Book picks similar to
Not in the Cards (Beaufort Poker Club, #5) by Maggie C. Gates


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Enemies Abroad


R.S. Grey - 2022
    Our fellow teachers know it, our friends know it—even the Starbucks drive-through lady knows it since every Monday she scrawls the name A. Hole for me on Noah’s cappuccino when I pick up the weekly group order.The shrill whine of the school bell announces the start of each day’s no-holds-barred grudge match. Since neither of us is looking to get fired or thrown in prison, we war with our words and our wits. We prefer banter that bites. All day, I’m on edge, looking around every corner, expecting him to do his worst. Just when I think I can’t take the sight of his (regretfully) handsome face for one more minute, the school day is done. Summer usually offers the sweetest relief—a two-month Noah detox—but not this year.“We need two volunteers to chaperone a group of eighth graders in Rome” becomes a game of chicken neither one of us is willing to lose. We both want that bonus check.“Back out,” I tell him.“Scared?” he taunts. No one thinks it’s a good idea for us to go to Rome together, least of all me. Taking this battle abroad will only lead to mayhem and misery.DING. Ladies and gentlemen of flight UA447 with service to Rome, fasten your seatbelts.We’re bound to have a bumpy ride.

The Rest Of Me


Ashley Munoz - 2019
    Not with my kids, or the three horses in my barn...and definitely not in the small, country town we'd recently moved to.Being told all these facts, while being reluctantly rescued by my brand-new neighbor didn't help matters either.Arrogant, bossy, and rude—and okay, impossibly sexy— Reid was easily the most infuriating person I’d ever met. I had zero plans to ever speak to the recluse again after that night.Unfortunately, he happened to be the only local horse instructor and the only hope I had at getting my kids in a saddle.Desperation had me creating an alliance with him.Envy had me craving the connection he built with them.Distracted by his gentle touches, and his smooth smiles, I missed how close his demons danced to my ghosts.While I was slowly letting him into my heart, I didn't even realize he’d already stolen it once before.*This is a complete standalone book, with no cliffhanger and no cheating.*

Shimmy Bang Sparkle


Nicola Rendell - 2018
    Then he lays eyes on her: Stella Peretti—100 percent sexy and absolutely irresistible. Especially when he sees her smooth moves lifting a two-karat diamond. Nick realizes he’s found the sparkling woman of his dreams—one so perfect for him it’s almost criminal.The Shimmy Shimmy Bangs are master jewel thieves who are planning the heist of the century. And Shimmy leader, Stella, isn’t about to let anyone—even if he is a hunky, tatted-up studmuffin—get in her way. But when two of her girls are put out of commission, Stella realizes that Nick isn’t just a red-hot distraction. He might be the answer to her pilfering prayers.Now, Nick and Stella are putting everything on the line for one last job. But when two thieves have this much chemistry, it’s only a matter of time before somebody’s heart gets stolen.

Stuck at Christmas


Georgia Coffman - 2021
    It's the furthest thing in my mind.Until her.To my surprise, one night is all it takes for me to fall for her, even though I know next to nothing about her.I never thought I'd see my mystery woman again, but like a holiday miracle, she shows up at my clinic one night with her young daughter.Every minute I’m with them only makes me fall harder, but our situation isn’t so simple.Getting stuck in a closet with Isabel just days before Christmas might be the gift we didn’t know we needed.

It Must Have Been the Mistletoe


M.L. Broome - 2021
    I love Christmas, but I’m not in the mood for merriment and mistletoe this year. I have a different plan—camping out at my lakefront cabin to nurse a bottle of wine and a broken heart. It’s all going smooth, until my ex-fiancée, Jackson, shows up on the doorstep with the same plan. There may be a blizzard outside, but I’m far more worried about the inferno smoldering between Jackson and me—one he insists on stoking every chance he gets. Looks like there’s more than one way to keep warm this Christmas.

