Book picks similar to
The Missing Ingredient by Marika Ray


romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary
fiction

How to Choose a Guy in 10 Days


Lila Monroe - 2018
    All she has to do is take some fashion-backward guy from geek to GQ-worthy. The only problem? The man in question is her hairy manwhore of a next-door neighbor. AKA Bigfoot.Zach Morrison has zero interest in being Gemma’s makeover mannequin. Sure, it’s fun getting his smart-mouthed neighbor all riled up, but after cashing out of his tech start-up and going through an ugly break-up, he’s taking a permanent vacation. If he wants to wear sweatpants and sleep on a mattress in the corner of an empty apartment—OK. Maybe he needs a little push in the right direction. But as Gemma races the clock to win her bet, she finds that Bigfoot’s been hiding a few things under his baggy flannel shirts. Like abs of steel, and a surprisingly big...Heart. He has a big heart.Soon, sparks are flying between this unlikely couple, but can Zach embrace a fresh start - however manscaped it might be? And will Gemma beat out her Instabitch rival for the top spot - and keep the truth about their bet from Zach?

Hidden Heart


Measha Stone - 2014
    He’s a man with determination.And after one evening with Jessica, he’s determined to claim her as his. Jessica is perfectly content keeping relationships casual. She’d rather fall in lust than love. And one glance at Royce- she’s definitely in lust. But Royce doesn’t kiss and bail. Jessica may try to hide behind a thick wall, but he senses the fires burning hot. If he has to break through kiss by kiss, he will.

The Royal Treatment


Melanie Summers - 2017
    But that won’t be enough now that the Royal Family is about to be ousted from power once and for all. When Prince Arthur has to rely on the one woman in the kingdom who hates him most, he must learn that earning the love of a nation means first risking his heart. Twenty-eight-year-old Tessa Sharpe, a.k.a. The Royal Watchdog, hates everything about Prince Arthur. As far as she’s concerned, he’s an arrogant, lazy leech on the kingdom of Avonia. When he shocks the nation by giving her the keys to the castle, Tessa has no choice but to accept and move in for two months. It’s lust at first sight, but there’s no way she can give in to her feelings—not if she wants to have a career or a shred of pride left when her time at the palace ends… Can two natural enemies find their forever in each other’s arms, or will they ruin each other to save themselves?

Going Down on One Knee


Christina Hovland - 2018
    Sure, she's got the lucrative job. She's got the posh apartment. But her sister nabbed Velma's Mr. Right. There has to be a man out there for Velma. Hopefully, one who's hunky, wears pressed suits, and has a diversified financial portfolio. He'll be exactly like, well... her sister's new fiancé.Badass biker Brek Montgomery blazes a trail across the country, managing Dimefront, one of the biggest rock bands of his generation. With the band on hiatus, Brek rolls into Denver to pay a quick visit to his family and friends. But when Brek's sister suddenly gets put on bed rest, she convinces Brek to take over her wedding planning business for the duration of her pregnancy.Staying in Denver and dealing with bridezillas was not what Brek had in mind when he passed through town, but there is one particular maid-of-honor who might make his stay worthwhile.Velma finds herself strangely attracted to the man planning her sister's wedding.Problem is, he ticks none of the boxes on her well-crafted list. Brek is rough around the edges, he cusses, and doesn't even have a 401(k). But trying something crazy might get her out of the rut of her dating life--so long as she lays down boundaries up front and sticks to her plan...Going Down on One Knee is book one of the Mile High Matched series. If you love a hunky, tattooed wedding planner this book is for you.

Offside


Abbey Foxx - 2016
     Penny - Jasper Stone is massive in every respect. He’s a beast on the field, an animal off it, and just what we need to turn our season around. Medal winner, star athlete, one hundred percent alpha male at the top of his game. The trouble is, it’s the wrong one. That's not the only thing either. He's cocky, arrogant and constantly in trouble, and that's when he manages to keep that thing in his pants. I can’t stand him, but unfortunately that doesn't matter right now, because apparently we don’t have a choice. If we want to survive for another year, we need Jasper Stone to help us do it. It's a risk, but the potential reward is absolutely huge. After all, staying up isn't something Jasper Stone seems to have any trouble with. Nor is being big and strong. Bad boy Brit, banned athlete, and bigger all over than I’ve ever seen before, if there's one thing that Jasper knows how to do, it's win. He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. Girls, medals, millions of dollars - there's very little that can get in his way. With him on our team, there's no way that we can lose, and right now Jasper Stone is a free agent. I just didn't realize I was too. Jasper - Banned. No rugby for a whole f*cking year. I wouldn’t be here if I had the choice, but apparently, I don't. The owners want me out of the way, and if I want to continue getting paid, I've got to play ball. Literally. I don't even know how to play this game, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone. The Tigers get me for free, Corsham get rid of their trouble maker and I keep earning money. Everyone wins. All I've got to do is keep my head down, survive for a year and get the hell out of there when I'm finally done. Simple, right? It is until I meet Penny. *Offside is a 75,000+ word bad boy sports romance heavy on the steam and light on the sports!* **For a limited time only, OFFSIDE comes with a FREE bonus novel, DONKEY: A Stepbrother Sports Romance by Stephanie Brother.**

