Book picks similar to
Bayou Bride by Jennifer Blake


romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance
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Always the Last to Know


Crystal Bowling - 2009
    It's just that things keep getting in the way, like a sex-crazed coworker, an annoying brother-of-the-bride, and a handsome and horribly charming friend posing as the Best Man. As it turns out, Jess might just be the last one to know everything, including the workings of her own heart.

Horses and Heroin


Bev Pettersen - 2012
    Her only ally is a recuperating PI who unfortunately is the owner's best friend. Soon she is caught between a blossoming romance and a far-reaching conspiracy...where misplaced trust can be deadly.

Ruby Lake


Sherrill Willis - 2011
    When her boss sends her to Ruby Lake, a small, rural town in northern Wisconsin, the last thing she was looking for was love at first sight, not to mention a place in the world where she finally fits. Add in her city-savvy best friend, a jealous ex-girlfriend, a famous father, and a coffee shop full of off-the wall characters, and it becomes more challenging for Sydney to manage than a spinning plate competition. When disaster strikes close to home, Sydney is left with the unbearable choice of her family, or the life she has always dreamed of. Come with Sydney on her journey and laugh, cry and rediscover why some choices are not really choices at all, they are simply fate.

It Happens Every Spring


Gary Chapman - 1996
    Best-selling authors Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer team up to show how four married couples, all in different stages in life, experience the joys and hardships of marriage as examined in Gary Chapman's "The Four Seasons of Marriage." In book one, Steve and Brenda face a common problem among middle-age couples: empty nest syndrome. Steve works too much, and with their two children out of the house, Brenda feels lonely and unfulfilled. In order to save their marriage, the two must learn to reconnect. Readers are also introduced to many charming characters, like Cody, the mentally challenged homeless man that shows up on Steve and Brenda's porch; Pete, who owns the Rods 'N' Ends tackle shop; and Patsy Pringle, who owns the Just As I Am beauty parlor, where much of the action takes place.The series is based on the marriage principles found in Gary Chapman's non-fiction book "The Four Seasons of Marriage." Similar in tone and light-hearted, quirky humor as Jan Karon's Mitford series, Fannie Flagg's books or "Steel Magnolias." Each book has a study guide that talks about the four seasons of marriage and the healing strategies depicted in that volume's story.

An Offer He Can't Refuse


Theresa Ragan - 2012
    Someone who can put on the performance of his life…someone tall, dark and temporary. According to her grandfather's trust, she must marry before she turns thirty if she wants to inherit millions of dollars. Otherwise, the money will go to her cousin, Heather. Jackson Lang, a thirty-four-year-old self-made millionaire, lost his father when he and his little brother were toddlers. With a sickly mother who was underpaid and over worked, Jackson was left to care for his younger brother. He grew up believing that the good things in life went to those with money and power…those who took control…those who worked a little harder than the next guy. Jackson is mourning the death of Walter Garrett, a man who took him and his brother under his wing, when Walter's widow, Heather, asks Jackson for a favor. Madison and Jackson must convince family and friends that they are in love. Not an easy feat considering they don’t even like one another.

Unbreakable


Rebecca Shea - 2013
    She’s a good daughter, makes excellent grades, and always strays on the safe side of life. The last thing she thought would ever happen was falling in love with her best friend’s brother. But sometimes fate just has a way of bringing two people together. Wide receiver for the University of Arizona, Gabe Garcia, seems to have it all. When his feelings for Jessica come to surface, Gabe will give up everything to be with her. But what happens when a tragedy abruptly changes the course of your life? For Jessica and Gabe, everything they thought they knew about each other will be questioned. Sometimes, there are scars in life that are cut too deep to completely heal. Will their love prove to be unbreakable, or will it shatter and prove fate is just another lie?*This book contains mature subject matter and is not intended for those under 17 years of age.*

Winter Nights


Penny ReidCharlotte Byrd - 2018
    Kenner Feeling Hot by Elle Kennedy More Than Want You by Shayla Black Survival of the Richest by Skye Warren The Space Between by Kate Canterbary Her Seductive Dare by Lena Hart Black Edge by Charlotte Byrd Bidding on Brooks by Katy Regnery

Bittersweet


Noelle Adams - 2013
    Widowed at only twenty-six, she’s just trying to get through one lonely day at a time as she grieves her late husband, and finds the energy to take care of her infant son.As Zoe bravely tries to hold herself together, her husband’s cousin and business partner, Adam, offers his support and friendship. Shattered by her loss, Zoe is distant and resentful at first, but Adam gently persists, and Zoe’s reserve soon begins to crumble . . .Adam knows that Zoe needs time to heal but finds himself more and more attracted to her. He knows he must not act on these forbidden feelings, but they just won’t go away . . .Noelle Adams’s Bittersweet is a poignant, fearless exploration of friendship, loss, new beginnings, and the healing power of love.

The Forever Year


Lou Aronica - 2013
    His parents marriage was caring but passionless, and his own romantic history tells him that love can burn bright, but that it cannot burn for long. So when his elderly father, Mickey, moves in with him and seems unable to understand Jesse's no-strings-attached relationship with Marina, his current girlfriend, Jesse barely pays attention. It's just another example of how different they are and more evidence that he and his father will never connect on any meaningful level. But the truth is, Mickey Sienna knows more about love than most people learn in a lifetime. More than half a century ago, he discovered the endless rewards of investing your heart and soul in someone...and he knows the devastating costs of letting the perfect someone slip by. When Mickey sees Jesse taking an extraordinary woman for granted, he decides it's time to tell Jesse his story a story he's never shared with any of his children before. It is a story that will change both of them profoundly. At once a stirring family drama and a touching romance, The Forever Year is filled with richly drawn characters and powerful situations. You will respond personally to the people you meet in this novel, and you will find yourself deeply enmeshed in their stories. And you might find yourself looking at love in a new way. PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED UNDER THE NAME RONALD ANTHONY

