Book picks similar to
Life Choices by J.A. Stone


accidents
contemporary-romance
possible-artsbham-reviews
womens-fiction

Cleopatra and Frankenstein


Coco Mellors - 2022
    Twenty years older and a self-made success, Frank's life is full of all the excesses Cleo's lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a Green Card. But their impulsive marriage irreversibly changes both their lives, and the lives of those close to them, in ways they never could've predicted.Each compulsively readable chapter explores the lives of Cleo, Frank, and an unforgettable cast of their closest friends and family as they grow up and grow older. Whether it's Cleo's best friend struggling to embrace his gender queerness in the wake of Cleo's marriage, or Frank's financially dependent sister arranging sugar daddy dates to support herself after being cut off, or Cleo and Frank themselves as they discover the trials of marriage and mental illness, each character is as absorbing, and painfully relatable, as the last.As hilarious as it is heartbreaking, entertaining as it is deeply moving, Cleopatra and Frankenstein marks the entry of a brilliant and bold new talent.

The Wayward Daughter


Shradha Ghale - 2018
    Her friends at Rhododendron High School—all girls from semi-royal and other rich families—will soon be going abroad, but she, with second-division marks in her final exams, might have to settle for a grimy little college in town. Her parents, plodding away in middle-class Kathmandu, are deeply disappointed, and all their hopes are now pinned on Numa, her sister. Sundry cousins from their village in far-off Lungla—driven out by poverty and the warring Maoists—come to live with the family, trample upon her privacy, and wage kitchen politics with Boju, her foul-tongued grandmother. Other relatives embarrass her with their gauche village ways. And, worst of all, Sagar, Sumnima’s US-returned RJ boyfriend, for whom she has been lying, sneaking around and stealing money from home, keeps her waiting for his phone calls.Employing a rich cast of characters, The Wayward Daughter tells the story of a young girl seeking out love, finding herself and her own spaces in life. Equally, it draws a telling portrait of Kathmandu—its class and caste divisions, its cosmopolitanism which exists alongside conservative attitudes, and its politics due to which a civil war looms. Written with humour, empathy and skill, this novel is a must-read.

The Magic of Found Objects


Maddie Dawson - 2021
    All her life she’s been torn between the two. But now that she’s been betrayed by both love and the mother she once idolized, her rational side is winning.So when her best friend from childhood proposes that they give up on romance and marry each other, Phronsie agrees. Who better to spend your life with than your best friend? Maybe the connection they already have is love. Maybe there’s no falling to be done. But immediately after they announce their engagement, she encounters someone who makes a very charming and compelling argument for revisiting romance.While her even-keeled stepmother argues for the safety that comes with her new engagement and her mother relays messages from the universe to hold out for true love, Phronsie must look to her own heart to find the answers that have been there all along.

Treasure


Lisa Tawn Bergren - 1994
    Christina Alvarez arrived on the Caribbean island of Robert s Foe to find her ancestor s sunken ship, and the evidence that could lead to one of the greatest nautical discoveries of the century. But when the only man who could help her turns away, headstrong Christina battles to win his trust and assistance. And in so doing, Christina lets down her guard and becomes more involved with treasure hunter Mitch Crawford that she ever intended.

The A to Z of Us


Hannah Doyle - 2021
    She’s never had a serious relationship herself and after supporting her best friend through a devastating break-up, she’s not about to let down her barriers anytime soon. Relationships always end badly.Zach is a romantic. Even after his parents got divorced, he still believed in love and is eager to settle down and have a family of his own. He just hasn’t met The One yet.After a chance meet-cute at an art gallery, Zach is immediately intrigued by Alice and realising their names bookend the alphabet suggests that their next date needs to begin with a B. Alice agrees to one date while Zach is determined to make her believe in love. But can love ever be as easy as abc?A fun and feel-good romantic comedy with dating as you’ve never seen it before, for anyone who’s missed Happy Hour drink dates and meet-cutes in real life. Fans of Sophie Cousens, Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Ranald won’t be able to put down this heart-warming page-turner.

Charming Falls Apart


Angela Terry - 2020
    Over the next few months, she devours countless self-help books (albeit skeptically), schedules a soul reading with an astrologer/psychic/magician, and goes on a meditation retreat in Costa Rica, where she finally starts to feel like she’s getting her groove back.Back at home, her desire to escape the condo she once shared with her fiancé makes her a regular at the new coffeehouse in her neighborhood, where she finds some guidance from (and eye candy in) the attractive owner, Eric. Between Jordan’s support, the Barnes & Noble self-help aisle, and the Tao of Eric, Allison gradually discovers that her old life wasn’t as perfect as she thought—and that if she truly wants to find her happily-ever-after, she’s going to have to start writing her own rules.

