foundfamily

The Penalty Box

by Rebecca Zorg

Tropes: slowburn, forcedproximity, firstperson

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He doesn't remember ruining her life. She's going to make sure he does. IVY Seven years ago, Gabriel Castellano took the best night of my life and turned it into a punchline. It cost me my spot on the national team and the only future I'd ever planned. Now he's here. Traded to Whistler, parked in my booth with his new teammates, telling me to surprise him like he's never seen my face before. As far as he knows, he hasn't. So I did what any professional would do. I "accidentally" poured a pint of our worst IPA straight down his six-hundred-dollar shirt. Surprise. Here's the problem: his team just partnered with The Penalty Box, keeping my late father's bar alive, and the town wants repairs that cost more than we clear in a season. Which makes the man I've spent seven years hating the closest thing I have to leverage. And every night he comes back, hating him gets more expensive. GABRIEL People have told me who to be since I was fifteen, and I've never once disappointed them. Golden boy. Franchise face. So I can't explain the bartender. She hates me. Openly. Specifically. Like she's had it ready for years. The worst part isn't that I don't know why. It's that I'm starting to think I should. A slow-burn, high-angst hockey romance with: - Enemies to lovers—he doesn't remember her. She remembers everything. - Forced proximity, one blizzard, one bar - A second chance carrying a seven-year grudge - A grovel that draws blood - Found family, a bar worth fighting for, and one mechanical wolf - Dual POV · Slow burn · Open door · Guaranteed HEA For readers who loved the grovel in Elle Kennedy's The Mistake and the BC-set slow burn of Stephanie Archer's Behind the Net. The First Line, Book One. [Read More]

Gold

by Runa Saevik

Tropes: forcedproximity, characterdriven, adventure

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Six weeks, a book about wine, no complications. That was the plan. Luca Casini's father left him one word before he died. Luca followed it across the border into Slovenia, telling everyone, including himself, that the trip was about research. Matej Kos makes cheese in a cave older than the border itself. He speaks rarely, builds walls that outlast empires, and has built a life in which no one can let him down, because no one is in it. Neither man came looking for company. Something fits almost at once, easy in a way neither trusts yet: coffee that goes cold while they talk, jokes pitched between insult and affection, whole days that fall into a rhythm before anyone decides they should. The wanting arrives, blunt and physical and impossible to talk their way around. But when a key hits the floor, everything quiet turns loud, and what the stone has been holding changes everything they thought they were building. Some places are inherited. Some are found. [Read More]

The Traitor’s Game

by Vanessa Jayde

Tropes: slowburn, firstperson, darkromance

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Camila The night I bonded with my Alpha should have been the happiest night of my life. Instead, it was the night I was accused of betraying the pack. I didn’t run because I wanted to. I ran because staying meant death. For a year, I’ve lived in the shadows, hiding from the man the blood bond ties me to. Every step away from him feels like a lie the bond refuses to believe. But I know he’s coming. And when he finds me, he won’t be looking for forgiveness. Thaddeus My Omega ran. For a year the blood bond has burned beneath my skin, demanding I find her. Demanding I drag the truth from her lips. She thinks she escaped me. She’s wrong. The pack answers to me now. The world bends to my will. And when I finally find the woman who betrayed me, I’ll take back everything she stole. Her secrets, her lies… and the heart that still belongs to me. [Read More]

The House of Tanzanite

by Onyx Damoure

Tropes: slowburn, forcedproximity, foundfamily

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The dead come to her. He chose to stay. Amadella Vaelora is the warning mothers whisper. The last daughter of House Tanzanite lives alone in the haunted forest of Nytherra, breaking curses, tending spirits, and carrying the blame for a betrayal three centuries old. The crown calls her bloodline a curse. The dead know better — and lately, the dead arrive wounded, whispering that the darkness pressing her wards has learned to aim. Commander Theron Valseic gave the crown his sword, his silence, and his whole ordered life. His reward is an assassin's curse buried beneath his ribs with surgical cruelty — and a slow death designed so that no one would ever know what killed him. Then he falls through her ward. Saving him should be simple. It isn't. The curse in his blood carries a court seal, the healing bond that can draw it out demands a choice from both of them — and the bond hides nothing. Not his loyalty to the crown that erased her family. Not her loneliness. Not the truth buried in the archives of Silverden Crossing that could either restore her house or finish what the purge began. Trust is how ruin begins. Every old lie says so. But if Amadella's truth stays buried, the Shroud takes more than her forest — and if Theron keeps his vows to the crown, he loses the only thing he has ever freely chosen. The House of Tanzanite is a high-heat adult fantasy romance featuring a wounded commander and a forbidden healer, forced proximity, a consent-gated magical bond, slow-burn devotion, spirit magic, political betrayal, found family, and a complete happily-ever-after. Content notes are included inside the book. [Read More]

