Book picks similar to
Contemptuous CEO by K.L. Myers


cocky-hero-club
second-chance
romance
arc

Smug Bastard


Stacey Marie Brown
    Me, my dog named Goat, and the open road. That’s all I wanted.He wasn’t supposed to be part of it. My older brother’s high school friend and my sister’s ex. The cocky boy my eleven-year-old-self hated. The infamous Smith Blackburn.AKA Smug Bastard.The guy every girl wanted to be with and every guy wanted to be.The day after graduation, he left town and disappeared, losing contact with my family. But nine years later, he resurfaces and becomes a thorn in my side once again.After his motorcycle breaks down, my older siblings convince me to let him ride home with me. Kyle wants his old buddy at his wedding, and Kasey, still carrying a torch for him, wants nothing more than to see him again, convinced they are meant to be. It’s the last thing in the world I want, but I learned long ago going up against the powerhouse twins is futile. After nine years, we’ve both grown up, but our mutual dislike lingers. Though I can’t deny he is the sexiest man I have ever seen in my life. His piercing blue eyes, gorgeous rugged face, and muscular, tall figure belong on magazine covers. But he’s still a smug bastard, and I’m still the annoying little “Baby K.”Spending every minute together in a tiny camper van starts to twist the lines of hate, igniting feelings and passions I’ve never felt before, shoving me out of my safety bubble. Tension grows, and nights are filled with strain and forbidden desire. But I can feel him holding back. Cagey and cryptic, Smith’s dark past hints at the surface.When it finds us, nothing could have prepared me for the truth—the secrets that flip everything upside down. I wasn’t supposed to fall for him. He was never meant to be mine.

Bad Boy Billionaire


Amie Knight - 2021
    Moving to New York is my dream come true, but the big city is a tough place to navigate for a small-town, southern girl like me. Luckily, fate sent me my very own knight in shining armor. Only Whitaker Aldrich didn’t ride in on his white steed to save me. He picked me up on his Harley Davidson, wearing a leather jacket and sporting a cocky smirk that doesn’t bode well for my man free diet. He screams one-night stand.But there’s so much more to him than that bad boy billionaire persona. He's thoughtful and kind and his six-year-old son is his entire world. That twinkle in his brilliant green eyes makes me weak in the knees and I’m terrified that I won’t be able to protect my already bruised heart. I should probably say no when he asks me to be his nanny, right?Yeah, getting involved with Whit would be a huge mistake. I should definitely say no. Maybe... Possibly? Help! Yours truly,The Billionaire's Babysitter

Park Avenue Player


Penelope Ward - 2019
     Then the fender bender happened. The guy I collided with drove an expensive car and was drop-dead gorgeous. Too bad he was also a total jerk. We argued over whose fault it was and any other thing that came out of his condescending mouth. Eventually, the police came and we went our separate ways. The insurance companies would have to figure things out. I had a job interview to get to anyway—one I was excited about. Though that excitement changed to disappointment the moment the person interviewing me walked in. The guy from the accident. Whoops! Yeah, so I didn’t get the position. The problem was, I really wanted it. No, I needed it. Anything to get me out of my current career and back into working with kids. So, even though Hollis LaCroix was as intimidating as he was devastatingly handsome, I went back to see him and begged for a chance. To my surprise, he gave me a shot taking care of his troubled niece. At least my attraction to him wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. I wasn’t about to jeopardize my job or the strong bond Hailey and I formed. But resisting the magnetic pull between us wasn’t that simple. (Then there was our little underwear game—don’t ask.) We continued to flirt without crossing the line—until it finally happened. This is the part of the story where we fall in love and live happily ever after, right? Well, life has a way of throwing some major curveballs. Ours was one I didn’t see coming.

Eye Candy


Jessica Lemmon - 2017
    Sure, he's a gorgeous, perfect specimen of the human race, but I can't bring myself to hit on a total stranger. However, my best friend-slash-colleague Vince Carson thinks I should do more than talk to the guy. In fact, he's borderline obsessive about "getting me laid." (His words.) But the more time we spend together, the more it's clear: The one I'm falling for is Vince. Vince: Jackie Butler's got it bad for some pompous, over-pumped A-hole who struts his stuff past her window. That doesn't bother me. I know she deserves nice things. What does bother me is that she friend-zoned me big-time last year, so I can't ask her out myself. But what if I set her up with Mr. Steroids? Then, when he breaks her heart, I can swoop in and save her like the nice guy I am. Everything's going according to plan . . . until we share a ridiculously epic kiss. And suddenly anything is possible.

