Book picks similar to
Under The Same Sky by Tamsyn Bester


romance
heartbreaking
second-chance
second-chances

Picking up the Pieces


Jessica Prince - 2013
    It’s taken years, but Emmy is finally starting to pick up the pieces of her broken life. Until the man who destroyed her heart returns, bringing with him the pain of the past. Running from Emmy was the only way Lucas Allen knew he could protect her from the demons he carried with him. After spending one perfect night together, Luke took off, certain he couldn’t possibly give Emmy everything she deserved. Eight long years later, he’s returned to Cloverleaf to try and make up for his mistakes. He can only hope it isn’t too late. Loving Luke has always been easy. It’s forgiving him that seems impossible. Now it’s up to Emmy to decide whether to give him a second chance or let him go for good.

Promise Me


Barbie Bohrman - 2013
    Drawing strength from him, she left everything behind and sought a new life for herself, far away from the pain and shame.Fast forward ten years: Sabrina is settled in Miami, happy at last—until her best friend urges her to attend her high school reunion and face her painful past once and for all.And…maybe meet the mysterious Tyler once again.Can Sabrina find the courage to face the demons in her past, let go of the pain, and move forward into happiness? Or will insecurity and self-doubt ruin her one chance to get the love she’s not sure she even deserves?

Gorgeous Rotten Scoundrel


Nina G. Jones - 2014
    The kind of gorgeous where you didn’t even attempt to hide the fact that you were staring. I knew the type: His entire life he has coasted on his good looks, artificial charm, and sex appeal. Everyone wanted to be him or be ON him. I had been hurt by jerks like him before. He was like those guys but far worse.I was the unfortunate sucker to be offered a gig I desperately needed as his live-in chef for a Summer in the Hamptons. But I wasn’t like the other girls--the models and socialites who came through the revolving door of his bedroom. I would bite the bullet, take the job, deal with his sexist comments, his expectation that I would fawn over him, and have no problem letting the door hit my ass on the way out when I was done with the gig.Then something unexpected happened that changed everything and I realized that there maybe more to him than the labels I had affixed to his character. Maybe. But if he really wanted me, it wasn’t going to be easy, not like everything else in his life. He was going to have to work, I was going to make him miserable. He was going to hate wanting me just as much as I hated myself for wanting him back.Heath Hillabrand: International Supermodel. Womanizer. Gorgeous, Rotten, Scoundrel.Note: While Nina G. Jones is known for her darker suspense series (Strapped), this is NOT dark. Not even a little. This is a HOT romance novel. There are no crazy plot twists, no one is secretly related to anyone, there are no secret identities, just a fun read with sass and snark!

Whiskey Lullaby


Dawn Martens - 2013
    All books are about different couples.Julie Walker thought she found true love with Jase. Until he betrayed her in the worst way, with one of her best friends. Devastated and heartbroken she runs away, leaving behind her family and friends. She starts a new life filled with secrets.When Julie meets Dean, she thinks he is the answer to all her prayers, but Dean isn’t who she thinks he is.Jase Gibson is a player. Even when he had the girl of his dreams, he still played. When he lost Julie, his life fell apart. He turned to whiskey and women, to fill the void. But, only Julie will ever make him whole.Nine years later, Julie's back home, but she's not alone. What will happen when all of Julie's secrets are uncovered?Jase vowed that if he ever got her back, he would do right by her and never let her go. Will he let Julie's secret keep them apart?When Julie's ex-husband refuses to be her ex, Jase must choose to help her or hang on to his anger.Jase and Julie have to find a way to give their whiskey lullaby a happy ending.

Hate to Love You


Elise Alden - 2014
    But it turns out all those sex-ed teachers aren’t just trying to scare you. The faint positive on a budget pregnancy test sent me spinning, moments before meeting my sister’s snooty new fiancé.Shaking hands with upper-crusty James was like downing a triple shot of vodka. Dizzy with desire, confused by my body’s reaction, and shocked by the possessiveness flashing in his eyes, I deceived him that night and told the world at their wedding reception.The truth?I slept with my sister’s fiancé. Hot and sweaty, all night long in a room so dark he couldn’t tell I wasn’t her.The lie? Said fiancé is the father of my child. The one I signed over my rights to just before he was born.That was seven years ago. It’s time to come clean.95,000 words

The Rebound


Winter Renshaw - 2018
     I told him I’d wait for him. He promised to do the same. But life happened. I broke my promise long before he ever broke his—and not because I wanted to. We never saw each other again … Until ten years later when Nevada unexpectedly returned to our hometown after an abrupt retirement from his professional basketball career. Suddenly he was everywhere, always staring through me with that brooding gaze, never returning my smiles or “hellos.” Over the years, I’d heard that he’d changed. And that despite his multi-million dollar contracts and rampant success, life hadn’t been so kind to him. He was a widower. And a single father. And rumor had it, he’d spent his last ten years trying to forget me, refusing to so much as breathe my name … hating me. But just like a rebound, he’s back. And I have to believe everything happens for a reason. AUTHOR'S NOTE: For a limited time, this book contains one bonus book, which means THE REBOUND ends around 50% on your Kindle. Rest assured that it is still a full-length novel. :-)

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.

The Sun and Her Star


Dylan Allen - 2018
    Once upon a time, that star shone only for me. Now, I have to share him with the rest of the world. For a while, I thought I could do it. Because, beneath the hypnotic smile, gorgeous body and God-given charm that made him famous, I still caught glimpses of my best friend.Of the boy who called me sunshine and loved me. I wore that love like a crown . . . until he placed it on another’s head. Losing him was agony, distance felt like the only cure. When tragedy reunites us after years apart, it only takes one touch to erase the past. Just like that, I'm back in his arms. He promises this time will be different. But I’m afraid to believe him. Because behind his star’s blinding brilliance is a darkness that doesn’t want to let him go. I know a star that bright can’t belong to just one person, but my jealous heart doesn’t want to share him.I want all of him . . . even if wanting what doesn't belong to me leads me to ruin.

