Book picks similar to
Painted Jezebel by Jolie Pethtel


romance
humorous
mystery
romantic-suspense

Compassionate Heart


Vivian Rose Lee - 2017
    How she wished at that moment she could blend into the leather seating of the booth. She had watched him over the years as he juggled women like a world-class juggler. She didn’t know when she had fallen in love with the junkie whore, but she had. So, she had to endure his escapades whenever they found themselves thrown together at the same venue. Lauren was now an A-list designer with her life pretty much mapped out. So why should she care what Semiyon James did and who he did it with? Semiyon James, former NBA basketball player and current coach of the Philadelphia Razors was on top of the world. He was rid of his philandering wife and could pull any woman he wanted with just a crook of his finger. Until he met the beautiful and shy Lauren Caldwell. She was totally immune to his handsome face and suave charm. He wanted her. For her he would give up his wicked ways if only she’d give him the time of day. Once the couple decided to give a relationship a try, evil steps in in the form of his ex-wife and Lauren’s man-loving cousin. Could Semi and Lauren endure the trouble that was in store for them or would they let it destroy the man with the compassionate heart?

Chance Taken (Chance Series Book 2)


Diana W. - 2017
    As their friendship strengthens, Kelise’s resistance to relationships—thanks to her past— starts to lower. The possibility of something more with Mike enters her mind but not before he sets his eyes on a new distraction named Danielle Kingston. As Mike and Danielle’s relationship attempts to bloom, Kelise learns some unsettling information about Mike’s new lady, but also finds herself caught up in a distraction of her own with a sexy blast from her past. Mike realizes he may have made a mistake in his choice and now has to deal with the consequences of watching Kelise’s happiness be sparked by another guy. In a series of missed opportunities and misunderstandings, can Mike and Kelise get their minds and hearts on the same page or will they have to deal with a chance not taken? >>>Note: This book is a standalone and can be read as such. However, it is advised and recommended that you check out By Chance as well, which is the first story in the series and connected to the main characters of Chance Taken, to get the complete reading experience <<<

Echo of Glory: An Irish Legends Novel (Celtic Legends Collection)


Martina Boone - 2018
    A heart-pounding and magical tapestry of romance, history, legend, and complex themes of inequality that resonated as deeply centuries ago as they do today. Perfect for fans of Susanna Kearsley, Nora Roberts, Mary Stewart, Maeve Binchy, and Susan Wiggs. After a disastrous relationship with her boss, Meg Cameron leaves her job with two bad options. Stay silent? Or speak up and ruin her career? A trip to an archeological dig gives her time to reflect on historical imbalances of power, but history refuses to stay quietly in the bloody past of Ireland's beautiful Beara Peninsula and the O'Sullivan massacre. Niall Sullivan has spent years chasing the truth of what happened to his family in 1602. But he never expected to have to bring his newly orphaned nephew, Adam, with him to excavate on Dursey Island--without internet or television or even reliable cell phone coverage. Still, time alone together in the abandoned village could be exactly what the two of them need to build the foundations of a family. Until Meg Cameron comes along. Meg and her developing relationship with Niall brings out both the best and the worst in Adam. And as danger comes from unexpected sources, they all have choices to make. Life and death choices none of them expected. ★★★★★  PRAISE FOR LAKE OF DESTINY ★★★★★  "Delightful, charming, and heartwarming!" -- New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins "I loved this!!! It reminds me of a Nora Roberts series, The Gallaghers of Ardmore . . . but a Scottish version with men in kilts!" -- Two Chicks on Books "Outlander-Lite Meets Gilmore Girls in Scotland. This is a story that sucked me in from the start and didn't let go until I'd laughed, shed a few tears and worked up an appetite. Fast. Fun. Romantic. Read it!" -- Jenuine Cupcakes "Endearing and alluring! Modern day mixed with history, truth, folklore, and just the right touch of the blarney! -- Thoughts on Your Words "So much charm it's magical!" --  BookGeek ★★★★★ PRAISE FOR COMPULSION ★★★★★  "Skillfully blends rich magic and folklore with adventure, sweeping romance, and hidden treasure . . . Impressive."  -- Publisher's Weekly "Eight Beaufort is so swoon-worthy that it s ridiculous."  RT Book Reviews , RT Editors Best Books of the Year "Darkly romantic and steeped in Southern Gothic charm, you ll be compelled to get lost in the Heirs of Watson Island series." -- #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout "The perfect Southern family saga: charming and steamy on the surface, with cold-blooded secrets buried down deep." -- Kendare Blake, -- New York Times bestselling author "Haunting, atmospheric, and absorbing.

