Single Dad Romance Books

He’s the forbidden enigma I wanted to ignore . . . but instead I’ll be forced to share a home with him. Jameson Knight arrives at precisely the same time every day to pick up his young daughter from school, smiling as she runs into his open arms. It’s the only time I see him smile. I don’t ask questions because it’s not my place. I’m just his daughter’s favorite teacher, nothing more. . . . Until the first bullet flies by us at recess. Suddenly, I’m risking my life to protect her. And then Jameson drags me back to his estate, claiming it’s a matter of life-or-death. Now I’m in the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen, faced with an offer from a man who’s just as gorgeous: Be the temporary live-in nanny until he can ensure my safety and find a more permanent solution. It’ll be easy, he promises. Yet, the arrangement is anything but simple. Not when Jameson’s hungry stare is all consuming and his touch pulse racing. And definitely not when I find that nothing in this neighborhood is as it seems, including Jameson. He may be powerful, possessive, and protective. But he’s also dangerous, demanding, and calculating. As more of his secrets come out, I should run but . . . How do I escape the enigma of Jameson Knight if he’s already captured my heart?

In Fiasco, Kentucky, there is one rule: never fall for a Foxx brother. Any woman who did, ended up dead. It wasn't just a rumor. It was my reality. I buried my wife along with too many secrets surrounding the night she died. Now, I'm a single dad with two priorities above everything else: raising my two girls and making great bourbon. But when Faye Calloway returns after I ran her out of my small town―looking like a fantasy on stage and nothing like the cop she was trained to be―I know for a fact that she's hiding more secrets than the one she blackmailed me to keep. While everyone is focused on the teasingly beautiful burlesque dancer, I'm distracted by the woman with a hidden agenda. The smart-mouth, who says what she wants. And the instigator, who prefers a very specific way to drink her bourbon. But as secrets begin to unravel, I realize she's fiercely protective of the ones she loves. When she puts herself in danger to right the past, the rules stop mattering. Only two things have the power to keep my family from falling apart and losing the woman I love―bourbon and secrets.

Kai Rhodes is a single father and the star starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team, a man stretched dangerously thin but fiercely protective of his son’s upbringing. After cycling through a string of nannies, his coach finally intervenes with an ultimatum: Kai must hire the one person he can’t fire, the coach's own daughter, Miller Montgomery. Kai is convinced that Miller is everything he should avoid, too young, too wild, and clearly just passing through, but as the Chicago heat rises, he finds himself less interested in her departure date and more consumed by the thought of forever. Miller, a high-end pastry chef reeling from the immense pressure of a prestigious industry award, is suffering from a total creative block. Hoping a two-month hiatus will jumpstart her inspiration, she agrees to nanny for her father’s star player, intending to spend her summer "jogging the memory" of the stoic, serious Kai Rhodes. However, as she begins to find a sense of home with Kai and his son, Miller is forced to confront her own nature as a "runner." With the end of summer looming, she must decide if she's willing to stop fleeing and finally get caught by the man and the little boy she never expected to need.

She isn't supposed to care about a ranch. She definitely isn't supposed to fall for the foreman. And his six-year-old son is absolutely, definitely not supposed to capture her heart. Lainey Brown is not ranch material. She's a city girl who landed on the legendary Wallace Ranch to give the place a fresh coat of branding―and get her career back on track. She's got no interest in cowboys, cattle, or the infuriatingly gorgeous foreman who clearly wants her gone. Colton Wallace has spent every day since losing his wife building something worth leaving his son: a spotless reputation, a thriving operation, and a life with no room for complications. The last thing he needs is a firecracker from Austin with a sketchbook full of big ideas and a smile that makes him forget every reason he swore off wanting things he can't keep. But somewhere between their very first fight and a Texas night sky that stretches on forever, something shifts. Lainey stops counting the days until she can leave. And Colt stops pretending he wants her to. The ranch has always been the Wallace legacy. But Colt is starting to wonder if the best thing that's ever happened to it―and to him―just walked in wearing city shoes.

Famous hockey player Kieran Ashford is the NHL's favourite headline, but when his reputation catches up to him in the form of a surprise phone call and a mute three-year-old daughter he didn't know existed, Kieran is suddenly thrown into the depths of fatherhood. Now at least, he has something the quick witted book addict can't say no to--a job offer. Because Layla Carson needs a paycheck. After spending over a year in Berlin participating in a clinical trial for her lupus, Layla is painfully aware of how her medical bills have drained her parent's bank account. When the opportunity arises to become a nanny, Layla can't refuse. As the pair help build a home for the little girl who desperately needs them both, the walls around their hearts begin to crumble. Layla learns there's more to Kieran than the flirtatious winks and playful personality, while he's determined to give Layla everything her illness robbed her of. But when forever was never guaranteed for either of them, they'll need to fight for the chance of a new life.

