Books like 'Play Pretend'

Readers who enjoyed Play Pretend by Claire Brooks also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  grumpy sunshine  from hate to love  suspense  age difference

  • Fractured by Riley Edwards

    Fractured by Riley Edwards

    Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    Loving Echo Kent was painful. Not the falling in love part, that was easy. One look at the tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed narcotics detective and I knew I wanted him. A few months later I knew I couldn’t live without him. But my Echo, he had demons and secrets and a mountain of guilt. His love was selfish and one-sided—he could love but he refused to allow others to love him...
  • Echo Road by Kendra Elliot, Melinda Leigh

    Echo Road by Kendra Elliot, Melinda Leigh

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 33 ratings
    When two cross-country cases collide, Bree Taggert and Mercy Kilpatrick join forces to catch a serial killer in an addictive novel of suspense by bestselling authors Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot.During a vicious heat wave, a county maintenance worker stumbles upon two suspicious suitcases abandoned by the side of the road...
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  • Easton by Riley Edwards

    Easton by Riley Edwards

    Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 22 ratings
    My father was a complicated man.The world knew him as a criminal who consorted with other, worse criminals. To me, he was my savior—the man who'd rescued a scared, orphaned little girl. He'd taken me in when I had no one. Duty bound, I became the woman he wanted me to be.Powerful. Respected. Resourceful.The Mediator. The Dove...
  • Playing With Danger by Riley Edwards

    Playing With Danger by Riley Edwards

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    It’s strange how quickly life can go from predictable and boring to…not. How a chance meeting can set off a chain reaction. How a single moment can offer much-needed clarity. How a kiss can alter the course of your life. Valentine Malone fell into my life…correction, I fell into his in the aisle of a grocery store...
  • The Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts

    The Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 31 ratings
    Key of Light (2003)The Malory Price Life Plan does not include a quixotic quest - but the strangers on Warrior's Peak claim that she must find a key that will release three souls held captive by an evil god. Little does she know that the quest will bring her two new friends, the love of her life, and danger beyond anyone's imagination...
  • Take A Chance On Me by Emilia Finn

    Take A Chance On Me by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    Oh Sh*tThis is part 2 of the Marc and Meg Duet. It cannot be read as a standalone. Due to spoilers, the above is all the blurb you will get.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The conclusion to the Meg and Marc duet is phenomenal. It’s been a long time since I’ve found a writer that makes me laugh, scream, and cry in the same sitting. This is an epic story - epic love, epic friendship, epic woman finding her way...
  • In the Air Tonight by Marie Force

    In the Air Tonight by Marie Force

    Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    I was there. I saw what you did.BlaiseI wasn’t supposed to be there that night, but my friend Sienna talked me into going to the party in Land’s End so she could spy on her boyfriend. While hiding out in the woods, we witnessed an unspeakable crime. And we did everything wrong afterward.Connections run deep in our small town...
  • Ashes by Chelle Bliss

    Ashes by Chelle Bliss

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Dylan Walsh left his small town behind and vowed to never return. But when his brother needs help, Dylan steps back into the memories he tried so hard to forget. He thought there was nothing there for him anymore until a woman he knew as a little girl catches more than Dylan’s eye.Rosie Gallo is known for her kind spirit, good-girl vibes, and her loyalty to the ones she loves...
  • Billionaire Unreachable ~ Wyatt by J.S. Scott

    Billionaire Unreachable ~ Wyatt by J.S. Scott

    Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    What happens when the man you think you despise turns out to be a completely different guy beneath the surface? I didn't like Wyatt Durand. He might be my friend's older brother, but he was unpleasant, sarcastic, and the grumpiest guy on the planet. It didn't matter to me that he was a breathtakingly gorgeous, ultra-wealthy billionaire with the very prestigious Durand last name...
  • Snow Fairy by Tomo Serizawa, 芹澤知

    Snow Fairy by Tomo Serizawa, 芹澤知

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    When Hokkaido-born Haruki meets animal photographer Akihito and finds out his accommodations have fallen through, he offers his home as a shelter for the winter. A city slicker, Akihito is smart, charming, and a smooth conversationalist; the polar opposite of country boy Haruki. Despite their differences, Akihito wants to close the gap between the two of them, before the snow thaws in the spring...
  • Dangerous Affair by Riley Edwards

