Book picks similar to
Luke by Angela Verdenius


romance
bbw
contemporary-romance
not-interested

Sweet Surrender


Maya Banks - 2008
    So far, he's found a link between the killer and Faith—and if Gray has to get close to her to catch the killer, so be it.Faith is sweet and feminine, everything Gray wants and desires in a woman, but he suspects she's playing games. No way would she allow a man to call the shots in their relationship. Or would she?Faith sees in Gray the strong, dominant man she needs, but he seems determined to keep her at a distance. So she takes matters into her own hands to prove to him it's no game she's playing. She's willing to surrender to the right man. Gray would like to be that man. But catching his partner's killer has to be his first priority—until Faith is threatened and Gray realizes he will do anything to protect her...

Color of Loneliness


Madeleine Beckett - 2012
    When a painful revelation concerning her ex-boyfriend, Trent, is revealed, she makes the tough decision to move back to her small hometown to heal and regroup there.Myra parts ways with her only friend, Susie O’Connor, a loyal, slightly crazed woman. In Nyssa, Myra finds little immediate comfort in her “new” home which is literally falling apart around her. She sinks into a deep depression, exacerbated by her feelings of loneliness and isolation in the small town. Jim, Myra’s neighbor, gives her the name of a local contractor, Dylan Lawson, who has done work for him in the past. Myra is astounded by the man’s gruff, surly demeanor, but she trusts Jim and there are few other options in the small town. Despite Dylan’s rough edges, Myra - and every other woman in the small town it seems - finds the scowling man with unkempt hair and scruffy beard to be undeniably attractive.Dylan is there for one thing: to get the job done and move on. Withdrawn and bitter, his past demons have calloused him and left him barely resembling the man he used to be. Having no interest in starting a relationship, Dylan fights against the draw he feels towards the quiet, lonely woman with the sad, dark eyes.A slow but reluctant friendship develops between the pair, followed by romantic feelings which neither of them can deny. But will Dylan’s secrets and Myra’s past experiences tear them apart before they can even begin? Will they be able to move beyond their despair and open their hearts to love?

Lost and Found


Elle Casey - 2014
    Sometimes engagement rings can get lost and then found. Sometimes people can too. All it takes is a heavy-duty dose of karma and the magic of Manhattan to make it all come together.Leah is a financially destitute new age hippy. James is a wealthy surgeon with a trust fund. She's awkward, he's poised. She's completely crazy, he's way too sane. People might say they have nothing in common, but they'd be wrong. They both live in Manhattan, they both have no idea how to change a baby diaper, and they're both lost … until they find one another. LOVE IN NEW YORK SERIES READING ORDER Love in New York: Book 1 (Lost and Found)Love in New York: Book 2 (Cabin Fever)Love in New York: Book 3 (Mister Fixit)About this series: I’d never been to New York City before, but I knew I would love it and wanted to write a story that was set in the most exciting city in the world. So I hopped on a plane with my friend Susan and spent 5 whirlwind days there, soaking up the culture, seeing the sights and nailing down the scenes that would eventually end up in this series. Those of you familiar with New York City know what I’m talking about when I say you just can’t beat Russ and Daughters’ bagels, Central Park, Times Square, Brooklyn, and Yonnah Schimmels’ knishes.

Her First Billionaire


Julia Kent - 2012
    That's what she really wanted to write. Here was the truth:"Needy, insecure, overweight twenty-six year old Business Analyst with three cats, a corporate job with pension and no debt seeks Mr. Impossible for way more than friendship and lots of ice cream. I'm desperate for some physical affection and oral sex with a guy who doesn't view it as some sort of favor he's granting me, and then expects to be praised like he cleaned my toilet. One night stands are better than nothing as long as you brush your teeth. So call me, maybe!"So when hot firefighter Dylan Stanwyck responds and asks her out, it's just too good to be true. When she searches him online and learns he offers himself up for date nights in bachelor charity auctions, she wonders if she's on the right planet.Because what could a guy like that see in a fat girl like her?OR WOULD HE NOT BE WHO HE SEEMED?Trawling through the online dating profiles isn't Dylan's idea of fun, but it's been more than eighteen months since their lover, Jill, died, and Dylan and his unconventional partner, ski instructor Mike Pine, need to find a new love. While their threesome situation is more complicated than a contract from 50 Shades of Grey, at least one aspect is simple: Laura Michaels, the cute, soft blond from the online dating site, seems like a good fit for at least a first date. Soft curves, gorgeous hair, eyes that light him up from the computer alone, and a profile that makes her seem smart and interesting -- he has no problems asking her out.The problem is letting her in.Dylan and his not-quite partner have more secrets than their unconventional romantic relationships, and this latest snafu is a mixed blessing, for both became billionaires overnight after the third in their threesome, Jill, died. With her estate finally settled and Dylan and Mike the recipient of an annual income that gives them enough to buy entire towns in the Midwest, the two were left reeling. Months after the lawyer explained their new-found fortune, Dylan still works his regular shifts at the station while Mike remains on the slopes as a ski instructor, but with a caveat; now he owns the entire resort.But if they tell Laura everything, they risk losing a chance at a new bond...Two problems may have one lush, ample solution as Laura meets her first billionaire on her date with Dylan, but with a stunning twist at the end...

