Book picks similar to
High Stakes by Dana Warren Smith
contemporary
virgin-heroine
contemporary-romance
keeper
A Perfect Marriage
Laurey Bright - 1995
Only the Archers knew they'd never been in love, and that nights of passion were few and far between. Still, both thought the other happy with the dry-eyed deal they'd made instead of vows.Until Max broke the bargain—by wanting more. And suddenly, after twelve peaceful years, the perfect marriage was over.But when Celine realized how much she loved her husband, was it too late to get him back? For unbeknownst to Max, they'd been blessed with a new beginning….
Blind Reader Wanted
Georgia Le Carre - 2017
I was born into darkness. Just like a puppy, only my darkness is eternal. Everyone else sees a world I can only imagine, but hey, don't pity me. I don't. I've got a lot of imagination, and I’ve made my world beautiful more beautiful that you can know. When I was a small child, my mother said I used to run into furniture, and if I was not too badly hurt, I’d get back up and continue running down the same path. When I grew older I understood that the world is not built for blind people. I needed a white cane and I needed to trust my bestie, Elaine, and jump when she yelled, “Puddle”. Sometimes, just for the fun of it, she’d yell puddle and there would be no puddle, but generally our system worked well. Now, I’m all grown up and she tells me that the most mysterious man in Durango Falls has stuck a job vacancy on her noticeboard and that I should apply for it. Apparently Kit Carson needs a blind reader. To be honest it sounds a bit like those times she yelled puddle and there was no puddle. But what the hell? I’ll give her a laugh and jump once again. This is the story of what happened when I jumped. Kit. I came to Durango Falls because it was the perfect place to hide. The townsfolk here don't like strangers and I don't like people. So I don’t talk to no one and no one talks to me. Suits me just fine. For five years now I’ve been livin’ alone at the edge of this forest. Just me and the wolves I’ve adopted, but this winter my soul has started hankering for something more. I know it’s sure as hell ain’t for the warmth of a woman’s body. I’m done with that. The military made me into a fuckin’ monster and I wouldn’t put any woman through that. Not even a whore. She’d have to be blindfolded to enjoy herself. Maybe I’m just hankering for a woman’s sweet voice reading to me the way my mother used to when I was five. Just before she died. Think I’ll advertise for a blind reader. A female blind reader. That’s what I thought I wanted. Well all that shit went out the window when I laid eyes on her. Now this woman’s body is all I can think about …
The Devil's Crown: Part 1
Monica James - 2020
Only those feelings weren’t reciprocated, because who could love a monster like me?My empire crumbled. People died. I went from being a victorious leader to lurking in the shadows, planning revenge on my half-brother who now reigns in my place.An orphanage is where I find sanctuary, but when she walks into my world and evokes a yearning I thought long dead, my demons are awakened and want what they can’t have—her. Sooner or later, I knew I’d need to feed the darkness inside me. Mayhem, power, and control course through my veins. I will use them to regain my crown, my throne, and then claim her, despite what solemn vows she might’ve made. I will break them…and her.
Prince of Hearts
L.A. Cotton - 2020
Hardworking. Honest.She’d rather spend her days helping at the local shelter than brushing shoulders with her vain and entitled classmates.Niccolò Marchetti is his father’s son.Dark. Dangerous. Deceitful.He’d rather spend his days getting bloody in the ring than attending class and keeping up pretences.When their paths cross at Montague University neither of them are willing to drop the walls they’ve spent so long building. But he can’t resist the girl with stars in her eyes, and she can’t forget the guy who saved her that night.There’s only one catch.Nicco isn’t Arianne’s knight-in-shining-armor, he’s the son of her father’s greatest enemy.He is the enemy.And their families are at war.*Prince of Hearts in the first book in Nicco and Ari’s duet. Due to mature content that some readers may find distressing, this book is recommended for readers 18+
Crescendo
Lana Sky - 2017
and how to thrive in the inferno. After five years spent under his controlling thumb, Daniela knows her position with a man like Vincent Stacatto is precarious, but as long as she plays by the rules of his "game", she's safe...Until she's taken by the devil. Kidnapped by a rival boss, Daniela becomes a pawn between two powerful forces, and just another casualty in a bloody game of chess. But to get to the top, and stay at the top, you have to fight dirty and hold nothing back, because the most dangerous piece on the board isn't the King. Contains Mature subject matter not suitable for those under 18.
