Book picks similar to
Never Again by C.G. Blaine
novella
avoid
new-adult
not-for-me
Finding Autumn
Heather Topham Wood - 2014
His stepfather—a man he trusted and admired—had been accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. His stepfather declared his innocence and Blake chose to stay loyal to the man who had raised him as his own.Cook University is the one place Blake can keep his anonymity. No one knows about the scandals surrounding his stepfather’s arrest and subsequent conviction. To his friends, he is merely the star running back for the college team and an NFL hopeful. But the life he has built at Cook is threatened when Autumn Dorey locks eyes with him at a campus party.Getting entangled with Autumn is a mistake. Yet Autumn is the only person who can answer the one question that haunts him: is his stepfather a monster?Blake conceals his identity and starts a friendship with Autumn under false pretenses. What begins as a way to uncover the truth about his stepfather changes as he grows close to Autumn. His relationship with her calls into question everything he thought he knew about his family. Against all odds, he falls in love with the one girl he’s forbidden to have feelings for. But can their love last once Autumn finds out who Blake Preston really is? ***Not a standalone. Falling for Autumn from Blake's POV. Includes bonus chapters set after the events of Falling for Autumn.***
Shackled
Arabella Abbing - 2016
After weeks of toying with the idea, I finally worked up the nerve to drop out. Just in time to tell my mom for Christmas.But when I got home for winter break, my problems were temporarily forgotten when I realized there were two men living with my mom. Two men I knew far too well.My ex-best friend Jonathan and his father, who had apparently gotten engaged to my mom while I was away at school.Meaning the guy I swore I would never to speak to again was about to become my stepbrother.FML.JonathanI hadn't spoken to Fiona since I broke her heart, but not for lack of trying. She just refused to speak to me.So when her mom suggested that the two of us spend some time reconnecting at her cabin, I decided to take full advantage of the opportunity.Her mom convinced Fiona to come, but I wasn't stupid enough to think she was going to stay.Which is where the shackles come in handy.Because unless she can convince me to let her go, we're going to be bound together by twenty pounds of solid steel for the next three days.* Shackled is a standalone novel with a HEA.
The Stepbrother Series: Linc & Raven
Danielle Jamie - 2015
We all call him Forbidden because, like the fruit in The Garden of Eden, Linc, is gorgeous, tempting and completely untouchable. I've hated the arrogant jerk for as long as I can remember. But a week alone together followed by a drunken bet leads me onto a path that once taken there is no turning back. UNTOUCHABLE: I should hate her. Part of me does. But another part of me wants her more than I’ve wanted anyone--ever. Now she's back in town. Everything I feel...Anger. Lust. Desire...it's all coming to the surface at full force. I keep telling myself she’s untouchable. But that’s easier said than done when I have the devil on my shoulder telling me to forget about everything and everyone, and take what I want. I’m the sex God of San Francisco. I get who I want...whenever I want them. No matter the consequences. RAPTURE: Fate tore Linc and Raven apart, now in a surprising twist it’s bringing them back together—but the question is: Can they let go of the pain from the past giving them a fighting chance at finally having a future together? *This is the complete Linc & Raven trilogy book 3 Rapture is an UGLY CRY and deals with death and suicide which may be triggers for some*
Off Limits
Callie Harper - 2015
Now’s my shot to fight for real, step out from my billionaire father’s shadow and be my own man. This summer’s all about going after my goal of becoming a pro MMA fighter. The problem is the girl I want to f*ck. She’s driving me crazy with her little yoga outfits, her creamy skin, luscious curves and wide-eyed innocence. Normally, I’d hit it and quit it, get her out of my system and focus. But she’s my goddamn stepsister. And she hates me. This summer we’re supposed to spend eight weeks together living under the same roof. I need to taste her. I won’t rest until she’s writhing beneath me, begging me to let her come. I’m a man who gets what he wants, and what I want now is Jewel. Jewel I want him so bad it hurts. I’ve never felt this way before. I’ve never had a problem keeping my distance from bad boys. The more muscles, tats and testosterone, the more I ran the other way. I learned my lesson, growing up with a trainwreck of a mother. Until now. Tuck makes my panties melt. He keeps me up at night, twisting in the sheets, obsessed with fantasies while I touch myself. But he’s my stepbrother. And he’s an alpha, dominant asshole. We’re sharing a house and he’s walking around shirtless, every inch of him ripped with hard muscle, sweaty after his brutal workouts. I don’t think I can hold out much longer. I’ve always been the good girl, but he makes me want to be bad. ***Off Limits is a standalone stepbrother romance novel with a HEA (85,000 words).
