Recommendations based on "Theirs to Defy"

“I don’t just want to hear her laugh, I need to earn it. Every time I gain a little ground, I want more. I want to break out of the shade and back into her light. Without even realizing it, I’ve become addicted to it. To her.”From the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the genre-breaking international TikTok sensation Butcher & Blackbird comes the second book in the Ruinous Love Trilogy―a hate-to-love dark romantic comedy packed with danger, chaos, and heat.Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss’s biggest client, Lachlan knows he’ll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she’ll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first.And they can’t stand each other.Indie singer-songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend’s soulmate, Lachlan thinks she’s just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend’s happiness on the line, she’s willing to make a vow to the man she’s determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be.As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes impossible to discern their fake marriage from a real one. But it’s not just familiar dangers that haunt them.There’s another phantom lurking on their doorstep.And this one has come for blood.Tropes:Hate-to-loveMarriage of convenienceGrumpy / sunshineHe falls firstGroveling, but make it psychoTouch her/him and die

Theo MacLeod wasn’t supposed to be the one. Tall, dark and handsome suits me just fine, but the cocky grin, know-it-all attitude, and mammoth ego? No thanks. I only hired him so I wouldn’t have to sit at the singles table again. It was just pretend. He wasn’t supposed to kiss me. My heart wasn’t supposed to pound. We weren’t supposed to spend the night together—the hottest night of my life. One night turns into a snowed-in weekend away, and even the blizzard of the century can’t cool the fire between us. I can’t get enough—of his smile, of his body, of the way he makes me feel. We’re nothing alike. He’s a daredevil, and I’m a nervous Nellie. He’s a drifter, and I want to put down roots. He’s an opportunist with a checkered past, and I’m a Girl Scout volunteer. But none of it matters when I’m in his arms. I know he’s made mistakes. I know his wounds are deep, and he doesn’t trust easily. I know he doesn’t believe he could ever be enough to make me happy, but he could. All he has to do is stay.

Can friendship lead to forever?Claire Wells just helped the only man she’s ever loved choose an engagement ring…for another woman. With her heart in pieces and her professional life in shambles, she turns to the one man she can always count on: her best friend. Ethan is more than just a shoulder to cry on—he’s sweet, and funny, and okay, easy on the eye. In many ways, he’s the perfect guy…aside from the fact that she’s looking for forever, and he’s just looking for fun.Ethan Parker is all too aware of his reputation as a ladies man. Inviting Claire to pose as his date for his cousin’s wedding seems like the perfect solution for them both—she needs a break from the city and he needs to show his family that he’s fully capable of committing to one woman. The trouble is, the more he pretends that Claire is his girlfriend, the more impossible it becomes to view her as just a friend…

Love is a risk for a woman in danger and a mercenary sworn to protect in a blistering novel of vengeance and redemption by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brittney Sahin.Six years ago, Maria Romano got her birthday wish―a kiss from Enzo Costa. A man she could never take her eyes off, but who seemed as haunted as her favorite book boyfriends and strictly off-limits. Just one unforgettable moment in the dark and then he was gone.Now Maria is a divorced single mom, moving on and open to romance again. Fatefully, it’s with the new head chef at her sister’s restaurant: Enzo. A gentler man than the one she remembers, yet fire still burns. And a warning still lingers: don’t get too close.Enzo is embarking on a new life, too. And falling in love with Maria shouldn’t happen. He has far too much blood on his hands, and he carries his damaged past like a shadow. But he can’t ignore the impulses drawing them back together.When his secrets plunge Maria into danger, Enzo must become the man he once was to keep everyone safe. Will he go off the deep end and never find his way back? Or will Maria be enough to save his soul?

From New York Times bestselling author Gail McHugh comes the first of two sexy contemporary romances about a young woman torn between her seemingly perfect boyfriend and a dark, mysterious stranger—who will stop at nothing to have her. Her mind tried to fight a bloody battle against what her body already knew. She wanted him, and she wanted him badly. On the heels of her college graduation and the unexpected death of her mother, Emily Cooper moves to New York City to join her boyfriend for a fresh start. Dillon Parker has been sweet, thoughtful, and generous through Emily’s loss, and she can’t imagine her life without him—even as her inner voice tells her to go slow. Then she meets Gavin Blake. A rich and notorious playboy, Gavin is dangerously sexy and charming as hell. Their first encounter is brief, but it’s enough to inflame Emily’s senses. When their paths cross again through an unexpected mutual acquaintance, she tries to deny the connection she feels, but Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome won’t let go so easily. As she discovers Gavin’s pain-filled past, and Dillon’s true nature begins to surface, Emily knows she must take action or risk destroying everyone—including herself. But how can she choose when she can’t trust her own heart?

