Book picks similar to
Long Road Home by Carmen Bishop


romance
second-chance
second-chance-romance
reviewed

Getting Schooled


Emma Chase - 2018
    He has good friends, a great house on the lake, and the best damn sidekick a man could ask for: Snoopy, the albino beagle.Then...Callie Carpenter comes home.And knocks him right on his tight end zone.Back to school...Callie has a pretty sweet life herself...on the other side of the country. But circumstances—that she'd prefer to never speak of again—have brought her back home, helping out her parents and substitute teaching at her old high school.Now she's facing bickering, raging hormones, constant gossip, awkward weirdness, and drama galore...and that's just the teachers.Just like old times...When Garrett offers to show his former high school sweetheart the secrets of his winning teacher ways, Callie jumps at the chance—and then has to stop herself from jumping him.Good friends are all they can ever be.Or...these teachers just might end up getting schooled—hard—by love.

The Divorce


Nicole Strycharz - 2016
    We were college sweethearts and for seven years I've been his wife. Five of those years were bliss; the last two have been a long fall from grace. He’s the love of my life, the sexy and smart man I saw my future with, but now I don’t think he sees it too. I’m tired of not being seen, I’m tired of not being heard, and I’m tired of being in love alone. I was his optimistic hippie girl that he couldn’t get enough of. Now I’m just his annoyance. So I told him, I finally found the backbone and this is our story.... Chris: My wife just told me she wants a divorce. What the hell do I say to that? I thought we were fine-, well fine is a bad word, I thought we were okay. Doesn't matter what I think because she's moving out and I can't really let this happen. Yeah, she annoys me, we’re total opposites, but I knew that when I met her, she hasn’t changed…maybe I have? I was her anchor, her safety, her home. Now I’m that guy that’s wreaked her and there are plenty of men willing to repair the damage I did. So I have a plan. Find out what happened to change my affection for her within the last two years, and win her back before someone else does, because I still love her, and she still loves me....I guess....

The Boy on the Bridge


Sam Mariano - 2021
    I saw someone hurting and wanted to help. I saw someone possibly in danger and wanted to make sure he was safe.There’s nothing safe about Hunter Maxwell, though. I thought there might be. I fell under his spell. Whatever the world saw when they looked at him, it wasn’t what he showed me. The bond we formed was real. I know it was real. But with Hunter, when the tides turn, you’d better hope you’re safely on the shore and out of his reach.I thought I was a strong enough swimmer to keep my head above water. I thought if it came down to it, I could resist his pull.I didn’t know, but now I do.Once Hunter sets his sights on you, there’s no such thing as out of his reach. Whether it’s today, tomorrow, or five years from now, he’s coming for me—and when he does, he won’t stop until he’s destroyed me.***The Boy on the Bridge contains mature, adult content and is only recommended for adult readers.

Between You, Me, and the Bedpost (Between the Sheets Book 5)


Serenity Woods - 2021
    As much as he loves her, he knows if he doesn’t do something drastic, he’s still going to be working in his bar, waiting for her, in twenty years’ time. So he’s applied for a new job in another town, and when their divorce comes through after Christmas, it’ll be time for him to move on. Caught up in a cycle of pain and grief, Josie’s retreated into her shell, cutting herself off from her family and friends, and refusing to talk about the event that broke up her marriage. As a psychologist, she knows she’s locked in a destructive behavioral pattern, but it’s impossible to break it. Despair threatens to overwhelm her—and then, on the evening of her friend’s bachelorette party, Beck does something that finally opens the floodgates, and she begins to talk. For the first time, the pain of the past lifts, and the ice around her heart starts to thaw. At the wedding, she dances with Beck, and after a few drinks, it’s all too easy to have a kiss – and maybe more – for old times' sake. Suddenly, the future’s looking much brighter. But can they both overcome the problems of their past enough to give their love a second chance?

Watching the Sky Cry


J.B. Hartnett
    We’d seen our share of ups and downs, but I could honestly say they were mostly up. That’s the thing about happiness though. It lulls you into a false sense of security. I’m sure neither one of us thought we’d ever be touched by crippling loss or immeasurable grief. But not all stories have a happy ending and I knew better than anyone that sometimes, one of you won’t make it till the end. One of you has to go first. And one of you…Will be left behind to pick up the pieces. And that’s me. But starting over isn’t at all what I thought it would be. I needed escape from the memories that plagued me, reminded me. So I went back to where it all began. To the town where I was born. To the place whose beauty could pierce my pain. Where I experienced my first kiss, where I fell in love, where a man was my earth. And I…Was his sky.

