Book picks similar to
Under the Hood by Sally Clements


romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance
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The Merman's Kiss


Tamsin Ley - 2017
    Instead, she falls into the arms of a sexy, sleek-tailed monster. He’s wild, seductive, and sets her blood on fire every time he touches her, and soon she begins to need him for more than his magic to breathe underwater. He might just give her a new reason to live.Zantu has evaded the mate-bond for thirty-five years, dodging promiscuous mermaids with vile intents. Unlike mermaids, mermen bond for life, and Zantu refuses to accept the heartbreak most mermen die of. That is, until the glint of gold catches his eye, and a simple salvage mission turns to passion. Now he’s bonded to a human, and begins to wonder if bonding to the right mate might not be so bad. The problem? A finless female won’t live long among the dangers of the sea.Now Zantu must choose between keeping her at his side, and keeping her safe. Either way, he’s sure he’ll end up with a broken heart.Content Warning: Explicit love scenes, dangerous mermaids, and sexy merman secrets. Guaranteed HEA with no cliffhangers. Intended for mature audiences.

How (Not) to Find a Boyfriend


Allyson Valentine - 2013
    . . and finding yourself. Sophomore Nora Fulbright is the most talented and popular new cheerleader on the Riverbend High cheer squad. Never mind that she used to be queen of the nerds—a chess prodigy who answered every question first, aced every test and repelled friends at every turn—because this year, Nora is determined to fully transition from social pupa to full blown butterfly, even if it means dumbing down her entire schedule. But when funny, sweet and very cute Adam moves to town and steals Nora’s heart with his ultra-smarts and illegally cute dimple, Nora has a problem. How can she prove to him that she’s not a complete airhead? Nora devises a seemingly simple plan to barter her way into Adam’s classes that involves her classmates, friends—and her older brother Phil’s award-winning AP history paper. But soon, Nora can barely keep track of her trades, and struggles to stay in control of her image.In the end, the only thing that can save Nora is a chess tournament—that she has to compete in wearing her cheerleading uniform. Can she prove to everyone that she can be both a butterfly and a nerd? Allyson Valentine has created a story so full of enamoring characters, pitch-perfect humor, and delightfully frustrating romance that it will leave you cheering.  Great for fans of Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss, Susanne Colosanti and Sarah Dessen.

Taste the Heat


Rachel Harris - 2013
    One Cajun chef, One combustible kitchen…When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she doesn’t want to taste. Colby is counting down the days till she can leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas. Fire captain Jason Landry isn’t looking for love, either. He knows he should focus on finding the perfect mother for his daughter, but when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can’t help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason doesn’t want to say no. As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn’t as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility of getting burned?

Love, Comment, Subscribe


Cathy Yardley - 2021
    Now, at twenty-eight, she feels like she’s finally on the cusp of succeeding as a beauty influencer—if she can hit five million subscribers, brands will take notice and she could get her own makeup line.Fellow Nerd Herd alum Tobin Bui has had a lot of success as a YouTube gamer. But the road to online stardom has been rocky. First, he disappointed his parents by dropping out of college, and now, after years of pranks, skits, and playthroughs, he’s struggling to come up with new content to satisfy his ever-growing fan base. His agents say he needs cross-audience appeal, a new twist.When Nerd Herd frenemy Lily approaches Tobin about teaming up to do a video to bolster her brand and reinvigorate his, he agrees. But when their first collab video goes viral, their relationship heats up too. With the whole internet watching, will these two former misfits finally realize they’re perfect together?

Five Days in Skye


Carla Laureano - 2013
    When she's sent to meet Scottish celebrity chef James MacDonald on the Isle of Skye, she just wants to finish her work as efficiently as possible. Yet her client is not the opportunistic womanizer he portrays himself to be, and her attraction to him soon dredges up memories she'd rather leave buried. For James, renovating the family hotel is a fulfillment of his late father's dreams. When his hired consultant turns out to be beautiful, intelligent, and completely unimpressed by his public persona, he makes it his mission to win her over. He just never expects to fall under her spell.Soon, both Andrea and James must face the reality that God may have a far different purpose for their lives—and that five days in Skye will forever change their outlook on life and love.

Two to Tangle


Leslie Kelly - 2002
    So when she finds herself alone, on a secluded beach, with the object of her nightly fantasies, she decides to go for it. And wakes up to discover she's had the best sex of her life--with Troy's twin brother...But this was Ridiculous...Trent Langtree has a fledgling business, a nosy family...and a bad case of the hots for sassy Chloe Weston. The gorgeous brunette is smart, spirited and sexy as hell. She's everything he's ever wanted in a woman...except she thinks he's his brother, Troy. But Trent has plans to convince Chloe that he's her man. After all, in the battle between the sheets, this brother always comes out on top...