Cade Eaton is thirteen years older than Willa Grant, and he barely looks her way, even though she's living in his house for the summer. That is, until she gets him into the hot tub one night for a game of truth or dare. Then, all bets are off―and so are their clothes. Cade is gruff, a little rough around the edges, but broad-shouldered ranchers with calloused hands and filthy mouths are this city girl's kryptonite. So who is she to resist? But it's in their quietest moments together that he softens. It's in the unexpected way he takes care of Willa that she realizes his hardened exterior is just a façade. And it's when she watches him go all sweet with his little boy that she starts to fall for him, whatever the consequences. Someone once convinced Cade that his best wasn't good enough. But Willa has never felt more cherished than she does in his arms. Her contract says this arrangement is only for two months. But her heart says this is forever.

She's known nothing but darkness for 413 days…but he'll burn down the world to save her. After a year in captivity, Nova Monroe is back in Starlight Grove―but she's not the same woman who vanished. She lives on the edge, chases adrenaline, and refuses to be caged again. Cliff diving. Mountain biking. Anything to feel alive and outrun the memories clawing at her. But the single dad with shadows of his own won't let her face it alone. Especially when she finds herself needing a place to stay. Kol Archer has made it his mission to protect her. As a Forest Service investigator, he's no stranger to rugged terrain or battling for control. But nothing prepared him for Nova―her fire, her fight, the way she makes him feel something he thought was lost. The closer they get, the more dangerous things become. Someone doesn't want Nova to move on. And Kol is determined to stop them―no matter the cost. Because for the first time in forever, Nova's not just surviving. She's learning how to live, how to trust, and reminding Kol he can, too. But as darkness looms, the truth could destroy them both…

The sexy single dad is not only a world-class hockey player, but my brother’s best friend. Strictly off-limits, and always has been. But when I inherit an old firehouse to transform into my dream bakery? The bossy, protective athlete also becomes my hero, buying in when the financing falls through. I have to keep reminding myself – no more flirting with my new business partner… no matter how tempting he looks helping me paint. It’s a good rule to remember when he starts making surprise shirtless appearances after each win. Insists I wear his jersey to games. Stands up for me when a celebrity chef is rude. Soon, his heated glances make me feel like I’m the answer to his dreams. Falling for the hockey player I work with could cost us everything: the bakery, his friendship with my brother, and my family who already thinks I’m a hot mess. But when Corbin shows up after a rough game one night and tells me he can’t stop thinking about me and hasn’t been able to for years? I’m ready to break all the rules.

Only a bad nanny knows what it’s like to kiss the boss. CEO millionaire Max Fletcher is a single dad in desperate need of a nanny. Cozy Barlow is in the middle of her self-appointed “gap year” and doing everything she can to detach from her past. But when her sister begs her to interview for the nanny position of a high-maintenance client, she doesn’t have a good enough reason to say no. And when Max locks eyes on the twentysomething in tie-dye who pitches the idea of daydreaming all summer, he prepares to give this bad nanny the boot. One problem: Max’s little girl thinks this "plus-size in body and spirit" nanny might be her new bestie, so she hires her on the spot. Now Max is stuck with a woman who hates everything he represents—corporate greed, money, status, power. But one stormy night when the power goes out, he discovers Cozy doesn’t hate him. In fact, he’s the leading role in her fantasies. Fantasies he would very much like to make a reality.

Jude Kensington is the playboy of Pembroke Hills Country Club and the last person I expected to be living with this summer. Charming flirt. Billionaire bachelor. And my friend who once kissed me during a night neither of us can remember―or forget. But before things could get complicated, a surprise showed up on his doorstep. A baby. His baby. With no clue how to care for an infant and me in search of a place to live, we strike a deal: I’ll help him survive fatherhood, and he’ll give me a place to stay. Temporary. Convenient. Totally platonic. Except nothing about this arrangement feels simple. Not when I’m rocking his daughter to sleep. Not when I catch him watching me like I’m something he can’t have. And definitely not when I remember exactly how it felt to kiss him. Falling for Jude was never part of the deal. But the longer we play house, the harder it is to pretend I don’t want to be more than friends…

There are only two things I’ve ever truly wanted in my life. To be a goalie in the NHL and JJ Hanson. In a twisted way, both dreams have come true. Rather than a spot on the roster though, I’m now the first female goalie coach in the NHL. JJ Hanson’s coach, specifically. Not only is he one of my players—making him totally off limits—he’s also a single dad and still technically married. Oh, and thanks to my father’s meddling, he’s now my roommate, along with his cousin and her three kids, my sister and her four-year-old twins, my cousin, and JJ’s daughter, who I unfortunately adore. Yup, I’m living with six kids under the age of five, and the only man I’ve ever loved. There was a time when JJ was my closest friend, and for one perfect moment, he was mine. Now we don’t even talk. JJ is determined to change that, though, and when opportunity strikes and suddenly both of my dreams are within reach, I have to make a decision. Can I step out onto that ice as the first female goalie in the NHL and trust JJ with my heart? I’ve never been one to walk away from a challenge. Maybe the only way JJ and I can move forward is to go back to the start.

