Book picks similar to
Ripple Effect by Evan Grace


second-chance
romance
military
abuse

Worth the Wait


Jamie Beck - 2015
    James. Since then, her love for David has only intensified thanks to years of friendship with his family, who rescued her from a lonely, tumultuous childhood. As she travels to Block Island to vacation with the St. James siblings, Vivi daydreams about reuniting with David, hoping he’ll finally see her as his soul mate.After his mother’s death, David distanced himself from his siblings, determined to hide a devastating family secret. Now, he’s brought a new girlfriend along to his homecoming—one who’s pushing for a serious commitment. The last thing he needs on his growing list of problems is his budding attraction to Vivi.With tensions running high, David’s behavior triggers a series of events that might cost him the love he’s always taken for granted and Vivi the only real family she’s ever known.

Thin Love


Eden Butler - 2014
    It isn't supposed to leave you bleeding. Kona pushed, Keira pulled, and in their wake, they left behind destruction. She sacrificed everything for him. It wasn't enough. But the wounds of the past can never be completely forgotten and still the flame remains, slumbers between the pleasure of yesterday and the thought of what might have been. Now, sixteen years later, Keira returns home to bury the mother who betrayed her, just as Kona tries to hold onto what remains of his NFL career with the New Orleans Steamers. Across the crowded bustle of a busy French Market, their paths collide, conjuring forgotten memories of a consuming touch, skin on skin, and the still smoldering fire that begs to be rekindled. When Kona realizes the trifecta of betrayal—his, Keira's and those lies told to keep them apart—his life is irrevocably changed and he once again takes Keira down with him into the fire that threatens to ignite them both.

The Charlotte Chronicles


Jen Frederick - 2014
    Nate Jackson always viewed her as a pesky kid…until the day she got sick. The one bright spot during her illness? He realized she was all grown up. But just when she allows herself to believe that dreams can come true, Nate disappears from her life, taking her heart with him.Nate knows he lost more than his best friend when he deserted Charlotte to enlist in the Navy. He thought he was doing the right thing, sparing the girl he loves from the shame and humiliation of his actions. Nine years later, it’s time to right his wrongs. He returns home determined to win back his first love…only to find that Charlotte's moved on without him.But if there's one thing that being a Navy SEAL has taught Nate? Never give up, even when all hope seems lost. And Nate's never going to give up on Charlotte. Ever.

The Long Way Home


Jasinda Wilder - 2017
    For you. For touch. For a kiss. For the scrape of your hand down my stomach. For the slide of your lips across my hipbone. The sweep of your thigh against mine in the dulcet, drowning darkness. For the warm huff of your breath on my skin and the wet suck of your mouth around me and the building pressure of need reaching release...I am mad with need.Wild with it.I cannot have you. I have lost you, as I have lost myself. And so I go in search. Of myself, and thus the man who might return to you, and take you in his arms.I loathe each of the thousands of miles between us, but I cannot wish them away, for I hope at the end of my journey I shall find you. Or rather, find myself, and thus…you. Myself, and thus us. I am taking the long way home, Ava. ***Christian,I’m losing my mind, and I don’t know how to stop it. I shouldn’t be writing to you, but I am. I’m friendless, loveless, and lifeless. You’re out there somewhere, and still you’re all I really have. I hate my reliance and dependence on you, emotionally and otherwise, and that reliance is something I’m coming to recognize. I hate that I can’t hate you as much as I want to. I hate that I still love you so much. I hate that there’s no clear solution to our conundrum. Even if we could forgive each other, what then? I hate you, Christian. I really do.But most of all, I don’t. It’s complicated. Complicatedly (still) yours,AvaTHE LONG WAY HOME is the story of a married couple, Christian and Ava, both writers, as they cope with the loss of their son and the damage that loss causes to their marriage. This moving story, alternately heartbreaking and heartwarming, is the first in a brand-new contemporary romance series by bestselling author Jasinda Wilder.

