Book picks similar to
Free-Falling by King Ellie


interracial
contemporary-romance
arranged-marriage
romance

What Price Paradise


Katherine Allred - 2005
    Until the night he gets drunk and sleeps with a woman he barely knows.Now, six weeks later, she's pregnant, alone, and broke. Once again, Tate must take responsibility for his actions, and makes plans to marry his child's mother. There's only one problem...he has to tell his fiancée.Abby Grayson hasn't had an easy life. As the daughter of the town whore, people either avoid her or think she's like her mother. For Abby, it's a struggle just to fill her belly and keep a roof over her head.Loneliness and a secret yearning for this man she thought she'd never have led her to spend the night with Tate. But the last thing she needs is a baby when she can barely take care of herself. Desperate, but too proud to ask for help, she finally agrees to accept a job from Tate - the job of being his wife. Now she has almost everything she's ever dreamed of.Unfortunately, only one thing will gain her Tate's love - his realization that the night he spent with her was no drunken accident. It was a last-ditch attempt to win the woman he really wanted.

Monster


Francette Phal - 2014
    But how does one persevere when in the clutches of a Monster?

Employee Relations


Wynter Daniels - 2011
    After losing her job, boyfriend and home, she's forced to accept a position as a live-in nanny for a rebellious teenager so she can finish college and realize her dream of becoming a teacher. Luck has no place in Ethan Chandler's life as a workaholic CEO who grew up with a gambler mother. He swore off relationships after the only woman he ever loved disappeared with his baby daughter, years ago. When that child is suddenly dumped in his lap--an angry teenager bent on smashing every rule--all hell breaks loose. To complicate matters, the nanny has hijacked his heart.

To the Fall


Prescott Lane - 2018
     Boy meets girl, they fall in love, two kids, white picket fence.  This isn’t that story.  This is more like...  Man meets woman.  Man sleeps with woman.  Man meets another woman, sleeps with her.  And so on.  You get the idea.I own a small boutique hotel in New Orleans, the Kingston.  I’ve seen men do some stupid stuff in the name of the woman they love, or at least the woman they love for the night.  That’s not me.  I’m always in control.  You’d be surprised how much you can get away with on just good manners and a smile. It’s the only way to keep my secrets safely locked away. And my smile hides a lot.  Until her.She turns me down flat.  Playing hard to get is my favorite game.  It’s the thrill of the chase.  Only problem is, I think it’s me that’s getting caught.

The Negotiation


Sandi Lynn - 2016
    That relationships were doomed before they even started, and that as long as the attraction to someone is purely physical, life is uncomplicated and good. I lived by that and was probably the only anti-relationship person in the world. I found myself in the midst of so much man drama that I decided to take a hiatus from the dating world. Until I met the brutally handsome CEO of Caine Property Development & Management, Jackson Caine. He was as anti-relationship as I was and wanted to negotiate a deal that would let us have our cake and eat it too.My mother was on her fourth husband.My father was on his fifth wife.My name is Jackson Caine and I grew up in a world where I was taught that nothing lasts forever. I saw and lived the destruction each relationship my parents had and it was something I never wanted. I was career driven, successful, the boss of my own life, and as anti-relationship as one could be. I’d had my fill of women and the drama that went with them. Until I met Emily Wade. A beautiful woman who understood and shared the same thoughts I did. We were the perfect companions for each other. No complications, no drama, and certainly no commitment, ever. We negotiated a deal that would suit both of us, and as long as no one broke the rules that were set in place, we both could have our cake and eat it too.Until…

Faking Ms. Right


Claire Kingsley - 2019
    Forget kissing frogs. She can’t even get past the first date. But at work, she’s a badass—the longest-running assistant billionaire Shepherd Calloway has ever had. Her coworkers wonder how she handles the big bad wolf—and never gets bit. Shepherd Calloway isn’t interested in being anyone’s sugar daddy. Tired of women who only want him for his money, he swears off dating, determined to focus on running his empire. Until his gold-digging ex hits him where it hurts, putting him in a difficult position.His solution—to have Everly pose as his live-in girlfriend—is obviously crazy. But the timing is uncanny. It just so happens Everly needs a favor from her boss—a big and awkward one—and this could ensure everyone gets what they want.Besides, Everly can totally survive a few months of faux romance. Except there’s a problem. Shepherd is supposed to be a single-minded, unemotional robot boss. Not an actual human with a heart and morning wood. Between the awkward bed-sharing and tingly fake dates, lines are blurring. And as Everly gets to know the real Shepherd, she discovers there’s more to the man behind the bank account.And faking it gets all too real.Faking Ms. Right is a hot, STAND-ALONE romantic comedy.

