Book picks similar to
Out of the Ashes by S.M. Lynn


new-adult
favorites
contemporary-romance
cliffhanger

Chosen Heart


Ann Stewart - 2013
    Since then it's been hard to let anyone close, which is why she only has one friend near and dear to her heart. Forsaking all others, she lives a silent, lonely existence. That was until she jumped into the next chapter of her life; Sales Executive at the prestigious Salerno Health, Inc. The moment she met the always calm and collected Alexander James, her life was set on a new path. One moment she's slowly falling in love and the next she's plummeting painfully to the ground with the realization that you don't marry your dirty little secret; you keep her in the closet. That was, until she found out she was not his only kept secret. Will the enigma of Mr. James be more than Elyssa can handle? Or will she choose him, like she promised she always would.

Low Over High


J.A. DeRouen - 2016
    It’s not a gift, but rather, all skill, honed to a razor’s edge after one too many trips down the rabbit hole.Some may dismiss my talent as misplaced and misguided cynicism, but they’d be wrong. Cliches about hope and faith in mankind are concocted unicorn farts, an effort to keep the dreamers dreaming. Experiences don’t lie—people do.While I’m not proud of the circumstances that led me to this way of thinking, I respect the journey. The road to enlightenment can be dark and foreboding, but the destination makes it all worthwhile.But funny thing about the past—it’s a defiant child refusing to stay in time out. No matter how deeply buried, it can always pop up when least expected, and sink its fucking claws into the flesh of your heart. No, not my heart—I no longer have one. I foolishly gave it away years ago, but I still feel the ripping in my chest as I fist the crumpled note left on my porch.I’ve avoided this day, ran from it, for the past eight years.And still we meet again.But to truly understand … to feel my dread and fear my future as I do, it’s important to know what happened in my past.Or who…My name is Marlo Rivers, and this is my story of corrupted love.MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY 18+Warning: This book contains graphic content which may not be suitable for sensitive readers.

Break Me


Jo-Anna Walker - 2013
    Tori McLeod moved to the big city to get away from her mother—and her past. Her new routine is destroyed when she meets a mysterious stranger who won’t take no for an answer. Sebastian intrigues her, but his eyes hold secrets she would rather avoid. Sebastian Chelios, a hard as nails enforcer, is a new-in-town loner.Sebastian has to have her. Control her. Possess her. But he can’t—won’t lose control, even though Tori’s innocence fascinates him. The last thing he’s going to do is love her, even after he gets her in his bed.Losing control is dangerous, especially when someone from Sebastian’s past covets Tori, putting more than just her heart in danger.How can Sebastian protect Tori from Jose’s sadistic obsession? If he gets his hands on her, will she make it out in one piece?

Thursday Nights


Lisa N. Paul - 2013
    But when fate brings two weak souls together, will the love they find mend the fragments that are barely holding them together, or will the weight of their past finally cause them to crumble?Max DeLucca has spent seven years trying to forget the betrayal of his past. He lives his life from day to day never looking forward and never looking back. The walls around his heart keep anyone from getting too close and prevent him from feeling too much…until he meets her.Her entire life, Janie Silver searched for the kind of love that wouldn’t leave her broken and more importantly, wouldn't leave her behind. She longs for a love that can heal the wounds of her past and give her the future she knows she deserves. She thought she was looking for something that just didn’t exist…until she meets him.Danny’s on Main is where their story begins. A neighborhood bar where strangers become friends, friends become family and some … become lovers… it all started on Thursday Nights

Fool for You


Megan Noelle - 2013
    Danielle promised herself she would never return, but now - she has no choice. The family Inn her Grandparents put their lives into is going under and Danielle is the last hope they have to save it. When she temporarily returns to her home town, she’s even less prepared than expected to run into her first love, Oliver Garrison. After their encounter leaves her on edge she decides what is really needed is a distraction. What she doesn’t expect is the way she feels when she meets Corey Preston with the bad boy edge, a gentle heart and smoking body. Oliver is everything she thought she ever wanted while Corey is everything she never thought she needed. Dani promised herself when she left Serenity Cove at 18 that never again, would this be her home. However, her heart didn’t get the memo and for the first time in her life, she feels at home. But will her demons from the past let her have the love she deserves? Or will she return to her life in New York - once again leaving her heart behind in the one place she fears to be?

Cutting Deep


Trish Anderson - 2013
    Fair warning.*****A sexy, comedic portrayal of a young woman running toward her future, who ends up crashing into love… again. Ande Taylor, a snarky, twenty something woman, has known one truth in her life:Failure is an option.In a last ditch effort to break her failing streak, she enrolls into a prestigious culinary school in the hopes of salvaging her bleak future, and comes face-to-face with Daniel Alan, her soon to be culinary instructor. Daniel is every woman's fantasy. He's hot, he can cook, and he has the heart and brain to match.The attraction is obvious, but Ande refuses to be pulled into the 'hot for teacher' cliché. She has plans: graduate culinary school and don't get her heart broken... again.But fate has a different plan and a whirlwind relationship forges between Ande and Daniel. All seems perfect in the world. That is until Ande's ex, Blake, comes back into the picture. Ande soon finds out that she isn't the only person harboring secrets about an old flame.She had her mind set on the future, but now, reliving the nightmare of her past may be her only chance at moving forward.Ande knows what she wants out of life, but is she prepared for what life wants out of her?Getting burned in the kitchen is the least of her worries, it’s the hot men in her life that she should be cautious of.

