Book picks similar to
King's Ransom by Diana Palmer


diana-palmer
romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance

Frustration


Charlotte Lamb - 1979
    When she was promoted to Jake Lang's production team, the whole network buzzed. Jake had hated Natalie ever since an unspeakably humiliating night she'd tried to forget. But Natalie knew that if she was to have any kind of a future, she somehow had to make Jake believe that he was more than just a substitute for Angus. It wouldn't be easy!

Desert Prince, Bride of Innocence


Lynne Graham - 2009
    Prince Jasim bin Hamid al Rais was concerned that his womanizing elder brother was bewitched by his child's nanny--the throne of Quaram could be threatened by scandal! Though Elinor Tempest appeared to be a fragile beauty, Jasim wasn't fooled; he'd deal with this strumpet himself....Only after he'd ruthlessly seduced her did Jasim discover Elinor really had been a virgin--and she'd fallen pregnant! A royal baby couldn't be born out of wedlock so, faster than the desert wind, Elinor became Jasim's unwanted bride....

Hate to Love You


Isabelle Richards - 2015
    Constantly in competition, they fight incessantly, making it nearly impossible for them to be in the same room with each other. Until they slept together. Sex changes everything.In one emotional evening, they go from enemies to lovers. Hate quickly evolves into passionate lust, but old habits die hard. The love growing between them can’t erase a lifetime of animosity. The two quickly fall back into old routines of spite and vengeance, and their relationship crumbles under the weight of their deep-seated distrust.Chase and Arianna spend the next two years on opposite sides of the globe, avoiding each other at all costs. Despite the lies they tell themselves, neither one is ready to let go. Even though they are both engaged to other people, they can’t find it in their hearts to forgive each other or to move forward.A family emergency calls Arianna home, where they have no choice but to face each other again. Will they finally admit the truth, or will they remain forever trapped between love and hate?

The Road Home


Jill Shalvis - 2004
    Originally published in 2004 as part of the anthology Mother, Please!Tall, dark and charming Jason Lawrence keeps visiting Mel Anders’s veterinary clinic—with everything from a drooling St. Bernard to a potbelly pig. Jason is sweet and fun, and Mel starts to look forward to his visits. Still, she’s suspicious—the man can’t have that many animals. But she never suspects that the whole thing just might be a set up….From anthology Mother, Please

Watch Over Me


Daniela Sacerdoti - 2011
    Years of failed fertility treatments, a cheating husband and an oppressive family have pushed her to the limit. Desperate for relief, Eilidh seeks solace in the only place she’s ever felt at home – a small village in the Scottish Highlands. There, Eilidh slowly begins to mend her broken heart but soon learns she is not the only one in the village struggling to recover from a painful past.Jamie McAnena, Eilidh’s childhood friend, is trying to raise his daughter Maisie alone. After Maisie’s mother left to pursue a career in London and Jamie’s own mother, Elizabeth, passed away, he has resigned himself to being a family of two.But sometimes there is more to a story than meets the eye. Despite their reluctance, curious circumstances keep bringing Jamie and Eilidh together. For even when it seems all is lost, help can come from the most surprising places.An ethereal and beautifully written debut novel, Watch Over Me is a poignant story about letting go and moving on – with a little bit of help from beyond the grave.

Brazen


Carly Phillips - 1999
    But not before having her first, last and only fling--cramming a lifetime's worth of lust into one weekend with the first available guy she finds. And when her car breaks down near a roadside tavern, she sets her sights on the sexy bartender--Mac Mackenzie...the perfect man for her love-him-and-leave-him fantasy.Only, it never occurs to Samantha that she might fall in love--or that Mac might have a few fantasies of his own....

