Book picks similar to
Unexpected Trouble by Lauren Wood


contemporary-romance
book-series
100-200
series-standalone

Cowboy Seeks a Horse Whisperer


Marley Michaels - 2021
    Ever since she spent her summers volunteering with neglected animals as a teenager, she’s wanted to run her own horse rescue center. And with her new job working in the Alaskan mountains at a small town vet clinic, all she needs is to work hard and build up her professional reputation as a horse whisperer, and she’ll be one step closer to making her dream a reality.Jesse Barnes was born a cowboy and will end his days as one too. Working with his brothers on their family ranch in the shadow of Eagle Mountain, they protect the land, while owning and running one of the top producing ranches on this side of the country.Passions collide when Jesse rescues a mistreated horse who needs specialty care. Knowing he can’t do it alone, he calls in the only person who may be able to save the animal—the town’s new horse-whispering vet.Just seeing the sickly horse ignites Kendra’s compassionate side. She’ll go above and beyond to save him, the bonus being the time she gets to spend with the horse’s rescuer. Something about Jesse has her feeling things she’s never felt. But his habit of pulling back the moment they get close has her beyond confused. And then there’s the strange dreams she’s been having. It’s almost as if the Mountain is communicating with her…For Jesse, meeting Kendra ignites something beneath his skin that feels a lot like fate and a lot like something he can’t ignore. The idea of finally meeting his soulmate seems almost unreal, but as time goes by, it’s a feeling he can’t deny.These two dedicated souls will need to navigate their feelings for each other and understand the meaning of the mountain spirit’s Call, all while staying true to themselves and their dreams for the future.***Hold on to your hats! Cowboy Seeks a Horse Whisperer is book 1 in the new Eagle Mountain Ranch series. They're the same kind of sweet, flirty, feel-good, and heart-felt stories you've come to love from Marley, but this time you'll get the big, gruff and tough mountain ranchers living off the land and protecting their own near the town of Kinleyville. The mountains have always provided for the keepers of the lands, and now the Eagle Mountain prophecy has been fulfilled, it's time for their soulmates to warm up their hearts and their bunks, and make their lives on the ranch complete. Can we all say, awww.

Can't Touch


Penny Wylder - 2021
    The girl I can’t touch.That’s what her uncle says, anyway… but even if he controls her, he doesn’t control me.When I see her walking back and forth in the office lobby, her long legs swishing, beautiful curves swaying, and those cherry-red lips, I decide right then: she’s going to be mine.Chianna:My first day on the job I swore I’d be professional. No mistakes. Pure and well behaved.Chris changed all of that.He’s powerful, rich, and when he smiles at me, it makes me weak.If my uncle finds out about us I’ll lose more than my dream internship.Can I keep what I’ve done a secret with Kris tempting me over and over to break the rules?

Guarded By Vayne


Haley Weir - 2019
    A Burning Desire to Take What's His. A Pure Anomaly. Vayne is far more than I've bargained for. Dr. Zela Harpy’s is just as beautiful as she is brilliant. Her world is turned upside down when a strangely unique case ends up on her desk. Vayne and Valor Grimm are twin brothers who claim to be were-wolves at war with another pack. Born into a cursed bloodline of Viking lords, Vayne Grimm has led a life of pleasure and recklessness. Despite the insatiable passion she feels between herself and Vayne, Zela has no choice but to remove them from her life. After a jarring home invasion, the only thing standing between Zela and death is a beast with familiar glowing eyes. Is there more than fate and instinct binding them to one another? Steamy, Heart-Throbbing Standalone romance with a HEA. Contains mature themes, adult language, and sexy shifters. 18+ Readers Only!.

Claiming His Valentine


Lulu Pratt - 2019
    Then some expensive lingerie comes wrapped with a big pink bow. Finally a card arrives which simply says ‘you’re mine, be ready at seven.' I don’t know what makes me do it but I’m ready and waiting at 6:55. There’s a knock at my door, three short raps that send tingles down my spine. My hand trembling, I open the door and my jaw drops. It's my filthy rich boss and he means business. ***Pure alpha novella, no cliffhangers, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after***

Tough Love: A Forced Proximity Romance


Melanie A. Smith - 2021
    Smith comes a standalone steamy contemporary romance about life choices, love, and finding yourself in between. Sometimes you need a bit of tough love to get where you’re supposed to be … Mia Anderson has been living a life that was chosen for her. But her impending thirtieth birthday is the wake-up call she needed to stop wasting time on all the wrong pursuits. Just as she’s figuring out what she wants to do about it, her beloved grandmother falls ill and Mia drops everything to be with her. What she didn’t expect to find in her grandmother’s tiny mountain town is the courage to quit working for her father, supplied by a little tough love from her Gran. Now faced with an uncertain future, the last thing on her mind is finding love. Nate Edwards is living a solitary life deep in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. He’s content, or at least he thinks he is — until the granddaughter of a good friend shows up and he starts having feelings he thought he’d never have again. But Mia’s future isn’t in Alpine Ridge, so acting on it would lead to nothing but heartbreak. Still, their connection is undeniable and circumstances continue to push them together, despite their resistance. Will Mia stick to her decision to carve her own path? And if she does, will it be with Nate? Or is he doomed to an isolated life?

