Book picks similar to
Love On The Rocks by Veronica Henry
chick-lit
veronica-henry
romance
fiction
The Undomestic Goddess
Sophie Kinsella - 2005
She’s made a mistake so huge, it’ll wreck any chance of a partnership. Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she’s mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a job as housekeeper. Her employers have no idea they’ve hired a lawyer–and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven. She can’t sew on a button, bake a potato, or get the #@%# ironing board to open. How she takes a deep breath and begins to cope–and finds love–is a story as delicious as the bread she learns to bake. But will her old life ever catch up with her? And if it does…will she want it back?
Summer at Firefly Beach
Jenny Hale - 2019
Perfect for fans of Mary Alice Monroe, Nancy Thayer and Susan Mallery.Hallie Flynn’s favorite place in the world is her great Aunt Clara’s beautiful beachside house, with its inviting wraparound porch and enchanting views across the sparkling turquoise ocean. For Hallie, going to Firefly Beach, filled with magical memories, feels like coming home, but in one moment Hallie is left broken-hearted when her adored Aunt Clara passes away…As always, Aunt Clara has thought of everything. In her last letter she included a bucket list Hallie wrote as a child, for Hallie to complete. Leaving her dead-end job and predictable schedule, Hallie returns to Firefly beach and embraces Aunt Clara’s words. All the time her childhood best friend Ben Murray, with his golden charm and infuriating ability to be right all the time, is by her side.Spending the summer with Ben, as they enjoy drinks on the pier and endless talks stretched out in the soft sand, Hallie begins to remember the things that matter most to her. But following the bucket list isn’t an easy journey. It forces her to face the pain of her past as she starts to fall for the person who has been there for her all along...Just as her heart is healing, an encounter with a newcomer to the beach town, wealthy and talented photographer Gavin Wilson, leaves her questioning her future and shows her she has to make a difficult decision that could mean losing everything.Will Hallie be able to fulfill Aunt Clara’s last wish and change her life? Or will a secret she’s been keeping destroy her new beginning—and the chance to experience true love?
Ten Beach Road
Wendy Wax - 2011
They each wake up one morning to discover their life savings have vanished, along with their trusted financial manager- leaving them with nothing but co-ownership of a ramshackle beachfront house.Throwing their lots in together, they take on the challenge of restoring the historic property. But just as they begin to reinvent themselves and discover the power of friendship, secrets threaten to tear down their trust-and destroy their lives a second time.
The Best Thing that Never Happened to Me
Laura Tait - 2014
But she decided ten years ago that love wasn't about mix tapes and seizing the moment - though she's not exactly sure it's about secret dates with your boss, either.
But what if the feelings never really went away?
Alex wants to make every moment of his new job count. It's a fresh start in a big city, and he's almost certain that moving to London has nothing to do with Holly. Almost.
How do you know if it was meant to be... Or never meant to happen at all?
Still Thinking Of You
Adele Parks - 2001
They can’t wait to celebrate their wedding with their closest friends, all of whom have known each other since university, where they enjoyed a hedonistic whirl of parties, popularity, sex and success.But is fun really as easy-come-easy-go in your thirties as it was in your twenties? How do relationships change once you leave college and have to cope with real life? And what if the love of that life were to reappear now?As old, long buried passions are reawakened, the group realise that a lot can change in twelve years. And a lot can happen in seven days…
The Matchbreaker
Chris Manby - 2006
Thrilled isn't the word for how Lindsey Parker feels when her widowed father announces his plans to marry his personal trainer, Karen. The devoted daddy's girl has already scared off three former fiancŽes, and the new one's got to go too-if for no other reason than her appalling taste in bridesmaids' gowns. Lindsey's driven to do something pretty drastic, and nearly manages to kill Karen. Fortunately, while her botched attempt at homicide fails, it does succeed in driving Karen away-along with her hideous velour tracksuits. The trouble is, Dad is genuinely crushed. Now, with a change of heart, Lindsey's on the road to something close to redemption.
