Book picks similar to
Like You Mean It by Jillian Liota


romance
single-parent
single-mom
contemporary

Dark Russian Angel


Odette Stone - 2019
    I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,And I witnessed a crime.The police are failing to protect me.And my chance of survival isn't looking good.Andrusha, is the cold and dangerous leader of the Vancouver Russian mafia,He's also my best chance to make it to trial alive.The only thing we have in common,Is our shared enemy.This man is everything your mom warned you about.He's ruthless.He's cold.And he likes to be in control.I should be afraid of him.I should keep my distance.So why is he the only one who makes me feel safe?Who will protect me from my protector?

Bad Liar


Lauren Rowe - 2020
    I wouldn’t trust a word out of the arrogant music mogul’s mouth if his gold-plated tongue were notarized. The Man with the Midas Touch would say anything to get me into his bed, and I know it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want him to succeed.Indeed, the moment I laid eyes on Reed while he was speaking at an on-campus event I’d crashed, my body physically ached to feel his golden fingers—and tongue—all over me. Unfortunately, though, I can’t give into my powerful craving to jump Reed’s cocky bones. Not until I’ve figured out my best strategy with him . . .The truth is Reed has something I desperately want. Something my heart desires even more than my body craves one night of delicious fun with the yummiest man alive. Reed assumes he’s running this game of seduction. He thinks he’s a thirty-four-year-old big cat on the prowl, and I’m nothing but a blushing twenty-one-year old field mouse with stars in my eyes. Yeah . . . no.As Reed is about to find out, he’s not the only cat on the hunt in this game of cat-and-mouse . . . . BAD LIAR is the first book of the standalone REED RIVERS TRILOGY. The full trilogy is BAD LIAR, BEAUTIFUL LIAR, and BELOVED LIAR, to be read in order.

Disgrace


Brittainy C. Cherry - 2018
    I didn’t know my worth. I didn’t know how to exist without him by my side.All I wanted was for him to come back to me.Then, Jackson Emery appeared.He was supposed to be a distraction for my mind. A summer fling. A confidence boost to my bruised heart.We were perfect for one another, because we both knew we wouldn’t last. Jackson didn’t believe in commitment, and I no longer believed in love. He was too closed-off for me, and I was too damaged for him.Everything was fine, until one night my heart skipped a beat.I didn’t expect him to make me laugh. To make me think. To make my sadness somewhat disappear.When our time was up, my heart didn’t know how to walk away.Each day I prayed for my husband to love me again, yet slowly my prayers began to shift toward the man who wasn’t right for me. I prayed for one more smile, one more kiss, one more laugh, one more touch… I prayed for him to be mine.Even though I knew his heart wasn’t destined to love.*This book was previously known as Between the Notes.*

Blow


Kim Karr - 2015
     2 fatal sides. 1 epic love. 7 days to survive. They met in the face of danger. They weren’t looking for love. They both knew better. But they couldn’t stay away, and they fell hard. He is heart-stopping handsome, fearless—and haunted by deadly ties. She is breathtakingly beautiful, determined—and in harm’s way. They should have parted. They didn't. And now time is running out. One hundred sixty eight hours. That’s all that remains. While Logan McPherson fights to save them, Elle Sterling is forced to make a choice that could change everything. When torn between right and wrong, tainted love doesn’t have a chance...or does it? ***This is the first book in the Tainted Love Duet. The second book will release on November 16th, 2015 and is now available for pre-order. BLOW is a full-length romance told in dual POV. It contains mature themes, violence, and strong language, and thus is intended for readers ages 18 and up.***

Bombshell


C.D. Reiss - 2017
    But when a bombshell gets dropped in his lap in the form of a dimpled five-year-old from a forgotten relationship, he knows his life is about to change forever.Cara DuMont isn’t exactly thrilled when she gets assigned to be the nanny for the latest box-office king. She has one rule: no celebrity fathers, especially single ones with devilish good looks and rock-hard abs.But as soon as Cara meets Brad and his adorable little girl, she knows she’s in for a world of trouble. Because there’s something about the way Brad looks at her that makes her believe that some rules are meant to be broken…

