14 Books You Need This Valentine’s Day
His 24-Hour Wife
Rachel Bailey
What happened in Vegas didn’t stay there for CEO Adam Hawke and go-getter Callie Mitchell. And their drunken lark of a wedding is coming back to haunt them. Because Adam and Callie are now working together, and she’s being blackmailed over their very personal connection by a coworker. To deflect the threat, Callie and Adam make their sham marriage look real. But the passion that ensues is no sham. Could their wedding lark have real wings after all?
Valentine’s Dates
Rhian Cahill
She’s done with the dating scene. He wants a lifetime of Valentine’s Dates.
Brent had his chance to be Valentine’s date and he blew it. But loving his best friend’s little sister from afar isn’t working. When she calls him in tears Brent’s only choice is to come to her rescue. And now that he’s got her safe in his arms he’s going to make sure she stays there.
It doesn’t matter how much Vee tries to convince herself her feelings for Brent were destroyed years ago. He is still the first person she calls when she needs help. Breaking down in his arms wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was kissing him.
Forced to face their past, Brent and Vee must forgive each other – and themselves – if there’s any hope for the love still burning between them.
A Heart Stuck on Hope
Jennie Jones
Move to the country for $1 a week.
Dulili is suffering a people drought. Over the years more people have moved away than have arrived to stay in this old New South Wales farming town, and now only a handful of young families and elderly residents are left. The locals put a plan into action to entice newcomers: offering the town’s empty houses to newcomers from anywhere in Australia. Who could resist renting a beautiful homestead for a dollar a week?
There’s nothing left for Adele Devereux in Sydney: no job, no relationship, no hope, and no diagnosis for her shy, uncommunicative daughter Ali. So she packs her bags, takes her meagre savings, and moves her small family to the country. She never expects to meet Tom Wade, a man facing his own hopeless situation, but whose kindness reaches her daughter in an unexpected friendship. As the small town of Dulili attempts to regenerate itself, Adele finds herself drawn further in to the community – and into her attraction to Tom.
Tom is not back in Dulili to build a relationship. He’s there to heal wounds, help his grandmother, and make new plans. Plans that don’t come with his grandmother’s new tenant, part of the Dulili dollar scheme. But as Adele and Ali effortlessly work their way into his thoughts and his heart, he realises that there are two crucial elements that he left out of his long-term plans – the chance to find love and renewed hope for the future.
Who’s Afraid
Maria Lewis
Meet Tommi Grayson: she’s all bark . . . and all bite
‘It was like my wolf had been there all along, waiting for me to tap its hand and step into the ring . . .’
Tommi Grayson’s never exactly been a normal girl. Bright blue hair, a mysterious past and barely controlled rage issues have a way of making a woman stand out. Yet she’s never come close to guessing who she really is . . .
When her mother dies, a shattered Tommi decides to track down her estranged father. Leaving Scotland for a remote corner of New Zealand, she discovers the truth of her heritage – and it’s a whole lot more than merely human.
Barely escaping with her life, now Tommi must return to her her friends, pretending everything is normal, while all too aware of the dangers lurking outside — and within. Worse still, something has followed her home . . .
With the clock ticking, can Tommi learn to control her new powers in time to save the ones she loves?
Mixing elements of fantasy, mystery and romance, Who’s Afraid? is a must-read tale about one woman who takes on the world, one bite at a time.
The Bound Heart
Elsa Holland
AN INNOCENT WOMAN DETERMINED TO WIN THE ELUSIVE MAN SHE WANTS.
In her grimy, coal stained world, Olive Thompson knows one thing for certain – Mr. Edwards is the one she wants. When she’s with him, every part of her feels alive. And when he looks at her, a forbidden world glows in his gaze. She wants what he threatens, what he promises…no matter the price.
A PASSIONATE MAN DESPERATE TO SAVE AN ANGEL FROM HIS DARK DESIRES.
Intuitively a man knows when a woman can unravel him, regardless of what he tells himself. Jamie Edwards, master of the sensual and elite art of shibari rope, has always kept Olive Thompson at a distance. For two years, he’s endured constant vigilance, denial, and endless hunger … until today. Today he will steal a taste, something to remember after he walks away forever. Because who he is and what he wants are not for someone so pure. She thinks she wants him… she has no idea.
AFTER THE DARKEST NIGHT, THE SUN ALWAYS RISES – WHETHER YOU’RE READY FOR THE LIGHT OR NOT.
Take Me As I Am
Charmaine Ross
A small town romance sent against the romance of the beautiful Dandenong mountains about loss, lies, and the courage to live true.
Forget the whole billionaire tycoon thing: Kate Moore is a billionaire’s daughter, and she knows first-hand that they’re not all romance novel worthy. Her father is brilliant, inflexible, and brutal – and nothing she’s ever done has been good enough for him. Her one chance to take over the massive Moore’s Hotel Corporation is restoring the run-down Burnham Beeches in beautiful Sassafras to its former glory. To that end, she hires David Wright, a talented landscaper with an unparalleled eye for beauty and an unparalleled talent for distracting her from her goal.
