Book picks similar to
Chicago's Best by Katharine E. Hamilton


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contemporary-romance
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Flowers for Mama (Lakeside #1)


Serafina Lyndon - 2015
    Working for low pay as an aide in a special needs classroom, she is flattered when the handsome guardian of a student asks her out on a date. The chemistry between them is intense. But she can’t be fully honest with Chalton, scared that he’ll back off fast once he knows how out of control her brother is becoming. And what she doesn’t know is that Chalton isn’t being fully honest with her either . . . and the truth is worse than anything she could imagine.

A Cowgirl's Dream


Edith Mackenzie - 2020
    Neither is love …Frankie’s not interested in romance. Her goal of becoming a champion barrel racer requires her full attention. So when the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself, she’s willing to chase it halfway across the globe. Now, with her dream so close she can almost taste it, staying focused is more important than ever. Nothing will stand in her way—especially not the annoyingly handsome Brazilian bull rider who seems so determined to rope her heart.Everything Luciano’s ever wanted is finally within reach. Fame, fortune, validation that he’s the best in the world…it will be his. But when he meets a feisty Aussie who sets his soul on fire, he's forced to realize there’s one more thing he’ll need in order to truly be happy—and that’s Frankie. Now all he has to do is convince the cowgirl of his dreams to give him a chance…When the road to happily ever after gets rough, will Frankie find the courage to trust in love and ride off into the sunset with Luciano? Or will they always be destined to go their separate ways?A Cowgirl’s Dream, book 1 in the Barrels and Hearts series, is a clean and wholesome contemporary romance featuring a commanding cowboy with a heart of gold, and a tough, smart, cowgirl heroine who isn’t afraid to go after exactly what she wants. HEAs are always guaranteed. Download your copy today and let the wild ride begin…

Rain of Terror


Donna Cummins - 2014
    Clad in hooded black robes, carrying torches that blazed with evil fury, they came. With chanting—at first a distant murmur, then growing and building, louder and louder—incessant, demanding, hideous chanting, they came.Mother had been rocking both Jeremiah, my four-year-old little brother, and me on our rickety rocking chair, its swaying motion in itself a soothing comfort on a dark night. But more than that, mother sang to us in her clear and lilting voice as she often did, chasing away the ghosts and goblins that sometimes haunt a young boy’s mind. As I was about to drop off to sleep, the noise and the clatter from outside our cabin startled me back to consciousness. Mother’s voice mixed with the incessant chanting that came closer and closer. Her voice faded. We could see the lights from their torches through the window panes, and mother rose quickly from the rocker and hurried Jeremiah and me into our bedroom. She cautioned us in whispery tones to stay quiet, to stay in our room, pretend to be asleep; and then on tiptoe, she rushed out the door, closing it quietly after herself.Within minutes, I heard Mother scream a piercing wail that emitted both terror and defeat. They came through our bedroom door, robes rustling, wild eyes searching, hands reaching, and carried Jeremiah and I from our beds. They dragged Mother out the front door, through the dark forest, up the mountainside, our captors pulling my brother and I close behind. I remember the brittle sound of the fallen leaves under our feet, the cold chill of the night air brushing against my face, the pale moonlight frosting the tips of the last remaining leaves on the black, skeletal oak trees that rose above us. And we kept climbing, climbing, farther and farther up through the forest. And as we walked, a cold wind came up, turning the leaves; and the racing clouds changed into thunderheads. And then the first bolt of lightning lit the sky and illuminated the hellish scene around us—the shadowy, dark figures stomping through the bushes and underbrush, the swaying glow of lanterns through the trees. All the while their chanting reverberated across the landscape, mixing with the sound of the howling, barking, snarling, pawing dogs that followed in their midst."

