Book picks similar to
False Start by Marianne Rice


sports
contemporary-romance
contemporary
romance

A Strict Lesson


Eliza Quinn - 2020
    It was right there in the rules; rule number one, to be exact. So what if it was his own personal rule? But when Tatiana Edwards enters his classroom, he knows things are about to heat up. Because she’s attractive as can be and there’s a look in her eyes begging him to dominate her.Tatiana wants to seduce her anatomy professor.Tatiana isn’t happy about her unexpected move, but when she meets her new anatomy professor, she can’t stop thinking about him. She can’t stop imagining him taking control and taking her. Is he the kind of guy that’s into all the dark things she wants? Or is he as vanilla and boring as most of the guys that try to come on to her?There’s only one way to find out!

Rescued


Phoebe Rose - 2016
    He has no time for dating and even less time to deal with the litter of stray kittens who've claimed his patio as their new home. Falling for the pretty and passionate animal rescue volunteer who shows up to help with his feline problem is not on his agenda.A born nurturer, Tessa Cantalupe is used to caring for everyone but herself. She has a history of giving too much and getting too little, and she has no doubt a sexy, ambitious businessman like Thomas has nothing more to offer her than one more dead-end relationship. But can a guy who loves kittens be all bad? Maybe it's time she let someone rescue her and give her lonely heart a forever home.A New Adult romantic comedy with a few steamy pages and lots of witty banter. And kittens.

Skid Out


Ann Marie Frohoff - 2011
    Follow their journey through temptation, deception & forbidden love.

When the Chips are Down


Beth Rinyu - 2015
    Her cheating ex-husband traded her in for a newer model and she’s in over her head dealing with the drama that comes along with raising her twin teenage daughters.The last thing she is looking for or needs in her life is a man - or is it?Ben Wilder is the boy that Melanie loved to hate throughout high school, the boy that all the girls loved and the boy that didn't give Melanie the time of day, unless it was to tease her. When she runs into him once again she realizes...he’s not a boy anymore. Older and wiser, she’s determined not to fall for her secret crush from all those years ago. But sometimes our heart has different plans than our head. Will she finally get her happily ever after with the man she least expected to have it with?Take a humorous journey with Melanie and her daughters as their lives begin to parallel and they discover that although they may be separated by a generation their struggles are still the same.*Book 1 of The Three Of A Kind Series Expected Publication: 2015

Strike to the Heart


Malia Mallory - 2015
    She just knows he’s handsome and sexy. Throwing her usual caution to the wind, Jo allows herself one hot night with a stranger.But Zane doesn’t want to remain a stranger. He pursues Jo until she can’t say no, but neither can she say yes. She’s had her fill of men who take risks for a living, and Zane is a mixed martial arts fighter at the top of his sport. Can Jo love not only the man but the fighter as well?

Dear Internet: It's Me, Avery


Jennifer Ammoscato - 2015
    We all do it. Don’t try to tell me that you’ve never checked that weird mole on your thigh on WebMD. Or how to fold meringue on Epicurious. And, there’s no way that I’m the only one who clears her search history after looking up how to give a great bl— (Um, that last one’s not important.)" When newspaper reporter Avery Fowler discovers her husband is having an affair, the online help site HowTo.com is where she turns to navigate this challenging stage of her life. If the Internet is Avery’s information god, then HowTo.com is her Holy Grail. Its live chat option is like having a virtual life coach for the low, low price of $14.95 a month: Add into the mix a new boss whose managerial style calls to mind the Wicked Bitch Witch of the West—or the Anti-Christ—and the poor girl needs all the help she can get! The stakes rise and hilarity ensues as our heroine struggles to take control of her personal life and topple her boss after she learns Victoria’s guilty secret. With Clementine (virtually) in tow, our heroine tackles such tricky situations as dating after divorce, sex once nothing points north anymore, and how to cover attempted murder scenes (despite a paralyzing fear of blood) as the new and improved Avery Fowler 2.0.

What's Up Doctor


Lacy Embers - 2018
    I have the deft fingers of a surgeon. And a loaded bank account to match. I can have any woman, in any room, at any time. I have them coming at me (and on me) in droves. When I see her across the room, red hair curling around her open, honest face, I know that I need her in my bed. What I never expected is that she’d find her way into my heart. Sharon I don’t do flings. Or at least I thought I didn’t until Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome corners me at the first charity gala that I host for Hearts in Hands. I find myself saying yes and following him home. His eyes. His body. His hands. All light me on fire. He says it’ll only be one night. But, for better or worse, Dr. Ross Hardwick is about to get to know me particularly well. How long is he here to stay? This is a full length standalone romance novel with a happily ever after (HEA), no cliffhanger and no cheating.

