Book picks similar to
Shameless Chef by Gwyn McNamee


cocky-hero-club
romance
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cocky-hero-world

All About the D


Lex Martin - 2017
    Not that I'm interested in him in that way. Attorneys can't go around sleeping with their clients. Not even if he is the most beautiful man I've ever met and so ridiculously smart he makes my nerdy-girl heart sigh.Besides, he has too much on the line to risk taking a chance on the insane chemistry building between us. We both do.I've always followed the rules. Too bad he makes me want to break each and every one of them.All About the D is a romantic comedy and a full-length standalone. Due to adult situations and sexual content, it's recommended for readers over the age of 18.

Arrogant Devil


R.S. Grey - 2018
    Grey. Everyone in Cedar Creek, Texas, knows Jack McNight is an arrogant devil. Physically, I get it: he’s tan and fit, with coal-black hair that’s clearly been scorched by hellfire. Oh, and his personality? It burns just as hot. When I show up on the doorstep of Blue Stone Ranch, I’m run-down and rockin’ my last pair of underwear. I’m hoping for a savior, but instead, I find him. My opinion of Jack is marred by a dismal first impression, but his opinion of me is tainted even before I arrive. He’s heard I’m a spoiled princess there to take advantage of his goodwill. To him, I’m more trouble than I’m worth. Our button-pushing banter should get under my skin. His arrogance should be a major turn-off. Problem is, devils are known to offer their own form of temptation. Every one of his steely glares sends a shiver down my spine. Every steamy encounter leaves me reeling. Sure, it could be the Texas heat messing with my head, but there’s no way I’ll survive the summer without silencing him with a kiss and wrestling him out of those Wranglers. Who knows…going to bed with the devil might just be the salvation I’ve been looking for all along. ARROGANT DEVIL is a full-length romantic comedy of 93,000 words. For a limited time, I've also included an excerpt from my #1 bestselling sports romance THE SUMMER GAMES: SETTLING THE SCORE!

Lucky Bastard


Kaylee Ryan - 2020
    Landon Barker, the quarterback for the Hermosa Beach Trojans, is a player on and off of the field. He’s got his sights set on me as his next play, but I see right through him. Aubrey says I’m overreacting, that I should give him a chance. What she doesn’t realize is men like Landon don’t fall for the girl next door. That’s not reality. She got her fairytale, although it was a long road. Not all of us are that lucky.Landon She’s a friend of our new kicking coach’s wife. When I ask Chance for her number, he tells me I have to find a way to get it myself. Nothing when it comes to Emma has been easy. She’s the first woman ever to turn me down, and that won’t do. However, as time passes, it’s about more than that. It’s about her smile, her laugh, and just spending time with her. She thinks I’m a player, and she’s right. What she doesn’t know is that I play to win, and her heart is the ultimate trophy.

Mother Clucker


Cat Johnson - 2020
    . .HEATHERHermosa Beach seems to be the place for throwing together unlikely opposites.My rooster Rowdy and his new crush, Pixy the goat.Me and the obnoxiously cocky cowboy from Texas . . .But unlike Rowdy and Pixy, there’s no way I’m going to fall for David Strickland.Nope. Not gonna happen. I could never be with a man so completely opposed to everything I believe . . . no matter how hot he is.DAVIDThere couldn’t be two people more different than the beautiful little tree hugger and rooster rescuer Heather and me.We can’t agree on anything, except that we disagree on everything—at some times more heatedly than other times. And believe me, things are starting to heat up between us, in more ways than one.She's the last thing I expected to find at an animal shelter in California. But now I found her, I have no intention of letting her go.I just have to get her on board with that plan.Mother Clucker is a standalone story inspired by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s Cocky Bastard. It's published as part of the Cocky Hero Club world, a series of original works, written by various authors, and inspired by Keeland and Ward's New York Times bestselling series.

Devious Wingman


Casey Hagen - 2021
    And last.My secret romance, if you could call three stolen kisses and a tear-stained journal loaded with unfulfilled fantasies a romance.He taught me how to kiss.Then he walked away.I tried to keep him buried in the past, but he’s been in every kiss since.Tethering me to unattainable dreams.Well, he might have taught me how to kiss, but now I’m going to teach him how to… well, you get the idea.I’ll tempt fate, tantalize Falcon, and resurrect a fierce hunger between the two of us.And then I’ll be the one to walk away.I left my best friend’s little sister Emory firmly planted in my past. Or so I’d thought.Those pink girl-next-door lips of hers belonged in our sleepy hometown hundreds of miles away where I couldn’t reach them.I’d taught her how to kiss.Not how to kiss just anyone, but how to kiss me.Then I’d left.She deserved better than my tattered soul, lost and seeking redemption.Now she’s here. All grown up. In my neighborhood. In my pub.And the subject of my friend’s desire.The first hard and fast rule to our bro code…when your friend sees what he wants, you do everything in your power to help him get it.So, in her circle of friends full of calculating glances with lust-filled eyes, I’m there to charm the ladies while my man goes for the prize.But not when the prize is Emory. He can have anyone else…but never her.I’m his wingman… and I’m about to go rogue..