Marrying Kind


Debbie Macomber - 1996
    But on the eve of his wedding, he finds himself face-to-face with Katie, his former high school sweetheart. Neither has ever fully recovered from their separation and both harbor lingering resentment. In trying to reconcile the emotions they thought had were long since dead and buried, can Katie and Jason respond to fate's challenge wihtout causing untold pain to either themselves or others?

By Summer's End


Pamela Morsi - 2005
    Sixteen years is a long time to be away, but life has dealt her something unexpected, and now she has no choice. It takes some forgiveness, a little understanding, and the magic of two young girls to make everyone see that - although it's hard to imagine - they have all ended up where they belong.

Flight of the Cuckoo


K.L. Smith - 2014
     This is the dark but humourous tale of Sarah Pemberton, who is not a happy woman. A down to earth, inventive soul who despises her stuck up pompous husband Neil, who believes he is much more intelligent and important than she is. When he refuses her a divorce and emotionally blackmails her into staying with him by threatening to take custody of their daughter, she's decides to make life a little more entertaining for herself, by subtly torturing him at every available opportunity. Creative and adaptable by nature, with a wicked sense of humour, she comes up with more and more ways to ridicule him, without him ever knowing she has a hand in it. ...."During 1993-1994 amongst other things, I cooked him a meat pie with pedigree chum; Stole his car more times than I can count; put chilli powder in his underpants, sent a stripagram to his work (a fat one), and subscribed him to a gay porn mag! (Our paperboy avoided him like the plague after that.)"..... Finding accomplices in the form of her Aunt May, who lives in a crumbling old former hotel which was damaged during WWII, and May's two lodgers, a shy young hippy named Darren, along with his brother Matthew a former life model, they try to get rid of her husband by either 'Plan A', which consists of 'frame him for a crime so that he gets incarcerated', or 'Plan B' drive him to a nervous breakdown. Both plans are designed to discredit Neil in case of a custody battle for their daughter. There is only one little prerequisite for every little torturous idea though, and that is, IT HAS TO MAKE THEM LAUGH! Unbeknown to Sarah at first, she isn't the only one with a vendetta against her husband, his entire workforce hate his guts and exploit any opportunity to make him look bad. When plans A & B go disastrously wrong, Sarah and co set their sights on a new target, her in-laws. Interwoven throughout the story is the tale of Aunt May, the lynch pin of her little make shift family, who harbours secrets of her own that go back to the night the bomb fell on the east wing of the hotel. This is not a tale of a submissive woman suffering at the hands of abuse; this is the tale of a strong courageous woman having one last laugh at other people's expense. Contains very occasional strong language, and scenes that should not be repeated at home. Volume One of 'The Cuckoo' series

Broken


Bella Grant - 2015
    She never wanted to see him again, even for a million dollars. But money has a way of changing things, and life can sometimes play cruel jokes. Kristina returns home to discover that Nick is now the most eligible man in town. Not such a big deal, really, until Kristina finds out her father is marrying his mother. Nick, the man she hates most, is now too close for comfort! But a jerk is a jerk, and it didn’t take long for Nick to find comfort and distraction in the arms of Kristina’s best friend, Brandi. Kristina pretends not to care, shattering her heart herself, something she always guarded against. Life should have been perfect, but Kristina has certain financial needs to meet and her journey to freedom leads her full circle into the arms of a broken man who is determined to reclaim what was almost once his. This is a full length romance novel with no cliffhangers or back fillers! Elements of BDSM included.

The Total Package


Stephanie Evanovich - 2016
    When the head coach of the Austin Mavericks refuses to let him waste his million-dollar arm, Tyson makes a Hail Mary pass at redemption and succeeds with everyone . . . except Dani, whose negative comments about his performance draw high ratings and spectacular notices of her own.Dani can’t forgive Tyson’s transgressions or forget the sizzling history the two of them shared in college, a passionate love Tyson casually threw away. And even more infuriating, he doesn’t realize that the bombshell with huge ratings is the cute girl whose heart he once broke.But can a woman trying to claw her way to the top and a quarterback who knows all about rock bottom make it to the Super Bowl without destroying each other? And what will happen when Tyson—riding high now that he’s revived his career—realizes he needs to make an even more important comeback with Dani? Can he make some spectacular moves to get past her defenses—or will she sideline him for good?

