The Bookalicious Babes Blog (BBB) Team reads a ton of books so among the six of us bookworms, our list is pretty big!!! BBB picked its TOP 5-STAR ROMANCE READS for October! It was not an easy choice as there has been so much book awesomeness this Fall where BBB has fallen in love with so many amazing authors’ stories.  

BBB’s top picks are all ranked 5 stars and are not listed in any particular order. Click on the books below to purchase!

DOWN SHIFT — K. BROMBERG

Behind the wheel, racing champion Zander Donavan is at the top of his game. But after too much excess in his personal life, he’s forced to step away. He needs to accomplish something all on his own—outside of his famous father’s shadow.  
 
Getty Caster is running away from the abuse that clouds her past. She thinks she’s found the perfect escape—until she discovers a stranger in the beachside cottage she’d been promised. He’s undeniably sexy, but she’s there to heal. Alone.
 
Before long though, fighting with each other turns into fighting their attraction. And giving into desire sets off a chain reaction that has their pasts colliding. With an unexpected love on the line, can they overcome the fallout to build a future?

SWEETEST TABOO — J. KENNER

All eyes are on us . . . and there’s nowhere to run.

Everyone has their own ideas about Dallas Sykes: He’s a reckless billionaire, a devilish playboy, a man who gets whatever he wants the minute he wants it. But I know the real Dallas behind the money, bravado, and power—and he’s completely, blissfully mine.

We carefully guarded our secrets, and in each other’s arms we sought refuge from our dark past. Our pain became our pleasure, our control within the chaos. But we could only hide from the truth for so long.

Now we’ve let loose our inhibitions and are ready to face the future. And no matter what people think or say, coming clean is its own sweet reward.

BLACK SWAN AFFAIR — KL KREIG

I’ve loved him as long as I can remember. The gangly boy with big brown eyes and unruly hair who grew up into an intoxicating man. He wears scruff like he invented it and ambles with a swagger that makes panties drop. Killian Shepard. Shep.

We grew up together.  It didn’t matter that he looked at me as a kid sister even as I grew into woman. It didn’t even matter when he left me behind to go to college and start his adult life. He’d be back.
He was always meant to be mine.  He came back, all right. But instead of smelling of promises, he stunk of betrayal. And he destroyed me—us—the day he married my sister instead of me.

So I did the only thing a girl like me in my position could do. I got my revenge. I married his brother, Kael. Now we’re one big happy f*cking family.

AMERICAN QUEEN — SIERRA SIMONE

It starts with a stolen kiss under an English sky, and it ends with a walk down the aisle. It starts with the President sending his best friend to woo me on his behalf, and it ends with my heart split in two. It starts with buried secrets and dangerous desires…and ends with the three of us bound together with a hateful love sharper than any barbed wire.

My name is Greer Galloway, and I serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States.

This is the story of an American Queen.

MR. PRESIDENT — KATY EVANS

He’s won the hearts of millions. But is he willing to lose his?

I met the president’s son when we were both young. Matthew Hamilton was handsome, polished, and intelligent.  He promised me that he’d never run for president. I promised that if he did, I’d be by his side.

Three terms later, an invitation to join Matthew Hamilton’s campaign is the most exhilarating opportunity I’ve ever experienced. I’m determined to make a difference; he is determined to win. Focused on his goal, Matt is steadfast, ruthless, and disarming. All eyes are on him and his popularity is surging. But soon, the next possible president of the United States is possessing me in more ways than one—and despite the risks, I’m helpless to resist. 

Winning will take everything. Walking away will be the hardest thing of all.

A LOVE LETTER TO WHISKEY — KANDI STEINER

It’s crazy how fast the buzz comes back after you’ve been sober for so long. Whiskey stood there, on my doorstep, just like he had one year before. Except this time, there was no rain, no anger, no wedding invitation — it was just us.

It was just him — the old friend, the easy smile, the twisted solace wrapped in a glittering bottle. It was just me — the alcoholic, pretending like I didn’t want to taste him, realizing too quickly that months of being clean didn’t make me crave him any less.

