Book picks similar to
Beautiful Ruin by Amy Olle


romance
freebie
second-chance
contemporary-romance

Dirty Tactics


Peyton Banks - 2018
     Marcas MacArthur was as tough as they come. The former Navy Seal had dedicated his life to lead the elite Columbia SWAT team and had no time for relationships. He had two reasons. Putting his life on the line daily would be too much to ask any woman to deal with, and she would be a distraction. But when the new neighbor next door moved in, she captured his attention. Sarena Rucker was an emergency room nurse who had a thing for men in uniforms. The single sergeant who lived next door made her knees weak. Decked out in his tactical gear, he was the perfect package—sexy, rugged, intense—and he loved to be in charge. One night together and their lives changed forever. Sarena had got under his skin, and Marcas couldn’t get enough of her. Everything was perfect until Marcas learned of the target on Sarena’s back because of her connection to him. He would do anything to protect her. Will he be able to save her in time, or will he lose the one who gave him hope for the future?Dirty Tactics is a steamy interracial romance for readers over 18 years and older.

Mr. Principal


Summer Cooper - 2018
    “Is it wrong to be with the person you love?” My heart skipped a beat and I could no longer meet his eyes. I wasn’t ready yet to accept what I saw there. I wasn’t ready to accept his love. Dana Duran has no idea what she’s doing with her life. Divorced, bitter, and trying to raise a precocious little girl on her own, the last thing Dana needs is another complication in her already hectic existence. But then Carter Knight comes back into town and just like that, Dana’s reality is shaken yet again. Torn between protecting her heart and harboring a secret she wishes she could forget, Dana has mixed feelings about Carter’s return. But the heart knows what it wants and for Dana and Carter, their hearts want each other. But will they let their past mistakes dictate their present or will Dana and Carter let go of the past and make room for love?

Touch Me Again


C. Morgan - 2021
    But that was years ago. And we’re both all grown up now. He’s hotter than sin and has a smile that leaves me and my friends panting for his attention. It’s spring break and I need time with the girls on the beach. Florida should do the trick. Never in a million years did I expect Hudson Philips to be there. Memories of him bullying and teasing me mercilessly roll through me in waves, but we’re not kids anymore, and those aren’t the only waves he’s making. He’s damned determined to get back into my good graces, and he’s working every angle possible to make sure it happens. As hard as I try to deny him, he quickly becomes the only thing I can think about. But the minute I let down my guard, he puts his up again. He’s not looking for a long-term love affair. I wish he were, but for now, I simply want him to touch me again.

The Romance Dance


Allie Burton - 2016
    He’s pieced his life back together becoming a landlord and remodel construction specialist, but shies away from a social life.Ex-ballerina Quinn Petrov moved to Castle Ridge and invested her money to start a dance studio with plans to put down roots. She wants to get involved in the community to promote her business and make real friends, not the acquaintances she’d made in New York. When she meets her secretive and sexy landlord, she’s intrigued but he always seems to be hiding behind a mask. Reed can’t stop the attraction he feels toward his new tenant, but she’s beautiful and outgoing, while he is not. When his younger brother begs him to help impress Quinn, Reed can’t say no. Using the musical language of love, he woos Quinn for his brother, but when his own mask slips will he reveal his secrets?In this modern take of Cyrano de Bergerac meets Beauty and the Beast, Quinn and Reed dance their way into each other’s hearts. Other books in the series: The Christmas Match and The Flirtation Game.

Commanding Sia


Zoe Dawson - 2020
    . .reunited by duty… When Lieutenant Ambrosia “Sia” Soto returns from an investigation into a “pilot error” case aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. James McCloud, she comes face to face with NCIS Special Agent and former lover, Christophe Vargas, the man who was involved in an F-18 Fighter Jet accident that took her brother’s life six years ago. But when another incident aboard the carrier involves the death of a senator’s son whose plane crashed into the deck on a routine training mission, she’s now required to return to the carrier with Chris in tow to face a cunning and dangerous foe. Bombarded both personally and professionally, Sia must trust her instincts and suppress the feelings that surface for her enigmatic and sexy partner.

Ask For It


Selena Blake - 2013
    Now she’s back in his life and he’s not going to miss the opportunity to show her just how good they could be together.Words may be JJ’s tool of trade, but when it comes to the bedroom, words escape her. Trevor’s an excellent teacher and before she knows it, she’s asking for what she wants.But when outside forces threaten to expose dark secrets from Trevor’s past, can he overcome his suspicions and trust the woman in his bed?

