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The Critic by Joanne Schwehm


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Boyfriend for Hire


Kendall Ryan - 2019
    Yeah, I’m a male escort, but not just any escort, I’m the escort. The one with a mile-long waiting list and a pristine reputation that’s very well-deserved. I’m the guy who’ll make you feel beautiful, desired, and worshipped... all for a steep price. I’m hired to make you shine, and I always deliver. I’ll be whatever you want me to be for one night — except my true self. This is just a job, a role I play to earn a paycheck. But I’m not the guy who falls for a client. Not once in six years. And then I meet Elle. Her friend has hired me to escort her to a wedding, but Elle doesn’t know we’re just pretending. There’s a fire between us I never expected. A connection I haven’t felt in so long. One kiss, and I’m losing all control. But what will happen when she finds out who I really am?

Frisky Business


Staci Hart - 2016
    Not the drama of working in a tattoo parlor, which seems to be around every corner. When things get him down, he smiles and cracks a joke. But he’s not the kind of man you cross, or you’ll find yourself at the wrong end of his fists.Annika Belousov takes everything seriously.Like her job as a reality television producer, given that she typically has something to prove. Or her love life, which is defined by a series of requirements — affluent, ambitious, accomplished, to name a few. Definitely her family, who worked their whole lives to afford her every opportunity, a sacrifice she doesn’t take lightly. When she’s tapped to produce a reality show at Joel’s shop, she doesn’t think twice, just goes in for the kill, as if there were any other way.The second Annika walks into Joel’s shop, he makes it his mission to crack her open, but she’s not having it. He’s all wrong — too crass, too hairy, too un-serious. But it doesn’t take her long to find out there’s more to him than smirks and tattoos. And what she finds could put her career and his heart on the line.Not that Joel cares. Because for the first time in a long time, he’s found his tonic.

Irresistible


Kara Hart - 2017
    But Helena Rollins is in a league of her own. She thinks I’m damaged. Broken. She thinks I’m trouble. Well, maybe she’s right, but she’s wrong about one thing… She’s mine forever, and I’m going to make sure of it this time. Addison War is Hell. That’s what they say, anyway. But Helena Rollins has fought me harder than any enemy I’ve ever faced. The only difference lies right in the center of my heart. She’s got me backed into a damn corner. She’s making me prove myself over and over again. The way her eyes flickered with fire the first time we met told me this would be trouble, but she’s worth every damn second I spend on her. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that women hold the real glory. You don’t have to look real hard to get it. Those strawberry lips, the sinful looks she gives me, and the body of a goddess pulls me in within seconds. Now, I just have to prove I’m worth the trouble. The days of war may be over for me, but I’m not just a small town guy with small dreams. At night, I dream of her. And though she thinks I’m a prick, I’ve made a vow to give her my world. I’ll see to it that she becomes my queen. Helena When I moved to Illinois, it was to be the best teacher I could to those kids. Of course, when I ran into Addison Williams, I knew my life would be thrown into chaos. He’s a golden boy, a one-of-a-kind war hero. And he’s got his eyes set on me. At the County Fair, he stares at me like I’m his trophy. With a ripped chest, bulging arms, and eyes like steel, what girl wouldn’t be flustered by his touch? But he’s done and seen things no man can ever come back from. There’s no way in hell I’m letting him near me. One drink leads to another and, well, you get the picture. My toes curl, my mouth waters, and my legs tremble. He’s proving to me that he’s the small town guy every girl dreams of. He’s telling me I deserve everything and more. I just hope to God he’s telling me the truth. **IRRESISTIBLE is a standalone, full length bad boy novel with a HEA and absolutely NO CLIFFHANGERS!**

Escaping Me


Elizabeth Lee - 2013
    Forget the memory of walking in on her boyfriend in the middle of, well, another girl. Forget how she had her entire life planned out. And, forget about being perfect all the time. Unfortunately, she was Whitney Vandaveer and despite the fact that she moved to the middle of nowhere – she couldn't. He always knew he would never be more than nothing. No job, no money, no future. Cole Pritchett had accepted the fact that he would always be the screw up and he was okay with it. Until he met her. Here's the thing they quickly found out – sometimes we all need a little help escaping who we think we are.

