Book picks similar to
Something Worth Having by C.K. Carr


romance
contemporary-romance
freebie
contemporary

When the Right One Comes Along


Livia Quinn
     A former Army Ranger and CEO finds himself drawn to the woman of his dreams but an impulsive fling puts his mission and their relationship in danger. Former international model and photographer Lana Calloway is finally headed home, after attending the DC romance convention to find the perfect model, the “one” whose face and body could make her new business venture a success. She finds “Alex”, an unwilling and unlikely candidate. Turns out his appearance was a fluke, but the Calloways have a history of getting their man, or woman, and she doesn't intend to be the exception. Her prospect is in DC to meet with Congress about a huge veterans project; in other words, he’s got higher priorities. It will take creative measures to convince him that her goals could benefit his mission of making life better for wounded veterans and oh, by the way, that they are meant to be. From the author: Livia Quinn is the author of the Calloways of Rainbow Bayou, a contemporary small town romance series centered around the Calloways and their cousins, the Larues, in the Rainbow Bayou area of Louisiana. About Rainbow Bayou The bayou that surrounds the town was named by the Native Americans for its reflection of the colorful sky as it flowed from the river to the lake. Rainbows bring to mind hope, renewal, second chances, and the promise of new beginnings. In their legends double rainbows represented serendipity. The Calloway series is a contemporary small town romance with stories of love, community and family—of hope and second chances, reminding us that love can happen out of the blue, when you least expect it. More about the series, If you love emotional heartfelt stories with a little suspense built in, this is one for you. The first four books in the series were previously published but have been revised and rebranded with new content to reflect its true romance genre, that of a contemporary small town family romance series. Are the books standalones? Yes, the books can be read as standalones but secondary characters’ stories progress throughout the series so some readers may wish to read them in order. Books in the series: When the Right One Comes Along 9/11 Too Good to Be True. 9/11 Only the Heart Remembers 9/18 Christmas Wishes. 10/2 At Long Last Love 10/15 It Had to Be You 11/2 Christmas Vows 11/30 Love will Find You. 2/4/2019

Lucky Beach (Escape to Maui Book 2)


JoAnn Bassett - 2016
    She’s smart, pretty, and single. Oh, and a year ago she won forty-five million dollars in a magazine sweepstakes. But, as luck would have it, hitting the jackpot triggered an avalanche of misery. Her former boss claims the money is his and he’s spent the past year dragging Monica to court and feeding lurid stories to the tabloid press. Former friends and newly-discovered “family members” pester her day and night demanding cash for their illnesses, their business schemes, or for just being “kin.” Sick of hassling over her newfound riches, Monica abruptly moves to Maui, Hawaii. She’s looking for a new start, a blank slate. Soon after arriving she’s accosted at a Honokowai grocery store by a brawny, and wickedly handsome, local guy who hits her up for a donation to the Maui Food Bank. Will it never end? She meets Derek Chambers, a good-looking single guy in her classy Kapalua neighborhood whose wealth far surpasses her own. Finally, a guy who “gets” her. But who is he, really? And how much will it cost her to find out? Her fortune, her self-esteem—maybe even her life?

The Seven Steps to Closure


Donna Joy Usher - 2012
    Things go from bad to worse when she discovers that, not only is her ex-husband engaged to her cousin - Tash, the woman he left her for - but that Jake is also running for Lord Mayor of Sydney.Desperate to leave the destructive relationship behind and with nothing to lose, she decides- with encouragement from her three best friends - to follow the dubious advice from a magazine article, Closure in Seven Easy Steps.The Seven Steps to Closure follows Tara on her sometimes disastrous- always hilarious - path to achieve the seemingly impossible.

The Australian Billionaire


Britney M. Mills - 2019
     Jackson Walker hasn't had the best family life. Growing up in the foster system in Australia, it wasn’t until he met his college football coach that he understood what a normal family looked like. When he gets the call that Coach has passed away, he returns to California for the funeral and to find a place to honor the man. Hailey Montgomery threw herself into real estate soon after breaking up with her boyfriend nearly five years ago. She’s been working to build a name for herself and when the chance to make partner at her firm becomes available, she jumps at the chance. But the only way to achieve that distinction is to find a commercial property for the guy she’s nicknamed ‘Golden Boy’ from all the stories her father told about him. As spending time together brings them closer, the trust between them is called into question. Can they work through what’s happened in their individual pasts to create a relationship that will last?

Love Letters from a Billionaire


Beverly Farr - 2018
    Nilsson. I'm the woman who cleans his penthouse apartment, but I had never met him face-to-face. Until today.Love Letters from a Billionaire is a clean romance where anything is possible.

A Groom with a View


Sophie Ranald - 2014
    That’s until, in a moment of mad romance, they find themselves engaged. Pippa knows she’s no bridezilla – and she’s definitely not expecting Nick to get swept off his feet by plans for floral centrepieces, vintage cake-stands and colour coordinated everything. Then Nick’s mum gets involved, secrets from Pippa’s past threaten to surface, and planning their perfect day begins to tear Nick and Pippa apart. This eagerly anticipated second novel from Sophie Ranald is a funny and poignant romantic romp. If you love Tracy Bloom, Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella, then say “I do” to A Groom with a View.

The Butterfly Storm


Kate Frost - 2013
    A new start in Greece with Alekos, her boyfriend of just six weeks, removes Sophie from a mundane 9-5 job, takes her away from the difficult relationship she has with her mum, and gives her the opportunity and belief that she is finally doing something positive and exciting with her life.But a lot can change in four years. An engagement, a domineering mother-in-law to be and the reality of life in Greece not being quite what Sophie imagined puts a strain on her relationship with Alekos.When an accident forces Sophie back to the UK to look after her estranged mum, she has time to reevaluate her life, her idea of family, where she wants to be and, most importantly, who she loves.

