Book picks similar to
HOOK'D by Taisha S. Ryan


romance
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Friendshipped


Savannah Scott - 2021
    I'm in love with my best friend.There are three things you should know about me.I hate running. No, really. I only run when someone's chasing me, and thankfully that's never happened.My ideal Friday night includes pizza, The Princess Bride, and dancing with abandon.And, I'm madly in love with my best friend.That right there, that's my secret.Trevor, and I grew up next door to one another. Yes. He's the boy next door. Even now, we rent opposite sides of a duplex, and we work across the aisle from one another at the Corn Corners Tribune. Basically, there isn't a part of my life Trevor hasn't touched. I take that back. Me. He hasn't touched me.He's made it clear we're in the friend zone and whatever feelings he had for me were a passing thing for him, while mine keep growing like a Chia pet on a humid summer day in the midwest. Unruly, and apparently pointless.So, now I'm resigned to get Trevor out of my system once and for all.If only Trevor would see me as more than a friend ... But, unless he shows me otherwise, I'm going to have to do what it takes to move on.

On the Rocks


Kandi Steiner - 2019
    It's what the town said when his father died and the Becker brothers went wild. And it's on repeat in my mind the day I walk into the whiskey distillery where he works to buy a wedding gift for my fiancé.He's trouble. Dirty, sweaty, rude trouble. No matter how many times I repeat it, I can't escape Noah in our small Tennessee town. And the more I run into him, the more he infuriates me. Because he sees what no one else does.He sees me—the real me. The me I'm not sure I'm allowed to be.I'm Ruby Grace Barnett, the mayor's daughter. Soon to be a politician's wife, just like Mama and Daddy always wanted. Soon to fulfill my family's legacy, just like I always knew I would.Until the boy everyone warned me about makes me question everything, like whether the wedding I'm planning is one I even want. Everyone says Noah Becker is nothing but trouble.If only I had listened.

Annabelle and Lee


Danielle Allen - 2020
    Some of my best childhood memories were from my time at Heathrow Beach. Mostly because I was head over heels in love with my neighbor Lee Thompson.He was adventurous.He was brave.He was twelve.But my eleven-year-old heart knew he’d be the one I’d end up marrying.Lee was my first kiss, my first love, my first everything.But the summer before my senior year in high school, Lee never showed up. In fact, I didn’t hear from him again.Almost twenty years later, I found myself back at Heathrow Beach looking for answers.And finding more than I bargained for.** Annabelle and Lee is a contemporary romance inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poem Annabel Lee **

When a Rich Thug Wants You 3: The Finale


Pebbles Starr - 2015
    What happens when a king falls, affecting his entire organization in the process? Canyon was once on top without a financial care in the world. With his boo, Symba by his side, he never imagined the law--and an affair with his baby mama--would catch up with him. Blue and Zac, like any young couple--have faced their fair share of problems. But things really get complicated when a past ex comes back into play, eager to reclaim what's rightfully theirs. Raelyn and Caesar were the perfect match made in heaven--until an unexpected robbery took place. Now they're slowly picking up the pieces while they try to start new. Will loyalty continue to be an issue with this couple? And more importantly, will Raelyn be able to handle her position as first lady of a drug empire?

He Brings Out The Hood In Me 2


Nikki Brown - 2019
    Hudson stands firm in his reasoning about why he doesn’t want his daughter with a man like Kahleno, and not even Sutton’s feelings will change that. Will Sutton take heed to her father’s warnings or will she follow her heart? When Sutton walked into Kahleno’s life he knew that she was it for him and he vowed to never let anyone come in between that, not even her father. On a mission to show Sutton that her father is wrong, he runs across a few issues of his own and they come in the form of his son’s mother, Karson. Can he keep Karson’s irrational tactics under control, or will she force her way into their relationship and ruin it forever? After being forced to up and move, Icelynn vowed to close her heart off to men for a while. Her main focus was to take care of her daughter and finish school. The last thing on her mind was a man until she walked on the Maler farm and met the man of her dreams, Adoreé. When her past comes looking for her will she be able to be the woman that Adoreé needs or will their past come and ruin them before they even get started. Adoreé has never been a people’s person, outside of his family and the occasional stripper, he pretty much stays to himself. When he meets Icelynn, better known as Ice at the club he knew right away that she was different. Allowing her to get close to him causes some old wounds to resurface, something that he isn’t mentally prepared for. When he’s forced to look his past in the eye, will he be able to face the pain, or will he blame Icelynn for drudging up old memories? Ego’s and secrets threaten to tear the lives of the Maler’s apart. With a huge family secret on the horizon, will they be able to get a grasp on the situation or will life blow up in their faces?