Texas Twosome


Debbie White - 2018
    Love kept her there...When Rebecca Parsons's new assignment brings her to Steam, Texas to cover the anniversary of an unsolved missing person's story, she's more than up to the task. Then she meets Kyle, a striking man with charisma who takes a hold of her in ways she'd never imagine.Kyle is carrying on the family tradition of law enforcement. When he's asked to show the out-of-town reporter around, he's happy to do it. There's not much excitement in Steam and they don't get many out of town visitors. Something about this big-city girl intrigues him so he asks her to stay a while. Soon Becca and Kyle find themselves enthralled in a slow-burning love connection neither of them saw coming.Book 1 - Texas TwosomeBook 2 - Kansas KissedBook 3 - California CrushBook 4 - Oregon ObsessionBook 5 - Florida Fling (Coming Soon)

Favorite Crush


Victoria Pinder - 2014
    However billionaire Jay Marshall is everything she never wanted and can’t get out of her head.Jay is a busy tycoon who has no room for love on his calendar. But when investors threaten to leave deals unless Jay proves he’s stable and reliable, Jay needs a fiancee fast. Penny refuses to be a gold digger like her mother and doesn’t want a billionaire at all, especially her former best friend whose kept her in the friend zone. However she needs a place to live so they make a bargain where she’ll pretend to be his bride. Soon, a pretend date sets off a whirlwind of trouble and in the process she might be falling in love.For Penny and Jay, unresolved conflicts and a new love affairs spark while their lives intersect with their common friends but can happily ever after bloom when secrets and lies threaten to stop the romance before it ever begins?

Safe at Home


Christina Kirby - 2015
    The Georgia townsfolk’s true Southern charm is the unexpected prescription needed to heal her soul, and the sexy carpenter who touches her heart are distractions she didn’t plan on, but they might offer her a chance at a new life, if she can let go of her past. Town heartbreaker Spencer Malloy isn’t looking for anything serious. His days are perfect working as a contractor, attending his nephew’s baseball games, or taking him fishing. He never expects to fall for the big city girl, Samantha. She’s not his type, timid and closed off, but in her unguarded moments, he’s intrigued by the woman he can’t get out of his mind. The urge to get closer to her grows stronger each day, and when the shadow of evil resurfaces, he vows to protect Samantha, even if it means abandoning his home and joining her on the run. When confronted by the man who’s bent on revenge, Samantha must choose between running again to save the people she loves, or, if she has the strength, to stay and fight for her new life.

Valley Fever


Tessa Bowen - 2015
     Shy and modest Lina Montez has been infatuated with Tobias Langthorne, heir to a Napa Valley land fortune, for as long as she can remember. Growing up alongside the intoxicatingly handsome bully on his family’s fabled vineyard and estate was an experience she will never forget. The young “lord of the manor” spent countless hours tormenting the housekeeper’s daughter as well as inspiring her budding sexual desire. Ten years later Lina finds Tobias as provocative and dangerous as ever, but embittered by divorce and haunted by his own demons of the past. Now Lina must battle her old playmate to save the land she loves, but this time she won’t be intimidated by her sexually magnetic business partner. The biggest struggle of all, however, is the one within herself. Can she fight off an attraction that is as ripe and full bodied as the lush cabernet grapes they farm? And will she breathe new life into the forsaken ranch as well as polish the rust from her tarnished hero?

Caleb


Cindy Stark - 2015
    That's beyond crazy.3--Lie about your fiancé, unless the only way to keep what should be yours is to find a stand-in husband. Don't forget to make him cute.4--Last, and most important, don't fall for a man when the contract between you states he must leave you.

A Noble Affair


Jennie Goutet - 2018
     As much as she would prefer him to keep his distance, it seems there is no avoiding each other. With the ongoing pressure of a repentant ex-boyfriend, a nefarious drug dealer, and an art heist that spans the decades, Chastity and the viscount are thrown together by circumstances she would soon rather forget. As the intimacy between Charles and Chastity deepens, they must decide if their love is enough to bridge the gap between their disparate worlds, and if happily ever after can exist outside of fairy tales.

