Book picks similar to
Playing Games by Candace Wondrak


contemporary-romance
candace-wondrak
freebie
cheating

Call Sign: Baby Daddy


J. Haney - 2019
    My name is Ozmond Zayne and after nearly fifteen years in the US Armed Forces, ten of them as a US Navy SEAL, I am about to face my greatest of foes. A wife and daughter.

Crown of Thornes


Delaney Foster - 2020
    A place or state of suffering. An intricate balance of heaven and hell. Passion and pain. My purgatory was a palace. When my father died, I was forced to live in Thornebridge Castle- biding my time, hiding in the library and wishing I were invisible. But there’s no hiding from fate. There was a growing threat to the Crown in our country. Prince Sutton thought that threat was me. With his cruel words he unleashed a world of secrets that made me question everything I’d ever known. With his unpredictable touch he awakened something primal within me, within us. The only thing I hated more than Sutton Thorne was the way his presence set my soul on fire. I thought I’d given the Crown everything I had to give. No more suffering. In a few short months, I’d be gone. But I was about to learn what true sacrifice really meant.

An Unexpected Find (Silver Falls #1)


Hayleigh Sol - 2020
    They might be perfect for each other...but they haven’t actually met.Will they continue to play it safe or will they risk another heartbreak for a chance at love?Best-selling author Jax Rowland is writing the first book of his next spy thriller series and it's not going well. If he can't create a deeper connection between his characters, he faces more negative reviews from readers fed up with his one-dimensional Bond-girls.Dr. Sophie Grimaldi is successful, single and content to remain that way. Disappointed (or worse) by romantic relationships all her life, the only interest she has in men these days are her delicious book boyfriends. When Sophie discovers a set of handwritten notes between the pages of a library book, curiosity quickly turns to exasperation over the author’s cringe-worthy attempt at a steamy sex scene. Automatically, she scribbles her own version, forgetting all about the page when she returns the book. She never imagines the author will find her revision.Embarrassed to view his work through a mystery critic’s eyes, Jax offers Sophie a job writing the love scenes of his next novel. As sexy emails and flirty texts turn into a friendship teeming with chemistry, Sophie and Jax agree to finally meet in person. But, a series of missed connections and unexpected twists make it clear that fate has other plans for them.Will they heed the warning signs or choose to write their own destiny?**Note: An Unexpected Find was originally published with the title Book Review. This revised version (12/2020) can be read as a standalone or the first in the Silver Falls series. Due to mature content, this book is recommended for readers 18+.

Becoming Me


Staci Stallings - 2018
    Just ask her. She’ll tell you. After all, he is her sister’s best friend, “royalty” in her high school, a senior, and so talented he would never notice a nobody like her. So Paige resorts to pouring her non-existent feelings for Nelson into a very special notebook, a notebook of the words that cascade through her without her knowing how or where they come from. She’s always been like that, writing words that are poetic, ephemeral, and too precious to share with anyone else. But what happens when she loses the notebook that contains the words that are such a part of her? Worse, when Nelson starts to want to hang out, can she play it cool or will he learn all the secrets she’s been keeping from everyone, even herself? Nelson Samuels knows he’s always been a little weird. For as long as he can remember, he’s done his best to keep just how weird a secret from those closest to him. Yes, they know he writes music. What they don’t know is that he hears music in haunting melodies all the time. Having learned to capture some of them into notes on a page, he struggles to share just enough of his talent without risking anyone knowing all of it. It’s only when Nelson starts to notice his best friend’s younger sister that life is about to dare him to open the deepest secrets he holds about himself to someone else. Will he be brave enough to share the imagination side of him, or will he forever stay trapped in knowing he has this amazing gift but being too afraid to share it with anyone? “Becoming Me” begins The Imagination Series by USA Today Best-Selling Christian author Staci Stallings. This set of stories begins in the very real world and takes the reader on a journey to learn that we all have gifts and talents, and those were placed inside of us by a God Who loves us and wants us to learn to use them—for ourselves, for our friends and family, for the world, and for His Kingdom. Come along on this journey that dares to ask what would happen if we all stopped judging our differences and started celebrating them instead.

