Do you know any books like "Dream a little dream" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips? Or books about women who are down on their luck (or on their last dollar or even running from something evil in their past) and will do anything to succeed.  The more highly emotional read, the better (meaning an emotionally twisted character!)

Thanks!

I would recommend:

-Mary by Janis Cooke Newman (It's a fictional novel, but with accurate facts, about Mary Todd Lincoln. Her story is very heartbreaking and emotional)

-The Bride Bed by Linda Needham (The heroine cares deeply about the castle she's inherited and is reluctant to marry someone for fear of losing the land)

-The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (A tale of the future that tells of the slavery and material worth of women through the eyes of the heroine)

-Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (A teenage girl that is in an abusive relationship)

-Golden Dreams by Anna Deforest (The heroine is left penniless after her father's death)

-That Camden Summer by LaVyrle Spencer (She is divorced and moves back to her hometown with her daughters, much to the dismay of her mother and sister. She's harassed and outcasted)

I hope some of these catch your interest!

I ADORE Dream a Little Dream by SEP! Other books I would recommend that fit your description include:

Contemporaries:

Shades of Twilight - Linda Howard (Oh my goodness - this one is amazing - don't even want to get into the details or I'll ruin it!)

After the Night - Linda Howard (extreme poverty - child abuse - homelessness)

Cry No More - Linda Howard - (Death of a child - horrendous grief and divorce)

Blue Eyed Devil - Lisa Kleypas (Domestic Abuse - running from an abusive -sociopathic husband)

Historicals:

The Secret Pearl - Mary Balogh (Heroine is about to sell herself on the streets as a prostitute rather than starve to death)

Morning Glory - Lavyrle Spencer (Heroine is a impoverished widow who survived child abuse and is viewed as the town crazy)

The Precious Jewel - Mary Balogh (Heroine is a prostitute)

The Wives of Bowie Stone - Mary Osborne (Heroine is a survivor of severe child abuse/sexual abuse)

Ditto on Mary by Janis Cooke Newman.........

The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas

You also might try SEP's Natural Born Charmer, I would say that Blue is down on her luck and sure could use some of Dean's shine. It was a wonderful book!

Baby Love by Catherine Anderson