Book picks similar to
Pretty Little Thing by L.K. Farlow


single-parent
contemporary
arc
forced-proximity

The Sky Between Us


Mia Kun - 2021
    Some mistakes leave a mark on us and we have to carry their consequences forever.”HazelSix years ago, my life fell apart and ever since I was living within those broken pieces.Until I met him.The moment I walked into the Starbucks on my first day of work and laid eyes on him, everything changed.He saw me.For the first time in three years, I wasn’t invisible. I’ve grown used to staying on the sidelines and living in the shadows until I met him.Aiden Hitchings was my father’s favorite player. Our university’s soccer star. The one who lived in the spotlight.I knew I shouldn’t have tempted fate, but falling for him wasn’t a choice. History was about to repeat itself, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.AidenLast year of college was going to be epic. Juggling our NCAA Championship, coursework and my part-time job at Starbucks wasn’t easy, but it was all going to pay off once I signed my professional contract. That was before she walked in.The hazel-eyed girl with a sharp tongue, the one who always blended into the background, was staring right back at me. The Coach’s daughter, one I should have avoided at any cost but kept being drawn to. She shattered my carefully built-up world and inked herself deep into my soul.But she carried a secret with her that stood between us, slowly breaking us.And for the first time in my life, I lost control and I felt helpless.

The Protector (Four Forces Security, #1)


Alexis Winter - 2022
    But only one woman has brought me to my knees and I was just hired to protect her.When my sister demanded she set me up with one of her best friends a few months ago, I never expected to walk in to my new client meeting and come face to face with my one night stand.Billionaire heiress Blaire HansonA bottle blonde, walking pilates ad with perfect skin, a designer wardrobe and an attitude bigger than she is. And the look of disgust when she sees me tells me loud and clear that she hasn’t forgiven me for leaving her without a goodbye.She and I got off on the wrong foot the first time we met, and the day after…we both woke up on the wrong side of the bed—her bed.She may hate me and I might dislike her but neither of us can deny the chemistry between us.Spending day and night with this woman might drive me to insanity but damn if she isn’t a tease wrapped in delicious temptation—and I’m a moth to the flame.What I thought was going to be an easy job just turned into an international incident, when her father is taken hostage leaving her to take control of the company and me with my security firm to negotiate with the kidnappers. Only one small problem…the only way Blaire can legally take control of the company is if she’s married.With time running out and her father's life and legacy on the line I step up—to the altar. The more time I spend with Blaire, the more she needs me—the harder I start to fall. But I learned the hard way that falling for your client can end deadly in the blink of an eye.I was hired to keep her safe and that’s what I’m going to do. Even if I have to break her heart and lose my last chance at happiness. Book 1 in a brand new series about four alpha men bonded together through their experience in the Special Forces and their continued determination to serve and protect others through their security firm. These men have ONE thing on their mind, fulfilling their duties as protectors only love keeps getting in the way. Get ready to fall in love with these strong, stoic men as they navigate danger, fierce women and temptation.

Best I Ever Had


S.L. Scott - 2022
    How can it resist? He’s charming, devastatingly handsome, and sweeps me off my feet before I realize the impact he’s making. And then it’s too late.We fall too fast to worry about the consequences. We love so hard that we ache when we’re apart. Even though I have a past that still haunts me and he has a future that could put us at risk, none of that matters when we’re together.Until it does. And then everything changes.Although the best thing he ever gave me now calls me Mommy, I can’t help but wonder if Cooper Haywood and that fateful storm were one and the same.

Dirty Curve


Meagan Brandy - 2021
    She does.  But I don’t want to steal her time anymore. I want to earn it. If anyone can do that, it’s me. I’m Tobias Cruz, the king of the curveball. I don’t lose. Not the game, and surely not the girl. Little did I know, this girl has a secret...and it’s the dirtiest curve yet. ___From USA TODAY & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes an all-new standalone romance set in college about a hotshot pitcher and the girl who never saw coming.

Soft Like Thunder


Julia Wolf - 2022
    What a sweet name for a girl who is anything but.The first time I laid eyes on Theo Whitlock, I chased him and his frat boy friends with a bat.I’m no white knight.I’m broke. He’s rich. I destroyed his car. He chooses not to rat me out.I was never supposed to go to college, but especially not one like Savage U, where only the wealthiest need apply. One might call this a lucky break, only I don’t feel so lucky with a drug dealer breathing down my neck, and a gangster threatening to burn my house down.You have a face that could launch a thousand ships.Theo and I don’t make sense, but being with him feels good, and I need more than my books and classes to distract me from the chaos and violence in my life.I know you’re my good girl. Aren’t you, Helen? Tell me.We’re casual. No complications. We have to be. I’m keeping secrets, and I have a feeling behind Theo Whitlock’s twinkly blue eyes is a whole world of darkness.Do you think about me?Too much…Did I hurt you?He will...if the other savages don’t get to me first.(Full blurb to come! The release date will be moved forward. Savage U is a spin-off of The Savage Crew, but can be read as a standalone!)

From the Embers


Aly Martinez - 2021
    As a single dad with nowhere else to go, I moved into her guest house. And somehow, through the guilt and grief, we forged an unlikely team.It took years, but I watched the gradual return of her smile—slow and life-altering.The two of us could sit outside for hours, talking about nothing, and it filled the massive hole in my chest with new life.I may have carried her out of that fire, but the truth was, Bree saved me.As we healed, the secrets and lies of the past smoldered in the ashes, threatening to ignite again.Our love was born from the embers, and together we would go up in flames.