The House on the Shore


Victoria Howard - 2009
    When Anna MacDonald leaves Edinburgh to find peace in the Scottish Highlands, she gets a twofold surprise: a lost sailor teaches her to love again...while a mysterious stranger has plans to kill her. Passed over for promotion by her boss-and boyfriend, Anna walks off the job in anger. But being reactionary has its price. Now she can no longer afford the rent on her Edinburgh apartment. So she retreats to the only place she has ever felt happy - her grandmother's croft on the edge of a Highland loch. With no phone or neighbours, and only two border collies for company, Anna sets out to finally achieve her lifelong dream; to write-and sell-the novel that has burned within her for years. Luke Tallantyre, a renowned Cape Cod artist, has sailed across the Atlantic to escape an artistic dry spell, and come to terms with his dangerous past. When his yacht develops a problem he drops anchor in Loch Hourn. He rows ashore, and knocking on the door of the croft, asks to use the telephone, but the reception he receives is less than welcoming - in fact it's downright frosty. Anna resents the cranky American's intrusion to her seemingly idyllic life. Luke thinks she's an ill-mannered hermit. But an unseen assassin is after one of them. So they unwillingly join forces and embark on an adventure neither ever imagined, including a chance at true love.

Close to Home


Suzanne Ferrell - 2012
    I’m Lorna Doone. Yep, spelled just like the cookie and I own the Peaches ‘N Cream Café here in Weston. You might think nothing much happens in a small mid-western town, but as my friend Harriett says, things aren’t always what they appear. Take our girl Emma for example…”Emma Lewis has a lot on her plate. The single mother of two precocious twin boys and an aging mother who is having trouble getting through each day, the last thing Emma needs is a man in her life, especially a doctor. So when the town’s doctor goes on vacation and his handsome nephew takes over, Emma is shocked to not only find him standing in her bedroom, but accusing her of being a neglectful parent.Clint Preston came to Westen for the year to fill in as the town doc while his uncle took a long needed vacation. Clint also needed a sense of peace and calm to try to find his passion for medicine burned out by long shifts in an urban hospital’s ER. Angered to find two boys in his clinic with broken wrists and no accompanying parent, he is determined to confront their mother. The feisty redhead he meets quickly dispels his belief that she’s a neglectful mother, but he can see her situation is more critical than she wishes to face and finds himself volunteering to help care for her sons and the remodeling of her home.As Emma and Clint forge a relationship among the slightly off-beat characters that inhabit Weston a menace from Emma’s past threatens her and her sons. Clint and Emma join forces to prevent the loss of either boy and the love they’ve discovered in each other’s’ arms.

Something Worth Having


C.K. Carr - 2014
     But she may have just made the biggest one of her life. She's agreed to go on a road trip with hunky Aidan Walsh, the Irish bloke she's been lusting after since the day they met. Problem is, Aidan isn't single. Never has been and probably never will be. So, as much as his smile may make her stomach flutter, she most definitely cannot go there. It'll be okay. It's just one week. She can restrain herself for seven days. Really, she can. The bigger problem will be keeping from Aidan— who's possibly her best friend and the only one who will "get it"— the fact that she may just have the same cancer that killed her mother. No biggie. She's just on the verge of a complete and total meltdown and can't turn to her best friend for support. It'll be fine. Really. It will. Now if only she could believe that...

