Book picks similar to
Betting on You by Sydney Landon


romance
sydney-landon
contemporary
contemporary-romance

The Pact


Karina Halle - 2014
    He’s also one of Stephanie Robson’s best friends and has fit into that box for as long as she’s known him.But some relationships can’t be boxed, can’t be classified, can’t be tamed.Back in their mid-twenties and tired of the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them are in a serious relationship by the time they hit thirty.It sounds like fun and games but as the years to thirty tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact becomes larger than life.Sex is inevitable. Friendships are tested. Hearts are on the line.The pact is about to change everything.

His Banana


Penelope Bloom - 2018
    Seriously. The guy is like a potassium addict. Of course, I touched it. If you want to get technical, I actually put it in my mouth. I chewed it up, too... I even swallowed.I know. Bad, bad, girl.Then I saw him, and believe it or not, choking on a guy's banana does not make the best first impression. I should backtrack a little here. Before I ever touched a billionaire’s banana, I got my first real assignment as a business reporter. This wasn’t the same old bottom-of-the-barrel assignment I always got. I wasn’t going to interview a garbage man about his favorite routes or write a piece on how picking up dog poop from people’s yards is the next big thing. Nope. None of the above, thank you very much.This was my big break. My chance to prove I wasn’t a bumbling, clumsy, accident-prone walking disaster. I was infiltrating Galleon Enterprises to follow up on suspicions of corruption. Cue the James Bond music.I could do this. All I had to do was land the position as an intern and nail my interview with Bruce Chamberson.Forget the fact that he looked like somebody carved him out of liquid female desire, then sprinkled on some "makes men question their sexuality" for good measure. I needed to make this work. No accidents. No disasters. No clumsiness. All I needed to do was hold it together for less than an hour.Fast forward to the conference room before the interview, and that's where you would find me with a banana in my hand. A banana that literally had his name on it in big, black sharpie. It was a few seconds later when he walked in and caught me yellow-handed. A few seconds after that was when he hired me. Yeah. I know. It didn't seem like a good sign to me, either.

Butterface


Avery Flynn - 2018
    I’m not what most people would call “pretty” and, well, high school was rough. Fast forward ten years and life is good…Until a bunch of jerks think it’s hilarious to put the “butterface” (AKA me) on a wedding Kiss Cam with the hottest guy ever—and that old humiliation hits hard.I recognize him immediately. The sexiest cop in Waterbury and totally out of my league.But then he kisses me. And we totally forget the room, the crowd, everything.Then he tells everyone we’ve been dating for months.Soon everything starts to feel too real, from adorable fights over “necessary” tools to fix my broken porch to surviving a free-for-all dinner with his six siblings to picking up where our last kiss left off.But there’s something he’s not telling me about why he’s really hanging around, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with my mob-connected brothers.Because this is not a make-over story, and Cinderella is only a fairy tale…

Crank


Adriana Locke - 2017
    Join readers everywhere as they fall in love with the delicious Gibson Boys. This is one mistake Sienna Landry can’t buy her way out of. As Walker Gibson looks at her, then at the damage to his precious truck (that she may or may not have accidentally inflicted), she knows she’s in trouble. It’s not the busted headlight and dented grill that’s sunk her though. It’s the downright sinful man in front of her that’s the problem. The small town mechanic is broody. Rough. Smells like engine grease and gasoline and Sienna isn’t sure why that’s so sexy, but it is. It so is. She’s ready to peel off her panties at the drop of his wrench. He wants her too. She can feel it when he brushes against her. Experience it as he presses her against the wall of the shop. It’s thinly veiled in his deep, brown eyes when he looks at her like she’s everything he’s ever wanted. So why won’t he give in? The damage to Walker’s truck is the first of many mistakes between the two of them, ending with truths that rock Sienna’s world. Nothing can fix her broken heart except the love of a man that won’t, maybe even can’t, love her back.

