Books like 'Not What I Expected: Special Edition'
Readers who enjoyed Not What I Expected: Special Edition by Jewel E. Ann also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary funny angst from hate to love forbidden love single-mother secret-relationship suspense strong heroine age difference
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Rewriting the Stars by Claire Kingsley
Firefighter Levi Bailey is used to being alone. Not that he’s lonely. How could he be, with a band of unruly brothers, and their wives and growing families. Maybe he’s the odd man out. The one brother who isn’t destined to be with his soulmate.Besides, he has her.She’s his Juliet, the only woman in the world he can’t ever have. To an outsider, it probably seems crazy... -
State of Bliss by Marie Force
When you have their jobs, there’s no such thing as a peaceful vacation…Sam and Nick are ready to get out of DC—and the White House—for a much-needed vacation to celebrate their second anniversary. Due to ongoing political pressures, they decide to scuttle their plans for a return to Bora Bora to stay closer to home at their favorite oceanfront house at Dewey Beach in Delaware... -
Burn in Hail by Lani Lynn Vale
One look at the sixteen-year-old, prim and proper town goody-two-shoes, Hennessy Hanes, and Tate Casey knows he’s in trouble. He knows he should stay away from the preacher’s daughter, but there’s something about her he’s drawn to, and he can’t resist the pull. The more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that something isn’t right... -
Rewriting You by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsI’m a mom to teenagers… I’m also my late husband’s executioner.He was an abusive man on the fast track to devastation. He hung me from a fancy chandelier to die. Had my saviours driven the long way home, I wouldn’t be here today to tell my story. It’s been a long road since then, but my children and I have finally moved back to town. It’s time to lay some ghosts to bed... -
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Hail Mary by Lani Lynn Vale
Mary Persephone Hail Mary—well-wished-for child. Persephone—destruction. Hail—well that speaks for itself. Her name is painful to think about. Mary, his newfound daughter, isn’t a wished-for child. Persephone, though? Yeah, destruction is a fitting description. And Hail? Yeah, that’s just the final f-you... -
Forever Paired by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.77 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsLandon Davies had worked hard to start his own restaurant. It was a very different path than most of his family had taken. He was one of the few family members that were not military or law enforcement. But his hard work had given him a restaurant that was beginning to take off when a woman’s scream in the alley outside his kitchen changed everything... -
A Christmas Wedding at the Castle by Eliza J. Scott
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDo you believe in fate? Livvie Weatherill does…This time last year, if anyone had told Livvie Weatherill she’d have fallen in love and would be making plans for her Christmas wedding to Zander Gillespie, she would have laughed in their face... -
Fortuity by Jewel E. Ann
From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jewel E. Ann comes a beautiful, passionate, and powerful story about unexpected love, sacrifice, and daring to dream again.Forty-something Gracelyn Glock is living the dream. No husband.No retirement plan.And since her self-imposed man-ban—no need to shave above her knees.After a tragic accident, Gracelyn inherits her ten-year-old nephew...Categorized as:
angst strong heroine single-mother m-f contemporary christian friends to lovers humor -
Forever Covert by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.77 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsKale Mueez just wants to work on his computer programs and, okay, some not-so-legal hacking. Even though he sold one of his computer software companies for more money than he’d ever need, he wasn’t one to sit back and do nothing. That is especially true since his father is a super soldier known around the world... -
Forever Freed by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsJackson Parker has seen evil first hand as a Tier 1 government asset with the FBI Hostage Rescue Team. After months of black ops work overseas, he’s finally coming home for a break. But with Keeneston’s wedding of the century, a stowaway on the run, and a plot that could kill thousands of civilians, Jackson gets anything but rest and relaxation... -
Forever Connected by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsYears ago, on the darkest night of Poppy and Zinnia’s lives, they got a letter. It was from three elderly sisters in the small town of Keeneston, inviting them to visit and if interested, take a job. The Rose Sisters had wanted to retire, but they’d wanted family to take over their small café... -
Broken Shadows by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.76 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsTrent Faulkner was happy working with his hands to build custom furniture. He had made a name for himself and his design company. Love wasn’t even on his radar. Then one client broke down his barriers, only to make him leave in the morning. Trent made a resolution to forget about her, but that was hard to do when she was everywhere he looked, including in his heart... -