IGNITE: 5 Romantic Suspense Books (Heroes In Love)


Glenna Sinclair - 2017
    No cliffhangers. COLT Lena’s brother has gone missing, and due to his past drug addictions the cops aren’t too willing to help find him. Lena’s only hope rests with the Black Dragons—her brother’s motorcycle gang. Can she convince their leader Colt to help her solve the mystery, or will she be left in the dust? PATRICK Pain has been with Kayla since the unfortunate death of her husband, a Navy SEAL killed overseas. Life begins to look up, however, when she meets the mysterious, gentlemanly Patrick, and she quickly finds herself longing for passion again. Will love and life spark for her again after her misfortunes? Or will the secrets between her and Patrick prove to be too sinister for love to conquer? DRAKE Drake and Charlotte couldn't be more different. He's a handsome, hardened ex-SEAL, she's a beautiful, globetrotting school teacher who does yoga and travels on her vacations. When Drake arrives in town to deliver a final letter from Charlotte's dead older brother, they're both inadvertently pulled into a word of international crime. The stakes are high, and their lives are on the line. Can these two come together in time to save themselves? Or will their pasts and prejudices be too much for them to overcome? WADE Kara McKay is a fast rising pop singer from Texas. She has sold out tours, money pouring in, and she is the idol of millions of teenage girls nationwide. She has it all. She never would have guessed that someone wanted her dead. JAMES James Ansley is a former cop with a massive chip on his shoulder. He’s made a habit out of destroying everything good in his life, and when he gets assigned to Celia as her bodyguard, it’s as a last chance from his last ditch effort job. He goes into it for nothing other than the money, but when he meets Celia he realizes that things won’t be as easy as he had hoped. For starters, Celia isn’t the meek ballerina she first appears to be.

Some Kind of Wonderful


Barbara Freethy - 2001
    Strong characters, believable storyline and true romance makes Some Kind of Wonderful, well, wonderful!" — Romance Readers ConnectionWhen investigative reporter and determined bachelor, Matt Winters, discovers a newborn baby girl on his doorstep, he desperately turns to his temptingly pretty neighbor Caitlyn Devereaux for help. Caitlyn's aching vulnerability as she holds the precious baby piques his curiosity. Clearly, she has secrets. But then so does he…Caitlyn doesn’t need a man or a baby in her life. Despite the fact that she designs wedding dresses for a living, marriage and motherhood are not for her. But as the sweet baby binds Matt and Caitlyn together, they are both tempted with the image of a future they are afraid to believe in. The baby has a mother somewhere, and she might be coming back. Falling in love with the baby, with each other, could break both their hearts. Is either one willing to take the risk to find happily ever after?#1 NYT Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy is known for her unforgettable stories, where ordinary people find extraordinary love--and where unexpected soulmates are sometimes found right next door...PRAISE FOR BARBARA FREETHY BOOKS"An emotional roller-coaster, SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL is also tender and charming." — Heartstrings Reviews"The title says it all: SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL is exactly that. Ms. Freethy delivers another powerful and moving story that includes a touch of the paranormal for a very poignant and satisfying ending. But start this book early — it’s an all-nighter!" — AOL Fiction ForumDon't miss Barbara's other popular standalone contemporary novels:ALMOST HOMEASK MARIAHDANIEL'S GIFTJUST THE WAY YOU ARELOVE WILL FIND A WAYONE TRUE LOVERYAN'S RETURNTHE SWEETEST THING

I Still Do


Rosa Lee Jude - 2016
    When tragedy tore apart the life he planned with Emily James, Harry went on with his life but never forgot. Sixty years later, he makes an impulsive journey to honor Emily, his first love. A touch of serendipity intervenes when he meets a young woman who will help him learn his and Emily’s love could withstand the test of time with a miraculous outcome. Heartwarming Contemporary Romance with a twist of Suspense (standalone) I STILL DO UNTIL INFINITY NEVER GOODBYE Other books by Rosa Lee Jude Read all the books in the Legends of Graham Mansion series: REDEMPTION AMBITION DECEPTION SALVATION REVELATION BLOOMSPOONS ADVENTURES – new time travel series The Legend of Amburgey Gibboney Haunted by the Fire (Coming Winter 2019) Murder at the Boyd Hotel (Coming Summer 2019) THE ENCHANTED JOURNEY – Urban Fantasy – Magical Tremble Jasmine Neverwrong