Book picks similar to
Wild With You by J.H. Croix


arc
single-parent
romance
slow-burn

First Light


Isabel Jolie - 2021
    Letting someone in could be devastating for my family.For the most part, isolation isn’t a hardship. I haven’t been looking for love or any kind of serious relationship.But then I met Logan. I tried to keep my distance. He won’t let me.Logan is gentle, kind, and loving. Everything I never knew I needed in my life.He’s also a cop—exactly the kind of man who’d never understand my truth.So, while he has shared his deepest, darkest secrets, I keep mine hidden.Too bad I can’t keep my heart locked away, too.Because now I’m falling for a man who can never be mine. Not truly, anyway. How can I ask him to be my future when I can’t even let him help me survive my present?******A steamy girl next door romance featuring a former-military, grumpy hero temporarily relocated to a resort island with a small-town atmosphere, right off the coast of North Carolina. First Light is a standalone steamy contemporary romance. The Haven Island Series can be read in any order; you do not need to read any of the other books in the series to enjoy First Light.

Only You: A Standalone Contemporary Romance


K.T. Quinn - 2021
    

Up in Smoke


Kate Meader - 2022
    Bruised and burned by my marriage, I don’t have time for dating or drama, but I always have time for pie. And when I share a slice of cherry with a sweet redhead, followed by the hottest, dirtiest, most pulse-pounding kiss of my life, I start to rethink the possibilities.Until that same woman walks into my firehouse and upends my well-ordered world.Abby Sullivan is now a rookie firefighter on my crew and a threat to my self-control more dangerous than a five-alarm blaze. My job is to watch her six when all I want is to watch her fall into my bed. Lust has no place in the firehouse, and a distraction like Abby with her electric blue eyes, waves of flame-red hair, and freckles I want to map with my tongue, is one I can ill afford.Because one wrong move … and it could all go up in smoke.Up in Smoke is the first in the brand new Hot in Chicago Rookies series about firefighters navigating the trials of new jobs and sizzling romances as they find their place in the world and the love of a lifetime.

Finally You


Claudia Y. Burgoa - 2021
    When we were teenagers we fell in love.We promised to be each other’s forever.He promised to come back for me. Spoiler alert: he broke all of the promises. I grew up, but that big heartbreak was it for me. I built a successful lavender farm and a shop and that’s now my only priority. All is well until Mane’s grandfather falls ill and all the Cantú family comes back to Luna Harbor. For good.What’s worse is that Mane’s now famous. Like, real-life famous, not Luna Harbor famous. He made a name for himself with his band and he and his perfect face dare to open a bar next to my store with his bandmates.Well, he may have started the war, but I plan to finish it.Except now we’re seeing each other everywhere, and I’m starting to remember the way we used to be.Still, I’m sticking to my guns. I’m not falling for the prodigal son.Until one kiss changes everything.

Ground Zero


April Canavan - 2021
    Ground Zero: The center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activityJoshI carried her lifeless body out of a burning building.One that collapsed on top of us, forcing us to fight for survival.Where she gave her life so that I could live.That nightmare wasn’t the happy ending I thought I’d find in the flames.Turns out, it wasn’t our ending at all.It was the beginning of our story.The one where I fell in love without knowing what was happening.Or the destruction she would thrust into my path.NiaMy entire life has been bringing me to the brink of…Well, I don’t know, but it’s something big.What I do know is that I won’t settle.Not in my career, and not in my love life.I wasn’t even looking for a relationship.Until he walks through the flames and ash, right into my bed.Ours might not be the perfect story.But that’s half the fun.And if I survive the carnage he drags me into…I might just fall in love after all.

