Book picks similar to
The Outer Edge of Heaven: A Love Story by Jaclyn M. Hawkes
romance
lds-fiction
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contemporary-romance
The Skeleton in My Closet Wears a Wedding Dress
Sally Johnson - 2014
With the whole world falling apart, what’s a nineteen-year-old divorcée to do? The answer for Sophia is simple: she picks up the pieces of her shattered heart and returns to BYU. Hoping for a clean slate, she embarks on her freshman year—again. But this time, Sophia has a skeleton in her closet, and she’ll go to any length to protect her secret. As she reluctantly navigates a world populated by newly returned missionaries, sweet Suzie Homemakers, and serious students, she finds herself turning more and more to her home teacher Luke. As their friendship blossoms, will Sophia allow herself to trust again in the hope of a true happy ending?
Brash
Nicola Marsh - 2013
Jess Harper is so tired of being good…Thrust into the dazzle of Burlesque Bombshells, Vegas’s premier dance venue, the small town librarian has no option but to embrace her inner vixen.Especially when blast from her past, sexy Aussie celebrity chef Jack McVeigh is still determined to keep their relationship strictly hands-off.This time Jess isn’t surrendering without a fight and armed with her hot props and Bombshell moves, Jack doesn’t stand a chance.When Jess and Jack are sequestered on an island to orchestrate the burlesque wedding of the year, sun, surf and sizzling sex are on the menu!But will the fiery couple come back for seconds?
Dodge the Bullet
Christy Hayes - 2011
But Sarah doesn’t know a Colorado Senator has earmarked her ranch for purchase and he’ll do anything to get it. Unwilling to sell, she dismisses his continued offers and moves ahead by improving the land with the help of a sexy stranger. A.J. Dodge is a man with a past. He’s returned to his hometown ready to set down roots and make things right with his family and whatever anyone else thinks he doesn’t give a damn. Until his old friend Tommy Thornton asks a favor, a favor he can’t refuse, and Dodge becomes involved with the beautiful widow Sarah Woodward. She’s alone with her young sons on a dilapidated ranch she’s determined to get up and running with or without his help. Under pressure to deliver the Woodward ranch to a land developer with shady connections, the senator sets in motion a dangerous plot to convince Sarah to sell. Dodge will risk everything to protect Sarah and the boys including his heart.
Across the Creek
Jeremy Asher - 2012
An unlikely childhood romance between a poor boy and a wealthy girl began the day Jesse decided to do the impossible and cross the creek. A love was born, one that would become their shelter, protecting them from the storms of their lives, until the day Jesse witnessed his mother’s murder, forcing him to leave his childhood home…and first love. Ten years later, life has finally gotten better for Jesse. He has a loving family, a charming pet shop to run, and one semester left before graduating with a degree in architecture. Everything is great, until the day fate intervenes and his long-lost love walks into his shop and back into his life.Sarah, engaged to a budding attorney, is struggling to keep everything together. Her father, diagnosed with terminal cancer, is running out of time. Sarah races to build their dream business while planning her wedding in time for her father to walk her down the aisle.Their brief encounter starts a series of events that neither Jesse nor Sarah expects. After a decade of running, Jesse is now forced to face the demons from his past, while Sarah has to choose between her handsome attorney and her first love. Just when they think love has given them a second chance, Jesse is faced with an impossible decision, one that will change their lives forever.Across the Creek is the first in a 2-book series. Beneath the Willow is the second.
Sadie
Rebecca Belliston - 2011
Terrified, Sadie flees her boyfriend's wrath, two FBI agents, and her "perfect life." Lost in a Montana snowstorm and desperate for refuge, she's taken in by four quirky guys on their annual holiday ski vacation. As her physical wounds heal, Sadie wonders if she will ever be able to escape the clutches of her wealthy and determined boyfriend. But just when her heart settles, she finds herself abandoned for a religion she doesn't understand. She must discover who has her best interests at heart and who she can trust…before it's too late.
