Book picks similar to
Rough Edge by Evie Mitchell


romance
not-interested
freebie
second-chance

Make You Stay (A Slow-Burn, Single Dad Steamy Romance)


M.L. Broome - 2021
    Chloe is one of those fast-talking New Yorkers with an opinion about everything. Never mind that most of them are correct. She also has the greatest ass on the planet, along with a sex kitten smile that threatens to undo me every time we meet. But we want different things from life, and neither of us are willing to compromise. I have to keep my distance, no matter how much my heart wants to make her stay. Chloe:My holiday plans never included a funeral, or the grizzly bear in a suit scowling at me throughout the service, but here I am. Turns out the grizzly is named Aidan, and heā€™s actually a big softie beneath his shaggy beard. A big softie with rock hard abs. Heā€™s fun, flirty, and dangerously attractive, but weā€™re strictly friends. Thereā€™s no crossing that line, although with each passing night, heā€™s getting harder to resist. I changed my life for love once before and I wonā€™t do it again, no matter how much my heart wants him to make me stay.

Sleeping with the Beast


B.B. Hamel - 2021
    A little twisted. A little broken.Renā€™s the kind of man Iā€™ve spent my life running away from: big, gorgeous, arrogant. He thinks the world revolves around his biceps.When Iā€™m nearly killed in a drive-by shooting gone wrong, my father packs me up and ships me off to Philly, ā€œfor my protection,ā€ whatever that means.Enter Ren, my new bodyguard. He wants to be the last man I ever need. I think heā€™s so full of it, heā€™s about to burst.But when a new war breaks out, Iā€™m right back in dangerAnd Ren says heā€™ll do anything for me.I say, I want him to prove it.Welcome back, Leone Crime Family!!! Another story in the steamy mafia saga, and this one is as sizzling as all the rest. It was a blast to write and I hope you all love it! As always, this standalone has no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. Enjoy! XO BB

Worth the Wait


Sophia Sinclair - 2019
     Molly Miller is an overworked and underpaid librarian struggling to raise her three kids herself. The only romances she has time for are the novels she returns to the shelves. Then one day, David Conrad walks into the Fairview Public Library. He looks just like the sexy pirate on the cover of a romance novel her best friend, Lori, has been reading, so they secretly refer to him as The Pirate Man. But the truth is even stranger. His appearance means old secrets are about to be revealed, and not everyone in town will be happy about that. Who is David Conrad? David immediately rubs Molly the wrong way. But she somehow keeps getting entangled with him in ways she can't seem to avoid. He claims to be descended from a prominent Fairview family that was brutally murdered in the 1950s. The Conrad murders were never solved, and now that a Conrad is back in town and asking questions, the people of Fairview are in for some surprises. So is Molly. Who'd have thought an irritating Pirate Man could capture her heart? Review of Worth the Wait: I cannot say enough about this book! I love the whole librarian single mom angle and meeting up with ā€œThe Pirateā€??!! So much YES! Sophia Sinclair creates this small town feel with real characters that have so much depth that you canā€™t help but fall in love with. Molly not only tackles being a single parent, but also issues with her beloved library and her crazy awful landlord! Itā€™s real and I absolutely loved that it was such a big part of the story. Then, she meets this mysterious stranger who is new in this small town (we all know how that goes) and he shakes things up in her already chaotic life. They have this love/hate relationship that they have to struggle through.

Set Free


Kelly Collins - 2015
    Heā€™s running from his failed marriage. Can a ramshackle ranch inspire a second-chance romance?Mickey Mercer is determined to leave her past mistakes behind bars. Fixing up the rundown family ranch could be the perfect way to get back on the straight and narrow and make her late father proud. But when her vindictive ex sabotages her every move, she reluctantly accepts a stubborn copā€™s offer of protection and finds herself falling head over spurs into his strong arms.Detective Kerrick McKinley may take his vow to serve and protect a little too seriously. While his blue-blooded passion put an end to his marriage, it also compels him to guard a newly freed ex-con from her dangerous stalker. But the more time he spends with the sexy and spontaneous horse rancher, the more heā€™s itching to get back in the saddleā€¦In the face of old fears and new dangers, can Mickey and Kerrick find the courage to risk it all for a chance at true love?Set Free is the first installment in the compelling Second Chance Series of contemporary romance novels. If you like headstrong characters, fiery chemistry, and rustic ranch settings, then youā€™ll love Kelly Collinsā€™ pulse-pounding romance.