Brody Saunders is the best coach in the NHL. With two Stanley Cups under his belt and a reputation for being grumpy and unapproachable, he knows better than to cross the one line that could cost him everything—getting involved with his player’s younger sister. Hannah Everett has spent her entire life chasing perfection on the ice. A world champion figure skater, she’s burned out and unsure of what comes next, searching for a way to rediscover both herself and her love of skating. When Hannah agrees to coach Brody’s daughter for the season, keeping their distance should be easy. One night was already a mistake—one they’re determined not to repeat. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore the connection growing between them. As the tension builds and the stakes rise, Brody and Hannah will have to decide if their relationship is worth risking everything—including his career—once the truth comes out.

In this slow-burn, grumpy-sunshine, strangers-to-enemies-to-lovers, best friend’s brother, single dad, age gap romance, heads clash, insults are thrown, and sparks fly. Meet Dr. Peyton Andersen, a 28-year-old Canadian pediatrician with a sunny personality but poor self-esteem, who can’t seem to avoid the insufferable father of her new patient, no matter where she turns. For every interaction, she grows more certain that he hates her and enjoys making her suffer—it’s the only reasonable explanation for his behaviour. Surely, someone that accomplished and handsome would have no other interest in someone like her? Dr. Henry Moore has every reason to be grumpy—he’s a 40-year-old widower with a high-pressure job as a thoracic surgeon; three daughters at completely different stages of development (ranging in age from 4.5 to 13), including one who doesn’t speak to him at all and one who is up coughing half the night; and he recently moved his family from the UK to Canada to get away from the bad memories plaguing him. He swore off love when he lost his wife four years ago, but something changes the moment he lays eyes on his youngest daughter’s new pink-haired, sassy pediatrician. If only he weren’t completely tongue-tied in her presence, and she didn’t hate his guts.

Nothing says welcome home like accidentally moving in with your first heartbreak…and his little girl. Coming back to my small Wyoming hometown was supposed to be temporary. I only planned to stay long enough to help my ailing mother and sort through the mess of my family’s old belongings. Instead, I somehow ended up living in Evan Ricci’s house. The single dad now owned a bunch of properties and one of them was the place I’d rented. He’d taken it off the market and moved in before I got there. I just never got the memo. Unfortunately, there was no other place in town available, so Evan let me stay. Evan—the guy my parents took in years ago after his mother died. The same Evan who used to dare me into ridiculous challenges that somehow always made me stronger—a game we’d dubbed The Challenge. The same guy who ultimately rejected me before I left for college after I’d finally garnered the courage to shoot my shot. Now Evan was a rugged single dad with an eight-year-old daughter, a cocky attitude, and a dangerous ability to make me forget every reason I should still hate him. Sharing a house with him should’ve been unbearable. Instead, it felt dangerously familiar, nearly making me forget that I had a life and a job to get back to in Chicago. I realized the biggest challenge wasn’t surviving living with Evan Ricci. It was not falling in love with him all over again.

Jack St. Claire is desperate. A grieving single father, he buries himself in his work—running a brand-new kink club in Paris. Instead of handling his grief, he’s built a fortress around his heart, and it’s time he hired someone to help him take care of his daughter before things get worse. Camille Aubert wasn’t looking for a new job. She just wanted to return a lost love letter she’d found within the pages of a book. But when she’s mistaken for a job candidate and hired as Jack’s live-in nanny, something tells her this is exactly where she needs to be. Shortly after arriving, Camille discovers a strange room in the apartment that sparks her curiosity—and hints at a dark, mysterious side to Jack that she’s desperate to uncover. The lines between professional and personal blur dangerously as the heat between them becomes impossible to ignore. She’s drawn to the broken man who hides his grief in ropes and bondage, and she challenges him in ways he never thought possible. Caught between her growing feelings for Jack and the ghosts of his past, Camille must decide: can love heal a heart still grieving, or will their passion destroy them both?

