Book picks similar to
The Marriage Sham by Marika Ray


contemporary
contemporary-romance
novella
romance

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.')

Make Me Lose


Ember Leigh - 2019
    We’re enemies. Born minutes apart on the same day in the same hospital, our parents thought this meant we were somehow destined to be together. We knew were we just destined to beat each other. Competition boiled over until junior year, when the cold war turned into an unexpected peace offering. Maybe my hormones allowed me to notice his broad shoulders, stormy gray-blue eyes, and soccer star’s chiseled frame. But after I fell for him…he stomped all over my heart. Ten years later, I’m at the top of the realty game in Bayshore and Grayson is just a distant memory. Until he shows up from NYC, his ego bigger than a skyscraper, and asks me to sell the house he recently inherited.It’s easy to say no. Even though I want to climb him like the jungle gyms we used to dangle from in strong arm battles.But I forgot that Gray doesn’t take no for an answer. And that he isn’t content unless he’s defeating me. He butts into my evenings on the boat. Ropes me into water skiing battles. Even shows up at the bar and creates a scene when I’m scouting a date to the upcoming Bicentennial Ball.It’s almost like he’s gunning to win me. But if he wins, that means I lose.And I’m not ready to cede victory just yet.

Love's Healing Power (New Beginnings Book 1)


Margaret Daley - 2019
    She’d always wanted a large family, but that dream was shattered when her fiancé was murdered while volunteering in South America. Peter “Mac” MacPherson, a former football superstar, had dealt with his own tragedies—the deaths of his father followed by his wife while she was giving birth to their daughter. His faith sustained him through his grief, but can he help Tess believe again in God and finally find a family—with him?

Boss With Benefits


Talia Hunter - 2017
    One arrogant boss. One determined woman. Escaping a painful past, Rosa is thrilled with her new job running the beautiful Lantana Island Resort. There's only one fly in her tropical cocktail: her gorgeous new boss, Dalton. He might be hot, but he's also arrogant, infuriating, and has plans to sell the resort.Not if Rosa has anything to do with it. This. Is. War. 1-Click to start this funny, romantic, and sexy new series now! "I loved this story. It’s unpredictable, heart warming and just plain good to read." ★★★★★

Coming Home


Kimberley O'Malley - 2017
    Elizabeth Abbott Fitzgerald has spent the last ten years of her life running; from tragedy, from family, from love. But now her mother’s failing health calls her home to Windsor Falls, North Carolina; to the place where her past awaits. Sam Bishop can’t believe his eyes when the love of his life returns after ten long years. All he wants is to clear his conscience and get back the family he lost when Connor, his best friend and Elizabeth’s husband died tragically. Could it really be true that time heals all wounds?

Sharp Practice


Jennifer Bramseth - 2017
    But Nina’s vision of her future was shattered after a bitter breakup, followed by Garner’s quick marriage to another woman and fatherhood.Then tragedy strikes. And Garner returns to her a chastened, lonely man.As she wrestles with her feelings for her former suitor, Nina also is handling the biggest case of her career. A prosecution in which one of Garner’s oldest, most powerful, and craftiest family friends is her opposing counsel, representing a well-known state senator.Personal and professional worlds collide. Will the sharpest or most sympathetic survive? Sharp Practice is the first book in the Bourbonland series.

The Love Notes


Jennifer Griffith - 2020
    A successful business, a pile of confidence, and a whole new look—she’s shattered any expectations her classmates once held. Why is she so nervous to attend the reunion she’s been organizing?Oh, yeah. Bridger Carrigan will be there.And he’s single.And she’s been carrying both a torch and the secret notes he wrote her ever since high school—notes he didn’t know at the time he was exchanging with the class geek with braces, frizzy hair, and a perpetual chocolate milk mustache.Seeing him again could go well, considering. Or it could be round two of her crash and burn crush on the star-athlete with the secret wound her encouraging notes were meant to salve. Especially since his ex-girlfriend is newly single and anxious to get her claws back into him.A novel told through letters from the past and a sweetly growing reunion romance in the present day, The Love Notes is Book 1 in the Forever Home Romances by award-winning clean romance author Jennifer Griffith. All books in this series have a sweet "reunion" theme, sweet and satisfying kisses, and a guaranteed HEA.Books in the Forever Home Romance Series:The Love NotesSearch AngelBreach of Promise

Cured


Stacy Eaton - 2018
    For six years, Ember has closed off her heart, moving from one man to another, trying to feel something other than her own pain and guilt. Colt Barnes is a plastic surgeon who strives to give people a better quality of life, especially children. The night he watches Ember leave the bar with another one-night stand, he resolves to offer up a challenge to get her to view herself in a new light. Little does he know that the challenge will change both their lives, but when Embers’s secret is exposed, will Colt be able to accept it and trust her, or will Ember go back to her old ways and leave Colt broken? Love Medical Romance? Check out the rest of the Heal Me Series for sexy romances that will warm your heart as they deal with life-altering medical and psychological issues. While each book in the Heal Me Series is a stand-alone book, the characters cross between books and are best enjoyed by reading them in order. Cured, Book 1 Revived, Book 2 Mended, Book 3 Rescued, Book Eaton's romances are perfect steamy romances for fans of Melissa Foster, Carly Phillips, Mona Risk, Leanne Banks, Mimi Barbour, Carolyn Brown, and Lexi Blake and other small-town romance fans. The characters are flawed and real, dealing with real-life issues and overcoming real-life odds and earn their happily ever after.

