Book picks similar to
The Parting Gift by Rachel Van Dyken


rachel-van-dyken
historical-romance
romance
standalone

When All My Dreams Come True


Janelle Mowery - 2011
    Raised without a mother and having spent most of her time around men, she knows more about wrangling than acting like a lady. The friendship of her new employer awakens a desire to learn more about presenting her feminine side, but ranch life keeps getting in the way.

When Love Calls


Lorna Seilstad - 2013
    So when she is forced to apply for a job as a telephone switchboard operator to support her two sisters, she knows it won’t be easy. Hello Girls must conduct themselves according to strict--and often bewildering--rules, which include absolutely no consorting with gentlemen while in training.Hannah doubts it will be difficult to keep that rule--until a handsome young lawyer starts getting under her skin.With historic details that bring to life the exciting first decade of the twentieth century, Lorna Seilstad weaves a charming tale of companionship that blossoms into sweet romance.

So Fair a Lady


Amber Lynn Perry - 2014
    Determined to uncover the truth--at any cost--not even a marriage proposal from the dashing British Officer Samuel Martin can dissuade her. When rescued from British capture by handsome patriot Thomas Watson, Eliza discovers what her father risked his life for and yearns to know more. But will her budding attraction to this courageous patriot damage her already wounded heart? After years of being blackmailed by Officer Martin, Thomas plans to start a new life in the small town of Sandwich. However, when his actions place Eliza and her sister in danger, he must act quickly to protect them from falling into enemy hands. If the three of them are discovered, their lives will never be the same. Now, not only must he protect Eliza, he must protect his heart from a love that is sure to wound him far greater than any British soldier ever could.

Her Second Chance Forever Groom


Lorana Hoopes - 2019
    The second chance she's not sure if she wants. Emmitt Brown’s demons are even bigger than he is, and as a defensive lineman for the San Antonio Rebels, that’s something. When DJ Madden tasks his defensive line to go home for Christmas and get rid of their biggest past regret, Emmit finds himself returning to the small town he grew up in to find the woman he never should have left. Too bad she hates him and tells him to go away. Mia Carter can’t believe Emmitt Brown is back in town. She does not need this right now. Especially since he’s been the ghost who won’t leave her conscience alone for the past five years and especially since she recently lost her husband. But when the pro football player steps up and offers to help her son fight cancer, she finds herself reluctantly agreeing. Now they have to make a choice; dig into the past and let the truth bring them together, or lose the Christmas miracle right in front of them.

The Playboy and His Best Friend: A Sweet Paranormal Romantic Comedy Novella (Juliet Lemon: Marriage Maker Book 1)


Julia Keanini - 2021
    

Beguiled


Deeanne Gist - 2010
    Mark Bertrand first met in a Houston critique group, they never expected where friendship would take them. She wrote romance; he wrote crime novels. But growing respect for each other's work culminated in the decision to try blending their talents into this wonderfully engaging story merging romance and mystery. Rylee Monroe walks dogs in old-money Charleston, a part of the city recently targeted by a daring thief. Logan Woods works the crime beat for the local paper but dreams of a life as a nonfiction writer. When the string of robberies takes a strange twist, Logan sees the making of a once-in-a-lifetime book that seems to circle around this charming, eye-catching dogwalker. But pursuing the truth means ignoring that he seems to be falling for her. And what is she hiding in her past that could crack the story wide open?

The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter


Mimi Matthews - 2018
    Ashton has hit proverbial rock bottom. Seeking to escape his melancholy, he takes refuge at one of Victorian society’s most notorious house parties. As the Christmas season approaches, he prepares to settle in for a month of heavy drinking…until an unexpected encounter changes his plans—and threatens his heart.A PRIM VICAR'S DAUGHTERValentine March is not the drab little spinster she appears to be. When her new job as a lady’s companion lands her smack in the middle of Yorkshire with England’s most infamous rake, she resolves to keep her head down and her eyes fixed firmly on her future—a future which most definitely does not include a sinfully handsome viscount.A MATCH MADE IN SCANDALA friendship is impossible. An affair out of the question. But when one reckless act binds them together, will two star-crossed souls discover there’s more to each other than meets the eye? Or will revelations from the past end their fragile romance before it begins?

Jenna's Cowboy


Sharon Gillenwater - 2010
    A partner on her father's successful ranch, she is surrounded by family and friends. But she never expected to see Nate Langley back in town—the first guy she ever noticed, the one her father sent away all those years ago.And she never thought the attraction they felt would be as strong as ever.Jenna's cowboy has some healing of his own to do, though, after two tours of duty in the armed forces. With the help of good friends, strong faith, and a loving family, he hopes to put the horrors of the past behind him—and become the man Jenna deserves.

Too Close to Home


Lynette Eason - 2010
    Her methods are invisible, and she never stops until the case is closed. When missing teens begin turning up dead in a small Southern town, Samantha is assigned to help local chief Connor Wolfe find the killer. And he has two problems with that. There's her faith--in God and herself. And then there's the fact that she looks exactly like his late wife. As they get close to an answer, the case becomes personal. The killer seems to be taking an interest in Connor's 16-year-old daughter, who thinks her dad is getting way too protective. Can't a girl just have some fun? Too Close to Home ratchets up the suspense with each page, and will have readers cheering for the characters they love as justice is served and love grows even in the face of danger. Read this one with the lights on!