Not So Charming (Carlisle Cellars, 1)


Fabiola Francisco - 2021
    Now, unemployed and needing a place to live, I move back with my mom, promising myself that it’s only temporary. When small-town charmer, Miles, thinks his charisma will work on me, he’s got another thing coming. I want nothing to do with him and what he represents in this town. He’s everything I ran from when I left and never looked back. Miles is persistent in his pursuit, no matter how many times I turn him down. What could a guy like him want with a girl like me? We come from two different worlds—one where mine serves his.But I need a job, and his family’s winery is the only place hiring. Working alongside him, I see a different side of him that I thought was nonexistent. Hatred turns to curiosity, and soon I’m wondering if there’s more to the man I thought I knew growing up. Not So Charming is a feel-good romance. If you like hate-to-lovers, witty banter, and swoon, then you’ll love this small town romance.

Everywhere and Every Way


Jennifer Probst - 2016
    But his father’s will throws a wrench in his plans by stipulating that Caleb share control of the family business with his two estranged brothers. Things only get more complicated when demanding high-end home designer Morgan hires Caleb to build her a customized dream house that matches her specifications to a T—or she’ll use her powerful connections to poison the Pierce brothers’ reputation. Not one to ignore a challenge, Caleb vows to get the job done—if only he can stop getting distracted by his new client’s perfect…amenities. But there’s more to icy Morgan than meets the eye. And Caleb’s not the only one who knows how to use a stud-finder. In fact, Morgan is pretty sure she’s found hers—and he looks quite enticing in a hard hat. As sparks fly between Morgan and Caleb despite his best intentions not to mix business and pleasure, will she finally warm up and help him lay the foundation for everlasting love?

Big Ben


Nana Malone - 2020
    A gentleman above all. Private matters stay private. Secrets whispered are never revealed. Enemies and friends are of the same coin. And power is king.My so-called brothers killed my friend. I intend to make them pay.  And before it's over, I'll bend all the rules of morality, decency and legality. I will borrow and steal to set the scales right. But begging--begging, you can forget about.My name is Ben Covington and I know my sins.

Reluctant Lumberjack


Lynn Burke - 2021
    Uprooting her isn't an option which means heading back to the sticks of New Hampshire, to the small town I fled.Because of Charlotte.Because of Liam.My two best friends, the ones I’d been reluctant to pursue but couldn’t deny.Attempting to avoid facing my past doesn’t work, and I see them both—together. They appear to have moved on while I can’t.I still want her.I still want him.But secrets lay between us, betrayals that threaten to crack the egg shells we walk on.I’ve got more than my own heart to look out for now, and I’ll protect those I love this time around.No matter the cost.

Rockstar Romeo


Abbie Zanders - 2020
    He’s seen and done it all, but he’s never forgotten what—or rather, who—inspired him in the first place. Nearly twenty years later, the young singer who’d touched his very soul is still in his thoughts. In every song he writes. And she has no idea, because she disappeared from the music scene before he ever had a chance to tell her.When he and his band fly to LA to lay down some new tracks, he feels an instant and unnerving connection to the woman handling their upcoming tour. She’s beautiful, business-savvy, and oddly familiar. Unfortunately, she’s also proving frustratingly impervious to his charms.Eva D’Agolino’s job is to make people famous, and she’s damn good at it – probably because she was once part of the rock and roll life herself. These days, she prefers working behind the curtain instead of center stage. The cruel lessons she learned firsthand make it easy to keep things strictly professional, even around sexy, confident rock gods who don’t like to be told no.Well, most of the time, anyway. When Eva’s personal life begins to crumble, Jace is there to pick up the pieces. Denying him completely proves impossible, especially when he’s so good at giving her exactly what she needs. But she’s no fool. She’s already been down that road and knows how the song ends.Can Jace convince Eva he’s more than just the rock star she unknowingly created, and that theirs is truly a love song for the ages?Rockstar Romeo by USA Today Bestselling author Abbie Zanders is a standalone contemporary rock star romance written in Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s Cocky Hero world. If you like sexy rock stars, second chances, and the kind of love that inspires chart-breaking power ballads, you’re going to love Jace and Eva’s story!

