Book picks similar to
Ruthless Pride by Naima Simone


romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary
arc

One Night with Cinderella


Niobia Bryant - 2021
    Not seduce the housekeeper. But beneath Monica Darby’s shy exterior is a siren who makes the jaded New Yorker burn for more. But when Gabe’s meddling family and a surprise inheritance raise doubts he can’t ignore, will the clock strike twelve on their budding affair?

Not So Charming (Carlisle Cellars, 1)


Fabiola Francisco - 2021
    Now, unemployed and needing a place to live, I move back with my mom, promising myself that it’s only temporary. When small-town charmer, Miles, thinks his charisma will work on me, he’s got another thing coming. I want nothing to do with him and what he represents in this town. He’s everything I ran from when I left and never looked back. Miles is persistent in his pursuit, no matter how many times I turn him down. What could a guy like him want with a girl like me? We come from two different worlds—one where mine serves his.But I need a job, and his family’s winery is the only place hiring. Working alongside him, I see a different side of him that I thought was nonexistent. Hatred turns to curiosity, and soon I’m wondering if there’s more to the man I thought I knew growing up. Not So Charming is a feel-good romance. If you like hate-to-lovers, witty banter, and swoon, then you’ll love this small town romance.

Trade Me


Courtney Milan - 2015
    She has no time for Blake Reynolds, the sexy billionaire who stands to inherit Cyclone Technology. But when he makes an off-hand comment about what it means to be poor, she loses her cool and tells him he couldn’t last a month living her life.To her shock, Blake offers her a trade: She’ll get his income, his house, his car. In exchange, he’ll work her hours and send money home to her family. No expectations; no future obligations.But before long, they’re trading not just lives, but secrets, kisses, and heated nights together. No expectations might break Tina’s heart...but Blake’s secrets could ruin her life.

Getting His Game Back


Gia de Cadenet - 2022
    I loved it!"--Chantel Guertin, author of InstamomKhalil Sarda went through a rough patch last year, but now he's nearly back to his old self. All he has to do is keep his "stuff" in the past. Real men don't have depression and go to therapy--or, at least they don't admit it. He's ready to focus on his growing chain of barbershops, take care of his beloved Detroit community, and get back to being the ladies' man his family and friends tease him for being. It'll be easy . . . until Vanessa throws him completely off his game.Vanessa Noble is too busy building a multimillion-dollar tech career as a Black woman before age thirty to be distracted by a relationship. Not to mention, she's been burned before, still dealing with the lingering hurt of a past breakup. Besides, as her friends often remind her, she'll never find a man who checks all the boxes on her famous List. Yet when she desperately needs a shape-up and happens upon one of Khalil's barbershops, the Fade, he makes her reconsider everything. Khalil is charming, intelligent, sexy, and definitely seems like he'd treat a woman right . . . but he's not Black.Vanessa may be willing to take a chance on Khalil, but a part of him is frustratingly closed off, just out of her reach. Will old patterns emerge to keep them apart? Or have they both finally found a connection worth throwing away the playbook for?

Holt, Her Ruthless Billionaire (Ruthless Second Chance Duet #2) (50 Loving States, Connecticut #2)


Theodora Taylor - 2017
    I've moved on, but he definitely hasn't. He's also a single-dad now and in desperate need of a capable nanny to manage his out-of-control son. So the powerful CEO decides that I'm the perfect woman for the job--whether I want it or not. According to him....Revenge is best served BOSS!Reader Note: This is part 2 of the Ruthless Second Chance Duet, and it completes the epically romantic story of Holt and Sylvie.

Absolution (The Salvation Society)


Leaona Luxx - 2021
    yet here I am, ready to fall on my knees and do whatever it takes. Wanting her was never an option, but when your heart knows, everything else ceases to exist. Consequences be damned. I returned home broken and lost, refusing to connect to my old life, knowing what lurks in the shadows there. Afraid I’ll hate myself even more for hiding the untold truths, and yet I can’t bring myself to set them free. Set myself free... Until her. In her arms, I find sanctuary. Her love not only encompasses me, but it also drives the darkness away and serves as a beacon of hope— my salvation.When our pasts are brought to light, we’re thrust into the hell of our own creation. Will Scarlet forgive me for the blood on my hands? Only absolution will see us through.

Faithless (The Salvation Society)


Megan Green - 2020
    Forty-eight hours later, I’d find out just how wrong I was.Now, instead of being a divorced father of two, I’m a widower, left trying to pick up the pieces of my wife’s affair.The last person I should turn to for help?My wife’s estranged sister, Kate.Kate is everything Felicity wasn’t. And no matter how wrong I know it is, I can’t help the attraction that sparks between us.Felicity destroyed my faith in love. Will her sister be able to restore it?Faithless is an emotional new standalone romance set in Corinne Michael's bestselling Salvation Society world.

