Book picks similar to
Of Two Minds by Sylvia Madrigal
college
fiction-read
new-adult
Reckless Longing
Gina Robinson - 2013
Her mother’s wild and wanton behavior has left Ellie with a deep longing. To escape. To belong. To know who her real dad is. To really be loved. Her mother finally crosses a line thatsends Ellie running, escaping to college with one, focused goal–to find and confront her bio dad, who doesn’t even know she exists. Then she meets Logan. Hot, charming, and troubled. He turns her world upside down and puts all her plans in jeopardy.Logan Walker is hiding a shameful and painful secret. One that nearly cost him everything. When he meets the beautiful and mysterious Ellie at a Week of Welcome event, something inside him awakens and he finds himself drawn to her.But the attraction they both feel for each other is as delicate as the web of secrets they each hide behind. And as the truths are revealed, their reckless longing may not survive the fallout.
Heartthrob
Jerry Cole - 2016
Juggling school, his job at the music store, and his father’s ridiculous expectations, Trevor has a few more hurdles to clear before he can truly get out of his lifelong slump. He has managed to maintain a lie for his entire twenty-year old life, but he is ready to finally bring it all out into the open. The night before the new semester, Trevor decides to take his life by the reigns and makes a life-changing announcement: He likes men! With the help of his supporting roommates, Stacey and Paul, Trevor jumps headfirst into a world full of uncertainties as he finally begins to accept his sexuality. Desperate for a celebration, Stacey drags a reluctant Trevor to a night-on-the-town at the local gay bar, where he attempts to come out of his shell, but finds himself sitting in the corner of a bar with his eyes fixated on the floor. A local band named Eagle Talon plays a rocking show, and Trevor lays eyes on lead singer and heartthrob, Benjamin Schneider. If that wasn’t enough excitement for one night, Trevor eventually calls the attention of one handsome and very forward suitor. Little does he know that both of these men will forever alter the course of his life. Please Note: This book contains Adult Language & Steamy Adult Activities, it is intended for 18+ Adults Only. Novella, approx. 30,000 words in length. HFN (happy for now). Does not end with a "cliffhanger".
Impossible Girl
K.M. Neuhold - 2016
It was going fine until I met her. Remy Harris, the wild eyed vixen no man can pin down. She’s more than willing to have a good time, but I’m looking for so much more than that. RemyLove ‘em and leave ‘em. It’s safer that way. In my experience all men are looking for is a good time anyway. It’s better to give them what they want and walk away before they can do the same to you. When I needed a calculus tutor I never expected to find one who’s so...sexy. Since when are nerds so hot? **While every book in this series can be read as a stand alone, you will likely get more enjoyment from Impossible Girl if you've read Worth the Wait and Naughty Angel first**mature content
Born Reckless
B.J. Alpha - 2022
I grew up with no real home or blood family around.That is until my uncle decided to be an unwelcome hero. He offered me a new life, a home in his mansion, and a fresh start at an exclusive private school. He thinks he’s better than me… They all do. Especially his hot as hell adopted son, Cameron. The reason I’m on lockdown.Uncle Jimmy thinks he’s doing me a favor, but I know his secrets, just like he knows mine. But the difference between us all, is I’d rather live my previous life than one like this. CameronIn one night, she destroyed something that meant the world to me. After filing charges, I inflict what I think is hell by having her sent to a detention center, a place with no future. Lock-up. Where she belongs. I want my revenge, what was lost to me forever, but I’ll take what I can get.That is until my adoptive father introduces me to his niece, and I see before me the very bane of my existence. I refuse to look into her eyes, to give in to the intrigue she stirs within me.I refuse to want her. Until the choice isn’t even mine.JP Hero ✅Bad-ass FMC ✅Step-cousin relationship ✅Enemies to lovers ✅WARNING: This book has triggers.It contains a pregnancy loss storyline. Graphic sex scenes, violence and strong language recommended for readers aged eighteen and over.This is a stand-alone book and ends with a HEA.
Broken Promises
Dawn Pendleton - 2013
She left Casper without looking back, leaving her small-town life and everyone in it, behind. Including her sexy high school sweetheart. Luke Bates was devastated when Mallory left him for the city life. He managed to pull himself together and move on, even if only just barely. When Mallory shows up in town, Luke vows to stay away from her at all costs. So why does he keep checking in on her and her father, showing up when he's clearly uninvited? Maybe Luke isn't as 'over her' as he thought.
Before You Go
Clare James - 2013
But she soon realizes the changes are not enough. Tabby must take action to help her heal and move on from the past. And though it sounds crazy, she believes a one-night stand is the best way to take back what’s hers. If she can choose where, when, and most importantly, who … maybe she can regain control.First, she needs a willing participant. She finds more than that when she meets Noah Adler. Unfortunately, she can’t go through with it. And when she tries to forget about the plan—and the guy—it becomes impossible. Noah quickly weaves his way into her new life and her heart. But as he comes dangerously close to discovering her secret, Tabby’s at risk of losing it all.
