Book picks similar to
Barely Breathing by Brenda Rothert


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contemporary-romance
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The Strongest Steel


Scarlett Cole - 2015
    She's determined to forget her old life and is looking for an artist who can tattoo over the scars on her back.Trent Andrews, local legend and owner of the Second Circle tattoo studio, has his own reasons for specializing in inking over scars. And in spite of her mysterious past and the difficult road ahead, he quickly realizes that Harper is funny, smart, and--under her ridiculously oversized clothing and SPF 100 sunscreen--totally hot. He's happy to take on the challenge of designing a meaningful and deadly full-back tattoo for her.But when cryptic messages start appearing on Harper's phone, strange deliveries arrive at her door, and Second Circle is vandalized, Harper is convinced that her ex-boyfriend has tracked her down, and worse, that he knows about Trent. Running was the only thing that saved her last time, but now that she's started to put down roots in Miami, she'll have to decide if she can finally fight back instead.

A Needful Heart


J.M. Madden - 2012
    He’s not relationship material, but he doesn’t expect it to get that far. He just wants to talk to her, man to woman, and put himself out of his misery once and for all. Things never go as planned, though, and when fantasy crashes and burns into reality, Gina pays the price.Gina doesn’t blame Matt for her injury, but she is appreciative when he steps into her crazy life to help out. Proximity fires sudden attraction between them and Gina can’t believe she’s overlooked the sexy carpenter for this long. Tattooed and intimidating, he’s not the type she’s normally drawn to, but something about him tugs at her heartstrings.When an explosive situation develops and they have to save a little boy, Matt loses control of his tightly held anger. Though his heart aches, Matt walks away, both for Gina’s safety and his own sanity. It’s up to Gina to convince him love can heal any heartache.

Give Me a Reason


A.L. Jackson - 2021
    Jackson comes a single-dad, enemies-to-lovers stand-alone romance about a jaded club owner and his son’s teacher… Eden Murphy came into my club looking to make some extra cash.A girl like her didn't belong in a place like this. She'd get ripped to shreds.Most likely by me.There's nothing but sweetness dripping from her sexy little body, and I'm the monster who's salivating to get a taste. Trent Lawson is the last man I should want.Dark.Dangerous.So wickedly gorgeous he makes my knees weak. He's also an arrogant jerk who happens to be my new boss. When I discover his adorable son is also in my kindergarten class, I know I have to keep my distance. But neither of us can ignore the attraction that flames.One glance, and our hearts race. One touch, and we’re aching for what we can’t have. One night, and we’re falling fast.Dragging her into my sordid world is wrong.It doesn’t matter. Eden Murphy is mine.

Between Here and the Horizon


Callie Hart - 2016
    You think you want to know me. But trust me, Miss Lang. Pursuing me will be the worst mistake you ever make. I’m broken beyond repair......and I take great pleasure in breaking everyone else around me.”Ophelia Lang needs money, and she needs it bad. Her parent’s restaurant is going under, and ever since she lost her job teaching third grade elementary, scraping enough cash together to pay the bills has proven almost impossible. Her parents are on the brink of losing their home. The vultures are circling overhead. So when Ophelia is offered an interview for a well-paid private tutoring gig in New York, how can she possibly say no? Ronan Fletcher is far from the overweight, balding businessman Ophelia expected him to be. He’s young, handsome, and wealthy beyond all reason. He’s also perhaps the coldest, rudest person she’s ever met, and has a mean streak in him a mile and a half wide. A hundred grand is a lot of money, however, and if tolerating his frosty temperament, his erratic mood swings and whatever else he throws at her means she’ll get paid, then that is what Ophelia will do. Her new boss is keeping secrets, though. Awful, terrible secrets. The ghosts of Ronan Fletcher’s past are about to turn Ophelia’s future upside down, and she can’t even see it coming. Note: Between Here and The Horizon is a brand new standalone contemporary romance novel from USA Today bestselling author, Callie Hart. Between Here and the Horizon does contain some scenes of violence and sexual content, and so is directed at audience 18+.

Real Deal


Piper Rayne - 2017
     Red Flags… Too loud. Too clingy. Too much make-up. I could go on and on. The other guys in the Single Dad’s Club would say I’m obsessed with finding them. But none of their kid’s mothers call a maximum-security prison home either, so their opinions mean shit. Caterina Santora has her own list of red flags… She’s too young. She’s my client’s daughter. She’s my five-year old’s camp counselor. Even after repeating this mantra to myself every morning on the way to Lily’s summer camp, guess what happens the moment I see Cat? Yeah, that mantra turns into ride me, doggie style and reverse cowgirl. Every. Damn. Time. The fact that she doesn’t remember me from six years before grates on me until I don’t have it in me to leave her alone any longer. I have to have her. But our lives are opposites in every way. In no way compatible. When we’re together all the complications fade away and I have to keep reminding myself, even if I can have her— I can’t keep her.

