Book picks similar to
The Groom Wager by Lori Wilde


romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary
free

Shelter Me


Kathy Coopmans - 2014
    She had the love of her life, her high school sweetheart, and a bright future ahead of her. That is, until one day he just disappeared, leaving a note as his only goodbye. With her heart shattered and broken, Shayne did the only thing she could. She left her small town on the shores of Lake Michigan to start her life over, needing to distance herself from the memories she and Luke had made. At that time, she vowed to herself that she would never return to her hometown again. Seven years later, Shayne realizes that fate is not on her side as she returns home for her aunt’s funeral, bringing back the one secret she swore to protect. Luke Schavone has regretted every day that he had to leave Shayne behind. Though he didn’t have a choice, his heart still bore the scars from the impact. After five years, Luke returned only to find that Shayne was gone. His best friend was the only lifeline he had to finding her, but Adam wasn’t talking. When the one thing Luke has wanted everyday for the past seven years runs right into him one night, he becomes determined to make sure he doesn’t lose her again. At first, Shayne is hesitant. She wouldn’t be able to survive losing him again, but the pull toward him is so fierce, she can’t deny herself the chance. With the decision to start over, Luke and Shayne must admit truths and come to terms with the events that forced them apart in the first place. When secrets are revealed and old threats come to pass, will Luke be able to shelter Shayne from the destruction, or will she become lost to him forever?Shelter Me is a full length novel. You will notice that the story ends at approximately 75%. The remaining 25% you will be able to enjoy the first few chapters from four incredible Authors: Kristin Kitchen, A.M. Madden, Kate Stewart and A.D. Justice.

Courted


Jennifer Chance - 2015
    But now I’ve got no choice.By the end of the week, I must give up my treasured military commission and take the throne. Given what my family’s already endured, I'll do it, too. There's no escape for me.Then, out on the edge of my beloved Aegean Sea, a dreamy-eyed American girl falls into my arms...and life as I know it will never be the same.Looks like we’ve got a brand new kind of fairy tale on our hands.

Ranger's Legacy


Vella Munn - 2018
    She has no room for mistakes and no time for love, so when she meets the handsome forest ranger, she vows to stay clear. Easier said than done... Garret Haute has dedicated his life and career to protecting the visitors to Montana’s vast wilderness and taking care of his family. He’s still haunted by a tragedy he was powerless to prevent, but after he meets Amber, suddenly he’s thinking about a lot more than doing his duty. When they become involved in a potentially dangerous project, sparks fly and Garret finds himself falling faster than he ever imagined. Can two people forget their pasts to embrace each other and their future?

Country Heaven


Ava Miles - 2014
    He’s a bad boy who indulges himself in all things, women included. But while she couldn’t care less about country music or arrogant men, Rye makes her an offer she can’t refuse when he asks her to be his private chef on his multi-city concert tour. The job is the answer to all her prayers: it will clear out her debt and finance the fresh start she desperately needs.Rye is certain his sassy new cook is the last woman who’d ever tempt him, but spending time with the wholesome girl next door will do wonders for his damaged public image, whether she likes being forced into the spotlight or not. Her food also happens to be the best he’s ever eaten, both comforting and seductive. But spending time with Tory on the road shows him a new side to her—one that’s as impossible to resist as her food. And when an emergency in his family whisks him home, he does the one thing he’s never risked: he lets a woman into his heart…Soon the emotions Rye faked for the tabloids become all too real, but will the country heaven he’s found in Tory’s arms survive in the real world?

Lucy's Hearth


M. Lee Prescott - 2019
    Her new neighbor back east, Richard is a self-made billionaire who goes after what he wants, and he wants Lucy. Back home in New England, they begin a white hot love affair. As the heat pumps up, Lucy tries to step back, scared she is in too deep, too fast. Will this gorgeous Morgan man let her go? And, in pulling away, is she giving up a dream of happiness she never thought possible? As Lucy and Richard’s love story unfolds, join another branch of the Morgan family in this first book of Morgan’s Fire!

The Rancher Takes a Family


Paula Altenburg - 2018
    His sister's kids shouldn't pay for her error in judgment in naming him guardian. Problem is, he doesn't have a clue what he's doing. And the woman who attempts to help with his every fumble is the one woman he wants to steer clear of... Lacey Anderson loves a challenge, but Jake's already broken her heart once. When his tall shadow darkens the doorway of her classroom, she's ready to shut him out - until she meets her new students, and sees the desperation in Jake's eyes. Emotional intelligence is so not his forte. But she's done banging her head against that wall. Jake, however, is finally ready to learn how to love and Lacey’s the teacher he wants. Is she willing to risk her own heart again to teach him?

Let Me Be the One


Lily Foster - 2014
    Her boyfriend? The guy who came off as sweet and devoted, the life of the party? Try obsessed, out of control and hell-bent on ruining her life.One year later, a new and improved Darcy Donovan is back on campus and she’s got a plan. That plan doesn’t include Tom Farrell, or any other guy for that matter. He’s surfer-boy hot and he talks a good game, but don’t they all?Hell to the yes…She’s back.Going after his friend’s girl is wrong, but Tom is too hung up on Darcy to care. Screw principles, screw ethics, screw the bro code. An hour in her presence would lead the best of men to veer off the high road.And he has his work cut out for him. She still thinks he’s a joke, nothing more than a walking, talking one-night stand. What she doesn’t know is that Tom has spent the past year changing his ways. He’s not all talk, and he’ll do whatever it takes to prove it.But when a menace from Darcy’s past resurfaces and Tom’s past comes back to bite him hard, their one shot at happily ever after may be shot to hell.What you don’t know? Turns out that it can hurt you.Let Me Be the One is the first book in Lily Foster's Let Me series. Gripping and emotional, these stand-alone romances are intended for the 18 and older crowd due to mature language and sexual content.