Christmas in July


Stephanie St. Klaire - 2019
     A toothless opossum. An emotional llama. And...a handsome silver fox. Fifi’s inherited more than just property — and apparently the jackass who lives there — and we aren’t talking about the hammock loving donkey. Right on the heels of sparklers and the Star Spangled Banner, Fifi’s knee deep in twinkle lights and Jingle Bells when she takes her grandmother’s place as head of the town Christmas Festival...in smoking hot July. Doctor Jensen Bain — aka silver fox — finds himself standing toe-to-toe with the infamous Fiona “Fifi” Gallagher straight out of Hollywood - threatening eviction. Accidentally sleeping with her certainly wasn’t part of the plan or worth declaring a Christmas in July miracle, despite the fireworks — due to the stick up her pompous…*BEEP* From big city girl to small town animal whisperer, Fifi’s heart is suddenly torn between Hollywood and Holly-weird. When mysterious letters from a secret admirer, known only as Santa, make her question if she’s meant for the spotlight and couture or wildlife and red checkered flannel.

Lucas


Avery North - 2020
    After breaking up with reality TV star Nancy Patterson he decides to leave love alone and focus on his business, helped by a suggestion from an old college friend that they become friends with benefits.Everything in Lucas’s life is going great until he meets gorgeous baker and charity founder Sammy Wicker, and his world is turned on its head. Thoughts of her take over his mind, and he embarks on a quest to know this beautiful independent woman better.Things seem to be on track for the two until Lucas is hired to sell the building Sammy’s bakery is located in, promising to make his company a lot of money. However, the new owner is kicking out the existing businesses for their own plans and Sammy is furious that Lucas is part of it, breaking up with him and refusing to see him.Can Lucas find his way back to Sammy’s heart or will their businesses get in the way of their relationship?

Stars, Stripes, and Mountain Man: a short, mountain man, instalove romance (Holidays with a Mountain Man)


Kate Tilney - 2021
    And coordinating the whole event will be huge for my event planning career. Unfortunately, one of the local mountain men is being a real stick in the mud about the whole thing.But underneath his grouchy exterior, there’s so much more. It doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes as well.EllisIt’s not that I hate the holiday. I like to observe the Fourth of July in my own way. And my small town’s annual festival isn’t my style. However, with Rosie holding the reins, I may have to rethink my position.Will the spark between us ignite into something big or will it fade into the smoke like yesterday’s fireworks?Holidays with a Mountain Man is a series of short, sweet, and steamy instalove romances set during some of your favorite holidays. Check out ‘Stars, Stripes and Mountain Man’ if you like small towns, BBW, ex-military mountain men, and an enemies-to-lovers romance that sparks like fireworks on the Fourth of July. No cliffhangers. No cheating. Happily Ever After guaranteed!

Wes: Insta Love Firefighter Romance (Wylder Fire Volunteers Book 10)


Tarin Lex - 2022
    

Rekindled


Ashlee Price - 2017
    She's feisty yet sweet.Innocent but f#ckin' sexy.She can be so intoxicating.Her touch is sweet like honey.Each time I see those eyes, those lips, that body...I just want to make her mine. (again and again and again)Leaving her was a mistake. Now I'm back to win her over.And I won't take no for answer.Rekindled is a stand-alone surprise baby, second chance, billionaire romance with a guaranteed HEA. Also includes an exclusive never before published dirty fairy tale romance: Sinderella.

Guarded Hart (Cross Creek, #3)


Kelly Collins
    Or does it?I’ve been keeping a secret. One that could change a lot of lives, including my own. I came to Cross Creek to find my father. He’s the difference between life and death for me. During my search, I found love, only sexy builder Ethan Lockhart isn’t having any of it. I’ve done my best to make him mine, but he’s more slippery than a fish in a brook. I built my life here on a lie, but my feelings for this man are true. Will the secrets I keep destroy what Ethan and I creating?I’m not the guy anyone picks first, so when Angie Sutton started flirting with my brother, I wasn’t surprised—that is until I found out she was doing it to get my attention. But this time, I’m determined not to give my heart away—not until I know who she really is. Letting someone get too close too fast is a blueprint for disaster. No matter how deeply I’m drawn to her, I know she’s hiding something, and until she can be honest with me, we don’t have a future.Find out if the truth can really set you free in Guarded Hart, book three in the Cross Creek Series.

