Book picks similar to
Mermaid's Ground by Alice Marlow


women-s-fiction
a-slice-of-life
children-involved
interracial-romance

In the Ring: A Dario Caivano Novel


Perri Forrest - 2017
    It isn’t without reason, however. As a teenager, Dario witnessed the murder of someone that he loved like a brother, and it took a lot out of him. It hardened him and left little to trust. Years have passed since the horrific crime, but it hasn’t gotten Dario any closer to being a man that can love . . . or be loved. In fact, he’s his best self when he’s in the ring where he can release his aggressions, if only for twelve rounds of “play”, to escape to a world where he can repeatedly annihilate the person responsible for his cousin’s death. But what happens when he allows himself to come up for air? Chanel Norwood is a single parent and club owner who is something like a “Boss”. She’s fiercely independent and knows exactly what she wants out of life, and right now it isn’t to be in an intimate relationship. She’s too busy taking care of business and raising a preteen son. After a failed relationship, Chanel has sworn off men—especially athletes. In her eyes, she’s already had one too many. But how long can you fight fate? When Dario and Chanel are thrown together, while the attraction is there, sparks don’t immediately fly. Both of them have lives and hearts that they’re very protective of. But as time goes on, they find there’s more to guard than just emotions when their worlds collide in a way that no one ever expected. “In the Ring” is not without its share of secrets, drama, and ah-ha moments. Overall, it’s a story of love, loss, life and paths to new beginnings.

BEING BARRON 3: TAYLOR & MAX: A Princess Doesn't Follow The Rules–She Makes Them (BEING BARRON TRILOGY)


S.K. Hardy - 2016
    She follows no one’s rules–she makes them. Now, however, it seems as if Lane, her oldest brother and patriarch of the family, wants to rein her in and put an end to her wild ways. Determined to come out on top, she turns to family friend, Maxwell Banks, who also happens to be her brother’s best friend. After several explosive bumps and well constructed roadblocks, they finally come to a breakthrough in the passionate, but complicated, layers of their relationship. Max, however, has secrets of his own that prevent him from being completely honest with Taylor. Any hope of them building on the fragile bond they've formed is shattered once the details of his deception come to light. When the betrayal is discovered, it could cause more than the loss of trust–it could be the end of someone’s life. Being Barron 3 is the third book in the Barron Trilogy. Books 1 and 2 can be found on Amazon as well as other books by S. K. Hardy. Warning: Being Barron 3 contains adult content (language and sexual scenes) not suitable for readers under 18.

Bow Tie Mafia


Cole Hart - 2014
    Jaya and her mother were home alone that night when two men in suits, bowties, and masks invaded their Atlanta residence. Neither her nor her mother knew what was happening except that they were tied up and duct-taped, and that the goons demanded money. All young Jaya understood was that she needed her father. Years later, the nightmare still haunted her and her father was never found. Jaya Woods had grown up and nearly finished college when the man of her dreams came into her life and destroyed her world. He told her everything she wanted to hear and showered her with gifts, while the entire time she was only being used as a pawn. By the time Jaya woke up to see the reality of things, it was far too late. Now facing years in federal prison, she meets up with yet another female with the same drive and anger, with the same vengeance to retaliate against any and everyone who has ever crossed her. The bow tie symbolized the cross, and the cross was simplified only with the pistol. Together, they will stop at nothing until they were both free and have paid back all debts to all wrongs performed against them. Together, they will ensure that Bow Tie Mafia always had a clip-on. Mafia... Life.

Cold: Daughter of Gaea


E.L. King - 2017
    Twenty-one-year-old Olive Trenton doesn't have much happening in her life aside from a temperamental friend who spends her free time antagonizing werewolf's, and another friend who when distracted may cause the second world flood. Given the job of managing these two trouble makers, she spends her time preventing near disasters and completing her homework. Despite the pressures of making sure her races identity remains a secrete on a campus filled with paranormal beings, she's managing just find, until a cold eyed Lycan by the name of Lucian Siriano enters her life claiming she is his mate. She may be more special then she knows... The minute Lucian Siriano lays his eyes on Olive, he knows she's the one for him. She is the key to giving him the power to compete against others for the title of Alpha in his pack. The only problem is, she insists she isn't the one and that they could never be. Lucian will not allow her to run from him, and has no choice but to show her that there is no other that could bring the same cold hit. In the eyes of the domineering and terrifying a Lucian Siriano, Olive will find her life thrown on its head, as she is dragged into a world she wasn't groomed for and forced to experience the coldest passion at the hands of the Lycan Heir. Will she break or will she fight the cold?

