Book picks similar to
Locked In by Anna Chastain


cheating
second-chance
ow-drama
emotional-cheating

We Said Forever


Marie James - 2017
    Second chances are meant only for those that deserve them.Love isn’t enough to heal when you’ve shattered a heart.Love isn’t enough to make you forget.Love isn’t enough to make you look back when you’re supposed to be moving forward.Love just—isn’t enough.I broke Fallyn McIntyre, and in doing so I broke myself.Betrayal, addiction, and years separate us.I’m no longer the man I used to be.But I’m still not sure I’m man enough.

Three Loving Words


D.C. Renee - 2015
    I heard those words so many times from his mouth that they lost their meaning. His “three loving words” is how I mockingly referred to them. It didn’t bother me, though, because I hated him, too.He was gorgeous, with dark tousled hair, full lips, a strong jaw, and a body deserving of a magazine cover. He was rich and cared for his mother deeply. On paper, he was the perfect husband. The problem? He was my husband.I dreamed of a fairytale love story for as long as I could remember. I dreamed of a boy to fall head over heels for me and treat me like the sun rose and set at my feet, especially after living in the shadow of my perfect sister and never feeling good enough for my family. When I decided to earn my parents’ love in a dramatic fashion, I’ll admit that I never imagined marrying him would end up part of the bargain.The kicker? Enzo Faust didn’t want to marry me, either. And yet, here we are, a man that I both fear and loathe is my “I do…for better or worse.” I just didn’t anticipate that it’d be more ‘worse’ than ‘better.’I’m Paige Stiles, and here’s my story.

Trapped


Beverley Kendall - 2014
    And not in a good way.It’s not exactly Sixteen and Pregnant, but at eighteen my only advantage is a high school diploma. And if that’s not enough, the father—and I use that term loosely—couldn’t have hightailed it out of my life fast enough.I thought I really knew him. Unfortunately, my boyfriend of three years transformed from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde once he realized his carefree, childless days would be coming to an end.I’m over him now though. The real love of my life is chubby, has more gum than teeth, and stands a little over two feet tall. She may not have been planned, but I’ve never regretted having her. She is the center of my world.A world that's been turned upside down when Mitch returns ready to earn the love and trust of the child he abandoned before birth.Letting him into my daughter’s life is one thing but letting him back into mine isn't going to happen. Ever.Now if only I can get my heart to heed the lessons of the past.

Every Wrong Reason


Rachel Higginson - 2015
    She thought she had her happily ever after. But seven years into Kate’s marriage, she realizes that her husband Nick is not what she wanted. He’s selfish, he’s oblivious and he doesn’t love her anymore.Maybe she doesn’t love him anymore either.Divorce is the only option if either of them wants to find happiness.Kate and Nick thought they knew what they wanted, but neither is prepared for the heartache that separating will bring them. The journey they embark on is not the freedom they wished for, but a painful look at the people they’ve become.At the end of it, Kate has to decide if this is really the life she wants or if maybe there’s a way to salvage her broken heart.

The Space Between Us


Anie Michaels
    Asher Carmichael steps into her life, provides a steadfast friendship that offers her protection to grow into a beautiful, young woman. As years pass, their friendship evolves into a passionate first love neither one of them can deny. Together they explore a new relationship filled with all the butterflies and heartache expected as two young adults navigate sex, love, and trust.One fateful night, a painful mistake leads to cataclysmic results, setting the lovers on separate paths. Charlie is too hurt to forgive and Asher has never been so lost without his Charlie. Years pass. Hearts remain broken. Neither one can forget their first love or overcome the space between them.Contains sexually explicit language and other mature content. Readers should be 18 or older.

Hold You Close


Melanie Harlow - 2018
    Every time I see him climbing out of his pool, practically naked and unreasonably sexy, my blood boils.I’ve always loved to loathe him. I never planned to need him.*** London Parish is my little sister’s best friend, not that it stopped me from falling for her.Our history is complicated. The only thing we have in common is being godparents to my sister’s three adorable kids—until our lives are changed in one tragic moment. Now we’re trying to raise the children we love, mourn an unthinkable loss, and fight an undeniable attraction.My life is already upside-down, and the last thing I need is for old feelings to resurface. Because I’ll never be able to keep her, no matter how hard I try to hold her close.

Wrong For Me


Meagan Brandy - 2018
    See, Alec was a thief.He stole my happy.My sanity.My first kiss. I told myself I was glad the day he went away, and I'm reminded of why not five minutes after his sudden and unexpected return.Now he stands before me with a heavy glare and hard body.But those greedy green eyes, they're darker than I remember, and brimming with a secret...A secret I didn't discover until it was far too late.Because this time, he didn't steal a simple kiss.This time... Alec Daniels stole my all.--Wrong For Me is a full-length, standalone novel with no cliffhanger and an HEA. Previously titled The Wrong Blaze, this is the same epic love story with a fresh look and brand new title!

Loving Lies


Lora Leigh - 2006
    Slade was Jessie's life, the first love that filled her heart and soul and bound her woman's spirit. Years of waiting culminating in an incredible weekend of sexual abandon-teaching her everything she needed to know to be his woman and branded her as Slade's woman for life. Jessie was certain Slade had to love her. Until he whispered the lie, the ultimate betrayal, and walked away only to wed another woman. Now five years later Slade returns, his soul has withered without Jessie's presence, and now he'll have her, one way or the other. The love for her, the fierce overriding hunger and need consumes his heart and binds his soul. No matter the obstacles, Slade will get her back. Whatever it takes. Whatever he has to do. Warning: this book contains lots of steamy, hot lovin'. Anal sex. Toy play. All told in graphic, contemporary language.

