Book picks similar to
Coming Home (Family Bonds Book 3) by Carolyne Aarsen


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Rescuing Ladybugs


Diane Lil Adams - 2011
    When she inherits her grandparents' cabin in the mountains of North Carolina, she is shocked and curious. She persuades Paige, her mother, that they should go and stay in the cabin for a few days before they list it for sale. Jason is a carpenter by trade, but he's willing to help a friend by exterminating Maura's house. She persuades him to give the ladybugs a reprieve, and by time they part, each is trying to think of a good excuse to contact the other.Paige realizes that Maura and Jason are falling in love and does her best to discourage the relationship. When Maura insists on remaining in North Carolina, Paige flies back to Missouri without her.No one predicted that Maura's father would show up. The story he tells doesn't match facts with the story Paige has told, and Maura is convinced that neither of her parents deserve her forgiveness. According to Jason, that's why it's called grace ...

The Amish Widow's Secret


Cheryl Williford - 2015
    She hardly knows the handsome Amish man who's come to help with her barn raising. Besides, they're both still mourning the loss of their spouses. But Mose Fischer needs a caretaker for his daughters, and Sarah needs to escape her father's oppressive rule. They agree to a marriage of convenience, but when Sarah moves to Mose's Amish community in Florida, she can't help falling for the strong, kind widower and his little girls. To create a family, they'll have to come to terms with their pasts…and the secret Sarah is unknowingly carrying.

Let Your Heart Beat Again


Janith Hooper - 2017
     After four months on the job, twenty-four-year-old Rebecca Harper has become something of a jack-of-all-trades on the Cooper Bar-6 Ranch...except for her cooking. But the four strapping sons who run the ranch in their father's absence need wise counsel more than unburnt bread, and Rebecca is perfect for the job. Whether dealing with the driven eldest, the belligerent youngest, or the personalities in between, she recognizes the source of each young man's pain is a lifetime of a father's indifference. As soon as the rogue returns, Rebecca aims to give "Mr. Cooper" a thick piece of her mind. Not that dishing out hard truth will make her feel any more alive. Past betrayal has taught her to live at arm's length from anyone who might mean too much to her. So she cooks and cleans and counsels, at once harboring anger against a man she has never met and numbing herself against the life she has forgotten to desire. Until one night, one thunderstorm, and one heroic stranger changes it all. In that fleeting moment, Rebecca Harper dares to hope her heart will beat again. * * * Breath Without Life novels portrays seven bachelor ranchers, each so broken down by old wounds that he cannot conceive of ever finding love. Be there when one Cooper after another meets the one incredible woman who can make him whole again. Every book within this series is a stand-alone love story, though ranch life circumstances run chronologically through all six novels.

The Sparks Brothers Romance Collection


Liwen Y. Ho - 2020
    Five full-length novels in one wonderful collection. Why reviewers love the Spark brothers:“These Spark brothers sure do set a girl's heart on fire.”“I absolutely LOVE this series. This is an awesome family of five brothers all who have a strong faith.”“I know I enjoy books when they feel real and after this series, I wish the Spark brothers were real. Thank you, Liwen Y. Ho, for writing stories to remind me that God wastes nothing and is always at work. Now please excuse me while I go reread the series.”A Single Spark (Book One): A pop singer running from his past. A deejay who's given up on men. Will the sparks igniting between them end up in flames or romance?A Sudden Spark (Book Two): A writer too shy to speak to women. A single mom who’s sworn off men. Will a marriage of convenience end their friendship or spark a lasting romance? The Sweetest Spark (Book Three): A fun-loving ice cream shop owner looking for more than a fling. A straight-laced food critic too scared for love. Will an accident be the spark that drives them apart for good or gives them their sweetest taste of romance yet?At First Spark (Book Four): A tender-hearted firefighter who’s been burned by love. An optimistic bookstore owner determined to heal his heart. Will the spark that drew them to each other be enough to keep their love burning or will their short-lived romance go down in flames?An Extra Spark (Book Five): An actor pressured to risk everything for his job. An actress struggling to fit into the Hollywood scene. Will the hazards of show business spark new insecurities or strengthen their bond of trust?Grab your copy and fall in love with the Spark brothers today!

