Book picks similar to
Savage Rose by Leila James
bully
high-school
romance
sports
I Dare You
Shantel Tessier - 2018
Austin Lowes is new to town. She's running from a mom who hates her to her dad who cares nothing about her. Only a few months and she will be free, or at least, that's what she hopes ... until she meets him. Cole Reynolds is the devil disguised as a man. He wants her fear, he wants her blood, and he wants her soul. Just a little game, he says, I dare you. Will Austin survive him, or will she lose herself and the game? Secrets are revealed and justice will be served, but at what cost? Who survives and who doesn't?
Play with Me
Rebel Hart - 2019
A motorcycle between his legs. Cheerleaders on each knee. A posse behind him students and teachers alike are done fussing with. He rules the school, and everyone in it.Except for one person. Rae Cleaver.He's determined to make her life a living nightmare. Only because he can.He's determined to have everyone in that school afraid of him. He's determined to prove he's not the one to be messed with.When he says jump, everyone in that school should ask him how high. He's determined to get under her skin.The only issue? She's about to wiggle her way under his.
Like You Care
Kaydence Snow - 2020
I want to be seen.I want him to see me.I'm not who he thinks I am but I'm starting to suspect he's not all he says he is either.Just my luck that he starts to make friends with my tormentors. How am I supposed to tell him who I really am? How am I supposed to show him my true face? What if the boy I'm falling in love with decides I'm nothing too?*Like You Care is a part of the Bully Me Anthology. In the Bully Me Anthology, this was a 30k novella. This is now the complete book. *
Untouchable
Danielle Hill - 2020
Scratch that: she didn’t even like the guy.Maddox ‘Reno’ Renner, the resident King of Claremont High. Dark, brooding, arrogant… you get it. He’s the kind of gorgeous no girl is immune to, including Riley. She shouldn’t feel anything for him—falling for a guy like Reno would be stupid and reckless—but when he sets his sights on her, Riley’s forced to admit just how far she’s already fallen.With expert precision, Reno manages to break down every one of her defenses, but just when Riley starts to think it might be safe to lower her guard, tragedy strikes in a way neither one of them could have predicted, tearing them apart.When Reno needs her most, Riley will have to fight to reach the boy who’s always held her heart, but this might be one fight she can’t win.Because Reno’s heart has always been untouchable.**Note: "Untouchable" is an edgy, emotional, standalone in a series on interconnected books. Each book can be read alone, but it is advisable to read them in order. Due to offensive language and mature themes, this series is intended for readers 17+.
See No Evil
Ivy Fox - 2020
They have been sentenced. All that remains is their execution.No one goes unpunished. We’ll make sure of it.We are The Society and all who dare cross us will find their miserable end by our hand.Don’t be fooled. This is not their story.It’s ours.FinnAs long as I can remember, I’ve played by the rules.On and off the football field, I’ve done everything that has been expected of me.Until that fatal night.Now my life and the lives of my best friends hang in the balance, hung there by a sadistic sinister shadow forcing us to do their will.And it’s just my damn luck that I’m the first to be put on their butcher’s block.I must prove my worth by eradicating a certain pebble in their shoe.The order is simple.To save ourselves, I must ruin another—a life for a life.Meaning Stone Bennett’s life is about to be forfeited in exchange for my own.The poor girl never stood a chance.StoneHe’s all American perfection.I’m the poster child for this country’s rejects.He’s old Asheville money and privilege.I’m the Southie eyesore people stay clear from.He’s caviar dreams and champagne wishes.I’m the trailer trash his momma probably warned him about.I doubt it can get any further away from the elitist’s social spectrum than the two of us.So why the hell is Finn Walker, Richfield’s football god, suddenly all in my face wanting my attention?Nothing good can come from this.I can feel it.*The Society is an Enemies to Lovers, New Adult College Romance.*Each book can be read as standalones. However all four books in this series have an entwined subplot, that will only be resolved in the final book.*Recommended 18+ due to mature language and situations.
Pretty When She Cries
A. Zavarelli - 2020
Ours was baptized in fire.I was the new girl trying to find her place.Landon was the brooding neighbor I tutored over the summer.I didn’t know he was a legend at Black Mountain Academy.I didn’t know they worshipped him like a religion.But I fell for him before I knew those things.To me, he was just the tortured soul who drew me in like a magnet.And then he did something so unspeakable, so unforgivable, it shattered me.I ran away then because I was weak, but I’ve shed my tears.He stole my heart and my dignity, and I’m here to take it back.The only problem is… he’s not giving it up without a fight.
Aftereffect
T.L. Hodel - 2020
Each born into privilege and power. We could have anything and anyone we wanted.And I wanted Riley Adams.That pigtailed little brat slapped me in the park. She thought she could handle me. That I was just an entitled prick who got my kicks taunting her.She should’ve listened to the rumors, paid attention to the warnings. . . Not that it would’ve mattered. Her fate was sealed the day she came up to me looking for her damn dog.Hate wasn’t a strong enough word for how I felt about Micha. I could handle his taunting words and cruel jokes, but he decided to up the ante. Trap me, lock me in a cage and throw away the key.But the thing about a cornered animal is that, they eventually turn feral. Desperately clawing around for a way out. Even the devil had a weakness. I just had to maintain my sanity long enough to find his, and hope that I didn’t lose something I couldn’t get back in the process. Because there’s a fine line between love and hate. . . and that line is starting to blur.Warning: This book is a dark romance and contains intense sexual scenes. If you are a reader with certain triggers sensitive to such dark themes, please heed the author's note at the beginning of the book
Turmoil
J.L. Weil - 2021
A night I just want to forget.But Brock won’t let me.They aren’t just high school boys. They’re four guys with an agenda, and I’m out of my element. Turmoil is full length 80k dark high school romance novel, the first in the Elite of Elmwood Academy series. This series is not RH and ends on a cliffhanger. It is recommended for 18+ due to language, sexual assault, drugs, and drinking.