But we can’t start here. No, to tell this story right, we need to go back. Back to the beginning. Back to the very first drop. This is my love letter to Whiskey. I only hope he reads it.

A SACRED VOW — WILLA THORNE

I swore a solemn oath that saw to the end of the Cormacs, a family of hunters that persistently sought to rid my coven’s existence.

TONIC — STACI HART

Joel Anderson doesn’t take anything seriously. Not his relationships, which have been few and far between since his brutal divorce. Not the drama of working in a tattoo parlor, which seems to be around every corner.  But he’s not the kind of man you cross.

Annika Belousov takes everything seriously. Like her job as a reality television producer, given that she typically has something to prove. When she’s tapped to produce a reality show at Joel’s shop, she doesn’t think twice, just goes in for the kill, as if there were any other way.

The second Annika walks into Joel’s shop, he makes it his mission to crack her open. He’s all wrong. But it doesn’t take her long to find out there’s more to him than smirks and tattoos. And what she finds could put her career and his heart on the line.

Not that Joel cares. Because for the first time in a long time, he’s found his tonic.

SAY YOU WANT ME — CORINNE MICHAELS

There’s no way I’ll fall for Wyatt Hennington. He can keep his Southern drawl, irresistible smile, and those pick-up lines all to himself. I made the mistake of sleeping with him not once, but twice. I’m not stupid enough to give him round three, especially after he left me in the middle of the night so I could see myself out. I vow to return to Philadelphia and forget him.

It proves easier said than done.

When the doctor informs me I’m the winner of door prize number two, I put my life on hold and head back to Bell Buckle. Three months and if we can’t make this work, I’m gone. The problem is–when the cards are stacked against us, and I can’t bring myself to leave him, I’ll finally know if he truly loves me or if all my fears were real . . .

BEDMATES — NICHOLE CHASE

Everyone makes mistakes, especially in college. But when you’re the daughter of the President of the United States, any little slip up is a huge embarrassment. Maddie McGuire’s latest error in judgment lands her in police custody, giving the press a field day. Agreeing to do community service as penance and to restore her tattered reputation, Maddie never dreams incredibly good looking but extremely annoying vice president’s son, Jake Simmon, will be along for the ride.

Recently returning from Afghanistan with a life-altering injury, Jake is wrestling with his own demons. He doesn’t have the time or patience to deal with the likes of Maddie. They’re like oil and water and every time they’re together, it’s combustible. But there’s a thin line between love and hate, and it’s not long before their fiery arguments give way to infinitely sexier encounters.

THE PLAYER — CLAIRE CONTRERAS

I’m naturally gifted on the field and between the sheets. With flashy cars and enough media attention to put the Royal Family to shame, I’m the definition of Most Eligible Bachelor. Every man wants to be me and every woman wants to tame me.

Until Camila. The moment I lay eyes on her, I know I have to have her. She wants to keep me at arm’s length. I want her naked in my bed. She thinks our worlds are too different. All I want her to think about is screaming my name.

She says I’m bad news. I have three weeks to prove her wrong.

WRITTEN IN THE SCARS — ADRIANA LOCKE

Falling in love is easy. Falling out of love is the hardest thing in the world. And Elin and Ty Whitt are terrible at it.

The first time the local basketball star smiled at Elin, she was a goner. It was just so damn easy to fall for the dark-haired hometown hero with his charming smile and strong, athletic build.

Thousands of sleepy smiles, aimless drives down country roads, and squeaks of the backdoor after a swing shift later, reality hits. And it hits hard. Falling in love was definitely the easy part. Watching it break apart was impossible.

A PLACE IN THE SUN — R.S. GREY

When her mother’s incessant matchmaking hits an all-time high, Georgie Archibald does what any sensible woman would do: she flees the country.

Seeking refuge in the picturesque seaside village of Vernazza, Italy, Georgie’s only plan is to lie low, gorge herself on gelato, and let the wine and waves wash her troubles away…that is until she wakes up in a bed that belongs to the most romantic-looking man she’s ever seen.

