Book picks similar to
The Life I Never Asked For by Kira Adams


romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary
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Therapy


Kathryn Perez - 2014
    I’m needy. I’m broken. Cutting breaks through my numbness, but only opens more wounds. Depression, self-harm, bullying....that's my reality. Sex and guys....that's my escape. The space between the truth and lies is blurred leaving me torn, lost and confused. And while the monsters that live in my head try to beat me-- the two men that I love try to save me. This is my story of friendship, heartache, and the grueling journey that is mental-illness.Warning: Due to possible triggering subject matter and some sexual situations this book is not recommended for anyone under the age of 17 years old.

No Way Back


Chloe Adams - 2012
    She lives blissfully unaware of her family’s secrets, until the night she is raped by the son of her father’s greatest political ally.Her father forbids her from going to the police and threatens to throw her out if she does. It’s a critical election year, one that his party might lose, if the public sours on his doting father image when they realize his daughter is an underage lush and party girl. He can’t risk splintering the party in a nasty court battle that’s certain to draw way too much press, even if that means sacrificing his daughter.Mia’s world is shattered twice, once by the men who hurt her, and once by the betrayal of her family. She does what her father says. But the rapists strike again and beat their next victim near death.With the help of her best friend and a couple of unlikely allies, Mia must decide: does she risk losing everything to do what’s right? Or does she turn her back on the truth and preserve the family name?What’s privileged girl to do, when her perfect little world isn't so perfect anymore?

The Image of You


Melanie Moreland
    Braving danger and devastation, he is determined to tell the world the stories he captures through his lens.Until a misstep leads him to her.Alexandra Robbins.With her fiery red hair and crystal-blue eyes that hide her secrets, she draws him in. And he is willing to change his life for her.Except her past holds her captive. Nothing seems to free her, and despite his best efforts, she is lost to him. But her image never fades from his mind—or his heart.Until their paths cross again.And this time, he is determined to keep her. He won’t lose focus until she is back in his arms and his life.Permanently.(Formerly published as My Image of You, 2017)>

Hate: A Love Story


Laurel Ulen Curtis - 2014
    Love and Hate wrestled with my life day after day, year after year, and the only way to stop it was to let one of them win.Which one?I fought to love harder. But I loathe my love story.Warning: This standalone novel contains explicit language, sexual content, and potential triggers.

Baby Mine


Kennedy Fox - 2019
    Gorgeous. Feisty.I was captivated.But it didn’t matter because when she walks out of my best friend’s bedroom half naked, I know I’ve lost my chance.Now we’re roommates and constantly fighting about our living arrangements. Though we argue about everything, I can’t stop thinking about her in all the wrong ways. I should move out so I can finally get over her, but the selfish part of me can’t let go.When tragedy strikes, we’re left to deal with it together. Instead of pushing her away, I pull her closer.Just as we come to terms with our new reality, she reveals a life changing event that affects us both.And I’m left to make the hardest decision of my life—remain friends or confess my feelings and risk it all.BABY MINE is book 1 in the Hunter & Lennon duet and must be read first.

Dear Agony


Georgia Cates - 2017
    You cleverly disguised yourself as some form of pain or suffering as I grew into a young woman. We were unwavering companions … until I severed our ties.I traded homelessness on the streets of New Orleans for a luxurious bed covered by the finest linens. I traded dumpster diving for dinner in the finest restaurants. I traded myself to a stranger—Bastien Pascal.I have a good life within my platonic and mutually beneficial companionship with Bash.He’s my friend. My mentor. My roommate.Until everything changes.I’m not supposed to get goosebumps when his hand brushes my skin.I’m not supposed to be eager for his soothing touch following one of my nightmares.I’m not supposed to think about what might happen if I reached out to him in the darkness.Falling in love with him? Preposterous . . . unavoidable. Agony, why are you back with a vengeance to rob me of this life I’ve come to love so dearly?I’m finally happy. Don’t ruin this for me.Always yours,RoseIn this epic love story, Dear Agony forges a connection between an unlikely pair—a beautiful rose entwined in barbed wire and a shipwreck sinking into the darkest depths of the ocean. This agonizing romantic novel poses some gut-wrenching questions: What does a woman do when the man she loves is planning his own demise? And how far will she go to give him something to live for?

