Book picks similar to
WHY NOT GOODBYE? by Arika Maxwell


abuse
contemporary
second-chance
abused-heroine

One & Only


Viv Daniels - 2013
    Tess McMann lives her life according to the secrets she's sworn to keep: the father who won't acknowledge her, the sister who doesn't know she exists, and the mother who's content playing mistress to a prominent businessman. When she meets the distractingly cute Dylan Kingsley at a prestigious summer program and falls in love, Tess allows herself to imagine a life beyond these secrets. But when summer ends, so does their relationship -- Dylan heads off to Canton College while Tess enrolls at the state university. One love they can't ignore... Two years later, a scholarship brings Tess to Canton and back into Dylan's life. Their attraction is as strong as ever, but Dylan has a girlfriend…who also happens to be Tess's legitimate half-sister. Tess refuses to follow in her mother's footsteps, which leaves her only one choice: break the rules she’s always followed, or allow Dylan to slip away for a second time. ...And only one chance to get things right.

Never Stop Falling


Ashley Drew - 2016
    Whether she's skydiving out of an airplane, or setting off on the road to anywhere, she's ready to dive into the next adventure. That is, if best friend and always-by-the-book Nicholas Kelley doesn't put his foot down on her wild stunts first.When Corinne gives in to her growing feelings for Nicholas the summer before their freshman year of college, she takes the ultimate risk, making this one adventure he has longed to explore with her.But the moment they take that irrevocable leap, a shocking revelation blindsides Corinne, exposing her vulnerabilities, baring her fears, and shattering her beliefs about love. With their future—and most importantly, their friendship—now clouded in doubt, she must decide if love is really worth the risk. Because when it comes to love, you never stop falling.

Wicked Revenge (A Wicked Angels MC, #1)


Zoey Derrick - 2017
    He hid me away to keep me safe. Protected me from those who would destroy me after they destroyed my family. He wasn’t innocent, he was going to be the president of the Wicked Angels MC. I knew he had secrets, we all do.But then, he was gone. And I was alone.Six years after his death, I see the world with new eyes, but those eyes still want revenge on those who took my safe haven, my family, away from me. I find myself with two choices. Let it go and move on, or what I'm going to do - get revenge.Knowing what I have to do, what I need to do, Logan ‘Loki’ Williams stands in my way, loyal to the man who protected me all my life. I have loved him since I was three. He was my brother’s best friend. But right now, he isn’t my priority. I’m so close to getting my revenge.He may figure out my secrets, but I can’t escape him. I won’t give up my plans for him. No matter how much he worships my body and calls to my heart.I will get my wicked revenge. Even if it kills me.

All I Wanna Do


Kristine Dugger - 2018
    One night of letting it all go. Her going outside her comfort zone. Going for the bad boy. Him leaving the country. Enjoying one last taste of American beauty Both of them leaving lasting imprint. His was just a memory. Hers was a little more permanent. What happens when that memory comes face to face with his own eyes. Is it fate? You tell me.

The Billionaire's Secret Babies


Penny Wylder - 2017
    I need money, but what boss would let me bring my baby twins to work? Just when it looks like I'm done for... HE answers my ad. Cassius Anderson is rich, powerful, and he looks amazing in a suit. He says he needs someone to do light work for him at his home office. Most importantly, my twins can come with me. Everything he offers makes it sound like he has a huge heart. But he doesn't. He's given me a great job and a place to stay, so why does he act so cold? So distant? I'm sure he hates me... until the first time he kisses me. After that, he's a whole different man—someone who can't get enough, who won't stop touching me. What I don't know is that Cassius has a huge secret. And it's going to change my whole world when I find out what it is. This is a standalone novella with a HEA and NO cheating! Penny Wylder writes just that-- wild romances. Happily Ever Afters are always better when they're a little dirty, so if you're looking for a page turner that will make you feel naughty in all the right places, jump right in and leave your panties at the door!

