Book picks similar to
Crossroads by Lori L. Otto


romance
novella
young-adult
freebie

Summer Unplugged


Amy Sparling - 2013
    After catching her sending a less than lady-like photo to a boy who barely knows her, Bayleigh's mom sends her away to her grandparent's house for the summer--sans cell phone, laptop and Ipod. Bayleigh thinks the summer will be torture without social media...that is until she meets the boy next door.

The Summer I Learned to Dive


Shannon McCrimmon - 2012
    On the night of her high school graduation, things take a dramatic turn when she discovers that her mother has been keeping a secret from her—a secret that causes Finn to do something she had never done before—veer off her plan. In the middle of the night, Finn packs her bags and travels by bus to Graceville, SC seeking the truth. In Graceville, Finn has experiences that change her life forever; a summer of love, forgiveness and revelations. She learns to take chances, to take the plunge and to dive right in to what life has to offer.

Kiss and Break Up


Ella Fields - 2019
     Dashiell Thane wasn’t a nice guy. He was an abrasive, demanding, conniving, intolerable brat. Yet somehow, we’d been best friends our whole lives. Until our senior year when I finally decided to dip my toes into the dating pool. All it took was one kiss for jealousy, lies, and betrayal to sweep in and propel us heart first into dizzying, hostile depths. You’re not supposed to kiss your best friend. You’re definitely not supposed to kiss your best friend while you’re dating someone else. And the absolute worst thing you could do is fall for your best friend. Unless, of course, you want to ruin everything.

High Stakes Seduction, Book 1


Ami LeCoeur - 2014
     But her father wasn't faring well. Between his binge drinking and gambling, he didn't have much time or energy left for his daughters. When threats started coming in, demanding payment for the debts he'd racked up, he took off, leaving the two girls to fend for themselves. Several months later, Angela receives a call that changes their lives forever. The call closes the door on their father's disappearance, but sets in motion a new set of dangers and complications, including the powerful, and mysteriously connected fashion mogul, Antonio Mancini. Antonio is attractive, remote, and very much in control. He quite literally holds the key to their security and wellbeing in his hands. Surprisingly he offers Angela a job, and the means to repay her father's debts... but the conditions require her to step way outside her normal boundaries. When Angela accepts the new challenges before her, she must battle her growing attraction for Antonio, and conquer her own fears and secrets. The stakes are high - she and her sister could lose everything if she doesn't follow the rules to this game he's set up. This steamy novella is book 1 in the ongoing serial that concludes with book 5. It contains adult material suited for 18+ year olds.

Fierce


Ginger Voight - 2013
    She talked too much, laughed too loud, and most definitely, indisputably and inexcusably weighed too much. In fact, she wore her size-20+ clothes without so much as an apology. She didn’t care to fit in. She didn’t want to be beautiful. Instead, she wanted to wear her hair in funky colors, she itched for tattoos and piercings, and dreamed of a life much bigger than working at the local Burger Palace for minimum wage. She had been born with the voice of a superstar, and something inside her told her it was OK to dream big, even if she had to do it in secret. On her eighteenth birthday, she takes every last cent she has and buys a one-way ticket for Los Angeles. She is sure her talent will get her noticed by those more open-minded to see it. Then and only then will she show all the naysayers in her hometown that she was a somebody no matter what they thought. Unfortunately Los Angeles wasn't any more welcoming. Jordi didn't fit into their pop machine no matter how well she sang. Other pop princess had the "full package," whereas Jordi still needed to change if she wanted her dreams to come true. It took a plus-size TV producer to take a chance on her, casting her for a reality talent show called "Fierce," which put attitude and talent far above the traditional pop star image.Thanks to Giovanni Carnevale, the lead singer of "Dreaming in Blue" and “Fierce’s” rock star judge, Jordi gets a chance to fight for her place on a national stage.But will America embrace this alternative diva? Or will they too expect her to conform in order to be accepted... to be loved? Despite the acceptance of new friends and supporters, old ghosts continue to haunt Jordi on her new journey. It will take handsome fellow contestant, Jace Riga, to finally help expose and exorcise the demons that drive her self-destruction."Fierce" continues the story introduced in the Ginger Voight novel, "Mogul," where Jordi joins a hodge-podge of other contestants to battle for the championship that dares every single hopeful to live large, to be FIERCE.Ginger Voight, the author of the best-selling "Groupie" series, brings fame once again to the forefront with her new adult story, "Fierce." The characters you grew to love in the "Groupie" trilogy and "Love Plus One" are back to help the incomparable Jordi Hemphill carve a place for herself as a pop princess despite the odds in this coming-of-age Rubenesque romance.DISCLAIMER: This is book one in a new trilogy. It is not a stand alone novel. The story delves into dark emotional conflict and scenarios, including abuse, and is meant for a mature audience

The Perfect Life


Erin Noelle - 2016
    His support unwavering. The perfect career. As the recently-appointed executive director for the Boston chapter of Mending Hearts, a child abuse prevention and treatment program, my daily reward was helping to keep vulnerable, innocent children from being preyed upon and destroyed. It’s all I’d wanted to do since I was a teenager. Perfect city. Perfect car. Perfect house with the perfect view. From the outside looking in, it was impossible to find a single flaw in my life. I had it all. Everything I'd ever wanted.But that kind of perfection came at a price. Demanded the ultimate sacrifice.What happened when I discovered what I'd been missing all along? When I began to question if the lies were worth protecting? What if suddenly the last thing I wanted was to be perfect?

