Book picks similar to
Before That Promise by Violet Duke
romance
contemporary-romance
ku
ebook
The Vintner's Vixen
Rebecca Norinne - 2018
She’s got plans and power tools ready, but an inconvenient attraction to her grumpy new neighbor is not on the agenda. Neither is kissing him practically all over town.Vintner Noah Blackstone’s main goal in life is to win awards for his wine. Everything is going according to plan too, until construction on the B&B bordering his property threatens his prize-winning vines. When Noah storms next door to demand an explanation, he doesn’t expect to meet the sexiest woman he’s ever seen. Everything about Angelica is both infuriating and exhilarating—from her pink tool belt to her quick retorts. And even though she drives him absolutely insane, he can’t help wanting her. Somehow, between long hikes through the forest and lovely picnics on the bay, Angelica and Noah manage to resolve their differences. But when Noah’s secrets are revealed and Angelica gets another shot at stardom, they’re forced to ask themselves some very hard questions. Can their love survive the truth? Better yet ... can they survive each other?
The Last Goodbye
Kay Lyons - 2020
It’s her effort to force him from his work desk to the coast and the peacefulness she’d found at the Carolina Cove Inn.Innkeeper Ireland Cohen is a single mom with an impressionable son, and after the kid gets himself into trouble, Dominic offers to lend a hand. It’s the least he can do when Ireland was such a good friend to his wife after her diagnosis.As the hot summer days at the beach turn into breezy evenings, Ireland and Dominic find their shared memories and friendship turning into more. They’re drawn to each other, fighting an attraction neither of them want because of their pasts.He’s only visiting, and Ireland has a strict rule about dating tourists. But as his trip draws to a close, they both wonder—is this their last goodbye?The Last Goodbye is the first book in a five book series set along North Carolina's beautiful Wilmington coast.
Say You'll Be Mine
Maria Luis - 2017
Twelve years, three cities, and too many pairs of stilettos later, Shaelyn Lawrence is back in the one place she vowed never to return: New Orleans.Thankfully, her hometown stint is temporary. Better yet, she has a plan guaranteed to get her out ASAP: Return her aging-but-still-crazy grandmother back to health;Help her cousin with her boutique;Evade Brady Taylor, her high school sweetheart, a.k.a the reason she fled Louisiana in the first place.Brady isn't even a footnote... until one unexpected run-in with him changes everything. She shouldn't be tempted by his drawl, she shouldn't be tempted by the promise of his kiss, she shouldn't want him.But she does.Oh, boy, this was so not the plan.----------Twelve years, one city, and too many issued traffic tickets later, Homicide Detective Brady Taylor is all geared up for being promoted to sergeant within the New Orleans Police Department. Or, he would be — if he wasn't sitting in third place.Thankfully, he's cut out every possible distraction:Hanging out with his buddies;Women;And, God help him, football.His life should be distraction-free... but then Shaelyn Lawrence waltzes back into it, with her sexy red lips, curvy body, and her f***-me heels. Brady should run in the opposite direction. He definitely shouldn't spend time pursuing her, kissing her, or landing her in his bed.But he does.Shaelyn may have left once, but Brady is determined to prove that Shaelyn belongs in New Orleans. She belongs with him. For fans of Jill Shalvis and Lauren Layne, Maria Luis’ new sexy contemporary romance will leave you laughing and desperate for more! SAY YOU'LL BE MINE is the first full-length novel in the NOLA Heart series, but can be read as a standalone.
