Book picks similar to
When I'm Gone by Jessica Grace


love-triangle
standalone
ku
college-young-adult

The Inevitable


Nikki Ash - 2020
    He won’t take no for an answer, but I can’t say yes when there’s a chance he’ll break my heart.Even though I have no doubt the fireworks would be worth chasing, knowing the destruction they’ll leave behind means I can’t risk it.Getting hurt would be inevitable... but so is falling for him.KoltonI know Sierra wants me. Even when she tries like hell to hide it. But I’m not shy about the fact that I’m more interested in what’s brewing between us than the drinks she’s serving.Something about her has me drawn to her, has me wanting to reach inside and find out everything there is to know about her.So, I’ll keep asking. Waiting for the day she finally gives me a chance.Because when she says yes—and she will—I’m going to prove to her that this thing between us is more than a spark.It’s a slow burning flame that will only ignite brighter over time.

Where We Belong


K.L. Grayson - 2014
    . . she's a snarky little bitch.I’ve tried several times to regret the events that took place on June 5, 2008, but for the life of me, I can’t. I'd never regret the pain, the suffering, or the heartache because it ultimately led me to the place I am now. And I can’t regret the place I am now. What I still can't figure out is this: how is it possible that the single worst day of my life inadvertently became the very best day?Five years ago my life was irrevocably changed.Seventeen minutes was all it took—to lose my best friend…to lose the love of my life…Seventeen minutes was all it took for the seeds of hope—the seeds of my future—to be planted in the worst possible way.My name is Harley Thompson, and this is my story.

The Best Man


Winter Renshaw - 2020
    Together we watched our young children playing in the sand, the warm ocean lapping at the shore behind them as the setting sun painted the sky. She was my soulmate and this was our life, our beautiful forever … Then I woke up—alone in a hospital room, connected to wires and machines. There was no wife. No kids. Not a single soul waiting for me. That life I dreamt of—never existed. The woman I loved, the woman I knew better than I knew myself—wasn’t real. Until she walked into my life six months later …And it was both the best and worst day of my life because the woman of my dreams—was about to marry my best friend.AUTHOR'S NOTE: This angsty contemporary romance contains NO cheating or love triangles.

All Mine


Piper Lennox - 2018
    In just a single afternoon, they go from friends, to lovers…to nothing. Three years later, Mel is determined to fix the mistake she made that day. But instead of the sweet, lanky boy she grew up with, she finds a man. He’s bulked up. He’s confident. Dominating. Hardened by rejection. Mired in the loss of his father. One thing hasn’t changed, though: how much he wants her. * * * The day Mel left, Blake swore he’d never give anyone else the chance to gut him so completely. He’s adept at getting what he wants from women, when he wants it. His method? Be aloof. Share as little of your heart as possible. Don’t wait around for what you want: demand it. But Mel is different. She always has been. Finally, he has her. All of her. But between his dad’s death and unexpected news from his ex, his life begins to unravel. Even worse: he’s the one pulling the thread. He can’t bear to lose Mel again…but what if letting her go is the only way to keep her safe? All Mine is an enduring yet gritty novel of young love and regret, second chances—and a happily ever after readers will ache to claim as their own. Please be advised: this standalone romance contains intimate scenes some readers may not find suitable.

His Hostage


Penelope Woods - 2020
    Every. Last. Inch.Rowan is dangerous.He’s a liar with the darkest eyes and the sweetest mouth. Everyone avoids him for one reason: he’s a wanted criminal. I was the one stupid enough to let him in my world.He could have taken anyone. He chose me.Me, the freshly divorced thirty-something. I’m the one he wants? At first, I was flattered. Hindsight is always 20/20.After witnessing his crimes, his associates want me out of the picture.He has a better plan.I’m his hostage.

Little Liar


Willow Winters - 2018
    That’s how stories like these get started. But every lie I told, he saw through it. I think in his heart he knew I was broken; he felt my pain as if it was his. And that’s what changed everything. He’s the reason it all fell apart.Sometimes it’s a single moment that alters everything in existence.Sometimes it’s the fall of dominoes, lined up in a pretty little row and designed so that each one will cause more and more pain.In a single day, it’s all changed, and there’s no way to take it back.I didn't know what would happen. But secrets and lies ruin everything.“I was captivated from the very beginning, and I couldn't let go until the very end. Winters wove an outstanding tale, which has an even better message within its pages.” - Kendra @ Reads and Treats** It's Our Secret was previously titled Little Liar **

Follow Me Down


Melissa Toppen - 2020
    Who answered to no one but himself.He didn't care where I came from or why I was running.He didn't care that my father was a powerful politician that would stop at nothing to bring me home.Once he had me, I was his.Follow Me Down is a complete STANDALONE Contemporary Romance.

Make It Sweet


Kristen Callihan - 2021
    The world knows her as Princess Anya on Dark Castle, but then her character gets the axe—literally. The cherry on top is finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman. She needs a break, and sanctuary comes in the form of Rosemont, a gorgeous estate in California promising rest and relaxation.Then she meets the owner’s equally gorgeous grandson, ex–hockey player and current recluse Lucian Osmond, and she sees her own pain and yearning reflected in his eyes.He’s charming when he wants to be but also secretive and gruff, with protective walls as thick as Emma’s own. Despite a growing attraction, they avoid each other.But then there’s an impromptu nighttime skinny-dip, and Lucian’s luscious homemade tarts and cream cakes start arriving at Emma’s door, tempting her to taste life again…In trying to stay apart, they only grow closer—and their broken pieces just might fit together and make them whole.