Valley's Salvation, Book 2 of Valley's Rise

by Gina V. Badd

Tropes: forcedproximity, firstperson, characterdriven

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Valley Bates and her fiance, Bryan LaCoste, are left reeling after multiple shocking events. can they push past the trauma and fear to reach their own black rainbow? Book 2 in the duet, Valley's Rise. [Read More]

My Hot New Problem

by Devyn Remi

Tropes: slowburn, forcedproximity, paranormal

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When a fox shifter chief has a Skulk to run and a business to get off the ground, he doesn't need a sexy she-wolf distraction in heels to make him lose his senses. Love has burned Elle Lafleur too many times for her to let a silver fox turn her world upside down. The shadows of her past still lurk, threatening to consume everything she's rebuilt. Étienne Renardeau doesn't scare easily. The shadow is dark, and persistent. [Read More]

Never Your Valentine

by Jordan Bloom

Tropes: firstperson, dualpov, foundfamily

Never Your Valentine is an opposites attract, grumpy-sunshine romcom packed with sizzling banter, small-town charm, and enough slow-burn heat to melt a Michigan winter. [Read More]

The Raven & the Lake, Book 1: Hoarfrost

by Rowan Ravenheart

Tropes: slowburn, forcedproximity, characterdriven

THEY SAID FAERY NEEDED A KING. THEY LIED. For three years, Jesryn Hallows called survival peace. Hiding from a fractured past in the human world, she thought she had successfully severed the threads of a destiny meant to break her. But when Faery's ancient ley lines buckle, the deep places of the world remember her name—and the gods come calling. The Veil between worlds is failing, the ley lines are breaking and Faery is teetering on the edge of magical collapse. To save her world and her people, Jesryn must return to Arcadia and take up the mantle of the goddess she refused. But returning to Arcadia means facing the prince that nearly destroyed her. Owyn Corey, Regent Prince of the Lake, has spent three years searching for the woman who vanished without so much as a goodbye, spiraling into darkness and obsession. But Owyn is no longer the boy Jesryn loved. As old magic stirs and destiny closes its hand around them both, Jesryn must decide how much she is willing to sacrifice for a crown she never wanted—and a world that demands nothing less than her life. Perfect for readers who love: • Fated mates • Celtic-inspired fantasy • Gods and prophecy • Second-chance romance • Dark fae courts • Ancient magic and broken kingdoms • Slow-burn romantasy with epic stakes [Read More]

A.I. Human: A Reverse Harem Alien Romance

by MK Stephenson

Tropes: paranormal, foundfamily, sciencefiction

Terrold, Gareth, and Kahnnan have always insisted they were perfectly content without a female mate. Secretly, though, each of them has longed for a queen to be the center of their hive. Knowing they will never have a queen of their own, they purchase a female-presenting companion android. But their new bot must be defective. It can't communicate, ignores every command, and behaves irrationally. Yet despite her faulty programming, they find themselves falling hard...for a machine. The moment they learn she can hear their mind voices, they realize, to their horror, that they have purchased a living being. Her name is Lyssa, and she calls herself a "human." Now “not-a-robot” Lyssa is stranded on an alien planet with three reptilian males desperate to earn the trust of the woman they unknowingly treated like property. When a human sanctuary offers her a chance to leave, the triad must prove she's more than their purchase...before they lose her forever. A.I. Human is a steamy, why choose/reverse-harem sci-fi alien romance. It is a standalone in the interconnected Lietvia Galaxy universe. Alien romance Reverse harem/why choose MMMF, including MM Child-free Spice level: 4 of 5 Dubcon [Read More]