Forever Burning by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsColton Davies is living the ultimate bachelor life in Keeneston as the chief fireman. He should be enjoying every moment of it, but a strange feeling in his chest suddenly takes over whenever he sees his friend Cady dancing with other men. The urge to rush in and rescue her is almost overwhelming, but he can’t let himself get carried away... -
Dirty Little Midlife (fake) Date by Lilian Monroe
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsBrooding, grumpy Des has a problem. He needs a date to his family's Thanksgiving reunion for reasons he'd...rather not say.Single mother and all-around hot mess Mia has an even bigger issue: She can't afford her rent, and her new landlord Des is a major you-know-what.So, they make a deal. One simple weekend away in exchange for a serious rent reduction... -
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The Asheville Christmas Gift by Hope Holloway, Cecelia Scott
Rated: 4.69 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe charming, heartwarming holiday trilogy continues, whisking you away to a dreamy winter in the mountains... -
Falling for Mr. Bad by Melissa Foster
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsShe’s a badass musician and mechanic with no patience for overinflated egos. He’s a billionaire with no time for drama. Going head-to-head has never been so much fun...or so dirty. Scorching heat, laugh-out-loud humor, and loads of heart make this sexy enemies-to-lovers, close proximity, forbidden, workplace, small town standalone romance unputdownable... -
Endless Shadows by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.76 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsRyker Faulkner has built his empire by being ruthless. No one knows the full extent Ryker has gone to in order to build himself up from nothing to one of the most powerful men in the country. So when someone comes after him, everyone knows the last thing Ryker will do is sit back and watch it burn.Kenzie Carys was used to being in the shadows. She was a nurse on night shift... -
Forever Thrown by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEverything Porter Davies has worked for is about to be ripped away from him with one throw from a rodeo horse. The hits don’t stop there, either. He’d known they’d come for him one day. His father had been the best spy back in his day and they’d been keeping tabs on Porter since he was eighteen... -
Forever Devoted by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLayne Davies needed a break—a break from the busy bodies in her small town of Keeneston, Kentucky and a break from dating men who turned into scared little boys upon meeting her father. That’s why she was so excited to have been invited to speak at a medical conference in Charleston, South Carolina. Never did she think her whole life would change the second she stepped on that stage... -
Forever Secret by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSophie Davies has a secret . . . in fact, she has quite a few secrets. Sophie Davies is the head of weapon development for a private firm contracted with the Department of Defense. Because of her knowledge and high security clearances, she has kept her job a secret for fear of kidnapping and sabotage... -
I Can't Even by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsEllodie Cassandra Solaire made a single, solitary New Year’s resolution.That resolution was set in stone, and she wouldn’t be breaking it, no matter what.It was simple: Say yes to every person who asks her out on a date until she finds a boyfriend.Easy, right?Wrong.She breaks that New Year’s resolution three months into the year after a guy gives her serial killer vibes...Categorized as:
suspense from hate to love m-f forced proximity contemporary military humor length-medium -
Forever Saved by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.68 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsJace Davies has devoted his life to helping others. He is opening a new medical practice in his small hometown of Keeneston and is looking forward to starting the next phase of his life. Who knew that the new phase would begin with a 9-1-1 call? Stella Winters left her ex-boyfriend behind for a move to Keeneston to accomplish her dream of opening a garden center... -
Fierce Shadows by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDare Reigns is Charleston’s newest undercover ATF agent. Dare and his bosses believe a nearby resort is responsible for several deaths from tainted alcohol. As a favor to his friend, Marcy Davies, Dare agrees to a blind date with her grand-niece who lives in the area. What he didn’t tell her was having a date night at the resort would be the perfect cover for him to begin his investigation... -
Forever Ventured by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.77 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWyatt Davies is faced with a hard choice: give up being a veterinarian or give up the family horse racing farm he inherited. He has one chance to save the farm and that chance lies with horse trainer Camila Callahan. Camila was raised by the United Kingdom's greatest horse trainer, and he taught her everything he knew... -
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Together Under a Snowy Skye by Lisa Hobman
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsAfter the heartbreak of a secret unrequited love, Millie Treadaway has finally found someone to spend her life with.Harry Rose is handsome, successful and treats her like a princess. That is until Millie presents her fiancé with a surprise birthday gift, and their future is suddenly doomed...Categorized as:
christmas m-f suspense contemporary friends to lovers small town humor length-medium -