Bigger Than the Sky


Harper Bentley - 2014
    No, I’m not an idiot.Yes, I had my reasons. Now I’ve made a new life for myself working at a large firm in Richmond and I’ve left the past behind. Or so I thought.Upon returning to my hometown of Serenity Point, Virginia, to take care of some business, I find that Kade’s now home for good and he’s none too happy about my being here. Two months. That’s all I’m staying then I’m out of here. Unless I believe the town’s pink-haired psychic’s prediction. Or embrace the sense of belonging I feel at being back home. Or give in to the emotions stirring inside when Kade's attention is suddenly on me. He scares the crap out of me. He thrills me. He used to tell me our love was bigger than the sky. I always knew ours was a once-in-a-lifetime love. So how can he be so sure it can happen again?

Teasing Destiny


Melanie Shawn - 2015
    A heart that, with time, learned to heal and guard itself. But when Jefferson James Briggs returns to their small hometown of Wishing Well, Texas, memories of that unforgettable night come back with him.... JJ Briggs knew he had started something he couldn't finish four years ago. But now, he was back to set it right. The sexy Major League pitcher never forgot about his fiery redhead. The love and passion he felt for his “Pip” never faded. They say old wounds cut deep...will JJ be able to heal the pain he caused all those years ago? Or will history repeat itself, keeping his Destiny just out of reach?

Code Name: Genesis


Sawyer Bennett - 2019
    She was an up-and-coming superstar and I was the security professional hired to keep her safe. We fell hard and fast, no matter how much we tried to resist one another. But not everyone around us was happy about our relationship, and a string of lies and deceit destroyed what we once had. I moved on from her and didn’t look back.Now I’ve taken the helm of a nationally renowned protective services company, and I’m looking to rebrand my career. The newly crowned Jameson Force Security is moving from the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas to the mountainous steel town of Pittsburgh, and the last thing I have time for is to deal with my past.More than a decade has passed since our split, but even a bruised and battered heart remembers its first love. So when Joslyn Meyers comes to me for help, I reluctantly agree to keep her safe from a terrifying stalker who keeps threatening her life.As the danger continues to intensify, it becomes clear that I’ll stop at nothing to protect the woman who turned her back on me all those years ago. Because one thing is certain—no matter how hard I try to convince myself otherwise, Joslyn still has my heart.

Trick


Tory Baker - 2020
    Never mix business with pleasure. That rule gets thrown out the window when Wren Taylor walks through the door of his tattoo shop and into his heart. She’s sassy, smokin’ hot, and his complete opposite. Wren has plans, though. She wants to be a social worker and she needs to concentrate on getting her degree.Not the hot as hell, tattooed bad boy who owns Sin & Ink tattoo shop. Some things just won’t be denied. However, and the spark between these two ignite into a flame that just might burn forever. Tory is back with her book in the Kelly Brothers collaboration and it’s hot. It’s so hot you just might need a fan for your kindle. As always, you get a safe read, with an over-the-top Alpha, and a guaranteed happily ever after.Trick, is book 1 in the Kelly Brothers Series, featuring four steamy stories about love and family that can all be read as standalones or in order.

What Happens After


Portia Moore - 2015
     'We' never should have happened. Him and me... Our constantly crossing paths changed the unthinkable to the inevitable. It was magical, exhilarating, and life defining... despicable, and it ruined everything. It destroyed me. It destroyed us. He and I are what happened before. And everything else is what happened after… ~If you are turned off from themes dealing with infidelity this book is not for you. This book features flawed people that make imperfect decisions.~ ~This is a Stand Alone full-length novel that does not contain a cliffhanger.~

SEAL's Bride


Vivian Wood - 2016
    Settle down? Hell, the ripped, fierce bad boy doesn't even bed the same woman twice.When he winds up back in his hometown, he's got no intention of changing his ways. F*ck the comforts of small-town life, there's a world full of pussy out there to conquer.That is, until he sees her. Remy River, the gorgeous blonde knockout who slams the door in his face -- apparently, she hasn't forgiven him for his past sins.Time to conquer the unconquerable.I had his baby, and he doesn't know.Four years ago, Remy made a huge mistake. Lovesick and impulsive, she slept with Sawyer Roman.And while he was off shooting bad guys, she had his baby.He doesn't know Shiloh is his son, and if she ever tells him, his family's threatened to ruin her life. But now he's back, damaged but hotter than ever, and he still wants her.If only she could turn away. If only she could resist his kisses, but Remy melts when he looks at her like that. But this secret's weighing on her soul, the guilt getting heavier and heavier every day.Remy has to tell Sawyer that Shiloh is his, but can they start fresh? Or will it be the tragic end to their love story?

