Books like 'The Blooming of Bud'
Readers who enjoyed The Blooming of Bud by Robin Knight also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
romance small town mystery mlm grumpy-sunshine grumpy-mc cheerful-mc lgbtq humor
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Highball Rush by Claire Kingsley, Lucy Score
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsRough around the edges Gibson Bodine takes his lone wolf image seriously. The tough guy. The bad boy. Gibson lives alone. Works alone. He doesn’t do love. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. In Bootleg Springs—home of moonshine and the nosiest neighbors in West Virginia—secrets don’t keep forever... -
Conquered by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDylan Welsh was the last man standing…until Sawyer Glasgow brought him to his knees.Dylan wasn’t ready for Sawyer. He wasn’t ready to confront the truth of his past. He wasn’t ready to admit he’s fallen in love with the sweet, sexy woman who captivated him from the moment he saw her. He’s especially not prepared to face the hurt he’s caused Sawyer. But to keep her, he must do all three...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine action-adventure adult alpha-mc book contemporary -
The Keeper of Bees by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEmery Hazard has pretty much everything under control. He and his fiancé, John-Henry Somerset, are more in love than ever, despite the stress of wedding preparations hanging over them. His business as a private investigator is growing. He’s even enjoying time with his growing circle of friends... -
The Vampire's Sunny Sweetheart by Kristen Painter
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWelcome to Nocturne Falls, the town where Halloween is celebrated 365 days a year. The tourists think it's all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs, fur, and all... -
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Ride or Dye by Aimee Nicole Walker
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsGabe and Josh Roman-Wyatt have been living life in the fast lane. Demanding jobs, precocious twin toddlers, an ever-growing circle of friends, and a menagerie of pets means their home is filled with love and laughter but very few quiet moments for the happy couple. Gabe’s solution is to plan a surprise vacation at a perfect hideaway where the two of them can slow things down and reconnect... -
Playing with Lies by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA no-strings kinda guy and a forever kinda woman…what could go wrong?I had a stalker and I knew just who to ask for help—Detective Dalton Neary. My own personal Prince Charming. The problem was, he turned out not to be so charming, at least not in the forever kind of way I was looking for. He was a good-time guy with a sexy smile and a goat game that should be illegal. But not the man for me...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc romance suspense mystery law-enforcement womens-fiction -
Wrecked Palace by Catherine Cowles
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOne night was all it took for everything to change.From college student to guardian in a single breath.My siblings became my world.No time for date nights or romantic dreams.I traded quiet weekends for sleepless nights.Giving my all to make sure they were cared for.But Griffin had a brokenness that called to me—one that mirrored my own.Gruff and just a little bit reckless... -
Blaze by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe rings have been selected. The champagne placed on ice. The cake decorated. And the pre-wedding sex is off the charts... Lucas Vallois and Andrei Hadeon are finally ready to walk down the aisle. There’s just one small problem. A ghost from Lucas’s past shows up days before the wedding, desperate for help... -
Tallowwood by N.R. Walker
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsCold cases, murder, lies, and an unimaginable truth.Sydney detective August Shaw has spent the last decade of work solving cold cases. Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone — and that’s exactly how he likes it... -
Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Devil is in the details . . . Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries)...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine humor action-adventure adult age-gap audiobook -
Delicate Escape by Catherine Cowles
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTrust doesn’t come easily when you’ve been running for as long as I have, which is why moving in with a man I barely know is such a bad idea.Shepard Colson is all golden-boy charm and devastating good looks. But I know what it’s like to be taken in by easy smiles and the promise of forever—I have the scars to prove it...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc romance suspense contemporary audiobook fiction -
A Dye Hard Holiday by Aimee Nicole Walker
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of year for Gabe and Josh Roman-Wyatt as they celebrate their first holidays as fathers, but someone’s war on St. Nick threatens to ruin their holly jolly Christmas... -
Wicked Heart by Ivy Layne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFinn Sawyer hates everything about being back in Sawyers Bend. He walked away from his family years before, living off his wits and skills in the kitchen, refining his craft as he worked his way across Europe. Then the father who left him for dead is murdered, and the will offers Finn a chance at his dream...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc humor romance suspense enemies-to-lovers billionaire -