Stone Cold Bad


Tess Oliver - 2015
    A guy like him was the last thing I needed now. A guy like Colt Stone was the last thing I ever needed. -Colt-Emotion, feelings and, hell, even love had been turned off in all of us Stone brothers long ago. Then Jade landed in my life. It was the last thing I ever wanted, to feel this way about someone. Attachments like this were only followed by heartbreak, and I wasn't into heartbreak. I wasn't into f*cking attachments. Bad boy Colt Stone has a notorious reputation for being a tough and dangerous heartbreaker. A brutal childhood hardened him to the idea of any type of emotional attachment to anyone. When he becomes the unwitting accomplice in Jade Morrow's escape from an abusive boyfriend, he soon finds that he'll do anything to keep her safe. Has Colt found the one girl who can break through to his impenetrable heart?When she runs away from her monstrous boyfriend, Jade Morrow has no place to go and no one to turn to. She accidentally lands in the arms of a handsome, tattooed stranger. Colt Stone is as formidable as he is appealing and Jade soon finds that he's equally hard to resist. When her troubled past catches up to her, Jade discovers just how far Colt will go to save her.

Taming Cupid


Emily Bishop - 2018
    I’ve created the best dating app in the industry. No pictures until you’re an emotional match. I’ve got to test it out for myself. I’m matched with a complete stranger--and I’m loving every minute. She gets me. The real me. Not the jerk most people see. The more we talk, the more her picture clears up. It’s exhilarating, until I realize she’s my newest employee. She’s off-limits, and we can’t stand each other. But our connection is tearing down the fortress around my feelings. This thing we have could cost me everything. Cost her everything. I’m beyond caring. Beyond stopping. I’ll have her, no matter the costs. Will she have me after everything I’ve done? This full-length Valentine’s Day romance novel brings sass and spice and everything nice. There’s a happy ever after and a little something extra just for you!

The Weight of Rain


Mariah Dietz - 2015
    That's all we had.That's all it took. I woke up the next day with his phone number smeared and illegible. When I couldn’t find him, I tried to forget. But in that one night he’d crawled so far under my skin, I couldn’t erase him.Then, he walks back into my life where I least expect him: my job. He’s just like I remember, except for one detail.He goes by a different name.

Love's Second Chance


L.P. Dover - 2013
    She had the perfect job, the perfect house, and the perfect husband. When tragedy strikes, her world takes a devastating turn. Six months After losing her husband to a car accident, Korinne vows it to herself never to love again. If she doesn’t allow another man in her heart, then there’s no reason for her to feel the pain of loss. This plan seems to work, but is put to the test when Korinne’s best friend can’t stand to see her suffering any longer.Korinne’s long-time friend, Jenna Perry, has an idea and it involves helping her friend find the spark of life in her soul no matter what it takes. Korinne didn’t know that Jenna’s plan meant bringing back a past love, a second chance with the man that Korinne had to leave in college, but always kept a place for in her heart.When Galen Matthews learns of Korinne’s loss and that she’s finally moved back home, he wants nothing more than to be there for her. The love he felt for Korinne years ago has never left him, and now he’s given a second chance to not only mend her heart of her loss, but to also continue the love they shared in the past. Will his love and determination make her strong enough to give fate a second chance, or will her fear of losing another love make her run away? What will Korinne do when she’s faced with a love so powerful that no matter what she does there’s nowhere to run from it?

The Loss


Vicki Green - 2014
    Loving parents, a younger sister and a neighborhood filled with friends. However, it was his best friend, Alena that filled most of his days. She had long blonde hair he liked to pull on and beautiful green eyes that he could stare into for hours. He always kept his feelings on the back burner for fear they could ruin their friendship. His life was great growing up until tragedy struck his senior year of high school. College separated him and his friends and filled each of them with dreams of great things to come. Most lost contact with each other because of their busy lives until the first high school reunion brought them back together. He can’t wait to see his friends again but she will be there. Alena Spencer remembers the days when she was young and things were simple and carefree. There are many times she wishes she could go back in time. Her best friend, Jase, was always there for her. His sexy smile, and his finely tuned body from working out and running track caused her feelings to develop further, but she never told him, in fear of losing him. Feeling lost after high school and college, she set out to start a new life, even though it meant leaving Jase behind and trying to forget her feelings for her best friend. She’s excited, yet dreading the reunion because he will be there. Will Jase ever find his happiness again or did it die the moment she left? This story contains adult content and is recommended for readers 18+

Sweet Dreams


Nina Lane - 2016
    Sugar Rush Candy Company CEO Luke Stone is a devoted businessman who doesn't do relationships. He does short-term affairs with clearly defined rules. But when a sexy bohemian angel propositions him in a bar, Luke is tempted to want more. Polly Lockhart is horrified when she wakes the morning after her twenty-third birthday to realize she made a fool of herself with a sinfully delicious man. She tells herself she doesn't have time for romance anyway, as she's fighting to keep her mother's beloved bakery afloat and finish her culinary studies. That all changes when her class tours the famed Sugar Rush headquarters, and Polly collides with her dream man again. As she succumbs to their hot attraction, Polly soon realizes her bakery isn't the only thing that needs saving. Luke, driven and unyielding, will burn out unless someone convinces him to taste the sweetness of life. But can Polly remember this sugar rush is only temporary?

