Book picks similar to
The Despair of Strangers by Heather Topham Wood
freebie
contemporary
g-a
dark
Use Me
Kimberly Knight - 2018
Rhys Cole’s life has always revolved around hockey. Growing up, he knew he’d play in the National Hockey League, but when his dream of being drafted didn’t happen, he chose the next best thing: becoming a hockey sportscaster for a local sports station. But just like in sports, you win some, you lose some. When Rhys discovers his girlfriend cheating with a stranger in his bed, he walks to the local bar down the street to let off some steam. After moving her way up the journalism field by covering stories in extreme weather conditions and working late hours, Ashtyn Valor is now the lead anchor for the nightly news. Finally settled into her career, Ashtyn is ready to take the next step in life with her boyfriend. But when he unexpectedly breaks up with her, Ashtyn decides to numb the pain with alcohol at the closest bar. Rhys and Ashtyn both expected an evening of alcohol to mask the pain of that October night. What they didn’t expect was meeting someone who could shield them from the darkness of their heartaches. Or that their pasts would dangerously intertwine … When obsession becomes dangerous, Ashtyn turns to Rhys for safety. But how safe are they really? The game of love always goes on. And their game was just beginning.
Chasing Eva
Camellia Hart - 2016
She’s determined to sway her newfound enemy to reconsider his betrayal. They’re not even halfway through that debate, when they’re drawn to each other with a force neither of them anticipates.Having lived through her share of disloyal relationships Eva’s sworn off heartbreaker men. No way she’ll fall for this assertive, enigmatic playboy.But Clive isn’t one to give up that easily, or at all for that matter. She doesn’t know, he’s been chasing Eva since their first kiss fifteen years ago.*First book in a series of three.*Underlying suspense continues in Loving Eva and concludes in Killing Eva.*Two bonus chapters are at the end.>
Ignite
Kate Benson - 2015
Over the last decade, they’d seen each other through every obstacle adolescence had thrown their way. When Zeke returned home for the summer after his first year away at college, their time apart forced them to see each other in a new light. Once temptation became too much to resist, lines were crossed and the relationship they fought so hard to protect paid the ultimate price. When fate brought them back together two years later, would it mean a second chance? Or would the summer that irrevocably changed them be the one thing their friendship couldn’t survive?
A Favor For a Favor
Nat Chelloni - 2020
The widow of a mobster, all she wants is to steer clear of the criminal elements. Then she meets Domenico Bonacci...Dom is handsome, charming, and intense. The world knows him as a prominent businessman, but Julia sees him as everything she fought to escape.Once the scion of a powerful Mafia family Dom left the world of organized crime after his father's death. And he swore he would never go back.No matter how hard she tries, Julia can't seem to ignore the powerful spark of attraction between them and her growing feelings for him. But when Dom's shady past catches up with him, the two forbidden lovers find themselves trapped in a deadly game.Will Dom renege on his vow and lose the woman he loves, or he will manage to break free of his past for once and for all?
Mr. Mistake: A Fake Marriage Romance (Mr. Mistake Series Book 1)
Karice Bolton - 2019
Wrong?Those were the words that shaped Tessa Berry's entire dating life the moment she vowed with her best friends in high school to never date a bad boy. Each of them took a pledge to never date a Mr. Wrong...and Morgan McKenzie was Tessa's wrong.But when her best friends bring up the pact and come up with a challenge to go after their Mr. Wrongs before they turn thirty, Tessa realizes they're all in over their heads and Tessa must teach her friends a lesson.But when Tessa's Mr. Wrong becomes her fake fiancé, she wonders if she made the biggest mistake of her life.After all, love isn't a fake emotion, even if the relationship is, right?
