Lucy Turns Pages: Contemporary Romance Book Recommendations

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Do you like reading contemporary romance books? Check out these romance books by self-published/small press authors!

For fans of Outlander, Sophie Kinsella and Jenny Colgan.

Carla Kingston has no time for love. Not when her job involves faking romances for roleplaying packaged holiday company, Highland Fling.

Jack Jefferson has come to the Scottish highlands to escape the rat race in London, and take stock of his life. He's in a job he hates and is in need of a career change.

When Carla and Jack meet, sparks - and clothes - soon start to fly. A one night stand is enough for the both of them.

But after Jack begins working alongside Carla as a Highland Heartthrob, they can't ignore one another, nor the spark that's threatening to become an inferno.

Someone has a secret to keep. Except things don't stay hidden forever...

What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?

Douglas and Alice are convinced their spouses are cheating...with each other.

Teaming up, they take their entirely inept investigation on the road. Following their spouses across the UK, the spurned twosome take one epic road trip that turns out nothing like they expected. Their detective work makes them a team, the fun and adventure makes them into something more.

0.99 on Kindle

Defying Destiny

Cameron Burk has just broken up with his long-time girlfriend. But, determined not to miss out on the biggest event of the year, he flies solo to the senior prom. Rhyanna Paramore is onstage providing the entertainment along with her up-and-coming rock band, Defying Destiny. Cameron spends the evening entranced by Rhyanna's talent and beauty. When they crash into each other after the dance, sparks fly. Though they come from two different worlds, their friendship quickly blossoms into romance.

After graduation, Cameron is off to law school while Rhyanna and her band hit the road, bound for stardom. The years bring them success, though distance and stress take a toll on them both. When the pressure of her nightly performances threatens Rhyanna's health, a dark secret comes to light.

With their love tested, Cameron and Rhyanna must decide if their relationship is real and worth fighting for. Only by Defying Destiny can they find true happiness together.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Veteran Dreams: Forever Young

How could one party change so much?

It had been ten years since that night, and walking into the high school
reunion, Lita wasn’t sure what to expect. Her mind was riddled with memories, and her
heart was racing. The moment her eyes locked with Alex’s, her heart
started to beat again, as if part of her had been dead all those years. Life certainly
hadn’t gone as expected, and she had not lived up to the promises made that last night.

Feeling broken, Alex longed to move past the disappointment of his military
career. After his friend convinced him to go to his ten-year high school reunion, he
was surprised to find himself smitten with a girl from the past. Lita had
been sweet and innocent back then, but was she still? Part of him longed to see.

The two of them fall into a whirlwind, wanting to help the other heal and pursue their dreams.
But they may find the pressure is more intense than the passion the old spark ignited in them.

A stand-alone novel, Forever Young mixes passion and a drive for new beginnings in the Forever Young series.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Falling for the Competition: One life changing prize, two ambitious people

It’s going to be the best summer ever for ambitious, overachieving Quinn. A huge history buff, not only has she landed her dream job interning in the archives department of the local castle, but her best friend will be working there too.

However, Quinn isn’t the only one to be working in Archives this summer; Quinn’s academic rival, Patrick, is sharing her office in Muniments. They’re competing for the Letter of Recommendation (singular) from the research historian that Quinn needs to get her dream future placement.

Their emotionally-loaded and competitive rivalry turns into a reluctant friendship, as they spend every day working together in silence (and sharing the occasional Twix). Until the Re-Enactors arrive. Between Patrick and Harry – the Golden Knight of the jousting team – Quinn’s carefully planned summer is thrown into complete disarray. Meanwhile, her best friend’s relationship may look perfect on the outside, but Quinn is starting to realise that there’s more going on than there seems.

Although Quinn is determined and single minded about planning every detail of her sparkling future, she comes to discover that the best things in life are the spontaneous ones – and that some people are more important than any Letter of Recommendation (singular) could ever be.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Sad Songs and Gray Dresses

Remember back in high school when things seem so perfect, and then they go horribly wrong. Jane is struggling to cope with her parent's recent divorce, but starts to feel happy again as she falls in love with "the perfect guy." Jane and Adam had classes together, but never had a friendship with each other. One day that all changes and they go from strangers to lovers. Jane is tempted by a new guy at school who is in the grade below her. He is intelligent and great at acting just like her. Jane will have to choose whom she likes more before it's too late. This story is proof that when you love someone, tell them because they can slip away before you have a chance to say "I love you too."

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Sad Songs and Prom Dates

Jane, Adam, Angela, and Kevin are starting their senior year and college applications are around the corner. Jane meets a new guy named Mark who works at the university near her dad’s house. She has dreams of becoming a famous actress, but first, she has to make it past graduation. Her grades, her friendships, and her relationship begin to suffer as Jane loses track of time trying to complete her college applications. Jane’s dreams are coming true right before her eyes, but at what cost?

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Broken

Some memories we long to forget. But some are worth dying to remember.

