Book picks similar to
The Missing Ingredient by Marika Ray
romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance
fiction
Hooked on You
Lea Coll - 2020
Attorney was the last person I needed in my business... or my bar. The way she walked in wearing a tight suit and red power heels, flashing that badge should be illegal.Asking her for help was a mistake. Wanting her was a complication, one that I couldn't afford. We were from two different worlds.Taylor was spoiled, privileged and in way over her head. I was just the bad boy that girls like her were attracted to, a passing phase. An itch to scratch.I was no good for her and never would be.Hooked on You was previously titled Easy Moves, and is the prequel to the Annapolis Harbor Series.
Colorado Takedown
Cricket Rohman - 2018
Romantic. Nothing will stop a McAllister cowboy from protecting the woman he loves. Hannah Hudson has a distorted view of home and family due to her odd, impoverished upbringing. She longs for her own Happily Ever After, but she’s willing to settle for escaping the Phoenix heat and her dreary job. Then, along comes a miracle. Luck crash-lands in her lap. With a new, improved To Do List, and a heart filled with hope, she heads for a ranch in the cool hills of Colorado. At last, she’s loving life. Shortly after arriving, her luck runs out. A tragic accident occurs, and a troubling reality sets her reeling. She’s alone. There is no Dairy Queen, no Circle K, not even a hospital along the winding mountain road that links the remote ranch to the nearest town. The seclusion of her new world is frightening. Reluctantly, she teams up with Trace McAllister, a wise, local cowboy, who helps her learn the ropes around the ranch and in the bedroom. Love is in the Rocky Mountain air. A brilliant cattle dog and an intuitive palomino horse add fun and excitement to their days. But their fast-blooming chemistry is fraught with conflict, secrets, and a relentless, unidentified evil. WHAT READERS ARE SAYING … “The descriptions of Hannah’s interactions with Oatie, the dog, and Lewissa, the horse, were delightful and satisfying.” “There was a bit of Bonanza in the story that appealed to my TV past, especially in the scenes that took place at the Lucky Seven.” “An excellent, believable account of one character’s claustrophobia.” “Loved the main characters, Trace and Hannah, and the supporting characters were fascinating and unusual, adding twists and turns.”
Crossing Boundaries
Sandra Alex - 2020
An abandoned medical degree. And a woman who will make Daniel forget all that.Kayla marries Nick when she isn’t old enough to know better. With an ever-ailing mother and co-ownership of Nick’s company, Kayla is too busy to see what everyone else does until it is too late. With no children, an unfinished education, and both the intelligence and drive to move mountains, nothing can stand in Kayla’s way…until the first day of school.Daniel is hard-nosed, has a chip on his shoulder, and he has neither the time nor the desire for anything other than work. Pre-med and former military, Daniel is the chosen sibling to watch his father post-stroke, adding fuel to his ire, as his already busy life has been put on hold. He’s a loner, hard-working, he’s rich…and he is about as sexy as they come.Kayla and Daniel have a very awkward meeting….at least on the second attempt. Daniel can’t stand the once-too-forward girl he met when forced to go out with his friends, and Kayla begrudges her friends for forcing her to slip off her wedding ring and party before the ink dried on her divorce papers. Kayla never expected things to end up the way that they did, and if she could take it back, she would. But life’s like that.Everything is all perfunctory between Daniel and Kayla until Daniel learns something about her that compels him to help her in a way that nobody else can. While she refuses to take the hand that he’s offering her, she soon realizes that when it comes down to it, he is all that she’s got, and he soon realizes that she’s all that he’s ever wanted…he just never knew it. A once-hardened man softens and learns to open his heart, because his heart will take nothing less than hers.A heartbreaking yet heartwarming love story about what happens in real life when two people are forced together under difficult circumstances. Daniel and Kayla will warm your heart and renew your belief that true love is really out there, even when you’re not necessarily looking for it. Pick up your copy today!
Cancun
Kimberly Fox - 2016
They call me Mr. Trampoline."
