Book picks similar to
Merciless King by Ellie Jean


cocky-hero-club
arc
mafia
sports-romance

Cocky Jerk


Janine Infante Bosco - 2020
    The cop who pulled me over was good-looking, if you’re into clean cut guys with expressive eyes. He was also cocky and gave me three tickets.One for speeding.Another for blowing a light.And the third for not producing an insurance card.Jerk.When he finally let me go, I realized I was more than an hour late for my first day as an intern for the infamous advice column, Ask Ida. So much for trying to be the only one in my family with a legit job. Lucky for me, my new boss, Soraya, didn’t fire me on the spot. But that’s where my luck ran out.A couple of weeks later, in between fetching coffee and finding the missing paperclips, I received a text message from my dad, the president of the Corrupt Hellraisers MC, ordering me to the compound.Yeah, try explaining that to your new boss. Hey, I’ve gotta go. Everyone in my family is a criminal and we’re all on lockdown.You’re fired.Sure enough when I arrived at the clubhouse, everyone was in cuffs and the jerk who pulled me over was the one ushering my father out of the clubhouse.They say you never see the bad guys coming.Well, I didn’t see the cocky jerk coming either.

Dirty Player


Gwyn McNamee - 2020
    Only one word can describe Sebastian “Bash” Fury…DIRTY.He’s dirty hot.A dirty talker.And a dirty player.On the ice, he truly earns his nickname.He bashes opponents without regard for the rules or safety.Which is precisely why I can’t have him on my team.As the first female head coach in the NHL, all eyes are on me, waiting for me to fail.A man like Bash Fury is a liability who could ruin my career.Even worse, he’ll destroy my willpower.I should despise that cocky bastard.But something about his swagger and quick smile make him irresistibly charming.Despite my best efforts, things are heating up and the ice around my heart is starting to melt…All because of this dirty player.

Outmatched


Kristen Callihan - 2019
    When she landed her dream job in renewable energy, she thought she’d be entering a world at the forefront of progressive thinking. But the head boss prefers to promote employees who are “settled.” Thankfully, she’s found the perfect candidate, a fellow intellectual looking for some quick cash. What Parker gets is his protective big brother—Rhys Morgan. The tall, muscled ex-boxer with a foul mouth shows up just as her boss does, and now she’s stuck with the manipulative jerk.Responsibility weighs heavily on Rhys. Now permanently out of the ring, he’s trying to hold together his late father’s gym and keep his younger brother, Dean, on the straight and narrow. To save Dean from himself, Rhys takes his place, ready to give this society girl a piece of his mind. Instead, he finds an opportunity. Even though they can hardly stand each other, posing as Parker’s boyfriend is a win-win deal. She gets to keep her job, and he’ll charm her star-struck boss into sponsoring his gym. Problem is, they can barely keep their hands off each other. And what started as an easy deal isn’t so easy anymore. Because what future can a rough ex-boxer, afraid to open his heart, and a polished society geek, who has sworn off real relationships, possibly have? They say opposites attract. These opposites are about to combust on impact.

Cocky Captain


Ellie Masters - 2020
    He’s a cocky jet jock, a former Navy Blue Angel, and full of all the arrogance that comes with being the best of the best. I’m an ex-Zoomie, a female Air Force tanker pilot. The rivalry between our sister services is nothing compared to that between fighter jocks and tanker pilots. We’re bitter rivals and I’m low-man (woman) on the totem poleThe last thing I need is to spend six hours at thirty-five thousand feet locked in a cockpit with the cocky captain. But I have no choice. I’m his co-pilot, and we’re taking the CEO of Montague Enterprises, and his family, on a mini-vacation to the Grand Caymans.We have three days on the ground before we fly back.Three long days in paradise and he wants to spend them with me.I have a thing for fighter pilots.It isn’t animosity, exactly, but rather a deep-seated dislike. They get all the glory while the rest of us sit at the butt end of their jokes and wither beneath their ridicule.I hate fighter pilots. There, I said it. I hate the arrogant pricks with a passion.But after one look into those magnetic eyes, and the devastating wink which follows, I’m thinking of throwing caution to the wind. What harm can come from some innocent flirting? I’m not prepared for the air to sizzle when he’s close.I’m not ready for our explosive chemistry when he touches my skin.I’m not equipped for the fallout when our three days come to an end.Nothing can prepare me when I have to walk away.And I’m not ready for what comes next.He’s arrogant. He’s cocky. He’s determined to get what he wants.And he refuses to let this end.He’s fighting for a forever…with me.But, what if I’m not ready for our beginning?He's arrogant enough to prove me wrong.

