Book picks similar to
An Inconvenient Marriage by A.K. MacBride
contemporary
romance
contemporary-romance
arranged-marriage
If I Were You
Lisa Renee Jones - 2012
Or so I told myself. Later, I’d question that, as I would question pretty much everything I knew about me, my relationships, and my desires. It all began when my neighbor thrust a key to a storage unit at me. She’d bought it to make extra money after watching some storage auction show. Now she was on her way to the airport to elope with a man she barely knew, and she needed me to clear out the unit before the lease expired.Soon, I was standing inside a small room that held the intimate details of another woman’s life, feeling uncomfortable, as if I was invading her privacy. Why had she let these items so neatly packed, possessions that she clearly cared about deeply, be lost at an auction? Driven to find out by some unnamed force, I began to dig, to discover this woman’s life, and yes, read her journals—-dark, erotic journals that I had no business reading. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I read on obsessively, living out fantasies through her words that I’d never dare experience on my own, compelled by the three men in her life, none of whom had names. I read onward until the last terrifying dark entry left me certain that something had happened to this woman. I had to find her and be sure she was okay.Before long, I was taking her job for the summer at the art gallery, living her life, and she was nowhere to be found. I was becoming someone I didn’t know. I was becoming her.The dark, passion it becomes…Now, I am working at a prestigious gallery, where I have always dreamed of being, and I’ve been delivered to the doorstep of several men, all of which I envision as one I’ve read about in the journal. But there is one man that will call to me, that will awaken me in ways I never believed possible. That man is the ruggedly sexy artist, Chris Merit, who wants to paint me. He is rich and famous, and dark in ways I shouldn’t find intriguing, but I do. I so do. I don’t understand why his dark side appeals to me, but the attraction between us is rich with velvety promises of satisfaction. Chris is dark, and so are his desires, but I cannot turn away. He is damaged beneath his confident good looks and need for control, and in some way, I feel he needs me. I need him.All I know for certain is that he knows me like I don’t even know me, and he says I know him. Still, I keep asking myself — do I know him? Did he know her, the journal writer, and where is she? And why doesn’t it seem to matter anymore? There is just him and me, and the burn for more.
Painted Lines
Brei Betzold - 2013
Being female never stopped her from getting greasy and slapping on paint with the best of them, and made her work even harder at opening up her own shop someday.When an opportunity to win $500,000 dollars in prize money presents itself, Scout and her group of misfit friends sign on the dotted line to be filmed for a reality television show to win it. But like anything in life there’s always a catch to free money.When nightmares of the past meet dreams of the future, Scout is forced to face her demons, or be quickly over run by the memories. In the midst of her inner turmoil, family will come home, and possibly a life she never expected to have could be within her grasp.
Dirty English
Ilsa Madden-Mills - 2015
She’s learned the hard way that people you love the most always hurt you in the end.But then she meets Declan Blay, the new neighbor at her apartment complex.A tattooed British street fighter, he’s the campus bad boy she’s supposed to avoid, but when he saves her from a frat party gone bad, all her rules about sex and love fly out the window.She gives him one night of unbridled passion, but he longs for more. With only a cardboard-thin wall separating their bedrooms, he dreams of possessing the vulnerable girl next door forever.One night. Two damaged hearts. The passion of a lifetime.
*A modern love story inspired by Pride and Prejudice*
Gator
Bijou Hunter - 2014
I am a killer, yet gave her life. She is mine and I dare anyone to stand in my way.MiaI am nobody until Gator sees me through the scope of his rifle. My life is suffering and violence, but he offers redemption. I am his and I dare anyone to keep us apart.Gator is a standalone romance noir scheduled for release on Feb. 25, 2014.
Rebel Heir
Vi Keeland - 2018
How to kick off a great summer in the Hamptons: Snag a gorgeous rental on the beach. Check. Get a job at a trendy summer haunt. Check. How to screw up a great summer in the Hamptons: Fall for the one guy with a dark leather jacket, scruff on his face, and intense eyes that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the tony looking crowd. A guy you can’t have when you’ll be leaving at the end of the season. Check. Check. Check. I should add—especially when the guy is your sexy, tattooed God of a boss. Especially when he not only owns your place of employment but inherited half of the town. Especially when he’s mean to you. Or so I thought. Until one night when he demanded I get in his car so he could drive me home because he didn’t want me walking in the dark. That was sort of how it all started with Rush. And then little by little, some of the walls of this hardass man started to come down. I never expected that the two of us, seemingly opposites from the outside, would grow so close. I wasn't supposed to fall for the rebel heir, especially when he made it clear he didn’t want to cross the line with me. As the temperature turned cooler, the nights became hotter. My summer became a lot more interesting—and complicated. All good things must come to an end, right? Except our ending was one I didn’t see coming. Rebel Heir is the first book in the Rush Series Duet. Book Two, Rebel Heart, will release six weeks later on May, 22, 2018.