Edge of Chaos


Molly E. Lee - 2016
    Three years into her Meteorology degree, Blake meets professional storm chaser, Dash Lexington, who is as gorgeous as he is daring. Instantly recognizing her passion and skills in analyzing weather data, he makes a spot for her on his tight-knit storm chasing team. Dash and Blake form a fast friendship and it forces her to realize just how toxic her relationship with Justin is. She can’t deny the lightning-worthy chemistry she has with Dash or how her heart stalls every time he gets too close to a tornado.With each chase and the cherished moments with Dash, Blake discovers her own self-worth and gains the strength to end things with Justin for good. But he won’t go easily. As Blake tries to sever ties with one man, she fears she’ll lose the other to his dangerous obsession—and she doesn't know if she’ll be enough to save him from the impending storm that could end them all.

Accidentally Together


Jade Winters - 2016
    However, things don’t go quite as planned…Emma is stunned to discover the apartment belongs to Lauren, her first crush who she hasn't seen for fourteen years.The return of her old amour reawakens a latent desire. Can Emma reignite the passions of her past, or will the reason Lauren left all those years ago tear them apart once again?

Love On The Luminous


Chencia C. Higgins - 2020
    Fresh out of a decade long union, she’d rather just pick up the pieces of her life and try to create something she could be proud of again. Random glimpses and a few mind-scrambling encounters with a man who makes her heart beat wildly have her questioning her stance, but she manages to keep her hands to herself and her legs firmly closed until the last day of the trip.When the return to shore is delayed because of health concerns on land, Morgan takes it as a sign to throw her caution into the wind and let that man have what he wants. Spoiler alert: he wants her.Love On The Luminous is part of a short story series dubbed The Luminous Cruise Chronicles. This series is written by a group of authors who found themselves inspired during an otherwise stressful situation.The Luminous Cruise Chronicles:Love On The Luminous - Chencia C. HigginsLove On Deck - AshleyNicoleLove Under Quarantine - Nicole FallsLove Overboard - D. RoseLove On Cruise Control - T. KeyLove Unexpected - TurtleberryLove's False Start - Diana W.Love Lessons - Honesty Price

Did I Mention I Won The Lottery?


Julie Butterfield - 2013
    The only problem is – she hasn’t told her husband. So at weekends she’s a dutiful wife in Darlington, working at the local deli and making shepherd’s pie for dinner, but during the week she’s living in her new mansion in Leeds spending her days shopping whilst her husband thinks she’s looking after her sick mother. Will she get the courage to tell him before he finds out for himself? And can several million pounds in your bank account save a failing marriage?

Finding Focus


Jiffy Kate - 2012
    Her boyfriend is vacationing without her, and her best friend has abandoned her for a job in the south.Is a quarter-life crisis a thing?After accepting a freelance job in Louisiana for Southern Style magazine, she feels the bleakness of her life back in New York fading in the rearview mirror. Getting back to her southern roots seems to be just what she needs to lift her spirits and spark her creativity. During her stay, she meets playboy Micah Landry and his colorful family. She knows she should avoid him and keep things professional, but his southern charms are hard to resist.Through the lens of her camera, she finds the beauty and soul of the Landry Plantation, but it’s her beauty and soul that capture Micah’s attention.When an unexpected phone call takes her back to New York, she’s forced to face the life she was trying to escape head on.Will her trip and the Landrys only become fond memories, or will Dani find her way back to them and her beloved south?In their debut novel, Jiffy Kate bring you a story of love, adventure, and finding a place to call home.

