Book picks similar to
Make-Believe Mom by Elaine Grant


romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary
h-has-children

Rapture's Rage


Bobbi Smith - 1983
    Louis like bees to spring's first flower. But the dazzling beauty had eyes only for Marshall Westlake, the handsome lawyer who detested women and scorned love. Though his cold-hearted rudeness frightened her, the innocent young woman couldn't get him out of her mind—and knew he was the one man she would ever want!HE HATED THE WOMAN HE CRAVEDA disastrous marriage that ended in tragedy made Marshall swear never to care for a woman again. Yet he hungered for Renee's caresses, thirsted for her pink-lipped kisses—and despised her for making him want to protect her. Unable to deny the pleasure of desire, he bent her to his will. In a stormy night of ecstasy, he assaulted her senses and stole her innocence, showing her the anguish and delight of...RAPTURE'S RAGE.

A Hint of Scandal


Tara Pammi - 2013
    That is, until her twin sister disappears right before her wedding and Olivia's needed to stand in--as the bride! Alexander King's ruthless determination for perfection is world renowned and he'll make Olivia pay for her latest stunt--by enforcing their marriage vows! He expects her to be the model wife in public. And in private? With her feisty attitude and his strong will, it won't be long before the tension between them reaches boiling point!

Reservations for Two


Jennifer Lohmann - 2013
    She's opened her own Chicago restaurant, the way she'd always dreamed, and it's this close to being a success. Even better, she's met Dan Meier—a gorgeous man who loves food as much as she does. He isn't put off by her demanding job, which only makes her want to spend more time with him.But a scathing review by an anonymous local critic puts everything in jeopardy. Worse, her steamy new man turns out to be the one who wrote it! Tilly doesn't see how she can ever forgive Dan, but she can't stop thinking about him either. In print he's her enemy. In person? He's as tempting as a perfectly prepared meal…and Tilly's appetite just might get the best of her.

Staking His Claim


Tessa Radley - 2012
    She'll have to give the baby up for adoption. Enter Yevgeny Volkovoy—her sister's bossy billionaire brother-in-law.Yevgeny won't let a Volkovoy be raised by strangers; he wants custody now. How can Ella be so cold as to deny him? Even worse—why does this woman warm his steely heart? He may be staking his claim on the baby, but Ella may stake a counterclaim on his bachelorhood.

Her Forbidden Cowboy


Charlene Sands - 2015
    There she discovers country superstar Zane Williams still hunkering down after the devastating loss of his wife. These two wounded souls find their easy friendship healing. So Jess's sudden attraction to Zane comes as a complete shock. Even more shocking, Zane's acting like a jealous boyfriend, running interference with men who show interest. Is he just being overprotective? The answer becomes clear when Jess ends up in his bed…

Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire?


Emily Stone - 2013
    With her full-time job at the DeVere Foundation and a comically dysfunctional family that keeps her busy and broke, she can't even find time for a coffee date.Enter Daniel DeVere. Desperate to impress his philanthropist father with the purchase of an eco-hotel, there is only one problem - his playboy lifestyle has turned the owner off and he needs to present a more mature image if he is to have any chance of salvaging the deal.With sensible Nina as his fake fiance surely the deal will be secured. Putting on a convincing show in public is one thing, but the passion they are pretending to have for one another begins to spill over into their private moments and they are each forced to admit that they are wishing for something more.Excerpt:When they got back to the resort, Daniel winked at Nina, “Tonight, you are going to learn El Tamborito.”“Is that contagious?”“I hope so.” He led her into the bedroom. There was a gorgeous traditional Panamanian dress laid out on the bed: it had a full, heavily pleated skirt, a ruffled top, and amazing embroidery threaded through it. It was white with red designs. “There’s a festival in town, and we’re going.”“If I wear that, people will think that I can really dance.”“And you will,” there was a knock on the door, “that’s Luisa, and she’s going to teach you.”“What about you?”Daniel looked at her slyly, “Oh, I can dance.” He gave her a peck on the cheek. “Have fun, I’ll be back in two hours to get you.”Luisa, the dance instructor, joined Nina. “Hola! I’m Luisa, Nina. I’m going to put on a CD.” She popped a CD into the cabaña’s little stereo. “First, listen for a couple of minutes.” The rhythms were wonderful, Nina thought, there were drums, and clapping, and a female singer. “What’s she singing about?”“Ah,” Luisa said knowingly, “She sings about the attraction between men and women, about…the tension between men and women when they want to do more than dance!” Maybe, Nina thought, El Tamborito wasn’t such a good idea...

The Irresistible Tycoon


Helen Brooks - 2001
    Could she stay true to her vow of avoiding an office affair?And Lucas wasn't just a powerful tycoon -- he struck up an instant rapport with Kim's little daughter. Handsome and funny, Lucas was impossible to resist. Especially when he made it clear that he wanted more than temporary passion -- he wanted Kim permanently!Nine to FiveGetting down to business... in the boardroom and the bedroom!

Fake Marriage to a Baller: A Wilder Brothers Romance


Aria Scott - 2016
     Chase Football’s biggest bad-boy. That’s what they called me. And I was more than willing to live up to the name. But when my wild ways threatened the thing I loved most – football – my agent convinced me there was only one way to save my football career: get married. To a girl more virtuous than Mother Teresa. Where in the world would I find a chick like that? Aubrey How did a small-town girl like me get caught up in a fake marriage to a football star? Marrying for money? Stupid. Marrying an absolute ‘manwhore’ who spent all his considerable charm and energy trying to get into my pants, despite our ‘no sex’ marriage contract? Reckless. Falling in love with such bad boy? Complete insanity.

