Book picks similar to
Duke by Kiru Taye


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romantic-suspense

JP Investigations


Lola Silverman - 2017
    5 books and NO cliffies! Book 1: Micah Lexi is everything a man like me should steer clear of. Mostly, that means she’s too good for someone like me. But when I realize that her brother is missing because of something that happened in my club, there’s really nothing for me to do but help her out. Something isn’t right around here and I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been a little blind to some stuff that was right under my nose. Lexi has woken me up in so many ways and I’m not sure I’ll ever be the same again. Book 2: Aaron I’m in Boston for one reason, to chase down a lead on my boss’s missing son. Joshua is the owner and CEO of Joshua Pettit Investigations and he tells me where to go and when. But it’s always up to me to find the best way to crack a case wide open. Of course this is the first time that my main informant in any case turned out to be a prostitute. For the moment she and I have mutual goals. But the more time I spend with Johanna, the more time I realize that there’s a lot more to her than anyone has ever given her credit for. Book 3: Zandry Coming to Denver in search of some runaway teens that might or might not be my boss’s kid is about the vaguest assignment I’ve ever had. Now I’m following runaway teens all over town and watching them pull off panhandling schemes that would make an experience thief green with envy. Something isn’t quite adding up here and it has nothing to do with the carnies coming to town. Of course hanging out with pickpockets occasionally means you get accused of doing the deed yourself. Fortunately for me there is a super hot cop that doesn’t mind coming to my rescue. Book 4: Liam Finding the bodies of dead runaway in a hole in the desert isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen, but it does come close. These kids are young and their lives had promise. But now I’m here in Albuquerque to see if my boss’s kid might be one of the unfortunates. I’m hoping not because the CEO of JPI is not the type of man who will take the murder of his son lightly. Fortunately for me I’ve happened onto a woman who is up to her ears in the business of runaway teens and also happens to look like an exotic angel come to take my poor Irish butt to heaven. Book 5: Joshua Beth is probably one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Of course that probably makes me an idiot for constantly telling her that we can’t be a couple. The problem is that I shouldn’t be sleeping with employees. And of course my kid ran away and I’ve been tapping all of my resources trying to find him. Now I’m in New Orleans with Beth following one last lead. Of course this also happens to bring my ex wife out to help. Between her theatrics, a sarcastic local cop, and a voodoo priestess who can’t keep her nose out of other people’s business, all I can hope for is a happy ending that doesn’t end with a permanent stay in one of the Big Easy’s famous crypts.

The Contingency Bid


Sherelle Green - 2019
    Even if that means participating in the upcoming Southlake Park bachelor auction to raise money for the neighborhood. However, Mama Peaches has one request…Kadaris must work with etiquette coach, Khloe Madison, to polish his thuggish exterior before the auction. Despite their chemistry, he hasn’t gotten along with Khloe in years and he’s ready to send her packing. Imagine his surprise when Khloe makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Khloe Madison has never passed up on a challenge and rough-around-the-edges Kadaris is her biggest challenge yet. He’s stubborn, arrogant, and unfortunately, too sexy for his own good. In order to get through this, she has a proposition for him. All she needs is ten days to turn Kadaris into the ideal bachelor and if he isn’t singing her praises after that, she’ll be at his beck and call the week after the auction. However, if this princess of the neighborhood wins, he’ll regret the day he ever called her prim and proper.

Only One Night


J. Nichole - 2019
    But to appease both her heart and hormones, she allowed herself a night with him, but only one. Boris agreed to the promise of just one night. The thought of a worry free sex life was appealing. Hell he didn’t need the hassle of a relationship either. Or so he thought. After their first night together he knew he at least wanted one more. But how many nights would it take to convince Marley that he wouldn’t break her heart?

Humbled By A Real N*gga


Lisa Austin - 2021
    

Say He'll Be My Valentine


Aubreé Pynn - 2019
     Kaliah needed a break from her life. Antonio needed her. Arriving at the Canbury hotel, love was the last thing on either of their minds. After a busy year with her acting career and a need to reset, Kaliah James finds herself in the mountains of Montana unable to resist an enchanting stranger by the name of Antonio Clark. Antonio Clark is on his way to Portland from Philadelphia when his jet has to make an emergency stop. With Canbury being the only hotel for miles and his changed plans, his only option is to take the cards he was dealt and rest up for his flight home. His plans were quickly canceled when he met the beautiful, down to earth Kaliah James. Going against everything they knew, three days isn’t enough time together, but they make it work. An unspoken agreement lies between the two, what happens at the Canbury Hotel stays at the Canbury Hotel. After returning back to their normal lives apart, it becomes painfully clear that they aren’t meant to be without one another. Antonio wants every ounce of Kaliah, and Kaliah wants to live in the safety net of Antonio’s security. With their lives moving in two different directions, can they meet in the middle, or will the magic of the Canbury Hotel be a memory? Find out in Say He’ll Be My Valentine! *This is a standalone novel in the B. Love Publications "Say He" series. The books can be read in any order, and the characters/stories do not intertwine.*

