Book picks similar to
Making Lemonade by Muriel Ellis Pritchett


contemporary
women-s-fiction
novella
chick-lit

Down on Love


Jayne Denker - 2013
    And will share it with you. Even if you don’t ask.Georgiana Down isn’t interested in romance, thank you very much. Newly single after escaping a toxic, emotionally abusive ex, George is perfectly happy being alone, running her successful blog, Down on Love, where she gives gloves-off advice to the lovelorn. And baking the occasional pie as, you know, therapy. When her sister Sera wages a campaign to get her to return to their small hometown of Marsden, a place George had fled fifteen years earlier, it’s the last thing George wants to do. But the pull of family is strong...and no one ever truly escapes the eccentric, insular, odd little town in the heart of New York’s Catskill Mountains. Maybe she can cope if she avoids gossipy neighbors...and one particular Marsden resident who broke her heart years ago...Casey Bowen would know George Down’s unusual pink car anywhere...but he never expected to see it tearing through the streets of Marsden long after George left town and never looked back. Casey manages to escape with his toes intact, but his heart is another matter. As a teenager, Casey had been fascinated by the ethereal, mysterious George, but he never made a move on his friend’s younger sister...until one fateful night....After that, everything went sideways, and George and Casey went on to live very different lives.Now they’re both back in Marsden, both single...and the attraction is still there. George and Casey could have a second chance at happiness...as long as their meddling neighbors don’t screw everything up.

Accidentally Married


Victorine E. Lieske - 2014
    Her rent is due and she needs a job. Desperately. After getting a tip about an open position, she rushes to Jameson Technologies and meets CEO Jared Jameson. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, she is put in the awkward position of pretending to be his girlfriend. Not the job she was applying for. And when she finds out Jared lied to her to get what he wanted, she decides to get back at him. In front of his family. Jared is stunned when Madison announces they are getting married. She pushed her revenge too far. How can he tell them it’s all a lie? And when his sick aunt asks them to be married before she dies, Madison comes up with a hair-brained plan to hire an actor and stage a fake wedding. What they both don’t know is Jared’s father has found out about the fake wedding. And he’s got his own hair-brained plan. This is a sweet romance, appropriate for any age.

Worth Lying For


Lisa Cheney - 2012
    But at forty, she finds herself fantasizing about sprawling Tuscan villas and fitting into 'juniors department' fashions. Instead, another twenty years in a two-bedroom ranch, sale-rack slacks and a receptionist job at Idid-a-Rod Auto Garage seem to be her destiny. Until... GOOD GRIEFMary stumbles on a bag of cash in the car of two-bit drug dealer Jimmy Adler... and steals it. Confiding in best friend, Caryn, she vows to make good by playing Robin Hood in the sleepy town of Stillwater Village. Only she must keep the plan under wraps from devoted husband, Nick, who just happens to be the local sheriff. GOOD INTENTIONS As one unexpected event after another turns Mary's once tapioca-bland life hotter than three-alarm chili, she is more than a little tempted to indulge in a few retail therapy sessions. Charity begins at home, after all, but where should it end? When the fate of her imperfect yet loving family is put on the line, Mary must decide what the good life really means, and if it is Worth Lying For.

Small Town Rumors


Carolyn Brown - 2018
    The former high school queen bee—and wealthy darling of Bloom, Texas—has returned home after all these years, riding on a common bus and bearing two bounced alimony checks. In a town that thrives on gossip, Jennie’s fall from grace has shamed her mother, set the town buzzing, and caused old, jealous enemies to whisper in delight. They say she’s taken a job as a housekeeper, gotten a garage apartment, and might be crushing on Rick Lawson, a simple farmer with modest dreams.As romance starts to bud, Jennie relishes what it means to follow her heart, find real new friends, and finally be herself—regardless of all the lying town chatter. But fate has another twist in store. Rumor has it that Jennie now stands to lose what matters most…unless she can convince Rick of one true thing—and that’s love.

Where There's A Will


Julie Archer - 2021
    When he spoke and I heard his British accent, I'm pretty sure an ovary exploded. Then he knocked on my door with a bottle of wine and two glasses in hand before inviting himself inside. After my bad breakup, I wasn't ready to date. I hadn't even looked for a rebound, but there he was, practically gift wrapped. Too bad I wanted nothing more than a second chance with my ex. Will Montana. I loved saying her name. I'd been watching her for months before she ever noticed me. She was too hung up on that cad to pay me any attention. Despite how perfect for me she seemed, I thought I might have a chance with her. After all, I had a cute accent and since we lived on the same floor, geography was on my side. A month ago, I'd actually witnessed their break up at the restaurant where I bartended. So, I bided my time and waited for her to recover. I wasn't built to be a rebound. And while I was certain her ex would come crawling back, I knew once I'd had a taste of life with her, I could never let her go.

