Book picks similar to
Stone Lake by Phil M. Williams
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romance
contemporary
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Coming Undone
Staci Stallings - 2011
He has no desire to be tied down like some of his friends, and he sees no reason to change that. Then the unthinkable happens and causes him to rethink everything about everything. Kathryn Walker can’t figure out what she’s doing wrong in the dating department. The rest of her life makes sense. She’s compassionate, strong, honest, hard-working and still alone. She wonders if she is doomed to spend forever single. Little does she know that fate is taking a major turn in her life. In fact, she doesn’t even see it happening until it has. Can she ever get past the fact that Mr. Right didn’t show up in the way she thought he would?
Home from Within
Lisa Maggiore - 2015
But her mother wears a frown and her father wears his Colt .45s, with a warning: no dating allowed. Seeking warmth, Jessica finds herself in a secret relationship with bad boy Paul Peterson. When the relationship-and Jessica's pregnancy-are discovered, Paul will be dead by nightfall.Seventeen years later Jessica and her daughter live a quiet life with horse farmer, Matt Johnson. Marriage is on the table but Jessica's remorseful heart will not comply. When an unexpected death brings Jessica back home, she uncovers her father's secrets and discovers that her true path in life, and love, are just a choice away.
Dreaming of Forever
Cate Callison - 2015
It was a short stopover to save money for her move to Paris – until she unexpectedly inherited the local pottery painting studio. In two years she's built the business into a soaring success. Unfortunately, her love life hasn't achieved the same stellar results. So when a break-up with her two-timing boyfriend comes on the heels of an offer to buy her shop, Emily decides it's finally time to make good on the move she's only dreamed about.Ben Nichols, a head-turningly handsome outdoor adventure guide, hasn't taken his eyes off Emily since the day she started work at the shop next to his apartment. But a disastrous date two years ago plunged him deep into the friend zone. Now that Emily is single again, Ben vows to use his second chance to win her over – but then her plan to move to Paris shifts into high gear. Can he charm his way into Emily's heart before she packs her bags?Dreaming of Forever is a standalone story in the Gold Creek series. If you like sweet, small town romances that feature strong, independent women and the ruggedly handsome men who love them, this series is perfect for you.Each book can be enjoyed on its own, but if you prefer to read the series in order:Book 1: Dreaming of Forever (Emily & Ben's story)Book 2: Flirting with Forever (Megan & Blake's story)Book 3: Promise Me Forever (Grace & Zach's story)Treat yourself to a visit to Gold Creek today!
Only for Him
Cristin Harber - 2015
He’s the stuff high school crushes are made of, Mister Popular, and captain of every team. She’s artsy, cute, and not in his league, though fully aware of Summerland’s "I Dream of Dating Grayson Ford" support group.I can’t say no. The girl’s had my heart since before I knew it went missing.He hides a life of hell. His father hates him, his mother’s gone. Emma is his only savior, yet she doesn’t know her power over him. She’s the only girl he wants, the only one he could ever tell—though he won’t.I’m stronger, bigger, more of a man than he’ll ever be, but because I ruined his life, I’ve taken his crap, his attacks, the vulgar nature of his existence.Until she discovers Gray’s embarrassment, his humiliation. Emma fights for him, for a chance. Theirs is a Cinderella story that she believes impossible. But as the layers peel back, it’s just a guy who needs a girl in order to keep breathing.My mind is already doodling Mrs. Grayson Ford in imaginary notebooks. He has no clue where my head is at… But, given that I didn’t see what just happened coming, maybe I have no clue where his head is at either.______* ONLY FOR HIM is the first book in the Only series, all of which will release in Spring 2015.
Hadley & Grace
Suzanne Redfearn - 2021
A woman who can’t even kill a spider, Hadley soon finds herself pushed to the limits as she fights to protect her family.Grace, new mother of baby Miles, desperately wants to put her rough past behind her for good, but she finds it impossible when her path crosses with Hadley’s, and her quest for a new start quickly spirals out of control and turns into a terrifying flight for survival.Stronger together than apart, the two find their fates inextricably entwined, and as the danger closes in, each must decide how much she is willing to risk for the other.A powerful story of self-discovery, Hadley and Grace is the heart-racing tale of two women facing insurmountable odds, racing to stay one step ahead of the trouble that is chasing them, and discovering new kinds of love and family along the way.