Love, Hate & Us


S.P. West - 2017
     K-I-S-S-I-N-G… We grew up thinking that our future was set in stone. We were wrong. Turns out there is a thin line between love and hate. Then there is us. Brooke never imagined a life away from Emmerton. She never pictured a life without her childhood sweetheart, Brody. But when Brody does the unthinkable Brooke’s world is turned upside down. Unable to watch as Brody moves on with his life, she decides to start afresh. Unfortunately, leaving her past behind is not a easy as she thought, especially when her past wants her back. This novel contains adult situations and some swearing.

Slaughter


Shantel Tessier - 2018
    It is about revenge and hatred, misery and violence. I wasn’t always this way even though it was in my blood. I grew up happy and in love with my best friend until she betrayed me and walked away. After that, I fell into the deep, dark world I was meant for. Presleigh Clarke's actions turned me into the ruthless man I am today. Too bad for her, I believe people should pay for the things they have done. The more painful and messy, the better. I get off on making people bleed. It feeds my inner demon, and right now, he is starving. She crossed me once, so now she’ll know what it’s like to fear me. But not all stories end the way you think they will … mine certainly didn’t.

Defending Allye


Susan Stoker - 2018
    Any other woman would have panicked during a rescue, but the wily dancer kept her cool — even after being kidnapped by an elusive human trafficker. And Gray couldn’t be happier when a grateful Allye follows him home to Colorado Springs…For Allye, finding sanctuary in the arms — and bed — of the former Navy SEAL is only temporary. People are disappearing off the streets of San Francisco, victims of the same underground trade that targeted her, and Allye could be the key to dismantling the entire operation. She’s willing to do anything to bring them down. Gray isn’t — for good reason. But you don’t say no to a tough girl like Allye who refuses to play it safe.Now Gray is risking more than ever before. The Mountain Mercenaries have his back. But is it enough to keep the woman he loves out of harm’s way?

8 Weeks


Bethany Lopez - 2014
    Despite everyone saying the odds were against them, they got married after graduation and built a life together. Now, six years later, she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. Devastated, her first instinct is to call it quits…After a drunken binge at his best friends’ bachelor party, Cal betrays the one person who has always been there for him, his wife, Shelly. Terrified and realizing she might divorce him, Cal must come up with a way to prove to her that his love is true… Cal asks Shelly for eight weeks. Eight weeks to convince her that their marriage is worth the fight. Will Shelly be able to trust him again, or will their marriage end the way many others do when faced with opposition… In divorce?8 Weeks is book 1 in the Time for Love series, but can be read as a stand alone."8 Weeks was an emotionally gripping read. Seeing this couple fight to keep their relationship alive made me believe in true love, forgiveness and hope." ~ The Autumn Review"A beautifully written love story about betrayal, redemption, and discovering that love really does conquer all.' ~ Tyhada Reads"8 Weeks is an amazing story of how one night can change a persons life. For Cal, Shelly is all he has ever wanted and needed and when he does something to jeopardize their marriage he will have 8 weeks to prove to Shelly that their love is real. Cal is on the road to redemption but will Shelly forgive Cal?" Tee at A Diary of a Book AddictSeries Reading Order:1 Night - Prequel Short8 Weeks21 Days42 Hours 15 Minutes 10 Years3 Seconds7 MonthsFor Eternity - NovellaNight & Day - NovellaTime to Risk

Because You're Mine


K. Langston - 2013
    She’s already working for one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston as a research assistant, and in a few short months, she will finally graduate from Harvard and collect her law degree. Everything she’s worked so hard to accomplish is well within her reach. But when Madison has to take an unexpected trip back home, she's blindsided by the one thing she never anticipated. A man who not only tests her patience but tempts her heart. Madison doesn’t have time for love and a love as consuming as his will only derail her perfectly laid plans. Desperate to escape his wicked past, Holden Brooks moved to Madison's hometown five years ago, hell-bent on overcoming the demons that nearly destroyed him back in Texas. He’s in a good place in his life. Love is the last thing on his mind until he tastes her honeysuckle skin and looks into those deep blue eyes. Desire ignites as their two paths collide and they soon find out, fate has a plan of its own.