Book picks similar to
The Lady and the Unicorn by Iris Johansen


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Fragile Longing


Cora Reilly - 2020
    Perfection. Until she wasn’t. Until she ran off to be with the enemy and left her fiancé behind.Now Sofia is given to Danilo in her sister’s stead, knowing she’ll never be more than second best. Yet, she can’t stop longing for the love of the man she’s been crushing on even when he was still her sister’s.Danilo is a man who’s used to getting what he wants.Power.Respect.The sought-after ice princess.Until another man steals his bride-to-be. Danilo knows that for a man in his position losing his woman can lead to a loss of face.Wounded pride.Thirst for revenge.A dangerous combination—one Danilo can’t leave behind, not even when a girl just as precious takes her sister’s place to placate him. Yet, she’s got one flaw: she’s not her sister.Unable to forget what he’s lost, Danilo might lose what he’s been given.

Gold Ring of Betrayal


Michelle Reid - 1996
    He believes Sara, his wife, cheated on him with another man, and Lia is the result of that betrayal.So Sara and Nicolas are separated - until the silence between them is forcibly broken - Lia has been kidnapped! Nicolas knows he is the only one who can secure the little girl's safe return, but it means he must go back to Sara - and find that, even after three long years, she still wears his ring...

Sweet Wind, Wild Wind


Elizabeth Lowell - 1987
    Utterly humiliated, she'd fled the Rocking B forever. Reluctantly she was returning, but strictly to research the history of the ranch--not to relive hex past with Carson.Once, jealous rage had driven Carson to cruelly reject gently trusting Lara Chandler. Now he needed her back on the ranch . . . and wanted her back in his arm He would stop at nothing to rekindle passion, use any trick to recapture his love. But if she discovered the depth of his deception, would she once more vanish like the wild, sweet wind?

Bad Cruz


L.J. Shen - 2021
    Cruz Costello is my archenemy.But that would require acknowledging one another, which we haven’t done in over a decade.He’s the town’s golden child. The beloved quarterback-turned-physician.I’m the girl who got knocked up at sixteen and now works at a diner.He is Fairhope royalty.I get my monarch dose from tabloid gossip.He’s well-off.I’m…well, off.When our siblings get engaged, Cruz’s parents invite both families to a pre-wedding cruise.Except Cruz and I find ourselves stuck on a different ship from everyone else.Cue ten horrible, insufferable days at sea with a man I cannot stand.(My fault, of course.)But when the alcohol pours in, the secrets spill out, and I’m left with one question:Can I take another chance on love?

The Necromancer's Bride


Brianna Hale - 2018
    Since that day I have borne his mark, a black star in the center of my left palm. The villagers say it brands me as evil. I think it means something far worse. It marks me as his. The disease that nearly killed me has returned to the village and children are dying. I’m the only one who dares to climb the mountain and learn his secrets. In exchange I’m to clean his house and help with his strange experiments, but Meremon wants more. He wants me. And it isn’t long before I discover that his demands are as twisted as his experiments. Warning: This story is a dark fantasy romance with scenes of non-consent and dubious consent. Additionally, Meremon is a necromancer and enjoys unusual things. Some sex scenes might be strange or creepy for some readers. As always with Brianna Hale books, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily ever after. THE NECROMANCER’S BRIDE is a novella of 16,000 words.

Shameless


M. Malone - 2017
    I am a liar, a protector...a killer... I am Noah Blake. There is only one light in my darkness, one bright ray in the storm of my life. Lucia DeMarco. And I’ll do anything for her. Anything except show her who I really am...an assassin. Well, former assassin. I don’t really do that anymore...usually. It would be easier if she didn’t call me names. Asshole, control freak … shameless. It would also be easier if she didn’t look at me with those trusting gray eyes. If I didn’t dream about the perfect curve of her — never mind all that. The point is she’s digging into my world, my secrets, and it’s going to get her killed. But first, we have another more immediate concern. Lucia is going on a date—With someone else... And I’m not allowed to kill this one. Noah’s Cliffhanger Warning: Ladies, I know you want to see the full package. But I have to tease you first. So I’m just going to open a few buttons so you can take a peek. And while you’re at it, hold onto your panties because I like it dirty. (The Shameless series unfolds over the course of three books)

One More Shot


Victoria Denault - 2015
    He was crazy in love with her, and had finally told her so. They shared an amazing night . . . and then everything fell apart. Jessie tries not to think about the night she gave herself to Jordan—or how he broke her heart. She tries not to think about it, but she does. Especially now, when she's staring into his sky-blue eyes for the first time in six years. After so much time and torment, she can't tell if she loves him or hates him. But Jordan has learned enough to know a connection like theirs is rare. He was lucky to find Jessie once. No way will he lose her again.

