Itching to discover a new series? 

 

Here are some wonderful first books in Contemporary Romance Series to set you on the path to a binge read or wait restlessly for the next one!

 

My lists are never in any particular order. Enjoy!

 

1. True North by Liora Blake

 

What happens when a bad-boy celebrity rocker meets a small-town bestselling novelist? Find out in this first book in the sizzling new True series by Liora Blake!

While most novelists would consider jetting off to Hollywood for a TV interview rather exciting, small-town Montana writer Kate Mosely finds it all a bit exhausting. After losing her husband in a car accident where she was behind the wheel, Kate has finally found her bearings in the world again, rebuilding a simple but stable life. And even if that means a lot of lonely nights watching old movies and quiet days writing obituaries for her hometown newspaper, Kate’s not sure she’s ready for her life to change—again.

Until she shares the stage—and a whole heap of carnal gazes—with rock star Trevor “Trax” Jenkins. Despite his intimidating on-stage bravado, underneath it Kate discovers a man with a Rilke poem tattooed on his arm, an appreciation for cronuts, and a snarky wit that matches her own.

As she and Trevor explore their heated chemistry, the scarred parts of Kate’s heart begin to heal, making room for a love so passionate it makes her want long-forgotten things equal parts naughty, heart-swelling, and joyful. But when a searing exposé in a trashy gossip magazine sends Kate running, will it threaten their chances at forever?

 

 

2. Trade Me by Courtney Milan 

 

ina Chen just wants a degree and a job, so her parents never have to worry about making rent again. She has no time for Blake Reynolds, the sexy billionaire who stands to inherit Cyclone Systems. But when he makes an offhand comment about what it means to be poor, she loses her cool and tells him he couldn’t last a month living her life. 

To her shock, Blake offers her a trade: She’ll get his income, his house, his car. In exchange, he’ll work her hours and send money home to her family. No expectations; no future obligations. 

But before long, they’re trading not just lives, but secrets, kisses, and heated nights together. No expectations might break Tina’s heart...but Blake’s secrets could ruin her life. 

 

3. Once Upon a Rose by Laura Florand

 

She stole his roses. 

Fleeing the spotlight, burnt out rock star Layla—“Belle”—Dubois seeks refuge in the south of France. That old, half-forgotten heritage in a valley of roses seems like a good place to soothe a wounded heart. She certainly doesn’t expect the most dangerous threat to her heart to pounce on her as soon as she sets foot on the land. 

He wants them back. 

Matt didn’t mean to growl at her quite that loudly. But—his roses! She can’t have his roses. Even if she does have all those curls and green eyes and, and, and…what was he growling about again? 

Or maybe he just wants her. 

When an enemy invades his valley and threatens his home, heart, and livelihood, Matthieu Rosier really knows only one way to defend himself. 

It might involve kissing. 

And that might be just the start. 

 

4. It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

 

The Windy City isn't quite ready for Phoebe Somerville—the outrageous, curvaceous New York knockout who has just inherited the Chicago Stars football team. And Phoebe is definitely not ready for the Stars' head coach, former gridiron legend Dan Calebow, a sexist jock taskmaster with a one-track mind. Calebow is everything Phoebe abhors. And the sexy new boss is everything Dan despises—a meddling bimbo who doesn't know a pigskin from a pitcher's mound.

 

So why is Dan drawn to the shameless sexpot like a heat-seeking missile? And why does the coach's good ol' boy charm leave cosmopolitan Phoebe feeling awkward, tongue-tied . . . and ready to fight?

 

5. When You Dare by Lori Foster

 

Professional mercenary Dare Macintosh lives by one hard and fast rule: business should never be personal. If a cause appeals to him and the price is right, he'll take the mission he's offered. But then the lovely Molly Alexander asks him to help her track down the men who'd had her kidnapped—and for the first time, Dare's tempted to combine work with pleasure.

Fiercely independent, Molly vows to trust no one until she's uncovered the truth. Could the enemy be her powerful estranged father? The ex-fiancé who still holds a grudge? Or the not-so-shy fan of her bestselling novels? As the danger heats up around them, the only anchor Molly has is Dare himself. But what she feels for him just might be the most frightening thing of all….

 

6. Live by Mary Ann Rivers

 

f there’s an upside to unemployment, Destiny Burnside may have found it. Job searching at her local library in Lakefield, Ohio, gives her plenty of time to ogle the hottest man she has ever laid eyes on: the sexy wood-carver who’s restoring the building. But as the rejection letters pile up, Destiny finds an unexpected shoulder to cry on. With his rich Welsh accent, Hefin Thomas stirs Destiny so completely that, even though he’s leaving soon, she lets herself believe the memory of his scorching kisses will be enough. 
 
