Book picks similar to
Substitute Bride by Ruth Ann Nordin


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A Shenandoah Christmas: A Novella (Winds of Change)


Lisa Belcastro - 2014
    His Christmas wish is to marry the woman he loves. But where has she gone? Andrew Roberts hasn’t felt such anticipation for Christmas day since he was five years old. This year he has plans, life-changing plans. He is going to propose to Allyson Flanders, the woman of his dreams. He’d lived his first thirty years as a confirmed bachelor, contented with dating, managing the family’s fleet of ships, fishing, and sailing anywhere he wanted, whenever he wanted.Until . . .One date with Allyson, and Andy was hopelessly caught by the smartest, kindest, most beautiful woman he’d ever met. He had no complaints. Life with Allyson was better than anything he’d ever imagined. They spent hours of every day together, casting lines into the waters off the shore of Martha’s Vineyard, talking, laughing, and dreaming. He hadn’t spent a day without being in Allyson’s company.Until . . . Something happened after Thanksgiving. Something he can’t figure out. Something he can’t name. But that something has created more distance than a two-month sail from Vineyard Haven Harbor to Sri Lanka. Allyson had no time for him, barely spoke to him, and made secret plans without him.The diamond and sapphire ring resting in the black velvet box looked lonely, but not as lonely as Andy felt. Where was she spending her time? Why didn’t she return his phone calls? Had she found someone else? Was there any hope his Christmas wish might still come true? A Vineyard RomanceRomance, Faith, and Adventure on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard

Malcolm & Isabel


Julie Anne Long - 2018
    Go to "Content and Devices" and click "Update Available" to get the most current version. Thank you! Their story began in the Epilogue of THE LEGEND OF LYON REDMOND...In Pennyroyal Green, the past is very much alive...but the present has a power—and a magic—all its own. Isabel Redmond never anticipated that the echoes of a legendary love will reverberate through her own life. Or that answers she's long sought might be between the pages of Olivia Eversea's diary.Until she goes in search of her roots...and meets her tall, dark destiny under a famous pair of entwined trees. One look into Isabel's heart-stopping blue eyes and town doctor Malcolm Coburn knows 1) getting involved will be risky; and 2) their chemistry will be scorching. But as they retrace Olivia and Lyon's footsteps in Pennyroyal Green, a tender, fiery intimacy emerges...and old wounds are laid bare. Will two people who guard their hearts as fiercely as their freedom repeat the mistakes of a pair of long-ago lovers...or will they let love alter the course of their lives?

Always the Baker, Never the Bride


Sandra D. Bricker - 2010
    But here's the rub about her job as a baker ... Emma is diabetic. When she tastes her creations, it can only be in the most minute portions. Emma is considered an artisan for the stunning crEme brulee wedding cake that won her the Passionate Palette Award last year, but she's never even had one full slice of it.When Jackson Drake hears about this local baker who has won a prestigious award for her wedding cake artistry, he tells his assistant to be sure and include her in the pastry tastings scheduled at his new wedding destination hotel the following week. And for Jackson, that particular day has started out badly with two workmen trapped in a broken elevator and a delivery of several dozen 300-thread-count bed linens in the wrong size abandoned in the lobby. But when the arrogant baker he met a week prior in Roswell stumbles into the dining room with a platter of pastries and a bucketful of orders, he knows for certain: It's going to be a really rotten day.Can these two ill-suited players master the high-wire act and make a go of their new business venture? Or will they take each other crashing downward, without a net? And will the surprise wedding at The Tanglewood be theirs?

Dancing to Freedom


Traci Hunter Abramson - 2021
    But when the stage lights go dim and the curtain closes, she is simply a young woman who is trapped. On tour with the Soviet Kirov Ballet in Canada, Katerina is watched day and night by her chaperones and ballet security. But no one realizes that her hotel balcony adjoins that of handsome Canadian hockey player Robert Marcell.Robert is enchanted by Katerina, though he knows little about who she really is. In an attempt to find out more about this mysterious young woman, Robert extends his stay in the hotel. One night, when a teammate’s wife persuades him to join them at the ballet, Robert reluctantly attends. He has no interest in cultural experiences—until Katerina dances onto the stage. Soon, the two are inseparable, but despite their growing love, Katerina knows they can have no future together. They come from different worlds, and to escape her gilded cage would be nearly impossible.

