Book picks similar to
The Bitter Rival by L.M. Fox


contemporary
contemporary-romance
single-parent
freebie

Midnight Masquerade


Anya Summers - 2021
    Again.Maybe it’s the masks. Maybe she needs to feel something other than regret.Whatever the reason, she is either daring… or foolish… when she trades places with another submissive, and ends up spending the night in her mysterious boss’s bed.He doesn’t recognize her, but now she’s had him, she knows one taste of his dark love will never be enough.Gabriel Ryan has one firm rule: don’t sleep with employees.Even though he’s infuriated beyond measure to discover Sophia in his bed after a night of mind-blowing pleasure, she is now in his blood. He craves her. Needs her. Yearns for her surrender.But she is forbidden. He will break her with his dark desires.When Sophia’s dangerous past waltzes into his club, Gabriel must protect her. He must claim her. And break every single one of his rules to keep her safe.

Only the Positive


Elle Thorpe - 2018
    I’ve moved to Sydney to avoid the glares and the questions from the people back home, but there’s one thing I can’t run from—the guilt and pain that follows me relentlessly. All I can do is dull it with alcohol and casual sex. But then my new boss, Mr Dark and Delicious, deserted me, mid kiss, with my skirt hiked up and my shirt discarded on the alley floor. I should hate him―him and the secrets he’s keeping. But I can’t stay away. Because the pain and guilt he’s hiding mirror my own.Low...All she wanted was one night. That, I could do. I’m the king of casual. Love them and leave them, before they leave me. With chemistry off the scale, we couldn’t even make it home, both of us too impatient, ripping each other’s clothes off in the alleyway outside the bar. Then my phone buzzed, and one text message stopped everything. I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. All I could do was run. I’m toxic, but I can’t tell her why. I can’t bear the look of horror I know would cross her face. But I also don’t know how to keep something so life altering from the woman I’m falling for. Not when I need her just to survive it.

Truth


Trilina Pucci - 2018
    But what starts a one-night stand with a gorgeous bombshell named Drew feels like it should become his forever.DominicI’m ruthless, powerful, and unforgiving. The kind of man that kills without remorse.But the moment I see her, I want her. No matter the consequence.It was supposed to be one night. No more.That’s what I told myself. It’s what we agreed. Then Drew walked away. It felt like she’d ripped my heart from my chest. One I didn’t even know existed until she’d made it beat. I warned her not to leave—that I’d never forgive her.She wouldn’t listen. She should’ve known better. If Drew wants my forgiveness. She’ll have to earn it. I will own her body and soul. Consume her until she begs. Because every King needs his queen. And Drew Matthews is mine. USA Today Bestselling author, Trilina Pucci, brings you and hot, fast-paced mafia romance with an instant connection between two flawed, stubborn people that fight like hell to ignore their fate.

The Way Back To Me


Anne Mercier - 2019
    The book DOES end on a cliffhanger. My life was charmed. I had the best friends ever. We were known as the Fab Five and our futures were planned out.In a flash, everything was taken from me. I don’t know how to live without them. I don’t want to.I’m broken.When I get to college, I see him.Cameron Stone. Mr. Football. Mr. Popular. He’s definitely hot, but on the inside he’s vile. He made my childhood a living nightmare. I don’t know why he hates me or why he’s suddenly being so nice to me. All the sweet talk in the world won’t work. I know better.So, why am I listening?