No Strings Attached


Lara Ward Cosio - 2021
    Especially not random guys in my local coffee shop. I mean, I’m a single working mom, completely devoted to my four-year-old daughter. This so isn’t me. It’s just that his backside is … phenomenal.Turns out his name is Tanner and he’s been watching me right back. Not at the coffee shop, but from his construction site across the street from my apartment. After a couple of flirty encounters, our mutual attraction leads to a no strings attached bargain based purely on convenience and pleasure. This arrangement is totally uncharacteristic for me, but it’s also perfect. Or so I tell myself. Before long, we’re spending time with each other that has nothing to do with our agreement and things between us start to feel all too real. When my swoony, completely unreliable, rock star ex comes back into town begging for a chance to reunite our family, things get … complicated. Suddenly, Tanner is jealous and I’m trying to figure out where I stand and what I want, torn between what makes me happy and what’s best for my daughter. No Strings Attached is a steamy stand-alone romance with a guaranteed HEA by the author of Hula Girl.★ Author's Note: No Strings Attached is based on a previously published short story titled One More Try. The main premise is the same, but there's a whole lot more romance and story to be had with No Strings Attached!

The Setup and The Substitute (New Orleans Revelers, #3)


Jiffy Kate - 2021
    Owen Thatcher has been ghosted by his ex, leaving him to pick up the pieces of their family in the midst of being traded to a new team. After striking out with nanny after nanny, he’s desperate to create a stable life for his two kids. Sophie Callahan comes from an affluent family but this free spirit is nothing like the stereotypical trust fund baby. While she waits on the perfect job to open up, she’s making it work as a substitute teacher.But a ruggedly handsome baseball player makes her an offer she can’t refuse. And it’s a whole new ball game when these attractive, available adults are under one roof.

Distracted


Michelle Fernandez - 2021
    Our childhood was carefree and full of daring adventures. Then we grew up, pursued our careers, and moved on with our lives. She's the girl I've loved since I was fifteen. The thing is, she doesn't know it, and I never plan on telling her.The death of her parents brought us back to our hometown of Sunnyville six years ago. We reminisced and I was her shoulder to cry on. One thing led to another, giving each other a night I will never forget, and the bond that ended our friendship.Now, another funeral brings me back home, and there she is, with her daughter. Sabrina is everything I want but can't have. I want to talk to her about our awkward night and rectify what we once had.But just when things get right with us, complications arise, and outside forces threaten our lives.Distracted will be written within K. Bromberg’s bestselling Everyday Hero world and the sexy Malone Brothers will definitely make their appearance. It’s an epic crossover from The Broken Hero Series that you’re sure to enjoy!

Crossed by the Stars


L.J. Evans - 2021
    A life full of love will always be worth it.” Dax Armaud has spent the last decade haunted by feelings for the one woman he can never be with. Family secrets mean just being seen with a Mori is a dangerous dance let alone dating one. But a desperate call sends him spinning back into Jada’s life, and now he can’t walk away without leaving half his soul behind.For years, Jada Mori fought the ties to her father’s world while healing a broken heart. She thought she’d finally escaped both until a shadow creeps out of her past seeking retribution. When Dax shows up trying to protect her, she’s determined to send him away before her mistakes destroy them. Forced into hiding, the tantalizing desire hovering between them refuses to be ignored, and in the end, they’ll have to decide what matters most―family allegiances or a chance at a forever after. Inspired by Imelda May’s “Falling in Love with You Again,” comes an emotional, second-chance romance with deep, relatable characters and a story you might never forget.

Falling in Fate


Melanie Shawn - 2021
    When she woke up, she expected to walk down the aisle and say, “I do.” Instead, she ended up at a diner commiserating with her sisters as she inhaled a carb heavy breakfast and ate her feelings. With her entire future in limbo, Ava was plotting her next move when she overheard a deep, sexy, blast-from-the-past voice ask for a table for two. She tried to place where she'd heard the baritone vibrato before but it was sort of hard to concentrate with the tiny hairs on the back of her neck standing up, goosebumps lifting on her bare skin, and her lady parts throwing a rave.After nearly twenty years on the force Asher Ford thought he could handle anything, but becoming a single dad to a rebellious teenage girl overnight was proving to be more difficult than he’d expected. In a hail Mary move, he decided to quit his job as a homicide detective in New York City and move his daughter across the country to a simpler life in a small town. Things were going as planned until his fresh start was threatened after running into a breathtakingly beautiful woman whose smile made him feel like a teenager again and he also happened to share a complicated history with.Sometimes it's best to leave the past in the past...spoiler alert: this isn't one of those times.

