Book picks similar to
Distraction by Angela McPherson


new-adult
romance
college
contemporary-romance

Somewhere in Between


Samatha Harris - 2015
    Content with studying and keeping to herself, Alex has no interest in the campus playboy, Drew Collins, trying to get close to her. But even dousing him with beer doesn't deter the easy-going charmer, and against her better judgment, the pair falls into a reluctant friendship. Drew is bored with college life, and Alex's romantic rejection intrigues him... Their friendship is good for both of them, but Drew is used to getting what he wants, and he's tired of shallow sorority girls. He's much more interested in the feisty redhead, but despite his growing feelings, Alex keeps him firmly in the friend zone. Old heartaches and new tragedies deepen a complicated relationship... Whatever life throws their way, Alex and Drew remain best friends with their own traditions. Drew is Alex's family, her rock, and Alex keeps Drew grounded, always challenging him to better himself. When years of buried feelings rush to the surface, they threaten to change everything... Drew promised his mother he'd tell Alex how he feels, when the time is right-but how will he know when that is? Alex is terrified to reveal those 'three little words, ' certain Drew doesn't feel the same, and she'll lose the only family she has. Getting what you want might be as easy as being brave enough to ask for it. Should Alex and Drew open their hearts, and risk being crushed? Should they be satisfied with a deep, lifelong friendship? Or does the only chance for happiness lie... Somewhere In Between?

Imperfect Bastard


Pamela Ann - 2016
     Falling in love with your brother's best friend can be catastrophic...so is unrequited love. Love was one hell of a mother*&c#!$. Not only was it addictive, but it was that kind of drug that could get you so high you floated out of your physical existence, and then it had the potential to drop you more swiftly than a lactose-intolerant monkey could shamelessly take a crap. It was so powerful, in fact, that it could drive any sane, lucid person to become thoughtless, mental to the point of destruction, consumed with taking desperate measures in order to win what they yearned for the most. But playing with fire could end up engulfing me inflames, burning every ounce of me until I was left in ashes, a speck of dirt that could be smeared and wiped away, left to be forgotten, unloved, alone. Drew Cavendish was every woman's bad boy fantasy. Not only was he cool and smart with a bevy of women lapping up everything he did; he also happened to be my brother's best friend and secretly the love of my life. After losing my virginity to him, I hadn't seen him since. Now I was moving to study at NYU and about to live with my brother ... in a condo where Drew lived, as well. At one point, he had meant the world to me, but circumstances had changed. Consequently, even though the palpable attraction was intoxicating, I knew better than to succumb to his easy charm. I would try to keep my composure and stay aloof. There was no need for panic. Yet my heart was a beat away from having a serious meltdown. I would survive this as I had all my life--by loving him from a quiet distance.

Meant for More


Liza James - 2021
    Best friends, really.Instead, I watch you with your arms around another. Your sweet words and that usual charm directed towards someone else.It’s okay—I was never meant to be yours to begin with.CarterCountless memories and lingering moments have shifted into a startling perspective.I’ve spent my years chasing my dreams, my ideal girls, my career in football.But then it happened, over the course of one night, my entire vision centered around someone I didn’t anticipate.A girl who has been here all along.

Blindness


Ginger Scott - 2014
    Never fully recovered from the unexpected death of her father when she was barely 18, she dove head first into a life of pretend and good enough, running away from a home that harbored nothing but bad memories and challenges and into the arms of Trevor Appleton, a man who could take her away from it all forever. Everything was...easy. But it's funny how fate takes over when your heart needs it most. And when a chance encounter brings Cody Carmichael into Charlie's life, her heart begins to beat for the first time since the day her dad left her completely alone. There was nothing easy about Cody. A former motocross super star, he was now happy to be living the blue collar life, spending his days finishing up school and his nights under the hood of some classic car, just trying to keep everything his father taught him alive. He didn't have time for things like trust and love—they'd only burned him in the past. Cody was everything Charlie had been running away from, but no matter how hard she fought it, there was an undeniable pull that always led straight to him. And the closer Cody and Charlie got, the more secrets they uncovered—secrets that threatened to unravel everything they'd both worked so hard to protect. But fate...it can't be ignored. And feeling alive might just be worth the risk.

