Book picks similar to
Refuge by A.J. Alexander


single-parent
contemporary
single-parents
arc

Love & Other Chaos


Jackie Walker - 2020
    Brody’s my friend - just a friend. He’s also my autistic son’s favorite teacher.He’s as off limits as they come, no matter how drop dead gorgeous he is. Falling for him would be wrong. Resisting him though, is becoming pure torture. After being burned by men who can’t handle dating a single-mom of a special-needs child, I refuse to date anymore. Not until my son is grown. My plan is working fine until my trouble-making bestie presents me with a dare that I can’t resist. I’m a sucker for a good dare - especially when margaritas have been consumed. And she’s just dared me to plant a surprise kiss on Brody’s sexy lips, while she records it for a trending TikTok challenge video. But if I do this, it could change everything. My life is already pure chaos and maybe now is not the best time to shake things up even more. Is it worth risking our friendship and his important role in my son’s life for one kiss? What if he wants more? What if I do? Love & Other Chaos is a hilarious, steamy, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy featuring a drop dead gorgeous and seriously buff teacher with the hots for a single-mom of an autistic pre-teen son... who happens to be one of his students. This story also includes wise-cracking grandparents with zero respect for personal boundaries, swoon-worthy beach scenes, a jerky boss with no concept of personal space, nosey siblings and a foul-mouthed best friend who loves to instigate trouble. If you don't like sarcasm, steam, sexy-times, heroines who drink copious amounts of margaritas and laugh-a-minute dialogue, then this might not be the book for you. It’s a stand-alone novel with a happy ending, because cliffhangers will kill your margarita buzz.

The (Not So) Perfect Day


Maggie Dallen - 2019
    It can't be. Not without her best friend Ian by her side. Her perfect day would be ruined if he's not there to share it with her. The invitations all went out weeks ago, and the clock is ticking. So where is he already? And more importantly, why are all her thoughts about Ian when she's on the verge of marrying another man?It's too late to RSVP when photojournalist Ian Ferris receives the invitation to his best friend's wedding. Still, it's not too late to pop in on an old friend and check out the fiancé—for Ellie's sake. Ian tries to put a nice face on it, to be there and show his support for Ellie and her choice. But the truth is, he's going crazy because he can't imagine Ellie with anyone but himself. Will Ian allow Ellie to take her journey down the aisle on the arm of another man and make the biggest mistake of her life? Or will he tell her the truth about his feelings, and help her see that he's more than just her best man...he might just be the love of her life.

When the Stars Align


Isabel Jolie - 2019
    I can’t stand the place. But when an offer to move to NYC includes a fast track to partner at a well-respected law firm, there’s no way I can decline. My move to the city goes exactly according to plan, everything falling perfectly into place…until the elevator door in my new apartment building opens, and I come face to face with my past. Four years ago we parted ways, neither of us willing to change our future career plans. We were too stubborn, too ambitious, and refused to make sacrifices. To add salt to the wound, she ended the year dating my roommate. But right now, staring at her beautiful face after all this time, I can still feel it. The attraction, the desire—it’s palpable. Four years ago, I wanted forever with Anna. Now, I’m a different man. A relationship isn’t in the cards. She threw that chance away. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun…right?

Every Little Thing


Lana Dash - 2020
    At three, he takes first priority, and I'm always there for him. But when my sexy new neighbor Trace moves in, there's someone else on my mind...usually at night. My plus-one for my friend’s wedding cancels on me the night before. I don't want to go, but then...Trace offers to step in and be my date. He’s only doing me a favor so I don't look stupid. I've never been the kind of woman who attracts guys like him. But the way he holds me close makes me think I might've been wrong all these years... Trace From the moment I lay eyes on Kate, I want her, but I never thought the curvy beauty next door would ever look my way. When her date flakes on her, I jump at the chance to step in and replace him and show her what it's like to have a real man at her side. Her priority is her young son, and I respect that, because I respect her. There's no room in her life for a guy like me. But after one steamy night together, I can't let her go. I'll do whatever it takes to show her I'm the man she needs in her life, and she's the only woman for me. EVERY LITTLE THING, is an insta-love, happily-ever-after, STEAMY romance. No cliffhangers, no cheating. This is a standalone short story.