The Bachelor's Games


J.S. Cooper - 2019
     Maxwell Van Harkel is totally out of Sophie’s reach. He’s her best friends brother, the hottest guy she has ever met and a billionaire bachelor. Some days he acts like he wants her. Other days he just ignores her. So Sophie decides to try and seduce him. Only Maxwell is an alpha male and he has his own plan of seduction. One that she’s not prepared for. And then come the games. Games that will blow both of their worlds. But what Maxwell doesn’t know is that Sophie has a secret that could change everything. What Sophie doesn’t know is that Maxwell’s got a secret even bigger than hers that could be the undoing of them both.

Wildflowers and Kisses: A love story


Jaclyn M. Hawkes - 2014
    Even when she spritzes him with her florist water at their first meeting, Skye is the most refreshing thing that has ever happened to Dr. Gage Garrison. Confident, successful, and seriously disillusioned, when Gage meets Skye one evening at her shop she is like a shot of pure, sweet oxygen to his spirit. So he pesters her until she agrees to go out with him. But later, when he realizes that her dog is a guard dog, that Skye has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is an expert with a handgun, he begins to wonder what scars she’s hiding behind that beautiful, sweet smile. And what is she so afraid of?

All He Wants This Christmas


Claire Woods
    Falling for the hunky single-dad every woman in town is hot for—is not on her Christmas list.So what, if the looks he gives her could melt the North Pole? She has no plans to get involved with another man who looks like sin on a stick.But maybe this Christmas, Kate will learn that some men are totally worth melting for.Gianni...All I wanted was for things to turn around for my son at school.I'm a simple man with simple wishes.But I never expected my Christmas Angel to be the mother of my son's nemesis. Or that we'd create enough heat to burn the house down every time we touched.The trouble is... she's already been burned.I don't want to break her heart. I just want to be the next man who takes it. But unlike her ex... I'm gonna cherish it and her FOREVER.All I want for Christmas is Kate--wrapped around me and under my tree..Authors note: This is meant to be a yummy, funny and sexy holiday read that will leave you feeling all mushy and gooey... like a melting piece of chocolate Santa stuffed into a stocking hanging on a mantel on Christmas Eve. No Cheating, HEA with plenty of fire to melt those Kindles. I hope you fall in love with Gianni just as Kate did!

Winning the Spinster's Heart


Kit Morgan - 2020
    And when they do, chaos ensues. But the mothers of Clear Creek are growing desperate. Many have unmarried daughters and sons and niether seem interested in the other! What's the matter with the young folks in town? Aren't they interested in marriage? Come to find out they're interested all right, just not in anyone from Clear Creek. But as there's no such thing as mail-order husbands, the young women, some of which are already considered spinsters, are going to have to take a second look at what's available in their hometown. The question is, how to get them to look. Can Leona and Betsy make them see reason, let alone the men? Find out in this hilarious new series of sweet, clean, western romances.Adele Cooke has a list. A really long list of what she wants in a man. Unfortunately for her, none of the men in Clear Creek meet all the criteria. So, she decides to wait and see if one comes along that does. She's been waiting for years.Liam White has a college education and plans to use it. But there's not much use for an Engineering degree in his tiny hometown. Besides, he'd like to start a family and there are no prospects in Clear Creek. All the available young ladies he knows too well. After all, he grew up with them. He wants to meet someone new, see new places and meet new people. If he stays in Clear Creek, he'll never get the chance. But when two matrons from Nowhere in the Washington Territory come to town, they have other ideas ...

Larkspur Cove


Lisa Wingate - 2010
    After surviving the worst year of her life, she's struggling to build a new life for herself and her son as a social worker. Perhaps in doing a job that makes a difference, she can find some sense of purpose and solace in her shattered faith.For new Moses Lake game warden Mart McClendon, finding a sense of purpose in life isn't an issue. He took the job to get out of southwest Texas and the constant reminders of a tragedy for which he can't forgive himself.But when a little girl is seen with the town recluse, Mart and Andrea are drawn together in the search for her identity. The little girl offers them both a new chance at redemption and hope--and may bring them closer than either ever planned.

Love, Chocolate, and Beer


Violet Duke - 2014
    After moving his chocolate shop, and newly single life, to the quirky town of Cactus Creek, Luke wants nothing more than to devote all his energy into making his business a success—by taking the romance market by storm. But his grand plans get thrown for a loop when he locks horns with the feisty beer-brewing beauty next door who calls his ‘romantic idealism’ a load of fairytale bull. Soon, driving the woman sparking nuts becomes another wickedly fun priority he simply can’t get enough of.In his defense, she’s addictively easy to incite…and plain impossible to resist.Beloved local brewmaster Dani Dobson is beyond riled up. It’s bad enough the new shop owner in town comes locked and loaded with both a distractingly rugged charm and sexy flashing dimples, but the whole only-in-the-movies variety of romance he’s selling—the kind her world has been crushed by before—is really doing a number on her allergy to unrealistic clichés. What’s worse, he’s created an annoyingly clever ad campaign that dubs ‘beer joints’ like hers as the “cave where romance goes to hibernate.” The nerve of that man.Combustible chemistry or not, damn it, this means war. The stakes…very likely, her heart.