Looking Real Good
C. Morgan - 2020
I don’t have time for romance.Hell, I can barely squeeze in a one-night stand here and there.As a self-made billionaire in the tech space, my work is my life.Unfortunately, my reputation as a rich jerk precedes me and isn’t entirely off.Thankfully, my sister is a successful public-relations consultant and has an idea, a way to soften my image a little.Her best friend is the answer.But the woman that shows up to help me with philanthropy looks nothing like the girl I remember.She’s rocking her jeans and T-shirt in ways that leave me wanting far more than I should.Pretty soon, the lines are blurred between me wanting to help my company and me wanting to help myself to another serving of her.I’m all for looking like a good guy to help my profits soar, but I’ve got bad boy things on my mind.This woman is stealing my attention. She’s looking real good.God help us both.
Eyes Unveiled
Crystal Walton - 2015
A jeopardized future. And a song of hope holding the answers to both.Not now. Anytime but now. With her junior year of college hanging in the balance, the last thing Emma Matthews needs is a blue-eyed distraction capable of undoing her plans with a single guitar strum. She has an unfulfilled promise to keep, family depending on her—reasons she can’t afford to unearth dreams better left buried.But when the reflection she sees in musician Riley Preston’s eyes borders dangerously close to the one she’s spent the last five years searching for, Emma discovers her walls can’t guard her heart from the hope he awakens.Terrified of what she’s experiencing, and even more afraid of what she might lose, Emma grapples for the faith to hold on to one dream without abandoning the promise of another.This series follows the same characters and needs to be read in order:Book One: Eyes UnveiledBook Two: Light UnshakenBook Three: Hope Unbroken
Maid for the Billionaire
Ruth Cardello - 2011
So when business forces him to fly to China, he decides to take her with him, but on his terms. No promises. No complications. Just sex.Abby has always been the responsible one. She doesn't believe in taking risks; especially when it comes to men - until she meets Dominic. He's both infuriating and intoxicating, a heady combination. Their trip to China revives a long forgotten side of Abby, but also reveals a threat to bring down Dominic's company. With no time to explain her actions, Abby must either influence the outcome of his latest venture and save his company or accept her role as his mistress and leave his fate to chance. Does she love him enough to risk losing him for good?
The Scarlet Promise
Sangeeta Kathuria - 2018
This invisible red thread will never break and you will either find your way back to me somehow, or me to you.” This is the promise that Jack makes to Esha at the end of their precious week together in London. Esha has to return to India for her wedding to Dev, which has been arranged by her wealthy parents. Aware of her cultural commitments and knowing in her heart that they cannot have a future together, their separation is marked with a single promise. The turbulent years that follow are recorded in Esha’s journal, in the form of letters to Jack, which eventually find their way into his hands and which rock his world to the core. The rigid traditions and formalities of the social world of Amritsar, in which Esha is trapped, and to which Jack has no access, may well stretch their scarlet thread to breaking point. Can a single promise made seven years ago bring together two star crossed lovers in this gripping tale, spanning two cities?
Come October
Patricia Kay - 2005
They believed their love could withstand anything. But life can change in an instant and Claire is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice and disappear. For years afterward Tucker mourns her loss. Can these two star-crossed lovers ever find each other again? Patricia Kay delivers the kind of complex, emotional, deeply satisfying story she is known for in this heartbreaking tale of love and loss. PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR PATRICIA KAY: "A stunning book from a master storyteller. Patricia Kay writes from the heart about matters that touch us all." -- Susan Wiggs, NY Times bestselling author "A beautifully written compelling story you won't be able to put down." --- Georgia Bockoven, USA Today bestselling author "If you love LaVyrle Spencer, you'll love Patricia Kay." --- Deborah Smith "Wonderful . . . (a) sparkling romance." --- Eileen Goudge "Kay's writing is solid, and her narrative swiftly reaches a satisfying finish." -- Publisher's Weekly "Patricia Kay writes from the heart about people we come to love." --- Christina Dodd, NY Times bestselling author "Heartrending and touching . . . Ms. Kay never fails to deliver this kind of story." -- Amanda Kilgore, Huntress Reviews "This marvelous story is full to bursting with winning characters, special moments, and most of all, hope, faith, and the rejuvenating power of love." --- Romantic Times Magazine "An intriguing story of love at first sight." --- Houston Tempo Magazine "There are deep questions about relationships and serious character growth evident in this story, which is also warm, sensuous, and excellent entertainment." --- Rendezvous magazine "A warm, tender, beautifully written love story with an emotional punch that only Patricia Kay can deliver." --- Amanda Stevens, USA Today bestselling author PATRICIA KAY is a USA Today bestselling author of more than 50 novels of romance and women's fiction. Her 2000 novel THE WRONG CHILD was nominated for a Rita, the most prestigious award given to authors of romance and women's fiction by the Romance Writers of America. She and her two cats make their home in Houston, Texas. To learn more about her and her books, visit her website at www.patriciakay.com.
