Book picks similar to
Sweet Jazz by Ursula Renee


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Go with Your Heart


Savannah J. Frierson - 2010
    

A Heart Not Easily Broken


M.J. Kane - 2012
    What she doesn't expect is a blond haired, blue-eyed bass player—who won’t take “no” for an answer—to accept the challenge. When Ebony’s attempt at a brief fling turns into more, despite negative reactions from friends and family, she finds juggling love, family, and career are nothing compared to the ultimate betrayal she endures. Now her dreams spiral into lies and secrets that threaten her future and her best friend’s trust.

The Cost of Hope


G.S. Carr - 2013
    Or even a happy one for that matter. The only thing she wants is safety for her daughter. But when even that seems impossible she takes matters into her own hands. Only life has a different plan, sending her into the arms of a handsome plantation owner. The strangest part is, he claims to already love her.Alexander Cummings had long ago accepted that love was lost to him. After picking up the pieces of his broken heart, he threw himself into the duties of owning one of the largest plantations in Elba, Alabama. But life shows him mercy when the woman he thought he lost appears back in his life as if conjured from his deepest desires. Only she returns far from the same and with secrets he never imagined.As society threatens, and lives could be lost, only together can they both get what they want. But neither will come out unscathed and they must ask themselves, is the cost of love to high?

Cold: Daughter of Gaea


E.L. King - 2017
    Twenty-one-year-old Olive Trenton doesn't have much happening in her life aside from a temperamental friend who spends her free time antagonizing werewolf's, and another friend who when distracted may cause the second world flood. Given the job of managing these two trouble makers, she spends her time preventing near disasters and completing her homework. Despite the pressures of making sure her races identity remains a secrete on a campus filled with paranormal beings, she's managing just find, until a cold eyed Lycan by the name of Lucian Siriano enters her life claiming she is his mate. She may be more special then she knows... The minute Lucian Siriano lays his eyes on Olive, he knows she's the one for him. She is the key to giving him the power to compete against others for the title of Alpha in his pack. The only problem is, she insists she isn't the one and that they could never be. Lucian will not allow her to run from him, and has no choice but to show her that there is no other that could bring the same cold hit. In the eyes of the domineering and terrifying a Lucian Siriano, Olive will find her life thrown on its head, as she is dragged into a world she wasn't groomed for and forced to experience the coldest passion at the hands of the Lycan Heir. Will she break or will she fight the cold?

The Renegade


Lily Baldwin - 2020
    Determined to protect her independence, she will do anything to avoid marriage to her insistent neighbor—and every other man for that matter. She will even venture beyond the comforts of home to traverse the disreputable shipyards of Inverness in search of a man reckless enough to set her plan in motion, a plan she hopes will ensure that she never need utter the words “to honor and obey.”To all the world, Nathan Campbell is fearless, strong, irresistibly sexy and when not tracking down thieves for a price, he can generally be found in a tavern, too far into his cups and draped by women vying to welcome him into their beds. But if they were to look beyond his devilishly charming smile to his eyes, they would see that he was hollow inside, and no amount of coin, drink, or women could fill the void in his heart.Both Elora and Nathan will see the other as a means to achieve their worldly goals—but what if within their wounded hearts beats more? What if dreams lie in wait? Dreams that can only be realized when unleashed by a passion too powerful to contain and impossible to deny.

Again for the First Time


Raven St. Pierre - 2015
    Then again, Lissette never dreamed she’d actually say “yes”. But she did… The odds are against them from the start of their less than conventional marriage, but the couple quickly realizes that their newfound love is absolutely worth the risk.

Jezebel


Koko Brown - 2013
    The beautiful dancer holds them at bay with late night benders, plenty of hooch and the company of the opposite sex.Determined to never let anyone change her bad girl ways, and risk discovery of her Achilles heel, Celeste is turned inside out when Shane Brennan walks into her life. The handsome prizefighter slowly chips away at the hard-hearted Hannah’s defenses and becomes the only man capable of taming her wild heart.Warning: Although this is a sweet romance, the chemistry between a notorious dancer and a handsome prize fighter will make your toes curl. Expect plenty of drama and secrets before this couple can find their happily ever after.

Her Broken Billionaire Boss


Kayla Watkins - 2018
     The hitch? Donovan and Elliot are still getting over a painful loss. Mrs. Redding has disappeared, leaving her child and husband both emotional wrecks. Elliot has been acting out, and Donovan? Well, he has buried himself in work to avoid any feelings at all. Though he is determined to keep his distance, the sizzling chemistry between Donovan and Aisha is unavoidable, and he soon falls for her. As their love blossoms, can Aisha tame the rampant pain in Donovan's broken heart? And what happens when his still-married legal status gets in their way? **** This is a standalone Novel with a touch of steam and HEA. ****

The Lord and the Scorpion


Shiree McCarver - 2006
    Sauda Mauri is a trained assassin. She has been a slave and an assassin for many years and now she has a chance at a new life as a free woman if she can complete her final mission. Running from her Japanese master she is traveling under the guise as Lady Francis’s nursemaid so she can get her assignments from the head of the Queen’s Secret Service. She does not need any complications and Lord Ethan Clare is more than determined to be just that. When she is hurt protecting the Queen, she awakens to find Ethan at her bedside. He has been asked to help her uncover who the culprits are behind the attempt on the Queen’s life. Their union changes the destiny of many and attracts the attention of a madman who is determined to get the Blackamoor woman out of their lives forever.

