Book picks similar to
Speedy Reads by Chris-Jean Clarke


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Holiday in Fool's Gold: Only Us: A Fool's Gold Holiday\Yours for Christmas


Susan Mallery - 2018
    She’s fell for veterinarian Cameron McKenzie’s good looks, caring nature and especially his devotion to his young daughter. For months Cameron’s pushed away all thoughts of taking Rina in his arms and kissing her, unwilling to risk their friendship. But when a kiss under the mistletoe unlocks the simmering passion between them, Rina and Cameron may just find love for the holidays after all...YOURS FOR CHRISTMASFamous former NFL stars don’t date single working moms like Bailey Voss. She’ll allow herself to daydream about Kenny Scott’s muscles and killer smile, but wanting more would lead to post-holiday regret. Then Kenny volunteers to run a toy drive with Bailey, and she learns that he’s not just hot…he’s also generous, funny, nice. And as festive spirit spreads, Kenny gets wrapped up in Bailey’s kisses — and decides to make this the first of many Christmases together…Previously published.

Small Towns, Labradors, Barbecue, Biscuits, Beer, and Bibles


Sean Dietrich - 2016
    writes with humor, dripping Southern charm that you can’t miss.” (The Greenville Examiner). A collection of short stories from the author of Sean of the South, and Lyla. Columnist, humorist, and novelist, Sean Dietrich, is known for his commentary on life in the American South. In his newest work, Small Towns, Labradors, Barbecue, Biscuits, Beer, and Bibles, he delivers a set of quirky tales filled with smiles and a hefty dose of heart.

A Dark Grave


J.A. Souders - 2012
    Cursed.All who venture to the island disappear.But Gavin doesn't believe in such things. He is a hunter; since his father's death, he is the only one who can provide for the family. Silly rumors of ghosts aren't going to stop him from crossing the dark waters to the island in search of fresh game...

Primed for Sin: A Contemporary Romance Box Set


Sarah J. Brooks - 2019
    Brooks! All five standalone full-length novels feature protective alpha males that fight for the women of their dreams. No matter if accidental fake marriages, surprise baby gifts or second chances - this collection has everything you need for long and steamy nights in your bedroom! Book 1 – Never Over You Alright, before you hear his side, let me tell you mine. I was just cleaning his room. I swear that’s it! I mean, he’s my boss for Pete’s sake. But Anthony came out of the shower dripping wet and naked from head to toe. I tried to look away, but IT was right there. And boy was it happy to see me. That’s so not my fault, right? Cute butt, killer abs, bubblegum lips that were begging for a kiss. How could I say no? Turns out he’s had a crush on me since high school. His dad’s freaking out, but Anthony’s got his own billions. So big, bad Daddy Whore-bucks can kiss my tight little… you get the idea. But I think Anthony’s having second thoughts. Will he be my sweetheart or leave me heartbroken? Book 2 – Hate To Want You Oh My Gorgeous eyes! Is that Xander–freaking– Selby? Bad boy muscle-man with a gargantuan-sized… bank account. Wow what a dirty little mind you’ve got there. Be patient. I’m still getting to his best parts. There’s a heart of gold hidden under muscles the size of New York City. He's got the face of an angel and moves like the devil. The first time I saw him my legs went to Jell-O, and I got all tongue-tied. Now tell me something, and be honest. Is it in bad taste to tie up your boss with a garter belt? Or run your tongue up and over his mountain and valley abs? Book 3 – Let’s Play Pretend “Of course I’ll pretend to be your wife.” I can’t believe these words came out of my mouth when my sister’s lawyer asked me to be his fake-wife. I don't like his plan to fake it at all, but desperate situations need desperate measures. Although I have enough to deal with on my own, I’d do anything for my family. Well, maybe I can take this lemon and make lemonade. After all, acting like I’m in love with Jonathan is easy. Too easy. The way he looks at me, touches me, protects me. It just feels so unbelievably good. All of a sudden, I'm not sure if this is fake anymore... Book 4 – Protecting Her The billions in my bank account are worthless if I can’t save her. There are times in your life when one decision can change everything. Mine was to risk my life for the woman of my dreams. Millie. Once I saw her, I knew it’d be her and no one else. Her gaze calls out to the hero in me. Her touches awaken the man. The problem? I’m not the only one who wants her. And her enemies will do everything to get her. Even the unthinkable. If they try to hurt her, I will give them nothing but pain. It’s time for this to end. There can only be one winner. Book 5 – Unexpected Love It was supposed to be a one-night stand. Now I’m carrying his baby. Oh-oh. I guess fate has a way of writing its own stories.

Before


Cambria Hebert - 2011
    Of what things were like for me when everything was normal. Of what every teenager’s life is like. Clothes. Parties. Boys and summer vacation. What’s so wrong with that?I liked it. I was happy.Until things changed. I changed.I didn’t know that lies and secrets were about to take over my existence. I didn’t know there was someone out there, someone meant just for me. I didn’t know that I was about to go on a journey, a journey that would lead me to the girl I am today.This is the beginning of the worst year of my life. Would I go back and change things? Erase everything that has happened to go back into these moments?Not a chance.This is a story of before.