Burnout


Coralee June - 2019
     Maybe if I were older. Maybe if he wasn’t my brother’s best friend. Maybe if he wasn’t my teacher. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Having my dirty little secret living down the hall had me obsessing over alternate endings and happily ever afters. I’d never wanted someone so badly, but his hot and cold behavior was giving me emotional whiplash. In the classroom, he practically ignored me. But here? In my brother’s loft? It felt like we were a thick rubber band, pulled so tight we’d snap. Falling for Decker Harris made me realize that life wasn’t as serendipitous as everyone liked to think. We weren’t just a collection of maybes thrust into the world with hope and good intentions. Everything started with a choice, and somewhere between grief and redemption, I chose to make him mine.

The Hardest Route


A.S. Teague - 2019
    I couldn’t handle a baby. I was Griffin Rockwell, the best wide receiver the league had ever seen. But what choice did I have? My baby girl was coming whether I was ready for her or not.Brooke turned out to be an amazing woman and mother. For seven years, we were the MVP of co-parenting—and even better friends.That all changed when tragedy struck our makeshift family and I was faced with the terrifying possibility of losing the one woman I was quickly realizing I couldn’t live without.I was at the height of my career and on the path to becoming the greatest of all time.But keeping my family together, with Brooke by my side, might prove to be the hardest route of all.

Undaunted


Crystal Daniels - 2017
    After suffering the loss of two women in my life, I grew cold and indifferent to the idea of love. I don't need to let anyone in. I've seen the aftermath it can leave in its wake.The last thing I'm looking for is someone to fill the void.Until-Bella JamesonStruggling to keep my head above water, my only concern is taking care of my sister. The last ting I expected was to fall in love with a tattooed biker, Logan Kane. With evil hiding in the shadows, I have no idea the danger my sister and I are about to face.Will Logan and Bella overcome their demons in the end, or will they lose each other in the process?

Then There Was You


Claire Contreras - 2018
    Love is about walking to the edge of the cliff and taking the leap together.Timing was never on our side.My first mistake was hooking up with my best friend.My second came years later, when we met again, and I fell for her. My third was letting her go, because I had to. Because a love like this wasn't built to withstand the winds coming in our direction.Love and timing.I didn't believe in either. Then there was you . . .

Stealing Her


Rachel Van Dyken - 2019
    My mother and me? Left behind. Now, years after tearing our family apart, my father dares to ask "me" for a favor? Pretend to be Julian while he fights to survive a tragic accident. It can save the company. Nobody will be the wiser. It'll be our secret.I can play Dad's favorite. I'll do anything for Julian. And for my mother, who'll want for nothing.But this double life comes with a beauty of a hitch: my very real feelings for Julian's fiancée, Isobel. Not only am I betraying Julian, I'm deceiving a woman I love. She doesn't suspect a thing. As lies compound, lines are crossed and loyalties tested, all I can ask myself is. . .what have I done?Because sooner or later something's got to give. There's no way I'm giving up Isobel. But once the truth is exposed, it might not be my choice at all.

Sleeper


Kayley Loring - 2019
    How long it took to fall asleep: Forever. I have insomnia. Duh. Number of caffeinated beverages you had consumed: Zero. Thanks for advising me to quit! My stress level is off the charts. I can’t sleep right on a normal day, and lately my days are filled with the best kind of chaos. My ex-wife and husband number two are filming in Poland for three months, so I’m turning down movie parts to focus on the most important role of my life— impossibly charming and somewhat capable young single dad. My son won’t stop asking questions. My daughter won’t brush her teeth unless I sing her showtunes. Our regular nanny quit. The only person I could trust to hire as a temp nanny is my best friend’s sister. If Mary Poppins and Bill Murray had a baby it would be Willa. Fresh out of grad school and beautifully weird. She hates my movies, and my kids adore her. I couldn’t sleep last night because she wasn’t here. Turns out I can’t sleep unless she’s in my house now. Turns out she’s what’s been missing from my life all along. If my friend had any idea what I want to do to his gorgeous troublemaker of a sister, he would smother me with a pillow. The chances of us succeeding as a couple are about as good as that little indie movie that I made being a huge hit. But it’s a chance I’m going to take. * This is a 71,000 word novel

