Book picks similar to
Smoke and Sugar (Small Town Sparks #2) by Bel Blackwood
age-gap
ice-queen
lawyers
new-zealand
When I'm With You
Monica McCallan - 2021
Growing up in a big, rambunctious family, all she’s ever wanted is a little peace and quiet. She may not love her job, but she knows what to expect from it. And maybe she’s never been head over heels for any of her boyfriends, but they’re stable and practical. In her world, a life well-lived is a life well-planned. And there is nothing that gets under her skin more than the chaotic energy of Brooke Nicholas.After an adolescence filled with unpredictability, Brooke Nicholas never got in the habit of expecting things. She managed to finish college, moved to Philadelphia, and lucked her way into working at a hip wine bar after graduation. Other than that, she takes life one day (or night) at a time, choosing to spend her time meeting new people and enjoying the moment.Kennedy and Brooke have circled around one another for years without growing close, and it takes getting stuck together during a post-graduation trip for Kennedy to finally realize she may have only scratched the surface where Brooke is concerned. A growing friendship, an abandoned puppy, and no one to act as a buffer between them is going to upend a lot of ideas Kennedy had about her perfectly crafted world. And it’s going to terrify Brooke because, for the first time in her life, she feels like maybe she’s found a home.
The Truth
Erica Lee - 2019
One truth. Carly Foster has spent her twenties dating one mistake after another. When she meets Diana Cox, she thinks she finally chose a good one. Little does Carly know, Diana is hiding a big secret. When Diana admits to what she has been hiding, it’s Carly’s turn to decide whether the possibility of Diana being the one is enough to risk making another mistake. Samantha Phillips is Carly’s best friend, and she has a secret of her own. For years, she has been in love with someone she shouldn’t be. Now she is trying to throw herself back into the dating world and struggling with losing her best friend to a woman who doesn’t seem to deserve her. Hailey Smith should have it all. She’s married to her high school sweetheart and together they have a sweet little girl. Unfortunately, things aren’t always as perfect as they seem, and Hailey worries her wife may be cheating on her. These three are about to find out that their lives are connected in ways they would have never imagined. All three have their own story and their own perspective of the life they are living. Every person they meet also does. That leaves one very important question - what is the truth?
Contract for Love
Alison Grey - 2015
She’s been raised by her rich grandmother, and her only goals are partying and bedding women.When her grandmother threatens to disinherit her if she doesn’t clean up her act, Madison has to find a way to convince her she’s changed.After a chance encounter with Sherry, Madison comes up with a crazy idea that will rock both of their worlds: she wants to hire Sherry to play her fake girlfriend.Themes: fake dating · fake girlfriend · fake relationship · play girl · pretend romance · rich girl/poor girl97,000 words
Dancing The Night Away
Laura Conway - 2019
When she suggested to her boss that they should have salsa classes on a Tuesday night, she never could have imagined who would walk through the door. Delaney Meyers, her favorite actress, wanted to learn how to dance, and she didn't have a partner. Spencer couldn't have dreamed it up. There were so many questions that Spencer wanted answers to. If Delaney Meyers was in Club Pink, did that mean she was gay? Would she dance with Spencer? How would she react to finding out Spencer was a fan? Sparks fly when these two hit the dance floor. Is chemistry enough to overcome their pasts and their difference in age? Lesbian romance with steamy scenes. 18+
Sprinkled in the Stars
Violet Morley - 2021
As a paramedic, AJ puts others’ needs above her own; in her personal life, she keeps everyone an arm’s length away. That distance disappears when a chance run-in with actor Melanie Cooper leaves her sticky, angry, and fed up.Melanie Cooper has just signed her last movie. The media keeps portraying her as cold and hard to work with, and Mel has absolutely nothing more to give. As she begins to imagine a new life, a challenging part of her past comes back on the scene, determined to cause problems for Mel.After a series of coincidental meetings, AJ battles her desire for control while Mel struggles with trust. Despite the challenges and complications, Mel finds herself drawn to the Beckett ladies, and AJ can’t deny their connection, either.Falling in love has never been so sweet.Genre: RomanceCover: Cath Grace DesignsEditor: Kat JacksonWords: 86,000
