Book picks similar to
Sleeping Beauty WAKES UP! by Elle Lothlorien


romance
contemporary-romance
chick-lit
contemporary

Chasing The Dragon


T.K. Leigh - 2015
    She's the target. Can he resist falling for her?Mackenzie Delano craves control in every aspect of her life. From her business life. To her social life.To her love life…Until she crosses paths with a mysterious man who seems to break down the walls she spent the past several years erecting.Tyler Burnham has lived the past few years with one rule in mind...Never fall in love.But when he must form an intimate relationship with a sharp-tongued woman in order to obtain the location of a man deemed an enemy of the State, he finds himself straying from that rule.Will Tyler be able push his feelings aside and recover the information he needs?Or will he risk his mission and their lives in order to follow his heart?Chasing the Dragon is the first book of the Deception Duet, a part of the Beautiful Mess series. Pick up this gripping story of secrets, intrigue, and betrayal today.Beautiful Mess Series Recommended Reading Order:1. A Beautiful Mess (Beautiful Mess Trilogy #1)2. A Tragic Wreck (Beautiful Mess Trilogy #2)3. Gorgeous Chaos (Beautiful Mess Trilogy #3)4. Chasing the Dragon (Deception Duet #1)5. Slaying the Dragon (Deception Duet #2)6. Vanished (A Beautiful Mess Series Standalone)7. Heart of Light (A Beautiful Mess Series Standalone)***Author's Note: While it is not necessary to read the Beautiful Mess Trilogy prior to reading the Deception Duet or the Beautiful Mess Series standalones, the above is the recommended reading order for the best reading experience.

Let Them Eat Cake


Sandra Byrd - 2007
    She’s done with college but still living at home, ready to launch a career but unable to find a job, and solidly stalled between boyfriends. When a lighthearted conversation in French with the manager of her favorite bakery turns into a job offer, Lexi accepts. But the actual glamour is minimal: the pay is less than generous, her co-workers are skeptical, her bank account remains vertically-challenged, and her parents are perpetually disappointed. Her only comfort comes from the flirtatious baker she has her eye–but even may not be who he seems to be!So when a handsome young executive dashes into the bakery to pick up his high profile company’s special order for an important meeting–an order Lexi has flubbed– she loses her compulsion to please. “What am I going to do?” he shouts. “Let them eat cake!” she fires back with equal passion and a nod to Marie Antoinette. And then, something inside Lexi clicks. Laissez la révolution commencer! Let the revolution begin! Instead of trying to fulfill everyone else’s expectations for her life, Lexi embarks on an adventure in trusting God with her future–très bon!This book is written from a lightly, organically, Christian world view.

Honeymoon for One


Chris Keniston - 2013
    Coaxed by a thrill seeking hunk she never expects to see again, she slowly sheds her good girl persona to have some well deserved fun. But unlike Vegas, what happens on the high seas doesn't always stay there.

The Life List


Chrissy Anderson - 2012
    Then out of nowhere…an affair. What would you do if you realized the life you created wasn’t right for you? You think you know the answer? Think again. Follow Chrissy as she lies and cheats and ultimately learns to tell the truth to herself and those that she loves.At twenty-eight, Chrissy has been steadily checking off the boxes on her life list as she mocks the style and life choices of everyone around her. She’s got it all—or so everyone thinks. Her life begins to fall apart when she unexpectedly meets a much younger man, Leo, who makes her question just how perfect her “perfect life” really is. With the help of her no-nonsense therapist, Dr. Maria, Chrissy learns more about herself than she anticipates. But it isn’t until she stares an untimely death in the face that Chrissy is catapulted into an overdue reality check. Only then does she scramble to correct the mistakes of her past…trying to figure out if it’s her husband Kurt, her lover Leo, or both that she has to leave behind to make everything right.Women of all kinds will be able to relate to the pressure of constructing the ideal life, only to fall short. Not everyone will agree with Chrissy Anderson’s decisions, but all will pause as they follow along on her journey to ask, “What would I do if I were her?”

