Book picks similar to
The Child Comes First by Elizabeth Ashtree


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A Beautiful Mess


Brenda S. Anderson - 2019
    After her husband admitted to an affair and that a child had been conceived, he left her and their young daughter for his new family. Now, she’s finally ready to put the pieces of her life together. She’s set to launch her own business and even thinks her heart might be open to romance—should the right man come along. But just when everything seems to be lining up, she receives a devastating call: her ex-husband and his wife have been killed in a car accident, and Erin is listed in their will as their daughter’s legal guardian. How can she be a mother to the child—let alone love the child—who broke up her marriage? Does she have the courage to start over yet again and turn this mess into a mosaic of beauty? A single mother’s journey from bitterness to forgiveness.

The Cowboy's Holiday Blessing


Brenda Minton - 2011
    Even though he's not Jade's father, he can't turn her away, knowing she's in need. But he's going to need the helping hand of compassionate schoolteacher Madeline Patton. An unlikely duo with their own secret fears, Jackson and Maddie certainly don't expect the Christmas surprise of instant parenthood. Yet as they work toward giving a foster child a home, they might just discover the most wonderful gift of all: family.

Skin Deep: All She Wanted Was a Mummy, But Was She Too Ugly to Be Loved?


Casey Watson - 2015
    She has a Barbie doll in one hand and a pink vanity case in the other and the bemused Watsons can only stare in amazement at this tiny eight year old girl who is being guided into the room by her social worker.Phillipa, known as Flip has Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and life with her single mother has come to an abrupt end after a fire burned the house down. When Casey meets Flip, the child seems remarkably unfazed by what has happened and the thing that seems to worry her is that Casey might find her ugly.Casey has come across children with FAS in her previous job in a high school behaviour unit, but is now realising that fostering Flip is going to be full of challenges which will test her and Mike’s skills to the limit.

In the Line of Fire (Uniformly Hot!, #15)


Jennifer LaBrecque - 2011
    About to engage in a battle for his heart.Mission: Keep his honor intact.Obstacle: Runaway bride--and first love --Andi Mitchell.Colton respects one creed: Duty and honor above all. So he's torn when sweet, sexy Andi asks his help in fleeing from her intended groom. But her big, brown-eyed plea is so convincing...Unfortunately, Andi is his best friend's little sister. Translation? Hands off, soldier But that's a damn hard thing to do. Because this sexy, utterly absorbing woman is the only one he wants--the one he's "always" wanted. How can he possibly resist her when they're sharing hotel rooms...and their bodies?Battle zones are nothing compared to this. Colton's heart is directly in the line of fire. So what else can he do but launch a counterattack...a purely physical one? Because if you can't beat 'em...

The Holiday Nanny


Lois Richer - 2010
    The little girl hopes he'll come home for Christmas--and see her in the holiday pageant. With his harrowing past, Wade has always doubted his ability to be a good father, but he heads home to Arizona, determined to try. His daughter's loving new nanny, Connie Ladden, works overtime to help turn him into the father he longs to be. And with some help from his little girl, Wade just might turn his holiday nanny into a permanent wife and mother.

A Pretend Engagement


Jessica Steele - 2004
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The Christmas Baby Surprise


Shirley Jump - 2013
    She wants it to work more than anything in the world, so walking away from Cole is the hardest thing she'll ever do. But one last night together is set to change her life and her marriage forever…. Needing time to think, Emily returns to the one place that always feels like home: the Gingerbread Inn. It is the perfect setting to work out what to do with her little secret. And when Cole finds her, and her growing bump, he realizes that this Christmas, some things are worth fighting for….

Dad in Training (Steeple Hill Love Inspired)


Gail Gaymer Martin - 2009
    Special education teacher Molly Manning thinks the answer is threefold: love, time--and a dog. But Brent can barely let his nephew into his heart, let alone a golden retriever. With his tragic past, Brent knows what can happen when you love anything: you can lose it. Until Molly asks this dad-in-training to start with the basics by letting her stay...forever.

The Last Bridge Home


Linda Goodnight - 2012
    So he can't refuse taking in the dying wife he thought divorced him long ago—and watching over her three troubled children. The only person Zak can turn to is his cute neighbor, Jilly Fairmont, who helps him and the children through their loss. And not just because she secretly cares for Zak. Yet it isn't long before Zak realizes what this honest, compassionate woman means to him, too. Can he convince Jilly that his life would be complete if she agreed to share his future?

Mistress Under Contract


Natalie Anderson - 2008
    Lucy is his complete opposite: carefree and fun-loving. He can't figure out why on earth he's so attracted to her The only thing Lucy and Daniel have in common is their reluctance to have a committed relationship. When one steamy night together is not enough, Lucy is offered a short-term contract in Daniel's bed...only to find she's falling for him, the one man she can't have....