Bossed by the Dad Bod


Reina Torres - 2022
    He’s a rock. The people who work for him. The people who live in town. His teenage daughter even laughs at his jokes… once in a while. He keeps himself busy, so he won’t think about what he’s missing. What’s even worse is he’s found her. New in town, making a new life for herself. What he wouldn’t do to get his hands on her, but he’s afraid he’ll scare her away. She’s just too sweet to be bossed around by the likes of him.Shelby Akers is new in town and new to love, but that didn’t stop her from falling for Doyle Crane the first day she met him. It wasn’t love at first sight when he helped pull her car out of the mud or when he shook his head at how she was shivering in the rain, but it most certainly was when he took off his coat, wrapped it around her body and gave her a heated appraising look and muttered, “Someone needs to take care of you, Shelby.”Doyle knows he’s too bossy to even think of getting close to Shelby. She needed a nice, easy-going guy who could be gentle with her, someone who wasn’t him.That all changed when her boss put her in danger.He went from hands-off, seemingly unaffected Doyle to demanding, bossy-as-fu…dge, hands-all-over protector. Shelby couldn’t be happier.Dad Bods made a big impression in 2021 - and they're not going anywhere! This January, some of your favorite contemporary romance authors are bringing you a sexy selection of brawny, hot Dad Bods and the women who love their men with a little something extra to hold on to.These men may be built for comfort but don't be fooled - they will stop at nothing to protect the women who've claimed their hearts

His Voodoo Lily


Alexis Adaire
    Like, glass shards on top of sandpaper rough. She managed to get out of an abusive relationship only to have her ex kidnap their 4-year-old son just days before the custody hearing. Lily has become so difficult to be around that her best friend, Alexa, has finally given up hope and abandoned her in Shorty’s Pub.Gerrit Rousseau is an oasis of calm in a stormy world, downplaying his smoldering good looks as he tends bar and keeps his head down. His emotions are not easily stirred, but the brazen, tattooed Lily is lighting a fire. There’s something about her, something beyond her looks, that gets his blood pumping to all the right places.Sexual fireworks are inevitable with these two, especially during Mardi Gras—but things in New Orleans are never as simple as they seem. When a man turns up dead and Lily admits to Gerrit that she was directly involved, all hell breaks loose in the Crescent City. Gerrit is compelled to get to the bottom of the twin mysteries of the death and the missing child, but first he must figure out where the mysterious Dani Weeks and her son Riley fit in.

One Hot Daddy


Sarah J. Brooks - 2021
    But that was enough to conceive his baby. I thought I’d never see him again – but now he's back and turns my life upside down.He's a gorgeous soldier on a mission to save the world.I'm a waitress that's just trying to make ends meet.Yeah, we come from completely different worlds.Yet, we share one unforgettable passionate night together.I give him my number, but he never calls.Instead, he goes to a war-torn country saving lives.And now, two years later, he’s back.A smoking hot firefighter in our small town.When he walks into the sports bar where we once met, he nearly sets me on fire.It’s how I feel when I’m with him — safe and protected.I even wonder if I should tell him that the sweet little girl I take care of is not my niece.She’s our precious daughter Luna.The butterflies in my stomach tell me to give our family a fresh new chance –but then the fear of losing everything makes me doubt if I should ever see him again.I’ve been burned before. Can I really trust that Ace will stay with me this time?

Love & Other Chaos


Jackie Walker - 2020
    Brody’s my friend - just a friend. He’s also my autistic son’s favorite teacher.He’s as off limits as they come, no matter how drop dead gorgeous he is. Falling for him would be wrong. Resisting him though, is becoming pure torture. After being burned by men who can’t handle dating a single-mom of a special-needs child, I refuse to date anymore. Not until my son is grown. My plan is working fine until my trouble-making bestie presents me with a dare that I can’t resist. I’m a sucker for a good dare - especially when margaritas have been consumed. And she’s just dared me to plant a surprise kiss on Brody’s sexy lips, while she records it for a trending TikTok challenge video. But if I do this, it could change everything. My life is already pure chaos and maybe now is not the best time to shake things up even more. Is it worth risking our friendship and his important role in my son’s life for one kiss? What if he wants more? What if I do? Love & Other Chaos is a hilarious, steamy, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy featuring a drop dead gorgeous and seriously buff teacher with the hots for a single-mom of an autistic pre-teen son... who happens to be one of his students. This story also includes wise-cracking grandparents with zero respect for personal boundaries, swoon-worthy beach scenes, a jerky boss with no concept of personal space, nosey siblings and a foul-mouthed best friend who loves to instigate trouble. If you don't like sarcasm, steam, sexy-times, heroines who drink copious amounts of margaritas and laugh-a-minute dialogue, then this might not be the book for you. It’s a stand-alone novel with a happy ending, because cliffhangers will kill your margarita buzz.