The Shop on Main


Kay Correll - 2014
    As she scrambles to maintain her fragile financial security and independence, she fears she may lose more than just The Shop on Main and her home.Nothing is working out like Bella planned--she finds out the man she is falling for, Owen Campbell, is the businessman at the center of all her problems.Owen has secretly longed to belong--somewhere--anywhere--his whole life. When he decides to give his long-lost brother, Jake, back his birthright, he unknowingly thwarts his briefly held hope of a place where he can put down roots and a family he longs for.Nothing is working out like Owen planned--neither Bella nor Jake wants anything to do with him.How can a man who is used to being in control and a woman determined to make it all on her own find a way to happiness?The Shop on Main is Book One of the Comfort Crossing series. Bella and her best friends, Jenny and Becky Lee, navigate the heartaches and triumphs of love and life in the small southern town of Comfort Crossing, Mississippi.

Haole Wood


Dee DeTarsio - 2012
    This fair-haired, light-skinned foreigner, called haole by the natives, decides to stay in Maui for a couple of days until she can figure out what to do with her life. She realizes that her quick trip to Maui may not be all she’s hoping for when:-She has to bail her Hawaiian/Korean grandmother out of jail for possession of pakalolo.-The only thing she can understand her grandmother say is: “Not that.”-She can’t decide which hurts worse, her sunburn, hangover, or memories of the night before.-She’s labeled the “Liquor Licker” on the front page of the Maui News in a photo that shows her doing a shot of tequila with a hunky Hawaiian who’s been found dead.-It seems she’s had orgasms that have lasted longer than her career.-She scrapes the bottom of the barrel to find her guardian angel. Beautiful fabric found in her grandmother’s closet unfolds a future for Jaswinder as she designs sensuous silky wraps called sunshminas that provide sun protection. She tries for a Hollywood connection, but her company, Haole Wood, has some growing pains. From trying to find a killer, to selling her sunshminas, to lusting after Dr. Jac, the island dermatologist, to trying to ignore her so-called guardian angel, can Jaswinder learn to embrace the island way of life? Aloha!

All of You


Jody Morse - 2014
    No other guys measure up to him in her eyes. But Logan’s not exactly dating material. He’s been with more girls than she can count and she’s known him forever, long enough to know that his feelings for her aren’t mutual…until her two best friends manage to convince her that maybe he does have a thing for her. The only problem? He has a girlfriend, and it seems like he’s serious about this one. Logan has been in love with Hannah his whole life, but he knows that she deserves better than him. He knows that if she were to ever find out the truth about what he did last summer, she would never be able to look at him the same way again. He vows to keep his secret to himself, even if that means keeping his feelings along with it. When they go to Logan’s family’s beach house in Summer Haven, North Carolina for a week, the chemistry and sexual tension between them thickens. They both find themselves wanting more, but if they cross out of the “just friends” zone, can they ever go back? And what will happen if Hannah finds out about Logan’s secret? In the midst of trying to decide if she should lay her heart on the line, Hannah is also dealing with her stalker, whose threats are becoming real. Disclaimer: This New Adult novel is best-suited for readers ages 18+ due to strong language, sexual situations, and other mature topics.

Tangled Beauty


K.L. Middleton - 2013
    That is, until she met Reed, Jesse's sexy as hell older brother, and ends up getting much more than what she'd bargained for.Reed Eddington assumed his future was settled until he met Sinclair, his brother's so-called "girlfriend," but the raw, sexual tension between them is hard to ignore. As he watches their ruse from the sidelines, he finds himself wanting to uncover more than just their amusing little facade.Due to sexual content and heavy subject matter, this book is recommended for ages 18+.

The Housewife Assassin's Handbook


Josie Brown - 2011
    Donna Stone has one…and it happens to be government-sanctioned. She earned it the hard way: her husband was killed the day she delivered her third child. To avenge his death, she leads a secret life – as an assassin. But espionage makes for strange bedfellows – and brings new meaning to that old adage, "Honey, I’m home…"

Crossroads Serenade: A Novel


Laurie Adair Grove - 2012
    But no matter how much time passes, she can’t forget Pete, the only man she’s ever loved. Meredith wonders how she can move on, when just looking at her little boy so painfully reminds her of everything that's happened.Her son is five when Meredith returns to Crossroads to claim The Serenade—a popular hotel, bar and restaurant—which she inherits from a dear friend who treated her like family when her own family did not. A single mother from a rough background, Meredith knows life is not all roses, and that she will have to work even harder than ever with her new responsibilities. But she has no idea of the obstacles that she must overcome, now that she has moved back home to claim her inheritance and hopefully reunite with Pete.

