Book picks similar to
Shameless Chef by Gwyn McNamee


cocky-hero-club
romance
arc
cocky-hero-world

Make It Sweet


Kristen Callihan - 2021
    The world knows her as Princess Anya on Dark Castle, but then her character gets the axe—literally. The cherry on top is finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman. She needs a break, and sanctuary comes in the form of Rosemont, a gorgeous estate in California promising rest and relaxation.Then she meets the owner’s equally gorgeous grandson, ex–hockey player and current recluse Lucian Osmond, and she sees her own pain and yearning reflected in his eyes.He’s charming when he wants to be but also secretive and gruff, with protective walls as thick as Emma’s own. Despite a growing attraction, they avoid each other.But then there’s an impromptu nighttime skinny-dip, and Lucian’s luscious homemade tarts and cream cakes start arriving at Emma’s door, tempting her to taste life again…In trying to stay apart, they only grow closer—and their broken pieces just might fit together and make them whole.

Crazy for Loving You


Pippa Grant - 2019
    I’ve seen some crazy things. I’ve caused some crazy scenes. And there’s no shame in my game.But I’m still knocked off my stilettos when an insane chain of events leads to me inheriting a baby. The craziest part? The baby comes with a by-the-books, no-nonsense retired Marine who's so regimented that I wouldn't be surprised if he irons his boxer shorts.Parenting? Bring it on. I don’t need sleep—I once started my day with business meetings in Cairo and ended it three days later at a club in Melbourne. Changing diapers? Please. It can't be any more challenging than changing out of Spanx on the back of a moving motorcycle. Training the little guy to run the family’s real estate empire? He’ll be all our bosses by the time he’s four.But living with my new co-guardian? The gruff, muscled, tattooed former military man who manages to check all my boxes while trying to sneak under my skin?He needs to go.Because the longer he stays, the more layers he’s peeling off my heart.But love isn’t something that’s ever diluted my gene pool, and I like my life just fine without it. I have awesome friends, this adorable baby and an obscene amount of money. Who needs love?Turns out…maybe me.Crazy for Loving You is a larger-than life ride through accidental parenthood featuring a fun-loving billionaire playgirl, a crusty Marine with a gooey center, a horny dolphin, the world’s most obscene pool, and all the fun you’d expect from a world built by Lucy Score, Claire Kingsley, Kathryn Nolan, and Pippa Grant.The Bluewater Billionaires are four shared-world hot romantic comedies written by Lucy Score, Claire Kingsley, Kathryn Nolan, and Pippa Grant. They can all be read as stand-alone novels.

The Boyfriend Effect


Kendall Ryan - 2020
    My buddies are happy to give me shit about my latest breakup from here to next Sunday. Thanks, but I’d rather have a root canal.And a vasectomy.At the same time.Relief comes in an unlikely package—the gorgeous and feisty Maren. She just so happens to be my best friend’s sister, so that’s not awkward at all.But I’m a man on a mission, and Maren is down to teach me all the ways I’ve been failing as a boyfriend. Apparently, there are many. And it’s all very informative—until I start to catch feelings.Now it’s not just my reputation on the line, but my heart too.

Until Forever


Sade Rena - 2022
    If you loved Until Harmony, then you will want to read Until Forever.

The Highland Fling


Meghan Quinn - 2021
    James has lost her way. So when she and her best friend stumble upon a “help wanted” post to run a coffee shop in the Scottish Highlands, they apply on a whim. Who knows? Maybe traveling to a new place is just what she needs to figure out her next move.When the friends arrive in the tiny idyllic town of Corsekelly, they instantly fall for the gorgeous Highland landscape and friendly townspeople. But Bonnie finds a less-than-warm welcome in Rowan MacGregor, the rugged local handyman. Busy wrestling his own demons, Rowan’s in no mood to deal with the quirky American—even if she is a bonny lass.As Bonnie and Rowan’s paths inevitably cross, insults—and sparks—fly. Can the pair build on their similarities to help each other find purpose and direction…and maybe romance too? Or will their passionate tempers fling them apart?

