Book picks similar to
The Brain by January James


arc
contemporary
suspense
workplace-romance

Lost Years


M.K. Schiller - 2019
    Each one of a beautiful girl, who is my best friend. We grow up together on a sunny island surrounded by water that’s as blue as her eyes. We share all our hopes and fears until we realize we belong to each other in every way one person claim another. She is my own personal serenity. Sweet story, eh?Well forget about it.The cold, harsh reality is that I’m a twenty-year-old, Manhattan bred, manwhore, who uses his fists to solve his problems. The only comfort I find is inside a bottle... and the dreams. But the dreams are my illness not my cure. Just when things look the darkest, the sun slaps me square in the jaw. I spot a picture of a scenic island surrounded by the bluest water – my island.If the island exists then so must the girl, right?So I’m headed to Serenity, Texas to find my girl and make some sense out of the chaos that is my life. Feel free to tag along, but this journey comes with a steep warning — dreams can turn into nightmares in the blink of an eye.My name is Jason Flynn and this is our story.

Master Baker


Pippa Grant - 2019
    Scones? Child’s play. Cupcakes? I’ll frost them so good you won’t know what hit you. Donuts? Please.You’re talking to a master baker.But there’s one egg I’ve never been able to crack.My best friend.Correction: My former best friend.She’s the apple in my pie. The whip in my cream. The lemon in my meringue. The wish in my bone.She’s the one who got away.After ten years in the military, she’s back. She’s bruised and battered by life, but she’s back.Except she’s not my second chance. She’s gone to the dark side.Running a rival bakery in a town not big enough for two.So now I have to decide—which do I want more?My bakery?Or the woman I never should’ve let go of in the first place?Master Baker is a deliciously fun friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy featuring a smooth-talking baker, the one who got away, and a goat with more matchmaking tendencies than a nosy old grandpa. It stands alone with no cheating or cliffhangers.

Mountain Man's Accidental Baby Daughter


Lia Lee - 2018
     Nature was my domain. Where I preferred to be. Hiking trails. Guiding people through the tangle of scrub. But then I got the rescue call – a chick with a twisted ankle stuck on a hill. Typical city girls. Clueless. Only, when I found Fiona, I didn’t anticipate that she’d be so… smoking hot. Fawn-like eyes. Redheaded bob. Curvy figure… Hmm, my carnal desire went into overload. I helped her back to my cabin. But that was a mistake. My “mountain man” urges couldn’t be resisted. And the way she looked at me was far from innocent. So, we made love... all night long. After that, I never expected to see her again... Until she showed up at my house and uttered two words that changed everything: “I’m pregnant.” Fiona wasn’t just a mere rescue anymore. She was the mother of my baby. And that meant she was mine. But neither of us were prepared for what happened next…

Only with You


Lauren Layne - 2014
    . . Cocktail waitress Sophie Dalton doesn't exactly have a life plan. She's perfectly happy being everyone's favorite party girl. But when a Las Vegas bachelorette party goes awry and an uptight businessman mistakes Sophie for a prostitute . . . well, Sophie wonders if it's time to reevaluate her priorities. Swearing off her thigh-high boots for good, Sophie slinks back home with damaged pride-and a jackpot of a hangover.Yet what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there. On a trip to Seattle to open a new office, Grayson Wyatt meets his latest employee-who turns out to be the same woman he recently called a hooker. Wealthy and gorgeous, Gray is a man used to getting what he wants. And it doesn't take long to figure out that smart, sassy, sexy Sophie is everything he's been looking for. As their late nights at the office turn into hot morning-afters, they realize their Vegas misunderstanding may lead to the real thing . . .

Saddler's Secret


Nicole Rodrigues - 2019
    Heartbreaking circumstances thrusts me into motherhood, and on the plane ride home, I break down, kissing a total stranger and the angel offered me a solution; Saddler Enterprises. I've climbed the ladder and worked my ass off for months, and in walks, Adam, our intern. I try to keep things professional but all of a sudden, I start to find him funny and charming. His kiss electrifies me but that's precisely when shit really hits the fan.Suddenly, I'm on the mysterious Machlin Saddler’s radar. Big, bad CEO that never makes his way to our floor, now makes it his new stomping grounds. He lights my body on fire like no one has before. He's alluring and gorgeous and I'm being pulled in two different directions. Only the new intern isn't who I think he is. He's the perfect stranger from the plane I took to start my new life with Kenzie. The perfect stranger I kissed. The perfect stranger I hate.Genevieve LangstonThe breathtaking woman I haven't been able to keep my mind off of, has been my downfall. I need her like a lion needs prey but I can't screw up the plan. She'll hate me, hell she already does, but the line between love and hate is very, very thin.

