Contemporary Romance Books

Ever since childhood, Ruth has found baking cakes to be a source of relief from the stresses of life. And now-as her husband loses his job, her life-of-the-party father arrives for an extended stay (much to the dismay of her mother, who also moved in recently), and her teenage daughter perfects the art of sulking-Ruth is going to need some serenity. But she also needs a plan. Because with funds running low and tempers running short, her family needs more than the perfect sweet. It’s going to be up to Ruth to save the day, and let the crumbs fall where they may… More Details

When photojournalist Kamaria Trayhern goes undercover at the Mason family ranch, she’s hoping to find her real father, not romance. But keeping everyone convinced she is who she claims to be will be harder than she expects—especially where one sexy ranch hand is concerned.

After all he’s been through, there’s no way Wesley Sheridan wants to tangle with more heartache and lies. So the last thing he needs is to be drawn to the pretty new caretaker. But with a jealous killer out to rewrite Mason family history forever, two lonely hearts must learn to trust each other…if they hope to survive the season. More Details

A stranger came to the door at eve,
And he spoke the bridegroom fair.
He bore a green-white stick in his hand,
And, for all burden, care.
He asked with the eyes more than the lips
For a shelter for the night,
And he turned and looked at the road afar
Without a window light.

The bridegroom came forth into the porch
With, ‘Let us look at the sky,
And question what of the night to be,
Stranger, you and I.’
The woodbine leaves littered the yard,
The woodbine berries were blue,
Autumn, yes, winter was in the wind;
‘Stranger, I wish I knew.’

Within, the bride in the dusk alone
Bent over the open fire,
Her face rose-red with the glowing coal
And the thought of the heart’s desire.

The bridegroom looked at the weary road,
Yet saw but her within,
And wished her heart in a case of gold
And pinned with a silver pin.

The bridegroom thought it little to give
A dole of bread, a purse,
A heartfelt prayer for the poor of God,
Or for the rich a curse;

But whether or not a man was asked
To mar the love of two
By harboring woe in the bridal house,
The bridegroom wished he knew.

– Robert Frost —

New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts delivers a romantic thriller that will keep readers guessing and pages turning—the story of a woman who wants one thing most of all…until she meets a man who wants her more.

In the stratosphere of A-list celebrities, Adrianne was an A-plus. Beautiful, wealthy, elegant, she lived the kind of glamorous life that most could only envy—since they didn’t know the private tragedy and the dangerous truth. For her pampered-rich-girl pose was just a carefully orchestrated façade that she was ready to drop when the moment came to right the wrongs of the past. And with The Sun and The Moon—a fabled necklace that is within her reach—the moment has come.

At first it seems no more than an accident of fate that brings a man like Philip Chamberlain into her life now of all times. But men like Philip aren’t prone to accidents. Handsome, charming, enigmatic, he seems privy to secrets she’s spent a lifetime concealing. Who is Philip Chamberlain and what does he really want from her? These are questions Adrianne must answer, because to trust the wrong man now could cost too much. More Details

It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett’s teacher is assigning Jane Austen’s "Pride and Prejudice". From nowhere comes a quiet ‘tsk’ of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who’s teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author’s ghost has taken up residence in Ellie’s mind, and seems determined to stay there. Jane’s wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go - sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane’s counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham. Still, everyone has something to learn about love - perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie’s head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending. More Details

Georgette Heyer presents her sparkling wit with a Shakespearean twist.

Walking home at dawn, quite drunk, Sir Richard Wyndham encounters heiress Penelope Creed climbing out her window. She is running away from a dreaded marriage to her fish-lipped cousin, while Sir Richard himself is contemplating a loveless marriage with a woman his friends have compared to a cold poultice. Sir Richard can’t allow her to careen about the countryside unchaperoned, even in the guise of a boy, so he pretends to be her tutor and takes her on a fine adventure. When their stagecoach overturns, they find themselves embroiled with thieves, at the center of a murder investigation, and finally, in love. More Details

If you think small-town life can be boring–think again. There are complex social rules: there are certain people with whom you fraternize and those you don’t, and, of course, there is the all-powerful gossip. Everyone knows everything about everyone else. Don’t they? That’s what Maddie Farraday thinks until she finds a pair of black crotchless panties in her husband’s car that don’t belong to her. That’s it; Maddie’s had it. She’s ready for change, and the first thing she’s going to do is divorce her no-good, philandering husband Brent. But then everything goes haywire: Brent turns up dead, Maddie’s daughter wants a dog, her best friend is suddenly acting very strange, and Maddie’s secret boyhood crush, bad boy C. L. Sturgis, arrives in town after a 20-year hiatus–and he’s as sexy as ever. You may laugh out loud at the wild and crazy antics in Jennifer Crusie’s exceptional novel, but you’ll exclaim with delight over the sizzling, dynamic, passionate affair between Maddie and her first love, C. L. More Details

A delicious novel about the power of love-and dessert-by the national bestselling author.

Betty Mueller believed she did right by secretly ending her daughter Julie’s relationship with Michael Slayton, a wild, older neighborhood heartthrob. Twenty years later, Betty has come to realize her mistake. Workaholic Julie is now the single mom of a teenager-and Michael, the one man who could make her happy, has been out of her life for the past two decades.

Determined to make amends, Betty schemes to reunite the couple in a dessert class. And with the love of her mother and daughter, her own determination, and lots of chocolate, Julie’s chance for romance is all the higher… More Details

Dumped by her boyfriend and demoted from WBBB’s prime-time spot, radio producer Allie McGuffey has nowhere to go but up. She plans to make her comeback by turning temporary DJ Charlie Tenniel into a household name. And if he’s willing to help her cure her breakup blues with a rebound fling, that’s an added bonus.

Charlie just wants to kick back, play good tunes and eat Chinese food. He’s not interested in becoming famous. But he is interested in Allie. And after all, what harm in a little chemistry between friends?

But suddenly their one-night stand has become a four-week addiction. Night after night on the airwaves, his voice seduces her. . .and all the other women in town. He’s a hit. It looks as if Charlie’s solved all Allie’s problems. . .except one. What is she going to do when he leaves? More Details