Book picks similar to
Best Year Ever by Ivy Smoak


ivy-smoak
contemporary-romance
romance
novella

Finding Autumn


Beth Michele - 2014
    Do not read in public places. May caused flushed cheeks and other body parts. I guarantee you'll never look at a train the same way again. My name is Autumn Winters.The truth is, that's the biggest lie I've ever told.My real name is Olivia Redmond. Autumn Winters is the curtain I hide behind. You see, I write bestselling erotic romance novels. But my life is far from erotic. The only fantasy exists in my head. The day I met Hunter Grayson, that all changed. A handsome stranger on a train who turned my world upside down, made me think and feel things I never knew were possible.I want to be brave enough to tell the world, but the fear is crippling. Fear of myself. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what others will think. But life is too short to be afraid.And I'm so damn tired of hiding.**This is a sexy Contemporary Romance Novella and due to strong language and sexual content, is not intended for readers under the age of 18.**

The Bet


Max Monroe - 2021
    But wise words, nonetheless.I just wish the Fortune Cookie People had considered how hard the whole “knowing when to quit” would be to carry out when a woman like me is gambling with her feelings.Heart-palpitating, vageen-tingling, butterflies-in-my-belly feelings for a noncommittal, hot-as-sin player by the name of Jude Winslow.After a crazy night where we were both pretending to be someone else, I’ve found myself immersed in the fun of the fling.The thrill.The irresistible charm.The pleasure of being with a man like him.Problem is, I’m positive he’s the exact opposite of husband material, and that is a serious issue for someone who is fixated on finding her happily ever after.I know the rules and I know the stakes, oh wise Fortune Cookie.Now I’d just like to know how close to self-destruction I have to get before I find the will to quit Jude Winslow.Goodness knows, when your heart is on the line, you can’t ante up your bet with an IOU.Author Note: The Bet is a full-length standalone romantic comedy and the first standalone book in the Winslow Brothers Collection. This book is chock-full of hilarious rom-com moments, but also, it’s spicy. We’re talking alllllll the sexy.

Blackbird


Cheryl McIntyre - 2013
    I love you, Hope. And I'm not the only one. I know you care about me. I see it in your eyes. I feel it. Everybody needs love. Everybody. And some people need it more than others. You're a liar if you say you don't. I'll do that for you. I'll love you. All you have to do is let me." –Sometimes Never What happened in the years between the final chapter and epilogue of Sometimes Never? Blackbird is an 18,000+ word novella that continues Mason and Hope's story as they finish high school, start separate colleges, and confront their demons. Though Blackbird can be read on its own, it is better enjoyed after reading Sometimes Never. Recommended for 17+ due to harsh language and some sexual situations.

Entangled


S.E. Hall - 2013
    But Laney's got his number, and knows just how to coerce her bossy, domineering man. Spend the summer with the gang and find out...just how many is a crowd? The members of the Evolve Crew are getting older; so is the content. Mature audiences recommended.

A Lesson in Blackmail: Black Mountain Academy / A Club Alias Novel


K.D. Robichaux - 2020
    This school is mine—literally, my family built Black Mountain Academy generations ago—and I own everything in it. And I, Nathaniel Black IV, won’t stop until that includes her. She just started this year, my senior year, her first job right out of college. She calls it her dream job, but I’ve had the sick pleasure of making my study period with her every day more a nightmare. I’m fixated on her, obsessed with her, and all I want is to feel the skittish little mouse beneath me.I can’t get her out of my head, not even while partying at my friend’s house, every girl vying for my attention. But they don’t stand a chance, not when my focus is on Ms. Evelyn Richards. She makes me feel… things I don’t understand. Possessive yet… protective. I can f— with her, but no one else can. Compulsion strikes, the other half of my disorder, and that night I set out to find where she lives. And what I discover changes both our lives.The perfect information for blackmail. The perfect secret to hold over her head to get what I want.Her.A Lesson in Blackmail is a full-length novel in the Black Mountain Academy series. It is a crossover standalone with KD Robichaux's Club Alias series.

The Headmaster


Tiffany Reisz - 2014
    Stern, enigmatic Edwin Yorke simmers with a heat Gwen longs to unleash. But Edwin knows all too well that forbidden love can end in tragedy….

Just Jelly Beans and Jealousy


Tammy Falkner - 2013
    Or so he thinks. Lacey did put Sean in the friend zone, but now she's ready for more. Only he won't make a move.Lacey enters a contest in which a kiss from her will be the prize. Can Sean win the contest? Can he win the girl?

