Book picks similar to
The Gamble by Alice Ward


romance
arc
contemporary
alice-ward

Empire of Desire


Rina Kent - 2021
    It just happened.Nathaniel Weaver is the most attractive man I’ve ever seen with enough charisma to blind the sun.He’s bigger than the world, owns half of it and conquered the other half.He was forbidden. Wrong.So I totally got over him. Or so I told myself.Until we’re forced to get married.Now I’m trapped.But maybe he’s trapped too.Because we’re both reaching for that forbidden fruit dangling between us.Empire of Desire is a complete STANDALONE. No book should be read prior to this.Note: This is NOT a dark romance.

Tie Me Up Daddy


Cassandra Dee - 2017
    I joined the ballet in NYC. Living my dream in the big city, the bright lights dazzled. But then I met Thorn Channing – the CEO of my ballet company. When he invites me to his private studio, I don’t know what to say. He’s the boss. He wants to own my body. I can’t say no. But what if I don’t want to say no? What if all I want to say is, “Yes sir.” Yes, take me. Yes, tie me up. Yes, make me yours. What happens then?

Untouchable


Kira Blakely - 2017
    This farm is the only hideout I’ve found. There’s one rule: Don’t touch the farmer’s daughter. I try not to… at first. Until I catch her in the kitchen one night in nothing but a T-shirt. Tight little a$s cheeks peeking out. Perky bre@sts just begging to be touched. Getting thrown out is not an option. But the way she watches me is too hard to resist. Her innocence begs to be taken. Fu@k it. Some things are worth dying for. All Kira Blakely novels include alphas who know what they want and know how to treat a lady. This is a full length stand-alone steamy suspenseful romance novel. No cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Lessons in Sin


Pam Godwin - 2021
    As the headteacher of a Catholic boarding school, I’m never tempted by a student.Until Tinsley Constantine.The bratty princess challenges my rules and awakens my dark nature. With each punishment I lash upon her, I want more. In my classroom, private rectory, and bent over my altar, I want all of her.One touch risks everything I stand for. My faith. My redemption. And even my life.As if that could stop me. I need her pain, and her heart, and she needs my lessons in sin.

Compromising Her Position


Samanthe Beck - 2015
    Instead, it's Rafe St. Sebastian, a man known for his hard-driving ways in business as well as the bedroom--and, kill her now, the brand spanking new owner of Las Ventanas--who grants her naughtiest Christmas wishes.So much for her reputation, not to mention her career.Rafe needs to close three acquisitions to prove to his father he's ready to take the helm of St. Sebastian Enterprises. A hot interlude in a supply closet after deal number two seems like the perfect illicit Christmas bonus. Unfortunately, when that "bonus" becomes the key to the final deal, he finds himself back in bed--so to speak--with Chelsea, and after their steamy tryst, he's not interested in keeping things professional…

Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire


Nina Croft - 2012
    Catapulted into a world of criminals, Olivia is out of her depth. When she meets the stunningly gorgeous and enigmatic billionaire Luc Severino, her world is turned upside down.Jimmy Brent’s daughter was the last person Luc ever wanted to be with, but she’s the key to finding her father,the man Luc has wanted revenge on for over ten years. He’s willing to use any methods available, including blackmail, to persuade Olivia to help him find Jimmy and put the past behind him.And if blackmail doesn’t gain her total cooperation, then perhaps a little seduction will…

Park Avenue Player


Penelope Ward - 2019
     Then the fender bender happened. The guy I collided with drove an expensive car and was drop-dead gorgeous. Too bad he was also a total jerk. We argued over whose fault it was and any other thing that came out of his condescending mouth. Eventually, the police came and we went our separate ways. The insurance companies would have to figure things out. I had a job interview to get to anyway—one I was excited about. Though that excitement changed to disappointment the moment the person interviewing me walked in. The guy from the accident. Whoops! Yeah, so I didn’t get the position. The problem was, I really wanted it. No, I needed it. Anything to get me out of my current career and back into working with kids. So, even though Hollis LaCroix was as intimidating as he was devastatingly handsome, I went back to see him and begged for a chance. To my surprise, he gave me a shot taking care of his troubled niece. At least my attraction to him wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. I wasn’t about to jeopardize my job or the strong bond Hailey and I formed. But resisting the magnetic pull between us wasn’t that simple. (Then there was our little underwear game—don’t ask.) We continued to flirt without crossing the line—until it finally happened. This is the part of the story where we fall in love and live happily ever after, right? Well, life has a way of throwing some major curveballs. Ours was one I didn’t see coming.

The Billionaire's Secret Heart


Ivy Layne - 2016
    Are you kidding? Holden Winters? A scion of the notorious Winters family, Holden is gorgeous, wealthy, and brilliant. He dates socialites and pop stars, not computer science grad students more comfortable in a hoodie than couture. Our night together was a fantasy…and a huge mistake. Holden: I don't usually steal other guy's dates. I don't have to. A look is all it takes, and the women fall over themselves to get to me. Then I saw Josephine, sitting with her dweeb of a date, just waiting for a man who could appreciate her lush curves and sharp brain. When she ghosted on me, I shouldn't have been so shocked, but women never walk away from me. Josephine thought she could call the shots - she didn't realize that a Winters man always gets what he wants. And I wanted her. The Billionaire’s Secret Heart is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It’s the first in the Scandals of the Bad Boy Billionaires series, and introduces the notorious men of the Winters family. You can read it on its own, but you might want to read the others once you get a taste of the Winters men.