Dodge the Bullet


Christy Hayes - 2011
    But Sarah doesn’t know a Colorado Senator has earmarked her ranch for purchase and he’ll do anything to get it. Unwilling to sell, she dismisses his continued offers and moves ahead by improving the land with the help of a sexy stranger. A.J. Dodge is a man with a past. He’s returned to his hometown ready to set down roots and make things right with his family and whatever anyone else thinks he doesn’t give a damn. Until his old friend Tommy Thornton asks a favor, a favor he can’t refuse, and Dodge becomes involved with the beautiful widow Sarah Woodward. She’s alone with her young sons on a dilapidated ranch she’s determined to get up and running with or without his help. Under pressure to deliver the Woodward ranch to a land developer with shady connections, the senator sets in motion a dangerous plot to convince Sarah to sell. Dodge will risk everything to protect Sarah and the boys including his heart.

Note to Self: Change the Locks


Heather Balog - 2013
    Her annoying ex-husband, Simon has been "displaced" after forgetting to pay his rent and has nowhere to go. As much as she seethes at the sight of him, Elizabeth can't turn her back on the man who was once the love of her life. After all, they were happily married for two years before "the incident" ripped them apart. There's just one teensy problem. Elizabeth's fiance, Austin, has no idea that she was previously married. Nor is he aware that Simon is bunking with his future bride. Elizabeth must keep the two away from each other until she is ready to come clean about her marriage and divorce. This proves exhausting in close quarters while planning a wedding. As Elizabeth and Austin prepare for their upcoming nuptials, it gets more and more difficult to hide the truth from Austin. Especially, when Elizabeth is starting to have doubts about what the truth really is.

Healing Touch (A Place to Call Home, #1)


Laura Browning - 2017
    Luke knows he needs to be a better daddy for his troubled kids, but his work as a veterinarian made it difficult in the past. He’s vowed to change, but he needs help while he settles into his new position with the local animal hospital.Rachel Hastings is a woman with a healing touch. She takes in injured and orphaned animals, so helping out with two new-to-town children shouldn’t be tough. What she hasn’t counted on is their sexy father, her secret crush from back in their high school days.Their attraction is immediate, but so many obstacles stand in the way. Luke and his family still grapple with the shock of the accident that killed his wife. Rachel carries baggage from her own failed marriage. Worst of all, Luke’s children hide a secret that is tearing them apart and may destroy any chance Luke and Rachel have of building a future together.Don’t miss Healing Touch, book one of a sexy new contemporary series from author Laura Browning.

Kill the Competition


Stephanie Bond - 2003
    Escaping to Atlanta to forget her short-lived and disastrous marriage, Belinda Hennessey is rebuilding her life with a new job and new friends, until her life is transformed forever by a traffic mishap with a gorgeous cop and the murder of a co-worker.

The Gull Motel (A Barefoot Book)


Amie Denman - 2014
    Finally finished with college, she heads to her favorite shabby motel on Florida’s Gulf Coast where her aunt and uncle always save her room twenty-four. She quickly finds out, though, that The Gull Motel is not just her home away from home. It’s hers to manage while her aunt and uncle take an extended trip. Skip McComber, The Gull’s former maintenance man, has been working on Savvy’s nuts and bolts for years. Now the new owner of the bar next door, his mission is to renovate a pirate bar while being a walking temptation for the girl he can’t get off his mind.For Savvy, keeping her cool running a motel in Florida heat is one thing, but navigating the steamy waters of a former fling takes a whole other kind of savvy. In addition to the motel and the man next door, Savvy stumbles on a plot to swindle land from the residents of Barefoot Key. Devalued properties tumble like dominoes until Savvy musters her colorful crew from The Gull Motel to make the pillagers walk the plank.

Sing For Me


Trisha Grace - 2015
    She has everything she wants: a successful career, the ability to make sure she is as far away from her parents as possible, and an almost equally successful boyfriend. One phone call from a dear friend brings her back to the States, to her old neighborhood where she comes face to face with her childhood crush, Christopher Hunter. And one look into his eyes brings back all the memories and feelings she thought she had long forgotten. Feelings she shouldn’t have.

Hot As Hell


Vivian Wood - 2018
     Lily and Cade always had one, but her brother -- Cade’s best friend -- kept the tinder damp. Besides, Cade’s a manwhore. When a man is that hot, someone’s always going to get burned. Lily should have learned her lesson the first time she touched fire, when he left town the morning after they finally hooked up. Yet all these years later, the ember’s still smoldering. She's working at the local bakery, in control of the heat... until he walks back into her life. Fresh from the wildfires of Montana, Cade’s lost everything he held dear, and the losses left scars. They soon find that more than ever, they are better together. Their love grows, quick and hot. Despite what her brother might say, Cade needs what Lily gives him. But there’s no such thing as a controlled burn. And every secret carries the risk of a backdraft. This 65,000-word steamy romance is standalone, with NO cliffhangers!

After All


Erin Nicholas - 2017
    The R word gives her hives. Why can’t the guy just be happy with no-strings sex?Scott knows Peyton didn’t exactly grow up with the best role models for strong, healthy relationships. Her dad gave up everything for his mentally-ill wife, including being a real father to his daughter. Now in charge of her own life, Peyton wants a good time devoid of any responsibility for someone else’s happiness. But Scott’s determined to be the one person in her life to show her that she’s worth an effort—even if it means staying out of her bed until she’s ready to commit to something as simple as a damned movie date.But, when Scott’s injured on the job, Peyton can’t stand the idea of anyone but her playing nurse—and Scott sees the perfect opportunity to show her that a relationship with him can be the best time she’s ever had.But nothing with Peyton is ever easy. After all, he doesn’t call her Trouble for nothing…