Book picks similar to
The Cowboy's Gamble by Mia Porter


romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance
freebie

In Too Deep


Tracey Alvarez - 2013
    He broke her heart to save his own.As an elite police diver tormented by her father's fatal drowning accident, Piper Harland is forced back to the one place she'd sworn never to return. Her tiny hometown on New Zealand’s isolated Stewart Island hasn’t much changed in the nine years she’s been gone. But she soon comes face to face with everything she ran from — grief, regret, and the scalding pain of a love lost.The one place Ryan "West" Westlake belongs is a hundred feet below Stewart Island’s dangerous waters with one breath of air and only a line to guide him to the surface. Down deep he can forget his mentor’s death. Down deep he can forget the one woman who seared his heart when she left. Only now she’s back, and as it turns out, he hasn’t forgotten a thing.Desire and tempers flare when West and Piper cross paths again. Can they face their past and be together? Two hearts. A second chance. Everything on the line...IN TOO DEEP is the first story in Tracey Alvarez's best-selling Stewart Island books set against the stunning backdrop of Aotearoa, New Zealand. If you like heartwarming, sexy and sweet small town romances with a touch of comedy, you'll love sharing the journey with these authentic men and women struggling to find their special someone.Intended for mature 18+ aged readers who enjoy their feel good romance on the steamier side.

Saddle Up


Kim Loraine - 2019
     His dad has all but promised him the ranch when he retires. His mama loves the woman he plans to marry. And his almost-fiancee? She's the perfect finishing touch to the life he's got planned out for himself. Except all hell breaks loose when she takes off with one of the ranch hands and most of the Ryker Ranch money in her pocket. Heartbroken and trust demolished, Clint doesn't know if he'll ever find love again. Until Ever Wilson walks onto his property with designs on producing a reality TV show with his ranch as the star. Her plan? Send a cast of city slickers to the ranch to learn how to saddle up like a real cowboy. The pay-off? Enough money to replace what his thieving ex took, and tourist income for years to come. It sounds like a great idea, until he starts falling for the one woman he can't have. Ever.

Fake Marriage to Her Best Friend


Kacy Cross - 2019
    But they do. And it does…Nomi Hannon is sick of losing. First, she failed to get her brother off on fraud charges. Then, she lost the practice they built together. She’s not about to lose the city council election. Too bad she just accidentally starred in a compromising photo that her squeaky-clean opponent is all too willing to use against her. Surely marrying the guy in the photo — her best friend, the only stable force in her life — will solve the problem… right?Malone DuMar’s luck hasn’t been any better than Nomi’s. He’s not looking for a wife, not after his ex-fiancée stole his company. But Nomi has always been the one person he could count on. There’s no way he’s going to turn his back on her when she needs him the most.It's a simple plan. Only pretend. That’s what they told themselves, anyway. But that was before they realized their friendship was on the line if their marriage of convenience went south. Before the kiss that changed everything…