Hiding behind her wit and using music to escape the memories of her violent and abusive past, Dani is alive but not living. And between the nightmares and scars that lie underneath, the last thing Dani wants is romance. Or is it?

Gorgeous, intuitive, musical, Damien changes everything. The attraction is undeniable, and when a string of unfortunate incidents bring them closer, Damien’s patience and understanding awaken a longing for something Dani believed unattainable – a future.

But when past and present collide, Dani’s fears are pushed to the limit, and with the future hanging in the balance, is love enough to save Dani?

Free on Kindle Unlimited

The Problem with Mistletoe (Five Points Stories Book 1)

A Gay Christmas Romance!

David Cooper did not believe in happily ever after. He thought he'd let his chance at that pass him by—between work, being a single father and planning a Christmas party for his mother’s charity, his life was complicated enough. And then he has to ask Alex Capili, an old friend who just returned from the big city, to help run the charity event. Spending weeks working closely together, old feelings come up and David wonders if fairy tales really do come true.

Alex came home to help sell off his family’s restaurant. He was not looking for love, and happy endings only happen in movies. But nothing about this return trip home town is quite what he had expected, and David is still the best man he's ever known: a good father, with a heart as big as all outdoors... and disarmingly handsome.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Bring Me Edelweiss (Five Points Stories Book 2)

It’s more than a culture clash when an American tourist meets a Special Forces soldier at the British Museum.

Joel McIntyre’s life is going nowhere, fast. Since breaking up with his ex he’s oversleeping and always late. To top it all off now he’s in danger of losing his job.

All he wants to do is enjoy his European vacation with his family. He has no time for romance. But a missed flight and a layover at Heathrow with a handsome soldier upends his life.

After returning home for the first time in years, Freddie d’Pierrepont finds that it is a mixed bag. And when his brother reveals he’s ill, the familial pressure really mounts.

Having a vacation fling was one thing, but you don’t just turn your life upside-down for a guy you met on holiday. Especially when you’re keeping a royal secret.

Can Joel and Freddie excavate true love from the ruins of their complicated lives?

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Escape The Choice (The Choice Series)

How do you make a choice when you don't want to choose?

Oliver's friendship may be important to Ali, after all, she's the only friend he's got, but that's all they will ever be – friends. When it comes to Noah, she can't help but hope their friendship will become something more. Her heart flutters when he is near, and her eyes always seem to find his.

Unfortunately for Ali, Oliver would make things very difficult if anything were to happen between her and Noah, and while Noah has never told her not to be friends with Oliver, his distaste for the man is quite clear. For Ali to resolve the ongoing dispute, she will have to choose between them. But how can Ali choose between the two men when her decision will mean she has to cut one of them from her life?

A quick read filled with friendship, love, and a deep adoration of coffee and muffins.

Free on Kindle Unlimited or 0.99

The Way You Look At Me: An Rx Chronicles Book

Kelenna Agu loves her job as clinical pharmacy manager at Preston Regional Hospital. It gives her fulfillment and validation, and is where she’s always shined. It’s also a far cry from how she fares in her love life. Six months after her break up with The One Who Got Away, he is back in the arms of a former flame, engaged to be married, while she is finding herself on bad dates with men who yell at waitresses or have irredeemable bad breath.

But when the opioid epidemic sweeping across the nation suddenly lands at the doorsteps of Preston, Kelenna is caught off guard. The drug shortage and tragedy that follows occurs on Kelenna’s watch, causing her to question her professional competence. But her love and work fortunes must be flipping, because just as she is about to give up on dating altogether, she is introduced to the perfect man: a Harvard-trained pediatric neurosurgeon who looks as good in real life as his résumé, and seems too good to be true.

What will it take for Kelenna to find the balance she so deeply desires? Trying to solve the opioid problem at Preston is one thing, and handling the affairs of the heart is another, right? But what if they’re not that different? In The Way You Look At Me, Kelenna must learn to look beyond the surface to see what really matters.

Yellow Card: World Cup Book 1

Mateo Torres has never wanted anything as badly as he wants to represent Team U.S.A. at the 2024 Olympics. After years of ranking above any other U.S. soccer player, he’s finally getting his shot. It’s a dream come true. Or, it would be, if he could keep his eyes – and hands – off his teammate Carter. What should have been a one-time mistake turns into so much more as Mateo gets drawn over and over into the magnetic appeal of Carter’s presence. It could cost him everything, even the Olympics.

Carter Daniels knows he’s here at the Olympics because of Mateo. On the field, they’re an unstoppable duo, feinting around defenders without a word, without even a look. They move in perfect sync, leaving their opponents in the dust. Why can’t they have it all at the Olympics: medals, fame – each other? If only Mateo could see that they could be more than each other’s dirty secret...

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Please let me know if you pick up any of these!

Thank you to my Ko-Fi members!~

A. K. Faulkner- check out their queer dark urban fantasy series!

Jack of Thorns - Knight of Flames - Lord of Ravens - Reeve of Veils - Page of Tricks - Rites of Winter - Sigils of Spring - Spells of Summer