Book picks similar to
The Moretti Novels Box Set by M.J. Carnal


contemporary-romance
tough-guys
would-reread
part-of-a-series

One to Hold


Tia Louise - 2013
    Melissa Jones is a small-town girl trying to escape her troubled past. When the two intersect in a bar in Arizona, their sexual chemistry is off the charts. But what is revealed during their "one week stand" only complicates matters. Because she'll do everything in her power to get away from the past, but he'll do everything he can to hold her. Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. (M/F)

A Moment


Marie Hall - 2013
    Life didn't turn out the way I'd ever hoped it would. I got pregnant at 14. Same year my mom got diagnosed with MS. Dad bailed on us and my life felt like it suddenly started to spiral out of control. I'm 21 now, I go to college, I work hard, trying to make something of myself. I wasn't supposed to be at that burlesque bar Valentine's Day. I wasn't supposed to meet Ryan Cosgrove, but I did. And now nothing will ever be the same. Love born from pain... I'm a retired Marine, an MMA fighter, and when I was younger something terrible happened to me. Life is hard and I'm so tired of pretending its not. I'm in a burlesque bar, drowning my sorrows, trying to shut out the demons breathing down my neck always reminding me I'm not good enough. Then I see Liliana Delgado and something inside of me- something I'd thought long dead- stirs to life. I wonder... can she save me? I hope she can, because I don't think I can save myself. This is our moment...

Love Handles


Gretchen Galway - 2011
    She hates the gym, is nice to everybody, and shops at Ross Dress for Less. When she's not teaching preschool, she's wearing yoga pants... to nap in. So when she inherits her estranged grandfather's fitnesswear company in San Francisco, nobody expects her to keep it. Fite Fitness needs a heartless suit to save it from bankruptcy, not a thirty-year-old woman who cries when her students leave for kindergarten.Someone like Liam Johnson. A former Olympic swimmer, Liam is Fite's executive vice president. Unlike Bev, he's devoted his life to Fite's success. Managing one little preschool teacher — and his attraction to her — shouldn't be an issue. Right?But Bev's tired of being underpaid and underrated, and refuses to step aside as an obedient figurehead. To everyone's shock and horror, she moves up to San Francisco, sets up an office, and dives into the business. Nothing — not mockery, not exercise, not sabotage, not a disastrously hot night with her aggravating VP — is going to scare her away.As Liam realizes she's tougher than she looks, he discovers that losing Fite might not be nearly as bad as losing her...A story about the pursuit of love, happiness, and the perfect yoga pants, Love Handles will speak to anyone who's ever had to face the thing that scares her most.Warning: contains at least two loves scenes and a happy ending.

Never Close Enough


Anie Michaels - 2013
    At her greatest moment of need, a protective and sexy Porter Masters comes to her rescue. Ella takes a holiday week at the coast to discover herself and finds her attraction to Porter potent and undeniable. Uncertain of their future together, Ella struggles to open her heart to trust again. Porter Masters takes care of his own: his single mother, his company, and now he’s compelled to protect the beauty that walked into his world. Never one for relationships in his past, Porter discovers that he was waiting all along for Ella. As their time together comes to an end, will Porter fight for the woman who stole his heart? Porter will find a way to keep her, despite the obstacles.

The Complete Now Series


Brenda Rothert - 2014
    But then – in the years before she went to art school in Paris – she was a shy, awkward teenager with frizzy hair, a flat chest and a massive crush on the boy across the street, Cole Marlowe. Too bad her incredibly hot neighbor only had eyes for Layla. 
Cole is now a confident, laid-back attorney who’s even hotter than he used to be. He’s planning to stay single while working his way up the corporate ladder – until he’s knocked off course by a chance run-in with Emma. 
Everything is different between Cole and Emma now. He finally sees her in a way she only dreamed of, and their hot chemistry is fueled by a growing friendship. But Emma’s deception of her sister – who wants Cole for herself – and the secret Cole’s been keeping for more than a decade threaten to tear apart what’s only just begun. Because sometimes the only thing standing in the way of now is then. Now and Again (Now Series, #2) Once again, 26-year-old Layla Carson has the attention of a man eager to satisfy her. Ben Montrose, the hot, confident cop who gets off on frustrating her, is eager to show her just how arresting he can be. But as a reforming sexaholic, Layla’s sworn off casual hookups, and doesn’t miss the days of her early 20s –much. 

Ben’s caught off-guard when the sexy, outspoken attorney turns him on and then turns him down. But the confident former Marine knows he can handle the simple seduction of a beautiful woman. He finds Layla’s weak spot – competition, which he happens to share – and challenges her to a game that could make them, or destroy them. 

As they compete to crown the master of seduction, Ben and Layla discover there’s more to their game than power and foreplay. But as the stakes go up, they realize the game has changed, and they both stand to lose more than they bargained for. Now and Forever (Now Series, #3) Now that Emma and Layla Carson have landed the men of their dreams, it’s time for happily ever after. Or is it? 