Fighting for Love


Emma Ashwood - 2020
    

The Sheriff's Miracle Bride


Rowan Gracemill - 2021
    

Salamanca Cottage


Mary Fitzgerald - 2014
    But Salamanca Cottage is not all that it seems and soon she finds that she is not alone. Then she has decide if the being she talks to and finds herself becoming fond of is real or merely a manifestation of her grief and longing.

After Everything I've Done For You: A Chi-Town Soap Opera


Nicety - 2015
    Despite his past infidelities, she pushes hard to make it work. A night of snooping brings out a few secrets that could destroy their love forever. But someone in her corner might be willing to take Bianca's pain away if she let's them. Damita Paxton had been dealt a bad hand. After losing her job and being forced to move in with her cousin, Bianca, she tries to start her life over and begin a new. But a secret that she left back in Atlanta not only threatens her happiness but her life as well. Sunset Richmond is in love with a man who may never love her the way she loves him. With two kids on her hip, all she desires is to be a real family. Is she doomed to being the side chick forever? Will anyone be able to find the happiness they so desperately seek or is this a setup for failure?

Fell For The Plug Next Door


Candi B. - 2019
    For years, she stayed in a marriage that held no value or substance. She dedicated four years of her life to a man who lied, cheated, and walked all over her heart. At the age of twenty-four years old, she should have been wild and living her best life. After Xavier delivers another powerful blow to her heart, Ivy has no interest in sticking around to save her sunken marriage. The moment Ivy signs the divorce papers, she feels alive and free. She's on a mission to get her life back, and put the past behind her. When she parks her U-Haul in her neighbor's assigned spot, she comes face to face with the sexiest man on God’s green Earth. Since his junior year in high school, Zane worked the streets of Detroit, and now he was leaving his ruthless ways behind him and focusing on his upholstery shop. Zane was now just a regular guy, who was trying to make a way for his eight-year-old daughter. He had been with a few women here and there, but not anyone who could potentially capture his heart. Falling in love wasn't on his agenda, and if it was, his nagging baby mama, Timeka, wouldn't make it easy. After a frustrating day at work, all Zane wanted to do was go home, turn on his TV, and relax. He notices his new neighbor, and instantly, he is mesmerized by her good looks and perfect body. After a run in that leaves both Ivy and Zane wanting to do more than just borrow a cup of sugar, they avoid each other as much as possible. The inevitable occurs, and Ivy and Zane are forced to face the elephant in the room. Being in Zane's presence did something to Ivy, and she could no longer resist what her body and heart desired. Zane is falling hard for Ivy, but where there is happiness, evil lurks. When the past can't let you go, secrets are put to the forefront, and enemies are watching your every move, can Ivy and Zane survive the madness?

Leaving A Thug For A Savage


Khadijah J. - 2017
    If a person loved you they would hurt you. She believed that and after experiencing that kind of love in a abusive home Sa'dai knew she had to get out unlike the girls around her she didn't use her body to escape the pain she used her brains.  When her dreams of becoming a nurse and securing a better future are coming true. She finds after a chance encounter that there is love in Hip-Hop and falls for a local rapper who promised her love in exchange for lies and deceit. With a heart full of hurt will she be able to feel her heart with love again? Savage Johnson was living up to the name his daddy gave him. He carried himself in the streets and in the sheets with many different women like a Savage should. Being proud of it until he ran into Sa’dai. Those eyes instantly drew him in. No woman had ever captured his heart just from a glance. Sa'dai was everything he wanted his future to look like. He hadn't spoken a word to her but he knew he had to make her his. Seeing she wasn't being treated right he was determined to turn from being a savage to her savior. He was going to love the hurt from her heart. ​In this urban tale of love and redemption we will uncover the story of two lovers battling the world as well as mending broken hearts.

Act One


D. Camille - 2017
    As a Hollywood director, she’s looking to direct her career-making film, and now that she has the story, she needs a studio. Her journey leads to love, danger, and making fairytales come true… Love comes from a place that she never expects, in the form of a sworn enemy, who becomes everything she ever needed.

