Book picks similar to
A Friendly Engagement by Christine Warner
romance
contemporary-romance
arc
bc
Close Up and Personal
J.S. Taylor - 2013
The stage is set for passion... Drama-school graduate Isabella Green wants to be a script-writer. But when she meets famous director James Berkeley, she’s tempted into the glamorous world of acting. Behind the camera, the mysterious Berkeley commands discipline at all times. But Isabella soon discovers this man's dominant tendencies also extend into the dressing room. Suddenly Isabella is discovering a side of herself she never knew existed. But she is also learning more about the alluring James Berkeley. Is his desperate past something she can help heal? Or will the flames of passion consume them both when the cameras start rolling? Lights, camera, action...
The Way We Fall
Cassia Leo - 2015
Maybe we shouldn’t have fallen so fast and so willingly.Maybe we shouldn’t have moved in together before we went on our first date.Maybe we should have given our wounds time to heal before we tore each other to shreds.Maybe we should have never been together.Houston has kept a devastating secret from Rory since the day he took her into his home. But the tragic circumstances that brought them together left wounds too deep to heal.Five years after the breakup, Houston and Rory are thrust together by forces beyond their control. And all the resentments and passion return with more intensity than ever.Once again, Houston is left with a choice between the truth and the only girl he’s ever loved.The Way We Fall is the first book in The Story of Us series, which follows the tumultuous love story of Rory and Houston. The sequel, The Way We Break, will be released Spring 2015.
Betting on her Best Friend
Gina L. Maxwell - 2014
This edition has been re-edited and a second epilogue has been added that introduces the couple in book 2, Friendly Engagement (coming early 2022).She’s flying to Vegas, hoping to get lucky…Tired of waiting for her best friend to see her as more, Alyssa Matthews heads to a romance reader convention in Las Vegas, and if things go as planned, she’ll be hooking up with one of the sexy cover models and forget all about her off-limits BFF.He’s following her, hoping she’ll take a gamble on him…Dylan Aleksander is not the forever kind of guy. So, as much as he craves his best friend, he doesn’t act on his feelings at the risk of ruining their friendship. But when he realizes that Alyssa is determined to have a random hookup in Vegas, he hauls ass after her to make sure he’s the one she chooses.It’s time to go all-in, and roll the dice…Risking everything, they agree to be friends-with-benefits for the weekend, and after years of holding back, their explosive chemistry burns hotter than the desert sun. It’s perfect.So, when Alyssa says she wants to honor their three-day agreement, Dylan has to work fast to convince her that what happens in Vegas, shouldn’t always stay in Vegas.
Insomnia
Bethany Bazile - 2014
What I couldn't control were my dreams. Memories haunted me there.Even after over a decade, I found that I couldn't outrun them. Returning to the place they lived only seemed to trigger a landslide. I couldn't focus, couldn't sleep. Some people drank a warm cup of milk, cuddled up with a book, or threw back a couple shots.Me?I fucked my way to sleep.Every single night I lost myself in pussy. For a long time it was the only way I knew to get to sleep. But lately it’s been getting less and less effective. I slept shorter periods of time before the dreams started.There was only one hope for my insomnia and she was sexy, intelligent and unexpected. I wanted to exhaust myself in her sexy little body and let her soothe me to sleep.The only problem… she was my therapist and I’d have to break her code of conduct and totally corrupt her before I made her mine.Warning: This is an erotic serial and contains explicit sexual content and language.
Love on Beach Avenue
Jennifer Probst - 2020
Making dreams come true is her business at Sunshine Bridal, which she runs with her two sisters. When her best friend announces her engagement, Avery is thrilled to take charge of the giddy bride-to-be’s big day. Less thrilling? Her best friend's arrogant and demanding brother, who just so happens to be the man of honor.Carter Ross’s first instinct: call 911. He promised to always take care of his impulsive little sister, and he honors that vow. Even if it means taking over her wedding, where he is sure Avery will fail. At best, Avery is unpredictable. At worst, if she’s anything like the spitfire of a college girl he remembers, the main event could run wild.With Avery and Carter wrestling for control, tempers heat up. So does the spark of attraction they’re fighting with every kiss. As the wedding draws near, it’s time to reconcile a rocky past and make a decision that could change everyone’s lives. Because what they’re rebelling against looks a lot like love.