Texas Heartthrob
Jean Brashear - 2004
In disguise, traveling through the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, he encounters a rail-thin, starving woman who has lost everything but the dilapidated cabin where she once lived with her grandmother in happier days. Raina Donovan is determined to make her stand there, but winter is coming, and Liam cannot desert her until he can make her safe, however much she tries to make him leave.Day by day, they draw closer, but Raina has secrets and so does Liam. Before they can trust enough to confide in each other, the world catches up with them. Can they overcome the stunning shock of their deceptions to find a way to be together, or will the price of their lies ruin any chance they might have for a future?Revised and updated edition of A Real HeroThe TEXAS HEROES contemporary western romance series includes:TEXAS SECRETSTEXAS LONELYTEXAS BAD BOYTEXAS REFUGETEXAS STARTEXAS DANGERTEXAS ROOTSTEXAS WILDTEXAS DREAMSTEXAS REBELTEXAS BLAZETEXAS CHRISTMAS BRIDETEXAS TIESTEXAS TROUBLESTEXAS TOGETHERTEXAS HOPETEXAS STRONGTEXAS SWEETTEXAS HEARTTHROBTEXAS HEALERTEXAS PROTECTOR
Hundred Reasons
Ali Parker - 2018
Declan Gamble cares about two things–his daughter and his company. Nothing can compete with the devotion he shows to both. Until the day Alex Tanner appears in his life. Struggling to keep her late father’s repair shop afloat, Alex doesn’t have time for anything else. When she isn’t repairing motorcycles, she’s dreaming up ways to continue doing so. She won’t let anything stand in her way. Failure is not an option, and she’s determined to make things work without asking for help from anyone. So, when Declan Gamble saunters into her shop, she can’t possibly prepare for the impact he will have on not only her business, but her life. The man is too sexy for his own good. ** Please note that this is book 1 of a trilogy. There is a cliffhanger, and you will have to purchase book 2 and 3 to complete the story. Book one is on us to make sure you like the story before continuing.
Unexpected (Bittersweet Book 2)
Karen Lenfestey - 2017
Sure, she loves fostering shelter dogs, but she never imagined herself as a mother. Anxious to be an aunt, her sister starts pressuring her to be someone she’s not. Her new friend wants her to stay fun and unencumbered. When Hope’s ex says he wants back in her life, she feels like it might be what’s best for her baby. Pulling away from her sister, Hope spends more time with her new friend and risks letting her ex break her heart all over again.
Johnnie Walker
Jen Talty - 2018
A big house in the suburbs, a sports car, and money in the bank, all provided by a loving husband. It had been a Cinderella story of all times until the FBI came knocking on her door with a warrant for her husband’s arrest. Now, three years later, working at McCurdy’s Bar and Restaurant, and taking night classes toward a degree in Education, her life is heading in a positive direction. The last thing she needs is a gambling, whiskey-drinking, sexy cowboy, but when JW Whiskey sits down and orders a Johnnie Walker, Kitty finds herself falling for the wrong man. Again. Or is he? Johnnie Walker Whiskey, better known as JW, is one of the best bull riders in the business. But a recent scandal involving his last girlfriend tainted his career and marred his reputation. Needing a change of scenery, he tosses a dart at a map of the United States and wherever it lands, is where he’ll go for a week to clear his head. Of all places, he ends up in Baltimore. Who goes to Baltimore to lick their wounds? His first night in town, he wanders into McCurdy’s looking for a burger and a drink, not a sassy conversation with the sexiest, and smartest woman, he’s ever met. Only he can’t stay away from the bar…or Kitty. Over the course of the next few days, JW knows he’s falling hard for Kitty and for the first time in the last year, he feels like things might be looking up. That is until her past and his scandal collide, throwing him into the spotlight…the very thing he’d been running from to begin with.
Ain't He Precious?
Juliette Poe - 2017
It has one stoplight, one bar, and the one-and-only Trixie Mancinkus.Eleven years ago, Trixie graduated Harvard Law, turned down a job offer from one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston, and headed home to Whynot to open her own firm. Not only did she leave behind the big city, but she also left her boyfriend of three years. And just so we’re clear… that would be me.So what am I doing in Whynot at this very moment? It seems Trixie needs help with a legal case and for some insane reason, she called on me for assistance. I’ve been in town for five minutes, and I’m every bit as out of place as I feel. Trixie is all sweet, southern curves to my tailored suits and high-priced haircuts. It’s a culture clash of north versus south and about the only thing we have in common is our physical attraction to each other.But I have a new motto since coming to Whynot: When life hands you lemons, all you need is a little sex and sweet tea to make things better.
