Book picks similar to
Force of Gravity by Melissa Toppen


college
low-angst
roommates
brother-sister-friends

Wild Thoughts


Charity Ferrell - 2015
    He's an asshole, arrogant, and can't stop talking about sex. The worst part? He has blackmail on me. Addison is the epitome of a good girl. She follows the rules to a tee and never colors outside the lines, but a girl can't be perfect. There's a rule she's breaking, a lie she's kept hidden, and she gets busted red-handed by him-her new step-brother. Zeth made a mistake that resulted in him having to move across the country for six months. His plan was to lay low, do his time, and stay out of trouble. His new step-sister wasn't in his plan. Her thoughts about him are wild. His thoughts about her are wilder. All he wants to do is push her buttons, break her out of her shell, and drag the bad girl out. He wants her to fall in his bed, so he can have his way with her. When they can't resist any longer, they agree it's only temporary, but what happens when they want more?

Dance for Me


J.C. Valentine - 2015
    Due to mature material, it is recommended for ages 17+.What if the person who stole your heart wasn't who you thought they were? When my parents passed away, I grew up fast. Learning to stand on my own two feet has been a challenge, but I'm making it... my way. I make no apologies for the path I've chosen. My choices have served me well, but no one knows the real me. Except one man. He's a mystery to me. He's controlling, demanding, and he has me wrapped around his little finger. Anything he wants, I'll give it to him. The hours we share together aren't about love. It's just sex. Hot, dirty, passionate sex. It was never supposed to be anything more than that. Until everything changed. Now, I'm more confused than ever. The more I learn about him, the less I seem to understand. What I do know is that I'm falling, and I have the feeling when I land, it's going to hurt.

Bender


Stacy Borel - 2014
    Instead, she got Camden Brooks. Camden, with his sinful body, sharp tongue, and the inability to stay out of Keegan’s personal space, couldn’t seem to curb his interest in the new girl who wouldn’t put up with his domineering ways. Feelings were running rampant, sexual tension was thick, and both were struggling to let go of control. To some people, getting a roommate simply meant living with another person. But to both Camden and Keegan it was a curveball that neither was prepared to swing at. **Strong sexual content** Can be read as a stand alone. Each brother will have their own book. (A 96,000 word novel)

Indian Summer


Eve L. Mitchell - 2019
    It should have been simple, but nothing is ever as easy as it should be when starting over. New town, new school, and a new life. It sounded easy enough, or I’d thought it had.It wasn’t.People from my past were showing up, and those people just happened to be part of the reason I ran.Colton Dawson, hot older brother to my ex? He’s the main reason I was here, starting over.Now he and my ex were back in my life, and my past was colliding with my future. He could destroy me, or he could save me. I wasn’t sure which one I wanted more.These boys were shrouded in dark secrets, and I was about to be thrown into the middle of something I didn’t ask for.Will we survive the secrets, or will the world come unravelling around us and ruin everything I tried to achieve by starting over?

The Chase


Elle Kennedy - 2018
    And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.And that his best friend has a crush on me.And that I just moved in with them.Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?He knows where to find me.

Roommates with Benefits


Nicole Williams - 2017
    He’s the epitome of the “bad boy, good man” persona. The best of both worlds. The worst of them too. He’s the type of guy most girls wouldn’t mind sharing a confined space with, except my new roommate isn’t all swagger and chiseled abs. He’s bossy. Messy. Cocky. Infuriating. Doesn’t believe in personal space. Has no qualms about roaming the apartment with a loincloth-sized towel cinched around his waist. Seems under the delusion he’s my personal protector (refer back to infuriating). He plays college baseball and holds down a part-time job—I don’t know where he finds the time to get on my nerves. We have nothing in common . . . except our attraction to one another. And in six hundred square feet of shared space, the tension only has so much room to grow before one of us gives in to temptation. But really, what chance do a couple of young kids chasing their dreams in the big city have of making it?Since Soren claims I know squat about sports (he might have a semi-point), here’s a stat for him—one in a million. That’s our odds.

Savage Prince


Kristin Buoni - 2020
    Liars and sinners lurk around every corner… and I’ve just stumbled onto the worst one yet.Her name is Laney Collins.She’s a maid’s daughter with a scholarship to Royal Falls Academy, and she’s got a hell of a dark secret. Everyone else might be fooled by her sweet, innocent act, but I know the truth.I know what she did last year.Now that our senior year has started, she’s going to pay for her sins, and she’s going to learn her proper place at RFA. I own the school and everyone in it, and soon, I’ll own her too.Welcome to my kingdom, Laney. You really should’ve stayed away…***LANEY Welcome to Royal Falls Academy… Those five words were supposed to change my life. I thought I finally had friends, opportunities, and a ticket to freedom… but the privileged boys who rule RFA have other ideas. Especially their leader, Hunter Connery.He’s rich, arrogant, and looks like a god. He also knows my darkest secret.Now he’s marked me. Added me to the school’s infamous Blacklist to turn everyone against me.I’m supposed to flee or beg for forgiveness before he drives me away with his ruthless cruelty, but that’s not going to happen, no matter how close I get to my breaking point. I’ll never fall on my knees for him, and he’ll never destroy me.I might come from nothing, but that doesn’t mean I’m worthless… so bring it on, Hunter.Savage Prince is a dark high school bully romance with content that some readers may find disturbing or offensive. The story follows on from the events of Twisted Elite and continues in Shattered Kingdom.

