Book picks similar to
From Fake to Forever by Jennifer Shirk


romance
ebook
contemporary-romance
contemporary

Having My Baby


Theresa Ragan - 2012
    Baylor,” the officer said, “have you ever met either of these women?”Derrick’s mind was numb, but somehow he managed to say, “No. Never.”“You’re making the ladies nervous, and truthfully, you’ve got me wondering too—what is your business with this woman?”Derrick pried his gaze from the woman’s stomach and raised his eyes to hers. “She’s having my baby.”~~~Growing up, Jill Garrison never daydreamed about having the perfect wedding. Instead, she dreamt about having a baby. Boy or girl, it didn’t matter. Unfortunately, her fiancé, the man she falls in love with, can’t have children. Determined to realize her lifelong dream of having a baby, Jill spends years searching for a company (CryoCorp) that provides high quality donor sperm. Everything is right in Jill’s world until her wedding day when her fiancé leaves her at the altar to be humiliated before friends and family. She doesn’t waste any time moving from New York City to California to start over. And she keeps her appointment with Cryocorp. She may never have the wedding or the husband, but nothing is going to stop her from having a baby. She’s tired of everyone telling her what to do. The baby she’s carrying is hers and hers alone. Nobody can take that away from her.Or can they?

The Sheriff's Little Matchmaker


Carrie Nichols - 2018
    To her surprise, though, he walks through the door of her classroom for a parent-teacher conference. Sheriff Remy Fontenot might be sexy as sin, but Sasha has no interest in falling for another police officer. Rose Creek, Texas is her fresh start after being “that poor widow.” Only, Remy’s precocious daughter has big plans for the two of them…After their stolen kiss, Remy knows there's a sexy woman hiding under that school marm charm. When fate—aka his seven-year-old—keeps putting her in his path, he decides to take it as a sign. His daughter needs a mom, and the intriguing, beautiful Sasha is perfect for the role. Not to mention their chemistry is off the charts. Unfortunately, he's set his sights on the one woman in town who has no interest in falling for another man with a badge.

Sneaking Candy


Lisa Burstein - 2013
    Of course, secretly I already have made a name for myself: as Candy Sloane, self-published erotic romance writer. Though thrilled that my books are selling and I have actual fans, if anyone at UM found out, I could lose my scholarship…and the respect of my faculty advisor, grade-A-asshole Professor Dylan.Enter James Walker, super-hot local barista and—surprise!—my student. Even though I know a relationship is totally off-limits, I can’t stop myself from sneaking around with James, taking a few cues from my own erotic writing…if you catch my drift. Candy’s showing her stripes for the first time in my real life, and I’ve never had so much fun. But when the sugar high fades, can my secrets stay under wraps?

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.

The Secret Bridesmaid


Katy Birchall - 2021
    So brilliant, in fact, that she’s made it her full-time job.As a professional bridesmaid, Sophie is hired by London brides to be their right-hand woman, posing as a friend but working behind the scenes to help plan the perfect wedding and ensure their big day goes off without a hitch. When she’s hired by Lady Victoria Swann––a former model and “It Girl" of 1970’s London; now the Marchioness of Meade––for the society wedding of the year, it should be a chance for Sophie to prove just how talented she is. Of course, it’s not ideal that the bride, Lady Victoria’s daughter, Cordelia, is an absolute diva and determined to make Sophie’s life a nightmare. It’s also a bit inconvenient that Sophie finds herself drawn to Cordelia’s posh older brother, who is absolutely off limits. But when a rival society wedding is announced for the very same day, things start to get…well, complicated.Can Sophie pull off the biggest challenge of her career––execute a high-profile gala for four hundred and fifty guests in record time, win over a reluctant bride, and catch the eye of handsome Lord Swann––all while keeping her true identity a secret, and her dignity intact? Heartwarming and hilarious, The Secret Bridesmaid celebrates the joys (and foibles) of weddings, the nuances of female friendship, and the redeeming power of love in its many unexpected forms.

The Wrong Kind of Love


Lexi Ryan - 2018
    Or the moment your twin sister pukes on your bouquet and confesses she’s pregnant... with your fiancé’s baby.I wanted to get away, to hide until my heart mended. I found myself in a strange town with a mysterious stranger whose talented mouth and hands almost made me forget it was supposed to be my wedding night.Afraid to go home to face my broken life, I pretend to be my twin so I can take her job in Jackson Harbor caring for a six-year-old girl. Imagine my surprise when I find out my new boss is my mysterious stranger — Dr. Ethan Jackson.I never meant for Ethan to discover my secrets. I never meant for them to matter. But the longer I work with him and his sweet daughter, the harder I fall, and the clearer it becomes that I’m not the only one carrying a secret that could tear us apart.Get ready to fall for the boys of Jackson Harbor in Lexi Ryan’s sexy new contemporary romance series. These books can all be read as standalones, but you’ll enjoy reading them as a series!

Marry Me for Money


Mia Kayla - 2014
    Working at a top financial bank brings her into contact with two men who are as different as night and day. Kent Plack, heir to Plack Industries, has no interest in being with a woman for longer than one night. A spoiled and lazy man-whore, he is completely content with his playboy lifestyle, and Beth is surprised when they form an unlikely friendship. Brian Burcham, a finance banker, is gorgeous and respectful. A man plucked from Beth’s dreams, he is definite husband material. Unfortunately, Beth has a hard rule against dating coworkers, but Brian is determined to change her mind. When a deadbeat mother and money problems follow her to Chicago, Beth is offered a solution that could fix everything. Marrying for money seems simple enough, but when lines become blurred, Beth faces difficult choices, making her realize that the easy way out just made her life even harder than before.

