Book picks similar to
Hula Girl by Lara Ward Cosio


romance
ku
contemporary
contemporary-romance

Dating Games


T.K. Leigh - 2019
    No kissing. No fooling around. No falling in love. What can possibly go wrong? Note to self: When your boyfriend dumps you on your thirtieth birthday, it's probably not the smartest idea to drink so much that you wake up in the same bed as the mysterious hottie wearing the gorgeous suit who you noticed sitting across the bar.The only silver lining in my obvious lack of judgment is the promise of never seeing Mr. Suit again, not in a city the size of New York.Or so I thought, until a story I'm working on about the country's most sought-after and elusive escort lands me in the same café as Mr. Suit. So I do what any self-respecting woman of my age would do in my shoes... Try to ignore him. But he won't let me. Instead he makes a proposition that leaves me questioning whether I need to have my ears checked. Be his fake girlfriend for a summer of wealth and excess in the Hamptons. In return, he'll help me win back my boyfriend's heart.Juvenile? You bet.Effective? Could be.Bad idea? Most likely.But what do I have to lose?Apparently, a lot more than I originally bargained for. Let the games begin... Dating Games is a standalone modern retelling of Cinderella meeting her billionaire Prince Charming. If you like a sassy heroine, a sinful hero, and a whole lot of laughs, then you'll love this fake relationship romance.

Love Me Last


Weston Parker - 2019
    Girl boss—Yay!! No time for dates, friends, or the occasional jog at the gym (by jog, I mean mall walking). My company is in need of help, and the best guy for the job is a single father that is far too handsome for anyone’s good. Between him laying down the law in the office and my mom nipping at my life choices, I am going insane! It’s time to put myself first—for once. No more loving me last. It’s my turn. His turn. For a red-hot love affair. Every good girl deserves a bad boy. ~ Weston

Enemies With Benefits


Roxie Noir - 2019
    I don’t even like him.I just want him.Eli Loveless was my nemesis from the first day of kindergarten until we graduated high school. Everything I did, he had to do better - and vice versa. The day he left town was the best day of my life.Ten years later, the day he came back was the worst.Now he’s my co-worker.Grown-up Eli Loveless is sexy as sin. He’s hotter than asphalt in the summer. The irritating kid I once knew is gone, and he’s been replaced by a man with green eyes, perfect abs, and a cocky smile.It’s bad that I want him.It’s worse that he wants me back.There are looks. There are smirks. There are smiles that make my panties burst into flame.And then there’s a shared kiss that leads to the hottest night of my life.This is no office romance. This is a five-alarm fire. What’s a girl to do when the man I can’t stand is the one I can’t stop lusting after?Enter into a friends-with-benefits agreement, of course. No dates. No relationship. Just blisteringly hot sex, because if there’s one person I could never fall for, it’s Eli....right?

Wasted Words


Staci Hart - 2016
    Spaghetti and meatballs are best friends forever. And guys like Tyler Knight don’t go for girls like Cam Emerson.She knew from the second she met him that he didn’t belong on her bookshelf, the six-foot-six ex-tight end with a face so all-American, it could have sold apple pie. So she shelved him next to the supermodels and rock stars and took her place on her own shelf — the one with the flannel-clad, pasty-faced comic book nerds. Most of her boyfriends have existed between the pages of books, but rather than worrying over her own lacking love life, she puts all her energy into playing Cupid, using her job at the book bar, Wasted Words, as her stomping ground.Tyler Knight always looks on the bright side. His career-ending injury turned into a job as a sports agent. A horrible breakup led him to Cam, his quirky, smart roommate who is far more beautiful than she realizes. She’s made it perfectly clear she’s not interested in him — not like that at least — but if she ever changes her mind, he won’t hesitate. Because he doesn’t see the lines she’s drawn between them, as much as she insists that they’re there. Deep down he knows that despite their differences, they’re a match well made.*A romantic comedy inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma.*

Beautiful Ruin


Amy Olle - 2015
    Soon, she's face-to-face with a man from her past. The one man she never stopped longing for.Renowned archaeologist, Noah Nolan, swore he’d never return to the small, remote island in Lake Michigan. After agreeing to complete a short-term excavation project, he realizes the site belongs to the woman who inexplicably rejected him years before. A woman he’s never forgotten – or forgiven.When Noah’s affinity for uncovering all things lost, forgotten, and buried stirs Mina’s repressed memories of a terrifying secret, she must find the courage to unearth the past, or risk losing the treasure of her heart forever.