The Forgotten Hours
Katrin Schumann - 2019
Katie’s life fell apart almost a decade earlier, during an idyllic summer at her family’s cabin on Eagle Lake when her best friend accused her father of sexual assault. Throughout his trial and imprisonment, Katie insisted on his innocence, dodging reporters and clinging to memories of the man she adores.Now he’s getting out. Yet when Katie returns to the shuttered lakeside cabin, details of that fateful night resurface: the chill of the lake, the heat of first love, the terrible sting of jealousy. And as old memories collide with new realities, they call into question everything she thinks she knows about family, friends, and, ultimately, herself. Now, Katie’s choices will be put to the test with life-altering consequences.
Falling for Mr. Wrong Series: Books 1 - 3
Jenny Gardiner - 2019
WrongIf lusting after him is wrong, she doesn’t want to be right…Harper Landry sometimes feels like she’s turned into a professional dater. Which might not be such a bad job if it didn’t involve having to spend so much time with a succession of truly undesirable men who were obviously still single for good reason. So she’s elated when she ends up on a blind date with the charming and handsome Danny Greevy, a man who seems too good to be true. But Harper’s starting to think that too good to be true might be downright perfect for her. Particularly when the man who launched her man-drought shows up unexpectedly to throw a wrench in her life yet again.Noah Gunderson is back in town after traveling the world for the past several years. Forced to return home after promising his mother on her deathbed to save the beloved inn that she’d nearly run into the ground, he’s planning to get far away from Verity Beach just as soon as he’s got the inn back in the black. And he’s determined not to let the distraction of Harper Landry, the one that got away, keep him here a moment longer.Falling for Mr. MaybeIf it swells, ride it…Georgie Childress moved to Verity Beach to lick her wounds after her controlling fiancé pulled a runner mere weeks before the wedding. Jobless and desperate to flee his turf, she sought solace in the quietude of the ocean, happily escaping into her own thoughts while surrounded by diving dolphins and cacophonous seagulls. Only when she accidentally runs over some random—and super sexy—surfer dude’s surfboard does she start to wonder if she needs to bring her head out of the clouds and start paying attention to life again.Spencer Willoughby long ago fled his rigid upbringing, shunning the familial expectations of an Ivy League education and Wall Street career in favor of the sun, sand and surf along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Give him a surfboard and he’s a happy man. That is until some nutty lady with a penchant for fender-benders backs into his beloved hand-crafted wooden surfboard, snapping it in half. It’s enough to make a man crazy—crazier still because the kooky blond is making his blood run hot.Just when he finally gets the woman out of his head, Spencer is unwittingly paired off with her at a wedding as a favor to a friend, forcing him to make nice with his board-murdering nemesis who he might just want to ride off into the sunset.Falling for Mr. No Way in HellTaking the plunge…Lacy Caldwell’s mermaid gig at a cheesy roadside beach bar provided much-needed income while she pursues her graduate degree. That is until the beloved owner dies and her greedy nephew announces he’s cashing out by closing the bar and selling the property to a developer who’s going to replace the kitschy charm of the Mermaid’s Purse with ocean-view condos.Cameron Sanders can’t believe his good luck. Struggling financially, he’s thrilled to find out some random, ancient aunt he hardly knew died and left him an inheritance that’ll help take the money monkey off his back. He’s ready to go to the mat in battle when some annoying mermaid from the bar tries to throw a wrench in his plans. But things get complicated when he realizes that she’s a woman he’s started to have feelings for.