Hers for the Weekend


Tanya Michaels - 2004
    . . Piper Jamieson needs a man. And not just any man. She needs someone to play her significant other when she heads home for her family reunion. Thanks to a self-imposed period of celibacy, she has no prospects. . .except for her sexy best friend, Josh Weber. Since there's nothing between them, kissing him will be a breeze, right? But he wanted her permanently! Spending an entire weekend with Piper sounds perfect to Josh. . .it's the whole family thing that doesn't. Lately his dates haven't been as exciting as they used to be, and he knows why. His best friend's been on his mind--day and night. But Piper has made it clear she's not looking for a relationship. Luckily, he's hers for the weekend, and he has three full nights to change her mind!

Double Exposure


Erin McCarthy - 2014
    That explains why journalist Emma Gideon is participating in a large-scale nude photo shoot. Yeah, it’s a stretch for a girl with an old-fashioned side. Worse, sporting only green body paint, she’s on display for Kyle Hadley—the office flirt and her rival at the paper. These unique circumstances are creating a sizzling complication to their rivalry…. Despite her boss’s rule of “no hanky-panky,” Emma ends up in Kyle’s shower…with him! And that’s hotter than she ever imagined. When he suggests a continuation, how can she refuse? But has Emma risked her career for a sexy new development…or is this a severe case of overexposure?

Resisting Mr. Tall, Dark & Texan


Christine Rimmer - 2011
    Settling down isn’t part of this wealthy bachelor’s game plan. So why are we hearing rumors that he’s starting to see Lizzie as something more than his devoted employee?Lizzie may be secretly in love with her heart-meltingly handsome boss, but she knows better than anyone that he’s not the marrying kind. Besides, she’s got her own dreams—to hightail it back to Texas to open her own bakery.But my sources tell me the oil baron won’t let her go so easily.Stay tuned, faithful readers, to find out if this is one deal Ethan will seal with a kiss!

Flirting With The Competition


Kerri Carpenter - 2014
    Even enjoyed it. But when her companion turns out to be the man who almost ran her over in parking garage moments earlier? Nope and nope. Besides, she's on her way to a job interview at a prestigious law firm, and she needs to stay focused. Not staring at the rich and sexy jerk. Then the elevator comes to an abrupt stop. They're stuck.  Jordan Campbell has every intention of acing the interview for his dream job, and he's not about to let anything stop him. Not even the sexy, capable, and fiery woman who turns out to be his main competitor he's trapped with. The only thing they have in common is determination to get the job...and an escalating attraction. And it's only a matter of time before these competitors indulge in a very sexy little connection between floors.

The Truth About Jack (The Passionflower Chronicles, #1)


Jody Gehrman - 2014
    Soon she’ll leave behind the artists’ colony where she grew up―hippie dad, tofu since birth, yurt―and join her boyfriend and best friend on the East Coast. It was the plan…until Dakota finds out her boyfriend and best friend hooked up behind her back.Hurt and viciously betrayed, Dakota pours out her heart on a piece of paper, places it in a bottle, and hurls it into the ocean. But it doesn’t quite go where she expects…Jack Sauvage finds the bottle washed up on the shore and responds to Dakota’s letter. Except what if his straight-laced life doesn’t jive with the free-spirited girl he’s only seen from afar? As Jack creates a persona he believes she’ll love, they slowly fall for each other with each new letter. Now Jack is trying to find a way to make this delicate, on-paper romance happen in real life…without revealing his deception.This Entangled Teen Crush book contains references to missed connections, mistaken identities, and lots of misbehavior. It may give you all the swoony feels.

Razzmatazz


Patricia Burroughs - 1989
    Alternate cover edition for ASIN B00HCQLZTAWhen small town girl Kennie Sue Ledbetter wakes up in a Reno hotel between two guysin rumpled tuxedos, she thinks things can't get any worse.When she steps on the wedding bouquet and sees the ring on her finger, she knows thingscan't get any worse.But then she finds out she's married to the guy who won her in a coin-toss in front of the wedding chapel, and 'worse' has a name and a face: Alexander Carruthers, the gorgeous silver-tongued devil who believes in love at first sight, in fate, and in doing whatever it takes to keep her—Even if that means following her back to Texas and letting all the good people in Tahoka Springs know what she did on her summer vacation.He’s Lear jets and high society charity balls.She’s Ford Pintos and rodeos.She won’t fit into his world and he sure won’t fit into hers.This spells disaster—calamitous, embarrassing, tempting-as-sin disaster....But can it also spell love?

A Mom For Christmas


Trisha Alexander - 1994
    But she knows those secret desires can never come true. How could they? She, Tess, can never measure up to David's late wife, Leah, who was sexy, beautiful, and confident -- a bright and shining star -- everything quiet, gentle, shy piano teacher Tess is not and never will be. But as David watches his lonely little girl thrive and begin to speak again under Tess's guidance and friendship, will he also recognize how lovely she really is? Can he ever really and truly love her? Or is a marriage of convenience all he'll ever offer? Once again, Patricia Kay explores the depth of the human heart and the complicated relationships and emotions of those we love. Originally published under the title SAY YOU LOVE ME in 1994, A MOM FOR CHRISTMAS is a timeless story that readers have loved for years.