A Plain Leaving


Leslie Gould - 2017
    She tried to convince Silas Kemp, who'd been courting her for two years, to join her, but when he said no, she fled anyway. Three years later, she returns home for the first time since leaving Lancaster to attend her father's funeral. Her arrival back revives all sorts of emotions--yearnings and sorrows alike. Jessica knows things will never return to how they were. But in seeing Silas again, she can't help but wonder what might have been.Struggling to decide where her next step should take her, she learns the story of a Revolutionary War-era ancestor that echoes her own choices. Will Jessica leave her family and community forever, or is there peace and healing and love yet to come?

Kiss Me, Baby, One More Time (Maple Creek Romantic Comedy Book 2)


Cindy Ray Hale - 2021
    But she's not happy about having to spend so much time with the best man, Taylor. Not only does she distrust men, but being around him annoys her. The last thing she expects is for him to kiss her impulsively at a party before the wedding. And the main problem is, she wants him to kiss her one more time, but she’s not sure she can let her heart trust again.Straight-laced surgeon Taylor Roberts is tired of being teased about being eternally single by the other groomsmen. He makes a bet that he can get the beautiful maid of honor to date him before the wedding is over. The problem is, she can’t stand him! He promises he’ll give up his booth in the Maple Creek Fall Festival to her mom’s crystal shop if she’ll pretend to date him, an offer he knows she can’t pass up.The longer Onyx is around Taylor the more she feels drawn to him, despite being his polar opposite. Can she continue the facade of dating him when her heart gets involved?If you enjoy sweet romantic comedy set in a small town where opposites attract, then you’ll love this book!

Grow Old With Me


Melinda Evaul - 2010
    Benjamin Pruitt plans to repair the town’s buildings before retiring to a solitary life. Sarah Campbell longs for freedom since her long task as caregiver has ended.Can Benjamin and Sarah piece the tattered remnants of their lives into a beautiful design to warm their waning years?Melinda Evaul and her husband enjoy traveling the back roads of North Carolina and Tennessee where rural culture and history are preserved through a unique art form—Quilt Barn Squares.Come follow her adventures along the Quilt Trails of America in this series of novels.

Speed Trap


Patricia Davids - 2009
    The killer's only mistake was leaving behind a survivor...a four-month-old boy. For his sake--and for his murdered mother's--Sheriff Mandy Scott will see justice served. And she already has her prime suspect: the boy's father, Garrett Bowen. Yet despite the evidence against him, something about the reclusive rancher makes Mandy question his guilt. Nothing is as it seems as crime starts spiraling out of control in Timber Wells. If Mandy lets herself trust Garrett, will he shield her from danger, or send her racing into another lethal trap?

Lavender, Loss & Love at the Villa des Violettes (Villa des Violettes #3)


Patricia Sands - 2020
    Ancestry, intrigue, and lessons in friendship are part of the narrative. As summer draws to a close, an urgent call sends Kat and Philippe back to Sainte-Mathilde where the family gathers to support each other in an emergency situation. From the splendor of the lavender season through to the changing landscape of autumn and the festivities of the grape harvest, the Love in Provence characters face challenges, make memories and attempt to maintain their usual joie de vivre!

Paige's Turn


Jennifer Peel - 2017
    But free-spirited Aunt Mitzi had plans for Paige to stop being pushed into the background. Those plans included leaving Paige as sole heir to her fortune and owner of her bookstore, Paige’s Turn. Begrudgingly, Paige returns home to fulfill her aunt’s last wishes, no longer the girl who’d left in baggy jeans and an ill-fitting t-shirt. Paige discovers, though, that Mitzi’s last wishes include a lot of meddling in her love life. From the grave, and with the help of some friends, Mitzi has set out to make sure Paige and Bella Port’s most eligible bachelor, Sam Kennedy, find true love together. What Mitzi didn’t foresee is the firestorm and gossip she created that paints Paige as a swindler and liar, leaving Sam to wonder about the grown woman Paige has become. It doesn’t help when Paige fires him after their first meeting. But as friendship blossoms between Paige and Sam, they find each other hard to resist. Was Mitzi right about the two of them? Will Paige finally have her turn?

