Book picks similar to
Starting Over in Maple Bay by Brittney Joy


contemporary
romance
contemporary-romance
brittney-joy

Cupid's Quest


Natalie Ann - 2020
    She considers herself a successful realtor now and loves that she is doing her part to put people in their forever home. Commitment issues often remind her she may never find what she always wanted as a little girl even if she secretly dreams of love and romance, happy ever after and prince charming...that forever home of her own. Josh Turner lived through the horrific murder of his parents while he hid in the closet as a young child. He’s an investigator now sworn to protect, but those he loved...he couldn’t bear the thought of life without them. He’d lay his life on the line and make sure they never felt as scared and lonely as he had that one night. When Ruby ends up as his realtor, he realizes that she is the one he never wants to lose, if only she’d let him in.

When I Come Home Again


Jennifer Rodewald - 2020
    But in a matter of a year’s time, everything she’d counted on fell apart, leaving her devastated. Seven years later, she’s stable again. She has a supportive boyfriend, fulfilling career, and close friends. She keeps her past heartache where it belongs—in her rearview mirror. Until the man who broke her heart finds his way back to Big Prairie.Craig Erikson had it all—popularity, success, and the love of his high school coach’s daughter. But after a year of mistakes that ended in a tragic accident, he’d left Big Prairie—the place he’d thought to always call home—hoping that without his antagonizing presence, Brenna would be able to heal. Now his mother desperately needs him, as do two young boys in her care. Craig has little choice but to return for good.Unsure that she can forgive him, Brenna does her best to avoid him. Irritated that she ignores him as if they’d never meant anything to each other, Craig becomes determined not to allow it. Life in a small town forces their interaction, making them confront their unresolved issues and igniting emotions that have smoldered for seven years. As Craig and Brenna are pushed together, can they endure the hard places still littering their lives? If so, is it possible to find their way back to love and home again?

Duet in September


Gina Ardito - 2013
    Every day for thirty days, they intend to do one thing differently from their normal routine—with unique results. Nia, still bitter years after her mother left the family for a wealthy tourist, finds herself falling for vineyard owner, Aidan Coffield, the son of a wealthy Manhattan real estate tycoon. Meanwhile, Paige keeps knocking heads with her high school nemesis and now town police chief, Sam Dillon. Each day of this special September will provide Paige and Nia with new adventures, new self-awareness, and of course, enough love to last two lifetimes.

Burn


Elana Johnson - 2019
     Tyson "Bulldog" Pike has risen through the ranks of the Hawks Motorcycle Club to the level of Vice by doing whatever it took to prove his loyalty. But he's tired of moving drugs and people across the border, and he knows Daddy is corrupt. The only way he's getting out is to find the proof to take down the President. When Danielle Robbins - doe-eyed and innocent - shows up in the Club one morning with Daddy, Bulldog's protective instincts kick in. He offers to take her, and he finds her a job sorting through the metric-ton of paper in Daddy's office. They're looking for specific documents Bulldog can use to contest Daddy's leadership, but there are deadly consequences to Bulldog's actions among his brethren...if he gets caught. And why does his heart keep whispering to him to step outside the circle of celibacy he's painted himself in? As he and Dani work together, Bulldog starts to let down his guard. He starts to trust. He starts to fall in love. Can Dani and Bulldog work together to outsmart Daddy? Or will they lose everything...including their hearts? Fall in love with motorcycle club romance in a whole new way! You'll love the bad boy in this brand new sweet romance from USA Today bestselling author Elana Johnson. It's 65,000 words of action, suspense, and heartwarming, satisfying sweet romance!

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.

Twisted Fate


K.L. Bryce - 2020
    I fell for her crooked smile and ocean blue eyes the first time I met her in the fifth grade. In high school, no one understood me the way she did. Paige is the only girl I've ever trusted enough to let into my world.But I buried those feelings the day she chose my brother nine years ago.Fate seems to have a sick sense of humor because my newest client decided to sponsor her vlog. I advised them to cut her loose.It’s not personal, it’s business.And besides, I have another proposition that could give us something we both want.But my plan to stay cool, calm, and in control vanishes the moment her lips touch mine.She should run fast in the other direction.My soul is damaged goods.I could never give her the love she deserves.Luke Mason. My gorgeous, loner friend from high school. The boy I almost fell for…until Fate led me into the arms of his twin brother, and eventually, a broken heart.If it wasn’t for the business proposition Luke makes—and one I desperately need—I’d run fast in the other direction.What wasn’t a part of our deal? The oh-so-hot kiss we shared during one of my infamous moments of spontaneity. A mistake neither one of us plans to make again.But when our stares get way more intense, his eyes linger too long on my mouth, and his touch ignites something deep inside I haven’t allowed myself to feel in years, our promise of “strictly platonic” goes up in flames.No matter what happens, I can’t let myself fall for him.But I’m scared I already have.A love story spanning over twelve years, TWISTED FATE is a deep, forbidden love romance with LOL moments, passion and angst, and all the feels. Can be read as a standalone.

