Book picks similar to
Refuge by A.J. Alexander


single-parent
contemporary
arc
single-parents

Sinful Curves


Mae Harden - 2021
    Enough of New York City, my parents, their stuffy friends, and all the tedious men they think I should be dating. Doctors. Lawyers. Investors. Yuck. Taking over the little bakery in Sugar Creek was my chance at a fresh start.So, of course, the only man in town that’s interested in me is Branson. Older. Clean-cut. Doctor. Basically, everything I was running away from. Sure, he's gorgeous, but he also does terrible things to my blood pressure. All I want is a man that appreciates my curves, my tattoos, and my unfiltered mouth. You know, the impossible dream.Thank god for online dating.•Branson•Alex is the one. She just doesn’t know it yet. My curvy little baker takes one look at me and decides I’m too wholesome. Boring. She has no idea how wrong she is or how far I’ll go to prove her wrong.All I need is one chance. One night to show her the real me. One night to prove I can satisfy every sinful desire she’s ever had. Luckily, she's not the only one who can work a dating app.

The Christmas Cadeau


K.D. Elizabeth - 2019
    The MEN'S bathroom.No stalls were available in mine. I'd be in and out before anyone noticed.Except someone walked in.And, oh, he was so gorgeous.Four months later we moved in together.Two years later I can't imagine living without him.He's the love of my life, to the absolute bottom of my heart.So why are we breaking up?The Christmas Cadeau has NO cheating and a happily ever after!

Maintenance Required


Giulia Lagomarsino - 2020
    There are right and wrong ways to do things, and I always make sure that I'm on the right side. My brothers call me a wet blanket. They say I'm buttoned-up, boring, and that I don't know how to let loose. There's a reason I'm that way, and she just walked through my door. With one wild night, I've thrown all my moral guidelines out the window. Now I'm stuck with her and there's no possible way this could work between us. We're complete opposites in every way, but damn she's sexy. Not that it matters. There will never be more between us. One of us will end up killing the other first.KatAfter a long shift in the cancer ward at the children's hospital, I just want to let loose. My friend set me up on a date, and I gladly took it to let off some steam. I've got a fun outfit and I'm ready to let loose. But my one night of fun was spoiled the minute he walked through that door. I was just looking for a good time, and I got him instead. He's good-looking, but that's about all that he has going for him. He's not at all my type, and now he seems to think that I'm some loose whore. It was one night! But I'm stuck with him, so I have to find a way to make this work. If I don't figure out a way to make the man loosen up, I'll go insane.

How Much I Feel


Marie Force - 2020
    This is supposed to be the start of my dream career—something I’ve worked hard to achieve after the tragic loss of my husband. Dr. Jason Northrup isn’t going to mess up my plans, even if he makes my lady parts stand up and say hello. Especially since the surgeon sends up every kind of red flag. However, my heart—and other parts—seem intent on ignoring those signs…JasonI have more important things to do than bail out an attractive new colleague, but I need her. Carmen is my only hope in convincing the Miami-Dade board to overlook my tarnished reputation—and she makes me feel optimistic again. Romantic entanglements are the last thing I can afford, but Carmen isn’t an entanglement. She’s a beautiful breath of fresh South Florida air. My feelings for her are quickly becoming the best kind of scandal.

Bellhop


Elsie James - 2021
    It is the first in The Hotel at Brew by Brewer series.EmeryLiving in a small town is amazing when you’re the prom queen married to your high school sweetheart. It’s less so when he cheats on you and everyone knows the gritty details. But thankfully, I have my son and the two of us have found happiness in our new normal.When a handsome firefighter is called to the hotel I work at, flames crackle between us.Lucas is sexy, chivalrous, and I want to ignite his flame.But can I trust a man who’s married to his job?LucasWhen the Misty Mountain fire department needs an interim chief, I’m happy to put in my time in the small town. I’ve made a career out of rescuing people, it’s easy when work is your only priority.But when my first call puts me in contact with a single mom and her adorable son, I can’t help but feel a spark.Emery is caring, sexy, and there's a smoldering heat between us that could change everything.But can I convince her that she’s the one saving me?The class of 2001 is headed back to Misty Mountain for their twenty-year high school reunion. They’ve come for the nostalgia but what they leave with is so much more. Join these eleven couples on their journeys to love and check in with some of your favorite Brewer couples along the way.You were with the Brewer brothers to cheer them on as they searched for love and brought their dream mountain resort to life. Get ready to see the place in all its glory. The Hotel at Brew by Brewer is an eleven-book insta love series with sexy heroes and curvy, confident women.Read this series if you love short sweet instalove rom com romances with steamy sex scenes and rugged heroes. Each book can be read as a standalone but don’t do that, okay? I love hiding little Easter eggs from the Brewer world in every story and it makes my heart so happy when people find them! As always this series is safe with no cliffhangers, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily ever after HEA.