Still The One


Kathryn Shay - 2010
    Veteran teacher Shay returns to one of her favorite settings and vividly portrays the teachers, administrators and students of Crystal Corners High School. As is her trademark, sizzling romances are back-dropped by controversial, complicated and sometimes dangerous situations. “As always Kathryn Shay tackles what most see as unthinkable material for a romance novel and ends up with a winner of a book. Her characters are just so human! Another one I couldn't put down…such a good read.” A reader In STILL THE ONE, Annie Jacobs has made something of herself after a rough adolescence. A single parent, she’s now the mother of twin boys, a respected and well-liked English teacher and has good friends. But when her former high school teacher, Dylan Kane, comes back to town, Annie’s carefully created world starts to crumble. She and Dylan have a past, one which almost destroyed her. Now, he wants to be the next principal of her school. Annie’s afraid their previous relationship will endanger the job she loves. She’s even more fearful that her feelings for Dylan will rekindle, or worse, never died. Dylan doesn’t know he almost destroyed Annie all those years ago, but he feels guilty about developing feelings for her, a student! He did the honorable thing by leaving town, but now he’s back, unaware that she teaches in the school where he’s applying for a principalship. But Dylan is sure of one thing—this time, he can never leave the wonderful woman she’s become. If you like books about teacher romance, high school romance, reunion romance and teacher student relationships, look for the other two stories in the Educators series: SOMEONE LIKE YOU and MAYBE THIS TIME Reader Praise for STILL THE ONE: "Kathryn Shay never shies away from tough or controversial subject matter. I thought all the issues in this book were handled with care, and ably so. She made both characters immensely appealing, so I was really rooting for them to make it work. It was as difficult for the reader to find a way out of their predicament as it was for Annie and Dylan. But Shay comes up with the perfect (and only, IMO) solution available to them." Lori Sherden, Goodreads “I love this series by Kathryn Shay. She writes such passionate stories that take you into heart and lives of the story.” “I am a retired librarian from a middle school where I worked for 25 years. Ms. Shay's books make me feel like I am right there again.”

Montana Blueprint for Love


Debra Salonen - 2020
    When “Diamond” Jim McCall gambles on a fixer-upper for sentimental reasons, his house of cards implodes – along with his health. Ruby’s ready for a job change but agreeing to become her first crush’s apprentice might be her biggest mistake. She doesn’t doubt they can “flip” the derelict ranch house and save Summit Construction, but at what cost to her heart? After all, Boone Fielding became the son her father never had when she left for college.  Man up. Helping Ruby McCall and her sisters flip Diamond Jim’s “money pit” makes sense financially, but he can’t partner with someone he doesn’t trust – and Boone hasn’t forgotten his last close encounter with Ruby. But every day on the job reminds him of why he fell in love with her in the first place.  How is he ever going to let her go when the job is done?

That Certain Summer


Irene Hannon - 2013
    Karen has carried the burden of responsibility for her aging mother ever since her sister left town years ago to pursue a career in theater. But Val had other reasons for moving away-as well as a secret to keep-and coming home has never been an option . . . until their mother suffers a stroke.Reunited in their hometown, Karen and Val must grapple with past mistakes as they care for their ailing mother. When two handsome men enter the picture, the summer takes on a surprising new dimension. As their lives intersect, can each of them learn how to forgive, let go, and move on? And strengthened by the healing power of faith, might they also find the courage to love?

His Holiday Family


Margaret Daley - 2011
    Nurse Kathleen Hart is a single mom racked by guilt over her husband's death. Firefighter Gideon O'Brien—orphaned as a young boy—has lost too many people he cared for. To rise above the storm's devastation, Gideon helps Kathleen and her sons rebuild their home. As Christmas approaches, they discover that even the strongest of storms can't destroy a romance built on the foundation of faith.

Long Time Coming


Vanessa Miller - 2010
    Kenisha Smalls has lived in poverty all her life. She has three children by three different men and has just been diagnosed with inoperable cancer. While the meeting between these two women appears accidental, it becomes their catalyst of hope. Neither woman expects the blessing that God has in store for her. While Deidre guides Kenisha on the path to eternal life with Jesus Christ, Kenisha teaches Deidre how to stand strong against the storms of life.