The Pact: To Have and To Hold


C. Monet - 2019
    Slowly but surely, she’s been on a mission to knock things off her list. She has the career, the home, and the cars, but the one thing she is lacking is a love of her own. Her fifteen-year-old pact with her best friend, Timothy, should solidify her last mission, however, on a dinner-date gone wrong, she finds out that Timothy has already planned to get married to someone else - his fiancée - Melanie. Heartbroken and ready to give up on love, Cynthia’s mother steps in and introduces her to a kind, ambitious man named Shawn. Shawn has love and marriage on the brain and is ready to take Cynthia to new heights if she’ll let him. Timothy has a hard time letting Cynthia go once he finds out how hurt she is, and if he doesn’t step in quickly, he’ll lose Cynthia for good. Melanie is pushing him to make plans for their wedding, and Timothy does his best to make her happy while still trying to accommodate Cynthia’s feelings, but she’s no longer pressed over what Timothy wants. For once, she’s putting her wants and needs first, and Timothy’s lack of acceptance for how he feels for Cynthia might force her down the aisle before him if he doesn’t run towards his feelings for the woman he’s truly in love with.

The Right Kinda Hood


K.C. Mills - 2019
    His past life experiences have made him the man he is today. It was never glamorous but it was necessary. Forced to be the man of the house at a young age, East has always handled business and family before anything. Settling down with one woman, has never fit into the hierarchy of his needs. Joi loves hard and at times too much. Her loyalty has kept her in a relationship with a man who does not value her as he should, but with no evidence of any wrong doing, Joi cannot bring herself to leave. Having something at the end of the day is better than nothing and Joi only has gut feelings. Joi’s best friend, Nyelle is all about her son. After news of her long time boyfriend’s infidelities comes out in the worst way, she is no longer concerned with a relationship. Taking care of home and making sure her son is happy is her only focus. In Vega’s mind it will always be loyalty over anything. That mind frame caused him to lose three years of his life. Now that he is home, Vega’s way of thinking has changed. No longer concerned with the fast life, Vega is ready to try something different. Each of these four have their own insecurities and doubts that they have to work through in order to see what’s in front of them. Each guarded for their own reasons, they must decide if the potential benefits of a new relationship outweigh the risks. Will they decide to take that leap or will the past stand in the way of what could a beautiful future?

Til Morning: A Short Story


B. Love - 2018
    If you are looking for a full length novel with a beginning, middle, and end, please choose another B. Love title for your reading pleasure.* Three nights. Two lovers. One weekend that will change their lives forever. For Latimore Hart, nothing is more important than his singleness and money. When he decides to spend the weekend at Decadence, an exclusive twenty-one and up hotel in Memphis, the last thing he expects is to find a woman capable of keeping his interest. In his mind, three days is more than enough time for him to share himself with any woman, but when he meets Dana… everything changes. Dana Green lost a bet with her best friend. Her punishment? To spend the weekend at Decadence. Her original plan was to spend her entire trip in her room, but a late check in leads to Latimore sliding into her vision, arms, and maybe even her heart. At the start of their weekend together, Latimore and Dana both agree that they will part ways and never see each other again when it’s over. Will that be the case, or will they break the only rule at Decadence and continue their affair long after Sunday morning arrives?

He was the Rich Goon I Needed


Kendra Sumter - 2019
    I like what I like. That’s all that matters. Feel how you want to and watch how I don’t give a damn.” ~Kyandra~ ​“All I want is love, loyalty, understanding, a husband, a house, and children. Is that too much to ask for?” ~Kennocha~ ​“Relationship is a twelve letter word that I’m allergic to. I don’t use it. I’ve never had one, and I’m not trying to have one.” ~Duke~ ​We often want what we want, no matter how bad it is for us. The forbidden fruit is always sweeter. What happens when four people collide in the most unimaginable way? Will their viewpoints on life change, or will they continue to want what they want, no matter the consequences? Take a ride through the pages of ‘He Was the Rich Goon I Needed’ and find out if what they want outweighs what they really need.

