Book picks similar to
Abrupt by Kathy Coopmans


second-chance
cheating
single-parent
asshole-hero

The Italian


T.L. Swan - 2019
    Travel the world. And fall hopelessly in love. I aimed to do all three. I went to Italy to find myself. But he found me. It was like a story book, our eyes met across a crowded room. He asked me if I needed help reading the menu. We ate, we laughed, we danced, and I fell. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan, and we parted ways. Two years later, our eyes meet across a room again. Only this time I was on a date with another man. He went crazy in a jealous fit. But the man I met then is different now. He’s colder, harder, and officially one of the most powerful men in Italy. Dare I say it, even more enticing. But if you dance with the devil, you get burnt. And the fires in Italy are scalding hot.

Knockout


Tracey Ward - 2014
    Sometimes it's about not giving up.Kellen Coulter has a way with women. A boxer from the wrong side of town, he worked his way through the wealthy daughters at Weston High with a brilliant smile, sweet words and vacant eyes. No one gets close. No one gets through. No one knows the secrets hiding inside.No one but me. I'm the only girl he's ever let in. The only one who has ever truly seen him. When we met I was just a kid, an old soul with an open ear and a full understanding of what it was to be misunderstood by everyone around you. But even I didn't know the demons sleeping inside him. Not until now.Not until it might be too late.*Due to language and sexual content, this book is not recommended for readers under 18.Knockout is told from Jenna's point of view with new elements of the story not covered in Brawler. Both Knockout and Brawler can be read independently of each other and in no particular order.

Against All Odds


Angie McKeon - 2014
    Our hearts broken... Our souls torn to pieces...He was my world, my whole life. My reason for breathing. I had a perfect marriage, a baby on the way, and I felt fulfilled—almost invincible. Until the day life hit, leaving me broken, vulnerable, and alone.She was my life. My ray of hope on the cloudiest day. With her, I thought I had the ultimate safety. A love that would never hurt or betray me. I gave her my heart, my body, and my soul. Until she broke me, destroying every dream and illusion I had about life, love, and marriage.In our grief, we made a mistake. A mistake I'm not sure we can come back from.

Sparrow


L.J. Shen - 2016
    The son of a dead mobster. The heart throb with steel blue eyes. "The Fixer" who can make or break you in this city. Oh, and my new husband. Sparrow RaynesThat's me. No one seemed to remember my name up until he barged into my life. But then he caged me.Kidnapped me.And killed every chance I had to runaway from the place where we grew up.Put simply, Troy Brennan clipped my wings.I have dreams, big ones, but I doubt he'd ever let me chase them. I have no idea why he'd decided to take me as his wife. But I do know this: pissing off this man will not do me any good. At all.Sparrow is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.

Deception and Chaos


S.M. Soto - 2018
    With her older brother being her only living relative and her anchor, Sophia is sure she's destined for a brighter future. But that was until she was taken.Stolen from her mundane, orderly life, she was drugged, and woke to every woman's worst nightmare.With only four grimy basement walls and a rancid mattress, she loses her sense of time, and preserves what's left of her dignity by hurtling herself into the safety of her mind. The men, the beatings, they come and go with no reaction, until she hears one word that sends an arctic chill through her body. Sold.On the eve of Sophia's bidding, all hell breaks loose in the mansion of horrors. Gunfire and screams erupt all around her, as panic rises.Snatched by one monster only to be taken by another, Sophia slowly starts to learn that not everything is as it seems. When secrets unravel, and the twisted game of cat and mouse ensues, The Puppeteer pulls his favorite strings and chaos brews. Lives are lost while the clock ticks, and only time will tell who will be killed next... WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, dubious content, strong language, and graphic violence. May contain triggers for abuse victims.

A Scandal, a Secret, a Baby


Sharon Kendrick - 2013
    One sinful night… Dante D’Arezzo is the last person famous songwriter Justina Perry wants to see at her best friend’s wedding. The wickedly sexy Italian is ruthless to the core. He broke her heart once; she won’t surrender to his insatiable desire again. But what Dante wants… One very big scandal! Justina’s pregnancy hits the front page and Dante knows he’s the father. He’ll make her pay for trying to keep his child from him. His Miss Independent is about to become completely dependent…on him! This Italian will claim his heir and – if he wants her – a wife!

HeartLess


Kristy Love - 2018
    Get the job. To hell with the guy. Bianca Fair’s hard work was paying off. After slaving for years as an event planner, the partnership of her dreams was in her grasp. The respect and admiration of her peers was only a wedding away. All of her carefully crafted plans were falling into place. Finally. Enter Nash James … heartthrob … sex symbol … rock god … His band was number one on the charts, and he was number one on the freebie list of every woman alive. Rock music’s “It Boy” was marrying Hollywood’s “It Girl,” and Bianca’s career hung in the balance. No problem. Piece of cake. She could plan this wedding in her sleep. This was what she thrived on. Too bad the last time she saw Nash James, he was skipping town after crushing her heart. And no way in hell could the bride-to-be find out Bianca had loved her fiancé first.

The Woman He Married (A Magic City Duo, # 1)


Julie N. Ford - 2011
     Once an aspiring young attorney, Josie looked forward to taking on the injustices of the world—one case at a time. Eleven years later, she’s a stay-at-home mom and battling demons that don’t require a law degree. Only keeping up pretenses proves more than she can bear when a bracelet that should have been hers shows up on the wrist of another woman. Her marriage slowly begins to unravel as an ex-lover comes back into her life. When he offers her the dreams she thought she’d lost, Josie must chose between the man she married and the one she let get away. John has always known exactly what he wanted. A career as a high-powered attorney, followed by the perfect family of six, and then elected public service. So it was no surprise that the first time he laid his eyes on Josie, he knew she was the one he’d share his dreams with. More than a decade, and one tragic miscalculation later, all he has worked for is slipping through his fingers. Powerless to stem the flow, the one thing he remains certain of: he can’t lose the woman he married.