    Dangerous Affair by Riley Edwards

    Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Dangerous Affair is a one-night-stand-turned-friends to lovers, age gap, alpha protector romantic suspense novel with a tortured hero and a take-no-sh!t heroine who has a feisty, opinionated grandmother who likes to butt into other people's relationships. It was supposed to be a fantasy-fueled, one-night stand, something to make me shed my good girl inhibitions...
  • Hero's Heart by Janie Crouch

    Hero's Heart by Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    He was out of the game.He should've stayed that way.When a former FBI colleague asks Callum Webb to rescue the kidnapped daughter of an American bigwig in eastern Europe, Callum’s just got one word for him...No.Okay, actually two words: hell, no.Callum is out of the international law enforcement game and has been for a long time...
  • Smolder by Helen Hardt

    Smolder by Helen Hardt

    Rated: 4.69 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Are you missing the Steel Brothers? Are you yearning for more? Welcome to the next generation! Join the grown children of Jonah, Talon, Ryan, and Marjorie for new adventures, mysteries, and heart-pounding passion...
  • Emerald Vices by Nicole Fox

    Emerald Vices by Nicole Fox

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 31 ratings
    I did a bad thing...And the man I love is here to make me pay for it."You're coming with me," he snarls."There's zero percent chance THAT's happening," I fire back.But I only get about two steps away before Andrey decides to take matters into his own hands.Literally.And it's me.I'm "matters."So now, I'm back where I started.Stuck somewhere I don't belong with a dangerous man who hates me...
  • On or Off, Volume 4 (On or Off (Paperback Ed.) #4) by A1

    On or Off, Volume 4 (On or Off (Paperback Ed.) #4) by A1

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 22 ratings
    Winner of the Ridibooks 2019 BL Awards. Published in English for the first time in full color and fully uncensored!  Yiyoung and his college friends have formed a startup company together, and even managed to score a proposal meeting with the illustrious SJ corporation...
  • The Tallest Tower by Emilia Finn

    The Tallest Tower by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.73 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    I hate Felix Malone with all my heart and soul. He’s the second born son of a murderous don.The newest leader of the Malone mafia family now that his father is dead.But if I could have hoped a change in management would mean a positive shift for the notorious crime family, then I’m proven wrong as Felix quickly settles into his new role and lays scourge on New York City...
  • Marked for Obsession by Anna Blakely

    Marked for Obsession by Anna Blakely

    Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    He’s a former Navy SEAL with an attitude. She’s a sweet, sexy woman with a target on her back. Together they have an unknown enemy with only one thing on their agenda…to kill them both.Jax Monroe makes no apologies about who he is or what he wants. A self-made man, there isn’t anything he needs...
  • On or Off, Volume 3 (On or Off (Paperback Ed.) #3) by A1

    On or Off, Volume 3 (On or Off (Paperback Ed.) #3) by A1

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    Winner of the Ridibooks 2019 BL Awards  Ahn Yiyoung is hard at work building a startup with his college friends, knowing that a successful product could change all of their lives...
  • Reckless: Sins of the Father by Nicole James

    Reckless: Sins of the Father by Nicole James

    Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Nicole James, comes a STEAMY, WOKE UP MARRIED IN VEGAS, AGE GAP, MC ROMANCE! The SECOND GENERATION has arrived! Harley Jean—The pounding in my head wakes me— that and the fact that I have to pee. Must have been one hell of a bachelorette party last night...
  • Strictly Pretend by Carrie Elks

    Strictly Pretend by Carrie Elks

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    A knight in shining armor? Hardly. More like my worst enemy wrapped in a swoon-worthy tux… When Brooks Salinger saves me from heartbreak at a wedding, I never expect to see him again—let alone find him back in my life, set to destroy my family’s bookstore.But when he offers me a wild deal—pretend to be his girlfriend at a ritzy wedding in exchange for saving the store—I reluctantly agree...
  • King: The Epilogue Collection by Nina Levine