Two Weeks Notice


Whitney G. - 2018
     This was a VERY EASY decision to make, as the past two years have been utterly miserable. I wish his next executive assistant all the luck in the world (she'll need it) and if my boss should need me to do anything over the next two weeks, kindly tell him that he can do it [his] goddamn self... Sincerely (Not Really), Tara Lauren That’s the version of my two weeks’ notice I should’ve sent to my boss, because the more professional version - the one where I said I was "grateful for all the opportunities," and "honored by all the rewarding experiences" over the years? That letter was rejected with his sexy, trademark smirk and an “I highly suggest you read the fine print of your contract...” So, I did. And now I've realized that unless I fake my death, poison him, or find a way to renegotiate my impossible contract, I’m stuck working under one of the cockiest and most ruthless bosses in New York. Then again, I thought that was the case until he called me late last night with an emergency proposition... **This is a standalone contemporary romance.**

Promises and Pomegranates


Sav R. Miller - 2021
    Hades incarnate.They say he stole me.Usurped my fiancé and filled the cracks in my heart with empty promises.Imprinted his crimson fingerprints on my psyche and tried to set me free.They’re not wrong, per se.Except it was my choice to stay.KalTo most, Elena Ricci is an innocent.Goddess of springtime, lover of poetry, angel of my nightmares.Little one. Persephone personified.They say I ruined her.Shattered her virtue and devoured her soul like a succulent pomegranate.Embedded my evil as deep as I could possibly get and tried to set her free.They’re not wrong, per se.Except it was she who ruined me.**Promises and Pomegranates is a full-length, standalone, dark contemporary romance based loosely on the framework/characters from the Hades and Persephone myth. It features mature themes, explicit scenes, triggers, and strong language. If you’re not a reader of the genre, this book may not be suitable for you. Reader discretion is advised.

The Last Guy


Ilsa Madden-Mills - 2017
     But one look at Cade Hill, the sexy new sports director, and uptight reporter Rebecca Fieldstone is daydreaming about other things. Sex in his office… Sex in the on-set kitchen… Sex in the supply closet… She can’t stop thinking about the former NFL quarterback and how perfect he’d look between her sheets—except he’s an arrogant jerk with a huge… ego. He’s the last guy she’d ever have a one-night stand with. Cade Hill draws a thick professional line on office romance—until it comes to the hyper-focused Rebecca. He wants her, and he gets his wish when a chance encounter has them having the hottest sex of their lives. It’s just a hook-up, she says. When can we do it again? he says. With Rebecca determined to keep Cade in the friend zone, it’s going to be an uphill battle for Cade to convince her he’s the last guy she’ll ever want. THE LAST GUY is the first white-hot CONTEMPORARY ROMANTIC COMEDY from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills and Tia Louise. It features Fireball-fueled hookups, Doritos Locos Tacos, attack monkeys, toddlers in tiaras, and one fabulous drag queen. Prepare for frantic clicking (or page flipping!) and smoking-hot sexytimes all the way to the out-of-this-world happily-ever-after.

Nest or Invest


Enni Amanda - 2021
    He's the hotshot developer about to make her homeless.Single mum Shasa Daniels is heartbroken to lose her beloved, cheap rental. Even worse, it's being sold to Mac McCarthy, a developer about to replace the old villa with luxury condos. Determined to stop him, Shasa gathers her friends to outbid him and build community housing instead.Mac, the man in thousand-dollar shoes, isn't as financially stable as he makes out. This deal promises to secure his future until Shasa the eco-warrior stands in his way. It's time to keep his eyes on the prize. Definitely not the time to get distracted by some bleeding-heart hippie, no matter how sexy and cute.Looks can be deceiving. As Shasa learns more about (okay, snoops on) Mac, she discovers one surprise after another, including a mutual love of acting and sizzling stage chemistry. The more she finds out about the real Mac, the more she's torn between her building plans and the man she's inevitably falling for. In the end, is it better to win in love or in real estate?Escape into this cheeky, heartfelt love story set against New Zealand's overheated real estate market.

Hush Hush


Lucia Franco - 2019
    Don’t get close to the clients. The dark and glamorous lifestyle of the rich and shameless open my eyes to a lavish world of sin and wealth, and a man I can’t have. A man I desperately want—James Riviera. We're treading a fine line as we live the ultimate double life until we make a startling discovery that tests both our loyalties. I only had to follow the rules, but rules are meant to be broken.

