Book picks similar to
Own the Eights by Krista Sandor
romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance
freebie
Next to You
Daisy Prescott - 2016
I’d never let you go.” I added Sage to my rugby club’s annual list of women who are off limits thinking I could protect her from the gorillas I play with. Aspen's a small town in the off season when the dating pool shrinks to the size of a melted snowflake. Never did I think I’d be the one to break the code and date her. Even if it’s all for show. A wager between friends. An excuse to hang out with her more. Nothing more than that. Right? *** Who agrees to date their best friend over a green smoothie? Apparently this girl right here. Now the man-bun-sporting South African rugby god next door is my fake boyfriend. I need to rebuild my confidence after some poor dating decisions. Who could be better to fluff my ego than Aspen’s hottest bachelor? This situation is a win-win. Right?Next to You is a standalone Romantic Comedy/sports romance about a rugby player and an heiress in Aspen. Next to You is book one in the Love with Altitude series of standalone romances set in the small town of Aspen.Stan and his man bun first appeared in the Modern Love Story Short, Take for Granted. This is a full-length novel told in dual POVs.
Fix Her Up
Carey Heywood - 2017
Fresh off a bad divorce, she decides to rebuild her life from the ground up - starting with a fixer-upper that's got more leaks than the Titanic. Deciding to tackle this project alone might be her biggest mistake of all.... That is, until Noah Thompson shows up at her front door like a knight in a shining tool belt and makes her an offer she'd be crazy to refuse.Noah's sexy, rugged, and good with his hands, but Finley swears she doesn't need his help - in the basement, or in the bedroom. Can this unlikely couple build a future together? Or will this be one fixer-upper that is better off left alone?(A fun and sexy Contemporary Romance, ages 17+.)
Bitch Slap
J. Kenner - 2017
I love the way they look. The way they smell. The way they feel. Especially the way they feel. And I’ve pretty much made it my mission to give each and every woman who shares my bed the ride of her life.Then I met her. Bitchy as hell and completely uninterested in me. And damned if I didn’t want her. Crave her. I told myself I only wanted to tame her. That it was all about the challenge. I never expected to break through that ice queen exterior and find the softness underneath. Never expected how wild she’d be between the sheets or the way she’d cry my name with such sincere intensity when I totally rocked her world. Most of all, I never expected to fall for her. But I did.And the question is, now that I know I want her, how the hell do I go about keeping her?
Fluffy
Julia Kent - 2019
Of course it did. I’m a professional fluffer. It’s NOT what you think. I stage homes for a living. Real estate agents love me, and my work stands on its own merits. Sigh. Get your mind out of the gutter. Go ahead. Laugh. I’ll wait. See? That’s the problem. My career has used the term “fluffer” for decades. I didn’t even know there was a more… lascivious definition of the term. Until it was too late. The ad for a “professional fluffer” on Craigslist seemed like divine intervention. My last unemployment check was in the bank. I was desperate. Rent was due. The ad said cash paid at the end of the day. The perfect job! Staging homes means showing your best angle. The same principle applies in making a certain kind of movie. Turns out a “fluffer” doesn’t arrange decorative pillows on a couch. They arrange other soft, round-ish objects. The job isn’t hard. Er, I mean, it is — it’s about being hard. Or, well… helping other people to be hard. Oh, man… And that’s the other problem. A man. No, not one of the stars on the movie set. Will Lotham – my high school crush. The owner of the house where we’re filming. Illegally. In a vacation rental. By the time the cops show up, what I thought was just a great house staging gig turned into a nightmare involving pictures of me with an undressed star, Will rescuing me from an arrest, and a humiliating lesson in my own naivete. My job turned out to be so much harder than I expected. But you know what’s easier than I ever imagined? Having all my dreams come true.
Special Delivery
Lauren Blakely - 2019
Yep, brilliant, strategic me who raised her hand and said yes I’d love to hang mistletoe with that hot former sports star. (Note to self: Mistletoe leads to toe-curling, knee-weakening kisses.)And I’d love to get snowed in with the one guy I shouldn’t fall for. (Addendum to the note to self: You know exactly where eight inches of snow leads to. Ahem, eight inches.)As long as I can make it through the holidays I’ll be on my merry way, fa la la la la. But the holidays have a surprise for me.