I Do, or Dye Trying by Aimee Nicole Walker
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNewly engaged Josh Roman and Gabe Wyatt know the road to happily ever after won’t be easy, but the two men are certain their biggest challenges are in the rearview mirror. However, life in Blissville is never what it seems and all signs point to dangerous curves ahead... -
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Off Duty Volume 2 by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHazard and Somerset: Off Duty Volume 2 is a collection of short stories. It includes the following:“John-Henry Somerset: Sold!”Somers enters a charity bachelor’s auction without telling his boyfriend. This story takes place before The Rational Faculty.“Pretty and Pink and Perfect”Hazard plans a toddler’s birthday party. This story takes place before The Rational Faculty... -
Before We Fall by Aurora Rose Reynolds
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTucker Beckett and I likely never would have met if our spouses weren’t having an affair.Newly divorced with a young son to raise Tucker Beckett is the last man Miranda Owens should be itching to figure out, to make smile, and hear laugh. Still there is something about the detective with haunted blue eyes and a dirty mouth that draws her in from the moment they meet. If only life were so simple...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc romance contemporary suspense law-enforcement mystery -
Police Brutality by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor the first time in a long while, Emery Hazard’s life is good. His new business as a private detective is taking off. Things are good at home. He loves his boyfriend, John-Henry Somerset; he loves their daughter. He might even love the new friends they’ve found. There’s only one problem: Somers has been talking about marriage... -
The Rational Faculty by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThree months have passed since Emery Hazard and John-Henry Somerset faced a madman and lived to tell about it. Three months have passed since Emery Hazard resigned from his job as a detective. Three months can be too long and too short, all at the same time. On Halloween, a professor at the local college is murdered in his apartment, in front of dozens of witnesses. Then the killer disappears... -
Relative Justice by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn impossible son. An impossible murder. The honeymoon is definitely over. When Emery Hazard and his husband, John-Henry Somerset, arrive home from their honeymoon, they’re shocked (understatement of the year) to find a boy waiting for them on their doorstep. Colt, fifteen and eager to pick a fight, claims to be Hazard’s son... -
Father Complex by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHaving a father can be hard. Being a good one might be even harder.The call-out for the double homicide, when it comes, is a strange one: two men gunned down in a motel room, no witnesses, no real clues. Even stranger, the men were enemies, and no one seems to know why they were in that motel room together... -
Bourbon & Lies by Victoria Wilder
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn Fiasco, Kentucky, there is one rule: never fall for a Foxx brother. Any woman who did, ended up dead—or so the rumor goes. Townies call it a curse. But I’ve lived it, and I won’t survive it again.I’m not a cop anymore, but I’ve seen enough danger to know that Laney Young, the beautiful stranger who just showed up in my small town, is running from it... -
A Match for a Bookish Bride by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCan a worried mother find the perfect matches for her family of eccentrics on remote Whale Island? Amelia In the spring of 1910, an advertisement I spotted in the Boston newspaper called out to me. “Wealthy family in need of secretary on Whale Island. Must have an affinity for books.” When I’m offered the position, I do not hesitate to pack my meagre belongings and travel to Washington state...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc romance historical-fiction historical fiction mystery -
Things We Hide From the Light by Lucy Score
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsNash Morgan was always known as the good Morgan brother, with a smile and a wink for everyone. But now, this chief of police is recovering from being shot and his Southern charm has been overshadowed by panic attacks and nightmares. He feels like a broody shell of the man he once was. Nash isn’t about to let anyone in his life know he’s struggling... -
Mack's Perfectly Ghastly Homecoming by A.J. Sherwood
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMack’s over the moon to not only have Brandon but to finally be done with all their training. With the official FBI stamp of approval, they are ready to start ghost busting. The very last place he wants to be sent to is his hometown of Opelousas, Louisiana, however. But a child is being terrorized, and when he discovers it’s his favorite cousin, all reluctance is forgotten... -
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Micah by Louisa Masters
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWanted: Demon assistant for incubus genius. Personal services required…Nobody ever expected to find a secret cave protected by a giant puzzle door in the mountains near our village. Even more surprising was the knowledge that it’s been there for thousands of years and was created by a dragon. I’m not the only one who’s dying to find out what’s inside... -