Spark


Brooke Cumberland - 2013
    Weak, powerless, and fearing the one person who has hurt her the most…can she overcome the barriers to move forward?Being saved by a muscled Godsend was never on her agenda, but when firefighter, Eric Reilley comes into her life unexpectedly, everything changes. Velaney has never felt loved or cared for, and her past prevents her from letting anyone in. Eric manages to break down her walls—despite the repercussions that come for them afterwards.They have an undeniable spark—something she has never felt before, but will it be enough? Can love overcome all obstacles? Can they save each other to protect their love or will her past shatter everything she never knew she needed…?**Spark is for mature audiences only – strong language, explicit sexual content, and sexual abuse are apparent.**

Knockout


J.C. Valentine - 2014
    The only light in her life was a boy whom everyone agreed was destined for prison; but with his first kiss, he had set her soul on fire. Since the day the police dragged him away in handcuffs, she had managed to lead a quiet life, but when she attends an event fraught with mayhem, trouble resurfaces.The one person she can’t forget...Jamison Weston is the kind of guy dads load their shotguns for; endowed with a hot temper and a rap sheet as long as both tattooed arms. Known as “The Judge,” Jami’s hot temper, lethal fists, and cocky attitude have earned him respect and admiration both in and out of the ring. But just when he thinks he’s pummeled his past to death, Alyson Blake reenters his life.Two paths collide…After years of separation, Alyson is eager to reexplore the man who’s never left her thoughts, but for Jamison, she’s both the distraction he wants, but doesn’t need. As the two embark on a relationship that neither of them expected or bargained for, an outside threat closes in. When Alyson crosses the line of professionalism and takes her work home with her, her life is put in danger, leaving Jamison with no choice but to once again step in and become her protector.WARNING **Book One in a two part story.** This book contains a mild cliffhanger ending that will be resolved in book two. The release date for book two has been moved up to July 2014. If you do not like cliffhangers, you might consider checking out my Night Calls series instead.

Slammed


Skyla Madi - 2014
    A girl’s heart always is.”Selena Graham knows the damaged Jackson Quinn is too much for her to handle, but he's the only person besides her best friend who accepts her for who she really is—out of control, and desperate for attention. She knows she deserves more, but how can she quit the one thing that makes her feel accepted? Despite all of his downfalls, Selena holds on for dear life as Jackson fights desperately against his inner demons in an attempt to relinquish control, and finally let love take over.​

One Night with Him


K.S. Smith - 2013
    Her heart is callused, but she still has hope. She may be the last one of her sorority sisters to still be single, but she knows Mr. Right is out there. Reagan is ready to move forward with her life when the time is right, or so she thinks, unfortunately when love is staring her straight in the face she keeps finding ways to hide from it.The last thing Cole Conrad is looking for is commitment. He is set in his bachelor ways and has no intentions of leaving them. Having any woman he desires at his fingertips is how he has always lived. Cole is used to playing by his rules, until he meets Reagan Larson, and for the first time -after what had to have been one of his most fulfilling evenings with a woman- he wakes up feeling alone and used.

Finding Allie


Meli Raine - 2015
     My stepfather turns out to be a rival drug dealer, and I'm pretty sure he killed my mom two years ago. I'm not supposed to fall in love with Chase. He's not supposed to know I even exist. But when he finds me, he can't let go. And when I find myself in his arms? I hold tight. I have to. Because if I don't, I might just die. * * * Read all three books in the Breaking Away series: Finding Allie Chasing Allie Keeping Allie With or without him.

Covered in Coal


Silla Webb - 2014
    Just like any little girl would, she assumed her daddy would always be by her side. Unbelievably, he turned his back on her when she needed him most, leaving her with no one in her life to turn to for support. Without options, Carly runs away from the only home she's ever known, leaving behind her heartache and the betrayal of the two men she loved most.Seven years later, Carly reluctantly returns to Kentucky. Her daddy is dying of cancer and Colton is nothing like the boy she once loved and left. After her daddy passes, Carly must uproot her life in South Carolina and take control of Simon Coal Company, where she has no choice but face the pain of her past.Can Carly keep her secrets buried deep beneath the black Kentucky coal and her heart safe from the fiery Colton Weston?

Right There with You


R.J. Sable - 2013
    Having finally moved out to start her new life as a university student she tries to faithfully follow the strictly ordered life they've lain out for her. These rules haven't been an issue for her before because she knows she owes them everything. More than any sibling can ever owe. She dutifully follows these rules until she meets Jason Reed and the biggest one becomes a problem. No boyfriends. Torn between her loyalty to her brothers and the sizzling attraction to the intriguing ladies' man, Jamie-Lea finds herself on dangerous standings with her overbearing and somewhat aggressive brothers. Jason Reed isn't intimidated by the Carters. He knows what he wants the moment he sees it and nothing is going to come between him and the girl he never expected to fall for.With the odds stacked against them, where will this forbidden romance take them?

He Found Me


Whitney Barbetti - 2014
    I walked out the door of my apartment with a backpack and never looked back. I left the life of Cora Mitchell behind, seeking freedom from my real-life nightmare. But my freedom came with a cost. I lived a fictitious life for the next six years, never letting anyone close enough to see underneath the facade that was Andra Walker. I was content with my simple little life. Until I met Julian. And the moment I started allowing myself to open up, allowing someone to see through the superficial, was the very same moment the Monster from my past would return to find me.

Unhinged


Nicole Edwards - 2014
    Never would I have expected her to step right into my reality, though. But she did. Although I can’t explain why, Payton Fowler makes me want things I never imagined I could have. She soothes the chaos in my head. But she doesn’t know who I really am, and she doesn’t see the darkness that lives inside of me.She’s supposed to be off limits to me. But that’s not a problem because I’ve perfected the art of breaking the rules. My name is Sebastian Trovato and this is the story of how I met the woman who unhinges me.