Book picks similar to
Unexpected by Jenna Hartley


age-gap
romance
single-parent
contemporary

Between You, Me, and the Bedpost (Between the Sheets Book 5)


Serenity Woods - 2021
    As much as he loves her, he knows if he doesn’t do something drastic, he’s still going to be working in his bar, waiting for her, in twenty years’ time. So he’s applied for a new job in another town, and when their divorce comes through after Christmas, it’ll be time for him to move on. Caught up in a cycle of pain and grief, Josie’s retreated into her shell, cutting herself off from her family and friends, and refusing to talk about the event that broke up her marriage. As a psychologist, she knows she’s locked in a destructive behavioral pattern, but it’s impossible to break it. Despair threatens to overwhelm her—and then, on the evening of her friend’s bachelorette party, Beck does something that finally opens the floodgates, and she begins to talk. For the first time, the pain of the past lifts, and the ice around her heart starts to thaw. At the wedding, she dances with Beck, and after a few drinks, it’s all too easy to have a kiss – and maybe more – for old times' sake. Suddenly, the future’s looking much brighter. But can they both overcome the problems of their past enough to give their love a second chance?

Bite & Release


Cory Cyr - 2014
    Somewhere along the way her dreams of stardom crashed and burned, along with her life. Thirteen years later she is forced to return to Fairbanks because her unforgiving and emotionally-distant father has suddenly died. Ryan seizes the opportunity to not only escape her abusive husband but to be able to attend her best friend's wedding. What could go wrong? It's only Fairbanks, Alaska... While wishing she was anywhere but her father's funeral and wake, Ryan is struck senseless by a stunning, drop-dead gorgeous man. Her thoughts turn carnal and she desperately wants to know him in every way and position possible. There's only one problem... He's the devil's spawn. He's the one who marked her for life. He's the kid she used to baby-sit. And he's hotter than hell! Shea Michaels has loved Ryan Chase for most of his life. After surviving an unspeakable childhood, he became a man of whom she could be proud of...if she ever came back. Now that she's returned, Shea pursues her with a vengeance, undaunted by the thirteen year age difference that Ryan uses as the shield between them. Confusion, guilt and lust bombard Ryan as she battles the memories of the little boy she used to know while still being drawn to the heart-stopping man he has become.

Single Dad Next Door


Penelope Bloom - 2017
    Too bad I’m a divorced single dad.Cue my ex-wife’s best friend moving in next door.And then mix in a few bad decisions. What do you get? A complicated, sexy mess.SANDRAThe list of reasons I should stay away from my neighbor is about as long as his… wrench. He’s a dirty mechanic, he’s a single dad, and he can’t seem to keep his shirt on for more than five minutes. Did I mention his ex wife is my best friend? Yeah. Reid Riggins is absolutely, one hundred percent, the last person in the world I should get involved with. Even if he is heart-stoppingly gorgeous with strong, powerful hands that could rip my clothes off with ease. Not that I’ve imagined that, of course.The point is I don’t want anything to do with him. He can stay in his stupid garage with his stupidly cute son and hit things with wrenches all day. He can keep on wearing those blue jeans that fit him just right for all I care.Except I may have told a white lie to my eccentric, rich parents. I may have told them I’m engaged to a wealthy businessman, and now they want to meet my fake fiance. Unfortunately, Reid might be the only guy who’s willing to play along. No problem. It’s just for a few days. Just to get them off my back. What could go wrong?**This is a full-length, standalone fake marriage romance. No cheating or cliffhangers, and as always, Happily Ever After guaranteed.

Baby Love


Catherine Anderson - 1999
    In her loneliest, blackest hour, she unexpectedly finds a warmth and comfort she has never known in the tender compassion of a handsome, down-and-out stranger. In Rafe Kendrick, Maggie recognizes a soul wounded like her own—though she knows she must never trust any man ever again.Rafe is more than he seems—an enigmatic man of secrets who could give Maggie the moon, had he not vowed to spend his life alone. But sometimes love's flames can transform a cold world into paradise—and a man who's lost nearly everything, a woman who's forgotten how to dream, and the helpless child who needs them both can become that most wondrous creation: a family.

A Home for Lily


Elizabeth Kelly - 2014
    Now, alone and broke, she’ll do whatever it takes to provide for her baby.Firefighter and single dad, Logan Anderson, needs a nanny for his traumatized child, Hazel. When the fragile woman he rescued from the wreckage of a car shows up at the station to say thank you and applies for the job, he agrees to hire her. Lily is determined to keep her new job as a nanny. It means the difference between keeping and losing her baby. But will her growing feelings for her new employer destroy her chance at a fresh start for both her and her baby?