Choyce and Zenia: Finding Love by Mistake


Hydiea - 2018
    She didn’t know that an argument about dishes would lead to her never seeing him again. Choyce is a 31-year-old Police Officer that is married, yet unhappy. He has a beautiful nine-year-old son, and a pregnant wife. Zenia & Choyce have many things in common, one of them being the people they took vows with didn’t deserve them. Did Choyce have a hidden agenda with Zenia? Did he play a part with her brother getting murdered? Was he covering for someone? Did he mean it when he said he loved her? Zenia wants answers, and she’s determined to get them. Find out how spicy things get in New Orleans with this amazing two-part BWWM series.

Even Me


Celeste Granger - 2020
    He sees a woman worth loving.Jennifer Williams faces the hardest battle of her life. She is incarcerated in maximum security prison behind the death of her husband, sentenced to life. She resigns herself to the hand fate has dealt her. Jennifer killed her husband. That fact is indisputable. Yet, some things happen that are completely unexpected. A higher court decides to hear her legal case on a clemency petition. Attorney Tareef Ali fights to protect Jennifer in the courtroom. Prison guard, Quinton Miller enters her life. He’s seen her before, even though she’s never seen him. He’s drawn to her even though she’s behind bars. Quinton fights to love her even though Jennifer feels she doesn’t deserve it. A romance begins to brew that neither can deny. But breaking Jennifer’s barriers isn’t easy when she feels love isn’t within her reach.This is a standalone novella with a HEA.Trigger warning: Gratuitous profanity, some violence, detailed sexual encounters

Small Town Secret


Niya James - 2018
     He was the star football player in high school and my brother’s very best friend. He could’ve had any girl so why did he have to choose that one. He ruined everything, everyone and now he’s back to complicate my already complicated life. I have a son to worry about and there’s no room for the past. Small Town Secret is a super steamy stand-alone second chance full-length novel with no cheating and HEA. Not appropriate for readers under 18.

The Francine Rivers Historical Collection: The Scarlet Thread / The Last Sin Eater


Francine Rivers - 2016
    . . until they fall into the arms of the One who loves them unconditionally. Sierra Madrid’s life has just been turned upside down when she discovers the handcrafted quilt and journal of her ancestor Mary Kathryn McMurray, a young woman who was uprooted from her home only to endure harsh conditions on the Oregon Trail. Though the women are separated by time and circumstance, Sierra discovers that many of the issues they face are remarkably similar. By following Mary Kathryn’s example, Sierra learns to surrender to God’s sovereignty and unconditional love.The Last Sin Eater:A captivating tale of suffering, seeking, and redemption set in Appalachia in the 1850s, The Last Sin Eater is the story of a community committed to its myth of a human “sin eater,” who absolves the dead of their sins, and the ten-year-old child who shows them the Truth. All that matters for young Cadi Forbes is finding the one man who can set her free from the sin that plagues her, the sin that has stolen her mother’s love from her and made her wish she could flee life and its terrible injustice. But Cadi doesn’t know that the “sin eater” is seeking as well. Before their journeys are over, Cadi and the sin eater must face themselves, each other, and the One who will demand everything from them in exchange for the answers they seek.

A Tryst At Midnight (The Alesi Men)


Serenity King - 2012
    The title, some content, and publisher have changed. Piero Alesi is back in the states after being away in Italy for two years. At a family get-together he’s decided that Adanna Washington will be his. Piero is known for getting what he wants both in business and his personal life. He's never envisioned himself in competition with his own cousin, Nicco for Adanna’s attention. Nicco believes he has the upper hand—Adanna’s his sister’s best friend, and he’s been in contact with Adanna far longer than Piero. However, Piero is willing to chance that the love he has for Adanna will far outweigh Nicco’s lust. He only has to convince her. Adanna Washington writes about love but doesn’t have the time for romance in her life. She is far too busy. Adanna is late on a deadline with her editor — attending her best friend, Carina’s Alesi’s family outing is the last place she should be. Imagine her surprise when at the outing she attracts the attention of not only Carina’s brother, Nicco, but also of Carina’s elusive cousin, Piero. Not wanting to be a pawn in this game the Alesi men seem to want to play—she rebuffs them both, or so she thought.

