14 Forced Proximity Book for the Girlies Who Love Slow Burn Tension

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Emilia finds the body of her beloved twin. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden. Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked princes of Hell. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…

A formidable outlaw family that claims to be the first among nations. A son destined to lead, thrust suddenly into power. Three fierce young women of the Rahtan, the queen’s premier guard. A legendary street thief leading a mission, determined to prove herself. A dark secret that is a threat to the entire continent. When outlaw leader meets reformed thief, a cat-and-mouse game of false moves ensues, bringing them intimately together in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent (aka “bodyguard”), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his stalker. Jack Stapleton’s a household name, but a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid. When Jack’s mom gets sick, he goes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover.

When her fiancé Peter breaks up with her for his childhood best friend Petra, Daphne cannot wait to move out of Peter’s small Michigan town. But her dream job as a children’s librarian comes with commitments, and she needs a place to stay. Which is how she ends up roommates with Petra’s ex, Miles. Scruffy and chaotic Miles is the complete opposite of practical and buttoned-up Daphne, and the two avoid each other until one night of drowning their sorrows ends in a friendship and a fake dating plan. But there’s no way Daphne will fall in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex, right?

After Layla Patel’s life falls apart, her father offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man, without her knowledge. Sam Mehta finds the perfect new office space, but he’s forced to share it with the owner’s beautiful yet infuriating daughter, Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors.

When Delilah Green’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms.

Maddie and Theo have two things in common: Alexa is their best friend, and they hate each other. After one night together, neither one can stop thinking about the other. With Alexa’s wedding rapidly approaching, Maddie and Theo both share bridal party responsibilities that require more interaction with each other than they’re comfortable with. Underneath the sharp barbs they toss at each other is a simmering attraction that won’t fade. Two people this different can’t possibly have a connection beyond something purely physical, right?

When Millicent promised her elderly best friend that she’d reunite her with the woman she fell in love with nearly 80 years ago, she never imagined that would mean traveling across the U.S. with Mrs. Nash’s remains in her backpack. Millie is forced to catch a ride with Hollis Hollenbeck, an also-stranded acquaintance. The closer they get to their destination, the more Millie has to admit that maybe this trip is also about her own love story.

When a video of Adalyn Reyes in an altercation with the Miami Flames FC’s mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the team’s owner—who happens to be her father—sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she’s tasked with turning around the struggling local children’s soccer team as a way to redeem herself. To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery. Helping this ragtag children’s team is her road to redemption, and she is playing the long game. With or without Cam’s help.

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals since they first crossed paths as undergraduates in the literature department 13 years ago. Now that a highly coveted teaching opportunity has come up, their rivalry hits epic proportions. When Sadie notices that the job offers partner hire, however, she hatches a plot to get them both the job. All they must do is get legally married. It’s a simple win-win solution but when sparks begin to fly, it becomes clear that despite their education, these two may not have thought this whole thing through.

At 26, Sam Pulaski has massive student loan debt, a dead-end service industry job, and she’s been crashing in her mom’s condo for the last five years. If she can finally get accepted into a PhD program and get out of Ohio, the adult life that’s been on hold for half her 20s will finally begin. Her mom’s new neighbor, Nick, is the ultimate grown-up. His adult life began the moment his daughter was born. Sam has zero interest in an ultra-dependable guy pushing 40, but she finds herself falling fast for a man whose life is steady and settled—while hers is anything but.

Viola Sinclair has hidden her shadow magic her whole life. Discovery means certain death, for in the Kingdom of Aragoa dark magic is forbidden. When the Queen finds out Viola’s secret, she sends her royal assassin to kill her. If he fails, he will be the one to die. But he needs something from Viola. And he’s willing to spare her life to get it. Forced to work together, Viola and Roze uncover terrible secrets, sinister threats . . . and an irresistible attraction.

Finding work at a local coffee shop, Ellie Oliver is just getting through the days—until Andrew, the shop’s landlord, proposes a shocking, drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes. They make a plan to spend the holidays together at his family cabin to keep up the ruse. But when Andrew introduces his new fiancée to his sister, Ellie is shocked to discover it’s Jack—the mysterious woman she fell for on Christmas Eve the year before. Now, Ellie must choose between the safety of a fake relationship and the risk of something real.

Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half-brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave. Beautiful and deadly, his new master, Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But Damen must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country. For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else…