Recommendations based on "My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding (Boys of the Bayou Book 1)"

All three of Maya Banks's sexy novellas combined into one volume! UNDERSTOOD Jake Turner committed the ultimate mistake of falling in love with his best friend’s wife. The distance he puts between them costs both him and Ellie Matthews dearly. Jake will never forgive himself for not seeing what a bastard his friend was. Now that Ellie is free from her nightmare, Jake waits, needing and wanting. He’ll be there when Ellie is ready to spread her wings. OVERHEARD Gracie Evans is a woman tired of the men in her life not satisfying her in bed. She’s had a string of boyfriends, but none of them have come close to satisfying the vivid fantasies she has. Two weeks before Valentine’s Day, she breaks up with her latest boyfriend after a night of lackluster sex. When her best friend, Luke Forsythe, overhears her talking to their friend Michelle about what she really wants, he’s stunned. And very turned on. Gracie thinks there isn’t a man alive who can satisfy her in bed. Luke aims to prove her wrong. UNDENIED Wes Hoffman has a good life and good friends and firmly entrenched in his comfort zone. Until a blast from the past tilts his universe and gives him a healthy dose of something he isn't used to experiencing. Insecurity. Payton Ricci is surprised but not the least bit unhappy when she spies Wes Hoffman across the bar at a bachelorette party. He was her first many years before but the two have very different recollections of the act. When Wes dodges Payton like a man with the hounds of hell at his heels, Payton realizes it's going to take a whole lot more effort on her part to make him see the light. Better yet, see her. As a grown woman and not the teenage virgin he once made love to.

Some fairytales begin with a kiss...LaneyI finally get it. And to think, it only took my heart being pried out of my chest and stomped on five separate times by men who claimed they loved me. That's got to be a record, right?Let me put it as simply as I can: Fairy tales aren't real. Love is a lie. And, at least in my experience, sex never comes with a happy ending.Fortunately, I still have B.O.B, and he'll never fall out of love with me. I won't walk in on him in bed with another woman either. Nope. As long as I keep supplying him with fresh batteries, B.O.B's only purpose in life is to make me happy.And, damn it, I deserve to be happy. I'm a nice person. I work hard. And, most importantly, I've learned my lesson:I will never, ever let a man near my heart again.CarsonMy secret to happiness is to be completely upfront with what I want and, trust me, it has nothing to do with Laney's heart. Her lips? Hell yeah. A few other parts of her body? You better f*cking believe it. But her heart? Nope. Not even a little.Until it does...a lot.Forget I said that. I don't have feelings for anyone. They were all ripped out of me when I was a kid.This thing between Laney and me could be great. But we have to follow certain rules. We have a good time--no dates, no sleepovers, no expectations. When one of us is ready for something new or if she starts getting too attached, we move on with no hard feelings. Win-win, and everybody's happy.I came into this thinking it would be the same thing as it had always been and that she was like any other beautiful woman.It isn't. She isn't.But how do I tell her she deserves someone better, someone who can love her, someone who's not broken, if I can't seem to let her go?***standalone contemporary romance/romantic comedy without a cliffhanger or cheating***Now AvailableVirtually Impossible (Once and Forever #2)Deeper Water (Once and Forever #3) Carson and Laney's after happily-ever-afterDarker Water is a friends with benefits story inspired by The Frog Prince, and this is how Carson and Laney's fairy tale begins:Once upon a time there was a young woman who lived in a tall glass tower in the middle of a city. She wasn't incredibly beautiful but she was attractive, probably somewhere around the eighty-fifth percentile. She was smart, kind, honest, and good with animals.But the most beautiful thing about her was her heart, for it was made of the purest of golds. Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at taking care of it, and over the years, it lost its shine. Because every time she met a prince, she believed him to be perfect--strong but gentle, brave, and caring. So, she would show him her heart and give it to him to hold, thinking he would take care of it.What she hadn't yet realized was that there was a curse put on her...at some time...by someone. And the curse was this: The moment the woman gave her heart away and kissed the prince--believing it to be true love--the prince would begin to change. Sometimes slowly, other times quickly. But he always turned into a frog. And although the frog would give her heart back to her, each time it was a little more worn, a little less brilliant.But the woman didn't give up trying to find a prince who would remain a prince, knowing that somewhere out there was someone who could heal her heart and break the curse by remaining a prince after she kissed him.Then one day, she finally understood the curse's power. No one could heal her, she would never find a prince, and the curse would never be broken.And so, clutching what was left of her heart, she gave up her search.

