Book picks similar to
The Hot Mess by Lauren Wood


1
5-star-read
arc
contemporary-fiction

Grumpy Best Friend


B.B. Hamel - 2021
    I had to escape my drunk, abusive father, but leaving her behind was the biggest mistake of my life.Now I have another shot at making things right. Jude’s new boss wants to build a factory outside of Philadelphia, and she brings me in to help.I’m thrust back into Jude’s world, and not much has changed. She’s still beautiful, still hilarious, and still hates my guts.Little by little, she’ll remember why we fell in love back in high school. I’ll make her pout, then make her laugh— then make her strip down and kiss me.And soon I’ll have her back, all grown up and perfect.Or else I'll lose the empire I built with my own calloused hands.Another hot grumpy man! Watch Lady Fluke’s assistant Jude find her happily-ever-after with Bret while they both face their broken pasts and grow together. It’s steamy and fun and I think you’ll fall in love with protective, growly Bret just like I did. As always, Grumpy Best Friend is a full length standalone novel with no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a happily-ever-after guaranteed. Enjoy! XO BB

A Hundred Wishes (Band of Sisters)


Marianne Rice - 2022
    She has found a sense of inner peace through her sewing, crafting, and teaching children online. Jobs that keep her at a distance from everyone but her sisters.Arson inspector Bryce Cambridge has never been shot down so quickly or so curtly as he is by the woman with gorgeous brown eyes selling quilts. Luck is on his side when he runs into her at a bowling alley the next day. He’s intrigued and turned on by her smart mouth. The chemistry is explosive between them, and even though she tries to resist, the spark between them is too hot to ignore.Those blue-grey eyes and charming smile have Gina lowering the wall she’s built around her heart. But as their relationship grows more serious, Bryce wants to see all Gina is hiding. The puckered, scarred skin and the shrapnel buried in her flesh are just the surface layers of the wounds Gina tries to keep hidden. But her deepest, darkest secret may be too repulsive even for someone as strong as Bryce.Because his fears are her reality.

A Mountaintop Christmas: Holiday Belles


Khloe Summers - 2021
    SvenI've been alone on this Alaskan mountaintop so long that people refer to me as the Yeti,And I have no regrets.But when a nosey new postal worker starts messing with my Christmas packages and begins sending me personalized letters,I need to show her I am more animal than her little, curvy body can handle.

The Cowboy's Forever


Elizabeth Grey - 2021
    The last thing I need is to fall for a billionaire playboy who might cost me my job.But when I discover more about his struggles of being the black sheep of the family and how hard he worked for everything he has, my heart softens. My walls break down bit by bit, and I find myself unable to resist the handsome cowboy. Soon, our passion is reignited.Little do I know that our first night together has already altered my life forever. I’m pregnant.I want to tell Chris, but I can’t.I’m on the run from my abusive ex-husband who’s determined to take my son. If my ex catches up to me, neither Chris, nor my son, nor my unborn baby will be safe.I need to end things with Chris before he realizes I’m carrying his child. Yet despite what my mind says, my heart is begging me to stay.The Cowboy's Forever is a tantalizing cowboy billionaire romance, featuring a hard-working single mom and a cynical playboy cowboy.

Guarding His Fake Family


Katie Knight - 2021
    Alisha Lewis, the sister of one of his squad mates, could be his key to his next bestseller—if their smoldering chemistry doesn’t get in the way. She’s sexy, smart and just happens to be an investigative reporter working on what might be the perfect story. After the adrenaline rush of a stakeout-gone-bad, they share a night of passion—one they both agree was a mistake. But that one night has lasting consequences when Alisha learns she’s pregnant.Alisha didn’t expect Simon to insist on staying near to keep her and the baby safe. But when an abduction happens on their doorstep, she's glad the towering SEAL is there to protect her, and their unborn child. Soon, they’re up to their necks in crooked cops, kidnappers, and the kidnap victim’s abandoned baby. Not to mention the red-hot passion that continues to flare between them.Worse yet? As they work to solve the mystery, Alisha realizes she’s starting to fall hard for the sexy SEAL. But will they be able to survive long enough to fall in love?

