Books like 'What Heals Us'
Readers who enjoyed What Heals Us by Maggie C. Gates also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance small town age-gap steamy forced-proximity in-uniform friends-to-lovers alpha-mc
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Clean Start by S.M. Shade
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEveryone knows the rumors about Violet Circle and the crazy inhabitants, but becoming a resident was my best option. These are the kind of decisions you’re faced with when you have a baby at eighteen, and your knight in shining armor turns out to be a deadbeat dad in saggy boxers... -
Letting Go at 40 by L.B. Dunbar, Stella Hunter
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA bereaved widow finds herself with a chance at love after loss with the most unlikely of people: her late husband’s best friend.Anna Kulis has lost her husband. Their love was a perfect kind of love; a once in a lifetime experience. She never intended to find love again. Never expected to have this attraction stirring inside her... -
Let It Be Me by Kait Nolan, Susan Bischoff
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFour years ago, firefighter Caleb Romero saved a child and met the woman of his dreams. But trauma killed the timing, so he’s contented himself with being the friend she needed as she navigated sudden parenthood.Four years ago, Emerson Aldridge became a mom in the worst possible way. Without qualm, she abandoned her own dreams to shepherd her teenage daughter through their shared grief... -
Daddy in Cowboy Boots by Laylah Roberts
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLinc liked an uncomplicated life.He didn’t need much. A cold beer after a hard day’s work. A comfy bed. Good food. And a soft, sweet woman. A Little he could coddle, love and discipline.When he met Marisol, he thought he’d finally found her.Hmm . . . remember that uncomplicated life he enjoyed? Turns out that Mari’s life is anything but simple... -
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Always Her Love by Melissa Foster
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSome fates are too tempting to deny…When single-father Levi Steele offers to help his daughter’s beautiful aunt Tara find a home on Silver Island, their intense connection makes it even harder to resist the one woman he and his daughter can’t afford to lose...Categorized as:
age-gap alpha-mc forced-proximity friends-to-lovers steamy adult audiobook billionaire -
Could Be the One: (Lucas and Becca) by Claire Kingsley
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI’ve always been the good girl, doing what people expect. But when I find myself dumped, instead of engaged, I realize it’s time for a change. I want to stop being so timid. Take risks. Find my naughty side. And who better to help me than my friend Lucas? Sure, Lucas is sexy as sin, with a smile that turns my brain inside out and a body that makes me think a lot of very bad girl thoughts...Categorized as:
steamy friends-to-lovers forced-proximity alpha-mc romantic-love contemporary audiobook small-town -
What's It Gonna Take by Lacey Black
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGarrethFrom the first moment I saw Reagan Turner at the bar and restaurant I help manage, I was drawn like never before. She was dating someone at the time, which meant she was off-limits, until the jerk broke up with her. I can’t get her out of my head, can’t stop wanting to kiss those perfectly lush lips. Fighting this attraction has been my kryptonite.So, I give in to temptation... -
The Rulebreaker by Amelia Shea
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSloane Baxter is a good girl. She may not have an enviable or even desirable past, but she’s making her future perfect, including all the things she’s dreamed of, a solid home, a job she loves, and a life she’s created despite the hurdles she’s had to leap. Sloane is living her life on her terms... -
Every Promise You Made by J.E. Parker
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShe was his best friend's little sister...He was the boy who'd always fought to protect her. —Hope—She was his best friend's little sister...He was the boy who'd always protected her.I've loved Evan Morgan ever since I was a little girl.Growing up, he was my best friend.I thought he always would be.Turns out, I was wrong.September 30th was the day my world shattered... -
Sexy Beast: A Single Dad's Club Romance by Piper Rayne
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom a secret duo of USA Today Bestselling Authors, comes another COMPLETE STANDALONE in the Single Dads Club set of books. It’s time. Time to get a life. Time to start over. Time to move beyond the past. The guys in the Single Dads Club would tell you it was time years ago, but until recently, the risk of hurting my little girl outweighed the benefit of getting a piece of ass... -
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Stay Over by Kaylee Ryan
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBrooksOverhearing my cousin’s best friend confessing that she’s never been satisfied wasn’t my fault… but offering to help her change that definitely was. Her brother is a friend of mine, and while this has a bad idea written all over it, it doesn’t stop us from becoming friends… with benefits. Palmer is gorgeous, off-limits, and stubborn as hell. For the first time, I’m the one left wanting more...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers age-gap steamy forced-proximity romance contemporary small-town slow-burn -
Before This Ends by Aurora Rose Reynolds