The Last One


Tawdra Kandle - 2014
    The last year has been a roller coaster: her widowed mother just married a long-time family friend. Her younger brother unexpectedly became a father and a husband. Everyone's life is changing. . .except for hers. As she begins her final summer of college, Meghan's looking for excitement and maybe a little romance. Nothing serious; this girl just wants to have fun. But the only man for Meghan turns out to be the last one she expects. Sam Reynolds doesn't need excitement, and he doesn't want romance. Fun is out of the question. He's been the steady, responsible one since his parents were killed, and serious is his way of life. When Sam rescues Meghan alongside a dark Georgia backroad, she falls hard for his deep brown eyes and slow drawl. But making him see her as more than just a party girl won't be easy. Sam's tempted by the fiery young artist, even as he realizes that giving into his feelings will mean radical change. . .maybe more than he can handle. Nobody ever said love was simple.

Finding Eden


Tina Newcomb - 2017
    As mayor of Eden Falls, a business owner, and the mother of six-year-old Charlie, she doesn’t have time to coddle a self-absorbed author, who’s only in town for the summer.Best-selling author Colton McCreed is in Eden Falls to study small town life for his next murder mystery. As his research draws him into the community, he becomes entwined with the mayor and her cheerful son. Colton’s unhappy childhood left him believing he’s immune to love, but Alex and Charlie have a pull on him he’s never felt before.Impromptu dinner invitations throw Colton and Alex into a world of discovery, shattering her image of Mr. Right and his belief that love is out of reach.If you like clean romance, quirky characters, and a quaint town you won’t want to leave, you'll love Finding Eden.Other Books in the Eden Falls SeriesBeyond EdenA Taste of EdenThe Angel of Eden FallsTouches of EdenStars Over Eden FallsFortunes for EdenSnow and Mistletoe in Eden Falls

Something Better


Jenn Faulk - 2014
    In the worst way possible. Life has taken on a very empty, depressing tone, and she needs a change. So, when the opportunity to leave the country to take pictures for the very intriguing Henry Booth presents itself, she welcomes it gladly. But her exotic vacation soon proves to be more stressful, heartbreaking, and life changing than she ever imagined it could be. When she returns home, things only get worse. As she finds herself confronting very real truths about the world around her, about her own life, and about what her future holds, she struggles to understand what it means to be poor in spirit and rich in grace as Christ changes everything into something better...

Broslin Creek Boxed Set


Dana Marton - 2017
    It leaves you with chills while keeping you grounded with heart warming family warmth and sweet hot romance." Cyn's Reviews BROSLIN BRIDE ----------------------- "...what a delight!!... An extremely fun read with moments of great hilarity, some surprisingly steamy interludes and good suspense with unexpected twists and turns... A plucky, touching, slow-burning and vivid puzzle." Ripe For Reader Reviews DEATHWISH ------------------ "An absolutely awesome, utterly mind-blowing romantic suspense! I loved everything about it. Dana outdid herself with this one. I've inhaled every one of Dana's Broslin Creek books - but this is definitely my favorite so far!" Reading Between The Wines Book Club "Marton knows what makes a hero...her characters are sure to become reader favorites." RT Book Review Magazine

The Ways of Grace


Linda Francis Lee - 2002
    . . .If there’s one thing Grace Colebrook cannot tolerate, it’s hysterics. So when her fiancé betrays her on their wedding day, she refuses to make a scene. She simply walks away—straight into the arms of a powerful stranger. The morning after, regrets fly. But life gets truly complicated when it turns out that the man lives in the apartment below hers. Legendary ER doctor Jack Berenger is a man used to getting what he wants. And he doesn’t want Grace Colebrook—or so he tells himself when he can’t get her out of his mind. She’s prim, passionate, and unpredictable, a far cry from the ice queens who usually catch his eye. But most of all, she breaks through the hard shell he has built around himself . . . filling him with a burning hunger to possess her. At once deeply moving and wildly romantic, two unforgettable people find each other in a world turned upside-down. Now Jack has one final chance to open his heart and prove he can be the sort of man a woman like Grace could love. . . .

Married In Montana


Kirsten Osbourne - 2015
    She knows her mother will never move on with her own life as long as Savannah is single. Savannah goes to see a matchmaker, specializing in setting up couples who meet at the altar. At first, she thinks Scott is a dream come true, but his blundering soon makes her crazy. Scott, a Montana bison rancher, doesn't have time to find a wife. His work is all-encompassing. Besides, he tends to have a hard time getting women to go out with him more than once. When he runs into a matchmaker he's known all his life, he tells her about the problems he's had to see if she can help him. When he meets Savannah at the altar, his heart stops for a moment. She's exactly what he's looking for. Will their diverse backgrounds keep them apart? Or will they be able to work through their differences to make their marriage a loving relationship?

