Book picks similar to
Best Year Ever by Ivy Smoak


ivy-smoak
romance
contemporary-romance
novella

Just for a Little While


Fiona Cole - 2021
    Even worse, my dad’s former-stepbrother has a room with my name on it.The only thing I remember about Uncle Willem is his boring button-down shirts and quiet demeanor.Except the rugged man who opens his home to me—filling out his t-shirt better than any person should—is not the man I remember. Standing here drooling over his easy dimpled smile, I wonder if I really looked at him at all.Because Willem is anything but boring and, based on the way his eyes linger on my ripped jeans and thin shirt, he is anything but bored by me.Add in that he’s a professor at my college and my major went from ‘undecided’ to ‘him’. He tries to hold back, but I have other plans in mind.College can’t start soon enough. I can’t wait to misbehave and get sent to the professor's office.One touch. One kiss. Each starts with a simple promise: Just for a little while.*Previously published in the USA Today Bestselling anthology, Stories of September. Now with bonus chapters and an extended epilogue.

Speak From The Heart


L.B. Dunbar - 2013
    Back at her grandmother’s summer home, she’s only in Elk Lake City for a visit which can’t end soon enough. Especially when she can’t seem to get away from one grumpy repairman who shows up everywhere. Fortunately for him, his daughter is sweet even if she refuses to speak.Jess Carter is a hometown favorite and a hot single father. Sworn off love for several reasons, foremost is the silence of his daughter. His little one has a secret and he doesn’t know the why behind it. Unfortunately for him, his six-year-old has taken a liking to the beautiful new woman in town visiting her nana. And everywhere he goes, there she is, invading his space and his heart.While silence might be golden, the voice in lonely hearts refuses to remain quiet.** PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED in 2014 as Sound Advice, Sensations Collection 1.

The Hardest Fall


Ella Maise - 2018
    You smile, say hello. Should be simple, if you’re anyone but me. The first time I met Dylan Reed, I found myself making eye contact with a different part of his body. You see, I’m very good at being shy, not to mention extremely well-versed in rambling nonsense and, unfortunately, rather highly skilled at making a fool of myself in front of a guy I’m attracted to. At the time, I knew nothing about him and thought none of what I said would matter since I’d never speak to him again. Turns out, I was very wrong. He was the star wide receiver of the football team, one of the few players expected to make it into the NFL, and I ended up seeing him all over campus. I might have also propositioned him, run away from him, attacked him with a cooking utensil…and…uh, maybe I shouldn’t tell you all of it. It’s pretty normal stuff, things you’d expect…from me. Eventually, the time came when I couldn’t hide anymore—not that he’d have let me even if I tried. Before now, he never knew I was secretly watching him. Now that we see each other every day, he knows when I have a hard time looking away. It doesn’t help that I’m not the most subtle person in the world either. He smiles at me and tells me he finds me fascinating because of my quirks. I can’t even tell him that I think my heart beats differently whenever he’s around. He thinks we’re going to be best friends. I think I have a big thing for him, and the more I get to know him, the more I don’t care that I’m not allowed to be his friend, let alone fall for him. The thing is, that’s exactly what I’m doing—what we’re doing, I think. Falling. Hard.

If I Return


Sawyer Bennett - 2013
    At least, that’s what her sister tells her when she drags her off for an impromptu Christmas getaway in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hope’s plans to keep her nose in a book the entire vacation are thwarted when she meets Jack Freeman, the gorgeous and enigmatic Army helicopter pilot staying at the same resort. What was supposed to be a quiet Christmas holiday turns into a life changing event for Hope and Jack. The only problem? Jack is headed off to war, and there is no guarantee he will come back.

Runaway Road


Devney Perry - 2020
    She ran away from home at sixteen, escaping parents more interested in drugs than their daughter. She doesn’t have loving siblings or an adorable pet. Her only family is the five other runaway kids who shared her junkyard home. Life pulled them all in separate directions, taking her to Boston. For a short time, she thought she’d found something permanent. But after a devastating divorce, she’s running away again, this time to find a lost friend. She’s driving across the country in her convertible. As a teenager, the rusty car was her shelter. As an adult, it’s her ride to freedom. Except one flat tire derails her trip. Her life collides with Brooks Cohen. They walked away from the first crash. The second might destroy them both.