Unforgettable
S.B. Alexander - 2019
She’s the daughter of a Texas senator. Their chemistry is like oil and water. My name is Ryker James. I hate when people tell me what to do. I’m cocky, ornery, and I take things when I want them. Caring isn’t in my vocabulary unless it’s related to football or my family, and I just lost my entire family in a blink of an eye.Now all I have is football. The problem is the misery, the drinking, and the parties have more appeal to me. But Lakemont University wants that championship. Fans want to see wins on the scoreboard, and my teammates salivate to crush our opponents every game. Yet the only pass I might be throwing is at the auburn-haired girl who waltzes into my life. She’s fire. I’m ice. A combination that doesn’t work. So let the games begin.My name is Haven Hale, and I’ve been tucked away in a boarding school most of my life. Now I’m a big-time college girl, and all I see is freedom in front of me. But first, I have to agree to my father’s demands—no media attention and no sororities. If I can follow those two edicts, then college life should be a breeze. Until one close encounter with Ryker James, and Father Dearest has changed the game. Stay away from the big, bad quarterback, or face my father’s wrath. There’s only one problem. I can’t help who I’m attracted to.And Ryker James is a magnet, built to attract any female, constructed to make any girl’s heart sputter, and my heart is beating off the charts. But it’s time to choose between the devil I know and the one I don’t.
Marry Me
Samantha Lind - 2018
She captured my heart from the moment I first saw her dancing through the sprinkler. I always kept my feelings hidden though, standing back as she dated other guys, afraid to cross that line and risk losing her. I even went out with a few girls myself, but no one ever measured up. Then that dreaded day arrived, and I knew I’d lost her forever. Lauren- Sam was always my constant. My rock. My best friend. That feeling, the one I only got around him, had never been matched by another man. But Sam never showed me he felt anything more for me than friendship, so I moved on... Now, standing at the end of the aisle, ready to walk to my forever, my mind spins with what-ifs. Do I keep moving forward, knowing a man who loves me is at the end? Or do I risk it all, for the one man I’ve always wanted, and hope he wants me in return.
Get Your Kit Off
Nikki Ashton - 2014
With having to deal with problems from players buying zoo animals as pets, to losing their false teeth and a whole lot more, Molly can’t wait for the season to end. But, her life becomes even more complicated, when the man who broke her heart six years earlier, comes back into her life. Hail the returning hero, Joe Bennett, now one of the best footballers in the world and the club’s most expensive signing. Every woman wants him, every man wants to be him, and he’s returned for one reason only – he wants Molly back. With engaging characters, Sex, Lies & Llamas, is a humorous, yet sometimes sad romance depicting the difficulty in always doing the right thing, especially when love is involved. Please note there are some mild sex scenes and bad language
Hotter Than Ever
Linda Cousine - 2012
Follow along as unconventional Lexi Taylor navigates the minefield that is menopause in this fast-paced fun spin on aging. She had it all ... and lost it in a hot flash.Lexi Taylor had the picture perfect life--fame, fortune, beauty, and a loving family. But Lexi's hit the big five-o and now everything has changed. In one year, she's managed to lose her husband, her figure, her friends … and she just might have lost her mind. After her second incarceration for acts committed while in the throes of menopausal madness, a family intervention convinces Lexi she needs some professional help, and she checks herself into Sunnyvale Sanitarium, Home for the Mostly Menopausal, for a ninety-day stay. With the help of an army of doctors and one very therapeutic nun, Lexi manages to reclaim her sanity, her self-respect, her sex-drive, and learn the true purpose of her colorful life. The Middle-Aged Hottie series: HOTTER THAN EVER (Book 1) TOO HOT TO HOLD (Book 2) HOT TO TROT (Book 3)
Boss Rules
Jenna Gunn - 2020
Today my off-limits Boss..It was supposed to be my dream job.Ocean rescuer on the highly respected Southern California team.But he happened.A few hours ago Bryce Archer wasn’t my boss.Or my anything for that matter.He was a one night indulgence.One that left my voice shredded and my body in withdrawal.But my new job on his team doesn’t allow us to mix business and pleasure.The rule book says we’re done.But the electricity between us says we’re not.So my dream job hangs in peril.If I become the secret lover…it could all come crashing down.This badass job and perfect seaside town are everything I want.But now I want him too.Enough to risk it all.Enough to follow his reckless lead and break all the rules.It’s a dumpster fire in the making.One that might leave me knocked up, broken hearted, with my dreams in tatters.Boss Rules is a steamy stand-alone book in the Archer Brother's series. Scorching passion, plenty of humor, and lots of adventure action set this seaside love affair apart from the rest of the pack. No cliff-hangers and no cheating in this HEA. This one will melt you and your Kindle!
