Book picks similar to
Thief by B. Love
urban-romance
romance
poc
dnf
Annabelle and Lee
Danielle Allen - 2020
Some of my best childhood memories were from my time at Heathrow Beach. Mostly because I was head over heels in love with my neighbor Lee Thompson.He was adventurous.He was brave.He was twelve.But my eleven-year-old heart knew he’d be the one I’d end up marrying.Lee was my first kiss, my first love, my first everything.But the summer before my senior year in high school, Lee never showed up. In fact, I didn’t hear from him again.Almost twenty years later, I found myself back at Heathrow Beach looking for answers.And finding more than I bargained for.** Annabelle and Lee is a contemporary romance inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poem Annabel Lee **
What the Heart Wants
Marion Myles - 2016
He’s a slick city lawyer. Who’d have thought they’d be perfect for one another? With another crushing breakup behind her, Elle Roberts is done with love. These days all her energy is devoted to her equestrian business. That is until Nicholas Sterling arrives with his horse, Leo. After one ride, she’s convinced she can help the troubled animal. But what about the man? Sure he’s rich and charming and ridiculously handsome, but Elle assures herself she’s not interested. Turns out that’s a big fat lie. Nicholas knows he’s damaged. And damaged people don’t deserve love. But something extraordinary happens when he’s with Elle. For the first time in his life, he’s able to trust. In her. And in them. The future stretches before him, filled with glorious possibilities. And he’s happy. Incredibly, unbelievably happy. But no sooner are they settled into their relationship than a tragic event triggers Nicholas’s deepest insecurities. Can Elle find a way to heal his heart or will this ultimately tear them apart? ***** If you yearn for romance with deep emotional connections between the characters - this is the story you’ve been waiting for. What the Heart Wants is the first novel in the Heart Series. Each book follows the story of one woman all the way to her happily-ever-after. The Heart Series continues on with Drawing from the Heart and Feeding the Heart.
The Mothers
Brit Bennett - 2016
It begins with a secret."All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we'd taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season."It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.
In Love With A Brooklyn Thug
Nako - 2017
The quiet girl from Brooklyn refused to go back to the projects– being raised by her selfish aunt her whole life was the push she needed to run far away and never return. According to Ms. Hudson, actions have always spoken louder than words, so when a blast from the past resurfaces and refuses to take “no” for an answer, Nia decides to give him one hour of her time. Surprisingly, one hour turns into a week, a week transpires into months and before she knows it, the two have become a couple. Together, East and Nia don’t paint the perfect-picture– they have nothing in common, and in fact, he’s the complete opposite of everything she stands for. Dangerous, thrilling, edgy, secretive, and quiet describes her current beau. East is definitely living life in the fast lane. Selling any and everything he can get his hands on and not knowing when the FEDS or worst, friends disguised as enemies will be his downfall. East doesn’t care about her flashy lifestyle as long as the cameras don’t land on him. Nia isn’t who she “post” to be, surviving in the projects wasn’t easy, she didn’t always possess her sassy attitude. When what was supposed to be a fun date night for the couple leads to Pandora’s Box being opened, Nia is left feeling betrayed. In this new suspenseful and quite romantic series from NAKO, love has been put to the ultimate test. Can the past be forgiven?
Mirage
Somaiya Daud - 2018
She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection...because one wrong move could lead to her death.
Wedding in the Pines
Cassidy Carter - 2021
Life took them in very different directions… But a wedding in the pines brings them together. Slater’s job has never been busier at Cabins in the Pines, the recently expanded resort. On top of everything else, he’s the best man for his boss’s upcoming wedding, and he’s trying to make sure everything goes perfectly. But there was one detail he didn’t plan on: the arrival of his ex-girlfriend, Hope. Years ago, when Hope dated Slater, she dreamed of a musical career. Now, she’s working at her father’s financial firm, and he expects her to take over someday. Hope’s determined to make their conference at Cabins in the Pines a success…while ignoring her misgivings about her own future. When Slater and Hope meet again, all their memories come rushing back—including the pain of their breakup. Could this unexpected interlude lead to a new beginning? This charming second chance romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Chicken a la Rose.
Kingdom of Souls
Rena Barron - 2019
Heir to two lines of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah yearns for magic of her own. Yet she fails at bone magic, fails to call upon her ancestors, and fails to live up to her family’s legacy. Under the disapproving eye of her mother, the Kingdom’s most powerful priestess and seer, she fears she may never be good enough.But when the Kingdom’s children begin to disappear, Arrah is desperate enough to turn to a forbidden, dangerous ritual. If she has no magic of her own, she’ll have to buy it—by trading away years of her own life.Arrah’s borrowed power reveals a nightmarish betrayal, and on its heels, a rising tide of darkness that threatens to consume her and all those she loves. She must race to unravel a twisted and deadly scheme… before the fight costs more than she can afford.
A Very Large Expanse of Sea
Tahereh Mafi - 2018
It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments - even the physical violence - she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her - they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds - and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.
Kyr
Nikki Clarke - 2019
But she isn't a scared human woman on an alien planet anymore. In fact, she's got an impressive intergalactic job and seems to be doing everything she can to get into as much trouble as possible, sending Kyr's new feelings into turmoil. He needs to keep her safe, but will she let him get close enough to do it?This is the first in the Somii Soulmates Series, a spin off the Lyqa Planet Lovers. Enjoy! This story follows the events in My Alien Captor, Nyo. It is recommended to read that story first; although, not required.
Escaping Exodus
Nicky Drayden - 2019
Her clan has just now culled their latest ship and the workers are busy stripping down the bonework for building materials, rerouting the circulatory system for mass transit, and preparing the cavernous creature for the onslaught of the general populous still in stasis. It’s all a part of the cycle her clan had instituted centuries ago—excavate the new beast, expand into its barely-living carcass, extinguish its resources over the course of a decade, then escape in a highly coordinated exodus back into stasis until they cull the next beast from the diminishing herd.And of course there wouldn’t be much of a story if things didn’t go terribly, terribly wrong.Escaping Exodus is scheduled to be in readers’ orbit Summer 2019.
In Name Only (The Love Connection Book 1)
Sean D. Young - 2020