Book picks similar to
The Mandolin Lunch by Missouri Vaun
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Detour to Love
Amanda Radley - 2021
She’ll make the trip, but she doesn’t have to like it, and she certainly doesn’t have to make nice with a stranger on a plane.Artist Lily Andersen is excited to finally meet her online crush, the only person in the world who truly gets her. She just needs to survive the eleven-hour flight from London to Japan with a testy seatmate who by turns annoys and fascinates her.Fate, upgrades, and a troupe of travelling clowns bring them together for a journey memorable for all the wrong reasons. Not only do they have nothing in common, they really can’t stand each other. But people are not always as they seem, and Celia and Lily are about to realise, there’s more than one path to love.Cover Artist: Tammy SeidickGenresContemporary / Romance
The Secret Poet
Georgia Beers - 2021
She has a tight-knit family, two opinionated cats, and her job as office manager for her brother Perry’s medical practice. Perry’s an eligible bachelor, but his divorce left him gun-shy, so Morgan has fun tweaking his responses to potential dates online, using her affinity for words to make him sound impressive. When new pharmaceutical rep Zoe Blake walks into his office, though, he’s smitten, and he needs Morgan more than ever.Zoe is beautiful and a little mysterious and doesn’t seem terribly interested in Perry. Morgan decides she’ll need to get to know Zoe before she plays matchmaker. But soon, she’s talking books and movies and writing to her as Perry, and the more she knows, the more she wants to know, until she begins to wonder: is she wooing Zoe for her brother? Or for herself?
Scent
Kris Bryant - 2021
Her packaging company’s turning a profit and she’s just been labeled Chicago’s most promising up-and-coming artist. The only thing missing is love. When she meets a beautiful woman on the train with an indescribable sweet and sugary scent, Nico’s ready to make her move.Sophia Sweet doesn’t have time for distractions. Never mind how fit and tan Nico is, or how she has the most beautiful eyes ever. Sophia only has one goal: keep the family business alive. Her third-generation chocolatier shop, Sweet Stuff, is tanking. In a last-ditch effort, Sophia creates an upscale version of their product and needs the perfect package to ensure success.When Sophia recognizes Nico from the train but mistakes her for the packaging company’s warehouse employee, Nico doesn’t bother to correct her. She’s been burned by women in the past wanting her for her money. This time, she’s determined to win Sophia over with her charm.Cover Artist: Deb B and Sheri HalalGenres: Contemporary / Romance
Taking a Shot at Love
K.C. Richardson - 2020
She’ll never get there if she stays where she is, coaching for a small-town college. She wants to move on and move up, so a relationship is the last thing on her mind.English professor Celeste Bouchard is exactly where she wants to be teaching at Glassell University. Popular and on a first-name basis with her students, Celeste loves her job. She doesn’t love the gossip and rumors that followed her disastrous romance with a fellow professor, but she’s never getting involved with a coworker again.When Lisa’s star player has trouble in Celeste’s class, they have to work together to find a solution. The attraction is off the charts, but Lisa and Celeste are determined to block another shot at love.Cover Artist: Tammy SeidickGenres: Contemporary / Romance Tags: Sports, Workplace Romance, College Life
Next Exit Home
Dena Blake - 2021
She’s a partner in a successful veterinary practice and loves everything about her job and the big city life she leads with her teenage daughter.Addison Foster had big dreams, but life hasn’t turned out the way she’d planned. Working as a veterinary assistant in a rural clinic gives her the chance to raise her daughter surrounded by the people she loves, but it’s not easy to be honest about who she really is and what she really wants in a small town. When Harper’s father becomes ill, she whirls into town to run the clinic, and sparks fly between her and Addison in more ways than one. Their attraction is undeniable, but Addison isn’t ready to admit her desires, and Harper isn’t sure if she’s willing to stay. Home may be where the heart is, but is the journey back worth the pain?
Mending Fences
Angie Williams - 2020
The only thing more dangerous than the storm raging outside is the tempest in her heart.Veterinarian Grace Hammond is looking for a fresh start. Haunted by her past, she hopes moving back to her hometown will help her find the strength to stand up for what she needs in matters of the heart. The moment her first love, Bobbie Del Rey, walks into her clinic—tall, dark, and soaking wet—the boundaries Grace desperately needs become paper thin.Can the heartbreaks of the past ever truly be mended?Cover Artist: Ty JusticeGenres: Contemporary / Romance
A Convenient Arrangement
Jaime Clevenger - 2021
She’s not sure it’s really her thing, but the assignment gives her the chance to write something more substantial than her usual fluff pieces. All she needs now is a willing lesbian.For Cody Dawson, signing up for Jess’s project is a no-brainer. She gets to date an interesting woman, enjoy her company, and not disrupt the tidy life she’s built for her son. Everything’s perfect until she starts falling for Jess. When she realizes she’s heart-deep in the feelings she’s agreed not to have, their convenient arrangement becomes anything but.
