Book picks similar to
Cruel Venus by Susan Lewis
fiction
susan-lewis
chick-lit
romance
Brick
Jen Davis - 2019
During the day it’s mud and grime on the construction site. At night…it’s the blood I spill. A drug lord’s enforcer does what needs to be done. It’s my obedience, my loyalty to the boss that keeps my family alive. I know I’m teetering on the edge. I’m losing my humanity, I can feel it. It’s changing me, and it’s only a matter of time before the darkness takes over.Then I meet her. Liv. The only person who sees past my busted knuckles and brutal exterior. She sees…me. But being with me will get her killed. The only way I can keep her safe is by staying away. Until her own actions catapult her into the center of my world—a world which will swallow her whole. Now I’m forced to be the ruthless bastard I’ve been for so long. Only this time it’s not to destroy…but to defend.
Off Limits
Lola Darling - 2016
I hate the irresistible way he fills out his suit and his manwhore ways. I hate his tempting touch and the way he makes me want to break all the rules. His Clark Kent Glasses, his cheesy sense of humor, his animalistic desire to have me—on my desk, against the filing cabinet, spread out across the conference table.I hate that he's my number one competition and if we're caught, I lose it all. And most of all, I hate that he's off-limits and I just can't stay away.
Gemini
Penelope Ward - 2013
After he abruptly leaves the restaurant, she can’t get him out of her head.She has no idea that he had actually come on a mission to find her.Cedric Callahan wasn’t expecting to fall in love at first sight with the pretty waitress he’d set out to find. In fact, she was the last woman on Earth he should be having feelings for. But his selfish heart had other plans. Feeling compelled to know her before revealing himself, he makes her believe their meetings are coincidental. After a passionate romance ignites, Cedric’s lies and secrets are finally revealed, changing both of their lives forever.
Tear Stained Beaches
Courtney Giardina - 2013
Chase used to be a fun-loving, light hearted husband who has lately become an overworked attorney obsessed with climbing the corporate ladder. It isn’t long before Haylie starts waking up next to a man she barely knows. His secretive phone calls and late nights at the office leave her feeling alone and afraid of what he might be hiding. Ignoring his continuous pleas to just leave well enough alone, she continues to dig for answers and discovers a heartbreaking truth.Struggling with what she has just learned, Haylie sets off to a quaint little North Carolina beach town to decide if her marriage can survive. It isn’t long after she arrives that her world is once again turned upside down as Chase’s secret stares her right in the face.
Race You
Jolie Vines - 2019
After Arnie sabotaged her first day, the boss has avoided her like the plague. Everyone loves Arnie, even though he’s the most annoying, lazy, hot, jerk she’s ever had the misfortune to work with. And dream about. Arnie thinks only one thing when he looks at Emma—more. But with his self-imposed exile in London almost complete, he should be packing to return to the family business in Italy. His days working alongside his secret crush are numbered. Forced to collaborate, Emma resists the chemistry between her and Arnie. If she gets too close, she may as well hand him the promotion, yet turning her back on the boss's favourite will destroy her chances. And leave her unemployed. Only one of them wants to win. Both are risking more than their careers.
The Shoestring Club
Sarah Webb - 2012
This title comes from the bestselling author of "The Loving Kind". Julia's best friend has always been Ed - they've grown up together. Ed is now engaged to the sophisticated, grown-up Louise. Julia should be happy for them - but she manages to make a complete fool of herself at his engagement dinner. She suddenly realises she doesn't want to lose him, and throws herself at him in front of everyone. When Louise organises a ball with her charity committee, Julia sees this as her last chance to get Ed back. When she spots the most incredible dress in Shoestring, the vintage clothes shop she runs with her sister, she knows she'll only be able to stagger through the evening if she's wrapped in its silky drapes. But the beautiful dress costs an absolute fortune...Arietty Pilgrim can't and won't attend her ghastly ten year school reunion unless she can arrive wearing exactly that same dress 'funked up' with her favourite cropped leather jacket. But looking after elephants in Dublin Zoo does not a millionaire make. After a chance meeting in the shop, Julia and Arietty set up The Shoestring Club to timeshare the dress - and start a life-altering friendship. There's just one problem. In order to buy the dress, they need more partners...
Love, in English
Karina Halle - 2014
I’m twenty-three.He speaks Spanish. I speak English.He lives in Spain. I live in Canada.He dresses in thousand-dollar suits. I’m covered in tattoos.He’s married and has a five-year old daughter.I’m single and can’t commit to anyone or anything.Until now. Because when they say you can’t choose who you fall in love with, boy ain’t that the f*#king truth.***To a restless dreamer like Vera Miles, it sounded like the experience of a lifetime. Instead of spending her summer interning for her astronomy major, she would fly to Spain where she’d spend a few weeks teaching conversational English to businessmen and women, all while enjoying free room and board at an isolated resort. But while Vera expected to get a tan, meet new people and stuff herself with wine and paella, she never expected to fall in love.Mateo Casalles is unlike anyone Vera has ever known, let alone anyone she’s usually attracted to. While Vera is a pierced and tatted free spirit with a love for music and freedom, Mateo is a successful businessman from Madrid, all sharp suits and cocky Latino charm. Yet, as the weeks go on, the two grow increasingly close and their relationship changes from purely platonic to something…more.Something that makes Vera feel alive for the first time.Something that can never, ever be.Or so she thinks.
