Book picks similar to
Love Me Like You Mean It by Laura Burton
romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance
chick-lit
Everly Dalton's Dating Disasters
Claire Kingsley - 2019
She hasn't exactly been lucky in love. In fact, she just might be cursed.A guy who only dates lookalikes of his ex? Pass. An alpha-male businessman who bolts in a moment of crisis? No, thanks. A date that turns into the creepiest interview in the history of ever? Where does she find these guys?Join Everly as she dishes to her friends about the surprising, unpredictable, and sometimes crazy adventure that is modern dating. Will she keep matching with frogs or find her Prince Charming?Everly Dalton's Dating Disasters originally appeared as six serial episodes in Claire Kingsley's newsletter. The complete series is available here in one volume. Each episode is an account of one of Everly's (typically terrible) dates. This series of short stories takes place before the full-length, stand-alone hot romcom Faking Ms. Right.
The Wish List
Jane Costello - 2013
. . and she has some unfinished business.Emma and her friends are about to turn thirty, and for Emma it's a defining moment. Defined, that is, by her having achieved none of the things she'd imagined she would.Her career is all wrong, her love life is a desert and that penthouse apartment she pictured herself in simply never materialised. Moreover, she's never jumped out of a plane, hasn't met the man she's going to marry, has never slept under the stars, or snogged anyone famous - just some of the aspirations on a list she and her friends compiled fifteen years ago.As an endless round of birthday parties sees Emma hurtle towards her own thirtieth, she sets about addressing these issues. But, as she discovers with hilarious consequences, some of them are trickier to tick off than she'd thought…
Baking Me Crazy
Karla Sorensen - 2019
He also knew she wanted nothing to do with romance, and for very good reasons. So what did he do? He was the best friend she needed for five long years.The day Joss comes to tell her best friend that she’s ready for love—with another guy—it’s like a punch to his … well, you know.How does he show her that the real love of her life isn’t the random guy who bought her a pickle cupcake at the bakery? Well … he needs to wage war--one touch, one moment at time. Joss isn’t the only stubborn one in their friendship, and he’ll prove that the man for her has been right in front of her the whole time.
Dating Games
T.K. Leigh - 2019
No kissing. No fooling around. No falling in love. What can possibly go wrong?
Note to self:
When your boyfriend dumps you on your thirtieth birthday, it's probably not the smartest idea to drink so much that you wake up in the same bed as the mysterious hottie wearing the gorgeous suit who you noticed sitting across the bar.The only silver lining in my obvious lack of judgment is the promise of never seeing Mr. Suit again, not in a city the size of New York.Or so I thought, until a story I'm working on about the country's most sought-after and elusive escort lands me in the same café as Mr. Suit. So I do what any self-respecting woman of my age would do in my shoes... Try to ignore him.
But he won't let me.
Instead he makes a proposition that leaves me questioning whether I need to have my ears checked. Be his fake girlfriend for a summer of wealth and excess in the Hamptons. In return, he'll help me win back my boyfriend's heart.Juvenile? You bet.Effective? Could be.Bad idea? Most likely.But what do I have to lose?Apparently, a lot more than I originally bargained for.
Let the games begin...
Dating Games is a standalone modern retelling of Cinderella meeting her billionaire Prince Charming. If you like a sassy heroine, a sinful hero, and a whole lot of laughs, then you'll love this fake relationship romance.
His Banana
Penelope Bloom - 2018
Seriously. The guy is like a potassium addict. Of course, I touched it. If you want to get technical, I actually put it in my mouth. I chewed it up, too... I even swallowed.I know. Bad, bad, girl.Then I saw him, and believe it or not, choking on a guy's banana does not make the best first impression. I should backtrack a little here. Before I ever touched a billionaire’s banana, I got my first real assignment as a business reporter. This wasn’t the same old bottom-of-the-barrel assignment I always got. I wasn’t going to interview a garbage man about his favorite routes or write a piece on how picking up dog poop from people’s yards is the next big thing. Nope. None of the above, thank you very much.This was my big break. My chance to prove I wasn’t a bumbling, clumsy, accident-prone walking disaster. I was infiltrating Galleon Enterprises to follow up on suspicions of corruption. Cue the James Bond music.I could do this. All I had to do was land the position as an intern and nail my interview with Bruce Chamberson.Forget the fact that he looked like somebody carved him out of liquid female desire, then sprinkled on some "makes men question their sexuality" for good measure. I needed to make this work. No accidents. No disasters. No clumsiness. All I needed to do was hold it together for less than an hour.Fast forward to the conference room before the interview, and that's where you would find me with a banana in my hand. A banana that literally had his name on it in big, black sharpie. It was a few seconds later when he walked in and caught me yellow-handed. A few seconds after that was when he hired me. Yeah. I know. It didn't seem like a good sign to me, either.