His Special Project


Lydia Layne - 2015
    From the moment I first saw you, I knew I had to have you. Here, like this. Under my control.” Cassie James is a curvy girl with a crappy job. As an administrative assistant at Reed Technologies, the highlight of her day is getting a glimpse of the company’s founder, sexy billionaire David Reed. But when a special assignment sends Cassie on a personal errand for Mr. Reed, things get a little more personal than she expects. Sparks fly between the pretty plus-size woman and the handsome billionaire who stole her heart, and Cassie soon realizes there’s more to Mr. Reed than meets the eye. Will she shed her insecurities and surrender to the passionate man who wants to ravish her curves? This billionaire BDSM novelette is a BBW romance featuring red hot passion between a rich alpha male and the big beautiful woman he just can’t resist!

If You Let Me Go (First Love Billionaire)


Sonia Rao - 2021
    But she will have none of that. Shivalika has her life mapped out. She does not believe in love at all and is only focused on her career the reason for which is a secret she has nursed since she was a teenager.But when billionaire Vikramarya Kumar aka VK aka “the most eligible bachelor in the country” enters her company as the new boss, sparks fly and she finds all her beliefs getting shattered, one by one.Shivalika’s secret has already created havoc once in her life. Will she be able to overcome it to find her happily-ever-after with VK or will the pain of it destroy every chance of finding true love and healing?If You Let Me Go is a standalone sweet romance novel in the First Love Billionaire Romance series.

Sweet Texas Secrets: The Complete Series


Monica Tillery - 2016
    Big secrets. Welcome to Sweet Ridge.The Cooper brothers receive the shock of their lives when their deceased father, owner of the lucrative Guac Ole company, wills away their inheritances to three random women, leaving them each only a mysterious object and a riddle to solve. You don't want to miss a sexy minute of their search for answers--and love.Sweet Texas Kiss: Gavin Cooper can't wrap his mind around why country music superstar Macy Young would end up inheriting his family home. Seeing his childhood memories handed over to his high school rival--the first woman to break his heart--stings, especially when Gavin is left only a pair of old reading glasses. Luckily, Macy can't sell the house for one year--plenty of time for him to find a way to get it back. Can a country star and a country veterinarian find a way to bury their animosity and rediscover their first love in the process?Sweet Texas Fire: Gage Cooper has always wanted the family cabin. Instead, his business nemesis, environmental analyst Charlotte Wilkinson, inherits this valuable property with its oil-rich land and its secrets, and Gage pockets a useless key. He'll do anything to reverse this fortune, including eloping to Vegas for a sham marriage. But as they discover common ground and a surprising chemistry together, suddenly Gage must decide what's worth more: the land he's always coveted or a future with Charlotte.Sweet Texas Charm: Becca Nash has no idea why kind, old Jack Cooper left her half of his company since she never had more than a few polite conversations with the guy. Neither does Grayson Cooper, Guac Ole's CEO, who is seething over the strawberry-shaped charm his dad willed him. He goes undercover boss to find out how he can steal back those shares, but surprisingly loses his heart to Becca instead. What he does discover is a secret that could blow apart not only Becca's world but his whole family. Now Grayson must determine whether it's better to follow his head or his heart.Sensuality Level: Sensual

Wanted: Wife


Lacey Wolfe - 2013
    When she learns that the guy she had a crush on in high school is the one looking to hire, she'd be crazy not to live out her fantasy.Steven McDonald needs a wife, or at least a fiancée, before his grandfather retires or else he won't inherit the family business. He knows not just any woman will do, and in a desperate attempt to find a solution, he places a help wanted ad in the local paper. The day Darcy White answers it, his dreams begin to come true.As Darcy and Steven pretend they're engaged, they make a promise to keep things platonic. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to keep their hands off one another. With his grandfather's retirement approaching, and the possible end to their fake engagement, can Steven and Darcy admit their feelings to not only themselves but each other?Content Warning: contains adult language and sensual love scenes

The Marrying Man


Barbara Bretton - 2012
    (She's also the single mother of five kids under twelve.)Riley McKendrick is a famous efficiency expert who once whipped the White House into shape. (He's also an ex-cowboy who believes in traveling light.)Opposites definitely attract but everyone knows they should never try living together.On a bet, Riley moves into Cat's Connecticut farmhouse and vows to have her chaotic lifestyle under control before the weekend is over. But five kids, six dogs, four cats, and one strong-minded woman may be more than even he can handle.But when it comes to love, all bets are off...(Previously printing in the Love and Laughter Anthology.)