A Change of Plans
Donna K. Weaver - 2013
And the shipwreck. And the falling in love.Lyn North just wants to move past the anniversary of her heartbreak. Swearing off any romance, she embarks on a South Pacific cruise. But the handsome surgeon in the cabin next door revives emotions she's tried to forget.Braedon Randolph desperately needs this vacation to escape his workaholic life. He finds himself captivated by the beautiful schoolteacher next door. Unaware of the sensitive waters he navigates, he moves to take their relationship beyond friendship and is surprised when Lyn ghosts him-hard to do on a small ship. Yet the haunted look in her eyes draws him closer and awakens a need in him to protect her.Then they're thrown together on a snorkeling excursion where paradise turns to piracy. With the man she rejected, Lyn must fight for survival through storms, sharks, and shipwreck-while her heart whispers she may have been wrong.It was a relaxing vacation-until the pirates. And the shipwreck. And the falling in love.Lyn North just wants to move past the anniversary of her heartbreak. Swearing off any romance, she embarks on a South Pacific cruise. But the handsome surgeon in the cabin next door revives emotions she's tried to forget.Braedon Randolph desperately needs this vacation to escape his workaholic life. He finds himself captivated by the beautiful schoolteacher next door. Unaware of the sensitive waters he navigates, he moves to take their relationship beyond friendship and is surprised when Lyn ghosts him-hard to do on a small ship. Yet the haunted look in her eyes draws him closer and awakens a need in him to protect her.Then they're thrown together on a snorkeling excursion where paradise turns to piracy. With the man she rejected, Lyn must fight for survival through storms, sharks, and shipwreck-while her heart whispers she may have been wrong.***This is an updated and expanded edition***Other Books in the Safe Harbors SeriesA Change of Plans (#1)Hope's Watch (#1.5)Torn Canvas (#2)A Season of Change (#2.5)Swing Vote (#3)Kings Crossed Lovers (#4)
Girl Geek
Brenna Aubrey - 2017
Until things get real...Mia Strong is beyond stressed out. With pre-med courses, the looming qualifying exam, a job, and her mother's serious health problems, she's feeling the pressure from all sides. As a distraction, she turns to online gaming and her newest addiction, Dragon Epoch. Mia seeks an escape into fantasy--never dreaming that she'd find something real.He goes by FallenOne. He's smart, funny, and has a sexy voice. Their instant connection is the best thing that's happened to Mia in a long time. He listens for hours while she bares her innermost fears. But he holds everything back about himself. At first, the mystery intrigues her, until she faces a life-altering decision. Now, Mia needs someone she can trust.Will FallenOne's friendship turn into something real? Or will the fantasy disappear, leaving her alone and in turmoil? *Note: A draft version of this story appeared on the author's website. This is now a novel-length work of fiction that has been expanded, revised and edited, adding 40% more content. It is now a novel of approximately 45,000 words and shows the events that lead up to the bestselling At Any Price, from Mia's point of view.THE GAMING THE SYSTEM SERIES:Girl Geek ~ available now (Adam & Mia prequel)At Any Price ~ available now (Adam & Mia part 1)At Any Turn ~ available now (Adam & Mia part 2)At Any Moment ~ available now (Adam & Mia part 3)For The Win ~ available now (Jordan & April)For The One ~ available now (William & Jenna)Worth Any Cost ~ available now (Adam & Mia part 4)For The Taking ~ forthcoming in 2018 (Katya & Lucas)
Forever Entangled
Kathleen Brooks - 2015
After working as an undercover FBI Agent in Los Angeles, Ryan gets a phone call telling him to come home to the small town of Keeneston, Kentucky. The woman he thought he was over is now in serious trouble. Sienna Ashton fell in love with Ryan Parker too late. He was gone from her life before she realized what he really meant to her. Now working as a sports psychologist, Sienna finds herself helping others figure their lives out. She thinks her chance of happily ever after is long gone until a murder brings Ryan back into her life and entangles them in a battle for their heart and their lives. Ryan and Sienna discover there is more going on than originally thought and now the two are in the fight of their lives. It doesn't take long for fireworks to ignite as passion and danger drive the couple toward a fate they never saw coming.