Free Fall
E.M. Moore - 2019
This is a war zone.
It should be just another year for me at Spring Hill High. It’s not. It’s the first of many years…without my brother.Fighting back the memories of Brady should be the most difficult thing I have to face while walking the halls of SHH. Instead, those sad reminders become the least of my worries.My brother’s best friends make sure of that.They won’t let me heal in peace. In fact, the three star football players—the ones my brother knew all his life—are determined to make me do it their way, or live through hell in the process.What they don’t understand is, I lived through my brother’s death…that means I can live through anything.
Bring it, hotshots. I’m waiting.
Free Fall is a high school bully romance.
Fragile Things
Samantha Lovelock - 2020
And we definitely weren’t supposed to fall in love. But fate, and Folkestone, had other plans.A past kept hidden from me.A secret buried for years.A love I never expected.And now the dark history of this town threatens to rip us apart.I knew this was a mistake.♥Fragile Things is the debut novel from Samantha Lovelock, and the first book in the suspense-filled Folkestone Sins series. As it is part of an ongoing series, this book does end on a cliffhanger.This is a star-crossed lovers, angsty, mature new adult high school romance with a twist. It contains situations and flashbacks that may trigger some readers, including drug use, mental health issues, foul language, and scenes of a sexual nature.
Hating You
J.L. Beck - 2019
Maybe she thought it was only a little lie. That she did the right thing, that the worst was behind her, that no one had gotten hurt. Oh how naive the black haired beauty was. Fate has finally brought her back to me, to Blackthorn Academy. Once upon a time I was obsessed, consumed with the need to make her mine. Now I just want revenge, and I’ll do whatever I can to get it. You see the beautiful, sweet, Willow doesn’t realize the mistake she’s made yet. She doesn’t realize that she’s entered the lion's den and there won’t be any escaping her fate. I’m Parker Rothschild, and I’ll become her nightmare, her enemy, her bully. By the time I’m finished with her she’ll be begging me for forgiveness and pleading to confess her sins. **This is a standalone DARK bully romance. This book contains scenes that may be triggering to some readers. This is not a YA romance novel and should be read by those only 18+ or older. **
Hate So Bad: A High School Bully Romance (The Hate Series Book 1)
Nina Lincoln - 2020
Cold and Broken
Nichole Greene - 2020
No one befriends her. Otherwise they risk the wrath of the Titans.”Moving her senior year of high school was not Lilith’s idea of a great plan. She would have much rather stayed with her best friend Zion for their final year of school. Her dad had different plans though; this new job was too good to pass up, and she knew she needed to go with him. Being thrown into a school of snobby rich kids, where she would even have to wear a uniform, seemed like an even worse idea. The icing on the cake, though, is Connor Volkov. He wants her gone and thinks siccing his friends Griffin, Levi, and Margaux on her will scare her off. But, if he wants her out of his life so badly, why does he keep butting into hers?When he first saw Lilith, Connor realized two things: one, he wanted her, and two, he wanted her gone. Making her life at school hell should be enough to make her and her dad get out of his house. The more time he spends with her though, the more his desire for Lilith and her company grows. Realizing he doesn’t want to be the bad guy anymore, Connor has to convince Lilith he’s worth taking a chance on. But, can he show her he’s a lot more than cold comments and hot, stolen kisses? Recommended for readers 18+ due to bullying elements, triggers, and sexual content.
Immoral Confessions
R. Holmes - 2021
Augustine’s very own fallen angel had me in his hold and he wasn’t giving up until I was ruined.I was a snitch. A liar. A pawn.He was cruel. Merciless. The King.Together, we were fated for destruction.And where there are secrets and untruths… there are demons lurking beyond the shadows.
Hood River Rat
K. Webster - 2020
Approachable. I make friends easily.Cool car. Nice clothes. Good attitude.Everything will be fine.School is school.I’ll keep my head down until graduation and try not to stick out.College will be here before I know it.Yet my first day proves to be anything but easy.The Hood River Hoodlums—our school’s most notorious group of bad boys—have put a target on my back.Their leader, Roan, hates me.He calls me Rat.To him and his friends, I’m a loser who doesn’t belong at their school.I could pretend I don’t care about their hate.If only Roan wasn’t so hot.He’s mean, cruel, and sexy as hell.My nemesis is impossible to ignore…and a secret part of me doesn’t want to.Here I thought being gay was the worst of my problems.Turns out, being gay and crushing on your enemy takes the cake.This is a full-length high school enemies-to-lovers and new adult romance with high angst, suspense, and gutting emotion. It's book one in the Hood River Hoodlum series that will have interlinking storylines. Hood River Rat can be read as a standalone and starts off a four-book planned series that gives each Hoodlum a book. This is the only MM story. The others are MF.