Book picks similar to
Strength by Jo Raven


romance
cards-of-love
contemporary
arc

First Impressions


Dee Palmer - 2020
    A narcissistic millionaire with all the right resources. Will steamy tension lead to unlikely love?Harlow Hart didn’t think life could get any worse. After risking a return to dating and getting catfished in Asia, she winds up broke and on the first flight out. Surprised by the airline’s sexy CEO offer to help her, she refuses to fall for his charming tricks.Laiken Cash takes exactly what he desires. Irritated that his potential conquest is ungrateful for the assistance, he disciplines her by making her work off her debt as his PA. But when her fiery disdain swells, so does Cash’s desire to rip off her clothes.Harlow has never been with a man who can navigate a woman’s body quite like Cash, and his expertise is increasingly difficult to refuse. But a past tragedy closed off Cash’s heart and he struggles to open up to the woman driving him wild.Will Harlow and Cash stop butting heads long enough to give into their deepest temptations?First Impressions is a sultry standalone contemporary romance novel. If you like sizzling power dynamics, enemies-to-lovers' trysts, and smoking-hot men, then you’ll love Dee Palmer’s passionate tale.Buy First Impressions for a tantalizing read today!

Family Doctor's Baby


Krista Lakes - 2018
     When I left my small hometown years ago, I never expected to come back. I certainly never expected that when I did, I'd be working for him. He's the town's doctor. He's supposed to be a respectable member of society, a pillar for the community. He's supposed to have come a long way from the bad boy who rode a motorcycle in high school. But he hasn't. One glance from those lustful eyes looking at me tells me that he has the same voracious appetites that he did when we were younger. Only it's not quite the same stare. It's more urgent. It's more intense. I'm not the same nerdy girl who tutored him. I've grown up, developed fertile curves that I know he finds irresistible. In this small town, rumors travel fast, and the family doctor can't be seen as a player. So he does try to resist. And I do too. But with every smoldering glance and moment of sexual tension, we find our barriers breaking down. After a stressful night of touch-and-go baby delivery, a moment of elation overcomes our inhibitions. It seems like maybe we'll need to confront those rumors sooner rather than later, especially before I begin to show the results of that night. Can I give this doctor the family he has always desired?

Game On


Wendy Smith - 2019
    He won’t make the same mistake again. After ten years apart, Brad and Molly are brought back together by the death of Lane.Brad’s mourning the loss of his former wife, and mother of his child. Molly never got to say goodbye to her childhood best friend.In the ten years since they last saw each other, Brad’s built a successful construction business. Molly’s the darling of Silicon Valley.All he wants are answers from her. She can’t find the strength to walk away again.Will Brad and Molly get their second chance at romance?Content warning on copyright page (see look inside)

Paper Dreams


K.J. Lewis - 2019
    With every tick of the clock, my options wane. Winning a lunch meeting with the CEO was supposed to be the answer to all of my problems. After all, Nixon Ballard is known for taking a bit of money and turning it into a lot. But his easy dismissal of my financial struggle took what I hoped would be a quick solution and turned it into my only option. An option to provide for those who matter most. An option that lays everything on the line. This was meant to be a sacrifice, but quickly became the escape I really need.The old adage is true... time is money. Which makes it one of my most precious commodities. Starting my company ten years ago, I quickly understood that success is garnered from milking every moment of the one thousand four hundred and forty minutes each day has to offer. Every meeting, conference call, and agenda item is carefully orchestrated like an elaborate meal. Each course perfectly timed and curated, building to the grand dessert- my weekly scheduled evening with a hired beauty. Ninety minutes with no expectations, other than mutual pleasure. Ninety minutes where no one knows who I am. Today was meant to be the same. Until it wasn’t. Until Natalie.

Protecting Bobbi


Kat Mizera - 2018
    Between his classified position as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Force Recon unit and his role as a single father, he hasn’t thought about women or sex in the six months since he got custody. However, his niece’s new pre-school teacher breaks down all of his defenses, especially since they have a history.

 Single mom Bobbi Granger has struggled since the death of her husband, but when her high school crush walks in with his niece, things may be changing for the better. She’s not particularly thrilled about dating another Marine—especially one who goes deep undercover at a moment’s notice—but she can't deny the pull she feels for him.

 When Ron is called away for an unexpectedly long mission and trouble finds Bobbi, will he get back in time to help or will he lose his second chance with the woman he’s been thinking about since high school?

Meant to Be


Alison Bliss - 2019
    These laugh-out-loud romantic comedies feature curvaceous heroines finding love and convincing us that confident and sexy comes in all shapes and sizes. "Fans of Jennifer Weiner will enjoy Bliss."--BooklistSidney Larson always thought dark-haired, blue-eyed Brett Carmichael was sinfully sexy, to say nothing of the muscular mechanic's talent with his hands. But Sidney so didn't have time for Brett's overbearing tendencies when they were together so she broke things off. Now a chance encounter brings Brett back into her life, and Sidney can't help but notice intriguing changes in her ex. So what's stopping her from revisiting their scorching-hot chemistry?Since Sidney dumped him, Brett's made major life adjustments, thanks to therapy and a long, hard look at himself. Sure, he's still intense but he knows how to focus his energy on his career, not on trying to control a fantastic woman like Sidney. Brett finds the sweet, generous brunette more seductive than ever, but now that he's finally worthy of her, will she be willing to give him a second chance?24,000 words

Sugar


Jenika Snow - 2018
     She had a smart mouth on her that had Colton’s blood racing. He put all of himself into his work. He didn’t have time for a relationship or for these feelings Sugar brought out in him. But Sugar wasn’t like anyone else. He shouldn’t want her but he did. He didn’t deserve her, but he knew he couldn’t stay away. It started with his dog knocking Sugar on her ass. It ended with her wanting so much more with Colton. He was arrogant and sometimes cold. But underneath that ice and rock, he was gentle, sweet even. She wanted to chisel away at the wall he’d built around himself. She wanted to bury herself in his heart. They both wanted the same thing but denied it through and through. It wasn't until they were forced together that they had to face the reality. They were meant to be together.