Jilted Jock


Rebecca Jenshak - 2020
    A sexy, cocky Australian soccer star named Finn was the last person I expected to be living with for two weeks. He showed up at my brother’s house on his wedding night, hot, drunk, and very much not married. Next thing I knew, we were roommates, spending nights watching TV and getting to know one another. Those two weeks turned into more than either of us bargained for. He was fresh off a broken heart and I had a boyfriend. I wasn’t supposed to fall for the jilted jock, especially when I knew we’d be going our separate ways. All good things must come to an end, right? Except he’s not letting me go without a fight.

Wicked Bedmate


Jenika Snow - 2020
    Sexy and confident—or maybe arrogant—he had me yearning for more with just a smoldering look and a smirk of his lips.But when a night of drinking leads to getting in bed with him and having the wildest, most intense night of my life, I didn’t know if I should ask to see him again or do the good old walk of shame.And it’s when I walk into my interview the next day and come face-to-face with my prospective employer that the reality of my situation sinks in.Because there, sitting across from me with that devilish smile on his face, that knowing expression of what we’d done the night before, is the one and only Jason, my supposedly one-night stand.Looked like my humiliation wasn’t over just yet.

Cocky Chef


J.D. Hawkins - 2017
    But when you're the best at what you do and have the hottest restaurant on the west coast, with enough Michelin stars to make Gordon Ramsay's head spin, you've earned the right to your confidence.When I give an instruction in the kitchen, it's not a suggestion--it's an order. So when a new chef thinks she can do things her way, and dares to say so to my face, even her sharp wit and gorgeous pouty lips don't make it okay. But I have to admit, she's got talent. She's creative in the kitchen and not even that double-breasted chef jacket can hide her perfect body. As I get to know her, I can't help wanting to know everything she thinks. I've never met a more talented chef. And I've never met a sassier and sexier woman in my life. There's only one way this push and pull can end.With her in my bed, begging for more.

Absolution (The Salvation Society)


Leaona Luxx - 2021
    yet here I am, ready to fall on my knees and do whatever it takes. Wanting her was never an option, but when your heart knows, everything else ceases to exist. Consequences be damned. I returned home broken and lost, refusing to connect to my old life, knowing what lurks in the shadows there. Afraid I’ll hate myself even more for hiding the untold truths, and yet I can’t bring myself to set them free. Set myself free... Until her. In her arms, I find sanctuary. Her love not only encompasses me, but it also drives the darkness away and serves as a beacon of hope— my salvation.When our pasts are brought to light, we’re thrust into the hell of our own creation. Will Scarlet forgive me for the blood on my hands? Only absolution will see us through.

Love at First Spite


Anna E. Collins - 2022
    But sometimes, spreading the misery seems a whole lot more satisfying. That’s interior designer Dani Porter’s justification for buying the vacant lot next to her ex-fiancé’s house…the house they were supposed to live in together, before he cheated on her with their Realtor. Dani plans to build a vacation rental that will a) mess with his view and his peace of mind and b) prove that Dani is not someone to be stepped on. Welcome to project Spite House.That plan quickly becomes complicated when Dani is forced to team up with Wyatt Montego, the handsome, haughty architect at her firm, and the only person available to draw up blueprints. Wyatt is terse and stern, the kind of man who eats his sandwich with a knife and fork. But as they spend time together on- and off-site, Dani glimpses something deeper beneath that hard veneer, something surprising, vulnerable, and real. And the closer she gets to her goal, the more she wonders if winning revenge could mean losing something infinitely sweeter…“Rollickingly, fast-paced… Fans of Emily Henry’s tales will enjoy Collins’ imaginative rom-com.” —Booklist“Wyatt is the perfect grumpy romance hero with a heart of gold. An enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story that’s sure to delight rom-com fans.” — Kirkus Reviews

