Book picks similar to
State of Ecstasy by Ju Ephraime


romance
contemporary-romance
found_fist-reads
contemporary

The Bite Before Christmas


Heidi Betts - 2010
    Angelina helps three mortals find love in this trilogy of sexy, witty, irresistible vampire novellas.

A Beautiful Lie


T.E. Sivec - 2013
    They shared in each other's joy during graduations, promotions, and engagements. They consoled one another through heartache and loss.When one of the friend's life is tragically cut short, it's up to the two left behind to pick up the pieces and find out the truth - no matter the cost. As they slowly start to uncover the nature of his deception, and the very powerful people behind it, they begin to question everyone and everything, even themselves.Everyone has secrets - some do it for love while others do it for power. Those secrets can change perceptions, alter reality and sometimes destroy lives.What do you do when you find out your whole life has been a lie?

Picture Perfect


Alessandra Thomas - 2013
    After two years of runway modeling for easy cash, an accident shattered her lower leg bone and her self-esteem in just one swift fall. Ten months of no exercise, prescription steroids, comfort eating and yoga pants meant returning to campus as a size twelve instead of her former size two. When her gorgeous long-time friend with benefits sees her for the first time after her accident and snubs her in front of all her friends, Cat’s self-image hits rock bottom. Her sorority sisters all insist that she looks gorgeous, but all Cat sees is the roll of her stomach when she sits down, or the dimpling at the back of her thighs that wasn't there last year. Cat’s therapist prescribes something radical to stop the downward spiral - nude modeling for a nearby college's human form drawing classes. When Cat faces her fears and bares it all for the class, she realizes that she's posing naked in front the most gorgeous, buffest guy she's ever seen in her life. He asks her out after the class, and after one steamy night together, Cat's absolutely smitten.Nate’s pretty close to perfect – he takes Cat rock climbing when he discovers that it makes her feel strong and becomes a great chef after he learns that the perfect pesto sauce makes her swoon. Cat starts to feel like her old self again - confident and beautiful - as long as Nate's around. Even when he discourages her from entering the Real Woman Project, a design competition for plus-sized apparel, she reasons that he's just trying to prevent old body image wounds from splitting wide open again.But when Cat goes home with Nate for Thanksgiving, she discovers something shocking from his recent past that proves that he hasn’t always been so encouraging of women of all shapes and sizes. Cat has no idea what to think, but she does know one thing - this might destroy their relationship before it's even had a chance to get off the ground. Before Cat can figure out whether the real Nate is the sensitive, adoring guy she fell in love with, or an undercover asshole, she'll have to finally feel comfortable in her own skin - even if it means leaving him forever.(This book contains sex and adult language.)

Ain't Settlin'


Veronica Hardy - 2013
    Except that it has a new foreman and he can't wait to see Holly again.This BBW Romantic Short contains 6.5 K words of frustration, excitement and hot steamy sex that is not for the faint of heart. All characters depicted are 18 and over.Excerpt:Holly can't wait to get out of the city and back to her aunt's ranch where things were slower and calmer. Except that it has a new foreman and he can't wait to see Holly again.This BBW Romantic Short contains 6.5 K words of frustration, excitement and hot steamy sex that is not for the faint of heart. All characters depicted are 18 and over.Excerpt:She just stood there, looking every bit a fool. She didn’t know what to say. Jensen grabbed ahold of her and pulled her into him, his angry lips swooping down onto hers, taking her with him. His kiss was intense and rough, his lips firm against hers, taking what he wanted. She was lost in him. Lost in his touch, his grasp firm as he assaulted her mouth. She kissed him back with that same strong passion, holding her own and before she knew it they were kissing again and again, his tongue invading her mouth, exploring her.He pulled apart from her and looked into her eyes, “My place. Now.”

Never Never: The Complete Series


Colleen Hoover - 2016
    Together, they have created a gripping, romantic tale unlike any other. "How odd to be made of flesh, balanced on bone, and filled with a soul you've never met." Charlize Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since they could walk. They've been in love since the age of fourteen. But as of this morning...they are complete strangers. Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love...every memory has vanished. "I don't care what our real first kiss was," he says. "That's the one I want to remember." Charlize and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why. But the more they learn about the couple they used to be...the more they question why they were ever together to begin with. "I want to remember what it feels like to love someone like that. And not just anyone. I want to know what it feels like to love Charlie."

