Book picks similar to
An Unexpected Gift by Lily Zante


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contemporary-romance
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romance

Who Does He Think He's Fooling? (Worked Up, #1)


Laurie Baxter - 2017
    Amy can't stop thinking about Tom. But neither of them knows that and right now they need to worry about their boss's latest "teamwork exercise." Oh and that little mix-up last night where Tom asked Amy out but she thought it was an April Fools' gag.This book is a novelette-length romantic comedy.

Unlucky In Love


Carmen DeSousa - 2016
    Some lucky women focus on a career and make their own happily ever after. And then some women wake up after fifteen years of marriage and discover that their luck just ran out … right into the arms of another woman. Jana Embers isn’t one to sit back, though. The first thing Jana realizes she needs to do is empty the joint bank account, then she’s thinking she might take a tire iron to her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s truck. After that, she’s not sure what she’ll do … Maybe she’ll adopt a cat. WARNING: Although there are many adult situations in this novella, if say ... something crazy happened and a famous producer adapted this contemporary women's fiction into a movie, it would have a PG-13 rating. There are no erotic scenes, no graphic violence, and while there are a few allowed-on-TV curse words, there aren't a plethora of gratuitous foul words. Oh, and if you were looking for a cliffhanger, you won't find that here either. But, Unlucky In Love is only part one of Jana's story, and you might want to continue to the next part of her story in Some Lucky Woman, so please proceed at your own risk.

Home for the Holidays: Short Story


Eden Summers - 2019
     Now he's back for the holidays and thinks he can pick up where they left off. Not if she can help it. He broke her heart once. She can't let his cocky smirk weaken her defenses again. That is, until he tempts her with a Christmas gift she has no ability to deny. AUTHOR NOTE: This book was previously released as Down and Dusty - Brooke via Harlequin Escape. It has since been rewritten and revised.

The Party


Katie Ashley - 2013
    But after standing up as godfather for his great-nephew, Mason, that’s just what he gets at the Christening Party. Escaping the wrath of his father and sisters, he wants nothing more than to get to the company Christmas party. There he knows he can knock back a few stiff drinks and find some new no-strings-attached girl to take home for the night.The last thing Emma Harrison wants is to attend another party—least of all one at work. After throwing the annual life celebration (for the anniversary of her fiancée’s death) with close friends, she’s finally gotten the courage to take matters into her own hands and become a mother. Convincing her slightly inebriated best-friend, Connor, to be her sperm donor was a lot easier than she thought, and all that’s left now is to start the process. But at her best friend and work colleague, Casey’s, insistence, she decides to make an appearance at the company Christmas party for her new boss’s sake.Neither Aidan nor Emma could imagine what fate had in store for them at the party.

A White Hot Christmas


Adrianne James - 2013
    With so little time spent in one place, relationships are a no-go. Dean, a firefighter with a serious disdain for the holiday season, is sent to Mistletoe, a small town that lives and breathes Christmas. To keep his holiday exposure to a minimum, Dean avoids relationships from November through January. Will two people who are so adamant about being single be able to ignore the feelings that are heating up their Christmas season?

Love on the Half Shell


Mona Ingram - 2018
    Writing to a Boston restaurant critic seemed like a good idea at the time. What could possibly go wrong? Mona Ingram is the author of over forty sweet, clean romances full of hope, inspiration and happily ever afters. For a complete list of Mona’s books, visit her website at www.monaingram.com

The Mistletoe Bride


Scarlett Jade - 2014
    Defying common sense and hoping for a Christmas miracle, she gives the companion ticket to a man she just met. Nick is handsome, single, and loves Christmas too! It seems like a perfect fit. Nick meets the lovely, sad Eve at a coffee shop, and he’s instantly smitten. Eve is beautiful, if not a little crazy. She offers him a vacation, all expenses paid. He takes her up on the offer because hey, who passes up a free vacation? Sleigh bells ring in paradise, and they find each time they come together, it’s magic. Sparks fly between them and soon, they’re well on their way toward falling in love. Maybe it’s the sun, surf, and sand, or the loosened inhibitions… But will the secret Nick keeps tear them apart forever? Eve has to decide if she can forgive Nick and take a chance on happily ever after. The fate of Christmas is in her hands, and time’s running out.

Christmas Kismet


Jemma Grey - 2013
    Until this year. This year, Christmas represents an aching reminder of all that Kate is supposed to have and all that she has lost. Her fiance ran off with her twin sister and Kate would rather hide and wallow in her misery than spend Christmas with her family. This will be the first Christmas that she has ever spent alone. Kate rents a secluded cabin for the holidays and hopes to find herself again as she picks up the pieces of her shattered heart. Instead, Kate finds Henri Archer, a sexy architect who owns the vacation cabin that she rented. Henri is undeniably handsome and although Kate knows that it is entirely too soon for her heart to embark on a new relationship, her attraction to Henri is impossible to ignore. Since the death of his wife three years ago, Henri has struggled to get through Christmas. Spending an unexpectedly romantic holiday secluded in a winter wonderland with Kate has Henri wondering if Christmas wishes really do come true. Together, Henri and Kate rekindle the joys of the Christmas season - each contemplating bearing the scars of their pasts for a second chance at love. Kate fears that by opening her heart to Henri she risks re-opening herself to the heart ache that threatened to destroy her. Henri hopes that two broken hearts can come together and mend each other - a true Christmas miracle. **Christmas Kistmet is a sweet and steamy holiday romantic tale about love, fate and the redemption of second chances**