Burning Love


Jacie Lennon - 2019
    Spending his days fighting flames in Nashville, TN, his best nights are spent at home with his favorite girl—his daughter, Livie. With no time for distractions, he has no room in his life for other females—not even a sassy blonde-haired beauty and the first woman to spark his interest in years. Ezra doesn’t have the time to get involved. So, he walks away without getting her name, or giving his… HANNA HAS NO INTEREST IN SETTLING DOWN. She can’t even commit to a hair color, an address to call home, or a man. Too busy with her career as a traveling nurse, a relationship is the last thing she needs or wants. So, it’s inconvenient when she falls—literally—for the one person as uninterested in love as she is. At least that’s what she’ll keep telling herself. Will a spark turn into a wildfire, or will their love go down in flames?Burning Love can be read as a standalone, has steamy scenes and an HEA.

Flawless Desire


Roxy Sloane - 2022
     Flawless… Caleb Sterling is seductive. Commanding. The Master of Desire. And he’s hiding a dark secret that could bring his luxury jewelry empire crumbling to the ground. Glittering… He gets what he wants, and he’s set his sights on me. But I have a secret of my own. Forever…? The game is set. The stakes couldn’t be higher. But who will claim the ultimate prize?Discover the sensual, thrilling new saga from USA Today bestselling author Roxy Sloane, perfect for fans of Fifty Shades and Penelope Skye. The Flawless Trilogy:1 Flawless Desire - Jan 10th2 Flawless Ruin - Feb 7th 3 Flawless Prize - March 7th

The Mogul and the Muscle


Claire Kingsley - 2019
    I wanted to feel like I didn’t have to be brave for a few hours. I wanted to let him be my courage. My protection. My shield.” Cameron Whitbury—billionaire aerospace mogul—can engineer her way out of any problem. Sure, she’s living with the threat of a potential sex scandal thanks to her lying ex. And that attempted mugging in her parking garage might not have been a random attack. But she’s totally got this. Sacrifice her privacy to an overprotective bodyguard? No thanks. She doesn’t need a six-foot-five, motorcycle-riding, square-jawed, hazel-eyed man-beast shadowing her every move. Jude Ellis—one-man security operation and professional problem solver—is ready to retire from the cloak and dagger stuff to live a normal life. He doesn’t need another client. Not even one with coppery-red hair and mile-long legs who looks hot AF in a sexy pair of heels. To appease her worried friends, Cameron hires Jude as her bodyguard. And despite their feisty banter and their rampant—and totally inappropriate—sex fantasies, they’re both determined to keep it professional. But as the danger to Cameron escalates, the heat simmering between them just might combust. Author’s note: Big wall-of-man hero with a fierce (and growly) protective streak. Confident and snarky heroine. All the banter. Sex in a closet. And a daring rescue with a big, heart squishing HEA. The Bluewater Billionaires are four shared-world hot romantic comedies written by Lucy Score, Claire Kingsley, Kathryn Nolan, and Pippa Grant. They can all be read as stand-alone novels.

Dark Russian Angel


Odette Stone - 2019
    I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,And I witnessed a crime.The police are failing to protect me.And my chance of survival isn't looking good.Andrusha, is the cold and dangerous leader of the Vancouver Russian mafia,He's also my best chance to make it to trial alive.The only thing we have in common,Is our shared enemy.This man is everything your mom warned you about.He's ruthless.He's cold.And he likes to be in control.I should be afraid of him.I should keep my distance.So why is he the only one who makes me feel safe?Who will protect me from my protector?

Asher Black


Parker S. Huntington - 2017
    Huntington comes a steamy, slow-burn love story full of unexpected love and banter.It started with my bladder.I didn't mean to witness a shady deal in the restroom hallway.I didn't think twice when I called the cops.And I certainly didn't know who the club belonged to.Asher Black.Former mafia hitman.Billionaire CEO.New York's most eligible bachelor.When he shows up at my college, looking for the girl who called the cops on his business, I know I'm as good as dead.What I don't expect is his offer--he'll pay my tuition and set me up with a cushy job after I graduate.All I have to do is... be his fake fiancée.Asher Black is a 90,000-word standalone novel in The Five Syndicates mafia romance series.