    King: The Epilogue Collection by Nina Levine

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    If you love King, strap in for the ride as he and Lily navigate their HEA. This story has it all: ✔️ angst ✔️ scorching heat ✔️ MC action  ✔️ Stormgirl time ✔️ old favourites showing up But mostly this story is about two people fighting for their love. Day in, day out. Life with an MC president like King isn't an easy ride. Watch as these two figure out how to love and be loved...
  • Serve 'N' Protect by Tee O'Fallon

    Serve 'N' Protect by Tee O'Fallon

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Ambushed and left for dead, U.S. Secret Service K-9 Officer Markus York is on the mend and laying low in a safe house while his team tracks down his attacker. But Markus isn’t good at sitting still. Even with his K-9, Ghost, for company, he gets restless and decides now is the perfect time to do some repairs around the house…and inadvertently tears open his wounds...
  • Stray: Rowe Brothers Ranch by D.J. Krimmer

    Stray: Rowe Brothers Ranch by D.J. Krimmer

    Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    “She has the heart of a saint with the body of a sinner.” Ozzy A friend needed a favor. I needed a safe place and job until I was ready to start over. I found myself on a ranch in Virginia with a stubborn old man for a patient. After what happened to me five years ago, I don’t trust easily, if at all. Women and old men on their deathbeds? Bee’s knees, no problem. Outside of that, my walls are up...
  • Going Rogue by Amelia Shea

    Going Rogue by Amelia Shea

    Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Quinn O’Malley’s less than stellar life drags her even deeper, plummeting her into a dark abyss when her misfortune designates her Enemy Number One to the devil himself.After an altercation and deal gone wrong, Quinn finds herself living on borrowed time, at the mercy of a notorious, ruthless, and unpredictable King of the Underground. She has nothing of worth to bargain with except her life...
  • No Hard Feelings (Birch Harbor: Coming Home) by Rue Lennox

    No Hard Feelings (Birch Harbor: Coming Home) by Rue Lennox

    Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    He watched her throw away their future, and swore to win her back.My brother died and I threw a grenade into my life, breaking two hearts in the process. The man I left? My dead brother’s best friend, and a member of his military unit.I may be miserable, but at least I’m not going to bury another person I love.There’s only one little problem with my current situation...
  • Sliced Ice by Lee Winter

    Sliced Ice by Lee Winter

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Ten short stories based on Lee Winter’s fierce and unforgettable ice queens and villains have been gathered into one anthology containing lesbian love, lust, friendship, and romance.Find out what happened after Lee’s stories ended, and in one case, before it began...
  • Three Reckless Words by Nicole Snow

    Three Reckless Words by Nicole Snow

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 13 ratings
    A runaway bride brings trouble and temptation to a stone-hearted single dad in this emotional and scorching hot romance by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow.Is there any coming back after you blow your own wedding to pieces?I braced for the fallout when I left my emotionally unavailable groom.I expected the tears, the family wrath, the drama galore...
  • Fang's Enlightenment by Ciara St James

    Fang's Enlightenment by Ciara St James

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Things refuse to quiet down around Tenillo for Fang and his club, the Ares Infidels MC. No matter how many bad guys they bring to justice, they find there are more in need of their kind of vigilantism. For Fang, that’s alright by him. He joins the Ares Infidels to be part of a brotherhood that’s bigger than just him and his club brothers. He joins to have a bigger family...
  • Sweet as Honey by Lucy Lennox

    Sweet as Honey by Lucy Lennox

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 44 ratings
    When I rode my bike into Aster Valley, it was supposed to be temporary. A quick, relaxing visit with friends. No entanglements. Zero drama.But then I saw the bumblebee being harassed on the side of the highway. More specifically, I saw Truman Sweet, Aster Valley’s resident botanist, spice merchant, and bee-costume enthusiast, being harassed...
  • They Will Burn by Montana Fyre

    They Will Burn by Montana Fyre

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 11 ratings
    The key to being queen is to never let them see you stumble. They betrayed me. They made me believe they cared for me, only to break my heart. And now I find myself in the hands of the only man more terrifying than the four men who handed me to him...
  • The Five Minute Mistake by Hannah Shield