Cocky Captain


Ellie Masters - 2020
    He’s a cocky jet jock, a former Navy Blue Angel, and full of all the arrogance that comes with being the best of the best. I’m an ex-Zoomie, a female Air Force tanker pilot. The rivalry between our sister services is nothing compared to that between fighter jocks and tanker pilots. We’re bitter rivals and I’m low-man (woman) on the totem poleThe last thing I need is to spend six hours at thirty-five thousand feet locked in a cockpit with the cocky captain. But I have no choice. I’m his co-pilot, and we’re taking the CEO of Montague Enterprises, and his family, on a mini-vacation to the Grand Caymans.We have three days on the ground before we fly back.Three long days in paradise and he wants to spend them with me.I have a thing for fighter pilots.It isn’t animosity, exactly, but rather a deep-seated dislike. They get all the glory while the rest of us sit at the butt end of their jokes and wither beneath their ridicule.I hate fighter pilots. There, I said it. I hate the arrogant pricks with a passion.But after one look into those magnetic eyes, and the devastating wink which follows, I’m thinking of throwing caution to the wind. What harm can come from some innocent flirting? I’m not prepared for the air to sizzle when he’s close.I’m not ready for our explosive chemistry when he touches my skin.I’m not equipped for the fallout when our three days come to an end.Nothing can prepare me when I have to walk away.And I’m not ready for what comes next.He’s arrogant. He’s cocky. He’s determined to get what he wants.And he refuses to let this end.He’s fighting for a forever…with me.But, what if I’m not ready for our beginning?He's arrogant enough to prove me wrong.

Office Grump


Nicole Snow - 2020
    I'm his lowly assistant. Some rules are carved in stone.That's my mantra until we're sharing a sunset too beautiful for life.Alone with wandering lips, whispered secrets, and disaster in the making.The plan was simple: punch the clock, get paid, and keep hating my boss.What's the blueprint when the office grump brings me to my knees?Full-length enemies-to-lovers romance with the banter, intrigue, and slow-burn love worthy of a Happily Ever After. The bossman from Hades meets the hellion he totally can't stand—until he can't live without her.

The Layover


Lacie Waldon - 2021
    She's got one trip left before she bids her old life farewell, and she plans to enjoy every second of it. But then she discovers that former pilot Jack Stone -- the absurdly gorgeous, ridiculously cocky man she's held a secret grudge against for years -- is on her flight. And he has the nerve to flirt with her, as if he doesn't remember the role he played in the most humiliating night of her life. Good thing she never has to see him again after they land....But when their plane encounters mechanical problems, what should have been a quick stop at the Belize airport suddenly becomes a weekend layover. Getting stuck on a three-hour flight with her nemesis was bad enough. Being stranded with him at a luxury resort in paradise? Even with the sultry breeze and white sand to distract her, it will take all the rum punch in the country to drown out his larger-than-life presence.Yet the more time Ava spends with him under the hot Caribbean sun, the more she begins to second-guess everything she thought she knew about him... and everything she thought she wanted from her life. And all too soon, she might have to choose between keeping her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds....An unexpected tropical layover with her nemesis turns a flight attendant's life upside down in this witty, breezy debut romantic comedy about life -- and love -- 30,000 feet above the ground.

Tap That


Jennifer Blackwood - 2018
    CALLIE I have a secret. It’ll get me fired if my boss ever finds out…which shouldn’t be a problem except for one thing: my coworker, Reid Morgan. He’s cocky, aggravating, and that hot-as-sin mouth simultaneously makes me want to slap him and melt into the mattress. Now that he’s discovered my secret, he’s doing everything in his power to take my job. REIDI have a problem: my pint-size spitfire of a coworker who’s primed to take my promotion. She’s infuriating, sexy as hell, and I just can’t seem to keep my hands off her. Now we’re both vying for the same position…and only one of us can come out on top.

Take Two


Laurelin Paige - 2014
    On the night of her graduation from film school, straight-laced Maddie Bauers fell completely out of character for an oh-my-god make-out session with a perfect stranger. Complete with the big O.Seven years later, that romantic interlude is still fresh in her mind. That stranger is now a rich and famous actor. And she’s one very distracted camera assistant working on his latest production. She might consider another tryst…if he even remembers her.Micah Preston does indeed remember Maddie. Too bad he’s sworn off Hollywood relationships. He allows himself as much sex as he likes—and oh, he does like—but anything more is asking for trouble. For the woman, not for him. Yet knowing Maddie could want more than a movie-set fling doesn’t stop him from pursuing her like a moth drawn to hot stage lights. But as the shoot nears its end, it’s decision time. Is it time to call, “Cut!” on their affair, or is there enough material for a sequel?Warning: Contains a dreamy movie star hero, a focus-pulling heroine, off-the-charts instant chemistry, steamy sex in near-public locations, and a new use for lip gloss.