Book picks similar to
Duly Noted by H.M. Shander


romance
new-adult
contemporary
contemporary-romance

Broken Circle


Amy McKinley - 2018
    Or so she thought... Upper East Side artist, Olivia Wrightwood is ready for a change. Marrying Alex Mudarra, a dedicated and up-and-coming NYPD detective, is exactly what she needs to escape the clutches and scrutiny of her family's political dynasty. When Alex's career plans shift from police work to politics, their idyllic life shifts back to the familiar corruption she ran away from. And after she overhears a late night call, her safety shatters and doubt sets in. Can a surprise trip make amends or will this second honeymoon lead to a dangerous life of manipulation and lies?

Bad Stepbrother: A Stepbrother Romance (Bad Boy Romance)


Mara Leigh - 2016
    Zach is the hottest, baddest man good girl Harley has ever met. His sculpted body and sexy tattoos make him the last guy she’d bring home. But in a moment of insanity, Harley promises herself one crazy night of passion… an unforgettable night with a bad boy. When Zach shows up at her dad’s wedding, Harley realizes that the smoking hot man who left her a quivering mess is now her stepbrother. He should be off limits. But she can’t stop wanting more, wanting it all, wanting him to do all the dirty things to her - things that go beyond her imagination. Zach knows he’ll never be anything but bad, but Harley is like no other girl, and he can’t get their hook up out of his head. He shouldn’t touch his good girl stepsister. He shouldn’t want to make her his. Together, Harley and Zach are all kinds of wrong, but when they’re thrown together on a summer vacation, the heat is impossible to resist… **Standalone full-length stepbrother romance with no cheating, no cliffhanger, and an HEA

Welcome Home, Abby (Those Hawthorne Men, #1)


Jan Gallagher Dunn - 2019
    He has a bad track record with romance. Abby fell in love with Jackson when she was 19, not realizing he was from the wealthy Hawthorne family. His father sent her away to protect the family money. She returns five years later, escaping a nasty fiancé – determined not to fall in love anytime soon. She needs protection and Jackson needs a mother for his daughter. Abby agrees to a one-year deal, touched by the idea of a motherless child. Jackson admits Abby is the only woman he’s ever loved, but he married the wrong woman after she left. His deceased wife’s family is trying to stake a claim to his daughter. He proposed a platonic marriage. He can handle the fact she’s more beautiful. Too late he discovers she smells just as sweet as he remembered. Abby is wonderful with his daughter. He’s a man who can run any business, why can’t he keep her arm’s length? What happens when both of them want a more permanent relationship, but both are afraid to admit it? Trigger Warning: Heroine discusses past miscarriage

Girl Geek


Brenna Aubrey - 2017
    Until things get real...Mia Strong is beyond stressed out. With pre-med courses, the looming qualifying exam, a job, and her mother's serious health problems, she's feeling the pressure from all sides. As a distraction, she turns to online gaming and her newest addiction, Dragon Epoch. Mia seeks an escape into fantasy--never dreaming that she'd find something real.He goes by FallenOne. He's smart, funny, and has a sexy voice. Their instant connection is the best thing that's happened to Mia in a long time. He listens for hours while she bares her innermost fears. But he holds everything back about himself. At first, the mystery intrigues her, until she faces a life-altering decision. Now, Mia needs someone she can trust.Will FallenOne's friendship turn into something real? Or will the fantasy disappear, leaving her alone and in turmoil? *Note: A draft version of this story appeared on the author's website. This is now a novel-length work of fiction that has been expanded, revised and edited, adding 40% more content. It is now a novel of approximately 45,000 words and shows the events that lead up to the bestselling At Any Price, from Mia's point of view.THE GAMING THE SYSTEM SERIES:Girl Geek ~ available now (Adam & Mia prequel)At Any Price ~ available now (Adam & Mia part 1)At Any Turn ~ available now (Adam & Mia part 2)At Any Moment ~ available now (Adam & Mia part 3)For The Win ~ available now (Jordan & April)For The One ~ available now (William & Jenna)Worth Any Cost ~ available now (Adam & Mia part 4)For The Taking ~ forthcoming in 2018 (Katya & Lucas)