The Guy Next Door


Kelly Myers - 2021
    What could possibly go wrong? How about a baby…Getting dumped is the pits.At least I still have my job.Until the hot guy next door becomes my new boss and lays me off.Thankfully, he gives me a new job as a favor and only asks one thing in return…A date.Only the fake date leads to something very real happening…in bed.Zack Noble is every bit as confident between the sheets as he is in the boardroom.I’m helpless to resist him.I know office relationships are forbidden.Yet sneaking around makes what’s happening between us even hotter.Until our secret is discovered…But I have one of my own—a little munchkin with the same blue eyes as his dad. When the truth finally comes out, will I lose Zack forever, or will we have our second chance at love?

When the Night is Over


Lily Foster - 2020
    She wants more for Simon than the ties that bind him to their dead end town. He has one shot at a better life, and she’ll stand aside so he can take it.Nearly four years later Charlotte is still nowhere to be found, and it’s not as if Simon hasn’t been looking. How can he forget the girl who still haunts his dreams?When the Night is Over is the first book in Lily Foster's new Blackbird series. Gripping and emotional, this second chance romance contains mature language and sexual content.

Accidental Husband


Nikki Chase - 2018
    Calm down. Breathe in. Breathe out.I can fix this. I just need to get this accidental marriage annulled...before my husband finds out I'm pregnant with his baby.Hot as sin. Richer than God. Notorious modelizer.That's Luke Alder. The guy I see on TV the morning after my drunken adventure in Vegas, walking out of a wedding chapel... with me.What a mess.But at least the solution is obvious. I just need to get this marriage annulled. Easy, right?Except I'm also pregnant. With Luke's baby. A stranger's baby. (I mean, technically he's my husband. But still.)One problem at a time, though. I need to get Luke's signature on the annulment papers first. When we're no longer husband and wife, I'll tell him about the baby.But then, as if I'm not already neck-deep in crap, I walk into my new office on my first day of work... and there he is. My husband. He has bought the company I work for, and now he's also my boss.Lunch meetings. Business trips. How am I supposed to hide my pregnancy when he won't leave me alone?His gaze blazes with red-hot need. His touch brands my skin with an unquenchable yearning. His voice, whispering all the right words, spreads desire like wildfire throughout my body.He wants to claim me as his own. His possession. And if he keeps this up, I might just give in.Accidental Husband is a standalone, full-length novel of approximately 50,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Includes bonus content!

Someday Girl


Melanie Shawn - 2014
    Going away to college meant a fresh and new start for the girl who lived locked away in a prison of insecurities. She was ready to experience new things and meet new people. But she wasn’t ready for him…Jace Butler had experienced things that no person should have to. Trying to come to terms with his past and live in the present was a constant struggle for the man whose demons lie dormant beneath the skin of his rippling body and sexy smile. But when she walked into his life, the chance for a better life came with her…After finding each other, Cat and Jace also find that both past and present issues are trying to ruin their chance for a better future. Issues that will have to be dealt with for once and for all…together or apart.

Binding Arbitration


Elizabeth Marx - 2011
    The undefeated defense attorney is prepared to take her fight all the way to the majors.Circumstances force Libby to plead her case at the cleats of celebrity baseball player Banford Aidan Palowski, the man who discarded her at their college graduation. Libby has worked her backside bare for everything she’s attained, while Aidan has been indulged since he slid through the birth canal and landed in a pile of Gold Coast money. But helping Libby and living up to his biological duty could jeopardize the only thing the jock worships: his baseball career.If baseball imitates life, Aidan admits his appears to be silver-plated peanuts, until an unexpected confrontation with the most spectacular prize that’s ever poured from a caramel corn box blindsides him. When he learns about his son’s desperate need, it pricks open the wound he’s carried since he abandoned Libby and the child.All Libby wants is a little anonymous DNA, but Aidan has a magical umpire in his head who knows Libby’s a fateball right to the heart. When a six-year-old sage and a hippy priestess step onto the field, there’s more to settle between Libby and Aidan than heartache, redemption, and forgiveness.

