Books like 'Down by the River'
Readers who enjoyed Down by the River by Lin Stepp also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance small town christian rural religion family drama female-mc friendship
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Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEvery family has its secrets, and at Hedgehog Hollow there is no exception...It was always Samantha's dream to run her beautiful rescue centre, Hedgehog Hollow, full-time. But just as her wish comes true, she becomes a victim of her own kindness when she finds herself with a house full of guests - all with their own problems and secrets - looking to her for support... -
![The Secret of Santa by Liz Isaacson]()
The Secret of Santa by Liz Isaacson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHe's a fun-loving cowboy with a heart of gold. She's the woman who keeps putting him on hold. Can Ace and Holly Ann make a relationship work this Christmas?Ace Glover loves to laugh, and everywhere he goes, luck seems to follow... -
![The Family Journal by Carolyn Brown]()
The Family Journal by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsJoin the millions who have fallen in love with New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown in her landmark hundredth novel. At the end of her rope, single mom Lily Anderson is determined to move her rebellious children in the right direction... -
![One Hundred Heartbeats by Kelly Collins]()
One Hundred Heartbeats by Kelly Collins
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKindle Scout Winner Kelly Collins welcomes you back to Aspen Cove, the tiny Colorado town where fresh starts, hope, and true love live… Katie Middleton knows what it’s like to stare death in the face. Growing up with a serious heart defect stopped her from really living. Now that she has a new heart, she’s determined not to miss out on anything wonderful ever again... -
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![A Secret Baby for the Grumpy Cowboy by Hanna Hart]()
A Secret Baby for the Grumpy Cowboy by Hanna Hart
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSullen cowboy billionaire Topher was the only Rolston brother that thought his small town of Isabel was the last place he would end up. Little did he know, that wasn’t the only surprise waiting for him there….His very successful jump racing event lead him back to living in Texas and inevitably to his old, abandoned ranch... -
![A Vineyard White Christmas by Katie Winters]()
A Vineyard White Christmas by Katie Winters
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJoin Susan, Christine, and Lola Sheridan for the magic of a snow-capped Martha’s Vineyard Christmas. After six months of their newfound lives on the island, it’s time to enjoy the nostalgia, laughter, and love that every Christmas brings... -
![The Chocolate Shop on Amelia Island by Hope Holloway]()
The Chocolate Shop on Amelia Island by Hope Holloway
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe saga continues with secrets, surprises, and sweet temptations…Sadie Wingate has been keeping secrets...from her family and from her brand new husband. But once the truth is revealed, her whole world melts like a truffle in the sunshine... -
![A Nanny for the Grumpy Cowboy by Hanna Hart]()
A Nanny for the Grumpy Cowboy by Hanna Hart
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDrake Rolston is a grumpy single dad with a chip on his shoulder larger than Texas.When his long-time nanny quits, he is in desperate need of a new one.Carefree dreamer Freddie Dover seems like the last girl on earth that he would pick.But when there is slim pickings in a small town, desperate times call for desperate measures…and Drakedecides to take a chance with Freddie and his heart... -
![Kisses After Dark by Marie Force]()
Kisses After Dark by Marie Force
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsShe’s avoided men all her life… Growing up with an abusive father, Katie Lawry learned a thing or two about men and has made a conscious choice to stay far away from them. Until the day of her brother Owen’s wedding when she’s rescued from nearly drowning by Shane McCarthy... -
![Finding Peace by Denise Grover Swank, Christine Gael]()
Finding Peace by Denise Grover Swank, Christine Gael
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsStephanie Ketterman has been doing her level-best to find a new normal since her beloved husband’s tragic death two years ago, but it’s been a real struggle. After nearly three decades of wedded bliss with Paul, filling the gaping hole he left behind seems impossible... -
![The Cottage by the Shore by Rachael Lucas]()
The Cottage by the Shore by Rachael Lucas
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSmall animal vet Sophie Jones has seen her daughter off to university in the USA. As a single parent with an empty nest, she surprises herself - taking a job in a tiny village of Applemore in the Highlands of Scotland. Hundreds of miles from home, she can try to escape the fear that her past might come back to haunt her... -