Cards of Love: The Hermit


Cora Brent - 2019
    Once he was the golden boy of American boxing. Now he’s a desert recluse with a bad attitude.Everyone knows the unthinkable tragedy he suffered. And why he retreated to an isolated place where the world couldn’t touch him. He’s not searching for love. He’s not searching for anyone. I understand.After a decade of grief I’m still struggling with my own loss and regret. I’m not searching for love either. I know the potential for pain is too high. But I know something else too. There are some cravings that don’t disappear, some desires that can be satisfied without the inevitable agony that love can yield. And while I’m here I want to feel every single one of them with him. The Hermit is a complete stand alone based on the Tarot.

Have Your Way with Me


Weston Parker - 2020
    Something about living his dreams. Guess I wasn’t included in that dream. But I moved on from my brother’s best friend and started a life of my own. Now it’s time to reconnect with family, and the last person I expect to see his him. Grown up. Strong. Ripped with muscles. Hot as hell. It’s not just about butterflies and childhood wishes. I’m drowning in grownup fantasies and passion I didn’t know existed. I should give him the finger and turn my back, but I can’t. Five words rush around my mind every time I see him now: have your way with me. It’s time for a second chance. A last chance. My only chance.

Fifty-Fifty


Kelsie Rae - 2019
    Now. It's not my fault that the bed and breakfast my grandpa left me is a big fat failure. My only hope is to sell the place and cash in on what little it has to offer. The only problem? I have to convince her, my Grandpa Jay's pseudo-grandchild, that it's a good idea too. And she's even more stubborn than I am. Beau Nope. There ain't no way I'm gonna uproot my two-year-old daughter by sellin' the only home she's ever known for an entitled city boy unwillin' to give his granddaddy's bed and breakfast a chance of thrivin'. Jay, why did you have to partner me up with him? He's even more stubborn than I am!

Defending What's Mine


Aubrey Wright - 2019
    No company is good company.But the way she makes my daughter smile...The way her a$s cheeks fit perfectly into those tight jeans...This has "bad idea" written all over it.Loving my family is dangerous.Knowing my secrets could mean life or death.But the time for hiding is over.I'm the predator on this mountain.Nobody messes with my family.It's time to defend what's mine. This is a romantic suspense with a super sexy alpha, steamy action and an amazing happily ever after.

The Assignment (Massey Security Duet Book 1)


S. Nelson - 2019
    It’s why I allowed my brother to talk me into accepting a new client.Our security firm needed the money, and the endorsement from a famous director could steer our company to new heights.Then his daughter walked in, the woman I’d be assigned to, and I knew I’d made a huge mistake. She was a spoiled socialite who only cared about herself. She pushed every button I had, frayed every last nerve. I said things I wasn’t proud of. I pushed the boundaries of propriety. But how else was I supposed to protect her from the threats against her family when she insisted on being reckless? *The Assignment ends on a cliffhanger, but The Score, book 2 in the Massey Security duet, will be out on July 8th so you won't have to wait long to find out what happens*

Throne Away


Leddy Harper - 2020
    That wasn’t the case with Ryan.Loving him was easy, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hold onto him. Because I wear a crown. And he's a single father raising a child...five thousand miles away.

Mr. All Wrong


R.C. Stephens - 2017
    I actually hadn’t met her, just saw her. It was more like she hated everything I stood for and showed me her opinion with an airborne cream pie. Yes, she smacked me front and center on my face. The second time I saw Evie, I didn’t realize she was the cream-pie-throwing bandit, and she took my breath away in a flowing red gown at a gala. Of course I couldn’t resist her looks, so I asked her to dance. She called me a schmuck and stalked off. My own Cinderella ran away from me. I shouldn’t have chased her down. We were all wrong for each other. But her fire red hair and feisty personality reeled me in, and I was hooked. Chicago’s most renowned playboy was finally falling head over loafers. At least it felt that way because she was like no other woman I’d met before... Evie was special...Problem was I had trust issues when it came to women. Freud would’ve probably said it was my mother’s doing. Somehow Evie made me believe in her... trust her...Big damn mistake!One I hope I won’t live to regret...But then again how could someone so wrong for me turn out to be so damn perfect?

Raine's Haven


Shari J. Ryan - 2017
    From inside of my house, he was perfect. Then I found out everything looked different from afar. Raine, a blunt and hot tempered man was living a life he wasn't proud of, and I found myself oddly attracted to the sickening reality he opened my eyes to.RaineShe thought I'd fall for her seductive ploy and scarlet-glossed lips. She was right. Every person in this small town had something negative to say about Haven Leigh's life—the girl who had been handed everything on a silver platter. I ignored the rumors, and instead, searched for her truths.While struggling with disabling side-effects left behind by my coke-addict mother, Haven became the hope I needed. She was the good I wanted to be.But, as it turns out, she was the trouble I should have stayed away from.