The Heart Only Knows


Kerry Blair - 2001
    Not that Andi Reynolds is complaining. It’s just that everyone wants a piece of superstar Greg Howland—from the news-hungry media, to his adoring fans. The only thing that keeps Andi sane is the knowledge that in a few short months, Greg will take her to the temple, and then he’ll be all hers…until the next baseball season, of course. But then an old enemy begins stalking Greg and the stakes rise drastically. When the stalker kidnaps Andi’s younger brother, Greg must make an impossible choice—who will live, and who will die.

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye


Deb Caletti - 2008
     Eighteen-year-old Indigo Skye feels like she has it all - a waitress job she loves, an adorable refrigerator-delivery-guy boyfriend, and a home life that's slightly crazed but rich in love. Until a mysterious man at the restaurant leaves her a 2.5 million-dollar tip, and her life as she knew it is transformed. At first its amazing: a hot new car, enormous flat-screen TV, and presents for everyone she cares about. She laughs off the warnings that money changes people, that they come to rely on what they have instead of who they are. Because it won't happen...not to her. Or will it? What do you do when you can buy anything your heart desires -- but what your heart desires can't be bought? This is the story of a girl who gets rich, gets lost, and ultimately finds her way back - if not to where she started, then to where she can start again.

The Guy Next Door


Kate Palmer - 2012
    The small-town kindergarten teacher is set to wed ambitious lawyer Sean Langley, and their plans for a dream wedding are well underway. Eva accepts that she will soon live life in the spotlight as a member of the prestigious Langley family, but can she overlook her fiancé’s tendency to dominate the details of her life and push the limits of her standards?Mere weeks before the wedding, Eva is thrown into a traumatic, life-changing event that changes her view of family commitment and creates a sharp contrast between her ideals and Sean’s. With her engagement to Sean in jeopardy, Eva finds herself relying on the support and encouragement of Peter, her kind and attentive next-door neighbor. Faced with a choice between her penitent fiancé and the increasingly mysterious Peter, Eva is unprepared for the consequences—and peril—that come with her decision.

Beyond Perfection


Erin Ann McBride - 2005
    . .her teenage sister is spinning wildly out of control . . . her twin sister's childhood sweetheart is being lured away from her . . . her overzealous home teacher has stalker tendencies . . . Lizzie Benson's world couldn't be further from perfect, and the last thing she needs is a man to complicate her life. But then she meets then "untouchable " Will Pemberley - the outrageously cute institute president who thinks all coeds are on the hunt for a husband. When Will asks Lizzie out, she is determined to show him how "not on the hunt" she is.

The Kaleidoscope Season


Sharon Downing Jarvis - 1992
    Granna is a staunch Southern Baptist who has raised hergranddaughter to be a well-mannered young lady, but Emily has retainedmuch of her childhood 'activity' and 'inquisitiveness.'The story is full of interesting characters like Emily Jean'sfavorite Uncle Bob; her maternal grandmother, whom she meets for thefirst time; her best friend, Starlett; and her favorite teacher, Miss MaryAfton. Uncle Bob comes home to live and work for the summer, and he andEmily Jean separately undertake journeys of religious discovery.

Luck of the Draw


Rachael Renee Anderson - 2010
    Besides, the prospect of an entire month of free laundry is just too enticing to resist. Of course, that's before he meets Dani--a girl who's never had a problem turning down a not-so-perfect guy. Soon Brighton realizes that winning the bet might mean losing what really matters most. This fast-paced modern romance is told with wit, sweetness, and a healthy dose of fun. It's a sure bet that Luck of the Draw will keep you laughing to the very last page.

Prologue: The Brothers


Chris Stewart - 2003
    Brother fought brother. Families were torn apart. Some fought to protect their homes, their freedom and peace. Others fought to destroy everything they had once held so dear. And as the battle between good and evil came into each home, all God's children had to chose which side they were on, which principles would they fight for, and what price would they pay.In this contest before the Great War, each of us learned the first lessons of life. The great ones may fall. The wicked can change. The weak and the foolish can be made the strongest of all. And when the contest was over, we also had learned the greatest secret of all: the children of God can defeat their adversary, for they have fought him before.

The Wednesday Letters


Jason F. Wright - 2007
    And when their grown children return to the family B&B to arrange the funeral, they discover thousands of letters.The letters they read tell of surprising joys and sorrows. They also hint at a shocking family secret—and ultimately force the children to confront a life-changing moment of truth . . .