Burning Desire


Jen Talty - 2017
    As an Air Forces Fire Protection Specialist, Ace has seen his fair share of infernos from fires in the sky, to chemical buildings, and even forest fires. While running into a burning building is no big deal for him, he dreads the call. He understands the devastation and destruction fires can cause, not to mention the loss of life as he lost his first girlfriend to a fire while in high school.  His job is get people out of the fire and contain it at the same time. So, when he watches a car crash unfold while on leave, he jumps into action. He’s prepared to do what it takes to save the young women in the car… And protect his heart from the burning desire she awakes in his soul. While heading home to help her mother with a legal problem, Lexi Aberdean is T-Boned and her car bursts into flames. Lucky for her, a good Samaritan saves her life and now all she wants to do is find a way to repay him. Only, he wants nothing to do with her. That is until a series of unexplained events, including a fire, makes Lexi believe the accident was no accident at all.

His Many Desires Book 1


Ali Parker - 2019
     My brother and father are far more the billionaire type. Art is what wakes me up. Expressing my soul through a paintbrush. That and the beautiful woman that stole my heart years ago. But she belongs to their world. An executive for the accounting firm my family runs. And we live clear across the country from one another, but that doesn’t stop the way I feel. Every time I see her, I want to change everything about myself until she takes notice. Funnily enough, she doesn’t want me to change a damn thing. She says that now, but when she finds out all that I desire of her, with her, she might not be so compliant. Or maybe that’s what she’s been waiting on this whole time. This is book 1 in a 3 book series. You will have to read book 2 and 3 to complete the story.

Naughty or Nice


Logan Chance - 2018
    After losing my job, they’re downright depressing. It’s all good, I take that big lump of coal, and turn it into an opportunity to get my homemade soaps into Mountain Goat Resort. I just need to convince Graham Steele, the owner.If I can nail this deal, everything will be merry and bright.Things veer out of control when I end up nailing a sexy stranger at the resort the night before my big meeting. Before I know it, I’ve got a fake fiancé and twelve days to spend pretending with his family.I’m definitely going on the naughty list this year, and Graham Steele put me there.

In the Grasp: A Second Chance Sports Romance


Cadence Keys - 2021
    I thought I’d have more accomplished by now - like a wife and family - but for nine years I’ve held onto the memory of the girl who got away. Now she’s back and I’m more determined than ever to make her mine. For good this time.PaigeAfter years of working tirelessly, I just landed my dream job at the largest newspaper on the west coast. Unfortunately, that lands me in the same city as the man who broke my heart nearly a decade ago - the same one I’ve never really been able to let go of. When my editor assigns me to write an exposé on Jack, I’m forced to decide where my loyalties lie - with the career of a lifetime, or the love of my life.In the Grasp is the first steamy standalone contemporary sports romance in the LA Wolves series.

Sugar & Spice


Phoebe Alexander - 2019
    Enticed by his father's bribe, he dons an apron to serve pastries in Cotton Candy Castle, one of the park's most popular attractions.He's tempted to blow his cover when he meets The Red Velvet Queen. Sure, she's a costumed character and the jewels in her crown are fake, but she's absolutely breathtaking. His desire only grows when he invents a baker's dozen reasons to visit her every day...enough visits to discover her sweetness comes with a side of spice.But they're both in disguise. The Queen is actually single mom Jolie Cox, who relentlessly struggles to make a living for herself and her sons. And Cy is actually her boss, not to mention heir to the corporate empire she despises.What will happen when their identities are finally unmasked?Sugar & Spice is Book 1 of the Spicetopia Series. Though the series can be read in any order, here is the preferred reading order:Book 1: Sugar & Spice (Cy and Jolie's story)Book 2: Virtue & Vice (Moon and Katja's story)Book 3: Fire & Ice (Neve and Enya's story)Book 4: Naughty & Nice (Micah and Natalie's story)

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.

Dreaming of Forever


Cate Callison - 2015
    It was a short stopover to save money for her move to Paris – until she unexpectedly inherited the local pottery painting studio. In two years she's built the business into a soaring success. Unfortunately, her love life hasn't achieved the same stellar results. So when a break-up with her two-timing boyfriend comes on the heels of an offer to buy her shop, Emily decides it's finally time to make good on the move she's only dreamed about.Ben Nichols, a head-turningly handsome outdoor adventure guide, hasn't taken his eyes off Emily since the day she started work at the shop next to his apartment. But a disastrous date two years ago plunged him deep into the friend zone. Now that Emily is single again, Ben vows to use his second chance to win her over – but then her plan to move to Paris shifts into high gear. Can he charm his way into Emily's heart before she packs her bags?Dreaming of Forever is a standalone story in the Gold Creek series. If you like sweet, small town romances that feature strong, independent women and the ruggedly handsome men who love them, this series is perfect for you.Each book can be enjoyed on its own, but if you prefer to read the series in order:Book 1: Dreaming of Forever (Emily & Ben's story)Book 2: Flirting with Forever (Megan & Blake's story)Book 3: Promise Me Forever (Grace & Zach's story)Treat yourself to a visit to Gold Creek today!