Book picks similar to
Love Handles by Gretchen Galway


romance
chick-lit
contemporary-romance
contemporary

Secret Words


Miranda P. Charles - 2013
    But Jasmine had a secret she wasn't at all comfortable sharing with anyone, least of all, the hunky guy who was literally sweeping her off her feet.Kane Summers was a sucker for damsels in distress. When he found himself wanting to protect Jasmine Allen in more ways than one, the instant chemistry they had for each other hit him squarely in the chest. But Kane's life was complicated, and he wasn't totally free to act on the fascination he felt for her.Kane and Jasmine were fighting a losing battle to stay away from each other. But circumstances--and certain people--beyond their control were very much intent on keeping them apart.How could they find their way past secrets and malicious intents to nurture a love that, if given the chance, could last a lifetime?This is a stand-alone novel that would give you enjoyment on its own. However, to enhance your of the Secret Dreams Series, the author recommends reading them in order.Secret Dreams SeriesBook 1: Secret Words (Jasmine Allen and Kane Summers)Book 2: Secret Designs (Ari Mitchell and Dylan Summers)Book 3: Secret Moves (Kristen McCann and Trey Andrews)Book 4: Secret Tastes (Samantha Lane and Adam Craig)

Ready to Fall


Daisy Prescott - 2013
    With rugged good looks, his ever present plaid shirt, and a dog named Babe, John is a modern alpha male lumberjack.After his favorite neighbor rents out her beach cabin for the winter, John finds himself playing tour guide to Diane Watson, a beautiful brunette with her own messy past and recent battle scars.Will he be ready to fall in love? Or will he go back to his old, flirty ways?Hold onto your heart as John Day tells his story in this male POV contemporary adult romance/romantic comedy.Ready to Fall is the first novel in the Wingmen series of standalone, lighthearted small town romances set in the Pacific Northwest. Each book can be read without having read the previous titles.

Mr. Sinful


Serenity Woods - 2012
     Previously published by Samhain Publishing under the title Seven Sexy Sins. This is the Director’s Cut edition – featuring previously unseen excerpts from Faith’s blog! Seven Sexy Sins. One Mr. Sinful. Faith Hillman is in trouble. She’s writing an article on ways to spice up your love life for her popular blog, but she’s hit a major snag—she hasn’t experienced any of the Seven Sexy Sins on her list. Luckily, her brother’s best friend, Rusty Thorne, offers to help with her research. Having had a crush on him since the age of twelve, Faith agrees, on the proviso that he signs a contract keeping their short-term relationship a secret. Her brother once decked him for kissing her on her eighteenth birthday, so Rusty’s happy to concur. While they work their way through the wicked list, Rusty enjoys showing Faith all the sexual delights he can think of. But it’s only as the sins draws to a close that he understands that, where love is concerned, he’s the student and Faith’s the teacher. He’s determined to keep to the terms of the contract, but when it comes to the crunch, will he be able to let her go? Warning: Includes rebellious hero who enjoys inserting Tab A into Slots B, C, and even occasionally D. Also includes highly inappropriate use of a Mars Bar.

HOT Pursuit


Lynn Raye Harris - 2013
    He broke her heart. He's the only one who can save her life...Evie Baker hasn’t seen Matt Girard in ten years. Not since the night she gave him her virginity. Now the Black Ops soldier is back in town and looking to make things right. Too bad she doesn’t believe a word he says. But when her sister goes missing and Evie’s suddenly a suspect in a murder, Matt’s the only man she can trust to keep her safe.Matt knew Evie wanted forever ten years ago, but all he wanted was escape. He’s older and wiser now, and he knows what matters. He’ll do whatever it takes—break any rules necessary—to protect Evie and find her sister. And then he’ll do everything he can to win his best friend’s heart and prove he’s the man she needs him to be.

