Book picks similar to
Single-Handed by Veronica Blade


young-adult
romance
contemporary
short-stories

Introductions


C.L. Stone - 2012
    The only thing Sang craves is a fresh start and to be accepted as ordinary by her peers, because for her being different meant being cast out alone.When her family moves to a new school district, Sang infiltrates a group of boys nearly perfect in every way. Grateful for an influence outside of her parents’ negativity, she quickly bonds with the boys, hoping to blend in and learn from them what it means to have a natural relationship with friends.Only the boys have secrets of their own and they’ll do anything to keep her safe from the knowledge of the mysterious Academy that they've sworn allegiance to. Bit by bit, Sang discovers that her friends are far from the normalcy she expected. Will her loyalty change when she's forced to remain in the dark, or will she accept that she's traded one house of secrets for another?Meet Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North in a story about differences and loyalty, truth and mystery, friendships and heart-throbbing intimacy.The Academy, ever vigilant.

Shooting Star


Arianne Richmonde - 2014
     26-year-old movie director Jake Wild lives up to his name: he's the wildest player in town. He's also Hollywood royalty. From a family dynasty of powerful directors and producers, Jake's home is a movie set. With reams of hot starlets at his beck and call, Jake can get any woman he wants. But with his new movie, Skye's The Limit in pre-production, he's decided it's time to get serious and change his philandering ways. 19-year-old Oscar winning Star Davis also lives up to her name. She's an A-list megastar. Hell-raisingly beautiful, she tosses men aside like used Kleenex. She commands 20 million per movie--or at least did until drugs, alcohol, wild partying, and a police arrest sent her into rehab. Now she's out, squeaky clean, and determined to win the role she was born to play: the lead in Skye's The Limit - ready to re-conquer Hollywood. But there's just one problem: Jake doesn't want this "liability on legs" near his precious movie. But Star has wily ways of getting what she wants. And apart from the role of Skye, what she wants is Jake right where he belongs: Under her thumb. Lights, camera, action . . . But the action is not what Jake expected.*Due to sexy strong language and situations this book is recommended for readers 18 +

Drew + Fable Forever


Monica Murphy - 2014
    Fantasy. How I ended up with NFL player Drew Callahan, the guy every woman wants, is beyond my wildest dreams. All I know is that once he chose me as his one and only, I sure wasn’t looking back. I had past wounds and he showed patience and concern—even taking responsibility for my messed-up kid brother. Now, once again, he’s found a way to blow my mind: an exotic wedding and honeymoon miles and miles away from home. What else could a girl ever ask for? Reality. Now the honeymoon’s over. Drew’s football schedule takes him on the road constantly, while I need to stay put and look after my brother until he finishes high school—because God knows our sorry excuse for a mother won’t. I know Drew loves me with all his heart, and I’ll always be over the moon about him. This just isn’t how I imagined our life as newlyweds . . . dealing with the distance, missing him all the time. But we’ve gone through hard times before. We can get through this, too, right? We’re Drew and Fable, together forever. At least I hope so. . . .

New Breed


Danielle Kazemi - 2011
    She works at a job she hates and her boyfriend just dumped her. Things couldn't get worse.While out, she is attacked by the Unseen - a creature made of pure darkness which kills mortals. When a mysterious hero saves her, she uncovers the world that operates behind the scenes of the normal world. Dragons live among us, disguised as humans. With the aide of Crispin, Henry, Sera, and Jules, Annabel is protecting herself from another attack. The only problem: how to hide her?

Safe With Me


Shaina Richmond - 2010
    Part 1 of a series. Tyler Campbell was happy to be single and finishing his degree. He was back in school after leaving for several years to help out at home after the sudden death of his father. But things change when he's immediately attracted to Susanna Lombardi, a fellow student who walks into the coffee shop where he studies. After several disastrous, high-drama attempts at casual hook-ups in his past, he's surprised by his desire to get her all to himself after the coffee shop closes. He soon realizes he may not be as happily single as he thought when he finds himself thinking of her as a serious love interest.

In Between


Jenny B. Jones - 2007
    With her mom in prison, and her father AWOL, Katie is sent to live with a squeaky-clean family who could have their own sitcom. She launches a full-scale plan to get sent back to the girls’ home when she finds herself in over her head...and heart. When Katie and her new "wrong crowd" get into significant trouble at school, she finds her punishment is restoring a historic theater with a crazy grandma who goes by the name of Mad Maxine. In the midst of her punishment, Katie uncovers family secrets that run deep, and realizes she's not the only one with a pain-filled past. Katie must decide if she'll continue her own family’s messed up legacy or embrace a new beginning in this place called In Between.

Just Your Average Princess


Kristina Springer - 2011
    Jamie can’t imagine it was easy for Milan to leave her life back in Los Angeles and move to Average, Illinois, population one thousand. But it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for her since (a) Milan’s drop-dead gorgeous; (b) she’s the daughter of two of Hollywood’s hottest film stars; (c) she’s captured the attention of everyone in town, including Danny, Jamie’s crush since forever; and (d) she’s about to steal the title of Pumpkin Princess right out from underneath Jamie!

Three Nights in Greece


Ciar Cullen - 2005
    Kevin Conlin can't believe his poor choice of agents. Layla is everything he's longed for in a woman, but she's completely off limits. Three nights alone in a romantic setting isn't helping either calm their intense desires. When they finally give in to their passion, a bullet cuts their romance short...and their only chance for real happiness.