Javi: The Others

by Kari Wiethop

Tropes: slowburn, characterdriven, foundfamily

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Luxury, power, and intimacy. A voyeur discovers connection is the real risk. Javi Quintana didn’t come to the Mercer Estate to disappear into the shadows. He was hired to manage its memberships—the human side of an exclusive club conceived from discretion and desire. Trading his guest privileges for staff authority takes Javi inside the velvet-roped world where nothing is accidental. He doesn’t expect the sudden pull toward connection. It arrives in the form of Quinn, a brilliant and guarded administrator who belongs to this world in ways Javi never will. Built on restraint rather than impulse, their bond is a slow, magnetic draw neither of them anticipates. But it’s complicated by the powerful man who already holds a claim on her attention—their boss. As boundaries strain and feelings demand clarity, Javi learns that real intimacy requires more than patience. It requires risk. And in a world built on carefully negotiated control, choosing love may be the most dangerous act of all. A darkly intimate, slow-burn romance about confronting limits and risking heartbreak for something real. Perfect for readers who crave psychological depth as much as heat. [Read More]

Bonds of Shame, Bonds of Lust

by Jordyn Haart

Tropes: slowburn, forcedproximity, forbiddenlove

Dr. Lacey Bonds is a good girl. Smart, sweet, and modest. She also has a secret so dark she hides it even from herself. When she catches her husband with two of his university students, her marriage is shattered and she has a second chance to find out what she really wants. To her surprise, it’s a craving completely at odds with her repressive upbringing. Guided by the beautiful young guitarist Ricardo and her hedonistic best friend Janice, Lacey enters the world of the notorious Second Circle Social Club determined to experience everything she’s denied herself. Unbeknownst to Lacey, Derek Harrington, chairman of her hospital board, widower and father to her favorite patient, has been watching her transformation with increasing interest. But the gruff, former Special Forces officer, has a secret of his own… As Lacey uncovers the dark source of her obsession, her carefully organized world starts to unravel, and she risks losing everything important to her. Through it all, Lacey knows Derek is the last man who can be allowed to see what she's become. But he’s the only one she wants to show. Bonds of Shame, Bonds of Lust is the first book in this super spicy dark contemporary romance duology. [Read More]

Poison Apple: Snow White and the MC Beast

by Katlyn S. Coen

Tropes: slowburn, forcedproximity, firstperson

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White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony. Fairy-tale beauty made flesh had one rule: Nobody gets close to her son. Fate—or the Norse Gods—had other plans: Shove me on a pitch-black parking lot. Drop a six-foot-six Sons of Ragnarök patch-wearer—inked, ruthless, and fourteen years my senior. I’m frozen in terror. My fearless two-year-old with zero sense of danger? Both arms. Open wide. And the Beast takes my boy like he’s always belonged to him. — Annika’s already buried one man she loved. She’s still haunted by the ghosts of her past. Drugs. Whores. Viking brutality. Ronny “Leif” Reinhardt rules the Sons of Ragnarök with absolute power. Innocence has never been his weakness. Until a tiny redhead barrels into his life and the beast finally meets his match. The feeling is foreign, dangerous, and fuckin’ addictive. Suddenly he’s everywhere. Watching. Guarding. Smirking. He calls it coincidence. Her head? Calls it obsession. Screams: run! Her body? Starts sending SOS. But the most terrifying part? He doesn’t rip Annika’s clothes off. He looks her in the eyes and asks, “May I?” There’s no going back. The poison apple is already bitten. ONE BITE, and you’ll be stuck in Germany’s industrial wasteland where the darkness hits harder—not for lack of light, but because hope, love, and beauty only increase the level of destruction. A dark, twisted Snow White retelling × outlaw biker romance. ONE BITE, Snow White… and the Beast never lets you go. Five books. One arc. This is where the saga begins. One warning before you bite: It is not for soft Disney princesses. But it’s not for those expecting blood, grief, and questionable consent on every single page either. The full dark romance × twisted Brothers Grimm fairy tale retelling potential isn’t delivered like instant soup. Think of a five-course menu. It doesn’t start with the heavy tastes. It starts with an amuse-bouche. [Read More]