When Love Comes
J.H. Croix - 2014
Once wild and impulsive, she shut her heart off to love and adventure after her parents died. When she meets Luke Winters, their immediate attraction is overwhelming.Burned once before, Luke has committed himself to nothing but casual dalliances with women. Rugged and smoldering, he finds no shortage of women happy to oblige. When Hannah comes along, he questions what he might be missing. Both fight the depth of their feelings—love is not part of the plan.Hannah’s sense of identity is shaken when she unearths a surprising truth about her family. Meanwhile, Luke’s interfering family and complications from his past challenge Hannah and Luke to face their true feelings for each other. Can two people who don’t believe love is worth the risk find the courage to face their fears and open their hearts?
Fetching
Kylie Gilmore - 2021
Only she’s no damsel in distress.WyattI’m a self-made billionaire with a soft spot for damsels in distress, so when I move to the quirky lakeside community of Summerdale, I immediately zero in on the woman I most want to…ahem, rescue. Only the stubborn woman refuses to cooperate.SydneyWhen Satan, aka Wyatt Winters, moves to town, I do my best to be welcoming. After all, I’m the owner of the historic restaurant and bar that he keeps showing up at, despite criticizing nearly everything about it. Deep breath. I might’ve lost my cool and made a rude gesture in his direction. And told him off. How was I to know he was considering investing in my place?Did I mention I’m in debt up to my eyeballs and every bank has turned me down?Still, there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell I’d ever work with him. Or admit he fires me up in every way.And then a snowstorm traps us together and—I’m melting.This romantic comedy stands alone with a swoonworthy happy-ever-after! No cliffhangers.NOTE: A portion of Fetching’s book sales will go to Pets for Vets, a nonprofit that trains shelter dogs to be therapy companions for military veterans with PTSD.
Sugarcoated
Erin Nicholas - 2020
He's known her all his life. He's practically part of the family. There is nothing either of them could do to surprise the other at this point.Then she showed up in his bedroom in lingerie and asked him to take her V-card.Okay, that was a surprise.Aiden is pretty sure Zoe was equally surprised when he told her no. To say that he didn't handle it well would be a massive understatement. Almost as massive as the amount of work he's going to have to do now to convince her that he wants her. Forever. Right after he tells her that he's bought the company that's her bakery’s biggest competitor. Maybe if he tells her he’s in love with her first, that will help sugarcoat the whole we're-rivals-in-business-now thing. So, first "I'm in love with you", then "take off your clothes", then "I'm now your business adversary".Piece of cake.
Blissed
Jamie Farrell - 2014
But it’s redemption time, and she’s putting on her big girl panties to make sure this year’s bridal festival goes off without a hitch. Even if it means she has to play nice with the man who broke her fairy tale.She’s definitely not the one for him. Or is she...World adventurer and reluctant local hero CJ Blue doesn’t want to be in Bliss anymore than Natalie wants him here. But family obligations have brought him back, and now he’s somehow been roped into saving the town tradition he’d rather forget with the woman whose kiss he can’t forget. She frustrates him and drives him nuts but he's had more fun giving her a hard time about the bridal festival than he has in years.And their fun is just starting...Despite their rocky past, these two wounded souls have more in common than they expect. They’ve both loved and lost, they’ve both tried to move on, and now they’ve both been been banned from the local church confessional after...well, they’re not supposed to talk about it. But by joining forces for the sake of Bliss, they might find the courage and the sparks to risk love one more time.Note: BLISSED was previously published for like 5 minutes many years ago as THE HUSBAND GAMES. Publishers Weekly called it a "Marvelous romantic comedy" in a starred review and named it as a "Self-Published Star" of 2014.
Forever Only Once
Carrie Ann Ryan - 2020
Since then, she's healed, found herself, and connected with a group of women she's proud to call her friends. However, when make a pact to start looking for love, Hazel finds herself not only up first, but also forced to face a past she thought she'd escaped.Cross Brady has no need for a relationship. As the oldest of five, he's always been the one his family can rely on. Now, all he want is to work in peace and live his life. His priorities shift dramatically, though, when Cross finds himself in Hazel's path.Though the two initially fight their connection, they soon learn that it's safer to fall for each other than keep running from what's holding them back - not to mention, who wants them dead.
