Book picks similar to
Aureole by Kate Mitchell


young-adult
society
contemporary
new-york

The Futures


Anna Pitoniak - 2017
    For Evan, who grew up in a small town in Canada, Yale is a whole new world, and Julia--blond, beautiful and rich--is part of his vision for a successful future. After they graduate in 2008, they move together to New York city, where Evan takes a job at a hedge fund--another step forward in the life he imagines for himself.Julia, who has only known a life of privilege, graduates with an art history degree and no plan for her own future. She lands a low paying assistant job at a nonprofit, unsure about what she really wants, and wondering when everyone else figured that out for themselves. With the market crashing and banks failing around him, Evan becomes involved in an increasingly high-stakes deal at work, and begins to realize that the price of privilege may come with dangerous strings attached. Meanwhile, Julia reconnects with someone from her past--someone who offers her a vision of a different kind of life.Told in alternating perspectives, The Futures is a vivid story about love--falling in and out of it--betrayal, and the burning desire to be valued.

The Artist and The Dancer


Nikki20038 - 2015
    The school Sydney Acosta moved to all the way from Toronto, Ontario at some barely known town that should actually be considered a city. After the divorce between her mother and father, she's stuck by her mother's side as a best friend, following her to another city in Canada. Her emotions are expressed through the one thing she loves doing. Dancing. Lucas Cahill is a quiet almost outcast in the school. His twin brother, Joseph-Joey with he likes to be called-is the best known guy in school. He's considered popular, cooler and better looking then his brother which is stupid because they have the same face. At school, Joey doesn't acknowledge his brother, at home and in the past they are inseparable with the excuses from Joey tolling up over time. His isolation and other emotions are expressed through his art. The two seventeen year olds are connected in their different forms of art. In a teenage world of sarcasm, drama and their arts. "My drawings are like stick figures compared to anything you draw. You could draw the world's ugliest frog and it will still turn out beautiful. Lucas you're an amazing artist." "So are you." He said quietly, looking up at me with his soft, heartwarming eyes. "How?"I couldn't draw for shit. "Because you are a dancer. Dancing is an art. And you are an amazing dancer."

Family Album


Patricia Kay - 2002
    But under this surface perfection is a secret Hannah has tried to bury, one that rears its painful head each year on her birthday. When David Conway enters her life just as she turns thirty-eight, that secret will be exposed. Can Hannah's relationship with her husband and daughter survive when they discover she is not the person they thought her to be? Patricia Kay once again delivers an emotional story centering around family relationships, one of her favorite themes.

Someday, Someday, Maybe


Lauren Graham - 2013
    But so far, all she has to show for her efforts is a single line in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters and a degrading waitressing job. She lives in Brooklyn with two roommates - Jane, her best friend from college, and Dan, a sci-fi writer, who is very definitely not boyfriend material - and is struggling with her feelings for a suspiciously charming guy in her acting class, all while trying to find a hair-product cocktail that actually works. Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet. Someday, Someday, Maybe is a funny and charming debut about finding yourself, finding love, and, most difficult of all, finding an acting job.

A Yankee Girl's Guide to the South


Jillian Perry - 2014
    With a conked out ’72 Beetle, and a newly broken heart courtesy of her cheating ex-fiancée, Libby Green finds herself fleeing to tiny Spoonbend, Georgia to claim a cottage willed to her family years ago. Libby must learn the ins and outs of life in the small town south—where the iced tea is sweet, the drawl is slow, the men are sexy, and southern belles aren’t always charming. After embarrassing herself in hopes of assimilating (who knew people actually still called northerners Yankees?) and catching the eye of more than one gallant good ol’ boy, Libby inadvertently uncovers a dark secret that will challenge the very fabric of Spoonbend society.

Temp Girl


Haley Oliver - 2019
     When she answered the intra-office memo on behalf of the snooty blonde down the hall, she only meant to spare her new boss a cruel rejection. He wasn't supposed to reply. And she shouldn’t have replied to his reply… …again…and again…and again. While Amanda has fallen head over heels for her billionaire boss, Owen Ridgemont, to him she's just the girl from the temp agency who sits at the front desk and files paperwork. What will happen when Owen learns that, rather than corresponding with the gorgeous blonde, he's been exchanging memos with his secretary? Amanda has a good idea where her well-meaning charade will leave her…. …unemployed and seriously heartbroken! Temp Girl is a 30K word story, the first in the Billionaire Secretarial Pool series. It is a sweet, clean, contemporary billionaire romance with inspirational and Christian themes of family, faith, and love. As always, it is clean and wholesome with a guaranteed happily ever after ending. This story may appeal to fans of authors such as Bree Livingston, Elana Johnson, Anne-Marie Meyer, Michelle Pennington, and Lorana Hoopes.