Spouse Swap


A.N. Boyden - 2021
    "You failed to mention how fine this man is! Girl, do you see him?! I mean, come on! Imagine taking the sexiest lumberjack you can find and mixing him with the most rugged cowboy on this planet and BAM, there he is!"Tanya chuckled, placing her hands on her hips. "So, what? Now you're not going to follow through because he's hot? Must I remind you that your husband is a looker, too?"I paced across the lawn in my brown leather Saint Laurent ankle boots. "Yeah, my husband is handsome, but this man is fucking indescribable. I mean, let's be honest. I need a new pair of panties right now!""Are they moist?" Tanya teased."Bitch, I'm leaking."The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat caught our attention. I froze, mortified by what he may have heard."H-How much of that did you hear by chance?" I stuttered."Not much," he drawled with his sexy Texas twang. "I came in at the lumberjack cowboy hybrid part," he confessed with a smug smirk on his delicious lips.Charlotte (Charlie) Davis is a successful divorce attorney who agrees to participate in a social experiment where she swaps lives with another wife and mother, leaving behind her emotionally unavailable husband and four-year-old daughter. Her "new" spouse, Taylor Scott, is an electrician by trade who agrees to participate in the spouse swap program for the $10,000.00 to be paid out at the completion of the program. Charlie and Taylor have an instant connection when they first lay eyes on each other. Throughout the program, they realize their marriages have been missing the love and affection they've been craving. Taylor finds out a devastating secret about his wife that forces him to face reality and make moves for the safety and wellbeing of his family.There was one itsy bitsy detail in the spouse swap contract that both Charlie and Taylor missed...the couple has to sleep in the same bed...**This novel is a BWWM Interracial story filled with desire, sex, lies, betrayal, and drama!**

Explicit


Cassie Verano - 2020
    Mitch Black is entitled. He’s an arrogant asshole. He’s my new employee. And he’s a bad boy. I’m used to bad boys and I know to evade them every chance I get. But no matter where I turn, Mitch is around every corner waiting for me. As the Chief Human Resources Officer, I’m determined to prevent sexual harassment. She’s the CHRO of my family’s company. And she’s my new boss. Professional. Stuck up. Prude. That’s Blake Phoenix. She’s determined to make me into the model employee. I’m determined to just get her into my bed for one night. One night and Blake Phoenix won’t be the same woman. I get my wish. One run-in. One kiss. One taste. Now, I’m hooked, and I want more than just a one-night stand. Blake’s erecting barriers. But I know a secret that she doesn’t. One taste of me, and she can’t forget my rules. I don’t do professional. But I do explicit so damned good. But just when she starts to trust me, all hell breaks loose.

Brass Ankle Blues: A Novel


Rachel M. Harper - 2006
    Reeling from the recent separation of her parents, Nellie finds herself traveling to the family's lake house with only her father and her estranged cousin, leaving behind the life and the mother she is trying to forget. As the summer progresses, Nellie will have to define herself, navigating the twists and turns of first love. At the same time, her family is becoming more and more divided by the day. Does her newfound identity require her to distance herself from those she loves, or will it draw her closer?

The Eves


Grace Sammon - 2020
    Filled with poignancy and humor, The Eves captures the conversations we wish we had had with our parents, if we had taken the opportunity, and the lessons we would want to impart to our children, if they were ready to listen.Told through the voice of the psychologically complex Jessica Barnet, this is her story. As the primary witness in a messy trial she has been torn from the foundation of her existence—her connection to her children. With a partially finished doctoral degree, and incomplete renovations on her Washington, DC row house, she has let go of her ambitions and her appearance, but not her vodka or her sense of loss and guilt. When Jessica meets five diverse, determined, and sometimes ditzy old women living in a sustainable community everything and everybody changes. Through plot twists and turns that cover three continents, we learn the truth of Jessica’s life and lies just as we fall in love with the vividly drawn characters and the vibrantly described settings.

His Lost Daughter: A BWWM Romantic Suspense


Nia Wilson - 2021
    But now her father has been found and he wants her back.When a traumatized little girl entered Crystal Bank’s life, she vowed to love her like she was her own.The two of them quickly developed a bond and Crystal knows there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for little Sefa.What she did not expect was for the authorities to track down her biological father who just so happens to be insanely hot and charismatic. Not to mention irritatingly arrogant.The one thing she’s sure of is that she will never give up her daughter. No matter what.Two years ago, Matteo’s entire world crashed when his daughter went missing. Now that she’s been found again, he’s determined to have her back so they can rebuild their lives together.The only problem? That remarkable albeit stubborn woman who took Sefa in now refuses to give her up.Unified by a mutual fear of losing the little girl that they both adore, neither Matteo nor Crystal is immune to the fire that burns under their initial animosity.Will they ever give in to the feelings they’re trying to repress? And what happens when a dangerous serial killer looms closer, determined to end what he started?**** This is a standalone full-length BWWM Romantic Suspense with a HEA. ****

Girl, Naw!


Lacricia A. Peters - 2007
    But skeletons are busting out of her closet. How will she respond when her past comes knocking?