Beneath This Mask


Meghan March - 2014
    Son of a congressman. Successful businessman in my own right. With a résumé like mine, women have never been a challenge.Until I met her. This sexy, tatted-up bad girl wasn’t part of my plans, but that punch to my gut every time I see her tells me I have to know more.She’s a mystery. An enigma. A challenge. I’m going to figure her out — and then I’m going to make her mine. We’ll find out what she’s hiding... beneath this mask.

Breaking Kate


D. Kelly - 2014
    In Michaels mind there is absolutely nothing that will ever be able to keep the two of them apart. The night Michael is set to propose to Katherine the evening is interrupted by an unexpected tragedy that tears the two of them apart for good. Three years have passed since that fateful night when Katherine, now known as Kate meets Daniel. After an awkward start sparks fly between them. Daniel and Kate fall hard and fast into the most passionate and intense love affair of their lives. In three years a lot can change, Michael knows he made the biggest mistake of his life when he left Katherine and he will do anything to get her back. Asking his best friend Daniel for help is his first step in righting the wrongs he made so many years ago. Unfortunately, neither of them realizes that Michaels long lost love Katherine is Daniel’s true love Kate. While attending the engagement party of a mutual friend, all of their paths collide. How is Kate supposed to choose between the two men that mean the most to her in the world? Kate has to push past her heartache and put some serious thought into what comes next. One wrong choice and not only could she lose them both but Daniel and Michael may never recover their friendship.This book is newly re-edited as of March 2017. If you have an older version please delete it and download the new version. (This book is free)

Fury (Sons of Chaos MC)


Paula Cox - 2017
    I never thought he’d be back in my life. I swore I wouldn’t give him a second look much less a second chance. But that was before he came back like a whirlwind. Not to sweep me off my feet, but to put me on my knees JESSIE It’s not every day that a ghost walks back into your life. I did everything I could to put that horrible day out of my memory. But with a single word, he brought it all back. Brought it back and forced me to remember. He tells me he’s back to right the wrongs of the past. A second chance. A new start. I should know better than to trust him. After all… he broke my heart once already. How can I be sure that he won’t do it again? TEX There was absolutely no way she should want me. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if she still remembered me. But I remember her. There was no forgetting a girl like her. She haunted my dreams for twenty years. Left me hard more times than I can count. I won’t pretend that I’ll fix the past and mend our wounds. I won’t pretend that things won’t be worse before they get better. But I nearly lost her once. And now that she’s back in my life… There was no way I’ll lose her again. No way I’m ever letting her go. Fury is a full-length, standalone romance novel with steamy hot sex, NO CHEATING, strong language, a happily every after ending and NO CLIFFHANGERS. Contains dark and disturbing themes, and over the top sexiness that may be uncomfortable for some readers.

This Sky


Autumn Doughton - 2014
    She’s no stranger to disappointment but nothing could have prepared her for the chaos that unfolded when her celebrity boyfriend publicly humiliated her. Now the fairytale is officially over and Gemma is determined to put the past behind her and strike out to find a new dream. Just a few teeny-tiny details to work out: she’s currently broke, homeless and unemployed. Landon Young has his own worries. Surfer by day and bartender by night, he doesn’t have the interest or the time to be anyone’s happily-ever-after. Weighed down by the memory of what happened two years ago, Landon can barely keep his head above water. This Sky is the thoughtful and often funny story about broken trust, an unexpected love and the hopes we keep sewn in the linings of our pockets.

Bump and Run


Tabatha Kiss - 2016
    Check.A heart of gold and a smile that turns me stupid? Double check.My father is the new football coach and he’s made it clear that he doesn’t want me dating anyone on the team. So, I’ll just keep my head down and focus on my theater degree. Easy enough, right?Wrong.Enter, Junior Morgan. Exit, my panties. But I don’t want to be just another notch in his bedpost. If Junior wants me as badly as his bulge tells me he does, then he’s gonna have to earn me. Win a game. Win a night with me.Game on, quarterback. We’re just getting started.A handsome playboy. The coach’s forbidden daughter.College football’s Most Valuable Player has met his match! The Bad Baller Books: Bump and Run (Junior and Eliza’s story)Go Deep (John and Rose’s story)Home Run Baby (Hunter and Daisy’s story)This title was originally published as Whiplash.