Beyond Nostalgia


Tom Winton - 2011
    They both come from dysfunctional families at the bottom rungs of the social ladder, where happiness never comes easy. Theresa's father was shot dead at a bank robbery a few years ago. Dean's father is alive, but he has a mean temper and a nasty tongue that constantly cuts into the heart of his family. And as if all that isn't enough to deal with, Dean's mother is a paranoid schizophrenic and Theresa's is a hardcore alcoholic.But on a cold, damp night in the spring of 1967, things suddenly look up for the underprivileged kids. It seems fate is finally in a benevolent mood when the free-spirited Dean and downright gorgeous Theresa meet at a high school dance. From there things only get better.For the next year the youths, who've always been knocked around, bring the light of hope into each other's hearts. Together they manage to beat back all the negativity that keeps coming at them, and they have the time of their lives.Unfortunately, though, fate is an unpredictable force. And when Dean's better judgement lapses, just one time, the mistake he makes causes Theresa to be pulled from his arms. After that the years slip away and the two lovers push on with their lives the best they can. They both get married, and Dean has two lovely kids, but the sun never sets on a day that they don't think of one another.Is it possible that destiny might reunite Dean and Theresa someday? If it does, what would the consequences be for them and their families? If it doesn't, could they ever be truly happy again?

A Cutthroat Business


Jenna Bennett - 2010
    But Savannah doesn’t think she’s supposed to take the warning literally ... until an early morning phone call sends her to an empty house on the ‘bad’ side of town, where she finds herself standing over the butchered body of a competitor, face to face with the boy her mother always warned her about. Rafe Collier is six feet three inches of testosterone and trouble; tall, dark, and dangerous, with a murky past and no future—not the kind of guy a perfect Southern Belle should want to tangle with. In any way. But wherever Savannah turns, there he is, and making no bones about what he wants from her. Now Savannah must figure out who killed real estate queen Brenda Puckett, make a success of her new career, and avoid getting killed—or kissed—by Rafe, all before the money in her savings account runs out and she has to go back to selling make-up at the mall.

Styling Wellywood


Kate O'Keeffe - 2014
    Goodbye exciting London, hello old-fashioned boredom. And she’s got a lot to deal with. There’s her overbearing mother, her new fashion career, not to mention the sudden disappearance of her best friend. Thank goodness for Ben, her reliable, cute friend who always has a broad shoulder to cry on—at least when his gorgeous girlfriend isn’t around. Then sexy tennis pro, Scott bursts into her life, serving up a hot and steamy love match. But off the court Scott is running a different racket—one that might just open Jessica’s eyes and heart. With everything she ever wanted and feared in front of her, will Jessica finally find her way home?

A Second Chance


Ellen Wolf - 2011
    Rejected and left behind as he moved away to California, she had built her future without him, both her private and professional life leaving little to wish for.Her seemingly fulfilling life fell apart after the breakup of her engagement, leaving her shaken and desperate for a change of scene. Her best friend’s struggle with cancer made it an easy choice to abandon her less than perfect situation and visit the Golden Coast.Meeting Liam again shouldn’t have changed anything; their lives were certainly too far apart to reclaim the strange connection that made her fall in love with him in the first place. Successful and well established, he seemed even more out of reach than before. Against her better judgment, Jade allowed herself to get closer and was shocked to find out that Liam carried a burden of guilt that explained his adamant opposition to love and relationships. As hopeless as it seemed, leaving wasn’t an option as she decided to fight for the man she loved.And this time she wasn’t ready to retreat…

Once Upon a Ghost


Day Leclaire - 1993
    And he isn't about to change his mind just because this scammer's drop-dead gorgeous and offers the most seductive kisses. Ever.Rachel Avery is just trying to save her family home. And no nasty, rotten — surprisingly handsome — cynic can change that. If only he weren't so damn sexy. And if only he didn't offer the most seductive kisses. Ever.But they have a deal, witnessed by the media: If Zach can't scientifically disprove her ghost by Halloween, Rachel wins.Then Zach meets Rachel's grandmother and discovers the real reason the Averys are so desperate to sell their story.Too bad his reputation is on the line...