Hefin can’t help but notice the slender, confident woman with ginger hair who returns each day, so hopeful and determined. So when the tears start to fall, his silence—penance for a failed marriage—finally cracks. Once he’s touched her, what Hefin wants is to take her back to Wales and hold her forever. But Destiny’s roots run too deep. What they both need is each other—to learn how to live and love again.

 

7. Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid Free at the moment! 

 

There are three things you need to know about Janie Morris: 1) She is incapable of engaging in a conversation without volunteering TMTI (Too Much Trivial Information), especially when she is unnerved, 2) No one unnerves her more than Quinn Sullivan, and 3) She doesn't know how to knit. 

After losing her boyfriend, apartment, and job in the same day, Janie Morris can't help wondering what new torment fate has in store. To her utter mortification, Quinn Sullivan- aka Sir McHotpants- witnesses it all then keeps turning up like a pair of shoes you lust after but can't afford. The last thing she expects is for Quinn- the focus of her slightly, albeit harmless, stalkerish tendencies- to make her an offer she can't refuse. 

 

 

8. Just This Once by Rosalind James

 

Everyone needs to be rescued sometimes. 

Everyone but Hannah Montgomery, that is. She just needs a vacation. Three weeks in New Zealand to sort out her life, figure out what she wants, seems just right. Oh, and to relax. She should definitely put that on the agenda. She certainly isn't looking for a fling with a professional rugby player, no matter how attractive he is. Hannah doesn't do casual. But maybe just this once ...

Drew Callahan is happy to help Hannah find all the fun she's been missing. But as much as he's shared with her, he's kept one very big secret. And learning the truth, now that she's back home again, has made Hannah more wary than ever. Drew knows that she's right for him. But how can he convince her to let down her guard enough to explore what they could have together?

 

9. Rock Chick by Kristen Ashley

 

ndy Savage, cop's daughter, rock chick and used bookstore owner, has been in love with Lee Nightingale, once bad boy, now the man behind Nightingale Investigations, since she was five years old. No matter what ingenious schemes Indy used to capture his attention, Lee never showed an interest and Indy finally gave up. Now Indy's employee, Rosie, has lost a bag of diamonds and bad guys are shooting at him. When Indy gets involved, Lee is forced to help. Complicting matters, Lee has decided he's interested, Indy's decided she's not. But she can't seem to keep Lee out of her life when she's repeatedly stun gunned, kidnapped and there are car bombs exploding (not to mention she's finding dead bodies). 

Indy's best bet is to solve the mystery of the diamonds before Lee. Lee's challenge is to keep Indy alive and, at the same time, win back her heart.

 

10. Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame

 

Lucy London puts the word genius to shame. Having obtained her PhD in microbiology by the age of twenty, she's amassed a wealth of knowledge, but one subject still eludes her—people. The pendulum of passions experienced by those around her both confuses and intrigues her, so when she’s offered a grant to study emotion as a pathogen, she jumps on the opportunity. 

When her attempts to come up with an actual experiment quickly drop from lackluster to nonexistent, she’s given a choice: figure out how to conduct a groundbreaking study on passion, or lose both the grant and her position at the university. Put on leave until she can crack the perfect proposal, she finds there’s only one way she can study emotions: by experiencing them herself. 

Enter Jensen Walker, Lucy's neighbor and the one person on the planet she finds strangely and maddeningly appealing. Jensen's life is the stuff of campus legend, messy, emotional, complicated—in short, the perfect starting point for Lucy's study. When her tenaciousness wears him down and he consents to help her, sparks fly. To her surprise, Lucy finds herself battling with her own emotions, as foreign as they are intense. With the clock ticking on her deadline, Lucy must decide what's more important: analyzing her passions...or giving in to them?

 

This list is in no way complete.  I left out some just flat out badass books.  What did I leave out that you think should have made it? What 1st book in a Comtemporary Series do you think is a must read?

 

 

Vote on my Goodreads list:  1st Book in Contemporary Romance Series 

 

By Richard Paul Evans  

ISBN-13: 9781451628319

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: 5/6/2014

Series: Walk Series , #5

Pages: 320

Format:  Audio

My Rating:  5 Stars

 

THE WALK, what an incredible series by Richard Paul Evans! WALKING ON WATER #5, the last book in the series – a bittersweet story, as it comes to a close. What a great ride (or should I say walk)? 