Worth the Wait


Sophia Sinclair - 2019
     Molly Miller is an overworked and underpaid librarian struggling to raise her three kids herself. The only romances she has time for are the novels she returns to the shelves. Then one day, David Conrad walks into the Fairview Public Library. He looks just like the sexy pirate on the cover of a romance novel her best friend, Lori, has been reading, so they secretly refer to him as The Pirate Man. But the truth is even stranger. His appearance means old secrets are about to be revealed, and not everyone in town will be happy about that. Who is David Conrad? David immediately rubs Molly the wrong way. But she somehow keeps getting entangled with him in ways she can't seem to avoid. He claims to be descended from a prominent Fairview family that was brutally murdered in the 1950s. The Conrad murders were never solved, and now that a Conrad is back in town and asking questions, the people of Fairview are in for some surprises. So is Molly. Who'd have thought an irritating Pirate Man could capture her heart? Review of Worth the Wait: I cannot say enough about this book! I love the whole librarian single mom angle and meeting up with “The Pirate”??!! So much YES! Sophia Sinclair creates this small town feel with real characters that have so much depth that you can’t help but fall in love with. Molly not only tackles being a single parent, but also issues with her beloved library and her crazy awful landlord! It’s real and I absolutely loved that it was such a big part of the story. Then, she meets this mysterious stranger who is new in this small town (we all know how that goes) and he shakes things up in her already chaotic life. They have this love/hate relationship that they have to struggle through.

The Country Star Cowboy


Macie St. James - 2021
    Unfortunately, his dream of being a country star will put him on the road. He’s come to terms with that…until he stumbles upon the beautiful woman living above his cousin’s restaurant.Peyton Clark has been hiding out from her old life for the past few months. She ran from a wedding her wealthy parents arranged for her, but she knows she’ll have to go home eventually. When she meets budding country star Tyler Petty, though, she suddenly has a reason to stay in Weeping Willow.As their feelings for each other develop, Tyler and Peyton have to make a tough choice. Both are being pulled away from the town that has brought them together. Can they find a way to achieve their dreams without it tearing them apart?The Lone Star Cowboys series is a sweet, clean contemporary western series filled with swoon-worthy heroes and a small-town Texas setting.

Cross My Heart


Avery Maxwell - 2021
    His intensity is electric, and I express a sass I thought was long extinguished. It's a shock to my system and seems to put Dexter on edge, which I like. Teasing him appears to be my new favorite pastime. Accepting the nanny position for Dexter's three children will be my fresh start in life, but the closer I get to Dexter and his children, the harder I know it will be to leave. I'm only meant to stay for a year, but all too quickly, Dexter becomes determined to break down my walls. He went from Alpha-Male to Alpha-Prince-Charming, and I don't know if I'm strong enough to resist. Dexter thinks I can choose them and stay, but I know better. He doesn't understand my kind of damaged. My scars run deep, but so does Dexter's determination. He has his eyes and heart set on me. Even our friends are joining in on this battle, a crazy bunch of misfits who cause chaos at every turn. It's me against them, I'm just not sure who will break first. If you liked Nicole Snow's Man Enough, then you'll love Cross My Heart.A page-turning emotional rollercoaster; can Lanie learn to accept love, or are the demons of her past too strong, even for Dexter Cross? Click the BUY NOW button to enter the world of Waverley-Cay and find out!

My BFD


Barbra Campbell - 2021
    Their assumptions about me would only be partially incorrect.A shy nature and lack of experience played into my name perfectly. My thoughts and who they were directed at were a different story.My best friend and I had been inseparable through our childhood and teens. We did everything together, celebrated triumphs and consoled failures, and shared our deepest secrets, except for one.Stupid Cupid had struck me with an arrow for the worst possible person on the planet… her dad!I’d known Rhett my entire life, but something had happened last Valentine’s Day and I suddenly viewed him as the strong, confident, sexual being that he was. And I’d suffered for an entire year trying to mentally stick him back in the untouchable dad category.With another Valentine’s Day around the corner, my best friend had left our small town for the big city she’d always dreamed of, and I was finding it harder and harder to get her dad off my mind.Rhett--Single-dad life was tough, but I’d successfully raised my daughter into a confident adult who was ready to live the life she’d dreamed of, and that was far away from our small town.What I hadn’t anticipated was her sweet and innocent best friend blossoming into an incredibly beautiful young adult. So when I found myself falling for her, I was biding my time for her to move away like all the other teens did when they graduated. But she had other plans.With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I was finding it impossible to resist the intelligent, demure, gorgeous woman Chastity had become.After catching her staring at me, I was certain I wanted to be the man to help her prove that names didn’t define a person.

A Man in Uniform (American Heroes, #4)


Leah Holt - 2020
    But I believed in us, I believed in our love.He left to serve our country. Promising to always stay with me no matter where he was.He broke his promise. He got on that bus and I never heard from him again.So, I did what anyone would, I moved on. I left him in the past, right beside the broken heart gave me.Five years came between us, five years for me to forget all about him.Until the night he swoops in and saves me. The boy I remember has turned into a hard bodied soldier. His muscles are thick, his arms strong, protective, holding me like he never wants to let me go.And his smile, his smile still makes my heart flutter.I don't know what to do. He hurt me once already.Do I forgive him and give him a second chance?Or do I let go of this man in uniform?*Meet Wyatt Saint, a man with a mission to get what he wants. This quick, hot, full of feels story has a happily ever after!

