Book picks similar to
Eating Life by Beth Burnett


f-f
not-for-me-dnf-sorry
romance
o-infidelity

The Cottage


Caroline Jimenez - 2017
    With plans for renovations dancing in her head, she looks forward to breathing life into her old cottage by the beach and most importantly, herself. Not used to being on her own, she sets out on a new chapter of her life hoping to find friends and happiness. Inspired by some of her favorite books, Nadia discovers adventures are just a wine bottle away, but it's the friendship forming in her neighbor, Laine Montgomery, that has Nadia grateful for the move. With a bit of good-natured Southern meddling from Laine's best friend, Susannah, could more than friendship be on the horizon between Nadia and Laine?

Forever Changed


Laura Conway - 2021
    They lived more than a thousand miles apart. Not to mention the age difference.Did they even have a chance?

Rules of the Road


K. Aten - 2018
    Kelsey is a dental assistant who deals with everything from the hilarious to the disgusting on a daily basis. What happens when a driving app brings them together as friends? The nerd car and the rainbow car both know a thing or two about hazard avoidance. When a flat tire brings them together in person, Jamie immediately realizes that Kelsey isn't just another woman on her radar. Both of them have struggled to break free from stereotypes while they navigate the road of life. As their friendship deepens they realize that sometimes you have to break the rules to get where you need to go.

Visiting Hours


Tagan Shepard - 2017
    With a well-established career as a history professor, Alison is professional and, for the most part, strait-laced—the exact opposite of Dr. Jess Baker.Jess is spirited, impulsive, and confident to the point of cockiness. A promising physician recently transplanted from the West Coast, Jess sticks out in her new home of Richmond, Virginia.The two clash immediately and often. Jess is infuriating, unprofessional, and altogether too distracting. She also seems to be trying awfully hard to get Alison's attention. The more fate throws them together, the more Alison discovers that while their differences may be exciting, it’s the little ways they're alike that are downright irresistible.

Alice & Jean


Lily Hammond - 2016
     It’s 1946 in New Zealand, and Alice Holden has fallen for the woman delivering her milk every morning. Jean has a way about her, a swagger, honey-sweet and low voice, and a wink with an easy smile that lights up Alice’s world, stirring her in ways she’s never known before, and Alice with blinders on, wants to choose this feeling over all else. Jean has been head over heels in love with the sparky and adorable single mother since the first time she saw her. She’s even drawn to Alice’s two fatherless children, and family life has never looked so good. Jean’s deep desire to have more than a life spent looking in from the outside seems more than she should hope for, and now Alice has her tossing the dice for it against all odds. But there are two people in town who believe they have the prior claim to Alice, in duty and affection, and they’ll do almost anything to get what they want. Alice and Jean have discovered that each is what the other has always longed for, each other’s missing link. Now they need to find a way to be together, despite the obstacles.

Tell Me


Deanna DiLorenzo - 2013
    Yet when she meets the beautiful blond poet, Amber Reed, that's exactly what happens. But Meagan finds her relationship with Amber is fraught with just as many anxieties and frustrations as her previous relationships. She struggles to come to terms with her newfound attraction to Amber as she juggles work, familial expectations, and her own guilt and insecurity.At times it seems the only solace she can find is in the cherished moonstone ring her beloved grandmother bestowed upon her before she died, along with some sage advice Meagan is just now beginning to understand. Yet soon Meagan discovers she can’t be the person Amber needs her to be, and when their relationship comes to a dramatic end, Meagan finds herself fleeing to London in an attempt to put the pieces of her life back together. Just when she finally figures out how to make things right, a tragic accident occurs, threatening to undo everything and everyone around her.

Crescent City Confidential


Aurora Rey - 2017
    Her next stop: the Big Easy. Tess Arceneaux is a New Orleans native who likes life simple and uncomplicated. That includes shucking oysters for wealthy tourists and singing at the neighborhood bar—no pretense and no pressure.When Sam saunters in looking for company in addition to dinner, she sets her sights on Tess. Although Tess is hardly inclined to get involved with a woman who’s just passing through, Sam proves very persuasive. But when casual dates hint at something more, strange and sinister things ensue. Someone doesn’t want them together and will go to extreme lengths to make her point. Will looming danger bring them closer or drive them apart for good?

Love for Auction


Karen Klyne - 2019
    But when the glitter fades, she relocates to the little village of Cauthwell to start over. Relationships are off the table, but she manages to find plenty of temporary company in her area. Until, that is, she takes on an auction for a very special client. Kim Besson is lost. After her father dies she gives up her life in Manchester and heads to Cauthwell to sell the family home. With no family or friends, she has no idea what to do with the next stage of her life. When enigmatic, charming, older woman, Philippa, comes into her life, she starts to realise just what it is she might have been missing. But surely someone like Philippa wouldn’t be interested in a country girl like her… When big city meets small town, home is what you find.

