Book picks similar to
Playing Games by Candace Wondrak
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Vendetti: a capo dei capi duet
Sapphire Knight - 2019
As heir to the Vendetti Empire and the capo dei capi's throne, he's only required to do one thing. He must get married to prove that he's matured and is stable enough to take over. The stipulation doesn't sound like much of a challenge until he realizes who his betrothed is. Violet's the Bottaro Princessa, not just a random woman he met by chance in another country. She's young—too young by his standards. She's headstrong—a problem for a dominant man like Matteo. She's desirable—the biggest issue of all.Before long, Matteo's questioning himself, wondering if Violet's really such a burden, or if just maybe, he's falling in love with something other than the Empire. The Vendetti Queen Violet Vendetti was the Bottaro princess-- was.She'd been betrothed to the Capo dei capi of New York, without ever knowing it.A deal made, is a deal kept, as far as the Vendetti Crime family is concerned. Nomatter that it was her father to plead for her safety offering up her hand in marriageamongst other promises. The Capo always comes to collect what is owed.Violet is swept away into a world she thought she knew, only to discover everythingisn't what it may seem. From family traditions to deals struck, she learns exactly whatit takes to be the Vendetti queen. WARNING!!! This book is VERY steamy, so be ready!* OTTA *Dark* Taboo* Possible triggers* If you can't handle thinking outside the box, you can't handle this book. It's hot, full of racy scenes and for open minded readers wanting to read a suspenseful, non-cookie cutter book. This book is for those of us bored with the everyday romance reads everyone else is writing. If you click, you're warned. Also, welcome to the dark side, let me entice your mind.
Heartbreak Hotel (Bwwm Romance with steamy illustrations)
Kenya Wright - 2017
Love Bound
Rebecca Ryan - 2020
As head of Colton Security I should have seen it coming, been able to protect them. But I didn't. It’s taken me years to find love again, to trust my heart and soul to another woman. And now, he's after her too.
"If he's right, then I’m in danger—in danger of losing myself. I've only been in love twice before." -- Claire Russo
I lost my parents at nineteen and was forced to raise my sisters and brother. I barely made it through vet school. Maintaining my practice is about all I can handle while nursing a broken heart. And then along comes Finn Colton. He bought our family inn, the place we all grew up, and stole my heart in the process.Set on the Maine coast, this small town, security-hero love story is just the first in a series about the Russo sisters and their brother. Meet them all in their debut story.
Black Desire
C.J. Thomas - 2017
But he was the reason I stayed. Criminal defense lawyer, Kelly Black, came into my life as I was on my way out. He was infuriatingly handsome, except the Madam said I couldn’t have him. And no matter how many dates I had to keep my mind off of him, Mr. Black was the man who dominated my thoughts. Then it happened. Ignoring the warnings that he was dangerous, I let him into my life not realizing that his touch would be the reason my broken past resurfaced. Determined not to lose the man who turned my life around, it was up to me to let him know who I truly was. But when he presented me with a demand of his own, I wasn’t sure I was ready to agree to his terms. Submitting was never my strong suit. *Black Desire is intended for mature audiences only.
Tangled up in Blue: A Rainy Day Women Romance
Linda Steinberg - 2021
Deadbeat dads, that is. Until she's arrested by a handsome detective who won't listen to reason. But when she discovers a dead body while working a case, she needs Detective Tall, Dark and Handsome's Help.Protect and serveWhen Dallas P.D. detective Trey Donovan arrests a feisty, gun-toting woman with a stack of hundred dollar bills stashed in her camisole, he senses this is no ordinary drug bust. He manages to maintain his professional composure but he can't get her out of his mind. On his next case, when he finds Selena standing over a dead body, they agree to work together to catch a killer.Trey is by the book; Selena prefers to color outside the lines. But the chemistry between them sparks creative detective work. And ignites simmering passions. Despite their intentions to keep the relationship professional, a rainy night stakeout leaves them 'tangled up in blue.' And when Selena's out-of-the-box ideas put her in danger, Trey realizes this is a woman he will never put out of his mind. And that's a 'Dunn deal.'Tangled up in Blue is the first book in the Rainy Day Women series, featuring women empowering women--and the men who love them. In a converted warehouse near downtown Dallas a group of strong, professional women come together to volunteer their services to the women of an under-served community. They name their facility the Rainy Day Women's Center. Each book is a stand-alone romance about competent, independent women and the equally competent, independent men they can't ignore--or live without.
