Book picks similar to
Defining Us by Karen Deen


second-chance
sports-romance
contemporary
brother-sister-friends

Fighting Chance


Lea Coll - 2022
    James rejected me in high school. It's her cluttered storefront I have a problem with. Still, it’s hard to stay mad at her when she’s more beautiful than I remember and her son keeps finding new ways to sneak over to my hardware store every chance he gets. While I admit he needs a male figure in his life, I’m the wrong guy for the job. Despite my reluctance, the little guy brings us together even as our pasts keep us apart.I’m falling deeper for this woman, and the more I get to know Savannah, the more I realize I may have misjudged her. Maybe we can get a second chance after all.

Expecting His Baby


Sophia Kenning - 2018
    All I have to do is make a baby with him. For nine months, I’ll live like royalty, in a mansion resting on a wooded estate. I’ll dine with celebrities and share hors d'oeuvres with politicians. I’ll ride on a galloping thoroughbred over rolling hills by day and let myself be driven through the glittering city lights at night. And I’ll step onto the red carpet in my couture gown on the arm of Daniel, a billionaire as gorgeous as he is mysterious. I don’t know everything about him, but I know what matters. I know that he can start my heart pounding with a single glance. That his embrace is as overwhelming as it is protective. That his scent arouses and intimidates in equal measure. That his touch makes it impossible to think. And he uses it all to get whatever he wants. I have little time to know him better. To see what kind of man he is behind the mask. To see if he can be a good father to our child. So I can convince myself that I’m not making the worst mistake of my life. Because in nine months’ time when our baby is born... I must leave them all behind. Expecting His Baby is a stand-alone novel with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Kept by the Woodsman: An ex-MMA Fighter Mountain Man Romance


Ambrielle Kirk - 2018
    She didn’t listen. She belongs to me now. My name is Saul. Also known as The Silencer. I’ve beaten men bloody with my f*#king fists to make a living. That’s all behind me now. Or at least that’s what I thought. Who would’ve guessed that the woman who came to my mountains and disrupted my life would be my salvation? She says she wants my story but I’m going to give her so much more. I’m going to give her a night she’ll never forget. I never believed in fairy tales, and I damn sure have never let my guard down for anyone. But this curvy little vixen has tested my limits. My past was paved with my bare hands—my fists. My future is on this mountain—with her. Author's Note: Kept by the Woodsman is a mountain man contemporary romance novel of 41,000 words. Expect off-the-charts steam and over-the-top insta-lust that leads into an intense love story. No cliffhangers with a sweet HEA. Read instantly in KU!

Try Again


Haley Pierce - 2018
     His best friend wants me in his bed… again. I’ve never forgotten how he used me and threw me away all those years ago. He was my first love and he destroyed my heart. Now he’s traded his electric guitar in for a business suit and a BMW… And I’m not going to lie, he’s hot AF. And, the heated sparks flying between us are undeniable. He’s totally off limits and giving into temptation would be ALL WRONG. But if wrong feels so good, maybe I don’t want to be right. But we’re really good at keeping secrets… aren’t we?

The Perfect One: A Second Chance Romance


Scarlet West - 2019
     Next thing I knew he had me bent over my own countertop. Nolan is back in town, And I never planned on making him stay... But the world works in mysterious ways. Who knew having a crush for over a decade would blossom into something so amazing?

The Love Playbook


Jerica MacMillan - 2022
    

Prince's Forgotten Baby Son: A Royal Baby Romance


Ella Brooke - 2019
    I was never an “all-in” kind of guy… but she was a game changer. I only had one priority.Duty.Responsibility to my family.To my obligations.It wasn’t a choice;It was a necessity. No exemptions. But life is not without its curveballs.And her name was Vanessa.An American beauty I had to seduce.And pillage.Just for a little while, of course.Five years later,The guilt was still with me.I was the epitome of the phrase,“Love ‘em then leave ‘em.”And when I saw Vanessa again…Hmm… time had only made her more beautiful.I wanted to pick up right where we’d left off.Over and over again.There was just one catch…She had a son.My son.Now, my family wants me to ditch her again.They don’t think the kid’s mine.And I have to admit –I don’t know for sure.But I do know two things:I’m not the man I used to be.And I’m not abandoning anyone… Note: Prince's Forgotten Baby Son is a steamy second chance romance between a beautiful American woman and the Prince who left her and their son behind.

Forever Friend Zoned


C. Morgan - 2021
    I took all of that crap from the past and turned it into a goldmine. My body, namely. And there’s one girl I want that rejected me over and over. Lucky for me, the beauty is on the heels of a terrible breakup. Yes. I mean, aww… Her parents are pushing her to go to the gym to lose some weight. Boy, do I know how that feels. And guess who’s waiting for her when she gets there?That’s right. Me. The forever friend-zoned guy. But I have no ill will toward my curvy first love. I only want what’s best for her. Namely, me. *wink*So the game begins, and I’m lucky to be in the coach’s shoes this time. She has no clue who I am, but sparks fly high. No way in hell I’m telling her I’m the guy she remembered rejecting. ‘Cause I’m not out for revenge. I just want what I’ve always wanted… Her.