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMiles Thatcher and I would not have gotten together if my life had gone according to plan.Recently single with her whole life up in the air, Emma Abate knows that getting into any kind of relationship, is a bad idea. Especially when the man she finds herself drawn to is Miles Thatcher, a single father, and a man that seems determined to break down every barricade she places between them...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers alpha-mc forced-proximity in-uniform age-gap steamy romance contemporary -
Fire and Romance by Melanie Shawn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsStand-alone Hope Falls romance, complete with HEA—and plenty of heat and heart along the way! What if the one that got away was the one you never had? Marco Reyes had no plans to attend his ten-year high school reunion, but when the sinfully sexy and perpetually single firefighter unexpectedly finds himself in his hometown one fateful weekend, that’s exactly where he ends up—and it’s where he... -
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Object of My Desire by R.L. Kenderson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA romance author, a cover model, a book signing … a crush. Ordinary women like me know we shouldn’t fall for beautiful men like Travis Zehler, one of the hottest cover models in romance fiction. But, sometimes, we can’t help ourselves. When I meet him at a book signing, my attraction to him is instant. I’m infatuated, and I can’t stop thinking about him... -
At First Meet by Carrie Ann Ryan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan continues the Montgomery Ink Legacy series with an emotional, friends-to-lovers romance where second chances begin with a promise.I fell in love with the wrong man and learned the hard way to ask for help.I don’t plan on falling again and have no intention of trying.But when I get invited to a high-powered CEO retreat, I know I can’t say no...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers steamy forced-proximity alpha-mc romance contemporary family audiobook -
Wild and Wicked by Mari Carr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThere are worse things than getting trapped in a cabin during a blizzard with her best friend’s big brother, hockey star, Elio!Gianna, queen of to-do lists, clean freak, organizer extraordinaire, has her future all figured out. Dream job at twenty-four, engaged at twenty-six, married at twenty-eight, first baby at thirty. And she’s on her way to achieving that…sort of...Categorized as:
steamy forced-proximity friends-to-lovers romance sports contemporary audiobook small-town -
Commanding the Curvy Girl by Nichole Rose
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTo save a curvy dispatcher and win her heart, this detective will do whatever it takes. Even if it means answering every outrageous call in Silver Spoon Falls.EastonTaking a bullet was supposed to be as bad as things could get.And then I moved to Silver Spoon Falls.There is nothing easy about life in this crazy small town.Especially when a curvy little dispatcher decides she doesn't like me... -
Straight Up by Charity Ferrell
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA new standalone in the Twisted Fox Series.Book 3, Straight Up: (Lincoln and Cassidy's story)... -
Never Too Late by Chelle Bliss
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHave you ever had your mother try to fix you up?Mine has been relentless, butting into my dating life forever.Every single time has been a total disaster.But when Ma summons me to her local hangout, I’m not expecting her to do it again. There’s only so many women in our small town, and at my age, I’ve met them all... -
Saving His Sunshine: A Firefighter Romance by Nichole Rose
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCan an adorable menace of a dog, a bakery under fire, and one irresistible firefighter change this curvy girl's life forever?Alessandro BangerI’m used to my dog causing trouble. It’s what he does.But breaking into my sassy neighbor’s house might be a new low even for him.Or else he’s a genius, because Jesus. I did not know we moved in next to an angel... -
The Wild One by Cassie-Ann L. Miller
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJasper Westbrook. Code name: Swoon Machine.My best friend's older brother.Melter of ovaries. Destroyer of panties.And suddenly...a single dad.Guys like Jasper—I bet you know the type? The chiseled arms. The wavy hair. The melt-your-brain-cells smile.Good thing I'm a smart girl—Honey Hill's former child prodigy, to be precise—I should know better than to fall for this playboy's charm... -
Wallflower by Jessica Prince
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShe’d spent her entire life as a wallflower, hiding from the rest of the world.Willow Thorne had gotten really good at blending in with the wallpaper. The shy, quiet little mouse was more comfortable spending her days in her protective little bubble. Then she met a big, burly mechanic who looked really good on a motorcycle and made her feel things she’d never felt before... -
Always Yours by Hope Ford
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA billionaire in love with his best friend.A woman pregnant with another man’s baby.Together, in a friends to lovers romance.I’ve been in love with my best friend for what seems like forever. But she wanted the one thing I couldn’t give her.Now, she’s pregnant with another man’s baby. The “donor” wants nothing to do with her... or the child, so I do the one thing I’ve always wanted to do...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers age-gap steamy romance contemporary small-town billionaire fiction -
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Trapped with the Mountain Man by Lilah Hart
