Book picks similar to
Play the Man by Ketley Allison


new-adult
netgalley
contemporary-romance
dnf

Beautifully Tainted


A.M. Guilliams - 2014
    Perfectly boring. Which is how I preferred it to be. Trust didn't come easy and for good reason.When I ran into the new detective in town, I knew the second our eyes locked, he'd be my downfall. He had too many questions. Pressed too hard for me to let him in. And they were both the dangerous combination neither of us could afford.

Chasing Pebbles


Felicia Blaedel - 2020
    When she suddenly finds herself without a place to stay for the summer, she is forced to go back. A stubborn, foolish part of her wants to show them that she can’t be broken. She’ll hold on to her anger, push the nostalgia away even if the scent of seawater and beach-roses is making it difficult.Ever since Frida left, Oliver’s life has been a little lonelier and a little greyer, despite him staying busy to distract himself. When he realises that Frida, his favourite human, the one person who was always up for his shenanigans is coming home, he knows he has to make it right.She’s hurting, and so much is left unsaid.Frida is afraid to trust. Oliver can’t let go of his guilt.Neither of them is prepared for how everything can feel the same and yet so, so different.Chasing Pebbles takes place in Denmark; it’s a new adult, slow burn, friends to lovers romance with a nerdy, talkative hero and a stubborn, compassionate heroine.Chasing Pebbles is book one in The Without Filter Series and it’s a complete standalone.

Bad Boy Next Door: Downey Brothers Series


Mara Leigh - 2018
     Jade I can’t be pissed at my dad. His neglect made me strong. I might be young, but I can take care of myself, take care of my sister—take care of anything. But now Dad’s doing someone else’s time, and in exchange he gets protection, my sister gets college, and I get a low-rent apartment—a freaking miracle in San Francisco. All I have to do is keep the man who arranged dad's deal happy—some guy named Nick. What I didn’t expect was for Nick to be the biggest, sexiest man I’ve ever met. And I certainly didn’t expect I’d ever consider letting someone else take care of me for a change. Nick When the new girl moved in, I felt like the luckiest guy alive. She wants to keep things casual, but there’s nothing remotely casual about the intense fire between us. Or how her anger’s gonna burn when she finds out that I’m not the Nick she thinks I am. **Book 1 in the Downey Brothers series. Expect an extremely hot read and a happily ever after. NO CLIFFHANGER.**

Layered Lies


Kaylie Hunter - 2016
    No one knows I was a cop, let alone a mother. They see me as someone who laughs, loves, works hard, and surrounds herself with an odd collection of friends. They see me as normal.Which is exactly what I need my enemies to believe. That I’ve moved on. That I somehow forgot what they did to me.While deceiving those around me, I train, build new contacts, and hunt those responsible. And when I find them—and I will find them—they will regret the day they messed with my family.Because there's only one thing more dangerous than a pissed-off ex-cop… A pissed-off mother.Ex-cop Kelsey Harrison is Living a Life of Lies—While Hunting Her EnemiesBOOK ONE OF THE KELSEY'S BURDEN SERIES: LAYERED LIES

Unforgettable


Linda Barrett - 2021
    A rocking career in finance, a great group of friends and singing with the community chorus fill her calendar and provide her with total satisfaction. Until the phone rings. Until an upbeat familiar voice from the past reawakens her heart and reminds her of what she’s been missing.Playwright Doug Collins has never forgotten the girl he left behind. Even though it was Jennifer who’d made that final decision. “Go to New York and have a wonderful life,” she’d said before running back to her family, a family that still needed her. But that was five years ago. Five years of Jen in the back of his mind, nestled in his heart. Now memories are not enough! Doug packs up his car and heads to Boston in search of that “wonderful life.”Most reunions have bumpy beginnings and not all end well. Jennifer and Doug have a lot to figure out. But they’re smart, honest, and were once madly in love. Do they have a chance at finding the ending they so richly deserve?