The Blind Date


Alice Ward - 2018
    Sinful pleasure. It’s all I want. Until I see her. After taking over my family’s business, all I care about is the bottom line. Sure, we sell sugary, fat filled heart attack snacks by the trillions, but people love them. After all, that’s what life is about — pleasure. All I want is a night of pure sin with no sticky entanglements, so I hire an escort. But Juliana isn’t who I think she is. And vice versa. She’s not only my date, she’s my blonde, vegan, lethally sexy enemy. Now, I need to keep my hands off her. Stop thinking about her. Stop wanting her. But I can’t. Damn. How can a blind date go so wrong... and so deliciously right? *** This is a full length novel with a happily ever after, no cliffhanger, no cheating, and plenty of steam. Bonus content included. ***

A Child of a Crackhead


Shameek Speight - 2009
    Shameek A Speight takes writing to a new level ! • A must read! This is an amazing work of literature! He watched as she screamed and yelled with every strike that the man, made to her face. From her mouth, she spit blood that was rolling down her face. He continued to watch the 6'2" dark skin man repeatedly hit and kick the woman in the stomach, again and again. Noooo stop! please stop!" as she yelled his closed fist went upside her head. Michael knew he had to do something to stop the man from beating the beautiful brown skin woman, with tears running down his own face he yelled, Daddy stop! Daddy stop!, as he ran his 6 year old frame between his father and mother. "Daddy stop hitting mommy!", All he felt was his father's big black hands grasp him around his neck and squeeze until he couldnt breathe and threw him across the room. Micheal sat on the floor crying. Partly because of the pain he felt, but mostly because of the beating his mother was getting. How does Micheal, child of a crack head, fight to stay a live ? what will he face and those he truly love ? and do they survive the terror of the man they call Black ice. This story tells the countless beating's, killing's, lies, infidelity and betrayels of a crack head and how a mother and child survive the street life.

Bad Reputation


Callie Blake - 2017
    The sleaziness, the backstabbing – the constant parade of womanizing assholes who break her cousin's heart every week.They're all bad news, and as far as she can tell, Connor Schaffer is no different.He's six feet and two inches of cocky, smirking asshole – the panty-dropping king of one-night stands, and everything Peyton hates. But when Connor signs a unique contract with her uncle, Peyton finds their lives suddenly entwined on a daily basis. And despite their nonstop, claws out fighting, she finds herself suddenly tangled in his sheets.Their spark was unpredictable, the sex unbelievable, and just like that, Peyton’s world is turned upside down. For the first time in her life, she’s discovering hot lust, real pleasure and everything she swore was strictly not for her.Long story short, Hollywood’s got this good girl screwed.***Bad Reputation is a full-length standalone with no cheating and a HEA***

Sprinkled


Gina LaManna - 2014
    She just never expected the lows to be so… sparkly. After falling on her face during an attempt to follow in her recently-deceased mother’s stripper-boots, Lacey realizes she’s not cut out for life on stage. She sets out on a year-long investigation to find her true family, never expecting she’ll find it with a capital “F.” With a rumbling stomach, a need for money (check engine lights don’t fix themselves!), and a conscience that operates at 78% on a good day, Lacey is sucked into a whirlwind of Family secrets, hard-as-cement cookies, and mysterious, sexy men who unfortunately shoot guns, sometimes aimed at her face. The long-lost-granddaughter of Carlos Luzzi, the Godfather of the Italian Mafia, Lacey accepts her first assignment for the mob: finding fifteen million dollars of ‘the good stuff.’ Even after she enlists the help of her mouthy best-friend and her cousin, a technical genius and social disaster, she finds that going toe-to-toe with the rival Russian mob is more dangerous than expected. No one chooses their Family, but Lacey Luzzi will be lucky if she can survive hers. ** ** Lacey Luzzi: Sprinkled, is a full-length, laugh-out-loud, humorous cozy mystery with a strong female protagonist in the spirit of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, albeit one working for the wrong side of the law…

The Terrible Personal Shopper


Laura Burton - 2021
    I’m nice like that.The plan: Meet the rich client. Take notes of their measurements and fashion tastes. Then hand over to Josie. Job done.But Josie didn’t tell me the client is six-foot-four Hollywood hunk, Blaze Hopkins. My ultimate onscreen crush.I can’t stop my face glowing red as I wrap the tape measure around his hot body.When he asks me questions, I reply with squeaks and giggles. Total fangirl move.But Blaze doesn’t know what a personal shopper does––or does NOT do––and he makes me an offer that makes my jaw drop and toes curl.Join him on his latest press tour. How can I pass up the opportunity to travel the world with this heartthrob?All I have to do is pretend I totally know what I’m doing––I don’t.Play it cool–I’m gonna fail that too.And most-importantly, do NOT fall for Blaze Hopkins.Let’s just face it. I’m doomed.The Terrible Personal Shopper is an opposites-attract, romantic comedy with witty humor and heart-fluttering romance.Author note: This is a steamy clean read. All of the sizzle with steamy kisses, but no sex or swearing.