My best friend's little sister has been getting under my skin for decades. She's my lifelong nemesis and now-apparently-my wife.When Willa Jameson stumbled into my bar drunk, heartbroken, and desperate to save her family farm, I offered to marry her. For "convenience."Which is hilarious, because nothing about my attraction to this hurricane with hips has ever been convenient.Now we're sharing a roof, a bed, and a potential felony thanks to our fake marriage.It's supposed to be a favor between not-quite-friends-but-not-quite-enemies. Then our late-night arguments turn into practice make out sessions.But according to her, that changes absolutely nothing between us.No matter how many lines we draw, we keep crossing them-in the kitchen, on the porch, in the tiny bed that's become both heaven and hell.And the woman who swears she hates me starts looking at me like I might be exactly what she needs.She calls me her temporary husband. I call her my daily torture, because every day we play house, it feels less like pretending and more like home.When this ends, I don't know how I'm going to forget what it felt like to call her mine. So either I walk away with her, or I don't walk away at all.

He’s the last single Dare sibling standing.She’s his lost love who disappeared.Now she’s back, bringing secrets and danger.Hadley Stevens is on the run with her younger sister—again—but this time, she’s in control. Zach Dare might hate her, but she knows he’d never turn away someone in need. He’s the only man she trusts. The man she’s never gotten over. Even if she left him without a word.Zach never expected the girl he once loved to walk into his bar. The last time he saw her, he’d dropped her off after school and promised to pick her up for prom. Except she disappeared.Now, she’s back with a new name, but the same doe eyes and pouty lips, and she’s asking for the help he would have gladly given her all those years ago.Zach agrees to protect them, but he refuses to fall for Hadley again. But late nights working side by side give them a tempting glimpse at the life they could have had…and all the reasons he loved her come flooding back.He’ll have to keep her safe.Before he can convince her to stay.

She’s making a wish list, and he wants to be on top.   From foster kid to trophy wife, Tessa McAllen is about to reinvent herself all over again—and defy every insult her cheating ex-husband ever used against her: Selfish? She’s championing a charity. Stupid? She’s getting her degree.   Boring in bed?   Kade Vandergriff can help her with that one. When they encounter each other at a singles event held at one of his restaurants, Tessa blurts out that kink is for girls who try too hard, and Kade instantly wants to show this sassy stranger how thrilling a night under his command can be…but when he learns her name, the game changes for both of them.   In high school, Tessa was the popular girl who stuttering, awkward Kade fell for. But she chose another. Now, as she eagerly learns lesson after lesson, he’s going to make sure she never forgets him again.

Easy Charm - Book Two in the Boudreaux Series Gabrielle Boudreaux, the youngest of the Boudreaux clan, is a single mother of her young son, Sam. Running a Bed and Breakfast at the family plantation house at the edge of the Mississippi River, Gabby loves her inn, her boy and her family. She meets new people every day, and takes pride in the house and land that has been in her family for more than five generations. Blessed beyond measure, she's also lonely, although she would never admit that to anyone. Until Rhys O'Shaughnessy walks through her door, brooding and wounded and the sexiest thing she's ever laid eyes on. Rhys has been at the top of his game as a major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs for more than ten years. Baseball is in his blood. But when he tears his rotator cuff and has to sit a season out, he retreats to Inn Boudreaux at the recommendation of his cousin, Kate, to heal and work toward building his shoulder back to perfect shape with only one goal in mind: to return to the game he loves. But he didn't plan on being utterly charmed by a devastatingly beautiful woman and her baseball-loving son. When Rhys' shoulder has healed and he's given the chance to return to his team, will he leave the family he's come to love behind, or will he stay with Gabby and Sam?