Tap


Georgia Cates - 2015
    That’s all she was when I agreed to play a part in deceiving her. But then the unplanned happened.We met. And all I wanted from her was a dirty weekend . . . until that wasn’t enough and I longed for so much more.Lawrence Thorn suddenly means the world to me. And that’s a problem. She’s my business partner’s sister. Forbidden fruit. Pursuing her can mean trouble for me at Lovibond Brewery. But I don’t care.I yearn for her skin against mine.I crave her smell on my body.I want to make her laugh and then hear her moan my name.And she does for a brief moment in time.But Lawrence wants more than I’m able to give. And it’s a damn shame because there’s no one on earth I want more than her.An epic love.A miserable ending.Unless it’s not.

Nudes


Sarah Robinson - 2017
    Ben Lawson is making a comeback...After a few tabloid headlines, they think they know me. They don't know a damn thing.  As CEO of a movie production company, I'll show them who I really am when we hit it big at the box office. My ex thought her smear tactics would ruin me, but I'm unbreakable. Rising from the debris, I swore I'd never let a woman distract me like that again. But then, my leading actress walked on the set and changed everything. Seductive, sexy, and unapologetic, Aria Rose could break me. I wanted to help her, protect her...love her. Instead, I destroyed her. Aria Rose is baring it all....I knew better. I knew not to trust another Hollywood heartthrob with a reputation like his. He was my boss and became my ruin. I should have stayed far away from him. Ben Lawson promised me the world. He even promised me his heart.  But he destroyed everything--my heart, my career, us. Disclaimer: This novel is for 18+ years old as it contains graphic sexual content.

Dirty Bad Wrong


Jade West - 2015
    His flesh is inked with the mark of the chimera - one body, two very different halves.He plays hard.He plays rough.He has no limits.He's so fucking dirty bad wrong.But I love him for it.***Lydia Marsh is always the strong one. The girl who never breaks, and sure as hell never cries. She's got it all - the perfect little life in cosy suburbia, with her perfectly nice boyfriend, and their perfectly sufficient sex life. She's even got her perfect little career plan all wrapped up at Trial Run Software Group.But when it all falls apart, and Lydia's pretty, green eyes are fixed on a brutally sexual stranger - the man they call Masque - she comes to suspect that being strong isn't all it's cracked up to be.For now Lydia wants something she's never wanted before...And she wants Masque to give it to her.**Warning - this novel contains graphic sex, and hardcore elements of BDSM. There are scenes of violence (consensual) as well as sexual practices some readers may find offensive.If you aren't turned on by dirty bad wrong sex then please walk on by. Thank you.***

Scars & Silver Linings


Kelsey Kingsley - 2021
    Especially when her career as a successful romance novelist had only just begun to take off. But with the acceptance of her flaky boyfriend, and the help of a friendly bartender, she begins to see how those two little, pink lines could actually be a blessing.Except pregnancy isn’t always what it’s cut out to be, and sometimes, things can take a turn for the worst when you least expect it. And after an emergency C-section, the premature birth of her son, and the loss of that flaky boyfriend, Kendall begins the hard, rewarding, and oftentimes traumatic life of NICU parenthood alone. But soon, she realizes that, where there is darkness, there is usually light. And there are always friendly—and very attractive—bartenders.

Cross My Heart


Avery Maxwell - 2021
    His intensity is electric, and I express a sass I thought was long extinguished. It's a shock to my system and seems to put Dexter on edge, which I like. Teasing him appears to be my new favorite pastime. Accepting the nanny position for Dexter's three children will be my fresh start in life, but the closer I get to Dexter and his children, the harder I know it will be to leave. I'm only meant to stay for a year, but all too quickly, Dexter becomes determined to break down my walls. He went from Alpha-Male to Alpha-Prince-Charming, and I don't know if I'm strong enough to resist. Dexter thinks I can choose them and stay, but I know better. He doesn't understand my kind of damaged. My scars run deep, but so does Dexter's determination. He has his eyes and heart set on me. Even our friends are joining in on this battle, a crazy bunch of misfits who cause chaos at every turn. It's me against them, I'm just not sure who will break first. If you liked Nicole Snow's Man Enough, then you'll love Cross My Heart.A page-turning emotional rollercoaster; can Lanie learn to accept love, or are the demons of her past too strong, even for Dexter Cross? Click the BUY NOW button to enter the world of Waverley-Cay and find out!