Henry


Andria Large - 2013
    He expected HR to hire someone older, more experienced, maybe even with gray hair. Who he got instead was the beautiful, young, single mother - Claire Russell. A woman who he is having a hard time keeping his eyes off of...Claire never expected her new boss to be the most gorgeous man she's ever laid eyes on. She also never expected him to be sweet to her two year old son, Ethan. But Henry is her boss and there is no future with him. Or so Claire thinks...Will Henry and Claire be able to fight the obvious attraction between them? Will Henry's overbearing mother come between them? Or will a freak accident change their perspectives on life and what's most important.

Untouchable Zane


Debbie Cromack - 2020
    When destiny drops her into his real life, he does everything in his power to keep her in his life. He’s a man who can make almost anything happen…anything except this. Will she fall in love with him or will his fame and addiction rip them apart?After Desiree Capstone’s 5-year boyfriend dies in a tragic car accident, she moves to California to build a new life. She’s given up on love and sworn off dating. Her world is turned upside down when fate puts Zane Elkton in her life. Will she let him into her heart? Or will her resistance to his world keep them apart forever?

Master of Salt & Bones


Keri Lake - 2020
    He'd ride up on his white steed and break the curse I've been fated to carry since the day I was born.Funny how things changed over time. How the fairy tale twisted into something far more crooked, darker than I ever imagined.In reality, my knight is scarred and broken, living alone in a castle of bones that overlooks the sea. He isn’t searching for me. He never was.Lucian Blackthorne is as cursed as I am, and equally shunned by the locals, the fishers of men, who believe him to be the devil in the flesh.Perhaps he is, with the way his amber eyes draw me in, ignite me like an infernal blaze. And the sins he whispers in my ear are as wickedly intoxicating as the man himself.Yet, his touch is heaven and his will is my weakness.He calls us forbidden, an unsalvageable tragedy, with no happy end. Maybe we are. But in this story, he’s the one who needs saving.

When You're Ready


J.L. Berg - 2013
    waiting.As a widow and a single mother, I’d made peace with a quiet life. After all, I lost the love of my life. No one could ever replace him. But then, I met Dr. Logan Matthews and everything changed. He appeared like a white knight, caring for my injured daughter as he slowly mended the pieces of my broken heart. The letter Ethan left me has three words written on the envelope, When You’re Ready.So, I guess the question is...Was I ready... to love again?

Cocky Playboy


Sloane Howell - 2019
    In these words, and in this world. A five star read from the very first page." - Amo Jones, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Elite Kings Club Series He's a bastard in Burberry. Decker Collins knows how to do one thing--win. When his billion-dollar law practice moves to merge with a firm out of Dallas, she shows up to oversee the transition. Tate Reynolds--the vixen in Versace. She's whip-smart, sassy, and gorgeous. Oh, and she doesn't take any of Decker's sh*t. With the merger hanging in the balance, they go to war with each other. There's only one problem. This war isn't just about business. Because when they're not butting heads... They're banging headboards. If you love wealthy, possessive alpha males and strong heroines, this series is for YOU! Cocky Playboy is a full length romance novel with a Happily Ever After.

The Big Bad Office Wolf


May Sage - 2017
     Bryant is a menace, making every woman in the entire building lose focus, but she never thought he would actually go after her assistant. Determined to save the poor girl from his clutches, she confronts him, and finds herself thrust in a world she never knew existed. Bryant should stay away from the sweet little prim and proper thing wrapped in designer suits, but he’s had a taste and he can’t seem to forget it. He knows there’s no way he can even pretend to be satisfied with a vanilla relationship. Good thing that when the clothes and the attitude come off, Tori might very well be a sub. All he needs is to lead her down the rabbit hole… Disclaimer: The big bad office wolf is a very steamy romance, more so than most of my books. As the description suggests, it also includes some BDSM element. Spare panties recommended.