Keep Me Still
Caisey Quinn - 2013
When she runs into Landen at freshmen orientation, she has a choice to make. Reinforce those steel walls she's built up around herself or give the only boy who can keep her still a second chance.Landen’s more than ready to tear down those walls, but this time when they come crashing down, they might bury her* This special edition of Keep Me Still includes the novella, Let You Leave:Layla Flaherty had the perfect life, or close to it. Until a stranger gunned her parents down right in front of her, leaving her with seizure inducing PTSD. After years of trying to pass as normal and failing miserably, she resigns herself to being invisible. But new to town Landen O’Brien sees her, and he likes what he sees. Much to Layla’s surprise, he doesn’t freak out when she has a seizure in front of him. He does the exact opposite, calming her until the tremors subside. But Landen has secrets of his own. Secrets that will either bind them together or tear them apart.
Distorted
Nyla K.Nyla K. - 2021
And trust me, you’ll wish you were. We’re the stain on society. The freaks, the creeps, your favorite Netflix documentaries come to life. They lock us up and throw away the key, because we deserve it. But not me. I’m just a lowly bank robber. I don’t belong here, surrounded by psychopaths and killers with no remorse… At least, I don’t think I do.Getting by unscathed is my top priority. Unfortunately for me and my fellow prisoners, those in charge are more dangerous than we are. You see, the guards run the show, and I seem to have caught the attention of the most twisted one. He has a name, but it might as well be Officer. We move around one another like a sun and a moon, revolving in an axis of confused lust and torment until the truth is distorted, and the thing I once feared becomes that which I crave; my vile addiction, somehow so exquisite.
Reality warps in the dungeon, and I’m left wondering which prison is worse… the one holding my body, or my mind.
*DO NOT READ OR POST SPOILERS! I am begging you to think of your fellow readers, in your reviews, your posts… everywhere. Revealing plot twists is a dick move. And I promise, it’ll be fun to go in blind. **Distorted is the first book in the Alabaster Penitentiary series. It is a full M/M romance, with HEA. Each book in this series is technically a standalone, though they are interconnected, so it will be recommended to read in order, as references to this story will be made in future books. Distorted is intended for mature audiences and open-minded readers ONLY! If you prefer the same old story, this book won’t be for you. This story is dark, probably darker for some than others, so please proceed with caution, and if you’re easily triggered, steer clear.
You’ve been warned.
Porn Star
Laurelin Paige - 2016
Maybe you clear your browser history religiously. Maybe you pretend to be aghast whenever someone even mentions the word porn in your presence.But the truth is that you do know me.Everybody knows Logan O'Toole, world famous porn star.Except then Devi Dare pops into my world, and pretty soon I'm doing things that aren't like me--like texting her with flirty banter and creating an entire web porn series just so I can get to star in her bed. Again. And again.With Devi, my entire universe shifts, and the more time I spend with her, the more I realize that Logan O'Toole isn't the guy I thought he was.So maybe I'm not the guy you thought I was either.
Perversion
T.M. Frazier - 2018
New/alternate cover edition here.USA Today bestselling author of the King Series, T.M. Frazier, brings you an all-new trilogy with a sexy anti-hero you're going to love to hate, and a ballsy heroine with more up her sleeve than just tricks. Love is supposed to be a fairy tale.Ours is a death wish.I'm the executioner for the Bedlam Brotherhood. She's a con artist working for my greatest enemy. I use her. She manipulates me.We find ourselves on opposite sides of a bloody war. My heart and head tell me I have to stay away. My lust for her doesn't give a sh*t. Nothings fair in love and gang war.