Eric


Jody Kaye - 2016
    And maybe we are…But when it comes down to it, we’re five teenagers ready to make our mark on the world without anyone taking advantage of our notoriety.While my brothers and sisters are flying the nest, I’m rooted at the Kingsbrier Ranch and am eager to learn the ropes at the family construction company. In my girlfriend, Ginny, I’ve found the one person outside the other quintuplet I can trust. She has a heart of gold, and I’m willing to wait for her to finish college before we get married.Though, Ginny’s uncertainty about leaving might mean losing the one stable thing in her life—our love. Forced to admit to the lengths she’s gone, will Ginny’s deceit tear us apart or be the stepping stone on a new path we never imagined?A story of finding your true love young and having the strength to forgive.

Size King: A Romance Collection


S.C. Adams - 2019
    The man who makes my heart rate go haywire while my temperature skyrockets. And oh yeah – he’s gorgeous, growly and tempting, and I’m definitely not supposed to want him. Aiden Marx is the kind of man you can’t help but crave. The man is huge: at least six four, with broad shoulders, a wide chest, and a perfectly cut vee that leads to … Well, I shouldn’t go there. After all, I’m a junior PR analyst at Mr. Marx’s firm. He hired me to put a positive spin on even the most disastrous scenarios. But when the gorgeous billionaire comes into my office late one night asking for some dictation assistance … He does more than dictate… … And I do more than take notes. But there’s a reason why they call Mr. Marx the King. He’s not just a king at work, but he’s also a size king exactly where it matters most. Warning: High heat ahead. Take your sweater off and get settled on the couch for a rollicking good time that will leave you craving more. Not responsible for singed couch cushions and items nearby spontaneously bursting into fire. HEA guaranteed with no cheating and no cliffhangers. This collection contains three books: Making Her Mine, The Mountain Man’s Secret Baby, and Single Biker Daddy.

Road Tripped (Satan's Devils MC Utah #1)


Manda Mellett - 2020
    I was angry; I admit it. I love my MC brothers, but they couldn’t understand. I could still ride a bike, allowing me to stay in the club, but I could no longer compete. Drummer decided to give me something else to think about, and temporarily gave me some distance from Tucson. It was a simple enough task—make my way, of necessity slowly, to Utah, and check that chapter out. Sure, the Utah club was friendly enough and never hesitated to support other chapters, but they were secretive. Drummer’s instruction was to discover what went on behind closed doors, and for me to return with the assurance they were following the Satan’s Devils rules and regulations. The time on the road would give me a chance to clear my head, my welcome assured at my destination as they wore the same patch on their backs. Then I’d return home, hopefully with my mood improved.Neither Drummer nor I had anticipated the mishaps along the route, nor that there was a possibility I might not make it back alive.

Torrid


Jayne Blue - 2015
    The perfect family. The perfect life. In one horrible year, it went away. I can never have it back but I can hurt the man responsible for taking what was left. I know how to steal something even more important from him. He doesn’t see how she looks at me instead of him. I can make her burn for me, make her addicted to me before I send her back.And it will be so easy.Tora - I’ll cross any line to get to the truth, no matter who I have to hurt. I don’t have a choice. I’m not afraid to use sex to get what I want. I know you think that makes me a whore. But until you understand what’s at stake, you can’t know.Don’t judge me until you do.Sometimes, you have to take what you want no matter what it costs.This is part one in a sizzling new erotic romance series by Jayne Blue. It contains strong sexual content and is intended for mature readers.Book Categories

Falling for Him


Amy Stephens - 2015
    Sexy.Everything about him was…mysterious. He was captivating. Alluring.All the way down to the dark gray jumpsuit that he wore. The Falcon Club.What did the name mean? And why was it on the front pocket of everything he wore?Sitting next to her in class, Jaime Garcia made everything about Erica Kennedy’s first semester of college unforgettable. It certainly wasn’t planned that way, and neither of them expected it. Or did they? Do they fight it, or do they walk away and pretend that nothing was ever there at all?Falling for Him is the first book in the Falcon Club series.

