Book picks similar to
House Rules by Lyssa Cole


contemporary-romance
contemporary
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romance

The Good Girl


Emma Nichols - 2013
    Though she has impeccable writing skills, there's no denying that a lifetime of being the good girl has left her ill prepared for this position. Realizing it's her lack of experience that will keep her from achieving this dream, she decides to proposition the bad boy who once lived in her college dorm that always had a stream of women doing the walk of shame from his room on a nearly nightly basis. Surely someone that shallow, that experienced, and that wildly attractive could teach her a thing or twenty. Only Wyatt has his own plans, and they don't allow much time for teaching Willow what she would already know if she could just break free of the cool, calculating, proper demeanor that was part of being a Stone. His reputation has served him well through the years and being the black sheep of his family has never bothered him. What does, however, is Willow. She is a mystery to unravel, a present to be cherished, a young woman who just might rock his world by bringing him back into his family's fold. She was everything they wanted for him and precisely what he had avoided since he started dating.What will happen when the good girl gets mixed up with the bad boy?

Under His Protection


Alyse Zaftig - 2017
    Well, consider me burned. The first time I see Jason, he’s rescuing me from a gang of thugs outside a night club. My natural instincts tell me to resist him. I’ve always played by the rules, and men like him are bad news. But within the space of a few hours, he’s got me eating out of his hands. His world is one of danger and excitement, and to me it’s a drug I can’t get enough of. One taste of his delicious kiss and I’m hooked. One touch of his muscular body and I’m aching for more. One thrust of his body into mine, and I’m his forever. This story is a deep, dark fantasy with a HEA that will have you begging for more.

The Southern Roots Series


L.K. Farlow - 2020
    She doesn't need a man. After all, her Grams taught her a thing or two about making lemonade out of life's lemons.Then she meets Cash Carson.Reeling from a bad breakup, Cash has sworn off love. It led to nothing but pain and misery, and he’s determined to move forward alone.Until a redheaded Southern beauty crashes into him. With her shopping cart. At the local Piggly Wiggly.If love wasn't for him, why did his heart beat a little faster every time Myla Rose sent that sweet smile his way?He was no knight, and she didn't need saving.But damn if he didn't want to try anyway.AN UPHILL BATTLE: Azalea Barnes has hated Drake Collins since the day he broke her teenaged heart.Fast forward almost seven years later and her libido still hasn't gotten the memo.Now they're frenemies... with benefits.Which suits Azalea just fine. She gets what her body craves while keeping her heart safe.Kind of.Mostly.Drake has loved Azalea since the day they met. He knows that she's his forever. Too bad she only sees him as a good time. He wants more. Needs more.If only he could convince her that it's real this time. He's more determined than ever to prove to Azalea that chemistry like theirs doesn't exist only in the bedroom.The odds may be against Drake, but he's prepared to fight.WEATHER THE STORM: Magnolia Ellington is all too aware that dangerous things can come in shiny packages. Her husband made sure to teach her that.Desperate to escape his wrath—and his fists—she flees in the dark of night. Seeking safety and shelter with the only family she has left, Magnolia finds herself in the sleepy, Southern town of Dogwood—and in the arms of Simon McAllister.Simon has always been more of a thinker than a doer. That changes the minute he meets shy and mysterious Magnolia. She has him rushing into action, ready and willing to do whatever it takes to earn her trust.Slowly, with his steadfast determination and kind heart, Simon brings Magnolia out of her shell. But just as things start heating up between the two of them, the darkness of Magnolia’s past resurfaces, threatening to rip apart everything they’ve worked so hard for.With their future hanging in the balance, Simon fears he’s losing Magnolia. He must find a way to convince her they're better together.

Lussuria


S.J. Molloy - 2013
    Lexi Robertson's carefully constructed life is about to be turned upside down.Recently hired as Club di Energia's physiotherapist, the stunning yet insecure twenty-six year old finally thinks she has a handle on her physically and mentally damaging past. The only way Lexi can cope is by compartmentalizing her feelings with a unique, internal filing system. To maintain order, Lexi has a firm set of boundaries in place, and she never lets anyone too close.File N for not happening. Lexi has no intention of giving in to the charming Lucca Caruso when he comes into her clinic for an emergency physiotherapy session. Despite his painstakingly handsome face and Italian that renders her speechless, Lexi is able to resist.A Tuscany vacation with her best friend is just what Lexi needs to stop worrying about life and start enjoying it. A cooking course at a villa near the Chianti hills, just outside of Florence, will take her mind off a certain set of mesmerising azure blue eyes.File F for fate. Lexi never expected to see the Italian god again, but they're staying at the same villa.For someone that purposely refuses to feel, Lexi finds herself on a journey of self-discovery, helplessly folding, melting, and crumbling under the temptation of her heart's desire.An emotional, erotic, heart-wrenching story of lust, love, and light.Lexi struggles to confide in Lucca, slowly learning how to love and trust. Lucca is a gentle, patient lover with a heart of gold, but his need for Lexi is insatiable. He's the man we all want and can't get enough of. Through the passion of lust and the sweetness of love, Lexi spreads her wings towards the light … until her past comes back to haunt her.A hot and sexy story of survival, acceptance, learning to trust, and believing. One woman's destiny to find her light, and the one man who can take here there. Welcome to the Luminara series.

