Book picks similar to
Flirting With The Competition by Kerri Carpenter


romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance
novella

Under the Hood


Sally Clements - 2013
     When sexy mechanic Alice Starr mistakenly believes attorney Mark Jameson needs her help, he discovers he likes being rescued for a change. Smitten by her confidence, he hides his expertise so he has an excuse to see her again.Starting their new all-female garage, Under the Hood, is keeping Alice and her friends busy. She doesn't have time for a man. But with one kiss, she and Mark have advanced into water so deep she's in danger of drowning. So why hasn't he called?Mark wants to tell Alice the truth so they can pursue a relationship. But he's got even bigger problems at his office when his bitter aunt threatens Alice’s livelihood. He needs a plan, fast, or else Under the Hood and his chances with Alice could both be ruined.

Eat Play Lust


Tawna Fenske - 2013
    Not even an irresistible man can replace the mouthwatering wickedness of her favorite foods. Until, that is, Paul Hammond signs up for her class. He’s a gourmet chef looking to score some fitness tips, and a date with Cami. Suddenly Cami’s lust for junk food isn’t the only thing making her tingle. When this sinful chef and hot yoga teacher eat, play, and lust together, they just might bring their obsession to a new level.

The Shopping Swap


Erin Brady - 2012
    She needs to convince Richard, her attorney boyfriend of five years, that he’s finally ready for a commitment. How? By planning an unforgettable night starting with a romantic dinner for two and ending in the bedroom. And to help things along, Maggie has spent half of her salary on sexy black lingerie from Crandall’s Department Store that Richard won’t be able to resist. Except, once home, Maggie realizes she has someone else’s shopping bag and instead of her very expensive lingerie, she’s stuck with a housecoat that wouldn’t turn anyone’s head, least of all Richard's.When Maggie goes back to the scene of the swap, she runs into Benjamin Saunders, a tall, dark and handsome stranger, who not only has what she wants but may also turn out to have what she needs. Suddenly what Maggie thinks she has with Richard is called into question and she’s not sure of anything.

Love Thy Neighbor


Sophie Wintner - 2014
    She's lost her business, and her fiancé who called off their engagement. Now she's broke and on her own, living in a loft apartment she can barely afford. But something in her feng shui must be working, because her new neighbor across the hall is a sexy Brit fashion photographer...and he has just the thing to turn Nikki's bad luck around.Dallas is tired of stick-thin fashion models with no personality. So when his curvaceous new neighbor, Nikki, seeks his help in making her ex jealous, Dallas is only too happy to oblige the woman who sets his libido on fire every time she walks into a room. Dallas, not being one to make commitments, thinks all he wants is a little taste of Nikki. But will it be enough?Just as Nikki and Dallas hatch their plan, the wicked chemistry between them—growing more irresistible by the second—complicates things. Now the lines between make-believe and making love blur. Have Nikki and Dallas found a perfect arrangement... or have they designed the perfect plan for disaster?

Betting on her Best Friend


Gina L. Maxwell - 2014
    This edition has been re-edited and a second epilogue has been added that introduces the couple in book 2, Friendly Engagement (coming early 2022).She’s flying to Vegas, hoping to get lucky…Tired of waiting for her best friend to see her as more, Alyssa Matthews heads to a romance reader convention in Las Vegas, and if things go as planned, she’ll be hooking up with one of the sexy cover models and forget all about her off-limits BFF.He’s following her, hoping she’ll take a gamble on him…Dylan Aleksander is not the forever kind of guy. So, as much as he craves his best friend, he doesn’t act on his feelings at the risk of ruining their friendship. But when he realizes that Alyssa is determined to have a random hookup in Vegas, he hauls ass after her to make sure he’s the one she chooses.It’s time to go all-in, and roll the dice…Risking everything, they agree to be friends-with-benefits for the weekend, and after years of holding back, their explosive chemistry burns hotter than the desert sun. It’s perfect.So, when Alyssa says she wants to honor their three-day agreement, Dylan has to work fast to convince her that what happens in Vegas, shouldn’t always stay in Vegas.

Double Dare


Rhonda Nelson - 2000
    Sheltered by her overbearing father, Louisa has years of catching up to do and can think of no better person than gorgeous Sam Rawlins to show her. Is she ready for the time of her life? Hell, yes.Ordinarily unflappable adventure guide Sam Rawlins makes his living showing the wealthy how to have fun, but nothing in his experience could have prepared him for the "adventure" Louisa Honeycut asks for. He might be showing Louisa the time of her life, but the quirky little snack-cake heiress is soon turning Sam's own life upside down...and perversely, he likes the new vantage point.

Her Ex Next Door


Beverly Farr
    But sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.Ginny is planning to get married in six weeks, but then her ex-husband Derek shows up. Derek has always been trouble -- too smart, too sexy, too unreliable. Ginny wants nothing to do with him, but now he’s rich, and he has mischief on his mind. Ginny does not want to trade her dreams of happily-ever-after for a guaranteed heartache.Author’s Note: in this book you will find a late night rendezvous, a wedding, a financial crisis, a sexy millionaire, and brownies.Her Ex Next Door is a sweet, quirky, clean romance.

The Reunion Lie


Lucy King - 2013
    Including Zoe! Especially once she's seen the view from his bedroom - this might be a fake engagement, but she's certainly not faking anything else!Now the reunion is over, and Zoe and Dan have convinced the world they're meant to be! But convincing each other? A whole different challenge...

