Book picks similar to
Keep Happy by A.C. Bextor


cheating
2nd-chance
romance
contemporary-romance

Gentleman Nine


Penelope Ward - 2018
    I kept it inside because Rory and I made a pact that our friend, Amber, was off-limits.He lied.I went off to college, and he got the girl.Amber never knew how I felt.They were together for years—before he broke her heart.Through it all and across the miles, she and I casually stayed in touch.When my job sent me to Boston for a three-month contract position, Amber let me stay in her spare room.Still reeling from her breakup, she’d sworn off men.One night, I opened her computer to find the shock of my life. She’d hesitantly contacted a male escort company. Afraid to date and get her heart broken again, she was looking for sex with no strings.Every emotion imaginable ran through me: protectiveness, jealousy—curiosity.Amber had chosen Gentleman Number Nine and sent him a message.She opened up to him, confessing, among other things, her physical attraction to her friend—me. But she considered me off-limits—and she thought I was a manwhore. (Ironic, considering the circumstances.)Eventually, she set up a date to meet Gentleman Nine at a hotel.When she showed up several nights later to meet him, she was stunned to see me standing there—with an offer I hoped she wouldn’t refuse.

Breaking Giants


L.M. Halloran - 2017
    Embarrass myself, then insult him. Because you only live once, right?Besides, keeping my distance from the enigmatic, songwriting genius is an act of self-preservation. Julian is dangerous, a pool of kerosene to my pyromaniac. I have a weakness for broken men.But sometimes the stories we tell and the songs we sing - about family, love, and ourselves - have to be rewritten in order for us to grow. Call it fate, or stars aligning, or cosmic accident, but I'm about to find out that of the two of us, Julian isn't the broken one.

Code of Silence


Shantel Tessier - 2020
    Who just so happens to also be my ex-boyfriend.It’s complicated. Two years ago, he broke my heart when he left me to do his father’s bidding. After months of crying, I finally accepted he was gone and wasn’t going to look back. That maybe he’d never loved me at all. I never wanted to see Luca again.Now a cruel twist of fate has signed me over to him in a heartless deal. I’m his. He thinks he did me a favor, but I feel like I’ve been given a death sentence. He doesn't want to get married because he still loves me. No, he did it for money. More power.I’m going to be a mafia wife. And there’s only one way out of it. Death.But as it turns out, someone else doesn’t want me to marry the ruthless Luca Bianchi. And if he has his way, I’ll see that early grave.Due to mature content and themes this book is recommended for readers aged eighteen and over. Code of Silence is an arranged marriage and a complete standalone. This novel may contain triggers.

Even If It Hurts


Marni Mann - 2020
    She became my wife.CHLOE I met my first love while studying abroad in London.When I moved home, I didn't think I'd ever fall in love again.Until I met him. The man who became my husband.The one I promised a lifetime to.Then, my first love came back into my life ...And I realized that love was bigger than any one man.

Forsaking Gray


K.L. Kreig - 2015
    Deception. Betrayal.Within less than twenty-four hours of proposing to the love of Gray's life, Liva disappeared. No note. No trace. No explanation. Nothing. Now, five years later, she’s resurfaced and Gray will stop at nothing to make Livia his again. But is love enough to forgive an unforgivable wrong?Livia had less than sixty seconds to make a decision that would change her life forever. She sacrificed. She suffered. She survived. Now that she's back, she's determined that no one ever discover her shameful secret - especially the only man she's ever loved. But will hiding the past destroy her future?

All Mine


Piper Lennox - 2018
    In just a single afternoon, they go from friends, to lovers…to nothing. Three years later, Mel is determined to fix the mistake she made that day. But instead of the sweet, lanky boy she grew up with, she finds a man. He’s bulked up. He’s confident. Dominating. Hardened by rejection. Mired in the loss of his father. One thing hasn’t changed, though: how much he wants her. * * * The day Mel left, Blake swore he’d never give anyone else the chance to gut him so completely. He’s adept at getting what he wants from women, when he wants it. His method? Be aloof. Share as little of your heart as possible. Don’t wait around for what you want: demand it. But Mel is different. She always has been. Finally, he has her. All of her. But between his dad’s death and unexpected news from his ex, his life begins to unravel. Even worse: he’s the one pulling the thread. He can’t bear to lose Mel again…but what if letting her go is the only way to keep her safe? All Mine is an enduring yet gritty novel of young love and regret, second chances—and a happily ever after readers will ache to claim as their own. Please be advised: this standalone romance contains intimate scenes some readers may not find suitable.