Happy Endings Book Club Boxed Set Books 1-3


Kylie Gilmore - 2018
     Book 1: Hidden Hollywood She’s on top… When superstar actress Claire Jordan researched her role for the Fierce Trilogy movies, she never expected the bond she feels with the author and her romance book club aka The Happy Endings Book Club. Soon Claire finds herself confessing her secret longing for a regular guy—no more egocentric wealthy players—and the book club is all too ready to help. In disguise as a regular girl, she’s all set for a date with book-club-approved Josh Campbell. He’s on top… Billionaire tech CEO Jake Campbell is weary of gold-digging women, especially the glamorous superficial types. So when his identical twin, Josh, calls in a favor, asking Jake to step in as him on a date, Jake figures one of Josh’s cute girl-next-door types might be just what he needs. One night of passion with the sweet girl next door leaves Jake wanting more, except she seems to have vanished. Sometimes a Happy Ending is just the beginning. Book 2: Inviting Trouble Madison Campbell has worshipped her older brother’s best friend, Parker Shaw, for as long as she can remember. So the night before he leaves for the Air Force, she decides he’s leaving town with her virginity. All she has to do is transform her tomboy self into a sexy woman with a bit of borrowed makeup and some creative fashion choices. The results? One drunken kiss that Park doesn’t even remember. Ten years later, no man has ever gotten close to her heart the way Park did. And now that he’s back, the very unfeminine Madison refuses to blow her second chance. But when her bold attempts to snag his attention (“Oops! Dropped my towel.”) fail miserably, she does something completely insane—she caves to a makeover from the meddling matchmaker in charge of The Happy Endings Book Club. Hey, Park, you want some of this? Madison is about to find out. Book 3: So Revealing The last thing Charlotte Vega needs is a cocky HOT stuntman like Ty Campbell in her life. But when he pulls the ultimate stunt—a sexy romantic gesture that ends with a charming invitation to a sunset dinner cruise—she finds him impossible to resist. Cue disaster. Their rocky first date goes from bad to worse when his yacht (okay, it’s actually borrowed) gets stranded in deep mud. Turns out there’s nothing Ty can do but wait hours and hours for high tide with no power, no way to cook dinner, and a hangry sexy-as-hell woman. But Ty is determined to salvage the date so he starts a game to pass the time. Only what Ty learns makes him realize he may have just botched a date with the perfect woman. How will he ever win her now? The Happy Endings Book Club series continues with Book 4, Formal Arrangement, plus more! Happy Endings Book Club Series Book 1: Hidden Hollywood Book 2: Inviting Trouble Book 3: So Revealing Book 4: Formal Arrangement Book 5: Bad Boy Done Wrong Book 6: Mess With Me Book 7: Resisting Fate Book 8: Chance of Romance Book 9: Wicked Flirt Book 10: An Inconvenient Plan Book 11: A Happy Endings Wedding For more humorous contemporary romance, check out all of Kylie's books! Clover Park Series Book 1: The Opposite of Wild Book 2: Daisy Does It All

Emma's Dream


M. Lee Prescott - 2015
    Doctor's orders, he's home to heal, but the sooner he can get back to Santa Barbara, the better. Then he runs into Maggie Williams on Main Street, prompting vivid memories of a magical night, and Ben's ailing heart skips a beat. Father of her beloved five year old daughter, the eldest of the Morgan sons is the last person Maggie expects to have crash into her car and back into her life. For years, she has struggled to forget him and to make a life for herself and her daughter, Emma, the mirror image of a father, who is unaware of her existence. Now, here he is, looking more gorgeous than the day he ran out of town. Maggie swears Ben Morgan will never break her heart again.

The Cowboy's Stolen Heart


Jean Oram - 2020
    When an inheritance brings her to Sweetheart Creek, Texas, she shucks her old life and dives headlong into small town living. Too bad the handsome and serious cowboy Levi Wylder she’s crushing on sees her as nothing more than a princess.Was it the sparkly cowboy boots? Because it couldn’t be due to how she stepped in and calmed that rearing horse outside his stable.The last thing Levi Wylder needs is a high-maintenance woman interfering with his plans. But that’s exactly what he gets when his family ranch suddenly finds itself without a riding stable manager. And the only person he can find to fill those empty boots is a woman who buys her footwear based on looks alone.But when Laura steps into the ring, Levi discovers there’s something about this beautiful stranger that he completely underestimated—such as her power to steal his well-protected heart.

The Way We Fall


Cassia Leo - 2015
    Maybe we shouldn’t have fallen so fast and so willingly.Maybe we shouldn’t have moved in together before we went on our first date.Maybe we should have given our wounds time to heal before we tore each other to shreds.Maybe we should have never been together.Houston has kept a devastating secret from Rory since the day he took her into his home. But the tragic circumstances that brought them together left wounds too deep to heal.Five years after the breakup, Houston and Rory are thrust together by forces beyond their control. And all the resentments and passion return with more intensity than ever.Once again, Houston is left with a choice between the truth and the only girl he’s ever loved.The Way We Fall is the first book in The Story of Us series, which follows the tumultuous love story of Rory and Houston. The sequel, The Way We Break, will be released Spring 2015.