Only a Fling


Delancey Stewart - 2022
    But this city-boy condo builder doesn't know the first thing about construction in a place like Kasper Ridge. Will hired me to oversee the renovation at the old Kasper Ridge Resort - a job that will make my company and guarantee that Papa can live comfortably to a very old age. I just need to keep my eyes on the prize and make sure Will Cruz doesn't make any assumptions about my abilities just because I'm a woman in construction.And the prize is not Will Cruz's ocean blue eyes or those rock-hard abs. Besides, all those muscles and that killer smile are temporary. I've lived in the mountains long enough to know that slick city boys don't stick around for the long run. So I tell myself the things I need to hear to stay strong, hold firm, maintain my distance.Until Will kisses me one night and I forget pretty much everything I'd been telling myself about protecting my heart. I know it's only a fling, but what if there's a chance Will Cruz is the one? What if I give him my heart, and he doesn't stay?

Pirate: A Wings of Diablo MC Novel (Wings of Diablo - New Orleans Chapter Book 4)


Rae B. Lake - 2021
    

Top Notch


Nicole Richard - 2020
    First baseman for one of major league baseball’s hottest teams, he’s lived most of his adult years playing the field. But the time has come for him to work just as hard off it as he has on it. That is, if he wants the girl. And for the first time, he wants the girl. He wants Rowan Landry. A top-notch civil engineer, she's made her place in this so-called man's world. Rowan knows her worth, and the dedication it takes to get to the top, but she isn't stopping there.Nothing will stand in her way of what she's worked so hard for... until he actually does.With chemistry so undeniable, it's no wonder their torrid one-night stand holds enough heat to burn up the sheets. But when a pertinent piece of information complicates things and a make-or-break decision leaves unanswered questions, they come to realize this just might be the final inning.

Just Once


Kate Hunt - 2019
    And he’s more than a decade older than me. But I want him anyway. My plans for Halloween this year are pretty laid-back: drive up to see my parents, hand out candy at their house, and watch some cheesy horror movies. But then my mom tells me that we’re invited to a Halloween party hosted by my dad’s new business partner. And my dad’s new business partner, Dante, is freakin’ hot. Hooking up with Dante proves to be inevitable. What catches us both off guard is our mutual desire to actually be together. But I don’t see how we can make it work. And I’m scared out of my mind to tell my parents about us. How can this possibly end well? JUST ONCE is a fun, short, Halloween romance with steam, sweetness, and a happily-ever-after!

The Exception


Mickey Miller - 2021
    Turns out your first order of business is dinner with a new player who just signed with the team. But he’s not just any new player. He's Dallas Connelly, Super Bowl champion. Through a series of coincidences, he was also your steamy rebound a few months ago in Hawaii. You can look, but you can't touch. Because the consequences of hooking up with one of your players would be nothing short of national scandal and complete embarrassment. Is Dallas panty-meltingly handsome with a too-cocky attitude I'd like to smack off his pretty mug? Sure.Do I have one, fine, maybe two fantasies about him sneaking into my office for a late-night kiss? Sure, I admit it. None of that matters though. Because Dallas is off-limits. To say ours is smooth, easy romance would be a lie. I never thought I would fall in love with a man like Dallas and break all of my rules. I certainly never imagined Dallas would be the exception. … or that I would be his.

Bryson's Treasure


Linzi Baxter - 2019
    He barely got out alive with the help of a young Afghan girl he refused to leave behind. His boots barely touch Montana soil before he and his brother Noah rescue an unconscious woman trapped in a wrecked truck. A truck whose brakes were clearly tampered with. Though still wounded himself, his instincts scream to keep her safe until they find out who wants her dead. A heart she dares not trust…her own. All Lynn remembers from the accident is a pair of crystal-blue eyes she never thought to see again. Until those eyes show up a few days later, attached to a tall, sandy-haired cowboy who takes all of five minutes to get under her skin. He wants her to stay put? She just got away from a dangerous cult. No one tells her what to do or where she can and can’t go. Especially not a sexy ex-Marine with a rescue complex. But when more near-misses leave her shaken, she has no choice but to surrender to Bryce’s protection…and try like hell not to surrender her heart.

Sexy Business: Vladimir Kensley


Ellen Lane - 2017
    But I can’t be tied down. They simply fill a need, a desire... I am next in line to be the CEO for my foster dad’s oil company, and this has given me access to the luxury and power most people ever dream of. But it comes with a cost. I can’t settle down with a woman. Women take my eyes off my goal. That is, until Charlotte Gardner comes across my path. The attraction is instant. She is gorgeous, spontaneous, wild and ignites a fire in me I was not aware of. I want to make her mine even though I shouldn’t. I can’t stop it. The more I try, the harder I fall. I am ruined! Sexy Business is a hot and steamy romance about a man who redefines the purpose of his life because of falling in love with a woman. It is intended for adults and contains a very satisfying, happy ending!