The Tall Pine Polka / Your Oasis on Flame Lake


Lorna Landvik - 2005
    For each craves a change in her life: Devera desires a break from her humdrum marital routine; BiDi longs to reconnect with her distant fourteen-year-old daughter (the only girl on the high school hockey team), not to mention jump-start a sex drive stuck in neutral. So when Devera’s husband decides to fulfill his longtime dream of opening a nightclub in his basement, Your Oasis on Flame Lake arrives not a moment too soon. Nothing fancy, it’s just a BYOB joint where you can hang out, sing, dance, tell jokes, and be yourself. But then an unexpected crisis throws both families into chaos, forcing them all to take stock of their lives—and learn the power of forgiveness.

Climbing The Walls


Sacha T.Y. Fortuné - 2018
    But the high-powered job didn't quite factor into the equation. Nor did the attractive boss in dire need of a friendly shoulder to cry on...***Real emotion. Real life. Real love. This is NOT a glossy love story. But if you're looking for a romance read that will rattle you... characters that will change you... and love that will last in your mind long after you're finished... THIS IS THE ONE FOR YOU.***CLIMBING THE WALLSKris fell, head over heels over hormones, for the damaged b*tch who became his power-woman sex-goddess wife.All Nicole wants is to be a better mother, and a wife more worthy of the husband she loves with every fibre of her body, but she is constantly yanked away by her job and her overbearing boss Darren Hart.But Darren has marital problems of his own – and, when he confides in her, Nicole realises just how easily a happy marriage can crumble.…Can she keep her own from doing the same?Told from both points of view, “Climbing The Walls” explores the fibres that hold a marriage together – love, trust, forgiveness... and of course, the earth-shattering sex that will not be denied.______________________________PRAISE FROM READERS:★★★★★ - "Masterful... a slow burn that quickly heats up and sends you on one emotional rollercoaster that has you holding on for dear life..."★★★★★ - "Beyond emotional... gritty, real, raw, heart-wrenching, shocking and simply phenomenal!"★★★★★ - "A romance read that has the ability to change you as a person, one that will have you at a loss for words and thoughts..."★★★★★ - "Raw, real, angst, hot steamy passion, incredible characters, twists and turns that leave you wanting and needing more..." ★★★★★ - "I was a total and complete wreck during this book and for about an hour afterwards. My heart hurt, I smiled, I got so angry I wanted to hit something, I cried and I forgave things I never thought I would. I have become completely and totally emotionally invested in these people… all of them and I want more."______________________________“HART & COLE” SERIES: “A marriage is not a happy ending; it’s a beginning of so much more to come.”The books in this series share characters and events, and should be read in chronological order for the optimal reading experience. Book 1 - "Climbing The Walls" is Kris' & Nicole's story, and can be read as a standalone. Book 2 - "Pandora's Poison" is the first part of Darren's & Luisa's story, and can be read without reading Book 1 prior (although not recommended).Book 3 - "Pandora's Price" is the completion of Darren's & Luisa's story, and must be read after Book 2.

Summer Fling


Té Russ - 2020
    When Jade Sheppard rents a guesthouse near the beach for a week, her only plan is to study for the bar exam and avoid any and all distractions.But when she runs into Keenan Barker, her incredibly sexy host, she quickly realizes that he just might be a distraction that’s impossible to resist.

Santa Claus & The Curves (Steamy Alpha BBW Romance)


J.J. Loraine - 2019
     Nick Christmas is different for the super rich. During the holidays, I like to dress up as Santa Claus and go to random shopping malls. I listen to the wishes of hundreds of starry-eyed children and then I use my family’s immense wealth and connections to make their dreams come true. It’s my own little gift to myself… what else can you give a man who has everything? …Well, almost everything… I used to wish for love, but I’ve long since given up hope. I don’t know who to trust, everyone just wants a piece of my fortune. But when I meet Krissy, I know that she likes me for me… why else would she be giving me those cute little glances while I’m dressed up as a fat old man!? She’s hesitant, at first… I can tell she’s hiding a secret, but I promise that I’ll show her mine if she shows me hers. All I want for Christmas is her and I’ll do whatever it takes to unwrap her curvy love. Krissy This is no ordinary shopping mall Santa Claus. His bright blue eyes betray something more; something deeper; something… sexy. He has thick, beefy forearms under that red jacket. His thighs are muscular and strong. I might be a little too old for it, but I don’t care; I sit on his lap and make a wish. Will he make my dreams come true? There’s something about this guy that’s driving me wild. Maybe I’ll finally get that present I’ve been hoping for… This story features instant-love, scolding sex scenes, and a sweet, happy ending. There are no cliffhangers! The book is completely self-contained. So, if you’re looking for a quick dose of pure, steamy romantic pleasure, this is the story for you!