For the First Time: Twenty-One Brand New Stories of First Love


Alessandra TorreSkye Warren - 2016
    This set includes almost 200,000 words of steamy encounters and sweet romance.

Perfect Love Story


Natasha Madison - 2018
    That the vows you made to each other were simply empty promises.You pick up and move to the country to start fresh. When life hands you limes, you make sure you have tequila because your life is about to get stirred up.JensenMarried to my high school sweetheart, the best thing she gave me was my baby girl. But we weren't enough for her. I wasn't enough for her. The last thing I expected on my birthday was a Dear John letter, but that’s what I got when she upped and left. Now, it's just me and my girl against the world till the new girl moves in next door. Is there such a thing as a perfect love story?

Perfect Ten (Escort #1)


Michelle Craig - 2014
    THIS IS AN EROTIC ROMANCE STORY! Joseph Starling Jr. was in the right place at the right time. It didn’t take him long to discover his particular talent. He knew how to make a woman feel good. If she wasn’t screaming out his name, purring like a kitten or clawing at him like a lioness, he had failed. Mediocre was not a word in his vocabulary. Her enjoyment was so important to him that his own pleasure was a secondary concern. Faith Graham was nothing like the women he was required to date as an escort—it was what he liked about her from the first time he saw her. She was imperfect and insecure. Her hair was a bit on the wild side, and her clothes were slightly rumpled. But her curves! They were alluring. She had curves where most of the elite clientele he mingled with had straight lines, and not an ounce of softness to be found. Shocking him to his core, she didn’t want anything to do with him. Joe had always thought that working as an escort for Perfect Ten was a dream come true, but he was beginning to wonder if there was more to life than raking in the cash and having his pick of women on any given night. Could he start over with a new direction in life, or was he already at the age of twenty-six too jaded? Was there more out there for Joe Starling or was he destined to be a boy toy at the whim of any woman rich enough to afford him?

Wall Street Titan


Anna ZairesAnna Zaires - 2019
     At thirty-five, Marcus Carelli has it all: wealth, power, and the kind of looks that leave women breathless. A self-made billionaire, he heads one of the largest hedge funds on Wall Street and can take down major corporations with a single word. The only thing he’s missing? A wife who’d be as big of an achievement as the billions in his bank account. A cat lady who needs a date… Twenty-six-year-old bookstore clerk Emma Walsh has it on good authority that she’s a cat lady. She doesn’t necessarily agree with that assessment, but it’s hard to argue with the facts. Raggedy clothes covered with cat hair? Check. Last professional haircut? Over a year ago. Oh, and three cats in a tiny Brooklyn studio? Yep, she’s got those. And yes, fine, she hasn’t had a date since… well, she can’t recall. But that part is fixable. Isn’t that what the dating sites are for? A case of mistaken identity… One high-end matchmaker, one dating app, one mix-up that changes everything... Opposites may attract, but can this last?

Size Matters


Alison Bliss - 2016
    . .Leah Martin has spent her life trying to avoid temptation. But she's sick of low-fat snacks, counting calories, and her hyper-critical mom. Fortunately, her popular new bakery keeps her good and distracted. But there aren't enough éclairs in the world to distract Leah from the hotness that is Sam Cooper - or the fact that he just told her mother that they're engaged . . . which is a big, fat lie.Sam sometime speaks before he thinks. So what started out as defending Leah's date-ability to her judgmental mother soon turned into having a fiancee! Now the plan is to keep up the fake engagement, stay "just friends," and make Leah's family loathe him enough to just call the whole thing off . But Sam has an insatiable sweet tooth, not only for Leah's decadent desserts but her decadent curves. Her full lips. Her bright green eyes. Yep, things aren't going quite according to plan. Now Sam has to convince Leah that he's for real . . . before their little lie turns into one big, sweet disaster.

