Book picks similar to
Purchased For Submission by Jamila Jasper
giveaways
romance
interracial
bwwm
The Travelers
Regina Porter - 2019
James muddles through a topsy-turvy relationship with his son, Rufus, which is further complicated when Rufus marries Claudia Christie.Claudia’s mother—Agnes Miller Christie—is a beautiful African American woman who survives a chance encounter on a Georgia road that propels her into a new life in the Bronx. Soon after, her husband, Eddie Christie, is called to duty on an air craft carrier in Vietnam, where Tom Stoppard’s play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” becomes Eddie’s life anchor, as he grapples with mounting racial tensions on the ship and counts the days until he will see Agnes again.These unforgettable characters’ lives intersect with a cast of lovers and friends—the unapologetic black lesbian who finds her groove in 1970s Berlin; a moving man stranded in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, during a Thanksgiving storm; two half-brothers who meet as adults in a crayon factory; and a Coney Island waitress whose Prince Charming is too good to be true.With piercing humor, exacting dialogue, and a beautiful sense of place, Regina Porter’s debut is both an intimate family portrait and a sweeping exploration of what it means to be American today.
He Is Poison
K.A. Merikan - 2014
---Domenico Acerbi. The Villani Family’s best assassin. Ruthless. Vicious. With no patience for weakness.Seth Villani. The Don’s son. Clueless. Stubborn. In dire need of someone to keep him in line.Domenico Acerbi grew up ready to give his life for the Family. Ready to follow orders and exceed expectations. A proud man of honor.The last thing he wants to deal with is training the Don’s son for his future role within the organization. Lazy, annoying, spoiled, and as hot as a Sicilian summer, Seth Villani is no mafia material. But a man who could never become a threat might just be what Domenico needs. Seth Villani wants nothing to do with the mafia. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get a say when he’s pulled back into the fold. Thrown into a den of serpents otherwise known as the Villani Family, Seth has to find a way to navigate the maze of lies. But when Domenico Acerbi, the most vicious snake of them all, sinks his fangs into Seth, letting go becomes impossible. If Seth is doomed to follow in his father's footsteps, he might as well enjoy himself with the most intoxicating man he’s ever met. Maybe he can even fool himself into believing that Domenico isn’t a handsome sociopath who kills for a living. POSSIBLE SPOILERS:Themes: Enemies to lovers, mafia, homophobia, assassin, organized crime, forced proximityWARNING: Adult content. Sizzling hot scenes. If you are easily offended, this book is not for you. ‘Guns n’ Boys’ is a gritty story of extreme violence, offensive language, abuse, and morally ambiguous protagonists. Behind the morbid facade, there is a splash of inappropriate dark humor, and a love story that will crawl under your skin.
The Ugly Princess: The Legend of the Winnowwood
Henderson Smith - 2014
I mean staggeringly beautiful, men falling at your feet with hopeless adoration as they gaze upon you dumbfounded. That beautiful. I could become that beautiful if I chose, but only with a steep price. Would you pay the price? Does that call to your heart? It doesn’t call to mine. Yes, when I look at the girl in the mirror, I see a young woman of average height and slight build. I see her lovely emerald green eyes and I see her coarse, orange hair poking out in all directions like some unnatural haystack. I see the forty-seven warts that line her face, which accompany one large lump and two small boils. You’d probably think that I would be more than eager to trade for the great gift of beauty because I know some, if not all of you, would call me hideous. But I don’t think of myself as ugly. I think of myself as powerful, strong and fierce – for I have magical powers – powers that amaze and terrify me at times. And today is the most important day of my life, because today my mother will say the words over me and seal my fate. For I, Olive, am the last of the Winnowwood and this is my story. Based on the award winning screenplay of the same name, The Ugly Princess will take you on an amazing adventure filled with twists, turns and an ending that will take your breath away because it is also a love story of the most unusual, magical kind. “In the tradition of The Princess Bride (with somewhat less whimsy) and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, Smith’s debut is a fairy tale in a new world…. The twists along this charming road make for an enchanting journey.” -- Kirkus Reviews --
The Beast
Jaden Wilkes - 2014
From the rough streets of Moscow to the highest ranks in the Solntsevskaya Bratva, he has seen it all.An attack four years ago left him disfigured and in seclusion, hiding from reactions to his appearance and in safety from those who failed to kill him the first time.Comfortable in his penthouse, managing his billion dollar businesses, he's resigned himself to be alone, simply called The Beast among those who've dealt with him in the past.Columbia Grey is a pseudo-activist trying to save her neighbourhood from a developer intent on levelling it to build apartment towers. She goes along with a plan to confront the CEO of the company on his own turf, to force him to listen to her demands...all in a pathetic attempt to impress a man she barely likes.Little does she know, she's taken herself into the mouth of the beast, a man familiar with death and destruction, sex and seduction, a man used to getting exactly what he wants and a man with nothing left to lose.She's a beauty, but will that be enough to tame the beast and save her life?*** This is not a fairy tale, this is what happens when the music ends and life goes on after the credits roll. This is about simply existing until you find yourself and write your own happily ever after, no matter what form it takes.
