Book picks similar to
Smug Bastard by Stacey Marie Brown
romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary
cocky-hero-club
Little Lies
H. Hunting - 2020
You mean nothing to me. I never loved you. I turned my words into swords.And I cut her down. Shoved the blade in and watched her fall. I said I’d never hurt her, and I did. Years later, I’m faced with all the little lies, the untruths, the false realities, the damage I inflicted, when all I wanted was to indulge my obsession. Lavender Waters is the princess in the tower. Even her name is the thing fairy tales are made of. I used to be the one who saved her. Over and over again. But I don’t want to save her anymore. I just want to pretend the lies are still the truth.A standalone angsty new adult romance. Heroine: Lavender Waters (Alex and Violet Waters’ youngest daughter, PUCKED and FOREVER PUCKED couple origin, Pucked Series )Hero: Kodiak (Kody) Bowman (Rook and Lainey Bowman’s son, A LIE FOR A LIE couple origin, All In Series )
Out of Love
Jewel E. Ann - 2020
Corruption. Serial killers.You name it—I'm fascinated by it. My mom always blamed my overly curious and highly suspicious mind on my dad.My incredibly overbearing dad.Mr. No One Is Good Enough For My Daughter has been terrifying my dates since I turned fifteen.College is my chance to be free from his control and date any guy I want. I'm absolutely certain he would hate Slade Wylder—almost as certain as I am that I do too.Since when have I shied away from trouble? Slade fascinates me. He lives in a house I'm certain is haunted. His dog is trained as well as any guard I've ever seen. Rumor on campus is that he deals drugs. It would explain a lot.But it doesn't explain why he saves me from my darkest moment.It doesn't explain why I can't stop thinking about him.And the explanation I finally discover is far more dangerous than any rumor.
Bossy Bastard
J.L. Perry - 2020
B. for Bossy, is fast becoming the bane of my existence.After running into him, literally, he’s now popping up everywhere, and somehow managing to weave his way into my life.He's egotistical, smug, and so ridiculously good-looking it should be illegal—he's way too hot to handle. I don't do hot, those type of guys are more trouble than they’re worth.Although, I'd secretly love to do him.We’ve kissed once—it was smokin’, and led to me dry humping his leg in front of the entire club like a shameless hussy. Oh, and did I mention I deep throated his thumb within seconds of meeting him … I didn’t even know his name.Apparently I have issues, big ones.He makes me do things I never imagined myself doing.He makes me feel things I'm not comfortable feeling.It just wouldn’t work, even if I wanted it to. Between us we have more baggage than a carousel at LAX airport.He's everything I want, but can never have.Or so I thought.
Pretty Scars
C.D. Reiss - 2019
Her beauty got her past the velvet ropes and into high society, but it ripped her away from the man she loved and chained her to an unbearable life.Then, in a single night, a song played by a mysterious and secretive musician carries her back to a past ripe with possibilities, when love could open any door.Who is this anonymous performer?How can a man she’s never met tell such a precise story of a boy she loved?She needs to know. But sometimes masks exist for a reason, and this unveiling could scar them both.
The Boy I Hate
Taylor Sullivan - 2017
They’ve shared laughs, secrets, and a mutual hatred for one person: Tristan Montgomery, Renee's older brother. He was the guy every girl wanted, and every guy wanted to be, and it wasn't uncommon they'd befriend his little sister just to get closer to him. Which was exactly how Samantha became Renee’s saving grace. She was the only girl Renee could trust not to fall in love with her older brother. Until the one night Samantha spent with him alone, leaving her questioning everything she’d ever known about the blond headed heart-throb. Years later, Renee asks Samantha to be her maid of honor. With no other option, Samantha is forced to drive cross-country with the focus of their teenage ire. He was her first kiss.Her only secret. Can Samantha survive the trip cross-country with the reckless Tristan Montgomery? The guy who did what he wanted, whenever he wanted, without worry for tomorrow? Or will she discover a different side of him. One that’s sweet, funny, and maybe a little bit vulnerable. And fall completely and helplessly in love for the first time in her adult life with the one man who could cause her to lose her best friend forever?