Second Summer


Shirleen Davies - 2014
    and MacLaren Land Development, he is a success professionally, but his personal life is another matter.Following a divorce after a long, loveless marriage Heath spends his time with women who are beautiful and passionate, yet unable to provide what he longs for . . .. . . Heath has never experienced love even though he witnesses it every day between his younger brother, Jace, and wife, Caroline. He wants what they have yet spends his time with women too young to understand what drives him and too focused on themselves to be true companions.It’s been two years since Annie’s husband died, leaving her to build a new life. He was her soul-mate and confidante, she has no desire to find a replacement, yet longs for male friendship . . .. . . Annie’s closest friend in Fire Mountain, Caroline MacLaren, is determined to see Annie come out of her shell after almost two years of mourning. A chance meeting with Heath turns into an offer to be a part of the MacLaren Foundation Board and an opportunity for a life outside her home sanctuary which has also become her prison. The platonic friendship that builds between Annie and Heath points to a future where each may rely on the other without the bonds a romance would entail.However, without consciously seeking it, each yearns for more . . .. . . The MacLaren Development Company is booming with Heath at the helm. His meetings at a partner company with the young, beautiful marketing director, who makes no secret of her desire for him, are a temptation. But is she the type of woman he truly wants?. . . Annie’s acceptance of the deep, yet passionless, friendship with Heath sustains her, lulling her to believe it is all she needs. At least until Heath drops a bombshell, forcing Annie to realize that what she took for friendship is actually a deep, lasting love. One she doesn’t want to lose.Each must decide to settle, or fight for it all.Second Summer is the first book in the MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary novella series. Heartwarming stories of difficult choices, loyalty, and lasting romance. Watch for Hard Landing in the Spring of 2014.

Finding Home


Emilia Finn - 2017
    Her pain was my pain. I felt her swoon. I felt everything and then some. Finding Home isn't about just love, it's about family, it's about finding your own and surviving life.” “I loved every single minute finding new nuances of each character. Every single soul in the book left their foot print in my heart. Thank you, Emilia Finn for writing this beautiful story. I am your fan forever.” ********************* Kit Reilly is just an average woman; strong, hardworking and fiercely independent, but when her best friend dies young and Kit inherits a belligerent teenage dependent, she just wants life to be a little less dramatic. She lives day to day, doing her best to keep her head above water, and she tries to encourage her new house mate to be a decent human being. Bobby Kincaid is a local gym owner and professional UFC fighter. He is a family man, through and through, but he’s not looking to settle down. He has a big fight this year, and no time or desire for distractions. Will he win the title? Will he make room in his life for a few extras? It's a life or death race to the end. Will Kit be able to find home again, before it's too late? ********************* This is a full length novel with no cliffhanger.

Legal Action


Kimball Lee - 2013
    She’s built a reputation as a cool, on the rise lawyer while trying to escape the ‘naughty cheerleader’ pictorial in American Jock magazine that she posed for to pay her way through law school. She shares the top floor of a historic San Diego building with her best friends from college who happen to be two very male, very sexy Special Forces operatives. Her ex is a celebrity NFL quarterback who could pass for a Viking God. She’s surrounded by hot men but her life revolves around work and she doesn’t have time for love or sex.Until Alexander Bly, the stop-the-clock gorgeous, billionaire publishing magnate becomes her newest client at the law firm. He’s the man responsible for the magazine cover that turned Charlotte into everyman’s sex fantasy. Bly has had women and the world at his beck and call, but no woman has ever rocked his world. Charlotte is about to. When they come together the desire and sex are white-hot and all-consuming, but falling in love takes them completely by surprise. As Charlotte handles Bly’s lawsuit against Huang Worldwide Corporation, scary, smooth and sexy Jamey Huang kidnaps her. But, Huang doesn’t want Bly’s billions, he wants Charlotte’s secret, former lover. Legal Action is a sexy romance filled with burn-up-the-pages sex, tender love and witty, sharp-tongued characters with a little espionage thrown in for even more spicy fun. The novella is part one of the Surrendering Charlotte Chronicles.

