Book picks similar to
Beefcake & Cupcakes by Judi Fennell


contemporary-romance
romance
contemporary
rom-com

Truth or Beard


Penny Reid - 2015
    This is why Jessica James, recent college graduate and perpetual level-headed good girl, has been in naïve and unhealthy infatuation with Beau Winston for most of her life. His friendly smiles make her tongue-tied and weak-kneed, and she’s never been able to move beyond her childhood crush. Whereas Duane and Jessica have always been adversaries. She can’t stand him, and she’s pretty sure he can’t stand the sight of her…But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica finds herself in a massive confusion kerfuffle. Jessica James has spent her whole life paralyzed by the fantasy of Beau and her assumptions of Duane’s disdain; therefore she’s unprepared for the reality that is Duane’s insatiable interest, as well as his hot hands and hot mouth and hotter looks. Not helping Jessica’s muddled mind and good girl sensibilities, Duane seems to have gotten himself in trouble with the local biker gang, the Iron Order.Certainly, Beau’s magic spell is broken. Yet when Jessica finds herself drawn to the man who was always her adversary, now more dangerous than ever, how much of her level-head heart is she willing to risk?

The Librarian's Vampire Assistant


Mimi Jean Pamfiloff - 2018
    NOBODY MESSES WITH HIS LIBRARIAN. . . Who killed Michael Vanderhorst’s maker? It’s a darn good question. But when the trail brings Michael to hellishly sunny Phoenix, Arizona, his biggest problem soon becomes a cute little librarian he can’t seem to stay away from. He’s never met a bigger danger magnet! Even her book cart has it out for her. And is that the drug cartel following her around, too? “Dear God, woman! What have you gotten yourself into?”Things go from bad to worse when local vampires won’t play nice.Can this four-hundred-year-old vampire keep his librarian safe and himself out of hot water? Can he bring his maker’s killer to justice? Yesterday, he would’ve said yes. But yesterday, he didn’t have a strange connection with a librarian. Yesterday, people weren’t trying to kill her.

The V Card


Lauren Blakely - 2017
    You'd be wrong.At 25, I run a successful business, live in a fantastic apartment, and have fabulous friends to go out with any night of the week. And yet I'm still a card-carrying member of a club I don't want to belong to anymore. Good thing I know just the man for the deflowering job—my brother’s business partner and best friend. Graham Campbell is charming, smart, and, I’m told, oh-so-skilled in the sack. As long as I keep my eyes on the prize, there’s no way this pluck-the-flower project could possibly complicate matters.***Work and pleasure. As the CEO of a fast-growing company, I've been enjoying both to the fullest. What do I do when the board throws me for an unexpected loop so I can keep my business in my hands? I enlist the help of my best friend's little sister since she holds a big stake in the company. But then I learn there's another big stake she wants. The one between my legs.I can do this. Seven nights to teach her everything I know in the bedroom. There's no way I'll fall for her, even though she’s earning top grades in every single sinfully sexy lesson. And turns out I’m learning something too. The trouble is I don’t have the answer key to what to do when I fall hard for her.And that throws a whole new hitch in my plans.

Roomie Wars


Kat T. Masen - 2016
    Who said you had to be married with a fabulous career and three kids? I had a great life. Single, freedom to do whatever I please, and best of all, stay home on a Friday night in my sweats, eating pizza while listening to the best of the ’80s. I’m fine. DrewWhen a woman says she’s fine, she’s not fine. Zoey had it all. Stunning looks, ambition, the whole package. Then he fucked her up. He broke her. And now I’m left picking up the pieces… again. Zoey Richards, strong-willed and driven, settled on the geeky struggling med student to share her apartment with, not the perfect-in-every-way stud who would just distract her and undoubtedly break her heart. When her ex comes back into the picture, Zoey seeks revenge and enlists her roommate’s help. All Zoey and Drew need to do is pretend to be a couple for one night. But one night can change everything. Refusing to break their “roomie code,” and in an effort to deny their feelings for each other, a war erupts between Zoey and Drew. She lives in the past; he, for the future. If opposites attract, will these two gamble their friendship for a chance at love?