![A Secret Baby in the Show Me State by Jessie Gussman]()
A Secret Baby in the Show Me State by Jessie Gussman
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA midnight tryst, an unknown admirer and a baby that is delivered to church with just a short note. On the day Deacon Hudson was set to be ordained, a bundle shows up at the church with a simple note on it. Deacon Hudson is the father. Take care of her.Deacon knows he’s not the father. The Immaculate Conception was a one time thing... -
![Gansett After Dark by Marie Force]()
Gansett After Dark by Marie Force
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOwen Lawry is days away from leaving Gansett Island to attend the trial of his father, who is charged with assaulting his mother almost a year ago. He has spent his entire adult life trying to outrun his violent past, but the upcoming showdown with the father he hasn’t seen in more than a decade has him spending far more time in the past than in the present... -
![New Beginnings At Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters]()
New Beginnings At Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwo weddings and a baby…but who will get their happy ever after? Emily Prescott’s life isn’t going to plan. Her dreams of starting a family with fireman boyfriend Greg and opening up her own bakery in London feel like they will never come true. So when a weddinginvite arrives from her oldest friend, Beth Williams, Emily is thrilled...Categorized as:
breakup domestic-drama family female-mc friendship religion spirituality action-adventure -
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![The Memory Keeper by Jenny Hale]()
The Memory Keeper by Jenny Hale
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the USA Today bestselling author of The Summer House comes a story about family bonds, one small town, and a reunion that changes everything.Hannah Townsend’s life is just as she’s always wanted it to be. She has the perfect job at a New York magazine, a small but elegant apartment in the upper west side, and an incredibly successful beau named Miles Monahan... -
![Overprotective Cowboy by Elana Johnson]()
Overprotective Cowboy by Elana Johnson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCowboys looking for a second chance at life, love, and happiness.Ted Burrows is ready to start his life over again, even if he has to go to a work-parole ranch to get out from behind the walls that have caged him for the past thirty months... -
![Finding Acceptance by Christine Gael]()
Finding Acceptance by Christine Gael
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAnna Sullivan has just found out that she has another sister…And the news is rocking her world. As she tries to come to grips with her mother’s infidelity and the knowledge that Pop wasn’t her biological father, she loses sight of the fact that there is another person in this equation. Her half-sister, Nikki, who didn’t ask for any of this either... -
![Beside Golden Irish Fields by Ava Miles]()
Beside Golden Irish Fields by Ava Miles
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsArt teacher Angie Newcastle’s life is all monotone.She wasn’t always this dull. She’d been an up-and-coming artist with the world at her feet. But after contracting the Wrong Man Syndrome and spending years doubting herself, she no longer recognizes herself.When she loses her job, she can’t afford to keep ignoring the obvious: her life needs a serious overhaul... -
![Deleted: Jackson and Maggie by Tess Thompson]()
Deleted: Jackson and Maggie by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJackson Waller has loved Maggie Keene since they were six years old, but their dueling dreams ultimately tore them apart. First love—true love—wasn’t enough to overcome their individual desires to pursue dreams on opposite coasts. When Jackson learns of Maggie’s tragic death on her way to college on the east coast, his heartbreak, compounded by grief, renews his focus on his own future... -
![All That It Takes by Nicole Deese]()
All That It Takes by Nicole Deese
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen the ever-cautious Val Locklier finally agrees to a cross-country move with her nine-year-old son to take a job with her best friend, Molly, everything she had planned for the future unravels within the first week. After pushing aside her anxieties about renting an apartment from Molly's twin brother, whom she barely knows, she accepts an invitation for an elite filmmaker's mentorship... -
![The Amish Teacher's Gift by Rachel J. Good]()
The Amish Teacher's Gift by Rachel J. Good
