Book picks similar to
The Mistress Wife by Lynne Graham


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The Substitute Wife


Dallas Schulze - 2003
    Leggy, flame haired and wise beyond her years, she decided that he should marry her instead.But even though Luke needed a wife by his thirty-sixth birthday or he would lose his inheritance, he had to say "No!" Well, that was what he tried to say, but somehow Cat left with a ring on her finger and a wedding date on her calendar. And Luke could only curse his grandfather's positively medieval blackmailing scheme...and count the seconds till the wedding night.Cat, of course, knows her own mind -- and her own heart -- and she wants Luke. Meanwhile, Luke is wondering how long this will play out, and hoping that it might be a little longer with each passing day. The problem is, he's quite capable of doing something very stupid -- like falling for Cat.Because sometimes love just doesn't take no for an answer.

The Return of Brody McBride


Jennifer Ryan - 2014
    . . and he's in for the surprise of his life.Former bad boy, now-decorated Army Ranger Brody McBride is home and on a mission: Find the woman he never should have left behind and right the wrong he did eight years ago.When the man she loved broke her heart and skipped town, Rain Evans picked up the pieces. But along with heartbreak, Brody left her something infinitely better than she could have imagined: two beautiful daughters. One she gave birth to, and the other she rescued from the woman who helped destroy her relationship with Brody.Brody is shocked to discover he's a father, and he's more determined than ever to win back Rain and protect his girls. Can they rekindle the love they once shared and become the family they were always meant to be? Or will a danger from their past return and ruin everything?

Just the Way You Are


Barbara Freethy - 2000
    a life about to be tested by the return of the only woman who can break them up—Alli's sister, Tessa.A baby brought them together—and even though Alli has always loved her strong, sexy husband Sam and the life they've built together, she has decided to set him free to follow his youthful dreams. It is no longer enough for her to be wife and lover when she knows she holds so little of his heart.Sam has always dreamed of a life away from the close-knit world of Tucker's Landing, but marriage and fatherhood ended all that. Now Sam is torn between what was and what was meant to be. He must decide if it's time to rekindle the dreams of the past ... or accept Alli, and her love, just the way she is.JUST THE WAY YOU ARE is an emotionallly compelling, heartwarming, beautiful love story about choices, second chances, the crush of a youthful love, the intensity of a love born from marriage and life. "An exceptional novel from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy!"

Comparative Strangers


Sara Craven - 1988
    He couldn't be serious!One day Amanda was happily engaged to Nigel, a flamboyant British car rally driver, the next she was the reluctant fiancee of his stern, laconic older brother, Malory Templeton.As if she hadn't been through enough. Hadn't finding Nigel in the arms of another woman been more than she deserved? The hard glitter in Malory's eyes told her otherwise.Malory was a virtual stranger to her, but Amanda had no choice. Her own foolish pride had caused the crazy switch in fiances, and Malory, it seemed, was going to hold her to it.

Whatever It Takes


L. Maretta - 2013
    His wife, Emma, was always able to brag to her friends about how caring, loving, helpful, and successful he was. Having been married five years, they have just put the finishing touches on their dream home and are ready to start a family. Everything seems ideal until one day Gavin confesses to Emma that he was unfaithful, turning their entire relationship from perfect to a total disaster. Suddenly Emma's carefully controlled world is chaotic and her future uncertain as she struggles to determine if she is able to forgive Gavin or have the strength to move on.

Blake's Mistake


Darcy Andrews - 2020
    But he's not sitting at his desk...he's leaning over it, and he's about to kiss the fiery redhead who's spread out underneath him... Six years and a college degree later, she's back working at the same legal firm she left under such miserable circumstances. Only now, she's returned as Blake Callaghan's legal equal, not as his secretary. Blake can't believe she's back...she's just as gorgeous as he remembers her but she's an ice-queen, refusing to talk about their past. They are thrown together on a tragic custody case and it's all a bit too close to the bone for Kristin. She knows she has to reveal the secret she's held for six years...but is terrified of how he will react. A heartfelt, second-chance romance set in New Zealand, Blake & Kristin's story will touch your heart. 'Blake's Mistake' is low-steam with a HEA and no cheating. Darcy Andrews writes classic second chance romance stories set in her beautiful country. She writes satisfying, relatable characters and always ensures there's plenty of drama and angst to keep you reading to the last page... 'Blake's Mistake' is the third book in the Second Chance Series.

All the Wrong Choices


C.A. Harms - 2021
    I was a fool. The poor girl that couldn’t hold onto her man. Everyone pitied me, but I didn’t want nor need their pity.Never again will I be the vulnerable one. Never again will I allow myself to fall in love because let’s face it, love and commitment are nothing more than a waste of time. Never again will I fall for a man’s lies. I’ll remain distant and unattached and I will not falter. Not even when a tall, handsome, and incredibly hot man makes me question the plans I’ve made for myself.I can’t give in, no matter how perfect he appears to be. I know better and all good things always come to a crashing, destructible finale. I know it will end and when it does, I’ll be the one left shattered. I’m not sure I’ll survive another fall.All the Wrong Choices, lead to heartbreak…And my heart couldn’t take another hit.