Arrogant Assassin


Lyssa Cole - 2021
    He had ice-blue eyes, dark hair, and a body built to sin. Too bad his personality didn’t match. Arrogant jerk. If bumping into him during her entire vacation wasn’t enough, she definitely didn’t expect him to be from her hometown. But there he was, handsome and sexy as ever with a huge attitude to match. One she didn’t care for. That is, until he needs help, and they find themselves spending a lot of time together. She gets to see a side of Ryder Stone she didn’t know he had. And now, she only wants more. But sometimes, you really don’t know someone like you thought. And when truths are revealed, how much can you accept before it all becomes too much? *A standalone contemporary romance set in the world of the Cocky Hero Club, specifically the best-selling book, Cocky Bastard by best-selling authors Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward. Emma is the assistant manager of the animal shelter owned by Aubrey, the heroine from Cocky Bastard, in Hermosa Beach, Cali.

Purple Orchids


Samantha Christy - 2015
    Lovers. Enemies.Sometimes the lines between them are blurred.Gavin McBrideShe blindsided me. Broke me. Shredded me.And now she’s back, thinking I did the very same thing to her.Someone is lying. It's not me. But the thing is - it's not her either.When I reach out to her, I get more than I bargained for. Much more.Baylor MitchellI was eighteen when he left me.I found a way to survive. Without him. Without us. Without the future he promised.Now, a chance meeting threatens everything I know to be true.But loving him again isn't worth the risk I'd have to take or the secret I'd be forced to reveal.Or is it?One day… one moment… one letter.One lie.That’s all it took to change the course of their lives.Get this sizzling second-chance romance now.

Lucky Bastard


Kaylee Ryan - 2020
    Landon Barker, the quarterback for the Hermosa Beach Trojans, is a player on and off of the field. He’s got his sights set on me as his next play, but I see right through him. Aubrey says I’m overreacting, that I should give him a chance. What she doesn’t realize is men like Landon don’t fall for the girl next door. That’s not reality. She got her fairytale, although it was a long road. Not all of us are that lucky.Landon She’s a friend of our new kicking coach’s wife. When I ask Chance for her number, he tells me I have to find a way to get it myself. Nothing when it comes to Emma has been easy. She’s the first woman ever to turn me down, and that won’t do. However, as time passes, it’s about more than that. It’s about her smile, her laugh, and just spending time with her. She thinks I’m a player, and she’s right. What she doesn’t know is that I play to win, and her heart is the ultimate trophy.

Hate to Love You


Elise Alden - 2014
    But it turns out all those sex-ed teachers aren’t just trying to scare you. The faint positive on a budget pregnancy test sent me spinning, moments before meeting my sister’s snooty new fiancé.Shaking hands with upper-crusty James was like downing a triple shot of vodka. Dizzy with desire, confused by my body’s reaction, and shocked by the possessiveness flashing in his eyes, I deceived him that night and told the world at their wedding reception.The truth?I slept with my sister’s fiancé. Hot and sweaty, all night long in a room so dark he couldn’t tell I wasn’t her.The lie? Said fiancé is the father of my child. The one I signed over my rights to just before he was born.That was seven years ago. It’s time to come clean.95,000 words

Devious Wingman


Casey Hagen - 2021
    And last.My secret romance, if you could call three stolen kisses and a tear-stained journal loaded with unfulfilled fantasies a romance.He taught me how to kiss.Then he walked away.I tried to keep him buried in the past, but he’s been in every kiss since.Tethering me to unattainable dreams.Well, he might have taught me how to kiss, but now I’m going to teach him how to… well, you get the idea.I’ll tempt fate, tantalize Falcon, and resurrect a fierce hunger between the two of us.And then I’ll be the one to walk away.I left my best friend’s little sister Emory firmly planted in my past. Or so I’d thought.Those pink girl-next-door lips of hers belonged in our sleepy hometown hundreds of miles away where I couldn’t reach them.I’d taught her how to kiss.Not how to kiss just anyone, but how to kiss me.Then I’d left.She deserved better than my tattered soul, lost and seeking redemption.Now she’s here. All grown up. In my neighborhood. In my pub.And the subject of my friend’s desire.The first hard and fast rule to our bro code…when your friend sees what he wants, you do everything in your power to help him get it.So, in her circle of friends full of calculating glances with lust-filled eyes, I’m there to charm the ladies while my man goes for the prize.But not when the prize is Emory. He can have anyone else…but never her.I’m his wingman… and I’m about to go rogue..

Best Man


Katy Evans - 2019
    When the wedding of your dreams is just around the corner, everything needs to go as planned. Only problem is, the groom didn’t get the memo.Aaron forgot the rings, and Lia is determined to make the long drive home to get them in time for their “I do’s.”But there’s a catch. There always is with Aaron, isn’t there?Aaron is too hungover to come, and sends a replacement.The best man.Miles Foster. The cocky, arrogant, sexy best man…and the last person Lia wants to be trapped in a car with for hours.But Aaron insists, and Lia wonders if there’s another reason Aaron wants Miles tagging along—aside from sticking her with a hot, surly babysitter.Yet how bad can it be? It’ll be over before she knows it, and she’ll never see him again. Just like in college.But when secrets are revealed, and Lia’s whole world is turned upside down, she realizes she’s been living a lie—and so has her groom.Miles is supposed to be the best man at her wedding.But what if he is simply the best man she has ever known? The best man for her?