3:AM Kisses


Addison Moore - 2013
    Love is the last thing on the list, but when Baya meets her brother’s roommate she begins to have thoughts and feelings that make even her blush.Bryson Edwards has a secret he prefers buried in the past and long forgotten. He prefers loose girls, fast cars, and long nights working at the string of bars his family owns. When his roommate’s sister shows up on the scene, she’s far too innocent and sweet for him but he can’t shake Baya out of his mind and worse, it looks like she’s seeping into his heart as well.Baya seems determined to show her brother she’s not a little kid and equally determined to use Bryson’s body to prove her point. It’s been made pretty clear that Baya is off limits to Bryson but their undeniable sparks explode into a whole lot more than just a few 3:AM kisses.

A Stormy Spanish Summer


Penny Jordan - 2011
    Unfortunately that means spending time with the Duque Vidal y Salvadores—and the darkly handsome Spaniard has always made it plain what he thinks of her.The last time Vidal saw Fliss, his emotions were strong—he hated and wanted her with equal measure. But now honor demands he must help her. As the truth about Fliss's family comes flooding out, and the power of their stormy attraction takes hold, can Vidal admit how wrong he's been about her…?

One to Hold


Tia Louise - 2013
    Melissa Jones is a small-town girl trying to escape her troubled past. When the two intersect in a bar in Arizona, their sexual chemistry is off the charts. But what is revealed during their "one week stand" only complicates matters. Because she'll do everything in her power to get away from the past, but he'll do everything he can to hold her. Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. (M/F)

Stripped


Jasinda Wilder - 2013
    When you're faced with being homeless and hungry or taking off your clothes for money, the choice is easier than you'd imagine. That doesn't make it easy, though. Oh no. I hate it, in fact. There's nothing I'd like more than to quit and never go into another bar again, never hear the techno beat pulsing in my ears again, never feel the lecherous gazes of horny men again.Then, one day, I meet a man. He's in my club, front and center. He watches me do my routine, and his gaze is full of hunger. Not the kind of desire I'm used to though. It's something different. Something hotter, deeper, and more possessive. I know who he is; of course I do. Everyone knows who Dawson Kellor is. He's People Magazine's Sexiest Man alive. He's the hottest actor in Hollywood. He's the man hand-picked for the role of Rhett Butler in the long-awaited remake of Gone With the Wind. He's the kind of man who can have any woman in the entire world with a mere crook of his finger. So what's he doing looking at me like he has to have me? And how do I resist him when he looks at me with those intoxicating, changeable, quicksilver eyes? I'm a virgin, and he's an American icon of male sexuality. I'm a stripper, and he's a man used to getting anything and everything he wants. And he wants me. I know I should say no, I know he's the worst kind of player…but what my mind knows, my body and my heart may not.And then things get complicated.

A Whole New Light


Sandra Brown - 1989
    . . A WHOLE NEW LIGHT Cyn McCall knew she could always count on her late husband’s friend and business partner, Worth Lansing. He could make her laugh and forget her problems. She could tease him about his many romantic entanglements. The last thing Cyn expected was to find herself longing for a man who could never settle down.When Worth invites Cyn to a getaway weekend in Acapulco, he doesn’t expect to be sharing a room—or to respond to her the way he does to any beautiful woman. While he thinks it’s time Cyn stopped mourning and moved forward with her life, he can’t escape the feeling he’s betraying his friend’s memory. But even guilt can’t stop the desire that overwhelms him—and ultimately overtakes them both.Cyn wants to believe their night of passion was sparked by the exotic locale and intoxicating scent of hibiscus. But Worth knows they share something deeper, something that will outlast the Mexican sunglow. He knows he’s finally ready to stop playing games . . . if only Cyn would open her heart to new possibilities and the promise of love.

Wilder


Rebecca Yarros - 2016
    He’s Paxton Wilder.Twenty-two-year-old, tattooed, smoking-hot leader of the Renegades.Five time X Games medalist.The world is his playground—especially this year—and for the next nine months I’m stuck as his tutor on the Study at Sea program.He’s too busy staging worldwide stunts for his documentary to get to class.But if I can’t get him to take academics seriously, I’ll lose my scholarship…if I don’t lose my heart first.Six unlikely friends on a nine-month cruise with the Study at Sea program will learn that chemistry is more than a subject and the best lessons aren’t taught in the classroom…but in the heart.

The Start of Something Good


Jennifer Probst - 2018
    As a former Special Forces paratrooper, he saw his fair share of conflict, and he came home with wounds, inside and out. At his sisters’ B & B and farm, he can keep all his pain at a safe distance. But quiet time isn’t easy when a fiery woman explodes into his life…It’s business—not pleasure—that brings Manhattan PR agent Mia Thrush reluctantly to the farm. Tightly wound and quick tempered, Mia clashes immediately with the brooding Ethan. Everything about him is irritating—from his lean muscles and piercing blue eyes to his scent of sweat and musk.But as the summer unfolds and temperatures rise, Ethan and Mia discover how much they have in common: their guarded histories, an uncontrollable desire, and a passion for the future that could heal two broken hearts. But will their pasts threaten their fragile chance at a brand-new future?

Bad Judgment


Meghan March - 2016
    I’ve been turning him down for two years straight.Every shut-down makes me work harder.I’m not a one-night stand kind of girl.She doesn’t realize I won’t settle for only one night.He’s a distraction I don’t need. She’ll say yes eventually because I’m not giving up.