I have followed this journey through each book; each with special meaning, unique people, and places—connecting with Alan Christoffersen on his journey to find his way, after losing his wife, his business, his money and near suicide. 

However, we must say goodbye to Alan and wish this much loved character the best. However, he learned many important lessons along the way, as he traveled from Seattle, WA to Key West, FL for his cross country journey. I always prefer the audio version--who better to narrate than Richard himself—as he knows how to speak to the heart! 

A heartwarming, and inspiring journey (mixed with humor)--full of life lessons about love, loss, and forgiveness and, most of all, hope. This particular book was special as Alan he had the opportunity to get to know his dad, on a more personal level, through his diary and his mom’s letters---sacrifices his dad made for his son. Key West was the place his mom and dad were engaged so the journey came full circle. 

A great ending with the love of a new friend, a wise father, and the loyalty and friendship of an old friend, as he leaves his past behind to start over--a much wiser and smarter man, after overcoming his struggles and challenges. I enjoyed learning about the author’s inspiration for creating THE WALK and am positive this series touched many lives, Well done!

Funny, on a side note---a few things, about his journey south along the east coast of Florida – he failed to mention West Palm Beach or Palm Beach, where I reside--was hoping for a mention. Also he did not pronounce Islamorada correctly (as the s is silent — guess others are not familiar with the correct pronunciation, as I lived in Monroe County in the Keys for a few years :)

Looking forward to his next series. “You take away everything a man lives for, then what does he live for?” ― Richard Paul Evans, Walking on Water

Trying to collect for myself and decided to share.  If I miss any, please comment back on original post and I'll try to keep updated.  Books are listed alphabetically by title.

 

Please also comment if book is being discussed in booklikes discussion rooms, readups.com or other places (if discussion is underway in goodreads groups, that displays on that site at bottom of the book page).

 

Friday, November 1:

 

While I can't really see an elementary school going this zombie crazy, it was a fun read for the kiddos. Lots of "vomitocious" things. Low-grade creepy that was just the right amount, but not nightmare-fuel. A big plug for reading.

Kat Redding is known as Lady Death to the vampires. Armed with silver, illegal since the Uprising when vampires and werewolves drove humans into virtual hiding at night, she preys on the predators, saving the lives of the Purebloods, the untainted humanity, as much as she can.But Kat is one of the tainted herself, a vampire desperately struggling to control her own hunger and anger. A drive that she cannot restrain and still has her leaving bodies in her wake; even as she tries to prey on the human predators, she cannot escape the truth that she is as much a killer as the ones she hunts.And then came the Luna Cult, knowing more than they should, with an offer for her. A chance to take down a Vampire House she would normally consider too big to tackle, and save innumerable lives in the process. But it involves working with the werewolves of the cult, people she continues to see as enemy. Or, perhaps worse, people she is beginning to see as people.There are a lot of vampires out there now and it can be hard to find a book that doesn’t follow some very predictable patterns. So I was very happy to see some of the original nuances that this book brought, The Taint that turns “Purebloods” into vampires or werewolves, the problems with mixing the Taint, the vampire houses, the Uprising causing humanity to pretty much cede the night to the Tainted: there’s a lot of elements here that make it very different from most vampire books. There’s an originality that makes it fascinating and a world I want to explore. The world building is also very solid and consistent with some decent development – not only do people stay in after the curfew but there are other problems as well, like college campuses being only a quarter full because they were hit first as an easy source of quick recruits by the vampire houses. Things like this, extra details, extra considerations of what other effects would come from an event like the Uprising really add a lot of meat to the world. It gives it a realness and makes the events more authentic rather than just useful story points the author makes up as they go along.The story itself is also an interesting one and one that’s perfect for the first book in a series. It gives us a chance to explore several of the main characters (albeit not as much as I would like in one case as I mention below) as well as the world setting , all without much in the way of info-dumping (though we do get a fair bit of monologuing). The pacing is decent (except, again, for that monologuing) with plenty of action strung together without it just being action without plot. There was also plenty of twists with mistrust of the Luna Cult and then the revelation of the Luna Cult’s splinter group. From that there are still plenty of unanswered questions that beg to be answered in the next book – which is a hook in and of itself.It does have a couple of moments where I have to say “huh” like an experienced vampire house deciding that restraining their angry werewolves to a wall said wolfies can break is a good idea, or that imprisoning people and then leaving a huge pile of their weapons just outside the cell. They seem small but things like this put the protagonist’s success more in the hands of random chance and enemy screw ups rather than their own planning (or complete and utter lack thereof) and competence.Read More