A Girl by Any Other Name


M.K. Schiller - 2013
    But at twelve, they become friends when he teaches her how to hook a fishing line and she shows him the value of a selfless act. At fourteen, he falls in love with her.At sixteen, she dies.Or so he’s told. But Cal never believes it. Sylvie has become part of his soul. He knows her like the steady beating of his own heart. He’d know if she was dead. Cal looks for her, prays for her and finally he just waits for her.Nine years later, she walks into the community college English class Cal is teaching. Only this girl claims her name is Sophie Becker and she doesn’t know him. Cal knows better. He’s determined to get the girl he loves back—and protect her from the danger that took her away all those years ago.

Binding Arbitration


Elizabeth Marx - 2011
    The undefeated defense attorney is prepared to take her fight all the way to the majors.Circumstances force Libby to plead her case at the cleats of celebrity baseball player Banford Aidan Palowski, the man who discarded her at their college graduation. Libby has worked her backside bare for everything she’s attained, while Aidan has been indulged since he slid through the birth canal and landed in a pile of Gold Coast money. But helping Libby and living up to his biological duty could jeopardize the only thing the jock worships: his baseball career.If baseball imitates life, Aidan admits his appears to be silver-plated peanuts, until an unexpected confrontation with the most spectacular prize that’s ever poured from a caramel corn box blindsides him. When he learns about his son’s desperate need, it pricks open the wound he’s carried since he abandoned Libby and the child.All Libby wants is a little anonymous DNA, but Aidan has a magical umpire in his head who knows Libby’s a fateball right to the heart. When a six-year-old sage and a hippy priestess step onto the field, there’s more to settle between Libby and Aidan than heartache, redemption, and forgiveness.

Pretty Scars


C.D. Reiss - 2019
    Her beauty got her past the velvet ropes and into high society, but it ripped her away from the man she loved and chained her to an unbearable life.Then, in a single night, a song played by a mysterious and secretive musician carries her back to a past ripe with possibilities, when love could open any door.Who is this anonymous performer?How can a man she’s never met tell such a precise story of a boy she loved?She needs to know. But sometimes masks exist for a reason, and this unveiling could scar them both.

My One Regret


Claudia Y. Burgoa - 2018
    But now she might be gone for good. Kaden Hades couldn’t handle touring with his rock band and a relationship— until he discovered Sadie, the love of his life. But when tragedy struck with his teenage daughter, Kaden broke off the engagement, swearing to put his kids first. Then he gets the phone call. Sadie’s been in a car accident. By the time he reaches her side, she is critical. With Sadie in a coma, memories flood Kaden’s mind. Her kisses. And all the wonderful experiences they shared. The day it all went wrong…and Kaden made the biggest mistake of his life. Now, as her last line of defense against those who've given up hope, he'll move heaven and earth to protect her. Because she’s always had his heart—but if he loses her, his world will come apart.

Risking It All


Jennifer Schmidt - 2012
    There were only so many tales of heartache – and incredibly steamy nights – she could listen to before she started to believe them. But after a run in with the most sought after college womanizer, her ill feelings toward him change and soon a friendship forms that surprises everyone.Twelve years later Kennedy and Memphis Adams are closer than ever - and only friends despite what those around them think, including Kennedy’s boyfriend Ian Brooks. When Kennedy accepts an invitation to vacation in Alaska from Memphis, her relationship with Brooks is tested as is her restraint when it comes to the desire she has always had for her best friend.Alone with Memphis in Alaska, Kennedy finds it increasingly harder to ignore temptation and wants nothing more than to give into her secret desires with the one man that has always been off limits. But is one night of passion worth the possible risk of losing their friendship over?Feeling torn between doing the right thing and doing what she wants, Kennedy fears losing her best friend. She knows she needs to sort out her feelings for the two men in her life and deal with the consequences of her actions, but how can she when everything seems to be falling apart so fast? And how much can Memphis take before he’s pushed too far and can no longer take Kennedy’s inability to make a decision about what and who she wants?Kennedy discovers the harsh reality of how one night can change everything and leave her risking it all.