Coming Home


Kimberley O'Malley - 2017
    Elizabeth Abbott Fitzgerald has spent the last ten years of her life running; from tragedy, from family, from love. But now her mother’s failing health calls her home to Windsor Falls, North Carolina; to the place where her past awaits. Sam Bishop can’t believe his eyes when the love of his life returns after ten long years. All he wants is to clear his conscience and get back the family he lost when Connor, his best friend and Elizabeth’s husband died tragically. Could it really be true that time heals all wounds?

The Snow Maid


Bee Brooks - 2019
    But is the winter storm strong enough to break the barriers that keep them apart? Amy landed the perfect housekeeping job: great money for changing a few towels at a brand-new luxury resort. All she has to do is get there before the big snowstorm hits Maine. If she leaves right now, she can probably totally make it.Real-estate billionaire Will Campbell has his latest hotel up and running but means to escape the snow and his haunting past asap. Meanwhile, his PA -what's her name again?- can take care of his social obligations. She won't answer her phone, but he's sure she's just gone to pick up the employees. About time, because he's hungry, and the pool towels need to be washed.When the storm strands Will and Amy in an otherwise empty hotel, they get to know each other better than they thought possible. Worried, their families race to save the billionaire and his maid from the snow—and each other. Soon, Will and Amy wonder: will their stations in life keep them apart?If you love snowy fields, starry eyes, and funny retorts, you won’t want to miss this sweet romance! Clean, wholesome, and witty, it will give you all the thrills of true loveThe Snow Maid is the first full novel in a sweet and clean contemporary romance series. All books in the Snowbound Series share locations, events, and characters, so don't be surprised if you see your favorites show up again in a new couple's story! The novels are best read in order, but each is a stand-alone romance with a happy ending that will leave you smiling. Get your copy now

Love & Other Chaos


Jackie Walker - 2020
    Brody’s my friend - just a friend. He’s also my autistic son’s favorite teacher.He’s as off limits as they come, no matter how drop dead gorgeous he is. Falling for him would be wrong. Resisting him though, is becoming pure torture. After being burned by men who can’t handle dating a single-mom of a special-needs child, I refuse to date anymore. Not until my son is grown. My plan is working fine until my trouble-making bestie presents me with a dare that I can’t resist. I’m a sucker for a good dare - especially when margaritas have been consumed. And she’s just dared me to plant a surprise kiss on Brody’s sexy lips, while she records it for a trending TikTok challenge video. But if I do this, it could change everything. My life is already pure chaos and maybe now is not the best time to shake things up even more. Is it worth risking our friendship and his important role in my son’s life for one kiss? What if he wants more? What if I do? Love & Other Chaos is a hilarious, steamy, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy featuring a drop dead gorgeous and seriously buff teacher with the hots for a single-mom of an autistic pre-teen son... who happens to be one of his students. This story also includes wise-cracking grandparents with zero respect for personal boundaries, swoon-worthy beach scenes, a jerky boss with no concept of personal space, nosey siblings and a foul-mouthed best friend who loves to instigate trouble. If you don't like sarcasm, steam, sexy-times, heroines who drink copious amounts of margaritas and laugh-a-minute dialogue, then this might not be the book for you. It’s a stand-alone novel with a happy ending, because cliffhangers will kill your margarita buzz.

Lost and Found


Elle Casey - 2014
    Sometimes engagement rings can get lost and then found. Sometimes people can too. All it takes is a heavy-duty dose of karma and the magic of Manhattan to make it all come together.Leah is a financially destitute new age hippy. James is a wealthy surgeon with a trust fund. She's awkward, he's poised. She's completely crazy, he's way too sane. People might say they have nothing in common, but they'd be wrong. They both live in Manhattan, they both have no idea how to change a baby diaper, and they're both lost … until they find one another. LOVE IN NEW YORK SERIES READING ORDER Love in New York: Book 1 (Lost and Found)Love in New York: Book 2 (Cabin Fever)Love in New York: Book 3 (Mister Fixit)About this series: I’d never been to New York City before, but I knew I would love it and wanted to write a story that was set in the most exciting city in the world. So I hopped on a plane with my friend Susan and spent 5 whirlwind days there, soaking up the culture, seeing the sights and nailing down the scenes that would eventually end up in this series. Those of you familiar with New York City know what I’m talking about when I say you just can’t beat Russ and Daughters’ bagels, Central Park, Times Square, Brooklyn, and Yonnah Schimmels’ knishes.

