Book picks similar to
When It Hits You by Nicki Elson


romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance
chick-lit

The Wedding Game


Meghan Quinn - 2021
    So it’s only natural that Luna would convince her brother and his husband-to-be to compete on The Wedding Game, a “do-it-yourself” TV show, for the title of Top DIY Wedding Expert.As a jaded divorce lawyer, Alec Baxter scoffs at weddings and romance. But when his recently engaged brother begs him to participate in The Wedding Game, Alec grudgingly picks up a glue gun and prepares for some family bonding.Both fierce competitors, Luna and Alec clash on national TV as harsh words and glitter fly with abandon. But as they bicker over color swatches and mood boards, they find themselves fighting something else: their growing mutual attraction. While Luna is torn between family loyalty and her own feelings, Alec wonders if he might have been wrong about love and marriage all along…

Blissed


Jamie Farrell - 2014
    But it’s redemption time, and she’s putting on her big girl panties to make sure this year’s bridal festival goes off without a hitch. Even if it means she has to play nice with the man who broke her fairy tale.She’s definitely not the one for him. Or is she...World adventurer and reluctant local hero CJ Blue doesn’t want to be in Bliss anymore than Natalie wants him here. But family obligations have brought him back, and now he’s somehow been roped into saving the town tradition he’d rather forget with the woman whose kiss he can’t forget. She frustrates him and drives him nuts but he's had more fun giving her a hard time about the bridal festival than he has in years.And their fun is just starting...Despite their rocky past, these two wounded souls have more in common than they expect. They’ve both loved and lost, they’ve both tried to move on, and now they’ve both been been banned from the local church confessional after...well, they’re not supposed to talk about it. But by joining forces for the sake of Bliss, they might find the courage and the sparks to risk love one more time.Note: BLISSED was previously published for like 5 minutes many years ago as THE HUSBAND GAMES. Publishers Weekly called it a "Marvelous romantic comedy" in a starred review and named it as a "Self-Published Star" of 2014.

Just One Chance


C.A. Harms - 2017
     You left me in a terrible haze, and I can’t find my god damn wallet. Or my left shoe. How the hell does one lose their shoe? I have no f*cking clue. All I know is that my night started out with one thing in mind…to have a little fun. The problem with that? I can’t remember a damn thing, except one. Morgan’s soft and needy moans. It’s a sound I will never forget, and just thinking about it makes my heart race and my pulse quicken. And I want to hear it over and over again…I crave it. But Morgan’s a mystery. The harder I try, the more she resists. There’s one thing she doesn’t know about me though…I’m not one to give up. I’ll play her game. I’ll let her think she’s won. But in the end, I will have her. Because all I need is Just One Chance to prove she’s meant for me…

Charmed by the Bartender


Piper Rayne - 2017
    Probably not in retrospect. In my defense I had just moved back into my grandparent’s house, I’d lost my dream job, and a guy on Tinder had stood me up. It was like life had suddenly stamped ‘LOSER’ on my forehead. So when the guy behind the bar started giving me THE look…you know, the one that promised I’d be screaming his name into the wee hours of the morning? When that guy also has the perfect amount of scruff on his chiseled chin, biceps bulging out of his t-shirt, and a cocky grin you knew he’d earned in the sack…when he gives you that look, you don’t bother to figure out what your six degrees of separation are. You jump on that horse and ride it! Pun fully and completely intended. And accurate by the way. I fully admit to feeling sorry for myself and acting impulsively, but by the time I’d figured out WHO the bartender was, I was already falling for him.