The Miracle of Love


Montana Ross - 2021
    

Maid For You


Paisley Lang - 2016
    That's how they see me--all they'll ever see when they look at me. But I am more, so much more. We can't change the past, the hand we've been dealt, But we can play that hand and win in the end. And that's what I plan to do--what I've always planned to do. Then he came into my life. Jaxon Prescott. He's everything I want, But nothing I'm permitted to have. He's too good, too perfect, For someone like me. After all, I'm just a maid, To them. They don't know the real me, My dreams, my fears, my past, My secrets. Jax A rich playboy.... That's how they see me--all they'll ever see when they look at me. They've got it all wrong, So wrong. I've been living a lie, a fabrication of what they want, And I thought it was what I wanted. Then she came into my life. Ava Williams. She reminded me of what I want, What I need, And who I really am. She's everything, But nothing I'm supposed to have. She's not right, not polished enough For someone like me. After all, I'm high class society--better than everyone else, To them. They don't know the real me, My dreams, my fears, my past, My secrets.

Missing Montana Groom and the Merchant's Bride: Series Starter 2-in-1 Special (The Elusive Groom)


Terri Grace - 2017
    On arrival in Glendive, Montana, as a mail order bride, she is shocked to discover that Titus, her intended, has disappeared without explanation. Honara’s determined journey to find him takes her on a roller coaster ride of romance, where she finds herself embroiled in more than one love story along the way, before finally completing her own! Each book in the series is a wonderful standalone story, but be warned, once you read one you won’t be able to resist reading all of them! BOOK 1: Missing Montana Groom Honora Carson has found the man of her dreams, and is traveling heart in hand to Glendive, Montana, to his welcoming arms. When she arrives he is gone! No one knows where, but suspicions run high. Despite being told to forget him, that her husband-to-be is an unreliable, irresponsible man, Honora can’t shake the feeling that something is not quite as it seems. So begins a fervent search for clues to his whereabouts. The elusive husband. Will this courageous, trusting bride ever find her beau? Or will Honora’s greatest fear come to pass and her innocent heart crushed and broken by a liar and a scoundrel? BOOK 2: The Merchant's Bride Selina Fuller decides to accept her best friend’s invitation to visit in Glendive, where she expects to find her already married and settled down. Instead she discovers that her friend’s fiancé is missing. Staying to help, her own heart gets torn apart when she falls in love with Malcolm Burns, but he seems to only have eyes for Honora Carson, her best friend. Does Selena dare reveal her true feelings? And will Malcolm recognize her love before it is too late? All the while, the search for Titus Ridge continues. The Elusive Groom series follows the incredible journey of Bride-to-be, Honora Carson, in her search for her missing groom. On arrival in Glendive, Montana, as a mail order bride, she is shocked to discover that Titus, her intended, has disappeared without explanation. Honara’s determined journey to find him takes her on a roller coaster ride of romance, where she finds herself embroiled in more than one love story along the way, before finally completing her own! Each book in the series is a wonderful standalone story, but be warned, once you read one you won’t be able to resist reading all of them!

Holmes Picks a Winner


Charles Veley - 2021
    A fiendish plot. A spectacular do-or-die climax.The five-day Ascot opening is the most fashionable event in England and, some say, around the world. But it's now 1900, and Royal Ascot is different. Even the newspapers will report that opening day is not quite the gala occasion to which the British Public has become accustomed.Yet none of them knows that among the glamorous crowds are powerful men who have come, not to watch the grand spectacle, but to create a ghastly event that will shock the world.Unless someone stops them.Enter Sherlock, Lucy, and the Baker Street team.A fast-paced and thrilling take on a classic Sherlock who-done-it, with unexpected twists and turns, two strong, feisty heroines, and a touch of romance. Holmes Picks a Winner stays faithful to the spirit of the beloved original series, while introducing more intriguing relationship dynamics.The third installment in a three-part 'season finale.

Happy Endings (Kate McCall Book 5)


Tina Lencioni - 2014
    But when her con man cousin Nick suddenly disappears, Kate’s own plans are put on hold as she is forced to deal with bounty hunters, criminals, and a relentless private detective, all looking for Nick - and looking to Kate for answers. Spurred on by family loyalty and her reluctant curiosity, Kate wades into the murky waters of Nick’s illegal activities and finds herself facing her greatest challenge yet: office work.Fresh and very funny, Happy Endings wraps up the Kate McCall series, which features a fearless and impulsive young woman absolutely determined to make a success of her business on her own terms and in her own way. Written for fans of humorous fiction as well as those who like imperfect female PIs and quirky cases, this lighthearted series will also appeal to anyone who enjoys a great read, memorable characters and a happy ending.