Feels like Home
Evelyn Adams - 2014
But when her carefully constructed life crumbles around her, Autumn's forced to return to the small southern town that never let her forget she came from the wrong side of the tracks. Jude Southerland, the town doctor, is used to taking care of people and with a pedigree that has the Ladies Auxiliary reaching for their fans, he’s easily the town’s most eligible bachelor – a status he has no intention of changing. That is until he almost runs down the Maddox girl he never noticed in school and suddenly finds her lush curves, dark curls and blue eyes consuming his thoughts, day and night. Autumn would like nothing more than to live happily ever after with Jude. But with every local matron in the valley trying to marry him off to their own daughters, she knows they won’t let her forget that she's not good enough and never will be. With the chance to finally find happiness, can she overcome her family history and find the confidence she needs to believe in herself or will she let love pass her by?
You Belong with Me
Shannon Guymon - 2013
She's a burned out social worker one step away from a major depression and she needs a fresh start. When she and her sisters Kit and Jane inherit their grandmother's bakery, she doesn't know if she can trust her good fortune or not. Life has taught her that happiness is just an illusion. But the chance to be with her sisters and get away from the heart ache and pain she's faced day in and day out is a chance she's going to take. The fact that they don't know anything about running a bakery won't stop them. With Layla's new life, come new connections and friendships including Michael Bender, a single dad and someone who wouldn't mind getting to know Layla better. She doesn't trust men and she doesn't want to change her mind but Michael's little girl Stella grabs her by the heart and won't let go. When Layla and her sisters realize that there are people who want to see them fail, it will take a lot of heart and courage to keep going. Layla will have to let go of the past in order to grab onto the future if she'll ever find the love she needs.
Throwaway
Heather Huffman - 2010
But even if Jessie could walk away from Spence, there are darker forces of evil who won't let her go that easily. In this romantic suspense, author Heather Huffman delivers an adventure from the vibrant streets of St. Louis to the caves of the Ozarks as Jessie discovers whether she can love another, whether she can love herself, and whether any of it is enough.Throwaway is the first installment in the surprisingly warm and funny series The Throwaways, twelve novels that don’t shy away from the dark corners of this world but always shine the light of hope. At the core of the series is a group of strong but often unlikely heroes and heroines coming from all walks of life whose lives intertwine as they fight for justice, for love, and to leave their indelible mark on this world.Immerse yourself in a world of suspense, laughter, and love with The Throwaways.
The Christmas Bargain,
Shanna Hatfield - 2012
Calling in a long overdue loan, Luke finds himself reluctantly accepting a bargain in lieu of payment from the shiftless farmer who barters his daughter to settle his debt.Philamena Booth is both mortified and relieved when her father sends her off with the banker as payment of his debt. Held captive on the farm by her father since the death of her mother more than a decade earlier, Philamena is grateful to leave. If only it had been someone other than the handsome and charismatic Luke Granger riding in to rescue her. Ready to uphold her end of the bargain as Luke’s cook and housekeeper, Philamena is prepared for the hard work ahead. What she isn’t prepared for is being forced to marry Luke as part of this crazy Christmas bargain.
More, Please
Kate Aster - 2015
And it has nothing to do with the hot Navy SEAL I picked up in a bar.Really... it doesn't.Even though the pressure of his lips on mine fires me like a hot kiln, and the feel of his ripped chest beneath my hungry fingertips...Wait... I'm digressing. Focus, Allie.Since graduating from college, I've been juggling two jobs while fostering abandoned dogs, with my sights set on opening a rescue kennel. I'll do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means fighting back my cravings for the man who's been fueling my fantasies since I got my first taste of him in a hotel elevator.This guy is too full of secrets. Dark ones, hidden behind his ice blue eyes. Secrets of his Special Ops past and of a billionaire family that employs half our town. He won't let me into his world, and it's for the best.Logan Sheridan is more than I can handle. But when he slips his way into my life, searing the memory of his rock-hard body pressed against mine into my consciousness, all I can do is remember that night in the elevator......and ask for more, please.*More, Please is a stand-alone romance with no cliffhangers.*
Masquerade
Sierra St. James - 2001
Bring in Slade, a handsome Hollywood star, also divorced and also LDS, in desperate need of a nanny for Bella, his four-year-old whirlwind of a daughter. Throw them together in Hawaii and the scene would be set for the perfect romance – except that Clarissa had to pretend to be married to get the job in the first place, and now she doesn't dare tell Slade other-wise.What if he fires her for her little masquerade? Or worse – what if he despises her and never wanted to see her again? Join Clarissa as she finds herself swept up in a maelstrom of glamor, mixed messages and tabloid mayhem that leads to a delicious resolution. Masquerade is a funny, romantic adventure that you're sure to love.