Cole
Tijan - 2017
I didn't know his name. We never made eye contact. There was no connection between us at all.But I could feel him.The tingle down my spine. The command in his presence. The snap of tension in the air around him. That was the first time I saw him, and I was captivated.The second time was different.He was in the mysterious back elevator of my apartment building. Our eyes met for a fleeting second before the doors closed, and I was staggered. My breath was robbed. My senses on high alert. My body hummed.That was just the beginning.He was the leader of the mafia. I was about to fall in love with him, and his name…Cole Mauricio
Dark Room
Heidi McLaughlin - 2016
. . break them and you're out. Rule #1 - No names It doesn't matter if you want to know, it's forbidden. Rule #2 - No exchanging numbers It doesn't matter if you want to call, it's forbidden. Rule #3 - Everything is to remain strictly anonymous. It doesn't matter if you want to tell, it's forbidden. The Dark Room is the only place you can live out your fantasies and no one will ever know it’s you. For Parker, what started out as a business transaction has turned into an addiction. For Mia, it's been a chance to discover who she truly is. What happens in the dark will have you begging for more . . .
Still Not Over You
Nicole Snow - 2018
I'm just counting on him to save my life. Never, ever fall for your brother's hot older friend. I flunked the test the instant I laid eyes on Landon Strauss. Tall. Ripped. Commanding. Irresistibly alpha. He gave a damn like no one else did. His soul-searing eyes saw me, not just a nerd girl next door. I had my idol, my destiny, and names for our future kids picked. Then I read Landon's little black book. One nosy peek exposed the shock of a lifetime. His confession. His pain. His plan. The sweet boy I loved was gone. Hero-turned-villain-turned-bad-memory overnight. Five years later, an insane slip of fate puts us under the same roof. Sweet closure, I think. I almost forget he hates me. I almost think we'll talk like normal adults. I don't expect the shirtless behemoth who comes barreling through my door. Landon's grown up. All snarls, testosterone, and lethal chemistry. We're in trouble, he says. Oh, Landon. Oh, baby, don't I know it? From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow – a tale of two hearts torn, stomped, and dragged through the mud. An uber-alpha protector bent on reclaiming his nerd next door. Full length romance novel with a Happily Ever After worth a “hell yeah.”
The Ones Who Got Away
Roni Loren - 2018
The man approaching was nothing like the boy she'd known. The bulky football muscles had streamlined into a harder, leaner package and the look in his deep green eyes held no trace of boyish innocence.It's been twelve years since tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School. Only a few students survived that fateful night—a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away.Liv Arias thought she'd never return to Long Acre—until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home. Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot. When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges cop might be exactly what she needs...
Pretty Thing
J.A. Huss - 2019
His sister was strictly off limits. UNTIL NOW. KALI Growing up it was always the three of us. Me, my twin brother, Kyle, and our best friend, Aiden. We were inseparable all the way through high school. Did I picture myself with Aiden from the first moment I laid eyes on him back when we were eight? Hell. Yes. I fell in love with his soul that day. But he was always more Kyle’s friend than mine. And Kyle made damn sure we both know the rules. I was strictly off limits. Forever. But now Kyle is gone. Dead from a freak accident. And Aiden is still here. Looking hot as hell in his grown-up body. Looking sexy AF with those tattoos all over his muscular chest. Sad and in need of comfort. Just like me. AIDEN Every time Kyle caught me lusting after his twin sister, Kali, he reminded me of the rule. “You were my friend first.” If you want to get technical about it, I was Kali’s friend first, not Kyle’s. But that’s not how he saw it. One rule. That’s all we had between us. Just one. Stay away from my sister. All these years I’ve honored that. I never broke his trust. Until now. Because he’s dead. He left us. And being with Kali is the only thing that makes the pain go away. I want Kali. I want to marry her, and have kids with her, and keep her in my bed forever. But I want Kyle’s blessing too. And that’s something I’ll never get. Pretty Thing is new sexy, brother’s-best-friend romance filled with tender moments, second chances, and steamy love scenes that will make you sigh with happiness when you turn the last page!