My Soul Loves


Barbara Gee - 2017
    She isn’t escaping a bad job or an ex-boyfriend, and she’s not in the witness protection program. She’s not even leaving the city in hopes of a grand adventure. Nope, her motive is as simple as inheriting a house in a place she loves and deciding to see whether life in a small town suits her. She isn’t looking for romance, either.....and then she meets the guy next door. Before long, Ava is thinking Jude Keller could be the one. She looks at him and sees forever. Until she doesn’t. When Ava discovers something that could change everything, she panics and almost loses the best man she’s ever known. And just when things are looking up again, Ava finds she had something to run from after all. Trouble has found her in Hidden Creek, in a form she never expected. But God and Grandma brought her to Jude, and trouble’s no match for that combination. Good thing, because Ava has found the one her soul loves, and she never wants to let him go.

Shielding Jolene


Jen Talty - 2021
    Now all she has to do is hit number one with the next one and she has just the story to do it with: The Alleyway Strangler. And the woman who brought him down is willing to give her a once-in-a-lifetime interview. Jolene boards a plane heading for Texas where she meets a well-meaning emergency room doctor who happens to be her biggest fan. Except, this isn’t any ordinary fan. He’s connected to her past. And now history might repeat itself.While forced into a little mini vacation, Michael “Cannon” Santoro is asked by a fellow Delta Force soldier to pick up Jolene up at the airport and keep an eye on her while she interviews his wife. Cannon doesn’t hesitate. Jolene is like no one he’s ever met, and he finds himself in uncharted waters. Only, he’s about to uncover a sinister plan that will bring both their pasts on a collision course with the future, and it isn’t bright.

Best Friends in the Show Me State


Jessie Gussman - 2020
    When violent weather sparks an unexpected attraction, will they risk their friendship for a chance at a lifetime love? Marlowe Glass happily accepts the responsibility of bringing up her orphaned niece. But the struggling stepmom reaches the end of her rope when a terrifying storm destroys her house. So she doesn’t hesitate to accept her best friend’s offer of temporary lodging.Handsome farmer Clark Hudson longs to be free from his ex-wife’s manipulations. Although preparing to fight for custody of his son, he jumps at the chance to help out his best gal pal from way back in high school. But when their “forever-friends” bond turns complicated as they face their unexpected attraction, the upstanding man fears giving in to his heart might ruin a beautiful connection.As Marlowe grapples with rebuilding or cutting her losses, she worries she’ll mess up the relationship she holds most dear.And when Clark’s former spouse makes money-grubbing demands, the single father must risk it all to guarantee them both a loving future.Can a history of close companionship unite two souls for a lifetime?Books in the Cowboy Crossing series:1. Best Friends in the Show Me State2. Sold! in the Show Me State3. A Secret Baby in the Show Me State4. The Beast Gets His Cowgirl in the Show Me State5. A Marriage of Convenience in the Show Me State6. A Second Chance in the Show Me State7. A Mistletoe Mishap in the Show Me State8. His Best Friend’s Sister in the Show Me State9. The Cowboy Finds Love in the Show Me State

For Love...and Donuts (Sweetwater Island Ferry #1)


Sophie Mays - 2016
    If you like a good fixer-upper, fresh donuts and solid storytelling, jump on the ferry and make your way over to Sweetwater Island! After several stressful years, Virginia’s self-esteem is shot. So when she inherits her beloved Aunt’s house in the quaint, neighboring island town of Sweetwater, her longtime boyfriend Jason convinces her to sell it so that they can pocket the money. The only catch is, there are substantial fixes that need to be made before she can sell it. Fueled by HGTV shows, they decide that the house can be fixed up and flipped. On a recommendation, she hires Tristan, a cute, funny, church-going contractor, with a good heart and a dark secret. As Virginia puts more and more time into fixing up the old house, she rekindles her love of art and interior design, she reflects on all the wonderful times she had in the house growing up, and she spends time getting to re-know herself, and her new friend Tristan. Through their combined strengths, they renovate the old home into something gorgeous, and along the way they find that sometimes the most unsuspectingly beautiful things can be uncovered with a little sweat, proper attention, and some TLC. AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a 42,000-word stand-alone story with an HEA ending! Story is a clean romance with no offensive language. I love this story so much, and I truly hope you enjoy it!