Hopelessly Shattered


Bink Cummings - 2016
    You just make the best of it no matter what happens. That’s pretty much been my go-to since infancy. Then the charming, bald headed, blue eyed, Brent came along and I thought all the suck in life had been flushed down the drain. Ha! That’s when my true journey began—motherhood. This is my story, on how I took life by the go-nads when I decided I needed closure from my past—my father’s sudden death in particular. But what happens next wasn't anything I expected… It’s hopeless… shattering….exciting … scary…joyful…priceless… and I owe it all to one man... Bear, a chapter president of the Sacred Sinners Motorcycle Club. Warning: Contains adult sexual content, the excessive use of the F-word, cheating, and whatever else that makes it unsuitable for anyone under the age of 18. 1st Novel in a Duology - that could also be read as a possible standalone.

A Woman Gone Mad


Kimber S. Dawn - 2014
    There comes a point in a woman's life when she realizes not everyone gets a happy ending.And no one knows this better than Lillian Shaw.The safety of a small southern upbringing and a happy normal family couldn't keep life from chipping away at her.And nothing leaves its mark like the bite of a broken heart.Blow after blow, Lillian tries to stay optimistic, but when faced with a choice that could destroy her future, she gives in to the temptation.When your first true love comes crashing into your happily ever after, you're supposed to walk away. Not fall back in love. But saying no to Leo was something Lillian could never do...Once lines are crossed is there any going back? Or is the risk that Lillian Shaw takes going to leave her broken again... And this time be enough to make her A Woman Gone Mad?***Warning: This is not a shy and tender fairytale love story. It's a raw, tragic, and gritty story inspired by true events. This book is not for the faint of heart, it contains graphic language, sex, violence, and drug use. MATURE Audiences Only. Not intended for young adult readers.***

True Hero


Susan Owensby - 2017
    Rules I have to follow. Rules that keep me alive.1.    Keep my head down.2.    Keep life simple.3.    Trust no one. That definitely includes retired Navy Seal Jonah Bradford. He’s completely off limits.It doesn’t matter if he wakes up the woman inside of me.  I can’t be that woman anymore. No matter how much he makes me wish I could. Jonah  Giving up my career to run the family business wasn’t an easy decision. Once a SEAL, always a SEAL.Yet, I’ve adjusted. I like my life, but something is missing.One look at the freckle-faced beauty working at the local diner and I know exactly what it is.But, I’m alive today by following my instincts and everything about Ally is setting off alarm bells that scream she’s trouble.I don’t care. I want her.The problem is she won’t give me the time of day.That’s okay. I like a challenge.I just have to uncover all of her secrets and end the fear that keeps shining in her eyes.Operation Ally is underway.

Then There Was You


Claire Contreras - 2018
    Love is about walking to the edge of the cliff and taking the leap together.Timing was never on our side.My first mistake was hooking up with my best friend.My second came years later, when we met again, and I fell for her. My third was letting her go, because I had to. Because a love like this wasn't built to withstand the winds coming in our direction.Love and timing.I didn't believe in either. Then there was you . . .

Keep Me Still


Caisey Quinn - 2013
    When she runs into Landen at freshmen orientation, she has a choice to make. Reinforce those steel walls she's built up around herself or give the only boy who can keep her still a second chance.Landen’s more than ready to tear down those walls, but this time when they come crashing down, they might bury her* This special edition of Keep Me Still includes the novella, Let You Leave:Layla Flaherty had the perfect life, or close to it. Until a stranger gunned her parents down right in front of her, leaving her with seizure inducing PTSD. After years of trying to pass as normal and failing miserably, she resigns herself to being invisible. But new to town Landen O’Brien sees her, and he likes what he sees. Much to Layla’s surprise, he doesn’t freak out when she has a seizure in front of him. He does the exact opposite, calming her until the tremors subside. But Landen has secrets of his own. Secrets that will either bind them together or tear them apart.