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Teacher's Love Widower Josiah Yoder wants to be a good father. But it's not easy with a deaf young son who doesn't understand why his mamm isn't coming home. At a loss, Josiah enrolls Nathan in a special-needs school and is relieved to see his son immediately comforted by his new teacher, a woman whose sweet charm and gentle smile just might be the balm they both need...Categorized as:
christian religion female-mc spirituality romance contemporary disability season-spring -
![Saltwater Crossing by Amelia Addler]()
Saltwater Crossing by Amelia Addler
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the fourth book of the Westcott Bay series, Tiffany moves to San Juan Island, telling herself that it's just so she can help Jade. But when she uses her skills to confront Jade's opposition, she's also forced to confront herself...and a handsome and mysterious man that keeps appearing at the worst moments... -
![Down the Hidden Path by Heather Burch]()
Down the Hidden Path by Heather Burch
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJeremiah McKinley is the first of his enlisted brothers to return home to River Rock, Missouri—their sleepy but charming hometown in the Ozarks—in the wake of their father’s death in combat. While he’s grateful to be home with his sister nearby, his grief over losing the man known as Major Mack proves almost overwhelming, especially without his brothers around... -
![Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge by Ruth Logan Herne]()
Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge by Ruth Logan Herne
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCreator of the bestselling "Welcome to Wishing Bridge" and "At Home in Wishing Bridge" award-winning author Ruth Logan Herne invites readers back to the little town with the big heart with "Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge". Being a supermodel isn't just hard... -
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![The Village Inn of Secret Dreams by Alison Sherlock]()
The Village Inn of Secret Dreams by Alison Sherlock
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAfter escaping her parents’ unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever.But with the rundown Inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found … quickly.So, when her oldest friend Pete Kennedy returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed... -
![A Seagrove Christmas by Rachel Hanna]()
A Seagrove Christmas by Rachel Hanna
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt's time for Christmas in Seagrove!Are you ready to catch up with your favorite characters on the tiny lowcountry island of Seagrove, SC?When we last left off, there was a big wedding and an addition to the family... -
![The Pet Doctor by Tess Thompson]()
The Pet Doctor by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe’s a small-town veterinarian with a love for animals and naps. Haunted by a childhood trauma, she’s terrified of men. Can the truth about her past bring them closer together or tear them apart forever?Breck Stokes is back where he belongs. After years at university, he’s returned to Emerson Pass and taken over his mother’s veterinarian practice... -
![Finding Forgiveness: A Bluebird Bay Novel by Christine Gael]()
Finding Forgiveness: A Bluebird Bay Novel by Christine Gael
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSasha's secret is finally out...And Gabe isn't taking it well. With a baby on the way, they have to figure out how to make their marriage work, but after all the lies, the trust is gone. Can Gabe find it in his heart to forgive her, or will their brand new marriage crumble before it even gets off the ground?Meanwhile, the Sullivan sisters are trying to pick up the pieces after Pop's death... -
![The Summer Sand Pact by Jessie Newton]()
The Summer Sand Pact by Jessie Newton
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThese five best friends made a Summer Sand Pact as teens and have only kept it once or twice—until they reunite decades later and renew their agreement to meet in Five Island Cove every summer.Alice Kelton's marriage is in shambles, and while she's always thought she'd stay with her husband, after her last visit to the cove, she went back to the Hamptons and filed for divorce... -
![Finding Forever by Christine Gael]()
Finding Forever by Christine Gael
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCome spend some time with the Sullivan sisters and their families in Bluebird Bay...Max Burrows thought she'd finally found "the one". But when Tyler gets the opportunity of a lifetime and leaves Bluebird Bay for Paris, she can't bring herself to join him. She worked like a dog to make her own dream come true by opening the bookstore, and she won't give that up. Not for Tyler.Not for anyone... -
![A Courtship on Huckleberry Hill by Jennifer Beckstrand]()
A Courtship on Huckleberry Hill by Jennifer Beckstrand
