Book picks similar to
Taking Charge by Bridgitte Lesley


not-interested
romance
contemporary-romance
standalone

The Port Elspeth Jewelry Making Club


Holly Tierney-Bedord - 2018
    It's been five years since the idyllic oceanside town of Port Elspeth was rocked by tragedy. Shortly after their high school graduation, Evangeline Maddingly, daughter of one of the town's wealthiest old-money families, and Oliver Prescott, son of one of the town's wealthiest new-money families, were found dead in an isolated cabin in the woods outside of town. The circumstances surrounding their untimely deaths are murky at best, thanks in large part to a coroner with connections to the town's founding families and a sweeping effort from those in power to shut down any negative publicity that could harm the reputation of their pristine community.Five years later, a small group of strangers gather to create jewelry for one of Port Elspeth's many fundraisers. Before long, friendships are forming and old secrets are being revealed. Along with solving the mystery of how to make a perfect pair of chandelier earrings or cabochon necklace, these unlikely friends find themselves at the heart of solving the murders that took place half a decade earlier.

Married by Mistake


Abby Gaines - 2007
    That really was Casey Greenebeing jilted by her fiancé on live TV! And that really was Memphis's most eligible bachelor who stepped in to marry her instead. Millionaire businessman Adam Carmichael wanted only to help Casey save face. He isn't prepared for the news that their "fake" wedding is legal and binding. While they secretly wait for an annulment, media and family scrutiny forces them to put on their best loving-couple act. Except by now, neither one is quite sure who's acting....

About That Fling


Tawna Fenske - 2015
    But when her adorable Aunt Gertie—a secret romance writer—urges Jenna to embrace her wild side, Jenna tumbles into bed with Adam Thomas, a guy she’s just met, for a fun and fantastic one-night stand. Too bad Adam is the one guy who’s totally off-limits. There aren’t enough clever words in the world to spin the story in a way that won’t wreck Jenna’s closest friendship or destroy her job.With the irresistible Adam always around her at work, wearing an aura of temptation like a fabulous cologne, Jenna has to hold tight to her senses to avoid falling for him. Will he take her to the heights of pleasure again—or will their attraction destroy everything she’s worked for?

Kiss Me in Paris


Dmytry Karpov - 2013
    When the city of love brings two lost souls together, only their darkest secrets can tear them apart. Winter Deveaux tried love once. It didn't end well. Unable to open herself up to another heartbreak, she hides in her romance novels as she struggles to break out as a real author. She thinks Paris holds the answer to a new start, but when her nightmare follows her across the world, she's forced to face the darkness living like cancer inside her soul. If she doesn't, she might miss her chance to become the kind of writer she's always wanted to be. But more than that, she'll miss out on the greatest love she's ever known. Cade Savage is heir to the largest ranching family in Texas. Part cowboy, part architect, Cade has his feet forever in two worlds. When he receives an acceptance letter from the school of his dreams, he must decide between family and destiny. But ghosts from his past still haunt him, and circumstances beyond his control may decide his fate.< When Winter and Cade meet, everything they believe about life, love and what it means to be happy is put to the test. This is a full length stand-alone HEA contemporary romance with adult content.

Our Forever


Elena Matthews - 2016
     Jo Donovan was a true believer of happily ever afters—until her best friend, Christopher, was killed in Afghanistan, destroying her belief that fairy-tale endings existed. Destroying her. Destroying her world. Five years later… Jo finds herself still stuck in the past, unable to find closure with Christopher’s death. When she moves to Austin, Texas, with her son, Junior, she’s finally given the fresh start she’s been desperately seeking. What she doesn’t know is that the fresh start comes in the form of her sexy neighbor, Drew Greyson. Their friendship starts off rocky, but eventually, a spark between them ignites. It isn’t long before that spark turns explosive, and she finds herself falling for him. Drew wants to be her everything, her forever, but will Jo’s pain from losing Christopher stop her from following her heart? Warning: Recommended for ages 18+ due to explicit language and sexual situations. **A stand-alone spin-off from the Look After You series**

While Snowbound


Anna J. McIntyre - 2013
    Nor is she impressed with the fact Brady Gates was voted sexiest man of the year – twice. Ella was looking forward to the isolation of her mountain cabin and the peace and quiet she needs to finish writing her book. Rescuing the careless celebrity in the midst of a blizzard and taking him to the safety of her remote cabin was not how she intended to spend her time on the mountain.Weary of lovestruck fans climbing into his bed uninvited and the ever present paparazzi, Brady Gates had planned to take an incognito break from his hectic life and spend several weeks alone at a remote mountain cabin.Finding himself stranded in a blizzard doesn’t bother him half as much as the fact the one woman he wants is the one woman who is the least interested in him.

One Tiny Miracle...


Carol Marinelli - 2009
    Ben Richardson is trying to make yet another new start, this time in the emergency department at a Melbourne hospital. It's been nearly four years since he lost his wife and unborn child--and he still hasn't let go. So it comes as quite a surprise to him when his eye is drawn to a beautiful pregnant woman on the beach.When Ben realizes Celeste is a nurse at the hospital, he wants to keep his distance. She reminds him too much of all he's lost. But Celeste is clearly facing this challenging pregnancy alone, and Ben can't help coming to her rescue. Being with her to deliver her premature baby girl finally makes him realize there's a future for him right here after all--if he's prepared to risk enough to claim it....

Better Than Me


Emme Burton - 2013
    Last semester ended badly, leaving her unsure about whom “Biz” really is anymore. She is determined to get through her final year with no drama and as few panic attacks as possible.The plan seems solid. Then, early in the semester, Biz is introduced to two guys at the same time. Jake is a sweet, open jazz major and unlike the guy that leveled her last year. And then there is Davis, the theatre designer. He is beautiful, dark, quiet and has eyes that render the usually over talkative Biz speechless. She makes a decision to keep any relationship she has under her control. But can she, really?

