Book picks similar to
Scars and Tats by Kristi Pelton


single-parent
contemporary
arc
romance

Blood to Dust


L.J. Shen - 2016
    Me.His name is Nate and I should hate him, but I don't.I'm not supposed to know his real name, even worse, I'm not supposed to care. He is nothing to me but means to an end. The plan is simple: break free, collect the pieces of my broken soul, kill the bastards and run away.His name is Nathaniel Thomas Vela, and I've never seen his face, though I hear that it's beautiful.Behind the rugged and handsome exterior, there's a quiet murderer, a killer who thinks guns are for pussies and ends people with his bare hands.His name doesn't matter, neither does his face, but what does matter is my heart. And right now, sadly, it's his. Blood to Dust is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.

Hot Mess


Emily Goodwin - 2017
    Forget about dating--nobody's got time for that. Even if love hadn't left me jaded, I'm not settling for anything less than perfect this time around.Lucky for me, the perfect man just happens to work in my office. But there's just one small problem: he's my boss, and is totally off limits. But hey, if it's meant to be, it'll find a way, right?Then a night out with friends turns into a night in with the walking-talking bad boy cliche of a bartender. It's just one night. No harm, no foul, right?Except when the hot bartender turns out to be my boss's trouble-making brother, who wants more than just one night with me. The more I resist the spark between us, the more I find myself wanting him too. Which puts me in the middle of what could be the biggest sibling rivalry of the century.Life is messy.And love?Well, love is even messier.

Gator


Bijou Hunter - 2014
    I am a killer, yet gave her life. She is mine and I dare anyone to stand in my way.MiaI am nobody until Gator sees me through the scope of his rifle. My life is suffering and violence, but he offers redemption. I am his and I dare anyone to keep us apart.Gator is a standalone romance noir scheduled for release on Feb. 25, 2014.

Vision of Love


S. Moose - 2014
    The fancy house, top of the line car, lots of friends and more money than anyone could ever imagine. On the outside, we were the perfect family. No one knew about my abusive father and my mother who drank herself into oblivion every night. My name is Karly and I have scars, deep scars that no one knows about, and when my parents died I was left alone and on my own, to fight through life with no help.When it came to life and happiness, I had it all until my world was turned upside down. My name is Nicholas and my wife, the love of my life, left me and our new baby girl without as much as an explanation. I didn’t want to accept it, but after our divorce was final and four long years passed, I started to lose hope that she’d ever come back. Emma was growing so fast and I needed help. My sister recommended that I hire her friend, Karly, as Emma’s nanny. I took a chance on bringing another woman into my little girl’s life. Did I do the right thing? As many days and nights are spent together, feelings can no longer be denied and a relationship is formed.Life is about taking chances and learning how to fall, but when the past comes back, will they be strong enough to fight through and trust each other? Or will all they worked for fall apart?**Editorial Reviews** “This is a different style of book than the author has written before.” Stephanie from Stephanie’s Book Reports“This is the second book of S.Moose’s that I’ve had the pleasure of reading and in true S.Moose fashion, I was left ugly crying.” Ange from Cover to Cover Book Blog“It truly is a beautiful love story with two very broken individuals who deserve so much happiness, you can't help but cheer for them the entire book. “ Beatriz from Cover to Cover Book Blog“Break out the cold drinks and fan because Nicholas and Karly are all over the sweet sentiments and sexy scenes. This 1st book in the Infinity Series will have your emotions all over the place, loving every minute of it, and begging for more!” Megan from There’s This Book Blog“I don’t know what to do with myself S.Moose! I will always love your books! Such amazing writing! I have to say…I loved your Never Letting Go series, but Vision of Love! WOW!” Christina from Miscellaneous Thoughts of a Bookaholic“Pain, heartache, happiness. Vision of Love takes you on an emotional roller coaster with some twists and turns leaving you content and rooting for a happy ending between two amazingly broken people. S.Moose writes with beauty and turns heartache and pain into love and passion. This book had me from page one and kept me intrigued and wanting more page after page!! Loved Vision of Love!!” Raquel from For the Love of Books Blog

The Truth in My Lies


Ivy Smoak - 2018
    But what my husband doesn't know won't kill him. I break his rules every morning on my runs. It's always been best when I have a routine. So every day I wake up, run, clean the house, wish for a better life, repeat. And every day is exactly the same. Except for Thursdays. I live and breathe for Thursdays. It's when he comes. I watch him from a distance. I can't help myself. But I was never supposed to talk to him. I know what you're thinking. But you don't know my story. You don't know the kind of monster my husband is. And trust me, you have no idea who I am.

