Book picks similar to
The Marilyns Box Set by Katie Graykowski


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Pianos and Promises


Jennifer Peel - 2016
    Set in Nashville, the City of Music, Pianos and Promises follows the interwoven lives of three different couples.Christopher and JaimeDoesn't everyone say you should marry your best friend?Jaime has two goals in life: marry her best friend, and buy her very own grand piano. Christopher never gets the memo and marries someone else. But when Christopher's wife dies, Jaime finds herself raising his young daughter and on the end of a very unlikely proposal.Can their friendship endure a marriage of convenience?Beck and CallWhat happens when a dashing Englishman and an almost-famous country star collide? Sparks. And lots of them.Call's life always seems to be on the cusp of working out, only to unravel at the last moment. For instance, when she finally meets the guy--the man she's been fantasizing about from afar--their first meeting is nothing like she hoped; in fact, she wishes she never met him.But can the charming Englishman change her mind?Cole and JillianCan a few hours really change your life?Jillian knows a thing or two about the country music scene, and she wants no part of it after her country singer ex-husband. But as fate would have it, she's seated next to country legend Cole Pendleton on a red-eye flight home to Nashville from Las Vegas. Between her emotional state, her fear of flying, and maybe a little vodka, she finds herself taking comfort in Cole's arms and lips during their four-hour flight.Cole is determined to prove to her that he's a man of his word, but can Jillian trust his midnight promises?

Finding Mercy


Bonnie Edwards - 2017
    But that was a long time ago and that girl is far, far, away. She’s failed in her career, failed in love, failed her family—and she’s dead broke. All Mercy wants is to forget her failures and move forward into a new life with a fresh set of dreams—and get out of Welcome before it sucks her back in for good. But one look at her precocious niece who desperately needs her sends Mercy on a journey into her past that will change everyone’s future. Clay Foster used to be Welcome’s bad boy, but marriage and his daughter Dilly have transformed him into a devoted father. Widowed now and struggling to be the daddy his child needs, Clay fights his sudden and unexpected attraction to Mercy. But, tempted as he is, Clay can’t afford to be taken in by a golden girl. Beautiful, talented women like Mercy always have an exit strategy and when her career beckons, Clay knows she’ll leave him and Dilly flat. His daughter has already lost her mother and he won’t put his little girl’s heart on the line. When Mercy learns her tattered dreams and dead career have been reborn, will she leave the man and child who need her? Will Clay believe in their future and accept that Mercy has found there’s no place like home?

Winds of Change


Jo Grafford - 2021
    And now she’s returning after ten years of being gone, with a PhD and plans to use her new position to transform their struggling high school into a center for educational excellence.She soon realizes that her biggest challenge isn’t going to be the rival gangs embedded in the student body, although they’re a close second on the list. It’s Josh Hawling, who has somehow convinced their aging superintendent that he and his security firm partner can coach their backwoods collection of farm boys into a football team that’ll make the playoffs.How is a woman of her refined background and education supposed to improve test scores and graduation rates when her students’ biggest idol is a man who spent more time in the principal’s office than in the classroom? Even though she feels safer having him on their crime-ridden campus, she’s so not looking forward to her daily encounters with his cocky self. Or being socked in the heart all over again by his devastating smile. Or having to finally face her unwanted attraction that might have kindled into a lot more if she’d never left Texas in the first place.Welcome to Heart Lake! A small town teaming with old family rivalries, the rumble of horses’ hooves, and folks on both sides of the law and everywhere in between — faith-filled romance that you’ll never forget.

Me and the Cute Catastrophe


Jessie Gussman - 2021
    (Yes, potatoes. *eye roll* Can we talk about something else?) And I love it here. Small town values galore and it’s right where I want to raise my girls after my jerk ex traded me in for a “younger, newer model” (his words, not mine).My mom’s the volunteer fire chief in our town and I’m pretty happy hanging out with the auxiliary at the fire hall and doing her grunt work – NOT fighting fires, because, please, I read, love science and my idea of a lot of exercise is having to walk up the stairs twice in the morning before I send my girls off to school and leave for my job as a home nurse.I guess it’s kind of weird that I also coach basketball. Long story.I was pretty happy with my life until the hot shot, all-state baller from my teen years moved back in next door. (I babysat him, yes, but I never changed his diapers. Just wanted to be clear about that.)Guess who’s now the assistant b-ball coach?Logic would say me – especially since I coached my entire first year holding the play book upside down (it turned out to be an old football playbook from the ‘80s, so it’s not like it mattered which way I held it) but the accurate answer is Trey Haywood, my all-star neighbor, and I’m honestly not sure which of us is more upset about it.Anyway, the team was trying to set us up (girls, they’re such romantics) and I don’t think they would have succeeded, but in celebration of breaking our 37 game losing streak, they locked Trey and me in the septic system control room.That changed everything. Not in a good way. Trey Yeah. What she said.And…when I first saw her again, I thought she was a catastrophe.New thought post septic control: she’s a cute catastrophe. (And, holy man, can she kiss.)Books in the Sweet, Small Town Romantic Comedy in Good Grief, Idaho series:1. Me and the Cute Catastrophe2. Me and the Tidy Tornado3. Me and the Helpful Hurricane4. Me and the Sweet Snowstorm5. Me and the Dreamy Doomsday