Delay of Game


Evie Graham - 2021
    His skills on the ice and his skill off the ice. When an injury forces him to retire, he does the only thing that makes sense; he packs his wounded pride and his bags, and leaves memories behind.Lorelei Cole thought she had everything together. Her Christmas Tree Farm was holding its own, and her flock of rescue animals was growing. Then, two pink lines showed up from a one-night stand and everything changed.When a chance encounter at a small-town gas station brings Patrick and Lorelei back together, neither can deny that their past has collided with their future. Through ups and downs and a hard-won friendship with a flock of geese, both of them will find that the best miracles do come at Christmas time.

Beautifully Cruel


J.T. Geissinger - 2020
    I didn’t know his name or where he was from. All I knew was that the only place I’d ever felt safe was in his arms. But safety is an illusion. And not every savior is a hero. And—as I’d soon find out—having an alpha save your life comes with a price. Liam Black wanted something from me in return.

Love, A Foot Above the Ground


Anna Celeste Burke - 2014
     For fans of the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery Series, the story is narrated by the amateur sleuth in that series, Jessica Huntington. The love story is Bernadette's--Jessica's confidant and sidekick. A tragic, but ultimately uplifting story of love, lost and found again. In Bernadette's words, "it's a real happily ever after story." Her story is not so different than that faced by anyone who takes that leap of faith into love. A love that lifts us up about a foot above the ground, leaves us vulnerable to loss, but can push us toward something more lasting.

My Wounded Billionaire (The Billionaire Kings Book 5)


Serenity Woods - 2019
    Someone of my own I can love. Someone who won’t break my heart. But I don’t want another relationship ever again. I thought about going to a clinic. But I like the idea of knowing the identity of the father of my child, even if we’re not an item. So I pick Marc. Or Fitz, as everyone else calls him. He’s tall, handsome, healthy – apart from his injured back – hardworking, kind, and loyal. I’d be happy if my child were to grow up like him. So I ask him if he’d agree to be a sperm donor for me. To my disappointment, he says no. He does say he’ll be happy to get me pregnant the old-fashioned way. According to him, extended foreplay increases the man’s productivity. I think he just wants to get me into bed, but I’m willing to give it a try. Do I go ahead with it? There aren’t any drawbacks to having a quick fling, surely?

Beauty and the Billionaire


Cassandra Bloom - 2018
    Four sizzling insta-love stories. One irresistible box-set. This collection by Cassandra Bloom includes the following books: Heartache ‘Mr. Anaconda,’ they call me. I don’t chase women, they chase me. I’ve made my fortune, I’ve built my empire. I play to win and live by my own set of rules. If I toy with my desires, will she steal my heart? Billionaire’s Secret Baby F*cking Pregnant! Giles Pendragon is business royalty. Smoking hot all over, a bad boy demeanor, and my boss. Instant attraction. Can you blame me? A dirty office romance is harmless enough…right? Now comes the hard part. How do I live in the same town as him without him finding out I’ve had his baby? Big Bad Boss Sexy, Dangerous, Rich – Talk about HOT! I joined the adult messaging website for some harmless fun. I didn’t think I would like it when ‘RipRoarer’ started messaging me. The anticipation made me squirm with a naughty kind of enjoyment. He’s everything I imagined he would be and so much more. And now? Now he’s my Boss… Should I make a run for it? It began as some harmless fun, nothing serious. I don’t think that’s how he wants it to end… One Night Only She wants me to follow my animal cravings to their limits. But if I follow my lust… Will she steal my heart? I want to claim the girl who can’t be tamed for myself. One night of wild sex later -- could this be a New York dream come true, or the greatest disaster ever? *Beauty and the Billionaire is a box set containing Heartache, Billionaire’s Secret Baby, Big Bad Boss, and One Night Only, in this limited time bundle! The books feature alpha male billionaire’s who find their happily ever after with a beautiful curvy women. They are steamy standalones, and contain no cheating and no cliffhangers. Includes 2 bonus books for your reading pleasure... Grow your Cassandra Bloom collection today!