DIABLO: A Kehmet Novel


L.B. Keen - 2018
    Stricken with the effects of a virus that was unleashed on their people they escaped to our world and have lived among us, some even taking the name of our gods... "I have to win, no matter what." Alexis Wilson has been number one at everything in life. Well, everything except for her marriage, after a messy divorce and terrifying run in the dark. Alexis has managed to make a life for herself, and her six-year-old son. Only to have her past come knocking, sending her running once again in order to escape the nightmares of her past. Unfortunately, her race towards the unknown leads her straight into the path of a far more dangerous fate. "I will avenge my love, I will burn this world for eternity." Diablo has lived his life within the haze of madness. Burning away enemies over centuries, until a contingent of Ancients ended his bloodbath. Returning to life, he escapes his tomb-like prison to gain revenge on those who harmed not only him but his fellow Kehmets. After pulling the last drop of manna from an old enemy, he staggers into the pathway of a running vehicle. Only to find that the assailant is a rare Amouri, a woman with not only kindness but bravery carved into her soul. Two hearts lost in a sea of darkness will face the hidden enemy kidnapping Kehmets once more. Not only their hearts but their very humanity will be tested. Welcome back to the World of virile gods, and brave chocolate maidens.

Devilish Games (Devilish #3)


Kasey Martin - 2018
    She exudes confidence and is the most vibrant woman you would ever meet. Except it’s all a farce. Elyse is hiding in plain sight. She has secrets. Deep, dark, dangerous secrets. And there is only one person in the world that can see through her façade, and he is busy playing games with her heart. Harper Price is a traveling, fun-loving playboy. He’s mischievous and sometimes arrogant. Except it’s all a cover. Harper knows how to blend in. He lets people see what they need to see. He has secrets. Deep, dark, dangerous secrets. And the one person that needs to know his secrets, he has been playing games with to keep her safe. When their secrets collide, and their past comes back to haunt them, there will be nowhere to hide. Love will be made, lives will be lost, and games will be played. Be advised this BWWM book is full of suspense, betrayal, steamy sex, love, and very strong language.

Chained


Elise Marion - 2014
    Determined to free himself and his men, and clear his besmirched name, Caden does not count on the willful nature of his captor, Lady Gwendolyn Toustain, the daughter of the man who was once his father’s mortal enemy. After several attempts at escape, the lady orders him bound and chained to a wall in her chambers—where he will remain under her personal guard at all times and kept from conspiring with his men. While the lady's high-handedness infuriates him, Caden cannot deny that everything else about her drives him to distraction. Forced into close proximity with her, Caden soon finds it hard to remember his mission of escape. When Lady Gwendolyn of House Toustain first lays eyes on her prisoner, one thing about him is abundantly clear: Sir Caden of Daleraia is a dangerous man. Yet, she must show him no fear. The captured band of knights from Daleraia are her only clue in the mystery surrounding the disappearance of House Toustain’s sons, and it falls to Lady Gwen to seek justice. Is this kidnapping merely the ploy of mercenaries out for a ransom? Or has Sir Caden acted on the order of the High Lord of Daleraia and broken the peace? As she searches for the answers, she never expects the surge of passion that ignites between herself and her prisoner. The longer he remains in her clutches, the more Gwen realizes that though she has him chained, she is the one who has been captured. Book 1 in the Chained Trilogy

Bianca's Vineyard


Teresa Neumann - 2010
    It's an inheritance; a storehouse harboring the secrets of her Uncle Egisto, a world-class sculptor, and his troubled wife -- a woman whose destiny converges with Mussolini's when WWII overtakes them all. Based on a true story, Bianca's Vineyard follows a devoted family of strong-willed men and lion-hearted women waging an epic battle against a gathering storm intent on destroying their lives.

Winning the Duke's Heart


Emma Atwell - 2016
     Bookish, hopelessly romantic young bride Emily, youngest daughter of a British Earl, fell for her intended, the Duke of Wellington, months before ever meeting him in the flesh. Hopeless victim of a crush that bloomed at the mere sight of his portrait, she dreams of wedded bliss with the mysterious Duke. Her hopes are crushed when the proud, accomplished Duke barely speaks to her at her wedding, and avoids her for days afterward. Desperate to win his approval, she conspires with her maidservant Annie to try to determine the source of his unease with her. But as she tries to penetrate his secrets for the sake of her marriage, a hilarious misunderstanding develops. A mysterious book by one of France’s most infamous authors has fallen into the unwitting Emily’s hands, and she doesn’t read French. But her new husband does, and draws all the wrong conclusions when he catches her with it. The young couple is about to get an object lesson in the importance of communication--courtesy of the Marquis de Sade! AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a stand-alone story with an HEA, so no cliff-hangers! Story contains mature themes and language, and is intended for 18+ readers only.

Kissed by the Knight


Cecelia Mecca - 2021
    She has missed her friend dearly and is ready to celebrate his safe return.Until she learns of Tristan’s impending betrothal to another.Suddenly, the magical season loses its appeal. The only man she’s ever loved, admittedly one she could never claim as anything but a friend, might soon be lost to her forever.Thirty years after the Border Series ends, a new saga of family, loyalty, and love along the turbulent Anglo-Scottish border begins.Authors Note: If you like short prequel stories, multi-generational families, friends-to-lovers romance and holiday magic with a bit of extra spice, put Kissed by the Knight on the top of your reading list.