Get off on the Pain


Victoria Ashley - 2015
    Memphis is all that and more…I live for the pain; it’s what drives me to keep moving. But there comes a time when one has to push the demons aside in order to survive. I thought I buried them deep. I thought I was ready to finally live. Until… my brother, Alex; he throws me into the fire—right into the place I could never control myself, the one place I never want to be again. When I put my hands on people, they get hurt. Things happen that bring me back to that night. The one that will forever torment me. I’m doing fine, keeping to myself in order to ensure no one gets hurt by me. Then along comes Lyric, and all I want to do is touch her, to put my hands in places that I know will only lead to her being crushed by me. She’s the rush that I crave. The darkest of poison running through my veins, killing me bit by bit; like a drug I can’t get enough of even though I’m almost down to my last breath. And being around her only hurts more, but what she doesn’t understand is that I welcome the pain; I get off on it, which in the end leaves me with the hardest decision of my life—one that might get us all killed…

Unrequited


Max Henry - 2016
    Our love was all consuming, passionate, and forbidden. We took risks to be together, carrying on an affair for months before her psychotic drug lord husband found the truth behind the lies. She barely escaped with her life … and that of my son. My club president told me that our love was no longer worth the risk, gave me a choice, and loyalty to the club being what it is, I walked away from her. I left behind the only thing I’ve ever wanted more than life itself and remained the dutiful soldier to a corrupt leader. Six years and a promotion to club president later, it’s time the lies stopped. She IS worth the risk, I’ve NEVER gone a day without thinking about her OR my son, and I know underneath it all she DOES still love me. She just won’t admit it … yet.

VIP


M. Robinson - 2013
    I went to Miami to discover myself; never in my wildest dreams, did I think home would become a three-letter word. VIP. I was the dream. I was the illusion. I was the fantasy. Until him… Everything went to hell in hand basket the moment we laid eyes on each other. I wanted him. He wanted me. Sebastian I have always been a man who made decisions based on other people’s feelings, wants, and desires. I was selfless. I never wanted to hurt anyone. Especially her. The moment I met her… I wanted her. I loved her. For the woman she was. For the woman she wanted to be. But most of all… For the woman she was, when she was with me. This isn’t a love story, but a story about love. Warning sex/drugs/language. Mature readers only.

Progress


Amy Queau - 2013
    But how far into his mind is she willing to go?Jesse has a curious attraction to Charlene, a hostess at the restaurant where he works. Outwardly he’s rude, awkward and unapproachable. But his sudden bursts of charm are inescapable. A devastating childhood filled with physical and emotional abuse have left him complex and frigid.Charlene, an innocent, is quickly mystified. Her craving for him generates an infatuation and a purpose. Losing weight and gaining confidence, she begins taking more risks. She defies her past, damaged and tender, in order to move ahead."Progress" is a realistic tale of two friends who both have similar issues that make them hesitant to get close to anyone. Jesse's demons have manifested into an emotional detachment, and Charlene's, a physical one.If nobody makes the first move then nobody gets hurt.Their journeys take them down parallel paths which leave them just as emotionally unmatched and conflicted as the day they met.