Wicked Heart by Ivy Layne
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFinn Sawyer hates everything about being back in Sawyers Bend. He walked away from his family years before, living off his wits and skills in the kitchen, refining his craft as he worked his way across Europe. Then the father who left him for dead is murdered, and the will offers Finn a chance at his dream... -
Kinda Don't Care by Lani Lynn Vale
She’s in a white dress that dances around her ankles, and her hair tumbles in a long sheet of curls down her back. A veil covers her beautiful eyes, and she smiles directly at him. Janie is everything Rafe’s ever imagined she would be on her wedding day. Breathtaking. Gorgeous. Perfect. The moment he sees her walking down the aisle towards him, he knows that she’s the one... -
Forever Concealed by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsCan love find a way when truth is concealed? Gabe Ali Rahman is the standby heir to the crown and he’s okay with that. So what that he’s gotten the reputation of being a playboy prince? He’s had a lot of fun along the way. But now he wants more in life than casual flings... -
Forever Hidden by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsSome things weren't meant to stay hidden... Sydney Davies is used to being in the spotlight. But the former model turned fashion designer isn’t used to family secrets. Sydney is sent to dig up the past. What she finds instead is Deacon and a case of a missing girl with a link back to her life in the fashion industry... -
Forever Notorious by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.79 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAbigail Mueez knows all about being something you’re not. Everyone knows she works security in Washington D.C., but that wasn’t exactly the truth. There are many layers of deception in Abby’s life from her job to the man she’s with—a man she doesn’t have time to fall in love with when her life and so much more was on the line. Too bad she didn’t tell her heart that... -
Killing Booth by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEvery single thing you want is going to require you to be uncomfortable. Those words had been shared with her by the one man she didn’t think she could take a chance on. She just didn’t know that he was right, or that he was going to be the one making her uncomfortable. Nash Wilder Christopherson was the world’s golden boy. For fifteen years, she watched Nash race from the safety of her phone...Categorized as:
suspense angst from hate to love strong heroine m-f humor grumpy sunshine friends to lovers -
Charlie Foxtrot: An OPS Protector Romance Novel by Giulia Lagomarsino
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsMummies.Yeah, you heard me right. That’s my next job—protecting a mummy.It wouldn’t be a problem, except someone doesn’t want this particular mummy to make it to the museum.Not to mention one of my teammates thinks this particular mummy is cursed.On top of this ridiculous job, I’ve also met the most gorgeous woman in the world... -
Forever Hunted by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe hunt is on... Carter Ashton had always been close to the entire Davies family. Until he decided he wanted to bring his relationship with Reagan Davies out of the shadows. As tempers flare, Carter must stand his ground or lose the love of his life. But when an old family friend asks for help, Carter unknowingly brings danger to the doorstep of the woman he loves... -
Engaging the Billionaire by Ivy Layne
Rated: 4.69 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsIf we can’t outrun the past, we won’t have a future. The rock on her hand is real, but our engagement is a fake. Once upon a time, I dreamed of buying her a ring, until everything blew up in my face. That was the past, and this is business. At least, it is until I kiss her. It's supposed to be part of the act — and it is — right until my lips touch hers. I forget where we are... -
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My Heart's Reflection of You by T'Lyn
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNevaeh Chapel’s life was picture perfect. A loving family, great job, and a doting boyfriend; one would think that she had it all together from the outside looking in. She thought she had it all together too, until she crossed paths with a loose cannon that was the epitome of the phrase.Kaleb “Cannon” Barnes had one belief that he didn’t comprise My life, my rules...Categorized as:
from hate to love angst m-f black-mc african-american length-medium contemporary humor -
Join the Club by Lani Lynn Vale
There are a few lessons one has to learn for themselves. Then there are the lessons that most people don’t have to learn because it’s just not done. For instance, most people know instinctively that they shouldn’t crave the mother of their brother’s child. Bourne Pena isn’t most men... -
Kiss My Giraffe by Erin Nicholas
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsEnemies to friends to almost lovers then back to enemies…to lovers.She's got a lot of baggage...literally and figuratively. And an entourage. And a freaking giraffe. For real.For a guy who wants to keep things simple, this is anything but... -
Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens
A hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating...Categorized as:
single-mother age difference from hate to love m-f contemporary office humor height-difference -
The Fine Art of Faking It by Lucy Score