Grayson's Vow
Mia Sheridan - 2015
With little money, and even fewer options, the quick-witted and vibrant twenty-two-year-old needs to reinvent herself. Known for her generous heart and impulsive personality, she devises a survival plan, possibly her most outrageous idea yet. Grayson Hawthorn is losing hope.Some obstacles in life seem too hard to overcome. Betrayal definitely being one of them. With limited capital, and dwindling resources, he is attempting to resurrect his failing family vineyard, a self-imposed vow seemingly destined to fail. That is until a young woman enters his office with an outlandish, unexpected proposition impossible to refuse. What begins as a temporary business arrangement, soon evolves into more as vivacious, spirited Kira challenges detached, arrogant Grayson to want more from life. To want more for himself. But as their wills clash and fiery passion ignites, they'll realize that sometimes the past creates walls too difficult to climb, and that lies and deception rarely precede a happily every after.As Kira and Grayson race toward their destiny, they will discover that some vows are meant to be broken, and others are worth risking everything for . . . even your very own heart.THIS IS A STANDALONE SIGN OF LOVE NOVEL, INSPIRED BY LIBRA. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
Punish
Olivia Ryann - 2019
Stolen and abducted… yet in the same stroke, saved. On one hand, I escaped certain death at the hands of people who have already hurt me. On the other, now I’m trapped with him. The rival of my abuser, who is every bit as terrifying. Dark and sinfully handsome, he wants me. He wants me to turn my back on the religion that has raised me. He wants me to spread my legs for him and him alone. He wants to punish me. He wants to teach me to like his lessons. Or else he’ll kill my little sister and turn me over to the men who controlled me before. Either way, I will have to make sacrifices. Sacrifices that have lasting consequences. I walk on the knife’s edge between falling prey again and completely losing myself. And if I’m not careful, I may end up worse than dead... Reading Order: Provoke (Protect Series FREE Prequel) Punish (Protect Series Book 1) Possess (Protect Series Book 2) Protect (Protect Series Book 3)
Dirty: The Five-Part Serial Bundle (Dirty, #1-5)
Cheryl McIntyre - 2014
This is my number. It’s the exact sum of reasons I continue to go on.One: To strengthen my body. Make it strong. Make it a machine. Make it so that what happened before can never, ever, happen again.Two: To help others find their own strength so that what happened to me, what happened to my Olivia, doesn’t happen to them.And three: My favorite—to find the bastards that took my life away and make them pay for what they did.This is what my life is now. A dead man, inside a scarred body, living only for revenge.*THIS IS ALL FIVE PARTS OF THE DIRTY SERIAL, BUNDLED INTO ONE BOOK. Includes:Getting Dirty (Dirty 1)Playing Dirty (Dirty 2)Talking Dirty (Dirty 3)Fighting Dirty (Dirty 4)Staying Dirty (Dirty 5)**DUE TO STRONG SEXUAL SITUATIONS AND ACTS OF VIOLENCE, THIS SERIES IS RECOMMENDED FOR READERS 18+ ONLY.
Bad Blood
Cora Kenborn - 2021
A Carrera bleeds for revenge.Thalia Santiago is the daughter of my enemy. A beautiful rebel with a single cause.Impulsive. Fearless. And ripe for her father’s undoing.I recognized her the moment she stepped into my casino.I watched her start the fires that burned her pretty fingers, and then I poured gasoline on the flames. Now she’s in my debt, and her dues are a shiny gold ring and a vow of deception. I’ll bend her. I’ll break her. I’ll turn our mockery of a marriage into a battlefield.And that river of bad blood that flows between our two families? I’ll make it an ocean of hate. *This is book 1 of a new dark romance duet, releasing May 12th. Tainted Blood, book 2, releases June 9th. **Bad Blood is set in the Santiago and Carrera worlds, but it is not necessary to have read either trilogy beforehand.
Break My Fall
M. Mabie - 2018
The second time was for Myra." For twelve years, I lived alone in my cabin, building a life with my two bare hands. I was free from their rules, their policies, and their lies. They are a cult. My father is their leader. To protect my brother's widow, I'm making her my wife. It's her only way out. But drawn to the purity in her deep blue eyes and the innocence of her gentle voice, I wonder if I'm not the biggest monster of them all. I have to save her from them and myself. Because every second I spend with this timid woman, I fight the urge to claim her. Own her. Make her truly mine. And I know it's wrong. I will break her fall—if I don't break her first.
Alphahole
D.D. Prince - 2018
Aiden is an alphahole and absolutely infuriating. You're going to effing love him! I'm Carly. A nice girl. A nice girl who has recently figured out that nice girls get the shaft. So, I've decided to become Carly 2.0 and say buh-bye Carly 1.0, the doormat. There's a problem, though. An alphahole is my new roommate and my CEO’s son. He’s also my boss and the alphahole is gunning to ruin me. Alphahole: A grade-A alpha male asshole. The epitome? Aiden Carmichael. Aiden wants to give me the shaft. In multiple ways, if you get my drift. Good thing the new me has decided to fight back and if push comes to shove, fight dirty. I'm Aiden. Alphahole. Or so the chick my father put in my corporate apartment and my department at the office calls me. Whatever. She's got spunk. And a great rack. She tries to come off as a badass, but I see right through the act. If she's gonna tangle with me, she'll be the one to get tied up in knots. It won't be me. I have no problem fighting and as far as I'm concerned, the dirtier the better.