Emma’s with childhood crush Cole Marlowe, and Layla finally found Mr. Right in alpha cop Ben Montrose. But both couples face unexpected obstacles that will test their relationships. Layla and Emma find solace in each other as battle lines are drawn, and they rediscover the close friendship they lost over Cole. 

It’s all on the line as the sisters struggle to find the answer to the most difficult question they’ve ever faced: is the love they have now meant to last forever? 
** Warning** This book contains adult language and situations.

Love in a Small Town


Zoe York - 2014
    The demands of his double career—as a police officer and military reservist—were a dealbreaker when they were together. And he’s thrilled for her when she lands a new job with a film company, but it comes with a deadline: when she finishes this project, she’s leaving town for good.Olivia has no reason to stay in Rafe’s tiny hometown, where the only job she could find was waiting tables in the local diner. But she couldn’t move on until she figured out what she wanted next in life. Now she’s been tasked with the unlikely role of ambassador for a town that has done nothing but break her heart, and discovering unexpected surprises at every turn.They aren’t the same young kids who rushed into marriage the first time. But as summer slides into fall, Rafe sets out to prove he’s a changed man before he loses her forever.***This is a second edition, revised and expanded for 2020; the first edition was published in 2014.

The Marriage Diaries


Erika Wilde - 2013
    This full-length book includes the first four parts of The Marriage Diaries, and makes a complete novel. THE MARRIAGE DIARIES Collection Includes: The Awakening (Volume #1) The Seduction (Volume #2) The Taking (Volume #3) The Temptation (Volume #4) Please join me on my interactive facebook page at: facebook.com/groups/erikawildesfanclub/ Website: erikawilde.com Facebook Fan Page: facebook.com/erikawildeauthorfanpage Goodreads: goodreads.com/erikawildeauthor Twitter: @erikawilde1

The Pretty Series Bundle


Michelle Leighton - 2015
    Leighton can tell it. Enjoy all three full-length novels at one incredible price! ALL THE PRETTY LIES: Sloane Locke is trying to break free of her past. When she meets tattoo artist, Hemi Spencer, she knows she’s found just the man to help her do it. What she doesn’t realize, however, is that Hemi has secrets that could tear her entire world apart. ALL THE PRETTY POSES: Exotic dancer Kennedy Moore found love fourteen years ago in the arms of the wealthy boy next door, Reese Spencer. She also found heartache that nearly destroyed her. She thought she’d finally managed to put him behind her until the day he shows up with an offer she can’t refuse. ALL THINGS PRETTY: Sig Locke lives life by cop code. He sees things in black and white, never shades of gray. That is until he meets Tommi Lawrence. She’s the kind of woman who can make a man forget everything he thought he knew. But having her comes at a price.

Spark


Brooke Cumberland - 2013
    Weak, powerless, and fearing the one person who has hurt her the most…can she overcome the barriers to move forward?Being saved by a muscled Godsend was never on her agenda, but when firefighter, Eric Reilley comes into her life unexpectedly, everything changes. Velaney has never felt loved or cared for, and her past prevents her from letting anyone in. Eric manages to break down her walls—despite the repercussions that come for them afterwards.They have an undeniable spark—something she has never felt before, but will it be enough? Can love overcome all obstacles? Can they save each other to protect their love or will her past shatter everything she never knew she needed…?**Spark is for mature audiences only – strong language, explicit sexual content, and sexual abuse are apparent.**

Stubborn Love


Wendy Owens - 2013
    She had given him her youth, and all he gave in return was misery and pain. She was ready for a new beginning, but Ashton wasn’t about to let her go so easily, even if it meant destroying both their lives in the process.Three years later Emmie convinces herself she is ready to leave all of that heartbreak in the past and find a little piece of normal for herself. She heads to New York City to pick up where she left off, determined to finish art school. Emmie is determined to focus on school and not let anything distract her, but life has a way of throwing curveballs.Paige, Emmie’s new roommate, brings Colin Bennett into her life. His smoldering eyes and lean muscular body are difficult for any girl to ignore. Only thing is, Emmie isn’t any girl. Her past makes her resistant to his charms. Colin isn’t one to give up easily, and just when he thinks he may have found a way to her stubborn heart, her tragic history may have found a way to tear them apart.