About Tomorrow
Abbi Glines - 2020
I take one very long and deep breath hoping to calm the immediate butterflies that take flight in my stomach and hope to slow down the racing of my heart. The voice was slightly deeper but the timbre was one that was achingly familiar.My actions did little to help, but then who was I kidding? A deep breath wasn't going to fix the effect he had on me and my body's inevitable reaction. Even the memories that would forever haunt me couldn't keep my emotions from triggering at the nearness of him once again.I used to pray that I'd find the strength to move on from him, from the pain that the end carried, from the emptiness in my chest, but ultimately move on from—the loss of Creed Sullivan and the death of his sister, Cora.The Sullivans had been the best part of my summers in New England.Deep down, I knew my ache for all that I had lost was the reason I returned...But I hadn't expected to see him again—especially not like this.
When the Time Is Right
M. Mabie - 2020
Hudson Bradley is the cockiest, most stubborn, hard-headed man I’ve ever known. And for fifteen years, he’s been my brother's best friend. But lately, what I’m feeling for him isn’t friendship at all.Why is my heart racing every time his blue eyes lock on mine?Why does every word he rumbles in my ear make my body come alive?And worst of all, why did I bet him that I could find a woman he and his son would both love? If I hadn’t given up on love altogether, Hudson would have been perfect for me. After all, he was there the day my world fell apart. He’s spent the last six years piecing me back together. There are a million reasons why we could never work, but after a single kiss, I can’t remember any of them. Now that the time is right, I have to make him mine—before I lose him forever.
Sexy Scoundrel
Raisa Greywood - 2018
Unexpectedly jobless and fostering an exotic pet with an insatiable appetite, this pastry chef needs a new gig faster than she can whip up a batch of scones. But when she’s tapped to serve as the personal chef to a haughty tabloid regular, she only considers the job out of sheer desperation. After all, Giorgio Acardi may be filthy rich and intoxicatingly handsome, but he’s also a first-class scoundrel.Giorgio Acardi has it all: money, fame, an endless string of beautiful companions, and the respect of his colleagues and rivals. From the outside looking in, his life is perfect. So perfect, in fact, that he’s even got his eye on a new personal chef. She’s talented and gorgeous, and it shouldn’t make a difference whether she hates him or not as long as she does the job. But there’s something about Carlina that Giorgio just can’t resist, and he hasn’t enjoyed success by backing down from a challenge.
Hired Hottie
Kelsie Rae - 2020
He was my protector. My best friend. My everything.And I was sidekick.We stayed close, even when relationships and life in general tried to tear us apart.Years later, he landed an internship at Montague Enterprises, competing with my childhood nemesis, Conner Daniels, for the final coveted position.That's when things got messy. The two bargained for the official job offer, using me as their pawn.And I fell for it. The scheming. The stolen kisses. The late night texts. My heart was being torn in two, and neither one of them cared. All good things must come to an end, right? Except our ending was one I didn't see coming. Hell, it should've never started in the first place.
Filthy Firefighter
Emma Louise - 2020
But thank God he did.When the smoke clears and my eyes focus on my savior, one look at his gorgeous face and tattoo-covered muscles, I know he’ll be too much for me to handle. It’s a good thing I never have to see him again, right?Except, losing my home in a fire means finding somewhere new to live, and guess who just happens to be my new roommate? Hayden Flynn. The filthy-talking firefighter who’s been front and center of all of my dreams lately.Our attraction is undeniable, but it’s the adventures he takes me on that has me falling for him, each new experience chipping away at the wall I’ve been hiding behind.He wasn’t supposed to see past my scars.He wasn’t supposed to break me apart piece by piece, then put me back together again.He was just supposed to be a firefighter. I didn’t expect him to end up saving my life, in more ways than one.Filthy Firefighter is a standalone story- inspired by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s Cocky Bastard. It's published as part of the Cocky Hero Club world, a series of original works, written by various authors, and inspired by Keeland and Ward's New York Times bestselling series.