Book picks similar to
Hometown Hope by Zoe YorkJ.H. Croix
romance
anthology
contemporary
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Trusting Jake
Lauren Giordano - 2015
In need of a jumpstart. Tired of playing by other people's rules, the widowed single mom guards her new freedom by keeping her deadbeat husband alive... in name only. But meeting Jake Traynor gives her hope and makes her question the merits of lying. Will he break down the fortress around her heart? Love under construction: Falling for a married woman was never in the blueprint. The definition of responsible son, executive Jackson Traynor is driven to prove his father right. Jake runs the family construction company. The workaholic millionaire is all business. No pleasure. Until assisting a beautiful redhead with her broken down car reminds Jake what he wants. But what if the only person you want is the one you can never have? Battling their deepening attraction, Jake must question everything he's ever believed -- because Jen and her kids are the family he's always dreamed of. Jenna must choose between a safe life and the one of her dreams. When Jake's company is threatened, she will risk everything to protect him -- even if it means exposing old secrets.
Better Than Me
Emme Burton - 2013
Last semester ended badly, leaving her unsure about whom “Biz” really is anymore. She is determined to get through her final year with no drama and as few panic attacks as possible.The plan seems solid. Then, early in the semester, Biz is introduced to two guys at the same time. Jake is a sweet, open jazz major and unlike the guy that leveled her last year. And then there is Davis, the theatre designer. He is beautiful, dark, quiet and has eyes that render the usually over talkative Biz speechless. She makes a decision to keep any relationship she has under her control. But can she, really?
Dreams Come True Boxed Set
Emma Nichols - 2016
Meet the billionaire playboys from Montreal: Gabriel, Sebastian, and Ben. Their lives have been a fairy tale, both charmed and tragic. Only love can heal and help them find balance. Read their stories, in the contemporary retellings of Cinderella, Beauty & the Beast, and Aladdin.
Book One: First a Dream Her life had never been a fairy tale. Adopted at birth, Isabella never felt like she fit in. All she ever wanted was a happy family and a love of her own. When she suddenly became a single mother of two, her life changed for the worst until she ran into a handsome stranger. A billionaire playboy, Gabriel had lived a charmed life. Never one to settle down, he didn’t understand why he was drawn to this woman he knew his father would never accept. Still, one date leads to another and suddenly he had the life he never knew he always wanted. Together, their life was perfect, until the lies were exposed. Then, their happily ever after couldn’t be further away. Book Two: Second Chances For as long as he could remember, Sebastian had been cursed. It began with the tragic death of his parents when he inherited the modern art gallery. It continued every day when he looked in the mirror and saw a monster where a man should be. He’d tried everything without success. Then he happened upon her, his cure, the one who could give him a second chance at life, love and happiness. After years of repairing what her father destroyed during his drunken rampages, opening a shop for repurposed and redesigned furniture seemed a natural progression for Marisa. When Sebastian hired her, she finally had a chance to get paid to do what she’d done for years for free. It seemed like a win, until he proposed. The moment they met, Sebastian was drawn to her. Of course, losing everything in thirty days if he didn’t marry was a huge incentive. So he asked and she refused. An experienced negotiator, he never gave up when he had his heart set on something. For Marisa, marriage wasn’t on the table and love wasn’t negotiable. Still, always quick to see the best in others, she looked at him and saw a project, her ultimate redesign. Maybe even Sebastian deserved a second chance. Book Three: Three Wishes With his gift for storytelling and his degree in film making, his plan had always been to see the world. A semester from finishing his graduate degree, Ben was assigned to make a dying girl’s wish come true. If he could hold it together, he might just fulfill one of his own. The problem was he’d never been good with kids and even less comfortable with beautiful women. Life hadn’t been easy for Charlie after being kicked out of her parent’s house and dumped by her boyfriend when she refused to have an abortion. Now, six years later, Charlie’s daughter had leukemia and all she wanted was the same thing she’d wanted since she took the pregnancy test so long ago: for her baby to live. After two long years of treatment, and news it hadn’t helped, Olivia had one last wish: to leave a legacy for her mother. As she worked on the documentary with Ben, it seemed to be working and Olivia felt better than she had in a very long time. Then the father she’d never met showed up. Three people. Three wishes. One chance to make all their dreams come true.