Summer Evenings at the Seafront Hotel
Vanessa Greene - 2014
She once dreamed of becoming a midwife, but with funds in short supply and her father ill, Cally has abandoned her studies and is rapidly losing her sparkle. Then she meets Liliana, a chambermaid, and the two women strike up an easy friendship. Liliana's stories of the hotel guests provide the light relief Cally desperately needs and soon they're meeting every evening on the balcony of room 14 to feast on eclairs and discuss the latest comings and goings. When Cally catches the eye of charismatic chef Anton, they have even more to talk about on those summer evenings - but then Liliana learns something that could shatter Cally's new-found joy . . .Summer Evenings at the Seafront Hotel is a delightful story from Vanessa Greene, whose sincere and warm-hearted storytelling has won the hearts of many readers. A tale of friendship and summer romance, this short story will leave you with a smile on your face and a desire to phone your best friend immediately!Contains an exclusive extract from Vanessa's new full-length novel The Seafront Tea Rooms.
A Song for Tomorrow
Alice Peterson - 2017
He realises that being with her will not be easy, but she is a force of nature, a burst of sunlight in his otherwise ordinary world. Some people might look at Alice and think she has everything, but Alice knows she is not like other women. Her life is complicated, unpredictable, difficult. Alice does not like pity. All she wants to do – all she's ever wanted to do – is sing. Alice has been told not to follow her dreams. So has Tom. But when fate has already dealt a tough hand, it’s time to stop listening to everyone else and follow their hearts . . .‘A heart-wrenching read ... A moving story of an extraordinary young woman and the triumph of her spirit against huge odds’
SUNDAY EXPRESS
'It's impossible to get to the end of this powerful and poignant story without a lump in the throat’ SUNDAY MIRROR ‘An extraordinary story that goes straight to the heart. Alice Peterson celebrates her namesake with great understanding and skill, acknowledging the frailties and strengths, the ambitions and the talent of an amazing young woman’ JANET ELLIS, author of THE BUTCHER'S HOOK'What a beautiful, passionate story. I couldn’t physically put the book down… I had to keep on reading’ ALICE BEER‘Touching and vivid… A book that will live on in the hearts of many’ CASILDA GRIGG ‘Brought Alice's soul to life. This book had me in tears, my favourite book of the year' LIZZY WARD THOMAS ‘An emotional, uplifting page-turner, inspired by the true story of the singer, Alice Martineau, that celebrates making every moment in life count, and never giving up’ JO CHARRINGTON, CAPITOL RECORDS 'If you read nothing else this year, please read this book! You won’t regret it' Reading between the pages... (blog)
Summer at the Comfort Food Café
Debbie Johnson - 2016
For tourists and locals alike, the ramshackle cafe overlooking the beach is a beacon of laughter, companionship, and security – a place like no other; a place that offers friendship as a daily special, and where a hearty welcome is always on the menu.For widowed mum-of-two Laura Walker, the decision to uproot her teenaged children and make the trek from Manchester to Dorset for the summer isn’t one she takes lightly, and it’s certainly not winning her any awards from her kids, Nate and Lizzie. Even her own parents think she’s gone mad.But following the death of her beloved husband David two years earlier, Laura knows that it’s time to move on. To find a way to live without him, instead of just surviving. To find her new place in the world, and to fill the gap that he’s left in all their lives.Her new job at the cafe, and the hilarious people she meets there, give Laura the chance she needs to make new friends; to learn to be herself again, and – just possibly – to learn to love again as well.For her, the Comfort Food Cafe doesn’t just serve food – it serves a second chance to live her life to the full…
This Time Next Year
Sophie Cousens - 2020
The instant New York Times bestseller adored by readers around the world! Curl up with the refreshingly romantic and unputdownable rom-com which has everyone falling head over heels...Get ready to fall for this year's most extraordinary love storyQuinn and Minnie are born on New Year's Eve, in the same hospital, one minute apart.Their lives may begin together, but their worlds couldn't be more different.Thirty years later they find themselves together again in the same place, at the same time.What if fate is trying to bring them together?Maybe it's time to take a chance on love...