The Barrington Billionaires Collection: Books 1-5
Jeannette Winters - 2020
His company was closing a deal that would cement his spot at the top. The last thing he needed was a distraction from the past.Lena Razzi had spent years trying to forget Brice Henderson. When offered the opportunity of a lifetime, would she take the risk even if the price would be another broken heart?Book 2: Table for TwoDean Henderson never backs down from a challenge. No matter the cost or the opponent, when it comes to business, if he wants it he gets it. No exceptions.Tessa Brooks left her small town to get out of the spotlight of being the preacher’s daughter. Boston is the perfect place to blend in and finally be herself. A low profile job in the HR office of Poly-Shyn fits perfectly into the life she is creating for herself.When Dean takes over as the new CEO, sparks fly. Tessa grew up hearing about the difference between right and wrong, but no one ever told her that wrong could feel so good.They belong together, but they might realize it too late.There are consequences to loving a powerful man--and sometimes they’re deadly.Book 3: You & Me Make ThreeShaun Henderson learned young that the best defense is to strike first. It’s perfect in business but not in matters of the heart.Morgan Pereira had walked away from a high profile position to protect her son. Years later she is given another opportunity to climb the corporate ladder.Taking the job opens wounds Morgan thought had healed.If Shaun really does want her, he’ll have to learn that some things can’t be forced. Love plays by its own rules.Book 4: Virgin for the Fourth TimeBennett Stone has dedicated his life to protecting and saving lives when others failed. The word impossible is not part of his vocabulary.Zoey Henderson has spent most of her life defending herself against her tarnished reputation, as a consequence of her father’s actions. Her five over-protective brothers believe no man will ever be good enough for her.When Zoey experiences some medical issues, the urgency of finding her biological mother becomes paramount. Although her brothers tried and failed earlier, her quest is not one of curiosity. She needs answers, and there’s only one man who will go to any lengths to find them.Bennett has been warned that Zoey is off limits. But no one controls his business decisions and when she calls, he takes her on as a client.When Bennett discovers the information Zoey’s been searching for, he knows he can’t have it all. How can he decide between his pride and their passion?Book 5: His for Five NightsAlex Henderson needs to know the truth about his mother, even if it means exposing the family’s darkest secret to the world.Ziva Grzyb will do anything to stop the human trafficking ring that is terrorizing her country. She wasn’t able to save her older sister, but she is determined to save other young women from the same fate.Alex finds it will take more than money to gain answers. Willing to risk it all, including his reputation, he pretends to follow in his father’s footsteps.When Ziva hears yet another Henderson is on the prowl in her country, she sets out to take him down.Alex doesn’t expect an adversary to be his only hope. Ziva doesn’t think she can defend, never mind love, a Henderson. Will the key to their hearts also be the key to their freedom or will they pay the price for a crime neither committed?
Sharp Practice
Jennifer Bramseth - 2017
But Nina’s vision of her future was shattered after a bitter breakup, followed by Garner’s quick marriage to another woman and fatherhood.Then tragedy strikes. And Garner returns to her a chastened, lonely man.As she wrestles with her feelings for her former suitor, Nina also is handling the biggest case of her career. A prosecution in which one of Garner’s oldest, most powerful, and craftiest family friends is her opposing counsel, representing a well-known state senator.Personal and professional worlds collide. Will the sharpest or most sympathetic survive?
Sharp Practice
is the first book in the Bourbonland series.
Maybe It's You
Lydia Reeves - 2020
Sam, on the other hand, has built a home, a business and a community in his comfortable small town. When fate (with a little help from a summer rainstorm and a car that’s seen better days) brings the two together, the connection between them is undeniable. But can Ellen settle her restless spirit long enough to find something meaningful? And can Sam break free of past hurts and embrace his future?Maybe.Maybe, for Ellen and Sam, it’s going to be romance. Maybe it’s happy-ever-after. Maybe it’s love.Maybe It’s You.Maybe It’s You is the first book of the Fairfield Novellas series, a four-part romance set in the sleepy, sweet (sometimes sexy!) town of Fairfield, Indiana.
From This Moment On
Debra Clopton - 2016
Determined to never again risk her heart, she throws herself into running the family’s small boutique resort on the Florida coast, a place so full of romance that it’s a reminder every day of what she’ll never have. But when renowned artist Grant Ellington shows up to paint a mural on the wall of the resort, she’s swept away by her response to the artist. Suddenly, every time he looks at her, Cali finds it harder than she ever thought possible to keep her heart protected. Grant Ellington loves his ranch, his horses, and his life as a sought-after artist. But after walking away from a plane crash that killed his best friend and the young pilot, he’s still struggling with survivor’s guilt as he heads to Windswept Bay. Painting a sea life mural at the resort started out as a favor to his neighbor, but one meeting with the beautiful Cali and he feels alive again—and determined to spend time on the moonlit beaches with her in his arms… But, like him, Cali has her own emotional scars—can they learn to trust the love that sparks between them and move forward from this moment on?