Cold Hearted Bastard


Jenika Snow - 2021
    and love and hate.He didn’t have a heart... but he wanted hers.All I knew about life was anger and violence. Pain and suffering. Kill or be killed.I was a “fixer” for the Ruin—a syndicate for the Bratva, Cosa Nostra, Cartel, and any other organized crime faction that dealt in the darker, crueler aspects of humanity.I was a free agent who was called upon to do things weaker men didn’t have the stomach for.And when you surround yourself with death for long enough, soon, you didn’t remember what it felt like to be alive.And then I saw her. She was a fragile little thing who tried to be strong. But I could tell she’d seen too much horror in the world, too much of the ugly within people. I should have stayed away. I’d only bring her farther down into the darkness.But for the first time in my life, I felt a stirring in my chest, this protectiveness and possessiveness toward another living person. And it was painful. It made me feel alive.Lina tried to hide how broken she was, but I was an old friend of being ruined. She held secrets I’d find out. Because for the first time in my miserable life, I wanted something for myself. I felt something more than apathy and indifference.I wanted to possess the innocence she clung to. I wanted to break it open and consume it for myself. I could look into her too trusting blue eyes and knew I’d maim for her. I’d kill for her. And that became our truth when her past finally came back for her when my present tried to destroy her. They thought they could take the one thing—the only thing—I’d ever wanted for myself. They were wrong.When I looked at her, I felt some of the monster that made me who I retreated back to my black soul. He’d never leave... but he’d share the space. For her.A complete standalone novel in the Underworld Kings series.

He Found Me


Whitney Barbetti - 2014
    I walked out the door of my apartment with a backpack and never looked back. I left the life of Cora Mitchell behind, seeking freedom from my real-life nightmare. But my freedom came with a cost. I lived a fictitious life for the next six years, never letting anyone close enough to see underneath the facade that was Andra Walker. I was content with my simple little life. Until I met Julian. And the moment I started allowing myself to open up, allowing someone to see through the superficial, was the very same moment the Monster from my past would return to find me.

Tru: Guardian Group Security Team Book 1


Bree Livingston - 2021
    The truth could tear them apart.Desperate to prove herself, Kayleigh Kingston will do anything to keep her job at Beacon Art Gallery. When her boss gives her an ultimatum—retrieve an artifact and escort it back to New York safely, she’s determined to do whatever it takes to succeed.Thaddeus Tru hates lies, but his love of justice outweighs it. His newest assignment? Get cozy with a woman who’s smuggling relics and willing to murder if it means keeping her freedom. Sounds cut and dry—until he meets her.The lie becomes a tangled web when feelings begin to pull Tru and Kayleigh closer together. Once the truth is out, will the deception wither all hope for love, or will it be strong enough to build a future together?

Investigate With Me


Jen Talty - 2020
    He solved more murders than anyone else in his department. But it was the one that remained open that ruined his career and still haunted his dreams. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t stop searching for the Trinket Killer.And he can’t get Callie Dixon out of his heart.When Callie returned to Seattle to finish her book about her time as a reporter covering the Trinket Killer, her own sister’s death, and the police officer who botched the case and stole her heart, she never expected history would repeat itself.But that’s exactly what happened.And now her life, and heart are on the line.

The Trouble with Wanting


Jillian Liota - 2020
    A handsome stranger on her cross-country flight isn’t what she’s expecting, but their relaxed smiles and easy conversation leaves free-spirited Ruby wanting something... more.Boyd Mitchell is flying home for some end-of-summer relaxation and time with his favorite people – his family. A talkative seat-mate that pulls him out of his carefully crafted shell is the last thing he wants, but he can’t seem to resist her charm.When Boyd and Ruby end up in the same lakeside town, their banter and flirtation quickly become a steamy fling that leaves them both breathless. Neither of them are expecting to find a romance that has them both reconsidering everything they believe about love.As their time in Cedar Point comes to an end, the two will have to decide whether they want their connection to turn into a real-world relationship, or whether wanting more is nothing but trouble.