Striking Out with the Star Pitcher


Maggie Dallen - 2020
    But when he falls for her himself…? It’s no more Mr. Nice Guy.The Bad Boy...Simone has a plan. Well, her friends have a plan. The self-proclaimed Lonely Hearts Club has found a way for the awkward movie-quoting art geek to get the attention of the brooding bad boy in the band. This plan? It involves…studying.When they get their hands on a stack of old magazines filled with 'how to' articles, the answer is clear. If Simone can master the fine art of flirting, her crush won't stand a chance.Mr. Nice Guy...The school’s beloved starting pitcher might be popular, but the nerdy chick he’s been eating lunch with every day for years…? She won’t give him the time of day. Until he’s recruited by her friends to be her practice date, that is.Everyone knows that Andrew is a good guy. A nice guy. So of course he agrees to be Simone’s stand-in crush. But then he starts crushing on her himself…Now, all bets are off, because Andrew might be nice but he’s not that nice. And if playing dirty means stealing kisses, well…things are about to get messy.

Uncaged Love, Volume 1


J.J. Knight - 2014
    Jo is on the run from her one terrible mistake. When Colt drags Jo from a brawl with street thugs, he recognizes her potential as a female fighter. But as they begin her training, their desire for each other sparks a love affair that could jeopardize them both. Uncaged Love is a five-part series.

Playing Hurt (Lake of the Woods Love Stories Book 1)


Holly Schindler - 2011
    One of the most talented high school basketball players her hometown had ever seen. Bound for something far bigger beyond the city limits of Fair Grove, Missouri. But Chelsea’s world changed when an accident on the court ended her days as an athlete. She struggles with the idea of no longer being a star—and has no real idea what life might hold for her next.Once, he was a small-town celebrity. One of the most talented hockey players his hometown had ever seen. Bound for something far bigger beyond the city limits of Baudette, Minnesota. When an unexpected tragedy took his head out of the game, Clint was forced to hang up his skates. He swore he’d never put himself in a position to be hurt again, building walls around his heart.When their paths cross one summer at a Minnesota lake resort, Chelsea and Clint are immediately drawn to one another. But wounds of the heart cut the deepest, and take the longest to heal. Will an unexpected romance end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?

Until It Hurts to Stop


Jennifer R. Hubbard - 2013
    Every day, the other girls tripped her, pinched her, trapped her in the bathroom, told her she would be better off dead. Four years have passed since then, and Maggie’s tormentors seem to have moved on. The ringleader of them all, Raleigh Barringer, even moved out of town. But Maggie has never stopped watching for attacks, and every laugh still sounds like it’s at her expense. The only time Maggie feels at peace is when she’s hiking up in the mountains with her best friend, Nick. Lately, though, there’s a new sort of tension between the two of them—a tension both dangerous and delicious. But how can Maggie expect anything more out of Nick when all she’s ever been told is that she’s ugly, she’s pathetic, she’s unworthy of love? And how can she ever feel safe, now that Raleigh Barringer is suddenly—terrifyingly—back in town?

The Bionics


Alicia Michaels - 2012
    2016 Once Upon A Book Award Winner. It is the year 4006, and nuclear war has come to the United States. With tens of thousands killed and countless more injured or terminally ill from the blasts, there is no more “normal”…life will never be the same. For her part, Blythe Sol is reeling from the loss of her arm and an eye in one of the blasts – her dreams of following in her father’s footsteps and joining the military completely shattered. When she hears about the Restoration Project – a bionic government program that offers the sick and injured a second chance – she immediately enrolls. Made whole again, Blythe is filled with hope and a renewed sense of purpose. But when it becomes apparent that those outfitted with the robotic parts now possess super-human abilities, fear spreads across the nation. The Bionics are forced to go into hiding, outcast from all society. In desperation, they band together to form an underground rebellion, and Blythe finds herself caught in a confusing tug-of-war between two of her fellow soldiers—Gage Bronson, the mysterious new addition to the Resistance, and Dax Janner, her best friend. But with war on the horizon and a death sentence hanging over her, Blythe hardly has time to worry about her feelings… The Bionics Series is perfect for readers who enjoy futuristic science fiction, dystopian novels, science fiction romance, and genetic engineering science fiction. Filled with action and adventure, this series will appeal to fans of The Gender Game by Bella Forest and Secondborn by Amy A. Bartol. Novels inThe Bionics Series by Alicia Michaels: The Bionics The Resistance The Revolution (Available January 8, 2018)

#scandal


Sarah Ockler - 2014
    The policy has served Lucy well all through high school, so when her best friend Ellie gets sick before prom and begs her to step in as Cole’s date, she accepts with a smile, silencing about ten different reservations. Like the one where she’d rather stay home shredding online zombies. And the one where she hates playing dress-up. And especially the one where she’s been secretly in love with Cole since the dawn of time.When Cole surprises her at the after party with a kiss under the stars, it’s everything Lucy has ever dreamed of… and the biggest BFF deal-breaker ever. Despite Cole’s lingering sweetness, Lucy knows they’ll have to ’fess up to Ellie. But before they get the chance, Lucy’s own Facebook profile mysteriously explodes with compromising pics of her and Cole, along with tons of other students’ party indiscretions. Tagged. Liked. And furiously viral.By Monday morning, Lucy’s been branded a slut, a backstabber, and a narc, mired in a tabloid-worthy scandal just weeks before graduation. Lucy’s been battling undead masses online long enough to know there’s only one way to survive a disaster of this magnitude: Stand up and fight. Game plan? Uncover and expose the Facebook hacker, win back her best friend’s trust, and graduate with a clean slate.There’s just one snag—Cole. Turns out Lucy’s not the only one who’s been harboring unrequited love...

Eleven Minutes


Megan Miranda - 2012
    And what happens in between—well, that's Decker's story. This is the story of those eleven minutes, and the six days that follow, from his perspective. Because while it must be terrifying to be trapped under the ice, it's a different kind of terror seeing your best friend trapped... Especially if it's your fault.