Entice


S. Layne - 2015
    When the most difficult decision of Laurie Baker’s life needed to be made, she took off for a weekend alone to weigh her pros and cons and consider all her options.What she didn’t expect was to run face first into one more complication her life didn’t need.Distracting, sexy, and British, Liam Parker offered Laurie exactly what she needed when she was desperate for attention.One night of pleasure.She wanted it.She craved it.She took it.And when the sunlight dawned and the lusty haze of one night of passion disappeared and reality revealed itself…Laurie returned home knowing that everything she had once believed, everything she had once loved and desired, was about to be tossed upside down and shaken in a way she could never imagine.

Promise Me


Barbie Bohrman - 2013
    Drawing strength from him, she left everything behind and sought a new life for herself, far away from the pain and shame.Fast forward ten years: Sabrina is settled in Miami, happy at last—until her best friend urges her to attend her high school reunion and face her painful past once and for all.And…maybe meet the mysterious Tyler once again.Can Sabrina find the courage to face the demons in her past, let go of the pain, and move forward into happiness? Or will insecurity and self-doubt ruin her one chance to get the love she’s not sure she even deserves?

He Is Poison


K.A. Merikan - 2014
    ---Domenico Acerbi. The Villani Family’s best assassin. Ruthless. Vicious. With no patience for weakness.Seth Villani. The Don’s son. Clueless. Stubborn. In dire need of someone to keep him in line.Domenico Acerbi grew up ready to give his life for the Family. Ready to follow orders and exceed expectations. A proud man of honor.The last thing he wants to deal with is training the Don’s son for his future role within the organization. Lazy, annoying, spoiled, and as hot as a Sicilian summer, Seth Villani is no mafia material. But a man who could never become a threat might just be what Domenico needs. Seth Villani wants nothing to do with the mafia. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get a say when he’s pulled back into the fold. Thrown into a den of serpents otherwise known as the Villani Family, Seth has to find a way to navigate the maze of lies. But when Domenico Acerbi, the most vicious snake of them all, sinks his fangs into Seth, letting go becomes impossible. If Seth is doomed to follow in his father's footsteps, he might as well enjoy himself with the most intoxicating man he’s ever met. Maybe he can even fool himself into believing that Domenico isn’t a handsome sociopath who kills for a living. POSSIBLE SPOILERS:Themes: Enemies to lovers, mafia, homophobia, assassin, organized crime, forced proximityWARNING: Adult content. Sizzling hot scenes. If you are easily offended, this book is not for you. ‘Guns n’ Boys’ is a gritty story of extreme violence, offensive language, abuse, and morally ambiguous protagonists. Behind the morbid facade, there is a splash of inappropriate dark humor, and a love story that will crawl under your skin.

Behind His Lies


Sandi Lynn - 2018
    But I'm here to tell you that it's not. I lost my father in a boating accident when I was eight years old. He was the love of my life and I was his princess. I never got over his death, even after my mother, Madeline, married my father's best friend, Edward. She was a big believer in fate. I wasn't. Fate had done me wrong and left me with an emptiness that could never be filled. Not only did I lose my father that day, I also lost my best friend. After landing my dream job in New York City, I met a very sexy man named Andrew London. I fell head over heels for him instantly, and I was sure he was the one who could fill the emptiness I felt inside. I felt it every time we were together, and he loved me like no other man had. I ignored the signs from the beginning because I was so immersed in him. Then one day, everything unfolded, and I found myself in a relationship that was built on nothing but deceit from the very start. I couldn't understand why he would do this to me until I discovered the truth behind his lies. Readers 18+

His Dirty Little Secret


Terri Anne Browning - 2017
    So, I kept quiet. Blinded by love and bound by my own desires, I allowed it all.I didn’t tell a single soul about my time with Sawyer, not my brother, not my closest friends.Not then, and especially not now.How can I? My best friend is his ex-wife.The past is the past.I’m over him.I refuse to still love him.He will never own me again.I repeat the lies over and over again to myself every single day.Only, deep down, no matter how hard I try to deny it, I’ve always been his.I want more between us than a dirty little secret.**Standalone***

Lorenzo Beretta


Abigail Davies - 2021
    The head of the Beretta Family.But I hadn’t known there were conditions.Three rules to obey.Three rules standing in the way of becoming King of the underground.The first two were easy, but it was the third rule that was most problematic.I had to find someone to marry.A good Italian woman who wouldn’t distract me. Someone who knew their place. Someone who wouldn’t expect anything of me.So when Aida turned up—quiet and respectful—I knew she was perfect for the role, whether she wanted it or not.Vows were promised; lines drawn. And I became the Mafia Boss I’d always known I would be.Everything was going to plan.Until I saw her smile at another man.Until I saw her lay her hand on his chest.She’d made a mistake.But maybe I’d underestimated her.I thought I was getting sweet and innocent. I hadn’t bargained on feisty and opinionated.We’d been forced into something neither of us wanted.I may have needed to get married, but that didn’t mean I wanted a wife.Or did I?Lorenzo Beretta is an all new standalone in the Unseen Underground series. A forbidden, unputdownable, arranged marriage, mafia romance that will have you turning the pages non-stop.

Forever and All the Afters


K.I. Lynn - 2019
    A decade later there’s a ring on my finger with a new promise from a new love.Just as my life falls into place, pretty as the pages of a magazine, my world is knocked over. The moment he touches me everything around me begins to crack, exposing all the lies I’ve told myself.Every glance reminds me. Every touch ignites.Things aren’t how they used to be. Love isn’t easy.