The Cowboy's Stolen Heart


Jean Oram - 2020
    When an inheritance brings her to Sweetheart Creek, Texas, she shucks her old life and dives headlong into small town living. Too bad the handsome and serious cowboy Levi Wylder she’s crushing on sees her as nothing more than a princess.Was it the sparkly cowboy boots? Because it couldn’t be due to how she stepped in and calmed that rearing horse outside his stable.The last thing Levi Wylder needs is a high-maintenance woman interfering with his plans. But that’s exactly what he gets when his family ranch suddenly finds itself without a riding stable manager. And the only person he can find to fill those empty boots is a woman who buys her footwear based on looks alone.But when Laura steps into the ring, Levi discovers there’s something about this beautiful stranger that he completely underestimated—such as her power to steal his well-protected heart.

Love's Funny That Way


Pamela Burford - 2000
    She realizes her matchmaking friends have made a grave mistake—and that’s no joke.The Prospective Groom: Brent Radley, a blind date who appears to be perfect husband material… until Raven meets his sexy-as-sin younger brother, Hunter, owner of the local comedy club. Did her pals pick the wrong brother?The Hitch: Hunter is no choirboy, but not even he would steal his brother’s girlfriend, no matter how tempted he might be. But how committed is Raven to Brent, and he to her?

Flirting with Forever


Kim Boykin - 2014
    Tara’s about to live her dream only there’s one problem. Her husband of 15 years has just walked out, leaving Tara on the brink of financial ruin with no choice but to promote a self-help book about marriage when hers is secretly in ruins. Enter publicist Jake Randall, 30, who’s had it with hand holding newbie authors channeling their inner divas on their first book tours, until he meets Tara. Their instant attraction blossoms quickly into love. Tara thinks she has achieved her dreams and earned her license to thrive until her husband, Jim returns determined to win her back.

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?

Love Regifted


Stephanie Haddad - 2012
    That is until her mother drops a bombshell that turns Ava's very identity on its head. Feeling betrayed, Ava questions every relationship in her life, turning to an unlikely new acquaintance to find solace and-ahem-distraction. Although Ava never suspects that a random meeting with Jay Matthews could become something serious, he's interested in becoming much more than just a fling. He also knows a lot about regret and what it can do to a family. Jay wants to help Ava make peace with her past and move forward with her life without that same regret. Getting her to follow his advice, however, might take a little help from her friends.

Me and the Cute Catastrophe


Jessie Gussman - 2021
    (Yes, potatoes. *eye roll* Can we talk about something else?) And I love it here. Small town values galore and it’s right where I want to raise my girls after my jerk ex traded me in for a “younger, newer model” (his words, not mine).My mom’s the volunteer fire chief in our town and I’m pretty happy hanging out with the auxiliary at the fire hall and doing her grunt work – NOT fighting fires, because, please, I read, love science and my idea of a lot of exercise is having to walk up the stairs twice in the morning before I send my girls off to school and leave for my job as a home nurse.I guess it’s kind of weird that I also coach basketball. Long story.I was pretty happy with my life until the hot shot, all-state baller from my teen years moved back in next door. (I babysat him, yes, but I never changed his diapers. Just wanted to be clear about that.)Guess who’s now the assistant b-ball coach?Logic would say me – especially since I coached my entire first year holding the play book upside down (it turned out to be an old football playbook from the ‘80s, so it’s not like it mattered which way I held it) but the accurate answer is Trey Haywood, my all-star neighbor, and I’m honestly not sure which of us is more upset about it.Anyway, the team was trying to set us up (girls, they’re such romantics) and I don’t think they would have succeeded, but in celebration of breaking our 37 game losing streak, they locked Trey and me in the septic system control room.That changed everything. Not in a good way. Trey Yeah. What she said.And…when I first saw her again, I thought she was a catastrophe.New thought post septic control: she’s a cute catastrophe. (And, holy man, can she kiss.)Books in the Sweet, Small Town Romantic Comedy in Good Grief, Idaho series:1. Me and the Cute Catastrophe2. Me and the Tidy Tornado3. Me and the Helpful Hurricane4. Me and the Sweet Snowstorm5. Me and the Dreamy Doomsday

Edge of Disaster


A.M. Hargrove - 2012
    A life of partying, alcohol, drugs and men has brought her near the edge of disaster. That is until one night while at work as a waitress in an upscale restaurant, she falls under the spell of one of her customers, Pearce Middleton. Once she gazes into his smoky gray eyes, her life takes on new meaning. But can she put her past behind her and allow herself to fall for the exciting and gorgeous Pearce, or will her lewd behavior come back to haunt her and ruin her chances of happiness forever?

Cherry Bomb


Madelynne Ellis - 2016
    Done with being told what to do, when to eat, when to exercise, who I can and cannot associate with. It’s time to ditch my squeaky-clean image and put teen drama the Caine Chronicles to rest, even if that means breaking the rules. My plan? Enlist the aid of an A-list British villain. When Dare Wilde kisses me at an award ceremony, our undeniable chemistry lands us on the set of a new action blockbuster. Contractually, we’re not supposed to associate outside of work… As if that’s not an incitement to prod the beast. I’m ready to hand him every scrap of my innocence. What I don’t realise, is that there are layers to this man I never imagined, or how shielded I’ve been from the realities of our industry. Cherry Bomb is the first full length standalone coming-of-age romance in the Stirred Passions series about the Sunsetters, a group of bisexual A-list actors and the women and men who love them. Check out the other titles in the series, including Black Velvet, Soul Kiss, Screw Driver, & Mint to Be.