The Lost One
Liz Lovelock - 2014
Then one day, my dream was torn to shreds, by my sister’s evil boyfriend, Jacob. It’s been three years since she was ripped from my life. She wasn’t just any sister; no, she was my twin, my best friend.Deciding to follow our childhood dream of moving to New York, I head for a life of adventure and fun. A night on the town and I find myself wrapped in the arms of one gorgeous, drop-dead-sexy man, Corban. He has literally swept me off my feet, taken my breath away with a single kiss and left me wanting more, a feeling completely alien to me.Corban Andrews, CEO of Case Construction, rich, sexy and ravishing is set to make my world come undone. I allow myself to put my trust in him, but will his rules and my trust issues let us explore what we could have together? It’s either that or am I at risk of staying lost and alone.When a blast from my past reappears, I know I may be pushed so far down the rabbit hole, Corban and I just may not survive. It all comes down to survival and choices. I have no idea which I will choose.
Stubborn Love
Wendy Owens - 2013
She had given him her youth, and all he gave in return was misery and pain. She was ready for a new beginning, but Ashton wasn’t about to let her go so easily, even if it meant destroying both their lives in the process.Three years later Emmie convinces herself she is ready to leave all of that heartbreak in the past and find a little piece of normal for herself. She heads to New York City to pick up where she left off, determined to finish art school. Emmie is determined to focus on school and not let anything distract her, but life has a way of throwing curveballs.Paige, Emmie’s new roommate, brings Colin Bennett into her life. His smoldering eyes and lean muscular body are difficult for any girl to ignore. Only thing is, Emmie isn’t any girl. Her past makes her resistant to his charms. Colin isn’t one to give up easily, and just when he thinks he may have found a way to her stubborn heart, her tragic history may have found a way to tear them apart.
Falling for Mr. Wrong Series: Books 1 - 3
Jenny Gardiner - 2019
WrongIf lusting after him is wrong, she doesn’t want to be right…Harper Landry sometimes feels like she’s turned into a professional dater. Which might not be such a bad job if it didn’t involve having to spend so much time with a succession of truly undesirable men who were obviously still single for good reason. So she’s elated when she ends up on a blind date with the charming and handsome Danny Greevy, a man who seems too good to be true. But Harper’s starting to think that too good to be true might be downright perfect for her. Particularly when the man who launched her man-drought shows up unexpectedly to throw a wrench in her life yet again.Noah Gunderson is back in town after traveling the world for the past several years. Forced to return home after promising his mother on her deathbed to save the beloved inn that she’d nearly run into the ground, he’s planning to get far away from Verity Beach just as soon as he’s got the inn back in the black. And he’s determined not to let the distraction of Harper Landry, the one that got away, keep him here a moment longer.Falling for Mr. MaybeIf it swells, ride it…Georgie Childress moved to Verity Beach to lick her wounds after her controlling fiancé pulled a runner mere weeks before the wedding. Jobless and desperate to flee his turf, she sought solace in the quietude of the ocean, happily escaping into her own thoughts while surrounded by diving dolphins and cacophonous seagulls. Only when she accidentally runs over some random—and super sexy—surfer dude’s surfboard does she start to wonder if she needs to bring her head out of the clouds and start paying attention to life again.Spencer Willoughby long ago fled his rigid upbringing, shunning the familial expectations of an Ivy League education and Wall Street career in favor of the sun, sand and surf along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Give him a surfboard and he’s a happy man. That is until some nutty lady with a penchant for fender-benders backs into his beloved hand-crafted wooden surfboard, snapping it in half. It’s enough to make a man crazy—crazier still because the kooky blond is making his blood run hot.Just when he finally gets the woman out of his head, Spencer is unwittingly paired off with her at a wedding as a favor to a friend, forcing him to make nice with his board-murdering nemesis who he might just want to ride off into the sunset.Falling for Mr. No Way in HellTaking the plunge…Lacy Caldwell’s mermaid gig at a cheesy roadside beach bar provided much-needed income while she pursues her graduate degree. That is until the beloved owner dies and her greedy nephew announces he’s cashing out by closing the bar and selling the property to a developer who’s going to replace the kitschy charm of the Mermaid’s Purse with ocean-view condos.Cameron Sanders can’t believe his good luck. Struggling financially, he’s thrilled to find out some random, ancient aunt he hardly knew died and left him an inheritance that’ll help take the money monkey off his back. He’s ready to go to the mat in battle when some annoying mermaid from the bar tries to throw a wrench in his plans. But things get complicated when he realizes that she’s a woman he’s started to have feelings for.