Enemies With Benefits


Roxie Noir - 2019
    I don’t even like him.I just want him.Eli Loveless was my nemesis from the first day of kindergarten until we graduated high school. Everything I did, he had to do better - and vice versa. The day he left town was the best day of my life.Ten years later, the day he came back was the worst.Now he’s my co-worker.Grown-up Eli Loveless is sexy as sin. He’s hotter than asphalt in the summer. The irritating kid I once knew is gone, and he’s been replaced by a man with green eyes, perfect abs, and a cocky smile.It’s bad that I want him.It’s worse that he wants me back.There are looks. There are smirks. There are smiles that make my panties burst into flame.And then there’s a shared kiss that leads to the hottest night of my life.This is no office romance. This is a five-alarm fire. What’s a girl to do when the man I can’t stand is the one I can’t stop lusting after?Enter into a friends-with-benefits agreement, of course. No dates. No relationship. Just blisteringly hot sex, because if there’s one person I could never fall for, it’s Eli....right?

Taste for Trouble


Susan Sey - 2013
    Off the field? He’s pure trouble. When his fondness for fast women and bar brawls lands him a suspension from the game, he’s prepared to take his punishment like a man. But since when does a suspension come with a live-in nanny?TV baking maven Belinda West is the epitome of home-made hospitality, on-screen and off. The personal is the professional when you’re selling the good life, after all. But when her wedding day implodes in front of a live studio audience, Bel’s career goes into a death spiral. She’ll do anything to save it, even take charge of soccer’s most famous bad boy. To hell with the morals clause in his contract; James isn’t about to shape up for some knock-off Mary Poppins. But since when does Mary Poppins laugh like a naughty angel and smell like sugar cookies? He’s not looking for love but that kiss of hers is practically perfect in every way. And James has a powerful taste for trouble.

Long Road Home


Mary Jane Morgan - 2015
    Leaving college, she returns home to find her younger sister mute with shock, her mother too depressed to function, and their beloved Thoroughbred horse ranch on the verge of going under. She’s barely arrived when she’s forced to accept help from Brett Dawson—the man who once broke her heart—when a marauding mountain lion threatens one of the prized horses they depend on for survival. Brett would rather be anywhere but the Swearingen ranch. Caught between his feelings for Megan and the powder keg of the ongoing feud between their families, he feels his only choice is to help Megan, regardless of the consequences. If it weren’t for Brett’s father, Megan’s dad might still be alive, and she wouldn’t be here now sacrificing her future to save her family’s ranch. As the long-simmering attraction between Megan and Brett resurfaces, it is threatened almost before it begins by dark family secrets swirling around them—secrets that turn to danger and could very well destroy not only their new beginning, but the lives of everyone they both love.

Single Dad's Waitress


Amelia Wilde - 2017
    Valentine is serving up the exact opposite at the Short Stack Café.She’s a disaster waiting to happen—a gorgeous, irresistible disaster.Ryder can’t risk his newfound stability on a whirlwind like Valentine. He definitely can’t risk his heart. But one taste of her has him willing to pick up the tab, no matter the price.(Previously titled Over Easy.)

Highest Bidder


Heather Young-Nichols - 2014
    Even if it means selling her virginity.Flannery dreams of a life better than her mother’s. So when her hard-earned scholarship funds get embezzled, there’s no way she’s going home. Even if that means selling her virginity to the highest bidder.The only thing holding her back is Cain, her perfect boyfriend who has no idea what it’s like to struggle financially. Finding out the girl he loves is willing to give her virginity away might be too much for even him to get past.When the winning bid comes in and Cain finds out, Flannery must convince him that this is her only chance to stay in school otherwise she’ll have to give up her dream.Is selling her virginity to a stranger something Cain can forgive or will doing what it takes to achieve her dream cost her the man she loves?

For The Win


Rochelle Allison - 2016
    But when he gets a call from the US Men’s Soccer team, asking him to play in the Olympic Games, he’s thrust back into the world he’s tried so hard to distance himself from. Julian doesn’t want back in the league, especially when the dubious details of the arrangement are revealed, but accepting could give him a chance to reform his tarnished image. And, if he plays by the rules, he may have a shot at winning not just a gold medal but the heart of his first love, star forward of the Women’s team, Melina Diaz. Focused and determined, Melina is skeptical that Julian can change his destructive ways. She plans to have little to do with her ex until the stress of the Games get to her and she finds herself falling back on the one person that knows her the best. This August, all eyes will be on Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics as the world’s elite athletes come together to compete in the most prestigious sporting event of their lifetime. The Games will bring the world together but may tear Julian and Melina even further apart.