Unravel


Annie Miller - 2021
    He was the star football player, who turned every girl’s head and even some boys’, but he had eyes only for her. He was her first in everything but he was also her last. When she found out she was pregnant and he was leaving for the Army right after graduation, she knew they were going to grow apart. She decided to not get the abortion they agreed on, deciding to raise her most cherished gift Matt left her, their son Caleb.
 Matt Davis, aka Gunny, loved being in the Army’s special forces. As a Ranger Sniper, he earned his moniker with his love of armory, any kind or sort; new or antique; legal or illegal, it made no difference in his collection. And just like his cache of dangerous weapons, he lived his life to the fullest and never looked back. There wasn’t a girl he didn’t like or a job he wouldn’t take on. His fast-paced life, however, came to a halt when he opened his front door to Evie, his first and only genuine love. The shock of seeing her turned into dismay when he discovers she did not get the abortion they agreed on and instead he is now the father to an eighteen-year-old boy who has gone missing from his senior spring break in Cancun, Mexico.
 Together Evie and Gunny will embark on the most important mission of Gunny’s life, and the most heartbreaking for Evie. Will they find their missing son? Will Gunny forgive her for keeping this secret for twenty years, and will Evie be able to tell Gunny the true story behind her decision to keep their son?

A Love Worth Fighting For: Cannon & Tiff


K. Renee - 2020
    Cannon swore that he would get Tiff by any means necessary. Things seemed to be going that way a few times, but Tiff just wasn’t ready. Back in her hometown after moving, Tiff runs into Cannon, and it is not a happy reunion. Tiff has secrets that may result in her seeing a side of Cannon she is not prepared for. What secrets could Tiff possibly have? Will she be able to prove to Cannon that she’s not the snake he thinks she is?Cannon also has his own family issues going on and trying to protect the ones closest to him. This leads to family issues that are hard to deal with.Two people close to both Tiff and Cannon take a chance at romance, but distance will make it hard. When tragedy strikes and flights are booked things go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. The truth will threaten to break up this new couple, will they be able to figure it out their new relationship?Everything that was done in the dark will come to light for these four. When feelings get involved and the trust isn’t there things escalate quickly. Will they be able to sort it out or is it better to just leave things alone?

Chi-Town Bosses & The Women That Love Em 2


Anna Black - 2019
    She is only focused on getting back on her feet and reopening her salon. Love, relationships, and finding a man to share her life with isn’t in her plans, and all she wanted from a man was purely physical. Uriel “Rel” Wilkerson is enjoying the single life and has a strict rule of no sleepovers. Successful, creative, and most of all, handsome, he has no trouble bedding any woman he wants. Anything other than casual sex wasn’t in his plans until he lays eyes on Chas. He’s exactly what she never wanted to admit that she needed and she’s a perfect fit for him, but are either of them ready to open up their hearts for love? Will Rel break down the walls that Chas has built to protect her heart, or will she let her past cause her to lose the best man for her?

Jett (Chicago Protection Task Force Book 6)


Leanne Tyler - 2021
    

A Soldier's Protection: An Eagle Security & Protection Novel (Beyond Valor, #4)


Lynne St. James - 2019
    Now he has a second chance. All he has to do is keep her alive.Ex-SEAL Chase “Frost” Brennan was sure he’d never again see the only woman he’d ever loved. Faith Murdock was the civilian psychologist who’d brought him back to life three years ago, and now she was a seductive, alluring, burlesque dancer who’d hypnotized him. She had a story to tell, but before he could ask, all hell broke loose at the club.Faith started dancing for release but when her fan mail turned threatening, it terrified her. When Chase showed up her relief was staggering. He was the one man she trusted with her life. She’d never gotten over the pain of having to push him away for his own good, even though it broke her heart.Faith wasn’t the same woman he’d known, and Chase wanted to know why. He was determined to break down the barriers to her heart, but first he had to catch a killer and it quickly became clear he was no ordinary stalker. Even with the help of his ESP team and his best friend, Chase would have to put his life on the line for his woman. But he was willing to do anything to give Faith the happily ever after she deserved.

Hideaway Hall


Jennifer Hayden - 2017
    She has been running from her past ever since. For two decades, she has pushed the bad memories from her mind and struggled to make a life for herself hundreds of miles away from the town of Rocky Point, Washington. When her grandmother dies, Maisy is forced to go home—back to a house where the nightmares all started. Back to a house where evil still lurks and unrest still lingers. Soon Maisy is tossed back in time. Nothing is what it seems. Someone or something is trying to communicate with her. With the help of local firefighter, Cade Rowe, Maisy chooses not to run from the truth this time. As secrets long buried begin to surface, a wave of terror washes over the entire town. Evil spreads. Hideaway Hall is wide awake and it's only a matter of time before everyone who touches it realizes the power of those trapped inside.