Forever & Always


Jasinda Wilder - 2013
    Even if it’s just random stuff, nothing important, they’re important to me. Gramps is great, and I love working on the ranch.But…I’m lonely.I feel disconnected, like I’m no one, like I don’t belong anywhere. Like I’m just here until something else happens. I don’t even know what I want with my future. But your letters, they make me feel connected to something, to someone. I had a crush on you, when we first met. I thought you were beautiful. So beautiful. It was hard to think of anything else. Then camp ended and we never got together, and now all I have of you is these letters.S**t.I just told you I have a crush on you. HAD. Had a crush. Not sure what is anymore. A letter-crush? A literary love? That’s stupid. Sorry. I just have this rule with myself that I never throw away what I write and I always send it, so hopefully this doesn’t weird you out too much. I had a dream about you too. Same kind of thing. Us, in the darkness, together.Just us.And it was like you said, a memory turned into a dream, but a memory of something that’s never happened, but in the dream it felt so real, and it was more, I don’t even know, more RIGHT than anything I’ve ever felt, in life or in dreams. I wonder what it means that we both had the same dream about each other. Maybe nothing, maybe everything. You tell me.Cade----------------------------------------------------------------Cade,We’re pen pals. Maybe that’s all we’ll ever be. I don’t know. If we met IRL (in real life, in case you’re not familiar with the term) what would happen? And just FYI, the term you used, a literary love? It was beautiful. So beautiful. That term means something, between us now. We are literary loves. Lovers? I do love you, in some strange way. Knowing about you, in these letters, knowing your hurt and your joys, it means something so important to me, that I just can’t describe. I need your art, and your letters, and your literary love.If we never have anything else between us, I need this. I do. Maybe this letter will only complicate things, but like you I have a rule that I never erase or throw away what I’ve written and I always send it, no matter what I write in the letter. Your literary love,Ever

Finding My Prince Charming


J.S. Cooper - 2014
    Or a Prince. Or the biggest asshole she had ever met.Xavier Van Romerius is the playboy Prince of Europe and he loves his life. He doesn’t do relationships, and never wants to get married. But when he see’s Lola Franklin flirting with his little brother Casper, he realizes that maybe he needs to rethink his ideas about love before the wrong Prince gets the girl.

The Proposal


Lily Zante - 2012
    Not only is he five years younger than her, and as sexy as sin, he seems like her exact opposite.She likes to work hard, he likes to work out.She sets goals and milestones, he sets hearts on fire.But Nadine only needs him for one weekend.Just one weekend, for an overnight stay at a hotel.What could possibly go wrong?Don't miss The Proposal—an older woman, younger man romance, featuring a sexy male escort with a heart of gold, and the female corporate executive with no time for romance. A feel-good inspirational romance.

Ariel, Always Enough


Danielle Norman - 2017
    One woman would never be enough for one man. So I traded in men for a Harley. Nothing beats that kind of power between my legs. Then I blinked. And he was there. ~ Some things in life were inevitable; death, taxes, and badge bunnies willing to hop into my bed. The only problem is I’m a one woman kind of man. In my line of work, I’ve seen it all. Nothing bothers me until I find a woman’s wrecked body. When she blinked, My world changed. Forever doesn’t come close to giving me enough of her. From the author: Enough features my ideal hero, an Alpha-Beta. They are the type of men that will open the door for you during the day and put you up against it at night. Enough is comical, with just a hint of drama. It isn't politically correct and will have you searching your favorite sex toy store. Enough is a stand-alone novel with no cliffhanger. You will meet characters that will reappear in future books.

Birthday Cake


Minx Malone - 2011
    How hard can that be?My best friend is deployed and he worries about his little sister being alone. But I don’t mind taking her out for her birthday. I just have to remember one thing. 1) Keep my hands off her ridiculously curvy body.But there’s just one problem. Mara has her own ideas about what we should do for her birthday. And she wants a lot more than a Hallmark card.

Melt with You


Jessie Evans - 2013
    She’s opening a pastry shop with her sister, housesitting for her snowbird parents, and reconnecting with her roots. Life is good until she runs into her high school sweetheart, Jake Hansen, a sexy firefighter who gives her a reception chilly enough to freeze a forest fire. If Naomi wants her homecoming to remain all cupcakes and sugar cookies, she’ll have to win Jake over. But how can she earn his forgiveness when he won’t even speak to her? When the girl who broke his heart buys a month of dates at the firefighter’s Hunk-for-a-Month fundraiser auction, only honor keeps widower Jake Hansen from backing out of the commitment. He won’t let the firehouse down, even if it means enduring a torturous month with Naomi Whitehouse. And Jake knows being close to Naomi again will be torture. Even after all these years, she still gets to him…not that he intends to let her know it. He’ll be civil, honor his obligation, and with any luck Naomi will tire of playing small-town pastry chef and Jake will never see her again. But as the month passes, Jake and Naomi discover some fires never burn out. Will the heat between them be enough to melt away the pain of past mistakes, or is their second chance doomed from the start?