Davis Gates. Naked. Tossing her a handful of orgasms like he was on a lust-themed parade float. A fifty-year feud. One failed smoke bomb matchmaking scheme. Two enemies turned fake lovers. For the past fifteen years, Eden has worked her ass off to overcome high school. She’s cornered the tourism market in Blue Moon offering visitors a place to stay in her hippie, dippy hometown... -
Hot SEAL, Silent Knight by Kris Michaels
Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsForced to take his 'Use or Lose' vacation days, Romeo Platoon Leader Ted (Bear) Black begrudgingly heads home to Hope City and all the nonsense surrounding Christmas. He'd rather stay in San Diego and spend his downtime working, especially when he's unexpectantly reunited with the woman who was the star of the worst date he'd ever experienced.Noel Laurent is heading home for Christmas... -
A Greene Family Christmas by Piper Rayne
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPreparing a Christmas to remember is no small feat with a family the size of the Greenes. Especially, when the woman who has always been the planner down to every minute detail falls ill, only five days before the holiday.The family has no choice but to scramble to ensure that nothing is amiss. Cookies need to be decorated, gingerbread houses assembled and decorations to be hung...Categorized as:
christmas age difference m-f contemporary humor friends to lovers grumpy sunshine length-novella -
Shoot the Breeze by Gina LaManna
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWelcome to St. Paul, Minnesota—home to strong coffee, deadly winters, and Detective Kate Rosetti—a rising star in the local homicide department. When a young woman turns up dead along the Mississippi River in her latest assignment, Detective Rosetti quickly realizes it’s the work of a notorious cross-country serial killer... -
Tied Bond by Emma Hart
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsHolly Woods is going to hell in a handbasket—but this time, Satanists aren’t to blame. Halloween is. Nonna doesn’t understand why there are skeletons and demons everywhere. Mom is threatening to stitch a devil into Nonna’s pillowcase if she doesn’t shut up. Bek is bumbling over a date with Jason, the handsome FBI agent who conveniently got himself relocated to Austin, and I… Well... -
Knocking Boots by Jordan Marie
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsI’ve always heard, don’t fall in love with a cowboy. I just didn't listen. I've sworn off men. They’ve never given me much in life, except a bun in the oven and grief. My kids are my life and all that truly matter. Until him. Jansen Reed is a living fantasy straight from the old west. Sexy drawl, tight jeans and that glint in his eyes that make my knees weak... -
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No Cap by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsYou know when you see that big red flag, and you think to yourself, I should probably not go anywhere near there? Yeah, Quincy Carter ignored that big red flag. He walked right up to that red flag, waving blatantly in the wind, and kissed the holy hell out of her. Sure, he probably should’ve arrested her for breaking a restraining order...Categorized as:
suspense from hate to love m-f contemporary humor military first-person-pov dual-pov -
Fields' Guide to Dirty Money by Julie Mulhern
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsPoppy Fields, social influencer and secret spy, is on Grand Cayman. Her mission? Maid of honor at her mother’s wedding to Russian billionaire Yurgi Prokorhov. No surprise, Chariss Carlton is a difficult and demanding bride.When Poppy witnesses a murder, her days change from irritating to dangerous... -
A Fake Fiancée for Christmas by Ava Gray
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsMy sister is the reason I’m in this mess, and on the hunt for a fake fiancée to show off to our grandmother… “Jace has a girlfriend.” She just had to say those words, didn’t she?Oh, I hate her. But I think I love Bailey… the matchmaker I thought would introduce me to my fake fiancée.She agreed to play the role herself, just for Christmas... -
Sleighed It by Max Monroe
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsFrom the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of TAPPING THE BILLIONAIRE comes a Billionaire Bad Boys Holiday Novella. Question: What would you do if every holiday you ever spent with your family ended in disaster? I’ll tell you: you’d cry. I know, because each and every celebration with my family ends in chaos—and I’ve had more than my share of mental breakdowns because of it... -
The Billionaire's Angel by Ivy Layne
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsHe thought the fight was over until his heart was on the line. I thought coming home would solve all my problems. I’ve never been more wrong. After a decade in the military, I’m more at home in the desert than the mansion where I grew up. I want to pretend that six months as a captive didn’t change me, but ever since I escaped, I haven’t slept. Nightmares. Flashbacks... -
Scrooge and the Girls Next Door by Melanie Jacobson
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsWhen the sunniest woman in Creekville buys the house next to the grumpiest man on the street, sparks fly . . . and not just because she keep blowing his fuses...Paige Redmond has done everything the hard way, from her wild child past to being a single mother raising her own delightful wild child now. But since landing in Creekville, she's turned it all around...Categorized as:
age difference christmas from hate to love single-mother contemporary grumpy sunshine humor clean
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