The Vision


Wendi L. Wilson - 2020
    Determined to break out of my reclusive shell and move past the trauma of my father’s unexpected death, I take a job at Camp Shadow Lake, a place where nothing is what it seems.Every counselor is beautiful and aloof, including Levi Kass—who is as hot as he is hostile. I don’t know what I did to make him hate me, but he seems to want to eat me alive. How can someone so gorgeous be so menacing?But hot-as-hell Levi, with his dark stares and spine-tingling glances, is the least of my worries. A year ago, someone or something killed my father, and the more time I spend at Camp Shadow Lake, the more clues I find.They say it was a bear attack. Bear attack, my ass. Something much more insidious killed my father, and it might be hiding out near Shadow Lake.When I go looking for answers, I experience a shocking vision—one that shows me my days are numbered.Someone is going to kill me, and I need to figure out who before it’s too late. Will Levi save me or will I have to save myself… from him?If you love The Twilight Saga and The Vampire Diaries, you’re going to have a great time at Camp Shadow Lake. Don’t piss off the counselors—they’ll eat you for breakfast.Shadow Lake Vampire Society contains scenes with violence and some mild language.

Elites


Angel Lawson - 2018
     Evil turned it into a curse. Astrid doesn't remember much about her childhood, at least not before her parents death. After that her memories of the group home and the other eleven boys and girls that lived there are vague and scary. But not as scary as the doctors she had to visit each week or the shots that they gave her. But she isn't a child anymore. She's an adult and with her mentor's help, has carved a life for herself and the powers she wields. She's safe. She's capable. She's super. Until it all comes crashing down and the past races back into her life. She's not alone in her abilities and one-by-one she'll find the others like her. She'll form a team. Find heartache and love. Ultimately she'll have to take down one of her own. That's what it means to be one of the Elite. *The Elite is a superhero fantasy series with a healthy dose of kick-ass action, an unstoppable heroine, a sexy reverse harem love story and gadgets and cool toys that every superhero wishes to add to their arsenal.

Wicked Dreams


S. Massery - 2020
    She doesn’t realize the anger I’ve been harboring.I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to ruin her life, and it’s finally here.Because even traitors sleep—and I’m going to make sure she only dreams of me.Then I’m going to destroy her.This is a dark high school bully romance with mature content and themes. It contains dubious situations that some readers may find offensive. If you're looking for a white knight hero, this book is not for you. Wicked Dreams is book one of a trilogy and cannot be read as a standalone.

Provoked


Sarah Bailey - 2020
    He was my downfall.They say your parents are the two people who are meant to love you and keep you safe.So what does that say about mine?My father gave me to a man as a gift.A man who wears many masks.A man who terrifies me.Why then do I want to know what lies beneath?Why does a single touch send shivers down my spine?I know what he wants.My body. My words. My mind.I can’t run. I can’t hide. And I can’t give in to him.My name is Liora Stewart.And Dante Benson is my Master.A dark captive romance set in Sarah Bailey's Dark Universe.This is a DARK romance and therefore comes with a content warning. Please see authors website for full details.

Written in the Beat


Breanna Lynn - 2021
    After spending the last year recovering from an injury, I'm at a crossroads. I have no idea what comes next...or who.JaxTurns out, life in the fast lane isn't all it's cracked up to be. As one of the hottest up-and-coming singers in the music scene, all my dreams are starting to come true. Until I walk into a room where an angel dances before my eyes. Now my world—and my dreams—are turning upside down...again.Written in the Beat is the first book in the Heart Beats series. If you like swoony rockstar heroes, sweet heroines, and plenty of steam you’ll love the first track in Breanna Lynn’s debut series. Pick up Written in the Beat today and fall in love with every beat.

Her First Kiss


M.J. Fields - 2017
     Having experienced a lifetime’s amount of loss and love under the spotlight of her stepfather and stepbrother’s rock and roll stardom, London Fields decides now is her time to shine. Leaving for college with a clear focus and big dreams around her musical theater major, she is ready to take on the world … under an assumed name. Protecting her identity will allow her the freedom to experience life and maybe love for the very first time. One man with a second chance to live for himself. A horrible accident devastated life as Logan Links and his family knew it. He spent a semester off from college to help them begin to heal and returns to school just in time to play one more season of college football. Only one thing can make things … hard. Logan and London have had a tumultuous relationship since he was twelve and she was eight. One that has always been buffered by their families' close connection. Now, they are on their own. What happens when these two repeatedly run into each other without the watchful eyes of others? Will London’s daydreams of Logan Links being the first man she kisses become a heavenly reality, or will his devil dimples lead her straight to hell?