Silent Love: Part 1 (Forbidden Series)


Kenadee Bryant - 2018
    Going to college is my chance to escape it all. The CEO father, the famous mother, the cameras, the drama, everything… Unfortunately, I’m still stuck with my older brother and his best friend Ethan—AKA the guy I’ve been crushing on for years. But I plan on using this opportunity to make Ethan see me as a woman, and not just his best friend’s little sister. That’s if Gage, the campus bad boy, doesn’t interfere. The last thing I need is an arrogant, cocky playboy whose sole purpose seems to be to complicate my life. The only thing he’s good at is showing up at the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s rude, obnoxious, and I need to avoid him at all costs. Only problem is...I can’t seem to stay away from him.

Masquerade


Nicole Flockton - 2012
    Vowing to only look forward and not behind, she attends a Masquerade Ball with no expectations. That is, until a mysterious masked man sits beside her. Attraction ignites, and, setting her inhibitions aside, she embarks on one night of passion. Alex Scavoni has sacrificed a lot to be the best ER doctor he can be. Now he’s about to start his dream job as the Registrar of the ER Department and getting involved in a relationship is the last thing on his mind. When he meets a masked Sophie, he knows he has to have her, and he won’t take no for an answer. Fate plays her hand and Sophie and Alex find themselves working closely together in the stressful world of emergency medicine. Determined to keep their passionate interlude a secret they attempt to maintain a working relationship. Only they find that their one night together isn’t enough. Can they push aside their growing feelings or will fate have one more card to play that will change their lives forever?

Hewitt


A.L. Long - 2020
    She thought she could have that with Peter Hewitt. She was wrong. With too many secrets getting in the way she knew it would never work. Accepting her parents’ offer to help with running a new art gallery in Paris, she thought she would be able to put her feelings behind and start a new life, only it didn’t work. Her days were filled with thoughts of Peter. Returning back to New York, Lilly wanted what her best friend Dylan Matheson had, a loving home, a beautiful child and a man that loved her more than life itself. Only the man she wanted to share these things with still had secrets that could tear them apart forever. When danger and loss enters her already imperfect life, would she finally be able to let down her guard and give the one thing she said he would never have. Her heart. This book contains adult content and is intended for mature audiences.

Blowback


Lisa Hughey - 2011
    Now she lives alone, works alone, survives alone. When a covert mission goes horribly wrong, suddenly she can trust no one. Not her boss, not her agency, not even herself. Lucas Goodman, former FBI agent turned PI, is on the trail of a missing teenager when his investigation leads him to Jamie. Despite her attempts to ditch him, Lucas tenaciously continues to shadow Jamie, realizing he doesn’t just want information...he wants her. When their investigations collide and her sister is in danger, Jamie is forced to team up with Lucas. Together they must expose the connection between agents’ murders, a missing teenager, and a sixty-year-old government conspiracy. But can she open her heart to find the truth within the lies? been odd man out in his family. Not the oldest, not the most charming, he'd had a lock on the youngest until another half-sibling came to live with them, so he raised hell in his youth. Con knows now the only way to redeem himself is with deeds, not words and sets out to prove once and for all he is worthy of the Stone family. When his older brother asks him to take care of business, Con finally will have redemption he craves. Except when Ava Sanchez, his brother's assistant, is threatened, he must choose between saving the girl and protecting his family. Will his choice bring him love or break his heart?

Black Desire


C.J. Thomas - 2017
    But he was the reason I stayed. Criminal defense lawyer, Kelly Black, came into my life as I was on my way out. He was infuriatingly handsome, except the Madam said I couldn’t have him. And no matter how many dates I had to keep my mind off of him, Mr. Black was the man who dominated my thoughts. Then it happened. Ignoring the warnings that he was dangerous, I let him into my life not realizing that his touch would be the reason my broken past resurfaced. Determined not to lose the man who turned my life around, it was up to me to let him know who I truly was. But when he presented me with a demand of his own, I wasn’t sure I was ready to agree to his terms. Submitting was never my strong suit. *Black Desire is intended for mature audiences only.