Vicious Vet


Ashley Munoz - 2020
    Not until my firm closed up, my boss moved away, and I was asked, nearly begged to step in and help. Once I found a decent allergy medication and adjusted to the smell that accompanied the shelter, I was oddly excited to start my new venture.That is until I met our on-call Veterinarian.Greyson Knox.Local animal doctor, famously rich, unfathomably gorgeous and my worst nightmare.I can put up a good fight, always have, but against Greyson; I’ve always been flustered, irritated…weak.Especially after what happened.Four years I've managed to avoid him. I’ve stayed on my side of town with my head down and now he’s here…and I can’t escape him.Some men are cordial, kind, professional…but Greyson Knox is nothing but a vicious vet looking to score.My first order of business was to strip him of his job, get him out of my clinic. But like everything between us, it turned into a war.Except for this time, losing would strip me of something I never expected to have. Something I’ve been too afraid to want and when Greyson plays dirty by revealing a secret he’s been harboring; my battle lines grow weak, leaving me vulnerable for attack.

Insatiable Lover


Krystyna Allyn - 2021
    I get the job.Easy, right?Nope.I didn’t account for the annoyingly gorgeous Easton Roman, strolling late into orientation like he’s God’s gift to women.Puh-lease.Acting as if already crowned champion, the jerk had the nerve to flirt with me!(insert multiple expletives)He may have everyone fooled, but I see him for exactly what he is.Temptation.Easton can do whatever he wants to steer me from my eventual victory, but two can play at that game. If I have to flirt back, I will. If he wants to kiss me, bring it on.At some point in the game, it became real; our connection grew.I thought when the judges selected the winner, it would end us. But what really shattered our relationship was something neither of us saw coming.

Mother Clucker


Cat Johnson - 2020
    . .HEATHERHermosa Beach seems to be the place for throwing together unlikely opposites.My rooster Rowdy and his new crush, Pixy the goat.Me and the obnoxiously cocky cowboy from Texas . . .But unlike Rowdy and Pixy, there’s no way I’m going to fall for David Strickland.Nope. Not gonna happen. I could never be with a man so completely opposed to everything I believe . . . no matter how hot he is.DAVIDThere couldn’t be two people more different than the beautiful little tree hugger and rooster rescuer Heather and me.We can’t agree on anything, except that we disagree on everything—at some times more heatedly than other times. And believe me, things are starting to heat up between us, in more ways than one.She's the last thing I expected to find at an animal shelter in California. But now I found her, I have no intention of letting her go.I just have to get her on board with that plan.Mother Clucker is a standalone story inspired by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s Cocky Bastard. It's published as part of the Cocky Hero Club world, a series of original works, written by various authors, and inspired by Keeland and Ward's New York Times bestselling series.

Rockstar Rebel: A Hero Club Novel


Christine Besze - 2021
    Writing for an upscale magazine in New York City is a dream come true. Everything is perfect, until it isn’t.Now, I’m unemployed, single, pushing forty, and living back at home with my parents. Mid-life crisis anyone?Then he walks through my parents’ front door and it all fades away. Sebastian “Bash” Jagger is grown up and all man. This new version in front of me is as cocksure as they come. Some would even call him a Rock God. And he’s about to turn my world upside down with an offer I can’t refuse. There’s just one problem. He’s my younger brother’s best friend. My much younger brother.Sebastian:Fame and fortune; I’ve got it in spades. From the millions of fans screaming my name every night to the awards that line the walls of my mansion, I have it all. It’s a far cry from the dirty orphan who used to sleep on the floor of his best friend’s room.Still, having everything isn’t enough. Something is still missing. The second I walk through her parents’ front door and my eyes land on her, I know exactly what that is or rather who that is.London Ramone has been the star of every wet dream I’ve ever had. The forbidden fruit I couldn’t touch, but was dying to taste. She was beautiful then, but she’s stunning now. Opportunity is knocking—she needs a job and I have an offer she can’t refuse. If we both end up tangled in my sheets along the way that’s a bonus I can live with because I always get what I want and that won’t stop now.She thinks I’m too young for her, but I’m going to enjoy proving to her how wrong she is. After all, age is just a number and I have hers.

Audacious Fiancé


Liz Lovelock - 2020
    He was my first love, my first kiss, and my first heartbreak, from which I never truly healed.Kane was once the man of my dreams, on paper—strong, handsome, and a complete charmer. But the problem is, he has never given a damn about anyone but himself. I’ve never witnessed a desperate man until Kane knocked on my door with literally the proposal of a lifetime. I must admit, it’s ironic he’s come to me given the way things ended between us.It’s possibly the worst idea ever, but I need the money. How do I not fall for Kane all over again and risk history repeating itself? Only time will tell.