Her Perfect Revenge
Anna Mara - 2008
“Okay, yeah... I know revenge isn’t right but come on, it's the super rat from high school and he doesn't even recognize me! I've got the perfect plan to get even. What can go wrong?”Bill… “Man, she’s smoking hot and so adorable! There’s just something about her that attracts me like gravity. Okay, yeah… maybe I shouldn’t be blackmailing her into pretending to be my fiancée to fool my stubborn, moneybags father but she’s perfect! And my plan is perfect too! What can go wrong?”William… “You give your children everything and what do you get in return? Disappointment & heartburn! If my dirty, rotten son and the girl think they can fool me with their phony scam, they’ve got another thing coming. I’m going to force them to marry for real. That’ll teach them! My plan is perfect. What can go wrong?”So… who will win? And how disastrously can ‘revenge go wrong’ for everybody?Her Perfect Revenge is a crazy, feel good, laugh-out-loud, emotional, roller coaster ride romantic comedy story that will warm its way into your heart.
Miss Kane's Christmas
Caroline Mickelson - 2012
Joining single father Ben Hanson and his children for the holidays seems an easy enough task until Santa informs her that Ben is the man behind the disturbing new book 'Beyond Bah Humbug: Why Lying to Your Children about Santa Claus is a Bad Idea'.Posing as Miss Kane, the children's new nanny, Carol pulls out all the stops to show Ben how fun Christmas can be, all the while struggling to understand how one man could hate the holidays so much. How could she, Santa's only daughter, be so attracted to a man who refuses to believe her father exists?**Please note - this book was originally titled Carol's Christmas**
The Boss Who Stole Christmas
Jana Aston - 2019
Mine is the worst. The worst, hidden in a six foot tall package of male perfection. It’d be easier if he looked like an old Scrooge, wouldn’t it? Nick Saint-Croix doesn’t look like an old scrooge. He’s hot as-Um, never mind. Just bring me a new boss. Please. Sincerely,Holly Winter
Magnificent Bastard
Lili Valente - 2016
Sometimes, you need a Magnificent Bastard.Face it, ladies: love sucks and then you cry...while your ex rides off into the sunset banging your best friend. But why let a break-up end in tears when it can end with sweet revenge? Enter Magnificent Bastard Consulting and me, chief executive bastard. I've got it all--looks, brains, a heart of gold, and the killer instinct guaran-damn-teed to make your ex regret the day he said goodbye.With the help of my virtual assistant, I've built an empire giving broken-hearted women the vengeance they deserve, while keeping myself far from the front lines of the heart. Life is a bowl of cherries, until my virtual assistant shows upon my real doorstep for the first time, begging for a Magnificent Bastard intervention of her own.
Damn... She's a bona fide sex kitten.
I pride myself on being a true pro, but pretending to be her lover soon leads to giving it to her good, hard, fast, and up against the wall. And somewhere between getting balls deep in my sweet and sexy assistant and watching her ex beg for a second chance, I break every last one of my damn rules--professional and personal.So what's my next move? Fight for the girl who makes me want to get up on a white horse and ride to her rescue, or stay a Magnificent Bastard to the end?
Warning: MAGNIFICENT BASTARD is a stand-alone erotic romance told from the hero's point of view. No cliffhanger. Lots of dirty talk.
A Sexy Flirty Dirty Standalone Romance
Butterface
Avery Flynn - 2018
I’m not what most people would call “pretty” and, well, high school was rough. Fast forward ten years and life is good…Until a bunch of jerks think it’s hilarious to put the “butterface” (AKA me) on a wedding Kiss Cam with the hottest guy ever—and that old humiliation hits hard.I recognize him immediately. The sexiest cop in Waterbury and totally out of my league.But then he kisses me. And we totally forget the room, the crowd, everything.Then he tells everyone we’ve been dating for months.Soon everything starts to feel too real, from adorable fights over “necessary” tools to fix my broken porch to surviving a free-for-all dinner with his six siblings to picking up where our last kiss left off.But there’s something he’s not telling me about why he’s really hanging around, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with my mob-connected brothers.Because this is not a make-over story, and Cinderella is only a fairy tale…
The Kiss Keeper
Krista Sandor - 2020
The family screw-up.