Happy Truth About Love


Karice Bolton - 2017
    Instead of overthinking what’s right in front of her, she embraces the freedom of the unknown and the thrill of leaving everything behind and moves to the small mountain town of Silver Ridge. It isn’t until she arrives at her late uncle’s Bed and Breakfast that she begins to doubt her newfound ability to throw caution to the wind. From the moment she opens the barely hanging front door and steps inside to see peeling wallpaper and a broken banister, she realizes this inheritance might not have been a gift at all. Her uncle had to be using the term Bed and Breakfast loosely in his will because it was more of a deathtrap than anything. But she does love her new town. And the overly helpful Joel North, who is exactly everything she’s told herself to stay away from. He’s gorgeous, somewhat mysterious, and he’s sprinkled with the power to make Autumn blush off just one look, which is completely unacceptable in the real world, but she just can’t help herself. What Autumn doesn’t expect to uncover are secrets that change everything she’s known about her family and the life she’s led. It doesn’t help that Joel seems to hold the answers to some of her darkest questions and there’s one he just won’t answer. As she rebuilds the old mansion, she realizes her uncle’s real gift wasn’t the B&B, but the truth that rested behind its walls.

Tempted: The Dark Necessities—Dalton's Tale #1


Felicity Brandon - 2019
    She's feisty and tempting.And she doesn't let anything come in the way of her mission.I've dealt with my fair share of rule-breakers.So, Delilah isn't what I need.But I can't stop dreaming about holding her in my arms.She might be hiding a secret.A secret that could destroy me and burn the city to the ground.There's only one question that remains.Is she worth the destruction that she's about to cause?

The Target: A Dark Mafia Romance (The Syndicate's Revenge Book 1)


Mara McQueen - 2020
    Now she's forced to be his.When a Clan wedding turns into a massacre, Emiliana "Ella" Caputo, the Syndicate's First Daughter, will do anything to find out who killed her dad—even marry the vicious Brotherhood Commander. The Shadow. The Gunman. A man as ruthless as he is gorgeous.Now the enemy she has despised all her life might steal her heart.The last thing Axton wants is a fiancé. Damn spitfire reminds him he has a soul. And that mouth of hers… But if she finds out Axton knows who killed her father, all hell will break loose.Can two lost souls find themselves and love in the dangerous Underworld?When the Clans clash, which side will you choose? #SyndicateVSBrotherhoodDelve into the twisted Underworld of The Target, book 1 in The Syndicate's Revenge, a Dark Enemies-To-Lovers Mafia Gothic Romance series. The novel can be read as a standalone, but the series has an overarching mystery plot. The novel has steamy scenes and mentions of violence.

Chasing Skye


Kelsie Stelting - 2018
    And there’s only one thing that can get me out.Volleyball. But Shelby’s out to take everything I’ve worked for away from me over a stupid grudge.She won’t stop at sabotaging my volleyball position. No, she’s out for blood. That means she’ll attack me everywhere it counts. Volleyball, weightlifting, my friendships, and Kellum.I’ve done everything, given everything, sacrificed everything I can to create a future for myself. Will it be enough?For a book that will grip your heart from page one, start reading Chasing Skye today. Fans of the Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky will fall for this first book in the Texas High Series!

His Vow


Lilian Monroe - 2019
    Nothing… except her.Fifteen years ago, Senator Nathan Blanchet destroyed my life and ripped my family to shreds.Then, I joined the Marine Corps and became a man. I served my country,...and I bided my time.Now I’m back, and the senator has to pay.This mission is headed straight for success. Nothing can get in my way, until I see the senator’s daughter.Sadie Blanchet is all grown up.With those sweet, innocent eyes and never-been-kissed lips, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep my vow.Revenge is sweet… but Sadie is sweeter. Before I know it, I have to choose between vengeance...… and love.