The Soldier's Wedding


Karina Bliss - 2010
    First he has to convince his childhood friend that their marriage 'agreement,' a tipsy scrawl on a beer coaster three years ago, is binding. And that platonic love is enough to build a passionate future on.Protect those you love...Jo has only thought of Dan 'that way' once; the night before a surgery that changed her life forever. Friendship is all she has to offer as she struggles to care for her grandmother and resurrect her business. Both have wounds only the other can heal. But that requires surrendering their secrets. Can two best friends create a love story for the ages?*Previously titled Here Comes The Groom

Loving the Hendersons


Synithia Williams - 2016
    You'll fall in love, too!Love's Replay: David Henderson is so desperate to stop his father from selling their family's auto dealership, he'll even marry to prove he's serious about the future. Enter ex-lover Sandra Miller, who is back in town to help her successful business career. Too bad those prospects hang on partnering with David, the man who once crushed her heart. Will the mistrust and jealousy that tore them apart before prevent a replay of their rekindled love?Just My Type: Janiyah Henderson enjoys her stress-free post-college life, but when her dad insists she can't handle a "real job," she's determined to prove him wrong. Her high-spirited ways clash with the conservative instincts of her new boss, accountant Fredrick Jenkins, yet attraction brews between them. When Fredrick shows Janiyah the man behind the numbers, she realizes she could be just the type of woman he needs.Making It Real: After five years in prison, Kareem Henderson is on the right track as a barber, with a goal to open a high-end salon. But he needs society connections to make his dream a reality. Patrice "Neecie" Baldwin, needs a shield to return home, so she offers Kareem a deal: Pretend to be her fiance, and she'll introduce him to her well-healed relatives. But as they grow closer, this fake relationship might become something very real.From One Night to Forever: When trucker Aaron Henderson rolls into Reliant, Tennessee, for business, a singing beauty at a bar stirs feelings he's long forgotten. Then his one-night stand turns out to be his new partner's baby sister. When Kacey Randal learns that Aaron's working with her brother and has a list of conquests as high as his big rig's mileage, she's ready to pretend their night together never happened. But the fire burns hot between these two--can Kacey tame Aaron's roaming ways to go from one night to forever?Sensuality Level: Sensual

Getting the Important Things Right


Padgett Gerler - 2012
    While Colonel Tom physically and emotionally batters his family, Ma’am escapes the turmoil with alcohol. Their children, Percy, Sis and Oops, with no adult guidance, learn to sidestep their family minefields alone. Percy longs for a loving relationship with his father but is unwilling to compromise his aspirations of owning a motorcycle repair shop to win his father’s love. Sis wants a strong mother who will stand up to her abusive husband but finds herself in an abusive marriage, as well. Baby Oops escapes the chaos by teaching herself to read at three and retreating to her own world where abuse and parental neglect can’t reach her. Siblings Percy and Sis forge a loving bond that will sustain them through the most poignant and tragic of circumstances. Whether it’s eating an entire chocolate cake in one sitting, playing Cuss Scrabble, double dating to the drive-in movie, or stealing their father’s car to hotrod in the wee hours, the brother and sister find unbridled joy in their friendship, despite the dysfunction swirling around them. Told with captivating grit, humor, and insight, this tale of family discord carries the Albemarles through decades of turbulence until tragedy teaches them to forgive and understand by GETTING THE IMPORTANT THINGS RIGHT.

The Undertaking of Tess


Lesley Kagen - 2014
    Four months on Amazon's Top 100 women's fiction/sister list!During the summer of 1959, ten-year-old Theresa “Tessie” Finley has her work cut out for her. Not only is she attempting to come to grips with the devastating loss and guilt she feels after she witnessed her father’s drowning, but her kid sister, Birdie, refuses to believe that their beloved Daddy is really gone. Tessie needs to make sure that she does before their Mom gets wind of how much “weirder” her sister’s getting. Stronger, and more down to Earth than ethereal Birdie, she’s always watched over her sister, so it’s only natural for her to come up with a plan that she jots down on one of her never-ending TO-DO LISTS. If Tessie can’t achieve her goals, she’s desperately worried that the beautiful, but self-occupied Louise, might send emotionally fragile Birdie to the county insane asylum.Her daddy always told her, “A Finley never throws in the towel,” so more than anything Tess wants to make him proud, but despite her resourcefulness and grit, she’s smart enough to know that the odds are stacked against her and her time is running out.Heartbreaking, funny, nostalgic, and spiritually uplifting, you’ll cheer the Finley sisters on from the first page to the last of this charming novella that sets the stage for the upcoming novel, The Resurrection of Tess Blessing.

You Can Trust Me


Emma Rowley - 2019
    And now she's releasing her tell-all autobiography.Nicky is the ghostwriter tasked with coaxing out the full story - including details of the tragic accident that blighted Olivia's golden childhood.But, as she delves into Olivia's life, Nicky discovers cracks appearing in the glamorous façade. From money worries to Olivia's strained relationship with her handsome husband, the truth belies her perfect image.As Olivia becomes increasingly hostile to the woman she's let into her life, Nicky becomes ever more relentless in her hunt for the truth.Has Olivia really escaped the ghosts of her past - or will Nicky find there are more sinister reasons she wants to leave an old tragedy well alone?