Vivian's List


Haleigh Lovell - 2013
    A list. A love story.After ending a horrible, scarring relationship, Vivian embraces her freedom by making a sexual bucket list. When her brother's best friend, Liam, finds it, sparks fly and hearts open.Can Vivian heal one steamy encounter at a time?** This is book 1 in a two-part series

A SEAL's Oath


Cora Seton - 2016
    But they need land, so when Martin Fulsom, iconic leader of the Fulsom Foundation, offers them Westfield, an uninhabited ranch in Chance Creek, Montana, they take it sight unseen—and agree to Fulsom’s condition that they document their progress on a reality television show. Building a working community will be hard enough, but Boone’s got another problem. Fulsom expects families—not single men—to make up the population of the new town. Now Boone’s got to find a wife, fast, before he loses his funding, and his dream. So when he arrives at Westfield to find it already occupied by Riley Eaton, the woman he thought he'd lost forever, he wonders if fate itself has provided him with an answer. Riley Eaton's played by the rules all her life, but it hasn't gotten her anywhere. Now she's out of work and no closer to being a full-time artist--or meeting a man and starting a family. Never happier than when she’s buried in a Jane Austen novel, she knows she’s not the only woman longing for a simpler, more beautiful life—one that allows time for art, literature and music. When she discovers her friends are in the same frame of mind, she throws caution to the wind and invites them to Westfield, the ranch her uncle inherited long ago, but has never lived in. Equipped with a key and a standing invitation to stay there whenever she likes, she heads to Chance Creek and gives up all things twenty-first century in order to take a six-month Jane-Austen style vacation. Westfield is perfect for Regency living with its wide lawns, extensive gardens and large ballroom. But when sexy, stubborn Boone shows up with plans to build a hyper-modern sustainable community on the ranch, it’s clear her Regency paradise is over before it even began. Now Boone has thirty days to marry Riley or lose the ranch to developers, and Riley has to decide whether to marry Boone or say good-bye to Westfield--and her Jane Austen life--forever. Can they overcome their prejudices to help each other? Or will their pride destroy both their futures?

Aspen Valley Series Boxset 1-3


Hannah Hooton - 2014
    Three individual best sellers have been bundled together to provide an easy and thrilling reading experience. ***WARNING*** Characters engage in activities of a sexual nature and use language that some readers may find offensive. Reader discretion is advised. BOOK 1 - KEEPING THE PEACE London waitress Pippa Taylor has no interest in horses or country-living. But when she inherits Peace Offering, a hopeless racehorse, she embarks on a career change in order to see her late uncle’s wish to run him in the Grand National come true. But having talked her way into a job as racing secretary to champion National Hunt trainer Jack Carmichael, and moved to the West Country, Pippa finds herself facing more daunting obstacles than even the Grand National can throw at her....and that’s before her tempestuous relationship with her new boss can be considered. Moody, fiery-tempered and particularly easy on the eye, Jack’s moral code is threatened by Pippa’s arrival. After a Christmas they would both rather forget, love and deception buffet Pippa’s new rural lifestyle and as her time at Aspen Valley Stables draws to its conclusion she discovers Peace Offering is not the only thing she will want to keep. *** BOOK 2 - GIVING CHASE There has only ever been one man in Frankie’s life: her father, Doug Cooper. That is, until she takes the job of amateur jockey at Aspen Valley Racing Stables. Here, in the rolling countryside of southwest England, she crosses paths with star rider, Rhys Bradford. Her crush on him would be made so much simpler if they didn’t both have their hearts set on the same prize: the coveted ride on Grand National favourite, Peace Offering. In the turbulent run-up to National Hunt’s biggest event, questions are raised. What exactly does Doug have against the Bradfords? Is Rhys playing games with her heart? Will Ta’ Qali show his true potential in time to warrant his place at Aspen Valley? Why do there have to be so many blasted calories in strawberry cheesecake? And lastly, who exactly is Francesca Cooper? Frankie’s curiosity unearths some long-buried secrets that their keepers would rather remain buried. And on a journey of self-discovery that takes in Britain’s fiercest steeplechase courses, love will prove her costliest stumbling point. *** BOOK 3 - SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE Tessa thought buying a share in the dysfunctional Ta' Qali Racehorse Syndicate would be the perfect distraction from a life best forgotten. Some are willing to distract her with words of woo, while others are able to distract her with just a nonchalant look. But neither Hugh's flirtations nor Sin's disregard are diversion enough when their horse, Ta’ Qali, is found deliberately injured. Someone close is responsible and Tessa finds herself questioning the innocence of everyone around her. With his nobbler still at large, the race is on to get Ta’ Qali fit and on course in time to prove himself the champion Tessa’s always believed him to be. But he isn’t the only one up against the clock.

Fresh Temptation


Reeni Austin - 2012
    Victor pursues Cara, but Cara is not sure of his intentions: Is he using her to make Alexis jealous? Does he just want her for sex? Or is love Victor's true aim?

Can't Shake You


Molly McLain - 2014
    Cue the small town drama.One thing Carissa Brandt knows: spontaneity always gets her in trouble. But she’s gone and jumped head first into an impulsive summer renovation project anyway.When her contractor turns out to be a cheat, her only lifeline is the proffered hand of Josh Hudson—the sexy Marine who left her aching for more than their single night together three years ago.Josh has two hard and fast rules: never mix business with pleasure and never look twice at women his friends have dated, much less loved. It makes life in a small town simple. Or rather it would...If he weren’t keeping a secret that could ruin his good name and the reputation of the woman he can’t get out of his head…The woman who now needs his help.*Can't Shake You can be read as a standalone!