Book picks similar to
A Waiting Game by Diana Blayne


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contemporary-romance

The Secrets in My Scowl


A.E. Via - 2016
    This is the last time I’m going to remind you about breaking sections of the lease. If there’s a next time, I won’t stop until you and your frilly, white wedding shit is thrown out of here. Do you got it?!”Wylde looked in Jacob’s pained eyes and answered in his deep voice. “Yeah, counselor. I got it.”From high school, up until he became a successful attorney Jacob Snowden was convinced that love had it out for him. “Everyone left,” were the words he lived by. His mother, his high school sweetheart, his father, and his fiancé, all left Jacob just when he felt it was safe to let down his guard. Not any longer. Jacob was a determined man, set at keeping people at a distance. If his six foot one, military-made body didn’t scare people off, his permanent scowl surely did. At almost forty, Jacob’s social life was non-existent, but he told himself his work fulfilled him. He helped people get out of their loveless marriages. Jacob Snowden was one of the best divorce lawyers on the east coast and was damn proud of it. So, imagine his disdain when a wedding planner moves into the suite directly adjacent to his… an insanely masculine, male wedding planner.Wylde Sterling had made quite a name for himself in his hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, working for a wedding planner that catered to the elite. He was known for his charm and impeccable taste. Yep, he was incredible at giving couples the wedding of their dreams. But he wanted nothing more than to plan his own. After striking out in love more times than he cared to admit, Wylde decided to start his own business in a new city, hoping Richmond would give him a fresh start. Things started out wonderfully – until he started to piss off the angry divorce attorney next door. Wylde could see past Jacob’s mean scowl, knowing there was a reason for it. It was the man’s defense mechanism, his means of keeping people away. Everything in Wylde told him to stay away, but he believed Jacob just needed to meet a man who had been hurt as badly as he had.Standalone gay romance that ends in an HEA and no cliffhanger

West End Girls


Jenny Colgan - 2006
    They may be twin sisters, but Lizzie and Penny Berry are complete opposites - Penny is blonde, thin and outrageous; Lizzie quiet, thoughtful and definitely not thin. The one trait they do share is a desire to DO something with their lives, and as far as they are concerned, the place to get noticed is London. Out of the blue they discover they have a grandmother living in Chelsea - and when she has to go into hospital, they find themselves flat-sitting on the King's Road. But, as they discover, it's not as easy to become It Girls as they'd imagined, and west end boys aren't at all like Hugh Grant ...

Trust with a Chaser


Annabeth Albert - 2017
    One bar owner out for redemption. One smoking-hot summer fling destined to leave scorch marks…Mason Hanks has returned to Rainbow Cove, Oregon with one goal in mind: turn the struggling coastal community into a thriving LGBTQ tourism destination. Step one is transforming an old bar and grill into a gay-friendly eatery. Step two? Don’t piss off Nash Flint, the very hot, very stern chief of police who’s not so sure he’s on board with Mason’s big plans. Nash Flint just wants to keep his community safe and enjoy the occasional burger in peace. He’s not big on change nor is he a fan of Mason’s troublemaking family, especially his rowdy older brothers. But Mason slowly wins him over with fantastic cooking and the sort of friendship Nash has been starving for.When their unlikely friendship takes a turn for the sexy, both men try to steer clear of trouble. Nash believes he’s too set in his ways for Mason, and Mason worries that his family’s reputation will ruin any future with Nash. Burning up the sheets in secret is a surefire way to crash and burn, and discovery forces a heart-wrenching decision—is love worth the risk of losing everything?Trust with a Chaser is a 75,000 word stand-alone gay romance with a May/December theme, a hot law-enforcement hero, opposites attract, plenty of sexy times, and one hard-fought, guaranteed happy ending with no cliffhangers.

Unscripted


J.R. Gray - 2019
    The more famous he becomes, the more he hides. The only person he ever let see the real him rose with him from nothing to the very top.They were the king and queen of Hollywood— and then she wanted a divorce. The only way to survive his depression is to bury himself in work. If he can be a character, maybe he won’t have to remember himself. A gay role can’t be any different than playing a straight one, can it?But instead of finding solace in the character, he finds it in his costar. Hale becomes his best friend, his lifeline, the light in his darkness. Quell is forced to examine everything he thought he knew about himself while filming intimate scenes with Hale that feel more real than anything ever has before.He’s lived his entire life following the script. What would life be like unscripted?

All Grown Up


Vi Keeland - 2019
    Young, gorgeous, successful, smart. Did I mention young? If I did, it bears repeating. Ford Donovan was too young for me.Let's back up to how it all started. My best friend decided I needed to start dating again. So, without my knowledge, she set up a profile for me on a popular dating site--one that invited men ages twenty-one to twenty-seven to apply for a date. Those nicknamed Cunnilingus King were told they'd go straight to the top for consideration. The profile wasn't supposed to go live. Another point that bears repeating--it wasn't supposed to.Nevertheless, that's how I met Ford, and we started messaging. He made me laugh; yet I was adamant that because of his age, we could only be friends. But after weeks of wearing me down, I finally agreed to one date only--my first after twenty years of being with my high school sweetheart. I knew it couldn't last, but I was curious about him.Though, you know what they say...curiosity kills the cat.My legs wobbled walking into the restaurant.Ford was seated at the bar. When he turned around, he took my breath away.His sexy smile nearly melted my panties.But...he looked so familiar.As I got closer I realized why.He was the son of the neighbor at our family's summer home.The boy next door.Only now...he was all man.I hadn't seen him in years.I left the restaurant and planned to put the entire crazy thing behind me.Which I did. Until summer came.And guess who decided to use his family's summer home this year?