Everywhere and Every Way


Jennifer Probst - 2016
    But his father’s will throws a wrench in his plans by stipulating that Caleb share control of the family business with his two estranged brothers. Things only get more complicated when demanding high-end home designer Morgan hires Caleb to build her a customized dream house that matches her specifications to a T—or she’ll use her powerful connections to poison the Pierce brothers’ reputation. Not one to ignore a challenge, Caleb vows to get the job done—if only he can stop getting distracted by his new client’s perfect…amenities. But there’s more to icy Morgan than meets the eye. And Caleb’s not the only one who knows how to use a stud-finder. In fact, Morgan is pretty sure she’s found hers—and he looks quite enticing in a hard hat. As sparks fly between Morgan and Caleb despite his best intentions not to mix business and pleasure, will she finally warm up and help him lay the foundation for everlasting love?

To Have and to Hold


Lauren Layne - 2016
    but their own.Discovering her fiance is an international con man just moments before they exchange vows devastates celebrity wedding planner Brooke Baldwin's business—and breaks her heart. Now a pariah in Los Angeles, she seeks a fresh start in New York City and thinks she’s found it with her first bridal client, a sweet—if slightly spoiled—hotel heiress. Then she meets the uptight businessman who’s holding the purse strings.Seth Tyler wishes he could write a blank check and be done with his sister Maya's fancy-pants wedding. Unfortunately, micromanaging the event is his only chance at proving Maya’s fiance is a liar. Standing directly in his way is the stunning blonde wedding planner whose practiced smiles and sassy comebacks both irritate and arouse him. He needs Brooke’s help. But can he persuade a wedding planner on a comeback mission to unplan a wedding? And more importantly, how will he convince her that the wedding she should be planning... is theirs?

Untouched


Alexa Riley - 2016
    But after he lays eyes on Liliana, he decides she’s his property now.Eighteen-year-old Liliana has been tucked away her whole life. After her grandmother dies, she’s left alone with only her romance books to keep her company. She’s been surrounded by females her whole life, but when Alexander walks in the door, she knows he’s there to save her.He’s claiming her, no matter how untouched she is.Will Liliana fight or let Alexander have his way? Will Alexander keep her locked away or set her free? Will there be enough steam in this book to start your own sauna? Only one way to find out!Warning: Are we still doing these? This is Alexa Riley. You should know the drill by now. This is going to be over-the-top dirty with all the sticky bits you like. Get in here already!

Take Me Again


Carly Phillips - 2019
    but she’s going to make him work for it.Sebastian Knight is a closer. Be it a real estate deal or the woman of his choice, everything he wants is his for the taking.Sexy and irresistible, a wink, a smile, or a handshake always seals the deal. Until everything unravels around him.After Ashley Easton’s social climbing mother married into the Knight family, Ashley knew better than to get involved with sexy, trouble making Sebastian Knight but their attraction is undeniable, their chemistry intense, and in a moment of weakness, she turns to him, a mistake that cost her her home and her family. After she was sent away, she swore she’d never come back.Sebastian never expected to see Ashley, the one woman he’s never been able to get over, again.When she walks back into his life at the worst possible time, more beautiful than ever, he’s ready for a second chance. She’s sassy and sexy everything he’s ever desired. And she’s back for good. Except Ashley wants nothing to do with the playboy who broke her heart. Too bad his sex appeal makes it harder and harder to keep him at arm’s length.Sebastian Knight might have a talent for sealing the deal but this is one game he’s going to have to work to win.

Mating Theory


Skye Warren - 2020
    They say the nice guy finishes last. So what's the point of being a goddamn gentleman?Maybe I should take what I want. Even that sexy little thing on the street corner.She needs a hot meal and a place to sleep. Instead I'm taking her home to soothe the savage beast inside me. I was born a bastard, and for the first time in my life I act like one.Except the more I use her, the more I need her.I didn't know I had someone left to lose.But for a single heartbeat, I had her.

Captive


Cassandra Bloom - 2017
    One Feisty Assistant. Two weeks with only each other…ConradThe moment I laid eyes on Maya, I knew I had to make her mine.I’ve mastered the business world. Fighting for what I want has made me the man I am today. But until I met Maya, I had never thought that I could match myself with a woman. Maya is different – and she won’t be claimed easily!Now I’ll just have to convince her…Now I’ve got all the tools I need: two weeks in my cabin, and Maya has agreed to be my willing assistant.And I’ve got a whole lot of ideas for her... We’re about to learn a lot about each other. And if I’m right, this is going to be hottest laboratory in the history of science. MayaI know how to play the game, but I’m not a piece on anyone’s chess board. Conrad, though...there are possibilities here. He’s got some delicious ideas about what is expected of me whilst working under him… and why we might fit well together…. And I don’t mind one bit!I’ll have to be careful -- this billionaire’s bank account is rivalled only by his insatiable appetite for women. But now he’s hired me to help him with his research. It just so happens that our bodies and minds are the tools. I can’t wait to see the results. I can’t wait to get to work.Working under Conrad might just be my best move yet…

Iron Crowne


C.D. Reiss - 2019
    Byron Crowne is a gentleman on the outside, and a pure savage on the inside. I detest him. I can't resist him. He’s awakened desires I didn’t know I had. When he touches me, I need to fight him . . . and I need him to win. Our one night stand bruises my skin and leaves dents in the walls, but the sheets aren't the only thing we shred that night. And suddenly, the stakes are higher than ever. Olivia Monroe lights a fire in me that died a long time ago. I’m a different man when I’m with her. I need to own her, take her, mark her as mine. Everything changes when she might be pregnant and for the first time in my life…I’m powerless against this stubborn, untamable woman. She’s the one in control and I have an impossible job: Prove I’m worthy to be a father.