Run


Allison LaFleur - 2019
     Sleepless, I studied my surroundingsā€”the aged family photos, the antique dresser, the stenciled ladder-back rocking chairā€”and found the sense of permanence they offered somewhat comforting. Knowing one of the matriarchā€™s of his family had sewn each green and blue patch by hand made the quilt feel like an embrace, and I held it tight like a security blanket. I didnā€™t know Josh. Weā€™d barely spoken since Iā€™d opened my eyes. He didnā€™t know me either. I didnā€™t even know me. Still, the faint sound of his breathing in the next room reminded me I wasnā€™t alone, that my protector was nearby. I guess when you desperately need a hero, youā€™ll attach that title to anyone whoā€™ll wear it. He hadnā€™t turned me away or betrayed me when I begged him not to call the sheriff even though I couldnā€™t give him a reason why. In my desperate state, that made him my champion. Even so, I was panicked and fighting to remain still while every part of me wanted to run. Itā€™s okay. Youā€™re okay. Heā€™s right in the next room. Heā€™ll hear you if you scream. He wonā€™t let anyone hurt you. I repeated those words in my head over and over, but while they kept me from bolting out the door, they did nothing to bring me peace. The night seemed endless. If not for the sound of his breathing and the tick-tick-tick of the clock, I would have thought time itself stood still... Grab your copy and read *FREE* in Kindle Unlimited today!

Fooling Around with Ford


Piper James - 2021
    Tricked. Manipulated. The life and career Iā€™d worked so hard to build crumbled around me, so I abandoned it and moved in with my parents. Shady Springs Retirement Community in Sweet Pea, Florida was the perfect place to hide out, even if I was stuck sleeping on the couch.Then along came Ford Birmingham, a jerk who ran over my things with his lawnmower, destroying them and blaming me for the whole thing. As frustrating as he was charming, it didnā€™t take long for me to soften toward himā€¦but I knew it was a dead end.His life was here, but mine wasnā€™t. I would be leaving as soon as I found a new job in a new town where I could rebuild my shattered world. Ford Iā€™d mowed the grass at Shady Springs for twenty years and never met a resident as intriguing as the beautiful and feisty Virginia Jones. Of course, everyone else who lived there was at least twenty years my senior, soā€¦When I accidentally shredded her e-reader, sunglasses, and towel one bright and sunny December afternoonā€”starting a feud I was definitely all-in forā€”I couldnā€™t stop thinking about her. I knew Iā€™d eventually win her over, but to what end?She would leave Sweet Pea, and me, eventually. But sometimes, the reward was worth the risk.Fooling Around with Ford is the first book in the Sweet Pea Flings series of interconnected standalone novels. A sweet & steamy romance, this book has all the spice with a guaranteed HEA.

Meet Me Halfway


Dee Lagasse - 2020
    Carina Domenico loves four things: her daughter, her big Italian family, cappuccino, and her food blog Halfway Homemade--but not necessarily in that order.When Halfway Homemade is picked up by a major television network, Carina's world changes overnight.But the one thing that doesn't change, thanks to a single earth-shattering heartbreak, is Carina's view on dating.As she starts to feel something for Ryan West--the attractive British producer of her show--she tries her hardest to evade both him and her unwanted feelings.Carina Domenico loves four things--and Ryan West is not on that list.At least, that's what she keeps telling herself.

Bulletproof


Regan Black - 2013
    To avoid a dishonorable end to his decorated military career, John Noble made a deal with the devil. He gave up his name, endured harrowing training, and accepted every mission thrown at him for one purpose: redemption. When he accepts his latest orders, providing personal security for a reporter in trouble, he bargains hard to guarantee it will be his last job for the shadow agency he knows only as Unknown Identities (UI). An ambitious reporter, Amelia Bennett, is about to break the story of her career, if she lives long enough to tell it. Caving to her boss's demand, she hires a bodyguard and soon it is obvious John Noble is the only obstacle standing between her and certain death. Just when John believes he has found someone he can trust and love, who loves him unconditionally for who and what he has become, his orders are amended: Amelia Bennett is to be terminated. Introducing Unknown Identities: an alternative for elite soldiers and spies facing criminal charges... if they can survive the program.

Finding Faye


A.J. Andersen - 2019
    Four years of waiting. Always looking over my shoulder. Wondering when they will find me. Hoping that, by some miracle, he will find me.The boy I loved. My only friend. The only man I have ever wanted.She disappeared while I was at war. Four years I have been searching. How did a sixteen year old girl manage to hide so well. I canā€™t let myself believe that they might have found her. That she might already be dead.I donā€™t care how long it takes. If it takes forever I will gladly spend the rest of my life FINDING FAYE.

Fake Boyfriend


Miley Maine - 2020
    She showed up in my life when I wanted time off.And it ended up being the biggest roller coaster ride.Ā I met Loren at the airport.Sat right next to her on the plane while barely being able to keep my hands to myself.Ā Sheā€™s irresistible.Ā Sheā€™s also inexperienced.Ā Maybe thatā€™s why Iā€™m attracted to her.Ā Loren is innocent, and Iā€™m a ruthless Army Ranger.Ā But thereā€™s something about her that makes me want to stay.That makes me want to play the perfect fake boyfriend for her.Ā To protect her when sheā€™s in trouble.Ā Iā€™ll give her my everything.Ā And I bet sheā€™ll forget that our relationship is fake.Ā But will I be the one to remind her that it is?