In Too Deep


Kate Sherwood - 2014
    Their worlds couldn’t be further apart. Cade is quiet, serious, and determined to succeed; Aiden's a party-loving frat boy. Cade comes from a rough home and worked hard to get the scholarships that make it possible for him to attend college; Aiden's had it all thrown in his lap by supportive, kind, and wealthy parents. Cade wants nothing to do with Aiden, but from the moment they meet, Aiden is determined to find a way to bring their different worlds together. Aiden manages to persuade Cade he’s a decent guy, and a tentative friendship becomes much more. But a trip to Aiden's family cottage puts Cade in the path of a ghost from his past, and a dark secret he never expected to face again. Cade did what he had to do to escape his dead-end life, but now he sees he didn’t leave it as far behind him as he thought.

Innocent Abroad


Jessica Steele - 1981
    So, to help her sister, soft-hearted Reggie went to Uruguay to the despicable Severo.Once there, however, Reggie learned that Severo meant to carry the charade to its bitter conclusion--meaning marriage! How on earth would she get out of this mess?

Promise of the Unicorn


Sara Craven - 1985
    Now she had to swallow pride and misgivings alike to help finance Mark's business so that they could be married. It was time to collect on the promise her stepcousin, Angelo, had given her along with the Marchese glass unicorn. And being a man of his word, Angelo pledged, "You shall have whatever you desire--that is, if you know what you want."

Only Ever You


C.D. Reiss - 2019
    She had a plan, after all. First college, then a climb up the professional ladder. Love, marriage, children. All of it was on the schedule.The cheap Hollywood apartment wasn’t on the list. Neither was the string of heartbreaks. Or the effect her mother’s cancer had on her career.It’s hard to stay practical and on point when everything takes a left turn.Enter Sebastian, the nerd across the street. The boy she defended when he couldn’t defend himself. The best friend she promised she’d marry if life didn’t go according to plan.Not only is he successful, confident, and gorgeous, but he also still has their handwritten marriage contract.No one goes through with childhood wedding pacts.That’s crazy.But their families might just be crazy enough to rent a hall and set a date. All Rachel and Sebastian have to do is fall in love.

The Colour of Midnight


Robyn Donald - 1994
    The only person who might be able to give her an answer was wickedly attractive Nick Peveril, Stella's husband. But he wasn't the conventional grieving widower. What was Minerva to make of him? And should she fight the passion she felt for him?

Between The Lines


Jayne Ann Krentz - 1986
    Marrying her boss, prominent businessman Cormick Grayson, was a very reasonable proposition for a woman who'd been hurt in love before. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.At first. But something wasn't right. The heat in Gray s eyes told her there was more to this than a polite, passionless marriage. But Gray s cool, impersonal distance left Amber wondering about the man she'd married.Amber never imagined she'd be the one demanding more, yearning to feel things she vowed she would never risk again.

Where Two Ways Meet


Yvonne Whittal - 1984
    Nor had she forgiven him for callously crushing all the tender feelings she'd nurtured for him.Now the knowledge that he wanted to be her lover only angered her ...until his rich, socially acceptable fiancee turned up.

Never Enough


Kelly Elliott - 2019
    Bull riding. But life on the road means leaving his young son at home with his parents. They want him to give up his career and be a father to his child, but Brock needs the adrenaline to get through each day…or so he thinks.Lincoln Pratt needs a fresh start. As a top interior designer in Atlanta, she has everything she could ever want, but she’s always at her father’s mercy. Something’s missing, and Lincoln knows she’ll only find it somewhere far away—like the rolling pastures of Hamilton, Montana, where she meets the irresistibly mysterious Brock.In Brock Shaw, Lincoln sees the part of her that’s missing. In Lincoln Pratt, Brock sees the part of himself he thought he’d lost. But the pain of his past binds him. Can he let himself love again?

Not His Kind Of Woman


Roberta Leigh - 1992
    He was a working stiff from the wrong side of the tracks, and she was the only child in a privileged home. But when they were alone together, they stopped caring about backgrounds. Unfortunately, the rest of the world wouldn't let them forget. And finally the differences forced the young lovers apart.Six years later, they meet again, their roles reversed. But one thing hasn't changed....

Breath of Scandal


Sandra BrownSandra Brown - 1991
    Robbed of her youthful ideals and at the center of scandal and tragedy, Jade ran as far and as fast as she could. But she never forgot the sleepy "company town" where every man, woman, and child was dependent on one wealthy family. And she never forgot their spoiled son, who, with his two friends, changed her life forever. Someday, somehow, she'd return, exact a just revenge -- and free herself from fear, and the powerful family that could destroy her.