A Heart This Big
Cheyenne Blue - 2019
But when a child is hurt and a lawsuit threatens, Nina is determined to find the best legal assistance to help her save the farm.Enter high-flying lawyer Leigh Willoughby, whose city world is far from the farm’s chaotic mix of kids and animals. She certainly doesn’t have time for small cases that don’t pay or farm visits that wreck her cool—and her clothes.Still, the warm-hearted Nina and her challenging, twelve-year-old daughter, Phoebe, are awfully hard to say no to. What on earth has she gotten herself into?A captivating opposites-attract lesbian romance about a city woman discovering her country heart.89,000 wordsThemes: country romance · lawyer · opposites attract · rich girl/poor girl · single parent romance
Up Against Her
Lisa Elliot - 2021
She’s worked her way up and is on the brink of a promotion at her top market research consultancy. But when she’s forced to merge her department and compete for the job she thought was hers, she’s seriously displeased.Brianna, Head of Quantitative Research, prefers numbers and statistics over people. Confident and successful, she never shows any vulnerability at work and keeps her personal and professional lives strictly separate. She’s only been at the consultancy for six months, so when she’s offered the chance to go for the top job, she doesn’t hesitate.They have two months to work together, jointly leading a single research team, to prove they should be the next Director of Research. As rivals going for the same job, their opposing styles clash as they try to lead their team into a new future.They don’t get on. But as they spend more time together, prior assumptions give way to pleasant surprises. Will they keep it professional and ignore the electricity between them? Or will they find their way to each other against the odds?
Elizabeth's Artist: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance
Emily Hayes - 2020
Powerful Director of one of NYC's most exclusive Art Galleries, Elizabeth Diamond, is career focussed and doesn't have time for a relationship.The last thing she expects is to become helplessly entangled with a super talented and wildly beautiful artist from a poor background who is desperate to exhibit at her gallery.This young artist comes from a different world and it would be entirely unprofessional for Elizabeth to start anything with her.But the chemistry between them is electric.What will Elizabeth do?
Call to Me
Helena Harte - 2020
Sort of, anyway. She’s just landed her first job since finishing uni. She loves working with the young people at the youth centre, especially the ones who need a bit of extra attention. She’s determined to make something of herself, and she knows enough about love to know it’s not what she wants right now. Life is too full, too wild, to get tied down. That is, until she finds Java, a beautiful, abandoned dog who steals her heart.Dr Evie Jackson is all about stability. She and her son live a calm, happy life, andalthough Evie misses companionship, a recent relationship taught her not to trust her instincts when it comes to women. Passing dalliances are all she’ll allow so she keeps her heart, and her son, safe.When Ash and Evie meet at the Hound Hotel where Evie volunteers, sparks fly. Ash is a free spirit, something that calls to Evie despite her knowing better, and Ash can’t get enough of Evie’s strong, sexy fire.But will they answer love’s call, or will they let it pass them by?
Pursuing Pandora
Maggie Brown - 2020
Poking her nose into her cousin’s love life is the last thing she wants to do. So what if he has a giant crush on Pandora, a lounge singer thirteen years his senior? The cougar just might teach him a thing or two.For Pandora, the sultry siren with the slinky low-cut gown façade is all an act. It’s showbiz. She dislikes the adulation and the numerous advances, especially from the Russian gangster and the aging playboy. Besides, she has an ulterior motive for being at the club, and romance is definitely off the agenda.But uptight, reserved Winter is a complication she hasn’t foreseen. And even with the best intentions, love has a way of striking at the most inopportune times.
