Book picks similar to
My First My Last My Only by Denise Carbo


romance
contemporary-romance
genre-contemporary
hero-likable

A Forever Thing


Carolyn Brown - 2011
    He has to promise her a forever thing. She intends to find her forever thing in Florida, her home since she was fifteen, so she wasn't even looking for it when she comes to Texas to help her grandmother. With a job at the elementary school lined up, Fancy Lynn moves but she intends to stay only until her grandmother regains her health.Theron Warren has absolutely no intention of falling in love again. His one failed marriage was painful enough. As an elementary school principal, part-time cop, and full-time ranch owner, he doesn't have time for the sassy woman who suddenly appears in his life: first in the jailhouse, then at his school and soon everywhere he turns.Fate is trying to tell Fancy Lynn and Theron that they are soul mates, but is having a tough time convincing them.

Mountain Man


Regina Wade - 2020
    Clint is wild, free, and big enough to climb. Get ready for a quick and steamy new series featuring the protective older men of Knotty Wood Ridge and the curvy younger women that fall for them. No cliffhangers here. Just Mountain Men bringing the guaranteed HEA heat to your kindle!

Tank


Erin Bevan - 2019
    Tank moves to Black Widow, Texas, to join the Blue Guardians, a group that helps abused women and children. He's intent on starting his life over, but a small piece of his past collides with his present when he runs into the local waitress, Annie Carter. Annie's the girl of his boyhood dreams, and Tank can't wait to get reacquainted with her. Only problem is, Annie's engaged. But what has Tank more troubled than the diamond on her finger is the bruise that graces her arm.  Tank is determined to offer Annie a safe haven, but she refuses. The last thing she wants to do is leave one man only to run into the arms of another. But at Tank's persistence, she knows she has two choices: allow him to protect her or die at the hands of her fiancé. Was their past a prelude to their future? If there's anyone in the world Annie would pick to go into hiding with, it's the boy who once held her heart, but how can they hide from the monster who holds the town's law in his hands?

Lumberjack's Surprise (Polar Bear Alaska, #1)


K.L. Donn - 2021
    Living a life of solitude after a disastrous marriage is all he wants. Spending his summers as a lumberjack and the cold frigid months of the winter creating unique pieces of furniture, Sebastian only comes down from the mountain for the Great Polar Plunge—something his small town is famous for. What he doesn’t expect is to be drawn towards a young woman who deserves better than his damaged past could ever give her.EmaLeigh Ruin is exactly as her name depicts. Ruined. That’s what she’s spent the last few years being told anyways. Growing up in a small town isn’t easy, and when her family's judgment has the power to bring her to her knees because of a surprise she can’t and won’t regret, EmaLeigh struggles to try and move on.Wanting to give her son one last Christmas in their hometown with the same family who treats her like crap but him like a prince, Ema seeks out their town’s famous wood craftsman, Sebastian Cole, in his mountain home. She needs the perfect gift for her son so that when they move, he has a memory of where they came from.Neither Sebastian nor EmaLeigh are prepared for the attraction that’s ignited from the first handshake or how being locked away in his mountain home during a winter storm will affect Ema’s decision to leave. With Christmas right around the corner, Ema is looking for a reason to stay with Sebastian, but will the lumberjack’s surprise be enough to convince her, or will they both lose out on love?

Sweet Indulgence


Debbie White - 2017
    She just wants to be left alone to run the Sweet Indulgence cupcake bakery – even if it means she’ll remain single forever. Jack’s just been through a gut-wrenching break-up, and women are the last thing on his mind. Now he’s on a mission to pick up cupcakes for his niece’s birthday party—not a mission to fall in love. Pulled in by Annie’s good looks and witty charm, though, temptation proves too sweet. But will Annie’s pesky grandmother and auntie welcome Jack as Annie’s choice or will they have him jumping through hoops to prove he’s the one? Fans of Debbie Macomber, Sherryl Woods, and Susan Wiggs are sure to love Sweet Indulgence, the first sweet romance novel in the Charleston Harbor series.

One Tough Cookie: BBW Recipe for Love Romance (Sugar Babes Book 3)


Brynn Hale - 2021
    

How to Break a Boy


Laurie Devore - 2017
    She and her best friend, Adrienne, rule their small southern town like all good mean girls do--through intimidation and manipulation.After Olivia suffers a family tragedy and catches Adrienne sleeping with her boyfriend, Olivia is over it. She decides to make a change--but it's impossible to resist taking Adrienne down one last time. Up to her old tricks, Olivia convinces golden boy Whit DuRant to be her SAT tutor and her fake boyfriend. But when it starts to feel real, Whit gets caught up in Olivia and Adrienne's war.Olivia may ruin everything she touches, but this time she won't go down without a fight--not if it means losing Whit.And definitely not if it means losing what's left of herself.

My Life After Now


Jessica Verdi - 2013
    Seriously, mega bad. And suddenly, it's all too much—she wants out. Out of her house, out of her head, out of her life. She wants to be a whole new Lucy. So she does something the old Lucy would never dream of.And now her life will never be the same. Now, how will she be able to have a boyfriend? What will she tell her friends? How will she face her family?Now her life is completely different...every moment is a gift. Because now she might not have many moments left.