Screwed Up


Harloe Rae - 2021
    And the pressure is getting to me. Those who know me best highly recommend I take the edge off by any means necessary. As it turns out, the new security guard at Bayside Regional is just what the doctor ordered. Dane Owens is a disaster waiting to happen.Maybe that’s why I can’t look away. He plays fast and loose with no plans of slowing down. Especially when it comes to dating.We’re polar opposites, which is precisely why this arrangement is temporary.But there’s plenty to keep us occupied until our expiration date.All I need is for Dane to follow the rules that long.A Bayside Heroes standalone romance.

P.S. Never in a Million Years


J.S. Cooper - 2022
    

Grumpalicious: An Enemies to Lovers Fake Marriage Romance (The Bosshole Series)


Mia Faye - 2021
    You go on that abysmal reality show with me, I get your recording contract all squared away and we separate after that. During that time, you play doting wife, I b@ng whoever I like, and if you’re lucky, it will be you at some point.”When billionaire producer Cayden “Cash” Coltrane speaks these words to me, I’m in shock.Not exactly the proposal you dream of as a little girl from a small town.But he’s being slammed in the New York media when his latest victim on the long list of high profile women he’s dated and destroyed tells the public what a scumbag he is.Now I’m supposed to be the one to help him clean up his notorious playboy image.An innocent singer who’s never had a more romantic adventure than a hot kiss.But when you’re single, broke, and desperately looking to get a record deal, you do crazy things.Such as fake-marrying a man who is as intimidating as he is devastatingly handsome.So it’s all sunshine and rainbows when we pretend to be Mr. and Mrs. Right on television.Yet one thing is for sure: I will never fall for Mr. Grumpalicious in real life.At least, that’s what I thought.I shouldn’t want him, but when he touches me, the butterflies in my stomach go crazy.I should tell him to leave me alone, but when he opens his heart, I can’t turn him away.And then I give him the gift of being my first.This whole deal turns out to be a disaster in the making, with a whole lot of enemies-to-lovers-style complications and is-this-fake-or-real questions.Speaking of complications: It seems like the media found out about our sweet little wedding lie. Would now be a good time to tell Cayden that my morning sickness is anything but fake?

Wanderlust


Lauren Blakely - 2018
    All I have to do is board a plane, and I'll be on my way to fulfilling a promise I made long ago. Bonus points -- my last week in Paris looks to be even better when I meet a gorgeous, clever American woman and make plans to take her back to my flat that night.But before we can get together for what would surely be a fantastic final fling, my boss hits me with a double whammy. My previous client didn't pay, so there's no trip, and the new client I now desperately need is none other than the tempting American I'm about to take home. Have I mentioned this timing bloody sucks? ***I'll admit it -- I have a big weakness for a hot British accent. As in, they make me swoon, sigh, and want to toss my panties. Good thing I can avoid that kind of temptation in Paris. So it's just my luck that the man who's the key to success in my new job is the man whose voice makes me melt. Oh, and we have to spend all our days together for work.Thanks a lot, fate. To top it off, I quickly learn he's witty, kind and has a heart and mind I'm falling for fast.All I have to do is resist him every single freaking day. That's so easy. Not.But then I learn that's nothing compared to the real hurdle we face.What could go wrong with falling in love in Paris? Nearly everything, it seems...

A Rogue Cowboy's Second Chance


Stephanie Rowe - 2021
    Now she needs to trust him with her life. First in a new billionaire cowboy series by New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Rowe.Billionaire rancher Brody Hart protects others…no matter the cost to himself. When the woman he lost a decade ago needs his help, he has a second chance with the sassy country music star he never stopped loving.Tatum Crosby lives for her music, but when a stalker targets her, there’s only one man she trusts to keep her alive. But Brody wants a second chance with her heart, too. Can she trust him with both?When Brody takes Tatum to his ranch to keep her safe, attraction burns hot and bright, while betrayal, passion, and danger close in. Can the loyal, protective cowboy heal the scars on Tatum’s heart before she returns to her life and leaves him behind…again?