Book picks similar to
Secret Smiles by Laura John


romance
music
physical-books
contemporary

Bayou Cottage


Suzanne Jenkins - 2020
    It’s the perfect place to run away to after her heart was broken.The first night while she’s down at the road to lock the gate, a hunky guy on horseback steps out of the woods, but Maggie doesn’t recognize him. Turns out they were childhood playmates long ago during winter visits to her grandparents’ cottage. Justin Chastain, local vet and wild horse advocate, heard through the grapevine that Maggie had returned to Cypress Cove and wanted to see her for himself. But he didn’t know that she was hiding from a failed marriage, leaving her with a big chip on her shoulder. It remains to be seen if she can ever trust again. The chemistry Maggie senses fluctuates between lukewarm and molten, but for Justin, it’s constant and he’s falling in love, hard. Then he unintentionally commits a blunder that Maggie will struggle to forgive, and they have to start all over again. Is there another chance at love for Maggie Angel?

Outside


Michelle Mankin - 2015
    No longer under the thumb of her domineering father, she’s made a simple quiet life for herself and her fluffy fourteen pound Havanese pup running a surf shop in her hometown of OB. Long ago she gave up her dreams for a future with Linc.But now the notorious lead singer of the Dirt Dogs has returned, and Simone is reluctant to admit that she’s still vulnerable to his killer dimpled smile and easy charm. She finds that although she’s stowed away the mementos, it hasn’t been as easy to erase the memories of their epic summer love.It seems he hasn’t forgotten, either.Is the recording contract he’s offering merely a pretense?Or does he have something more in mind?Does he really believe that they can just pick up where they left off, despite all the bad luck and heartache?And is she willing to risk everything again for one last chance at love?

If We Were Young


Anna Bloom - 2020
    Things would be so different if they were young, but sometimes the answers to life's challenges aren't always as straightforward as they seem. Fifteen years have passed by in a blink. Will fifteen days be enough to make things right?

Just Like Breathing


Diana Gardin - 2018
    "Diana Gardin has proven why she's my new, go-to Romance author." - #1 New York Times Bestselling author Rachel van Dyken Her broken pieces are the only thing holding him together... Arden One moment, one twist of fate’s cruel hand--and I lost everything. My soul broke into a million pieces I didn’t know how to put back together... until him. He dragged me through hell and brought me back. But when he saw the person behind the destruction, he hesitated. Flash It didn’t take more than a few seconds for the life I knew to crash and burn. With no anchor, I reached out. I didn’t expect to grab onto someone more broken than me... But when she exhaled the first breath of air into my lungs, I knew damn well I wasn’t good enough for her. The only question was how long could I hold on?

Love is a Lyric


Michelle MacQueen - 2020
    That’s the number one lesson Piper Hayes has learned as the assistant to her rock star sister. Don’t ruffle any feathers. Quinn always get what she wants. The perfect boyfriend. The right media attention. And the lyrics that seem to pour out of Piper at every opportunity. But a good assistant does the right thing. She does her job and keeps her mouth shut if she knows what’s good for her. Yet, when her sister’s actions hurt the best guy Piper has ever known, she must choose between being a good assistant, a good sister, and taking care of the one person who ever made her feel like she could do more.Keep your chin up.Rockstars don’t get to complain. Ben Evans is a household name. He has more money than he ever dreamed of and the perfect girlfriend.It was fate, the way they fit together. The only lyrics Ben had ever been able to craft music to were Quinn’s. The words spoke to him, made him believe in himself and what their band, Fate, was doing. When his longtime girlfriend betrays him, the only thing he wants is to escape to his hometown where the media’s rumors can’t get to him. He never expected Piper to follow him, to choose him over her sister. Now, he must decide if it’s truly the lyrics he loves or the girl who was right in front of him the entire time.Love is a Lyric is book one in Rockstars Anonymous, featuring one rock star support group, five ridiculous stars, and four swoony romances. Beware of concert crashers, meddling families, and rock stars who can’t seem to stay out of each other’s love lives.

Spark


S.L. Scott - 2018
    Scott, comes a new book that will introduce you to rock stars with heart and soul as well as revisit with some favorites from The Resistance. One break is all The Crow Brothers need and we’re about to get it. Johnny Outlaw, rock legend and lead singer of The Resistance, is here to watch us play. But he’s not the only familiar face in the crowd—killer little body, heart-shaped face, and drop-dead gorgeous. Hannah Nichols sitting at the bar makes it hard to concentrate, sparks already reigniting. The beauty was never a groupie and tonight she’s not here to catch our show. She came to drop a bomb. “You have a son.” She underestimated me. I’ll prove to my son, and her, that I can be the dad he needs. What is it about musicians? Why are they so damn sexy? My heart was Jet Crow’s the moment he opened his sexy mouth and sang that first song. One stolen night with that man would never be enough, but I’m not here to fall into his bed. Again. I’m here to fight for custody of a son he’s never known. There’s just one problem. Those sparks between us have become flames. If we’re not careful we’re both going to get burned.

