Book picks similar to
Diamond in the Rough by C.J. Black


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The Essence of Shade


Deborah Jean Miller - 2019
    Despite his overbearing nature, Shade delights in her new role as wife and mother. When her husband suddenly dies years later, she uncovers secrets from his past—secrets so profound they derail the lives of both her and her daughter. After tragedy strikes, thirty-six-year-old Shade gains custody of her young grandson, Tyler, and moves to a small Michigan beach town where she becomes the owner of a successful bakery and café. Shade meets and falls in love with Tyler’s baseball coach, but their love for one another is doomed. Shade’s internal struggle to honor her vow to God, while denying her own desires, throws her on a path of painful redemption.

Christmas In The Trap: Miami Style


Zarkia - 2018
    For Mariah, Miami became her new home and fresh start after she was forced to flee her home state and leave behind her children and mother. Just when things start looking up, Mariah loses her job and quickly finds herself faced with a situation beyond her wildest dreams. She’s forced to make a quick decision that will leave her battling not only her mind, but her heart as well. Take a wild ride down I-95 South and enjoy the beautiful winter weather down in the M-I-A in this steamy, hot African American Urban Fiction Novella.

The Smuggler's Chase: A Chase Fulton Novel (Chase Fulton Novels Book 16)


Cap Daniels - 2022
    

To Serve and Protect


Rain Harlow - 2018
     Ben is everything I could want in a man. But I locked up my heart and threw away the key a long time ago. Now, he’s assigned to guard me during my prosecution of a violent criminal. Will his disarming charm and intense blue eyes finally force me to go after what I never thought I could want again? Ben She held me at arm’s length, but something in her eyes drew me closer. Was it possible that she understood my pain? When the man she was prosecuting threatened her, My instincts went into overdrive. No one messes with what’s mine. And that’s what Liz is. Mine.

The Merciful Angel of Death


Lawrence Block - 2012
    The first novel, The Sins of the Fathers, appeared in 1975, and A Drop of the Hard Stuff - the 17th and most recent - was published in 2011. Over the years Scudder has also been featured in 11 short works of fiction. The Merciful Angel of Death is the fifth of these; it frst appeared in 1993 in The New Mystery, Jerome Charyn's anthology of stories by members of the International Association of Crime Writers.The story was written during the depth of the AIDS epidemic, and reflects its time.The Merciful Angel of Death is included in The Night and the Music, my collection of all 11 Matthew Scudder short stories, available for Kindle or in handsome trade paperback form.

Hotel Pens


Geoffrey Knight - 2012
    Instead he’s hopped from hotel to hotel, collecting pens like a child in a fairytale might leave a trail of breadcrumbs hoping to find his way back. But now he has an assignment, an article titled “5 Ways to Rediscover New York.” Being back on his home turf is daunting—until he meets Claude Desjardins, a gay romance translator staying in his hotel who, after a night of near passion, leads Joe on a treasure hunt through Manhattan, writing clues on Joe’s skin using hotel pens. But it isn’t just New York Joe needs to rediscover.

See Right Through


Sara Winters - 2012
    His every desire is within arm's reach, except the one person Devin has always wished would be his in the end. All it takes is one conversation to open his eyes to a new possibility, one moment to change what Devin believes about friendship and love and one person to change the rules of the game.Sam Marshall has been fighting his feelings for his friend and roommate for two years. When an opportunity presents itself, he makes his move, only to be faced with the very real fear that what he sees in Devin, the potential waiting to be realized, may be more than their friendship can handle.

Something Sweet


Megan Derr - 2011
    The kind of day he loves, even if the looming New Year's Eve leaves him feeling nostalgic and a little lonely. But then the last person he ever expected to see walks through the door of his shop, and Sherlock realizes that some things don't fade with time, but grow stronger.

A Mommy for Christmas


Danielle Lee Zwissler - 2013
    Jackson Gilroy is a widower with a smart mouthed little girl that seems to get away with everything as of late. Until they meet one night over a shared glance from their prospective windows, Jackson didn’t think he’d ever feel anything again. But with Christmas, anything's possible!

Kissing the Protector : An Accidental Romance


Jillian Riley - 2019
     Carlos: I certainly didn’t want to waste my time babysitting a wannabe actress. Especially, when in order to do my job well I would need to run everything by her stuck-up, pain in the ass cousin. But there was something about her cousin that struck a nerve with me. She seemed so smart and extremely sexy. What was the price I was going to pay for taking on the role of Falls Ranch Protector… Sam I hated working for my cousin. I loved her sure, but I had an education, more than one degree, and at almost thirty I should be using them for something more. But when family needs you, your wants and dreams take the back burner. I didn’t mean to want my sexy protector, but every time he came near me something inside me flared. He was too much. Too handsome, too intelligent, too strong, and too stubborn. I would go to Falls Ranch. I would play the part Chandra needed me to play, but when this job was over, that’s when I would leave it all behind. Start my real career, and my real life. The only problem? Would I be able to walk away with my heart intact?

Unrequited


Abigail Roux - 2009
    He's stuck in a rut, uninspired by his job, and in love with a man who has no clue. Thinking a change of scenery and company will do his aching heart some good, he goes off on a road trip with his best friend, only to find that the answers to his problems may have been right there in front of him all along.

The Last Whelan: Whelan Brothers


Elisa Leigh - 2021
    Now she’s on the run with no one to rely on, or so she thinks. Her boss helps her escape to Ireland where she hopes she won’t be found. No longer at risk of being harmed, she’s welcomed into the Whelan family with open arms. Now she’s at risk of losing her heart to the gorgeous man staring holes into her, claiming she’s his.Sullivan Whelan is out of town on an assignment when it gets cut short and he’s sent home early. The second he walks into his apartment he knows something has changed. Walking into his bedroom he comes face to face with the gorgeous culprit. She’s beautifully broken and all his.Will Sullivan be able to convince Elise she’s everything to him and more before the past comes back to haunt them?

The Man on the Stairs


Miranda July
    

Burn Me


Erin Havoc - 2021
    All buffed-up? Check.All my wet fantasies clashing into one? Double-check.Dominic’s presence is intoxicating.I can’t stop thinking about what’s underneath his firefighter uniform.What a pity it’s literally forbidden for me to find out.Burning for Her Curves is a new contemporary romance series by Erin Havoc. There are loads of steam, so if you’re afraid of getting scorched, keep your distance!

Ignite (Set on Fire #1)


Rebecca James - 2021
    And although he knows it's going to be difficult to go back to the real world, he can't help but get a little lost in the act. Funny thing is, before this trip Luca would have sworn he knew everything about his best friend. But before they leave Miami, Michael reveals something that Luca never expected.Tropes: Fake boyfriend, friends-to-lovers, bi-discovery, virgin, tall/short.