Saving the Sheriff


Kadie Scott - 2018
    How could the single dad ever trust another woman again? But when Georgia’s best friend, Holly, comes back to town, something about Holly’s sweet, sassy vulnerability has his protective instincts kicking in hard.Holly Jensen left La Colina, Texas with regrets. She’s returned home to work as the new large animal vet and to watch over her best friend’s daughter. But Holly’s knowledge of Georgia’s past could rip a family apart. And she’s reluctant to go to the sexy… and single… sheriff, as he’s made it clear he wants nothing to do with her.Both are faced with a choice… stay locked in the past or allow their reservations to be silenced by a passion hotter than Texas summer nights. Can they learn to trust their own hearts and each other?

Montana Cowboy Romance


Jane Porter - 2020
     After the only woman Joe Wyatt ever loved marries another, the Montana rancher swears off romance. He's done playing the game. Only problem? He needs a wife, and kids he can pass the Paradise Valley cattle ranch to. So Joe takes the same no-nonsense approach to marriage as he does to running his family’s business...he places an online ad for a mail-order bride. The ad is a lot like Joe, straight-forward and to-the-point: Wife Wanted. When Sophie Correia is left at the altar after her groom runs off with her maid of honor, she wants to get as far away from California and her dairy farming family as possible. Sophie doesn't need hearts and flowers, but she's fed up with men who can't commit. And at thirty, she's more than ready to start a family. When she comes across Joe's ad, she thinks she's found the perfect solution — head to Montana, get married, and move forward. Can a contract for marriage lead to love, or will the arrangement cost them their hearts?

Montana Blueprint for Love


Debra Salonen - 2020
    When “Diamond” Jim McCall gambles on a fixer-upper for sentimental reasons, his house of cards implodes – along with his health. Ruby’s ready for a job change but agreeing to become her first crush’s apprentice might be her biggest mistake. She doesn’t doubt they can “flip” the derelict ranch house and save Summit Construction, but at what cost to her heart? After all, Boone Fielding became the son her father never had when she left for college.  Man up. Helping Ruby McCall and her sisters flip Diamond Jim’s “money pit” makes sense financially, but he can’t partner with someone he doesn’t trust – and Boone hasn’t forgotten his last close encounter with Ruby. But every day on the job reminds him of why he fell in love with her in the first place.  How is he ever going to let her go when the job is done?

Coming Home (Family Bonds Book 3)


Carolyne Aarsen - 2020
    She thought he loved money more than her. Years later, can they fill the vacancy in their hearts? Garret Beck is determined to flip his image. Still burned by the ex who didn’t believe in his dreams, he’s returned to his hometown with cash to spend and minds to change. Though renovating her faltering family inn may bring him sailing uncomfortably close to his past.Larissa Weir cherishes the memories forged in her family’s property. So when she learns an investor wants to return it to its glory days, she knows it’s exactly what her late mother would have wanted. Until she discovers he’s her old boyfriend who picked cash above commitment and never looked back…Resigned to having to work together on the renovation, the reluctant partners rediscover what connected them so many years ago. But old lies and long-held grudges threaten to tear them apart…Can Garret and Larissa find room in their lives to restore true love?Coming Home is the third standalone book in the inspiring Family Bonds Christian romance series. If you like fated couples, surprising twists, and spiritual connections, then you’ll adore Carolyne Aarsen’s sweet tale. Family Bonds  - the second series in the Rockview Romance collection1. Seeking Home 2. Choosing Home3. Coming Home4. Finding HomeFamily Ties - the first series in the Rockyview Romance Collection1. A Cowboy's Reunion2. The Cowboy's Family3. Taming the Cowboy4. The Cowboy Returns

Yours at Yuletide


Josephine Blake - 2019
     Charlotte Wilson is in her very last semester of college. Distractions are completely out of the question, which is what makes everything about Oliver Hull a very bad idea. The local firefighter is so far out of Charlotte's league that he should be classified as a different species. Handsome, charming, and dangerously persistent, Oliver is everything Charlotte cannot handle right now. The small town of Unity Springs is overflowing with Christmas Spirit, and Oliver's work at the fire station is keeping him more than busy. Then along comes Charlotte Wilson, and Oliver's aspirations fall to the wayside in his pursuit of just. One. More. Kiss. When tragedy strikes, Oliver and Charlotte's budding relationship is put to an unexpected test. Why does Charlotte keep running away from everything that makes her heart glow? Love and happiness are within her grasp. Is she strong enough to reach out and take it? ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ There’s always something happening in a town as small as Unity Springs. Immerse yourself in a snowy wonderland filled with love and laughter this holiday season as Bestselling Author, JOSEPHINE BLAKE, crafts a BRAND NEW SERIES that will steal your heart and warm your soul. Love in Unity Springs, Book Two, SECOND-CHANCE SANTA arrives on December 20th, 2019.