Annihilate Me Vol. 1


Christina Ross - 2013
    If she doesn't find work soon, she'll need to return to her native Maine, where the job situation is even more bleak. And where her abusive parents lie in wait.But when an unorthodox arrangement is proposed, Jennifer decides to take it. She agrees to be the "girlfriend" of Alexander Wenn, the reluctant, billionaire CEO of Wenn Enterprises, who is so devastatingly good looking, he needs a beautiful woman like Jennifer on his arm to "keep the wolves at bay." In this case, the wolves are other women, all of whom vie for his attention so aggressively, they keep him from focusing on business at the exclusive events he must attend. It's there that deals are cut. What they want is his money and his power. Damaged by a past event, the only thing Alex wants to do is focus on work. And to forget the past.But can Jennifer deny their white-hot chemistry? As she's swept into this glittering otherworld of society and big business, she finds herself struggling to keep from falling for Alex, an almost impossible feat she nevertheless must meet.Armed with her MBA, Jennifer Kent knows about business. But what she doesn't know is what could destroy her--the business of protecting her own heart. And maybe her own life.This story unfolds over multiple volumes approximately 50,000 words each.

Lingus


Mariana Zapata - 2012
    There was something about her that most people didn't know. "My name is Kat Berger, and I love porn."When twenty-five-year-old Kat is dragged to a porn convention by her best friend, she's both embarrassed and nervous. The last thing she ever expected was to meet someone who makes her laugh like no other. This is a story about acceptance and friendship, and a love born out of the most unexpected of places.

Dear Bridget, I Want You


Penelope Ward - 2017
    You're the proper single mum with a good head on your shoulders. I'm just the carefree British doctor passing through town and temporarily living in your converted garage until I head back to England.But here's the thing... for some bloody reason, I can't stop thinking about you in very inappropriate ways.I want you.The only reason I'm even admitting all of this to you right now is because I don't believe it's one-sided. I notice your eyes when you look at me, too. And as crass as I appear when we're joking around about sex, my attraction to you is not a joke.So, what's the purpose of this note? I guess it's a reminder that we're adults, that sex is healthy and natural, and that you can find me just through the door past the kitchen. More specifically, it's to let you know that I'm leaving said door cracked open from now on in case you'd like to visit me in the middle of the night sometime.No questions asked.Think about it.Or don't.Whatever you choose.It's doubtful I'll even end up sliding this letter under your door anyway.--Simon

Dane: A Christmas Wish


Liliana Hart - 2013
    It is highly recommended that you start with DANE since A CHRISTMAS WISH takes up where that novella ends. The response to the MacKenzie Brothers Novellas has been overwhelming, and I can't tell you how much it warms my heart that you fell in love with this family. I've decided to revisit each of the brothers because of all the wonderful emails I've received over the past couple of years asking, "What happens next?" Back Cover Blurb:Dane MacKenzie has made mistakes, but despite them all, he's reconnected with the woman he's always loved and the son he never knew he had. But things haven't gone the way he hoped. Charlotte still hasn't set a wedding date, and he's a stranger to his son. The only thing Dane wants for Christmas is for them to be a real family. A carefully planned seduction, an old legend, and a family that never gives up on each other will give Dane the chance to get his Christmas wish.

Heavy Secrets


Elle Aycart - 2015
    She's made Alden her home and is happily engaged to a man who loves and accepts her for who she is, curves, quirks, and geekiness included. Life is good. Until mommy dearest blows into town to "help" her clueless daughter seal the deal. Cole Bowen is experiencing a world of firsts: first time in love, first engagement, first Valentine's, first in-laws. He's found the woman of his dreams, so he figured dealing with Martha Sheridan was a small price to pay. That is before his monster-in-law plants herself in their home and inside Christy's head, stirring up old demons and destroying her newly regained self-esteem. And while his hands are full with trying to neutralize their meddlesome guest, a mysterious phone call turns his world upside down.With ghosts from the past resurfacing and threatening to tear Cole and Christy apart, can they make it to the wedding they both so desperately want, or will heavy secrets send their relationship to the breaking point?

