Book picks similar to
After Love Leaves: The Story of Us by Michelle Alstead


freebie
cheating
michelle-alstead
03-2-contemporary-romance

Second Chance Summer


Allie Boniface - 2009
    He’s trying to escape his. Love may be their only hope.Ten years after leaving home, the last thing Summer Thompson expects is to inherit her estranged father's half-renovated mansion. And the last thing she wants is to face the memories of the night her brother died, fleeting as they may be. Now a San Francisco museum curator, she plans to stay east just long enough to settle the estate and get rid of the house. Until she finds it occupied by a hunky handyman who's strangely reluctant to talk about his past.Damian Knight has been hiding his mother and sister from a violent ex, and Whispering Pines is the one place they’ve found peace and safety. He keeps to himself. He tells no one about his past. Yet when the lonely, haunted Summer steals his heart, he finds himself opening up to her in ways he should never risk. Especially to a woman who's planning to leave town after selling their refuge out from under them.As their attraction grows, the past begins to catch up with them. Summer's mounting flashbacks leave her confused and determined to uncover the truth about the night her brother died. But that truth will cross paths with the man Damian and his family have been avoiding for years.Can new love help them defeat the pain of the past? Or are some scars too deep to ever heal?If you love small towns, memorable characters, and swoon-worthy happy endings, then you'll love this sweet romance by a USA Today best-selling author! (Note: this book was previously released as Summer's Song. Revisions and updates accompany this new version!)

In The Now


Jennifer Ann Shore - 2020
    Scratch that. There are many reasons why I haven’t been home—family drama, small-town gossip, and my career probably take up the top three spots.But when my career stalls and I get devastating family news, I’m back to the very place I ran away from a decade ago. The last thing I want to do is pick up right where I left off, and as I'm drawn to Noah, my terrifyingly gorgeous high school bully, I know that things have certainly changed.I was supposed to run away and never look back, but I’m stuck dealing with my past and planning for the future. But all I want to do is live in the now.—“In The Now” is an enemies to lovers, second chance adult romance by Amazon bestseller Jennifer Ann Shore.

Breaking the Cycle


Megan Lowe - 2016
    Reed Ryan avoided it by never falling in love, but meeting Bria Adams threatens all the boundaries he's put in place. With a rival racing team at his door and his family's 'curse' always in the background, Reed knows he must overcome his fears in order to protect the woman who's found a place in his heart. Will Bria succumb to the misfortune that seems to befall the women in love with the Ryan men? Or will she be the one to finally break the cycle?

The Wideness of the Sea


Katie Curtis - 2017
    When she returns home to mid-coast Maine for his funeral, she faces all that she left behind when she left seven years earlier. The pain of her own mother’s death, the fractured relationships with her father, and her first love. The life she had built for herself in New York - the art world, her boyfriend, her roommate who is also her best friend - allowed her to forget the grief and hurt she had left behind in Maine. But when her uncle leaves her a surprising inheritance, if forces her to face them, and the parts of her self she’s buried. As she searches for answers about herself, and where she belongs, she discovers how people and places shape us, and how understanding, forgiveness and grace have the power to transform us and the people we love.

Untouched: The ALPHA Edition


Tabatha Kiss
    My lover. My ultimate undoing.I'm exiled. Banished from the concrete jungle I call home and forced to spend my summer on my uncle's farm.That's where I met my step-cousin, Tobias, a guy who takes the strong, silent type to the next level. We were told to stay away from each other. Bad influences, they said.But, as we'll soon discover, all we have is each other inside the brutal and dangerous world of the Midwest Alphas, an illegal fighting tournament that promises fame and glory for the victor.Tobias is the local favorite to win it all, but his competitors will stop at nothing to keep that from happening. Including going after the one thing he wants more than winning. Me. I trust him when he says he won't let anybody put their hands on me.Anybody but him.Untouched is an epic tale of young star-crossed lovers from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Tabatha Kiss and her dark alter ego, Tabatha Drake! It is book one of a trilogy.

Wildest Dreams (Hollywood Nights Book 1)


Savannah Kade - 2017
    He's definitely Mr. Right Now. So when Mr. Right comes onto the market, Jenn is ready to jump in. Clark Fuller is perfect-hot, stable, and suddenly he wants Jenn.On the surface, Walker knows he's not what Jenn is looking for. She's worked so hard to shed an unstable past and build her own a safe, steady life. Walker is anything but safe.Choosing Walker could mean having the real love she's found, but it might mean losing everything she's worked so hard for...Wildest Dreams in a steamy, emotional romance. The first in the Love Found Us series, this friends-to-lovers story will sweep you along to a deeply satisfying happily ever after. Grab this swoon-worthy romance now!

Running To You


DeLaine Roberts - 2013
    That is, until he crawls up the wrong side of this stunning redhead when he gives her the brush off.What starts out as a planned business meeting winds up being an unplanned entanglement. As the past haunts the couple's future, Alexandra keeps her running shoes on and the exit door in her sights.Will Grayson conquer her ultimate fear of trust in a real relationship, or will he lose out to her doubts when he makes a dreadful mistake?

Year of the Chick


Romi Moondi - 2011
    It's the sort of thing that would turn almost anyone into a man-crazy freak with romance tunnel-vision, and that's exactly what happens to her. All the while, a lack of inspiration in her corporate job leads Romi to her love of writing, in what quickly becomes a man-quest play-by-play.From whiskey-breath scum bags to uni-brow creeps and everything in between, Romi and her wingmen come up empty time after time. And that's when she meets a fellow writer.On the Internet.So will it be arranged marriage doom, or an Internet affair that's not as creepy as "To Catch a Predator"?Time will tell in the "year of the chick," a twelve-month quest to find love.Tick-tock.

