Book picks similar to
The Key by Penny Reid


romance
contemporary
short-story
novella

Morning Glory


S.L. Scott - 2012
    The two have been best friends since college, but have always been out of sync romantically. As Hayley maneuvers her way through one bad relationship after another, Nick is always right there picking up the pieces of her shattered heart. When Nick hints that he might be interested in someone new, Hayley begins to see how blind she's really been to the one person she can’t live without. As the door of opportunity with Nick begins to close, Hayley must decide if she's willing to risk what she already has with him in order to have it all. Engaging personalities, witty banter, and steamy love scenes make for a modern day fairy tale in this short story romance.

Maybe Not


Colleen Hoover - 2014
    It could be an exciting change.Or maybe not.Especially when that roommate is the cold and seemingly calculating Bridgette. Tensions run high and tempers flare as the two can hardly stand to be in the same room together. But Warren has a theory about Bridgette: anyone who can hate with that much passion should also have the capability to love with that much passion. And he wants to be the one to test this theory.Will Bridgette find it in herself to warm her heart to Warren and finally learn to love?Maybe.Maybe not.

Drop Dead Sexy


Katie Ashley - 2016
    Growing up as the daughter of a small town mortician, guys didn’t warm to the fact there were dead people in her house. At thirty, taking over the family business and becoming the town Coroner helped to cement her undateable status. Of course her past sex history didn’t help matters either.Attempt number one with her first love ended barely before it got started with a horrific latex allergy hospitalization. Attempt number two had him coming and then going with an undiagnosed heart condition. For the past three years, Olivia has closed up shop for fear of what might happen next in the bedroom.After being forced to go single to her mother’s lingerie shower, Olivia stumbles into an out of town bar with one intention: find an able bodied stud to go home with to end her losing sex streak. Enter Holden Caulfield Mains aka Catcher, who earned his nickname not just from the book he was named for, but for the fact he was sure to catch the attention any woman who came within a five mile radius. Waking up after a night of the most mind blowing sex she could have ever imagined, a horrified Olivia runs away thinking she’s left Catcher behind.When Olivia’s small town is wracked by its first murder, she never could have imagined her one night stand would reappear in the form of the GBI’s lead investigator. To her mortification, Catcher isn’t ready to let go of their sizzling chemistry, and he doesn’t understand the meaning of no. As things start to heat up between them, the body count starts to rise, and they’re led on a wild goose chase from back woods mountain Nudist Colonies to altercations with the Dixie Mafia. Can Olivia and Catcher survive to solve the murder while also not succumbing to their explosive passion?

It's a Wonderful Tangled Christmas Carol


Emma Chase - 2015
    There, three lovely holiday spirits magically visit him to teach him that every moment is precious and that he should never take his family for granted. But when he wakes up, will he just write it off as a dream? Originally published in the sizzling anthology Baby, It’s Cold Outside, this irresistible novella is the perfect holiday treat! And as special bonus material after the novella, Emma Chase has included a scene showing Drew’s marriage proposal to Kate!

Immersed in Pleasure


Tiffany Reisz - 2012
    Derek Prince doesn't believe they really exist, until he meets the stunningly sensual Xenia. She drives him wild with desire, but giving in to temptation means losing her position at Fathoms. Derek is incredibly turned on by the thought of being Xenia's first...but will he be willing to wait for her?

Slack: A Day in the Life of Ford Aston


J.A. Huss - 2013
    He’s not into this holiday—like at all. He doesn’t do presents, or family dinners, or parties, or church. He does pets. And he’s got one lined up for Christmas Eve. In fact, it’s the highlight of his day. And if he can get through drop-in visits, nosy twelve year olds, an inappropriate conversation with his best friend’s girlfriend, dinner with a family that’s not his, and a party at his mother’s house—well, he might just get home in time to enjoy himself with a stranger and make it all OK.SLACK: A Day in the Life of Ford Aston, is a prequel to TAUT: The Ford Book, and can be read as a standalone novella.SLACK releases on December 18, 2013 and TAUT releases on January 20, 2014

The Story Guy


Mary Ann Rivers - 2013
    Kissing only.Carrie West is happy with her life... isn’t she? But when she sees this provocative online ad, the thirtysomething librarian can’t help but be tempted. After all, the photo of the anonymous poster is far too attractive to ignore. And when Wednesday finally arrives, it brings a first kiss that’s hotter than any she’s ever imagined.Brian Newburgh is an attorney, but there’s more to his life... that he won't share with Carrie. Determined to have more than just Wednesdays, Carrie embarks on a quest to learn Brian’s story, certain that he will be worth the cost. But is she ready to gamble her heart on a man who just might be The One... even though she has no idea how their love story will end?Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from the Loveswept title Flirting with Disaster.