Fractured Rhythm


Stephanie Kay - 2019
    Then it all fell apart.Cassie’s built a new life in New York and puts her heart into her career as the youngest culinary producer for Scrumptious. She’s not prepared to wander into some dive bar and see the man who broke her heart all those years ago. Sebastian Wolfgang Clark, lead guitarist of Steelwolf, had played her body like a fine instrument and made her heart sing before he’d shattered it.The well of music Bash tapped into for years has dried up. It died when his best friend did. Or maybe when he’d pushed Cassie out of his life. It’s been two years since he said goodbye to his friend and the record label is done waiting for new music. Then Cassie walks back into his life.Is Cassie willing to risk her heart again? Can she help Bash repair the fractured rhythm of his life and create the music he loves once again? Or will he end up pushing her away again for all the wrong reasons? Release date - September 2019

Just Say Yes


Samantha Lind - 2017
    He gets to fulfill his dream playing professional hockey, has a loving family, and a tight group of friends. But the one thing missing in his life is a partner to come home to. He knows exactly who he wants to fill that position– the only woman he has ever loved. The one who got away, who constantly consumes his every thought. What it would take to get her to Just Say Yes to a second chance? Becca Phillips is an independent woman who has made her career as an ER nurse a priority in her life. She has a loving family and a best friend by her side, but she can’t seem to get over her first love, Scott. Insecurities led her to break up with him years ago when he started climbing the ranks in professional hockey and, for eight years, Becca has avoided Scott when he returns home each summer. Can she overcome her fears and allow love back into her life? All she has to do is Just Say Yes to the one and only man she has ever loved.

Ace


Lyra Parish - 2016
    I'm not nice and I misbehave. I will be your nightmare. I will be your dream. I will have you begging for more of me with each scream. The truth is in my lyrics. Uncontrollably controlled. I bleed many things one being Rock & Roll. I don't date or make love; I make being with me hard. Did you know the ace of spades is considered the death card? Love doesn't exist in my world, it never did. Love won't exist in my world, it's something I forbid. My name is Ace and I'm the ace of spades. Proceed with caution, because I'm sharp like a blade. The Band of Brothers novels are full length stand alones and will follow each brother in the band. They can be read together or separately.

Broken Crown


Susan Ward - 2015
    The new sequel to the Amazon Top # 100 Bestselling The Girl on the Half Shell, Half Shell Series. This book has a HEA. To achieve iconic fame and extraordinary wealth, legendary rocker Alan Manzone was willing to make sacrifices along the way. But his greatest regret is losing the love of his life, Chrissie Parker. There is no other woman on this earth for him. But wanting her, getting her, and keeping her aren’t things Alan has ever been able to do well. Again and again, he loses her. Now alone, bitter, and filled with regret, he examines his life with Chrissie. Every moment of love. Every glorious moment of passion. Every torturous moment of parting. Finding happiness with a Parker is not an easily achievable thing, but he is desperate to have the future he's always struggled for and wanted with Chrissie. Now that the timing is perfect for them both, can Alan finally claim the only woman he has ever truly loved, or has the past made her lost to him forever? Can his unrelenting love for her survive the web of secrets that have at last been revealed? Is love enough for him to find forgiveness and happiness with Chrissie?

Forever Friend Zoned


C. Morgan - 2021
    I took all of that crap from the past and turned it into a goldmine. My body, namely. And there’s one girl I want that rejected me over and over. Lucky for me, the beauty is on the heels of a terrible breakup. Yes. I mean, aww… Her parents are pushing her to go to the gym to lose some weight. Boy, do I know how that feels. And guess who’s waiting for her when she gets there?That’s right. Me. The forever friend-zoned guy. But I have no ill will toward my curvy first love. I only want what’s best for her. Namely, me. *wink*So the game begins, and I’m lucky to be in the coach’s shoes this time. She has no clue who I am, but sparks fly high. No way in hell I’m telling her I’m the guy she remembered rejecting. ‘Cause I’m not out for revenge. I just want what I’ve always wanted… Her.

Broken Records: A Love Story (Sparrow Hill Stories, #1)


Bree Bennett - 2021
    Instead, she finds a washed-up rockstar who splits his time between the bottom of a whiskey glass and the front page of the tabloids.But when he offers her the one thing she craves most - a safe place to live - in exchange for a marriage of convenience, Lucy must decide if dealing with his rockstar shenanigans is worth the risk of losing her heart.

Match Cut


Julie Olivia - 2020
    And I’m still a mess for him.KEATONI noticed the girl behind the camera.She was the town’s little sister to everyone but me.But it’s been too long and I’ve been too patient.Ten years later, I’m not sure I have any more patience to spare.Violet’s shy pink lips are now a fiery red.And, this time, I can’t stay away.Match Cut is a full-length, stand-alone, small town romance with fun campfire hangouts, movie theater makeouts, and campfire shenanigans. It is the first book in the Foxe Hill Series. Each book in the series can be read individually but are most enjoyed as a whole! Dual POV. 18+ for language and spice.

Ryan's Kiss


Mel Walker - 2019
    That damn kiss. one kiss that not only destroyed our future but ended my ability to believe, to trust, to love.He was my best friend. We should have known better.Three years kept us apart, yet an invisible rope continues to tug at us.  He’s finally returning home and I know it’ll only be a matter of time before we must face each other again. I’m older, stronger, wiser and no longer the starry-eyed girl who followed his every command.He almost destroyed me last time, I won't give him a second chance. I can't.

Serenading the Shadows


Jodie Larson - 2016
    No perfect life. No clear path. Just...nothing. I didn't want the life my parents mapped out for me. Being the piano prodigy was never my goal. It was theirs.I craved normalcy, a life of my own.I should have been careful what I wished for because one second, one moment of anger was all it took to rip away everything that mattered.Now I'm left with nothing but regret.He thinks he can save me, but the shadows that surround always pull me back, reminding me of what I'd done, of what I'd wanted.He's a rock god. I'm a nothing.And I refuse to take him down with me.