Book picks similar to
Otherwise Engaged by Avery Keelan


fake-dating
romance
contemporary
fake-relationship

The Sunderlands


Anastasia K. King - 2019
    The mortal counterpart to the God of Death, Keres has the power to stem the tide of bloodshed. As brutal civil war threatens to tear her homeland asunder, she struggles to control her gift without succumbing to a curse of unslakable blood-lust. When her people are attacked, she can no longer hold back. The beast within awakens. Gods know there will be no redemption on the other side of her revenge. Wading deeper into the darkness plaguing her land, unraveling the secrets of her heritage, Keres faces a greater challenge: finding her place in this world or being broken by it. Many seek to tame her and use her as a divine weapon. Including a Knight desiring to claim her body and spirit. As the war between Man and Elf stains the Sunderlands with innocent blood, Keres must make a choice: save her people and damn her cursed soul, or forsake the Gods and her homeland to gain freedom.Note: This story is not suitable for persons under the age of 18.

Lost in Between


K.L. Kreig - 2017
    A price. That magic number that will get us to agree to do anything, be anything. Don’t sit on your gold-plated high horse and say you don’t because you do. Everyone does. Each of us has something we covet enough that we’d sell ourselves to have it.What’s my tipping point, you ask? Apparently a cool quarter mil will do the trick.What does one do for 250 large, you wonder? Anything the infamous, gorgeous playboy of Seattle wants. For the next four months I’ll be Shaw Mercer’s arm candy, his beck and call girl, his faux girlfriend. I’ll be his to command, mold, push and pull in any direction he sees fit. I’ll fight falling into bed with him. I’ll fight falling in love with him even harder. I’ll fail at both. And when my past and present collide in the most unexpected of ways, I’ll learn that while one man’s love for me has never died, the only man’s love I really want will never be mine.*If dirty-talking, dominant alphas are not your thing, move along. Mature, 18+ only. Book 1 in a 2-part duet.

Nowhere but Here


Renee Carlino - 2014
    From the outside, her life seems charmed. She has a handsome, long-term boyfriend and a budding journalism career at a popular Chicago newspaper. But in reality, her relationship is going nowhere, and she’s quickly losing motivation for what she once believed was her dream job. When her boyfriend dumps her unceremoniously, Kate loses all hope of finding love.With no living family and few friends, Kate confides in her boss. Trusting that the hungry, ace reporter is buried somewhere deep inside, he gives Kate the opportunity to jumpstart her career. The assignment: to interview the famously reclusive R.J. Lawson, a wealthy tech genius who disappeared years ago but recently reemerged as a Napa Valley vintner. The week takes an unexpected turn, however, when Lawson refuses to divulge any information. Desperate for a lead, Kate turns to Jamie, a vineyard hand who shows her the romance of wine country—and stirs her aching heart. But his connection to Lawson is ambiguous, and when Jamie disappears before the end of the week, Kate is left to investigate another story: the truth behind the man who stole her heart.USA TODAY bestselling author Renée Carlino explored love and heartbreak in her beautifully written debut Sweet Thing, and her newest novel does not disappoint. For fans of Colleen Hoover, K.A. Tucker, and Katja Millay, Nowhere But Here is a stirring and satisfying romance that you won’t want to put down.

Shortcake


Lucy Watson - 2019
    Not even close.Now they have to live together for the next thirty days while renovating the family home. Or the estate will transfer to the one person Ben hates more than Emelia, and she'll have to move back to the one place she wants to forget more than Ben.Did I mention Ben look likes man-candy and smells like testosterone? Not that Emelia notices. She spends a lot of time not noticing things about Ben.

Sweet Obsession


Callie Rose - 2020
    I risked my life for a man I didn’t even know and nearly died for it.I’ve tried to forget him. To forget that whole night.But he hasn’t forgotten me.He’s been watching.Obsessing.Craving.And when he crashes back into my life like a wrecking ball, accompanied by two dark shadows—men he calls his brothers—the life I’ve been trying to rebuild for myself shatters into a thousand sharp-edged pieces.He believes our souls are bound by blood, and he’s come back to claim what’s his.Two years ago, I saved Marcus Constantine’s life.Now I wish I hadn’t.This is the first book in the Ruthless Games series, a dark reverse harem romance. It contains sexual situations, violence, and dark subject matter.