Stubborn Love


Wendy Owens - 2013
    She had given him her youth, and all he gave in return was misery and pain. She was ready for a new beginning, but Ashton wasn’t about to let her go so easily, even if it meant destroying both their lives in the process.Three years later Emmie convinces herself she is ready to leave all of that heartbreak in the past and find a little piece of normal for herself. She heads to New York City to pick up where she left off, determined to finish art school. Emmie is determined to focus on school and not let anything distract her, but life has a way of throwing curveballs.Paige, Emmie’s new roommate, brings Colin Bennett into her life. His smoldering eyes and lean muscular body are difficult for any girl to ignore. Only thing is, Emmie isn’t any girl. Her past makes her resistant to his charms. Colin isn’t one to give up easily, and just when he thinks he may have found a way to her stubborn heart, her tragic history may have found a way to tear them apart.

Let Me Be the One


Lily Foster - 2014
    Her boyfriend? The guy who came off as sweet and devoted, the life of the party? Try obsessed, out of control and hell-bent on ruining her life.One year later, a new and improved Darcy Donovan is back on campus and she’s got a plan. That plan doesn’t include Tom Farrell, or any other guy for that matter. He’s surfer-boy hot and he talks a good game, but don’t they all?Hell to the yes…She’s back.Going after his friend’s girl is wrong, but Tom is too hung up on Darcy to care. Screw principles, screw ethics, screw the bro code. An hour in her presence would lead the best of men to veer off the high road.And he has his work cut out for him. She still thinks he’s a joke, nothing more than a walking, talking one-night stand. What she doesn’t know is that Tom has spent the past year changing his ways. He’s not all talk, and he’ll do whatever it takes to prove it.But when a menace from Darcy’s past resurfaces and Tom’s past comes back to bite him hard, their one shot at happily ever after may be shot to hell.What you don’t know? Turns out that it can hurt you.Let Me Be the One is the first book in Lily Foster's Let Me series. Gripping and emotional, these stand-alone romances are intended for the 18 and older crowd due to mature language and sexual content.

Love, Riley (Redemption Hwy 4) (The Pennington's Book 1)


Leaona Luxx - 2017
    TROUBLE.That’s all she is and all she’ll ever be.What in the hell was I thinking getting involved with her?Everyone knows her reputation precedes her.But I’ll be damned if I don’t like it.Hurricane Ava crashes to shore wreaking havoc, the beautiful disaster she is.And I love it.What’s worse, she does too.So, why am I in love with her? Because, she loves me.She just doesn’t know it yet.

Three Days


Michael Wojciechowski - 2019
    When she does, her nosy seatmate, Paul, asks if she liked it. She claims it’s average at best and argues that McCarthy has lost his edge. Unbeknownst to her, her seatmate is Kurt McCarthy. Kurt McCarthy is Paul’s penname—a secret Paul doesn’t reveal.Paul’s headed to Chicago for his first public reading—a sold out performance in which Kadie has a ticket. However, minutes before Paul takes the stage, Kadie calls and asks him to meet her for dinner. Paul abandons the reading and his 1500 fans.Over the next three days, they fall in love. Paul never reveals he’s Kurt McCarthy, and he flies home promising Kadie he’ll return in two weeks. Unfortunately, an unexpected development unfolds, preventing him from returning. Can they reunite, or will the prospect of what might have been haunt them forever?

On the Market


Audrey Wick - 2019
    Her methodical daily routine suits her just fine, so she aims to freshen up the property, sell it, and take her funds back to the city. She’s only got two weeks during her vacation to make this happen. Now is the time to cash in and get out. The oldest Hutchinson son, who people around town know as “Hutch,” is a third generation local who is poised to take over the family business with his brother, Cole. The barbeque brothers have very different ideas about the future of their restaurant, "The Hut." Just when he thought his biggest headache was his job, Hutch meets Valerie and both their worlds are upended. He’s drawn to this fish out of water, but Valerie’s time in Last Stand has an expiration date. Their sweet and saucy styles don’t mix, but can they both find the recipe to a happy future?

Falling for Jack


Joanne Hill - 2013
    Set in New Zealand.Jack Fletcher has survived his rough upbringing to become a mega success, but with his personal life down the toilet, discovering he has a son sends his life even further into turmoil.Robyn Taylor was the brainy girl destined for great things who now waits tables for a living to support her twins. Life is a struggle, but when Jack convinces her he needs her to look after his son, the conditions are too good to turn down. Robyn has always had a bit of a crush on Jack, but being this close means the crush is rapidly turning into something else altogether, and when Jack gets shocking news, it draws the two of them even closer together.But how can Jack ever believe he can be a father to his son, and a husband to a woman who must learn not only how to trust him - but to have faith in herself as well.

The Seacrest


Aaron Paul Lazar - 2013
    Finn McGraw disagrees. He was just seventeen when he had a torrid summer affair with the girl who stole his heart—and then inexplicably turned on him. Finn may have moved on with his life, but he’s never forgotten her. Now, ten years later, he’s got more than his lost love to worry about. A horrific accident turns his life upside down, resurrecting the ghosts of his long-dead family and taking the lives of the few people he has left. Finn always believed his estranged brother was responsible for the fire that killed their family—but an unexpected inheritance with a mystery attached throws everything he knows into doubt. And on top of that, the beguiling daughter of his wealthy employer has secrets of her own. But the closer he gets, the harder she pushes him away. The Seacrest is a story of intrigue and betrayal, of secrets and second chances—and above all, of a love that never dies.