Book picks similar to
Shouldn't Want You by Lilian Monroe


romance
second-chance
contemporary-romance
dnf

Her Cowboy King


Madeline Ash - 2019
    . . Mark Jaroka is content with his life on the ranch, his brothers by his side. Until he becomes the cowboy king. Hauled halfway across the world after a royal family tragedy, Mark resolves to be worthy of the title. He’ll learn the ways of a monarch, but between him and his untamed brothers, the marble floors better get used to worn leather boots. Then he falters at an unexpected duty—forming a strategic alliance with the whip-tongued and supercilious Princess Ava Veisi. Ava’s only chance at happiness is to escape royal life and leave her poisonous secrets behind. The problem? Her parents have demanded she marry the new King Markus. She stoops treacherously low to try to make him refuse her, but as her escape plans start to take form, she finds herself falling for the sexy, kind-natured cowboy. On the brink of fleeing, Ava is torn between claiming her freedom and the love of a king. No matter her choice, it’s going to break her heart. Her Cowboy King is the first book in the Cowboy Princes contemporary romance series. If you enjoy heartfelt emotion, real and compelling characters, and sweeping settings, then you’ll love this trope-blending romance by award-winning author Madeline Ash.

Royal


Winter Renshaw - 2016
    He’s not even a prince - though you could say I loved him once upon a time.He was my older brother’s best friend.Growing up, he sat at our dinner table every Sunday, teased me mercilessly, and pretended I annoyed him.When I was old enough, he took me on my first date.Royal taught me how to drive. Escorted me to my junior prom. Gave me my first kiss…amongst other things. He was my first taste of toe-curling, all-consuming, can’t-sleep love.We had our whole lives ahead of us. There was never anyone else for me but him.And then he disappeared. No letter. No explanation. Not even a goodbye.My sisters and brother never forgave him, and my parents forbade me from speaking his name in our house ever again. For all intents and purposes, we were to pretend Royal Lockhart never existed.I’ve spent the last seven years trying in vain to forget my first love, but just when I think I’ve finally moved on, guess who’s back in town?

Wild Card


Karina Halle - 2017
    Rough, raw & rugged.As the man in charge at Ravenswood Ranch, Shane Nelson has never been afraid to get his hands dirty. His sculpted physique isn't the product of a gym, but of years of hard labor under a relentless sun. His straightforward, alpha tendencies come from a man who knows what he wants and goes after it.And what he wants is Rachel Waters.He's never stopped wanting her.They were childhood best friends, then teenage lovers who evolved into soulmates. But on one fateful night, Shane made a grave mistake, breaking both their hearts in the process.Now, after six years, Rachel is back in the small, wild mountain town of North Ridge, BC.Ready to face her past.Ready to face Shane.Ready to face his dark secret.But is a second-chance at a one true love in the cards? Or will their wild hearts be broken once again?WILD CARD is a complete standalone novel and the first book about the Nelson brothers of North Ridge.

Every Little Piece of Me


Lexi Ryan - 2020
    . . and the wedding invitation that changes it all. The first time I saw Brinley Knox, she was crying and heartbroken at her own sweet sixteen party. The daughter of the wealthiest family in Orchid Valley, she was off limits to someone like me—the teenage charity case, the hired help.But that didn’t stop me from kissing her. Or from promising if she were ever mine, I’d never let her go.The last time I saw Brinley Knox, I made good on that promise. Forget that it was the first time we’d seen each other in ten years, or that we were drunk in Vegas when we said I do. I meant every word, every touch, every promise.The problem? When I came back to the hotel, she was gone—the ring I slipped on her finger and the note she left behind the only reminders she had been there. Well, those and the hole she left in my chest in place of my heart.We haven’t spoken in the six months since, and I’m not the kind of guy who’d file for a divorce he doesn’t want.But when I get the invitation to her wedding to another man, it’s time to return to Orchid Valley and remind the bride-to-be that I’m a man who keeps his promises.Every Little Piece of Me is a sexy, standalone second-chance romance in Lexi Ryan’s all-new Orchid Valley series.