The Worst Best Man


Lucy Score - 2018
    You don't buy me, a$#%^*e. You earn me." The bride is a doll. The groom is the perfect gentleman. But the rest of the wedding party? They're the stuff of nightmares. Rich? Check. Vapid? Double Check. Entitled? Not enough checks in the world. And the Best Man? More like the Worst Man.But Maid of Honor Franchesca takes her duties seriously. Kidnapped groom? She's got this. Rude attendees? You just watch her handle them. So a Best Man with a big attitude and an even bigger...checkbook? Yeah, there's no way she's going to let that pretentious, judgmental jackhole ruin her best friend's wedding. No matter how sexy he is. (Well, that's the plan anyway...)Aiden Kilbourn doesn't do long-term relationships. He's busy ruling the business world, and has yet to find a woman he can tolerate for longer than a month, two at the outside, anyway. Conquering the unconquerable is basically his bread and butter. And he hasn't met a challenge that he can't win. But Franchesca Baranski? This smart-mouthed girl from Brooklyn may just be his downfall.

Finding Kyle


Sawyer Bennett - 2017
     Kyle Sommerville is in hiding and doesn’t want to be found by anyone. Certainly not by his quirky, free-spirited neighbor who’s managed to push her way past the walls he’s built around him. But Jane Cresson’s indomitable will and insatiable curiosity about her reclusive neighbor makes it impossible for Kyle to stay immersed in his dark world. Little by little, she claws through his shell. Day by day, she gets him to smile a little more. Night by night, they both find pleasure they never knew existed. When Kyle’s terrible past is exposed, Jane begins to think she’s in over her head. Can her love for this broken man finally clear his path to redemption, or will Kyle’s darkness extinguish every bit of hope she’s put into him?

Love, Lust & A Millionaire


Sandi Lynn - 2015
    I moved from Chicago to live in the one place that I considered to be the center of the universe: New York City. At twenty-three years old, after raising my two brothers and sister, it was time for me to start my own life. I worked as a waitress in a greasy diner by day and, by night, I performed my music in small clubs around the city and on the streets of New York. That was until a man and his daughter stepped into the diner and changed my life forever. He hired me to be his daughter’s nanny, but I have a feeling he wants more from me. My name is Oliver Wyatt and I made my first million at the age of twenty. Life’s been somewhat complicated since my five-year-old daughter, Sophie, was sent to live with me after her mother died. She drove away the nannies I hired to take care of her until one afternoon, while eating lunch, a beautiful waitress and my daughter shared a special connection. She was exactly what Sophie needed. My brother, Liam, said she was just what I needed. I am nothing but a man with a heart of stone, compliments of a girl I loved so many years ago. Lust is a powerful emotion; an emotion so strong that trying to deny it only makes it that much stronger. Now that I have met Delilah, rules will be broken and lines will be crossed. Intended for readers 18+

Trick


Laramie Briscoe - 2017
    When the divorce papers came, it killed me. When we had to sell our house, it broke me. But then he moved in with his new flavor of the month and told our daughter his new woman wasn’t into children. That pissed me off.Now Riley feels abandoned, and I can’t make it better; no matter how hard I try. I’m desperate to help her adjust to the loss of a male figure in her life. The companion program that matches adults up with children who have loneliness and abandonment issues is my last hope. The counselors tell me he’s doing community service hours, and I ask to sit in on his meetings with Riley. The minute I see him astride the matte black Harley, I know neither my nor Riley’s life will ever be the same again.TrickCommunity Service. Two words I should be thankful for, but I’m not. I resent the hours it’s away from building my business. The two previous kids I'd been paired up with didn’t work out because their mothers were more interested in getting in my bed. This next match with a little girl is my last hope. Unless this kid works out, I’m destined to serve time.When they push her into the room wearing pink converse with a black dress, her crazy curls barely held back by the barrette in her hair, and studious glasses on her face, I can tell she’s scared - of new people, of change, of being pushed aside. Something inside of me breaks, and I want this girl to feel wanted again.What I’m unprepared for is meeting her mom. The second our hands touch, there are fireworks, bright lights, and a picture of the future I could one day have. The future I’ve never allowed myself to wish for.Community service becomes more than a chore, more than time I resent for being taken away from me. In the months that follow, I realize they’re just like me: they’ve been abandoned, left behind by the world, forgotten by those who should love them.Thanks to the one last hope in both our lives - we found the light in the darkness we’d been searching for.