Becoming His Mistress


A.E. Murphy - 2019
    It's how she gets by when she's not in the company of her best friend and Tourette's sufferer, Laurie, or focusing on her busy work schedule as the personal assistant and office manager for the extremely attractive and extremely married, Ezra Conti.Everything has a place and Rose likes it that way. It must be that way.But even her quirks aren't enough to keep her in her lane and away from temptation. No matter how hard she tries to fight a detour in her life's perfect navigation system.She doesn't like-like her boss. Not one bit. He belongs with his wife, and Rose......Rose belongs by his side.

Conviction


Lesley Jones - 2015
    Our love unquestioned. Our futures planned. But she didn't show. All that we had, all that we meant, and after all that was said, she just didn't show. That one act by her changed everything, but it especially changed me and from that moment on, there was no going back. No words of love, no whispered promises, just sex and drugs and rock and roll. No one gets a piece of Reed, but what they will get is the night of their life, the chance to let go, break their own rules and enjoy the best, the dirtiest, filthiest sex ever... Along with the other four people in my bed.I thought he loved me, I believed everything he said, every promise that he made but then, when I needed him more than I'd needed anyone in my life, when I was at my most vulnerable, he let me down. He chose to take a different path and leave me to pick up the pieces of my now broken life. I was changed forever and chose the easy option, letting others take charge of my destiny, until once again, I'm let down in the cruelest of ways. Dirty filthy sex.Love.Heartbreak. Betrayal. High emotion. And a bit more sex.

Always Be the ONE


Hadley Quinn - 2015
    I also know I’m not the smartest, best looking, or most impressive; there’s always someone better. But I do know that I deserved so much better than what she gave me. I let her break me. I gave her my heart and she walked away with it. I have a hard time forgiving her, but not really. I want to hold onto that anger and stay hurt for as long as she’s gone, because the truth is, I want her back. I’m willing to look past what has happened if she would just come back to me. The hurt will go away the second she returns to my arms, and then I’ll know the pain was worth it. At least that’s what I had convinced myself until reality kicked my ass. She’s not coming back, and now I’m stuck with everything around me that reminds me of her. I’m just pissed at the world, ruined from the inside out, and bitter beyond belief. All of that makes me hate myself. I gave her all I possibly could and she threw it back in my face. It’s finally time to move on. I know this. She ripped my heart into a thousand pieces and I refused to put it back together again. That should have been her job. Now I need to do it myself, even though I know it just might kill me. But that was until she came back into my life, and I finally learned the hard way that some things are just meant to shock the hell out of you. I couldn’t forgive her as easily as I thought I could. Things didn’t just fall into place like I’d hoped they would. But one thing was for sure… She would Always Be the ONE.

Dirty Exes


Rachel Van Dyken - 2018
    A sizzling series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel van Dyken. Blaire has never quite gotten over Jessie Beckett, the ex–NFL star whose kisses were hot enough to ignite the entire Eastern Seaboard. When he chose work over her, Blaire was left brokenhearted. Why else would she have married a skeezy two-timer, just to divorce him less than a year later?Now Blaire is getting even by becoming one half of Dirty Exes, a PI firm fully committed to humiliating cheating jerks. If only the new jerk she’s been hired to uncover wasn’t Jessie Beckett himself.Exposing Jessie isn’t going to be easy, especially when she still daydreams about his sexy smile. Further complicating matters is Colin, Jessie’s best friend. He’s gorgeous, a little bit cunning, and willing to help Blaire get the inside scoop on Jessie—for a price.Now caught between two men—one totally right and the other totally wrong—Blaire will need to decide just how much she’s willing to risk…and whom she’s willing to risk it for.