Bully


Ellie Meadows - 2020
    Everywhere you go, you’ll see their name. Castleton Motor Sports. Castleton’s Steakhouse. Castleton Golf Resort and Spa. Castleton… High School. The Castletons think money buys everything, including people. And Drake Castleton is the worst of the bunch—self-proclaimed King of the School. Too cool for the football team. Too sexy for academics. Too dangerous to fall in love with. I’m new in town, and I’ve been warned about the Castleton Family. I’ve been warned about Drake. He’ll charm your pants off, girl. He’ll take you for a ride, leave you wanting more, and move on to the next girl. He’s a user. He’s just like his father. He’s a bully. I know all this. And I’m not a stupid girl. I don't fall for bad boys. But the minute Drake Castleton notices me, I’m a goner. Of course, I won't let him know that... *** All the girls in River Valley are the same. I’ve dated most of them. Used many of them. Pissed off my family with a few of them. The new girl isn’t what I’d call pretty. Mouse brown hair. Giant ridiculous eyes. Permanently-pouting lips… I want her the second I see her. The only problem is: she’s already been warned about me. But I’m the King of Castleton High, and I get what I want. One brat of a girl with a sharp tongue? Easy conquest. **contains consensual sex, underage drinking/smoking, and various scenes some readers might find inappropriate** Recommended for 17+, mature readers.

On The Rebound


L.A. Cotton - 2020
    For Calliope James it didn't only leave a mark, it tore out her heart and left it bleeding on the ground. He was her best friend.Her first kiss.Her everything. Until one day, he wasn't. Zachary Messiah will never forget the girl with eyes the color of whiskey. But he's not that boy anymore. Cold.Cruel.He's devoid of emotion. Their paths were never supposed to cross again. But love doesn't always play by the rules. Now he's the King of Steinbeck University and she's the new girl on campus ... and the pasts they have fought so hard to bury are about to collide. Only this time, they might not survive the fallout.

Inhale, Exhale.


C.L. Matthews - 2019
    In sickness and in health. For better or for worse. Til death do us part. And death dragged us apart. We both said those vows. But neither of us kept them. This is not one of those happy stories. Life isn't made of simple choices and happily ever afters. It's a dark place. It's not easy. It's full of mistakes and lessons. It hurts. And in the end, those two words said in love, are the same ones said in hate. "You want a divorce?" "I do."

Reining Her In


Katie Ashley - 2019
    James was at our rehearsal dinner. That was shortly before he jilted me at the altar. To avoid the swarm of whispers and finger pointing every time I dared to show my face in public, I fled two hours south to Atlanta and never looked back. Over the last decade, I’d planned hundreds of scenarios about how our next meeting would go down. The expletives I’d hurl at him. Which knee I might use to annihilate his balls. Which dimpled cheek on his ridiculously handsome face I would send a stinging slap across. But being elbow deep in a cow’s ass was not one of them. Normally, I didn’t get up close and personal to a bovine’s rectum. At least not since veterinarian school. But desperate times found me back home to attend my grandfather’s funeral, who happened to be the town’s large animal vet. Those two facts had left me wading through manure in Roy Wallace’s pasture to care for a distressed heifer. While time and maturity seemed to have changed him from the boy I knew, I still wasn’t falling for his charm. Or his hard, chiseled body. Or ass you could eat dinner off of. No, I wasn’t going back down that street again. Unfortunately, Declan didn’t seem to get the message. Instead, he seemed as stubborn as he ever was and ready for a fight. It’ll be the fight of his life for me to let him back in my heart.

Portrayal


A.R. Thomas - 2021
    Lily Spencer is finally getting her life back on track.She's making a name for herself in the art community and letting go of the past.That is until Jace Bennett comes into her life,the cocky architect is everything she has promised herself to stay away from.No matter how hard she resists him,he is just as determined to show her what irresponsible feels like.A man like Jace is used to getting his own way.But with Lily, he is out of his depth.She is the only woman who is happy to see the back of him.The further from him she goes the harder he tries to win her over.It's never as simple as winning.Not when their pasts are hanging over them...

Hickey


Cora Brent - 2017
    Especially if you hate his guts. Yet I can't seem to help myself.Here's the story: A long time ago, in a small town I’ve tried to forget… I married the charismatic all-American king of high school. He was sexy and charming.I was shy and infatuated. We were both eighteen. Of course we did not live happily ever after. We did the opposite.You thought that was the end? So did I.Seven years later and without warning, Branson Hickey is back in my life. Many things have changed and a few things haven’t. I still want him. I still can’t stand him. I still think about him all the time, even after everything we did to each other. I’ve long wondered if I’d ever fall in love again. Now I wonder if I ever really stopped loving him.**HICKEY is a stand alone second chance romance by NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Cora Brent.**

Power Games


May Sage - 2018
    Today, he's a murderer. Yesterday, she was America's sweetheart; the wholesome first daughter of a beloved former president, a rising star without so much as a whisper of a scandal attached to her name. Today, she's an accomplice. Vanessa doesn't know why these words flew out of her mouth when Charles is accused of murdering his wife in cold blood, but she's said them, and she isn't taking them back. "He was with me all night." Power Games is unsuitable for sensitive readers.