Redemption River


Lindsay Cross - 2015
     Until one mission turns his world upside down. He left Mercy to fight for his country and escape a broken heart. Years later, he is hard. Cold. A man without mercy. Part of an elite Task Force, he tracks a brutal terrorist to his home town. And runs into the woman who betrayed him… Evangeline Videl was destroyed when Hunter left. Determined to move on, she finds another man, but discovers too late the monster hidden beneath his smooth smile. Struggling to find the conviction to live, Evie finds her life spinning out of control. Then Hunter returns… Forced to band together to find the terrorist before its too late, Hunter and Evie must learn to forgive or risk losing the promise of redemption and their lives…

Bad Habit


Charleigh Rose - 2017
    Even bruised and bloodied, he was the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen. We couldn't ever be together. I was too young, and he was too untouchable. He was too troubled, and I was too naive. But the heart is rebellious, and mine decided it didn’t care about any of those things. As I got older, harmless flirting turned to stolen moments in dark corners. Until one day, he was gone without a trace. Now, three years later, he’s back. Callous and cruel. He’s my brother’s best friend. My parents’ worst nightmare. I should hate him. But like a Bad Habit, I can’t quit him. ASHER I was drawn to Briar Vale from the first time she looked up at me with stars in her big, blue eyes. She was just a kid, nothing but elbows and knees, but she was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. We could never be together. I was too old and she was too off limits. She was too good and I was too fucked up. Eventually, the temptation became too much to resist. I risked everything for a kiss and she betrayed me. Three years have passed and I’m forced to see her again, but now she's all grown up. She’s my best friend’s baby sister. My downfall. I hate her for what she did. But she's always been my drug of choice

Lexi, Baby


Lynda LeeAnne - 2012
    She is madly in love with her sexy, drop-your-panties-at-first-sight, hottie boyfriend who is equally in love with her; more like downright obsessed. He treats her like she is his heart; like he needs her to exist; like he would do anything in his power to make her happy.Lexi knows Landyn James loves her just as much as she loves him, if not more. Deep down, she also knows high school sweethearts aren’t expected to last, but their relationship is different. They are soul mates. Their connection is unbreakable.What could possibly go wrong when you have love like that...?Everything.What will the future hold...?Only time will tell.Author's Note: Contains Adult Content – Namely, a teenager-turned-woman with a very dirty mouth and fiery temper that may or may not know how to throw a punch. Also includes hot and steamy scenes, and a small glimpse into physical/verbal abuse.

Valentine Veto


Claire Wilder - 2022
    But I didn’t just leave my past behind—I left Callie McIntyre, the good girl I was never good enough for.Now Callie’s mayor of our town, and I’m back too, a European-trained chocolatier with a proposal for a new facility I need her approval on. One that will redeem my family name, and hopefully me, in her eyes.But Callie still hasn’t forgiven me for breaking her heart. And if she vetoes this project, she’ll never know it was all for her.Valentine Veto is a standalone steamy second chance novella, part of the Man of the Month Club multi-author series.

How to Save a Life


Emma Scott - 2016
    A harrowing past haunts her every time she looks in the mirror, and she can’t escape the violence of her everyday life. More and more, her thoughts turn to Evan Salinger, the boy she knew in high school. The boy they called a mental case. A loner. A freak. The boy who seemed to know things no one could know. For a few short weeks, Jo had found perfect solace in Evan’s company, sneaking every night to meet him at the local pool. In the cool of the water and the warmth of Evan’s arms around her, Jo had tasted something close to happiness. Cruel circumstances tore them apart, and four years later, the sweet memory of their time together is dissolving under the punishing reality of Jo’s life now. Evan seems like a fading dream…until he reappears at the moment she needs him most. Guided by Evan’s strange intuition, they flee her small Louisiana town, and Jo begins to suspect there is something more to his sudden return than he admits.Over twelve days across America’s heartland, deep secrets come to light, buried pasts are unearthed, and the line between dreams and reality is blurred as Evan and Jo fight to hold on to their soul-deep love, and discover that there is more than one way to save a life.***How to Save a Life is a complete second-chance STANDALONE novel with shades of the paranormal. It carries the characters from high school through to their early twenties. It is not YA; mature subject matter, and sexual situations. TRIGGER WARNING: domestic violence (on the page) and mention of sexual abuse (off the page) For readers 18 years and up.The Dreamcatcher novels are a series of interconnected STANDALONES, each with shades of the paranormal. It is NOT necessary to read them in order, though some characters appear in other novels.