Book picks similar to
Rise - Part One by Deborah Bladon


deborah-bladon
romance
contemporary
favorites

Lost to You


A.L. Jackson - 2013
    Some stay, and many go. Some build us up, while most tear us down. They become our friends, our enemies, our lovers, our tormentors. Christian Davison came into mine, and I knew I’d never be the same.To Elizabeth Ayers, New York City had always been a dream. She’s worked her entire young life to make it here.Groomed to one day take over his father’s law firm, attending Columbia University was Christian Davison’s only option.Neither wanted anything more until they sat across from each other at a café table after being paired as study partners. Christian wants her, but Elizabeth knows better than to give into their intense attraction. Yet there is little she can do to stay away.Lost to You and Take This Regret can be read as Stand-Alone Novels. Recommended reading order: Lost to You, Take This Regret, If Forever Comes

Brie Pleases Her New Master


Red Phoenix - 2013
    Although Brie graduated from the Submissive Training Center top of her class, she soon finds she still has a lot to learn. A rival Dom cannot accept her choice of Master and will not let her go without a fight. Brie’s generous heart steers her in the wrong direction when the Wolf comes to call.This first novelette of Brie’s ‘After Graduation’ series explores the lessons, love, and lust unleashed upon the newly collared sub.Extended Description:Brie is euphoric after choosing her Master. Now the two can freely explore their love for one another outside the walls of the Center. Master teaches her the meaning of true possession. He also opens up to Brie, sharing a painful aspect of his past. She is shocked to learn his secret, but is determined to love him through it. Unfortunately for Brie, things start to get complicated when Faelan reenters the picture.

It Takes Two


Nikki Sloane - 2016
    In walks a stranger, my clothes come off, and we shoot amateur porn. Only a hot guy doesn’t show up—two of them do. Originally published in the USA Today bestselling anthology "For the First Time," this novella contains 50% more all-new content.

Saving Me


Alannah Lynne - 2010
    Deceit. Backstabbing friends… Welcome to the jungle known as advertising… Kat Owens can tell you all about the snake-infested world of big-time advertising. Thanks to an ex-best friend co-worker and a gone-wrong love affair with a client, she’s forced to leave her large Charlotte agency for a small-town coastal one. It’s do-or-die time to prove she can be a success to the aging grandfather she adores. Which means she can’t afford to be distracted by a client who’s a walking, talking definition of sex… Even if he is the man who stole her heart thirteen months before in a one-night stand she can’t forget. Erik Monteague is a handsome, charismatic, highly respected businessman who has it all. Or so it seems. Only his closest friends know the truth about the guilt and emotional scars he carries, or why, following his fiancée’s death, he invoked the twenty-four/two rule. He never spends more than twenty-four hours with a woman, he rarely dates them twice, and he never thinks about them afterward. But Kat Owens is different. She cheated him out of twelve hours, and now he can’t forget her. At least that’s what he tells himself, because admitting the truth is too dangerous. When she suddenly appears in his hometown, he sets out to finish what they started thirteen months earlier. But while his perfectly executed seduction gets Kat back in his bed, the emotional fallout is more than he counted on. Will he face his tragic past once and for all… or spend the rest of his life running?

Because I Am Yours


Beth Kery - 2012
    It couldn’t be ignored—only indulged, evolving into a bond of pleasurable subjugation. But Francesca’s open sensuality left her wanting more. Getting it from a man as mysterious and resolute as Ian was a challenge she never anticipated.Francesca knows there’s only one way for them to move forward–to follow Ian to London and show him that she doesn’t want him to suffer alone. But when Ian’s past and inner torment is revealed, he experiences a nearly unbearable volcanic mix of emotions for the woman who has dared to love him, despite his inner demons. After exposing Francesca to the limits of his anguish, he wonders if he’s lost her forever. Can he bend enough to compromise to true intimacy…and something called love?

Sold to the Sheikh


Chloe Cox - 2012
    And Club Volare proves the perfect place to hide while she mends a shattered heart--until she interrupts an auction scene, and the powerful Sheikh Bashir al Aziz bin Said decides that Stella is the woman that he wants.At Club Volare for one last wild weekend before his family requires him to settle down, Sheikh Bashir doesn't expect to find a woman he can trust, or a woman who challenges him. But Stella Spencer is a challenge, all right: both vulnerable and guarded, beautiful and insecure, and a closet submissive. Only, Bashir is convinced she's hiding something.Stella is afraid to open her heart to love again after the way she's been hurt, but Sheikh Bashir wants to be the Dom to show her who she truly is--and Sheikh Bashir always gets what he wants.