Traded


Rebecca Brooke - 2015
     When you’re done with me, you can walk away with no regrets. That’s how my husband sees me. I try to be the best wife possible for him. After all, he took me on when no one else would. Now--he’s in debt and owes more money to the loan shark than we can possibly repay. But, don’t worry, he’s come up with a solution, it’s just not one I was expecting. ...I’ve been TRADED. **Content Warning: this book contains adult language, Sexual situations and situations of emotional abuse. Please use caution when reading. **THIS BOOK IS MEANT FOR ADULTS 18+ ONLY**

(Watch Me) Break You


Avril Ashton - 2014
    Women. Drugs. Dima Zhirkov’s favorite things. Add in the element of danger and he should be right as rain. But not today. It’s not working, hasn’t for a long time. He’s grasping at the flimsiest of straws to prove he’s indeed strong enough to run his streets. Until he sets eyes on him. In the midst of a room full of strangers, Dima is drawn to a man as cold and dangerous as he’s beautiful. Captivated, Dima embarks on a ruthless campaign to get his new toy into bed.Here comes the danger…Xavier "X" Storm is content to pull the strings while someone else handles the day to day dealings of his gang, The Rude Boys. He’s after what Dima holds closest—the Coney Island streets. He contracts out the job of killing the Russian, except Dima isn’t that easy to kill. When he suddenly shows up in X’s path, tempting him to indulge in the dirtiest play, he finds Dima isn’t all that easy to shake, either. His cocky attitude and rough submission tempts X to go where he’d vowed to never return, and they plunge head first into an affair fueled by possessive obsession.Run for cover. Sex and pain Dima can handle, and X delivers the most depraved kind. Their connection is explosive, their games addictive, but Dima can end it whenever he wishes. He doesn’t see that X is breaking him down, giving Dima everything he wants and even more than he ever thought to need. By the time he realizes who X is and what he wants, Dima is raw and bullet riddled. It’s run or fight. And Dima doesn’t back down. Neither does X.

The Billionaire's Fake Wife


L. Steele - 2020
    Superior Jackass with a God complex.Also my blackmailer, gulp!The first time I met him, I kneed him in his very well endowed balls, don't ask!Tall, dark, and gazillionaire growly pants.The only thing that sucks worse than his attitude is his (lack of) sense of humor.Sadly, he's also the one who can save my business from going bust.So when he offers me the chance to work with him, I can hardly refuse, right?Only catch?I need to be his pretend wife for hold-your-breath, thirty days.I should have turned and run, but...He has the connections to help my sister's failing health, not to mention the money to wipe away my debt.And yeah that... sneaky video recording of him getting me off. OMFG!Besides, it's only thirty days, eh?It’s not like I’m in danger of falling in love with London's most notorious bachelor...Then he reveals the real reason for the charade,And everything changes...Note: This is an Enemies to Lovers, Fake Marriage, Billionaire Romance featuring a hot possessive billionaire and the curvy spitfire who dares to go toe to toe with him!

Her Mafia Daddy


Bianca Cole - 2022
     Kane Romano is the most handsome, powerful man I’ve ever met. He’s also the man holding me captive. My asshole of a step-dad found himself on the wrong side of the mafia, and then offered me up in exchange for his life. How does he have the right? I’m eighteen years old, and my step-dad doesn’t own me. The problem is, Kane Romano agrees. Everyone knows you don't fight with a Romano, unless you want to end up in an unmarked grave. I should be scared, but every time I look into those dark eyes, I feel safe and protected. When we’re alone he’s a gentleman, but around anyone else he turns quiet and cold. There’s a thrill being here with him. Even though I’ve never been with a man, I find myself wanting him—a man who is more than twice my age and claims he owns me now. When he asks me to call him daddy, I know I won't be able to refuse him… Her Mafia Daddy is a safe story with no cliffhangers, a HEA and no cheating. This story has hot scenes, some dark themes, and bad language.

