Book picks similar to
The Calum by Xio Axelrod


romance
interracial-romance
interracial
contemporary

Rock Star


Roslyn Hardy Holcomb - 2006
    This multi-award winning bestseller makes frequent appearances on Favorites lists and continues to stand the test of time. Callie Lawson is a small-town business owner with few plans that don’t involve a spreadsheet, a clipboard and a PowerPoint presentation. When Bryan Spencer, renegade rock star leader of the legendary band Storm Crow shows up in her store those plans are rapidly derailed. Bryan, reeling from the drug overdose death of his best friend and band mate has been exiled to the Alabama town before he succumbs to guilt and his self-destructive tendencies. LA sin and southern comfort collide in an explosive conflagration that neither is prepared for but are unable to resist. A passion this intense will not be denied, even when Bryan’s own personal Gollum steals away his newfound love. He’s prepared to do what it takes to get her back, even if it means taking on their worst enemy: the one within.

Forbidden


Beverly Jenkins - 2016
    But for the first time in years, he wishes he could step out from behind the façade. The reason: Eddy Carmichael, the young woman he rescued in the desert. Outspoken, defiant, and beautiful, Eddy tempts Rhine in ways that could cost him everything . . . and the price seems worth paying.Eddy owes her life to Rhine, but she won't risk her heart for him. As soon as she's saved enough money from her cooking, she'll leave this Nevada town and move to California. No matter how handsome he is, no matter how fiery the heat between them, Rhine will never be hers. Giving in for just one night might quench this longing. Or it might ignite an affair as reckless and irresistible as it is forbidden . . .

One More Day


M. Malone - 2012
    I only have one rule: hands off the neighbors.The single ladies on the block have tried it. I mean, come on. I'm a rich, single dad with a big house and an even bigger... lawn. But playing where you live is a recipe for trouble. Especially since I've got nothing to offer beyond one night/ and a hell of a lot of bitterness.Then the girl-next-door gets locked out and I can't exactly leave her outside, right? This is a bad idea. But it's going to feel oh so good.

Saddle Up


Kim Loraine - 2019
     His dad has all but promised him the ranch when he retires. His mama loves the woman he plans to marry. And his almost-fiancee? She's the perfect finishing touch to the life he's got planned out for himself. Except all hell breaks loose when she takes off with one of the ranch hands and most of the Ryker Ranch money in her pocket. Heartbroken and trust demolished, Clint doesn't know if he'll ever find love again. Until Ever Wilson walks onto his property with designs on producing a reality TV show with his ranch as the star. Her plan? Send a cast of city slickers to the ranch to learn how to saddle up like a real cowboy. The pay-off? Enough money to replace what his thieving ex took, and tourist income for years to come. It sounds like a great idea, until he starts falling for the one woman he can't have. Ever.

Accounting for Love


Erin Wright - 2016
    The next thing he knows, he’s got a stack of unpaid bills, the bank is threatening to foreclose… and the auditor who’s come to examine his accounts is the sexiest thing he’s ever laid eyes on. But she’s a city girl, just like the last one who left him at the altar. He'll guard his heart – but he can't help wanting her.She’s checking him out, in more ways than one…Jennifer Kendall doesn’t mind a tough job, but the handsome Stetson is trouble of a different kind. When he isn’t making her mad, he’s filling her head with all sorts of forbidden fantasies. The sparks between them fly even faster when the road washes out and Jennifer has to spend the night on the farm. But passion alone won’t pay the bills. Can Jennifer find a way for Stetson to save his farm? And if she can’t, will he ever forgive her? Accounting for Love is the first novel in the Long Valley series, although all books in the Long Valley world can be read as standalones. It has some strong language, and oh my, sexy times.~*~*~*~In March of 2018, this book was rewritten, reimagined, redone, and every other re-word you can imagine, all based on the original version that was released in October of 2016. I hope you love this reworked version as much as I do. ~Erin Wright

Full Circle


Blake Haugen - 2014
    He just wanted time away from his father and their oppressive family business. However, fate had other plans. He can't help but be attracted to Persephone Peterson, the beautiful young woman that sits next to him in his Contracts class. Her unusual name and strong constitution are intriguing. Unfortunately, his family business is getting in the way of the relationship he wants to pursue with her. Will Vanya be able to reconcile obligations to his family with his new love?

A Real Cowboy Never Says No


Stephanie Rowe - 2015
    When a friend calls in a favor, Chase opens his home to a sassy, sexy mom-to-be who needs his protection. But he's not prepared for the sizzling attraction that threatens the shield around his heart.Mira is single, pregnant, and on-the-run. When a distractingly handsome cowboy offers her a marriage of convenience, it's the lifeline she needs. But when she starts to fall for the grumpy bachelor, she realizes that her heart might also be in danger.Can a rugged cowboy who doesn't believe in love fall for a spunky city girl with a baby?If you like sexy cowboys, sassy humor, and heart-melting romance, you'll adore Stephanie Rowe's captivating modern-day marriage-of-convenience story!

Trade Me


Courtney Milan - 2015
    She has no time for Blake Reynolds, the sexy billionaire who stands to inherit Cyclone Technology. But when he makes an off-hand comment about what it means to be poor, she loses her cool and tells him he couldn’t last a month living her life.To her shock, Blake offers her a trade: She’ll get his income, his house, his car. In exchange, he’ll work her hours and send money home to her family. No expectations; no future obligations.But before long, they’re trading not just lives, but secrets, kisses, and heated nights together. No expectations might break Tina’s heart...but Blake’s secrets could ruin her life.