Gianluca. After going out of his way to rescue her, the former London financier turned mysterious recluse makes it clear that despite acting as her white knight, he has no plans to co-star in her fairytale.

But Georgie isn’t asking for his heart—she’s merely intrigued.

MARRY ME MAD — KATY REGNERY

For as long as Madeleine “Mad” Rousseau can remember, she’s been the “sweet” twin to her sister Jax’s “sassy.” But after an especially painful break-up, Mad decides she’s had enough of being sweet. Children’s librarian during the day, she begins visiting Philly’s seedier nightspots on a quest for adventure.

When Cortlandt “Cort” Ambler, the ex-boyfriend of Mad’s sister, Jax, saves her from disaster on one such evening, an unlikely friendship is born between the rebellious librarian and the moonlighting pianist…and two broken hearts begin a journey toward being whole again.

THE PROMISE — MELODY GRACE

Claire Fortune arrives in Boston with an old notebook and her best friend’s dying wish – to finish the scribbled bucket list that Hope didn’t have time to complete. Moment by moment, Claire builds a life she never dreamed of – until Theo walks into the coffee-shop one crisp September afternoon, and her careful plans scatter on the winds.

Sometimes a chance meeting can change a life forever.
Sometimes fate knows exactly what we need.

Perfect for fans of ‘Me Before You’ and ‘The Fault in Our Stars’, ‘The Promise’ brings together two people searching for a love that can overcome tragedy. A heartbreakingly romantic novel that challenges us to live – and love – every day as if it were our last.

ROYALLY SCREWED — EMMA CHASE

Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, aka “His Royal Hotness,” is wickedly charming, devastatingly handsome, and unabashedly arrogant.

Then, one snowy night in Manhattan, the prince meets a dark haired beauty who doesn’t bow down. Instead, she throws a pie in his face. Nicholas wants to find out if she tastes as good as her pie, and this heir apparent is used to getting what he wants.

Dating a prince isn’t what waitress Olivia Hammond ever imagined it would be. There’s a disapproving queen, a wildly inappropriate spare heir, relentless paparazzi, and brutal public scrutiny. The royals are far from accepting of this commoner.

Nicholas has to decide who he is and, more importantly, who he wants to be: a King… or the man who gets to love Olivia forever…

THE SEXY ONE — LAUREN BLAKELY

Let me count the ways why falling into forbidden love is not my wisest move…
1. She works with me every single day. Did I mention she’s gorgeous, sweet, kind and smart?
2. She works in my home. Playing with my five-year-old daughter. Teaching my little girl. Cooking for my princess. Which means…
3. She’s the nanny. And that makes her completely off-limits…But it doesn’t stop me from wanting her. All of her.
*****
The other nannies in this city don’t call him The Sexy One for nothing. My boss, the amazingly wonderful single father to the girl I take care of every day is ridiculously hot, like movie star levels with those arms, and those eyes, and that body. But what really makes my knees weak are the times when his gaze lingers on me. In secret.

I can’t risk my job for a chance at something more…can I? But I don’t know how to resist him much longer either…

HONOR — JAY CROWNOVER

Don’t be fooled. Don’t make excuses for me. I am not a good man.

I’ve seen things no one should, done things no one should talk about. Honor and conscience have no place in my life. But I’ve fought and I’ve survived. I’ve had to.

The first time I saw her dancing on that seedy stage in that second rate club, I felt my heart pulse for the first time. Keelyn Foster was too young, too vibrant for this place, and I knew in an instant that I would make her mine. But first I had to climb my way to the top. I had to have something more to offer her.

I’m here now, money is no object and I have no equal. Except for her. She’s disappeared. But don’t worry, I will find her and claim her. She will be mine.

Like I said, don’t be fooled. I am not the devil in disguise… I’m the one standing front and center. 

DEFYING HER MAFIOSO — TERRI ANNE BROWNING

I fell hard for the Mafioso at the tender age of eleven. This beast of a man who I knew made people disappear—and probably enjoyed every second of it—was also the sixteen-year-old boy who had picked me up after I’d fallen flat on my face during my dance recital and told me I was the best ballerina he’d ever seen. He’s watched over me, protected me like I was the most precious thing in the world to him.  And then he sent me away.