Borrowing Amor Boxed Set: Books 1-3
Kat Bellemore - 2020
Chile peppers, hot air balloons and white sand dunes mix with a small town mayor, a fake fiance, and a second chance at love.
Borrowing Amor:
Love is a nuisance when all you want is to disappear.
Two weeks before Christmas, Katie is kicked out of her apartment. Again. Rather than wander the streets and continue to work for a dirty cop, she decides to leave the city and disappear for good. But her car breaks down in a small New Mexican town, and everything is threatened when she falls for the charming mayor. Sam Freedman is the first bachelor mayor of Amor. After convincing the locals that having a mayor without family responsibilities means he can dedicate all his time to the community, townspeople watch his every move. Then Katie Andersen shows up. Against Sam’s better judgement, he hires her to replace his event coordinator. Now he can barely think straight, let alone run a town. In the midst of half-truths and outright lies, Katie and Sam desperately search for the place where honesty and trust lead to love. But they have to find it before the past catches up with them.
Borrowing Love:
It’s better to have loved and lost, they said. They were wrong.
Ruby Freedman hasn’t left the small town of Amor in four years--not since her husband died. The memory of his fateful accident was enough to cause her to sell her airplane, and never ride in a car again. Then Parker Loveland comes back to town. Now she has to add him to her list of things she intends to avoid.After years away, Parker Loveland is back in Amor to celebrate his parents’ thirtieth wedding anniversary. He has worked hard to escape the clutches of his hometown, but when he runs into Ruby, the only girl he cared about in high school, and the only one that ever stood him up on a date, he’s torn between the embarrassment he felt more than a decade before, and his desire to be around her.Caught between memories of the past and fear of the future, it will take leaving Amor to help Ruby and Parker find the second chance they didn’t know they were looking for.
Borrowing a Fiance:
She wanted freedom. She got a fiance instead.
Melinda Garrett has been stuck managing her parent’s diner for over a decade, when all she had wanted was to go to college. When her younger sister gets married, Melinda reluctantly agrees to attend with her friend, Daniel, as her date. But when the pressure is on, she claims he is her fiance, in hopes that her parents’ opinion of selling the diner will change.Daniel Armstrong isn’t the kind of guy a girl takes home to meet her parents, but when he offers to attend a wedding as Melinda’s date, he finds himself labeled as her future spouse. Now, challenges lie around every corner, testing Melinda’s claim that she and Daniel are in love.
Hide and Seek
Jennifer Hayden - 2011
When several women close to her are murdered and her former lover is wanted for the crimes, her seemingly perfect world shatters. Her ex disappears, and under a cloud of suspicion, Baylie is forced to leave her job behind and attempt to start over in the big city of Seattle. Just as she settles in, scandal finds her again. Her co-worker disappears and the cryptic phone calls begin. The cycle of murder is repeating itself and Baylie finds herself under fire a second time, with nowhere to run and no place to hide. With no one else to turn to, she joins forces with Detective Dylan Stone. Though Dylan mistrusts her immediately, he realizes there is more to this compelling woman than meets the eye. A long and painful trip through Baylie's past slowly begins to unleash memories locked away so deeply inside the mind of a once traumatized child that they are basically non-existent. Dylan soon realizes that Baylie is the key to a murderer's rage and his protective instincts are aroused. Before long, he finds himself risking not only his job and his sanity, but also his life to keep her safe.This is Book 1 in the Hide and Seek Mystery Series. Book 2 - Unbroken and Book 3 - Collision are available now. For more information check out www.jenniferhaydenbooks.com.
Giving In to You
L.M. Carr - 2015
In fact, she isn’t looking for anything at all because life hasn’t been fair. Everything—the idea of love, her hopes and dreams—was ripped away in a single night.Arrogant yet sexy Adam Lawson makes the move to a small town in an attempt to escape life in the city. Here he hopes to provide a fresh start for those he loves and protects with a vow to never let anyone get close enough to hurt them again. A chance encounter with Miss Delaney begins a relentless pursuit that has Adam breaking his own rules when he makes an offer she simply can’t refuse. Despite her internal struggles, Mia knows there’s no denying the attraction between them. But when acquaintances become friends and friends become enemies, Adam’s need to protect those around him becomes even more crucial. Will the tangled web of lies and betrayal combined with past insecurities become too much for them to handle?