Book picks similar to
Ryan's Letters by Jax Jillian


contemporary-romance
arc
recommendations
favs

The Five Stages of Falling in Love


Rachel Higginson - 2015
    Grady's prognosis was grim, even from the start, but Liz never gave up hope he would survive. How could she, when he was everything to her?Six months later, she is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and get the kids to school on time. Both seem impossible. Everything seems impossible these days.When Ben Tyler moves in next door, she is drowning in sorrow and pain, her children are acting out, and the house is falling apart. She has no time for curious new friends or unwanted help, but Ben gives her both. And he doesn't just want to help her with yard work or cleaning the gutters. Ben wants more from Liz. More than she's capable of ever giving again.As Liz mourns her dead husband and works her way through the five stages of grief, she finds there's more of her heart to give than she thought possible. And as new love takes hold, she peels away the guilt and heartache, and discovers there's more to life than death.

I Give You My Heart


SarahJane Ford - 2018
    A life-saving sacrifice. A love letter written on the walls of her heart. Alice Richards looked forward to watching the seeds of love she and her husband planted bloom and grow well into their old age. But her plans for the future shrivel up and die when she learns she has an inoperable brain tumour. Determined that she won’t die in vain, she decides to become an organ donor. With a few precious months left, Alice begins documenting her fairytale romance—from their first meeting to the children they dreamed of having. She’ll pass on every detail to her heart’s next owner… along with careful instructions to send her husband reminders of her undying love. Before her time runs out, Alice must find the perfect candidate to guide her husband through unimaginable grief and hold the memory of their love in her heart. I Give You My Heart is an emotional romantic fiction novel with an uplifting message. If you like strong-willed women, undying love stories, and honest portrayals of coping with a terminal illness, then you’ll love SarahJane Ford’s heart-warming epic. An unmissable love story full of warmth, beauty and with a huge, beating heart. Perfect for fans of Cecilia Ahern's 'P.S. I Love You' and Jojo Moyes' 'Me Before You'. Buy I Give You My Heart to experience a courageous story of undying love today! "A heart-breaking yet mind blowing read…phenomenal storytelling…I genuinely don’t think that anything could have prepared me for what lay beneath the cover of SarahJane Ford’s novel. Nothing at all…it was heartbreakingly beautiful, eyes pouring, limbs trembling, heart shattering emotional. Beautiful beyond belief, ‘I Give You My Heart’ is…..perfect.” – The Writing Garnet Blog "One of the most beautiful books I have ever read...I wanted to devour this in one go- it was hard to let go (and go to bed). I have my own special award of 5** which about 10% of the book I read achieve (I read around 220 a year). This one deserves its own award- I would give it 10* if I could. I don’t think I have ever been so touched by a book quite so much. Yes I cried at the end but boy did I smile a lot too. Alice was such a positive character that you couldn’t help but love her. I think this could be my book of the year 2018. A treasure of a read I shall remember for a very long time." - Nicki's Book blog “I Give You My Heart is THE most emotional book I have EVER read; it's an absolutely stunning debut and one not to miss." – The Book Magnet “The characters are truly amazing and the writing is eloquent and emotional in all of the right places…I GIVE YOU MY HEART by Sarah Jane Ford is a novel that deserves to read by the masses and is one that will linger in my mind for a long time to come.” – Books Of All Kinds “This romance story with a difference is a real must-read.” – Fraser’s Fun House "A truly brilliant book that is hard to believe is a debut due to the depth of the characters, it was emotional, addictive and full of positivity and light even in the most emotional and heartbreaking moments . A highly recommended read." - Goodreads reviewer 'Kelly'

Sucker Punch


Eva Logan - 2018
     His big dreams have left him at rock bottom and when you’ve lost everything, losing becomes easy because there’s nothing to fight for. The love of his life left him for a life he couldn’t give her and now she’s engaged and on top of the world while he claws his way out of the hole he dug when she left. Lotus Shaw plays the role of the media’s darling, and dutiful fiancé to a man only her parents approve of. She should be on top of the world, but she left her heart on the floor of a fight gym. Now, she’s got to get it back. One little secret from the past is keeping her from the future. When they come face to face again, nothing could’ve prepared them for the sucker punch love was about to land. Nothing worth having comes without a fight.