    The Five Minute Mistake by Hannah Shield

    Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    He's my instructor. He's off limits.And he's the twist I never saw coming.On paper, Nash Jennings is intimidating as hell. Former Navy SEAL, notorious loner, and the grumpiest sniper on the West Oaks SWAT team. But I don't buy it. I think he's actually a nice guy under that armor he wears, and I'm determined to draw him out. Make him my friend. Perhaps even make him smile...
  • Blackbridge Security Box Set 1 by Marie James

    Blackbridge Security Box Set 1 by Marie James

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Box Set contains Hostile Territory, Shot in the Dark, and Contingency Plan!Hostile TerritoryCan you call someone an enemy if you haven’t seen them for the better part of a decade?Deacon Black is perfectly content with the status quo—work, sleep, repeat.Who cares if he’s rigid, structured, and set in his ways?It’s a job requirement that keeps his men safe and his company’s doors open...
  • Euro Dreams by Kate Stewart

    Euro Dreams by Kate Stewart

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 40 ratings
    From the international and USA Today best-selling author of The Plight Before Christmas and The Ravenhood Trilogy comes a laugh-out-loud, romantic dramedy full of spice, swoon, and ALL OF THE FEELS.I don’t remember booking a first-class ticket to hell… An all-expense paid trip to Europe...
  • Shattered Oath by Lisa Lovell

    Shattered Oath by Lisa Lovell

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    The Bratva Boss wants me dead.Too bad I’m pregnant with his baby.I’ve run far and wide to escape the Devil’s rage.But it wasn’t long before he caught me.Now I’m standing in front of him bound and naked.About to face the consequences of my betrayal.With every inch of my skin exposed to his will,And my life flashing before my watery eyes,He draws my traitorous body under his spell...
  • Dirty Desires by Nicole James

    Dirty Desires by Nicole James

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    A twist of fate threw us together…Gypsy—I’m a Devil King; loyal to no one but my club, until she comes along and tests everything I thought I believed in.When I do a favor for my imprisoned ex-president’s ol’ lady, I come face to face with the one-night-stand that’s haunted me for three years. She pulled a disappearing Cinderella act on me, vanishing with the dawn...
  • Saved by Love by Kelly Elliott, Ellie Grace

    Saved by Love by Kelly Elliott, Ellie Grace

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    My momma used to say, “Out of every tragedy, a miracle of love would come." The last ten years of my life have been nothing but tears and pain. I lost hope and wanted to give up on waiting for my miracle to come.Finally, a light is shining at the end of the tunnel. After leaving Texas and my past behind, I've started a new life journey in Estes Park, Colorado...
  • Always Yours by Kennedy Fox

    Always Yours by Kennedy Fox

    Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Rehearsals, leotards, and textbooks—that was my life. Dancing is all I’ve ever known, but when Liam’s problems turn everything upside down, I’m thrust into a world I know nothing about. Secrets and betrayal changed the man I’ve fallen for and he isn’t who I thought he was. Regardless, Liam is all I’ve ever wanted and though I’m struggling with my emotions, deep down I’d do anything for him...
  • Perfect Boy by Hannah Gray

    Perfect Boy by Hannah Gray

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    An entire campus knows my name. Women throw themselves at me, hoping I’ll take them home that night. Whispers from the NHL say I’m the one to watch. And the weight of each game is on my shoulders because if our opposing team scores … that’s on me. All the things that keep me up at night are probably someone else’s dreams...
  • TJ: Sins of the Father by Nicole James

    TJ: Sins of the Father by Nicole James

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    FROM WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST SELLING AUTHOR NICOLE JAMES COMES A ONE-NIGHT STAND, SURPRISE PREGNANCY, MC ROMANCE!TJ—The beautiful tattoo artist told me to leave her alone after what I thought was an amazing night together.Maybe she was just trying to get her bad boy fill...
  • Forever for Us by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Forever for Us by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The Wilder Brothers series from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan continues with an enemies to lovers, workplace romance where Wyatt Wilder meets his match.The moment I found out my ex-wife was cheating with my former best friend I knew I’d hit rock bottom, and it was time for a change...
  • Target Acquired by Lynette Eason