Her First Billionaire


Julia Kent - 2012
    That's what she really wanted to write. Here was the truth:"Needy, insecure, overweight twenty-six year old Business Analyst with three cats, a corporate job with pension and no debt seeks Mr. Impossible for way more than friendship and lots of ice cream. I'm desperate for some physical affection and oral sex with a guy who doesn't view it as some sort of favor he's granting me, and then expects to be praised like he cleaned my toilet. One night stands are better than nothing as long as you brush your teeth. So call me, maybe!"So when hot firefighter Dylan Stanwyck responds and asks her out, it's just too good to be true. When she searches him online and learns he offers himself up for date nights in bachelor charity auctions, she wonders if she's on the right planet.Because what could a guy like that see in a fat girl like her?OR WOULD HE NOT BE WHO HE SEEMED?Trawling through the online dating profiles isn't Dylan's idea of fun, but it's been more than eighteen months since their lover, Jill, died, and Dylan and his unconventional partner, ski instructor Mike Pine, need to find a new love. While their threesome situation is more complicated than a contract from 50 Shades of Grey, at least one aspect is simple: Laura Michaels, the cute, soft blond from the online dating site, seems like a good fit for at least a first date. Soft curves, gorgeous hair, eyes that light him up from the computer alone, and a profile that makes her seem smart and interesting -- he has no problems asking her out.The problem is letting her in.Dylan and his not-quite partner have more secrets than their unconventional romantic relationships, and this latest snafu is a mixed blessing, for both became billionaires overnight after the third in their threesome, Jill, died. With her estate finally settled and Dylan and Mike the recipient of an annual income that gives them enough to buy entire towns in the Midwest, the two were left reeling. Months after the lawyer explained their new-found fortune, Dylan still works his regular shifts at the station while Mike remains on the slopes as a ski instructor, but with a caveat; now he owns the entire resort.But if they tell Laura everything, they risk losing a chance at a new bond...Two problems may have one lush, ample solution as Laura meets her first billionaire on her date with Dylan, but with a stunning twist at the end...

Hearts in Darkness


Laura Kaye - 2011
    All she noticed about him before the lights went out was a dragon tattoo; all she knows now is his sexy, gruff voice in the darkness. Four hours...Caden Grayson is inked, pierced, scarred on the inside and out—and terrified of the dark for reasons he'd rather not remember. Trapped in his worst nightmare, only the sweet voice of the red-headed beauty distracts him from his fear. And, oh, man, as the hours pass and the darkness heats up, that's nothing compared to her touch.One pitch-black elevator...He's all rough edges and she's pin-striped skirts, but in the darkness they open up and reach out without any preconceptions to hold them back. But as attraction grows and sparks fly, will they feel the same when the lights come back on?The Hearts in Darkness Duet Continues with LOVE IN THE LIGHT!

The Vigilante's Lover


Annie Winters - 2015
    Seduction. Bondage ropes. Descriptions of things Mia has never experienced or known. The man’s words are desperately passionate. He longs for a woman who must have given him a fake address. Mia’s address. She plans to send the letter back. He’s a convicted felon. But his words gnaw at her. She’s never done anything dangerous. And no man has ever talked to her like this. So Mia writes him, pretending to be the woman he desires. It's her one dark thrill in her dull, solitary small-town life. The man is in prison for another fifteen years. It's harmless. She is safe enough. Until he escapes.

Take Me to Paradise


Olivia Cunning - 2014
    The only thing that could make their lives together more perfect is if they started a family. Try as they might—and they do try, and try, and try—it doesn't seem as if Myrna will ever conceive. The newlyweds decide to take an overdue honeymoon to Aruba while Brian waits for his band to go back on tour. Perhaps with a little stress-reducing relaxation and absolutely no rest—they do have a baby to make—Brian can give Myrna what she most desires.But is someone trying to take their happily ever after away...Not all is right in paradise. One of Brian's overzealous fans keeps interrupting the happy couple's alone time. And it seems there's more behind this fan's actions than just exuberance for one of his favorite musicians. Is his annoying behavior harmless or does something sinister lurk in the penthouse next door?