Gio's Bella
Vivian Rose Lee - 2017
It was her only resort. She allowed her best friend to set her up as an escort to make the money needed to take care of her sick mother. However, when she knocked on his penthouse door, the client was not at all what she expected. Could she go through with this, after meeting the man that caused her to stop breathing and move on when it was all over? International businessman Enzi “Gio” Giordano was only in the states because of a poker game. He wanted his best friend to set him up with a beautiful woman for company during his stay. When he saw her, at first, he thought his jokester pal had pulled off another prank. That thought soon evaporated, when the little vixen told him off and vanished, but not before destroying his money. Never having to chase a woman before, why was he so frantic to find this stranger who had his heart racing?
Two Months and Three Days
Tatiana Vedenska
Also available in Kindle Unlimited. As a 19-year-old, Arina, a student of the Veterinary Medicine University in Moscow and a vet clinic worker, wanders into Maxim’s photo exhibition, the only son of an oligarch and a photographer of expressive art, the air is immediately charged with sexual tension. She is struck by the cruelty and violence that is erupting from his world. He is dazzled by her innocence, beauty, and aloofness.Maxim is a handsome, talented, sophisticated and rich man. Somehow, he cannot think of anything but her. He offers her a contract for the next two months and three days. Therefore, somewhere in the grey zone between art and burning passion both Arina and Maxim start on a life-changing romantic adventure by connecting Moscow, Berlin, and London. However, apart from the fancy art exhibitions, expensive restaurants, and private jets she, step by step, uncovers Maxim’s dark and dangerous past and understands that everything comes at a high price. Moreover, all Arina and Maxim’s friends and both families insist on end their relations. *** Two Months and Three Days by Tatiana Vedenska is the opening book of the #SinisterRomance series. Deeply emotional, empathic and steamy read with a spirited romance for adults. A brilliantly crafted love story that explores themes such as joy vs. happiness, belonging and identity, naivety vs. experience, family bonds, and relationships.
The Pervert, The Monster, and The Sex-Bot
Christine Gray - 2018
Lucky Bastard, Mr. Asshole, and a Perverted Drunk all walk into a club. Stop me if you heard this joke, but I doubt you’ve heard something as fucked up as this tale."- Keagan One night of passion with Monae will make for a very interesting partnership when they come face to face, months later. Who was to know that the mystery woman with an unquenchable sexual appetite would be the lead detective he's riding with? This is an assignment Keagan can't resist....and might be the downfall of her relationship. Then again, Monae getting rid of her current Joker to make room for a King, like Keagan, maybe worth all the troubles doing so will bring. Throw in trying to solve a case involving a Sex Bot, a Monster that had it coming, a slew of Suspects, and Monae's thirsty ass sister all while trying to keep his dick in his pants will make for a helluva first week. After it's all done though, Keagan will be the name lingering on everyone's lips.