After the Sky Fell Down
Megan Nugen Isbell - 2012
But when tragedy strikes, she is left to pick up the pieces of her now shattered life. As she tries to make sense of her new reality, life takes another startling turn, leading her down a path she never imagined. Through it all she finds comfort in a surprising companion who becomes her best friend and rock as she tries to rebuild her life. But when she unexpectedly meets someone, whose kindness and understanding offers her a chance at a fresh start, she struggles to move forward, afraid to leave her past behind. Will she be able to move on and find peace with her past in order to discover her future or will she let her past condemn her to a life of loneliness, unable to let go of a life that can never be?
Goal Keeper: A Pearson Players novel
Sarah Nego - 2018
Luci has big ones and they don't include getting laid. She's got scholarships to maintain, a grueling schedule of classes and soccer practice, and no room for nonsense. So when her captain makes it clear that the guys' team is off limits, it's not a problem... Until she meets Ryan. Star forward on the guys' soccer team. Hotter than should be legally allowed. And worst of all...her team captain's ex. When Ryan talks Luci into being his partner in Spanish class, he makes her want things that could set all her big plans on fire. Things like Ryan, naked in her bed, naked in the locker room, naked on the quad...so much naked. She shouldn't want him, but a girl can only have so much restraint when temptation throws a drool-inducing six-pack in your face and kisses in a way that makes breathing seem optional. Dating Ryan was never Luci's plan, but plans can change. Is this hot jock worth risking everything she's worked for? Goal Keeper is a laugh-out-loud standalone full of swoon-worthy, forbidden romance. Drop your plans and start reading today!
The Trouble with Goodbye
Sarra Cannon - 2013
She’s always been the girl who does what she’s told. Except that time two years ago when she shocked everyone in the small town of Fairhope by breaking up with the richest guy in town and heading off to Boston to follow her dreams.It was the single most exciting thing she’s ever done for herself, and it felt like the start of something big…Until one terrifying night ripped it all away.With no place else to go, Leigh Anne heads home to reclaim what’s left of her old life. On the outside, she seems like the same reliable girl everyone knows and loves. But deep inside, she’s hiding a terrible secret.That’s when she meets Knox Warner, a troubled newcomer to Fairhope. His eyes have the same haunted look she sees every day in the mirror, and when she’s near him, the rest of the world fades away. But being with Knox would mean disappointing everyone all over again.If she wants to step back into that old life, she has no choice but to say goodbye to him forever.Only, the Trouble with Goodbye is that sometimes it’s about courage and sometimes it’s about fear. And sometimes you’re too broken to know the difference until it’s too late.
The Last Summer
Ruthie Luhnow - 2018
Only one person has ever seen past Alfie's sarcastic, standoffish exterior—his best friend and the love of his life, Wynn. And though Wynn insists he's straight, Alfie is sure, deep down, Wynn feels their connection, too. Alfie plans to leave town right after graduation—and when he goes, he's bringing Wynn along with him. "This place will kill me if I stay." Wynn is used to being a disappointment—to his father, to his teachers, to his coach. And in a place where two boys would never be allowed to fall in love, naïve Wynn can't comprehend that his feelings for Alfie run far deeper than friendship. But then Alfie shows up at his window in the middle of the night and asks Wynn to run away with him—and though Wynn can't bear the thought of Alfie leaving him, Wynn isn't brave enough to leave. "I've loved you every minute of every day that I've known you." Twelve years later, Wynn shows up on Alfie's doorstep, bedraggled and heartbroken. Though the two friends have not seen each other in over a decade, they find their connection hasn't faded. However, before Alfie and Wynn are able to build a new life with one another, they will have to face the demons from their past. Once more, they find themselves in their tiny, toxic hometown—but this time, they're together. The Last Summer is an m/m emotional, slow burn romance with friends-to-lovers, second chance, and gay awakening themes, plenty of heat, and a happy ending.
Lost in Us
Layla Hagen - 2014
But when her boyfriend of six years abruptly leaves her, she’s catapulted back into pain, nursing a broken heart. When indulging in mountains of chocolate doesn’t work, Serena decides the best way to deal with her shattered heart is to indulge in something else. A rebound... The night she swaps her usual Sprite for tequila, she meets James. The encounter is breathtaking.Electrifying.And best not repeated. James is a successful entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. A man who has amassed a fortune by taking risks. A man who has shunned commitment completely, and still does. He’s the exact opposite of Serena. But sometimes opposites attract. Sometimes they give in to burning passion. Sometimes opposites are perfect for each other. James is everything her damaged soul could want. His kisses are intoxicating, his touch out of this world. He makes her forget. He grants her peace from her pain. But as they grow closer, Serena discovers she isn’t the only one with a past. James carries the scars of a past much darker than hers. One that has left him damaged, hurt, and wary of love. A past that gives him the power to shatter her. Now James and Serena must find a way to mend one another. Or risk losing each other forever.
