Book picks similar to
Love By Design by Elizabeth A. James


romance
contemporary-romance
chick-lit
part-of-series

Good Karma


Donya Lynne - 2014
    Bullied as a child, she hides behind an unremarkable wardrobe and relegates herself to the shadows. But when her best friend convinces her to attend a charity benefit in Chicago wearing a stunning red dress that catches the eye of every man in the room, she discovers a surprising side to her personality. One that adores the spotlight but has no idea how to handle the attention.Mark Strong, a wealthy Chicago businessman, is brimming with confidence. He’s in total control. Nothing—and no one—escapes his notice. However, Mark carries a heavy, painful burden. After finding his fiancée with another man six years ago, he’s erected a fortress around his heart, unwilling to let himself fall in love again. But when enchanting Karma snares his gaze from across the room, he has no idea she will shatter his carefully ordered life.What starts out as a casual flirtation takes a series of surprising turns as Mark and Karma embark on a sensual journey destined by fate. Mark is driven to know Karma, understand her…educate her, and Karma is his willing student, eager to experience the pleasure he promises. But when the student becomes the teacher, Mark has to make a choice between taking another chance on love or a future alone.

Loving From Afar


Mona Ingram - 2013
    Ten years later, he returns home, telling himself he will avoid the woman who broke his heart.But nothing goes as planned. Can Allison and Cole forget the past and come to terms with the events that tore them apart?

Safe at Home


Christina Kirby - 2015
    The Georgia townsfolk’s true Southern charm is the unexpected prescription needed to heal her soul, and the sexy carpenter who touches her heart are distractions she didn’t plan on, but they might offer her a chance at a new life, if she can let go of her past. Town heartbreaker Spencer Malloy isn’t looking for anything serious. His days are perfect working as a contractor, attending his nephew’s baseball games, or taking him fishing. He never expects to fall for the big city girl, Samantha. She’s not his type, timid and closed off, but in her unguarded moments, he’s intrigued by the woman he can’t get out of his mind. The urge to get closer to her grows stronger each day, and when the shadow of evil resurfaces, he vows to protect Samantha, even if it means abandoning his home and joining her on the run. When confronted by the man who’s bent on revenge, Samantha must choose between running again to save the people she loves, or, if she has the strength, to stay and fight for her new life.

Heartbreak Highway


Harper Whitmore - 2014
    Come with Eva and Marshall on a lifechanging road trip.Sometimes people need a little help to find the right direction in life.What better way than to be guided by a man who knows both of them better than they know one another.But that man has just died.Or has he?You will laugh, you will cry and you will watch the most beautiful romance unfold before your eyes. Part 1 of a 4 Part Mini Series This book is FREE so you can see whether you enjoy the story first.

Your Perfect Year


Charlotte Lucas - 2016
    He’s going to enjoy the day… For hyper-particular publishing heir Jonathan Grief, the day starts like any other—with a strict morning fitness regimen that’ll keep his divorced, easily irritated, cynical, forty-two-year-old self in absolutely flawless physical condition. But all it takes to put a crimp in his routine is one small annoyance. Someone has left a leather-bound day planner with the handwritten title Your Perfect Year in his spot on his mountain bike at his fitness course!Determined to discover its owner, Jonathan opens the calendar to find that someone known only as “H.” has filled it in with suggestions, tasks, and affirmative actions for each day. The more he devotes himself to locating the elusive H., the deeper Jonathan is drawn into someone else’s rich and generous narrative—and into an attitude adjustment he desperately needs.He may have ended up with a perfect year by accident, but it seems fate has set Jonathan on a path toward healing, feeling, and maybe even loving again…if only he can meet the stranger who’s changing his life one day at a time.

Not What She Seems


Victorine E. Lieske - 2010
    What he doesn't know is that interfering in her life will put his own life in danger.When billionaire Steven Ashton couldn't stand his high society social life anymore, he left the stress of New York on a vacation for his soul. The need to meet real down to earth people led him to a small Nebraska town. He didn't want to lie about who he was, but he couldn't exactly tell them the truth.Emily could have easily fallen in love with Steven, under different circumstances, but her past was catching up with her and she needed a new life. If the authorities found out about her, she could lose the one thing that meant everything, her four year old son.Not What She Seems is approximately 67,000 words long.This book is a "sweet" romantic suspense, appropriate for all ages.Like clean romance? Check out cleanromancebooks.com!

Lost and Found


Elle Casey - 2014
    Sometimes engagement rings can get lost and then found. Sometimes people can too. All it takes is a heavy-duty dose of karma and the magic of Manhattan to make it all come together.Leah is a financially destitute new age hippy. James is a wealthy surgeon with a trust fund. She's awkward, he's poised. She's completely crazy, he's way too sane. People might say they have nothing in common, but they'd be wrong. They both live in Manhattan, they both have no idea how to change a baby diaper, and they're both lost … until they find one another. LOVE IN NEW YORK SERIES READING ORDER Love in New York: Book 1 (Lost and Found)Love in New York: Book 2 (Cabin Fever)Love in New York: Book 3 (Mister Fixit)About this series: I’d never been to New York City before, but I knew I would love it and wanted to write a story that was set in the most exciting city in the world. So I hopped on a plane with my friend Susan and spent 5 whirlwind days there, soaking up the culture, seeing the sights and nailing down the scenes that would eventually end up in this series. Those of you familiar with New York City know what I’m talking about when I say you just can’t beat Russ and Daughters’ bagels, Central Park, Times Square, Brooklyn, and Yonnah Schimmels’ knishes.