Bound to the Bachelor


Sarah Mayberry - 2015
    Dig deep to secure the attentions of one of Montana’s most eligible – and elusive – bachelors.Lily Taylor knows Beau Bennett dislikes her, but that won’t stop her from asking him to volunteer for the Bachelor Auction she’s organized to help her friend Molly provide for her tragically injured son, Josh. If Beau’s gorgeous face, piercing blue eyes and chiseled body inspires the women of Marietta to dig into their pockets for a good cause, then Lily will do whatever it takes to secure his participation.Beau Bennett isn’t sure how he wound up on the auction block being eyed up by hundreds of eager women, but he knows who to blame for it – Lily Taylor, the sexy, distracting, off-limits best friend of his kid sister. As far as he’s concerned, the sooner this nightmare is over, the better.The last thing either of them expects is for Lily to wind up bidding on – and winning – Beau, or that their date will lead to Beau stepping in to save Lily when her past comes back to haunt her. As Beau does his best to keep Lily safe, they discover that maybe they don’t dislike each other quite as much as they thought.In fact, maybe it’s just the opposite…

Flirting with Fire


Piper Rayne - 2018
    Even back when I was 'Fatty Maddie' to all my classmates, I had eyes for the quarterback of our football team. Not like I was the only one.Mauro Bianco may fight fires for a living, but he still sets my heart ablaze. One look at the rugged, muscular man he's turned into and I want to slide down his pole. One date. That's all I'm committed to. A few hours and I can tuck him back into that tattered old shoebox in my closet.As always, the universe has other plans. I never would've predicted that in a matter of days he'd turn from my dream guy into my business partner — and that's when things got interesting.

One Night of Sin


Elle Kennedy - 2014
    She doesn’t do one-night-stands, but one look at sinfully sexy Gage Holt and she’s willing to reconsider. He makes her want to be bad for once in her life, and she’s prepared to take what she wants.Danger follows former MMA fighter Gage Holt like a shadow. Despite his successes as part owner of Sin, an exclusive nightclub in Boston, Gage can’t risk getting involved with a woman, especially one as sweet as Skyler. Still, he can’t resist a taste—and it’s so damn good he has to see her again. As addicted as he is to her, Gage knows there’s no future for him and Skyler—not with his past lurking in the dark corners of an MMA cage. But Skylar’s tougher than she looks, and she’s ready to fight for her man.

Plus One


Brighton Walsh - 2013
    She has an amazing condo in the city, great friends, and a successful bakery she built from the ground up…what more does she need? Ian Donnelly has been in love with his older sister's best friend, Olivia, for years. He even moved away after college to get some distance from her and the intense feelings she stoked in him. But when Olivia swears off men just in time for wedding season, he impulsively volunteers to be her stand-in wedding date.The sparks that fly between them take Olivia by surprise. Ian is nothing like she remembered, and when they fall into bed, he’s everything she could ever want. What’s the harm of a no-strings summer fling? Strictly physical, of course—her track record in relationships isn’t exactly glowing.Nine wedding dates. That’s all that Ian has to show Olivia he wants more than just a summer of fun. He wants to be her plus one forever.

Making Waves


Ophelia London - 2014
    But when she learns the notoriously reclusive pro-surfer Chase Ryder is coming out of retirement for a competition, she knows she's found the perfect exclusive to save her career. Of course, then she learns he's the gorgeous, secretly nerdy guy who broke her heart a year ago.Will Davenport—aka Chase Ryder—doesn't do interviews. He keeps his real name out of the papers and doesn't mix his public life with his private. That is, until the still-heartbroken Justine blackmails him into giving her an exclusive. Seeing Justine, stunningly beautiful as ever, brings back all the feelings he had before. But despite their smoldering attraction, nothing has changed since he had to leave her the first time.Each book in the Perfect Kisses series is a standalone, full-length story that can be enjoyed out of order.Book #1 - Playing at Love Book #2 – Speaking of Love Book #3 – Falling for Her SoldierBook #4 – Making Waves

Wasted Words


Staci Hart - 2016
    Spaghetti and meatballs are best friends forever. And guys like Tyler Knight don’t go for girls like Cam Emerson.She knew from the second she met him that he didn’t belong on her bookshelf, the six-foot-six ex-tight end with a face so all-American, it could have sold apple pie. So she shelved him next to the supermodels and rock stars and took her place on her own shelf — the one with the flannel-clad, pasty-faced comic book nerds. Most of her boyfriends have existed between the pages of books, but rather than worrying over her own lacking love life, she puts all her energy into playing Cupid, using her job at the book bar, Wasted Words, as her stomping ground.Tyler Knight always looks on the bright side. His career-ending injury turned into a job as a sports agent. A horrible breakup led him to Cam, his quirky, smart roommate who is far more beautiful than she realizes. She’s made it perfectly clear she’s not interested in him — not like that at least — but if she ever changes her mind, he won’t hesitate. Because he doesn’t see the lines she’s drawn between them, as much as she insists that they’re there. Deep down he knows that despite their differences, they’re a match well made.*A romantic comedy inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma.*

The Millionaire's Wish


Abigail Strom - 2011
    All Allison Landry had to do was date software CEO Rick Hunter for a few months. In return, he'd help fund her financially strapped charity. How could a woman refuse? Especially when he came wrapped up in the most gorgeous masculine package Allison had ever seen.Footloose bachelor Rick had a reputation to uphold - but continuing his playboy ways meant losing the only home he'd ever known. Which made Allison so perfect - after all, neither of them was looking for a permanent relationship. Yet the beguiling good girl was soon making him dream about forever after - and Rick knew he'd do whatever it took to seal "this" deal with a kiss....