Hunter Sterling. People call me by different names depending on which version of me they know. The owner of Sterling ranch. The heir to a mafia empire. The murderer the town wants caged. I have ninety days to prove I didn’t kill the mother of my son or I lose everything. I should be focused on survival. Instead, I fall for the same girl my best friend does. Lola Jackson. The city girl. My firefly. I’m the one she runs to when he hurts her and I’m the one who punishes him for it. And I make her my wife so that the Sterling name will keep her protected long after I’m gone. But it was always more than just names on a piece of paper. It’s the one thing that makes me fight harder to stay alive. When the truth is revealed, it doesn’t just shatter me, it forces me to choose between my empire… or my wife. But they’ve all forgotten who they’re dealing with. And now they’re going to learn what happens when a cowboy stops playing nice and a mafia boss goes to war.

Tristan Stone is off limits. It doesn't matter that the grumpy, single dad did nothing wrong. He's a cowboy and his last name means I'm bound by blood to hate him. My family would never be okay with me having feelings for our enemy. When he stops―in the pouring rain―because I have a flat tire, the last thing I expect is for him to help me. I do my best to ignore the water sliding off his hat and how he fills out those jeans. My best, however, is not good enough. Each night I close my eyes and dream of a future we can never have. And after he defends me at the bar and we share one magical dance? It only gets worse. I know I should forget about him, but when I find him alone one night, I offer up a no-strings attached relationship that we both promise to keep secret. Sidelong glances across property lines morph into clandestine meetings under the stars wrapped up in each other's arms. It doesn't matter that our families will never approve or that he's told me he can never love again, I crave him. Soon our no feelings agreement is in tatters, and my heart belongs to that broken cowboy. Will he break it or will he defy them all and choose us instead?

As a chart-topping country singer with a recent streak of bad press, it's hard for Skylar Stone to find any peace. But she finds it in Rose Hill. With a little boy and a little girl who steal her heart just as thoroughly as their dad. Weston Belmont. The man is a shameless flirt. He oozes confidence and masculinity in a way that's downright distracting. And in bed? He's addictive. Everything with him is wild and impulsive, and Skylar is desperate to regain some control. But no one has supported her like West does. And no one has ever made her feel as loved as he does either. So, while Skylar's brain says settling down with a small-town horse trainer is impossible...her heart says she's right where she belongs. Still, her life as a celebrity haunts her. It has the power to pull she and West apart. She can see in his eyes that he wants her to stay. And she wants that too. But she knows better than anyone that you don't always get what you want.

Ford Grant, famously dubbed the world’s hottest billionaire, wants nothing more than to escape the limelight and open a recording studio in the quiet town of Rose Hill, but his plans are derailed when he suddenly discovers he is the father of a sullen twelve-year-old girl. As he struggles to balance newfound parenthood with his business ambitions, he faces an even more agonizing distraction: Rosie Belmont, his best friend’s younger sister. Rosie has returned to town like a chaotic storm, and despite Ford’s vow to keep her at arm's length, a single desperate plea for a job forces him to bring her into his daily life. He tries to mask his attraction with grumpy scowls and sharp one-liners, but their constant verbal sparring quickly evolves into a blistering, undeniable heat. Ford knows that crossing the line with his best friend’s sister is a dangerous move, but as their friction turns to genuine passion, he realizes that resisting the one woman who drives him wild is the only thing he truly cannot do.

But when Tabitha's nephew's guardianship is contested, she decides she'll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy. Rhys Dupris. A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises―ones he won't talk about. In fact, Tabitha and Rhys barely talk at all. Which would be fine, except when he's not talking, he's staring. And the way he looks at her is borderline indecent. The tension between them has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation. Tabitha swore she would never forgive him. But that was before she knew the man behind the mask. The one who's fierce and protective. The one who's gentle and patient. The one who shows up for her and her nephew when they need him most. He's not at all who she thought he was. And that makes hating her husband so much harder…and loving him just a little too easy.

I should've worn underwear that day. I'd have far less hate mail in my inbox. I'd also still have a job. But I didn't wear underwear. And I had a wardrobe malfunction on a livestream. So now I'm the proud owner of the internet's most famous... you know. The good news? I've been invited to hide from my sudden infamy at a closed winery with other women who've suffered their own five minutes of shame. The bad news? The winery has a live-in handyman. A competent, compassionate, patient, sexy, single dad handyman. Whom I met when I punched him in the face. Accidentally, of course. But I still get why he's happy keeping his distance from me. But when we find out the winery that's saving my life is in danger of foreclosure, he and I become accidental partners. No big deal, working with a guy that I'm falling harder for each day. I'm already the internet's favorite punching bag. Why not add an unrequited crush to my life? But what if it's not unrequited after all?