Then She Danced (Islander Romance Book 1)


Janice Godin - 2018
    A story within a story, two fabulous endings, and characters that you will fall in love with." ~ The Artful Reader "This book is about love and growth, tears and happiness and healing. I was so deeply affected and moved by this story, I had my own laughter and tears." ~ Amazon reviewer Everyone in Kathleen's life thinks she's crazy when she decides to spend her well-earned summer working in a tiny, dusty attic sorting through old church papers, but the peace and quiet of working alone is exactly what she wants. She's back home again and happy, or as happy as anyone who's left behind a troubled past can be. She has amazing coworkers, a wonderful best friend, a supportive family, and not one single person in her life who knows what she's been through. So, when Kathleen stumbles across an old French diary written by a battered wife, she connects with the story and Emilie. Kathleen's life changes when she meets Grant, a gorgeous local man with a past of his own. Their connection is undeniable, even for her, and proves that second chances are possible, if she can just leave her past behind.

The Music Box


Heather Meyer - 2013
    In hopes of finding it, she escapes the city and settles in a small South Carolina town to write his story. There, she meets Matt, a young man struggling to come to grips with his own father’s legacy.Despite a growing attraction, she keeps him at arm’s length until the tune from a tiny music box reveals a common bond that pulls them together and sets them on a journey of discovery that will challenge everything she believes about herself and about the man she thought couldn’t possibly exist.

Southern Rocker Boy


Ginger Voight - 2014
    Jonah finds work at an auspicious night spot called Southern Nights, where he earns a few extra bucks as a bouncer-turned-musician.There he meets fiery songstress Lacy Abernathy, who has no use for him or anyone else in the club when she’s not on stage. This is an entirely new experience for this ladies’ man. The opportunistic club owner latches onto this chemistry to fill her club, playing with their hearts and livelihoods for her own questionable motives.Enter music executive Graham Baxter, who offers them both a way out…by competing for a recording contract they both need. Now if only they can fight the intense chemistry that keeps them locked in battle, when they're not locked in each other's arms, that is!Author Ginger Voight returns her readers to the star-making world of rockers and romance with her Southern Rocker series. It's all the angst and the passion you desire, with several familiar faces from the beloved Groupie universe along the way! Southern Rocker Boy is written from Jonah's point of view, and book one of an exciting new trilogy expected to release in its entirety by the end of 2014.

Miss Match


Lindzee Armstrong - 2015
    Luke is her billionaire best friend determined to break them all...Welcome to Toujour Matchmaking Inc., where your happily ever after is guaranteed!Luke has loved Brooke for eight long years. Now that she’s engaged to someone else, he’s given up hope that she’ll ever see him as anything but a best friend. When Brooke begs him for a favor, Luke is leery to accept—until he finds out that if he doesn’t, she’s moving to Italy with her fiancé. And Luke isn’t about to lose his best friend and soul mate in one swoop.Brooke has finally achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a professional matchmaker, and now the company is crumbling around her. But she knows who can help—her billionaire best friend, Luke Ryder. If she can convince him to sign up as her next client, he'll find love and she'll keep her job. It’s a match made in heaven.Everything is going as planned until Brooke realizes that finding Luke love means losing him forever. Suddenly, her rules to keep them in the friend zone seem ridiculous. Maybe she’s picked the wrong man for her happily ever after. Now the only match she’s worried about is the one she can’t have.This is a full-length sweet/clean contemporary romantic comedy that will delight readers who love Hallmark movies. Each book in this series by USA Today bestselling author Lindzee Armstrong can be read as a stand-alone.

Sins or Secrets


Khardine Gray - 2021
    what he didn’t know was I lied because I had to.It was the only way to protect him from my father’s cruel hand.That last goodbye was supposed to be forever.I left town and never expected to see him again.Then Aunt Lily died, and I returned home.Not knowing her will would open Pandora’s box.Her will threw me right back in Logan’s path, and back in his bed.But he’s not the boy I left behind.He’s the irresistible, tempting ex-marine women put on their wish list.And our attraction is incinerating.All consuming.Undeniable.And, unlike the past, there’s no one standing in our way.There’s nothing to stop us.Except me.

The Sex Education of M.E.