Blake Landon is a man who has everything-wealth, good looks, and the love of Erica Hathaway. The power couple has been through hell and back, and when life has torn them apart, somehow they have always found their way back to each other, more in love and stronger than ever. Erica has never been more ready to say I do. On the verge of making the ultimate commitment, she uncovers an unsettling chapter of Blake's history. As she makes peace with her own past and the family who left her behind, she presses Blake to tear down the last walls between them. Determined to know the man he once was, she opens a door to a world beyond her wildest imagination-a world that has her questioning the limits of her own desires. As danger lurks and dark secrets come to light, will the past destroy their promise of forever?

A third interconnected standalone in the universe of TikTok sensation Say You Swear, from bestselling author Meagan Brandy. I loathe the day I ran smack dab into the hard chest of Alister Howl, Avix University's second-string quarterback. The moment he smiled my way, I should've run. And, well, I did...straight into his bed. That was before I learned he was nothing but a liar. He ruined everything before it even began. Unfortunately for me, he takes my dismissal as a challenge and comes back twice as hard. I didn't think it would work, but the man's relentless, and now I'm wavering when I'm not so sure I should. How can I be with him if I can't trust him? And that right there is exactly how I end up at a party, locking lips with the campus playboy and ultimate bachelor, Brady freaking Lancaster. One second, I'm hiding from Alister in some sorority house, and the next...I'm "Brady's girl." I have no idea how it happened or where things go from here. But one thing is for sure, fake dating one football player while his teammate tries to win me back is going to be one hell of a ride...

For fans of Samantha Young and Christina Lauren comes a sexy romance from two New York Times Best Selling authors about two strangers whose lives accidentally collide on the train with the drop of a phone.New York Times Bestseller USA Today From the New York Times Bestselling authors of Cocky Bastard, comes a sexy new standalone novel. It started out like any other morning on the train. Until I became mesmerized by the guy sitting across the aisle. He was barking at someone on his phone like he ruled the world. Who did the stuck-up suit think he was…God? Actually, he looked like a God. That was about it. When his stop came, he got up suddenly and left. So suddenly, he dropped his phone on the way out. I might have picked it up. I might have gone through all of his photos and called some of the numbers. I might have held onto the mystery man’s phone for days—until I finally conjured up the courage to return it. When I traipsed my ass across town to his fancy company, he refused to see me. So, I left the phone on the empty desk outside the arrogant jerk’s office. I might have also left behind a dirty picture on it first though. I didn’t expect him to text back. I didn’t expect our exchanges to be hot as hell. I didn’t expect to fall for him—all before we even met. The two of us couldn’t have been any more different. Yet, you know what they say about opposites. When we finally came face to face, we found out opposites sometimes do more than attract—we consumed each other. Nothing could have prepared me for the ride he took me on. And I certainly wasn’t prepared for where I’d wind up when the ride was over. All good things must come to an end, right? Except our ending was one I didn't see coming.

"If you're a fan of Kristen Ashley, then you will love this book." -- Aestas Book Blog on Four Letter Word He didn't want to be bad. He just didn't have a choice... Shayla Perkins isn't the kind of girl who makes the same mistake twice, especially when it comes to Sean "Stitch" Molina. So when he gives her the world's biggest rejection, that's it--she's done. Until the sexy, silent, unavailable Sean makes Shay a very personal offer. Of course, it still doesn't mean he's interested in her. Or does it? Sean has done things in life. Bad things. And he's paid the price. All he wants now is to make up for his past by doing good in the present. And no one deserves more good than Shay. Beautiful on the inside and out, Shay is the kind of woman who should be cared for and protected--especially from a man like Sean. He's tried to keep his feelings for her in check, but a single, reckless impulse pulls them closer than ever before. Soon the two are sharing their biggest dreams and satisfying their deepest desires. But what will happen if the only way to truly give each other what they want most...is to let each other go? "The perfect mix of funny, hot and heartwarming. I enjoyed it immensely!" -- Mia Sheridan, New York Times bestselling author, on Four Letter Word

FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE BREATHLESS TRILOGY MAYA BANKSHe was a by-the-book cop who broke the rules in the bedroom... Micah Hudson has painful secrets he's run hard from. He has new friends, a new life, but he's about to be confronted with the one person who reminds him of all he's tried to forget--Angelina, the sister of his oldest friend David. She knows everything about his past, including how he and David fell in love with the same woman, and how they decided the best way to prevent her from tearing them apart was to share her between them. But then a terrible accident left Micah alone...She was willing to do anything to make him see the woman she'd become...Micah lost the two people who meant the most in the world to him. Angelina lost her only family. And she kept her deepest secret close to her heart. Her love for Micah. No longer willing to wait, she decides it's time to go after him and bring him to his knees. She knows his secrets, his desires, his kinks and fetishes, and she'll use whatever it takes to reel him in. Behind the easygoing, loves women exterior lies a man with dark needs and passions. She can give him what he wants. But will he decide she's what he needs?