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Fans of Tessa Bailey love her books for the sexy, character-driven romance that feature unforgettably witty, loyal, and sometimes stubborn characters. While you wait for her newest book, Secretly Yours, check out these similarly steamy and hilarious books that will renew your belief in love, especially where you least expect it.
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The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Ph.D. candidate and scientist, Olive Smith, isn’t a believer in relationships that last, despite trying to convince her best friend Anh that she is, indeed, chasing her happily-ever-after. But scientists need proof, which is why Olive kisses the first man she sees. She hadn’t yet discovered that it was Adam Carlsen, the young and good-looking but grumpy professor. To her surprise, Adam agrees to go along with the fake boyfriend thing. How long can he and Olive pretend before the chemistry starts to boil over?
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Catalina Martín’s may have told a little white lie about her American boyfriend. Now, her sister’s wedding is coming up and everyone, including her ex and his new fiancé, are eager to meet him. Desperate to find a date, Catalina only has four weeks to find someone willing to travel from New York to Spain and help deceive her family. When her infuriating yet handsome colleague, Aaron Blackford, offers to step in, Catalina wishes she could refuse, but time is running out. As Catalina works to trick her family, she realizes that Aaron may not be as terrible as she thought.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Literary agent Nora Stephens is not like the heroines in the books she reads, and she reads a lot. When well-meaning little sister Libby convinces Nora to go to Sunshine Falls for some sister time, she hopes she’ll experience some self-development—but running into brooding editor Charlie Lastra is not the small town vision she had in mind. Having met many times before, the run-ins with Charlie are far from meet-cute. Thrown together in Sunshine Falls, Charlie and Nora just might learn more about themselves than any book they’ve read before.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
For work, Stella Lane creates algorithms that predict customer purchases, and she believes that math unites everything. While she’s successful in her career, she isn’t as experienced in the dating world, especially for a thirty year old. And with her Asperger’s she has a hard time getting past the though of French kissing, something that reminds her or a shark getting it’s teeth cleaned by tiny fish. What she needs, is practice. So she hires Michael Phan, professional escort, who can’t refuse the offer to teach Stella a thing or two. Soon, the arrangement starts to feel…right, as Stella begins to see the logic within love, and Michael swoons her in more ways that one.
Exes and O’s by Amy Lea
Tara Chen tends to be clingy, or at least that’s why her last ten boyfriends have dumped her. But a deep love and obsessed for romance novels has made Tara a believer of second-chance romances. Since the idea of meet-cutes are basically a thing of the past, she decides to reconnect with some of those exes, and enlists her new roommate, Trevor Metcalfe, to help her. As a firefighter, Trevor would rather rush into a burning builder than into a new relationship. As the two spend more time together, will they be able to see what’s right in front of them?
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
When Anastasia Allen is offered a full scholarship to the University of California and lands a spot on the competitive figure skating team, it seems all her work is paying off. Nate Hawkins is the hockey team captain who is focused on keeping his team on the ice. Anastasia can’t stand him, but when the two are forced to share a rink, she soon finds herself looking to Nate for help. Anastasia doesn’t even like hockey players, but keeping it chill may be harder than she thought as sparks begin to fly.
Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni
When Narrow Bedrossian’s mother convinces her to attend a month-long series of Armenian events in San Fransisco, Nar isn’t drawn to the playboy doctors her mother has in mind. What she thought would feel like a chore now feels adventurous and sexy thanks to Erebuni, a woman who begins to show Nareh the beauty in their shared culture. As the Explore Armenia banquet approaches, Nar must confront the idea of her worlds colliding, and coming out as bisexual to her family, finally claiming her happiness.
Love and Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
Dahlia Woodson and London Parker, contestants on the popular cooking competition show, “Chef’s Special,” never planned to fall in love. Dahlia is recently divorced and almost bankrupt, and London, who just announced their pronouns on national television, is set to prove the trolls – her dad, and a fellow contestant – wrong. But as the two get to know each other, the stress of divorce, transphobia, and the future begin to melt away. As things heat up in and out of the kitchen, the two must determine if they have the ingredients to cook up a good life together.
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Delilah Green, a big-city photographer, swore she’d never go back to Bright Falls—but when her estranged step-sister, Astrid, offers big bucks to shoot her wedding, Delilah can’t refuse. When she sees Claire Sutherland, Astrid’s high school BFF, she decides there might be some fun to be had in Bright Falls after all. Claire, a single mom to an eleven year old and a bookstore owner, is keen on living a life without surprises. When Delilah comes back to town, Claire is intrigued by her beauty and her confidence. And as wedding preparations have them spending more time together, she begins to wonder if she has misunderstood Delilah all along, and discovers how badly she wants to know her.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
After almost dying, Chloe Brown is ready to start living. She is sick of her chronic illness holding her back and now, she has a plan. And a list. A list of seven items meant to help her “Get a Life.” One of them: Do something bad. Chloe isn’t so good at being bad, but she knows someone who is – her tattooed, motorcycle driving neighbor, Redford ‘Red’ Morgan. Chloe also knows he’s a painter who keeps his art a secret, only because she might have spied on him once or twice. After enlisting Red to help with her mission, she begins to learn more about what’s under his rough exterior.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman are both executive assistants to the CEO’s of a publishing company, and they absolutely hate each other, which is not a secret to anyone. When they are up for the same promotion, Lucy will stop at nothing to get her dream job. As the tension builds to the point of breaking, they realize maybe they don’t hate each other after all… Or is it all a game?
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Olive Torres and her sister, Ami, are twins. Olive seems to be the cursed, unlucky one, to the point of being comical, while Ami is an eternal champion. At Ami’s wedding (which she funded entirely by winning a slew of contests) Olive is forced to spend time with best man, Ethan Thomas aka her nemesis. When the entire wedding party, sans Ethan and Olive, gets food poisoning, a luxurious honeymoon vacation is suddenly up for grabs, and for Olive – the only thing worse than vacationing with Ethan is letting Ethan get to enjoy paradise solo. The two decide on a ten days truce, and head to Maui, where pretending to be a happy couple may be easier than they thought.
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
When Isabelle began her career in publishing, she didn’t expect to be one of the only Black employees, or to still be living at home at twenty-five. Izzy is underpaid, under-appreciated, and overworked. When she overhears her boss complaining about a high-profile author not turning in his manuscript, she sees an opportunity to prove herself. But when she shows up at Beau Towers’ Santa Barbara mansion, ready to give him a pep-talk, she finds out that he is just as lost as she is. Soon, as Beau begins telling his story, the two find out they have more in common than they thought.
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