Believing Again: A Tale of Two Christmases


Martin Crosbie - 2013
    James proposes to her and promises that they’ll have lots of Christmases together. When Stephen returns home after serving overseas all he wants is to spend Christmas with his new wife, Myra. All he can think about is her touch, her warmth. A compelling story of two couples, traveling their separate paths, building their lives together, until one day a secret is revealed that changes all of their lives. And, afterward, nothing will ever be the same again. Believing Again: A Tale of two Christmases is a heart-warming tale of love, commitment, family, and, of course, Christmas.

Once Upon A Snow Day


Kait Nolan - 2013
    Driven, dedicated, there's no room in her high-pressure life to look for love outside the pages of the books she edits. Can a fun-loving, handsome stranger change her mind? A novelette of approximately 10k words. "Meet cute" is a term used to describe a situation in which a future romantic couple meets for the first time. Meet Cute Romance is a series of romantic shorts celebrating the possibilities of that first meeting.

Gloria


Jessica Lynch - 2019
    Growing up an only child, all she had was her grandmother. After Nana’s passing, Gloria thought she was the last one left in her family.Well, she is. Since Great Aunt Patti is dead and all.That’s okay. The nice lawyer who wrote her a letter assured Gloria that her great aunt lived a long, happy life in a small town that Gloria has never heard of. And now, as her next of kin, everything she owned belongs to Gloria.Including a house. Which sounds like a godsend to Gloria, who is eager to start her dream business and could use the extra cash.Only there’s a catch. Because of course there is. The house is hers—but only after she lives there for a year. One year in Hamlet and then Gloria will have enough money to follow her dream. Why not? It’ll give her time to work on her flavors. And it wasn’t like she had much going on for her in the city anyway.She’s moved in by Thanksgiving, ready to spend the holidays in her new home.So what if her new neighbor is the hottest guy she’s ever seen? Franklin is as grumpy as he is handsome, and he hates Christmas.Seriously.A year? Gloria will be lucky if she makes it to January. * Gloria is a small town Christmas romance set in Hamlet! It’s not explicitly part of the Hamlet series and for two reasons: the timeline and how different in tone it’s going to be compared to the other (darker, more suspenseful) books. Gloria will be a sweet, low-stakes, fluffy romance, similar to Hallmark Christmas movies, though it will feature characters and settings from the Hamlet books. You don't have to be familiar with those books to read this book—it's definitely a stand-alone—but it's also a bit of a prequel to that series, set a couple of years before the first Hamlet book Don't Trust Me.

Thomas's Muse


Kris Austen Radcliffe - 2013
    The moment vanished, and now Sammie spends her nights with a different man.Her life is black and white. But she needs food for her soul to feel alive. She needs color. She needs art.Everything changes the moment she meets Thomas Quidell. Brilliant and talented, Sammie quickly realizes Tom is her artist—and the man she's been fantasizing about all these years.Tom offers her more than a lifeline. He opens her eyes to a new life. Vibrant, loving, fulfilling. But is she strong enough to take a chance?

Stranded


B.J. Harvey - 2015
    When she’s roped in to play hostess on a late-night flight just two days before Christmas, she gets more than she bargained for—until Porter steps in to save her. Stranded in Chicago just two days before the holidays, Porter and Harlow have to clear the air. Can they stop circling each other and finally give each other what they really want for Christmas?Originally published in the All I Want anthology.

Blackbird


Cheryl McIntyre - 2013
    I love you, Hope. And I'm not the only one. I know you care about me. I see it in your eyes. I feel it. Everybody needs love. Everybody. And some people need it more than others. You're a liar if you say you don't. I'll do that for you. I'll love you. All you have to do is let me." –Sometimes Never What happened in the years between the final chapter and epilogue of Sometimes Never? Blackbird is an 18,000+ word novella that continues Mason and Hope's story as they finish high school, start separate colleges, and confront their demons. Though Blackbird can be read on its own, it is better enjoyed after reading Sometimes Never. Recommended for 17+ due to harsh language and some sexual situations.

Always


Carol Rose - 1998
    But the beautiful old house is a near-ruin and she can't afford to restore it. Elinor hopes to find a buyer who will cherish the home as she does. But she has one rule - she won't sell to handsome, self-made millionaire Cole Whittier.Cole has the locals upset over his plans to build a factory nearby and Elinor's leading the opposition. He's got a fight on his hands to convince the stubborn beauty of the merits of his plans - and of everything else he discovers he wants to offer her.It's up to Cole to persuade Elinor to see things from his perspective. The sexy industrialist is convinced that Elinor is well worth winning over.