What happens in Cancun, unfortunately for my cheating boyfriend, doesn't stay in Cancun.I caught him on the first night of our vacation balls deep in my worst enemy: the bitchy obnoxious girl who my best friend chose to be her maid of honor instead of me.Now I'm stuck on this resort, in the same small room as my ex, until my friend gets married at the end of the week.This place is a paradise but it feels like hell.It's all going so wrong until I meet Ethan, the dirty talking bad boy with the body carved out of granite.He's going to teach me what paradise is really about.And it isn't sand and palm trees...
Full length (58,000 words) Standalone Novel. HEA. Lot's of dirty talk (oh yeah!)
Stone Lake
Phil M. Williams - 2015
He toils to keep their construction company afloat while the exes in his life enjoy their honeymoon. Jon meets Morgan when a flock of turkeys and a curvy mountain road aligns with one-in-a-million timing. Despite their attraction, her engagement, and the ire of her family, the pair embarks on a platonic friendship. As their relationship strengthens, they share secrets, but Morgan holds her most important secret tight to her chest, where it beats like a ticking time bomb. It’s not a matter of if, but when. Adult language and content. Beware of spoilers in the reviews.
Pick Me, Handsome
C. Morgan - 2020
I’d rather work with my hands than spend the billions my father left behind. The only thing that interests me is the apple orchard he left me. The old thing needs work, and I plan to make it beyond successful. What I didn’t expect to find between the rows of juicy red apples was a yearning for more. A beautiful single-mom teacher shows up to take her kiddos on a tour of the orchard and I feel things I haven’t felt in a long time. Mine. Every cell in my body wakes up with a desire for the strong, independent woman that I want to rock my world. She’s not into rich guys at all. Fine by me. I look like the gardener anyway. My secret is safe. For now.
You're The One
Layla Hagen - 2020
He’s built an impressive real estate business in New York, succeeding against all odds. He shatters every obstacle in his way…until now. He only has one option: asking for help the one woman who is off-limits…his best friend. It all starts as pretend… The first kiss is unplanned, but Josie surrenders to him instantly, driving him crazy. The second one is in front of his tight-knit family. They have to be convincing, but he’s not pretending at all. Her taste is addictive, the scent of her skin is intoxicating. On their first night together, he barely stops his fingers from pushing down the straps of her dress…Their second night is sexy as hell, intense and unforgettable. How can he stop the lines from blurring when all that really matters now is Josie?
The Gull Motel (A Barefoot Book)
Amie Denman - 2014
Finally finished with college, she heads to her favorite shabby motel on Florida’s Gulf Coast where her aunt and uncle always save her room twenty-four. She quickly finds out, though, that The Gull Motel is not just her home away from home. It’s hers to manage while her aunt and uncle take an extended trip. Skip McComber, The Gull’s former maintenance man, has been working on Savvy’s nuts and bolts for years. Now the new owner of the bar next door, his mission is to renovate a pirate bar while being a walking temptation for the girl he can’t get off his mind.For Savvy, keeping her cool running a motel in Florida heat is one thing, but navigating the steamy waters of a former fling takes a whole other kind of savvy. In addition to the motel and the man next door, Savvy stumbles on a plot to swindle land from the residents of Barefoot Key. Devalued properties tumble like dominoes until Savvy musters her colorful crew from The Gull Motel to make the pillagers walk the plank.
Under Colorado Skies
Milan Watson - 2020
Under Colorado Skies includes the first 3 books in the Colorado Crazy Series. Although each book can be read alone, read them in sequence for a better reader experience.
Sunsets in Colorado
Lewis fled from her country roots, but now she’s back. If it’s up to the handsome cowboy, she won’t ever leave again. Enjoy a whirlwind romance as Lewis deals with the demons of her past.
Whispers in Colorado
Jasmine is a New York designer, but being back in White Horse Creek brings back all the memories she wants to forget. Will this ice queen drop her armor of frost long enough to let in the handsome vet?