Sunshine & Whiskey


R.L. Griffin - 2015
    So if you lower your expectations, then you’ll never be disappointed. Sound cheesy? It is, but it's also true. Clichés come from a grain of truth…like a man with a Porsche is compensating for something, or once a cheater always a cheater—you get the idea. Sorry, I digress. I'm supposed to be telling you what this book is about. I'm Megan Walker, a lawyer at one of the hottest boutique law firms in Atlanta. I'm on the fast track to making partner and have my entire life planned out...or I did. We all know how that goes, right? Best laid plans and all that. Life just threw me a couple curveballs, so I've set out to take things into my own hands. By throwing caution to the wind and getting out of my A-type personality bubble, I'm learning more about myself than I have in my twenty-seven years. Sound like a chick flick, doesn't it?It’s not.

Securing Caite


Susan Stoker - 2019
    It is a spin off of the original SEAL series. It will have a whole new team of Navy SEALs (that you have already met in Protecting Dakota) and takes place in the same city and Navy base as the original. This is Caite McCallan and Blake "Rocco" Wise's story.Caite McCallan is a Department of Defense admin working in Bahrain when a glitchy elevator, of all things, leads to an unexpected invitation to dinner by a gorgeous Navy SEAL. When he later stands her up, Caite’s understandably upset… until she overhears a plot that confirms Rocco didn’t blow her off. Instead, he and two fellow SEALs are in danger — and Caite is forced to put her career and her life on the line to save them. Blake “Rocco” Wise never expected his routine mission to go sideways, but he was even more surprised to find himself and his teammates rescued by the adorably shy woman he met in a stalled elevator. Caite’s selfless act saved his life, but when attempts on her own make it clear someone wants her gone, it’s Rocco’s turn to protect the brave, sweet, sexy woman. The longer he knows her, the more he wants her… but keeping Caite close could bring her nearer to the enemy than ever before.**Securing Caite is the 1st book in the SEAL of Protection: Legacy series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings.

Return to Us


Corinne Michaels - 2021
    One look in his gorgeous blue-green eyes, and it’s like I never left. One kiss, and my world is upside down. One night together, and I know without a doubt, in his arms is where I belong.I’m not the girl I was—intimidated by his wealthy family and desperate to escape our small town. I can imagine a new life for us here.But he’s learned to guard his heart, and trust won’t come easily.How can I convince him to give first love a second chance?

Fat


Saranna DeWylde - 2014
    Then there's that other voice in her head, the one that plays on a constant loop that gets louder whenever people scrutinize her dinner order, snicker when she needs a belt extender on a plane, and outright laugh when they see her with her the kind of man they don't think fat girls deserve. It reminds her that existing while fat is the worst thing in the world. It's worse than being ignorant, bigoted or cruel-at least according to society's standards. Even when she has the attentions of two men who are the embodiment of fantasy. But it's not their love that matters, it's her own. Fat is a brand that's been seared into every aspect of her life-even her heart. Can Claire love herself enough to reach past the labels for her own happiness?

Wizard's Chance


Eve Langlais - 2010
    Pure adventure follows as Samantha finds herself magically teleported to a tropical island where she meets a hunky wizard in need of rescuing.A curse traps Sinclair on a tropical island with little hope of rescue, that is until a luscious librarian is dropped on his beach. Having been betrayed by love once, he’s leery of trusting again but as he and Samantha overcome the magical obstacles set in their way, they discover that true love awaits them if they’re ready to take a chance.Please note, Wizard's Chance was originally titled Take A Chance and was published by Champagne Books from June of 2010, until June of 2013. Published anew in August 2013 by Eve Langlais, this book has been revised from its original version to read more smoothly and was given a new title along with a new look. The story itself, however, remains the same.

Unleashed


Cherrie Lynn - 2009
    Oh, no. The “other woman” had to be her best friend Evan’s fiancée. Not only has she lost her marriage, she fears losing Evan to the lingering awkwardness and humiliation that hangs between them.Evan has no intention of letting that happen. He’s got plans…namely, an extra plane ticket to Hawaii now his future wife is out of the picture. There’s only one person he wants on the trip with him, the one who’s always been there for him. The one he should never have let slip away into the arms of a traitorous friend who shattered her heart.Kelsey is anticipating a week of fun in the sun with the man who’s always treated her like a little sister. No one’s more surprised when she discovers that Evan has seduction on his mind—and that she’s more than ready for it.Love is the most powerful healing force of all. But past demons have a way of ripping open old wounds, and threatening the survival of even the strongest friendship…Warning: This title contains explicit sex between best friends, graphic language…and a hero who knows how to put the hot in “hot tub”.