What Lovers Do


Jewel E. AnnJewel E. Ann
    Ann comes a hilarious secret lovers story that redefines the meaning of friendship.Shep’s found the female version of himself … and he thinks she’s perfect—perfectly unavailable.Everyone loves Shep, the charismatic employee at Scottsdale’s newest pet store. He has shared custody of his two dogs with his annoying ex-wife and a smile that can disarm most women.Except … Dr. Sophie Ryan. What starts out as a disastrous first meeting, involving a coffee catastrophe and mistaken flirting, turns into an unconventional friendship.Fake phone sex. Dog park dates. And eighteen holes of golf. The problem? Sophie’s taken herself out of the dating pool for a mysterious reason, imprisoning Shep in the friend zone for eternity.As their competitive personalities hit a boiling point, the gloves come off and so do their clothes. When Sophie’s “real” life threatens their relationship, can Shep let go of his past to chase the one that might get away?

Come Back for Me


Corinne Michaels - 2020
    I left for the military that day, vowing never to return to Pennsylvania.When my father dies, I’m forced to go home to bury him. At least I'll finally be rid of his farm, which is grown over and tangled with memories I've fought to forget.And that’s when I find her. She’s even more beautiful than I remember and has the most adorable kid I’ve ever seen.Years have passed, but my feelings are the same, and this time I refuse to let her go. They say you can't bury the past, and they're right. Because when long-ago secrets are exposed, rocking us both to the core, I have no choice but to watch her walk away again....

More of You


A.L. Jackson - 2018
    . . The second I saw him walk through the door, I knew he was trouble. A gorgeous rebel with a bad attitude and a huge chip on his shoulder.My heart warned me. I didn’t listen. I fell hard and fast. He promised we’d be together forever, and then left me with a broken heart. Now, ten years later, Jace Jacobs is standing at my door.Sexier than he’s ever been. Provocative and commanding.Successful and powerful. The man I always knew he would become. But I promised myself I’d never lose my heart to him again.Even time couldn’t dim our chemistry. One glance of his intense eyes, and I become weak. One brush of his hand, and he brings me to my knees. Little do I know, Jace holds the key to everything I’ve lost and everything that threatens my future.Now he will either save me, or he will break me all over again . . . More of You – a Confessions of the Heart second-chance, stand-alone romance

Bad Cruz


L.J. Shen - 2021
    Cruz Costello is my archenemy.But that would require acknowledging one another, which we haven’t done in over a decade.He’s the town’s golden child. The beloved quarterback-turned-physician.I’m the girl who got knocked up at sixteen and now works at a diner.He is Fairhope royalty.I get my monarch dose from tabloid gossip.He’s well-off.I’m…well, off.When our siblings get engaged, Cruz’s parents invite both families to a pre-wedding cruise.Except Cruz and I find ourselves stuck on a different ship from everyone else.Cue ten horrible, insufferable days at sea with a man I cannot stand.(My fault, of course.)But when the alcohol pours in, the secrets spill out, and I’m left with one question:Can I take another chance on love?

Puck Shy


Teagan Hunter - 2021
    It's good, low angst fun with some hot hockey players.

The Anti-Boyfriend


Penelope Ward - 2020
    When my daughter wouldn’t stop wailing one night, Mr. Manwhore came knocking on my door. Miraculously, at the sound of his voice, Sunny stopped crying. And when he held her…she eventually fell asleep in his arms.Deacon was rough on the exterior, but apparently on the inside? Mr. Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle was a baby whisperer.After that night, we became friends.He’d go for coffee runs. Come over to chat. Normal friend stuff.But over time, our conversations ran deeper. We got closer.Until one night we crossed the line.Our friendship turned into a complicated mess.I’d gone and fallen for a guy who’d sworn off commitment and kids.I knew Deacon was starting to care for me too, even though Sunny and I didn’t fit into any plan he’d ever imagined for himself.He was wrong for me—so wrong that I’d dubbed him the “anti-boyfriend.”Then why did I wish more than anything that I could be the one woman to change him?

A Brush with Love


Mazey Eddings - 2022
    Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable. A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules.So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can't risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is.Blood, gore, and extra-long roots? No problem. The idea of falling in love? Torture.

Riot House


Callie Hart - 2020
    As far as the boys who run America’s most exclusive international academy are concerned, I’m an unwelcome interloper, an inconvenience, and they’re determined to make my life a living hell. When Wren Jacobi sets eyes on Wolf Hall Academy’s newest inductee, all he sees is an easy mark. A reserved little girl with a target painted on her back. He knows nothing of my troubled past, though. Nothing of my mother’s suspicious death, or the horrific treatment I’ve had to endure at the hands of my psychotic father. And he has no idea of the lengths that I, unassuming little Elodie Stillwater, will go to in order to break the savage beast who dreams of breaking me first. There’s a wolf stalking the forests that surround my new school. Little does he know…There are far scarier predators lurking out there in the dark.

There's Always Someday


Harloe Rae - 2021
    If only he’d have me. Nolan Jasper has been my broody neighbor for almost six years.I’ve been hopelessly infatuated with him just as long.The bond I have with his little girl only serves to strengthen that hold. Since they moved in that stormy night, I’ve been trying to restore what was lost.I would do just about anything for those two.Acting as Nolan’s reliable doormat is getting old, though.Especially when he seems incapable of accepting love.I’m finally willing to admit that man is a lost cause.Too broken. Jaded. Withdrawn.Nolan Jasper has pushed me away for the last time.If only he realized it before I’m already gone. Clea's story.A romantic standalone coming October 7th.