Mine on Christmas


Sarah J. Brooks - 2018
    I’ve got three words for her. Bah freaking humbug. I hate Christmas. For the last 10 years, I’ve hated everything. Except for my girls. Perfect twins with their mother’s eyes. They want me to move on, but I’m too damaged to listen. Until Niki. Her sass makes my temper rise along with my mammoth… ego. And when I see her delicious curves under that dress, I want to bend her over her party plans and show her what’s waiting in her stocking this year. But giving her what she wants means letting go of the past, And I’m not ready to forget. I’ve got billions to keep me warm, I don’t need Niki too. Except I can’t imagine life without her. Time to turn my bah humbugs into Christmas kisses. Even bums like me need someone to love. I just hope I’m not too late... "Mine on Christmas" is a full length standalone romance with no cheating and no cliffhangers, but with plenty of steam and a HEA. I've also included a preview of my billionaire romance "Accidentally His" for you! - Sarah J. Brooks (USA Today Bestselling Author)

Keeping the Playboy's Baby


Ava Storm - 2021
    

All I Want For Christmas (Holiday Belles)


Poppy Parkes - 2021
    She never expected that winning a high-profile reality baking show would mean constantly being followed by paparazzi willing to do anything to get a piece of her. She runs to Heartwood, Montana, hoping that the small mountain town will be the escape she needs.All Graham wants for Christmas is for the darkness in his past to quit haunting him. When disaster struck two years ago, he returned to the mountains above his childhood home of Heartwood, searching for peace but never quite finding it.When the two slide into each other one snowy day, neither can resist the idea that maybe all they really need for Christmas is each other, 'til death do them part.Then a stalker finds Cookie and starts leaving threats on her doorstep. Graham is determined to do whatever it takes to protect his woman and the heart-healing happiness they’ve found in each other’s arms.But will it be enough?All I Want For Christmas is an over-the-top steamy standalone instalove story sure to start your holiday season off with a sparkle!

Not So Fake (The Billionaire's Secret #7)


R.S. Elliot - 2021
    

Just Pretend (Love Comes To Town #3)


Ashlee Price - 2021
    Mr. Grump.The wealthy black sheep brother from the infamous Storm family.I wasn’t supposed to go through his phone.But one accidental text later, I can’t seem to quit him.What’s a girl to do when a gorgeous rich guy bumps into you?Well, you could tell him where to go.You could also tell the clumsy jerk that he dropped his phone.Or, you could secretly unlock it,To discover photos and texts that’ll make you blush.And when he unexpectedly texts back,Make sure you don’t forget to follow the unwritten rules of texting.Be unique. Tease him.Leave him wanting more.And…marry him in 90 days?!Just Pretend is a full-length steamy contemporary romance filled with accidental texts, real chemistry and a proposal that will knock you off your feet. Custom made for romance readers who love fake engagements, opposites attract, provocative texts and happily-ever-afters.All books in this Love Comes to Town series can be read as stand-alones but you’ll love reading them together!

Baby Secrets in Seattle (West Coast Players #1)


Layla Valentine - 2021
    Fat. Lie.He got what he wanted and dropped me, in more ways than one.And guess what? I’m pregnant.Now I have to choose between keeping this to myself,Or sharing it with the piece of work who robbed me of my dreams.

The Wrangling of the Wreath (Shiloh Ridge Ranch in Three Rivers #10)


Liz Isaacson - 2021
    

Rough Ride: A Cowboy Romance


Piper Stone - 2021
    

Sawyer's Mate


Meg Ripley - 2019
    But when she gets to Big Bend National Park and meets the hunky Ranger assigned to assist with her dig, her plans start to look less than solid. Her mind insists on staying on track, but whenever she’s around Sawyer, her heart refuses to listen. After inheriting the Alpha title of his bear clan, Sawyer’s ready to start settling down—and when he meets Madelyn, his inner bear knows he’s found the one. Even though sparks fly between them, Madelyn can’t imagine leaving her New England family and budding career behind. But Sawyer longs for her to stay in Texas; he can’t bear the thought of being without her. Madelyn tries to find a balance between dating and schoolwork, but time’s running out for her to make a discovery for her thesis. But when she digs up Big Bend’s biggest secret of all, will her life—and love—be put in danger? Sawyer’s Mate is a 33,000 word standalone novella with steamy shifter scenes intended for readers 18+.

Bound by Danger


Kelsey Dawson - 2021
    He’s supposed to be the prince to my mafia princess. But Dario Colombo? Notorious playboy. Bad boy. The guy never takes a single thing seriously. I’ve kissed enough frogs to know he’s no mafia prince. But this would all be a lot easier if he wasn’t so damned good-looking.Dario - Settling down with one woman, a white picket fence, two-point-two kids, and a dog was never my version of happily ever after. But everything changed when my brother John married Gastone Gambino's daughter to ensure peace between our families. That's when Sara Codutti, a fierce and fiery mafia princess, enchanted my soul and my heart. I will make her mine at all costs. This time, I have to get it right, which would be easier if everything else wasn’t going to so wrong.