Whiskey Lullaby


Dawn Martens - 2013
    All books are about different couples.Julie Walker thought she found true love with Jase. Until he betrayed her in the worst way, with one of her best friends. Devastated and heartbroken she runs away, leaving behind her family and friends. She starts a new life filled with secrets.When Julie meets Dean, she thinks he is the answer to all her prayers, but Dean isn’t who she thinks he is.Jase Gibson is a player. Even when he had the girl of his dreams, he still played. When he lost Julie, his life fell apart. He turned to whiskey and women, to fill the void. But, only Julie will ever make him whole.Nine years later, Julie's back home, but she's not alone. What will happen when all of Julie's secrets are uncovered?Jase vowed that if he ever got her back, he would do right by her and never let her go. Will he let Julie's secret keep them apart?When Julie's ex-husband refuses to be her ex, Jase must choose to help her or hang on to his anger.Jase and Julie have to find a way to give their whiskey lullaby a happy ending.

Sarah's Child


Linda Howard - 1985
    And it robbed Sarah Harper of her best friend. In the two years since the tragedy, Sarah has wanted to reach out to Rome, but she knew she needed to stay away, guarding the secret she had kept from him and Diane all those years -- that she was in love with her best friend's husband. But now Rome needs her. And though another woman will hold his heart forever, Sarah agrees to be his wife, knowing that everything has a price, including love. Then something totally unexpected rekindles her hidden hope that a marriage of convenience will become a union of love. Will Rome keep fighting his own growing need for a woman who dares him to believe there are second chances in life... or will he give in to the healing power of love and miracles?

What Price Paradise


Katherine Allred - 2005
    Until the night he gets drunk and sleeps with a woman he barely knows.Now, six weeks later, she's pregnant, alone, and broke. Once again, Tate must take responsibility for his actions, and makes plans to marry his child's mother. There's only one problem...he has to tell his fiancée.Abby Grayson hasn't had an easy life. As the daughter of the town whore, people either avoid her or think she's like her mother. For Abby, it's a struggle just to fill her belly and keep a roof over her head.Loneliness and a secret yearning for this man she thought she'd never have led her to spend the night with Tate. But the last thing she needs is a baby when she can barely take care of herself. Desperate, but too proud to ask for help, she finally agrees to accept a job from Tate - the job of being his wife. Now she has almost everything she's ever dreamed of.Unfortunately, only one thing will gain her Tate's love - his realization that the night he spent with her was no drunken accident. It was a last-ditch attempt to win the woman he really wanted.

Frayed Silk


Ella Fields - 2017
    And after seven months of watching my husband turn into someone I didn't recognize, I'd given up hope in finding answers. So I decided to break his heart... and he did nothing to stop me.Trigger warning: This book contains cheating and other sensitive subject matter.

The Woman He Married (A Magic City Duo, # 1)


Julie N. Ford - 2011
     Once an aspiring young attorney, Josie looked forward to taking on the injustices of the world—one case at a time. Eleven years later, she’s a stay-at-home mom and battling demons that don’t require a law degree. Only keeping up pretenses proves more than she can bear when a bracelet that should have been hers shows up on the wrist of another woman. Her marriage slowly begins to unravel as an ex-lover comes back into her life. When he offers her the dreams she thought she’d lost, Josie must chose between the man she married and the one she let get away. John has always known exactly what he wanted. A career as a high-powered attorney, followed by the perfect family of six, and then elected public service. So it was no surprise that the first time he laid his eyes on Josie, he knew she was the one he’d share his dreams with. More than a decade, and one tragic miscalculation later, all he has worked for is slipping through his fingers. Powerless to stem the flow, the one thing he remains certain of: he can’t lose the woman he married.

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?

Catch Me Twice


Charmaine Pauls - 2019
    I learned the hard way. I had Jake Basson’s baby. He left to chase his dream. Now he’s back, demanding a second chance, but why should I give him anything after four years of nothing? No correspondence, no news. I finally have my life back on track. Jake has never been uncomplicated. He never follows the rules. I should’ve known he’d play dirty. He caught me once. I’m not going to let him catch me twice.

Promise Me


Barbie Bohrman - 2013
    Drawing strength from him, she left everything behind and sought a new life for herself, far away from the pain and shame.Fast forward ten years: Sabrina is settled in Miami, happy at last—until her best friend urges her to attend her high school reunion and face her painful past once and for all.And…maybe meet the mysterious Tyler once again.Can Sabrina find the courage to face the demons in her past, let go of the pain, and move forward into happiness? Or will insecurity and self-doubt ruin her one chance to get the love she’s not sure she even deserves?