Graham: The Brothers of Hastings Ranch Series Book One


Katharine E. Hamilton - 2020
    Her presence interrupts their daily routine, and one brother in particular makes his annoyance well known: Graham.As the oldest of seven brothers, Graham Hastings takes his role as leader of the family business seriously. Not only does he keep the family ranch running, but he also keeps a tight rope on all his brothers. But when Julia McComas winds up living in his guest house, her presence shakes up more than just ranch life. It shakes up his heart.Can Julia learn the ways of the ranch? Can Graham let go of the reins enough to let love into his heart?

Mrs. Scrooge


Barbara Bretton - 1989
    Or romance, for that matter. She is weeks away from opening her own catering business, the most important part of her plan to provide her certified genius daughter Patty with all the wonderful things she deserves.Except Patty doesn't want to go to a fancy boarding school. She wants a father and when she meets bartender Murphy O'Rourke at her fourth grade Career Day presentation, she knows she's met the man of her mother's dreams!But can she convince her Mrs. Scrooge of a mom that it was time to give Christmas -- and love -- a second chance?Acclaim for the novels of Barbara Bretton“Bretton’s characters are always real and their conflicts believable.”— Chicago Sun-Times“Soul warming... A powerful relationship drama [for] anyone who enjoys a passionate look inside the hearts and souls of the prime players.”— Midwest Book Review“[Bretton] excels in her portrayal of the sometimes sweet, sometimes stifling ties of a small community. The town’s tight network of loving, eccentric friends and family infuses the tale with a gently comic note that perfectly balances the darker dramas of the romance.”— Publishers Weekly“A tender love story about two people who, when they find something special, will go to any length to keep it.”— Booklist“Honest, witty... absolutely unforgettable.”— Rendezvous“A classic adult fairy tale.”— Affaire de Coeur“Dialogue flows easily and characters spring quickly to life.”— Rocky Mountain News

Keegan


Laura Anthony - 1998
    She didn't know why Keegan Winslow was out in the middle of an ice storm, but the spirit of the holidays compelled her to open her home to him. And although she'd sworn off men, she couldn't deny the sparks that crackled between them. Keegan was a cop on a mission when sweet, lovely Wren rescued him from the storm. But the haven--and the love--he found in her arms was a happiness he couldn't last. Especially when he couldn't offer her the one thing she wanted: his heart. KEEGAN is the first book in Lori Willde's sweet contemporary western romance series, Texas Rascals. If you like emotional, heart-tugging, clean and wholesome holiday romance novels, you will love KEEGAN, from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Lori Wilde. Buy your copy today!

Love Gone to the Dogs


Margaret Daley - 2012
    But it is her free spirited beagle who gets her into trouble with her new neighbor, Dr. Shane O'Grady, when her dog makes a move on his champion bichon that he wants to breed.Leah and Shane clash over their dogs that clearly like each other. Leah is determined to ignore her neighbor, but when her youngest son who tries to defy gravity and fly ends up hurt, it is her neighbor, the doctor, who takes care of her son. Can Leah and Shane find love or has love gone to the dogs?

The Langley Sisters Collection


Wendy Vella - 2014
    To save her family from ruin, Miss Olivia Langley is forced into a dangerous charade – pulling on a disguise, she takes to the road as a highwayman. Disaster strikes when she robs the one man she had hoped never to see again. Five years ago Lord William Ryder broke Livvy's heart. Now he has returned, and she fears that if anyone can succeed at unmasking her deepest secrets, it will be him. The Middle Langley - Lady In Demand. Miss Phoebe Langley doesn't fit into society. She’s willful and outspoken. Oh, and not only is she in business, she once earned her living as a highwayman. Not the type of scandalous behavior appropriate for a debutante. She shouldn't care what people think about her, especially the stuffy Viscount Finneous Levermarch, but she does, and even worse, she soon realizes she has feelings for him. The Youngest Langley - Lady In Distress Isabella was the Langley sister everyone overlooked. Injured in the same accident that killed her parents, pain had become a constant part of her life, forcing her to observe from the sidelines. But now, after several months in a Scottish Clinic, she is no longer the same woman. Determined to take charge of her life and set her dreams in motion, she goes after the only man she has ever loved: Luke Fletcher, a man not born into her world but the only one she has ever wanted.

Home Place: A Novel


Sally Crosiar - 2020
    Whip Tyler of all people! Hasn't their family lost enough at Whip's hands?Hasn't Paul Patterson caused enough damage in Whip's life? But if he won't take the job, Paul will get someone else - a developer who will rape the land and throw Kat's hopes to the wind. It would be easier if Whip didn't care. Or if that long-ago promise didn't stand between him and Kat.