Dating Dr. Dil


Nisha Sharma - 2022
    Dil features a love-phobic TV doctor who must convince a love-obsessed homebody they are destined to be together. Kareena Mann dreams of having a love story like her parents, but she prefers restoring her classic car to swiping right on dating apps. When her father announces he’s selling her mother’s home, Kareena makes a deal with him: he’ll gift her the house if she can get engaged in four months. Her search for her soulmate becomes impossible when her argument with Dr. Prem Verma, host of The Dr. Dil Show, goes viral. Now the only man in her life is the one she doesn’t want.Dr. Prem Verma is dedicated to building a local community health center, but he needs to get donors with deep pockets. The Dr. Dil Show was doing just that, until his argument with Kareena went viral, and he’s left short changed. That’s when Kareena’s meddling aunties presented him with a solution: convince Kareena he’s her soulmate and they’ll fund his clinic.  Even though they have conflicting views on love-matches and arranged-matches, the more time Prem spends with Kareena, the more he begins to believe she’s the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. But for Prem and Kareena to find their happily ever after, they must admit that hate has turned into fate.

Kiss of War


Clara Elroy - 2021
    His eyes fostered demons solely reserved for me. They craved to own my soul.And for the longest time, I took it, I bore his cruelty alone.But then... then I grew thorns of my own.And now?Now it's time for his torment to taste my kiss of war.Kiss of War is a complete standalone and a part of the City of Stars series.

The Choice


Nicholas Sparks - 2007
    In full pursuit of the good life - boating, swimming , and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies -- he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, THE CHOICE ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

Love Me Louder


Christina Lee - 2018
    After an accident leaves him physically scarred and emotionally vulnerable, dating isn’t in the cards, so he throws himself head-first into his retail job. When he’s obligated to attend his best friend’s engagement party on Fire Island, it dawns on him he’s about to spend yet another weekend feeling totally invisible and alone among a swarm of gorgeous men. That’s when the idea of an escort comes in. After Will Crossen was forced to put his theater major on hold in favor of two jobs to tackle his ailing mother’s hospital bills, he tells himself becoming an escort isn’t that big of a deal. It’s just another form of acting, right? He doesn’t expect his newest customer to be the cheery, overconfident sales associate he avoids like the plague at his day job. Talk about awkward. But what happens on Fire Island stays on Fire Island…especially when a smoldering attraction sparks into flames. Will doesn’t feel so alone anymore, and for the first time, Noah realizes someone is seeing him behind all the scars. But between their jobs, Will’s massive familial responsibilities, and Noah’s vulnerabilities, they don’t stand a chance unless they find a way to let love speak louder than their demons.

Doctor Scandalous


J. Saman - 2021
    I've been dreading this reunion since we graduated high school ten years ago.So why am I here, standing outside the door like the eternal wallflower I am?I'd say it's because my younger sister browbeat me into it, but the truth is, I'm tired of being a nobody. Of never taking a risk with myself and my life.And...well...maybe I'm also hoping to see him.The tall, insanely gorgeous man walking my way now. Oliver Fritz is regarded as one Boston's sexiest doctors. I know him as the former god of our school. The one every girl wanted, and every guy wanted to be.The one as unhappy to be here as I am.That's when he makes the proposal I've always dreamed of. Only, this one is fake. On bended knee, he places a ring on my finger and proposes we brave this reunion together, with me as his fake fiancée. But when our wild and steamy night ends in scandal, we're forced to make a deal.He gives me what I need, and in return I stay his fake fiancée, so he doesn't lose face with the media who love him or his sick mother. Should be easy, right? Just a few months pretending to be engaged to one of Boston's most notorious billionaire bachelors. What could go wrong?Turns out everything.DOCTOR SCANDALOUS is a 100k word SUPER steamy, laugh out loud, full on romance that will hit you straight in the feels! It is a standalone in a brand new series about Boston's hottest billionaire doctors and the women they fall head over heels for!

Bull


Deborah Bladon - 2021
    Graham Locke is cocky, condescending, and looks sinfully sexy wrapped in a thousand dollar suit.He’s also a nightmare to work for. When he sends me a text message asking me to meet him because he’s getting married, I laugh out loud. Who would marry him? It turns out I do. I literally marry my boss.It’s not for love. I can’t say it’s entirely for money, but that does factor into my decision to become Mrs. Locke for ninety days. Three months will fly by, right? Wrong.Within twenty four hours, I’m counting the seconds until I can go back to being Trina Shaw. I persevere because I’m not one to give up even though I seriously consider it.It doesn’t take long before I discover that my husband isn’t the man I thought he was.The secrets he keeps hidden close to his heart may end up breaking mine.

Home Tears


Tijan - 2016
    Her mother died. Her two sisters loathed her. One aunt hated her. The other was strangely distant, but the worst storm—being dumped by her childhood best friend/high school boyfriend/first love for her younger sister. There went the one person who was hers and with that, the main reason she stuck around. So, she left for ten years. But now she’s back, and nothing’s the same. With help from Jonah Bannon, a reformed—kind of—bad boy she remembers from high school, Dani uncovers family secrets that have spanned generations. And along with those, she’s about to face the biggest sh*t storm of her life. Only this time, she may not survive.