By Invitation Only


Kimberly Knight - 2017
     A sacred place free from judgement or inhibitions. The only rule: Ask before you touch. Sensation is an exclusive black-tie party attended by at least one hundred and fifty of the clubs most privileged members, and held once a month at an undisclosed mansion in Beverly Hills. You may watch. You may interact. You can come together or you can choose to come alone. The choice is yours. Would you like it rough? Would you like to be caressed and worshipped? Or would you simply like to observe? What do you desire?

Man of the Moment


Thea Dawson - 2018
    is here to serve.Tired of being the "cute one" in a family of glamorous people, Annabelle Winter decides to hire a gorgeous man from the Gentlemen, Inc. Agency to be her date at a big family event. Just once, she wants to be the envy of every woman in the room.And with Archer Carleson at her side, she is.Archer, a struggling actor in Los Angeles, doesn't mind making a wallflower like Annabelle look good for an evening—he's getting paid, after all, and it's a chance to further hone his acting skills. But when he realizes that Annabelle's family could hold the key to his career, he decides to take their professional relationship to a personal level.His attempts to boost his career by charming Annabelle backfire, however, when he begins to fall for her. Archer will have to decide which means more to him: Annabelle—or a shot at stardom.

Taken by Her Prince


B.B. Hamel - 2020
    So I took her home and nursed her back to health.With a fat padlock on the bedroom door.My crew’s moving in on the Irish mafia, and my sweet little princess is the Boss’s niece. I can’t let her go, not now that I have her.So once I fix her body, I’ll make sure she never wants to leave.Except she’s got a rebellious streak and a temper the size of Texas. She thinks she can fight back, but it only makes me want her more.In the end, she’ll come to me. And when she does, I’ll make her deepest, darkest, filthiest dreams come true.

Full Hearts Series Boxed Set


M.J. Summers - 2015
    Devastated and alone Claire must make a fresh start. She answers an ad for a chef at a guest ranch just outside Colorado Springs and finds herself face to face with Cole Mitchell, quite possibly the hottest man to ever ride a horse. Common sense tells them to stay away from each other, but their attraction is not to be denied. He gives her a glimpse of what love should be, but just as she starts to trust him, the past comes back to tear them apart.Join Claire and Cole as they embark on the stormy love affair of a lifetime. DON'T LET GO (FULL HEARTS NOVELLA 1.5) Readers fell in love with Ben and Alicia’s picture-perfect marriage in BREAK IN TWO, but, for these two, the road to a happy ending hasn’t always been smooth. Don't Let Go is a sweet, sexy short read and is best enjoyed after BREAK IN TWO and before BREAKING LOVE. BREAKING LOVE (FULL HEARTS BOOK 2) Luc Chevalier is a satisfied man – or so he thinks. His businesses are thriving, he has all the excitement, money and beautiful women any man could want. He dines at the best restaurants and stays at the most luxurious hotels as he makes his way around the globe. So why does he suddenly find himself so restless?Megan Sullivan is a single mom with a rather ordinary life. She is comfortable with things just the way they are. She has a six-year-old son, Elliott, a cozy house in Boulder, Colorado, and a photography business to put food on the table. Her ex lives hours away in Florida, providing enough space for him to feed his drug addiction without exposing Elliott to his father's illness. Megan is on her own, and she intends to keep it that way.Megan is convinced by her best friend to take a trip to Paris for a few days. Little does she know she is about to be thrust into the arms of Luc Chevalier, the sexiest man to ever set foot on the Eiffel Tower. They agree to one night together and no more. In those few short hours, he manages to draw out the passionate woman that Megan has carefully hidden away for years. Once she has a taste of what she's been missing, she finds it almost impossible to go back to her life as it was.Will two people who don't believe in happily-ever-aftermanage to put aside their doubts and find their forever? Join Luc as he discovers that everything he never wanted isthe only thing he will ever need. BREAKING CLEAR (FULL HEARTS BOOK 3) Meet Evan Donovan, the hottest home builder on the planet. When he’s not on a construction site, he spends his time hanging from cliffs. Little does Evan know that Harper Young, his best friend’s little sister, is going to drop out of the sky and into his big, muscley arms.

