Book picks similar to
The Matchmaker and The Marine by Lucinda Race
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Black Canvas
Laura Rossi - 2021
A must-read. A masterpiece. A thrill."Eleanor Lloyd-Jones“I dream of waking up and being someone else—my hair, my eyes, even my voice, completely different—and each time I go to the mirror to check my reflection, to see what I look like, I’m her. Every time. Her. It’s her reflection that stares back at me, but I’m the one who controls it. I’m in control, and that’s exactly why it feels so good. I control her and what happens to me; I control both lives—mine and hers—and I have what I want the most: her looks, her status, her marriage. There’s nothing left of me, and only I know the secret. Only I know it’s me inside, it’s me under that perfect porcelain skin, it’s me behind those sweet, smart deep brown eyes.And I have him. He’s mine—just mine now. I’m not the other woman anymore. I’m everything he needs."
2am Secrets
M. Piper - 2020
He had been in our lives since before our parents died, he saw us through the wreckage, and he grew up in my brother’s bedroom playing video games.He should have felt like a brother to me.But he never did.New Year’s Eve changed everything.Hell wasn’t pining after your brother’s best friend in secret for years on end. Hell wasn’t wondering if he even noticed you when you passed him in the hallway at midnight.No, that wasn’t hell. Hell was knowing how well you fit with someone and not being able to do a damn thing about it. We knew what we were doing. We knew someone would get hurt, but the attraction was too strong.And we were both too weak.You can’t keep 2am secrets forever…and when ours crashed, they burned.
The Dating Itinerary
Brooke Williams - 2020
Silver lining: meeting new people should be fun, right? But running into her old rival, George, at her first dating event is decidedly not. Not only does the arrogant know-it-all have zero trouble attracting women, wherever Penny goes, somehow he just. Keeps. Showing. Up.Geo knows he’s right on the cusp of writing success with the chance to have his own syndicated column. All he has to do is follow his agent’s ideas for showcasing different dating avenues, and he’ll pull in enough to help his sister’s non-profit women’s shelter get off the ground. Sure, his itinerary is starting to look strangely similar to his old rival Penny’s, but all’s fair in love and syndication, right?The more they look for love in all the wrong places, though, the more they start to wonder if it was right in front of their noses all along. Still, the brutal dating scene just might end them, if these two don’t kill each other first.
Mission: Believe
Stacy Eaton - 2019
Shane Logan is lucky to have come from a privileged family, and after losing both of his legs in the war, he now has the best prosthetics that money can buy. While he is trying to move forward with life, he struggles with the past and the way people react to him and his disability. Dr. Lauren Falcone works tirelessly to help veterans deal with the trauma and pain of their deployments. Her unique virtual approach to therapy keeps her busy, and the assistance she provides to service members as they recover mentally helps her resolve her own anxieties. When Shane meets Lauren at a fundraiser for his father’s organization, he wonders if there just might be a chance for him to get his dream off the ground and maybe find a normal life with someone who can look past his flaws and see the man he is inside. Shane and Lauren are drawn to each other by their hope to make life easier for veterans, both physically and emotionally. Their goal is to build Shane’s dream organization, Rise Again Warrior, that will assist veterans to integrate more easily into society and have the opportunity to receive state-of-the-art technology and therapy. Now, if they can only have faith in themselves, learn to deal with their own demons, and believe in each other, they might find a way to bring this dream to fruition. The second book in the series will be released in May to coincide with Memorial Day.
Bellissimo Fortuna
Leigh Ann Lunsford - 2015
Devoted to one girl and willing to do everything in his power to ensure her safety. Beautiful, trusting, damaged, daughter of the underboss, Callie Locati has Bronson’s heart. She gave herself to him when they were kids and will sacrifice all she is to protect him. Divided by the greed of one of the most trusted members of the familia, a father’s sins, and secrets kept, they struggle to overcome the obstacles life has thrown their way. Is their bond strong enough to conquer the forces trying to keep them apart? Is a father’s betrayal more than their love can survive? Will the family secrets ruin them or will their devotion stand the test of time?
Until I Met You
Amanda Faye - 2021
Sebastian Ross knows a wounded warrior when he sees one. He thought his days of patching up soldiers were done when he left the Army. Then a bleeding beauty enters his ER. One with haunted eyes, a scarred body, and a military insignia tattooed into her skin. When she disappears without a trace, leaving a fake name behind, he makes it his purpose to track her down and make sure she’s safe.Cinder Bennet is a warrior. Foster homes, the military, she’s seen it all and survived. When her marriage turns violent, and its kill or be killed, she decides to run instead. She’s started over fresh before, after all. Her only mission is to stay under the radar. But then she meets the doctor with the kind eyes, and his determination for her safety takes her breath away.When Sebastian looks at Cinder, he doesn’t see a broken soldier with cracks in her armor from a hard-lived life, but a woman strong and proud. From the minute he lays eyes on her, he’s determined to be both her shield and her sword. To fill the holes in her heart—with him.
