Book picks similar to
Trusting the Ex by S.M. West
contemporary
second-chance
brothers-best-friend
audio
Written with Regret
Aly Martinez - 2019
The one where the white knight rushes in to save her from the clutches of evil. They fall in love, have babies, and live happily ever after. By that definition, my life should have been a fairytale too. When I was eight years old, Caven Hunt saved me from the worst kind of evil to walk the Earth. It didn’t matter that I was a kid. I fell in love with him all the same. But that was where my fairytale ended. Years later, a one-night stand during the darkest time imaginable gave us a little girl. It was nothing compared to the pitch black that consumed me when I was forced to leave her with Caven for good. At the end of every fairytale, the happily-ever-after is the one thing that remains consistent. It wasn’t going to be mine, but there hadn’t been a night that passed where I hadn’t prayed that it would be hers. I owed Caven my life. However, I owed that innocent child more. And that included ripping the heart from my chest and facing her father 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
My BFD
Barbra Campbell - 2021
Their assumptions about me would only be partially incorrect.A shy nature and lack of experience played into my name perfectly. My thoughts and who they were directed at were a different story.My best friend and I had been inseparable through our childhood and teens. We did everything together, celebrated triumphs and consoled failures, and shared our deepest secrets, except for one.Stupid Cupid had struck me with an arrow for the worst possible person on the planet… her dad!I’d known Rhett my entire life, but something had happened last Valentine’s Day and I suddenly viewed him as the strong, confident, sexual being that he was. And I’d suffered for an entire year trying to mentally stick him back in the untouchable dad category.With another Valentine’s Day around the corner, my best friend had left our small town for the big city she’d always dreamed of, and I was finding it harder and harder to get her dad off my mind.Rhett--Single-dad life was tough, but I’d successfully raised my daughter into a confident adult who was ready to live the life she’d dreamed of, and that was far away from our small town.What I hadn’t anticipated was her sweet and innocent best friend blossoming into an incredibly beautiful young adult. So when I found myself falling for her, I was biding my time for her to move away like all the other teens did when they graduated. But she had other plans.With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I was finding it impossible to resist the intelligent, demure, gorgeous woman Chastity had become.After catching her staring at me, I was certain I wanted to be the man to help her prove that names didn’t define a person.
That Girl: The Montgomerys
Jennilynn Wyer - 2021
He was that guy; NFL football quarterback and Mr. Popular. He told me he would never leave. He lied. Now he’s back. But I’m not that girl anymore.Aurora St. Claire is that girl. The one who excels at academics. The one from a broken home who lives on the bad side of town. The one with an alcoholic mother who couldn’t care less if she existed. The one with an abusive older sister who would give her bruises instead of hugs. The one who keeps to the shadows, trying not to be seen.Sometimes the best families are the ones you create, not the ones you are born into. Aurora never knows what a true family is like until she has one suddenly thrust upon her at the age of eighteen. It takes a single revelation from a stranger to change her life forever.Then, JD Hallstead comes barreling into her life. He is everything she never thought she wanted, but everything she craves. That is, until the day he destroys her and leaves her heart to burn to ashes in his wake. What is the adage? The flip side of love is hate. Well, her hate burns bright, and it has a name: Jackson Dillon Hallstead.JD Hallstead is that guy. The one who is Mr. Popular and Quarterback King of Highland High. The one voted class president and most likely to succeed. The one who girls go crazy over and guys want to be. The one with a controlling, abusive father who will go to any lengths to keep his son in check. The one with the secrets.Aurora is the girl JD has secretly crushed on for years. It takes a friend’s tragic death to bring Aurora and JD together. It takes JD’s secrets to tear them apart. Aurora tells JD everybody leaves. He promises her he never will.He lied.Now, JD will do anything, fight anyone, give up everything, to get Aurora back. Aurora said JD broke her heart. Who better than him to put it back together?But the thing about secrets is that they always come back to haunt you. The question is: How far will JD go to protect the woman he loves before those secrets destroy them all?Reader’s Warning: That Girl is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance with scorching heat that will melt your Kindle and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing what will happen next. It takes place after the conclusion of Broken Butterfly, Fallen Brook Series, Book 3. Even though the book can be read on its own, fans of the Fallen Brook Series will love seeing some of their favorite characters return! That Girl touches upon topics that may be triggering to some readers such as flashbacks to an attempted sexual assault, child neglect and abuse, and violence. The story also contains foul language and sex. Any sexual intimacy between the main characters is consensual. For these reasons, the book is recommended for readers aged 17+.
Tumble
Adriana Locke - 2019
Her plan? Relax, reset, and head back up the corporate ladder. There’s just one unexpected step. Neely’s back in Dogwood Lane for barely a day when she sees the man she ran from nine years ago: the bad boy next door who was her first kiss, her first love, and her first heartbreak.Devoted single dad Dane Madden knows he hurt Neely in the worst way. He’s got a lot to make up for. And as passionate as their reconnection is, it’s a lot to hope for. Having her back in his arms feels so right. But falling in love all over again with a woman who wants to live a world away is bound to go so wrong.What’s it going to take for Neely to give him—and Dogwood Lane—just one more chance?