Plus One
Aleatha Romig - 2017
You know, the one with the to-die-for body and panty-melting smirk. And then there‘s the way his designer suits drape over his broad shoulders and big...well, we‘ve all heard the rumors, the ones that say he‘s up for any challenge.But I can‘t see him that way. He‘s my boss - technically one of the owners of the company where I work - and definitely not in my league. Men like him don‘t notice women like me, and they don‘t date them. And I don‘t date men like him. Until that one time that I catch him in a compromising position when I‘m also in need of a last-minute date for a wedding...and then it‘s not real. It‘s blackmail.For one weekend, he‘s my plus-one.Beautiful and unobtainable.From the moment she walked into my office with those stunning blue eyes and crazy sensual curves, she‘s been on my mind. Three years and never once has she acted interested in me. Usually I flash a million-dollar smile and women fall to their knees, some literally. Not her.Then on the occasion that I agree to let another woman do that - fall to her knees - guess who happens to catch us?It may not be the most conventional way to get on her radar, but I didn‘t get this far in business without knowing when to seize an opportunity. If this sexy little firecracker with perfectly kissable lips thinks she can blackmail me into attending her cousin‘s wedding, I‘m going to jump at the chance to be her plus-one.You love her darker side. Now it‘s time to meet Leatha, the lighter side of Aleatha, as she trades her renowned twists and turns for laughs and love with this sexy new standalone romance, Plus One.
Weekend Wife
Erin McCarthy - 2020
Easy. Wear designer clothing and sip champagne? Don’t mind if I do. Flirting with Grant? It’s so delicious I should be paying him. Nothing can go wrong as long as I can keep my hands off of him. But that’s the hard part. And I do mean hard. Because Grant is sexy. And bossy. And surprisingly sweet, a real rarity in his pretentious family. Oops. I’m not as good at faking it as I thought. Or maybe they call this method acting. Because it’s getting harder to figure out where my character ends and I begin… It just might be the role of a lifetime. Weekend Wife is a standalone romantic comedy with a sexy billionaire, a sassy heroine, and a Happily Ever After.
Clickbait
Lisa Suzanne - 2017
People think I’ll spill their secrets all over social media—and that’s probably true. One mention from me can make you the hottest commodity in town or sink your social life. I protect my friends, but others sometimes end up as clickbait.My newest column is all about the most undateable men in San Diego. Between my own experiences and those of my friends, I have plenty to choose from. Want to know if Carter King, the heir to King Communications with gorgeous abs and a persistent personality, makes the list or ends up in my bed? Read on to find out…COURTING SANDY EGGOposted by Courtney SandersFAST FIVE: WHY MY STORY IS WORTH READING5. You could use a laugh. 4. There’s a guy named Axel.3. Abs and beaches.2. Sex. Lots of sex.1. Carter King. Period.
Roommating
Noelle Adams - 2016
And they don't have sex all the time...at least not at first. Chris doesn't go around shirtless, flexing his muscles and driving Heather wild...too often. And he doesn't get jealous and possessive every time she goes out with another man...well, maybe occasionally.But they definitely don't fall in love...right away.When Heather comes back to her hometown, she plans to take over her father's historic restoration business and move into a beautiful converted apartment in Preston's Mill. Then she finds out she'll have to partner up with the one man she can never forgive. Chris Dole, who abandoned her father and betrayed her trust three years ago.It gets even worse. They don't just have to work together. They have to become roommates for six months to prove they can get along. That means Heather will have to play nice with Chris and put up with his obnoxiousness, his drop-dead sexiness, and his ugly recliner named Flo.She'll do what she has to do out of loyalty to her father, but she isn't going to like it.At least not much.
Love in the Moment
Elena Aitken - 2016
He's falling for a lie. Is their love strong enough to survive the truth?With a hot new look, and an even hotter new social media career, Gwen is barely recognizable from the overweight, awkward girl she’d been the last time she spent a summer in the resort town of Cedar Springs. And that’s exactly what she’s counting on. Gwen knew there was a chance she’d run into the boy who broke her heart all those years ago, but she wasn’t prepared for the man he’d become—or the fact that he doesn’t remember her at all.It’s been ten years since Ian McCormick has been back in town and he’s more than ready to put his family drama behind him, start a new business and maybe even have a little fun. And what better way to enjoy summer at the lake than with the gorgeous brunette he can’t stop thinking about?It was just supposed to be a fun little experiment for her followers. A test to see if looks really do matter. Would Ian be interested the new and improved version of her after all these years?It was perfect. At least until all the feelings she thought were long dead, come rushing back. And once the plan is in motion, she can’t back out. With their hearts on the line, can Gwen continue to play a game that could devastate them both and destroy the only real chance at love she’s ever had?