Hollywood Heartbreaker


Alexa Aston - 2021
    Book One in the exciting Hollywood Name Game series has arrived. Being late to an interview lands her the biggest job opportunity of her life.He may be rich and successful--but he's just this side of miserable.Can a wannabe be The One for the biggest star in Hollywood?Cassie Carroll came to Hollywood with big dreams that never materialized. Acting isn't even on the back burner anymore--it's completely off the stove. Working for a third-rate agent, Cassie hopes to land a new job that will give her credibility, as well as help pay the rent. Late to her interview, she swerves to avoid hitting a dog--and totals the car of Hollywood's leading action superstar. Surprisingly, she walks away from their encounter with a job--as the sexiest man alive's personal assistant.Rhett Corrigan is bored with the movies he makes and the drop-dead gorgeous model he's dating. He's afraid that Hollywood has typecast him--and that he'll never be able to break out of his action mold and try new acting challenges. When Cassie Carroll literally slams into his life, she brings a breath of fresh air and common sense to his world. She pushes him to be a better actor and a better man.Can these friends become lovers--and can their love survive--in a tabloid-happy town that thrives on rumors and backstabbing?Hollywood Heartbreaker is the first book in the Hollywood Name Game series. Each book in the series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order.

City of Sin


Ivy Smoak - 2015
    Bee - When I came to New York City I was engaged to the man of my dreams and I was ready to take the marketing industry by storm. But now? I'm single and working at a dead end job with a pervy boss. It's official - this city kicked my a**. It's time to pack my bags. A blind date that my friend set up to convince me to stay is most definitely not going to change my mind. Zero chance. Goodbye NYC.Mason - I know I have a reputation as a playboy. And I like my reputation. Relationships are for schmucks. The only reason I agreed to the blind date was because I was promised two Knicks tickets for my time. But I never expected for her to pass on me. Me? Are you kidding? I'm going to prove to her that she made a mistake. I give it a week until she begs me to make good on my promises. Then I'll say goodbye to her long legs and sassy tongue and perfect... What the hell? Why don't I want to say goodbye?

All I Ever Wanted


Kristan Higgins - 2010
    and no sign of any forthcoming babies to rock in ol' Georgebury, Vermont. For Callie Grey, turning thirty means coming to grips with the fact that her boss (and five-week fling) is way overdue in his marriage proposal. And way off track because Mark has suddenly announced his engagement to the company's new Miss Perfect. If that isn't bad enough, her mom decides to throw her a three-oh birthday bash in the family funeral home. Bad goes to worse when she stirs up a crazy relationship with the town's not so warm and fuzzy veterinarian, Ian McFarland, in order to flag Mark's attention. So Ian is more comfortable with animals.... So he's formal, orderly and just a bit tense. The ever-friendly, fun-loving and spontaneous Callie decides it's time for Ian to get a personality makeover. But dang, if he doesn't shock the heck out of her, she might actually fall for Vermont's unlikeliest eligible bachelor....

Cinderella Screwed Me Over


Cindi Madsen - 2013
    Burned one too many times by ex-boyfriends, Darby has lost all belief in the happily-ever-after that the fairy-tale princess promised her. She's sworn off love, Prince Charmings, and happy endings and she's happy about it. Really. Or at least she was…until she met Jake, her gorgeous neighbor and the manager of her favorite restaurant. But Darby has rules about dating, ones she's culled from her years spent with so-called “princes,” and starting something with Jake would break all of them.Charming, fun, and unwilling to give up on her, Jake doesn’t fit any of the profiles Darby has created from her case studies of ex-princes-gone-bad. Finally presented with her own Prince Charming, can Darby take a chance on a happily-ever-after?Full of wit and sarcastic humor, Cinderella Screwed Me Over proves that sometimes the perfect love, like a perfect pair of shoes, is just within your grasp.

Fierce


Rosalind James - 2015
     It was true that I had a lousy job. Not to mention a lousy apartment and too much responsibility, although it was a responsibility I wouldn’t have given up for the world. That still didn’t mean I needed rescuing, if that was what you’d call the situation I ended up in. And anyway, I knew that a multimillionaire Maori CEO with too many muscles, a tribal tattoo, and a take-no-prisoners attitude was way, way out of my league. So, no, I didn’t ask him to, but he rescued me anyway. Because Hemi was fierce. But you know what I found out? So was I. Note: This is the “book within a book” that Faith is writing in Just in Time: Escape to New Zealand. Hemi isn’t Will, but you may see some of Faith’s feelings about Will coming out...

Retreat


Jay Crownover - 2016
    My best friend, sick of watching me drown in misery and melancholy, harassed me until I agreed to go with her on a week-long wilderness retreat.She promised days spent bonding and getting in touch with our inner bad-asses. It was supposed to be all about the two of us roughing it and making do with the bare minimum. She assured me we were going to be pushed to our limits in ways that were unimaginable. Neither one of us could have ever guessed just how right she was.Nowhere in the glossy brochure did it say anything about the fact I was going to have to battle the insufferable but deliciously rugged and sexy trail guide instead of the elements. The brochure also forgot to mention the part that warned when you left civilization behind, there was no place to pack your inhibitions and fears.I was told that I would be facing a week where the only thing I should expect was the unexpected. However, no one mentioned that I was going to have to fight for my life…and my heart as soon as I ventured into the unknown. I was a pro at hiding from my feelings but when it came time to face a real threat, one that could change everything, I learned I was more of a no surrender, no retreat kind of girl.Retreat is a standalone novel, the first in the Getaway series which centers on the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women that dare to love them.These boys are very good at putting the wild in wilderness.