Love Handles
Gretchen Galway - 2011
She hates the gym, is nice to everybody, and shops at Ross Dress for Less. When she's not teaching preschool, she's wearing yoga pants... to nap in. So when she inherits her estranged grandfather's fitnesswear company in San Francisco, nobody expects her to keep it. Fite Fitness needs a heartless suit to save it from bankruptcy, not a thirty-year-old woman who cries when her students leave for kindergarten.Someone like Liam Johnson. A former Olympic swimmer, Liam is Fite's executive vice president. Unlike Bev, he's devoted his life to Fite's success. Managing one little preschool teacher — and his attraction to her — shouldn't be an issue. Right?But Bev's tired of being underpaid and underrated, and refuses to step aside as an obedient figurehead. To everyone's shock and horror, she moves up to San Francisco, sets up an office, and dives into the business. Nothing — not mockery, not exercise, not sabotage, not a disastrously hot night with her aggravating VP — is going to scare her away.As Liam realizes she's tougher than she looks, he discovers that losing Fite might not be nearly as bad as losing her...A story about the pursuit of love, happiness, and the perfect yoga pants, Love Handles will speak to anyone who's ever had to face the thing that scares her most.Warning: contains at least two loves scenes and a happy ending.
Just a Taste
Tawna Fenske - 2021
Things heat up for them now that Sean’s back in town with his siblings transforming their father’s ranch into a resort. Amber’s ranch sits right next door, and her hunger for Sean spreads faster than a kitchen fire. But a family secret threatens to wreck it all quicker than a bull in a bakeshop.
Making Whoopie
by Erin NicholasGetting hitched for the health insurance is not this small-town baker’s idea of romance, but after seeing the hospital bill, her heart definitely goes pitter-patter when her gorgeous one-night stand says, “I’m rich. We should just get married.”Of course, they quickly realize, there’s no recipe to follow when it comes to falling in love.
Stay A Little Longer
by Kait NolanDisgraced chef Athena returns home to TN, coming face to face with the one-night stand from her sister’s wedding. An unexpected confidant, Logan has Athena questioning everything she’s spent years working for. They just might hold the keys to each other’s salvation—but when her old life comes calling, can love win over the temptation for redemption?
Crash Into You
by J.H. CroixFormer military pilot Flynn has his hands full flying Alaskan sightseeing tours, fighting fires on the side, and raising his teenage sister — but then he meets Southern city girl Daphne… Opposites attract in this small-town romance that’s first in a series!
The Baby Maker
by Lili ValenteThe last thing I need is baby makes three. My business is expanding and the only thing I'm interested in getting knocked up is my bottom line.But then one night Emma Haverford makes me an offer I can't refuse--she backs away from the land I have my eye on in exchange for a favor...A big, fat, baby making favor...
Silver Lining
Jill Sanders - 2016
She has nothing but fond memories of her father. He was always there for her, and clearly loved her mother more than she thought possible, despite mom's overtly eccentric behaviour. Losing dad was tough, but Sarah's been reduced to being the girl with the crazy mom, a reputation that's not likely to increase her chances of landing her dream promotion at the resort across the bay. Especially with the new competition. Ben is an attractive, sophisticated, and savvy businessman, clearly there to destroy her chances of getting the job. Her luck couldn't be worse. With an obvious attraction and closeness forming between the two, Sarah discovers that Ben's motives may not be as clear as she first thought. What's he really doing there? Is she being played? Benjamin Rothschild has come to the popular upscale resort strictly for business. There to evaluate Sarah for a new position, he can't help being drawn in by her sensual charm and free-spirited nature. But for some reason, this passionate beauty has it out for him. What has he ever done to her? With so much confusion and something obviously lost in the translation, he'll have to do everything in his power to convince her that his intentions for her are true.