Nobody Girl


Leslie DuBois - 2011
    This might explain why she fell for a no good womanizer like Jason James. When their short painful marriage comes to a heartbreaking end, Delia must find the courage to start her life again. A new successful career as a high school teacher and a passionate summer romance with sexy Chase Donovan finally make her feel like she’s more than just a nobody. But her world is shattered once again when Chase turns out to be one of her students.

Unbridled


Cheryl Brooks - 2013
    He attempts to deny the attraction, but Miranda has already captured his heart.A widow with an autistic child, Miranda wears her ring as a deterrent to suitors. Although smitten with Travis, she can’t believe the handsome younger man could ever be more than eye candy.When Travis discovers Miranda’s widowhood, she acknowledges the attraction but still sees the age difference as an obstacle. An intense sexual encounter has Travis hearing wedding bells until a bump on the head leaves Miranda wondering what the hell she missed…

Kat & Maus


Brad Chisholm - 2018
    He becomes obsessed with proving his wife Kat's loyalty after discovering a hidden cache of journals and intimate photos which document a sexual appetite she has never shared with him, even though they have been married for ten years.Mark broods over Kat's journals – until fate provides a way for him to test Kat's loyalty.It's brilliant – as long as Kat never finds out.

Almost Perfect


Julie Ortolon - 2005
    And the worst part is, it's sort of true. Together they make a pact: they'll face down their fears—and maybe show Miss Perfect a thing or two!A Free SpiritMaddy was always the artistic one of the group, alive with color and mischief from her saucy red curls to her vintage hippie skirts. Her challenge, the friends decide, is to get her artwork accepted at a gallery. A job as arts director at a summer camp near Santa Fe—with its multitude of galleries—seems like a start in the right direction.A Reformed Bad BoyThere’s just one catch: The camp is run by Maddy’s high school flame, Joe, whose heart she broke—okay, smashed—and his anger towards Maddy hasn’t cooled one bit. But neither has their attraction.A Perfect Match?Old desires burn hotter than ever as Joe makes it clear there’s only one way back to his heart: She has to get serious about her art. But will falling in love help or hinder Maddy as she struggles to meet her challenge?

Written in the Stars


Ali Harris - 2014
    Forget big life ones, even everyday choices seem to paralyse her. She's learned to live with this because experience has taught her that it doesn't matter what you do, no one has the power to control destiny. Anyone who believes they can is a fool. But as her wedding day approaches, her years of indecision are weighing heavily on her, and she can't help but wonder, 'What if, what if, what if….' What if she hadn't upped sticks and moved to London? What if she hadn't grabbed the first job that came along and settled down with the first guy who showed an interest? But all of her questions are silenced when she slips while walking down the aisle and is knocked unconscious. In this split second her life splits into two: in one existence, Bea flees back down the aisle and out of the church. In the other she glides blissfully towards her intended. But which story will lead to her happily ever after?

Wild Justice


Liz Fielding - 1996
    Betrayed by a lover, her career in ruins, Fizz Beaumont devotes all her energy to restoring Broomhill Bay pier, using the old theatre as the home for the radio station that is her life.The arrival of tycoon Luke Devlin, who has taken over her major sponsor, threatens not just her radio station but -- as he offers her a lesson in passion which promises to set the skies ablaze -- everything she holds dear.

Caught Up in Us


Lauren Blakely - 2013
    It was a mad, crazy love full of kisses all through the night—but he broke her heart and she had to move on. Five years later, Kat is finishing her graduate degree and building her business as a jewelry designer, when Bryan, head of his own successful company, walks back into her life. Bryan has been assigned to Kat as her new business mentor and the rules are clear. No hanky panky permitted. Kat can handle that because she's totally over him... right? Except, he still makes her laugh, and he remembers all the things she likes. Not to mention that he's even more handsome now than he was then. Then there's the spark between them—the simply undeniable chemistry, and the tender ways he shows he still cares for her. Can they resist each other the second time around or will first love trump all?