Everest
S.L. Scott - 2017
Dynamic green eyes. Utterly irresistible. Ethan Everest stole my breath the first time I saw him. He romanced me with skill, dazzled me with his charisma, and proceeded to steal my heart right after. I might have fallen for his easy-going smile the first time we met, but I fell for him the second time.Honey-colored hair. Cherry-kissed lips. Captivatingly gorgeous. Singer Davis was the first, and only, woman to ever intimidate me. She spoke to my heart with her wit, seduced me with her eyes, and became the only thing that made sense in a world that made none. I let her slip through my fingers once. I won’t make that mistake twice.Secrets broke us apart. Can a second chance bring us back together? From New York Times Bestselling Author, S.L. Scott, comes a ROMANTIC SUSPENSE STANDALONE that will have you on the edge of your seat and swooning over this new ALPHA BILLIONAIRE.
Lost Rider
Harper Sloan - 2017
After one too many head injuries, he’s off the circuit and in the horse farming business, something he’s never taken much of a shine to, but now that it’s his late father’s legacy, familial duty calls. How will Maverick find his way after the only dream he ever had for himself is over?Enter Leighton Elizabeth James, an ugly duckling turned beauty from Maverick’s childhood—his younger sister’s best friend, to be exact, and someone whose heart he stomped all over when she confessed her crush to him ten years back. Now Leighton is back in Maverick’s life, no longer the insecure, love-stricken teen—and Maverick can’t help but take notice. Sparks fly between them, but will Leighton be able to open her heart to the one man who broke it all those years ago?
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.
Serenity & the Hermit (Hermits & Curves #2)
Megan Wade - 2022
Frustratingly, they don’t seem to take his grunts and growls in reply as anything less than encouraging, and Nelson can’t make his trips to town go fast enough for his liking.But when a trip into town brings him face to face with the new yoga studio’s instructor, Serenity Coldwater, Nelson may just have met the one person on earth who can turn his frown upside down. Hope his face doesn’t crack…
As with all Megan Wade books, this Whisper Valley romance comes with her Sugar Promise. High heat, low drama, guaranteed.
The Charm of You
Jennifer Probst - 2018
Seduction. Charm. Let the game begin... Presley Cabot has come a long way from the overweight, awkward college student who fell hard for the gorgeous track star, Nolan Banks, only to be humiliated after their one night together. Now, she’s one of the billionaire badass owners of LWW Enterprises and has everything she’d ever wanted in life, leaving her past behind. But when Nolan comes back into town, and doesn’t even recognize the girl he once destroyed, she decides to invoke her own personal revenge. The plan is simple—make him fall hard for her, then dump him. She transforms herself into his perfect woman using three simple steps to spin her web. But she never planned on getting caught up in old feelings…and new promises… Nolan Banks leaves Wall Street behind to open up a brewery in his small college town. Finally ready to carve out his life away from the dreams of his family, he never expected to find an immediate attraction to the sexy corporate mogul who challenges him at every step. He falls hard and fast, determined to show her they’re meant for each other, until the truth of their shared past shatters their fragile foundation. But Nolan is playing for higher stakes, and he’s not about to let Presley walk away without a fight. Can he convince her his feelings have nothing to do with the game rules, and everything to do with the woman she is?
Game On: A Sinfully Unrequited Series
Alexia Chase - 2021
She got his attention but not in the way she intended. He humiliated her by escorting her out of the club and left town to manage their West Coast operations.Five years later, Victor is back in town, and Everleigh is working for the company – a little something Everleigh’s father failed to mention to Victor. Now every conversation ends in a heated exchange, and Everleigh is determined to prove she’s over him.What happens when he finds out she’s planning a trip to Vegas to find a willing partner to share her schoolgirl fantasy kit?Is it ‘game on’ or the final blowoff?Find out in this steamy, age-gap, father’s best friend romance with all the feels.
Waiting for Her
Jennifer Van Wyk - 2018
High school sweethearts.Then... driven by insecurities, I broke Grady Ryan’s heart.I was weak, afraid to love, and even more afraid to be loved.There are secrets I’ve kept buried but I can’t forget what we once shared.I’ve been given a second chance and this time, I’m prepared to fight for him. After six long years of silence, Bri Jameson is back in my life.I never expected to see her again, especially not to share in the biggest opportunity of my career.When she walks toward me across my football field, I can’t stop my heart from racing.But time hasn’t stopped me from knowing her – and I know she’s hiding something.I can only hope whatever it is doesn’t ruin me.I’ve finally moved on and I won’t fall into her trap again. I wish I could tell my heart the same thing – it’s just been waiting for her.
Creole Kingpin
Meghan March - 2020
That’s exactly what I am, but I can’t stay away from Magnolia Marie Maison for one more day, let alone another year.We’ve already got fifteen of those between us.As it stands, she’ll want to kill me as soon as she lays eyes on me. And knowing her, she’s completely up to the task.But I’m a man on a mission, and I’ve got everything riding on this.So, here I come, Magnolia. This ghost is ready for whatever you got.After all, there’s only one way I want this to end—’til death do us part.
Cruel Money
K.A. Linde - 2019
Linde's new billionaire romance Cruel Trilogy.She was supposed to be a one night stand.A way to sate my sexual appetite.I let her glimpse the man I am. The face that I hide behind my carefully cultivated life. But she ripped open that divide—and there’s no going back.Now, she’s here. In my city.I don’t care that I’m Manhattan royalty and she’s the help.Only that she’s living in my summer home. With me.And I want more.
The Body Painter
Pepper Winters - 2019
Must also enjoy being studied while naked in a crowd.”The fourth made me shudder.“Call or email ‘YOUR SKIN, HIS CANVAS’ if interested in applying.”The final made my heart race.I should’ve kept scrolling past the advertisement.I should’ve applied for the boring receptionist job at minimum wage.I should’ve clicked on any other job where I got to keep my clothes on.But I didn’t.I applied.My interview is tomorrow…