Just Like You
Nick Hornby - 2020
She met a guy just like herself: same age, same background, same hopes and dreams; they got married and started a family. Too bad he made her miserable. Now, two decades later, she's a nearly-divorced, forty-one-year-old schoolteacher with two school-aged sons, and there is no script anymore. So when she meets Joseph, she isn't exactly looking for love--she's more in the market for a babysitter. Joseph is twenty-two, living at home with his mother, and working several jobs, including the butcher counter where he and Lucy meet. It's not a match anyone one could have predicted. He's of a different class, a different culture, and a different generation. But sometimes it turns out that the person who can make you happiest is the one you least expect, though it can take some maneuvering to see it through. Just Like You is a brilliantly observed, tender, but also brutally funny new novel that gets to the heart of what it means to fall surprisingly and headlong in love with the best possible person--someone you didn't see coming.
Wait for It
Jenn McKinlay - 2021
Stuck in a dreary Boston winter, Annabelle Martin would like nothing more than to run away from her current life. She's not even thirty years old, twice-divorced, and has just dodged a marriage proposal... from her ex-husband. When she's offered her dream job as creative director at a cutting-edge graphic design studio in Phoenix, she jumps at the opportunity to start over.When she arrives in the Valley of the Sun, Annabelle is instantly intrigued by her anonymous landlord. Based on the cranky, handwritten notes Nick Daire leaves her, she assumes he is an old, rich curmudgeon. Annabelle is shocked when she finally meets Nick and discovers that he's her age and uses a wheelchair. Nick suffered from a stroke a year ago, and while there's no physical reason for him not to recover, he is struggling to overcome the paralyzing fear that has kept him a prisoner in his own home.Despite her promise to herself not to get involved, Annabelle finds herself irresistibly drawn to Nick. And soon she wonders if she and Nick might help each other find the courage to embrace life, happiness, and true love.
Deep Blue Sea
Tasmina Perry - 2013
With a blissful marriage, a darling son and beautiful homes in London and the country, Diana's life, to the outside world, is perfect. But nothing is as it seems...When Julian dies suddenly and tragically, Diana is convinced there is more to it than meets the eye. She calls on the one person she had never wanted to see again - her sister, Rachel.A former tabloid reporter, Rachel appears to be living the dream as a diving instructor on a Thai island. The truth is she's in exile, estranged from her family and driven from her career by Fleet Street's phone-hacking scandal.For Rachel, Diana's request opens old wounds. But she is determined to make amends for the past, and embarks on a treacherous journey to uncover the truth - wherever it may lead...
How to Fall in Love
Cecelia Ahern - 2013
Two weeks to teach him how to fall in love – with his own life.Adam Basil and Christine Rose are thrown together late one night, when Christine is crossing the Halfpenny Bridge in Dublin. Adam is there, poised, threatening to jump. Adam is desperate – but Christine makes a crazy deal with him. His 35th birthday is looming and she bets him she can show him that life is worth living before then. Despite her determination, Christine knows what a dangerous promise she’s made. Against the ticking of the clock, the two of them embark on wild escapades, grand romantic gestures and some unlikely late-night outings. Slowly, Christine thinks Adam is starting to fall back in love with his life. But has she done enough to change his mind for good? And is that all that’s starting to happen?
The Piano Man Project
Kat French - 2015
She needs a man – a caring, intelligent, funny man. But most importantly, a man who’s good with his hands…Luckily Honey’s new neighbour – moody, antisocial ex-chef Hal – fails on almost every count. Even though the chemistry between them is electric, he’s obviously wrong for her in every way.But when Honey discovers the devastating reason for his moods she decides to give him another chance. And discovers that the best songs aren’t always in tune…A hilarious, feel-good, sexy romantic comedy for fans of Lucy Diamond, Paige Toon and Giovanna Fletcher.