Still Not Over You


Nicole Snow - 2018
    I'm just counting on him to save my life. Never, ever fall for your brother's hot older friend. I flunked the test the instant I laid eyes on Landon Strauss. Tall. Ripped. Commanding. Irresistibly alpha. He gave a damn like no one else did. His soul-searing eyes saw me, not just a nerd girl next door. I had my idol, my destiny, and names for our future kids picked. Then I read Landon's little black book. One nosy peek exposed the shock of a lifetime. His confession. His pain. His plan. The sweet boy I loved was gone. Hero-turned-villain-turned-bad-memory overnight. Five years later, an insane slip of fate puts us under the same roof. Sweet closure, I think. I almost forget he hates me. I almost think we'll talk like normal adults. I don't expect the shirtless behemoth who comes barreling through my door. Landon's grown up. All snarls, testosterone, and lethal chemistry. We're in trouble, he says. Oh, Landon. Oh, baby, don't I know it? From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow – a tale of two hearts torn, stomped, and dragged through the mud. An uber-alpha protector bent on reclaiming his nerd next door. Full length romance novel with a Happily Ever After worth a “hell yeah.”

Singe


Aly Martinez - 2017
    Every time I closed my eyes, I watched her fall into that inferno. Over and over, I failed to save her.I hadn’t been able to reach her, and the guilt only burned hotter over time. Four years later, I was the unreachable one.Heroes aren’t always saints. Sometimes, we’re nothing more than jaded sinners driven by sleepless nights and hearts full of darkness.And then I met her. She was a dreamer who managed to soothe my scars and heal my wounds.But, as the flames closed in around us, I feared I wasn’t the right man to save her. That is until I realized she was the one woman I’d burn the world down to protect.

Perfect Love Story


Natasha Madison - 2018
    That the vows you made to each other were simply empty promises.You pick up and move to the country to start fresh. When life hands you limes, you make sure you have tequila because your life is about to get stirred up.JensenMarried to my high school sweetheart, the best thing she gave me was my baby girl. But we weren't enough for her. I wasn't enough for her. The last thing I expected on my birthday was a Dear John letter, but that’s what I got when she upped and left. Now, it's just me and my girl against the world till the new girl moves in next door. Is there such a thing as a perfect love story?

Tough Customer


Erin St. Charles - 2020
    Dear Ida,The arrogant man at the dry cleaners made my bad day worse.So, the last thing I expected was for him to offer me a job.I shouldn’t have accepted—not if I wanted to maintain my sanity.But the allure of a big paycheck overpowered my reservations.Now, I know he’s just as infuriating as a boss as he was the first day we met; yet, the sparks that fly between us are far more than on a professional level.The more time I spend with him, helping him secure investors for his new restaurant chain, the harder it is to ignore the attraction between us.Playing with fire, you’re bound to get burned.And this man has seared himself into my soul.Tell me, Ida, is there hope for our future, or is it impossible to really please this Tough Customer?

All I Want


Tamara Lush - 2019
    Land of sugar sand, shirtless men, and endless sunshine. Strange and wonderful things often happen here. And island life is even hotter after dark...Social media influencer Lauren Spencer is determined to find out why her best friend is getting married on a whim. When she travels to Paradise Beach to stop the wedding, she's the one who comes to a screeching halt when greeted with the sight of a gorgeous naked guy in her hotel room.He just happens to be the groom's adorably uptight brother -- and the best man in the wedding. Oops. Too bad she's sworn off relationships.As a successful real estate broker in New York City, Max Hastings has taken his workaholic ways back to his hometown of Paradise Beach, trying to ready his family's resort for sale and attend his youngest brother's shotgun wedding. Complicating matters: the maid of honor is the sexiest woman he's seen in years, and he wants her in his bed.After some hot and heavy flirtation, Lauren and Max come to an agreement: a weekend wedding fling is just the thing both of them need.But when Lauren suffers an accident and can't leave the island, Max finds himself more than willing to take care of her for more than a weekend. Will Lauren set aside her doubts about relationships to explore something real with Max?ALL I WANT is Book One in Tamara Lush's Paradise Beach Series. They are all standalone romantic comedies and can be read in any order. If you adore beach romances, irresistible alpha men, and hilarious wedding hookups, this is the book for you!Content warning: parent with addiction. ALL I KNOW: June 2019 ALL I WANT: July 2019ALL I ASK: September 2019ALL I DESIRE: November 2019