Grown-Up Pose


Sonya Lalli - 2020
    Especially in your thirties. Having been pressured by her tight-knit community to get married at a young age to her first serious boyfriend, Anu Desai is now on her own again and feels like she is starting from the beginning. But Anu doesn’t have time to start over. Telling her parents that she was separating from her husband was the hardest thing she’s ever done—and she’s still dealing with the fallout. She has her young daughter to support and when she invests all of her savings into running her own yoga studio, the feelings of irresponsibility send Anu reeling. She’ll be forced to look inside herself to learn what she truly wants.

Looking for Trouble


Victoria Dahl - 2014
    But in tiny Jackson Hole, Wyoming, juicy gossip doesn't just fade away. Falling hard for the sexiest biker who's ever ridden into town would undo everything she's worked for. And to add insult to injury, the alluring stranger is none other than Alex Bishop—the son of the man Sophie's mother abandoned her family for. He may be temptation on wheels, but Sophie's not looking for trouble! Maybe Sophie's buttoned-up facade fools some, but Alex knows a naughty smile when he sees one. Despite their parents' checkered pasts, he's willing to take some risks to find out the truth about the town librarian. He figures a little fling might be just the ticket to get his mind off his own family drama. But what he finds underneath Sophie's prim demeanor might change his world in ways he never expected.

A Princess in Theory


Alyssa Cole - 2018
    . . Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy tales…or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she’s learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won’t convince her otherwise.Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can’t resist the chance to experience life—and love—without the burden of his crown.The chemistry between them is instant and irresistible, and flirty friendship quickly evolves into passionate nights. But when the truth is revealed, can a princess in theory become a princess ever after?Selected as one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2018!

Exception


Mariah Dietz - 2018
    My time back home was supposed to be simple. Easy. Fast.But he’s everywhere I go, invading my thoughts, and stealing my attention. Is it possible to hate the same person I can’t get enough of?Is there really an exception to every rule?

Dodging Temptation


Avery Flynn - 2015
    On the cusp of closing a multi-billion-dollar luxury resort deal, Dodge can’t afford for anything go wrong. But then a fiery redhead shows up, the paparazzi hot on her trail, and throws his world into chaos. He has to get rid of her. Immediately. Harper Conner just wants to be left alone, but after slapping her cheating senator ex-husband during a televised press conference, she's a hot commodity. The ultra exclusive resort in Wyoming seems like the ideal place to hide—and work—so there’s no way she’s letting the Type-A jerk who runs the place fire her. Despite the animosity sparking between them, Dodge and Harper can’t keep their hands to themselves. This thing between them can’t happen. It won’t. But his mother has other ideas…and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Harper and Dodge fall in love.

A Love Hate Thing


Whitney D. Grandison - 2020
    Not that he cares. After recovering from being shot and surviving the rough streets of Lindenwood, he doesn’t care about anyone or anything, much less how the rest of his life will play out.Golden girl Nandy Smith has spent most of her life building the pristine image that it takes to fit in when it comes to her hometown Pacific Hills where image is everything. After learning that her parents are taking in a troubled teen boy, Nandy fears her summer plans, as well as her reputation, will go up in flames. Now with Trice living under the same roof, the wall between their bedrooms feels as thin as the line between love and hate. Beneath the angst, their growing attraction won’t be denied. Through time, Trice brings Nandy out of her shell, and Nandy attempts to melt the ice that’s taken Trice’s heart and being. Only, with the ever-present pull back to the Lindenwood streets, it’ll be a wonder if Trice makes it through this summer at all.

How to Fail at Flirting


Denise Williams - 2020
    For one night her focus will stray from her demanding job and she’ll tackle a new kind of to-do list. When she meets a charming stranger in town on business, he presents the perfect opportunity to check off the items on her list. Let the guy buy her a drink. Check. Try something new. Check. A no-strings-attached hookup. Check…almost.Jake makes her laugh and challenges Naya to rebuild her confidence, which was left toppled by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Soon she’s flirting with the chance at a more serious romantic relationship—except nothing can be that easy. The complicated strings around her dating Jake might destroy her career.Naya has two options. She can protect her professional reputation and return to her old life or she can flirt with the unknown and stay with the person who makes her feel like she's finally living again.

The Ones Who Got Away


Roni Loren - 2018
    The man approaching was nothing like the boy she'd known. The bulky football muscles had streamlined into a harder, leaner package and the look in his deep green eyes held no trace of boyish innocence.It's been twelve years since tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School. Only a few students survived that fateful night—a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away.Liv Arias thought she'd never return to Long Acre—until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home. Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot. When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges cop might be exactly what she needs...