Rules of Engagement


J.T. Geissinger - 2020
    And one thing the sweet Southern belle knows for sure is that the foundation of wedded bliss is built on similarities: opposites might attract, but they don’t stay together. Enter Mason Spark.Rude, arrogant, and notoriously allergic to monogamy, the hottest quarterback in the NFL is Maddie’s polar opposite. He’s also her new client. Her gorgeous, infuriating new client who’s paying her an outrageous sum of money to find him a wife. With his multi-million dollar contract on the line due to his behavior on and off the field, bad boy Mason is willing to pretend to settle down. But when he starts to fall for the adorkable matchmaker who can’t stand him, the playboy finds himself in the game of his life to keep something he never thought he’d lose—his heart.

Roomie Wars


Kat T. Masen - 2016
    Who said you had to be married with a fabulous career and three kids? I had a great life. Single, freedom to do whatever I please, and best of all, stay home on a Friday night in my sweats, eating pizza while listening to the best of the ’80s. I’m fine. DrewWhen a woman says she’s fine, she’s not fine. Zoey had it all. Stunning looks, ambition, the whole package. Then he fucked her up. He broke her. And now I’m left picking up the pieces… again. Zoey Richards, strong-willed and driven, settled on the geeky struggling med student to share her apartment with, not the perfect-in-every-way stud who would just distract her and undoubtedly break her heart. When her ex comes back into the picture, Zoey seeks revenge and enlists her roommate’s help. All Zoey and Drew need to do is pretend to be a couple for one night. But one night can change everything. Refusing to break their “roomie code,” and in an effort to deny their feelings for each other, a war erupts between Zoey and Drew. She lives in the past; he, for the future. If opposites attract, will these two gamble their friendship for a chance at love?

Deep Down


Brenda Rothert - 2015
    My closest companions now are shame and loss. But a sliver of hope lies in the only person I have left in this world – the one who’s growing inside me.Survival becomes living again because of my child, and the town where I begin anew. That’s where I meet the man who starts to melt the ice inside my heart.As we get closer, reminders of my past become sharper. Clearer. To confront the pain, I have to discover what’s deep down inside me. Is there enough left there to become whole again, or am I too wounded to heal? A portion of sales from this book will benefit the Keith Milano Memorial Fund at AFSP

Collaring Cinderella


Isabella Starling - 2017
    But a diamond collar just might. I only have two passions in life - my jewelry making business, and women. And I like to indulge in both, any chance I get. And then I stumble upon her - Ella Monroe. Sassy but shy. Innocent but sexy. So sweet I know no other man has tasted her. She's my housekeeper's stepdaughter. Off-limits. So why do I want to bend her over my desk and show her what her virgin body has been missing? I'm going to own her. I'm going to put a diamond collar around her throat and make her all mine. My princess Ella. I'll give her a happily ever after. Whether she wants it or not. Possessive and arrogant, sexy as hell alpha wrapped in a designer suit? You got it. Innocent virgin heroine? Always. Add instalove that will make your panties melt, a magical fairytale, and a Christmas ball with a lost diamond collar, and you have your perfect winter read. Quick, smutty and delicious - HEA guaranteed, NO cliffhanger, NO cheating and a standalone story. It's all you wished for this Christmas.

It All Started with a Lima Bean


Kimi Flores - 2013
    It must be gifted freely.Abby Sullivan cherishes the life she is creating for herself in her hometown of Santa Barbara, California. She adores her best friend and supportive family. Her job as a kindergarten teacher offers her life hope and purpose. She is very talented at many things, especially hiding the pain of her past. That is until her world collides with Caleb Hunter’s, giving them both a lesson in forgiveness and love.A life changing love is cruelly snatched by sickness and death. A person must be willing to give love, the greatest gift of all, to receive love.A successful writer, Caleb is living life day-to-day. Giving refuge to his sad and lonely heart since his wife's sudden death from cervical cancer, his primary focus becomes honoring her memory by rearing their five-year-old daughter, Madison. Yet, when Madison Hunter walks into Miss Abby’s kindergarten class, everything changes for all three of them.With a little nudge from a loving mother-in-law who has everyone’s best interest at heart, anything is possible, especially when forgiveness and love gift even more blessings than ever imaginable.**This is book 1 in the Intertwined Hearts series. Each book in the series follows a different couple and they can each be read as stand alones**