100 books like Always Have

An excellent friends to lovers romance with all the feels! This is the book that made me a die-hard fan of both Melanie Harlow and the friends to lovers trope.

Local deputy sheriff Noah and big city girl Meg have been burning some serious chemistry since they were teens and Noah saved Meg from drowning one summer when he was a lifeguard. What I loved was how their chemistry ignited when Meg comes home for her sister's wedding. She’s newly single and still heartbroken…and Noah happens to be the perfect fix.

I loved the close friendship they had from when they were younger, and once Meg came home, Noah realized that his crush on her never died. The delicious agony of push/pull from friends to lovers was so well orchestrated, making their HEA top-notch!

I am a sucker for lifelong friends to lovers with a bit of the taboo, and this book delivered!

Our hero is a sexy hockey player with a dark past, and our heroine is a dancer with an overprotective and controlling family. When, on her wedding day, she learns the jerk she’s being forced to marry has been cheating on her, she runs right into the arms of her childhood crush and friend Jasper, who offers to whisk her away so she can figure out what to do and how to face her parents.

Jasper and Sloane were made for each other from page one, and I loved rooting for them! Add in the delightful small-town vibes, the belonging that comes from being part of an amazing, tight-knit family, and some steamy times, and it’s a recipe for an all-nighter (reading, that is).

Though this story is part of a… show more.

I'm a sucker for angsty romance stories between two first loves who get a second chance, so this book hit all my GO buttons. Our main character is an ex-con and recovered addict who's trying to get back on his feet by working on the Shipley's farm. He never forgot the woman he fell for before his world crumbled to pieces, a girl who was his friend first and his first love. But that same woman is at the center of the tragedy that put him on his path to addiction and a fateful car accident that sent him to prison.

Watching these two reconnect, first as friends and allies, then later, when their chemistry leaps off the pages, and they learn to trust again, was insanely powerful. I rooted for these two with my whole heart. I mourned these characters when the story ended, but the burn was 100%… show more.

This story had so much unique and charismatic personality! The characters leapt off the pages, and their “dilemma” created an irresistible hook.

Davis is about to graduate from college and has yet to lose her virginity. She turns to the one man she’s wanted for the job, her childhood crush, lifelong family friend, best friend to her brother, and bad boy extreme, Crew Taylor. These two have an intense history together that involved Davis’s older brother Memphis, and this relationship and how Memphis fell into addiction, dragging Crew down with him, was beautifully crafted by the author and the highlight of the story for me.

The angsty buildup between these two people who clearly were destined for each other was incredibly satisfying! I was on the edge of my seat, rooting so hard for Crew to overcome the demons of his past and just let Davis into his heart. I… show more.

A shooter in a zoo might not sound like the premise for an exploration of motherhood, but this brilliantly paced thriller is just that. On a day trip to the zoo with her four-year-old son, Joan must flee from a gunman, a task made all the more complicated by having to simultaneously negotiate the quotidian questions and tasks of parenting.

A hungry child, or one who needs the toilet, can be challenging at the best of times, let alone while hiding in an empty animal enclosure trying to avoid imminent death! Ultimately, the primary role of any parent is to keep their child alive. Fierce Kingdom puts this ordinary occupation in extraordinary circumstances, and the result is utterly compelling. 

If rolling on the floor laughing your ass off is your thing, then Carl Hiaasen is for you. This was my entry into whack-job Florida crime capers, and it still puts me in stitches.

The carousel of nuttiness starts spinning when two rare “blue-tongued voles” are nicked from Amazing Kingdom of Thrills, a low-rent theme park. Bouncing off each other is a crowd of madcap and/or menacing characters. The racketeer park owner. The two boneheaded thieves. An enviro-radical granny. An oversexed dolphin. A security chief hopped up on steroids. An actress who plays a goofy park critter. A gonzo former Florida governor turned eco-guerrilla. And, as the only normal person in sight, an ex-journo PR flak. Now, just climb aboard and hang on.

Alexandra Day’s Illustrations speak volumes. They cause one to marvel over the simple things in life like a trip to the park. Of course, it helps to have a dog like Carl create excitement around every simple little thing. Thank you, Carl. And Kudos to Alexandra for taking us along on that magnificent and artistically beautiful trip to the park.

What writer can resist a story about a writer? A steamy book blogger befriends a romance novelist who is secretly a man writing under a female pen name. She confides her hopes and dreams about dating and the perfect guy. So what happens when she meets a guy doing all those things? This tale of hidden identity and internet friendship was so cute that when I finished I immediately wanted to read it again!

I absolutely love this book. The message within about finding yourself, despite all that is going on around you, or your current circumstances really resonates with me. Where you start doesn’t have to be where you finish. It’s a book that I could read repeatedly.

This novel is like my novel in the fact that her characters also overcome many obstacles to find their way in life. They had to learn to be strong in the face of adversity. If you are someone who likes a book that shows you women finding their way amid chaos it’s a must read.

I must admit, I typically enjoy my pantry dripping scenes in the paranormal genera, but every once in a while I like to wander the digital aisles and partake in something new.

Y’all, this book has stayed with me for years as a beautifully written description of male anatomy. Seriously, I didn’t know an expert description of a mushroom head could do it for me. I was happily shocked. I’m going to admit this is the first book I dipped my toe into the waters of multiple partners, at once. But these pages are more than steamy, juice-dripping scenes. The way she breathed life into these exquisite characters, makes me wanna jump in and join. This is one of those books I hated to finish, my heart (and other parts) were aching when I reached the conclusion.

If you are looking for a feel-good, down-a-dirty read, I highly recommend.