The Billionaire Bride


Marquita Valentine - 2015
     It’s not easy being the woman most likely to be married to a fortune hunter, but Kate Von Lichtenstein has a plan to deter even the most determined gold digger. She’ll take a page right out of her favorite historical romance novel — with her own unique spin — and marry a man of her choosing before the public gets wind of how much money she actually inherited from her grandparents. And who fits the bill better than the sexy and charming American businessman, Noah Sawyer? After selling his share of the successful tech company, Noah Sawyer lost everything when an unscrupulous real estate lawyer stole the money he intended to use to purchase a huge swath of land worth millions. So, when a chance meeting with a hot brunette at a friend’s wedding turns into a mutually beneficial business arrangement, Noah jumps at the chance to salvage his business. However, the sexy land developer has no intention of his marriage to Kate being in name only…

Falling for You


Noelle Stevens - 2016
    This book ends on a cliffhanger, but the entire series is available in a bundle called Searching for Love: The Complete Story.Newly divorced and deeply wounded, all Reese Montgomery wants is to find true love. After her ex-husband tells her she no longer measures up and then unceremoniously dumps her, she realizes her background--a father in prison, an alcoholic mother--makes her undesirable. When she meets Brody Ford on a beach in Malibu, her attraction is instant, as is her certainty that they are all wrong for each other.Brody, a self-made man from a close-knit family, is lonely. After losing the woman he loves in a car accident, he believes he'll never love again. When a chance encounter brings Reese into his life, something about her touches him. And he wants more. But her reluctance to open her heart forces him to work harder to win her over than he's ever had to work before.Will they be able to heal the hurts each carries, or are they too wounded to find the love they're searching for?Falling for You is a sweet, clean contemporary romance.Books in the Searching for Love romance series (4 books total)Falling for YouFinding ReeseSurrender My HeartBring Me Home

What Wendy Wants


Nikki Sex - 2013
    As much as she loves her husband, Frank, Wendy married "Mr. Vanilla." Now she reads nothing but erotic romance on her Kindle and fantasizes about having sex with fictional characters, complete strangers, and tattooed rock stars.Sometimes even the T.V. weatherman looks good.One fateful day however, her husband grabs the wrong Kindle on the way to work, and discovers some of Wendy's more "interesting' fantasies. Unbeknownst to Wendy, Frank is very keen to fulfil every one of her secret desires.

The Paid Bridesmaid


Sariah Wilson - 2022
    Discretion guaranteed. Her next gig is a destination wedding—livestreamed and sponsored—for an Instagram influencer. That means a paradise of new contacts, which could be a boon to her already booming business. If Rachel can keep the very handsome and slightly too interested best man at bay, that is.High-tech entrepreneur Camden Lewis must know: Who is this gorgeous, intelligent, and mysterious woman? Too good to be real. Convinced she’s a corporate spy out to tank his company, Camden’s not letting her out of his sight. But the constant surveillance is also opening his eyes to things about Rachel that he likes. If she’s a spy, she’s certainly the cutest one he’s ever seen.As the week’s worth of wedding events march along, Rachel and Camden are learning almost everything there is to know about each other. Rachel’s made a career out of always a bridesmaid…but perhaps there’s a chance for her own trip down the aisle?

The Best Week of My Life


Suzanne D. Williams - 2013
    So falling face-down at the feet of Carter Pruitt while on vacation miles away from home was simply another in a long list of her misfortunes. Yet what started out as the worst day ever is looking up with each minute that passes. Is it possible he actually likes her for who she is? Or is he yet another person laughing behind her back?These seven days could quite possibly be the best week of her life.

Saving the CEO


Jenny Holiday - 2014
    Lots of rules. After all, a man doesn’t build an empire without a little discipline. And on page one of the rulebook? Don’t sleep with your employees. Especially when there’s a multimillion dollar real estate deal at stake... Luckily for Jack, Cassie James isn’t really his employee. She’s a hot bartender who just happens to be the math genius he needs, and if they share a wicked chemistry? Well, that's just a sexy little perk. So they strike a deal: Cassie helps Jack with the merger. And until the deal goes through at Christmas, they can indulge every sexy little impulse they desire. But the more rules Jack makes, the more he seems to break...

Megaballs


Erin Noelle - 2016
    Though a sister with cotton candy for brains, a spatula-wielding six-year-old niece with a British accent, and the mysterious businessman who left me that damn ticket are all currently vying for the top spot. When I became the sole winner of a $270 million Megaball jackpot, thanks to a sexy stranger who left a lottery ticket instead of paying for his meal, my entire world flipped upside-down. Now, with money-sucking vultures, douchebags by the dozens, and a horde of total hotties just waiting to get their mangy paws on my newfound fortune, I set out to locate the man who gifted me the winning ticket--to properly thank him. However, when I finally find the cocky, self-absorbed business tycoon, Teague Goodman, I'm not sure whether I want to slap him... or ring his MEGABALLS.

The Curve Ball


J.S. Scott - 2012
    Unfortunately, he was also the man that she had secretly adored for over a year. What chance did an overweight pastry chef have with a hunk like Jake Rawlins?Jake Rawlins wants Maggie Jones, but he can't get her to take his advances seriously. He's been hinting around for a year. Now he's ready to take drastic measures to get Maggie to notice him.Will Maggie realize that her Prince Charming has finally arrived at the ball, or will she miss out on having a man who truly wants her exactly the way she is just because of her insecurities?This is a short story erotic romance.18+ Only. This story contains graphic sex, graphic language and other subjects for mature audiences only.

Love on Beach Avenue


Jennifer Probst - 2020
    Making dreams come true is her business at Sunshine Bridal, which she runs with her two sisters. When her best friend announces her engagement, Avery is thrilled to take charge of the giddy bride-to-be’s big day. Less thrilling? Her best friend's arrogant and demanding brother, who just so happens to be the man of honor.Carter Ross’s first instinct: call 911. He promised to always take care of his impulsive little sister, and he honors that vow. Even if it means taking over her wedding, where he is sure Avery will fail. At best, Avery is unpredictable. At worst, if she’s anything like the spitfire of a college girl he remembers, the main event could run wild.With Avery and Carter wrestling for control, tempers heat up. So does the spark of attraction they’re fighting with every kiss. As the wedding draws near, it’s time to reconcile a rocky past and make a decision that could change everyone’s lives. Because what they’re rebelling against looks a lot like love.