Book picks similar to
Fight by Nicole Dykes
contemporary-romance
tbr
romance
dark-romance
Unpredictable
C.A. Harms - 2015
With an absent father and a mother who drowns herself daily in a bottle of Rum, there was no other option. Jett Jameson was the distraction Quinn needed, even if it was just for one night. A void filler, and a chance for a moment to allow herself to feel something other than emptiness. He wasn’t what she expected. Gentle. Her life didn’t have room for a man like Jett. Unpredictable. But now it was too late, there was no turning back. Desire. Nothing would ever be the same…
The Fine Art of Pretending: A Fake Relationship, Falling For Your Best Friend Romance
Rachel Harris - 2014
Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date-Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy's biggest hottie and most notorious player.With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school's second biggest hottie, and now Aly's pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from funny friend to tempting vixen is only a matter of time.But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable break up leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can't explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.
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.
Smooch
Susan Renee - 2020
No names. No rules. Just fun.Meant as revenge against my ex-boyfriend,And it was hands down the most physical and best night of my life.So, imagine my surprise when my one-night stand shows up at my workplace the following Monday, greets me by name, and asks for my number, adamant that fate is bringing us together.Of course, I refuse. I’m not looking for love, but within minutes I’m somehow shaking hands and agreeing to a convoluted blind date deal with Chett Hayes, my ridiculously nice, and very…gifted, one-night stand.Oh, and four other men.Four blind dates and a date with Chett after each one. That’s his deal.Choose Chett in the end and live happily ever after with apparently the new love of my life, or don’t and never hear from him again.The way I see it, this is a win-win for me,Until things start to get blurry and the rules are broken.Rules that were meant to keep my heart from breaking all over again.Maybe I’m right and I’m just not meant for a happily ever after,or maybe Chett Hayes was right all along and fate is real, and love is worth fighting for
Disorderly
Hazel Grace - 2018
To save my siblings, I did the unspeakable, and it cost me the ultimate price.Now, I’m going to war with the monster who took it upon themselves to rip my life apart. Before I can even hit the ground running, I’m literally struck by a woman with blush colored lips and a body that makes me fall into a haze of lust and desire. Two things I can’t deal with, especially when I know it could bring the battle right into her backyard. In the end, it does, because I’m certain she’s seducing me for another reason, other than just being with me.𝒩𝑜𝓋𝒶 I like normal, plain and simple. So when I arrive in a new town looking to conquer the townspeople’s taste buds with my bakery, it’s a dream come true as I watch it to fruition. It feels normal. Until this rugged man I ran into by chance keeps running into me time and time again. Muscles, tattoos and eyes that could devour me whole, I’m starting to think normal may be just a little too simple for me. because when his hands are on me, all I want to do is close my eyes and relish the way he sets me on fire. But as quickly as it starts, it all comes crashing down.He ripped not only my heart out, but my whole soul too.**𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. **
Take a Chance on Me
Jaqueline Snowe - 2017
Their relationship had always been easy. Both of them loyal to a fault, they had been there for each other through everything: heartbreaks, hangovers, and tragedy. So when Kate needs a place to stay for three months, Brody doesn’t think twice about agreeing. After all, they had known each other forever. What could go wrong living with his closest and oldest friend? Apparently, everything. Three months in a small apartment becomes more than complicated. Brody shouldn’t be attracted to his dorky best friend…he most definitely shouldn’t. That would be absurd. She’s a relationship girl and he’s more a one-night-sans-clothes kind of guy. One drunken dare of strip poker changes everything. Suddenly, two people with too much to lose play a dangerous game. The unapologetic playboy and the girl-next-door have a choice to make, if only their pasts didn’t keep getting in the way of their future.
The Story of You and Me
Pamela DuMond - 2013
I planned on college, keggers, and cute frat guys—not MS. I told a few people, but they started treating me differently, so now I keep it secret. I probably have many more years to live with this disease, but my grandmother does not. So I traveled thousands of miles to L.A. to look for healing: stem cell studies, acupuncture, shamanic vision quests. Some therapies were dangerous, but I’d try anything. I’d risk it all because I was fighting for our lives—but I didn’t have the luxury of dating, let alone falling in love. My first night in L.A. I landed in the middle of a campus bar fight. The most beautiful man I’d ever met, Alejandro, a complete stranger, rescued me. He took me to the ER, drove me to my new home, and even washed my beer-drenched hair. On my second day I got lost in a dicey part of town and was attacked by gang-bangers. I escaped—this time. So I hired Alejandro to drive me to my appointments; be my bodyguard. He made me laugh again. He sheltered me. My heart started cracking open… I wish I had told him my secret. When I discovered—he hadn't yet told me his...
