Book picks similar to
The Gift, Book 1 by Lily Zante


romance
contemporary-romance
single-parent
free

Runaway Road


Devney Perry - 2020
    She ran away from home at sixteen, escaping parents more interested in drugs than their daughter. She doesn’t have loving siblings or an adorable pet. Her only family is the five other runaway kids who shared her junkyard home. Life pulled them all in separate directions, taking her to Boston. For a short time, she thought she’d found something permanent. But after a devastating divorce, she’s running away again, this time to find a lost friend. She’s driving across the country in her convertible. As a teenager, the rusty car was her shelter. As an adult, it’s her ride to freedom. Except one flat tire derails her trip. Her life collides with Brooks Cohen. They walked away from the first crash. The second might destroy them both.

Luna and the Lie


Mariana Zapata - 2018
    She also knows that, if she could go back in time, she wouldn’t change a single thing.With three sisters she loves, a job she (mostly) adores, and a family built up of friends she’s made over the years, Luna figures everything has worked out the way it was supposed to.But when one of those secrets involves the man who signs her paycheck, she can’t find it in her to regret it. Despite the fact that he’s not the friendliest man in the world. Or the most patient.Sometimes there are things you’re better off keeping to yourself.

A Needful Heart


J.M. Madden - 2012
    He’s not relationship material, but he doesn’t expect it to get that far. He just wants to talk to her, man to woman, and put himself out of his misery once and for all. Things never go as planned, though, and when fantasy crashes and burns into reality, Gina pays the price.Gina doesn’t blame Matt for her injury, but she is appreciative when he steps into her crazy life to help out. Proximity fires sudden attraction between them and Gina can’t believe she’s overlooked the sexy carpenter for this long. Tattooed and intimidating, he’s not the type she’s normally drawn to, but something about him tugs at her heartstrings.When an explosive situation develops and they have to save a little boy, Matt loses control of his tightly held anger. Though his heart aches, Matt walks away, both for Gina’s safety and his own sanity. It’s up to Gina to convince him love can heal any heartache.

Hard Boss


Luke Steel - 2017
    No one can unravel me. And then SHE came along... Lucy was supposed to be like every other assistant out there—quiet, skilled at predicting my needs, and definitely not a walking distraction. How can she make it so hard to focus on my work? I hate it. And I hate how much I want her. Worse, no matter how I try to scare her off with my crisp attitude, she stands up to me. Her backbone is turning me on as much as catching her bending over the desk, skirt stretched over her thighs. Dammit. She shouldn't get close to me. No one should. So why am I taking her to dinner? And why am I tying her down to my bed, making her shiver and moan? Lucy might ruin what's left of my heart... Unless I ruin her first.

Fall in Love (Serenity's Seasonal Box Sets Book 3)


Serenity Woods - 2018
     Kiss & Make Up (Serenity’s Standalones Book 1) Stunt man Eli Black has one rule: he doesn’t date anyone he works with. Then makeup artist Tabby Rogers turns up on set… Tempting Autumn (The Four Seasons Book 2) Needing to escape her troubled life for a while, lingerie designer Rowan agrees to go on a trip into the Southern Alps with her best friend, nature photographer Hitch. But she gets more than she bargained for when she discovers they have to share not just a cabin, but a bed… Trick or Treat (Treats to Tempt You Book 4) Chef Fox Wilde mistakenly pretends he’s engaged when he interviews for a job at a top hotel in Auckland. Now all he has to do is convince his best friend, feisty barista Caitlin Baker, to agree to be his fiancée for Halloween…

Bad Night Stand


Elise Faber - 2018
    He’d been hot, hard, and possessed a butt that I wanted to bite like the last chocolate chip cookie in my stash. He’d also skipped out of town faster than a villain in a B movie, leaving me woefully unsatisfied. I’d chalked the whole incident up to a bad night stand and moved on with my life. That was before the news of a failed IUD. Before the plus sign. Before Jordan showed back up determined to make that night up to me. I didn’t want a baby or a payday or a sexy, stubborn man in my life. I wanted to go back in time and pretend none of it had happened. Unfortunately, my life had become all about that plus sign . . . and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

Before I Ever Met You


Karina Halle - 2017
     I first met William McAlister when I was just a teenager. He was handsome, had a beautiful wife and was on the verge of success, having just joined my father as his business partner. Mr. McAlister was full of smooth charm, but back then he was barely a blip on my radar. Just a family friend. Fast forward ten years: I’m 25 years old and a single mom trying to make things right for her seven-year old son. I’ve made some mistakes, grappled with my demons and now I’m back in the city of Vancouver, getting a second chance at a better life. I’ve started by working for my father’s production company as an executive assistant. My first day on the job and I already know I could have a promising career there. That is until I see Will McAlister for the first time in a decade. Now recently divorced and as sophisticated as always, Will has gone from being my father’s friend and business partner to something so much more. We’re both older, for one thing, and he just oozes this worldly confidence and stark sexuality. Combined with his tall, muscular build and sharp suits, strong jaw and bedroom eyes, Will has turned into one hell of a distraction. A distraction I’m having a hard time staying away from, considering his office is right across from my desk and I work with him in such close proximity. But it’s just a harmless crush, right? It’s just an innocent fantasy of screwing him on his desk, right? It can’t ever be more because he’s my father’s best friend, business partner, and my boss. Right? Wrong. NOTE: This novel is a light-hearted, swoony read. It doesn't contain any cheating but it does have ample amounts of sex and swearing.