Foundation: A Grouchy Geek Romance


Lainey Davis - 2020
    They're brilliant, brooding and barreling into relationships whether they like it or not.Zack Brady doesnā€™t do relationships. He does calculations.When his family engineering firm sends him to investigate a sinkhole at a clientā€™s house, Zack feels a tremor in the foundation of his carefully calculated world.Her name is Nicole Kennedy. Sheā€™s loud and crass, and has no time for nonsense. She certainly doesnā€™t have time for a mysterious trench swallowing her yard. To make matters worse, the grouchy engineer who shows up to fix it is the same jerk sheā€™s forced to run beside during the corporate relay race her boss insisted she run.Somewhere between jogging and poring over geotechnical engineering plans, Nicole and Zack feel the earth move. Can they overcome their past to build something meaningful?Foundation is book one of the Brady Family series. If you love messy family dynamics, unforgettable characters and sizzling chemistry, youā€™ll devour this new series by Lainey Davis, creator of the Stag Brothers series.

Meridian File


C.B. Samet - 2018
    He wants an uncomplicated assignment. As a celebrity stalker targets Aurora Meridian, the Rider team--Mason and Maxine--are drawn into the sinister underworld of the Russian mafia. Aurora and Mason fight for their lives and each other while Maxine Rider discovers the lines she must cross and the sacrifices to be made to keep her client and her team safe.

The Cowboy's Last Song


Deborah Garland - 2021
    I fell for him seven years ago. I wonā€™t be charmed by him again. Then I met his daughter...Jamie: I chased fame my entire life and itā€™s been a brutal journey from rising star to damaged goods seven years later. Iā€™ve cleaned up my act since getting custody of my daughter, but balancing being a single dad and music god hasnā€™t been easy. Iā€™ve lost another contract and have only one more chance in Music City. Now my success rests in the hands of a woman who probably hates me.Harper: I make stars shine and dreams come true. As the Nashville Hitmaker for a small record label, Iā€™m facing my biggest songwriting challenge yet: a hit for Jamie Miller, country musicā€™s bad boy. Blue Rock Records may have overlooked his tattered reputation to boost profits. But all I see is the man who broke my heart seven years ago.Iā€™m determined not to fall under Jamie's spell again. Iā€™m vying to be Blue Rockā€™s next CEO, that means keeping my relationship with Jamie professional. But when he uses his most irresistible quality to make me melt: his daughter, my resolve crashes harder than his last album.If I give in to some forbidden sexy time with a man Iā€™ve wanted for seven years, will I survive falling for him again when he leaves to go on tour?And will the pain of losing both Jamie and his daughter be the hit I never saw coming?The Cowboyā€™s Last Song is part of the Wild Texas Heart Cowboy Series but can be read as a standalone. No cheating. No cliffhanger. HEA Guaranteed.

That Unforgettable Kiss


Tamara Ferguson - 2014
    So men have always been merely a distraction for Kate; she just doesnā€™t have time for love.Until fate steps in by way of a prophecy foretold, years ago, by a friend whoā€™d been blessed with a remarkable gift. Kate has been warned that, one day, sheā€™ll be kissed by fate. And love will happen with that unforgettable kiss.Michael Murphy already has his life mapped out. After graduating with his degree in Architecture, heā€™ll be working at a prestigious firm in Chicago. When he arrives in the town of Crystal Rock to serve as an intern at Callahan Construction, the last thing he expects is his instant attraction to lovely crew boss, Kate Callahan.Kateā€™s immediately drawn to Murphy, too. And sparks fly when they unite in an attempt to discover the identity of the thief whoā€™s been stealing construction materials from her familyā€™s company.But how could a long-term relationship between them ever survive? Theyā€™re both young, with different dreams and goals. So even after their unforgettable kiss, Kate lets Murphy go.Six years later, Kateā€™s finally admitted her mistake; sheā€™s just never been able to forget that kiss. Devastated when she learns that Michael Murphyā€™s become engaged, Kate comes up with a plan to try to win him back. But will she be too late?

Make Me Lose


Ember Leigh - 2019
    Weā€™re enemies. Born minutes apart on the same day in the same hospital, our parents thought this meant we were somehow destined to be together. We knew were we just destined to beat each other. Competition boiled over until junior year, when the cold war turned into an unexpected peace offering. Maybe my hormones allowed me to notice his broad shoulders, stormy gray-blue eyes, and soccer starā€™s chiseled frame. But after I fell for himā€¦he stomped all over my heart. Ten years later, Iā€™m at the top of the realty game in Bayshore and Grayson is just a distant memory. Until he shows up from NYC, his ego bigger than a skyscraper, and asks me to sell the house he recently inherited.Itā€™s easy to say no. Even though I want to climb him like the jungle gyms we used to dangle from in strong arm battles.But I forgot that Gray doesnā€™t take no for an answer. And that he isnā€™t content unless heā€™s defeating me. He butts into my evenings on the boat. Ropes me into water skiing battles. Even shows up at the bar and creates a scene when Iā€™m scouting a date to the upcoming Bicentennial Ball.Itā€™s almost like heā€™s gunning to win me. But if he wins, that means I lose.And Iā€™m not ready to cede victory just yet.