Nikolai: A Mafia Prince Romance


Shandi Boyes - 2018
    It is the women determined to tame the bad boys.By tame, we mean stake our claim.

The Summer Proposal


Vi Keeland - 2022
    He only pretended to be until my real date showed up.To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.Before he left, he slipped me a ticket to a hockey game a few blocks away, in case things didn’t work out on my actual date.I tossed the ticket into my purse and went about trying to enjoy the man I was supposed to meet.But my real blind date and I had no connection.So on my way home, I decided to take a chance and stop by the game.When I arrived, the seat next to me was empty.Disappointed again, I decided to leave at the end of the period.Just before the buzzer, one of the teams scored, and the entire arena went crazy.A player’s face flashed up on the Jumbotron. He was wearing a helmet, but I froze when he smiled.You guessed it: Dimples.Apparently, my fake blind date hadn’t invited me to watch hockey with him, he’d invited me to watch him play.And so began my adventure with Max Yearwood.He was everything I needed at the time—fun, sexy, up for anything, and only around for a few months since he’d signed with a new team three-thousand miles away.Max proposed we spend the summer helping me forget my ex. It sounded like a good plan. Things couldn’t get too serious when we had an expiration date. Right? Though, you know what they say about the best-laid plans.

Stay


Tia Louise - 2019
    He’s arrogant. He’s smart as a whip and sexy AF. He has too much money. He’s bossy, and he’s usually right. All I saw were his clear blue eyes, tight butt, and ripped torso. I gladly handed him my V-card that night, ten years ago. I was so stupid. I swore I’d never be that stupid again… Emmy Barton works for a dry cleaner? Yes, that Emmy Barton—long, blonde hair, bright blue eyes, pretty smile… Sexy little body. Smart mouth. She was the only girl who interested me, but I was leaving to be an officer in the Navy. Now I’m home, running my business. My life is perfectly ordered until I bump into her, divorced and struggling to make ends meet. I hate seeing her like this. I hate that she married Burt “The Dick” Dickerson. What an a--hole. She says she hates me, but when we fight, it’s all heat and lust. I won’t leave her this way. She will let me help her and her son. She will stay… It’s a thin line between love and hate, and this line is on fire. (STAY is a STAND-ALONE enemies-to-lovers, second-chance, marriage of convenience romance. No cheating. No cliffhangers.)

The Forbidden


Jodi Ellen Malpas - 2017
    Annie has never experienced the 'spark' with a guy-the kind of instant chemistry that steals your breath and blindsides you completely. Until a night out with friends brings her face to face with the wickedly sexy and mysterious Jack. It's not just a spark that ignites between them. It's an explosion. Jack promises to consume Annie, and he fully delivers on that promise.Overwhelmed by the intensity of their one night together, Annie slips out of their hotel room. She is certain that a man who's had such a powerful impact on her and who could bend her to his will so easily, must be dangerous. But she's already in too deep. And Jack isn't only dangerous. He is forbidden.

Shades


Jaime Reese - 2018
    After hunting monsters for over twenty years, he lives under no illusions of happily ever afters and fairy tales. Until he meets a man who threatens to disarm him, by giving him hope for a future and showing him there’s more to life than just death.For Nick, living in shadows is second nature. He’s all too familiar with the dark side of humanity and knows how delicate life can be. Each new day is a gift, even though it means doing it alone. But he’ll risk his survival for the one man who awakens something deep within and leaves him yearning for more.Nick wants to solve the mystery behind the dark, brooding man, while Killian craves the life and light emanating from Nick. They soon discover they have more in common than either could have anticipated. With both their lives and hearts at stake, they must confront the ghost from Nick’s past intent on tying up a loose end. Only then will they truly find peace, and discover the shades of life in between.