Broke Down


Sharan Daire - 2021
    I’ve got no money in the bank, no place to stay, and no food for my kids. Can it get any worse? Sure. A police car pulls up. The county sheriff calls his twin brother to tow my car for repairs that'll probably cost more than the beater is worth. They say don’t worry about it. They only want to help.Sure they do. These gorgeous guys just happen to have two friends who own a luxurious motel called Little Cypress Lodge. I walk into this incredible hotel and it's like I've entered a new fantasy world. It's warm, there's plenty of food for my kids, and they say I can stay. For free. As long as I need a place.The four of them even want to hire me to do some modeling work for their new fashion line. Crazy, right?Me. The broke down, homeless single mom.If I can keep up the act long enough to make some deposits on a new place, I can start a new life for me and my kids. If I don't lose my heart first.

Come Away with Me


Ruth Cardello - 2014
    A man who thinks he has everything...until he meets Julia.Julia Bennett:Sweet, spontaneous, and desperate to sell her jewelry line in New York City. She takes a job as a night security guard to pay the rent.Sparks fly when she mistakes her boss for an intruder.He can’t get her out of his head. She can’t find the strength to deny him.Will lies bring them together or tear them apart forever?

Dirty Rich


Amelia Wilde - 2016
    In fact, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.But the soul-crushing hours are going to be worth it someday. That’s what I keep telling myself. If I keep my head down and power through, I’ll have a glowing reference and a ticket to a stellar career.It’s all going to plan…until billionaire Jax Hunter buys us out.It’s hard to focus on photos with him in the office, wearing suits tailor-made for his mouthwatering body. And when he looks at me with those eyes, and whispers such dirty things in my ear…He’s irresistible.And our hot office fling is turning out to be far more serious than either of us imagined.If this goes south, I’ll lose my job.And it's already too late for my heart...

Chasing Beautiful


Pamela Ann - 2012
    Life was starting to look up when out of nowhere, her boyfriend Kyle decided to end things. She vowed never to love again. But what she didn't see coming was the revelation of feelings her friend Blake had in store for her. Blake a handsome British mogul-in-training and a good friend who’s been lusting after her since they met or Kyle—childhood best friend, high school sweetheart, and her first love—but broke her heart. This is Sienna’s journey in finding herself and learning about forgiveness, heartaches and most of all, love. *****INTENDED FOR ADULTS 18 AND ABOVE*****

Break


Vanessa Waltz - 2014
    She's still trying to rebuild herself from a sexually abusive past, and a guy - no matter how gorgeous - would only mess up the fragile balance of her life.Almost-billionaire Luke Pardini is gorgeous, that's for sure. He's also desperate. His dying father thinks he's too irresponsible to inherit the family estate, and Luke needs to convince his dad that he's grown up and ready to settle down with a girl. Any girl.With five billion dollars at stake, Luke can't mess this up. But as he pretends to date Jessica, he finds himself drawn to her more than he'd like to admit. He has been hurt too many times to count, but Jessica is the one person who makes him feel safe. It could have been a Cinderella story, but both of them made a promise that their relationship was just for show, and neither of them is going to step over the line.When Jessica's secret past emerges on the front page of the tabloids, his dad threatens to disown him if he doesn't sever ties with her. If their relationship was only a charade, the solution would be easy. But if it's not…

The Hotel


Lola Darling - 2015
    My internship is a dream come true – until I walk in to my first meeting and discover my one-night stand at the head of the boardroom.Controlling billionaire, Dominic Rexford: CEO - and the man I was secretly hired to seduce. Now, I just want to keep my head down and stay out of trouble, but Dom has different plans. He wants a repeat of our wild night together – and he’ll do whatever it takes to get me back between those 700-thread count sheets.I’m in trouble now…*Part one of the sexy, scandalous new series*

The Contract


Melanie Moreland - 2016
    That is the reputation that precedes Richard VanRyan. He lives life the way he wants, no concern for the opinion of others. He cares for no one, is completely unrepentant, and he has no desire to change his ways.Katharine Elliott works under Richard as his PA. She despises him and his questionable ethics, but endures all the garbage he sends her way, because she needs the job. Her end goal is far more important than the daily abuse and demands she tolerates from her nasty tyrant of a boss.Until the day, he asks her for something she never expected. A new role with a personal contract — fiancée instead of PA.What happens when two people who loathe each other, have to live together and act as though they are madly in love?Sparks.That’s what happens.Can the power of love really change a person?Will they survive the contract?What do you do when the one person you hate the most becomes the one person you can’t live without?

Fugly


Mimi Jean Pamfiloff - 2015
    I am twenty-five years old, and despite being born with an unattractive face, I have never doubted who I am: smart, driven, and beautiful on the inside. Until I met Maxwell Cole.He’s handsome, excessively wealthy, and the owner of Cole Cosmetics. It’s been my dream to work for this man for as long as I can remember. The good news is he wants to hire me. The bad news is he wants me for all the wrong reasons. Ugly reasons. In exchange, he’s offered me my dreams on a silver platter. The job. The title. A beautiful future. But this man is as messed up and ugly as they come on the inside. I’m not sure anyone can help him, and he just might take my heart down with him.(STAND ALONE NOVEL)