Book picks similar to
The Novice by M.S. Parker


romance
not-interested
contemporary
dnf

Perfect Strangers


J.T. Geissinger - 2019
    They're hungry and deep. They're the kisses of a man who wants more of a woman—who wants everything—and isn't going to stop until he gets it." Author Olivia Rossi hasn’t been able to write a word since tragedy struck two years ago and ripped her world apart. Heartbroken and still haunted by the past, she accepts an offer to spend the summer at a friend’s apartment in Paris in search of healing and her lost muse. What she finds instead is James, an enigmatic stranger who ignites in her an unexpected and all-consuming passion. Agreeing to tell each other nothing more than their first names, Olivia and James embark on a torrid affair. But the more time they spend together, the more Olivia begins to realize her summer fling is turning into a powerful connection…and that the magnetic man she’s falling in love with might not be what he seems at all. Author's Note: This is a work of literary fiction, not a romance. Readers looking for a traditional happy ending should look elsewhere.

Jack of Hearts


Sandra Owens - 2017
    Working as an undercover FBI agent in the biker bar he and his brothers co-own, he hangs with deadly criminals in order to gather information. Danger is just part of the family business. But one thing has him terrified: his attraction to Madison Parker.Madison is the cousin of Ramon Alonzo, son and second in command to a notorious drug lord Alex is trying to bust. Alex has befriended Ramon as part of his cover, and Madison has unknowingly become his informant. Falling for her could risk this case—and both their lives.All Madison wants is to get her new bookstore business off the ground, and for her creepy cousin Ramon—to whom she’s unfortunately indebted—to leave her alone. If she could only stop fantasizing about his mysterious new friend, Alex…As the Alonzo cartel investigation heats up, so does their relationship. But will the secrets they’re keeping tear them apart—or get them both killed?

A Debt Owed


Clarissa Wild - 2019
    Now she’ll become my wife … My pet. I wasn’t always cold-hearted and vindictive. She made me that way. Charlotte Davis … the most beautiful and privileged princess there is. I’d kill for her to be mine. We met by chance at her father’s wedding … And then again years later. But she forgot about me. Ignored me. Enraged me. Then her father did the unforgivable, and I made it my lifelong goal to ruin him... By taking her as payment towards a debt he owed. A debt she will repay by marrying me. Until death do us part. A Debt Owed is an enticing new Dark Billionaire Alpha Male Romance novel by New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Clarissa Wild. WARNING: This book includes scenes that may be disturbing to some readers.

We Are Us


Tara Leigh - 2020
    Survivor. Daughter. Sister. Wife.Now I am called something else.Murderer.Believe it or not, this is our love story.

Inevitable Detour


S.R. Grey - 2014
    I attend a small college in a tiny town, and in my twenty-two years of life I’ve never even traveled outside the state of Pennsylvania. You could say my life is pretty boring. I live by the rules. I’m a good girl and nothing exciting ever happens. But that’s all about to change. Enter Farren Shaw. Not only is he older and intimidating, but he’s more sure of himself than any 29-year-old man has a right to be. Did I mention that he’s drop-dead gorgeous? Well, he is. He also happens to be my best friend Haven’s brother. And I would be content with just fantasizing about Farren from afar, but when Haven suddenly goes missing, her gorgeous brother is the only one who believes me when I say she was abducted, even though all signs seem to suggest Haven left town willingly. I know better, though. As does Farren. So when he asks me to accompany him to search for his sister, I accept. That’s when the real adventure begins. Our quest to find Haven takes us across the country. And throughout the time we spend together, I find myself falling for Farren . . . falling hard. He's everything I’ve ever wanted. But is he really someone I should fear? Because aside from making me feel things I’ve never felt before, Farren is hiding something. Something big. What could this stunning man be keeping from me? And why? Is Haven’s disappearance somehow connected to his mysterious job? All I know is that things are about to get real. Welcome to the Inevitable Detour that has become my life.New Adult/Romantic SuspenseBook one of the Inevitability duologyExpected publication: September 7 2014**mature themes, strong sexual content, and some dark themes and situations**

Begin with Me


Claudia Y. Burgoa - 2018
     Loving family, wealthy lifestyle, education at a prestigious university. The truth? She’s barely managing to survive. Few know the nightmare she lived before she was adopted. And no one knows the secret agony that still haunts her nightmares. With a degree from Berkeley, she could have gone anywhere, but she’s back in Colorado. Not for a fresh start—fresh starts are only an illusion—but for Wes Ahern. Her protector, who throws around words like “therapy” and “talk to me.” Her brother in every way but blood. The one man she wishes could be so much more. Maybe, just this once, she can stop running from her demons. But does she dare let Wes see inside the darkest closets of her pain…or will love be the biggest mistake of her life? An inspirational and emotional contemporary romance Begin with You is a heartbreaking tale of fresh starts and old wounds. This jarring and dark novel will leave readers at the edge of their seats. This is part one of a duet, thus containing a cliffhanger that leads into the next installment. It contains references to childhood trauma, rape, kidnapping, and PTSD.