Timber


Frankie Love - 2016
    Dirty. Untamed.I moved to the woods to get away from the bullsh*t of the city. People there don't understand a man like me.I work hard, and my hands are as calloused as my heart.And nothing's gonna change that.But now I've met Harper.And my whole f*cking world has changed.But this girl keeps running.I need to make her stay because she's having my baby.I'm gonna make sure I'm the only man she ever needs again.HarperI never expected my fiancé to break things off.I'd saved myself for my wedding night, and now I'm left wondering why.Needing to get away, I ran to my uncle's cabin in the woods.But a storm has left me stranded on Jax's doorstep, and soon enough he takes me in his arms.And on the floor. And on the table. And in the great outdoors.Our time together has left me with a big problem ... a problem a wild man like him can't fix.A problem that makes me run ... because I need a man who believes in true love and commitment.I need a man who is ready to be a father.*** *** *** *** *** ***NOTE: Originally published as a five-part serial titled TIMBER. This includes all five parts, plus 15,000 extra words of bonus material: ACE 1.WARNING: This story contains graphic language and an untamed man who takes a virgin. Please don't read if you're not ready for hot sex that will make you reach for that vibrator hidden under your pillow. If the batteries are out, your own hand will do. No shame, babycakes. Enjoy this steamy story! You deserve it.

Singe


Aly Martinez - 2017
    Every time I closed my eyes, I watched her fall into that inferno. Over and over, I failed to save her.I hadn’t been able to reach her, and the guilt only burned hotter over time. Four years later, I was the unreachable one.Heroes aren’t always saints. Sometimes, we’re nothing more than jaded sinners driven by sleepless nights and hearts full of darkness.And then I met her. She was a dreamer who managed to soothe my scars and heal my wounds.But, as the flames closed in around us, I feared I wasn’t the right man to save her. That is until I realized she was the one woman I’d burn the world down to protect.

Crave


Monica Murphy - 2013
    Being forbidden and untouchable only makes her more tempting. When a million-dollar bet with his friends throws down a challenge—last bachelor standing takes all—Archer knows he can win. That is, until one enchanted evening with Ivy takes his heart for a ride.Ivy knows Archer is nothing but bad news: Infuriating, arrogant…and completely intoxicating. But despite her best efforts, she can’t seem to keep away. When a stolen kiss leads to a night of heated passion, Ivy realizes she’s in trouble and in head over heels.But in the light of day, everything seems clearer and Archer’s not so sure a one-night stand is all he wants. Concocting a plan to keep Ivy by his side, Archer might just be willing to lose this bet…and win the jackpot instead.

Tattered Love


Lola Stark - 2013
    Hard as nails Scarlett has been unlucky in love: she’s been burnt, chewed up and spat out. Reluctant to have another relationship, can she keep her wits about her when hot-as-sin Mace walks into her tattoo parlor? Or will he break her down and leave his mark within her ink?What starts out as a little fun, turns into something so much more.Can Scarlett look beyond Mace's devastating past or will his demons come back to haunt them both?Content warning: contains steamy, anywhere-goes sex, an alcohol induced embarrassing night out and two headstrong lovers taken on a whirlwind of crazy.

Cockpit


Joanna Blake - 2016
    But I live for the chase… I'm a thrill seeker. I fly the fastest jets in the world, and ride my motorcycle when I'm on the ground. The only thing that matters to me is speed. Why would I ever think about settling down? Jenny Reeds, that's why. One look in those hazel eyes and I found a thrill no dogfight could match. For one wild, unforgettable night, she was mine. I wanted to keep her close but she disappeared without even telling me her last name. I did my tour and flew combat missions in desert skies. But I never forgot her. Now they have me pushing papers and training new pilots. I thought I'd be bored to tears. Guess who I run into my first night back? It's her, my wild-eyed, fiery-haired beauty. Turns out she's the General's daughter. But that won't stop me. I'm persistent and it doesn't take too long before she's back in my arms. Only one problem. She's kept one hell of a secret from me. She had a baby while I was overseas. My baby. Now I want them both under my roof. Permanently. I've never failed a mission yet and I don't intend to start now. Cockpit is a standalone novel with a guaranteed HEA and no cheating. This edition includes bonus materials and will end before 100%!

The Boss


J.L. Perry - 2017
    she’s been my obsession since I was seventeen.She’s the object of every dirty thought I’ve ever had.I’m consumed.I lust over her … albeit from afar.She has no idea how I feel.And my secret can never come out,because there’s one major hurdle standing in our way …she’s my best friend’s little sister.When she offers to stand in as my temporary secretary, I’m torn.Will I be able to risk the temptation?Or will I succumb and lose everything that I hold dear?