Wild Open Hearts


Kathryn Nolan - 2019
    “And you heard right.”Luna da Rosa is America’s Vegan Best Friend. The self-made billionaire is a flower-crowned hippie whose Instagram feed is as popular as Wild Heart - her vegan makeup company. When she’s not changing the cosmetics industry, she’s dazzling her online fans with kombucha recipes. Until Wild Heart is caught in a scandal – destroying her reputation as a cheerful do-gooder.Beck Mason is the prodigal son of Miami’s most notorious biker gang. But Beck left his criminal family to start Lucky Dog, rescuing dogs who need the most help. Except the surly ex-outlaw never realized leading a struggling nonprofit with a ragtag crew would be so damn hard. They’re in dire need of cash – and fast.Luna believes working at Lucky Dog will fix her image problem and get Beck the money he needs. It’s a win-win, right? Except Beck doesn’t like the sunny, free-spirited…okay beautiful…billionaire. He sure as hell doesn’t trust Luna not to use him just to make herself look good.Sure – Beck’s grumpy, stubborn pride and meat-eating ways irritate Luna. Even though Beck’s big-heart-and-big-beard-combo is dangerously sexy. And they really shouldn’t have shared The Kiss to End All Kisses on the back of his motorcycle one night…But as the bohemian billionaire and the burly biker give into their electrifying attraction – will their differences keep them apart? Or will they finally learn to trust their wild hearts? Author’s Note: Big, grumpy, bearded hero. Happy-go-lucky, hippie heroine. Snarky banter. Opposites that don’t so much attract as combust. Motorcycle sex. Steamy Miami nights. Four lady billionaire best friends. All the rescue dogs. Major heart-feels.

Warrior Blue


Kelsey Kingsley - 2020
    Between working full-time as a tattoo artist and caring for his disabled twin brother Jacob, his plate is more than full - and he prefers it that way. But his meticulous planning is turned on its head when he meets the upbeat and beautiful Audrey Wright and her butterfly tattoo. Now, through a complicated maze of coincidence and fate, Blake begins to question if maybe there could be more to his life than just work and Jacob. That is, if the guilt doesn't eat him alive first. With the help of Dr. Vanessa Travetti and a girl he doesn't think he deserves, can Blake convince himself that even the bad guy deserves a happy ending?

Royally Bad


Nora Flite - 2017
    Too bad it’s her only choice. Kain Badd looks great on paper: rich, handsome, and he’s even a prince. But after spending a few minutes together, Sammy sees the real him—arrogant, possessive, and too hot for his own good. If she hadn’t agreed to help plan his sister’s wedding, she could have avoided him. Instead, she’s waking up in his bed after an unforgettable night she definitely wants to forget. But he won’t let her.When Sammy thinks her life can’t get any crazier, the wedding is raided by the police, and she spends her first-ever night in jail. The irresistible Kain isn’t just bad in name—his family is connected to a dangerous underworld. Now she’s mixed up in a power struggle between his family’s empire and their rivals. She has no choice but to put herself back in this filthy prince’s extremely capable hands.Sammy must trust Kain to keep her safe. She’s just not sure she can trust herself to resist temptation.

Pushing the Limits


Brooke Cumberland - 2015
    From USA Today Bestselling Author comes a new adult student/teacher romance...He's my art professor.I'm his student.With an electric connection and undeniable chemistry, I know it won't be long until one of us cracks.When the opportunity arises to pose naked for the entire art class, I can't help the thrill of knowing he'll be watching me.While they all look past me with their eyes narrowed and concentrated, drawing only the lines and angles of my body, he sees right through me down to my vulnerability.He sees more than just the physical aspects--he sees me.That's when I see the struggle in his features as he tries to stay in control.How do we keep our distance when everything seems to be pulling us together?What feels so right can only go wrong if we keep pushing the limits.Recommended for 18 & above due to explicit sexual content, language, and adult content.*Pushing the Limits is a 102,000 words standalone.*