Charlock's Secret
Leah Moyes - 2020
Trapped in time, her survival and return are threatened by her tortured heart.Ensnared by hopelessness and grief, 24-year-old Kat Shelton, accepts a position as the curator of an old English estate with the sole purpose of running away from her memories and to bury life’s pain.What she finds on her journey is much more than she bargained for—an arrogant employer, patronizing staff, and a chaotic system, to name a few. Then to top it all off, an unforeseen tumble down the antiquated cellar steps brings her to a sudden halt.Waking up in the year 1878, and mistaken for the children’s new governess, Kat scrambles to navigate nineteenth-century British lifestyle and culture. An impossible feat if it weren’t for the help of the Gilford girls and their charming and handsome brother, Merritt.Will Kat find the strength, love, and forgiveness she yearns for in the past? Or will her path bring her back to the reality she fears?
The Banished Highlander
Keira Montclair - 2019
Buried secrets. A love like no other. Ruari Cameron considers himself a failure. His brother, Aedan, became chieftain of the Camerons upon their sire’s death, but Ruari was too young to serve as his second. Now, at eight and twenty summers, he still has no defined position within the clan. He has no children, either, and his marriage ended so horribly he refuses to consider marrying again. Determined to prove himself once and for all, he pours himself into the goal of becoming Aedan’s second—until he meets a young lass for whom he’ll risk everything. When Juliana meets Ruari, she’s instantly attracted to him, but she knows it’s not to be. She has two choices for the future—become a nun, like her sister, or marry the powerful older suitor her sire favors. She wants neither choice, but no one has asked her for her opinion. No one except for Ruari. The Highlander makes her dream of another life, one in which she can have love and bairns, but her family's secrets tug her away from him. Although pursuing a novice might cost Ruari the position he covets, he cannot stay away from Juliana. But will their forbidden love cost them both everything they hold dear?
The Cookbook Club: A Novel of Food and Friendship
Beth Harbison - 2020
MUST LOVE BUTTER: The Cookbook Club is now open to members. Foodies come join us! No diets! No skipping dessert!Margo Everson sees the call out for the cookbook club and knows she’s found her people. Recently dumped by her self-absorbed husband, who frankly isn’t much of a loss, she has little to show for her marriage but his ‘parting gift’—a dilapidated old farm house—and a collection of well-loved cookbooksAja Alexander just hopes her new-found friends won’t notice that that every time she looks at food, she gets queasy. It’s hard hiding a pregnancy, especially one she can’t bring herself to share with her wealthy boyfriend and his snooty mother. Trista Walker left the cutthroat world of the law behind and decided her fate was to open a restaurant…not the most secure choice ever. But there she could she indulge her passion for creating delectable meals and make money at the same time.The women bond immediately, but it’s not all popovers with melted brie and blackberry jam. Margo’s farm house is about to fall down around her ears; Trista’s restaurant needs a makeover and rat-removal fast; and as for Aja, just how long can you hide a baby bump anyway?In this delightful novel, these women form bonds that go beyond a love grilled garlic and soy sauce shrimp. Because what is more important in life than friendship…and food?
The Brightest Star
Fern Michaels - 2020
A sparkling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels is exactly what you need to get in the spirit of the season.
Christmas is more than just a celebration for Lauren Montgomery. For generations, it’s been her family’s livelihood. Their Christmas shop, Razzle Dazzle Décor, has seen seasonal fads come and go, but there’s one trend they can’t escape. Online superstores are swallowing their sales, and this Christmas season will need to be their best ever if the store is to stay in business. To help keep the shop afloat, Lauren also has a sideline, writing biographies for business figures. She’s thrilled when her literary agent contacts her with a new proposal—before learning that the subject will be none other than John Gerald Giompalo. He’s the titan behind Globalgoods.com, the online retailer that has spelled doom for hundreds of small businesses just like Razzle Dazzle Décor. Despite her misgivings, Lauren travels to Seattle to confer with the mogul, and is caught off guard when his son, John Jr., attends the meeting too. Handsome, intelligent, and deeply kind, he’s perfect—apart from the fact that he’s part of the company threatening everything Lauren loves. As her deadline, and Christmas, draw closer, Lauren knows that there’s more than her family’s shop at stake. Her heart is, too. But there’s no better time than the holidays to make a secret wish on the brightest star you see—and let the season’s magic take hold.