Lush Money


Angelina M. Lopez - 2019
    And at the end of the year, she’ll grant him his divorce…with a settlement large enough to save his beloved kingdom.As a Latinx woman, Roxanne Medina has conquered small-town bullies, Ivy League snobs and boardrooms full of men. She’s earned the right to mother a princess and feel a little less lonely at the top. The offer she’s made is more than generous, and when the contract’s fulfilled, they’ll both walk away with everything they’ve ever wanted.Príncipe Mateo Ferdinand Juan Carlos de Esperanza y Santos is one of the top winegrowers in the world, and he’s not marrying and having a baby with a stranger. Even if the millions she’s offering could save his once-legendary wine-producing principality.But the successful, single-minded beauty uses a weapon prince Mateo hadn’t counted on: his own desire.

Magnolia: A Perfect Love


Asia Monique - 2020
    They’ve endured tragedy and heartbreak together, with Magnolia protecting them no matter the cost. Her heart was made of solid gold and under lock and key. Shielding the part of her that had been broken by the one man who should have guarded it with his life is a top priority for Magnolia. No one has ever been able to penetrate the barrier until a smooth-talking, college English professor by the name of Lennox Clarke steps in to take a shot. Does Lennox have what it takes to secure the key to Magnolia’s heart or will his efforts be all for nothing? *Please note, this is book one of a five part interconnected series. Though each book can be read as a standalone, some parts of the storyline are ongoing.

Love Handles


Gretchen Galway - 2011
    She hates the gym, is nice to everybody, and shops at Ross Dress for Less. When she's not teaching preschool, she's wearing yoga pants... to nap in. So when she inherits her estranged grandfather's fitnesswear company in San Francisco, nobody expects her to keep it. Fite Fitness needs a heartless suit to save it from bankruptcy, not a thirty-year-old woman who cries when her students leave for kindergarten.Someone like Liam Johnson. A former Olympic swimmer, Liam is Fite's executive vice president. Unlike Bev, he's devoted his life to Fite's success. Managing one little preschool teacher — and his attraction to her — shouldn't be an issue. Right?But Bev's tired of being underpaid and underrated, and refuses to step aside as an obedient figurehead. To everyone's shock and horror, she moves up to San Francisco, sets up an office, and dives into the business. Nothing — not mockery, not exercise, not sabotage, not a disastrously hot night with her aggravating VP — is going to scare her away.As Liam realizes she's tougher than she looks, he discovers that losing Fite might not be nearly as bad as losing her...A story about the pursuit of love, happiness, and the perfect yoga pants, Love Handles will speak to anyone who's ever had to face the thing that scares her most.Warning: contains at least two loves scenes and a happy ending.

Coming in from the Cold


Sarina Bowen - 2014
    And he can’t tell anyone why.Ski racer Dane "Danger" Hollister does not do relationships, though he keeps his reason a secret. The real-life curse he's inherited from his mother will eventually cost him everything: his place on the Olympic ski team, his endorsement income, and his ability to fly downhill at top speed.Reluctant country girl Willow Reade meets Dane by accident. Literally. Her skidding truck forces him off the road during a blizzard. Stranded together in his Jeep as night falls, the two loneliest people in Vermont find themselves sharing more than they'd planned. And not just conversation.Yet neither can guess how their unlikely tryst will threaten Dane's frightening secret and Willow's tentative peace with her own choices. Only mutual trust and understanding can end their pain and give them a hard won shot at love.PREVIOUSLY RELEASED BY HARLEQUIN WITH A DIFFERENT COVER IMAGE.

A Wedding One Christmas


Therese Beharrie - 2018
    She never expected to star in a bizarre comedy of errors, but here she is: convincing a handsome stranger to be her fake boyfriend for the day. Ezra Johnson, the handsome stranger in question, turns out to be a pleasant distraction from both the wedding and thoughts of her first family Christmas without her father. And he seems to loathe weddings just as much as she does. He’s the perfect temporary companion.But a lot can happen in twenty-four hours. Including a connection so strong it tempts them both into thinking of something more permanent…One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!This book is approximately 70,000 words

When Love Comes


J.H. Croix - 2014
    Once wild and impulsive, she shut her heart off to love and adventure after her parents died. When she meets Luke Winters, their immediate attraction is overwhelming.Burned once before, Luke has committed himself to nothing but casual dalliances with women. Rugged and smoldering, he finds no shortage of women happy to oblige. When Hannah comes along, he questions what he might be missing. Both fight the depth of their feelings—love is not part of the plan.Hannah’s sense of identity is shaken when she unearths a surprising truth about her family. Meanwhile, Luke’s interfering family and complications from his past challenge Hannah and Luke to face their true feelings for each other. Can two people who don’t believe love is worth the risk find the courage to face their fears and open their hearts?

Alfonzo


S.W. Frank - 2011
    The only male role-model in Alfonzo's life is his beloved Uncle Al but even he can not curb the youth's rebellion or alter the course of Alfonzo's destiny. Alfonzo's fate was written the moment he emerged from the protection of his mother's womb. The blood of a faceless father runs deep in a son's veins and blue eyes are only part of a deadly legacy.When Uncle Al and his wife are brutally murdered the door to the past is sprung open. Lies, greed and a quest for power began on the shores of Italy reaches its bloody hand to New York's inner city to strike at a young man perched to inherit a mafia empire! A pulsating, adult drama packed with heat!Look for Volume II entitled: ASCENSION in this riveting series.