Pieces of a Life by Jewel E. Ann
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe summer before fourth grade, Colten Mosley moved into the house across the street from mine, and we became inseparable.He played the piano and baseball.I had a penchant for dead things while at the same time imagining what it would be like to kiss Colten.We were filled with curiosity and overly active imaginations.We were also forbidden to be more than friends.But that didn’t stop us...Categorized as:
humor grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc romance paranormal suspense contemporary -
Reckless Trust by Nyssa Kathryn
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt’s a long-awaited homecoming…but not everyone’s happy about her return. Five years ago, Tilly Taylor’s father did something that cost her everything. Her home. Her friends. And all the trust she’d ever earned. Now she’s back, and ready to prove to everyone that she’s nothing like Martin Taylor. Unfortunately, the small town of Misty Peak doesn’t forgive or forget so easily...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc romance contemporary suspense military mystery -
Fatal Felons by Elle Thorpe
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPlease note this is the third and final book in a trilogy, and this blurb contains spoilers for books 1 and 2. Start the series with Locked Up Liars, and Solitary Sinners before reading on!When a judge declared Heath guilty and sentenced him to death row, everything we’d been fighting for went up in flames.We have no excuses. No appeals. No freedom.Now, there’s only one way out... -
Heart2Heart: Volume 5 by Lucy Lennox, A.M. Arthur
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsVolume five in the best-selling charity anthology is coming soon! Featuring brand new stories from incredible authors:AM Arthur - Alice Winters - Daryl BannerEM Lindsey - Jodi Payne - K Webster - Kate HawthorneLouisa Masters - Lucy Lennox - Mia Monroe - Neve WilderRiley Hart - SE Harmon - Spencer Spears - Tal... -
Off Duty by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHazard and Somerset: Off Duty is a collection of short stories. It includes the following: “Tickets to the Gun Show” Emery Hazard just wants to take his boyfriend to a concert, but some people are assholes... -
Smoke in the Mirror by Aimee Nicole Walker
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMemphis Sullivan thought he was coming to Blissville to help his cousin out, but instead, he gained three meddlesome females, a tribe, and a permanent home. More than a year later, he owns a popular comic book and vinyl record store and doesn’t think his life could get any better... -
That’s the Art of Getting By by Sarewolf
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“What do you want me to do?” Remus says, tiredly. All he wants is to curl up on his bed. Smoke a pack of cigarettes. Get drunk. He can’t stop looking at Harry.“Remus...” Dumbledore is gentle. Remus hates when he has that tone. Hates that he knows it will hurt. “There is no one else left.”A bitter laugh escapes him... -
The Pretend Fiancé Fiasco by Pippa Grant
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA reclusive former celebrity, a recovering good girl, and small town trouble...It started as a joke. After a string of bad boyfriends, I made up a fake boyfriend so people would quit asking when I was going to meet a grumpy lumberjack trying to save his mama’s inn in my adopted hometown.When my grandma demanded proof from afar, I sent her a picture of me and my “boyfriend...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc humor romance contemporary audiobook friends-to-lovers -
Hitched by Lucy Lennox, May Archer
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsFormer Marine Percy “Champ” Champion has never encountered a problem he can’t handle. Flying bullets? Daring jungle rescues? Building Champion Security from the ground up? Making people seriously regret using his hated first name? No problem. He’s gotten the job done without a hitch each and every time... -
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The Gift by May Archer
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDanielI suck at relationships and don’t trust anyone, but there are reasons for that. For one thing, every person I’ve ever cared about has let me down. The only recent exception: O’Leary’s town veterinarian...my new best friend. I came to O’Leary for a fresh start. To pare things down to essentials. To forget about the failures in my past... -
Gone Too Deep by Katie Ruggle
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn the remote Rocky Mountains, lives depend on the Search & Rescue brotherhood. But in a place this far off the map, trust is hard to come by and secrets can be murder... George Holloway has spent his life alone, exploring the treacherous beauty of the Colorado Rockies...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine humor action-adventure adult alpha-mc amateur-sleuth -
Lotus by Jennifer Hartmann
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsTo the rest of the world, he was the little boy who went missing on the Fourth of July.To me, he was everything.My heart hasn't been the same since he disappeared, but I've learned to build my life around that missing piece.Twenty-two years later, the last thing I expect is for that missing piece to come back.His name is Oliver Lynch, and this is his story.This is our story... -
The School of Starting Over by Lisa Swift