Who is Sarah Randall


Gail Haris - 2020
    Her abductor.After her beloved mother passes away, Olivia discovers a box filled with secrets that shatters everything she thought she knew.The woman who raised her, with love and kindness, was never who she claimed to be. The truth thrusts Olivia into a new town with strangers who claim to be her rightful family.Torn from all she’s ever known, Olivia hunts to find who she truly is in the midst of this topsy-turvy mystery. While forbidden to contact her abductor's relatives, there is one caring and compassionate boy that may be able to help her uncover her hidden truth.There’s one problem - he’s her abductor’s nephew.

No Tomorrow


Carian Cole - 2018
    They steal our breath.They steal our sanity.And we let them.Over and over and over again.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *They say you never forget your first love.Mine was a homeless musician who wandered straight into my soul.He was my first everything. And fourteen years later, I still can't get him out of my head.He broke all my rules.He also broke my heart.I watched him climb to stardom, cheering him on from afar.But I was never a fan; just a girl in love.Like a tornado, he spiraled, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.But love conquers all, right? It has to. Because here I stand, ravaged and ruined, needing it to be true.You can't go back, but I want to. Back to the park. Back to when he sang only for me. Before he was famous. Before he shattered my heart.I thought I knew everything about him.But I could not have been more wrong.He promised me every tomorrow. And here I am, waiting.And hoping.Again. _______________________ Note: This is not a fluffy, light read or a swoony romance. It's a journey of love between two people who can't let each other go, even though they are far from perfect. It's about loving someone who is struggling with mental illness and addiction and all the ups and downs that come with it. It's about finding a happily ever after that works between two people loving each other the best they can with patience, understanding, and unconditional love. Not everyone will agree with this kind of love and acceptance - but it exists, and it's real, and it happens every day.

Pass me By


Kyra Fox - 2020
    Zoe Lawrence has given up on finding a man who isn’t afraid of her IQ. So, when charming, melt-your-panties-with-a-smile Mac asks her out, she agrees with full intention of using him to scratch an itch and move on.What they thought would be one night of fun quickly turns into a heat-filled whirlwind romance.While Zoe is falling fast, Mac’s insecurities about his self-worth cause him to push her away, leaving Zoe wondering if he will ever trust her love enough to let her in or if their fragile bond was doomed from the start.A steamy and emotional romance series, perfect for lovers of Melissa Foster and Roni Loren.*Pass me By is the first book of the BFF Series and can be read as a standalone.

True


Gwendolyn Grace - 2014
    Life has become more about the demands of their careers and growing family rather than living the life they dreamed together. When another man displays interest in Courtney, and isn't shy about his intentions, one relationship develops while another slowly unravels. Courtney is soon caught in a web of secrets and lies. Deep in her heart she knows Alex has always been her one true love but is it enough to resist temptation?Through a roller-coaster of emotion and not so wise choices, Alex and Courtney must come to realize they want the same thing. Each other.

One Day Soon


A. Meredith Walters - 2016
    I stayed with him through darkness and fire. We loved each other in the moment between innocence and bitter truth. We were the kids easily ignored, who grew into adults we hardly knew. We weren’t meant to last forever. And we didn’t. He ran away. I tried to move on. Yet I never stopped thinking about the boy who had fought to keep me alive in a world that would have swallowed me whole. He was the past that I buried, but never forgot. Until the day I found him again, years after believing I had lost him forever. And in cold, resentful eyes, I saw the heart of the man who had been everything when I had nothing at all. So I vowed to hold onto the second chance that was stolen from the children we had been. Sometimes fate is ugly. Life can be twisted. And who we are can be ruined by who we once were. For two people who had survived so much, we would have to learn how to hold on before we were forced to let go.