A Christmas to Remember


Jill Shalvis - 2013
    But Ian secretly longs for more. Luckily, 'tis the season for giving love a chance . . .Kristen Ashley, Every Year: Holidays don't come easy for Shy and his brother, Landon. But with the magic of Christmas, along with a little help from Tabby and her family, the Cage brothers are about to get the gift of a lifetime . . .Hope Ramsay, Silent Night: Down on her luck and evicted from her apartment, single mother Maryanne hopes to start over in Last Chance. When the snow begins to fall, it looks like her baby might literally spend Christmas Eve in a manger. And Maryanne might celebrate the holiday with a handsome stranger.Molly Cannon, Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas: Lincoln is a bachelor who's set in his ways-until a professional organizer dressed up as Mrs. Claus changes his life, one tip at a time. . .Marilyn Pappano, A Family for Christmas: War widow Ilena doesn't mind spending Christmas alone. But when a new doctor blows into town with the winter wind, will she get her secret Christmas wish?Plus: Excerpts from upcoming novels!(40,000 words)

By Proxy


Katy Regnery - 2013
    In order to keep her promise, an afternoon favor turns into a weekend of startling but undeniable attraction, threatening the well-ordered world that keeps her heart at arm's length from any more pain....turns into a whirlwind romance!Sam's plan is to fly to Livingston, Montana, take wedding vows on behalf of his favorite cousin, and return to Chicago as quickly as possible. But his plan is turned upside-down when he must spend a weekend with Jenny in Gardiner in order to keep his promise. He doesn't want to fall for the prim, proper schoolteacher whose small-town life seems to him like selling out, but the more time he spends with her, the harder it is to say good-bye.When a city boy and a country girl come together for a double proxy wedding, the unexpected gift is true love.

White Hot Christmas


Lauren Layne - 2016
    What's worse? They used to be married.

The Last Single Girl


Bria Quinlan - 2012
    Last minute. Who doesn't already have plans on the busiest date night of the year.But, so far the best part of the search for a great date has been the cute café I found and the geeky-hot owner who keeps rescuing me from these crazy eLove.com dates. This should be easy-peasy. The internet is the home of all your hopes and needs, right?Spoiler Alert: it isn't.Between the bromance date and the crazed single dad who needs to hire a nanny and housekeeper, not get a date, I'm running out of options. If only a certain cutey didn't have a phone call with "sweetheart" every day.The weirder things get, the more I think just going solo is very I Am Woman, blah blah blah. Forget about the fact that my heart keeps bringing me back to a certain café even when I don't need to be there...I mean, my heart doesn't always get what it wants, does it?

A Girl by Any Other Name


M.K. Schiller - 2013
    But at twelve, they become friends when he teaches her how to hook a fishing line and she shows him the value of a selfless act. At fourteen, he falls in love with her.At sixteen, she dies.Or so he’s told. But Cal never believes it. Sylvie has become part of his soul. He knows her like the steady beating of his own heart. He’d know if she was dead. Cal looks for her, prays for her and finally he just waits for her.Nine years later, she walks into the community college English class Cal is teaching. Only this girl claims her name is Sophie Becker and she doesn’t know him. Cal knows better. He’s determined to get the girl he loves back—and protect her from the danger that took her away all those years ago.

Mitigation


Sawyer Bennett - 2014
    He’s proven to me that there is something inside him other than icy control and masculine force.I’ve seen care… tenderness… even protectiveness.I’ve seen vulnerability.But Matt Connover’s issues run deep. I know Cal hurt him deeply, and he keeps himself protected because of that. I also sense there is something more to his pain that even I cannot comprehend.Matt is struggling between what he knows and what he wants.I’m struggling with boundaries and how to protect my own fragile heart.This time I’m drawing a line in the sand and Matt can either step over to join me, or these Legal Affairs are finished forever.

Just One Night


Lexi Ryan - 2012
    Addison Duval has a secret. A delicious, broad-shouldered, six-foot-three secret with hot eyes, rough hands and a rougher past. Charming, handsome, and off-limits, Chase Montgomery is the only man she’s wanted since her father lured him out of a back alley Louisville chop shop to take a job in their tiny town of Decadence Creek. After Chase finally takes her up on her old proposition that they spend a night together, will Addison let him risk everything so they can be together more than JUST ONE NIGHT? Caution: This 10,000-word short story contains explicit sex scenes and second chances.

Fifty First Times


Julie CrossCole Gibsen - 2014
    These are the memories that will never fade.Join nineteen fantastic authors as they pull back the curtain and give you a peek inside that one intense moment in their characters' lives when everything changes and nothing will ever be the same again.Featuring stories from some of the hottest names in New Adult, Young Adult, and Romance including New York Times Bestselling authors J.Lynn/Jennifer Armentrout, Molly McAdams, Sophie Jordan, and Carrie Ryan.NOTE: These stories are works of fiction. If you want to know about our first times, you'll have to buy us a pet monkey first.