A Hole
Phoebe Alexander - 2021
The start of a steamy romance--or just a funny stand-up bit?Ace Bennett’s comedy career is taking off--and his love life might be too when he meets a beautiful curvy blonde bank teller named Ella Craig. She’s skeptical about dating him, so Ace bets her he’ll make her laugh if she comes to watch his stand-up act. If he wins? She has to have a drink with him.But then Ella's friends warn her about some rumors they've heard about Ace--now all bets are off.With meddling friends and myriad misunderstandings, can these two find a happy ending? Or will Ella become the punchline of Ace’s next joke?A Hole is part of the Alpha Bet Guys series, which is about five alpha’ish guys who like to make bets and the curvy women who bring them to their knees. Each steamy 20,000-30,000-word romcom novella can be read as a standalone.Part of Big City Heat: A High-Rise Romance Anthology
Charlie (The Dimarco Series, #7)
Jennifer Hanks - 2020
Spending years loving him from afar, she’s watched and waited for him to notice her as more than his sister’s best friend, but he never has. He’s made it clear that he would only ever consider her a little sister and friend. And after her parents’ disastrous marriage and divorce, she’s finally accepted that love is only for the lucky.But luck has never been on her side.Ben Dimarco hasn’t been living for a long time. After a horrible end to a relationship he thought meant everything to him, he’s given up on the idea of love. Choosing to focus on his education and career, he only spends time with women who want something as shallow as he does and refuses to admit his feelings for a woman he shouldn’t desire.Until she starts living life without him.And he realizes love has been standing in front of him the whole time.Just when he decides to go after everything he wants, jealousy rears its ugly head, and life as Ben knows it is torn apart. He’ll need the strength of his entire family to battle a past that should have been buried years ago so he can plan a future that includes the woman he’s always loved.But can a fragile relationship survive the storm, or will the damage tear them apart?Charlie is the seventh book in the Dimarco Series. Can be read as a standalone.
Say I Do
Crystal Kaswell - 2019
Bella There's a tall, tattooed man in my bed. Not any tall, tattooed man. My husband. It's ridiculous. I don't look twice at bad boys. I can't stay married to a stranger. But there's something about Joel, something that begs me to stay… Joel Bella Chase is a challenge. With the tight bun and the cute cardigan, she's as prim and proper as they come. As soon as I saw her, I knew I needed her groaning my name. I didn't plan on marrying her. But now that she's my wife, I'm not about to let her go. Dangerous Rock is the first book in wedding themed romance collection Say I Do. The collection also includes Pretend You're Mine, Play Your Heart Out, and a special extended sample of Accidental Husband. Come see why readers say "no one writes broken bad boys like Crystal Kaswell."
Veritas
A.L. Woods - 2021
𝗪𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬...𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢It was supposed to be a fling.A one-night stand. Then Jordan Kovacs asked for more.A date. I don’t date—I f*ck. While he showered, I left. The end. Or so I thought. I have a problem.My ex-f*ck buddy is getting married. And I can’t get out of going—long story.I need an arrangement I can understand from a man who only had me for a night.But Jordan has other plans for me.Things that will tip the scales in his favor.𝘑𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘯A tryst was what she was looking for. A date was what I wanted.A chance. I understand Maria Tavares. She’s a beautiful lie. Now she needs something from me: a favor. So I’ll function in a way she can understand: an arrangement. Three months. All in. Strings attached. No interferences. Titles exchanged. The plan is simple, with only one rule—veritas.Let’s see if Maria’s ex-f*ck buddy understands that, too.
Dark Redeemer: A Dark Mafia Romance (Dark Ever After Book 1)
Raven Scott - 2021
My Blue
Emery Jacobs - 2019
My best friend. My whole world. Then she vanished. Without a trace. I didn’t know how to move on without her, but I knew in my heart I’d never let her go—I’d wait for her forever.Ella Blue For me, no time has passed. I have no clue what happened to the last eight years of my life. I have no memories of a life without Leo. He’s always been my one constant. And now I’m stuck in the past, trying to figure out if we can find our way back to each other. How can I move forward when I don’t know what I’m leaving behind?Ella and Leo must rediscover their love—a once-in-a-lifetime love…for the second time.
Blurred Lines
Susana Mohel - 2021
Life has taught me enough to be sure love is a lie to sell diamonds on Valentine’s.I have everything I want. A stable career, the bank account, amazingly supportive friends, and a fabulous high heels collection.Until I lay my eyes on him. Evan Hayes.Panty-dropping gorgeous. Check.Cocky grin and attitude to match. Check. And check.That sounds good, right? But I’m six years older, he’s a player… and my brother’s best friend.An unexpected encounter on a stormy night turns into something else.Something intense and undeniable. The lines I carefully drafted around my heart become blurry, all the plans I made for my future are at stake.Could he be the man who makes me believe?
Maximum Dare
Vanessa Fewings - 2020
Kind of. Because I’m not even sure who the invitation came from to join the Dare Club.But I’ve narrowed it down to two men:Max Marquis, a tall, gorgeous Brazilian lawyer with an accent to die for and Nick Banham, a dashing English athlete who may have just broken my heart. Their reasons? Could be love. Could be a desire to watch me suffer. Or maybe those two are the same.Oh, yeah, and they’re half brothers.And I’m in love with both of them.So you see, thrill-seeking is just what I might need to sort this all out.If I don’t fall to my death first.But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, when it comes to love, you have to hang on tight.Maximum Dare is the STANDALONE contemporary romance novel from Vanessa Fewings, USA Today Bestselling Author of the The ICON Trilogy.
It Was All The Pie's Fault
Elizabeth SaFleur - 2022
One bite of her cherry pie and he’ll declare her “the one.”Jaded attorney Nick doesn't believe in magic OR Russell's intentions with Chloe. Pies making wishes come true? Pffft.But she's perfect for him--as a fake girlfriend to appease his family-friendly boss. She's in love with someone else, after all. And he doesn’t do love, especially not with someone so bubbly, so dewy-eyed, so committed to marching down a wedding aisle.Plus this girl needs help when it comes to men--a lot of it. He'll help her lure Russell into dreaded wedded bliss, and she'll pose as his date. Her pies are an added bonus.Except Chloe's wishes begin to go haywire -- starting with granting Nick's and turning all those fake kisses into smoking hot moments of passion. It turns out Chloe’s not as innocent as he first thought.A fake relationship, opposites attract, laugh out loud, sexy romantic comedy.