Revival
M.K. Gilher - 2014
I feel as if I know him, yet I'm sure I don't. Dr. Jacade J. Jordan, my mystifying sex god on a stick.Damn, she's delectable. My sweet Ivy. I want to eat her alive. But how can I possess her when she doesn't even know me? When the deception runs too deep? When I've killed for her and would do it again in a heartbeat? How can I watch her submit so perfectly when I am the one at her feet?Enjoy the ride in the Windy City as Ivy and Jacade's timeless love story unfolds in the Return to Us Trilogy.55,700 words (approximately 222 pages)
Private
Xavier Neal - 2016
No face to face meetings. No interviews. No social media accounts. Despite his ghost demeanor he continues to financially flourish and make his fellow investors richer with every decision. Throughout the years many have sought to discover the man inside the mogul while others have spread legends painting him as a heartless monster consumed by greed. None of it matters to him. Weston's true identity is secured away in his estate of solitude, which consists of the only people in the entire world he believes he can trust. That is until he's asked to allow a guest access to the property under extreme circumstances. One he knows he shouldn't. It doesn't take long before his world is turned upside down, unexpected threats arise, and Weston's forced to ask himself what really should be kept private?
Desire
Max Henry - 2018
Don’t lust after your best friend’s daughter.2. Don’t get into a physical fight over her.3. Definitely don’t f*ck her.4. And whatever you do, don’t fall in love.I have a bad habit of breaking rules.
Lusting For Luke
Sara Celi - 2017
I worry every day about my bills and student loans. He's the heir of a wealthy American family, a dynasty that expects him to marry a blueblood--and soon. I grew up on the wrong side of Kissimmee, Florida. When Luke Rothschild races into my life, however, everything changes. He's a breath of fresh, coastal air, a gusty breeze that infuses a brand-new, tempting scent into my world. I lust for Luke, I fall fast, and I fall hard, so much so that I almost forget how little we have in common. But then comes the inevitable...the stark reminder that I don't fit into Luke's rich, sparkling life. No matter how hard I try to play the part outside the bedroom, or how much I lust for him in his boudoir, there is no way I can erase my past and become the woman his family will accept with open arms. Or...is there? LUSTING FOR LUKE first in a series of romance novels and novellas set in Palm Beach, Florida. All titles in the "Billionaires of Palm Beach" series can be read individually and independently. More details to be announced at a later date. ****BOOK COVER NOT FINAL*****
Brutal Captor #1-6
Amber Adams
In return, he holds her captive.April Cooker loves her life as an ER doctor but in a horrific twist of fate she suddenly finds herself whisked away to a heavily guarded mansion in order to care for a man she found bleeding to death in an alley. This is no ordinary situation. She has walked into the world of Valentin Ivankov, Russian mafia don. Forced to tend to his injuries, April starts to learn more about the man whose life she has just saved and can’t help but wonder if she’ll ever see her own life again outside the magnificent mansion that has become her prison. Will this devastatingly handsome but dangerous man let her go or is she forever trapped in this world by her brutal captor?Book II: Escape is her only thought. He is determined to make her his, permanently.April has now learned who her patient is and he doesn’t seem intent on letting her go.When her own secret is revealed there is suddenly more at stake regarding her life than ever. As she catches glimpses of the real man beneath his cold and hard exterior, April is drawn into the dark, violent world of the handsome Valentin Ivankov. Will she be able to resist this dangerous man or will she find herself helplessly drawn into the arms of her Brutal Captor?Book III: Being drawn to her captor was never the plan. His tenderness something he never knew that he had.Russian mafia don, Valentin Ivankov, has taken Dr. April Cooker away from everything she’s ever known and, much to her shock, he’s now announced he’ll be taking her as his wife. Escape is still her only thought. But, while she attempts to gain his trust she finds herself unable to resist the pulse-raising effect he has on her.Craving the touch of her Brutal Captor is not something she ever would have thought possible and his tenderness something she never expected. Perhaps it’s not just her life that’s in danger but also her heart.Book IV: The captive comes to hold power over her captor.A mafia Don is expected to take a wife, not necessarily to love one. Marrying April was purely a strategy in order to gain leverage against his fiercest enemy. But now, Valentin finds himself