All I Have
Nicole Helm - 2014
The Naked Farmer lures customers by stripping to his perfectly worn jeans while he and Mia sell vegetables from competing stands at the farmers' market. It's time for a showdown, and they're each in it to win. Yet when both farms end up in jeopardy, Mia and Dell suddenly find themselves on the same team. If their rivalry was hot, their attraction is steaming, but they can't seem to agree on a plan. If they could only learn to grow together, they might reap the best harvest of all…
Pretty When She Cries
A. Zavarelli - 2020
Ours was baptized in fire.I was the new girl trying to find her place.Landon was the brooding neighbor I tutored over the summer.I didn’t know he was a legend at Black Mountain Academy.I didn’t know they worshipped him like a religion.But I fell for him before I knew those things.To me, he was just the tortured soul who drew me in like a magnet.And then he did something so unspeakable, so unforgivable, it shattered me.I ran away then because I was weak, but I’ve shed my tears.He stole my heart and my dignity, and I’m here to take it back.The only problem is… he’s not giving it up without a fight.
Raphael
Tillie Cole - 2019
A brotherhood of murderers whose nature compels them to kill. But guided by their leader, Gabriel, the Fallen have learned to use their urges to rid the world of those it is better off without. For Raphael, sex and death are intertwined. Where there is one, there must be the other. He is a lust killer, luring his victims with the face of an angel and a body built for sin. And Raphael lives to sin. His newest mission takes him into the sadistic underworld of Boston’s secret sex clubs, and puts him face to face with his greatest fantasy made flesh. Maria is everything he’s ever dreamed of, the kill he’s always longed for. She’s not his target. And he knows he must resist. But the temptation is too strong… Yet Raphael is not the only one with a mission. Maria is not quite what she seems. And as her secrets and Raphael’s unravel, Maria begins to question everything she thought she knew—about evil, about the place she calls home, and about the beautiful sinner she was sent to destroy. Dark Contemporary Romance. Contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and topics some may find triggering. Recommended for age 18 years and up. The Fallen: Genesis a prequel novella in The Deadly Virtues Series and MUST be read before RAPHAEL (DV: book one).
Choose Me
R.C. Boldt - 2019
Wearing the nicest suit I own, I stand in the very back with a flask full of whiskey in my inner pocket. I put on a brave face as I watch her walk down the aisle.Because it’s too late.I refuse to be the bastard who makes her cry on her wedding day, but I’m dying to tell her what I’ve always known. She’s my best friend, but she doesn’t realize she owns my f*cking heart and soul, too. Each step down that aisle takes her farther away from me and brings her closer to him, forcing me to face the truth: I’ve fallen in love with someone who can’t be mine. If she’d just turn around, maybe she’d realize I love her more than he ever could. I won’t ruin her perfect day, but my broken heart begs me to try and convince her.Choose me.
All About Men: Something Wild / Touch Me / Meltdown
Shannon McKenna - 2007
I collection of stories in which a powerful man on a motorcycle makes a tantalizing promise, a willing woman learns the ultimate lesson in pleasure, a masterful CEO introduces his lovely date to a seduction she'll never forget and a sexy billionaire invites a massage therapist to his mountain hideaway.
A Vow Of Hate
Lylah James - 2021
We were poison together and there was no antidote.Our story began like any other fairy tale ended.With a beautiful wedding.One kiss.Two rings.Three vows.Killian Spencer became my lawfully wedded husband and I, his dutiful wife.But he was no Prince Charming. He didn’t come to save me… and he vowed there would be no happily ever after.And me?Just like the legends I'd read as a little girl, I always thought I’d be the princess in my fairy tale.Well, I was the villain of our love story.“Till death do us part…”
The Best Is Yet To Come
Bella Riley - 2017
Now get ready for Calvin's emotional, sexy, and heartwarming second-chance love story in THE BEST IS YET TO COME. Best friends. High school sweethearts. Passionate lovers. Once upon a time, Sarah Bartow and Calvin Vaughn were everything to each other. Until big dreams—and an even bigger tragedy—tore them apart. Ten years after good-bye, they're finally together again at Summer Lake in the Adirondacks...and the sparks between them are hotter than ever. Soon one kiss is turning into so much more. Not only breathtaking, sizzling lovemaking—but also deep, honest emotions that can't be denied. Calvin refuses to let the ambitions and disasters that separated them a decade ago wreck them this time. Not when he knows for sure that Sarah is his one—his only—true love. He let her get away once. He won't make the same mistake again. Even if it means risking his entire heart, and every last piece of his soul, to show her they belong together now...and forever. Note for readers: THE BEST IS YET TO COME was previously published as Home Sweet Home under a pen name. This new edition has been extensively revised and rewritten.
A Love Song for Liars
Piper Lawson - 2020
I will never forgive his betrayal.But some nights... He makes me want to.A Love Song for Liars is Book 1 in the angsty new adult, academy-inspired Rivals trilogy. From USA Today bestselling romance author Piper Lawson!