Opposites Attract: Butch/Femme Romances
Meghan O'Brien - 2021
Fall in love with these butch/femme romance novellas. In An Epiphany in Flannel by Meghan O’Brien, small-town waitress Maisie Davis resolves the mystery of her sexuality after an unexpected encounter with a handsome stranger seated in the corner booth of Moe’s Fine Diner. Aiden Crane opens Maisie’s mind and body to exciting new possibilities—but can she find the courage to follow her heart?In Follow Her Lead by Aurora Rey, venture capitalist Jude Benoit is named Majesty of Artemis, New Orleans’s premier lesbian Mardi Gras parade and ball, and enlists the expertise of private dance instructor Gabriella Viard to save her from making a fool of herself. Jude can follow the steps, but what happens when Gabby challenges her to lead with her heart? In Just as You Are by Angie Williams, Dylan Fleming is a confident and capable woman in every way except the stereotypical ways her ex-girlfriend thought she should be. When her insecurities get the better of her and she fumbles on a date with beautiful auto mechanic Carrie Grice, Dylan has to let go of the past. Can she accept that she is loved just as she is?
VIP
Jackie D. - 2021
Never one for a scandal, she’s lived a predictable and well-manicured life. With each movie more successful than the last, she has the world at her fingertips. An undeniable connection with bad girl superstar Harlow Thorne was never in her plan.Harlow Thorne left her childhood trailer park with nothing but her guitar and twin brother. Those times are nothing but a distant memory now, and she’s consistently at the top of the pop music world. She has managed to keep her mother in her rearview mirror through all her success, but that all changes when her mother reappears with a family secret.Together these two could conquer the world―but in a town where careers are made and broken by the press, the secrets and lies may be too much to overcome.
Trial by Fire
Carsen Taite - 2021
To top it off, her first case pits her against Lennox Roy, a gorgeous yet fierce prosecutor with a reputation for cajoling juries and breaking hearts.Lennox comes from a family full of bleeding hearts who believe in second, third, and fourth chances, but she’s seen firsthand the damage leniency can do. She has no patience for a softy like Wren Bishop, no matter how sexy and brilliant she might be. But when they face off over a mysterious arson case, their attraction ignites a passion that leads them to question their assumptions about the law, the truth, and each other.
The Last First Kiss
Julie Cannon - 2021
Kelly’s bound and determined to experience everything, and everyone, the island has to offer.Matt Parker is on her first “real grown up” vacation since her wife died six years ago, leaving her to raise their young son alone. With no responsibilities to tie her down, Matt’s not looking for anything other than a good time and toe-curling, no strings attached sex.Neither one expects to meet the woman who could give them their last first kiss.
Entangled
Melissa Brayden - 2020
She’s grown up dreaming between the vines. She’s always had secret ideas about how to make the place shine, so when it passes to her, Joey vows to make Tangle Valley everything she knows it can be. Her biggest obstacle? That overly commercial hotel going up, and the uppity manager trying to kill the vineyard’s rustic charm.Becca Crawford loves to unwind with a good glass of wine. An astute business woman who has climbed the hospitality ladder, she’s the perfect person to head up Elite Resorts’ newest property, The Jade Hotel, and give tourists all the luxury they desire. As a bonus, The Jade is not far from the cutest vineyard with the best pinot she’s ever tasted. If only the captivating owner would get on board with her plan and stop badmouthing the hotel to everyone in town.Is it possible that a nice glass of red could help Becca and Joey see each other in a new and alluring light?Cover Artist: Jeanine Henning Genres: Contemporary / Romance
Against the Grain
Bryce Oakley - 2021
Not on that list: Meeting new women she has to impress, or—god forbid—talk to.Zee Aliu is a not entirely a complicated woman, per se: She likes plenty of things—peace, quiet, and when situations go her way. There’s no room in her life for anything but the expected with the full-time caretaking job she already has. Not even when a cute woman begins making a racket flipping a house next door.When James meets Zee at a speed dating event on New Year’s Eve—it was Darby’s idea—she makes quite a first impression with a spilled drink, accidentally saying her name is Jagerbomb (never going to live that down), and, coincidentally, being the cute woman making all the racket.Will James’ shyness ever warm up enough to melt the ice queen next door’s heart?Against the Grain is the first in a trio of Flippin’ Fantastic romances about the three women who own and operate Flippin’ Fantastic Renovations. Put down the power tools for a moment and curl up with this romantic comedy perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Give in to Me
Elle Spencer - 2021
First up was the very public divorce from an A-list actress, and then the third book in her popular suspense series bombed. She’s got a chronic case of writer’s block and feels like a fraud getting paid to give speeches about achieving success. After a particularly disastrous event, Whitney’s manager suggests a romantic distraction might be in order.Gabriela Talbot never expected to hear back when she requested an interview with her favorite author—certainly not after the scathing review she’d given Whitney’s latest book. She’s thrilled when the opportunity arises.What happens next isn’t what either expected, and although passions flare, Whitney is furious when she learns she’s slept with the enemy. Their already rocky road to friendship—or something more—is complicated by a pair of Hollywood handlers who don’t particularly care what’s best for either of them. Will they find their way to love or will insecurities and outsiders prove too much to overcome?
Hairpin Curves
Elia Winters - 2020
Now a wedding invitation lures her to Quebec…in February. When her ex-friend Scarlett offers to be her plus-one (yeah, that’s a whole story) and suggests they turn the journey into an epic road trip, Megan reluctantly agrees to the biggest adventure of her life.A week together in a car is a surefire way to kill a crush, and Scarlett Andrews has had a big one on Megan for years. The important thing is fixing their friendship.As the miles roll away, what starts as harmless road-trip games and rest-stop dares escalates into something like intimacy. And when a surprise snowstorm forces Megan and Scarlett to hunker down without the open road as distraction, they’ve got a bigger challenge than making it to the church on time: facing the true nature of their feelings for each other.Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.