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThere's nothing Huckleberry Hill, Wisconsin’s irrepressible eighty-somethings Anna and Felty Helmuth like better than a challenge. And the chance to matchmake their feisty granddaughter is their most delightful task yet… Elsie Helmuth’s plain-spoken ways got her in trouble once before, so she needs to make a good impression at her new teaching job in Huckleberry Hill... -
![When I Come Home Again by Jennifer Rodewald]()
When I Come Home Again by Jennifer Rodewald
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen a family crisis calls him back to Big Prairie, will Craig Erikson be able to work through past mistakes and the tragedy that had sent him searching for a new place to call home? Brenna Blaum had been sure of three things in her life—her brother, her running, and her dad’s star receiver. But in a matter of a year’s time, everything she’d counted on fell apart, leaving her devastated... -
![The Proposal by Jess Mastorakos]()
The Proposal by Jess Mastorakos
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy best friend Shelby convinced me to hire her flash mob company to propose to my girlfriend. Then I was rejected in front of the whole town.To be fair, I probably should have seen that coming. No one thought we'd last.And in a place where everybody knows everybody's business, maybe they know something else I don't ... like that my best friend has been the right one for me all along...Categorized as:
friendship christian religion female-mc spirituality contemporary military friends-to-lovers -
![Riverbend Reunion by Carolyn Brown]()
Riverbend Reunion by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBack home is the best place to start over in a heart-stirring Texas romance about friendship, second chances, and small-town scandals by New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.Riverbend, Texas, doesn’t look like the crossroads of anywhere. But for four high school besties reuniting after twenty years, it’s a place to unpack a lot of baggage... -
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![Traded: Brody and Kara by Tess Thompson]()
Traded: Brody and Kara by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBrody Mullen is the best quarterback in the AFL, and his Super Bowl win only confirms what he's suspected his entire career: romantic entanglements are bad for his game. No women. No sex. No problems. But after hiring a beautiful nurse to care for his mother, his resolve begins to weaken.The small coastal town of Cliffside Bay, California seems like the perfect place to start over for Kara Eaton... -
![Once in a Blue Moon by Sharon Sala]()
Once in a Blue Moon by Sharon Sala
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCathy Terry is tired of running. Full of fear and hope, she backpacked across the country to Blessings, Georgia, not knowing if or when her abusive ex-husband would catch up to her. In Blessings she glimpses a safe haven and the closest feeling to home she's had in a long time—even more so when she meets Duke Talbot. The sweet, strong, and handsome rancher provides a shoulder to lean on... -
![Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon]()
Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter tragedy upends her world, Jeannette Mason retreats to the tiny Oregon seaside town of Hope Harbor to create a new life. Vowing to avoid emotional attachments, she focuses on running her lavender farm and tea-room--until a new neighbor with a destructive dog and a forlorn little girl invades her turf. But she needn't worry. Dr... -
![Gareth by Kimberly Rae Jordan]()
Gareth by Kimberly Rae Jordan
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWelcome to the fictional town of Serenity Point, Idaho, home to the large Halverson family.A mixed family with both biological and adopted children,their lives and relationships are held together by their love for each other and their faith.Gareth Halverson has studied for years to become a doctor, planning one day to take over his parents’ clinic in Northern Idaho... -
![Stay with Me by Becky Wade]()
Stay with Me by Becky Wade
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA mysterious letter alluding to a secret in her parents' past brings Genevieve Woodward back to her Blue Ridge Mountains hometown, but she's also in need of a break from a high-profile career that has left her dangerously burned out and concealing a powerful secret of her own... -
![Carolina Breeze by Denise Hunter]()
Carolina Breeze by Denise Hunter
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom and A December Bride (now beloved Hallmark Original movies) comes the second novel in the Bluebell Inn series! Following the sudden death of his parents, Levi Bennett left his life in Denver to return to his hometown of Bluebell, North Carolina... -
![Remember to Forget by Deborah Raney]()
Remember to Forget by Deborah Raney