11:15 The Making of a Halfling


Heather Burch - 2011
    With his halfling abilities still untapped, Vine is allowed to join the mission, but only as a spectator. The clock is ticking and the tragedy is proving difficult to stop. Will Vine be able to sit back and watch, or will the power of heaven unleash just in time?

Night Flower


Kate Elliott - 2015
    Esladas is a member of the Patron ruling class and determined to prove himself in the army. His plans are disrupted by the outgoing and beautiful girl who sells him fruit in the market, though, despite the fact that neither of them speaks a word of the others language. Brief conversations and stolen moments together soon become something more, but when their divided cultures clash, Kiya and Esladas must decide if their blossoming love is worth becoming outsiders for the rest of their lives. Read the beginning of their legendary love story in this Court of Fives companion novella!

Connect: Book Two (Chat Connect Crash series, #2)


Nan McCarthy - 2014
    It’s now 1996, and Bev and Max, two strangers who met online, find their lives unexpectedly intertwined. As their words and actions propel them into unexplored territory, Bev and Max’s relationship grows more intense—and more complex—than they ever imagined.Praised as “a lively, free-flowing, spontaneous outburst of curiosity, anxiety and hope,” the story of Bev and Max unfolds entirely through their online messages. Readers once again find themselves unable to resist the temptation to “eavesdrop” on the pair’s sexually charged, humorous, and thought-provoking exchanges. In a time before Facebook, Skype, and Twitter, when there were no status updates, no photos, no tweets, no video chats, all Bev and Max have to share with one another are their words—or so it may seem.In this newest edition of her Chat, Connect, and Crash series, McCarthy offers up a snapshot of the mid-1990s Internet culture and its changing dynamic of human interaction. As Bev and Max gradually reveal themselves by what they choose to say—and leave unsaid—their seductive, addicting, and all-too-human adventures will draw you from first page to last.

Day Zero


Kresley Cole - 2016
    Experience firsthand the beginning of the end and behold the apocalypse through the eyes of characters you only thought you knew. Ashes to ashes . . .Evie Greene’s story of the Flash is just one of many. All over the world, those connected in some way to the lethal Arcana game—like Death, Jack, and Fortune—must first survive a horrifying night of blood and screams. We all fall down.Some will have to grapple with new powers; all will be damned to a hellish new existence of plague, brutality, desolation, and cannibalism. Find out who they lost, why they endure, and what they sacrificed in order to live past Day Zero. . . .

Family Pieces


Misa Rush - 2010
    Away at college, even the necklace she wears serves as a constant connection home - a family tradition created when her grandfather handmade each immediate relative an interlinking charm. Each piece crafted in the shape of a puzzle piece, each one interlinking perfectly together. But when the unexpected death of her mother turns her world upside down, she discovers there is a missing piece of her treasured family tradition and her life as she once knew it may never be the same. Addison Reynolds resides in her posh Manhattan condominium and wraps her personal identity around running Urbane, the magazine empire built by her father. In a moment of haste, Addison divulges her deepest secret to her closest friend Emily - a secret she never intended to disclose. Could one choice, one secret, bond two unlikely women forever?

American Stories


Calvin Trillin - 1991
    In these, "the sort of stories you might tell in front of a fire", Calvin Trillin brings together twelve funny, troubling, moving and always revealing narratives--extended pieces that have appeared in The New Yorker over the past seven years.

Alien Invasion of the Zombie Apocalypse


Ford Forkum - 2012
    Landing dead center at a college campus swarming with zombies, the aliens soon realize that their abduction mission is going to be quite a bit more complicated than they'd imagined. The presence of vampires only makes the situation worse.Will the human race prevail or be forced to relocate to an alien planet? Is there any way to reverse the zombie plague? Is the plague contagious to aliens and can an alien be turned into a vampire? What if a vampire alien became a zombie, then was bitten by a radioactive spider and then possessed by the ghost of a robot werewolf? That last part doesn't happen in the story, but what if it did? Find out what becomes of humanity in this hodgepodge of dystopian absurdity.

Falling


Cat Clarke - 2013
    And it'll help her keep her mind off the fact that she cheated on her perfect boyfriend Cam last night. But this party will change everything.A powerful novel about sexuality and growing up, realistically and frankly portrayed by acclaimed YA novelist Cat Clarke. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers of 14+.

Bridget and Joan's Diary


Bridget Golightly - 2013
    Meet Bridget and Joan: Thelma and Louise on mobility scooters, reluctant residents of the Second Best Magnolia Retirement Home, and lifelong friends joined at the artificial hip.It’s been a wild year for the two rebellious wrinkletons: sherry and shoplifting, Sanatogen and sexting, and a mysterious toy boy who threatens their lifelong friendship and possibly even more…

That One Time


Marian Tee - 2013
    23-year-old Ayah Chandler believes in love at first sight, and she should - since it only took that one time for her to fall head over heels for a man who looks like an angel but seduces like the devil.Billionaire Nic de Koningh grew up trusting no one but himself, but all it took was that one time with the free-spirited Instagram-loving Ayah to question everything he believes and doesn't believe in.As they meet once more in the exotic urban paradise of Hong Kong, Nic and Ayah finally have a chance to discover the answer to the burning question in their hearts.Can love spring from a moment of connection or is it an illusion that will only scar them for eternity?