Song of the Chintāmani: A Steamy Fake-Marriage Romance in Ancient India

by M. P. Gupta

Tropes: forcedproximity, adventure, foundfamily

She is the only scholar who can decode a murdered woman’s secret. He is the warrior ordered to keep her alive. Gupta-era India, 400 CE. Vachana Devagupta has spent her life studying the scattered fragments her mother died protecting. When the imperial court sends her in search of the sacred relic concealed within them, she is placed under the protection of Commander Aryaman—a disciplined warrior who trusts duty far more than desire. Their search carries them across river roads, temple archives, gilded courts, and deadly ambushes. To move unseen, they must pose as husband and wife. One room. One bed. A marriage built on a lie. But the danger is real—and so is the desire growing between them. Song of the Chintāmani is a steamy, open-door historical romance featuring a brilliant scholar heroine, a protective warrior hero, fake marriage, forced proximity, political intrigue, found family, and an ancient mystery powerful men will kill to control. Perfect for readers who enjoy lush historical settings, high-stakes adventure, intense romantic tension, and a love story unlike anything they have read before. [Read More]

Her Heart's Wish

by Dawn Baca

Tropes: slowburn, characterdriven, dualpov

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Can a woman who built her life around everyone else finally choose love? Leila Durand has spent years being exactly who her family needed: a devoted mother, a doting grandmother, and the steady heart of the farm that saved her after loss. But when Yuri Petrova asks her to come to Saint Petersburg, the quiet life she has carefully built begins to feel less like safety and more like a beautiful cage. Yuri has always been a man of stars, students, and solitude—until one unforgettable Frenchwoman makes his orderly world feel suddenly incomplete. From their first meeting at a family wedding, Leila’s warmth, strength, and laughter unsettled him in ways no equation ever could. After three years of calls, letters, and longing, he is ready to stop loving her from a distance. Leila is falling for Yuri, but loving him means facing the grief, guilt, and fear she has buried beneath decades of devotion. Yuri is falling just as hard, but winning Leila’s heart may mean leaving behind the life, career, and country that have defined him. When distance, family ties, and old wounds threaten to keep them apart, Leila must decide whether being wanted is worth the risk of finally being seen. Will she cling to the life that made her feel necessary—or open her heart to the man who makes her feel chosen? Her Heart’s Wish is an emotional later-in-life romance about second chances, found family, healing after grief, and the brave, terrifying joy of beginning again. Perfect for readers who love mature heroines, patient heroes, slow-burn longing, complicated families, European settings, and love stories where the biggest battle is learning to believe happiness is still allowed. Read Her Heart’s Wish today and fall in love with a romance that proves it’s never too late to choose your own happily ever after. [Read More]

Guarded

by Eden Sloane

Tropes: forcedproximity, dualpov, foundfamily

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For a chance to save his daughter, he’ll do whatever it takes… Sebastian Voss has spent the last three years fighting for custody of the little girl who means everything to him. Between a narcissistic ex-wife, her polished new fiancé, and a steady stream of damaging headlines painting him as the NHL’s favorite womanizing disaster, Sebastian is running out of options. Then he lands on one reckless, desperate solution. He needs a wife. Kat Morrison should be the last woman he asks. She’s a sharp-tongued journalist he barely knows, a woman with storm-gray eyes, a guarded heart, and more secrets than anyone should carry. But Sebastian has been gone for her since the moment they met, and if marrying Kat gives him a better chance at keeping his daughter safe, he’ll risk everything. Even his heart. Kat knows saying yes is a mistake. Not because she doesn’t love him. Because she does. For three years, she’s been forced to write the lies that have damaged Sebastian’s reputation and cost him chance after chance in court. Blackmailed into obedience to save her brother’s life, Kat has become the weapon aimed straight at the only man who’s ever made her feel safe. Now she’s living in his house, wearing his ring, loving his daughter, and falling deeper for the family she was supposed to help destroy. But the closer Sebastian and Kat get, the harder it becomes to tell where the lie ends and forever begins. And when the truth finally comes out, Sebastian could lose more than custody of his daughter. He could lose the woman he’s loved all along. Guarded is a spicy contemporary hockey romance featuring fake marriage, a devoted single dad, a morally gray heroine, found family, secret betrayal, and a hero who falls first and hard. [Read More]