High Blue Sky (The House in the Clouds Book 2)


Victoria Connelly - 2021
    

If I Could Stay


Stephanie Nicole Norris - 2018
    Then, her only mission was to attend college, pursue her modeling career, and leave her past hurts behind. But when Carmen receives some startling news, she decides the time to make her final appearance has arrived; however, reemerging could open old wounds and the obstacle of facing the man she left behind presents the biggest challenge of them all. Dominic Johnson has long since put thoughts of Carmen Mitchell out of sight and out of mind. Circumstances would bring her back to Brunswick, but there was no repartee to be spoken to the woman who’d left him years ago without so much as a goodbye. It isn’t until Dominic gains a first-hand glimpse of Carmen that old memories spark and a detonation of what was, and what could be, set off a myriad of images in his mind. Now Dominic is faced with a battle that’s waging internally, to stay out of her way or to succumb to Carmen Mitchell, again.

Ten Below Zero


Whitney Barbetti - 2014
    And you’re closer to death than I am.”My name is Parker. My body is marked with scars from an attack I don’t remember. I don’t want to remember. I choose to live my life by observation, not through experience. While people are laughing and kissing and connecting, I’m in the corner. Watching them live. I’m indifferent to everything, everyone. The only emotion I feel with any kind of depth is annoyance, and I feel it often.A text message sent to the wrong number proves to be my undoing.His name is Everett, but I call him rude. He’s pushy, he’s arrogant, he crowds my personal space, and worst of all: he makes me feel.He chooses to wear all black, all the time, as if he’s waiting to attend a funeral. Probably because he is.Everett is dying. And he’s spending his final days living, truly living. In doing so, he’s forcing me to feel, to heal. To come face to face with the demons I suppressed in my memory.He hurts me, he fulfills me, he completes me. And still, he's dying.

Full Tilt


Emma Scott - 2016
    And now, as lead guitarist for a hot up-and-coming band, she is poised at the brink of fame and fortune. But she is torn between wanting to be a serious musician, and the demons that lure her down the glittering, but alcohol-soaked path of rock stardom. A wrecked concert in Las Vegas threatens to ruin her career entirely. She wakes up with the hangover from hell and no memory of the night before, or how she ended up on her limo driver’s couch... Jonah Fletcher is running out of time. He knows his situation is hopeless, and he's vowed to make the most of the handful of months he has left to him. His plans include seeing the opening of his glass installation at a prestigious art gallery…they do not include falling in love with a wild, tempestuous rock musician who wound up passed out on his couch. Jonah sees that Kacey is on a path to self-destruction. He lets her crash with him for a few days to dry out and get her head on straight. But neither of them expected the deep connection they felt, or how that connection could grow so fast from friendship into something more. Something deep and pure and life-changing…something as fragile as glass, that they both know will shatter in the end no matter how hard they try to hold on to it. Full Tilt is a story about what it means to love with your whole heart, to sacrifice, to experience terrible grief and soaring joy. To live life with all its beauty, and all its pain, and in the end to be able to smile through tears and know you wouldn’t have changed a thing.

A Christmas Wedding at the Castle (Life on the Moors, #5)


Eliza J. Scott - 2020
    If they’d gone on to say they’d be planning to have their wedding at the imposing Danskelfe Castle, she’d have laughed even louder!But it would seem fate had plans for her…Since moving to the pretty moorland village of Lytell Stangdale Livvie is happier than she’s ever been. She’s living with Zander and she’s working at her dream job as a wedding dress designer at Romantique with her friends, Kitty and Violet. It’s fair to say, she’s enjoying immersing herself in village life, from romantic walks in the countryside, to meeting friends at the quaint Sunne Inne. And she can’t think of anything better than rounding off the day cosying up with Zander.Life is sweet.Her blossoming friendship with Freda Easton, the endearing but reclusive elderly lady who lives down the lane, has taken everyone by surprise. But Freda has a secret and, in a turn of events no one could predict, she finds herself grateful for Livvie’s fierce loyalty, cementing their friendship further.Just when things seem to be running smoothly, a face from the past arrives on the doorstep casting a shadow over Livvie’s wedding plans. Adding to the drama, an icy blast of Arctic air brings heavy snowfall to the village, covering the moors in a thick blanket of snow.Is their love strong enough to withstand the challenges thrown at them? Will they get their magical Christmas wedding?Join Livvie and Zander – and all the usual characters – for a sparkling Christmas full of love and laughter in Lytell Stangdale.