Four Bloody Kisses


A.J. Wyatt - 2021
    That note is my hit list. I will find out who killed my father.And I will have revenge.Each of these men is rich, powerful, and gorgeous.Magnus may be a giant Viking, but he has the sensitive heart of an artist.Tattoo covered, Bratva leader Yuri bleeds danger.Chess master Talon is the polar opposite of his wild twin, Vice.They make me burn with desire, but any one of them could have killed my father. How can I give in to temptation when I don't know the truth?I'm not the only one hunting. When bullets start flying, it's up to me to keep my men safe. Until I have my answers, these men are mine and mine alone.And if anyone's going to kill them, it will be me.Author’s Note: This book contains four swoon-worthy alpha males, one kick ass heroine, cursing, steamy sex, plenty of action and dark suspense and lots of sass. If you like books where the heroine never has to choose just one, then this is for you.

Saving Amy


Nicola Haken - 2013
    She drinks, she sleeps around, she cuts… anything to help her escape the agonising existence growing up between her mother’s drunken wails and her father’s fists. But nothing works. There is no escape. And Amy wants out…Enter Richard Lewis – the doctor responsible for saving Amy’s life after her drink and drug-fuelled suicide attempt. Thanks to his own hidden demons, Richard is drawn to Amy and her situation, and despite the incessant warnings from both his own mind and his jealous ex-lover Joanna, he feels compelled to help her.But how will Amy feel when she discovers Richard’s attachment to her is born out of his own guilt? He was her last resort – her last chance at being saved. Can anybody save Amy, or has she finally reached the end of a very long, torturous road?(Not suitable for under 18's due to language, scenes of self-harm and sexual content)

Dark Mafia Prince


Annika Martin - 2016
    So trusting.
Like you think I’m not a monster.
Like I won’t wrap your hair in my fist and bend you to my will.
Like I won’t sacrifice you, piece by piece, to save my brother.I’m the most dangerous enemy you’ll ever have because every time you look at me, you see somebody good. That friend who died.And when you look at me like that, I die again.MiraI spent years making myself invisible.A good girl, apart from the noise.
Then you came back, beautiful and deadly in your Armani suit.
Don’t look at me like you still know me, you say.
But I remember your smile and those sunny days.Before they lowered your small casket into the ground.
Before they told us the prince was dead.

The Truth About Lies


Aly Martinez - 2018
    And I was helpless to save her. Consumed by hate and rage, I spent four years running from my memories. Until a shattered woman gave me a reason to stop. Cora lived in a nightmare, but through sheer force of will, she’d turned it into something beautiful. She had a smile that could pierce the darkest soul. And with one glance, she shredded mine. Lie: I was only there for a fresh start. Lie: I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Lie: There was nothing I could do to save her, either. But that’s the thing about lies—you never know who to believe.

Determined


Elizabeth Brown - 2014
    Do well in school, attend a top university, graduate with honors. Having secured a plum gallery job right after graduation, she was well on her way to accomplishing her goals. That is, until a chance meeting with a handsome stranger made her question her life’s entire course. Billionaire David Keith was sexy, successful, and on the wish list of every woman in San Francisco. Sam knew it was dangerous to hope she was different than all the women David normally dated, but for the first time, success wasn’t the only thing on Samantha’s mind. Would this distraction be her undoing? Book I of III, can also be read as a standalone.

Where I End and You Begin


Andra Brynn - 2013
    It may tangle, it may knot, it may stretch or fray, but it will never break. It is a future as indelible as the past.I hope that isn't true. I pity anyone destined to meet me.----For Bianca Ray, the past is always catching up, one way or another. Now in her third semester at college, it's doing it again. Too much drinking has led to plummeting grades and rising absences, putting her scholarships in peril. When she makes it clear that she needs help—all over the floor of her history class—she’s given one last chance to shape up: seek therapy and bring her grades up by the end of the semester, or she’s out.Enter Catholic seminarian Daniel McGuire. The last thing Bianca wants is an aspiring priest to counsel her on how to live her life, but the handsome graduate student is different from the holy rollers she fled from at home. Gentle and unobtrusive, he helps her pick up the pieces and find a new way to live: not running from the past, but facing it head on. But opening up her heart to release the pain means that something else can come in. As Bianca and Daniel grow closer, their relationship moves onto dangerous ground and the fragile courage Bianca has built up threatens to fail her. Can she exorcise the ghosts of her past, or will they catch hold and drag her down where not even Daniel can reach her?