The Girl I Didn't Marry


Annabelle Costa - 2017
     It doesn’t matter that I’m just a dumb schmuck from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and Jessie’s the most beautiful girl I ever met. It doesn’t matter that her father would rather rearrange my face than let his only daughter end up with the son of a local mobster. But it does matter when he starts threatening Jessie about what he’ll do if he sees us together again. So I gotta wait. Then I get hurt. I can’t let her see me after. Not like this. Not when I can’t even stand up to look her in the eyes. So I wait again. Hoping I get better, knowing if I don’t, it could be the end for us before we even get started.

Wildwood Lodge


Jennifer Griffith - 2021
    She has even booked the luxurious Wildwood Lodge for her "perfect Christmas" activities. At the last minute, though, she is forced to revise her guest list.It’s not all bad. In fact, one new lodger fits the Jayne’s first-snowfall wish for love. However, another guest turns out to be the hottest guy from her office--and her biggest critic.She catches one glimpse of him and thinks he’s there to ruin her week. He catches one glimpse of her and he’s ready to turn around and leave Wildwood Lodge.Jayne’s far too kitschy. He’s far too traditional. But can kitschy and traditional mix in the magic of Wildwood Lodge?Wildwood Lodge is book 1 in the Snowfall Wishes romance series by USA Today bestselling clean romance author Jennifer Griffith. The Snowfall Wishes series is three friends, one first-snowfall, and three wishes for true love.

Barely Breathing


Pamela Clare - 2016
    Now, here she is—over thirty, out of a job and with little choice but to move back in with her father. Lexi knows it’s just a matter of time before she runs into Austin Taylor, her first boyfriend and her first heartbreak. She’s determined to show him she’s over him—until he steps out of a pickup truck and back into her life, looking sexy as hell in his mountain ranger uniform.As far as Austin is concerned, Lexi can turn her snazzy little convertible around and drive back to Chicago. After all, she ripped his teenage heart apart and turned her back on the town he loves. But from the moment he sees her again, he can’t get her out of his mind. Even her smile messes with his head. When an evening of conversation turns into something else, Lexi and Austin agree to be friends again—with benefits. But as Lexi starts making plans to return to the big city, Austin realizes he’ll lose her a second time unless he can show her that what she’s searching for has been right here all along.Note to readers: This is straight contemporary romance, not romantic suspense.

The Divorced Not Dead Workshop


CeCe Osgood - 2014
    Too bad she’s an idea person with zero follow-through. That changes when her best friend, Pilar Vega, a feisty go-getter, chooses to set up the workshop, puts herself in charge and gets Dorsey to agree to be her “gofer.” Things are fine until Dorsey’s widowed stepfather Ralph, and his bride-to-be, Audrey, ask Dorsey to join their wedding cruise to Cabo, which is on the very same weekend as the workshop. Dorsey and Pilar decide to hold the workshop during the cruise. But do things ever really work out as planned. No. No, they don’t. Complications arise with a startling mishap, rebellious attendees and a fraud accusation, the arrival of Audrey’s good-looking but wily nephew Finn, and the reappearance of Theo. Struggling through the turmoil, Dorsey must face her biggest challenge if she’s to win the love, and life, she’s always desired.

Because of You


Jessica Scott - 2011
    But for Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison, there’s no one waiting when he arrives back at Fort Hood, unconscious and barely hanging on. The IED that nearly took his life took something more important - something he’s afraid he’ll never get back. Working as nurse at Fort Hood’s busy hospital, Jen St. James has seen her share of wounded warriors pass through her hallways. But there’s something about Shane that draws her close, even when she knows her own brush with death has left her scarred. As Shane struggles to recover, Jen is the only one who can see what’s happening to him. As the wounds of war drag him further away from healing and everyone around him who matters, Jen is there, pushing him, demanding that he continue to fight to get back to the only thing he believes he’s good at. Along the way, Shane learns the hard truth about life without the uniform and discovers that maybe, there’s someone for him to come home to after all. ★★Includes the bonus short story ANYTHING FOR YOU★★

Compromising Positions


Jenna Bayley-Burke - 2009
    That is, until he gets tangled up with Sophie Delfino and her Sensational Sex workout. He s supposed to help her demonstrate Kama Sutra positions for her couples yoga class. The rigorous postures require more than just physical control. And his co-instructor unexpectedly tests his control to the limit.Sophie s been fantasizing about David since her teens, but she never dreamed she d actually be expected to run through her intimate desires with an audience! The class is very professional, tame even or it would be, if she d been in any of the positions before. But she hasn t except in her wildest fantasies about David. Sophie knows she wants David in every way, and she s flexible enough to use whatever she has to get him.David can t afford any unexpected distractions. Besides the sensual positions he has to endure without embarrassing himself in public, there s an embezzler stealing from his company. And then there s Sophie who is well on her way to stealing his well-guarded heart."

Run to You


Rachel Lacey - 2016
    A WHOLE LOTTA TROUBLE. Moments after meeting the most gorgeous guy ever, Gabby Winters promptly gets stung by a zillion yellowjackets and falls-not gracefully-into a stream. Yup, Ethan Hunter is trouble with a capital "hot," and Gabby definitely needs to keep her distance. Except in the small town of Haven, there's nowhere to hide from Ethan's sexy, infectious grin . . . and all the residents are conspiring against her. At the center of the town's matchmaking is Ethan's grandmother, who's convinced their relationship is a done deal. Rather than break her heart, Gabby and Ethan find themselves cornered into pretending to be falling in love. The problem: there's serious sizzling attraction between them. And if this charade continues, they won't fool just the entire town - they might fool themselves too . . .