The Cowboy's One and Only


April Murdock - 2020
    If you see the good in the change, it can make all the difference. Acceptance takes longer for some than others. Logan Thackston wasn't dealing with the changes that were coming well. In fact, he was choosing to be involved only when absolutely necessary. In the middle of his worry and annoyance about what felt like turmoil in his family, he met a woman who turned out to be his lifeline. Frankie Mills has been sent to live with her grouchy uncle while her parents jaunt around the world. The small town of Sagebrush, Texas was vastly different for a young woman than it had been for a child. The adventures didn't live up to her pleasant memories. And Uncle Elmer seemed more crusty than she remembered. Frankie and Logan met by chance and made a date the very night they met. They both felt the sparks. Their first date was a rock climb up Logan's favorite spot that lasted hours longer than planned. By the time they made it to Frankie's house, trouble was brewing. And from there, trouble was always near the surface. Though there was an intense pull to each other, it couldn't be permanent. Frankie would go back to Richmond one day - probably sooner rather than later. So they kept things simple. Easy. But were either of them happy to settle for this tepid friendship? When an accident changes the balance between them something snaps. The balance they'd created to survive the unknown was shattered. There were more unknowns now than ever before. While Logan tries to heal, will he be able to figure out what he really wants with Frankie? And when he does, will his plan be one that would work for everyone - including his family and hers, too? ~ ~ ~ Meet the family of ranchers in this book 1 as they do all they can to make their ranch thrive while making life meaningful. Each story in the series has a happy ending and no cliffhangers. Each book will have one brother finding love and a happily ever after.

Fooling Around with Ford


Piper James - 2021
    Tricked. Manipulated. The life and career I’d worked so hard to build crumbled around me, so I abandoned it and moved in with my parents. Shady Springs Retirement Community in Sweet Pea, Florida was the perfect place to hide out, even if I was stuck sleeping on the couch.Then along came Ford Birmingham, a jerk who ran over my things with his lawnmower, destroying them and blaming me for the whole thing. As frustrating as he was charming, it didn’t take long for me to soften toward him…but I knew it was a dead end.His life was here, but mine wasn’t. I would be leaving as soon as I found a new job in a new town where I could rebuild my shattered world. Ford I’d mowed the grass at Shady Springs for twenty years and never met a resident as intriguing as the beautiful and feisty Virginia Jones. Of course, everyone else who lived there was at least twenty years my senior, so…When I accidentally shredded her e-reader, sunglasses, and towel one bright and sunny December afternoon—starting a feud I was definitely all-in for—I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I knew I’d eventually win her over, but to what end?She would leave Sweet Pea, and me, eventually. But sometimes, the reward was worth the risk.Fooling Around with Ford is the first book in the Sweet Pea Flings series of interconnected standalone novels. A sweet & steamy romance, this book has all the spice with a guaranteed HEA.

Under the Maui Sky


Kellie Coates Gilbert - 2021
    Readers will laugh and shed a few tears as Ava Briscoe and her children discover what it means to be loved, supported and accepted by the people who mean the most… even in the face of deep betrayal.Ava Briscoe wants nothing more than for her children and the family’s pineapple business to flourish. When a dark secret comes to light, more than her steadfast resilience is tested.Christel is picking up the pieces after a painful divorce. She’s found solace in the family business. But a bitter discovery soon shakes the once-steady foundation under her feet.Katie is a wife and mother with a full plate. She yearns for purpose but her efforts to make her dreams come true falter when she learns nothing is at it seems.Aiden makes his living rescuing people on the island of Maui. When facing life’s changes, can he rescue his own family when it matters most?Shane believes life is a party, but sometimes life hands out more than a good time—fun crashes to an end and growing up is no longer an option.Come along on the journey... with all the messy wonder, humor, pain and ultimate hope of this heartwarming family as they grapple with an uncertain future and learn they can face anything, as long as they do it together.A heart-grabbing story, perfect for Robyn Carr and Susan Wiggs fans.

All the Days After


Carrie Thorne - 2019
    Don’t sleep with my brother.”No problem, right? Accountant extraordinaire, Sophie Jones has spent the last decade trying to find a sense of normal. Life is looking deliciously peaceful, as she follows her best friend home to the small town of Foothills, Washington. Back from the Navy, former SEAL Asher Sutherland is not the guy he used to be… although, he doesn’t have a clue who he is now. The one thing Asher knows for sure is that he wants Sophie.Big problem. Asher has recklessly broken the hearts of his sister’s friends on too many occasions. Neither is willing to hurt Pippa. But, resisting the attraction may prove to be more challenging that either can withstand.Settle in with a soothing cup of coffee and watch the sunrise in this tempting, steamy romance set in the Cascade Foothills in the heart of the Pacific Northwest.

The Billionaire Needs a Wife


Rachael Eliker - 2021
    He’s convinced Luke is wasting his life and wants him to hurry up and marry before the end of the year, or he’s firing Luke and cutting off his inheritance.It’s not that Lauren’s life is awful, but things aren’t as perfect as she’d hoped. She’s floundering in a dead-end job, she hasn’t had a date in months, and as a Southern girl, she doesn’t mix well with upper Michigan winters. Applying for a new position across the country at the prompting of her friend, Lauren’s excited about the promise of a new start.Only there’s a surprise that comes with the job—her ex is her new boss.There’s a thorny history between Luke and Lauren, but their attraction for each other is alive and well. If they want to give love a second chance, their challenges have only begun.