Wired
Evelyn Adams - 2014
When electrical contractor, Claire English bursts into the construction trailer intent on fixing a messed up lightning plan, she doesn’t expect to run head on into developer, Luke Masters. Comfortable competing in a male-dominated field, Claire doesn’t intimidate easily, but the raw power and coiled energy of the sexy billionaire has her breath catching in her throat and her body arcing with desire. Now that he’s seen her, Luke can’t get the fiery auburn-haired contractor out of his mind. Sparks fly every time they’re together, and it’s becoming a distraction. One neither of them can afford. The only way for Luke to get his focus back is to get Claire into his bed – to feed the passion until he burns her out if his system. Luke’s used to getting what he wants and what he wants is Claire. But will he realize in time that she’s also what he needs? Wired: For the Billionaire’s Pleasure is a steamy contemporary romance with a hot alpha billionaire hero and a strong, sexy heroine he can’t keep his hands off of. It is full of adult language and plenty of hot sex.
Make Me Shine
Elodie Colt - 2020
After all, as a divorced man at the age of thirty-two, "blind sex" sounded like a nice distraction.Her code name is Devon. She’s my faceless fantasy. A diamond in a world full of rhinestones. I don't know what she looks like.I don’t know where she lives.I don't know her name.I will never know these things.And if I'm not careful, I might fall for a woman who's just a ghost in the dark. ELLANew name. New identity. Old demons.After escaping two years in hell, this fancy dating program was supposed to be my therapy.His code name is Ross. He makes me feel alive again. Every night we share at Silent Sins, our bond grows stronger.And he’s hell-bent on meeting me in person, throwing our anonymity away, and taking me on a real date.I want to do it.But my demons? They never sleep.
Saving Me
Alannah Lynne - 2010
Deceit. Backstabbing friends… Welcome to the jungle known as advertising… Kat Owens can tell you all about the snake-infested world of big-time advertising. Thanks to an ex-best friend co-worker and a gone-wrong love affair with a client, she’s forced to leave her large Charlotte agency for a small-town coastal one. It’s do-or-die time to prove she can be a success to the aging grandfather she adores. Which means she can’t afford to be distracted by a client who’s a walking, talking definition of sex… Even if he is the man who stole her heart thirteen months before in a one-night stand she can’t forget. Erik Monteague is a handsome, charismatic, highly respected businessman who has it all. Or so it seems. Only his closest friends know the truth about the guilt and emotional scars he carries, or why, following his fiancée’s death, he invoked the twenty-four/two rule. He never spends more than twenty-four hours with a woman, he rarely dates them twice, and he never thinks about them afterward. But Kat Owens is different. She cheated him out of twelve hours, and now he can’t forget her. At least that’s what he tells himself, because admitting the truth is too dangerous. When she suddenly appears in his hometown, he sets out to finish what they started thirteen months earlier. But while his perfectly executed seduction gets Kat back in his bed, the emotional fallout is more than he counted on. Will he face his tragic past once and for all… or spend the rest of his life running?
Off Limits
Kelly Jamieson - 2015
Even though she’s bringing a boyfriend home for the first time, inside she’s dying to see Andrew. Years ago, when the McFaddens took the troubled teen into their home, Jenna had to keep her blazing-hot crush a secret. And now that he’s playing pro hockey for the NHL’s Chicago Aces, nothing’s changed. With his wide shoulders and taut muscles, Andrew’s the most tempting package in the house . . . one that Jenna’s dying to unwrap. Andrew Ross just can’t make a play for Jenna. Her dad and brothers wouldn’t approve, and he could never betray the trust of the wonderful people who treated him like family when he lost his own. That’s what makes the holidays so hard. Whether Jenna’s skating with Andrew on a frozen pond or sitting on his lap while he plays Santa, she’s pushing all their boundaries—and there’s only so much a man can take. Andrew knows that she’s off-limits. But something deep down tells him that Jenna’s heart is the one prize he simply has to win. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
Vivian's List
Haleigh Lovell - 2013
A list. A love story.After ending a horrible, scarring relationship, Vivian embraces her freedom by making a sexual bucket list. When her brother's best friend, Liam, finds it, sparks fly and hearts open.Can Vivian heal one steamy encounter at a time?** This is book 1 in a two-part series
Hit & Run Bride
Nana Malone - 2014
Marketing analyst Becca Daniels has a life that looks good on paper. A coveted promotion in an exciting new city and a successful, handsome fiancé. But with her Hawaiian honeymoon fast approaching, she has to face her biggest fear… water. She can’t swim. On her way to her first swimming lesson, however, she veers left instead of right and nearly runs over her hot, new swim instructor. Caution: Rising Waters... Liam Caldwell has put his life on hold to look after his sick mother. The last thing he needs is the hit-and-run brunette who ruined his motorcycle disrupting the adult swim class. But from the first lesson, he realizes there’s more to the curvy, smart-mouthed Becca than meets the eye, and no matter what he does, he can’t resist her luscious lips and her driving determination. No U-turn... With each lesson, Becca discovers that what looks good on paper isn’t making her happy. Should she play it safe in the shallow end with her career and fiancé? Or should she dive into deep waters with a man who offers passion and freedom like she’s never imagined?**This contemporary New Adult romance is intended for readers 17+. Contains adult content, language, and situations.