    Target Acquired by Lynette Eason

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Tough-as-nails Kenzie King has finally earned her place as a tactical medic on a SWAT team. But not everyone on the all-male team accepts her. Rumor is, she didn't get the position because of what she could do but because of who she knew. Which means she has to work harder and longer than anyone else to prove herself...
  • Cruel Prince by Aidèe Jaimes

    Cruel Prince by Aidèe Jaimes

    Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 10 ratings
    I sold my soul to the Devil and he handed me over to someone far deadlier.After the death of my father, his enemies came knocking on my door. Left with no other choice, I agree to an indentured contract, selling my body to a criminal in exchange for my life.Only he never meant to keep me as his own...
  • Protecting Kiera by Susan Stoker

    Protecting Kiera by Susan Stoker

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    This book was previously published in Kindle Worlds and even though it has a new cover, has not changed significantly. Cooper Nelson’s SEAL career was cut drastically short when an explosion left him almost completely deaf...
  • A Madness of Crows by Evelyn Flood

    A Madness of Crows by Evelyn Flood

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 15 ratings
    No longer an heir. No longer a daughter. No longer a Crow. Now, I am a wife. An accessory. A toy. Ripped away from the men I love, they want to break me. Strip away everything that made me into who I am, and create something new. I was Caterina Corvo. But now, I am Caterina Asante. For them, I will fight. For her, I will endure. But every day, it becomes harder to remember who I used to be...
  • Marked by Lexxi James

    Marked by Lexxi James

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 15 ratings
    JessMeet Mark Donovan.Ex-Army sniper.CEO of a multi-billion dollar global empire.Chiseled to the nth degree.And a man I want nothing to do with.I know the type.Dangerous. Sexy.A bad-boy who fills out a Tom Ford suit or pair of Calvin's in equally drool-worthy ways.At his core,The worst kind of heart-breaker.The kind who doesn't even know he did it.MarkEight years ago I nearly died...
  • Bexley's Biker by Misty Walker

    Bexley's Biker by Misty Walker

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Bexley:Your secrets are safe with me.It’s been my number one rule since I opened my law firm in Reno, NV.No one knows the reason is because I have my own dark secrets to hide, and a past I wish I could forget.Strategically, I only accept clients who have more to lose than I do.Like the dangerous and deadly, Royal Bastards MC.Not the best company to keep, but the most lucrative...
  • Diamond by J.A. Low

    Diamond by J.A. Low

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Round 2 with the Devil begins.Grace thought she had left the nightmare of the Bratva Jewels behind her. Her days spent with them were some of the darkest of her life, but she’s safe now.Or so she thought.When the Bratva seeks revenge for losing one of their own, Grace knows she must be strong to withstand whatever they have in store for her...
  • Rogue Mission by Kendall Talbot

    Rogue Mission by Kendall Talbot

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    She can’t trust anyone. He can’t trust her.But pitched together in a deadly mission, trust becomes everything.Royal Flying Doctor pilot, Xander Devlin ( Razor) walked away from his military career so broken he never wanted to see his ex-army team again. Especially Aria, the woman who crushed his heart...
  • The Cowboy of the Mountain by Tessa Klein

    The Cowboy of the Mountain by Tessa Klein

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    He’s my older brother’s best friend. A single dad. My forbidden crush.The one man I shouldn’t have a one-night stand with.I haven’t seen Wyatt Hartwell in nearly a decade, but it takes me a split second to recognize him. Can’t say the same for him. He has no clue he just rescued his best friend’s little sister from a drunken idiot...
  • Olivia: A Cold Case Murder Mystery Romance by Brooke Ramsey

    Olivia: A Cold Case Murder Mystery Romance by Brooke Ramsey

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Revenge is a dish best served cold. But it might cost you everything you love.In this heart-racing romantic suspense, a sister desperate for answers and a newly recruited FBI agent desperate to prove himself team up on a high-risk mission.Olivia King.Days missing: 1,345 days.Anna has spent the last three years infiltrating the gang of Diaz Smith—the man responsible for her sister’s disappearance...
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