Thirsty Boy


Mae Harden - 2021
    As the resident Try-It Girl for an online magazine, I’m more than used to weird assignments. Stupid beauty fads, trendy workouts, and miracle products that no one expects to work? All fine. The latest assignment my editor handed down? That was a hard pass for me, but she wouldn’t back down and now I’m stuck in Sugar Creek, Maine, trying to get someone to hit on me.You know, for science.Getting shot down by every man I come across wouldn’t even be that bad if it wasn’t for the sexy bartender who’s been watching me, his icy blue eyes scrutinizing me as I fail, time after time.SpencerRule number one: never sleep with a bar bunny. That is, after all, how I met my ex; the she-devil who slept her way through half the town, broke my heart, and followed the money to greener pastures. I learned my lesson the hard way and I don’t need a refresher course. At least, I thought I didn’t, but that was before Phoebe Bennet walked into my bar.Baffling, adorable, and clearly on a mission, she’s everything I should avoid, wrapped up in a curvy little package I can’t resist. In a moment of weakness, I let her get under my skin and now I’m not sure I can bear to shake her loose.♥Thirsty Boy is a high heat novella and contains swearing. ♥HEA♥ No cheating.♥Summer’s right around the corner and these 14 Boys of Summer are ready to heat up your kindles! From some of your favorite insta-love authors comes a swoon-worthy all-summer-long New Adult romance fest.

If Only in My Dreams


Keira Andrews - 2015
    It’s almost Christmas and his flight home from college has been delayed. For days. Charlie promised his little sister Ava he’d be home for her first holiday season since going into remission from leukemia. Now he’s stuck on the opposite coast and someone else grabbed the last rental car. Someone he hasn’t even spoken to in four years. Someone who broke his heart.Gavin Bloomberg’s childhood friendship with Charlie ended overnight after a day of stolen kisses. With years of resentment between them, they don’t want to be in the same room together, let alone a car. But for Ava’s sake, Gavin agrees to share the rental and drive across the country together.As they face unexpected bumps along the road, can Charlie and Gavin pave the way to a future together?If Only in My Dreams is a gay holiday romance from Keira Andrews featuring enemies to lovers, forced proximity, steamy first times, and of course a happy ending.

A Veil of Vines


Tillie Cole - 2016
    Crowns, priceless jewels and gilded thrones belong only in childhood dreams.But for some, these frivolous fancies are truth. For some, they are real life. On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, people have always treated me as someone special. All because of my ancestral name and legacy. All because of a connection I share to our home country’s most important family of all.I am Caresa Acardi, the Duchessa di Parma. A blue blood of Italy. I was born to marry well. And now the marriage date is set. I am to marry into House Savona. The family that would have been the royals had Italy not abolished the monarchy in 1946. But to the aristocrats of my home, the abolition means nothing at all.The Savonas still hold power where it counts most.In our tight-knit world of money, status and masked balls, they are everything and more. And I am soon to become one of them.I am soon to become Prince Zeno Savona’s wife…… or at least I was, until I met Achille. And everything changed.

King of Corium


C. Hallman - 2021
    Assassins, mafia leaders, arms dealers and art thieves.You name it, this college houses them.Here nothing can touch them.Upon arriving I knew Aspen would be here, she was the daughter of our enemy, a snake in the grass like her father. I had no intention of sparring with her. That is until she opened her pretty little mouth. One sentence and she became my next target, and a woman that I would do anything to see on her knees at my feet.If she thought the university was the only nightmare she would have to face, she was wrong.I was the king, and this was my kingdom.**King of Corium is a dark romance novel, that contains dark themes, including dub-con, non-con. It is not a standalone novel.**

Little Dancer


Brianna Hale - 2017
    It's the one place she gets the firm direction and focused attention she craves to keep her whimsical thoughts in order. Offstage she feels out of place, forced to give up her girlish treasures and bombarded at every turn with adult responsibilities. But one missed dance cue in front of the intimidating theater owner could take all this away. Summoned to Rufus Kingsolver's office, Abby is terrified the darkly handsome, commanding man is about to end her dream. But Rufus has other ideas. He wants to be her Dom. He wants her to call him Daddy. Abby is shocked, but the spark of curiosity and taboo desire have her wanting more. Under Rufus's firm hand, they explore the erotic depths of their unconventional, yet beautiful, relationship. Abby is falling deeper in love with Rufus and the Little/Dom lifestyle, but it's not long before she comes face-to-face with her darkest fear—judgment from the outside world. Daddy knows best, but what if, this once, he can't protect her?