The Wedding Pearls


Carolyn Brown - 2015
    She may be clumsy, but this time she’s stumbled into a pickle by choice, not by accident. She’s agreed to take a month-long trip around Texas jammed into a ’59 Cadillac with a drama-loving teenager, two elderly spitfires, and—oh, yes—her biological mama who gave her away at birth. And the ride gets even crazier when hot-as-sin cowboy Branch Thomas crosses into her lane. They don’t call him the sexiest man in the Lone Star State for nothin’.As the miles pass and sparks fly between Tessa and Branch, her grandmother starts dropping hints about family wedding traditions. And as Tessa discovers the power of her budding friendships and the unbreakable strength of her newfound family of strong Texas women, she wonders if she’s also on the road to the biggest adventure of all: true love.

Primed for Sin: A Contemporary Romance Box Set


Sarah J. Brooks - 2019
    Brooks! All five standalone full-length novels feature protective alpha males that fight for the women of their dreams. No matter if accidental fake marriages, surprise baby gifts or second chances - this collection has everything you need for long and steamy nights in your bedroom! Book 1 – Never Over You Alright, before you hear his side, let me tell you mine. I was just cleaning his room. I swear that’s it! I mean, he’s my boss for Pete’s sake. But Anthony came out of the shower dripping wet and naked from head to toe. I tried to look away, but IT was right there. And boy was it happy to see me. That’s so not my fault, right? Cute butt, killer abs, bubblegum lips that were begging for a kiss. How could I say no? Turns out he’s had a crush on me since high school. His dad’s freaking out, but Anthony’s got his own billions. So big, bad Daddy Whore-bucks can kiss my tight little… you get the idea. But I think Anthony’s having second thoughts. Will he be my sweetheart or leave me heartbroken? Book 2 – Hate To Want You Oh My Gorgeous eyes! Is that Xander–freaking– Selby? Bad boy muscle-man with a gargantuan-sized… bank account. Wow what a dirty little mind you’ve got there. Be patient. I’m still getting to his best parts. There’s a heart of gold hidden under muscles the size of New York City. He's got the face of an angel and moves like the devil. The first time I saw him my legs went to Jell-O, and I got all tongue-tied. Now tell me something, and be honest. Is it in bad taste to tie up your boss with a garter belt? Or run your tongue up and over his mountain and valley abs? Book 3 – Let’s Play Pretend “Of course I’ll pretend to be your wife.” I can’t believe these words came out of my mouth when my sister’s lawyer asked me to be his fake-wife. I don't like his plan to fake it at all, but desperate situations need desperate measures. Although I have enough to deal with on my own, I’d do anything for my family. Well, maybe I can take this lemon and make lemonade. After all, acting like I’m in love with Jonathan is easy. Too easy. The way he looks at me, touches me, protects me. It just feels so unbelievably good. All of a sudden, I'm not sure if this is fake anymore... Book 4 – Protecting Her The billions in my bank account are worthless if I can’t save her. There are times in your life when one decision can change everything. Mine was to risk my life for the woman of my dreams. Millie. Once I saw her, I knew it’d be her and no one else. Her gaze calls out to the hero in me. Her touches awaken the man. The problem? I’m not the only one who wants her. And her enemies will do everything to get her. Even the unthinkable. If they try to hurt her, I will give them nothing but pain. It’s time for this to end. There can only be one winner. Book 5 – Unexpected Love It was supposed to be a one-night stand. Now I’m carrying his baby. Oh-oh. I guess fate has a way of writing its own stories.

Unexpected Gift


Delores Fossen - 2018
    And brings with him a Christmas message to deliver to his best friend's sister, Kelly Coburn. But seeing Kelly again brings back all the old feelings – and reminds him of the one-night stand they shared just before he left. Still, a camera crew is there to capture every moment of his momentous homecoming, so now isn't the time to relive the past. That is, until he learns Kelly's had her own delivery in his absence: beautiful baby Noel, Gabe's daughter!Originally published in 2014.