Saving Ariel


Ellie Masters - 2021
    His focus is on raising his daughter as a single dad, and keeping his offshore oil rig crew safe. As his crew evacuates in advance of Hurricane Julian, a category five monster barreling down on the gulf, disaster strikes. Two of his crewmen are critically injured. He needs to get them to safety before the hurricane hits. When the aeromedical rescue helicopter pilot turns out to be a woman, he’s surprised. When she falls into his arms, his entire body takes notice. The tough, gorgeous, pilot is everything Aiden thought he’d never have—or want—again. Can Ariel be the one? His second chance at love?Too bad the storm seems to have other plans for them…Ariel Black doesn’t believe in love.With a category five hurricane barreling down on the Gulf, helicopter pilot, Ariel Black, is on a mission to evacuate wounded men from an oil rig. When the massive storm arrives ahead of schedule, it grounds Ariel’s helicopter, trapping them on the oil rig. She and her men, along with Aiden and his wounded, must ride out the storm. It’s the worst possible time to fall in love, but she does. Ariel falls hard…right into the installation manager’s arms. Aiden Cole makes her heart race, her pulse pound, and the butterflies in her stomach soar. Could he be the one?Will the storm of the century destroy Aiden and Ariel’s chance at happily ever after? Or does fate have something else in store?Saving Ariel, a steamy, second chance, contemporary romantic suspense, about love at first sight. It features a protective hero and the smart, feisty heroine who steals his heart.Get your copy today and let the binge-reading begin.(Saving Ariel was previously published as 'Aiden.')

The Shop on Main


Kay Correll - 2014
    As she scrambles to maintain her fragile financial security and independence, she fears she may lose more than just The Shop on Main and her home.Nothing is working out like Bella planned--she finds out the man she is falling for, Owen Campbell, is the businessman at the center of all her problems.Owen has secretly longed to belong--somewhere--anywhere--his whole life. When he decides to give his long-lost brother, Jake, back his birthright, he unknowingly thwarts his briefly held hope of a place where he can put down roots and a family he longs for.Nothing is working out like Owen planned--neither Bella nor Jake wants anything to do with him.How can a man who is used to being in control and a woman determined to make it all on her own find a way to happiness?The Shop on Main is Book One of the Comfort Crossing series. Bella and her best friends, Jenny and Becky Lee, navigate the heartaches and triumphs of love and life in the small southern town of Comfort Crossing, Mississippi.

Caught on Camera


Kim Law - 2012
    But then she made the mistake of a lifetime. Former model Vega Zaragoza knows what scandal feels like, and she’s resolved to avoid it. Now making her living behind the camera instead of in front of it, she’s content. Life is good. But when a shot at her dream job comes along, one that puts her back in the public eye, Vega has a choice to make: continue to play it safe . . . or gamble everything to go toe-to-toe—and heart-to-heart—with the city’s most eligible bachelor.JP Davenport isn’t merely Atlanta’s most eligible bachelor, he’s the golden boy of one of America’s most prominent families. With endless charisma and movie-star good looks, JP is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. And sometimes, things even get handed to him that he doesn’t want. But what can he do? He’s a Davenport. Everyone in the family has their role to play.When JP sets his sights on Vega, he has no idea the secrets she hides. Secrets that, if exposed, could upend both their lives. But though neither is willing to back away from the attraction they feel, they each start to wonder if a relationship is truly a mistake. Or will being together lead them both down the path to the freedom they each so desperately seek? “Kim Law pens a sexy, fast-paced romance.” —New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde “The chemistry between Vega and JP is explosive and will have you rooting for the couple’s success.” —RT Book Reviews One-click now to get started reading and get drawn into the scandals that surround the Davenports! Don’t miss the other Davenport novels! Caught on Camera (The Davenports #1) Caught in the Act (The Davenports #2) Caught off Guard (The Davenports #3) Author’s note: This book was previously published in 2012 under the same title but with a different cover. The story remains the same as the original.

Dax


Shannyn Leah - 2020
    A fearless volunteer firefighter and hard ass mechanic, he makes all the woman swoon and he likes it that way. He keeps people at a distance since his mother died. He doesn’t want to let anyone in, much less a woman he knows he could fall in love with.Ava Anderson keeps people away, too. Haunted by her tortured past and constantly fearful of the future, it’s only her daughter Olivia and Dax’s dad Rowdy that she’s let in. But when tragedy strikes, it pushes Dax and Ava together, forcing them both to let go of their fears. They soon learn how hard it is to keep pretending and how easy it is to let others in. Especially when those people are family.“Dax” is the first in the “Bad Boys of Willow Valley” series from author Shannyn Leah.