Finding June


Caitlin Kerry - 2014
    College degree? Check. Longtime boyfriend who is possible husband material? Check. Finding a job after school? Working on it. Yet, it only took one emotionless conversation on a beach in Mexico for everything to fall apart. After running away for the summer, June’s back in Boise, can’t find a job and is stuck working as a waitress. When June runs smack dab into Reece Day, her new coworker, she knows to stay far away from him. After being away from the town Reece grew up in, his journey has brought him back to where it all began. Reece is searching for forgiveness, but also stumbles upon the lively and smart mouthed June, who is so clearly lost in herself. Reece catches June's attention with his uncanny ability to always get under her skin, leaving her questioning what she really wants in life. Soon, June embarks on a journey of self-discovery to let go of the plan, because sometimes the unexpected surprises along the way are the most important and meaningful.Finding June is recommended for ages 17+ due to adult matters.

Fools Rush In


Janice Thompson - 2009
    When her Italian-turned-Texan parents hand over the family wedding planning business, Bella is determined not to let them down. She quickly books a "Boot Scoot'n" wedding that would make any Texan proud. There's only one catch--she's a country music numbskull because her family only listens to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Where will she find a DJ on such short notice who knows his Alan Jackson from his Keith Urban?When a misunderstanding leads her to the DJ (and man) of her dreams, things start falling into place. But with a family like hers, nothing is guaranteed. Can the perfect Texan wedding survive a pizza-making uncle with mob ties, an aunt who is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and a massive delivery of 80 cowboy boots? And will Bella ever get to plan her own wedding?Book one in the Weddings by Bella series, Fools Rush In is fun, fresh, and full of surprises. Readers will love the flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex, and the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.

The Ex Games


J.S. Cooper - 2013
     ***Warning Sexual Content*** Handsome billionaire, Brandon Hastings was Katie Raymond's first love. They had a whirlwind romance that captivated her heart and took her on a sexual journey she never wanted to end. Their future together looked bright until Brandon found out that Katie was keeping a huge secret from him. Once he realized the truth, he broke her heart and she never saw him again. Seven years later, Katie has finally moved on and accepts the position of her dreams at Marathon Corporation as an executive manager. The only problem is, Brandon Hastings bought the business a month after she started working there. Now Katie has to fly to San Francisco to attend a company-wide orientation and she is scared that Brandon is going to fire her on sight. Little does she know that Brandon has lot more planned for her and this time he's the one keeping a secret. This is part one of a three part erotic romance novella series. Part two will be released on January 2nd and part three will be released on January 9th.

A Wedding Story


Dee Tenorio - 2011
    Why?Her sister is marrying Bobby's brother.She's trussed up in a bridesmaid dress that must have been designed originally as a Victorian Torture Chamber.To teach them a lesson, she and Bobby have been assigned to the Kiddie Table.And that's only the beginning...

A Fair of the Heart


Donna Marie Rogers - 2011
    When handyman Caleb Hunter stops by for a haircut, he’s like the answer to her prayers—and the attraction is instantaneous. Too bad her troublesome ten-year-old son isn’t quite as thrilled to have Caleb hanging around.Old wounds have kept Caleb from returning to Redemption permanently. When he receives word of his mother’s unexpected death, guilt and regret bring him home again, but will the love of a good woman keep him there? Lauren excites Caleb like no woman ever has, but she’s a package deal, and he’s not sure he’s prepared to take on a ready-made family.

The Promise of Paradise


Allie Boniface - 2007
    To escape, she rents an apartment in the sleepy town of Paradise, New Hampshire, where no one knows who she is.Ashton hopes for solitude, but all bets are off when Eddie West, the town’s most eligible bachelor, moves in downstairs. Eddie likes his women and his cars shiny, sleek, and fast, and when he meets his new housemate, he wastes no time getting friendly. While he's looking for a no-strings romance, though, he gets more than he bargained for in Ash, who sees through his bravado to the pain of a loss too fresh to mention.Can two people from different worlds find common ground, a place to fall in love and build a future? Is it possible to find your soul mate in the place you least expect?

Divorced, Desperate and Delicious


Christie Craig - 2007
    But all that changes when the reindeer-antlered Fabio drags in a very desperate, on-the-run detective who decides to take refuge in her house.

Beautiful Illusions


Annie Jocoby - 2013
    VERY contemporary.Beautiful Illusions is a Cinderella Romance With a Twist - and what a twist it is!Attorney Iris Snowe drinks too much, eats too much, and spends too much. Her sex life has been as spectacularly unsuccessful as her law practice, so she spends her evenings in her tiny apartment watching bad TV, talking to her cat, and rescuing pit bulls.And her name might be Iris, but it should be Jade. As in jaded, which is how she feels about romance and men in general. So, when a gorgeous and sexy stranger appears in her law office on Monday morning, after a one-night stand the previous Saturday, she doesn't think that he is coming to see her because he is interested. She just figures that she left something behind in the room and he is enough of a gentleman to deliver it to her.How wrong she is. As it turns out, Ryan Gallagher not only looks like a Ralph Lauren model come to life, but is also fabulously wealthy, as he is the son of a prominent billionaire.In other words, light years out of Iris' league. And completely into her, in more ways than one.And so begins the erotic Cinderella romance of her life, with a man who truly loves her. And oh, if it could just be that simple. But, of course, it's not -the fairy tale is fractured, as it is marred by obsession, jealousy, and dark secrets that Ryan has desperately sought to conceal and repress. It turns out that, behind those magnificent green eyes, lies the memories of a past that nobody should ever have to experience. Nobody. But when his past becomes his present, his secrets come to light.And one of those secrets just might be deadly...This is a full-length novel, approximately 100,000 words. Story continues in Deeper Illusions.Don't miss the exciting conclusion to the trilogy! Estimated publication date is September 23!