Park Avenue Player


Penelope Ward - 2019
     Then the fender bender happened. The guy I collided with drove an expensive car and was drop-dead gorgeous. Too bad he was also a total jerk. We argued over whose fault it was and any other thing that came out of his condescending mouth. Eventually, the police came and we went our separate ways. The insurance companies would have to figure things out. I had a job interview to get to anyway—one I was excited about. Though that excitement changed to disappointment the moment the person interviewing me walked in. The guy from the accident. Whoops! Yeah, so I didn’t get the position. The problem was, I really wanted it. No, I needed it. Anything to get me out of my current career and back into working with kids. So, even though Hollis LaCroix was as intimidating as he was devastatingly handsome, I went back to see him and begged for a chance. To my surprise, he gave me a shot taking care of his troubled niece. At least my attraction to him wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. I wasn’t about to jeopardize my job or the strong bond Hailey and I formed. But resisting the magnetic pull between us wasn’t that simple. (Then there was our little underwear game—don’t ask.) We continued to flirt without crossing the line—until it finally happened. This is the part of the story where we fall in love and live happily ever after, right? Well, life has a way of throwing some major curveballs. Ours was one I didn’t see coming.

Play


Piper Lawson - 2016
    Just another twenty-something girl, living the dream. That’s what I tell myself every morning. That I’m successful, self-aware, and well-balanced. It's just a tiny fib. I would be all of those things, if I had friends who didn’t work with me at the bank. And if I made it to pilates more than once a quarter. And if watermelon slushies weren't the main source of nutrients in my diet. It wouldn’t hurt if I’d had sex in the last year, either. (My best friend insists Jorge the Nightstand Boyfriend doesn’t count.)But when you know where you're going, you don’t need to enjoy the ride. Right?Even if some teeny part of me did want to fool around, Max Donovan would be the last guy I’d call. Sure, he made the indie video game that broke the internet. And yeah, his eyebrow piercing’s sexy, in a ‘what-are-you-in-a-band?’ kind of way. And fighting with him gets me going faster than Jorge on bezerker mode…He’s still colder than a cactus and twice as prickly. And I’m not talking about his face, because the guy’s barely old enough to shave. It’d really be best if we just ignored each other. Which is a problem, because Max Donovan is my new biggest client.So what happens when the girl who lives to work meets the guy who was born to play?Game on.

The Three Kiss Clause


Christopher Harlan - 2019
    Oh, and he happened to be a partner at the publishing company I was trying to get signed to. My book—“Fu*#$@Boys”—about how men are selfish, sex-crazed pigs—was one vote away from being published—his vote. But not only did he hate my book, he asked me a question that would change things between us forever:“How can you be an expert on men when you’ve never been in a real relationship?”He had a point, but I wasn’t about to let him know. Instead I did what any self-respecting academic would do—I proposed a radical social experiment. Cormac and I would live together for one month as boyfriend and girlfriend. If he could change my mind about men I’d withdraw my book. If not, he’d agree to publish it.My only condition? No sex, or anything physical, whatsoever.I never thought he’d go for it, but I guess I was wrong about him, in more ways than one. Don’t get me wrong, I hate Cormac Delaney, even if he is easy on the eyes. . .fine, he’s good looking. . .alright, he’s hot as hell, but still! To do this I’m going to have to remind myself of a few things: we’re only an experiment, nothing more. He’s not the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen in my life, he absolutely does not have a body that makes me tingle in all the right places, and I’m never, under any circumstances, going to let myself fall for him. . .Right?

Home Tears


Tijan - 2016
    Her mother died. Her two sisters loathed her. One aunt hated her. The other was strangely distant, but the worst storm—being dumped by her childhood best friend/high school boyfriend/first love for her younger sister. There went the one person who was hers and with that, the main reason she stuck around. So, she left for ten years. But now she’s back, and nothing’s the same. With help from Jonah Bannon, a reformed—kind of—bad boy she remembers from high school, Dani uncovers family secrets that have spanned generations. And along with those, she’s about to face the biggest sh*t storm of her life. Only this time, she may not survive.