Training Planet


Emily Tilton - 2021
    But as humbling as the sting of the strap across her quivering bare bottom may be, it is her helpless arousal as her virgin body is deflowered in every way that truly puts her in her place.Publisher's Note: Training Planet is a stand-alone entry in the Galactic Discipline series. The books of the Galactic Discipline series can be read in any order. Training Planet includes spankings and sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book.

Cocky Playboy


Sloane Howell - 2019
    In these words, and in this world. A five star read from the very first page." - Amo Jones, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Elite Kings Club Series He's a bastard in Burberry. Decker Collins knows how to do one thing--win. When his billion-dollar law practice moves to merge with a firm out of Dallas, she shows up to oversee the transition. Tate Reynolds--the vixen in Versace. She's whip-smart, sassy, and gorgeous. Oh, and she doesn't take any of Decker's sh*t. With the merger hanging in the balance, they go to war with each other. There's only one problem. This war isn't just about business. Because when they're not butting heads... They're banging headboards. If you love wealthy, possessive alpha males and strong heroines, this series is for YOU! Cocky Playboy is a full length romance novel with a Happily Ever After.

Meant to be Yours


Poppy Parkes - 2020
    Now that I look back over the past few weeks, I can see signs of this coming.I’d thought it was wedding jitters. Our family had begun trickling into Shotgun, our western Montana town, making the incoming life commitment all the more real. That’d be enough to make any groom-to-be nervous. But then my fiancé never showed up to our weddingMy three bridesmaid friends were amazing. They’d spun into action dispersing the guests while I sat, numb. Now we’re driving to the closest dive bar at my request, and I feel lots of things.Hurt. Confused. Betrayed. But most of all, I feel like my insides are alight with anger.I’m ready to blow off some steam. But love isn’t done with me yet. It has one more trick up its sleeve . . .Meant to be Yours is a super hot story about finding true love at the most unlikely of times. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and only consensual shenanigans await. This contemporary instalove romance is first in the Love at First Sight series, and will make you squirm with delight. ;) Steamy happily ever after guaranteed!

Grumpy Best Friend


B.B. Hamel - 2021
    I had to escape my drunk, abusive father, but leaving her behind was the biggest mistake of my life.Now I have another shot at making things right. Jude’s new boss wants to build a factory outside of Philadelphia, and she brings me in to help.I’m thrust back into Jude’s world, and not much has changed. She’s still beautiful, still hilarious, and still hates my guts.Little by little, she’ll remember why we fell in love back in high school. I’ll make her pout, then make her laugh— then make her strip down and kiss me.And soon I’ll have her back, all grown up and perfect.Or else I'll lose the empire I built with my own calloused hands.Another hot grumpy man! Watch Lady Fluke’s assistant Jude find her happily-ever-after with Bret while they both face their broken pasts and grow together. It’s steamy and fun and I think you’ll fall in love with protective, growly Bret just like I did. As always, Grumpy Best Friend is a full length standalone novel with no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a happily-ever-after guaranteed. Enjoy! XO BB

Conflicted


Ruby Black - 2016
    Not with her. She deserves better than what I can offer her. So I drown myself in women and booze, certain I’m doing the right thing, keeping her at a distance.Or so I thought.When Lacey tells me about the internship she’s scored with a hotshot criminal attorney, I’m happy for her. This could make her career. If anyone deserves success, it’s her.Then I learn who her new ‘mentor’ is.My father.Now, the secrets I’ve been keeping may cost me the very friendship I’ve been trying to protect.

Something in the Way


Jessica Hawkins - 2017
    Under the sweat and dirt, Manning Sutter was as handsome as the sun was bright. He was older, darker, experienced. I wore a smiley-face t-shirt and had never even been kissed. Yet we saw something in each other that would link us in ways that couldn’t be broken...no matter how hard we tried.I loved Manning before I knew the meaning of the word. I was too young, he said. I would wait. Through all the carefully-chosen words hiding what we knew to be true, through his struggle to keep me innocent, and through infinitely-starry nights—I would wait. But I’d learn that life isn’t always fair. That no matter how much you achieve, none of it matters if you suffer the heartbreak that comes with falling for someone you can never have. Because even though I saw Manning first, that didn’t matter. My older sister saw him next.

Heartless


Ivy Fox - 2019
     They saw me for the girl I am and the person I yearn to become one day—a woman who thrives in her freedom and dances away in her rightfully earned independence.They saw all the strong, unafraid parts of me, and coaxed each one of them out, daring me to dream bigger, climb higher.They never once saw the girl I had been groomed to see in the mirror.The abandoned daughter of a dead man.The unwanted child of a woman who despised her.The broken body formed wrong and built on a shaky foundation, threatening to fall apart and shatter.They made all the ugliness disappear and left only wonder and promise. The love we shared for each other was probably the only miracle I would be granted in this life, and I knew they felt the same. Or so I thought. Everything I held dear has been robbed from me, and I’ve been a victim of theft too many times to mention.I will not have them steal my pride.They can keep my heart, for all I care. The day they became my stepbrothers, it stopped working anyway. Heartless is the first book in The Privileged of Pembroke High trilogy which ends in a cliffhanger. This is a bully/enemy-to-lovers, #whychoose, new adult contemporary romance, full-length novel. *Recommended 18+ due to mature language, adult situations, and sensitive content.