Begin Again


Kathryn Shay - 2015
    Follow these six beautiful blond sisters as they try to make their way in the world after a tragedy strikes the family. Each book has a cameo appearance by one of the sexy heroes from Shay’s beloved O’Neil series. BEGIN AGAIN tells the story of Paulina Ludzecky who, since her husband died three years ago, runs a contracting business with her twin, Antonia. She’s ready to dip her toes in romance, when she meets Adam Armstrong, the architect on the new music hall her company is building. For Adam, opposites attract and he’s drawn to this no-nonsense, down-to-earth girl next door. She’s equally interested in him though he’s too different from her to settle down with. But alpha male Adam has other plans for Paulina and isn’t about to let her go, even when Paulina has trouble with committing to him. Sex, yes! Love, no! This second chance at love story will tug on your heartstrings. If you like sisters in love stories, New York City romances and family saga romances, try the rest of the books in The Ludzecky Sisters: PRIMARY COLORS, RISKY BUSINESS, THE WAY WE WERE, HANDLE WITH CARE and LOVE STORY. Praise for Kathryn Shay romance novels: “Kathryn Shay writes some of the cleanest prose around, and it’s my belief she’d make the Yellow Pages sound interesting if the phone company put her on staff. And Ms. Shay knows her way around a steamy love scene.” The Romance Reader

Sweet for a SEAL


Anne Marsh - 2016
    Finn Callahan? He’s cake. A five-layer, lusciously frosted gateau.” – Valentina Fuentes I’ve never met a woman I couldn’t love—for one night. I’m the bad boy, the player, the sexy heartbreaker you meet in a bar and take home. And after my last hellish tour of duty as a SEAL, sun, sand, and sex are my new mission in life. Happily ever after? Pass. I’ll give you the best twelve hours of your life, and then I’m gone because why settle down when playing the field is so fun? All that changes when I meet Valentina Fuentes. Actually, I rescue her from a ditch, which should score me major hero points. She’s even willing to admit I’m hot—and she’ll fool around with me. But convincing her that I’m anything but a sun-and-good-times boy toy? That’s mission impossible. She argues I’m the loaner car girlfriends pass around… and, sure, she’s willing to take me for a ride. A short ride. And for the first time in my life, I’d like more than a twelve-hour relationship. When did one woman make my smooth-talking bad boy self start dreaming of forever? ASSIGNMENT: Caribbean Nights Book 1 - Claiming Her SEAL by Kat Cantrell Book 2 - Ruined by the SEAL by Zoe York Book 3 - Sweet for a SEAL by Anne Marsh Book 4 - Revealing Her SEAL by Kat Cantrell Book 5 - Bound by the SEAL by Zoe York Book 6 - Her One Best SEAL by Anne Marsh and the series will continue! Each book can be read as a standalone romance!

If the Shoe Fits


Laurie LeClair - 2013
    All she wants is her late father's dream to come true by making his beloved King's Department Store thrive again. However, her stepmother has other ideas. Charlie agrees to help her stepmother find grooms for her sheltered stepsisters. In exchange, the stepmother will release her stronghold on the store's budget. After all, one good deed deserves another, right? But, Charlie has no idea what her heart's in for when... Alexander (Alex) Royale, dubbed by society newspapers as Prince Charming, arrives for dinner to meet the all-female King family. His ailing grandparents yearn for his marriage and then the baby carriage. Well, that and running the family company. Having unsuccessfully searched for months, Alex doesn't hold out any hope in finding his future bride among the King sisters. However, all his expectations, including his idea of a business-like marriage of convenience, vanish the moment Charlie crashes into him. When Alex sets out out to win over Charlotte, he has no idea he has to bargain with the stepmother, secretly buy the store, court Charlotte after the wedding, and, oh yeah, be featured in Charlie's new fairy tale ad campaign, The Charmings, based on them. Can a guy ever get a break? The couple never factored in falling in love with each other. Now, faced with losing all their families ever wanted, Charlie and Alex must choose: Do they live their families' dreams or do they finally live their own?