Meet Cute


Helena Hunting - 2019
    On her first day of law school, Kailyn ran quite literally into the actor she crushed on as a teenager, ending with him sprawled on top of her. Mortified to discover the Daxton Hughes was also a student in her class, her embarrassment over their meet-cute quickly turned into a friendship she never expected. Of course, she never saw his betrayal coming either...Now, eight years later, Dax is in her office asking for legal advice. Despite her anger, Kailyn can't help feeling sorry for the devastated man who just became sole guardian to his thirteen-year-old sister. But when her boss gets wind of Kailyn's new celebrity client, there's even more at stake than Dax's custody issues: if she gets Dax to work at their firm, she'll be promoted to partner.The more time Kailyn spends with Dax and his sister, the more she starts to feel like a family, and the more she realizes the chemistry they had all those years ago is as fresh as ever. But will they be able to forgive the mistakes of the past, or will one betrayal lead to another?

Flat-Out Matt


Jessica Park - 2013
    Now go deeper into Matt's world in this FLAT-OUT MATT novella. Live his side of the story, break when his heart breaks, and fall for the unlikely hero all over again.Take an emotional skydive for two prequel chapters and seven FLAT-OUT LOVE chapters retold from his perspective, and then land with a brand-new steamy finale chapter from Julie.Author's Note: Two chapters, The Sleepover and Keep Going, contain more mature content than Flat-Out Love (Keep Going, in particular), and were written based on reader demand. They wouldn't have fit in well with the original Flat-Out Love, but given that this is a fan-driven companion piece, I think they work. While the content here is upped a bit, the scenes are tastefully done. (So, you know sorry to those who wanted lewd and graphic.)

Riot House


Callie Hart - 2020
    As far as the boys who run America’s most exclusive international academy are concerned, I’m an unwelcome interloper, an inconvenience, and they’re determined to make my life a living hell. When Wren Jacobi sets eyes on Wolf Hall Academy’s newest inductee, all he sees is an easy mark. A reserved little girl with a target painted on her back. He knows nothing of my troubled past, though. Nothing of my mother’s suspicious death, or the horrific treatment I’ve had to endure at the hands of my psychotic father. And he has no idea of the lengths that I, unassuming little Elodie Stillwater, will go to in order to break the savage beast who dreams of breaking me first. There’s a wolf stalking the forests that surround my new school. Little does he know…There are far scarier predators lurking out there in the dark.

The Last Text


Alice Winters - 2019
    I was told not to send you another text, but I never was any good at listening. I love and miss you. I always will.When I lost my partner of eight years, I felt like my world was crashing down around me. In order to feel some relief from the overwhelming emptiness, I’ve found myself sending him texts every year on his birthday, even though I know he will never answer. It makes me feel like there’s a piece of him still alive, at least in my heart.I’m sorry, you must have the wrong number. I apologize for not responding sooner, but I was at work.That is, until someone responds to my text. Jace is charming, sweet, and everything I could ever want. But how can I accept someone new in my life when Daniel’s only been gone two years? Even so, Jace starts to consume my world. It feels like I can finally breathe as he helps me understand that my life doesn’t have to revolve around my grief.Soon, I find myself laughing again as he pulls me away from the hopeless cycle I’ve been caught in, and I love spending time with him, whether it’s playing video games together or discussing our comic book alter egos. But I still need to let go of this guilt and allow Jace to show me that I can love another without replacing what I’ve lost. Jace rewrites my entire world with every word and smile he gives me, and it’s becoming harder to not give in and hand him my heart. Maybe Daniel did respond after all.The Last Text is a 37k word novella about overcoming loss, finding hope, and friendship that leads to new love.

Not Just Friends


Jay Northcote - 2014
    One that’s full of new places, new friends, and new experiences. But Lewis isn’t prepared for the sudden and intense crush he develops on his out-and-proud flatmate, Max, because Lewis had always assumed he was straight. Max starts dating another guy, and Lewis’s jealousy at seeing them together forces him to confront his growing attraction. When Max’s relationship goes awry, Lewis is the one to comfort him and one thing leads to another. After a night together, Lewis is devastated that Max wants to go back to being just friends. Lewis tries his best to move on and their friendship survives, but the feelings he has for Max don’t go away. He faces other challenges as he deals with coming out to his parents, and needs Max’s support more than ever. But Lewis isn’t the only one who’s conflicted. When Max finally admits he cares for Lewis too, Lewis must decide whether he dares risk his heart again on being more than just friends. Please note that although this edition has been re-edited for publication, there is no new or additional content.