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?

Beautiful Pain


Joanna Mazurkiewicz - 2013
    I needed to get away from London, I wanted to start from scratch in Belfast, escape from the life that I didn’t want. Working for Probation Service for the whole summer was going to give me the experience that I needed. I always felt much better when I could help people whose lives were shattered.My parents told me that I wasn't ready and I wouldn't make it through but I was determined to show them that the past was behind me. I had three months to forget about my bad memories, about the pain and my scars. Then I run straight into him, throwing it all to the wind, falling into a trap of love and lust. Harry O’Donaghue was a local offender. At our first meeting he gave me the impression that he didn’t care about what I had to say and didn’t want to be evaluated by a stupid young girl like me. Harry wasn’t an easy subject, either when it came to straight forward conversation about his future or about the crimes that he had committed.Harry had a secret and everything suddenly became complicated. He was bad to be around, bad for me in every respect, but I still allowed him take me to paradise… Contemporary Romance novel - contains adult situations, high sexuality, violence, suited for ages 18 and up. This book is the first in a series but can be read as a stand alone.*

The Billionaire's Secret


Jeannette Winters - 2015
    His friends decide to shake him up by entering him as a prize at a charity event.Accountant Lizette Burke is dressed to the nines and covering for her boss at a charity event. She’s hoping to land a donor for the struggling non-profit agency that employs her.She never expected to win a date with a billionaire.He never thought one night could turn his life upside down.One lie stands between them and their happily ever after. Too bad it’s a big one!Betting on You Series:Book One: The Billionaire’s Secret (Free!)Book Two: The Billionaire’s Masquerade (Coming April 2015!)Book Three: The Billionaire’s Longshot (Coming May 2015!)Book Four: The Billionaire’s Jackpot (Coming July 2015!)

Happy Pants Cafe


Mimi Jean Pamfiloff - 2014
    And what are they searching for? It’s not coffee. And it’s not pants. It’s true love, and everyone who goes, finds it!So what, exactly, is the café’s big secret? Harper Branton, a columnist for the San Francisco Tribune, who’d sooner believe in unicorns than in true love, is about to find out. And it’s the perfect story to save her train wreck of a career.Too bad she’s got competition. He’s sexy, he’s arrogant, and he thinks she’s crazy. ("What kind of person doesn’t believe in love?") And this coming from a man!When these two rivals go head to head, it's more like a WWF smackdown. A shared history binds them in wonderful, terrible ways quickly turning their duel into more than just a fight for a story. Will they tear each other apart for the win or end up as two more satisfied Happy Pants customers?Note: Stand-alone story

Dirty at 30 (Love Without Batteries Book 1)


Cassandra Lawson - 2016
    There I was, just about to reach my big O when he died. I tried replacing his batteries, but nothing worked. It was that frustrating moment when I decided I wanted a real man in my life. Ty seems like the perfect guy. He’s sexy, sweet, and he can satisfy me in ways Raphael never could. Unfortunately, he’s also my stepson’s best friend. While only five years younger, Ty seems like forbidden fruit, but I still find myself unable to resist him. Now, I just need to figure out if this is the beginning of a forbidden romance that will end in tragedy, or if Ty could be my happily ever after. Love Without Batteries Following their disastrous marriages, Brook, Chelsea, and Delaney swore off men. After years of being on their own, these ladies have decided they want more. At the age of thirty, the three friends make a pact to re-enter the dating world. Little do they know they are all destined to find love in the arms of younger men. ***Each book in the Love Without Batteries series can be read as a standalone novel.