Secrets of the Heart


Kelsey MacBride - 2016
     The story begins with Heather Parks predicament to keep from falling in love with a wealthy widowed bachelor when she is assigned as a nurse to care for his sick daughter.

The Last Goodbye


Caroline Finnerty - 2013
    . . and sometimes we cannot shake off the shackles of decisions made by others in the past.Kate Flynn has spent her whole life running away. She reckons the best decision she ever made was to leave Ireland the day after she finished school. Having seldom returned since, she would be perfectly happy if she never had to go back there. She is happy in London where she runs a successful photography gallery with her best friend Nat, though their relationship is going through a rocky patch since Nat began an affair with a married man. When Kate becomes pregnant and her partner Ben persuades her to make the trip home, she is forced to confront everything she left behind and memories of Eva, the mother she feels betrayed her. Kate finds it impossible to forgive Eva who chose to refuse cancer treatment while pregnant and died, leaving a young family motherless. Do some wounds go too deep to ever heal? Must Eva's Choice forever deny Kate real happiness?The Last Goodbye is a powerful story of love and loss, forgiveness and new beginnings - a heart-wrenching and emotional page-turner for mothers and daughters everywhere.

The Guestbook


Andrea Hurst - 2012
    The lush and majestic setting of the Pacific Northwest calls to her and offers a place of refuge and perhaps renewal. Her grandmother has passed away, leaving the Madrona Island Bed & Breakfast Inn to Lily. Left with only an old guestbook as her guide–a curious book full of letters, recipes, and glimpses into her family history–Lily is determined to embrace her newfound independence and recreate herself, one page at a time. With the help of the quirky island residents she has befriended, she slowly finds the strength to seek out happiness on her own terms. But as soon as she has sworn off men and is standing on her own two feet, Lily meets Ian, the alluring artist who lives next door, and her new life is suddenly thrown off course. The last thing she wants to do right now is to open her heart to another man. Ultimately, Lily must decide if it’s worth giving up her soul for security or risking everything to follow her heart.

Jackie Cupid's First Love and It's Written In The Stars


Mary Leo - 2017
    . . Jackie Cupid! Jackie Cupid’s First Love: When Eros, the god of Love, appears to Jackie Cupid and transforms her into a real life Cupid with magical love powers and an outstanding bombshell body, Jackie is keen to take on the challenge. “Look out, baby, there’s a new Cupid in town!” There’s just one catch. Jackie’s first couple is a test. The potential soul mates are estranged best friends who must fall madly in love with each other by Christmas morning or Jackie will lose all her powers, along with her outstanding bombshell body. Samantha Bowers, the local preacher’s daughter, and Luke Rutherford, an out of town businessman, haven’t spoken in over a year. Getting these two together is a series of star struck misadventures. Jackie has to learn how deep to prick someone with her tiny magical stars (arrows are way too gauche) so they can become delirious with desire . . . just not too delirious. More importantly, Jackie must learn when to poke them or that person might fall for anyone but their intended lover. The clock is ticking. Christmas is fast approaching. Will Jackie Cupid turn these two misbegotten lovers around in time to keep her powers? Or will her magic become a stardust memory? It’s Written In The Stars: Billionaire, Antonio Milani has come to London for the annual book fair and to retrieve his first edition, signed copy of Oliver Twist, from a woman who not only played him in his bed, but pretended to be a talented new author his publishing house was courting. Margot James has spent the better part of her adult life raising two children in a small town and writing stories in her personal journals. Now that her kids are grown, Margot takes a leap of faith and travels to London to visit her best friend, Jackie Cupid. When her friend takes a hike and leaves her with Antonio Milani, the delicious looking billionaire, Margot wants nothing more than to fly back home. But Jackie has used her magical stars on these two and the attraction, heat, and a pending book contract get in the way of Margot’s departure. Will Cupid’s magic be enough to keep these two lovers together, despite the odds, or will best-friend guilt get in the way of their destiny?