Interference
Hazel Grace - 2019
It was all I had left of my dad, a memory I promised myself to keep alive.Until a freckled-face, redhead sauntered into Freemont High and became the unattainable. My best friend wanted her. I, on the other hand, wanted to annihilate her.However, it didn’t occur to me that she wielded more power under her sweet and innocent facade than I expected. They say not to judge a book by its cover, and I should’ve listened.Her revenge on me is sweet, though, but in the end, it’ll all be mine.I’ll light every word, every last page stitched between her pretty cover in untamed flames…until she’s nothing but ash.Left to rot in the red dust of the playing field.
The Boy Next Door
Ella James - 2017
That’s what he was. Dash Frasier—my hero from the day we met, when I was six and he was nine. His sister was my best friend, the three of us one happy crew. Then one sweaty summer night changed everything. No one understood me like Dash. No one made me feel so loved. That’s why, when he skipped town, it wrecked me.Now I’m older. Wiser. I’ve just snagged my dream job, writing at a film studio. The lead animator on my project? You guessed it.He’s not the boy next door. Not anymore.I’m guarding my heart this time. But Dash has secrets that could break us both.
Ex-Lover New Boss
Summer Brooks - 2018
Reason #2: He'd already broken my heart once. Reason #3: He was my brother's best friend.Reason #4: He was now my new boss. And most importantly...Reason #5: He was arguably the most hated man in the city.The best thing about him was his adorable little daughter. Well, that and his perfect basketball body. And his chiseled jaw. His eyes weren't so bad either. DAMMIT. You get the point. The devil had me under his spell. It was his office and his rules.Lucky for me, I had a few rules of my own. Rule #1: Never to fall in love with him again.
Gabe
Evan Grace - 2015
When she graduates from college as valedictorian with a degree in social services, her friend and mentor Jill Swanson offers her a job, but with one condition. She has to take two weeks off and just have fun. Taking the instructions to heart, Jasmine goes to a club called Debauchery and has a sizzling encounter with a sexy stranger. Ex-pro football player Gabriel Johnson is done playing the field. Gabe is tired of meaningless relationships, but when he meets a mysterious, beautiful, blue-eyed blonde at Debauchery and the chemistry is undeniable, he knows he’s finally found the one. What he didn’t expect was for her to freak out and run off. Jasmine thought she made a clean getaway, so needless to say, she’s shocked when she finds herself face to face with the hot guy from the club once again. He’s Jill’s. Half. Brother. Gabe wants to pick up right where they left off and doesn’t waste any time convincing her. Jasmine’s blown away by the intensity of their relationship. How can she control something that makes her feel so wild and uninhibited? But Jasmine can’t handle the pressure. First, she’s confronted with old insecurities. Then suddenly, her brother has a secret he’ll only share with Gabe, the father who abandoned her shows up—at Gabe’s instigation—and a professional tragedy is the last straw. What happens when it all falls apart?Is being with Gabe more than she can handle?
Wilder Love
Emery Rose - 2019
He was my strength. Until I destroyed him.I was infatuated with Shane Wilder since the first time I saw him surfing. But we couldn’t be together. Not yet, anyway. I was too young and screwed up. He was too focused on chasing his dream.So we became friends. We met on the rooftop for late-night confessions under the stars. Cruised along the Pacific Coast Highway with the wind in our hair and the sun on our faces.I took photos of all the beautiful and ugly and interesting things, while he traveled the world in search of the perfect waves.I told him I would wait for him. I never meant to lie.I never meant to ruin his life.I. Destroyed. Him. As his star faded, mine burned bright. But as everyone knows, all that glitters is not gold. Now I’m back after seven long years, hoping for a chance to right my wrongs and fix what I’ve broken. This time I can only hope that loving Shane Wilder will be enough to save him.
Full Body Check
S.E. Hall - 2018
To me, hockey is life. When I’m on the ice, nothing else matters — I’m in my zone — always ten plays ahead of the opponent, and always in control. Except for that night. That game. The first one she’d ever been to — Gracelyn Bolton. And I found her. Even while slammed against the wall, tangled up with the enemy’s ace goon — known only for his fighting, not his stats — I spotted her, only her, amongst a crowd of hundreds.And when I finally track her down, the list of reasons why things won’t work is long… throwing me completely off my game.