A Soft Place to Fall


Barbara Bretton - 2001
    All she needs is courage, and time. The last thing she needs is a handsome, charming next-door neighbor...

Annihilate Me Vol. 1


Christina Ross - 2013
    If she doesn't find work soon, she'll need to return to her native Maine, where the job situation is even more bleak. And where her abusive parents lie in wait.But when an unorthodox arrangement is proposed, Jennifer decides to take it. She agrees to be the "girlfriend" of Alexander Wenn, the reluctant, billionaire CEO of Wenn Enterprises, who is so devastatingly good looking, he needs a beautiful woman like Jennifer on his arm to "keep the wolves at bay." In this case, the wolves are other women, all of whom vie for his attention so aggressively, they keep him from focusing on business at the exclusive events he must attend. It's there that deals are cut. What they want is his money and his power. Damaged by a past event, the only thing Alex wants to do is focus on work. And to forget the past.But can Jennifer deny their white-hot chemistry? As she's swept into this glittering otherworld of society and big business, she finds herself struggling to keep from falling for Alex, an almost impossible feat she nevertheless must meet.Armed with her MBA, Jennifer Kent knows about business. But what she doesn't know is what could destroy her--the business of protecting her own heart. And maybe her own life.This story unfolds over multiple volumes approximately 50,000 words each.

Personal Delivery


Ainsley Booth - 2017
    He’s got a billion-dollar secret. I recognize the sound of his truck turning off in front of my building. Not only do I recognize it, but my pulse picks up and I get all hot and bothered. Then I hear the low growl cutting out, followed by the clank of metal as he pulls up the back door to grab my package…. Grab my package? That sounds so dirty. Which is probably appropriate given some of the fantasies I’ve had about him. My obsession with the new, mysterious delivery driver is crazy. Intense. Distracting. The last thing I need is to be crushing on a six-foot-something distraction with a dirty grin. But my friends have other plans. First in a sexy new rom com series! The second book in this series is currently available in the Love in Transit anthology.

No Weddings


Kat Bastion - 2014
     I think I have my act together as a successful bar owner, my master’s degree within reach, and a list of no-strings-attached women warming my bed. Turns out, I don’t. Hannah believes she has safeguarded her wounded heart by shunning men and focusing on her new baking business. The thing is, she hasn’t. When my three sisters and I start a new event-planning business with Hannah as our baker, I have no idea how my life is about to change. As Hannah and I work closely together, the attraction between us becomes irresistible. And complicated. I’ve promised my sisters I wouldn’t mix business with pleasure. But I’ve never been one to follow the rules. *** The No Weddings Series Release Dates *** No Weddings ~ Sep 8th One Funeral ~ Sep 29th Two Bar Mitzvahs ~ Oct 20th Three Christmases ~ Nov 17th

Always the Baker, Never the Bride


Sandra D. Bricker - 2010
    But here's the rub about her job as a baker ... Emma is diabetic. When she tastes her creations, it can only be in the most minute portions. Emma is considered an artisan for the stunning crEme brulee wedding cake that won her the Passionate Palette Award last year, but she's never even had one full slice of it.When Jackson Drake hears about this local baker who has won a prestigious award for her wedding cake artistry, he tells his assistant to be sure and include her in the pastry tastings scheduled at his new wedding destination hotel the following week. And for Jackson, that particular day has started out badly with two workmen trapped in a broken elevator and a delivery of several dozen 300-thread-count bed linens in the wrong size abandoned in the lobby. But when the arrogant baker he met a week prior in Roswell stumbles into the dining room with a platter of pastries and a bucketful of orders, he knows for certain: It's going to be a really rotten day.Can these two ill-suited players master the high-wire act and make a go of their new business venture? Or will they take each other crashing downward, without a net? And will the surprise wedding at The Tanglewood be theirs?