Over Us, Over You


Whitney G. - 2017
    comes a falling for my older brother’s best friend romance.Subject: Delete this message after you read it...Dear Hayley,I'm assuming you're still hungover, so I'll make this brief.Last night, you slipped under my sheets (without my permission), and we almost had sex. I got the hell out of the bed once I realized it was you, and I took you home.That's the story.The end.Period. Just in case you've forgotten, you're my best friend's little sister. We will never be anything more. (We can't be anything more.) Our previous friendship is still unresolved--or "over" in your terms, so I'd prefer if we worked on becoming 'just friends' again since you're in town.Nonetheless, I'm not a man who leaves questions unanswered--even the drunken ones, so to properly close our inappropriate conversation:1) Yes, I liked the way your lips felt against mine when you were on top of me.2) Yes, I do "prefer" rough sex, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't rough with you.3) No, I had no idea you were still a virgin...This message never happened,Corey

The Prince's Waitress Wife


Sarah Morgan - 2008
    Bedded for the prince's pleasureWhen virgin waitress Holly is thrown into the playboy prince's arms, he lives up to his wicked reputation by bedding her—then casting her aside!Expecting the prince's love-childHolly is pregnant! Casper is furious; Holly's just a scheming gold digger, but royal protocol demands he make her his bride!Wedded by royal commandInnocent Holly has the wedding of her dreams—and Casper knows her first duty as his convenient wife will be on their wedding night….

Someone to Watch Over Me


Judith McNaught - 2003
    When her husband finds the perfect mountain property for their dream house, he decides to surprise Leigh with her first view of the site. Driving upstate on a winter's night, Leigh is run off the road in the midst of a blinding blizzard. When she awakes in the local hospital, seriously injured, the police inform her that her husband has mysteriously disappeared, and Leigh, although obviously distraught, becomes the focus of their suspicions. The more she discovers about her husband and his business affairs, the less she realizes she knew about Logan Manning. Now, Leigh is heading deeper and deeper into unknown territory... where friends and enemies are impossible to distinguish, and where the truth becomes the most terrifying.

Reason Enough


Megan Hart - 2008
    But when Dan brings up the subject of having a baby together, Elle finds herself conflicted. Between her dysfunctional family background and her fear of how a baby might change their life together, Elle's not sure she's ready for the big step. Dan doesn't bring the subject up again, but the issue takes hold in Elle's mind. And as their frequent lovemaking sizzles with unquenchable desire, Elle's heart is filled to the brim with love and the longing to give Dan everything.

The Valentine Child


Jacqueline Baird - 1996
    . But then the unthinkable happened: Valentine became desperately ill and Zoe knew that she would do anything to save him - even if that meant seducing her own husband!

Pattern of Deceit


Emma Darcy - 1989
    Bitter experience had taught her to steer clear of the limelight - all she wanted was to concentrate on the prestigious job he was offering. But he needn't think he could walk all over her, either...so perhaps it was inevitable that sparks would fly!

Montega's Mistress


Doreen Owens Malek - 1986
    Armed and wounded, Montega was a man on the run with a secret mission to complete. At first frightened, then fascinated, Helen had chosen to help her midnight intruder and thus was drawn into the web of danger and intrigue that surrounded him.From the Florida beach where they first met to his Central American homeland, Montega showed Helen a new world filled with passion, risk and the commitment to dare everything for a goal she came to share. But when the adventure was over and he had his victory--would she have won or lost?

Someone to Believe In


Kathryn Shay - 2005
    He put her in jail for harboring a teen offender and never looked back. Eleven years later, she’s a thorn in his side as an anti-gang specialist trying to get kids out of gangs. While Clay wants to put them in jail, Bailey is determined to help these troubled teenagers make good lives for themselves. But when Bailey and Clay are thrown together on the mayor’s task force, the impossible happens—they’re attracted to each other. Their passion erupts early on, and only grows stronger the further they get into a relationship. When they fall deeply in love, their conflicting views drive a wedge between them. Both the Street Angel and the Senator must find a way to deal with their differences in order to make a life together.

You Say It First


Susan Mallery - 2017
    As he waits on a new commission, he takes a day job as a humble carpenter at a theme wedding venue. The job has its perks—mainly the venue's captivating owner, Pallas Saunders. Although he won't let love consume him, for ecstasy with an expiration date, he's all in. Pallas adores Weddings in a Box. But if she can't turn the floundering business around, she'll have no choice but cave to her domineering mother and trade taffeta for trust funds working at the family's bank. Then when a desperate bride begs Pallas for something completely out of the box, her irresistible new hire inspires her. Nick knows she doesn't belong behind a desk, and she knows in her heart that he's right—where she really belongs is in his arms.