61 books like Jolly Rancher

Cyrus is a man who has planned his success down to the most minute detail, including the type of girlfriend he should have. College, law school, career, and companionship have all been carefully orchestrated to contribute to Cyrus’ preconceived notions of what wealth and success look like. It isn’t until his girlfriend hires an unmatchmaker company to break up with him, and he meets Zora (an owner of that unmatchmaker company) that he realizes he’s had the wrong idea about success all along, especially with the type of woman he should want in his life.

I love this book because it upholds the notion that happiness can’t be bought. No matter how much money and prestige you have, unless you know how to love and be loved, success can end up being a hollow victory. Besides the running commentary on what happiness truly is, this book is equal parts steamy… show more.

Max and Lina have a complicated history, to say the least. He’s the brother of her ex-fiancé, the former best man at Lina’s wedding, and he’s also the reason her intended groom left her standing at the altar. As she makes a bid for a prominent hotel’s business, she’s paired with Max on a marketing project that forces her to deal with the man that ruined her life. Determined to keep him from ruining everything again while indulging in a bit of petty revenge, Lina seeks to get Max to drop out of the marketing campaign. But as they spend more time together, she realizes that Max, who was the worst best man ever, might be the greatest love of her life.

I love this book because it’s rich with humor, heart, and culture. Mia Sosa does a terrific job of making us laugh, while still making us aware of… show more.

Gideon Holiday loves Christmas. He’s literally dripping with holiday cheer. Unfortunately, his grumpy next-door neighbor, Paul, the man Gideon is crushing on something fierce, hasn’t a drop of appreciation for the holiday or the accompanying festivities. That holds true until Paul finds out the younger brother he raised plans to visit for the holidays. Just like when they were kids, Paul seeks to give his brother a joyous holiday to make up for the tough times they had when his brother was a kid. But since he knows nothing about getting into the holiday spirit, he’ll need Gideon’s fabulous Christmas powers to make this the best holiday his younger brother has ever had.

This story is filled with humor and heat. While Gideon is teaching Paul how to loosen up and join in on the neighborhood holiday fun, Paul also teaches Gideon that he doesn’t have to be lonely. It’s… show more.

Duchess is a female rapper who’s worked hard to get to the top of her game. As a rapper, she’s reached the pinnacle of her success. As a skincare entrepreneur, she’s almost at the precipice of realizing her dreams when bad press caused by an unscrupulous adversary in the entertainment industry nearly topples her ambitions. An invitation to a charity performance for the Queen of England’s late consort is exactly what Duchess needs to erase the bad PR. At least she thinks this is a good idea until she meets and ends up having to stay with Prince Jameson, the patron of the charity events. Instant sparks fly, but as a member of the Royal family, Jameson’s life is entirely mapped out for him, and that doesn’t include falling for a savvy and outspoken Black rapper. The scandal could ruin them both if word of their relationship gets out.

Funny,… show more.

In the western territories in 1870, very few authors choose a woman rancher as the heroine. But this author did. She built a strong female rancher full of personality that embodied the complexities of a real woman. I found Cheyenne very relatable. Sometimes she struggled with the balance of being tough and feeling emotion—just like I do in my technology career. I loved experiencing the danger, mayhem, and even the sweet romance right along with Cheyenne. This book has a permanent home in my library, along with the entire series. I loved it that much.

This series is set 6 million years in the future. In a universe entirely peopled by humanity and various iterations of human evolutions. Only one of which seems to be immune to the inevitable failure of their society that plagues literally every other outpost of humanity in existence. This world is rich, layered, and complex. It makes you wonder about what it means to be human and makes you fear. It definitely makes you fear. Shatterlings, man just typing the word makes me clench my teeth. I enjoyed this book and loved the rich world and vastness of the thought put into the creation of a universe that is empty but full at the same time. If you’ve made it this far down my list and have liked the others so far this is definitely in your lane.

I planned a trip to Scotland and immersed myself in Peter May’s Scottish perspective. I try to do that with my books: share the back story, the elements that make Martha’s Vineyard so special to so many people. This is the niche I have carved for myself over the past 15 years.

Peter May is a BBC stalwart; Coffin Road offers a daunting tale with an emphasis on the rugged landscape. May traces his tale right down to the water’s edge.  

And while this is a work of fiction, it offers a vivid view of the reality of living on an island: the isolation, the limitations, the beauty, and the danger. That’s what I do with my Vineyard histories.

Another one with the amnesia trope (I told you it’s a fave of mine!) Except in this one, the hero wakes up with amnesia, not recalling that his gorgeous wife is his on paper only…Kiru Taye can write angst! Feelings in general, but angst, turmoil, and passion that don’t just mean an opened bedroom door? She delivers.

I loved witnessing the romance brewing here and just waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it did, everything escalated, yet at no point did it feel like "too much." I also loved how it showed me a slice of Nigeria, in lifestyle, culture, and day-to-day living, that I’d never experienced before, opening my eyes to what life on the African continent is truly like when one looks beyond the trauma and misery overflowing in African literature.

I wasn’t sure what to think of this novel. I picked it up in a bookstore after reading the back cover with no recommendations from anyone. I should do that more often.

This book pulled me in quickly with its well-crafted mystery and buildup of suspense. I thought I knew what was happening, who to suspect, who to love, and who to despise. I didn’t want to put it down. Then, in the end, the author turned everything upside down and broke my heart.

It left me questioning the validity of my perceptions and my own reality for a long time after. It stayed with me, and, for me, that is evidence of a successful twist.  

A thriller with a kick-ass premise: Chloe wakes up on the side of a highway not knowing who the heck she is or how she got there.

It’s a haunting, scary, unnerving story about a woman trying to figure out what could have happened to completely wipe out her memory. What I love about the novel is how Wong’s relentless pace matches lockstep with her protagonist’s frenzied and fractured state of mind.

Bits of the past begin to slip through the cracks as Chloe searches for the truth. I love that Wong chose to tell the story from Chloe’s POV so we’re only privy to what this messy character remembers—or chooses to tell us that she remembers. Twisted, damaged characters with secrets are my cup of tea.