Charming You


Kris Jayne
    Now, she’s focused on her career, her friends, and making sure she doesn’t let another charming man lie to her and break her heart.Nick Halden’s life has unfolded according to plan. He’s on track to a partnership at one of Dallas’ premier law firms, and he’s marrying a woman who has the beauty, smarts, and connections to be the perfect wife. Or he thought he was.Fate and a dead car battery throw Micky and Nick together, forcing them to question what they want. Nick’s charm makes Micky’s heart pound with desire and her gut twist with mistrust. Micky’s fire awakens a passion in Nick that flips his world upside down. With his personal and professional lives colliding in chaos, Nick has one way to make sure he gets what he wants, but it means betraying the woman he craves.In their struggle to balance love and ambition, Micky and Nick will have to decide what they want and at what cost before they lose the one thing that matters. ˃˃˃ #1 in the debut Thirsty Hearts Series (Steamy Contemporary Romance) Charming You is a seasoned romance with a thirty-something, mid-career couple navigating personal betrayals, corporate intrigue, and a sexy adventure in Paris with heart and humor as well as heat. Guaranteed happily ever after.

Feels Like Love (Alondra Valley #1)


Jenna Hartley
    I'm secretly in love with my best friend's little sister. So, I do what any good friend would—avoid her.At least, until my house floods, and my best friend suggests I move in with Wren. Resisting her has never been easy.But when Wren convinces me to be her dating coach, it’s impossible. The more we "practice," the harder I fall for her and her amazing son.The more I start to believe what we have is real. It feels like love, but is it worth risking my friendship with Wren and her brother to know if she feels the same?

Law #1: Never Bet on Love


Agnes Canestri - 2021
    What everyone seems to doubt, however, is my ability to have a life outside of work that includes a loving relationship. So when my brother bets that I can’t connect deeply enough with a woman to win her heart—and my mother makes winning that bet a condition of my promotion—I accept the challenge. Too bad I never considered what would happen if I was the one to fall in love when all is said and done. EVA The walls around my heart have always been impenetrable. But the gorgeous billionaire who suddenly seems so interested in me doesn’t seem to mind. I’d like to say I’m not flattered. Or tempted by him. But…I am. And for the first time in my life, I’m wondering what it would be like to let my guard down and truly take a shot at happily ever after. If only I could shake this feeling that he’s keeping something from me …The bet was simple. The aftermath? Well, that could be the best—or worst—thing that ever happened to them…

The Other Side of Someday


Carey Heywood - 2014
    This time around she’s doing things differently. She hasn’t sworn off men for good, just isn’t interested in settling. Trusting someone with her heart again? Someday, but not today.Falling in love? Sorry, Clay Bradshaw is not the guy for you.He’s never been in love and he doesn’t see it happening. Hooking up can be fun, but more often than not, women are a distraction he doesn’t need. He’s a busy man, and doesn’t have time to date, let alone fall in love. Will someone ever change that? There’s always a chance, someday.Life doesn’t always go as planned, and love may find them both on the other side of someday.

Dirty Shame


Tess Oliver - 2016
    He also always knew that he’d never love anyone as much he loved Rylan Merritt. But sometimes love isn't enough.Seven years ago, Rylan Merritt left Bluefield Ridge with her heart in tatters. Now she’s back. And Kellan Braddock, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, the boy who she loved beyond anything has grown into a man. Will she risk her heart again? The story of a first love so strong it never fades.

Say You'll Stay


Corinne Michaels - 2016
    Instead, he got on that bus and took my heart with him.That was seventeen years ago.I moved on. Marriage. Kids. White picket fence. Everything I ever wanted, but my husband betrayed me and I was left once again.Alone, penniless, and with two boys, I had no choice but to return to Tennessee. He wasn’t supposed to be there. I should’ve been safe. However, fate has a way of stepping in.This time around, the tables are turned. It’s my decision. Second chances do exist, but I don’t know if we can repair what’s already been broken . . .

