Book picks similar to
Persuaded by Rachel Schurig


jane-austen
retellings
ppb
austen-esque-ish

A Woman of Substance


Barbara Taylor Bradford - 1979
    In the brooding moors above a humble Yorkshire village stood Fairley Hall. There, Emma Harte, its oppressed but resourceful servant girl, acquired a shrewd determination. There, she honed her skills, discovered the meaning of treachery, learned to survive, to become a woman, and vowed to make her mark on the world.In the wake of tragedy she rose from poverty to magnificent wealth as the iron-willed force behind a thriving international enterprise. As one of the richest women in the world Emma Harte has almost everything she fought so hard to achieve--save for the dream of love, and for the passion of the one man she could never have. Through two marriages, two devastating wars, and generations of secrets, Emma's unparalleled success has come with a price. As greed, envy, and revenge consume those closest to her, the brilliant matriarch now finds herself poised to outwit her enemies, and to face the betrayals of the past with the same ingenious resolve that forged her empire.

Jane Austen Ruined My Life


Beth Pattillo - 2009
    Life was prodigiously good until the day Emma finds her husband in bed with another woman.

Four Weddings and a Festival


Annie Robertson - 2019
    Four weddings. One happy ending...?Lifelong friends and rom-com fans Bea, Lizzie, Hannah and Kat have curled up with Bridget Jones, sobbed at Love, Actually and memorised the script to Notting Hill. They always joked about getting married in one summer - their own Four Weddings - and it seems like this might just be the year . . .That is, until Bea turns down her boyfriend's proposal. Is her own Hugh Grant waiting for her amid the champagne and confetti? Can real-life romance ever live up to a Richard Curtis movie?As the wedding - and festival - season gets into its swing, can all four friends find their happy ever after...?Raise a glass of champagne and get ready for this summer's most charming romantic comedy! Perfect for fans of Sophie Ranalds, Mandy Baggot and Sue Roberts

Sex and Vanity


Kevin Kwan - 2020
    She can’t stand it when he gallantly offers to trade hotel rooms with her so that she can have the view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can’t stand that he knows more about Curzio Malaparte than she does, and she really can’t stand it when he kisses her in the darkness of the ancient ruins of a Roman villa and they are caught by her snobbish, disapproving cousin, Charlotte. “Your mother is Chinese so it’s no surprise you’d be attracted to someone like him,” Charlotte teases. Daughter of an American-born-Chinese mother and blue-blooded New York father, Lucie has always sublimated the Asian side of herself in favor of the white side, and she adamantly denies having feelings for George. But several years later, when George unexpectedly appears in East Hampton where Lucie is weekending with her new fiancé, Lucie finds herself drawn to George again. Soon, Lucy is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé, the co-op board of her Fifth Avenue apartment, and ultimately herself as she tries mightily to deny George entry into her world–and her heart. Moving between summer playgrounds of privilege, peppered with decadent food and extravagant fashion, Sex and Vanity is a truly modern love story, a daring homage to A Room with a View, and a brilliantly funny comedy of manners set between two cultures.

Cart Before the Horse


Bernadette Marie - 2011
     Holly Jacobs has always put the cart before the horse. A prodigy who shot to stardom in textile design, she never knew a normal life—and there's nothing she longs for more than to be normal. Pregnant before she even knows the name of her baby's father, Holly has put the cart miles ahead of the horse this time. But when she and Gabe meet for the second time, they decide to have their baby together. Holly finally begins to accept her unique way of doing everything backward, but Gabe's very normality drives her up the walls. Then his tragic past rears up; pain and loss threaten to destroy forever the fragile bond that has blossomed between him and Holly. Sometimes the only way to get where you need to be is to put the cart before the horse.

Persuading Him: A Modern Persuasion Retelling


Keena Richins - 2018
    However, her wealthy family persuaded her to keep on her path to a prestigious career instead of running away with a boy with no future. Eight years later, she finds herself with no career, little money, and a heart still pining for that ex-foster boy. When she accidentally runs into him--now handsome, rich, and working for the prestigious Pemberley Estates Corporation--she discovers he still hasn't forgiven her yet. How in the world is she going to convince him to give her a second chance? "Persuading Him" is a stand-alone, clean/sweet, second-chance romance with a guaranteed happily ever after, plus with some other Austen characters sprinkled in. It tells the tale completely from Anne's side. Check out the companion novel for Rick's side.

Hot Pursuit


Gemma Fox - 2004
    Right all her life but even she didn't expect him to be delivered to her door, giftwrapped in a skimpy towel, one sunny summer morning. Sexy Nick Lucas seems almost too good to be true—and maybe he is. Arriving out of nowhere, he seems to have no past, no family, no history: things just don't add up. But then again he's not the first man Maggie's been out with to have lead a double life. As Nick's past starts to catch up with him, Maggie becomes embroiled in an exciting cat-and-mouse chase across the country. Temperatures rise and passion sizzles but although Maggie has the hots for Nick, can she take the heat?

A Mission of Love


Kennedy Layne - 2015
    Their relationship is headed toward a future both of them desire until a mistake from her past returns to haunt them both. When the fragile bond of trust is broken between them, it will take more than a promise of redemption for the two of them to find their way back to one another.