Contracted For Love: Famous Love Series


Tracey Pedersen - 2016
    Total strangers. Asked to convince the world that they're in love Imagine if your favourite engaged celebrities weren't really in love. Imagine if their relationship was cooked up to boost their careers. What if everything was fake? From the holidays, the public romance, right down to the bedroom antics? That's exactly what you'll discover in Contracted For Love. Potty-mouthed Charlotte Shipton and child-star Jack Fawkner strike a deal when both put their signatures to an unlikely, and top secret, marriage contract. She'll rise through the unknown ranks in Hollywood. He'll show the world he's left behind his tap-dancing child-star days. Together, they'll set the world's hearts on fire, while ignoring their own secret desires. Only time will tell if the truth will tear them apart, or if their secret will stay locked away, along with the contract. Contracted For Love is a roller coaster ride of crazy activity, from the first moment they meet, to their Paris vacation under the gaze of the media and the constant pressures of a famous rockstar and his crazy bandmates. You'll laugh out loud as Charlotte makes her mark on Jack Fawkner and his heart!

Whiskey Prince


Toni Aleo - 2014
    Having been caretaker to her for most of her teenage years, Amberlyn is inexperienced in many aspects of life. She hasn’t had time to live, have fun, or enjoy even the little things. It’s only when a letter from her mother, asking her to fulfill three things, sends her off to Ireland to live a life she never thought possible that she begins to heal.Declan O’Callaghan was born and raised in Ireland and has his family’s legendary whiskey in his veins. He’s shy and not a fan of the pressure and spotlight that comes with his family name, or the title he was given at birth—the Whiskey Prince. Declan knows just what he wants and that is to take over the family dynasty, but when his father gives him an ultimatum, everything he’s worked for could come undone in the blink of an eye.With six months to get married, the reclusive Declan spots Amberlyn across a lake and instantly feels the need to know her. Soon, the two find themselves traveling down a path neither expected. However, like any road, there are bumps and side streets to derail them. Can Declan help find the pieces that will make Amberlyn whole again? And will Amberlyn stay or run when she learns of Declan’s deadline of marriage?

Place Your Betts


Katie Graykowski - 2013
    She’s America’s sweetheart, darling of the media, and a multi-platinum star. But she has a secret. At the age of sixteen, she had a baby and gave him up for adoption because her boyfriend wasn't ready for fatherhood. Now she finds out that her precious baby boy has been living with his father from day one. Gabe Swanson is a Texas cattle baron riches-to-rags story. As the only son of the town's most prominent family, it was a huge blow when his father lost the family fortune in a ponzi scheme. Now, Gabe is land rich and cash poor. But he has his son and family is all that matters. When Betts moves back to the small town that shunned her, all hell breaks loose. She wants her son. Can Betts and Gabe leave their past in the rear view mirror so they can be a family?

The Husband Hunt


Kiki Abbott - 2013
    When she finds out that the Bachelor is someone forbidden, Jaxie must consider taking herself out of the competition even though for the first time in her life she's actually falling in love.

A Love Rekindled (The Game of Love #1)


Sharon Cummin - 2014
    Jessica was a sexy twenty five year old. Her friends at work talked her into going to a party at a co-worker's house. She had not been out in a very long time. Jessica would rather be at home watching a movie with her son. She agreed to go, thinking she could leave after an hour and get back home.Luke was a gorgeous football player who had just returned home after being injured playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His football career was over. It was the first time he had been home for more than a day in seven years. His friend from college, Linda, tried to get him out of the house. She finally got him to agree to go to a party she was having and even talked him into taking one of her friends as his date. He was not looking forward to it.Jessica arrived at the party to hang out with her friends from work. It ended up being a much better time than she thought it would be. Her friend John pulled her along to dance with him. They laughed and joked as he dipped her. That was when she spotted Luke, her high school sweetheart, with her friend Heather. The only man she had ever truly loved.Luke could not believe it, when his eyes connected with Jessica's. She was the woman who tore his heart in two. It took all he had not to turn around and take off out the door. His friend Linda pulled him into her home to show him around and meet her friends.Jessica's heart raced as Linda brought Luke and Heather over to introduce him to the group from work. Jessica hurried to excuse herself before anyone could say a word. When she returned, Luke was standing with her friends. Her hands shook as Linda introduced her to Luke. She said a simple hello as he looked into her eyes in shock. Jessica excused herself to go over to the couch. She had her head down, but could feel Luke in front of her. He sat down next to her to talk. Heather came up, plopped into his lap, put her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek. Jessica could not take it, she had to get out of there. Without saying a word, she took off out the door to her car. How could he have been at the party? Why was he with her friend Heather? Why did he have to look even sexier than she remembered?When Luke couldn't get her off his mind, he knew that he had to see her. He pulled up in front of her house and could not believe what he saw. Luke wanted answers.What would she say when confronted by him?How would she explain why she made the decisions she did?How would he react to her answers?A Love Rekindled is a complete, stand-alone novella. A New Love (The Game of Love #2) will be available in September 2014.