Scavengers


Yolanda Olson - 2019
     Nothing about them is the same, yet the similarities that only I can see, are enough to draw me to them. I want to protect one and destroy the other, but what happens when their true intentions are brought to light? They see me as someone to worship—or so I thought. Danger is on the horizon and I’ll face it head on because that’s just the kind of gal I am. The Devil Feelings are boring and emotions are useless, yet the one thing I want in this world seems to keep eluding me. A beautiful evil carefully disguised as someone who knows how to pull my strings and can stop me before it’s too late. For her? For me? For her friend? I don’t know. I see her for what she really is and she won’t be able to keep slipping out of reach. Why? Because eventually, even the devil gets his due. The Burden Life isn’t something that’s been easy for me, yet her presence alone makes it all seem worth it. I never expected to feel what I do for someone who I know should be out of reach, but it’s not just her anymore. It’s him too, and he knows it. They both do. They play me against each other. One testing my loyalty, the other testing my ability to feel, and I let them. I can’t live without one, but I know that I won’t be able to survive if I cross the other. Times are going to become more difficult and even though I know what side I should choose, I’m afraid that when faced with the choice, I’ll lead with my heart and not with my head.

Torn Between Two


Mia Kayla - 2017
    Coming from a broken home, fairy tales housed the hope I clung to. Never in my life did I imagine two knights coming into my life— two knights that wore very different armor.A rockstar versus a lawyer.Fast and furious versus deliberate and calculated.Intense and passionate versus strong and devoted.Chaos versus stability.I fell in love with one in the craziness of a concert. I fell in love with the other in the silence of his compassion.And now I am Torn Between Two.Releasing January 23, 2017

Cliché


Ryleigh Sloan - 2018
    To the world, Kevin Peyton is the heartthrob Oscar nominee. To me, he's my best friend, with some sexy benefits.But then I got a taste of his world. A world where being mobbed by fans, violated by intruders, and stripped of all privacy is the norm. I never realized how brutal being in the spotlight would be.I didn’t fit into his world. I didn’t fit into his plans. I only wish I’d discovered that before falling in love with him and changing the game plan.Sometimes changing the game plan changes more than the game. Sometimes it changes your everything.

Beautifully Broken


Laura Lee - 2016
    Everything about the man screamed confidence. Sensuality. Intelligence. Worldliness. But it was how he saved me that ruined me most.Through him, I learned to end my path of self-destruction. I no longer needed to numb the pain with mindless one-night-stands and drunken blackouts. He made me feel worthy. Treasured. Optimistic about my future.Here I stand four years later, in a coffee shop a world away, still broken…but beautifully so. My scars no longer hold me back. Instead, they give me strength and enrich my appreciation for the good things in life. I have hopes and dreams…faith that anything is possible. I am no longer the lost little girl fighting for survival. I have direction. I have courage. I am not without possibility.I’ll always have Gavin to thank for that—Mr. Cooper, I remind myself. That’s who he is to me now: just a former teacher. I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry. I was eighteen when we first met. Legally, we did nothing wrong. Morally? Well, I guess that depends on how flexible your morals are.My name is Kat and this is my story.

8 Second Decision


H.J. Bellus - 2015
    He’s blessed with his granddaddy’s love of the ranch yet haunted with chasing that gold buckle eight seconds at a time. Tensions are high on the ranch when circumstances threaten to take it under. His dad and brothers pressure him to stay home and become an active cowboy on the ranch. However, Merek is addicted to the road and rodeo. He’s home anytime he can be and provides plenty of money to keep the family ranch afloat, but sometimes it takes more than what’s in the bank to protect tradition. Now home on a three-month break, Merek finds himself all tied up with the new girl in town. She’s quiet and reserved but there’s something about Challis’ green eyes and feisty attitude that makes her irresistible. When he runs into her at a rodeo and catches a glimpse of her on horseback all hopes of leaving her alone flies out the window. There are several rumors floating around town about her, however that doesn’t stop Merek from going after what he wants. He knows she’s off limits and only full of trouble, but Merek thrives on trouble and adrenaline. Then the road calls again and it’s time to leave. Eight SecondsGold BucklesAnd the high…What will he choose?