Book picks similar to
The Upside of Down by Nicole Rodrigues


contemporary
single-parent
romance
single-mom-romance

Make Me Wild (


Gabrielle Snow - 2021
    And I’ve always secretly wanted my big brother’s best friend, Ren.He’s ambitious and sexy. Kind and thoughtful. A talented football player the whole town loves. Destined to make it big.Basically, Ren is the man of my dreams.But he’s the only person who is seriously off-limits.Gabe would kill us if anything was to happen between us.And I should have known better than to play with fire.I wasn’t supposed to flirt with him.He wasn’t supposed to flirt back.And he definitely wasn’t supposed to kiss me until my head was spinning . . .Because after that, there’s no turning back.Ren is the kind of guy who will do the right thing no matter what.The only problem is that he’s my big brother’s best friend.And being with me is the wrong thing...but it makes us both wild.MAKE ME WILD is the first book in the (IN LOVE WITH) MY BIG BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND series. This series must be read in order.

Best Laid Plans


L.K. Farlow - 2018
    In a big way. Too bad that the next morning he had no memory of our night together, leaving me heartbroken, and as I later discovered...pregnant.For the last four years, I've been rocking the single mom thing, making sure my daughter comes first. In fact, everything is going fine--until Alden storms back into my life, as my new boss.His reappearance wasn't something I planned for. Add my nosy, meddlesome three-year-old and an overprotective brother, and I'm obviously in way over my head.My only hope now is that I can sway Alden to see things my way...but you know what they say about the best laid plans...

Hold on to Hope


A.L. Jackson - 2019
    Jackson . . . Evan Bryant wasn't your typical hero.But he was mine.Broken by the worlds' standards, he was still the strongest boy I would ever know.My best friend. The boy I'd given everything to. My heart, my body, and the promise of forever.The day I'd needed him most, he walked away.He left me shattered and questioning the love I'd thought we'd shared.Three years later, I wasn't prepared for him to return to Gingham Lakes.It wouldn't have mattered if he wasn't the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.My fingers still would have ached to caress his skin.My body still would have begged to get lost in his touch.And my heart . . . it would have always sung his name.But time changes things. With it, secrets that could ruin everything.Can we find a way to love again, or have the fears of our past stolen the hope of our forever . . .

Mail-Order Brit


Poppy Parkes - 2020
    Mail-Order Brit is a steamy contemporary love story set in the rolling hills of Somerset, England. Come for the age-gap pairing and a sexy silver fox, stay for the modern mail-order bride romance. You’re sure to catch feelings as you wait to discover if they will. ;) Come meet the heart-melting men of the Wayward Brits series! They might not be proper but that doesn’t mean they’re not absolutely brilliant. These spiffing standalone romances will light your fire and make you smile. Happily ever afters guaranteed!

Fuck Buddy


Scott Hildreth - 2016
    He was the type of man women dreamed of - kind, caring, handsome and very protective of those he loved. After countless failed relationships, I grew tired of being single and made my proposition to him. Friends with benefits.It wasn't easy, but I convinced him to give the new 'relationship' a try.He had two stipulations. One - we had to remain friends no matter what. And, two - sexually speaking, we had to play by his 'rules'...I knew Luke was unlike any other man, but being in a relationship with him opened my eyes and made me realize many things about myself. My name is Liv. This is the story of how I fell in love for the first time in my life and the man who caught me when I did. A stand-alone from best friends to lovers contemporary romance. It is NOT a smut fest or senseless book filled with senseless sex. It does, however, have sex scenes that are smoldering hot. No cliff hanger. HEA. No sex outside the relationship, no cheating, no assholes, and no abuse to women. Due to the graphic nature of this book, please be over the age of 18 to enjoy it.This book also includes the entire Finding Parker novel.

Return To You


Leia Stone - 2020
    We were two kids, young and desperately in love, dreaming of a future together. Our love burned as bright as the red rock desert where we grew up, but we learned the hard way that sometimes love isn’t enough. One choice tore us apart, and we stood by helplessly, watching it burn us to the ground. It feels like a lifetime ago, but when I’m called home to care for my sick mother after ten years away, my past with Owen Miller comes charging into the present. I expected him to be the same kind, confident guy he used to be. What I didn’t expect was the fire still raging between us, even after all this time. Years of buried feelings emerge, as scorching as the Arizona sun. Anger, resentment...and passion. And the second time around, we burn even hotter. Giving in to Owen means finally facing the choice I made so long ago, but even old wounds still ache. Is the possibility of a second chance worth the pain it could cause in the end?

Park Avenue Player


Penelope Ward - 2019
     Then the fender bender happened. The guy I collided with drove an expensive car and was drop-dead gorgeous. Too bad he was also a total jerk. We argued over whose fault it was and any other thing that came out of his condescending mouth. Eventually, the police came and we went our separate ways. The insurance companies would have to figure things out. I had a job interview to get to anyway—one I was excited about. Though that excitement changed to disappointment the moment the person interviewing me walked in. The guy from the accident. Whoops! Yeah, so I didn’t get the position. The problem was, I really wanted it. No, I needed it. Anything to get me out of my current career and back into working with kids. So, even though Hollis LaCroix was as intimidating as he was devastatingly handsome, I went back to see him and begged for a chance. To my surprise, he gave me a shot taking care of his troubled niece. At least my attraction to him wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. I wasn’t about to jeopardize my job or the strong bond Hailey and I formed. But resisting the magnetic pull between us wasn’t that simple. (Then there was our little underwear game—don’t ask.) We continued to flirt without crossing the line—until it finally happened. This is the part of the story where we fall in love and live happily ever after, right? Well, life has a way of throwing some major curveballs. Ours was one I didn’t see coming.