Not by Sight
Kay Lyons - 2012
The job is an answer to many prayers. Blind herself, Emma dreams of independence and freedom away from her overprotective family. Tutoring Ian in all things “blind” isn’t easy, especially when the biggest challenge is helping him walk by faith. Protect someone you cannot see? Good soldiers show no weakness. Ian MacGregor holds his battle with claustrophobia close to his chest, unsuccessfully trying to cope on his own, too angry with God to seek comfort. Ian knows duty, honor, serving his country. So why is he being punished with this very personalized hell? As Ian struggles to strong-arm his phobia and let go of his anger, his growing feelings for Emma are overshadowed by the danger lurking around them. Emma would be better off with someone else. Someone sighted. Someone able to protect her from the person determined to keep them apart...
Thicker Than Blood
C.J. Darlington - 2009
She’s putting her past behind her and working hard to build her career as a buyer for a large used bookstore. So far she’s been able to keep her drinking problem at bay, but everything changes when she lands a DUI on her thirty-third birthday. When she’s accused of a crime she didn’t commit at work, she has nowhere to turn. She yearns for her estranged family, especially her younger sister May whom she hasn’t seen for fifteen years. Now the owner of a failing cattle ranch in Elk Valley, Colorado, May couldn’t possibly want a relationship with the big sister who didn’t even say good-bye all those years ago, could she? Soon Christy’s fleeing from her shattered dreams, her abusive ex-boyfriend, and God. Could the Triple Cross Ranch be the safe haven she’s searching for, or will May’s new-found faith give her even more reason to reject Christy?
Finding Faith
Terri Ferran - 2007
She loves her family and is content with her life in California. That is, until her parents decide to move to Utah, the land of Mormons. New surroundings and culture shock do nothing to help Kit's social life. It is only with the help of Janet, a new friend, that Kit begins to adjust to life in Utah, as well as to the Mormon culture. Janet's older brother, Adam, is more than happy to befriend Kit, but when their feelings begin to go beyond friendship, Kit is torn. Does she really want to devote her heart to a boy who is going to leave her for two years to serve a mission for his faith? Can she support him when she doesn't even believe in his religion? As Kit looks deeper, she realizes that it isn't Adam's faith she needs to come to terms with - it's her own.
Spurs and Lace
Bonnie R. Paulson - 2014
Not all plots are resolved in this book and there is a "cliffhanger" type ending. All of the plot points will be resolved by the final book in the series. It is a sweet-style romance.*** Feuding with his houseguest’s brother and torn between worry and frustration over his twin, Slate MacCallister brings the rural doctor to his ranch in a record-breaking snow storm to save the boy Slate loves like a son. Dr. Becky O’Donald is a city girl stuck in Nowhereville, Montana trying to hack down her massive student loan debt. Thrown into a medical nightmare by MacCallister and certain there is more going on with the lonely, melancholy Amelia, Becky is taken aback by the boy mirroring her host down to the dimple in his cheek. Closeted on the sprawling ranch, surrounded by white, Becky fights the pull of the country life and the man exuding it. Certain he’s with Amelia, the boy is his, and he’s lying about having a brother, Becky denies her heart. But how long can she hold out against the man who rides to her rescue and kisses her knees weak?