Book picks similar to
My Journey to the Ocean by Lena Mikado
chick-lit
romance
first-reads
contemporary
Escape for the Summer
Ruth Saberton - 2014
"Takes Bridget Jones's mantle and runs with it" Heat Magazine "Made me laugh out loud" Richard Madeley Can Andi Evans find the strength to start again? Betrayed and broken-hearted, Andi's redundancy is one shock too many. Suddenly single and in debt, a summer working in the pretty Cornish town of Rock seems the perfect solution.Determined never to trust again, will a chance meeting with a stranger change her mind? Andi's sister, Angel, is determined to find a man who can keep her in style. Heading to Rock, summer playground of the rich and famous, seems an inspired idea until a misunderstanding threatens to end a romance that has started to mean more to her than she ever expected... Actress Gemma is no stranger to diets and disappointments. As the future of her career hangs in the balance, Gemma hopes a summer in Cornwall solves her problems. With a reality TV show being filmed in the seaside town surely she can avoid the pasty shops and win herself a role. Arriving in idyllic Cornwall, all three girls are hoping for a holiday to remember. But will this be for the right reasons? Or, as emotions run higher than the tide, will the summer escape turn their lives upside down?
Stone Cold
Cheryl Douglas - 2013
He’s everything a girl from the wrong side of the tracks would be foolish to hope for, but Drake helps her realize she can have a life worth fighting for… until she makes a mistake that could cost her everything.Anyone stupid enough to betray Drake is destined to pay the price, especially when the culprit is wearing his engagement ring. He thought he could trust Cassidy, but when she proves him wrong he vows to make her pay.Revenge is sweet, but redemption is sweeter.
Meant to Be
Edie Claire - 2004
On the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Meara O’Rourke can’t help but feel alone. With her last remaining relative newly buried and her potentially disastrous engagement freshly broken, she makes a resolution to begin her life anew -- only to have an unexpected phone call turn her whole world upside down. Her biological mother Sheila, whom she met only once six years before, lies in critical condition in a nearby hospital. And though the woman once refused to see her daughter ever again -- her last wish is just the opposite.A few whispered words, and Sheila is gone. But the questions she has put into her daughter’s head, and the historic stone inn she has unknowingly bequeathed, sweep Meara up into the whirlwind of another life -- and a legacy of deception. When Meara begins to have memories of a place she's never been, she realizes that while finding out the truth about her birth and adoption could answer all her questions -- it could also tear her apart.
Carved In Stone
Donna McDonald - 2011
He admires Jessica for her courageous art and for how she has dealt with her life. As far as Will can tell, the only part of Jessica damaged by her past is her heart. Jessica assures Will she is incapable of lasting love, but Will refuses to believe it's true. Yes, it is a problem that the baggage from Jessica's past makes her see dating as merely recreational and men as interchangeable, but when she offers him temporary sexual fidelity, Will decides to take what he can get until he can find a way to convince Jessica she is still capable of love.Jessica Daniels is mostly happy with her life. Her daughter is graduating college. She is a few years away from retirement. Life is good even though lately she has stopped being interested in both her art and men. Since Jessica has never been the kind of woman looking for that one special man to settle down with, she normally dates and enjoys all the men she wants. What's the harm with doing so suits her? Will is certainly good-looking and charming, but she's not sure he's worth the trouble of an exclusive relationship. She likes riding his motorcycle, seriously admires his art, and thinks he's mostly a great guy. But after thirty years of being single, Jessica knows that most relationships just don't work out for a woman with a past like hers. When Will keeps insisting on sleeping with her, she finally gives in, but Jessica knows in her heart it will never last.
The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth
Juliet Gauvin - 2014
Book 1 of 3. Elizabeth Lara built a perfect life as San Francisco’s top divorce attorney, but when she loses her great-aunt Mags, the woman who raised her, she boards a plane and leaves it all behind.The Irish shores welcome her as she learns a shocking truth, kept secret for thirty-five years. Devastated and now alone in the world, Beth tries to find peace in a beautiful cottage by Lough Rhiannon, but peace isn’t what fate had in mind. Almost as soon as she arrives, Beth’s solitary retreat into the magic wilds of Ireland is interrupted by Connor Bannon. A man with light brown hair, ice blue eyes and a secret of his own. He’s gorgeous, grieving, and completely unexpected. With the help of Mags’ letters, the colorful townspeople of Dingle, and Connor, Elizabeth might just find a way back to the girl she lost long ago and become the woman she always wanted to be.