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNell’s going back to school… but now she’s learning lessons of the heartReception class teacher Nell Shackleton has a plan. At least, she had until she arrived at her new home of Humblebee Farm, a dilapidated farmhouse on the Yorkshire moors... -
Perfectly You by Claudia Y. Burgoa
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsUSA TODAY Bestselling Author Claudia Burgoa brings us a light-hearted small-town romantic comedy full of a swoon-worthy billionaire, single dad romance, and big laughs. I need a massive break.So long to my cheating boyfriend and betraying roommate.Goodbye hectic emergency room and long hours... -
Fated With Firelight by Ashe Moon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAs the shrine priest, omega Enry’s matehood is prized and sought after by the less-than-eligible alphas of his secluded human village. It’s the night of the claiming competition, and just when it seems like Enry’s fate is decided, a winged figure appears in the moonlit sky... -
Erik's Redemption by Nyssa Kathryn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe difference between delight and devastation…a single moment.Until recently, Hannah Jacobs thought she was living. One look at her new neighbor, and she knows she was simply surviving. Going through her days hiding behind a mask, similar to the broken man next door. Together, they slowly realize they want more…happiness, love, a future...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc audiobook contemporary military suspense mystery -
Bed of Roses by D.V. Fischer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI never thought I'd fall for a murderer. As an old employee at a funeral home, Tegan's life had been full of corpses. When her parents died, she couldn't take being surrounded by death anymore. She had to get away, and to do that, she moved to a small, sleepy town in Utah. When Tegan rented a house sight-unseen, she had been told it would need a lot of work... -
Covenant by Ann McMan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPresent Day: Jericho, Virginia.Covenant continues the beloved saga of the residents of Jericho, a sleepy town in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, where life and love have as many twists and turns as a winding mountain road.Six weeks have passed since the fateful unfolding of events at the town’s Fourth of July celebration... -
Again with Feeling by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWe might not be doomed to repeat the past. But it’s pretty likely.When Dashiell Dawson Dane receives a phone call from his nemesis Vivienne Carver (okay, one of his nemeses), he’s caught off guard—to say the least—by her help solve the murder of her brother, who disappeared almost thirty years ago. His gut tells him to say no... -
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Beyond the Thistles by Samantha Young
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsIt’s been a long time since Walker Ironside left behind Scotland and the memories that haunt him. Yet after years of traveling the world as a bodyguard, Walker misses his homeland enough to return. To a village in the Scottish Highlands that plays host to an exclusive members-only club, Ardnoch Estate... -
Real Risk by Elle Keaton
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt's possible they're a match but first the two men will have to survive trial by fire. Chief Flynn is fighting smoke and flames, tirelessly protecting the lives and property of his fellow islanders from yet another spate of fires.Arson or accident?When injury puts him on the sidelines, West Coast Forensics Arson Investigator Kimball Frye offers his assistance... -
Claim by Anna Hackett
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIt was only supposed to be one night—a hot, nameless encounter with the gruff, gorgeous, older stranger.When you’re on the run from a killer, you can’t afford attachments. For over a year, I’ve been alone, never staying in one place long, fighting to survive.But when the tall, muscled man with the intriguing ink steps in to help me with an obnoxious admirer, we end up sharing a coffee...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc romance contemporary suspense audiobook military -
Flat Whites & Chocolate Fish by Jay Hogan
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsADRIAN POWELL has a secret, a secret he’s guarded for 17 years. But it’s come at a cost—few friends, fewer lovers and a lifetime of loneliness. If he’s a bit grumpy and a tad pessimistic, who can blame him? So, exactly how he’s ended up with a bunch of nosy friends, a beautiful lakeside cottage and a successful business, is beyond him... -
Code of Ethics by April White
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThere are three things you need to know about Oliver:1) He’s a fabulously wealthy playboy who incidentally happens to be a code-writing genius,2) For maybe the first time in his life, he’s trying to do the right thing, and3) Someone wants him dead.Oliver’s life has already been saved once by the gorgeous yet grumpy “close protection specialist” provided by Cipher Security, Dallas...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine humor action-adventure adult audiobook billionaire -
The Rumble and the Glory by J.A. Huss
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCollin Creed is a killer. But he's Lowyn's killer. And after a twelve-year separation, she wants him back.Deep in the hills of West Virginia, three small towns have found a way to flourish in the face of extreme poverty. Disciple runs a side-show tent revival that brings in millions of dollars a year...
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