Love & Other Disasters


Anita Kelly - 2022
    Too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying—not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. Still, she's focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money. After announcing their pronouns on national television, London Parker has enough on their mind without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. They’re there to prove the trolls—including a fellow contestant and their dad—wrong, and falling in love was never part of the plan.As London and Dahlia get closer, reality starts to fall away. Goodbye, guilt about divorce, anxiety about uncertain futures, and stress from transphobia. Hello, hilarious shenanigans on set, wedding crashing, and spontaneous dips into the Pacific. But as the finale draws near, Dahlia and London’s steamy relationship starts to feel the heat both in and outside the kitchen—and they must figure out if they have the right ingredients for a happily ever after.

The Seat Filler


Sariah Wilson - 2021
    That’s the hiccup in a warm and witty romance by the bestselling author of Roommaid.The meet-cute award goes to dog groomer Juliet Nolan. It’s one of Hollywood’s biggest nights when she volunteers as a seat filler and winds up next to movie heartthrob Noah freaking Douglas. Tongue tied and toes curling in her pink Converse, she pretends that she doesn’t have a clue who he is. It’s the only way to keep from swooning.She’s pretty and unpretentious, loves his dog, and is not a worshipping fan. No way Noah’s giving up on her, even if his affectionate pursuit comes with a bump: Juliet has a pathological fear of kissing and the disappointments that follow. What odds does romance have without that momentous, stupendous, once-in-a-lifetime first smooch? Patient, empathetic, and carrying personal burdens of his own, Noah suggests a remedy: they rehearse.The lessons begin. The guards come down. But there’s another hitch they weren’t betting on. As for that cue-the-orchestra-and-roll-credits happy ending? It might take more than practice to make it perfect.

Dirty Cowboy


Erin Trejo
    I knew who I was and what direction my life was headed. I owned the most prestigious night clubs down the east coast yet I kept my identity a secret. I don’t like being in the lime light and my hometown was none of anyone’s business. However, making people happy was. I did that with my clubs. Until the day tragedy struck my family. I had a choice to make and it wasn’t an easy one.At the end of the day, family always comes first. I went home to take care of my mom and the ranch. I didn’t plan on that little smart mouth Hope showing up with a laptop in hand. Just out of a cheating relationship the girl was hell bent on hating all men. Me included. Hating me wasn’t the only thing she came back home for. She needed a quiet place to write her next article. Her interest? The man that suddenly closed down all the upscale clubs on the east coast.I wanted to be anonymous for a reason. I didn’t want the cameras and all the tabloids in mine or my family’s business. So, I don’t give her anything. Well, nothing she wants anyhow.I give her the cowboy, the man that I’ve once again become with the dirty mouth. Until she learns the truth and wants to run with it. I should have known that a second chance at love wouldn’t happen for me. All fairy tales have to end, right?

The Next Mrs Russo


Jana Aston - 2021
    Another questionable relationship was the last thing I needed. Because trust me, they were all questionable. But through a series of unfortunate events involving my cat andhis poor decision-making skills, I agreed to a set-up. Except… the set-up is with the governor. I am not political girlfriend material.For one, I’m a little bit crazy.For two, I have secrets. But I also have a big crush on the governor. One little date can’t hurt, right?Spoiler: it can. My big crush is going to end in big trouble.

The Opposite of You


Rachel Higginson - 2017
    All men. Famous last words, right? You’re expecting some epic tale of reluctant love and my dramatic change of heart? Well, you’re not going to get it. I’m stubborn. And headstrong. And I’ve just survived the worst three years of my life. After escaping an abusive boyfriend to live in hostels and cheap hotels while I worked my way across Europe, I’ve come to two conclusions. The first? Now that I’m back home, I’m going to squander my expensive culinary degree on a food truck that caters to the late night drunk crowd. The second? I’m going to prove to the bastard across the plaza that my street food is better than his fussy five course monstrosities.Killian Quinn might be Food and Wine’s Chef to Watch Out For. He might have a Michelin Star. He might have every food critic in the city wrapped around his too-large fingers. But he’s also pretentious and unbearably arrogant and the very opposite of me. So he can keep his unsolicited advice and his late night visits and his cocky smiles. I want none of it. Or him. I want the opposite.