Scarlett Vitucci was many things:
The daughter of the biggest Cosa Nostra boss from New York to Chicago.
The sister of the man I would gladly take a bullet for.
And the only woman I would ever love. Letting her go had been a huge mistake.  One I would never repeat. 

THE REVOLUTION — S.L. SCOTT

My world was rock solid.
Until I saw her.

Lara Kessler showed up as if heaven sent her to me, and suddenly my priorities changed. Love is funny like that. One minute you’re living the dream, then BAM! Half my soul shows up backstage wearing a purple shirt and sexy skin-tight jeans, making me realize what I’ve been missing all along. Loving her means exposing a life I’ve tried to bury.

My heart had lost its beat.
Until I saw him.

Kaz Fabian caught my attention the moment I laid eyes on him. Love is funny like that. The famous guitarist was every woman’s fantasy—great face, chiseled jaw, cut biceps. The rock star was pure sex on and off stage, but his charm and charisma won me over. Loving him means burdening him with a life I’ve tried to leave behind.

ONE STEP CLOSER — KAHLEN AMES

They only had each other, until one forbidden night ruined everything…

STEPSISTER. He hated that flipping word.

When their parents got married, the only thing Caleb Luxan had in common with Wren Brashill was that they both hated their parents. When he was sixteen, Caleb discovered Wren’s closely guarded secret and vowed to protect her: from that day forward she became the reason for every decision he made.

Jealousy and long-suppressed desire overpowered Caleb’s fierce protectiveness and they spent one forbidden and unforgettable night in each other arms, but the aftermath left Caleb panicked, Wren heartbroken, and their relationship in shambles.

Like it or not, his father’s last, hard lesson, will demand Caleb deal with his long denied emotions for Wren, or let go of her forever.

PUCKED UNDER — HELENA HUNTING

Randy Ballistic and Lily LeBlanc are head-over-heels, bed-breakingly, screaming orgasmically in love. But even they have their challenges, mostly outside of the bedroom.

With the off-season coming to a close and the boys gearing up for training camp, one more weekend of fun is the perfect way to welcome the new season. The entire crew piles into vehicles and drives to Alex and Violet’s Chicago cottage for a few days of relaxation―and hopefully a chance for Randy to shake the anxiety that’s been plaguing him.

Accidental wardrobe malfunctions, typical Violet inspired overshares, and a whole lot of private time round out the perfect weekend getaway. But the moment they return to the city all of Randy’s angst resurfaces with the arrival of a surprise houseguest.

UNDENIABLE — CALLIE HARPER

Dom’s the one she couldn’t have. Gigi’s the one he couldn’t forget.
They haven’t seen each other for four years. He’s been serving in the Special Forces. She’s finished college. They’ve had time to move on. Neither one has.

Now there’s a death threat. Her family’s business has pissed off a drug cartel. Her life’s in danger.
They’re thrown together, on the run. He has to keep her safe. From everyone. Including himself.

BENEATH THESE SHADOWS — MEGHAN MARCH

The only permanent thing in my life is the ink I put on my clients.
I drift from city to city, in and out of beds, from one tattoo shop to the next.
Every time I start to put down roots, I rip them up.
Until New Orleans.
Until her.
She’s everything I’m not.
Full of fire and life. An innocent where I’m a sinner.
I want to consume her. Protect her. Keep her.
But first, I have to escape from beneath these shadows.

HELL AND BACK — NATASHA MADISON

Meeting him was a fluke. Dating him was a mistake. Watching him become a drug addict put me through hell. Running was my only option.

I’m running from my demons and when I find out she’s trying to escape her past, I know what I have to do.

One broken cop. One woman fighting for her life. A fragile love. Sinister secrets that threaten to tear them apart.

They’ve been to hell. The hard part will be finding their way back together.

CHECKMATE: THIS IS WAR — KENNEDY FOX

Travis King is the worst kind of a**hole. He taunts me for being a good girl and mocks my high standards. He’s cruel, crass, and has enough confidence to last two lifetimes. And I hate him.

