Book picks similar to
Scars and Tats by Kristi Pelton


single-parent
arc
contemporary
romance

Shattered Hearts


Octavia Wildwood - 2014
    Alone. Damaged. After escaping an abusive relationship, Amanda finds work on a remote farm in rural Minnesota. Eager for a fresh start, she tries to will her nightmares away. She also tries to stop daydreaming about her hot boss's hard, chiseled body. She doesn't like him, but he's sure easy on the eyes.Stubborn. Proud. Protective.Hardworking and hard-headed, Nate is determined to save his family's farm and provide for his sister. The last thing he needs is some city girl getting underfoot. Sure, Amanda is a breath of fresh air (and the prettiest little thing he's ever seen) but there's no way he'd ever admit it. Nate doesn't do romance...but he can't stop thinking about doing Amanda!*This is a full-length, standalone novel that contains explicit adult situations.

Taken by Her Prince


B.B. Hamel - 2020
    So I took her home and nursed her back to health.With a fat padlock on the bedroom door.My crew’s moving in on the Irish mafia, and my sweet little princess is the Boss’s niece. I can’t let her go, not now that I have her.So once I fix her body, I’ll make sure she never wants to leave.Except she’s got a rebellious streak and a temper the size of Texas. She thinks she can fight back, but it only makes me want her more.In the end, she’ll come to me. And when she does, I’ll make her deepest, darkest, filthiest dreams come true.

Hot for Teacher


Whitley Cox - 2020
    Three sexy single ladies who drink a ton of wine every Saturday night, bitch about life, have each other's backs, are the ultimate mama bears, and hope to one day, just maybe find love again.This is Celeste's story ...Fifteen years ago, Celeste was eighteen, in love and on the honor roll.Then she got pregnant.Now, a widow and a single mom, she does her best to give her daughter, Sabrina, a good life.But something is missing in her world.Or someone.Back when he taught her math, Celeste didn't have a crush on Mr. Travis, but that doesn't mean she's not hot for teacher now or able to ignore her rampant fantasies.All Max wanted to do was buy was a pair of jeans. However, when he bumped into his former student, Celeste, he ended up with so much more.She's not a kid anymore and it's impossible for him to stay away from her. Even when he knows he should.But an angry student is out to wreak havoc for them all. One who hates Sabrina, and wants to cause problems for Max and Celeste.Like love, high school can be a battlefield, only neither of them knew just how dangerous it could be until the scandal explodes like a grenade. Celeste and Sabrina's relationship hangs precariously in the balance, and Max isn't sure if he should stay and fight for the woman he's falling for, or get out of dodge before everything he's worked so hard for goes up in smoke.**Note: This book can be read as a standalone. It includes lots of steamy scenes, cursing, a sexy alpha male, and of course as with all my books, this has an HEA and no cliffhanger or cheating. If you liked my single dad series, then you'll love this spin-off trilogy.

Boomerangers


Heather M. Orgeron - 2017
     Spencer I love sex. I love the power, the intimacy, the euphoria it brings. Too bad I’m not having any . . . You’d think as New Orleans’ most renowned sex therapist that I’d be swimming in single men. In a way, I am . . . except for the fact that one is in diapers and the other two are drowning in preteen hormones. As a single mother of three, my days are devoted to my clients and my kids, and my nights are spent with Fabio, my trusty vibrator. When my world begins to unravel, I have no choice but to move back home. And when my high school sweetheart comes waltzing back into my life, comedy and chaos ensue. What can I say? I never said I could pick ’em, but you can bet your ass I know how to fix ’em. Cooper As soon as the ink dried on my divorce papers, I made myself a solemn vow: I was done with relationships. Moving home to take over my father’s firm was the plan, until Spencer decided to return, along with three souvenirs from the life she’s lived without me. I’ve been in love with the girl next door for nearly all of my life; the rest was spent trying to forget her. I’d give almost anything for a second chance with her, but I have no time for distractions—especially the kind that involve diapers, bottles, and eighteen-year commitments. The problem is, she’s already got me by the balls . . . and I’m beginning to feel the noose tightening around my heart. *Intended for readers 18+