Undisputed
Aaron L. Speer - 2018
As much of a gentleman as one can be having an undisputed record with every win by a knock out. People LOVE him.Overworked barista Tegan Holland doesn't know he exists. Not until ten minutes before her friend Fiona drags her to the biggest cage fight Sydney has ever seen. By the time he heads back to his training camp in the States, she'll never forget him. But should she let him forget her? He's chasing his dream. He doesn't have time for her. Does he?For Owen, the hits just keep coming. Trash talking opponents, sensationalist media, and someone's out to ruin him for good. He can't put Tegan in the middle of it. Can he?Soon, will any of it matter? Cause life has other plans, and NOTHING hits harder than life.
The Paradise Bay Romantic Comedy Boxed Set
Melanie Summers - 2020
Together, they’re the perfect power couple—right down to the fact that he’s agreed to use their honeymoon to help further her career in mergers and acquisitions. But ten minutes before the wedding, her dreams dissolve via text message.Devastated and humiliated, Libby escapes to Paradise Bay alone. She’s got two goals for her trip: to devise a plan to get Richard back and to convince resort owner Harrison Banks to sell his property to her company. Unfortunately, when she arrives, she discovers that tall, dark, and built Harrison is not about to make anything easy for her. Instead, he derails her plans while at the same time, bringing out a side of Libby she’s kept carefully tucked away—a carefree, adrenaline junkie. After a few days together, Harrison’s got her wondering if the life she always wanted was meant for some other girl. Suddenly, Libby must decide which version of herself she wants to be. Will she go back to her comfortable, safe life, or risk everything to be with the only man who’s ever made her feel truly alive? WHISKED AWAYAn irresistibly romantic, delightfully funny tale of love, passion, books, and food.2019 READER'S FAVORITE AWARD BRONZE MEDAL WINNERAt twenty-seven years old, Emma Banks has big plans for her life. After graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, she's ready to take her place as head chef at one of her family’s resort restaurants. But upon arrival at Paradise Bay, she’s shuffled off to the resort’s new private island getaway, where she’ll be stuck catering to the rich and shameless. Her first assignment is to serve Pierce Davenport, an infuriatingly arrogant writer with a palate that’s about as adventurous as a plain boiled potato. Putting Pierce and Emma together is like combining orange juice and toothpaste. Will their differences be their ruin or will they be the secret ingredient to each other’s success?THE SUITE LIFE A laugh-out-loud tale of a single mum and the man who restores her faith in love.Twenty-six-year-old single mum Brianna Lewis (AKA Bree) doesn’t believe in fairy tales—not after being abandoned by the father of daughter, Isabelle. A law student by day and concierge by night, Bree’s determined to give Isabelle the life she never had. Suddenly finding herself in dire straits, she converts her garden shed into a rental suite in hopes of climbing out of the financial hole she’s in. But when the only person interested in renting the suite turns out to be to Leopold Davenport, the ridiculously good-looking co-worker she loves to hate, she knows she must choose between being happy and being broke. But as she gets to know him, she discovers there may be more to him than flirty smiles and empty charm.Can Leopold make the leap from ultimate playboy to become the man Bree needs in her life? Will Bree allow herself to believe in happily-ever-afters or will she play it safe and hang a do-not-disturb sign on her heart?
Everything That Glitters (Velvet Thunder, #1)
Emery Jacobs - 2020
Broken Thunder-- maybe the name was a sign.Now I find myself at a crossroad, not ready to leave music behind.An audition for the legendary band Reckless Fury, could change everything.At least that's what I hope until I see who's calling the shots.No names. One incredible night. It's her!I had no idea she was the Princess of Rock, when she was rocking my world.All I need is a chance to prove myself.With her.With the band.She thinks she knows why I'm here, she's wrong.Everything That Glitters is a steamy, sexy, full-length Rockstar Romance with a HEAEverything That Glitters is the first novel in the Velvet Thunder series. All books in this series are interconnected standalones and can be read in any order.