Under His Ink


Maya Hughes - 2018
    Now, I’m back because she’s the only person I can trust. And I couldn’t stay away for another day.Being near me means danger for the both of us because no one leaves the mob unscathed. She’s inking over my past one day at a time and it's strictly business for her, but the flames licking at our heels aren’t just from the heat between us.But the only thing harder than leaving the mob is leaving her. I’ll show her that what we have is forever as long as I’m still breathing…Under His Ink is a 55,000 word second chance mob romance.

Someone Else's Ocean


Kate Stewart - 2018
    Thomas, I was six years old and we shared a summer beneath the stars.The second time I met Ian Kemp, he was a shell of the boy I once knew. Turbulent and infuriating, he refused my friendship at every turn. Like me, he was a casualty of life’s cruelty, but we were planets apart. We’d both sought refuge on the island, hoping to find our anchor. Instead, we found each other and managed to reclaim our stars...until we both got swept away.

Penthouse Prince


Kendall Ryan - 2020
     We did everything together. He taught me how to throw a punch, how to change a tire…and he taught me how to kiss. I fell hard and fast, and gave him all my firsts. I promised I’d wait for him… But I’m done waiting, because he went off to college and never came back. He took his fancy business degree and moved to New York City, where he promptly became a real estate mogul—turning every penthouse and apartment project he touched into gold. It’s been ten years, and now he’s back and needs a favor…someone to watch his little girl. That’s right, the cocky penthouse prince and heartbreaker extraordinaire Lexington is back with an adorable two-year-old daughter. Guess who he wants to watch her? I’ve never been able to say no to him. I might agree to be the nanny for his precious little angel, but there’s no way in hell I’m falling for her hot-as-sin daddy.

Hard Crush


Mira Lyn Kelly - 2018
    And I’m not talking about my ever-ailing phone or the temperamental Smart Board in my classroom. I’m talking about the internationally hailed “Tech Genius” formerly known as the boy I used to love. It was bad enough seeing that cocky smile staring back at me from my newsfeeds, the gossip sites, and—fine—the scorchingly hot men’s fitness magazine I bought in a moment of weakness. But now he’s back home, teasing me with the memories I’ve tried to leave behind, crowding into my space and taunting me with the kiss I can’t resist. I know it’s only a matter of time before I lose him again. He’s already told me he isn’t staying, warned me he’s changed. I know better than to let him get too close, so why can’t I push him away?HANKThey call me a visionary. An innovator. Hell, last week a headline touted me as the billion-dollar geek keeping Silicon Valley’s panties wet. Try living that down. Strip away the media BS, and I’m just a tech-minded guy with my eyes on the future and no time for a past I can't change. So what am I doing following the sweet sound of its laugh back to the woman who passed on our chance at forever?I tell myself all I want is to say hello. To see her smile. Just a few minutes to pretend we’re still the “us” I thought would never end. But once I've had a taste of the too tempting woman she's become, a few minutes isn’t enough. The man I am today is used to getting what he wants, and I want her.The problem? She wants the guy I used to be.Ten years later, all that’s changed is… everything.

My Bestie's Ex


Piper Rayne - 2020
    He’s not a sweater or a skirt. He’s not even her favorite dress—the lucky one she wears on first dates. The one she probably wore on her first date with him. In my defense, I didn’t know who he was. To me, he was a cool, calm, confident stranger. He was perfection for the entire hour and a half train ride while the concrete jungle turned into a rolling green landscape. To an outsider, we probably appeared more friends than hopeful lovers. But my blush came quickly, and his dimples indented with every smile. We definitely shared a spark of what could be. Too bad I didn’t know who he was before I fell for him, because he can’t be mine.

Brother's Best Friend is Back


Eva Luxe - 2017
     The last time I saw Chrissy, she was in pigtails and she had a crush on me. Even named her Ken and Barbie dolls after us and made them play games. To me, she was just my best friend’s annoying little sister. Now everything’s changed. I want to pull that bikini off her womanly curves. And pull her hair while I take her from behind, for her very first time. But I’m back in town for a reason— I’m working for her strict father. He'll give me the boot if he knows what I want to do to his daughter. What Daddy doesn't know won't hurt him, because I'm gonna play doctor with her now for real. Brother’s Best Friend is Back is a standalone steamy romance featuring a bad boy next door and the curvy, feisty heroine who steals his heart. It contains no cheating, no cliffhangers and a happy ever after.

Love in Lingerie


Alessandra Torre - 2017
    I didn't expect her to become my friend. I didn't expect to fall in love with her.The first rule of business is to never touch your employees. I think there is another rule about not falling for your best friend--a rule against imagining the curves of her body, or the way her breathing would change if I pulled down her panties and unzipped my pants.Now, I can't wait any longer. I'm tossing out the rules.Damn the company.Damn our friendship.Damn my fears.WARNING: This standalone is packed with sexual tension, insane chemistry, and enough surprises to keep you glued to its pages. May cause distraction from life and require a change of panties.

Release


Aly Martinez - 2020
     Growing up, Ramsey Stewart branded my soul in ways time could never heal. At twelve, he asked me to be his girlfriend. At thirteen, he gave me my first kiss. By sixteen, we’d fallen in love, planned a future together, and had our eyes set on the horizon. Love never fails, right? But for Ramsey, it did. Love failed him. I failed him. The entire world failed him. At seventeen, Ramsey was convicted of killing the boy who assaulted me. Move on, he wrote in his first and only letter from prison. Start a new life, he urged. I don’t love you anymore, he lied. There was no such thing as giving up on Ramsey. Love may have been our curse, but he was mine—then, now, and forever. So here I am, twelve long years later, waiting for a man I don't even know to emerge from between the chain link gates.