Billion Dollar Secret


L.A. Pepper - 2020
    “Your mom was right about you, you’re a troublemaker.”I’ll never forget those teasing words.He was forbidden fruit, a completely off limits temptation I knew could destroy me.Not only was he my dad's best friend,He’s the father to my very secret baby.It wasn't supposed to feel right when he touched me.It was supposed to be one night of passion.A secret…a scandal that we’d never tell.So the moment I found out I was pregnant,I ran.Left without a word.I thought I'd escaped my past when fate brings us back to New York,And face to face with the man I left behind.He's still single, and every bit the center of every one of my fantasies.The moment our eyes meet,I fall all over again.There are going to be questions...lot's of them.How do I tell him that our one scandalous night a year ago,Resulted in one hell of a secret?

Determined


Elizabeth Brown - 2014
    Do well in school, attend a top university, graduate with honors. Having secured a plum gallery job right after graduation, she was well on her way to accomplishing her goals. That is, until a chance meeting with a handsome stranger made her question her life’s entire course. Billionaire David Keith was sexy, successful, and on the wish list of every woman in San Francisco. Sam knew it was dangerous to hope she was different than all the women David normally dated, but for the first time, success wasn’t the only thing on Samantha’s mind. Would this distraction be her undoing? Book I of III, can also be read as a standalone.

Refuge (Pinegrove Mountain, #1)


Julianna Foxe
    Unfortunately, that means she has to see someone she never wanted to see again, her brother’s best friend. Chase kissed her back in high school and ran off and joined the Marines the next day. He’s now a cop, and is trying to squeeze his massive form into a sleeping position on her couch because he is refusing to leave until she’s safe.Chase tried not to fall for the curvy and smart Alexis when he practically lived at his best friend’s house as a teen. He knew he was never good enough for her, a point his abusive parents proved when they forced him out of town after high school. Now he has a second chance to show her how much she has always meant to him, if he can catch whoever is trying to kill her first.Will Alexis give Chase the chance to move from the couch to her bed? Or is their reunion 10 years too late?

Something Old


Liz Lovelock - 2021
    My name is Scarlett and my life is a mess.I’m two divorces down and don’t have any intention of going for a third.Then Lachlan—big time football superstar, one night stand turned husband in a shotgun-Vegas-style wedding, then ex-husband within twenty-four hours—stumbles back into my life.How can I keep him at bay and my heart from breaking again?

Raising Grace


Mia Pride - 2018
    She was my high school sweetheart and my twin sister’s best friend. But one night, a practical joke went bad, and the joke was on me. I lost Crystal that day, and along with her, all I ever wanted. Soon, I had a daughter to raise, but when Grace was diagnosed with autism, her mother took off. I was all alone… until the day Crystal walked into a conference room with the key to my daughter’s success, and the key to my heart. However, convincing her I’m worth a second chance is proving much harder than I ever imagined, and asking her to meet Grace and face the ghosts from our past may be more than either of us are ready for. Crystal Brent Stevenson broke my heart in college. I never knew why he did what he did, but it took years for me to bury the pain — with bad dates, one-night stands, and my passion for working with kids with autism. Just when all my hard work was about to pay off, I discovered the man who ripped my heart out years ago was now the financial investor of my biggest project. Now, I have to convince him to fund my life’s work, and he isn’t going to make it easy. After being assigned to work with his daughter, in his home, I find myself facing some hard truths. The circumstances that drove us apart aren’t what they seem, I’m still in love with Brent, and… I’m falling in love with his daughter, Grace. The baby that once drove us apart, is now the little girl bringing us together. Raising Grace is a full-length steamy, romantic comedy that will tug at your heartstrings and prove that love knows no boundaries, nor does autism.