Beachcomber Motel


Meredith Summers - 2021
    The motel is even more dilapidated than it looked like in the pictures and it turns out that renovating it includes working with her estranged cousins Maddie and Gina—the same cousins who caused her to fail at running the last motel. But there’s no getting around the stipulations in Gram’s will, and Jules needs to make a success of the Beachcomber, not only because of the promise she made but also to prove to herself that she’s not a failure.Nick Barlow doesn’t understand why anyone would want to renovate a dusty old hotel in a town that has no tourists, but when Jules comes in asking for the loan, he’s smitten and can’t get the application off the printer fast enough. Things are dull around Shell Cove and he’s looking forward to doing business with his new client... until his grandfather, the bank president, gives him a dire warning about Jules and her family and then refuses to approve the loan.Maddie Montgomery has made a promise to her grandmother, too. She needs to help Jules and Gina reconcile. But, as she soon finds out, that might not be the only reason Gram sent her to Shell Cove. The town needs her special brand of optimism and organization to keep it from dying out completely.Gina Gallagher’s life has hit rock bottom. Her real estate tycoon husband has disappeared after cleaning out both their business and personal bank accounts. When her grandmother makes her promise to learn to find joy in the little things and help out at the Beachcomber, she has no energy to refuse. Right now she has nowhere else to stay, but she doesn’t plan to keep her promise for long... until her stay at the Beachcomber yields some unexpected surprises.None of them really wanted to come to the Beachcomber, but could the old motel be the exact thing each of them needs?

Truth is a Whisper (Wolf Creek Ranch Book 1)


Mandi Blake - 2022
    Finding out her former flame is running the ranch, on the other hand, was entirely unexpected. How can she put aside her memories of that whirlwind summer when she has to work beside the handsome cowboy every day?Jameson Ford was grateful to be offered the new foreman job at Wolf Creek Ranch. He's eager to prove himself, but quickly distracted by the reappearance of his first love, who also happens to be his boss's granddaughter. It’s been over ten years since they promised each other forever, and neither of them know how to pick up where they left off or if they should forget it ever happened.Allied by their love of the ranch, Jameson and Ava have to work together, despite the lingering feelings between them. When Ava unburies secrets about her family, she doesn’t know if she can trust anyone. Most of all, can she learn to trust her heart on her way to discovering the truth?Truth is a Whisper is the first book in the Christian romance Wolf Creek Ranch series.

Not with the Band


Kelli Warner - 2017
    Jerks. Another new school. Those are three things Kassidy Perry vows to avoid her senior year of high school. Unfortunately, it looks like the Universe didn't get the memo. When her mom marries the football coach from a rival high school, Kassidy's forced to move (again), enroll in a new school (again) and adapt to life with three stepbrothers, including the school's star quarterback who's barely said two words to her. And what's up with her incredibly hot-yet-cocky neighbor who's developed a weird habit of climbing the trellis to her bedroom's balcony? Nothing about her senior year is turning out the way Kassidy planned-and that's before a revealed family secret drops the biggest bombshell yet. Jordan Lawson could care less about football, even though he's starting his senior year on the radar of college recruiters. He just wants to play music with his band, win a national contest with a record label and pursue his dream of being a musician. When those plans are threatened, his saving grace lies in the hands of his new stepsister. But how can he ask Kassidy for a monumental favor, when he's partly to blame for derailing her life? And what if getting what he wants puts her dreams in jeopardy? In her debut YA novel, Kelli Warner weaves a humorous and relatable story about finding your way in a world you can't control-and what happens when the people you least expect turn out to be the ones you need the most.

Lie to Me


Natasha Preston - 2018
    At nineteen, Savannah Dean escaped her family, leaving behind a note and the people who caused her so much pain.Now, she lives on her own and keeps to herself.At nineteen, Kent Lawson’s girlfriend betrayed him, leaving him behind with a broken heart and a whole lot of mistrust in women.Now, he lives on his own and shares himself with nearly every pretty thing that walks by but only for one night.When Savannah and Kent meet, they can’t stand each other.Kent knows she’s hiding something, and he despises liars.And Savannah has nothing but secrets.

Loving Spirit


Linda Chapman - 2010
    Now she must live in England with family who are more like strangers.Life on her uncle's farm seems so lonely - until Ellie meets Spirit. She's never seen the grey horse before, but she has the strangest feeling they've always known each other.Like Ellie, Spirit is alone in the world, and they form an intense bond. And as the weeks go by, Spirit helps Ellie to discover an incredible talent that changes both their lives forever.

He Restores My Soul


LaShonda Bowman - 2015
     Though Mahalia Langston was known as a gospel music pioneer among the church community, her daughters knew her as someone else altogether. The three women hope that, along with their mother, they can finally bury the secrets that plagued their childhood. But that's no longer an option when tragedy strikes and the sisters are forced to deal with the past they’ve spent their whole lives trying to forget. With the help of a praying woman, the sisters begin to think emotional healing is a real possibility. Until, that is, they learn their mother had one final secret. A secret so earth shattering, only the grace of God will help them get through it.