Book picks similar to
A Missing Heart by Shari J. Ryan


arc
ugly-cry
standalone
contemporary-romance

For Finlay


J. Nathan - 2017
    Each book follows a new couple.Finlay Thatcher is a lost soul, guilt-ridden after the death of her twin brother. When Alabama's football coach gives her the opportunity to work for him, she knows it's her chance to move on, even if it means living her brother's dream. Caden Brooks is Alabama's star quarterback. He's got it all. The attention of adoring fans. A girlfriend who'd do anything to hold on to him. And a future in the pros. He's getting along just fine until Finlay steps into his life, despising him at first sight and pushing his buttons like no other. Unfortunately for Finlay, and her attempt to keep Caden at arm's length, there's nothing Caden loves more than a challenge. The problem with this challenge is she comes with a secret that has the power to destroy everything.

Liquid Regret


M.J. Carnal - 2014
    He’s talented, he’s gorgeous, and he’s spinning completely out of control. His dark past is threatening to ruin everything he’s worked so hard for. When a story leaked to the press has the power to clean up his image, he doesn’t see another way out.Mia Lee has spent the past year forgetting about the week that changed her life forever. A chance encounter brings her face to face with the man who has the power to break her heart all over again. She wants the fairytale, but Damien Reynolds is no prince. How far is she willing to go to live out her dream of the perfect relationship?Being famous comes with a price. The paparazzi are hungry, late nights are filled with women lining up waiting for their chance, and danger lurks around the corner. Sometimes the best security detail in the world can’t change what’s already been set in motion.Losing what’s most important has the power to shatter the future. In a world full of darkness, can Damien chase away his demons before it’s too late? After a loss that rocks him to the core, can he take a chance on love again? Or will his past be what truly defines him?

As You Turn Away


Molli Moran - 2014
    With a life as a ballerina in New York City—and the freedom she craved while growing up in a small Southern town—Quinn Reynolds seems to have everything she's ever wanted. But it's all built on a painful past she can't outrun. Desperate to make peace with her ghosts, she goes home for a visit. Back in the town she once loved, Quinn tries to rebuild the relationships she destroyed when she fled, which may be harder than she realized. And her life gets more complicated when Jonah Walker returns, reminding her of the love she's never been able to forget. Or experience with anyone else since him. Jonah Walker became someone he didn't recognize when he left his hometown to escape his anguish over losing Quinn. He kept his family at arm's length and became a shell of his former self. But if he hopes to find redemption, he has to own his mistakes—especially if he wants another chance with Quinn. Together, they struggle to forgive and create a new future. But Quinn could lose Jonah forever if they can't overcome their past and the obstacles ahead of them.(This book was updated with a new cover and new material/editing in 2017.)

Slip of the Tongue


Jessica Hawkins - 2016
    Nathan Hunt has her coffee waiting every morning. He holds her hand until the last second. He worships the Manhattan sidewalk she walks on. Until one day, he just…stops. And Sadie finds herself in the last place she ever expected to be. Lonely in her marriage.When rugged and sexy Finn Cohen moves into the apartment across the hall, he and Sadie share an immediate spark. Finn reveals dreams for a different life. Sadie wants to save her marriage. Their secrets should keep them apart, not ignite a blistering affair. But while Sadie’s marriage runs colder by the day, she and Finn burn hotter.Her husband doesn’t want her anymore.The man next door would give up everything to have her.Slip of the Tongue is a standalone contemporary romance. The second book in the series, The First Taste, is a standalone about a different couple.

Reckless Memories


Catherine Cowles - 2020
    From skinned knees to first dates and everything in between. But he was never mine to love. I settled for friendship, even though I always wanted more. That was before. Before he ripped my world apart and didn’t bother sticking around to help me pick up the pieces. I knit every last shred back together all on my own. And I’ve all but forgotten his name. Now, he’s back, and everything is torn apart once more. But he’s not the only one doing the tearing this time. And there might be no stopping the person who has it out for us both.

Dark Lessons


Julia Sykes - 2017
    That’s all it was supposed to be. So when my darkly domineering one-night stand turns out to be one of my instructors at Quantico, my life becomes far too complicated. I’m training as an FBI agent, but Jason has other forms of training in mind. Like bending me over his desk for a spanking.I try to resist him, but soon we’re stealing forbidden hours of lust when no one’s watching. It could cost us both our careers, but I can’t help myself. He’s broken, and I want to be his salvation.In return, he says he wants to protect me, to love me. But can he save me when my new job puts me directly in the path of danger?

Fake It for Me


Layla Valentine - 2017
     Will he still want me when the job is done? Fake It For Me is a steamy and romantic story from Layla Valentine and Ana Sparks; It’s a stand alone, with no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA. Also included is the entirety of Layla’s previous novels, Take Me, Buy Me, Bride Me, and Killer!