Kicked
C.M. Stunich - 2016
I know the feeling well. I'm the top draft prospect for the NFL, voted All-American last year, and a God at the University of Oregon. I didn't get here by fucking around or chasing fantasies—and I'll never forget where I came from. A guy like me only gets one chance to get out, to make something of himself. Passion. I thought football was my passion. But Teagan Fletcher, she's my obsession. My childhood friend is now a woman with curves for days and hair like fire. But she also hates me—and I don't blame her. I want her. But I can't have her. I need her. But I don't know how to let go. One way or another, I'll have it all: football … and Fletcher. ***KICKED is a standalone new adult sports romance with a happy ending and no cliffhanger. To celebrate the release of this bad boy, there are two free bonus books in the back: STEPBROTHER INKED and RAW AND DIRTY, both from C.M.'s pen name, Violet Blaze. All three are full-length novels, full of bad boys and tattoos, and loaded with hot, hot, hotness. Enjoy! EXCERPT FROM "KICKED": “What are we doing?” Teagan asked as I forced her to jog after me towards the tunnel. “Where are we going?” Her voice was breathy and patchy, and she panted as she ran after me, but she kept going, following me into the pitch blackness and down, down, down. At the halfway mark, I stopped, turned, shoved her back into the wall. “Tyce,” Teagan said, her voice high and reedy, like she was about to come in her panties just from looking at me. I reached up and tore my helmet from my head, tossing it aside and letting it bounce along the pavement beneath our feet. I was panting so goddamn hard in that moment, sucking in breath after anxious breath as my eyes flicked over her face, down her throat, across the full swell of her chest. I stepped forward and cupped the back of her head with a golden glove, leaned down and captured her mouth with mine. I kissed her hard and fast, frantic with time and need and desire. Less than five minutes. I bruised Teagan's mouth with my own, slid our tongues together, made her dizzy when I pulled back and looked her straight in the face. “We have five minutes,” I said and then we were working together to shove her pants down one leg, over her sneakers. Mine were next, pushed down halfway off my a**, my c*** springing free from my cup. I lifted Teagan up against that stone wall, slammed her back into the cool cement and let her curl her fingers in my sweaty hair. It was stuck to my forehead, probably a hot mess, but she looked at me like I was a god. I felt like a god there in that tunnel in the dark with thousands of fans screaming and pounding the pavement above our heads. In an instant, my coach or a security guard or one of the boys, they could come down here and find us screwing. I didn't care. Seriously. I didn't give a s***.
The Red Zone
Amie Knight - 2019
But for me, those last twenty yards were my sweet spot. They didn't call me Lukas "Last Minute Lucy" Callihan for nothing. I was at the top of my game...until life sacked me harder than any linebacker ever could. Losing my mom was devastating and left me as the sole person responsible for my little sister. Taking care of Ella and juggling my career was like playing the hardest game of my life. My only saving grace was Scarlett Knox, Ella's sexy, red-headed, no-nonsense teacher. She loved Ella. She hated me. She thought I sucked at this parenting thing, and she wasn’t wrong. But whenever she was around I got the same earth-shattering, heart-stopping feeling I did when I was only twenty yards from the goal line. She made me feel like I was back in the red zone, a place I’d never fumbled. Until now.
Resentment
Nicole London - 2015
(Yes, I’m well aware that’s not the actual definition, but it might as well be . . .) It’s been ten years since we've seen each other and the feelings are still as strong. I’m not going to bore you with all the details of how our love was once intoxicating, consuming, and perfect. Because it was . . . until it wasn't. I've been fine without him. I haven’t missed his cruelty, his coldness and his spite. And after the ugliest breakup in the history of breakups, I forced myself to move on. Year by year, the feelings I had for him slowly drifted away, but one encounter with him recently changed everything. One encounter made me realize how the heart doesn't forget shit, and how my mind is going to have to work overtime to make sure I never forget my definition of resentment.
Sweet Tooth
Natasha L. Black - 2019
Once the love of my life but he couldn't give up his wild ways. The closest thing to wicked in my life is the irresistible chocolate I sell in my shop. Until my most delicious mistake comes back to town. We were 18 when he crushed my heart. Now, he wants me back, and he’s all grown up. I have a business to run, and a son to raise. I don’t have time for the one that got away. Never mind that he’s a millionaire now. Never mind that he looks even more attractive with age. Never mind that I remember the exact way he tastes... Like heaven. Like the road straight to hell. He’s relentless, romantic, everything I remembered and more. I can’t resist him. He’s the worst kind of temptation - but I almost believe it can work... Until my son's father comes back and all hell breaks loose.
Ricochet
Cole Lepley - 2021
After being betrayed by her long-time boyfriend, she makes a spontaneous decision to transfer mid-semester. College is supposed to be fun and she’ll be damned if she lets a guy ruin it.Ryan Wilkes doesn’t have a heart. He’s rude, entitled, and couldn’t care less who his destructive behavior hurts . Truth be told, he enjoys the damage it causes.When Sidney meets her new roommates, everyone is welcoming except for one. The moody guy downstairs whose attitude is warning her to stay away. But Sidney’s pain is like a magnet to Ryan, and he intends to find out why.
** Author's Note: This book contains content that may be sensitive for some readers. Themes such as cheating, emotional abuse, and assault are depicted. If any of these are triggering, I'd skip this one. You'll get a HEA, but you might hate me until you get there.**