Cover of Tell Me Lies

Tell Me Lies

Jennifer Crusie

romantic comedy(13k)

When her cheating husband turns up dead, Maddie's small-town life unravels — and her bad-boy first love is back.

Content Warnings
cheating/infidelitydeath of loved one

Description

An unfaithful husband's untimely end has the whole town talking in "a ferociously funny, sexy read" by the New York Times–bestselling author ( Redbook). Maddie Faraday's life in Frog Point, Ohio, would be perfect—if it weren't for her cheating husband, her suspicious daughter, her gossipy mother, her secretive best friend, her nosy neighbors, and the bad-boy-turned-accountant she lost her virginity to twenty years ago. And now that her husband—whose tawdry affair is far from his only dark secret—has been found dead, Maddie's life is getting less perfect by the minute . . . In Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Cruise dishes up a funny, sexy, suspenseful novel about small-town secrets, big-time betrayals, and the redemptive power of love, laughter, and chocolate brownies. "An exciting, sensual romp, chock-full of mystery and intriguing characters . . . hours of fun reading." — Library Journal "A humorous mixture of romance, mystery, and mayhem." —Susan Elizabeth Phillips, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Simply the Best "A wonderfully fresh, funny, tender, and outrageous story that will delight fans of the comic mystery. There's a hint of Susan Isaacs in her writing, but Crusie is definitely one of a kind." — Booklist

Books like this

Cover of Simply Irresistible (Lucky Harbor, #1)

Simply Irresistible (Lucky Harbor, #1)

Jill Shalvis

contemporary romanceLucky Harbor #1
(36k)

Three sisters return to a sleepy coastal town to fix a crumbling inn — and find love along the way.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

6 tropes in common

Cover of Delilah Green Doesn't Care

Delilah Green Doesn't Care

Ashley Herring Blake

romantic comedyBright Falls #1
(126k)

A jaded photographer returns to her hometown and can't resist charming her stepsister's buttoned-up best friend.

return to hometownsmall townbad boy

6 tropes in common

Cover of Totally Folked: A Small Town Romantic Comedy

Totally Folked: A Small Town Romantic Comedy

Penny Reid

romantic comedyGood Folk: Modern Folktales #1
(11k)

A notorious small-town deputy and a mega movie star reconnect after one unforgettable night — with scandal in tow.

return to hometownsmall townbad boy

6 tropes in common

Cover of Anything You Can Do

Anything You Can Do

R.S. Grey

romantic comedy
(22k)

Two childhood rivals-turned-doctors bring their war back to their small town — and into each other's arms.

return to hometownsmall townbad boy

6 tropes in common

Cover of The Bachelor (Chandler Brothers, #1)

The Bachelor (Chandler Brothers, #1)

Carly Phillips

contemporary romanceChandler Brothers #1
(11k)

Three Chandler brothers, one small town, and the women stubborn enough to make them believe in forever.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

6 tropes in common

Cover of How to Save an Undead Life

How to Save an Undead Life

Hailey Edwards

urban fantasy romanceThe Beginner's Guide to Necromancy #1
(10k)

An ex-necromancer hiding in Savannah gets a second chance at magic — and maybe her ex-crush next door.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

7 tropes in common

Cover of Talk Me Down (Tumble Creek, #1)

Talk Me Down (Tumble Creek, #1)

Victoria Dahl

contemporary romanceTumble Creek #1
(11k)

A secret erotica author moves home and finds her muse — and maybe love — in the straitlaced chief of police.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

7 tropes in common

Cover of Fearless

Fearless

Lauren Gilley

contemporary romanceDartmoor #1
(5k)

The outlaw biker who guarded her whole life crossed a line when she was 17 — now she's 22 and he's back.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

5 tropes in common

Cover of Truly Madly Deeply

Truly Madly Deeply

L.J. Shen

contemporary romanceForbidden Love #1
(69k)

A grumpy Michelin-starred chef must resist his sister's best friend — the sunshine girl he can't stop wanting.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

6 tropes in common

Cover of INTOLERABLE BILLIONAIRE'S FAKE FIANCE: A SECOND CHANCE, BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND ROMANCE

INTOLERABLE BILLIONAIRE'S FAKE FIANCE: A SECOND CHANCE, BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND ROMANCE

Gillian Pierce

contemporary romance
(5)

She gave him her heart (and her v-card) — now he wants her to play fake fiancée to his ex. Hard pass.

second chancesmall townbad boy

6 tropes in common

Cover of The Dead Guy Next Door (Riley Thorn #1)

The Dead Guy Next Door (Riley Thorn #1)

Lucy Score

romantic comedyRiley Thorn #1
(66k)

A broke, possibly psychic divorcée teams up with a dangerously hot PI to clear her name in a murder case.

small townbad boy

6 tropes in common

Cover of Pulled Over: A Curvy Girl/Former Bully Cop Romance

Pulled Over: A Curvy Girl/Former Bully Cop Romance

Darcy Gray

romantic comedy
(22)

Her high school bully is now a cop — and he keeps pulling her over for all the wrong (right) reasons.

second chancesmall townbad boy

6 tropes in common

Cover of The Girl Most Likely To...

The Girl Most Likely To...

Susan Donovan

contemporary romance
(2k)

She left at 16 with his secret. Now she's back — gorgeous, furious, and dangerously close to falling for him again.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

5 tropes in common

Cover of The Highland Kiss

The Highland Kiss

Amy McGavin

contemporary romanceTrue Scotsman #1
(2k)

She fled her wedding and ran straight into the grumpy Scottish hotel owner — her very first kiss.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

5 tropes in common

Cover of Hosed

Hosed

Pippa Grant & Lili Valente

romantic comedyHappy Cat #1
(10k)

The world's oldest virgin nerd moves next door to the hot firefighter who broke her heart in high school.

second chancesmall townbad boy

6 tropes in common

Cover of Rock Bottom Girl

Rock Bottom Girl

Lucy Score

contemporary romance
(72k)

Broke and dumped at 38, she fakes a relationship with the town's bad-boy coach — and the orgasms are very real.

return to hometownsmall townbad boy

6 tropes in common

Cover of The Summer We Fell

The Summer We Fell

Elizabeth O'Roark

contemporary romanceThe Summer #1
(40k)

A decade later, tragedy reunites her with her ex's best friend — the one she could never quite hate enough.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

4 tropes in common

Cover of The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret, #1)

The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret, #1)

Jessica Sorensen

new adult romanceThe Secret #1
(71k)

She ran from home — and him — to bury her secrets, but Micha next door won't let her disappear again.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

4 tropes in common

Cover of The Bodyguard's Second Chance: A Damsel in Distress Brother’s Best Friend Romance

The Bodyguard's Second Chance: A Damsel in Distress Brother’s Best Friend Romance

Hailey Barr

romantic suspense
(112)

Her brother's ex-military best friend is back — tattooed, regretful, and the only one who can save her from her past.

return to hometownsecond chancesmall town

5 tropes in common

Cover of Entangled with the Grumpy Firefighter: A Small Town Brother's Best Friend Romance

Entangled with the Grumpy Firefighter: A Small Town Brother's Best Friend Romance

Amelia Belle

contemporary romance
(155)

She returns to her small town only to be rescued from a fire by her brother's brooding best friend — then forced to nurs

return to hometownsmall townbad boy

4 tropes in common