Surrender


Melody Anne - 2013
    Arianna (Ari) Lynn Harlow has led a charmed life until tragedy strikes her family. He’s looking for a no-emotions attached mistress, she’s looking for redemption.They are not a pair that should ever work, but undeniable attraction and devastating tragedies bring them together in the city by the bay where he fights to keep their relationship nothing more than an enjoyable way to meet his needs, and she battles to not lose herself in him. Spending time with Ari starts cracking the hard shell that Rafe has built around his heart, but he denies the affect she has on him until it’s too late to stop the inevitable conclusion that their relationship is headed for.Rafe once believed in happily ever after, coming from a large Italian family. He’s got the Midas touch, since every endeavor he tries turns to gold. That all ends when his wife walks out the door and leaves him blindsided. His devastation quickly turns to steel when he decides no woman will fool him again. From that point on he treats relationships as nothing more than business transactions where both party’s come out mutually benefited.Just when Ari has sunk to the lowest she’s ever been she finds an ad in the paper announcing a job that’s too good to be true. It turns out she’s right. She makes it through the intense rounds of interviews only to find out the job is for a mistress to the powerful Rafe Palazzo, owner of Palazzo Enterprises. Rafe gives her a day to think about whether she wants the position or not, and she’s sent on her way, only to find out her mother’s near-terminal position has taken a turn for the worse. Her mom’s only in the hospital because Ari messed up, and her mother’s the one who paid the price. Is Rafe her savior, or will he take her with him straight to the depths of hell?

Locked


Maya Cross - 2013
    The wine is bad and the decor worse. But when a sudden attack of curiosity leads her to sneak past security and into the back room, she discovers something unimaginable. The most lavish party she’s ever laid eyes on, in the most unlikely of places.But that’s nothing compared to what comes next, to the man she meets back there. Sebastian Lock. Gorgeous, commanding, and radiating charm, he is exactly the sort of silver-tongued rake Sophia has sworn to avoid. Unfortunately, he doesn’t care much for her promises.Every instinct tells her to run, but the chemistry between them is as inescapable as gravity. Soon, he’s opening her eyes to a whole new world of pleasures, pleasures she never thought she’d enjoy.There’s just one problem. Sebastian is more than he seems. Between the famous company he keeps and the almost paranoid secrecy of his employers, he’s a puzzle Sophia can’t quite solve, and his insistence on keeping things casual forces her to confront the demons of her past.Can she learn to trust again? Or will Sebastian’s privacy tear them apart?Contains light BDSM, including spanking, restraint, and anal playNote: This book is the first part of a trilogy that is designed to be read together, much like The Blackstone Affair. Sebastian and Sophia will get their happily ever after, but not until the last book.

Dating a Cougar


Donna McDonald - 2011
    It’s shocking at fifty to find herself wanting a sex life again, and even more shocking to be an older woman attracted to a younger man.Thirty-eight-year-old, medically retired Marine, Casey Carter, is incredibly sexy, but a relationship with the man is totally out of the question. Casey is related to her daughter’s boyfriend. The last thing Alexa needs is another talk-show worthy drama in her already complicated life, no matter how well Casey kisses.ABOUT THE NEVER TOO LATE SERIES:Tired of younger heroines and heroes getting all the action? How about something different? The Never Too Late series is a collection of six sexy, romantic comedies about finding love and romance after turning 40 and 50.These contemporary romances are intentionally heavy on humor and light on tears. The heroines are successful in life, but not successful in love, as their friends are quick to point out. The heroes are drool-worthy, confident, and know what it takes to make a woman feel loved and wanted.

Show Me the Way


A.L. Jackson - 2017
    Jackson . . . Rex Gunner. As bitter as he is beautiful. The owner of the largest construction company in Gingham Lakes has been burned one too many times.His wife leaving him to raise their daughter was the last blow this single dad could take.The only woman he'll let into his heart is his little girl. Rynna Dayne. As vulnerable as she is tempting.She ran from Gingham Lakes when she was seventeen. She swore to herself she would never return.Then her grandmother passed away and left her the deed to the diner that she once loved.When Rex meets his new neighbor, he knows he's in trouble.She's gorgeous and sweet and everything he can't trust.Until she becomes the one thing he can't resist. One kiss sends them tumbling toward ecstasy.But in a town this size, pasts are bound to collide.Caught in a web of lies, betrayal, and disloyalty, Rex must make a choice. Will he hide behind his walls or will he take the chance . . .