Bounty


Piper Stone - 2020
    She got my belt instead.I went undercover to take down a mob boss and ended up betrayed, framed, and on the run. Harper Rollins tried to bring me in, but instead of collecting a bounty she earned herself a hard spanking and then an even rougher lesson that left her cute bottom sore in a very different way.She's not one to give up on a paycheck, but that's fine by me. It just means I'll have plenty more chances to welt her beautiful backside and then make her scream her surrender into the sheets.

Damaged & Deadly: A World of Chaos Standalone


Samantha Bee - 2021
    Abused. Forgotten. Thrown away. The endless cycle of pain and abandonment that I’ve been living in. Somehow, I never let it break me. Until I met him. His games, his lies, his punishments. They twisted and molded me to fit his desires. He was breaking me down. Leaving this world of misery behind no longer sounded so bad. I had only ever known pain anyways. Until I was saved. Now, I have a new life. New friends. Maybe even a new family. I found a purpose and people who are willing to help me fight back for the first time ever. But everything comes at a price. War is on the horizon and I’m caught right in the middle of it. This time, I have something I’ve never had before, people I want to help protect. I can’t deny my damage. I’ll never be the same again. So this time, I’ll turn my scars into ammunition. This time, I’ll tear down the very ones who hurt me. They call it war. I call it revenge. Because this time?I’m going to be the one that’s deadly.Damaged & Deadly is A World of Chaos standalone. It is a full-length dark romance that can be read on its own.

Endless Blue Seas


Annie Dyer - 2019
    The first time I saw Anya I was shirtless and holding an axe.It was June, the weather balmy and Anya was beautiful, but that didn’t matter because I was drowning in my own grief.Anya wasn’t meant to be my saviour.I wasn’t meant to be hers.A perfect summer, an idyllic island, a stream of stolen nights.All bandaids on an open wound.If we were going to live again, she deserved more than the fractured shards of the broken creature I’d become.She deserved love.Endless Blue Seas is a standalone summer romance, guaranteed to melt your heart and other items.

Revenge


Meredith Wild - 2019
    I’ve never trusted him less. Is it murder in his eyes or just jealousy when he insists we’ll find answers in Boston, headquarters of one of our greatest enemies and home to the man I left back in Rio? I haven’t forgotten Kolt’s betrayal nor the blood that’s already been spilled between our families. Inviting him back into my life with the promise of settling our unfinished business is a dangerous gamble that could end in more bloodshed. But as his family’s twisted plan starts to unfold, nothing can prepare me for the horror of what will happen if I do nothing. More people will die, and every death will serve a dark purpose. Tristan and I may be an army of two, but one thing is certain—if we can’t save them, no one will.

The Sexpert


J.A. Huss - 2018
    And sexy men. And social media. So starting an anonymous video channel called The Sexpert as a side hustle to make up for my low-paying marketing job at Le Man Magazine seemed like a perfectly sensible career decision. Until we went viral, my boss accused my anonymous personality of stealing his idea, and now my super sexy new boyfriend, Andrew, is out to get me.Her. Me. Whatever.ANDREWI don't want it to be her. I do not want this... sweet, delicious, shy social media nerd working at my best friend's magazine to be the face behind those perky cupcakes on the Sexpert channel. I don't want it to be her... because I like her. A lot. She's funny, and quirky, and smart, and creative... and... I really, really like her. It just can't be her.But it is.And now I have to choose.My best friend?Or... The Sexpert?

Nixon


Ker Dukey - 2018
    Her. Things may be complicated, but we were always destined for each other.I’ll protect her from any threat and defend my interests, even if it means going against my own brothers. My name is Nixon Pearson.I’m ruthless and deadly, but also devoted. People may think I’m young and naïve, but that’s just a mask I wear to fool them.****First came the Four Fathers. Now it's time for the Four Sons.Nixon (Four Sons, #1) by Ker DukeyHayden (Four Sons, #2) by J.D. HollyfieldBrock (Four Sons, #3) by Dani RenéCamden (Four Sons, #4) by K Webster***This series should be read in order to understand the plot.***

All the Little Lights


Jamie McGuire - 2018
    Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.

Brick


Jen Davis - 2019
    During the day it’s mud and grime on the construction site. At night…it’s the blood I spill. A drug lord’s enforcer does what needs to be done. It’s my obedience, my loyalty to the boss that keeps my family alive. I know I’m teetering on the edge. I’m losing my humanity, I can feel it. It’s changing me, and it’s only a matter of time before the darkness takes over.Then I meet her. Liv. The only person who sees past my busted knuckles and brutal exterior. She sees…me. But being with me will get her killed. The only way I can keep her safe is by staying away. Until her own actions catapult her into the center of my world—a world which will swallow her whole. Now I’m forced to be the ruthless bastard I’ve been for so long. Only this time it’s not to destroy…but to defend.

The Professional: Part 1


Kresley Cole - 2013
    . .Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Sevastyan will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.Rules are made to be broken . . .PhD student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous Sevastyan before the professional hit man whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. With every day she spends under his protection, she falls deeper under his masterful spell.Are you ready to play?Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true…