The Lost Promise of Ireland: A heart-warming and unforgettable second chance romance set in Ireland (Starlight Cottages Book 3)


Susanne O'Leary - 2021
    

Stay with Me


Nicole Fiorina - 2019
    Mia didn’t care. She needed feelings to care. She’d keep her head down, ignore everyone, and make it through the next two years effortlessly. Though Mia never anticipated Ollie Masters.With green eyes, tattoos, and the voice of a poet, she is quickly drawn to him. But because of her sociopath tendencies, she knows it could only end in one of two ways. Either he will be the one to free her from her past, or she will be the one to destroy him.

A Wish for Us


Tillie Cole - 2018
    A story of healing. A story of love conquering all.Nineteen-year-old Cromwell Dean is the rising star of electronic dance music. Thousands of people adore him. But no one knows him. No one sees the color of his heart.Until the girl in the purple dress. She sees through the walls he has built to the empty darkness within.When Cromwell leaves behind the gray skies of England to study music in the South Carolina heat, the last thing he expects is to see her again. And he certainly doesn’t expect that she’ll stay in his head like a song on repeat.Bonnie Farraday lives for music. She lets every note into her heart, and she doesn’t understand how someone as talented as Cromwell can avoid doing the same. He’s hiding from his past, and she knows it. She tries to stay away from him, but something keeps calling her back.Bonnie is the burst of color in Cromwell’s darkness. He’s the beat that makes her heart skip.But when a shadow falls over Bonnie, it’s up to Cromwell to be her light, in the only way he knows how. He must help her find the lost song in her fragile heart. He must keep her strong with a symphony only he can compose.A symphony of hope.A symphony of love.A symphony of them.

God-Shaped Hole


Tiffanie DeBartolo - 2002
    Everyone said she was a fraud, that she was just making it up. I'd really like to know why the hell a person would make up a thing like that.Written with the snap, glitter and wit of The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing, God-Shaped Hole is a memorable, poignant love story that will leave you weeping with laughter. It is told in the wry, vulnerable voice of Beatrice "Trixie" Jordan who replies to a personal ad, "If your intentions are pure I am seeking a friend for the end of the world."In doing so, she meets Jacob Grace, a charming, effervescent thirty-something writer, a free spirit who is a passionate seeker of life. He possesses his own turn of phrase and ways of thinking and feeling that dissonantly harmonize with Trixie's off-center vision as they roller coaster through the joys and furies of their wrenching romance. Along the way they try to come to terms with the hurt brought about by their distant fathers who, in different ways, forsook them.This story will prove so touching you will rush to share it with a friend or loved one or even a stranger.

Secrets We Left In Greece


Ian Wilfred - 2018
     Every year, Miriam, her daughter, Heather, and young granddaughter Amy would spend the long summer holidays enjoying the picturesque scenery, visiting local landmarks and integrating with the local community. However, life had moved on, and now with Amy having grown up, married and set up her own business, Miriam suddenly decided to take her family back to this idyllic holiday location. This news brought back poignant memories for all three of them. Thoughts of love and romance combined with dilemmas, choices and a cocktail of emotions would force life to never be quite the same again. Is it always wise to revisit memorable locations? Should the past remain in the past? Learn how Miriam, Heather and Amy all confront their secret fears. Discover whether previous friendships and relationships stand the test of time. Add in the intriguing stories of newcomers whose lives intertwine with the family trio. and how events of the past, present and future merge to form unexpected outcomes.. A subtle blend of engaging, interesting characters, thoughtful life dilemmas with lessons learned makes ‘Secrets we left in Greece’ a compelling summer read.

The Barber


Mazzy King - 2020
    My promise to you, the reader: no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed HEA.

Underneath the Sycamore Tree


B. Celeste - 2019
    Cared for. Loathed. And … loved.⁣ Somewhere along the way, I’d found solace in the boy with brooding eyes.⁣ But everything happens in stages.⁣ And nothing good ever lasts.⁣