Heartbreaker


Melody Grace - 2016
    Every time I walk down the street, there's a billboard plastered with his gorgeous face: Finn McKay. Now he’s a drop-dead sexy rock star, but when I first knew him, he was just the boy from the wrong side of the tracks - and the first guy I ever loved. He broke my heart into a hundred pieces when he skipped town without saying goodbye – but now he’s back. And he wants me. I’m determined not to make the same mistakes twice, but the chemistry with Finn was always way too hot to ignore. He was the guy who had me sneaking out my bedroom window for just one more kiss, and breaking curfew parked by the riverbanks, steaming up his windows in the backseat of his car. The past five years have been good to him, real good, and between his dirty mind and that ‘I know how to make you scream’ smile, he’s breaking through my defenses all over again. Maybe one last wild fling for old time’s sake is what I need to finally move on. But what happens when Finn wants more than my body? This time he wants everything.

Billionaire's Redemption


Ridge Taylor - 2017
    it was like a raging inferno! Blake At 34 years old I run one of the oldest, most powerful law firms in New York City. There is an endless stream of legal interns coming though the door who are all vying for the chance to spend a weekend in the Bahamas with the boss at the end of their internship. It's a pretty sweet setup for a bachelor who has no intention of settling down any time soon. Private jets, fancy cars and weekends spent partying at a gorgeous beach home on Paradise Island. It's a lifestyle that most young men can only dream about, but with each passing birthday I get a deeper sense that something is missing. Who am I kidding, I know exactly what's missing. Kayla I've known Blake ever since we were kids. He was younger than me, so I never thought about him romantically back then. After all, he was just a boy. Now that he is one of the most successful attorneys in the city, as well as the most eligible bachelor around, I can't help but be a bit jealous. It's too bad he's my boss. The day he took over the firm he hired as his executive assistant and that was nearly ten years ago. The number one rule at the firm has always been, no dating co-workers. If anyone gets caught, they are fired on the spot. No exceptions. I really need this job, but... Billionaire's Redemption is a steamy 25k word second chance love story. If you enjoy passionate, steamy scenes that lead to a happy ever after and NO cliffhangers, then you should read it now! Recommended for readers 18+

The Affair


Giana Darling - 2016
    But before beginning her new life, she travels to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico searching for a week of relaxation and reprieve before barreling into her turbulent future.She never expected to meet the handsome and enigmatic Frenchman Sinclair on the plane and she certainly never would have imagined herself accepting his proposal for a week long, no-strings-attached affair. Giselle has never experienced anything as heady as Sinclair’s controlled seduction and cool yet devastatingly erotic commands and she finds herself powerless to stop the ferocity of their passions, even when she discovers he has a partner back home. The last thing she needs in her life is another complication, yet as the week wears on, she finds it surprisingly easy to relinquish control to Sinclair, a man she knows nearly nothing about. And to her horror, the one thing she promised never to submit, her battered heart, is just as easily captured in the business mogul’s unyielding hands.

Remembering Us


Stacey Lynn - 2014
    I followed it, begrudgingly, because it’s what was expected. And then one day, everything changed. I woke up. Different. Independent. Free from all the rules that had surrounded me. Only I have no idea how I got to where I am. I have no memory of graduating college. No memory of Adam, the boyfriend I live with. He loves me. And I love him. At least that’s what everyone says. Except when my memories return to me as dreams, I see a different man than the one everyone claims is perfect for me. He terrifies me. He makes my heart race and he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. I have no idea if I want to welcome the emotional roller-coaster that his piercing brown eyes and messy black hair puts me on every time I get a glimpse of him, or if I want to run back to the safe shelter of the scripted life-plan that used to be mine.

Falling into Infinity


Layne Harper - 2013
    A chance meeting with A&M’s star quarterback Colin McKinney changes everything. A friendship between the two grows over time and blossoms into a powerful love affair. Charlie and Colin must learn to cope with his transition to playing professional football, the crushing attention of the media, and constant demands of his fans. At the same time, she’s struggling with how her dream of attending medical school will fit into their already stressed relationship and Colin’s new life. Falling Into Infinity asks the question is just loving someone enough to make a relationship work?