Plain Jayne


Laura Drewry - 2014
      Worn out from the long drive back home, Jayne Morgan can only smirk at the irony: Of course the first person she sees from her old life is Nick Scott. Once best friends, they lost touch when Jayne left town at eighteen, but nothing could keep them apart forever. Jayne has returned to take over her grandmother’s bookstore, determined to put all her bittersweet memories and secret disappointments strictly in the past — until, that is, Nick insists she bunk at his place.   Nick never did care what people thought about having a girl for a best friend — or the “scandal” she caused by showing up to his wife’s funeral four years earlier — so he’s got no problem with the gossips now. Jayne was always the one person he could count on in his life. Now Nick is starting to realize that he never wants her to leave again... and that being “just friends” isn’t going to be enough anymore.  Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Don't Let Go


Michelle Lynn - 2013
    She only wants to finish her final year of college, obtain her degree, and get out from the hold of her affluent parents. Then she meets Brady Carsen, the lead singer of The Invisibles, a popular local band in the college town. She tries to stay away but quickly realizes that, although he might not be what she’s used to, he’s exactly what she needs and more importantly, everything she could possibly want. Unfortunately, Sadie’s troubled past left her with insecurities that make her question Brady’s true intentions. And while Brady is convinced that Sadie is the one for him, he has his own secrets that he fears will be their undoing. If they want to be together, they will have to stand united and fight the outside influences that are threatening to tear them apart. Can they put their pasts behind them for good in order to secure their future?

Double Dare


Rhonda Nelson - 2000
    Sheltered by her overbearing father, Louisa has years of catching up to do and can think of no better person than gorgeous Sam Rawlins to show her. Is she ready for the time of her life? Hell, yes.Ordinarily unflappable adventure guide Sam Rawlins makes his living showing the wealthy how to have fun, but nothing in his experience could have prepared him for the "adventure" Louisa Honeycut asks for. He might be showing Louisa the time of her life, but the quirky little snack-cake heiress is soon turning Sam's own life upside down...and perversely, he likes the new vantage point.

This Is Not How It Ends


Rochelle B. Weinstein - 2020
    Weinstein comes a moving novel of hearts lost and found, and of one woman torn between two love stories. When Charlotte and Philip meet, the pair form a deep and instant connection. Soon they’re settled in the Florida Keys with plans to marry. But just as they should be getting closer, Charlotte feels Philip slipping away.Second-guessing their love is something Charlotte never imagined, but with Philip’s excessive absences, she finds herself yearning for more. When she meets Ben, she ignores the pull, but the supportive single dad is there for her in ways she never knew she desired. Soon Charlotte finds herself torn between the love she thought she wanted and the one she knows she needs.As a hurricane passes through Islamorada, stunning revelations challenge Charlotte’s loyalties and upend her life. Forced to reexamine the choices she’s made, and has yet to make, Charlotte embarks on an emotional journey of friendship, love, and sacrifice—knowing that forgiveness is a gift, and the best-laid plans can change in a heartbeat.This Is Not How It Ends is a tender, moving story of heartbreak and healing that asks the question: Which takes more courage—holding on or letting go?

Floor Time


Liz Crowe - 2012
    He’s made millions as a top-selling real estate broker. His rugged good lucks and over-the-top personality helped him build a virtual black book most men would kill for. Having been burned once however, he’s sworn off anything resembling an emotional connection with any woman. But an undercurrent of dissatisfaction runs through his life. His frustration grows as he seeks something even he can’t quite put his finger on.Thanks to a life of discipline and focused routine, Sara Thornton has fast-tracked herself to the top of the Ann Arbor real estate market. As her career skyrockets, the fulfillment she seeks remains out of reach. One thing she knows for sure: she will never join the Jack Gordon groupies in her company, no matter how tempting it might be.A chance encounter, then a difficult transaction, throw Jack and Sara into temptingly close contact. After their first, smoking hot hook-up, he decides she could be the elusive happiness he’s seeking. Right about the time she decides to avoid him like the plague. But fate keeps forcing them together, so Jack decides to make The Big Gesture.Floor Time: the epic beginning of the best-selling Stewart Realty saga—full of romance, humor, family dynamics, white-hot heat, and long-simmering desire between two stubborn, successful, and compelling people.This second edition is refreshed and re-edited.

Rainwater


Sandra Brown - 2009
    She cooks, cleans, launders, and cares for her ten-year-old son, Solly, a sweet but challenging child whose busy behavior and failure to speak elicits undesired advice from others in town. Ella’s plate is full from sunup to sundown. When a room in her boarding house opens up, the respected town doctor brings Ella a new boarder―the handsome and gallant Mr. David Rainwater—but Ella is immediately resistant to opening up her home to this mysterious stranger. Even with assurances that Mr. Rainwater is a man of impeccable character, a former cotton broker and a victim of the Great Depression, Ella stiffens at the thought of taking him in. Dr. Kincaid tells Ella in confidence that Mr. Rainwater won’t require the room for long: he is dying. Begrudgingly, Ella accepts Mr. Rainwater’s application to board, but she knows that something is happening; she is being swept along by an unusual series of events. Soon, this strong-minded, independent woman will realize that the living that she has eked out for herself in the small bubble of her town is about to change, whether she likes it or not... Racial tensions, the financial strain of livelihoods in cotton drying up into dust, and the threat of political instability swirl together into a tornado on the horizon. One thing is certain: the winds of change are blowing all over Texas—and through the cracks in the life that Ella Barron has painstakingly built. This is the story of a woman who takes her life’s circumstances in both hands, but who will be forced to reckon with the chaos of her historical circumstances..