It wouldn’t matter so much if he were avoidable. But considering he’s my older brother’s best friend and roommate, I see him more than I’d ever want to. His sculpted abs and gorgeous eyes are wasted on such an arrogant man, which makes me hate him even more.

Even though I’ve had a crush on him since I was ten, the feelings weren’t mutual and he’s made that very clear. He’s always loved getting under my skin and one night against my better judgment, I let him in my bed. 

I’ve succumbed to his manw**re ways, but that doesn’t change a thing. Because the King is about to get played at his own game–and lose. Checkmate.

BOUND TO SUBMIT — LAURA KAYE

He thinks he caused her pain, but she knows he’s the only one who can heal her…

Kenna Sloane lost her career and her arm in the Marines, and now she feels like she’s losing herself. Submission is the only thing that ever freed her from pain and made her feel secure, and Kenna needs to serve again. Bad. The only problem is the Dom she wants once refused her submission and broke her heart, but, scarred on the inside and out, she’s not looking for love this time. She’s not even sure she’s capable.

Griffin Hudson is haunted by the mistakes that cost him the only woman he ever loved. Now she’s back at his BDSM club, Blasphemy, and more beautiful than ever, and she’s asking for his help with the pain he knows he caused. Even though he’s scared to hurt her again, he can’t refuse her, because he’d give anything to earn a second chance. And this time, he’ll hold on forever.

GRASPING AIR — CARRIE AARONS

Peyton Adams learned a long time ago that selfish and detached is the only way to be in life.  Most disapproving of all? USA Gymnastics’ golden boy with an eight-pack, Jared Hargrove. After being cut from the women’s team right before Rio, Peyton is back on the post-Summer Games tour. Not only is she the only one without a gold medal, but her history with Jared won’t stay buried for long.

Control and good manners; the two things drilled into Jared Hargrove’s head from birth. As a four-time gold medalist, he’s always obeyed the rules and reaped the reward. Well, except for the whirlwind week four years ago in London when wild-child Peyton Adams finally got under his skin, and into his bed. She broke his heart, and he hasn’t removed the ice wall around it since. Now she’s back to redeem herself to the world of gymnastics, and it seems, to push his buttons more than ever.

ADDICTED — ALEX LUCIAN

Addiction: the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming.

Ruby was sin and sex.
The ultimate indulgence and worth every penny she cost me. I paid for her body, but didn’t know she’d end up embedded in my soul.

Elias was dark and tempting.
Unmatched in intensity and passion compared to my other clients. He handed me cash in exchange for my touch, and he dug himself into my heart instead.

Money changes things, firms up the lines of a relationship. But when it becomes an addiction—an all-consuming, life-changing addiction—the lines are completely obliterated. 

EXPLICIT — M. NEVER

“You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

Jett Fox has been surrounded by women his entire life. He knows what makes them tick, how to make them feel beautiful, and how to work their feminine wiles to his advantage. Honing sexuality is in his blood. It’s his gift.

Jett is accustomed to women eating out of the palm of his hand, but when a tall, mysterious, redheaded goddess strolls into Mansion –his domain– the eccentric Dom finds himself enamored. She becomes an obsession in his dark, secretive, and dangerous underworld — a world that appears one way on the outside but is entirely different within.

Forced to maintain the ruse at all costs, he’ll walk a treacherous line between allegiance and lust, deliberately deceiving the one woman who means anything to him.

SCARRED BY YOU — LAURA CARTER

Their past will become their future. Their scars will be reopened.

Clark Layton has the world at his feet. He is the CEO of one of the largest oil companies in the world and he has a fiancée most men would kill for. Then why, the night before his wedding, is he still thinking about everything he lost when he walked out on Dayna Cross?

Dayna didn’t intend to take the helm of Subsea Petroleum. But events beyond her control left her no choice. And she can handle it, mostly. She can juggle the long hours, the chauvinistic men, and a broken heart. What she can’t deal with is Clark Layton swanning back into her life and threatening to break down her walls.