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOne morning changed everything about her life But could it also set her free?Graphic designer Maggie Anderson has lived under her boyfriend's tyranny for nearly two years...until she's carjacked in New York... -
![We Are Family by Beth Moran]()
We Are Family by Beth Moran
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThirty-three-year-old Ruth Henderson and her daughter Maggie have some hard choices to make. Following the tragic death of Maggie’s father, they are left with a mountain of debt and broken hearts. So, despite her vow never to return home after the fall-out from her teenage pregnancy, Ruth can’t see any option other than for the two of them to move back in with her parents... -
![Cry in the Night by Colleen Coble]()
Cry in the Night by Colleen Coble
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBree Nichols gets the shock of her life when her husband-presumed dead-reappears. Bree Nichols and her search and rescue dog Samson discover a crying infant in the densely forested woods outside of Rock Harbor, Michigan. Against objections from her husband, Kade, who knows she'll become attached, Bree takes the baby in... -
![Second Chances at the Cotswolds Candy Store by Hannah M. Lynn]()
Second Chances at the Cotswolds Candy Store by Hannah M. Lynn
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHolly Berry has it a good career, a steady boyfriend, and enough savings that the two of them will soon be able to buy a nice little house. But when she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her, she decides to retreat to the Cotswolds and a place full of far sweeter memories. Quite literally... -
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![No Marriage of Convenience for a Cowboy by Alexa Verde]()
No Marriage of Convenience for a Cowboy by Alexa Verde
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSmall-town romance with faith, humor, and more than a dash of danger!An elusive woman with secrets, a quiet cowboy, a precocious child and a rebellious teenager, and a marriage of convenience that hides real feelings...Arianna Montemayor is so far from her comfort zone that it’s not even on the same planet when this eternal nomad and former runaway considers becoming an instant mom...Categorized as:
friendship christian religion spirituality romance marriage-of-convenience contemporary small-town -
![Inheritance of Secrets by Robin Patchen]()
Inheritance of Secrets by Robin Patchen
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom a USA Today bestselling author comes the latest in an edge-of-your-seat Christian romantic suspense series that will keep you reading all night long."I didn't do right by your mother. Find her and do what I never had the courage to do.”Her father’s deathbed confession changed everything for Aspen Kincaid. The mystery of her mother’s disappearance was unsolvable, or so she’d believed... -
![The Truth Between Us by Tammy L. Gray]()
The Truth Between Us by Tammy L. Gray
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNine years to win her. Three years to love her. And one decision that destroyed it all. April Duncan was raised with three clear truths: the family name is absolute, ambition and success rule over every emotion, and love always comes with strings attached. Image was everything in her carefully crafted world... until the mirror cracked... -
![The Carpenter's Daughter by Jennifer Rodewald]()
The Carpenter's Daughter by Jennifer Rodewald
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne word can change a life. Sarah Sharpe has grown up as a carpenter’s daughter, knowing only the rough and work-heavy world of her father’s blue-collar profession. Abandoned by her mother as a baby, she’s lived twenty-one years content to drive nails at her dad’s side. Following her father into the world of construction was a natural path, and she took it without a second thought... -
![Say Yes to a Second Chance by Cindy Kirk]()
Say Yes to a Second Chance by Cindy Kirk
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSometimes father knows best…At fourteen, one shared look convinced Adrianna Lee that she and her neighbor were soul mates. She’s older and wiser now, but a smile from Tripp Randall still makes her heart flutter.Tripp’s charmed life came to an abrupt end three years ago. When his wife died in childbirth, the loss brought him to his knees... -
![More Than a Promise by Ruth Logan Herne, Beth Jamison]()
More Than a Promise by Ruth Logan Herne, Beth Jamison
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWidower Matt Wilmot is an excavator by trade, but with his three rambunctious young sons making trouble all over town, he may not have what it takes to dig them out on his own. The boys' antics have earned them a riotous reputation in their small town of Cedar Mills. When Matt's former mother-in-law, a powerful lawyer and judge, threatens to sue for custody, Matt’s sure she means it...
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