David really needs this job. He needs the contract, the Moore’s name on his portfolio, and the money to pay for his ailing father’s health. Everything he’s worked for is now within his grasp, and he’s going to reach for it with both hands. What he doesn’t need is the diversion, or the temptation, presented by his new boss.
Neither David nor Kate are free to follow their own desires, but they’re powerless to fight their growing attraction. But they come from very different places; perceptions will have to crash, misconceptions will have to collapse, and they will have to face their own personal challenges before they find their space to meet in the middle.
Tempting Mr Townsend
Anna Campbell
Beauty – and the Beast?
When rough diamond Anthony Townsend, who also happens to be one of the richest men in England, bursts into Lady Fenella’s house and demands she hand over his runaway nephew, this dashing widow embarks on a breathtaking adventure that might just end in exciting new love.
Beauty…
Fenella, Lady Deerham, has rejoined society after five years of mourning her beloved husband’s death at Waterloo. Now she’s fêted as a diamond of the first water and London’s perfect lady. But beneath her exquisite exterior, this delicate blond beauty conceals depths of courage and passion nobody has ever suspected. When her son and his school friend go missing, she vows to find them whatever it takes. Including setting off alone in the middle of the night with high-handed bear of a man, Anthony Townsend. Will this tumultuous journey end in more tragedy? Or will the impetuous quest astonish this dashing widow with a breathtaking new love, and life with the last man she ever imagined?
And the Beast?
When Anthony Townsend bursts into Lady Deerham’s fashionable Mayfair mansion demanding the return of his orphaned nephew, the lovely widow’s beauty and spirit turn his world upside down. But surely such a refined and aristocratic creature will scorn a rough, self-made man’s courtship, even if that man is now one of the richest magnates in England. Especially after he’s made such a woeful first impression by barging into her house and accusing her of conniving with the runaways. But when Fenella insists on sharing the desperate search for the boys, fate offers Anthony a chance to play the hero and change her mind about him. Will reluctant proximity convince Fenella that perhaps Mr. Townsend isn’t so beastly after all? Or now that their charges are safe, will Anthony and Fenella remain forever opposites fighting their attraction?
Hartley’s Grange
Nicole Hurley-Moore
In one short day Lily Beckett’s life falls apart when she loses her dream job in fashion and finds out her boyfriend is having an affair. Totally devastated, she ends the relationship and flees the city.
Lily heads to the country town she grew up in to seek sanctuary with her big sister, Violet, and niece, Holly. But bad luck hits her yet again when she crashes her car on the way. Fortunately a local grazier, Flynn Hartley, arrives on the scene to find her dazed but uninjured.
Gradually Lily’s life picks up and she decides to stay put for a while, helping out her sister and renovating the beautiful old shop she inherited but has never had time to focus on. Meanwhile, Flynn showers her with attention, but Lily is aware of his bad-boy ways and isn’t willing to risk heartbreak by becoming his next conquest. And yet, he won’t give up and insists he’s turned over a new leaf.
From bestselling author Nicole Hurley-Moore, Hartley’s Grange is an inspirational story about a woman putting her life back together, pursuing her dreams and taking charge of her future.
Kakadu Sunset
Annie Seaton
Helicopter pilot Ellie Porter loves her job. Soaring above the glorious Kakadu National Park, she feels freed from the heavy losses of her beloved family farm and the questions around her father’s suicide. But when a search-and-rescue mission on the boundary of the older property reveals unusual excavation works, Ellie vows to investigate.
The last thing she needs is her bad-tempered co-pilot, Kane McLaren, interfering. The son of the current owners of the farm, her attraction to him is a distraction she can’t afford, especially when someone threatens to put a stop to her inquiries – by any means necessary.
Ellie will have to trust Kane if she is to have any hope of uncovering the truth of what is really going on. Between Ellie’s damage and Kane’s secrets, can they find a way to open up to each other before the shadowy forces shut her up… for good?
The Dreamcatcher
Maggie Christensen
Dreamcatchers trap bad dreams – but sometimes nightmares escape.
Ellen Williams, a Native American with a gift for foretelling the future, is at a loss to explain her terrifying nightmares and the portentous feeling of dread that seems to hang over her like a shroud.
When Travis Petersen – an old friend of her brother’s – appears in her bookshop The Reading Nook, Ellen can’t shake the idea there’s a strange connection between her nightmares and Travis’ arrival.
Suffering from guilt of the car accident which took the lives of his wife and son, Travis is struggling to salvage his life, and believes he has nothing to offer a woman. But Ellen’s nightmares come true when developers announce a fancy new build, which means pulling down The Reading Nook – and she needs Travis’ help.