Obsession


Ivory Quinn - 2013
    Rock star, producer and public enemy number one, he sees his redemption in quiet, wholesome school teacher Noelle Winters. Crashing into her life like a wrecking ball, he smothers her innocence and leads her down the razor's edge between submissive and victim, opening her eyes to things she didn't even know could happen between a man and a woman. Overwhelmed by his generosity and charm, how far will she go to save his soul? And when is it too late to turn back?* With bondage and multiple scenes of a sexual nature, this descent into the darkest parts of the human psyche is not for the faint of heart, or the under 18s.

Taming the Vampire


Chloe Hart - 2011
    But when a powerful enemy threatens their beloved city of Boston, they form a reluctant alliance. It's supposed to be temporary--just one night, in fact. But as the tension between them builds to the breaking point, neither is prepared for what happens next.Taming the Vampire is a sexy paranormal romance novella of 17,000 words, or about 60 pages. It's the first book in the Blood and Absinthe series.The Blood and Absinthe series:Book 1 - Taming the Vampire (a novella)Book 2 - Bound by the Vampire (a novella)Book 3 - Claiming the Vampire (a full-length novel)Book 4 - Drawn to the Vampire (a full-length novel)Book 5 - Caught by the Wolf (coming in 2014!)EXCERPT"I'll stay on one condition," he said.Her heart thumped against her ribs. "What?""We'll do the ritual, but on my terms."She wished he wasn't so tall. It gave him an unfair advantage, being able to tower over her like this. It was hard to breathe, hard to-- "What do you mean, your terms?""Do you want to know a secret?"Her blood was rushing in her ears. She couldn't speak.He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her hard against him. She gasped, as shocked as if she'd stepped into icy water. She felt his strength, his power, and for a second her own power seemed to desert her. He bent his head close to hers. "I want you," he whispered.Her face flamed, like a teenager's."I've wanted you from the first moment I saw you," he said, and now his lips were on her throat, at her pulse point, against her collar bone.She opened her mouth but no words came out. Her eyes closed and her head went back, and he kissed his way up her throat, to her ear, and then he was whispering to her again."I can make you feel good, Liz. Better than anyone's ever made you feel."

Drake Restrained 1


S.E. Lund - 2014
    He has his surgical slate at New York Presbyterian, he has a charitable foundation providing surgical tools to hospitals in Africa, he has his Brit Invasion cover band, Mersey, and he has his secret life as a Dominant in Manhattan’s BDSM community.Into bondage, D/s and the occasional dungeon scene, Drake keeps every part of his life separate, the divisions between them neat and tidy. His weeks are filled with surgeries, music and D/s sex, and none of the well-planned and scheduled parts of his life intersect.That is until Kate McDermott crosses his path and screws everything up.Now, nothing is neat and tidy anymore, for Drake is smitten and things are going to get messy…Drake Restrained is a novella in the Unrestrained Series, which explores the early days of the relationship between Drake and Kate from Drake’s point of view.

Secrets


Ella Steele - 2012
    This one seems to be a germ-a-phobe, and the previous boyfriend wasn't much better. Anna just wants to be wanted. Is that too much to ask? As Anna tries to wiggle out of one relationship, a new one surfaces, but it's forbidden. Cole Stevens is twice her age, arrogant, rich, sexy as hell, and her boss. When Anna's internship plans derail, she ends up interning at Cole's elite New York City studio. Close proximity leads Anna to discover that the billionaire bachelor is emotionally scarred. Everyone has secrets, but Cole's run deeper, cutting him to his core. Cole is trouble in a sexy shell. He's nothing Anna needs and everything she wants. Genre: New Adult Romance

Chasing Dreams


Nicole Edwards - 2013
    And he has knowingly just dropped off the grid. The first decision he has made on his own in quite some time. Cooper only thought he was looking for a challenge when he walked off of that concert stage in Chicago. After finding himself in Devil’s Bend, Texas, he soon realizes that the dream he’s been chasing might not be the one he was after all along. Now he’s found himself not only starting over in a new town, but he’s pretty sure he’s met the toughest challenge of his life... she just happens to be an angel in blue jeans. Tessa Donovan hasn’t been the best of friends with Fate for quite some time now. Owning and operating The Rusty Nail, a small bar in her hometown of Devil’s Bend, has been enough to keep her going through the motions of her life. But it’s the only thing she’s got. After losing her husband fifteen short months after they were married, Tessa has spent the last four years chasing dreams in order to maintain her sanity. Only those dreams are soon ripped right out of her grasp by a sexy country music star who claims he descended on her small town by accident. Coincidence? Or has Fate stepped in once again? Whatever the case, Tessa knows the handsome cowboy might get to overtake her dreams, but she’s bound and determined that he won’t take her heart.