Falling for the Hitman


Heather Dahlgren - 2021
    Constantly looking over my shoulder. I know I’m being looked for, hunted. For a crime I didn’t commit, but one I’m taking the fall for.One misstep and I’m frozen. I’m face to face with the man hired to take my life.Hayden Cash has found me and I can’t breathe.

This Is It: A Second Chance Romance: San Diego Social Scene Novella


Tess Summers - 2020
    Thinking back to the prior evening’s events, I decided it was definitely the naughty one. There had to be a mistake —I was always on the nice list. But the gorgeous, naked man snuggled next to me seemed to suggest I had a lump of… something waiting for me. Maybe the nice list was overrated. Or maybe naughty girls really did end up with coal in their stockings.GrantI was now on the ‘every-other-weekend and alternating holiday schedule' with my kids —one more thing about divorce that I detested. Attending my law partner’s Christmas Eve party seemed like a better alternative to drinking alone in my boring beige condo, staring at my new pipe-cleaner tree with its new, shiny ornaments. The last thing I expected was to be propositioned by a former PTA President. Or to wake up Christmas morning not wanting to leave her bed. But you don’t get to be our age without plenty of baggage. The question was, did ours match?This sexy, feel-good second chance romance will have you cheering for Paige and Grant to finally find their happily ever after together. But not before they discover that dating —at any age —isn’t so easy.

Lockdown


D.D. Prince - 2020
    :)Catch up with:Deacon and EllaRider and JennaSpencer and PippaFork and Jojoand get a sneak peek of the goodness of Daddy Deke and Laura ;)This novella is about 60 pages and available for a limited time.

What Happens in Vegas...


Kelli Callahan - 2021
    Tempting AF.Old enough to be my father,But I didn't care.I came to Las Vegas with no money to my name.No way to make it on my own.All I knew was the one place that made my dad smile.The only picture I had of him was in front of that iconic sign.But there was someone else in that picture.My dad's best friend.I didn't even know his name,Until he whispered it in my ear.By the time we made the connection, we were in over our heads...Kelli's Note: What Happens in Vegas is the first book in the Dad's Best Friend series. Each book is a standalone, so they can be read in any order.

Claimed Bride


Linzi Basset - 2018
     Penelope was not having a good week. First her newly minted ‘Ex’husband (she was going to get a t-shirt made) decided to drive off into the sunset (literally) and left her in a pile of shit (figuratively). She’d barely put some dirt on it (actually), when the most gorgeous man on planet Earth showed up and opened his stupid mouth. Alexander Sinclair—billionaire extraordinaire, real estate mogul, one part of Rogues of Manhattan trio, and all parts wrong for her! “I need a wife . . . and I don’t do pretend, Penelope.” Alex was not having a good week (either). First, his star employee took millions of investors’ money to his grave, leaving Alex to deal with a bloody mess. It got worse (liar!) when he went hunting for the wicked Mrs. Carver, but found a delicious little fire-cracker instead. Alex took one look at Penny and bid adieu to his brain (the one in his head at any rate!). How else could he explain his insane attraction for this sinfully-sexy-potentially-deceptive-caveman-invoking woman? Sparks fly as the Penny and Alex clash in a battle of wills . . . and tangle of limbs (you’ll see). But the Houdini embezzler is still at large and Alex will stop at nothing to keep Penny safe in his arms . . . as his claimed bride. Editor’s Note: Bring out the #PornCoc. Your week just got better!

The Bet


Alexia Chase - 2019
    A dash of dirty talk. Mix it with sexual tension and a fake relationship and it might just be a recipe for love!Chloe Sparks lives to bake, and her business is thriving.Everything is great - except the guy she’s been casually dating took a $500 bet to pick her cherry (and not the pastry kind) while she’s in love with her best friend’s brother.But does he notice her? Nope. Rich Anderson has stuck Chloe in the friend-zone because she's too good for him.And that has worked for years…until she decides to use the bet her ex made as revenge…She just needs a partner.If Rich doesn’t do it, she'll find someone else who will. Something he definitely can’t live with.Only, a few fake dates lead to kisses that feel pretty real.So what happens when things go too far and Rich’s obsession with baked goods and the woman who makes them threatens to give him a sugar overload?Will he continue to suffer from the belief that he’s too rough? Or is he just the right amount of dirty for her sweet? Happily ever after just might start with dirty talk, pastry bags, and costumes.The Bet is a friends-to-lovers, fake romance sprinkled with cupcakes, frosting, and a picnic basket full of goodies…all set in the Alexia Chase football world.