Private


Xavier Neal - 2016
    No face to face meetings. No interviews. No social media accounts. Despite his ghost demeanor he continues to financially flourish and make his fellow investors richer with every decision. Throughout the years many have sought to discover the man inside the mogul while others have spread legends painting him as a heartless monster consumed by greed. None of it matters to him. Weston's true identity is secured away in his estate of solitude, which consists of the only people in the entire world he believes he can trust. That is until he's asked to allow a guest access to the property under extreme circumstances. One he knows he shouldn't. It doesn't take long before his world is turned upside down, unexpected threats arise, and Weston's forced to ask himself what really should be kept private?

Forged


Cole Denton - 2019
    Good things rarely knocked on my door. But hard knocks never failed to kick my ass. Nothing good would ever happen to me. Or so I thought. In college I discovered women, and never looked back. But even though I was never alone, I was always lonely. I didn't know exactly what I needed. Only that I needed something more. Until I saw her. Then I knew. She was what I needed. We were perfect. Incendiary! We were going to be what happily ever afters were about! Or so I thought. Now I'm ten years older. A hundred years wiser. I have survived so many trials by fire, nothing could penetrate my scarred and jaded armor. Or so I thought. This is my story... **Author’s note: Forged is a dark novel with intense scenes that may trigger some readers. Please read with caution.

Nudes


Sarah Robinson - 2017
    Ben Lawson is making a comeback...After a few tabloid headlines, they think they know me. They don't know a damn thing.  As CEO of a movie production company, I'll show them who I really am when we hit it big at the box office. My ex thought her smear tactics would ruin me, but I'm unbreakable. Rising from the debris, I swore I'd never let a woman distract me like that again. But then, my leading actress walked on the set and changed everything. Seductive, sexy, and unapologetic, Aria Rose could break me. I wanted to help her, protect her...love her. Instead, I destroyed her. Aria Rose is baring it all....I knew better. I knew not to trust another Hollywood heartthrob with a reputation like his. He was my boss and became my ruin. I should have stayed far away from him. Ben Lawson promised me the world. He even promised me his heart.  But he destroyed everything--my heart, my career, us. Disclaimer: This novel is for 18+ years old as it contains graphic sexual content.

Convict Me


J.L. Beck - 2019
    Sheltered and raised around no one but my family all my life, his darkness draws me in. He was raised with violence, it oozes from deep within him. I was raised by the bible my naiveness to save him proving just that. He scares me and excites me all at once. He’s obsessed and guarded. He protects me and hurts me. He pushes and I pull, but only because he doesn’t think he’s good enough. His warnings are clear. He tells me about his past, and the people he’s killed. He tells me about the things he wants to do to me…about the things he will do if I stay. The goodness in me wants to cure the stain of dark on his heart, but I’m not strong enough. The closer I get to Hero the further I get dragged into his darkness and eventually it starts to swallow me whole. Murder. Crime. Money. Sex. It surrounds us, and when Hero’s past comes barreling towards us it won’t be him that pays the ultimate price..it will be me. **This is book one in the Broken Heroes Series. It contains a happily ever after and is a complete standalone. It contains dark themes such as dubious content, sexual themes, violence, and swearing.**

One Night to Fall


Kelsey Kingsley - 2017
    He had been stuck to the roof of her mouth, since they were both three years old, when fate seemed to send his family next door to hers. All the way from the coast of Ireland to River Canyon, Connecticut. Over twenty-nine years, fate has been both kind and cruel and many choices have been made. Can things go back to when they were more innocent and magical? Patrick has a plan and just one night to try and take back the reins of his destiny and put the wrong things right with a trip down memory lane. Fall in love again with this novella of firsts and second chances, in a little town where everything meant everything.