Be Mine
Kristen Ashley - 2019
Lee claimed Indy a lot later. Now they’re married, with children, have not yet been out on a date…and it’s Valentine’s Day. Lee’s so busy being a badass, he’s forgotten. So what’s a Rock Chick to do? Take matters in her own hands. Not to mention, hold a grudge, but still plan a sex-a-thon. Revisit the couple that started the Rock Chick series with A Rock Chick Valentine!Once Upon A Red-Hot Kiss by Lauren BlakelyEveryone knows friends are off-limits in the sack. A man needs to stay far away from falling into bed with his best friend. Even if she’s sexy as sin, sweet as candy, and damn near irresistible every single day. But not only are Macy and I best friends, we’re also complete opposites. She’s perky, upbeat, outgoing and I’m . . . how shall we say . . . a little bit broody. Then Valentine’s Day comes around, that dreaded holiday that I hate and she loves, and it seems Macy is determined to make me change my mind. Determined as in she’s decked out in red, lacy lingerie, a naughty grin, and a head full of dirty ideas. I just might need to revise all my rules on friends in bed.Seaside Serenade by Melissa Foster They say opposites attract, but for former boxing champ and gym owner Brock Garner, having the beautiful dark-haired, tattooed, combat-boot wearing pixie Cree Redmond flitting around his club has nearly driven him mad. Brock has wanted her since the first time he saw her, and when he learns she has the singing voice of an angel, it speaks to another part of his heart and he’s unwilling to hold back any longer. But Cree’s dating a burly biker and is firmly off-limits. Or so he thinks…Shadows of You by J. Kenner For two long years, Stark Security agent Denise Marshall has been alone, mourning her missing husband. But everything changes on Valentine’s Day when she encounters a mysterious man who seems to understand her deepest desires.Dirty Sweet Valentine by Laurelin PaigeAmy’s not much for holidays invented to celebrate an emotion she hasn’t felt for years. Not since Harrison Steele left. But on February 14th, he’s back. And it seems that Cupid’s arrow is still lodged firmly in her heart. The Bedroom Experiment by Kendall Ryan When your stepbrother is a hot hockey stud with more notches in his bedpost than, well anyone, he’s the perfect candidate to help you gain a little bedroom experience. At least that's my plan this V-day.
The Starlight Hill Series
Heatherly Bell - 2015
where love is ... uncorkedAll of MeWhat would you do for a second chance with your first love? Welcome to wine country and the small town of Starlight Hill, California, where the wine flows freely and so does the gossip. The town has never quite forgiven Ivey Lancaster for leaving their favorite son, Dr. Jeff Garner, when she met a man on an online dating site. But while the people of the township took sides, the truth of her absence is something Ivey doesn’t want anyone to know. When a sudden change of plans forces Ivey to work with her hunky ex, she must keep it professional or risk her heart all over again. Somebody Like YouStrike One ... in one night, Brooke Miller loses her boyfriend, her job and possibly her reputation. She vows revenge on her old boss by bringing a defunct vineyard back to its former glory. But ex-baseball star Billy Turlock swoops in and buys her dream vineyard. Strike Two…Billy hopes the new family business will give him direction and purpose, now that he can no longer play baseball. He can’t afford to fail again, and for that he needs Brooke, who has hated him and all athletes since high school … even if he’s never forgotten her. Wild pitch … when it becomes clear the hot hunk is interested in more than a working relationship, Brooke wonders if their wild attraction could ever last … Until There Was YouHow far would you go to get your fantasy man? Would you marry someone who looked just like him? Genevieve Hannigan has loved her big brother’s best friend, Wallace Turlock, for as long as she can remember. But when he never noticed her, she settled for Wallace 2.0. With her disastrous two month marriage behind her, Gen knows that nothing but the original Wallace will do. But when Genevieve’s ex-husband is back in town with hopes to reconcile, things are about to get complicated …
Some Lucky Woman: Jana's Story
Carmen DeSousa - 2016
Some lucky women focus on a career and make their own happily ever after. And then some women wake up after fifteen years of marriage and discover that their luck just ran out ... right into the arms of another woman.Jana Embers isn't one to sit back, though. The first thing Jana realizes she needs to do is empty the joint bank account, then she's thinking she might take a tire iron to her soon-to-be-ex-husband's truck. After that, she's not sure what she'll do ... Maybe she'll adopt a cat.After her divorce and a few too many crummy dates, Jana decides she doesn't need a man. A perfectly sized and shaped device and writing about the perfect hero will more than suffice. Determined to share her philosophy, she pens You Don't Need a Man, encouraging women everywhere to go out and experience life instead of waiting for a man to complete them.Three years later, Jana has a New York Times bestseller and a contract for a movie adaptation, but she also has a shoulder injury, which has put a crimp in her new carefree lifestyle. Worse yet, she can't write. Her only hope is Dr. Adrian Kijek, a renowned physical therapist who hates her simply because she wrote a book about not needing a man, or so she thinks ...WARNING: Although there are many adult situations in Some Lucky Woman, if say ... something crazy happened and a famous producer adapted this contemporary women's fiction into a movie, it would have a PG-13 rating. There are no erotic scenes, no graphic violence, and while there are a few allowed-on-TV curse words, there aren't a plethora of gratuitous foul words. Oh, and if you were looking for a cliffhanger, you won't find that here either. Please proceed at your own risk.