L.B. Dunbar - 2016
    Don’t get me wrong, I have a good home, a decent job, and great children. I had a loving marriage for twenty years where we had our ups and downs. It wasn’t perfect; but it wasn’t awful. Then he died. After the grief took its course, and the reality of my life set in, I grew frustrated. It wasn’t the bills or the struggle to keep my interest in my work. It was life without a man – the only man I’d been with for twenty years. And before you go all feminist on me, it isn’t that I can’t be an independent woman, but there are certain areas where a man is necessary. You need a f*ck buddy, my friend said. I didn’t even know what that meant. Is it friends with benefits?, I asked. Better, you don’t even have to be friends, she offered. Boy, did I need an education in the modern workings of dating, and sex. +++++++++++++++++ A coming-of-an-older age novel. Something new from L.B. Dunbar -- a stand alone story!

The Broken Road


K.S. Ruff - 2014
    When I kiss you for the first time, you’re going to want that kiss more than your next breath.” Montana girl Kristine Stone was strong enough to break out of an abusive marriage, but is she strong enough for the road that lies ahead? For the first time in her life, Kristine finds she has some control over her life. Haunted by her ex-husband and a newly acquired stalker, she leaves Montana to work in the U.S. Senate. Kristine issues a moratorium on dating. This hardly deters Kadyn Rand, the Air Force Captain who threatens to tear down every wall she’s ever built. Still, someone from her dark past refuses to be ignored, and Kristine finds herself in yet another fight for her life. Tall, dark, and determined are the words that best describe Kadyn Rand. He is too stoic to be swept away by much of anything, but a vulnerable woman from Montana manages to do just that when she finds herself alone and in danger in DC. Kadyn is intelligent, resourceful, and a fiercely devoted friend. His sense of humor runs on the sarcastic side. He’s also the kind of guy who likes to keep people guessing about what’s going on inside his head, which is why he makes a conscious effort not to smile. That is until he meets Kristine Stone. Her missteps regularly get a smile out of him. Her moratorium on dating intrigues him, while her vulnerability calls to his protective side. Kadyn tries to earn Kristine’s love and her trust but soon learns it will take much more than that to save her from her past.

You Don't Know Me


Mandy Lee - 2015
    When she takes on an office job at a construction company, she finds herself firmly in the sights of the owner, Daniel Foster - a dangerously attractive man with a dark past and particular tastes in bed.Although she tries to resist him, Maya soon finds herself embroiled in a steamy relationship with Dan. And while he slowly encourages her to paint again, she begins to peel back his layers. At last, when she believes that she's finally come to understand his ways, he has one final secret to reveal … and it's a secret that threatens to blow them apart.You Don’t Know Me, an erotic romance, is the first book in a trilogy.

All Good Things


Jodie Beau - 2014
    It’s the last summer before college graduation. By this time next year she’ll be living in the “real” world; ie: paying bills, searching for a job that doesn’t require an apron, and maybe even sleeping on a bed that doesn’t turn into a couch. If there’s ever a time to be fun, irresponsible and reckless, it’s now.But things don’t always go as planned. Before the summer has even started, Roxie makes a discovery that breaks her heart and shatters her confidence. Her hopes of having the Best Summer Ever go straight in the trash. Forget the beach. Forget the bonfires. Forget summer altogether. If only her childhood friend, Jake, would let her be. His contagious smile keeps popping up and dragging her to every social event in Ann Arbor. Reluctant at first, his happy-go-lucky attitude becomes an addiction. It isn’t long before Roxie starts to wonder if her longtime friend might be the perfect cure for her heartbreak. This summer might be good after all.But All Good Things must come to an end.**All Good Things is an NA prequel to the contemporary 2013 release The Good Life. The books can be read in either order, or as stand-alones.**

The Maddox Brothers


Ella Jade - 2015
     Successful brothers Hudson and Liam Maddox are living the lives they’ve always dreamed of. Neither is looking for a relationship, more interested in keeping their single status with the ladies. That all changes when Kennedy and Chelsea enter their lives. Hudson Hudson has been focusing on his career and building a solid business in the real estate industry. The charismatic attorney has recently been named the most eligible bachelor in town. He's never been interested in settling down until he collides with the easy going Kennedy. She invades his orderly life in a matter of days. Has this carefree younger woman been what's missing in his meticulous world? Liam Content with his life, Liam has built his own construction business and takes pride from it's excellent reputation. After having his heart broken years ago, he’s decided not to take any relationship too seriously. But then the woman who tore his heart up years ago returns and hires his company for her home renovations. Trying to keep his cool around Chelsea is damn near impossible. All he has to do is complete the renovation and then never see Chelsea again. As if it was that simple. Content Warning: Adult language, explicit sex, and two very alpha brothers.

Bronx


Tess Oliver - 2021
    He grew up breaking colts and parachutes into wildfires as a smokejumper for a living, but Layla Rafferty, the elusive woman he loves but can't have, might be the one to finally break him.