Life Before Damaged, Volume 1: The Ferro Family


H.M. Ward - 2014
    Power. Sex. The trifecta every man strives for and very few attain. I had these things and walked away from the endless stream of women, from the family fortune, from everything. It was all mine in a life long forgotten. The past can't stay buried forever and hiding mine from Sidney is getting harder. I'm not the guy she thinks, and if she knows the truth I risk losing her.The thing is, I feel those old ways pulling me back, and if Sidney is part of my life she has to know. If she doesn't it could destroy us both.The truth won't set me free. No matter what my name is, I'll always be a Ferro. But Sidney has a choice and I won't steal it from her.Genre: New Adult Romance This story unfolds over multiple volumes approx. 125 pages each.

Accidental Crush


Adrienne Torrisi - 2013
    Ashley Taylor is just starting her freshman year of high school. She’s certain this year will be exactly like every other. She'll go unnoticed in the shadow of her older brother, Ryan, because he and his two best friends, Todd and Brian, are juniors as well as stars on the varsity football team. Everyone knows and loves them, while she is only a freshman; a nobody. Ashley has known both of her brother’s best friends her entire life, however, she's never really noticed Todd's clear, blue eyes and perfectly messy hair until now. Unfortunately, he still only sees her as Ryan's kid sister. Not to mention, he's also her best friend's older brother; so she needs to keep her true feelings a secret. As she navigates her own, difficult feelings, Ashley learns that she's not the only one keeping secrets, and if these other secrets get out, they could destroy friendships... maybe even lives.

Captive Films: Season 1


Jillian Dodd
    In reality TV form, this series follows the lives and loves of those who work at Captive Films. Hot, successful, playboy Riley Johnson, whose business success far exceeds his success in love. Movie star, Keatyn Douglas, whose epic love story has spawned a series of books and movies. And Dawson Johnson, who joins Captive with a tragic past. Expect lots of drama, sex, and tabloid-worthy events.Released in serial format much like a TV series, the first season contains 6 episodes. If you prefer to read it all at once, all episodes are available as Captive Films: Season One. Season 1 Episode 1This series is meant for readers 18+.

Bittersweet Melody


Belinda Boring - 2014
    I should've saved him. I could've. But I didn't. Sometimes late at night when my demons haunt me, I wish I could go back. Back to when I was that naive, punk kid who thought the world was full of rainbows and butterflies. Back to where my soul didn't feel so stained and broken. But I can't. I have to live with my failures. And it doesn't matter how hard I run, there's no escaping my guilt." Cooper Hensley is the perfect front man for Damaged Souls. After returning from his time as a Marine, all he wants to do is to bury himself into the rock and roll lifestyle with music, alcohol, and one night stands. Chasing sweet oblivion to numb his pain, nothing can rattle his carefully guarded heart . . . that is until Caylee Sawyer comes looking for the man she believes a hero, the best friend of her dead husband. What she finds instead is someone broken, someone who needs to forgive himself and move on, someone who affects her so completely, she can't walk away. But can she convince him to lower his guard long enough for her to claim his heart? And when he does, will she be prepared for the consequences?

What I Didn't Say


Keary Taylor - 2012
    He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.

Collision Course


S.C. Stephens - 2012
    His life was right on course to be successful and fulfilling…until the crash changed everything.Late at night, during a sudden downpour, three young lives are lost and Lucas, the lone survivor, is left to face the consequences. Surrounded by swirling gossip as to what really happened that fateful evening, Lucas now finds himself an outcast. Shunned by former friends, condemned by the people of his small town, and riddled by his own guilt and self-hatred, he struggles to find hope, find peace, and maybe, even find love.

Romancing the R.A.


Ashelyn Drake - 2013
    The second she steps on campus for freshman orientation, she can sense the possibilities. Especially when she spots Andy, a resident advisor who’s not just hot but also thoughtful enough to open doors for a girl. And Andy has his eye on Noelle. Even when her nerves take control and she thinks she comes off as a hillbilly with no direction, Andy can see what she’s really like and he’s more than a little interested.But orientation is less than two full days and there’s an entire summer between Noelle and Andy. Will her attempt to romance the R.A. be as short-lived as college orientation?

Dust to Dust


S.P. Cervantes - 2014
    When she returns home to spend Christmas with her family, her perfect world she has created begins to crumble, thrusting her face to face with the only man who truly knows her. Holden Patrick will fight harder.A powerful, handsome attorney, Holden left town after his adoptive parents’ death. In his time away he almost managed to forget the girl who ran away with his heart. At least until a turn of fate brought him back to Mantoloking, and back to Camryn.But are they willing to fight for each other?Faced with a tragic past that they both wanted to forget, they struggle to protect their hearts from being broken again. Will their love be enough to get them through another tragedy, or will they close themselves off and run away again?

Unspeakable


Michelle K. Pickett - 2015
    No one will break me. I’m strong. Breathe. Just breathe.”On the outside, Willow appears to have it all. She’s beautiful, smart, from an influential family, and she dates the most popular guy in school—Jaden. But she would walk away from it all in a second. Willow is tormented by lies and suffocating guilt, not the hearts and flowers people believe her life is full of. She carries a dark secret. Plagued by nightmares and pain, the secret dominates her life. If she hadn’t walked away. If she had just…but she didn’t. And now she has to live with her choice. But when someone uncovers her family’s past, they use it against her, crushing her spirit little by little. She tells herself she just has to make it to graduation. Then she can leave Middleton, and her secret, far behind.When Brody transfers to Cassidy High, he turns Willow’s life upside down. He shows her what it feels like to live again, really live. And suddenly, she isn’t satisfied with just surviving until graduation. She wants a normal life—with Brody—and he wants her. But the closer they become, the more it threatens to unravel the secret she’s worked so hard to hide.Willow finds true love with Brody. Will she let his love save her, or walk away from him to keep her secret safe?