A Long, Cool Rain
Linda Seed - 2017
She’s shocked to learn the truth—and to find out she’s caught in the middle between love and loyalty … Colin Delaney’s wealthy family has been a Central Coast fixture for generations. The family is rocked by the sudden death of Redmond Delaney, Colin’s uncle and a major shareholder in the family fortune. Julia McCray knows that her brother, Drew, has been hiding something—something that’s been tearing him apart. The day Colin turns up on Julia’s doorstep, he reveals a secret that will throw both her family and his into turmoil. When Julia’s loyalty to her brother conflicts with her growing feelings for Colin, she must choose between love and family. Either way, her world will never be the same. A Long, Cool Rain is the first book in the Delaneys of Cambria series, by the author of the Amazon bestseller Moonstone Beach.
The Romance Collection
Nikki Sex - 2015
Kitchen! Karma Sometimes love has nothing to do with luck, and everything to do with karma… Marcy Paget worked full-time putting her husband through University. When he finally became a success, he dumped her for a trophy wife more than ten years younger, leaving Marcy to raise their four year old daughter on her own. Even though Marcy knows she is better off alone than with a cheating husband who doesn't love her, she is still struggling to make ends meet. When an ethical dilemma presents itself she makes a choice - never realizing the incredible karmic chain of events that will follow her decision. . . Promises to Keep As the only ER doctor this side of Fallujah, Iraq, Jack Curren is a very busy man. When he’s unable to save the life of his wounded medic, the soldier's dying request is for Jack to personally deliver his wedding ring to Laura, his newlywed bride. He vows to do so the moment he returns home. Jack’s been through Hell on earth, while Laura’s a feisty, stubborn survivor of her own personal Hell. She's got a mind of her own, and she’s no victim—but what is she so afraid of? Despite their growing attraction, there’s just one thing the young widow doesn’t know about her husband’s death: Jack Curren is the one who got him killed. What Wendy Wants After thirteen years of marriage and three children, Wendy Hayward is bored with sex. As much as she loves her husband, Wendy married “Mr. Vanilla.” Now she reads nothing but steamy romance stories on her Kindle and fantasizes about with fictional characters, complete strangers, and tattooed rock stars. One fateful day however, her husband grabs the wrong Kindle on the way to work, and discovers some of Wendy’s more "interesting" fantasies. Unbeknownst to Wendy, Frank is very keen to fulfill every one of her secret desires. . .
Slow Burn
V.J. Chambers - 2013
She’d rather snort lines than think about that. She’d rather do shots of marshmallow-flavored vodka until she can’t remember.When Griffin Fawkes arrives with the news that her father’s dead, she isn’t sure if she cares. He wasn’t much of a father anyway. The only silver lining here is that Griffin’s jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and Leigh wants him bad.Griffin owes his life to Leigh's father. The man begged him to keep his daughter safe. But Griffin didn't expect a cocaine-fueled party girl who barely seems to care about her own safety. It seems like she'd rather destroy herself than anything else.Even worse, he didn't expect he'd care about her. He knows he's too damaged to ever really be with a woman. The best he can do is to make sure she’s safe from whoever could hurt her. Including herself. Including himself.Of course, fighting off men with guns is starting to seem easier than keeping his hands off Leigh.