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsHe's a firefighter trying to prove himself. But now he's trapped in a tattoo parlor with a woman he can't resist.I was just trying to warm up.The tattoo parlor where I work is freezing cold, so at closing time, I decide to hop in one of the few tanning beds in the building and warm up.But when the security alarm goes off for some reason, a hunky firefighter breaks in to save me... -
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Wild Mistake: A best friend's little sister forbidden romance by Kim Loraine
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Best Friend's Little Sister RomanceIt seemed like a good idea at the time.A two-week Hawaiian vacation with a beautiful woman. What could go wrong?Well, when that woman is my best friend’s little sister, the answer is - everything.Mackenzie Langston has been in my life since we were kids, and until now, I didn’t see past her family and our friendship... -
Bad Taste In Men by Erin Nicholas
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“You’ve been moping around long enough. Let me show you how these guys should be treating you.” Bailey Davis does not have bad taste in men. She’s just had some relationships that haven’t worked out. That’s totally normal. And she now has one broken engagement. Big deal. And an ex-fiancé who cheated on her. Okay maybe she has bad taste in men. At least the ones she plans to marry...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers steamy forced-proximity contemporary small-town fiction multi-pov book -
Fearless Heart by Brighton Walsh
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsQuinn Cartwright sees me as nothing more than her rival...her enemy. But I’ve been obsessed with her since we were teenagers. She's gorgeous and brilliant with a tongue sharp enough to cut glass…and she has no idea I love it as much as I do.So when she needs someone to put a ring on it because of her a-hole boss, I marry her without hesitation. We draw up a contract on a napkin...Categorized as:
in-uniform alpha-mc forced-proximity steamy romance contemporary enemies-to-lovers small-town -
Big Bossy Cowboy by Mia Brody
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis over the top cowboy is bossy and big…and every inch is just for her. EvieThe persistent cowboy is everywhere I look. He's at my work. He's at my apartment. He's even in my bathtub.He says we're soulmates.He says we're inevitable.I say he's wrong.GreerThe curvy little spitfire is everywhere I go. At her workplace. At her apartment. In her bathtub... -
427 First Ave. by Hope Ford
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe knows what she wants… and it’s him.Ginger is wild, loves to line dance and is a huge flirt. She goes to the tattoo shop looking for her next big adventure. As soon as she sets her eyes on Ozzie, she knows he’s the one.He asks her what she wants, thinking she’s going to pick a butterfly or a rose.But he’s shocked when she says it’s him she wants... -
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Knox by Kali Hart
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMayaI’ve had a crush on the Daisy Hills Fire Chief since the very first time I met him.Never mind that there’s at least fifteen years between us.Or that I’ve been dating a lot of duds lately.The first Wednesday is still my favorite day of the month because he comes by the library for a fire code inspection.But this inspection is one for the books... -
The Firefighter's Secret Santa by Kali Hart
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Firefighter's Secret Santa: Christmas in Alpine Valley Book 1A Firefighter Curvy Woman Holiday RomanceThis Christmas, join five best friends as a friendly dare to draw Secret Santas leads them all to find their true loves.LilyI’ve had a crush on my brother’s best friend since I was a shy, geeky teenager.The only thing that’s changed is that I’m all grown up.Still shy. Still geeky...Categorized as:
age-gap friends-to-lovers in-uniform 21st-century adult anthologies contemporary fiction -
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Dirty Promises by Aubrey Bondurant
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen Oakley Winters travels to her best friend’s wedding, the last thing she expects is to be stranded on the side of the highway by her date. Luckily, a handsome stranger stops to rescue her. But it turns out her hero isn’t a stranger after all. Max Brooks dreads a return to his small town, but it’s impossible to say no to his sister’s request to attend her wedding... -
Mother Bucker by Elle Thorpe
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGetting pregnant then realising your baby daddy is a cheating, lying, scumbag? That happened.But then Abel James walks into my life. One hot look from the broad-shouldered cowboy and I’m ready for all the sexy fun I won’t be having once I start showing.Only one problem. He’s my father’s best friend and almost twenty years older than me.He’s off limits. I’m completely forbidden...Categorized as:
age-gap friends-to-lovers steamy forced-proximity western contemporary small-town insta-love -
Christmas in Coconut Creek by Karissa Kinword
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA romantic comedy debut from #1 bestelling science fiction romance author Karissa Kinword!There are a few things Coconut Creek has that Pine Ridge does not. Palm trees, sandy beaches, butterfly museums—infuriatingly attractive special forces veterans...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers age-gap forced-proximity romance contemporary season-winter small-town holidays -
Craving In The Mountains by Olivia T. Turner