All thanks to the Kiss Keeper’s curse.
Yep, she's cursed!
Honestly, it should come as no surprise that she’s been sacked from her job and dumped by her boyfriend on the way to a week-long family celebration.But she’s done—so done with being poor Nat, the family train wreck!
There’s a solution! It’s crazy, but it could work!
She’ll do anything to prove she’s more than just a hot mess — so when her path crosses with a dark and handsome businessman Jake Teller, she enlists him to play the role of adoring boyfriend.
Will a week of romantic charades lead to something more? That all depends on the Kiss Keeper.
♥The Kiss Keeper is a stand-alone summer romance set on the coast of Maine.
Shopping for a Billionaire
Julia Kent - 2014
When mystery shopper Shannon Jacoby meets billionaire Declan McCormick with her hand down a toilet in the men's room of one of his stores, it's love at first flush in this hilarious new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent.
The Substitute
Denise Grover Swank - 2014
Megan Vandemeer meant to tell her parents about her broken engagement, but a month and a half later she finds herself boarding a plane home to her wedding. Having stretched avoidance to its limits, it's time to come clean--a terrifying prospect since her mother is sure to blame her rather than her cheating, emotionally frigid ex. A couple of drinks and two Dramamine later, Megan finds herself spilling her sob story to the tall, dark, and handsome stranger in the seat next to her. With only one week left to save his business, Josh McMillan boards a plane to Kansas City in a last-ditch effort, leaving the details to chance. An unexpected answer is delivered in the form of the beautiful brunette beside him. Though she’s completely loopy, her honesty, openness, and humor charm him. So when she passes out before landing, he helps her off the plane--a good deed that leads to a colossal misunderstanding. Her parents assume he’s her fiancé. In a twist of fate, the mix-up might help Josh save his business, so he plays along, figuring he can help Megan too. All he has to do is stage a public break up convincing enough to appease her mother. Josh is only supposed to be a substitute groom, but the more time he and Megan spend together, the more their pretend engagement starts to feel real…and the less they want to break it off. Can a relationship that began as a farce turn into happily ever after?
Cinderella Screwed Me Over
Cindi Madsen - 2013
Burned one too many times by ex-boyfriends, Darby has lost all belief in the happily-ever-after that the fairy-tale princess promised her. She's sworn off love, Prince Charmings, and happy endings and she's happy about it. Really. Or at least she was…until she met Jake, her gorgeous neighbor and the manager of her favorite restaurant. But Darby has rules about dating, ones she's culled from her years spent with so-called “princes,” and starting something with Jake would break all of them.Charming, fun, and unwilling to give up on her, Jake doesn’t fit any of the profiles Darby has created from her case studies of ex-princes-gone-bad. Finally presented with her own Prince Charming, can Darby take a chance on a happily-ever-after?Full of wit and sarcastic humor, Cinderella Screwed Me Over proves that sometimes the perfect love, like a perfect pair of shoes, is just within your grasp.
My Big Fat Fake Wedding
Lauren Landish - 2019
I need a husband. It’s just temporary… what could go wrong? I’ve always wanted the fairy tale wedding. Not for the princess perfect dress or big party, but for Papa. My grandfather. The only father figure I’ve ever known. It’s his dying wish to walk me down the aisle. Gee, no pressure. But I can grant that wish... I just have to fake being head over heels in love with Ross Andrews, my best friend's big brother whom I embarrassingly crushed on all through high school. Handsome. Knockout sexy. Arrogant jerk extraordinaire. Our childish pranks and tit-for-tat battles were legendary. Then I grew up. Not that he ever noticed. I know it’s a terrible idea, and we’re both in over our heads. It could be the wedding of a lifetime or a total disaster. How do we make it to the altar without killing each other first? Or without falling in love for real? My Big Fat Fake Wedding is a full-length romance with a HEA and no cliffhanger.