A Lot Like Home


Kat Cantrell - 2018
    Smooth-talking ex-SEALs need not apply... Ex-Navy SEAL Caleb Hardy is desperate to atone for past mistakes by helping the old woman whose letters got him through the war. When he and his band of brothers drop into her sweet, dying Texas town, only one thing stands in the way of his redemption.Superstition Springs native Havana Nixon is convinced letting a big developer into their tiny Texas oasis is the only way to save the town and she’s not about to let a newcomer—no matter how gorgeous—derail her plans. Especially after her aunt tosses out one of her famous “love predictions” matching her with the most infuriating man on the planet.If only these enemies could stop fighting long enough to admit they’re falling for each other… Welcome to Superstition Springs, the place where destiny is the ultimate matchmaker. All you have to do is believe.

Some Call it Love


Sarah Peis - 2017
    A mistaken arrest, an unpaid debt and a trip to Vegas. Rock-bottom, meet Willa. One thing I learned this week: Never choose an essay topic based on the movie Thor and Chris Hemsworth’s abs. Another—probably more important—thing I also learned: Drooling when staring at Jameson Drake is not a good look. I thought my week was as bad as it would get, until I find out my dad owes Jameson a lot of money. And I’m supposed to pay it off by working for him. Now I have a new job, a huge debt to pay off and a hot boss who takes broody alpha to a new level. When I find myself on my way to Vegas to bail my dad out, Jameson insists on coming along. Things go from bad to worse, as they usually do when my family is involved, and Jameson turns into my savior. Now I’m faced with a choice: Keeps things professional or explore the chemistry between us. But honestly, who can resist a knight in shining armor? This romantic comedy is the first book in the Some Call It Series and can be read as a standalone.

Catching Caden


Samantha Christy - 2017
    The rule I have to protect my money, my future, my heart.No girl has ever broken it.I've never wanted one to. Until now.The question is ... will I let her?

Breaking Free


Juliana Haygert - 2013
    To others, her family and her relationship with Eric is perfect. But she knows the truth. She lives it.After a fire takes her grandma's life and kills her horse, Hannah's immaculate life spirals out of control. Her father disapproves of her decision to run her grandma’s ranch instead of focusing solely on learning the family business; Animal Control brings her Argus, a mistreated horse that she can't turn away even though she's not ready for another horse; and her boyfriend, Eric Bennett, a world famous polo player, becomes possessive and authoritarian. Despite her best efforts to disguise it, Hannah grows wary of him.Then, Leonardo Fernandes struts onto the polo scene. A cocky rookie with a messy life of his own, he’s drawn to Hannah and isn’t afraid of showing it, even when Eric makes it clear she is his and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Hannah suffers for Eric’s jealousy. The abuse only gets worse when Leo steals the title of best polo player in the world from Eric.But the title isn’t enough for Leo. He wants Hannah too, and she can’t deny her attraction to him either. Somehow, she must find a way to break free from abusive Eric before he breaks every bone in her body.Author's note: this book contains scenes of domestic violence, mentions of animal cruelty, strong language, sex scenes (no rape!), and a HEA.The Breaking Series:Breaking Free (Book 1)Breaking Away (Book 2)Breaking Through (Book 3)Breaking Down (Book 4)*All books are standalone and can be read out of order.

Feels like Home


Evelyn Adams - 2014
    But when her carefully constructed life crumbles around her, Autumn's forced to return to the small southern town that never let her forget she came from the wrong side of the tracks. Jude Southerland, the town doctor, is used to taking care of people and with a pedigree that has the Ladies Auxiliary reaching for their fans, he’s easily the town’s most eligible bachelor – a status he has no intention of changing. That is until he almost runs down the Maddox girl he never noticed in school and suddenly finds her lush curves, dark curls and blue eyes consuming his thoughts, day and night. Autumn would like nothing more than to live happily ever after with Jude. But with every local matron in the valley trying to marry him off to their own daughters, she knows they won’t let her forget that she's not good enough and never will be. With the chance to finally find happiness, can she overcome her family history and find the confidence she needs to believe in herself or will she let love pass her by?