Lucky Bastard


Kaylee Ryan - 2020
    Landon Barker, the quarterback for the Hermosa Beach Trojans, is a player on and off of the field. He’s got his sights set on me as his next play, but I see right through him. Aubrey says I’m overreacting, that I should give him a chance. What she doesn’t realize is men like Landon don’t fall for the girl next door. That’s not reality. She got her fairytale, although it was a long road. Not all of us are that lucky.Landon She’s a friend of our new kicking coach’s wife. When I ask Chance for her number, he tells me I have to find a way to get it myself. Nothing when it comes to Emma has been easy. She’s the first woman ever to turn me down, and that won’t do. However, as time passes, it’s about more than that. It’s about her smile, her laugh, and just spending time with her. She thinks I’m a player, and she’s right. What she doesn’t know is that I play to win, and her heart is the ultimate trophy.

Fateful Fighter


Kathy Coopmans - 2020
    No woman who is still in love with her husband anyway. Our marriage has been tested, repeatedly. It’s been dragged through tabloids and rumors and fans that just won’t let us be. Through it all, we’ve remained unbreakable.We didn’t have the perfect marriage because perfection doesn’t exist.But we had love. We had trust. We had chemistry that to this day sets everything inside meon fire. Then one life-threatening statement creates a chain of lies that leaves me no choice but to say those horrible words. I never thought I’d say them. I never thought my husband would ignore me when I did.I never thought the man I love would sever the vows we took.I never thought I’d pack my bags and move from our home in L.A. to our getaway cottage in Hermosa Beach.Then again, I never thought he'd choose the fate of his life over his fate with me.

Dirty Cowboy


Erin Trejo
    I knew who I was and what direction my life was headed. I owned the most prestigious night clubs down the east coast yet I kept my identity a secret. I don’t like being in the lime light and my hometown was none of anyone’s business. However, making people happy was. I did that with my clubs. Until the day tragedy struck my family. I had a choice to make and it wasn’t an easy one.At the end of the day, family always comes first. I went home to take care of my mom and the ranch. I didn’t plan on that little smart mouth Hope showing up with a laptop in hand. Just out of a cheating relationship the girl was hell bent on hating all men. Me included. Hating me wasn’t the only thing she came back home for. She needed a quiet place to write her next article. Her interest? The man that suddenly closed down all the upscale clubs on the east coast.I wanted to be anonymous for a reason. I didn’t want the cameras and all the tabloids in mine or my family’s business. So, I don’t give her anything. Well, nothing she wants anyhow.I give her the cowboy, the man that I’ve once again become with the dirty mouth. Until she learns the truth and wants to run with it. I should have known that a second chance at love wouldn’t happen for me. All fairy tales have to end, right?

Chasing Down the Dream


Jaymee Jacobs - 2021
    The skinny teenager she once knew is gone, and when Asher strips off his shirt to work in the boiling heat, Kasey can't take her eyes off his glistening, muscular chest. Now she needs more than air conditioning to cool her desires.Asher Wallace has had a crush on Kasey ever since he realized girls don’t have cooties. She’s beautiful, talented, and fun. But as his best friend’s older sister, she’s completely out of his league. Once Kasey left Oak Bend to pursue a fashion career in New York City, Asher shelved his boyhood crush and moved on from his college hockey days and into the family's heating and cooling business.When Kasey and Asher finally connect, there’s enough heat to melt a Michigan winter. But when Kasey stumbles onto a new, profitable fashion venture, will she leave Asher behind for the bright lights of the big city once more? Or can Asher prove to Kasey that love and success can be found close to home?Chasing Down the Dream is part of the Blue Collar Romance series, a multi-author series of standalone novels. Welcome to Oak Bend, where blue-collar hotties work hard and love even harder, especially when it comes to landing their happily ever after.

Denial


Lisa Renee Jones - 2015
    This is a standalone spin-off of the INSIDE OUT series (soon to be a TV show) that follows Ella Ferguson, Sara McMillan's best friend.Ella Ferguson awakes alone in Italy, unsure of who she is, and a gorgeous man has claimed her as his own. He’s tall, dark, and sexy, with money and power, the kind of man who makes a girl want to be possessed. And he does possess her, whispering wicked wonderful promises to her, stealing her trust and her heart. Soon though, the past finds her, yanking her from a cocoon of passion and safety. Everything is not how it seems. The truth will shatter her world, but it can set her free, if it doesn't destroy her first.

The Bachelor Auction


Rachel Van Dyken - 2016
    Sure, she had a rough start, but didn't she eventually land a prince and a happily-ever-after? Meanwhile, Jane is busy waiting on her demanding, entitled sisters, running her cleaning business, and . . . yep, not a prince in sight. Until a party and a broken shoe incident leave Jane wondering if princes---or at least, a certain deliciously hunky billionaire---maybe do exist.Except Brock Wellington isn't anyone's dream guy. Hell, a prince would never agree to be auctioned off in marriage to the highest bidder. Or act like an arrogant jerk---even if it was just a façade. Now, as Brock is waiting for the auction chopping block, he figures it's karmic retribution that he's tempted by a sexy, sassy woman he can't have. But while they can't have a fairy-tale ending, maybe they can indulge in a little bit of fantasy . .