Make Me Forget


Kennedy Fox - 2017
    Being a romance novelist comes with its perks but when Ethan Rochester enters my life and interrupts my solo writing retreat, my world turns upside down.I write about guys like him for a living—sexy and charming, yet reluctant to get into a serious relationship. His body’s the ultimate temptation, but his condescending personality makes him a notorious heartbreaker.When we’re forced to be neighbors, he makes me forget my rules, and soon my upcoming deadline isn’t the only thing I’m dreading.*Can be read as a complete stand-alone! Formally titled Falling for the Bad Boy. Content has not changed.*

Lianne


Mona Ingram - 2017
     Following in her late husband's footsteps, Lianne visits the spectacular Cornwall coast of England where she begins to find herself again. What she doesn't plan for is a growing attraction to a local man... and his dog. But when he disappears unexpectedly, she returns home and puts all of her energies into revitalizing her home town. But memories of those golden days linger, igniting her desire to love again. Mona Ingram is the author of over forty sweet, clean romances full of hope, inspiration and happily ever afters. For a complete list of Mona's books, visit her website at monaingram.com

Blown Away


Elise Sax - 2016
    Four. The problem is that Cade Reed, her aggravating — and crazy hot — colleague is the father-to-be of this secret baby. She’s got to tell him about the bun in her oven, but she’s still wishing that the pregnancy tests were duds. While they cover a story about a deposed dictator, they’re trapped in a runaway hot air balloon. Will they plummet to their death? Will these friends turned lovers admit their love for each other? And most importantly, will they figure out how to have sex in a balloon basket?Blown Away is the hot and hilarious first novella in the Three More Wishes series. Each novella is roughly 100 pages with NO cliffhanger.

Right Where I Want You


Jessica Hawkins - 2018
    . . and it cuts right through the middle of their office. Bad boys? They run right over good girls like Georgina Keller. But after a confidence-shattering breakup, she’s determined not to let anyone at her new workplace push her around—least of all the brooding creative director, a “bad boy of publishing” who’s made it clear she’s enemy #1.Sebastian Quinn's taste for fast cars, late nights, and beautiful women may have gotten him to the top of a leading New York magazine, but the reputation that made him is suddenly threatening to end his career.Georgina can help Modern Man shed its bad reputation, but in order to do that, she’ll have to start at the top—and no amount of rakish charm or inconvenient attraction will distract her.Because if Sebastian gets her right where he wants her, it means she’s going down.

In Hot Water


Terry Odell - 2016
    series off into a new world of adventures filled with mystery and suspense. The Triple-D Ranch novels are set against the backdrop of a Colorado cattle ranch, where cowboys find love and danger while they're working the range. He needs a cook, she needs a place to hide… Derek Cooper has left the violent life of an Army Ranger and a covert ops agent for Blackthorne, Inc. in favor of the more peaceful life of a cowboy, running the family cattle ranch in the Colorado mountains. However, when he rescues a stranded motorist, he has no idea this blonde pixie is going to bring violence to his doorstep—or work her way into his heart. Unable to resist helping her discover why she's in danger ends up with him unable to resist her … period. When they discover a potential bioterrorism plot, they'll have to put their attraction on hold while they search for a way to prevent it. Sabrina Barton believes in second chances, and she's running a vocational culinary school to prove it. But when her brother dies in a mysterious hit-and-run, and she's beset by an unsettling series of accidents, she can't believe in coincidences. She goes in search of the one man her brother told her to seek if she ever needed help. Trouble is, the letter with that advice was delivered at her brother's funeral, more than ten years after he wrote it. Will cattle rancher Derek Cooper be able to help her? And will she be able to resist this handsome cowboy who seems to be no stranger to violence?

Weekend Wife


Erin McCarthy - 2020
    Easy. Wear designer clothing and sip champagne? Don’t mind if I do. Flirting with Grant? It’s so delicious I should be paying him. Nothing can go wrong as long as I can keep my hands off of him. But that’s the hard part. And I do mean hard. Because Grant is sexy. And bossy. And surprisingly sweet, a real rarity in his pretentious family. Oops. I’m not as good at faking it as I thought. Or maybe they call this method acting. Because it’s getting harder to figure out where my character ends and I begin… It just might be the role of a lifetime. Weekend Wife is a standalone romantic comedy with a sexy billionaire, a sassy heroine, and a Happily Ever After.