Olivia: A Summer of Second Chances (The Harris Legacy Book 1)


Jasper Trey - 2017
    It’s been more than a year since her husband died and she’s spent most of that time helping everyone else heal. This vacation is for her, but taking a beer to a stranger at the insistence of the staff, and making a five-minute friend? That won’t cut into her time too much, right?How do you adjust to palace life when you've been a soldier for ten years? For Dante, it’s flying halfway around the world to a beach where no one knows who you are. He's been called home to fulfill his duty to family and country, filling the princely role he left ten years before when he joined the military. His father gives him mere weeks to figure out how to adjust to royal life again.Neither is looking for anything more than a friend in a remote land, but after spending a week together, will they really be able to walk away and find their happy ever after with someone else?Romance meets duty in this modern day love story. Can Dante convince Olivia to take a chance on a future with him, or will Olivia’s past hold her back?

Gentry Boys


Cora Brent - 2015
    A set of fraternal triplets born to a depraved family, they were rough, sexy and wild as wolves..." DRAW They called us ‘those white trash Gentry boys’ until we believed that’s what we were. Our people squatted at the edge of a hellhole prison town for generations. The childhood we endured was the stuff of nightmares. I’d learned early on that my brothers, Chase and Creed, were the only people on earth worth my time. They all told us we were bad, that we’d always be bad. The horrors of the past have scarred my soul. But now I need to be better. For her. RISK Violence had always found us Gentrys but this time I’d put the price on my own head. It was my cross to bear. No flinching allowed. There was only room for me, my brothers, and the resolve to survive. That’s all there ever had been. There was certainly no reason for more than than a quick and dirty time with any female, no matter how much this sassy southern girl with a killer body turned my head around. I shouldn’t hold on to Truly Lee for more than a few hours. I shouldn’t even think about it. This thing could finish us both. It doesn’t matter. She’s all I want. GAME Gentry men aren’t supposed to be very bright. We’re big. We’re brutal. Women can’t wait to invite us inside. I know I can have any one of them I want any time I want. It seems unlikely that some bad-tempered chick and her snotty attitude would keep my interest but here it is. Stephanie has no idea what she does to me. I want that girl in more ways than I can even talk about. It should have been enough to have her and be done with it. But no matter how volatile we are together, it’s never enough. To hell with anyone who objects. I’m not letting her go. FALL How many women have I ruined? Hell if there’s any point in counting. Only once did I ever do something unforgivable and the consequence crushed my soul. Maybe that’s why I remain here, in the barren desert wasteland occupied by the worst of my degenerate family. This is a prison I’ve inflicted on myself. Into my purgatory walks Jenny; feisty, beautiful, not much more than a girl herself. No one decent should want a thing to do with me. I told her that. She didn’t listen. **Also includes an excerpt from HOLD, Book #5 in the Gentry Boys series. This series is intended for mature audiences. It contains explicit language, sexual situations, and violence that may be upsetting to some.

Just My Type


Synithia Williams - 2014
    Granted, she’s enjoying her post-college life of little-to-no responsibility, but when her dad announces at a family meeting that she can’t handle working a “real job,” there’s only one thing to do: land a desk job and prove him wrong. When her brother’s best friend, Fredrick Jenkins, needs a new assistant, she knows she’s the perfect candidate. So what if she’s had a crush on the conservative accountant since she was nine? She’s the last woman Freddy would fall for. But Fredrick is far from impervious to Janiyah’s charms. Though he can’t help but be attracted to her, he knows Janiyah is more interested in eating his cereal and teasing him than viewing him as more than the good guy next door. When he offers her the job, he can’t imagine her giving up her late mornings and colorful outfits for 8:00 a.m. meetings and pantyhose for too long. But as Janiyah excels as his employee, he fears he’s in danger of falling hard for a woman he shouldn’t care for. Pretty soon the attraction they’ve tried to ignore boils to the surface. And after Fredrick shows Janiyah the man behind the numbers, she’s ready to show him that she’s just the type of woman he needs.