Midnights in Colorado
Lisa is bold and vivacious. Sam is a straight-laced traditional cowboy. What happens when they fall in love? Can this hairdresser steal her cowboy’s heart and keep it?The Colorado Crazy series are ranch romances guaranteed to tease your senses and make you dream of cowboys again.
Capturing Her Beauty
Lexy Timms - 2017
"The door opened and I turned. The woman who entered was stunning. And, she was the only one not glued to her phone... She was also extremely hot. She was bigger than any of the other women in the studio, but I didn’t give a damn." Kayla Reid has always been into fashion and everything to do with it. Growing up wasn’t easy for her. A bigger girl trying to squeeze into the fashion world is like trying to suck an entire gelatin mold through a straw; possible, but difficult. She found herself an open door as a designer and jumped right in. Her designs always made the models smile. The colors, the fabrics, the styles. Never once did she dream of being on the other side of the lens. She got to watch her clothing strut around on others and that was good enough. But who says you can’t have a little fun when you’re off the clock? Sometimes trying on the latest fashions is just as good as making them. Kayla’s hours in front of the mirror were a guilty pleasure. A chance meeting with one of the company photographers may turn into more than just an impromptu photo shoot. BBW Romance Series Capturing Her Beauty Pursuing Her Dreams Tracing Her Curves
Never Close Enough
Anie Michaels - 2013
At her greatest moment of need, a protective and sexy Porter Masters comes to her rescue. Ella takes a holiday week at the coast to discover herself and finds her attraction to Porter potent and undeniable. Uncertain of their future together, Ella struggles to open her heart to trust again. Porter Masters takes care of his own: his single mother, his company, and now he’s compelled to protect the beauty that walked into his world. Never one for relationships in his past, Porter discovers that he was waiting all along for Ella. As their time together comes to an end, will Porter fight for the woman who stole his heart? Porter will find a way to keep her, despite the obstacles.
Her Secret Santa
Kelli Callahan - 2019
I don’t care if all of the people I work with call me Elly-nezer Scrooge behind my back. I don’t care if my family judges me because I haven’t been to a Christmas dinner in years. I don’t even care that I spend every single holiday alone. I’m happy. I’ve said that so many times that I think I finally believe it... Then my cousin signed me up for the Secret Santa Romance dating app. And I got matched with Ian... Sure, he’s hot, charming, and checks every single box I can come up with on the perfect guy list but there’s no way he’s going to convince me to go on a date with him or change my perspective of Christmas with his corny jokes. So why can’t I convince myself to stop talking to him, delete this stupid app, and get on with my life? This is a full-length standalone Romantic Comedy.
Songbird: A Small-Town Romantic Comedy
Caroline Tate - 2018
He’s a career-focused charmer whose greatest appeal is his nerdy sense of humor.
Ellie Stone’s only goal this summer is to get the Southport Music Festival off the ground without a hitch. But when she randomly meets Mason Matthews at a concert in Wilmington, they instantly connect on an honest, soul-stirring level.As they head their separate ways after sharing an almost-night of pure lust, Ellie is ready to focus all of her attention back on festival prep. When plans nosedive and the feature band pulls out of the lineup, she decides to get scrappy and take action, no matter who it involves.After an ego-shattering scuffle with Mason in the middle of town, Ellie has to swallow her pride in exchange for his help promoting the event. But Mason, Editor of the Southport Anchor, swears his hands are tied.While his feelings for Ellie continue to grow, are they strong enough that he’ll risk breaking company policy just to help promote her dream? Or will he leave her hanging on the very last note?
The Stand-in
Lauren Campbell - 2019
Now, it's his turn to save me. But when it's time to go our separate ways, he makes me an offer I can't refuse–an interview with my dream company and ten grand in cash. All I have to do is pretend to be his girlfriend for the week. Easy peasy. It isn't until he takes me home to meet the parents that I realize he left out some MAJOR details. But there's too much at stake for me to back out now. I MUST play the part. Only ... it won't be quite the one he's expecting. Worst Fake Girlfriend: Scene 1, Take 1. ACTION!