A Cowboy of Her Own


Susan Fisher-Davis - 2017
    His gut tells him she’s trouble but then again, having her around might be interesting. As long as she pulls her own weight, he has nothing to lose. Except maybe his heart. Priscilla Butler is the first to admit she’s not thrilled at the idea of doing a magazine piece on a rodeo cowboy but she needs to prove she deserves the job her mother helped her get. After all, her boss is too eager to fire her at the first chance he gets. Working alongside the incredibly sexy Roark Callahan isn’t going to be easy, not on her senses or her body since she doesn’t know the first thing about horses and bulls but she’s determined to write the best piece she can, and get it published. What she doesn’t count on is how charismatic this cowboy is or how much her heart becomes attached to him, his family, and friends. Would falling for a cowboy be too terrible if the cowboy of her own was Roark Callahan? Unless he breaks her heart.

New Year's Renovations (Starlight Bay, #1)


Kara Kendrick - 2021
    Fired from my job and dumped by my boss-boyfriend at the same time (lesson learned the hard way, don’t even start), I’m forced to adopt the ‘New Year, New You’ mantra whether I want to or not. The only silver lining is a rundown old house my estranged aunt left to me in Starlight Bay, Massachusetts.That is, until I run head-on—literally—into Jackson Montgomery, local hometown superstar and the best contractor in town. He offers to help with renovations so I can rent it as a side hustle once I find a job and move back to Boston. Unfortunately, he does not offer to date me, which is a crying shame because he’s exactly what I didn’t know I was looking for.Jackson:I’ve never made a New Year’s resolution until this year. Why? Because 99.9% of people break them within six weeks. But after my girlfriend cheated on me with my (ex-) best friend, I knew I had to do it. Give up dating for at least a year, but maybe the rest of adulthood.What I hadn’t counted on was meeting Harper, a perky city girl just begging to be kissed. Fixing up her late aunt’s house was proving to be a bigger job than I could handle in the feelings department and I didn’t like it one little bit. I just needed to get her fixer-upper fixed so she could get out of Starlight Bay before something happened I couldn’t repair with a hammer and some nails.NEW YEAR’S RENOVATIONS is a standalone, small-town steamy romance novella destined to give you all the feels!

Edge of Reason


Freya Barker - 2019
    Brotherhood and beer meets single mom and apple pie.I am a riding contradiction.A scholar, a cynic, a brother, and a biker.My name is Trunk.I'm smart enough to recognize the chip on my shoulder, and cautious enough to keep it right where it is.I am a misguided romantic.A mom, a daughter, an agent, and a survivorMy name is Jaimie.I'm strong enough to look after my family alone, and too stubborn to accept I don't have to.We make an odd couple--our differences obvious--but when hatred and danger threatens to destroy everything of value in our lives, we only get stronger.Together.

Breeding Her: Filthy Dirty Desires


Darcy Rose - 2022
    Unfortunately, I’ve learned my lesson with guys who promise you the world only to leave you pregnant and broke.* * *She came out of nowhere, turning my entire world upside down. I don’t care about the past, only about the future, and that future is me, her, and the baby inside her swollen stomach.I don’t care who is trying to get in my way.Jasmine is mine.Mine to love, mine to cherish, and mine to breed.

The Suite Life


Brooke St. James - 2018
    I had been traveling, and for the last twenty-four hours, sleep had evaded me. I knew I looked terrible, and I was relatively sure I didn't smell so great, either. It was not the most ideal moment to make a first impression. On a normal day, I wouldn't be so torn up about it, but today was different. This was the day I met Taylor. He was a gentleman in every way. I was instantly taken aback by his vintage look and charm. It was almost like he had stepped out of the past. I would only be in Boston for two days before traveling again, and I was determined to get a second chance at a first impression.