Catching Cassidy
Melissa Foster - 2015
They're tough, edgy, and accepting--most of the time. Although Catching Cassidy is a heterosexual romance, this series will include heterosexual, gay, and lesbian themes, written in the loving, raw, and emotional voice readers have come to love by New York Times & USA Today bestselling, award-winning author Melissa Foster.In Catching Cassidy...Wyatt Armstrong never imagined that instead of celebrating his college graduation, he and his twin sister would be dealing with the death of their parents. Then again, Wyatt had never been one to think past tomorrow. He heads to their summer home in Harborside, Massachusetts, with his best friend Cassidy Lowell in tow, to spread his parents' ashes and to try to figure out his next step.Six foot two, infuriatingly handsome, and flirtatious, Wyatt Armstrong has always been there for Cassidy, helping her pass her classes and fend off unwanted advances, while driving her insane with his one-night stands--but that's what best friends are for, isn't it? Having each other's backs. There was never any doubt that she would accompany him to his family's summer home--even if her jealous boyfriend is giving her hell for it. But he doesn't have anything to be jealous of...or does he?It's impossible to ignore the sizzling heat between them as Wyatt and Cassidy get even closer, but Cassidy knows Wyatt's past, and she has a real job to begin in the fall. Wyatt may be a sure thing for the summer, but Cassidy needs more. For the first time in his life, Wyatt is forced to look toward the future if he doesn't want to lose the one woman who's shared his past and owns his heart.Coming in 2015 the full Harborside Nights series:Catching Cassidy (Het)Discovering Delilah (F/F)Tempting Tristan (M/M)Chasing Charley (Het)Breaking Brandon (M/M)Embracing Evan (Het)Reaching Rusty (Het)Loving Livi (Het)Characters from the Love in Bloom series will appear in the Harborside Nights books.
The Last One
Tawdra Kandle - 2014
The last year has been a roller coaster: her widowed mother just married a long-time family friend. Her younger brother unexpectedly became a father and a husband. Everyone's life is changing. . .except for hers. As she begins her final summer of college, Meghan's looking for excitement and maybe a little romance. Nothing serious; this girl just wants to have fun. But the only man for Meghan turns out to be the last one she expects. Sam Reynolds doesn't need excitement, and he doesn't want romance. Fun is out of the question. He's been the steady, responsible one since his parents were killed, and serious is his way of life. When Sam rescues Meghan alongside a dark Georgia backroad, she falls hard for his deep brown eyes and slow drawl. But making him see her as more than just a party girl won't be easy. Sam's tempted by the fiery young artist, even as he realizes that giving into his feelings will mean radical change. . .maybe more than he can handle. Nobody ever said love was simple.
Not at First
Phalla S. Rios - 2013
But life takes a turn when she finds herself torn between Kevin and Roman.Kevin Hawken is a domineering man who forces himself into Angel's life and changes everything she thought she knew. But how much can he be trusted when he is so secretive about himself?Angel was instantly intrigued when she first laid eyes on Roman Conti, an Investment firm owner. He was everything she ever wanted in a man:romantic, loving, and protective over her.As Angel begins to weave a bitter web of desire and deceit, will she find herself consumed, or will she be able to find her way out and follow her heart?
A Risk Worth Taking
Heather Hildenbrand - 2013
Everything she thought she knew—heck, everything she thought she wanted for her own life—feels like a lie. The truth is love is a risk. And the true kind, the kind that lasts, might even be a fairy tale. Reeling from the divorce, Summer derails her own future by breaking up with her parent-approved boyfriend and giving up her lifelong plans for a big-city career. She moves back home, business degree in hand. Dad needs her to fill the gaps her mother left behind; Summer needs to find who she is outside of the cookie-cutter life that failed so miserably for her parents.Ford O’Neal’s future involves one person: himself. He doesn’t have a permanent address and he definitely doesn’t commit. To a place or a person. Raised by hippies, he plans just far enough ahead to secure his next stop, this one landing him at a work-study program at Heritage Plantation where he can grow his own herbal and medicinal creations. Summer is gorgeous and smart and fun to be with, the perfect way to pass five months. It won’t be love—Ford’s got too many things to accomplish, too many places to go, before he settles down. Yet Summer pulls him in, challenging him to rethink his own philosophy. When Ford’s five months are up, each of them must decide if love is really worth the risk.