The Wrong Brother


Alexis Winter - 2020
    Rock bottom has a basement—and I just found it.I’ve been head over heels, write it in my diary over and over in love with my best friend Preston Young, pretty much my entire life.You’d think after decades of hiding my feelings I’d want to reveal my lifelong secret love to my best friend privately, but NOPE.As the queen of ridiculously grand romantic gestures,I chose a Jerry Springer style television reveal.I’ll spare you the anxiety inducing details and just say, it didn’t...work out the way I thought it would.Cue crawling into a deep dark hole of wine, ice cream and sad ass movies.I’m never showing my face again.Okay, so maybe he stormed off the stage and rejected me on live television.And maybe when his older brother came over to comfort me...I kissed him.So much for getting my sh*t together.It was just a kiss.And then a few more.And then so many toe-curling O’s my brains are permanently scrambled.One minute I’m pining for my best friend,The next I’m falling for his brother,And to make matters worse...now my best friend thinks he might be in love with me?I didn’t know it was even possible to screw up this bad.Am I destined to make one giant laughable mistake out of my life,Or did I miss what’s been right in front of me this entire time?

After All


Karina Halle - 2017
    Light, fun and sexy as sin, it's the PERFECT SUMMER READ. From the NYT and USA Today bestselling author of The Pact and Before I Ever Met You. Emmett Hill is the perfect gentleman. At least that's what his PR team wants the world to think. Tall, handsome, and wickedly charming, Emmett is in the midst of a career comeback, having landed the role of a villain in a popular TV show. The only problem is, Emmett has come a long way from the "nice guy" characters he used to play and his old squeaky clean image is quickly being tarnished by bar fights, womanizing and bad boy behaviour. Considering he's two years shy of forty, it's an act he needs to drop. And fast. Enter Alyssa Martin. At twenty-eight, Alyssa is tired and ready for a change. Her job as office manager has grown stagnant and unfulfilling, while she's become continuously frustrated with Vancouver's lackluster dating scene, always searching for Mr. Right in a city of Mr. Wrongs. When Emmett and Alyssa's paths cross at a mutual friend's wedding, their chemistry is off-the-charts hot, culminating in a steamy one-night stand. What neither expected was for the media catch wind of their coupling - and run with it. Now Emmett has to convince Alyssa to date him for the sake of his image. Her curvy, cute and "normal" persona is just the ticket to smoothing out his reputation, while Emmett provides Alyssa with the excitement and change her life has been lacking. The only problem is, the two fight like cats and dogs outside of the bedroom. And considering their arrangement is just for show, they shouldn't be in the bedroom with each other anyway. Right? Try telling them that.

Hot for Teacher


Mandee MaeNiquel - 2014
    Ten notches on his bed post before seducing his debate coach, Miss Shields. Will Simon reach his ideal woman, or will he end up Debating Number Ten?Deviation by M.C CernyDeviation: an action, behavior, or condition that is different from what is usual or expected. Example: Edith and Jack deviate from the acceptable student teacher relationship.The Life Plan by Phalla S. RiosEverything was perfect, until the middle of my senior year. Our art teacher succumbed to bad health, leaving us with a substitute--and my plans turned to flames, turning into ashes. I thought I wasn't going to fall anymore. But the moment I laid eyes on Mr. Tomlinson, I begin to fall all over again.This can't be happening…Back to School by Vicki GreenEmma Danielson's last year of College and with bartending at night she's walking through life like a zombie. But, when the new teacher walks into her music class she definitely wakes up and takes notice. Josh Tyler's playing and singing at bar's and practices doesn't give him much time but, when he walks into the first day of his new music class and notices a beautiful girl sitting in the back, a fresh set of issues arise and a whole lot of trouble.Unwritten History by Missy Johnson and Carly GreyWe met online.We’d been friends for nearly six months before we finally met.Sparks fly. Things happen.I don’t know what it is we have, but then again, I’m only seventeen.He thinks I’m twenty, because that’s what I tell him.But Secrets never stay hidden for long.Rite of Passage by Mandee Mae Haley knew she had a lot to learn since she pretty much grew up in a bubble. She just didn’t realize the classroom wasn’t the only place she was going to be taught new and exciting things.The Teacher's Pet by NiquelThe Cunningham twins looked alike but were polar opposites. When Maxine Sheppard, the sexy English teacher, arrived, they had one common goal: becoming the teacher's pet.Love Lessons by Liv MorrisDesperate to find a teaching job after graduating college, Tali Tillman returns to her high school to teach English Literature. One of her students and star quarterback, Daniel Johnson, begins to fail her class, so Tali's asked to tutor him after-hours. Lines between teacher and student become blurred, but will they be crossed?Teach Me by Elle BrightHistory belongs in the past. Or so Savannah thought, until her new history professor decides to teach her a thing or two…Extra Credit by Nicole BlanchardIf nothing else the expensive education at St. Christopher's College should have thoroughly instilled upon Eve Stratton the virtues of avoiding risks. But much like her namesake, all it takes for her resolution to be swayed are the smooth words of a charming devil. And Theodore Drake, her new professor, may as well have come with a warning label. Even though she’s well aware that a relationship could mean ruin for them both, there's nothing more alluring than the temptation.