Sparks fly in Louisiana's Butterfly Bayou when a Hollywood starlet falls for a local deputy in a small-town contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.   After leaving the military, Major Blanchard moved to Papillon, Louisiana, to be with his aging father, where he's taken a deputy position with the sheriff’s department. Now that he’s settling into life on the bayou, he’s trying out the dating scene. Every single woman in town seems to be pining after the handsome newcomer. But so far, nothing’s worked out, and he’s had some spectacularly bad dates. Major’s getting ready to give up on love when a new lady roars into town to film a movie and turns his world upside down.   Actress Brynn Pearson is trying to make a successful transition from child star to leading lady. Now that she’s landed her first lead in a major film, nothing can stop her. She's committed to focusing solely on her work, so romance is the last thing she needs—too bad she can’t get her mind off the dreamy deputy she keeps running into. He’s gorgeous, and something about him makes her feel safe. As Brynn’s feelings for Major deepen, she starts to wonder if maybe there’s more to life than her career.   When a family crisis throws Major’s life into a tailspin, he turns to Brynn for support, and hopes their budding relationship will shine brighter than Hollywood lights.

Between Us is preceded by FIX YOU, and TRUST ME in the McDaniels Brothers series. It was supposed to be a fresh start... Boston is in the rearview mirror, and the McDaniels boys thought they'd left the ugliness behind along with it. But Reid's got a secret that could tear the brothers apart, and now, to top it off, there's this girl...Big, sad eyes, chip on her shoulder the size of a Buick. She's in trouble. Hell, she is trouble. But he just can't seem to stop thinking about her. Former ballerina-turned Vegas showgirl Lola Taylor is used to dealing with jerks at her job, but when a handsome stranger saves her from a near-tragedy, she can't help but wonder if he's one of the fabled good guys. If so, the last thing he needs is to get caught up with the likes of her, but no matter how hard she tries to drive him away, he keeps coming back. If she finally breaks down and let's him in, it could destroy her, but with every touch and every smile, her resolve is weakening... Could Reid McDaniels be that one guy worth risking it all for?

At the Texas Cattleman’s Club, Nadine Gonzalez and Jessica Lemmon prove love is hotter than the Texas sun… Don’t get burned! Oh So Wrong with Mr. Right by Nadine Gonzalez If only falling in love was as easy as falling into his bed… Commitment-shy photojournalist Sasha Ramos is the latest in her family’s long history of runaway brides. But when her sister’s upcoming wedding triggers her need to flee, risk-taking businessman Nikola Williams gives her all the passionate reasons to stay. But falling in love? It will take a Texas-sized miracle—and one determined bachelor—to get this guarded, headstrong beauty to stay! The Man She Loves to Hate by Jessica Lemmon It's the wedding of the year. And she’s falling for the man crashing it! Wedding planner Rylee Meadows will not let professional wedding crasher Patrick “Trick” MacArthur ruin her latest celebrity nuptials. Just because the social media bad boy is handsome, charming and oh-so tempting doesn’t change the fact he simply can’t be trusted! Not as a wedding guest…nor with her heart. But as her frustration becomes more sexual than antagonistic, will she embrace the spontaneous side Trick inspires?

USA TODAY Bestselling Author “Hey, stranger… I could use some company.” And just like that, Aria Jensen reunites with her longtime friend, commitment-shy Ethan Barringer. They’re working together on the new Texas Cattleman’s Club in Houston. Why not leave the friend zone and have a little fun? But their no-strings fling deepens when Ethan steps in as her fake fiancé…to keep her father from forcing her to marry! Will Aria gamble her heart in this high-stakes game?