Deal Breakers


Laura Lee - 2015
    But she was also the hottest chick I had ever known. I thought it would be simple. I thought we'd have a good time, then pretend like it never happened. It turns out, I was an idiot. Now, she wants nothing to do with me, but I'm determined. I've spent the last five years without her and I refuse to waste another day. I have a solid plan. All of my figurative ducks are in a row. I'm going balls to the wall, and I'm not stopping until I win back the only girl I've ever loved. Too bad for me, Devyn Summers has been sitting on a secret that nothing could've prepared me for. *Deal Breakers is filled with lots of laughs, a sexy romance, and an overflowing swear jar. It's the first installment in the Dealing With Love series, but each one can be read as a standalone.

Well Met


Jen DeLuca - 2019
    Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

Misbehaving


Tiffany Reisz - 2014
    So being on deadline the week of her sister’s wedding isn’t as rough as it sounds. There’s just one hitch: Bea’s assignment is to write a review of a sex position manual, but she doesn’t have a plus one to play with.The good news: Ben, the one who got away back in college, is also attending stag--and he's as temptingly gorgeous as ever.The bad news: Ben turned down Bea’s offer of graduation night sex five years ago.The best news: He’s not planning on making the same mistake twice. *A red-hot retelling of Much Ado About Nothing for people who love Shakespeare but thought his plays could use a few more sex scenes. A Cosmo Red-Hot Read

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake


Alexis Hall - 2021
    Rosaline Palmer has always lived by those rules—well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show.Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves—and Rosaline is determined to stick to the instructions. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory.  Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it’s shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs—about herself, her family, and her desires.Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition—and the ovens—heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the most delicious bakes come from the heart.

Coming Up Roses


Staci Hart - 2019
    Maybe it’s the day-to-day grind. Maybe it’s that client who never knows what they want, or the guy who always cooks fish in the microwave.But not me. I love every corner of the Longbourne Flower Shop, every flower, every petal, every stem. I love the greenhouse, and I love Mrs. Bennet, my boss. I love creating, and I love being a florist. I don’t hate anything at all.Except for Luke Bennet.The Bennet brothers have come home to help their mom save the flower shop, and Luke is at the helm. His smile tells a tale of lust, loose and easy. He moves with the grace of a predator, feral and wild. A thing unbridled, without rules or constraint. When he comes home to save Longbourne, I almost can’t be mad at him. Almost.He doesn’t remember that night I’ll never forget. That kiss, touched with whiskey and fire. It branded me like a red-hot iron. But it meant nothing to him.Everyone hates part of their job, and I hate Luke Bennet.Because if I don’t, I’ll fall in love with him.

Not My Romeo


Ilsa Madden-Mills - 2020
    Somehow we end up at his penthouse. I blame the gin and tonic.The next day I learn he’s Jack Hawke—bad-boy professional quarterback with a murky past. The NDA he has me sign should be a warning that he isn’t a regular person. Please. I sign it Juliet Capulet, so goodbye, famous football player with abs of steel, and good luck tracking down this small-town librarian.But Jack keeps showing up in places I least expect him. Just when I’m sure he’s gone, he waltzes into my community theater and wins the part of Romeo to my Juliet. How’s a plain, mostly innocent girl like me supposed to resist a man like him?Is Jack my real Romeo… or will this gorgeous football player only break my heart?

Plus One


Brighton Walsh - 2013
    She has an amazing condo in the city, great friends, and a successful bakery she built from the ground up…what more does she need? Ian Donnelly has been in love with his older sister's best friend, Olivia, for years. He even moved away after college to get some distance from her and the intense feelings she stoked in him. But when Olivia swears off men just in time for wedding season, he impulsively volunteers to be her stand-in wedding date.The sparks that fly between them take Olivia by surprise. Ian is nothing like she remembered, and when they fall into bed, he’s everything she could ever want. What’s the harm of a no-strings summer fling? Strictly physical, of course—her track record in relationships isn’t exactly glowing.Nine wedding dates. That’s all that Ian has to show Olivia he wants more than just a summer of fun. He wants to be her plus one forever.

Not So Nice Guy


R.S. Grey - 2018
    Grey. “Oh my god. Who is that?” I get asked this question a lot. “Oh him?” I reply. “That’s just Ian.” Just Ian is the biggest understatement of the century. Just the Mona Lisa. Just the Taj Mahal. Just Ian, with his boring ol’ washboard abs and dime-a-dozen dimpled smile. Just Ian is…just my best friend. We’re extremely close, stuck so deep inside a Jim-and-Pam-style friendzone everyone at work assumes we’re a couple—that is until one day, word spreads through the teacher’s lounge that he’s single. Fair game. Suddenly, it’s open season on Ian. He should be reveling in all the newfound attention, but to our mutual surprise, the only attention he seems to want is mine. He’s turning our formerly innocent nightly chats into X-rated phone calls. Our playful banter sports a new, dangerous edge. I want to assume he’s playing a prank on me, just pushing my buttons like always—but when Ian lifts me onto the desk in my classroom and slides his hands up my skirt, he doesn’t leave a lot of room for confusion. I’m a little scared of things going south, of losing my best friend because I can’t keep my hands to myself. So, I’m just going to back away and not return this earth-shattering kiss—oh who am I kidding?! Goodbye Ian, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal! Helloooo mister not so nice guy. NOT SO NICE GUY is a full-length romantic comedy. For a limited time, I've also included an excerpt from my #1 bestseller THE ALLURE OF JULIAN LEFRAY!