Take My Hand


Missouri Vaun - 2018
    Setting paints aside, she takes a job at her grandfather’s garage seeking the restorative comfort of small town life where women are sweet and life flows as slow as molasses.Manhattan art gallery owner River Hemsworth is preparing for a show when she’s informed her aunt has bequeathed her a local gallery in Pine Cone, a place where the idea of fashion is anything with a Carhartt label. En route to review inventory and unload the property quickly, River wrecks her car and Clay comes to her rescue.If River can convince Clay to start painting again, she may be able to pull off the show that will make her career and quench the desires she never expected to feel again.Cover Artist: Evelyn Braddock and Missouri VaunGenres: Contemporary / Romance

The Change-Up


Syd Parker - 2016
    She’s coaching one of the best Division II teams in the South. She started a successful training program for female athletes. The only regret in life is her baseball career ending after high school. Bellamy Carter is a successful accountant with her own firm, a beautiful home, and a son she adores. For most of Kevin’s life, it has been just the two of them facing the world, which leaves little time for Bellamy to miss being loved. When Sawyer comes to town to scout Kevin for a spot on the Statesmen’s roster, she turns their world upside-down. It isn’t long before Bellamy realizes that she can’t ignore Sawyer’s presence in her tidy life. When tragedy strikes, Bellamy is forced to question everything she believes about life, love and faith, leaving her wondering if she will make it out the other side.

Girl Games


Mia Archer - 2016
    We were totally wrong for each other, so why does this feel so right? Lisa was the good girl. Prom queen. Captain of the cheer squad. Geeky games weren't her thing, but she was home from college and bored. And when she heard Kylie was going to be there she knew she had to at least check things out. Kylie was a proud geek who didn't care what the world thought. Kylie figured it was game night as normal until Lisa stepped into the game room reigniting old feelings she never thought she'd nave to deal with again after going to college. Two girls who've spent years hiding who they truly were. Two girls afraid to admit how much they need each other. Two girls who are tired of denying who they really are. Especially to each other. What was supposed to be a simple game quickly becomes a game of love that will change both of their lives! But will they be able to let go and finally let it happen?

Desert Sky


Ellie Green - 2021
    The only downside? When the nearest neighbour is hundreds of kilometres away, it’s hard to date.Newly qualified teacher, Grace, can’t wait to start a life away the town where she’s only known for one thing. Travelling across the country to take a job as a governess is about as far as she can get.Grace and Ari are easy friends, spending their time riding horses, swimming in waterholes and watching their favourite movies late into the night.But Ari’s feelings begin to extend beyond friendship. Ari has a crush, no matter how much she tries to talk herself out of it. What she doesn’t know is Grace is harbouring feelings of her own. And in close confines, the attraction is becoming difficult to ignore.Their connection is strong, but if they want to build a relationship, they will need to move beyond the shadows of the past.Can they find a way to each other’s hearts?

Mine to Keep


Wendy Hudson - 2017
    Plagued by childhood nightmares since the loss of her mother, she embarks on a journey to trace her father, hoping to find some semblance of family and put the darkness to rest. A tentative thread leads her to Hopetoun, in rural Scotland, and the welcoming Cornfield Castle.There she meets Abigail Miller, the castle chef, who quickly becomes her tour guide and search partner. Along with Abigail’s brother, George, they decipher village gossip from truth, fact from folklore, and offer Erin sanctuary within the castle walls.But when Erin’s nightmares start to close in, can she defeat them and learn to live again?

The Last Train Home


Blayne Cooper - 2003
    In this tumultuous time, factory worker Virginia Chisholm hopes for more, but her dreams go up in smoke when a tenement blaze rips her family apart. Aided by Lindsay Killian, the street-wise, rail-riding drifter she meets in a charity hospital, Ginny follows the orphan train that has taken her siblings west. The desperate quest to reunite her family takes the young women from the slums of New York City to the farms of West Virginia and the bustling frontier beyond. This harrowing journey moves Ginny and Lindsay from one mishap and adventure to another. It also leads them from friendship to a tender and unexpected romance.

Floats Her Boat


Nicolette Dane - 2017
    Brooke never considered herself to be very outdoorsy, much preferring her big city life to lounging on the lake, and she’s not looking forward to spending her summer in the middle of nowhere. But when she meets her neighbor, famous singer Hailey Reed, Brooke’s feelings begin to change about her old family getaway. Hailey, the beautiful and sultry redhead songbird, shows Brooke just how much fun lakeside living can be. And as the summer fun takes a romantic turn, Brooke can’t help but question the way she’s felt about the cabin for so long. With a generous offer on the table, will Brooke be able to pull the trigger and sell her family’s cabin? Or will her newfound love of the home, and her growing feelings for Hailey, prevent her from going through with the sale? Sometimes the stories we tell about ourselves are nothing more than stories, and our feelings about who we are can change when we least expect it.