Reading Between the Lines (Between the Sheets Book 4)


Serenity Woods - 2021
    Darcy, life is never going to be simple… Tess Barker is having a rough time. She enjoys giving tours of the Northland of New Zealand, but her endometriosis makes the long days a challenge, and now she’s gone and insulted one of her best friends by mistake. She’s secretly liked Finn Brennan – the gorgeous Mr. Darcy lookalike – for years, but he’s never made a move on her, and now not only has she hurt his feelings, but they’re both interviewing for the same job – #awkward. Finn likes his position in the Education Department at Waitangi, but recent events have made him restless, and he’s ready for a change. The move to Exhibitions Director at a museum in Christchurch might be just what he’s looking for, but he’s up against the younger, dynamic, beautiful Tess. When she apologizes for upsetting him, a kiss is a natural way to prove there’s no hard feelings. They agree to work together on their presentations for the interview and to let the best man – or woman – win. Time spent together soon reveals a sizzling attraction that turns into deep passion. Things come to a head on their return to the bay, when Finn realizes he can’t escape his past troubles if he stays. But it’s only when Tess falls ill that he has to make the ultimate decision to fight or fly.

Grumpy As Hell


Marika Ray - 2022
    Literally.Ace Hellman. Star quarterback. Grumpy-as-hell firefighter. Chief pain in my ass.He’s beyond arrogant, inducing women to fake emergencies just to see his sexy swagger as he comes to save them. Not me though. That fire was a total accident. I swear. He and I actually have a long history of hating each other, starting with him ruining my live performance of the Nutcracker in kindergarten and ending with me being the only woman in town under forty whom he hasn’t dated. I wear that title with pride.Now that we've been roped into teaching a first aid class together, things can't get more awkward. He’s determined to prove me wrong at every turn, and I’m determined to stop picturing him without his coveralls. I refuse to hide who I am, and Ace stands for everything I’m against.He’s so wrong for me the whole town knows it. So why do I feel like we start a fire every time we’re together?

Crash & Burn


Kristen Hope Mazzola
    So I ran.And when I stopped, everything began.She was tattooed and badass.She was the piece I never knew I was missing.She was real love.And she was keeping us a secret.But all secrets are bound to break free. I just hope that when ours does, she knows that this time, I'm staying.NOTE: A shorter version of this story was previously published in the BURN ME Anthology. This is the extended and complete story that will make your heart burst into flames. Grab an ice-cold drink and a fan; it’s about to get hot in here! Crash & Burn is a standalone romance. It is a companion novel to the Crashing Series.

How the Beast Stole Christmas


Faith Walsh - 2021
    It’s like Christmas exploded here in the small town, way too merry for me. I’m a disfigured war vet who prefers to keep a low profile and my own company, and I’d like to keep it that way. My work contract has me in Eden for a month. My plan is to get out of here before Christmas, to leave this too-happy town, and never look back. What I hadn’t planned on was Maddison.MaddisonChristmas is an awful time of year for me. I had to leave a good job and return to Eden to look after my father who hasn’t known a sober day since Mom’s death. I’ve landed a good job with some great people, but I know this is not the life I want. And just when I think that I’ll never look forward to Christmas, never enjoy the holidays again, I meet Jack. He’s surly and brooding and knows even less holiday cheer than me…but maybe I can fix that.

Simply Complicated


S. Nelson - 2021
    Proposition a man and extend a challenge: help me accomplish something I’ve never been able to do before with past boyfriends.But there are rules.He needs to be a stranger and someone who won't judge me if I can't cross the finish line.Luke Sorenson, one of the most famous soccer players in the world, isn't meant to be that man. He's the guy I grew up next door to. The man who broke my heart ten years ago, then moved across the country and never looked back.He also happens to be the one person in the world I can't stand.But as my best friend points out, he's the best option.Besides, it's only for one night. What can possibly go wrong?***The last person I expect to see when I walk into a random corner bar is Olivia Brighton, the one woman I let slip through my fingers when I chased my dream a decade ago.Not only do I run into her again, but I offer to help her out with her dilemma, and she accepts.It's supposed to be a one-time occurrence. One shot to prove my skills in bed.But that one shot turns into a deal, which morphs into something neither of us predicts.One thing's for certain—everything is about to get simply complicated.