Bouquet Toss


Melissa Brown - 2012
    Be it a blessing or a curse, Daphne (a hopeless romantic and perpetual single girl) catches the bouquet at every single wedding she attends. Daphne’s love life is a mess. Her first love, Mayson, haunts her heart and keeps her from pursuing happiness with any man who comes along. As she struggles to move on from the one who got away, Daphne wonders if she will ever break her curse and find her happily ever after.

Perfectly Impossible


Elizabeth Topp - 2020
    An artist at heart, Anna works a day job as a private assistant for Bambi Von Bizmark, a megarich Upper East Side matriarch who’s about to be honored at the illustrious Opera Ball.Caught between the staid world of great wealth and her unconventional life as an artist, Anna struggles with her true calling. If she’s supposed to be a painter, why is she so much more successful as a personal assistant? When her boyfriend lands a fancy new job, it throws their future as a couple into doubt and intensifies Anna’s identity crisis. All she has to do is ensure everything runs smoothly and hold herself together until the Opera Ball is over. How hard could that be?Featuring a vibrant array of characters from the powerful to the proletarian, Perfectly Impossible offers a glimpse into a world you’ll never want to leave.

Love Muffin and Chai Latte


Anya Wylde - 2015
    Clear your calendar, turn on your voicemail, and get cozy on the sofa as Anya Wylde has decided to dip her toes into the world of contemporary romance …Love Muffin and Chai Latte follows the journey of Tabitha Lee Timmons as she deals with financial stress, loony relatives, some crooks, an unhappy bride-to -be, a grumpy old man, and two heartbreakingly handsome men.

The Cinderella Princess


Melissa McClone - 2015
    Relying on a man only leads to heartache. She takes care of herself, and work defines her life. But Emily soon finds herself in the hands of a real-life prince who defines the words charming and sexy. Not to mention reckless. If Prince Lucas doesn’t find a royal bride, Emily’s dream of being named a partner at the advertising firm will die.Luc’s fun-loving ways have made him a magnet for scandal. His father gives Luc an ultimatum—find a wife on a reality TV show or be disowned. Rules require him to marry nobility, but after he meets the uptight American sent to find him find a princess bride, his search for Cinderella might be over. Too bad Emily wants nothing to do with him. Perhaps he can show her that fairytale endings can happen in real life…

Maple Summer Wallace: A Novel


Jessica Calla - 2019
    Her plan takes a wrong turn when she finds Veronica, her twenty-year-old housekeeper and daughter of her beloved nanny, Lola, hovering over the dead body of octogenarian Randolph Brentwood, the fifth richest man in the world. Maple has never been a warm and fuzzy type of family person, and the last thing she wants to do in her final months of life is deal with Veronica’s mess. But long ago Maple made a promise to Lola that she’d always look out for her “little sister” Veronica. Still, the stubborn Maple, hardened from her own personal loss, resists involvement until she learns that Veronica is pregnant with Lola’s grandchild, an heir to the Brentwood estate. To make good on her promise to Lola, Maple vows to help Veronica. With the assistance of Michael, a handsome and savvy PI, they journey up and down the East Coast, dodging the authorities, a shady lawyer, a cold-hearted hit man, and the powerful widow, Mrs. Brentwood. As Maple’s bitterness about spending her last days saving Veronica dissipates and her friendship with Michael develops, she realizes that on the way to death, she’s found something she’s never had—life. (PLEASE NOTE: This is the Author's Women's Fiction Debut. It is NOT a Romance. Further, this book touches on serious subjects that may affect more sensitive readers.)

The Write Stuff


Tiffany King - 2014
     Twenty-two-year-old historical romance writer Nicole Blake, or N.S. Blake to her readers, hasn't taken an official poll, mind you, but she is convinced she may be the only romance author on the planet who is still a card-carrying member of the virgin club.Not that she hasn't tried to end her membership. Life just keeps finding pesky ways to interfere. With no prospects on the horizon, Nicole begins to feel like the closest she will ever get to experiencing a man is within her own stories.Opportunity presents itself in the form of hot-as-sin-on-a-lollipop-stick bartender/premed student Alec Petropoulos, who agrees to be the cover model for her upcoming book. Sparks fly instantly between them, and Nicole begins to entertain the possibility that she's finally found the right guy to hand over her tattered V-card. Alec has all the makings for a perfect one-night-stand candidate except, much to Nicole's surprise, he seems to be the only man in existence not interested in bagging a virgin.Stuck between a rock and a stubborn male, what's a virgin to do? Seduce him, of course. How hard could it be? If it works for the characters in her stories, why wouldn't it work for her? After all, what happens under the cover…stays under the cover.