Kissing Booth


River Laurent - 2017
    Even then, I wanted to buy a kiss from her, but she ran away in tears.Twelve years later, I come home to find her in my bed... fast asleep.It's just like Goldilocks, but with waves of long, dark-chocolate hair.Hell, I don't even want to blink in case she disappears.I didn't pay too much attention to my fairy tales. Did any of those bears get to the kiss the girl?Whatever, I'm not buying kisses these days. I'm all grown up now. There's hot blood pumping through my veins, and I take what I want when I want it.Hmm, come to think of it, I'm not in the market for kisses, but I could do with a fake fiancée.This time there'll be no running away, Sweet Dani Sabre... I'm claiming you for my own.DaniI know I shouldn't have taken that nap. I wake up to find a devastatingly handsome man watching me.Dark hair, ripped body and piercing blue eyes that smolder right through my soul.I thought he was going to get me fired from my cleaning agency, but instead he shocks me and asks me to be his fake fiancée in exchange for an insane amount of money.I'm not mad, so of course, I say, "Yes."

Finding Allie


Meli Raine - 2015
     My stepfather turns out to be a rival drug dealer, and I'm pretty sure he killed my mom two years ago. I'm not supposed to fall in love with Chase. He's not supposed to know I even exist. But when he finds me, he can't let go. And when I find myself in his arms? I hold tight. I have to. Because if I don't, I might just die. * * * Read all three books in the Breaking Away series: Finding Allie Chasing Allie Keeping Allie With or without him.

Swallow Me Whole: A Friends To Lovers Romance


Gemma James - 2018
    She’s my sister’s best friend. The girl I’ve known since grade school. The girl I’ve always considered off-limits. She’s the girl that crawled under a table in a bar one night and changed everything between us. Now the brain in my pants is more than willing to step up. The rules are simple. No kissing. No screwing. No falling in love. But the more I let her use my body in the name of experimentation, the more I know being friends isn’t enough. Is it too much to want it all with her? The taste of her lips. The sweetness of her innocence. The chance to earn her love. I might have a real shot with her…if her douchebag ex and my past don’t ruin everything. Note from the author Swallow Me Whole is a friends-to-lovers standalone romance. Full-length at 77,000 words. Please note that parts of this story were previously published as a serial under the pen name of Angel Allen. This standalone novel includes the complete story. For a limited time, Trashy Foreplay is included as a bonus book in this copy of Swallow Me Whole, so the main book ends at about the 58% mark.

Undaunted


Crystal Daniels - 2017
    After suffering the loss of two women in my life, I grew cold and indifferent to the idea of love. I don't need to let anyone in. I've seen the aftermath it can leave in its wake.The last thing I'm looking for is someone to fill the void.Until-Bella JamesonStruggling to keep my head above water, my only concern is taking care of my sister. The last ting I expected was to fall in love with a tattooed biker, Logan Kane. With evil hiding in the shadows, I have no idea the danger my sister and I are about to face.Will Logan and Bella overcome their demons in the end, or will they lose each other in the process?

Pretty Monsters (Pretty Monsters Trilogy, #1)


Kimberly Carrillo - 2020
    Here we don't hide in the shadows. I am vengeance wrapped in a pretty package, but you can call me Sin, everyone else does. I’m a weapon and as such I live for one thing only, to bring death where I’m aimed. That is until the night she walks into the moonlight. Raven Blackthorne taunts me with her beauty and innocence. She doesn’t belong in my world, even if it is her father who’s trapped me here. I’m not good for her, but maybe I’m exactly who she needs to help her escape it. Unless I break her first.

Wild Aces


Marni Mann - 2015
    Trapper Montgomery His darkness drew me in.A mystery with a past I wanted to solve.He was cold, like ice, but set me on fire.A heat I hadn't felt in ages.But when I saw his face, I burned...In mourningAgain.Brea Bradley She melted from my voice--shuddered from my touch.But trembled from the memoriesThat my face brought back.She wanted more...Maybe even him.I wasn't the hand she counted on.But I was what she was dealt...A Wild Ace with no way to win.