Worth the Wait


Sophia Sinclair - 2019
     Molly Miller is an overworked and underpaid librarian struggling to raise her three kids herself. The only romances she has time for are the novels she returns to the shelves. Then one day, David Conrad walks into the Fairview Public Library. He looks just like the sexy pirate on the cover of a romance novel her best friend, Lori, has been reading, so they secretly refer to him as The Pirate Man. But the truth is even stranger. His appearance means old secrets are about to be revealed, and not everyone in town will be happy about that. Who is David Conrad? David immediately rubs Molly the wrong way. But she somehow keeps getting entangled with him in ways she can't seem to avoid. He claims to be descended from a prominent Fairview family that was brutally murdered in the 1950s. The Conrad murders were never solved, and now that a Conrad is back in town and asking questions, the people of Fairview are in for some surprises. So is Molly. Who'd have thought an irritating Pirate Man could capture her heart? Review of Worth the Wait: I cannot say enough about this book! I love the whole librarian single mom angle and meeting up with “The Pirate”??!! So much YES! Sophia Sinclair creates this small town feel with real characters that have so much depth that you can’t help but fall in love with. Molly not only tackles being a single parent, but also issues with her beloved library and her crazy awful landlord! It’s real and I absolutely loved that it was such a big part of the story. Then, she meets this mysterious stranger who is new in this small town (we all know how that goes) and he shakes things up in her already chaotic life. They have this love/hate relationship that they have to struggle through.

Billionaire's Unexpected Bride


Alexis Winter - 2021
    “We can’t pretend like they haven’t.”I don’t break rules. EVER.1. NEVER mix business with pleasure.2. DON’T put my job in jeopardy.3. Absolutely do NOT fall in love with a client.Guess I should say . . . I didn’t break them, until I met my new billionaire client, Drake Slade.Arrogant, rude, hated by everyone in town, and 100% NOT my type.The day my perfect LA life was uprooted to move to middle-of-frickin’-nowhere Colorado was the day I was convinced my life was over.Raise and promotion be damned, what good is it if the only place in town is a Dollar Store?But here I am, wearing a denim skirt and cowboy boots, rootin’ and scootin’ my way around town, and square dancing my way into Drake’s bed.Don’t worry, I have a plan. Sort of.He’s just a little distraction to make my time here pass. After I get the town to love him, I can move back to LA.Now I just need to convince my heart . . .

Dating Disaster with a Billionaire


Elizabeth Lynx - 2020
    The reason I shouldn’t? I was a walking, talking, dating disaster.My name’s Marika. I ran a coffee shop in a small town. Things were fine until that fancy resort, The Blue Spot, that catered to the wealthy moved in down the road. They stole all my customers with their posh coffee shop open to the public.How could I compete with the rich and powerful? Perhaps if I entered their Win a Date with a Billionaire contest, I could win enough money to help my business. I wouldn’t tell them about my horrible dating history or especially about that one guy who ended up in the hospital. They didn’t need to know that, did they?As a VidTube star, most people had heard of me. I was Jokin’ James. Everyone except the woman I was falling for, Marika. I had been coming by her coffee shop for almost a year, but she had no idea who I was or that my brother owned the resort that was stealing her customers.We were friends, but I wanted more. I was all ready to ask her out when she entered the contest my brother was running. Not only that, but the resort wanted me to be a part of the contest. Now she would discover that my family owned The Blue Spot. And worst of all, that I wasn’t from that small town at all. That I was a celebrity billionaire.A sexy, funny, small-town billionaire romance involving mistaken identity, dating disasters, and a picnic so bad even the ants ran in fear.

Encore


Emily Robertson - 2021
    And he did…once. Shelby was his everything, his world. Sure they were young, but it didn’t matter. He knew in his gut, he knew it with everything they were meant to be. People told him all the time he was out of his mind, no one married their first girlfriend, but they were wrong– or so he thought.As soon as Austin got the chance of a lifetime, Shelby was gone. Sure he was living it up in the hottest band out there, but all the fame and money meant nothing without her. It felt more like a tragedy.When a tornado rips their hometown apart, Austin runs home to help out. It doesn’t matter that he’s been avoiding the place like the plague. His family needs him. The moment he sees Shelby, all the reasons he’s stayed away suddenly don’t matter. One look in her haunted eyes, and he knows he’s made a big mistake. He thought that by staying gone, he was making her happy, but he had been wrong. He didn’t care how many times she told him they didn’t work, he knew they were perfect for each other. She might be stubborn, but he was determined to win her back. That’s why he wasn’t leaving until they got their encore.

Full Court Press


Sierra Hill - 2016
    I’m the star athlete everyone wants a piece of, with skills on the court and in the sheets. I get what I want, when I want it. I’m unstoppable.Until I meet Ainsley Locker. She doesn’t play games but plays hard to get, seemingly resistant to my charm. That’s okay because I like a good challenge.And my plan is to go full-court-press to win her over and make her mine.As long as I don’t foul out in the process.** Note: This book was previous titled "Sweetness". Same great story with a fresh new look.**