On the Rocks
Cynthia Dane - 2017
Business and pleasure tend to mix in the high-stakes world Adrienne Thomas breathes. As the co-owner of one of America's biggest corporations, the young billionaire doesn't have time to date... especially when her recent bisexual awakening leaves her more confused than her confidence likes to admit. That's why it was so easy to start dating her business partner's smart and gorgeous executive assistant. Amber Mayview made her intentions clear from the moment she first seduced Adrienne: this was all about sex and money, a relationship of mutual needs and satisfactions. Now, months later, one of the most over the top same-sex couples has reached an impasse. Amber is no longer satisfied with the sugar baby lifestyle. The longer she stays with Adrienne, the more she falls in love with more than just her money. But for two women who should never be together to make it through this rocky patch, they're going to have to admit more than their love. They're going to survive ex-lovers, a media play that refuses to release them, and enough sex to burn down their city in sinful flames. Good thing it's worth it. For love, of course. (The money's just a bonus.) -
EXCERPT-
"Look at all those people out there," Adrienne muttered into Amber's ear. "There are millions of people here, and every one of them, no matter what they say right now, would give everything they have to be with me. I'm the wealthiest woman out of them all. I know how to succeed and get what I want. I'll keep getting what I want for the rest of my life. Guess what I want right now, above anything else in the world." Amber tried to speak, but she was too enthralled that those same millions of people could look into their window right now and see them at their ridiculous play. It shouldn't have turned her on. Women weren't supposed to be turned on by these silly displays of machismo, even if they came from other women. It's what I wanted, but I'm not supposed to want it... Amber could kiss the glass in front of her, but she would have rather kissed Adrienne. "What do you want?" Adrienne shoved her hands beneath the gold fringe. A gasp that could crack the glass slammed into the back of Amber's throat. "I want you. Yesterday, today, and forever." Something strangled Amber's heart, and it didn't frighten her. The only thing that frightened her was the possibility that this was a lie. Nobody is meant to truly love me. They only love the idea of me. I'm their fantasy. I'm not their forever... Trophy wives didn't last forever. They did the job until it was time to pick out a younger model. Amber's goal was to amass enough wealth to take care of herself for a long time. The thought she could actually grow old with someone like Adrienne had never entered her consciousness. "Do you want me, Amber?" Her tone implied she already knew the answer to that question.
Kiss the Girl
Melissa Brayden - 2014
A speeding ticket, a towed car, and a broken heel are all working against her laid-back vibe. To top it all off, her birth mother, whom she’s never met, has requested contact. The only bright spot is an impromptu date with a beautiful and mysterious brunette.Jessica Lennox is what you would call a high-powered executive. She’s the head of a multimillion-dollar advertising firm in New York City, and it didn’t happen by accident. But when the blonde head turner from the wine bistro turns out to be her number one competitor, her life gets infinitely more complex.Is New York big enough for both Brooklyn and Jessica? Maybe it’s just time they experienced it together...
Fire on Ice
Jea Hawkins - 2018
She lives a regimented, but privileged life. This is her last chance at Olympic gold. But life is not what it seems... For Madison, living up to the expectations of her mother has become impossible, overshadowing her dreams of taking gold at the Winter Olympics. Everyone can see she’s lost the will to compete and one person isn’t afraid to tell her the truth. Zoe Claretto is a feisty newcomer and a fan favorite. She knows it won’t be easy to win a medal at the world’s most famous international sporting event, but she’s there for the love of figure skating. And, as it turns out, for the love of Madison. From rivals to friends, friends to lovers, Madison soon realizes there’s more to life than the path laid out for her. If she can open her heart to Zoe, she can pave her own way. And maybe, just maybe, go out a champion. When privilege and perfect technique meet passion and raw talent, things get hot on the ice.
Christmas With The Ice Queen
Clara Reese - 2020
Shocking, I know. And to make matters worse it’s snowing outside, which sure doesn’t put you in the Christmas spirit when you when you can’t afford heat (let alone rent). I need a job, fast, but there aren’t many openings in this economy.Then, I meet her.The Ice Queen.She has the face of a Christmas angel and the soul of a cash register.And after hearing her proposition, I should barricade myself in my apartment until New Year’s. But this older woman’s got lots of money, and I need some. Mainly so I don’t starve to death on the street.Pretending to be her girlfriend for her sister’s Christmas wedding is going to be the role of a lifetime. But whenever the Ice Queen levels me with her chilly gaze, I start to shiver…and it's not from the cold.Uh oh. This is bad.I’m falling in love with her small town. With her family.And with the one woman who will never love me back.
Fine or Punishment
Mira Margrave - 2017
But when a depraved fantasy keeps plaguing her thoughts, she decides to take a risk and finally allow herself a night of debauchery. Even if she has to hire the company for the evening. An unexpected storm and a surprise visitor throw her plans in disarray but what should be a mortifying error could prove to be a blessing in disguise. Candace Kane’s go-with-the-flow attitude and sharp tongue often got her in trouble, but she didn’t expect any on a quick trip to the library. When a stern, attractive librarian comes on to her hard, Candace can’t help but say yes. The decision hurls both women into uncharted waters. A stand-alone novella (31,500 words).