RAZING GRACE — AMO JONES

I’m Millie Hart, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve dedicated my life to my Catholic faith. It was a part of me every step of the way. So when I decided to join a nunnery, no one in my family was surprised. I’m not sure at what point my life changed or where it went extremely wrong. My nightmares are becoming realities as my world starts to slowly tremble under the ground I’m presently shackled to. I was taken. Everything I thought I knew was about to rain down on me in drops of lies, deceit, and undiluted evil.

I’m more machine than man. I’m the alpha and the omega of The Army, and the leader of The 6 masked huntsmen. I live and bleed this life. The arms that raised me weren’t carrying love— they were carrying knives and AKs. I’m agent 000, the executioner, and the damn devil who walks in the flesh. No one can break through my hard shell— not even her.

IRRESISTIBLY UNDENIABLE — ZOEY DERRICK

She was his best friend’s chubby sister. He was the star football player.
It never made sense that he would want her, but he did.

It’s been ten years since Dyson Cole walked out of the barn after taking Ireland McKidd’s innocence with him.  Another notch in his belt.  Then he was gone.

Ireland has lost everything she’s ever cared about. She’s trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart, when the last person to obliterate it barges back into her life – literally.

Dyson has everything – money, power, sex appeal – a real life Adonis and women line up outside his door. But he’d gladly give up his whorish ways for the one woman he walked away from.

She’s wrecked, broken, a shell of the girl he once knew. He’s incapable of ignoring what she means to him.

She’s irresistible. He’s undeniable.

NICOLE WILLIAMS — TOUCHING DOWN

Grant Turner’s name is synonymous with football. The fans and media can’t get enough of the player known as The Invincible Man, a nickname he earned while growing up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the country and the nickname he’s kept by being one of the best players in professional football today. No one can take him down. He’s unstoppable.

But even a suit of armor has its weak point, and Grant’s has always been Ryan Hale.  They were a couple of kids when they fell in love, and just when it looked like the happy ending neither expected was within reach, Ryan disappeared. No explanations. No good-byes. 

Grant coped by throwing himself into the game for seven years, and he’s finally moved on. Or so he thinks. When she walks back into his life, all of those feelings come crashing back, despite the warnings in his head that tell him she’ll leave him again. Grant can withstand the league’s toughest defensive line, but he’s always been weak where she’s concerned.

No man can take Grant Turner down. But one woman certainly can. One woman will.

KILL ME — LP LOVELL

Una
To many, I am little more than a myth. The Kiss of Death, a hired killer, revered by some of the greatest criminal organisations in the world. Trained by the bratva themselves, without conscience, without mercy, the perfect soldier. I’ll kill anyone… for a price. Death doesn’t discriminate, she sells to the highest bidder, but even I have a weakness.

Nero
I want one thing—power. But power is merely a game of strategy. The pieces are on the chess board. Death is my queen, and also my pawn. She’ll paint this city red in exchange for the one thing she wants. Now all I have to do is watch it all play out. She’s nothing more than a weapon, and yet, I find myself wanting to dance with death, to possess her. And I always get what I want.

A game of power. A risk that could cost her everything. An obsession that would see the world burn at their feet. A bloodied king. A broken queen. Kill me or kiss me?

PREPPY — T.M. FRAZIER

Samuel Clearwater, A.K.A Preppy, likes bowties, pancakes, suspenders, good friends, good times, good drugs, and a good f*ck. He’s worked his way out from beneath a hellish childhood and is living the life he’s always imagined for himself. When he meets a girl, a junkie on the verge of ending it all, he’s torn between his feelings for her and the crippling fear that she could be the one to end the life he loves.

Andrea ‘Dre’ Capulet is strung out and tired.  Tired of living for her next fix. Tired of doing things that make her stomach turn. Tired of looking in the mirror at the reflection of the person she’s become. Just when she decides to end it all, she meets a man who will change the course of both their lives forever.

And their deaths. For most people, death is the end of their story. For Preppy and Dre, death was only the beginning.

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