Stay With Me


Kelly Elliott - 2016
    Only people who have never lost anyone they loved with all their heart can blindly believe those words. What if I didn’t want to move on? What if I wanted to wake up every morning with that familiar ache in my chest, knowing I’d never see her again? But, life can change in a moment.I knew that better than anyone … So, when I couldn’t get those mesmerizing green eyes out of my head, I decided to do something about it. Would one night with her be enough, or would my heart decide it was finally time to move on from the past?

Rounding Third


Michelle Lynn - 2016
    I gave up my scholarship.I fled from Beltline.I left the girl behind.Now, I’m back.

Mr. Imperfect


Karina Bliss - 2006
    Now thanks to an ancient IOU, he's stuck there trying to save the inheritance of the only woman who ever dumped him. His first love, Kezia Rose.He never said goodbye...These days she might be a respected pillar of the community, but Kezia will dance with the devil if it will keep a 100-year-old hotel in her family—except this time she’s calling the tune. What if all you ever wanted were the things you left behind?... As old secrets are revealed, they're faced with the same dilemma. Can a loner find the courage to be vulnerable? Should a nurturer settle for a man who refuses to need her? Trusting love is still their greatest challenge.Romantic Book of the Year (RUBY winner Australia)

The Seven Day Switch


Kelly Harms - 2021
    What a difference a week makes in a heartfelt, laugh-out-loud novel by the Washington Post bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler.Celeste Mason is the Pinterest stay-at-home supermom of other mothers’ nightmares. Despite her all-organic, SunButter-loving, free-range kids, her immaculate home, and her volunteering awards, she still has time to relax with a nice glass of pinot at the end of the day. The only thing that ruins it all is her workaholic, career-obsessed neighbor, who makes no secret of what she thinks of Celeste’s life choices every chance she gets.Wendy Charles is a celebrated productivity consultant, columnist, and speaker. On a minute-by-minute schedule, she makes the working-mom hustle look easy. She even spends at least one waking hour a day with her kids. She’s not apologizing for a thing. Especially to Celeste, who plays her superior parenting against Wendy whenever she can.Who do Celeste and Wendy think they are? They’re about to find out thanks to one freaky week. After a neighborhood potluck and too much sangria, they wake up—um, what?—in each other’s bodies. Everything Celeste and Wendy thought they knew about the “other kind of mom” is flipped upside down—along with their messy, complicated, maybe not so different lives.

Savage King: The Mafia King Series


V.L. Silva - 2021
    Confident.His Viking blood made him a conqueror.He dominated my senses.He planned to rule my body as well.I didn’t have a chance at keeping my heart.AXELHer name said it all.Hope.She came to me in my darkness.The compass that would guide me out of the storm.The goddess, Freyja.She’s with me as I fight Hel, the enemy that took everything from me.I am at war now, but the moment the dust settles I’m taking Hope as my prize.She’s a challenge. Resistant.Catching her will be like catching the wind.But my people were sea wolves. We know how to tame the wind.And I’m a patient man.Victory is my only option.

Nets and Lies


Katie Ashley - 2013
    Not only is she the varsity team captain, she’s the pride of Coach Thompson, who holds the keys to a college scholarship. Melanie has also found 'courtly' love with Will, Coach T's handsome, ball-playing son. When Melanie is on the court, everything is perfect....until she is forced to face an opponent who doesn't play by the rules.Jordan Solano's power lies in her beauty and sex appeal. Never afraid of breaking the rules, she engages in a scandalous flirtation with the school's married basketball coach. But the flirtation quickly turns into accusation, and Coach T's job and reputation are placed in jeopardy after Jordan charges him with rape. Jordan's own reputation has the school administration unwilling to believe her. That is, until she makes a startling claim - she's not the only victim.Suddenly, all eyes are on Melanie, and it isn't for her amazing free-throws. A man's job, a girl's reputation, and her boyfriend's entire world now rest in Melanie's hands. She has to decide: keep her secrets and protect her future, or put an end to the lies...and lose everything.*This book is New Adult and contains mature subject matter. TRIGGERS for rape survivors and sexual abuse victims***

Could This Be Love


Lee Kilraine - 2016
    So how did she end up fake-engaged to the World’s Sexiest Man?Sijan Cates, Hollywood’s biggest star and favorite bad boy, is ordered by his movie studio to stay out of the tabloids. No problem. He heads back to his small, sleepy hometown of Climax, NC, to spend time with his brothers and lie low.It should have been a great plan.Avery Danford, desperate to track down her estranged family to help her sister, squeezes into a dress two sizes too small and photobombs the biggest movie star in the world. As his #1 fan!All to catch her tabloid-loving mother’s attention.It’s a crazy-pants plan.Made crazier by an amazing kiss--caught by the paparazzi.Aaaand... that's how Sijan and Avery end up *fake-engaged*.The new plan is to quietly "break up" when the paparazzi loses interest.A plan that should work...If Sijan doesn't feel a burning need to give Avery a starring role in his personal life. For real.If Avery doesn't fall hard and fast and into bed with last year's World's Sexiest Man.But you know what they say… The best-laid plans of Hollywood stars and fake fans oft go astray. Which is to say explode in their faces.COULD THIS BE LOVE is a full-length fun small-town enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy featuring a hot celebrity, a desperate woman, a fake fiancé, a town grapevine working overtime, secrets, the sorriest-looking pair of bald dogs, and sweet sexy times. No cheating. No cliffhanger. A HEA.