Say You'll Stay


Sarah J. Brooks - 2020
    I’ve missed you for the past ten years. Haven’t you missed me?”The man who broke my heart ten years ago is back in our small town.Adam Ducate. My best friend since birth.His gorgeous blue eyes made him the object of every girl’s fantasy in our entire school.But it wasn’t just his perfect looks.He read biographies on the US presidents for fun.He could count to 100 in seven different languages.He liked George Romero movies and could recite all the dialogue from Day of the Dead.In short, Adam was everything every other boy in our grade wasn’t.So I took the risk and confessed my feelings to him.Of course, it all crashed and burned in extraordinary fashion.It crushed my heart when he left my life without a word and married Chelsea instead.The biggest b*tch ever.But now he’s back.And as much as I want to ignore the butterflies in my stomach, I can’t.They say second chances don’t come around often. But can I trust that Adam will stay with me this time – or will our past keep me running?

Snow-Kissed


Laura Florand - 2013
    After the utter destruction of her marriage and her happiness, Kai knew it was better to shut herself away from the world than to hurt and be hurt. Holed up in her mountain cabin, she planned to spend her Christmas alone. Until her not-quite-ex-husband shows up as the first flakes start to fall. Now should she send him back out into the cold? Or can she be brave enough to let this winter snow bind them back together?(A novella of 34,000 words. Approx. 130 pages.)

53 Letters for My Lover


Leylah Attar - 2014
    It’s not so black and white. Lines are crossed. Walls are smashed. Good becomes bad. Bad becomes very, very good.Shayda Hijazi—the perfect wife, the perfect mother, the perfect daughter. For thirty-three years, she has played by the rules, swallowing secrets, burying dreams and doing whatever it takes to anchor her family. Shayda Hijazi is about to come face to face with the one thing that can rip it all apart, the one thing her heart has always been denied: Love.Troy Heathgate—untamed, exhilarating, dangerous—a man who does exactly as he pleases. Life bends to his will. Until he comes across the one thing he would give it all up for, but can never have.Born on the same day in opposite corners of the world, their lives collide. And nothing is ever the same again. Spanning three decades, 53 Letters for My Lover is a fiercely sensual, emotional ride to the heart of an epic, forbidden love that defies it all—an intimate exploration of love, loyalty, passion, betrayal, and the human journey for hope, happiness and redemption.***Indie Reader "Best Books of 2014"*** Contemporary women's fiction: Ages 18+

The Big Bad Wolf's Ex


Tonya Brooks - 2017
     He had everything a wolf shifter could want. He even had the perfect mate. Jolie was the only woman he’d ever trusted. The only woman he’d ever loved. She had been his everything. Until the day she had betrayed his trust and eviscerated his soul. Reece had cut her out of his life with a ruthlessness that shocked even him. He had encased his broken heart in ice so thick and glacial that nothing could ever penetrate it again. And he’d been wrong. His mate had not betrayed him. He had betrayed her and destroyed them both in the process. Now he'll stop at nothing to get her and their cub back. But his ex-wife is not the same woman that he remembered. His sunshine girl had been a creature of sweetness and light, not this hissing, vitriol filled she-cat who wanted to claw his eyes out. Reece might be an unstoppable force, but Jolie had become an unmovable object. Is the big bad wolf strong enough to reclaim her heart?

Abrupt


Kathy Coopmans - 2020
    It owned my charred black soul. That emotion was digging so deep into my bones like a deadly disease.I hid it well. Let people believe I was a kind man.I’m far from one. I’m brash, bold, and angry at the curveball life has thrown at me.My saving grace came in the form of a tiny bundle wrapped in pink.My daughter.The day I learned I’d raise her on my own, was the day I kept the only vow I didn’t intend to break. I wasn’t letting a woman in my bed or my heart. There wasn’t room for one with my daughter owning one half and a woman I let slip through my fingers holding onto the other without her knowing it. I kept that vow until now. She’s back. The one that owns the other half of my heart. She’s carrying more pain than she left with, I can see it in her eyes. I should never have let her go, and now my regret is here, facing me head-on. I made a mistake, one I plan to rectify. I am a Mitchell, after all. I’ll stop at nothing to get what I want. Her. I have to prove to her that there will be no more broken promises, show her that my heart, the half I gave to her so long ago, is still hers.

Heartless


R.C. Martin - 2017
    She was honest, until first touch… And against all that is pure and noble, they fell in love. Warning: This is not one of those novels where the characters’ actions are justified. It is merely a story about two people--two flawed humans--who fall in love under forbidden circumstances. It is intended for audiences 18+ years of age due to explicit sexual content.

On The Rebound


L.A. Cotton - 2020
    For Calliope James it didn't only leave a mark, it tore out her heart and left it bleeding on the ground. He was her best friend.Her first kiss.Her everything. Until one day, he wasn't. Zachary Messiah will never forget the girl with eyes the color of whiskey. But he's not that boy anymore. Cold.Cruel.He's devoid of emotion. Their paths were never supposed to cross again. But love doesn't always play by the rules. Now he's the King of Steinbeck University and she's the new girl on campus ... and the pasts they have fought so hard to bury are about to collide. Only this time, they might not survive the fallout.