Brutal Captor #1-6
Amber Adams
In return, he holds her captive.April Cooker loves her life as an ER doctor but in a horrific twist of fate she suddenly finds herself whisked away to a heavily guarded mansion in order to care for a man she found bleeding to death in an alley. This is no ordinary situation. She has walked into the world of Valentin Ivankov, Russian mafia don. Forced to tend to his injuries, April starts to learn more about the man whose life she has just saved and can’t help but wonder if she’ll ever see her own life again outside the magnificent mansion that has become her prison. Will this devastatingly handsome but dangerous man let her go or is she forever trapped in this world by her brutal captor?Book II: Escape is her only thought. He is determined to make her his, permanently.April has now learned who her patient is and he doesn’t seem intent on letting her go.When her own secret is revealed there is suddenly more at stake regarding her life than ever. As she catches glimpses of the real man beneath his cold and hard exterior, April is drawn into the dark, violent world of the handsome Valentin Ivankov. Will she be able to resist this dangerous man or will she find herself helplessly drawn into the arms of her Brutal Captor?Book III: Being drawn to her captor was never the plan. His tenderness something he never knew that he had.Russian mafia don, Valentin Ivankov, has taken Dr. April Cooker away from everything she’s ever known and, much to her shock, he’s now announced he’ll be taking her as his wife. Escape is still her only thought. But, while she attempts to gain his trust she finds herself unable to resist the pulse-raising effect he has on her.Craving the touch of her Brutal Captor is not something she ever would have thought possible and his tenderness something she never expected. Perhaps it’s not just her life that’s in danger but also her heart.Book IV: The captive comes to hold power over her captor.A mafia Don is expected to take a wife, not necessarily to love one. Marrying April was purely a strategy in order to gain leverage against his fiercest enemy. But now, Valentin finds himself helpless against her. Each day he sees more and more that without April his life would be empty and meaningless and he will stop at nothing to protect her. And it’s this that is planting April right in the crosshairs of the violent mafia war with the Ivankov family’s longest standing competitor, Capeci. Who just happens to be April’s father.Will Valentin’s love for April be the thing that destroys both of them in the end?Book V: Having a future with him is exactly what she wants, or so she thought.Against all odds, April has fallen in love with her Brutal Captor and the man who forced her to marry him. The passion she and Valentin share is like nothing she has ever experienced before and having a future with him is exactly what she wants. Or so she thought. April soon finds out that perhaps the only thing you can count on in Valentin’s world is betrayal and ever-present danger... especially at the hands of family.Book VI: It’s life or death for both of them. Is blood always thicker than water?The war raging with his enemy Capeci is not letting up and April finds herself forced, once again, to play the role of a pawn at the dangerous hands of her father. The extent of the Capeci’s stronghold over Valentin and the Ivankov bratva is finally displayed in a crushing blow that brings Valentin to his knees. A final showdown with Capeci is about to go down and April herself has been positioned as the sacrificial lamb. Is the new love of Valentin and April strong enough for them to triumph over this nightmare or is it true that at the end of the day blood is always thicker than water?
The Hobgoblin of Little Minds
Mark Matthews - 2021
All she wanted was for him to get better, but instead he disappeared. Kori trespasses into the abandoned Northville Psychiatric Hospital, the last place her dad was treated, seeking solace and traces of his memory. What she finds instead is something no longer human living deep in the underground tunnels.During the last days of the hospital, a rogue psychiatrist had been manipulating the mood swings of the mentally ill, transforming patients into savage, manic creatures who seek justice by the light of the full moon. When the creatures hunt for prey, only an escaped patient and her beloved child can help Kori survive. But they better act fast, because the creatures want blood, Kori wants to save her dad, and the whole hospital is about to be blown to pieces and bury Kori alive.