Dating Games
T.K. Leigh - 2019
No kissing. No fooling around. No falling in love. What can possibly go wrong?
Note to self:
When your boyfriend dumps you on your thirtieth birthday, it's probably not the smartest idea to drink so much that you wake up in the same bed as the mysterious hottie wearing the gorgeous suit who you noticed sitting across the bar.The only silver lining in my obvious lack of judgment is the promise of never seeing Mr. Suit again, not in a city the size of New York.Or so I thought, until a story I'm working on about the country's most sought-after and elusive escort lands me in the same café as Mr. Suit. So I do what any self-respecting woman of my age would do in my shoes... Try to ignore him.
But he won't let me.
Instead he makes a proposition that leaves me questioning whether I need to have my ears checked. Be his fake girlfriend for a summer of wealth and excess in the Hamptons. In return, he'll help me win back my boyfriend's heart.Juvenile? You bet.Effective? Could be.Bad idea? Most likely.But what do I have to lose?Apparently, a lot more than I originally bargained for.
Let the games begin...
Dating Games is a standalone modern retelling of Cinderella meeting her billionaire Prince Charming. If you like a sassy heroine, a sinful hero, and a whole lot of laughs, then you'll love this fake relationship romance.
Gemini
Penelope Ward - 2013
After he abruptly leaves the restaurant, she can’t get him out of her head.She has no idea that he had actually come on a mission to find her.Cedric Callahan wasn’t expecting to fall in love at first sight with the pretty waitress he’d set out to find. In fact, she was the last woman on Earth he should be having feelings for. But his selfish heart had other plans. Feeling compelled to know her before revealing himself, he makes her believe their meetings are coincidental. After a passionate romance ignites, Cedric’s lies and secrets are finally revealed, changing both of their lives forever.
Conflicted
M.M. Koenig - 2013
Her life was everything she wanted it to be; until one fateful night changed everything – leaving her broken and without direction. Nearly a year later, she still has little faith in anyone or anything. Desperate to reclaim her life’s ambition, she takes an unexpected offer that promises to solve all her problems. But as Mia moves forward, she’s faced with obstacles she couldn’t have foreseen. The biggest of them lies within the mystery of Ethan Fitzgerald; a man who affects her like no other, but who she should avoid pursuing, at all costs. On a mission himself, Ethan Fitzgerald didn’t care who he pissed off on his road to fulfill his mother’s dying wish. He relied on himself, and was closed off to the world around him – until Mia Ryan walked through his door. Normally one to avoid messy emotions, Ethan’s world is turned upside down by Mia, and he can’t seem to get enough of her. There are lines you can cross that will change the course of your life forever …
The Mister
E.L. James - 2019
Life has been easy for Maxim Trevelyan. With his good looks, aristocratic connections, and money, he’s never had to work and he’s rarely slept alone. But all that changes when tragedy strikes and Maxim inherits his family’s noble title, wealth, and estates, and all the responsibility that entails. It’s a role he’s not prepared for and one that he struggles to face. But his biggest challenge is fighting his desire for an unexpected, enigmatic young woman who’s recently arrived in England, possessing little more than a dangerous and troublesome past. Reticent, beautiful, and musically gifted, she’s an alluring mystery, and Maxim’s longing for her deepens into a passion that he’s never experienced and dares not name. Just who is Alessia Demachi? Can Maxim protect her from the malevolence that threatens her? And what will she do when she learns that he’s been hiding secrets of his own? From the heart of London through wild, rural Cornwall to the bleak, forbidding beauty of the Balkans, The Mister is a roller-coaster ride of danger and desire that leaves the reader breathless to the very last page.