Volatile Obsessions
Dee Garcia - 2018
I hustled hard to get by, refused to seek help. I did plenty of things I’m not proud of either.But I made it... Now, this is my city. My merciless streets. My empire. So I don’t know who the hell Roman King thinks he is, storming in here and throwing around demands. He wants my power. My throne. Well, news flash for him…Over my. Dead. Body.I’ll wreak havoc on his life far worse than the demons of his past, demons that somehow mesh so well with my own…He 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 bow down to this Queen.__Roman__She bloody warned me, threatened me with war, but those threats hold no power over me. They don’t faze me.Summoned to aid this city in ending her era, I’m the leading pawn on the chess board meant to dethrone the Queen.She’s vicious, ruthless, corrupt—a challenge I fancy a little too much.So let this vow be heard today...Miami will burn to the ashes, but in the end, it will rise, reborn from the blood of her empire. The depravity that runs through my veins will consume every tear and relish her cries for mercy.Lux Mercier 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 kneel at my altar.The King will reign.
Almost Like Love
Abigail Strom - 2014
First, her show was canceled. Then her fiance left her for another woman. Now, she's courting disaster by flirting with the hard-bodied, tattooed, motorcycle-riding bad boy of her dreams - who also happens to be the man who fired her.If people had told Ian Hart that he'd be firing Kate in the morning and dancing with her that night, he'd have laughed in their faces. Despite her leggy body, the sweet but geeky redhead isn't his type. At least, that's what he thinks before spotting her in a club wearing an outfit that reveals her surprisingly delectable assets.Before he knows it, Ian becomes Kate's knight on a shining motorcycle, escorting her home to prevent her from running off with some random guy. But when the night is over, "Little Miss Boring" and her sexy former boss just might turn their oh-so-wrong feelings into something very right.
Night Owl
M. Pierce - 2013
He has a beautiful girlfriend, a massive inheritance, and four national bestsellers -- all penned under his airtight alias, M. Pierce.At twenty-seven, Hannah Catalano is a train wreck. Her boyfriend is a deadbeat and her job is abysmal.Matt and Hannah meet online as writing partners. Their relationship is safe, anonymous, and innocent...Until Matt sees a picture of Hannah. Hannah's picture sparks an attraction Matt is powerless to ignore. When circumstance brings Matt and Hannah together, the strangers begin a love story that's passionate, poignant, unforgettable, and unstoppable.From bestselling ebook author M. Pierce comes Night Owl, the first novel in a provocative erotic trilogy where an anonymous online writing partnership turns into an uncontrollable, passionate obsession.
Holding Court
K.C. Held - 2016
Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool over the ever-so-tasty--and completely unavailable--Grayson Chandler. Except that it's not quite what she imagined.For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there's the dead body she finds that just kind of...well, disappears. Oh, and there's the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome"--spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson's attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson's interest might not be as courtly as she thought. In fact, it's starting to look suspicious...
Not My Daughter
Kate Hewitt - 2019
In that endless pause, I see all I need to know. She doesn’t want to give Alice to me – not now, and not ever. And part of me doesn’t even blame her… Milly always dreamed of being a mother. Adopted herself, she has always imagined a powerful intimate connection with a child of her own. So when she and her husband Matt are told they can’t have children, her dreams are shattered. But then their loved ones offer the ultimate gift – Milly’s best friend Anna and Matt’s brother Jack will be donors so that Milly can carry a child and finally have a chance to be a mother. And with everyone accepting and open, Milly believes that nothing could could go wrong. Except none of the four people involved are prepared for the feelings that will threaten their most important relationships as their precious, longed-for daughter Alice grows up and receives a heartbreaking diagnosis. Then those who love her best will have to decide what it means to be a parent, and to make decisions with far-reaching and devastating consequences… for Alice, and for themselves.
The Proposition
Katie Ashley - 2012
She’s running out of options, especially after her gay best friend backs out from being her sperm donor. Of course, there’s always a sperm bank, but Emma fears a donor mix-up might impregnate her with the spawn of Satan.Resident company womanizer, Aidan Fitzgerald, is used to always getting what he wants, especially in the bedroom. When Emma spurns his advances at the company Christmas party, he's determined to have her no matter what it takes. After Aidan learns of Emma's predicament, he is quick to offer a proposition that will benefit them both. He will father Emma's child, but she must conceive it with him naturally. Not one for hook-ups or casual sex, Emma is reluctant to take him up on his offer, but his charm, coupled with her intense desire for motherhood, wins out. Soon their baby-making sessions become more than just physical. Aidan can't seem to walk away from her while Emma begins to wonder if Aidan could be the one. But can Aidan leave his past behind to become the man Emma needs him to be?
Being Committed
Anna Maxted - 2004
And life without ahusband at thirty-one is just fine, thank you very much.She has a steady job working as a private investigator(albeit a mediocre one); a devoted boyfriend of fiveyears, Jason; and a wonderful relationship with her dad(it's a shame her mother is such a lost cause). Then, ona romantic weekend retreat to a faux-ancient castle,Jason proposes marriage, leaving Hannah with nochoice but the obvious: to turn him down cold.Much to her horror, four weeks later, Jason becomesengaged to his next-door neighbor, a fine bakerand "proficient seamstress." Has Hannah blown herlast chance at a solid relationship as her familyclaims? Jason agrees to give her another chance -- butonly if she meets his terms, among them a promise todust off the many skeletons in her closet.Brimming with her characteristic blend of humorand heartache, Anna Maxted's Being Committed is a perceptivelook at intimacy (and its substitutes), commitmentphobia, and the power others have over us.
Lost in the Affair
E.K. Blair - 2016
She's an author. She's a mother. She's a wife. She's a liar, a woman marked and bound by her own deceit. This is the astounding tale of how one woman battled through a year of scandals and betrayals, how her world fell from its axis with a single choice, and how she lost herself between reality and fantasy.This is a story tangled in lust, heartbreak, and contrition. *Previously titled Author Anonymous