Make Me an Offer


C. Morgan - 2019
    I don’t have time for anything but my bustling shop. Fate didn’t ask me though, and attraction turns into some much, much richer.This woman is mine from the moment she walks in. Deal or no deal, I’m playing for keeps.

Just a Single Dad


London Casey - 2021
    Give me the mind-your-own-business big city. I’m just in Gardner for a couple days to catch my breath after losing the consulting job I loved, and the man I thought I loved.Until I catch sight of a breathtakingly beautiful little girl, then her flannel-and-scruff single dad. With my ovaries crying louder than my common sense, I unpack my bags and settle in for a spell.TylerIn small towns like Gardner, some things are absolute. There’s no such thing as privacy. There will always be bad blood between certain families. And second chances don’t just drop into the local diner for a turkey sandwich. Do they?Olivia has city and temporary written all over her, and my kneejerk reaction is to keep my sunshine-and-two-million-questions daughter from getting attached. But when I get into a bind, Olivia surprises me in ways I never expected. But when the past starts pushing and shoving, there may not be room in this small town for temporary to become permanent.

Tis the Reason for the Season: A Dating Season Prequel


Laurelin Paige - 2021
    Or perhaps the first to start the trend? Regardless, this is my chance to finally confess.This year, I’m going to hang my stocking on Austin’s door… and hope it’s not just his heart I convince to grow three sizes bigger.The prequel in the laugh-out-loud Dating Season series.

The Summer Tour


Mandy Melanson - 2020
    It’s impossible to tell one face from the next when I’m up there. The mixture of fog, lights, flashing lasers, my astigmatism, and whatever else they put into the air to keep the crowd happy… It’s all just a mix for a big bunch of blurry fuzzy whatnots. She was not a whatnot. She stood out in her ripped black jeans and that adorable neon yellow thing holding her hair up out of her face. I don’t even know what it’s called, but it was perfect. She was perfect. The bright pink tank top that hugged her in all the right places. Those bright yellow heels that made her back curve in just the right way. Those were definitely factors that caught my eye, but it's not why I can't get her out of my head. Her dark brown eyes and that smile—her smile. That’s it. That smile had me hooked from the second I ran on stage. I even stopped short of my mark and totally threw off the spotlight tracker. Why?Because I was too busy watching her and how she just fell into the rhythm of the music. It’s a good thing Chuck didn’t plan any pyro for tonight, or I might have been screwed.I’m not even entirely sure I sang the right lyrics to the first couple of songs. It was more a series of barely audible grunts, caveman style. Nash probably turned his mic up to help with the background vocals. They’ve all gotten really good at covering my ass over the years. I’m grateful the crowd didn’t seem to notice. All I could think about was trying to figure out a way to find out who she is. I still have nothing. So I’m sitting here like a lost, lonely little puppy just hoping to catch another glimpse. What if she leaves and doesn’t come through the line? I can see both Exit doors from here. I’m watching those two doors like a pitbull watches the gate at a junkyard. Maybe I am a lost, lonely little puppy. No.I am a pitbull puppy. And just like that pitbull, I will jump this table and bulldoze whoever gets in the way if I have to.

My Hero


Mazzy King - 2021
    Hard.Three V-Days ago, I walked in on my boyfriend of four years getting it on with his hot personal trainer.Since then, I’ve focused on my floral shop business. And Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest days of the year.I’m making a delivery to a restaurant when I slip and nearly get hit by a car...but the hottest guy I’ve ever seen saves my life.Unfortunately, he’s the bouquet’s recipient’s lunch date.Which means I'm the butt of Cupid's joke yet again.DanielI’m having lunch with my sister when the most beautiful curvy woman walks up with a special delivery.Unfortunately, she’s not looking where she’s going and almost gets hit by a car.It’s instinct for me to pull her out of harm’s way...maybe because I do it for a living as a fireman.I know she feels the attraction too, but one look at my sister and she runs the other way.I can’t stop thinking about her, though, and it’s time to see if she might want to be my Valentine.