The Light We See


J. Lynn Bailey - 2019
    From Carpinteria, California, we left.In Arizona, we barely spoke.In New Mexico, I gave him a promise that I knew I couldn’t keep.In Texas, we slept under the stars.In Oklahoma, he told me a story I wouldn’t soon forget.In Louisiana, he gave my soul a voice.Between Arkansas and Mississippi, we took full advantage of an opportunity.In Tennessee, I studied his face.In Kentucky, he introduced me to his parents.In Ohio, he found my heart.In West Virginia, we drank whiskey and told ourselves that truths are better left untold.In Maryland, we felt the weight of the night.In Pennsylvania, his wife called.And in New York, I asked myself one question:Would he be able to let me go when it was time?

Untamed


Victoria Green - 2014
    That is, until she spends one hot night in the arms of sexy, unbridled Dare Wilde.She's a girl trapped in a rigid world she desperately wants to escape, and he's an untamed artist with an attitude, hell-bent on freeing her—body, mind, and soul. But Reagan's life is not her own, and Dare is not welcome in it. She can't include him in her carefully-controlled, extremely public lifestyle...and yet she cannot give him up.Will a shared passion for art—and, increasingly, each other—be enough to keep them together? Or will it be the thing that ultimately tears them apart?

Sweet Reunion


Melanie Shawn - 2012
    It makes her miss the simplicity of being a teenager, when she was surrounded by her amazing friends, The Fabulous Four, and she was madly in love with her Dad's right hand man, Justin Barnes. His sexy smiles and deep brown eyes had made her heart race in a way she's never felt before or since. When the Fabulous Four unexpectedly show up on her doorstep to support her through this complicated time, things seem to be looking up for Amanda. But that's not the only surprise visit in store for her...Justin Barnes left Hope Falls ten years ago, in the dead of night, and didn't think he'd ever set foot there again. That was just fine with him, except for one little complication: Amanda Jacobs. He had fallen in love with her unruly blonde curls and sparkling sapphire eyes, but she had been a teenager then, five years younger than he - too young for him to act on his attraction. Still, he'd missed her every single day of those ten years. When Justin receives a phone call that his former mentor has passed away, he knows he has to return to Hope Falls. Justin just has one question - will the girl that once adored him have grown into a woman that can't stand him? Or will she still be the only thing in the world that feels like home?

Man Candy


Melanie Harlow - 2016
    And he looks good enough to eat, which is just one more reason to stay away from him. But I can’t resist.The sex is incredible (pretty sure we’ve shaken the house right off its foundation), but he can’t fool me—not this time. A degree in marketing and five years in advertising have taught me that “true love” is a fairy tale used to sell lipstick, diamonds, and perfume. It doesn’t exist.He thinks I’m wrong, and he wants to prove it.I think he’s crazy, so I dare him to try.It might be the biggest mistake of my life.

MONDAY: Tall, Dark & Aromatic


Fifi Flowers
    Basil, the man in question, is instantly smitten by Pansie and makes it his mission in life to woo her with his poetry and charm. Could it be that he is the man for her at the so-called Hookup Café?Novella - STANDALONE - book 1 of 6MEET all of THE COUPLES at Cafélicious...Basil and Pansie, MONDAY, book 1 Marzi and Avery, TUESDAY, book 2Nate and Evie, WEDNESDAY, book 3Deacon and Saylor, THURSDAY, book 4Mason and Vivienne, FRIDAY, book 5Vin and Darla, SATURDAY, book 6

Lost Love


Kelly Elliott - 2017
     But, here I stand … in front of my high school girlfriend. A beautiful, confident woman has replaced the young girl I once knew and loved. Hell. I’m still in love with her. Yep. Paxton Monroe was my first love and the one girl in town who now hated my guts. So much so, Paxton swore her revenge on me if it took her until the day she died. The last words she spoke to me were a vow to cut my dick off and shove it down my throat. The fight between my heart, my head, and last, but certainly not least, my dick starts tonight. Because all I can think about is how I want to be buried so deep inside Paxton she won’t remember how I broke her heart, or how I left her when she needed me the most. But who will win? My heart is too broken to listen to my head. And my dick, yeah it’s not listening to anything or anyone. Not until it gets what it wants and what it wants is Paxton Monroe. Lost Love is book one in the Cowboys and Angels Series.

Fragile Bonds


Sloan Johnson - 2014
    When she walked out of the house Xavier Ross bought as their forever home, she thought she was closing that door permanently, but fate had other plans. Xavier Ross tried to keep everyone at a distance until Melanie came into his life. The more he tried to fight his feelings for her, the more he fell in love. One rash decision fractured the trust that was essential to their relationship. Six years later, she is the last person he expects to see walk through his front door. Will Xavier and Mel be able to learn to trust one another again so they can fulfill a dying woman’s wish?

Holding Onto Forever


Heidi McLaughlin - 2017
    Making sure he worked hard to deserve the opportunities provided to him, Noah is where he's dreamed of being - starting QB for Portland Pioneers. Together, with his model girlfriend by his side, life can't get much better. Except that standing in his path is Peyton Powell-James, his life-long friend and the one woman he can never have. Peyton Powell-James always knew her future would be in football and dreams of having a successful sports journalism career once she graduates college. After being given the assignment to cover a professional game from the sidelines, Peyton believes that everything is going to plan. Until one fateful night changes her life. Harsh reality sets in for Noah and Peyton. One could lose everything, while the other struggles to keep the families together.