Dancing by the Moonlight (A Carlisle Bay Novel)
Angie Ellington - 2018
Dancing was her life. Chasing performance dreams is all she's ever known or planned for. Now, she is starting anew. She didn't expect to be a boutique manager at thirty-one, but it's better than spinning out into the abyss of the unknown. Being in Carlisle has brought solace to her listless soul. Brady Carlisle has recently returned to Carlisle Bay; his hometown. He has spent the last decade in California, designing and patenting surfboards, playing guitar and singing for anyone who cared to listen. Becoming his own man, without relying on the Carlisle name and money is all he's ever wanted. He now owns a bait and tackle store by day and spends his evenings playing guitar on his deck or sailing along the bay or over the crystal blue waters of the Atlantic. They discovered love for the first time thirteen years earlier when Olivia spent the summer before college living with her aunt in Carlisle Bay. Will the pain of the past keep them apart or will moonlit summer evenings lead them back to each others' hearts?
The Angel Between Them (Huron Cove Series Book 1)
Rob Shumaker - 2019
He’s not taking her back. But will a little angel show him love deserves a second chance? Out-of-work actress Olivia Daniels returns home to Michigan to find her parents’ B&B on the verge of sale and realizes her only hope to keep it in the family is to hire Ethan Stone, the man she once left behind, to turn the business around. Cash-strapped and the emergency guardian to eight-year-old orphan, Emma Lynn Grayson, Ethan is forced to swallow his pride and take the job to make ends meet. But that doesn’t mean he’s willing to forgive Olivia and fall in love again. Or does it? Hoping for a mother and father and a place to call home, Emma is determined to bring Ethan and Olivia back together—whatever it takes. From nudging Ethan back to church and then going missing at the Fourth of July celebration, Emma’s plan to reunite Ethan and Olivia shows promise. But Olivia’s celebrity status and the pull of Hollywood causes Ethan to think twice about falling for her again. Whether Ethan opens his heart to Olivia depends on whether the angel between them can help rekindle the flame and show them love deserves a second chance. The Angel Between Them is the first book in the Huron Cove Christian romance series. If you like stories with unforgettable characters, small-town charm, and happily ever after, then you’ll love Rob Shumaker’s brand new Christian romance. Buy The Angel Between Them to begin this exciting new series today.
Made for Me
Kathryn R. Biel - 2016
While her meddling family questions how she can end up in this predicament, at the age of 29, and single to boot, Michele doesn't want to admit the truth. All she wants to do is sew. Faced with the prospect of moving back into her parents' house, Michele throws a Hail Mary pass and applies for a TV design contest, Made for Me. In order to win the contest, Michele will have to compete with nine other contestants to design the new wardrobe for Duchess Maryn Medrovovich, who's about to marry Prince Stephan of the United Republic of Montabago. While in the seclusion of the show, Michele starts to realize where her focus in life should be, and what's truly important to her. However, a dashing competitor might just cause her to lose her focus once and for all. Can Michele keep her eye on the prize while being true to herself?
Changes
Judith Arnold - 2014
No one knows what classic rock songs will come out of the jukebox when a coin is inserted, but every now and then, the jukebox will play a song that casts a spell on two bar patrons—a song that will change their lives and open their hearts to love. Antiques dealer Diana Simms is engaged to her longtime boyfriend when she finds herself inside the Faulk Street Tavern. The song “Changes” emerges from the jukebox and enchants her. It also captivates Nick Fiore, a local guy who’s arrived at adulthood the hard way, after a tour through the juvenile justice system. Now he’s dedicated his life to helping other troubled kids. He has no business even looking at a beautiful, well-bred woman wearing a diamond engagement ring. But once they’re bewitched by the jukebox, he and Diana must change their lives, their goals, their dreams…and their hearts.
30 Days
K. Larsen - 2013
Dealing with the loss of her only sister. A suicide attempt that doesn’t end in death and a husband who wants her inheritance. Elle’s life is a catastrophe. But she has a list and thirty things she’s determined to accomplish. Love isn't on that list but it comes crashing unexpectedly into her life. Boxing coach and personal trainer at the gym he co-owns, Colin’s content with his life. Until a chance meeting with a woman eating alone at a restaurant sets his heart in motion. As secrets unveil themselves his only goal becomes holding on to what he’s found.
Eleven Days: An Unexpected Love
Lora Lindy - 2012
Little does she know she would meet that one special love, an unexpected love. That one true love is Mike Ramsey and he's a U.S. Marshal. As their love grows, so do their troubles. Someone is stalking Lana. Mike has to figure out who it is before the stalker gets Lana. Not only does he have to protect her, he must find the connection between Lana and the killer before it's too late. They soon find out this stalker also wants Mike dead, and he'll go through any lengths for that to happen. Mike's team find out how desperate this man is when he starts murdering.