Mr. Darcy's Obsession: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Abigail Reynolds - 2010
    Darcy than ever…Mr. Darcy is determined to find a more suitable bride. But then he learns that Elizabeth is living in London in reduced circumstances, after her father’s death robs her of her family home…What if…Mr. Darcy can’t help himself from seeking her out…He just wants to make sure she’s alright. But once he’s seen her, he feels compelled to talk to her, and from there he’s unable to fight the overwhelming desire to be near her, or the ever-growing mutual attraction that is between them…What if…Mr. Darcy’s intentions were shockingly dishonorable…

The Third Wish: A Novella


Carolyn Brown - 2017
    Jessica’s wishes never came true—no other kids ever matched her height and she only ever found a small conch shell at the beach—but twenty years later, when she finds her mother’s old love letters, she has a chance to make the third wish come true. Jessica travels to Florida to find her father but their reunion is interrupted by his arrogant junior business partner, Rocky Rycroft. Indignant, Jessica goes back to her Texas hometown and is surprised that Rocky follows her home. He explains he’s been sent by her father’s family learn more about Jessica, but all of Jessica’s friends insist his interest is more personal than that. Jessica was looking for her father, not love. Could she now possibly have both?

Must Love Otters


Eliza Gordon - 2013
    She’s already near her breaking point, so when one caller too many kicks the bucket during Hollie’s 911 shift, she cashes in the Sweethearts’ Spa & Stay gift certificate from her dad and heads to Revelation Cove, British Columbia. One caveat: she’s going solo. Any sweethearts will have to be found on site.Hollie hopes to find her beloved otters in the wilds of the Great White North, but instead she’s providing comic relief for staff and guests alike. Even Concierge Ryan, a former NHL star with bad knees and broken dreams, can’t stop her from stumbling from one (mis)adventure to another. Just when Hollie starts to think that a change of venue doesn’t mean a change in circumstances, the island works its charm and she starts to think she might have found the rejuvenation she so desperately desires. But then an uninvited guest crashes the party, forcing her to step out of the discomfort zone where she dwells and save the day … and maybe even herself in the process.

Moore to Love


Faith Andrews - 2016
    But real life—like the average, every day woman—is full of curves and imperfections, and many opportunities to learn that it’s not the number on the scale that measures the capacity of your heart. After years of struggling with poor self esteem and too many crash diets to count, I finally got wise—and hired a trainer. With an enthusiastic push from my brother’s fiancé and more motivation than a Joel Osteen sermon, I, Madeline “Leni” Moore, am ready to ditch the oh-woe-is-me act. That is, until I smack head-on into a tree and collide with him. Lane Sheffield is the guy you drool over from afar. One look at him the first day on the runner’s track, and my panties are up in flames. He’s out of my league. Slim, sleek, and athletic to my plump, dull, and unfit. Lane has no reason to like me, but to my utter shock . . . he does and this newfound attention from the opposite sex has me all sorts of baffled. What starts out as a healthy journey to lose some of the extra me, turns into a quest to find my true self. Will the need to fit in and finally have someone to call my own lead me to my weight loss goal or my happiness goal? I've focused so long on being skinny, what will it take for me to learn the ultimate lesson—that beauty is only skin deep?

The One We Fell in Love With


Paige Toon - 2016
    Settle down and get married, or return to the French Alps to pursue her passion? Eliza is in love with someone who is no longer hers. In fact, he probably never was… And her dream of becoming a musician seems to be spiralling down the drain. Rose is out of a job and out of a boyfriend. To make matters worse, she’s been forced to move back in with her mother… But these very different girls have one thing in common. Angus. The one they fell in love with…

Stardust


Mimi Strong - 2013
    I would have ripped him a new one, but he was hot. Like I-want-to-have-your-sexy-babies-now hot.I feel like I know him, because I stare at his gorgeous face on TV every week. Dalton Deangelo. In the firm, sculpted flesh. Have I mentioned how hot he is? My panties practically flew right off.Now he wants to get to know me. I can't say no to that face ... or those captivating green eyes.I'm just a regular girl, and he's rich and famous with no body fat. So, why is he chasing me? And what is this secret of his the reporters are trying to uncover?I try to keep my eyes wide open. I've made terrible, stupid mistakes in the past. But Dalton Deangelo's touch turns me to Jell-O.

She's Gotta Be Mine


Jennifer Skully - 2004
    Instead, she reinvents herself and the new Bobbie Jones—new haircut, new name, new attitude—follows her soon-to-be ex to the small Northern California town of Cottonmouth. What better way to show him—and his sweetheart—what he’s missing in the brand new Bobbie Jones than taking up with the town’s local bad boy—who’s also reputed to be a serial killer. Nick Angel is devilishly handsome and sexy as all get-out. In a word, perfect.It’s all going exactly according to plan...until a real murder rocks the little town of Cottonmouth. Of course, Nick didn’t do it...did he?“She’s Gotta Be Mine”, previously published as “Sex and the Serial Killer”,