I Temporarily Do


Ellie Cahill - 2017
    A little white wedding. A pair of roommates in over their heads. Days before she's set to move across the country and start a prestigious graduate program, a con artist leaves Emmy with no where to live and less than zero dollars in her bank account. But her day doesn't seem quite so bad compared to Beckett's--his fiancée called off their wedding just days before they tie the knot. Now he's single and ineligible for his place in married student housing. So what are a girl without a home and a guy without a wife supposed to do? A quickie wedding in Vegas will solve both their problems. It's a business arrangement, and no one even needs to know. They'll just get an annulment in a few months. What could go wrong? Only Beckett forgot to mention his new apartment is a one-bedroom. And neither of them counted on their new friends at Middlesex University thinking they're a great couple. The platonic newlywed game might be harder to play than Emmy thought. Especially when it starts to feel less than platonic. I Temporarily Do is a Stand-Alone Romantic Comedy.

Deceived


Danielle Pays - 2019
    Their current demand? A prominent local winery-and the land it sits on. No doubt it would only take one visit for him to charm the owners into selling.But his plan hits a snag the second he lays eyes on the alluring woman, dead-set on maintaining her family legacy. For the first time, he can see a forever with a woman. A forever that’s threatened when she discovers who he really is.Then the unthinkable happens: Declan is arrested for a catastrophic attack, threatening both their livelihoods and futures. And even though he maintains he’s innocent, Brooke’s trust is stretched so thin she doesn’t know what to believe.Or who’s really to blame. Who do you trust when everyone lies?This is a steamy, stand-alone, HEA romantic suspense.

Edge of Disaster


A.M. Hargrove - 2012
    A life of partying, alcohol, drugs and men has brought her near the edge of disaster. That is until one night while at work as a waitress in an upscale restaurant, she falls under the spell of one of her customers, Pearce Middleton. Once she gazes into his smoky gray eyes, her life takes on new meaning. But can she put her past behind her and allow herself to fall for the exciting and gorgeous Pearce, or will her lewd behavior come back to haunt her and ruin her chances of happiness forever?

Love at Coco Bay


Kirsty McManus - 2021
    With a recent promotion from receptionist to co-assistant manager—not to mention the ongoing opportunity to live and work with her best friends—everything is perfect.Well, except for one tiny thing. Sasha has never had much luck in the boyfriend department, and the only guy she’s ever been interested in is event planner Dash, a Channing Tatum lookalike who is oblivious to her affections.But when a resort guest insists that Sasha work with Dash on an upcoming wedding, they are suddenly thrust into a three-month-long high-pressure environment. Sasha can no longer hide from Dash, and Dash has no option but to get to know Sasha.As expected, things get off to a rocky start, and when a mystery investor arrives at the island, the situation only gets worse. Sudden changes in the corporate hierarchy and bizarre managerial decisions mean that not only the wedding, but the entire resort’s future is in jeopardy.Can Sasha survive the chaos, make the wedding a success, and end up with her dream guy?She’s going to try.

Bouquet Toss


Melissa Brown - 2012
    Be it a blessing or a curse, Daphne (a hopeless romantic and perpetual single girl) catches the bouquet at every single wedding she attends. Daphne’s love life is a mess. Her first love, Mayson, haunts her heart and keeps her from pursuing happiness with any man who comes along. As she struggles to move on from the one who got away, Daphne wonders if she will ever break her curse and find her happily ever after.

Extra Credit


Poppy Dunne - 2017
    Not to mention the kind of stockbroker who Bluetooths his deals on the trail my dog and I like. Who does that?Turns out, the father of my new favorite student. And since drooling is discouraged at parent/teacher conferences, I try not to look him in his steel-gray eyes. Which is how I noticed how hard his chest is under that button-down. And the conspicuous absence of a ring on his finger.Basically, I have a crush on the one single dad who’s totally off-limits.I really should have said no to that date. A delicious pancake breakfast isn’t worth my job if anyone finds out. An even more delicious romp in the hay is a little more worth it. So maybe just one more to double-check. Famous last words.Because the only thing worse than banging a student’s dad is falling in love with him.