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhat do you do when you’re in a funk that won’t quit?I tried - Sleeping all day (check)- Binge watching Stranger Things all day (check)- Feeling sorry for myself all day (check)But nothing works. My funk gets funkier. Depression looms.So I do something drastic to shake myself out of it.I head to the Greene Mountains to go parachuting with my crazy cousin and his wild friends...Categorized as:
alpha-mc friends-to-lovers steamy age-gap insta-love small-town fated-mates contemporary -
Bound by Bronx by Nichole Rose
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen the sun sets in Silver Spoon Falls, things heat up at The Sterling Rope. The best girls can find everything their hearts desire within, including some of the town's filthiest billionaires. There are no rules. Only submission.Welcome to Silver Spoon After Dark. Your patronage will be our dirty little secret... -
Gage by Hope Ford
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGageMy club is on edge and tensions are high, but all I can think about is her. She’s a temptation that’s almost too much to resist. I’m way too old and she’s way too good. But when I find out she’s pregnant and no one in the MC stands up and stakes a claim on her or the baby, I do the only thing I can… I make them both mine.RoxyOne night with Gage and he doesn’t even remember it... -
Midnight by Shon
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt was supposed to be one night.A one-off. To quell my curiosity and quench my thirst.It didn't really go that way though.. -
Counting on the Cowboy by Karen Foley
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt will take all he has to keep her safeLuke Claiborne is back in Last Stand, Texas, after a combat injury ends his career as a military K9 handler. Without his working dog by his side, he’s lost his purpose – until he meets a sexy wildlife rehabber who seems determined to save every animal in town... -
Dane by Kate Oliver
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSummerReturning to her home town was supposed to be temporary. But things change when she realizes her mom needs her help. And when her old high school crush who lives next door finds her on the front porch crying, everything changes. It all feels like a dream come true. At least until reality sets in...Categorized as:
forced-proximity age-gap alpha-mc friends-to-lovers romance small-town contemporary found-family -
Courage by Kristen Proby
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom New York Times Bestselling author Kristen Proby comes an all new novel in her Big Sky series, Courage. This is the first story in the Heroes of Big Sky, all about men in uniform in Cunningham Falls!Natasha Mills feels like she’s loved firefighter Sam Waters her entire life. Since she first met him during middle school, she’s harbored a secret crush on her best friend’s big brother... -
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Shaken by Charity Ferrell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA see yourself out note isn’t how you want to celebrate the morning after your first one- night stand.The first time I meet Archer Callahan is when I block him in a parking spot.The second is a fender bender.The third is at a bar, drinking away our problems, and finding our way to his bed.I never expected to see him again... -
Rigid by Hope Ford
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWomen don’t stay... no matter how much you love them.And I can’t chance it with her... because when she leaves me... I wouldn’t survive it.I’m not a nice guy. I don’t even try to be.I take what I want and then I move on.I never thought about having a wife and kids...Until I met Emily.She makes me want things I know I shouldn’t.So I’m mean to her. I’m not proud of it, but it is what it is...Categorized as:
age-gap alpha-mc friends-to-lovers steamy adult anthologies contemporary enemies-to-lovers -
Soaring with Fallon by Kristen Proby
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Proby… Fallon McCarthy has climbed the corporate ladder. She’s had the office with the view, the staff, and the plaque on her door... -
His Hard Mountain Wood by Madison Faye
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOutlaw, filthy biker, mechanic…single father. For the roughest alpha on the mountain, it’s his way or the hard way. For one lucky lady, it’s about to be both . Rough. Wild. Savage . I was a lot of things before I left the outlaw life behind. Blackthorn Mountain was a fresh start. No drama, no distractions. Nothing but me, my bike shop, and my little girl... -
Mine to Cherish by Natasha Madison
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThings are supposed to go smoothly on your wedding day.Aren't they?ClarabellaDid I want to get married today?It's hard to say when he proposed in front of over a hundred people.Everything happened so fast, and I thought it was just nerves.It was not.The knock on the door showed me that what I was feeling was more than just cold feet.I was a runaway bride...Categorized as:
forced-proximity friends-to-lovers steamy alpha-mc romance contemporary audiobook family -
518 Hope Ave. by Megan Wade
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEzra is a proud man. After giving up his dreams of college to take care of his siblings, he knows what Struggle Street looks like. But as a resident of Hope Avenue, Cherry Falls, he does his best to cling to the thought that things will get better...one day. If he can manage to hold down two jobs, run a house, replace the washing machine and keep his siblings alive long enough to see that happen.Categorized as:
age-gap friends-to-lovers steamy anthologies contemporary fiction insta-love new-adult
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