Chosen for Power
Kathleen Brooks - 2014
As the CEO of a corporate conglomerate, Elle is used to fighting off challengers. However, this new threat comes at a time when she finally lets her guard down to meet Prince Charming. And it’s unlike anything she’s been up against before. Drake Charles’s work on mobile technology has made him a wealthy, powerful man. But he quickly sheds the fame and publicity for a more private life, which earns him the label as a man of mystery. Drake adds to that mystery every year when he hosts a masquerade ball for charity. It’s also his best chance to find the one thing he really wants . . . true love. Having met behind masks of anonymity, Elle and Drake enjoy a whirlwind night of romance that leaves them both wanting more. But Elle must question everything and everyone as she battles to save her life and career. Can Elle trust Drake to help get her life back or will she lose everything?
The Paradise Bay Romantic Comedy Boxed Set
Melanie Summers - 2020
Together, they’re the perfect power couple—right down to the fact that he’s agreed to use their honeymoon to help further her career in mergers and acquisitions. But ten minutes before the wedding, her dreams dissolve via text message.Devastated and humiliated, Libby escapes to Paradise Bay alone. She’s got two goals for her trip: to devise a plan to get Richard back and to convince resort owner Harrison Banks to sell his property to her company. Unfortunately, when she arrives, she discovers that tall, dark, and built Harrison is not about to make anything easy for her. Instead, he derails her plans while at the same time, bringing out a side of Libby she’s kept carefully tucked away—a carefree, adrenaline junkie. After a few days together, Harrison’s got her wondering if the life she always wanted was meant for some other girl. Suddenly, Libby must decide which version of herself she wants to be. Will she go back to her comfortable, safe life, or risk everything to be with the only man who’s ever made her feel truly alive? WHISKED AWAYAn irresistibly romantic, delightfully funny tale of love, passion, books, and food.2019 READER'S FAVORITE AWARD BRONZE MEDAL WINNERAt twenty-seven years old, Emma Banks has big plans for her life. After graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, she's ready to take her place as head chef at one of her family’s resort restaurants. But upon arrival at Paradise Bay, she’s shuffled off to the resort’s new private island getaway, where she’ll be stuck catering to the rich and shameless. Her first assignment is to serve Pierce Davenport, an infuriatingly arrogant writer with a palate that’s about as adventurous as a plain boiled potato. Putting Pierce and Emma together is like combining orange juice and toothpaste. Will their differences be their ruin or will they be the secret ingredient to each other’s success?THE SUITE LIFE A laugh-out-loud tale of a single mum and the man who restores her faith in love.Twenty-six-year-old single mum Brianna Lewis (AKA Bree) doesn’t believe in fairy tales—not after being abandoned by the father of daughter, Isabelle. A law student by day and concierge by night, Bree’s determined to give Isabelle the life she never had. Suddenly finding herself in dire straits, she converts her garden shed into a rental suite in hopes of climbing out of the financial hole she’s in. But when the only person interested in renting the suite turns out to be to Leopold Davenport, the ridiculously good-looking co-worker she loves to hate, she knows she must choose between being happy and being broke. But as she gets to know him, she discovers there may be more to him than flirty smiles and empty charm.Can Leopold make the leap from ultimate playboy to become the man Bree needs in her life? Will Bree allow herself to believe in happily-ever-afters or will she play it safe and hang a do-not-disturb sign on her heart?
The 8 Mistakes of Amy Maxwell
Heather Balog - 2014
She’s convinced her teenage daughter is up to no good, her ten year old can’t stop chattering in her ear and her oldest son has befriended a teenaged boy twice his age who is a little weird. And don’t even get her started on having a toddler when you’re in your late thirties. She just can’t keep up. Forget tired; she’s exhausted and feeling unfulfilled, dissatisfied and like a disappointment to everyone; her kids, her parents and most of all, herself.To relieve her stress, Amy finds herself fantasizing about everything from the pool boy next door to finding out that her daughter was switched at birth. She can’t help her thoughts, but she figures, if they’re in her head, they can’t hurt anyone else, right? When Jason, a very sexy forty something year old single father moves in across the street, Amy finds her fantasy world has gone into overdrive. When Amy and her 13 year old daughter stumble upon the body of their neighbor, shot to death in her living room, Amy finds herself thrown together with Jason in the most unpredictable way. Amy finds herself bumbling around Jason, trying desperately to stop her fantasies and her underlying attraction towards him as this who done it mystery slowly unfolds. And Amy soon realizes, nobody is who she thinks they are…even Amy herself.
Riversong
Tess Thompson - 2011
In the wake of her husband's tragic death, Lee is pregnant and one million dollars in debt to a dangerous loan shark willing to do anything to collect. Out of money and options, Lee seeks refuge in the small Oregon town where her mother's dilapidated home sits vacant, as desperate for a fresh start as Lee herself.With a baby on the way and a living to make, Lee opens a restaurant and begins to rebuild her life. But just as she catches her breath, and the eye of a local musician offering a second chance at love, she finds herself right back in the clutches of the debt collector with more to lose than ever.