Her Fated Cowboy: Cole


Donna Michaels - 2008
    cop, Jordan Masters Ryan has a problem. Her normal method of meeting a crisis head-on and taking it down won’t work. Not this time. Not when fate is her adversary. Having kept her from the man she thought she’d always marry, the same fickle fate took away the man she eventually did. Thrown back into the path of her first love, she finds hers is not the only heart fate has damaged.Widower and software CEO, Cole McCall fills his days with computer codes and his free time working the family’s cattle ranch. Blaming himself for his wife’s death, he’s become hard and bitter. When his visiting former neighbor sets out to delete the firewall around his heart, he discovers there’s no protection against the Jordan virus. Though she understands his pain and reawakens his soul, will it be enough for Cole to overcome his past and embrace their fated hearts?*Previously released as Fated Hearts. Revamped with over 10k words added, new scenes, new ending, scenes deleted. Heat level upped to hot.*

Fakers


Meg Collett - 2014
    Her bubbling personality and fresh beauty capture her audience each week, but they don't know the truth-she's just faking it. Beneath the surface of light-hearted smiles is a simmering darkness threatening to pull Kyra under. When Kyra moves to Canaan Island and buys her deceased mother's childhood home, she hopes to confront the lurking shadows haunting her every step. But when she meets her grumpy contractor, even her best-laid plans start to unravel. Hale Cooper is as brutally honest as he is intriguing. He hates fakers, and isn't afraid to call Kyra on her false personality. Yet, she is drawn to him, and the unexpected attraction to a man who challenges her to be her true self lands her in unchartered waters. But if she lowers her guard and allows herself to be honest with Hale, will the darkness creep in too?*This book is recommended for mature readers due to some sexual content and language. Cutting is represented in this book, and scenes may be considered triggering to some.*

The Last One


Tawdra Kandle - 2014
    The last year has been a roller coaster: her widowed mother just married a long-time family friend. Her younger brother unexpectedly became a father and a husband. Everyone's life is changing. . .except for hers. As she begins her final summer of college, Meghan's looking for excitement and maybe a little romance. Nothing serious; this girl just wants to have fun. But the only man for Meghan turns out to be the last one she expects. Sam Reynolds doesn't need excitement, and he doesn't want romance. Fun is out of the question. He's been the steady, responsible one since his parents were killed, and serious is his way of life. When Sam rescues Meghan alongside a dark Georgia backroad, she falls hard for his deep brown eyes and slow drawl. But making him see her as more than just a party girl won't be easy. Sam's tempted by the fiery young artist, even as he realizes that giving into his feelings will mean radical change. . .maybe more than he can handle. Nobody ever said love was simple.

Runaway Heart


Amity Lassiter - 2014
    With her teenage sister in tow, Ren picks Three Rivers, Colorado and hopes that it will provide them with the quiet, simple life she's been looking for. She doesn't expect responding to a job ad will have her suddenly wanting to break her only hard and fast rule: never lay down roots. Dane Baylor already has his hands full running the family cattle operation when a tragic accident leaves him as his young nephew's legal guardian. Before long, he finds himself over his head and desperate not to betray the trust his brother put in him. He doesn't know how badly he needs Ren until she shows up and balances out not only his life but his heart. For the first time in years, Ren feels safe, and despite her best efforts, believing in the happy life she could have with the man who offers her the love she's never known. But when her past comes knocking, threatening her new family and her new life, she may have no choice but to fight for everything she holds dear. RUNAWAY HEART (Dane Baylor & Ren Maddock) HOMECOMING HEART (Noah Baylor & Emma Pierce) SECONDHAND HEART (Finn Baylor & Lily Jacobs) Hearts of Three Rivers is a series with recurring characters throughout, however, each book may be read as a standalone or out of order with ease. Runaway Heart is a contemporary 'sweet Western heat' novel -- including cursing and open door bedroom scenes, but little frank language.

Taken by Love


Melissa Foster - 2014
    Now a physician on the brink of a promising career, she reluctantly returns home when her father is injured in a farming accident. Daisy expects the small-town girls who hurt her in the past to take cheap shots again--but she's completely unprepared for a run-in with tall, dark, and wickedly sexy Luke Braden, the only man who has ever stood up for her--and the man she's never forgotten.Luke Braden is handsome, wealthy, and the best damn gypsy horse breeder in the Midwest. After a restless youth, he's finally ready to settle down--only connecting with women is nothing like connecting with horses, and he's never met a woman worth the energy. After an arrest in a neighboring town, Luke's past comes back to haunt him, and he realizes that his inability to find love runs deeper than he ever imagined.A chance encounter sweeps Luke and Daisy into a world of passion. For the first time ever, Luke feels a connection, but Daisy's life in Trusty is anything but permanent, and Luke can't manage a future until he puts his past to rest.**CONTENT WARNING: Due to mature content, recommended for readers aged 18+.**