The Crush


Penelope Ward - 2021
    And for as long as I could remember, I’d secretly wanted my brother’s best friend, Jace.He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had.Fast forward a decade.We were all in our twenties now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died. It was just the three of us—an odd family dynamic. Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever. But he certainly didn’t look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated. I was pretty much hot and bothered twenty-four-seven. And he was torn.The signs were subtle, at first. Like on movie night, I’d casually rest my leg against his, and he wouldn’t exactly shift away.Still, I assumed he would never…go there.Nathan would kill us.The knowledge of that wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable, though.Eventually our slow burn exploded. But more than the physical attraction, we’d developed a strong connection. We just couldn’t get caught, right?That sounded simple.Until it wasn’t.This is a story of forbidden love, broken trust, and an unexpected second chance.

Let Me


K.V. Rose - 2019
    “I don’t need to love you for this, Riley. Let me.”Love and hate are merely two sides of the same coin. And I hate Riley Larson. She's responsible for my little brother's death. She played us both, all those years ago. And she drove him to the edge.I've spent all this time avoiding her, loathing her, wishing to get her back for what she did.And now, she's back in my city. And finally, I can get vengeance for my brother.She did always like to be scared. No cliffhanger, can be read as a stand-alone. Dark romance, only suitable for those 18+.

Ruined


Marie Johnston - 2020
    Only I don't know that the person I find to spend the next two weeks with is my future husband.I’m a self-professed daddy's girl, but now my he’s gone and I’m left to run the company that's become my life, my passion. Until I get a visit from a lawyer with demands from a mysterious tycoon. The terms are clear: marry Jacobi Dixon or he'll spill all my dad’s dirty secrets, revealing a past that could tank the company.So, fine. I’ll marry him. I’ll protect my company. But before I say my vows I’ll run to Cabo San Lucas and get myself good and ruined first.I don’t know anything about my future husband, just like I don’t know how badly he wants what should've been his in the first place, and it's not just my company, it's me. What he ends up doing when I'm on vacation may ruin any chance between us.

Spiral


Mila Ferrera - 2013
    Despite the urging of her mother and her academic advisor to get a life and have some fun, “all work and no play” sums up her plan to survive her grueling internship year at a children's hospital. She doesn't want to end up like her father, whose constant ups and downs broke her family, and avoiding unnecessary emotional entanglements is a must.Then she (literally) runs into Dr. Aron Lindstrom in the middle of her disastrous first day on the job. The attraction is instant—and terrifying. Nessa knows she should stay away—especially when she finds out he has a reputation for being a player—but Aron is brilliant, intense, and as sexy as they come. When he challenges her to take a chance on him, her plans to stay focused on work start to crumble.But what begins as passion takes on a dangerous edge, becoming an emotional roller coaster that’s frighteningly familiar. As things spiral out of control, Nessa must decide whether she should hold on for the ride or run … even if it means leaving her heart behind.

King of Nothing


Jacie Lennon - 2020
    It contains themes that may be uncomfortable for some readers.

Hate Mates


Mickey Miller - 2020
    Or the one about his father, the head football coach. Or even the one about his special talent between the sheets.I’m talking about the one where he has a female roommate in an all-male dorm.I can’t speak to the first three, but that fourth one is true. I know because that girl in his room is me.Because of an error by the college, I’m placed with Mr. Campus Celebrity in the traditionally male dorm.Is he panty-meltingly handsome with an attitude to match? Sure.Do I accidentally fanaticize about him one (okay, maybe two) times? Fine, I’m honest enough to admit it.None of that matters, because we’re opposites in all the ways that are important for getting along as college roommates:He comes from a perfect life and old money. I come from a broken home and bowls of ramen.He’s at Greene State to party. I’m here to study.He’s a popular jock. I wouldn’t be caught dead playing sports.To say we get off to a rocky start would be an understatement.Ironically, that’s what causes our sizzling attraction to boil over one night. But even that comes at a price.Because our story has a twist neither of us could see coming.One that changes both of our lives, ‘till death do us part.

Bad Apple


Selena . - 2021
    If getting out of this hellhole town means spending my last two years of high school at an elite academy full of rich, entitled pricks, then bring it on.“Girls like you don’t belong.”The arrogant and infuriatingly gorgeous Dolce brothers reign supreme in the hallowed halls of Willow Heights, and they don’t welcome my kind. Especially when I get in their way, don’t play by the rules in their twisted games, and refuse to bow to the cruel tyrants who run the place.“Girls like you are bad news.”Royal, Baron, and Duke Dolce set their sights on me. They think a poor girl will be an easy target, that they can break me and bring me to my knees like the girls who came before me. But the Dolce boys underestimate me. In this town, even girls from the trailer park hide deadly secrets. Secrets that could destroy them.After all, it’s those from the wicked world of wealth and privilege with the most to lose.This book is not RH--the main character ends up with ONE love interest.This is the start of a brand new, dark high school bully romance/enemies to lovers story featuring a damaged anti-hero and a heroine who fights her own battles. It is not for the faint of heart. It is in *no way* safe. I don't want to list specifics bc they are spoilers IMO, so I'll just say this. If you have triggers or hard lines, avoid this book. 18+ readers only.

Twisted Love


Ana Huang - 2021
    Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape. Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart. But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:A crack.A melt.A fire that could end his world as he knew it.***Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want. Her brother’s best friend. Her neighbor.Her savior and her downfall.Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear. Twisted Love is a brother’s best friend/opposites attract romance with a hint of suspense. It's book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.WARNING: This book contains a possessive, morally gray alphahole; explicit sexual content, and profanity. No cheating or menage, but if you're looking for a traditionally sweet, loveable hero, this is not the book for you. Recommended for 18+.