Secrets and Lies


Kody Keplinger - 2013
    In these short stories, the author revisits a familiar cast of characters from THE DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) and A Midsummer's Nightmare. Explore the uniquely teen world of high school drama, secrets, and romantic entanglements from completely fresh perspectives that will intrigue fans of Kody Keplinger and new readers alike.

Penalty


Jacob Chance - 2017
    As the son of a former NFL player, he’s showered with attention and praise twenty-four-seven. One flash of his smile and all the girls fall at his feet - or should I say to their knees? And then there’s me. Brady Lincoln is the last person I want attention from. He’s the kind of guy my father warned me about. His play on the field is legendary and his play with the ladies, even more so. I’ve managed to stay off his radar until recently. What happens when the cocky quarterback breaks all the rules to win my heart?

Enemies With Benefits


Roxie Noir - 2019
    I don’t even like him.I just want him.Eli Loveless was my nemesis from the first day of kindergarten until we graduated high school. Everything I did, he had to do better - and vice versa. The day he left town was the best day of my life.Ten years later, the day he came back was the worst.Now he’s my co-worker.Grown-up Eli Loveless is sexy as sin. He’s hotter than asphalt in the summer. The irritating kid I once knew is gone, and he’s been replaced by a man with green eyes, perfect abs, and a cocky smile.It’s bad that I want him.It’s worse that he wants me back.There are looks. There are smirks. There are smiles that make my panties burst into flame.And then there’s a shared kiss that leads to the hottest night of my life.This is no office romance. This is a five-alarm fire. What’s a girl to do when the man I can’t stand is the one I can’t stop lusting after?Enter into a friends-with-benefits agreement, of course. No dates. No relationship. Just blisteringly hot sex, because if there’s one person I could never fall for, it’s Eli....right?

Mine Would Be You


K. Jamila - 2022
    After throwing herself into work at Poze, a major fashion magazine, drunken nights with her friends in the city, and long therapy sessions, she still keeps the walls around her heart sealed up tight. A wedding invitation sends her straight to the past and to the bars. And the blurry night ends with sea-blue eyes, blonde hair, and a bright smile.Jackson Ross holds the sun in his hands.He’s the complete opposite of her, overly optimistic, and wouldn’t know a rain cloud if it hit him. And he’s anything but deterred by her negative outlook on relationships. If anything, it just enchants him more. When he finally begins to whittle his way past her walls, life comes crashing in when he least expects it.Will Valentina take a chance and let Jackson in? Will Jackson make his way through the rain? Or will life and all its disasters come crashing down and shroud them in the darkness just when they were ready to step into the sun?

Young Adulting


Maggie Dallen - 2020
    Adulting is harder.While the rest of her high school friends are heading off to college, Isabelle Ellis is diving headfirst into real life. Well…if Hollywood can be considered real life.She’s scored the internship of a lifetime with a major production company. And thanks to the script she discovered, she’s certain she can make her temporary position permanent. Even better? The screenwriter might just be her dream guy. Sure, she’s never actually met him in person, but if their email exchanges are anything to go by, he’s her match made in heaven.There’s only one problem. Her screenwriter crush wants TV heartthrob and Hollywood royalty Henry Landon for the lead role. Signing Henry to the project would be a major coup…but having to work with the unbearably egotistical actor might just be her worst nightmare.Isabelle thought she was prepared for life in Hollywood and all the drama that comes with the glitter and glitz, but this might just be more than her little film major heart can handle.Add in four new roommates, backstabbing intern rivals, and the Los Angeles’ public transit system and Isabelle’s new life in La La Land isn’t exactly the dream she’d imagined. Especially when she discovers her screenwriter dream man isn’t who he says he is… And Henry? It turns out the cocky A-list jerk has a heart. But he has secrets too and they could destroy her career goals and break her heart.But no one ever said Hollywood was for the faint of heart.