Can Ellen and Travis uncover the link between them and save her bookshop? And will it lead to happiness?
A tale of dreams, romance, and of doing the right thing, set on the beautiful Oregon coast.
February or Forever
Juliet Madison
Yoga teacher and single mother, Chrissie Burns has a plan: move into the rundown beach house left to her by her deceased aunt, renovate it, sell it, and move on. The scene of a terrible accident years ago, the house needs to get out of Chrissie’s hands as soon as possible.
But Tarrin’s Bay, where the house stands, has more to offer than bad memories. The town is lovely, the people friendly, and even Chrissie’s young son finds friends and begins coming out of his shell. Employed at Serendipity Retreat as a yoga instructor, Chrissie is shocked to be given the role of private teacher to Drew Williams, Australia’s top singer/songwriter for the month.
Relationships between instructors and clients are strictly forbidden, but Drew draws happiness out of Chrissie with his down-to-earth nature and sense of humour. Days of stretching and bending may bring Chrissie unexpected peace and strength, but she knows that this interlude must end, and there’s no pose or position to aid her when Drew walks away and leaves her broken-hearted.
Rosamanti
Noelle Clark
Fate drew her to Rosamanti. Love made her stay…
After the death of her husband, best-selling mystery author Sarah Halliman has lost her desire for just about everything. Desperate to break out of her funk and rediscover herself, she answers a newspaper advertisement—For lease: Isolated villa on Capri, Italy. Must love cats. Traveling alone to the beautiful island of Capri, she locates Villa Rosamanti, a gorgeous 400-year-old dwelling nestled in the hillside of Monte Tiberio. Above it lies Villa Jovis, the 2000-year-old villa of Emperor Tiberius, ripe with history and intrigue.
Sarah soon discovers a strong resonance with Rosamanti and its gardens and quirky pets. She begins to feel a deep connection to Elena Lombardi, the deceased owner. But it’s not just the villa Sarah’s fallen in love with. Elena’s grandson, Pietro, is handsome and charming, the epitome of the passionate Italian. His dream is to own a restaurant of his own, but such dreams are for wealthier men.
Between the sparks that Pietro kindles in Sarah’s heart—and her kitchen—and the mystery of nearby Villa Jovis, Sarah’s muse begins to stir. She senses stories in the ancient stones, and romance in the phosphorescent blue waters of the Blue Grotto. But when her curiosity takes her to Elena’s library, a child’s notes and maps lead Sarah to a mystery that could be the answer to everyone’s prayers—or perhaps, be the destruction of everything they hold dear…
Etopia Press
Husband Sit
Louise Cusack
Jill Wilson is fresh out of a ten-year relationship so boring she slept through half of it. Thirty-something, no children, no house, blah. The glamorous potential she and her three best friends shared as starry-eyed schoolgirls feels very far away, until an unlikely job appears – Husband Sitting – being paid by rich wives to keep their cheating husbands ‘happy’ at home while they skip off on vacation.
Not the sort of job a nice girl would do, but the ten thousand dollar a week paycheck is exactly what Jill needs to stop her little sister ending up in a Bangkok jail. And maybe, just maybe, the sex sounds exciting too. Unfortunately, there’s one complication: gorgeous Finn with his sexy green eyes and his gigantor… you know.
Love was definitely not in the contract, so in desperation to wipe Finn from her memory banks, Jill embarks on a bed-hopping frenzy. After all, the best way to get over one man is to sleep with another. But will Finn let her go? And as her emotional baggage arrives with an over-weight tag, can she believe in the fairytale of imperfect people ending up perfect together?
Crazy meets desperate in this erotic romp that nails the highs and licks the lows of one woman’s struggle to reach sexily-ever-after with the man of her dreams.
Unforgettable
Cherie M Hudson
My name is Brendon Osmond. I’m a 25 year old post-graduate student who knows three things with absolute conviction. I know damn near everything there is to know about keeping in peak physical shape. I have a plan to make a lot of money from that knowledge. I’m an optimist who’s not easily rattled. But then the girl I fell in love with almost two years ago texts me out of the blue and everything I know is thrown out the window.
Am I rattled? No.
Not until I fly to the other side of the world and discover the girl I fell for has kept a very big secret from me.
A secret that mocks all my knowledge of the human body and how to keep it healthy.
A secret that shatters my plans for my own personal training business.
A secret with my eyes.
A secret who needs me more than I can comprehend.
Ask me again if I’m rattled.
Now ask me if I’m still in love.
Perfect for fans of The Fault in Our Stars, Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult, Unforgettable is the second book in the Always series that began with Unconditional.
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Yay Anna Campbell!! She’s an AWESOME writer!!
I am very excited to have my little Italian love story in this list with so many other great authors. I still love Rosamanti. I think it’s my favourite book so far. Thanks J’aimee.
Reblogged this on Louise Forster.