Lucky Cove
Serafina Jax - 2020
They also left an inheritance to set me up for life. And more than one person is trying to rip it out from under me.Between the grief of losing them and dealing with a family that certainly don’t act like they give a damn, I’m barely keeping my head above water. The only good things right now are the handsome neighbours who help me see beyond my loss. And they come with hateful wives and bitter exes.My new job has me delving deep into the underbelly of the glittering Gold Coast. It puts me in the crosshairs of some people who would rather see me dead than digging into their affairs. Now I’m racing against the clock-and a tropical cyclone-to find the evidence to stop those who are gunning for me.Will I win and get to live the life I’ve always dreamed of? Or will I become just another victim of the Gold Coast underworld? Lucky Cove is meant to be my fresh start, but could it end up being the beginning of the end?If you’re a fan of super hot sex, snarky females and men who make you drool while ordering you around, don’t miss Lucky Cove. The first book by new author Serafina Jax.**Authors note: Lucky Cove is a medium burn, standalone contemporary why choose romance, where the main character doesn’t have to choose between her love interests. It contains mature and some dark themes that may evoke emotions in some readers. Additionally, sexual themes are suitable for mature audiences 18+**
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.
Come What May
L.K. Farlow - 2020
My dad always used to say “It’s what you do while you’re alive that matters.” But he’s gone now, and me…I’m spiraling out of control and on the verge of losing everything my dad worked so hard for.Until Mateo Reyes makes me an offer I can’t refuse: he wants to purchase my dad’s shop. The payday would be monumental, but can I really sell all I have left of my dad?Eventually, I give in. With a single caveat—he hires me to run it.The tatted-up mechanic turns out to be as strict as he is handsome.When I agreed to help my late friend’s daughter, I had no idea the kind of trouble I was inviting into my life. Seraphine’s young, reckless, impulsive, and drowning in her grief. The absolute last person I should allow around my teenage daughter.I’ve made it my personal mission to show her life does in fact go on after loss. After the death of my wife—I’d know.Before I know it, I find myself thinking about things I have no business thinking of—like if her skin’s as soft as it looks and how her lips taste.Turns out, she’s every bit as interested as I am, and while she might be my damnation, I’m willing to fight for her, come what may.
Rule Breaker By Accident
Ali Parker - 2019
One rule. Easy enough, or so I thought. Until this hot surgeon that I’ve been dating off and on becomes a client. It was a casual fling, a fun summer love affair. Until it wasn’t. My heart wasn’t ready to fall so hard for this bad boy in scrubs. The secrets he has hidden in his past stop me dead in my tracks. But he isn’t giving up on us. Not for anything. And I have to decide where I stand. Break the rules or walk away from the best thing I’ve ever had.
Kismet
Dee Lagasse - 2019
Sister. Princess. After a nonstop week promoting her new book to schools throughout Boston, all she wanted to do was spend a Friday night in her hotel room... eating chocolate and drinking wine. Then her eyes met his... Bodie Cambridge Son. Brother. Hometown Hero. After a whirlwind week celebrating a World Series win, the last thing he wanted to do was attend yet another event. Until he heard her laugh... Diving head, and heart, first into a seemingly picture perfect romance, it doesn’t take long for the world to fall in love with them too. An All-American baseball player winning the heart of a princess? It’s a modern day fairy-tale. But as Sutton and Bodie settle into the idea of their happily ever after, ghosts from the past begin to haunt them. With their love, faith and trust on the line, Sutton and Bodie must choose to fight together or walk away and leave everything they’ve worked so hard to build behind.
Caged in Winter
Brighton Walsh - 2014
She's only seventy-six days away from college graduation--and the future she's dreamed of for so long. She just has to stick to her rules: Don't lose focus. Trust no one. Hookups only--she doesn't want or need a man ruining her plans.But then Cade Maxwell, aspiring chef and Prince Charming in-training, comes swooping in to her life. All brash exterior and marshmallow center, Cade strips away her walls as easily as he strips away her clothes. One of the best in his class, he's on the fast-track to his dream job--as long as he keeps his eye on the prize.This close to graduation, neither of them can afford a distraction. Despite their explosive chemistry, nothing serious can develop between them. Thankfully, Winter's rules are keeping them safe.Except Cade's not playing by her rules anymore.
Sins or Secrets
Khardine Gray - 2021
what he didn’t know was I lied because I had to.It was the only way to protect him from my father’s cruel hand.That last goodbye was supposed to be forever.I left town and never expected to see him again.Then Aunt Lily died, and I returned home.Not knowing her will would open Pandora’s box.Her will threw me right back in Logan’s path, and back in his bed.But he’s not the boy I left behind.He’s the irresistible, tempting ex-marine women put on their wish list.And our attraction is incinerating.All consuming.Undeniable.And, unlike the past, there’s no one standing in our way.There’s nothing to stop us.Except me.
Determined
Elizabeth Brown - 2014
Do well in school, attend a top university, graduate with honors. Having secured a plum gallery job right after graduation, she was well on her way to accomplishing her goals. That is, until a chance meeting with a handsome stranger made her question her life’s entire course. Billionaire David Keith was sexy, successful, and on the wish list of every woman in San Francisco. Sam knew it was dangerous to hope she was different than all the women David normally dated, but for the first time, success wasn’t the only thing on Samantha’s mind. Would this distraction be her undoing? Book I of III, can also be read as a standalone.