Love & Other Chaos


Jackie Walker - 2020
    Brody’s my friend - just a friend. He’s also my autistic son’s favorite teacher.He’s as off limits as they come, no matter how drop dead gorgeous he is. Falling for him would be wrong. Resisting him though, is becoming pure torture. After being burned by men who can’t handle dating a single-mom of a special-needs child, I refuse to date anymore. Not until my son is grown. My plan is working fine until my trouble-making bestie presents me with a dare that I can’t resist. I’m a sucker for a good dare - especially when margaritas have been consumed. And she’s just dared me to plant a surprise kiss on Brody’s sexy lips, while she records it for a trending TikTok challenge video. But if I do this, it could change everything. My life is already pure chaos and maybe now is not the best time to shake things up even more. Is it worth risking our friendship and his important role in my son’s life for one kiss? What if he wants more? What if I do? Love & Other Chaos is a hilarious, steamy, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy featuring a drop dead gorgeous and seriously buff teacher with the hots for a single-mom of an autistic pre-teen son... who happens to be one of his students. This story also includes wise-cracking grandparents with zero respect for personal boundaries, swoon-worthy beach scenes, a jerky boss with no concept of personal space, nosey siblings and a foul-mouthed best friend who loves to instigate trouble. If you don't like sarcasm, steam, sexy-times, heroines who drink copious amounts of margaritas and laugh-a-minute dialogue, then this might not be the book for you. It’s a stand-alone novel with a happy ending, because cliffhangers will kill your margarita buzz.

Ocean Wolves


Theresa Beachman - 2019
    Becca Johnson has devoted herself to her work after personal tragedy taught her she’s better off alone. She finds solace in the isolation of oceanic research but as her six-month work rotation draws to a close, events rapidly escalate into life-threatening chaos. Struggling to hold her team together, she is forced to accept the help of the Ocean Wolves.Ethan Carter joined the Ocean Wolves after his troubled history ended his career in the elite Special Boat Services. Now, he’s a hired gun with the Wolves, paid to protect the interests of the world’s biggest oceanic multi-national, Triton Core. When his team is tasked to escort crucial research to the surface, he discovers events spiraling out of control and the woman from his past he’s tried desperately to forget—the woman who reignites emotions buried deep in his heart.Fighting increasing danger that threatens the lives of everyone in the deep-sea habitat, Ethan vows to protect Becca at all costs.But as their options dwindle, leaving them trapped 8000 feet below the surface, will it be enough to keep her alive?Hold your breath for deep-sea action, adventure, and romance!

Play the Man


Ketley Allison - 2015
    A deliberate loner, he gives you his body, but never his heart. Women find both his eyes and their sheets cold the next day.I’m hired as his new cocktail waitress, and my own losses allow me to see the real pain behind his sins. He’s not what he appears to be, but fixing him isn’t possible.I should listen to my past and stay away. Instead, he lures me into his underworld where vice and fortune thrive. He’s a wickedly hot, illegal addiction. Dangerous. Seductive. Forbidden. I’m not just betting my heart on him. I’m wagering my life. Play the Man is part of the steamy and suspenseful Falling Paper Duet. Theo and Scarlet's journey concludes in Win the Game, out December 18, 2018!

Falling for Jack


Joanne Hill - 2013
    Set in New Zealand.Jack Fletcher has survived his rough upbringing to become a mega success, but with his personal life down the toilet, discovering he has a son sends his life even further into turmoil.Robyn Taylor was the brainy girl destined for great things who now waits tables for a living to support her twins. Life is a struggle, but when Jack convinces her he needs her to look after his son, the conditions are too good to turn down. Robyn has always had a bit of a crush on Jack, but being this close means the crush is rapidly turning into something else altogether, and when Jack gets shocking news, it draws the two of them even closer together.But how can Jack ever believe he can be a father to his son, and a husband to a woman who must learn not only how to trust him - but to have faith in herself as well.

Moving On


Trisha Grace - 2012
    After the horrific accident that took away his parents’ life, Tyler’s grandfather removed him from the mansion and sent him away.Now, after twenty years, his grandfather had passed away and he could finally go home. However, even in his death, Tyler’s grandfather had betrayed him once again, leaving the mansion to a woman he had never met.Even though Kate Mitchell had never met Tyler, she knew all about the accident that changed the Hayes’s family. Unbeknownst to her, was how she was going to end up being caught in the middle of a long estranged relationship between two different generations.Two complete different personalities would have to learn to get along and play nice in order to survive a will that would change their lives.

Nowhere Left to Fall


Kat Mizera - 2019
     She's a rockstar. Literally. I'm in line for the throne. Sort of. We're in love and it's everything. Life should be perfect, but being a royal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. My cousin is pushing our kingdom to the brink of civil war, and I’m the only man who can stop him. How do I choose between the woman I love and the people depending on me? I need to make Casey mine. I have to save my kingdom. I am so royally screwed.