and the children are its future. No way will she allow a jumped-up suit - no matter how good-looking - to close the school her precious students need.For Rayne O'Reilly, Acacia Haven has always been serene on the surface, but there's a dark secret she's kept from everyone for decades, including her daughter, Summer. But after reviving old friendships and reconnecting with the past, will she finally have the courage to tear down the walls that have kept her trapped?PRAISE FOR NICOLA MARSH:'I've fallen in love with the small town and the close-knit community.' Instagram review @wherethefksyourcake'A beautiful and touching story, underscored by emotional themes, Second Chance Lane is not to be missed.' - Mrs B's Book Reviews'A satisfying read with plenty of drama and a big dollop of romance.' - The Weekly Times

His Brand of Beautiful


Lily Malone - 2013
    Tell her: Thanks but no thanks. So long, good night.But Tate is a sucker for a damsel in distress and when a diary mix-up leaves Christina in his debt, it's Tate who gets more than he bargained for.What does a resourceful girl do when the best marketing brain in the business won't play ball? She bluffs. She cheats. And she ups the ante. But when the stakes get too high, does anybody win?Falling in love was never part of this branding brief.

The North Wind


Bronwyn Parry - 2016
    Her life is elsewhere, and the ties that have for decades bound her family to the struggling town and its old hotel may soon be broken.But the arrival of two strangers in town – Owen Caldwell and his grandfather – along with the hot, dry north wind herald a time of challenge and unexpected change.Owen has no idea why his grandfather has quietly insisted on this Christmas visit to Dungirri, a town he's never been to. But the old doctor has a final quest, and as long-held secrets come to light and Owen and Angie use their skills to assist those in need, they both must decide where they belong, and where their future is.