helpless against her. Each day he sees more and more that without April his life would be empty and meaningless and he will stop at nothing to protect her. And it’s this that is planting April right in the crosshairs of the violent mafia war with the Ivankov family’s longest standing competitor, Capeci. Who just happens to be April’s father.Will Valentin’s love for April be the thing that destroys both of them in the end?Book V: Having a future with him is exactly what she wants, or so she thought.Against all odds, April has fallen in love with her Brutal Captor and the man who forced her to marry him. The passion she and Valentin share is like nothing she has ever experienced before and having a future with him is exactly what she wants. Or so she thought. April soon finds out that perhaps the only thing you can count on in Valentin’s world is betrayal and ever-present danger... especially at the hands of family.Book VI: It’s life or death for both of them. Is blood always thicker than water?The war raging with his enemy Capeci is not letting up and April finds herself forced, once again, to play the role of a pawn at the dangerous hands of her father. The extent of the Capeci’s stronghold over Valentin and the Ivankov bratva is finally displayed in a crushing blow that brings Valentin to his knees. A final showdown with Capeci is about to go down and April herself has been positioned as the sacrificial lamb. Is the new love of Valentin and April strong enough for them to triumph over this nightmare or is it true that at the end of the day blood is always thicker than water?
A Pretty Beach Christmas
Polly Babbington - 2020
The delightfully romantic story continues as the town dresses up for Christmas and reels us in for all the festive feels. We follow along with the journey of Juliette Sparkles, resident midwife, who after a horrid divorce and a few years of ups and downs, suddenly has a very nice piece of luck come her way and she moves to Seapocket Lane.There’s the Pretty Beach Christmas Dance, all the weird and wonderful Pretty Beach Christmas traditions and, well, there may just be an ever-so handsome new resident in town. Will Juliette surprise not only herself, but all the locals in Pretty Beach and get everything she’s dreamt of this Christmas or will she end up back to square one?
The Problem with Planning Love
Claire Cain - 2020
Divorcé. Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army.All titles I’ve come to terms with, even if I didn’t see those first two coming.I never imagined making a military move to Germany as a single parent. What else I never imagined? Having an insane spark like I’ve never felt with my son’s kindergarten teacher.Livie’s a singular force of light and beauty, and I’ve never wanted someone so much. But after what happened last time, I can’t escape the dread of dragging a new wife into this life and failing again.Besides, our lives are too different. Our plans don’t match. We definitely shouldn’t date and absolutely can’t afford to catch feelings.Everything changed the day I walked into that classroom. And now the only thing that scares me more than trying for another chance at love is living with regret if I don’t.The Problem with Planning Love is a dual point of view romance told in first person that will give you all the sizzle and heat but keep it sweet.
The Marked Princess
E.P. Stavs - 2020
She'd much rather be practicing her swordplay with her best friend, Edmund, or teasing her straight-laced guard, Alex. Marriage isn't exactly high on her list of priorities.But Josselyn isn't your typical princess, and this isn't your typical fairy-tale story. When a plot to overthrow the kingdom sends her fleeing for her life, Josselyn will discover just how different she truly is as the ancient, celestial magic dwelling beneath her marked skin emerges in the most startling of ways. Will she be strong enough to face the darkness there and save her kingdom? Or will she crumple under the weight of self-doubt?Celestial beasts, steamy dances, and a fierce-as-hell warrior princess all mark the exciting first installment of E.P. Stavs's The Shendri Series.
Vengeance
Isabella Starling - 2017
I want my Vengeance. I want him to feel my WRATH. I don't want to fall for him. I don't want to love a killer. An inked, handsome as sin monster in an expensive suit. He ruined my childhood. He's the reason my family fell apart. He just bought me and took my virginity in front of my stepfather... He wants me to be perfect little girl for him. I know this won't last forever. But there are only two ways for it to end. Either I go through with my plan, and ruin Carter Knight... Or he gets what he wants instead. Me on my knees, with 'daddy' on my lips... Vengeance is a standalone novel with no cliffhanger. It's the first in the Empire Sin series based on the seven deadly sins. This is a DARK romance.