Dear Mr. Knightley


Katherine Reay - 2013
    Knightley is a contemporary epistolary novel with a delightful dash of Jane Austen.Samantha Moore survived years of darkness in the foster care system by hiding behind her favorite characters in literature, even adopting their very words. Her fictional friends give her an identity, albeit a borrowed one. But most importantly, they protect her from revealing her true self and encountering more pain.After college, Samantha receives an extraordinary opportunity. The anonymous “Mr. Knightley” offers her a full scholarship to earn her graduate degree at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. The sole condition is that Sam write to Mr. Knightley regularly to keep him apprised of her progress.As Sam’s true identity begins to reveal itself through her letters, her heart begins to soften to those around her—a damaged teenager and fellow inhabitant of Grace House, her classmates at Medill, and, most powerfully, successful novelist Alex Powell. But just as Sam finally begins to trust, she learns that Alex has secrets of his own—secrets that, for better or for worse, make it impossible for Sam to hide behind either her characters or her letters.

The Sunflower


Richard Paul Evans - 2005
    Christine is a shy, unadventurous woman whose fiancee broke off the engagement only a week before the wedding, and Paul is a former emergency room doctor whose glamorous lifestyle, stellar reputation, and beautiful fiancee are cruelly snatched from him one fateful, snowy Christmas Eve. Deep in the Amazon jungle, against a backdrop of poverty and heartbreak, they must confront their deepest fears and, together, learn to trust and love again.

How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend


Janette Rallison - 2007
    Three years since her family moved to Texas, she's still the newcomer compared to everyone around her. It doesn't help matters when her twin brother, Dante, takes on the mayor's son by running for class president. The least she could expect, though, would be for her boyfriend, Jesse, to support their cause. But Jesse's apparent defection triggers Giovanna's rash emotional side, and before she knows it, she's turned Jesse from the boy of her dreams to the ex-boyfriend she dreams of winning back. In her trademark style, Janette Rallison delivers a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that only leaves readers wanting more.

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature


Robin Brande - 2007
    And why? Because she tried to do the right thing. And then everything went wrong.But can a cute, nerdy lab partner; his bossy, outspoken sister; and an unconventional, imaginative science teacher be just what Mena needs to turn her life around?Or will the combination of all of them only make things worse?As Mena is about to find out, it’s the freaks of nature who survive…**For more fun, science-oriented young adult books featuring smart girls and smart teens, check out these additional titles by Robin Brande:FAT CATPARALLELOGRAM series

Stuck in the Middle


Virginia Smith - 2008
    Meanwhile, Joan is stuck at home with Mom and her aging grandmother. Not exactly a recipe for excitement—or romance.When a hunky young doctor moves in next door, Joan sets out to catch his eye. But it won’t be easy. Pretty Tori flirts relentlessly, and Joan is sure that she can’t compete. But with a little help from God, Allie, and an enormous mutt with bad manners, Joan begins to find her way out of this rut and into the life she’s been hiding from.Book 1 of the Sister-to-Sister series, Stuck in the Middle combines budding romance, soul searching, and a healthy dose of sibling rivalry that is sure to make you smile.

Leota's Garden


Francine Rivers - 1999
    It was her refuge from the deep wounds inflicted by a devastating war, her sanctuary where she knelt before a loving God and prayed for the children who couldn’t understand her silent sacrifices.At eighty-four, Leota is alone, her beloved garden in ruins. All her efforts to reconcile with her adult children have been fruitless. She voices her despair to a loving Father, her only friend.And God brings a wind of change through unlikely means: one, a college student who thinks he has all the answers; the other, the granddaughter Leota never hoped to know. But can the devastation wrought by keeping painful family secrets be repaired before she runs out of time?

Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me


Kristen Chandler - 2010
    The only daughter of a fishing and wildlife guide, KJ can hold her own on the water or in the mountains near her hometown outside Yellowstone National Park.But when she meets the shaggy-haired, intensely appealing Virgil, KJ loses all self-possession. And she's not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that they're assigned to work together on a school newspaper article about the famous wolves of Yellowstone. As KJ spends time with Virgil, she also spends more time getting to know a part of her world that she always took for granted... and she begins to see herself and her town in a whole new light.