Blindsided


T.C. Matson - 2015
    Yes, he’s easy on the eyes with a body to die for, blue eyes to fall into, and a smile that will make your heart skip beats. His smell is intoxicating, and he’s fun to be around. But I’m not interested in being another notch in his bedpost. I can’t lie and say I haven’t thought about what it would be like. I have. Unfortunately, I know a woman like me can’t make a man like him settle down. Levi Look at me. I’m everything she wants—a sexy MMA fighter who no one can resist. What? I can’t help they all want me. I know she fantasizes about my naked body on top of hers. Who doesn’t? But she has telltale signs—her glassy green eyes, her crimson red cheeks, and the sweat that glistens on her face—she wants me. I’ve never had to chase, you know, put effort into getting a girl in bed, but she is sending me on the longest treasure hunt I’ve ever experienced. Not even my smile can make her panties drop. But somehow, somewhere in the mix of chasing her, I’ve developed feelings. This cannot be happening.

Opposing Sides


C.M. Doporto - 2014
    Collin’s damn hot, but his lack of spark has Lexi thinking twice before she says ‘I Do’. When she’s forced to tutor bad boy football quarterback, Raven Davenport, she soon discovers all the things she’s missing in her relationship with Collin. Will she succumb to the temptations enticing her, or will Collin be able to convince his sweet, innocent fiancée that his love for her is genuine despite his lack of affection?Ages : 18+ for adult content and sexual situations

Beautiful Oblivion


Addison Moore - 2013
    She’s tired of dating Warren McCarthy just to make her father happy. Reese has long since had her eye on someone else, and this summer she’s determined to make it happen.Growing up in Lake Loveless there has always been a strict monetary divide—there was the rest of the Lake and then there were the Waterman’s. Ace Waterman has worked for everything he has, and he doesn’t have a lot. He breaks his back doing grunt work while putting himself through college. He’s used to life passing him by.Reese has loved Ace from afar for as long as she can remember. The summer of her freshman year she comes home with plans to land Ace in her bed at least for a few short weeks, and, if she’s lucky, forever.Ace has loved Reese for as long as he can remember, but their friendship has never graduated beyond platonic, so when Reese comes home from her first year away and proposes the two of them have a summer fling, Ace is quick to comply. The rules: no strings, no expectations, just something hotter than the sun to set the sheets on fire.But when their worlds collide, and neither of them is willing to admit to having true feelings, it becomes clear to Ace he’s nothing more than a dirty little secret—that the summer fling was just something meaningless to pass the time.Reese wonders if she can ever stop trying to please her father, and it’s only through her mother’s letters that she finds the answers she truly seeks, but will they be the ones she wants to hear?As summer draws to a close, Ace and Reese are still very much enraptured even though the time has come to douse the flame and move on—but neither one of them is prepared to leave this BEAUTIFUL OBLIVION.

Holding Onto Forever


Heidi McLaughlin - 2017
    Making sure he worked hard to deserve the opportunities provided to him, Noah is where he's dreamed of being - starting QB for Portland Pioneers. Together, with his model girlfriend by his side, life can't get much better. Except that standing in his path is Peyton Powell-James, his life-long friend and the one woman he can never have. Peyton Powell-James always knew her future would be in football and dreams of having a successful sports journalism career once she graduates college. After being given the assignment to cover a professional game from the sidelines, Peyton believes that everything is going to plan. Until one fateful night changes her life. Harsh reality sets in for Noah and Peyton. One could lose everything, while the other struggles to keep the families together.

Falling into Infinity


Layne Harper - 2013
    A chance meeting with A&M’s star quarterback Colin McKinney changes everything. A friendship between the two grows over time and blossoms into a powerful love affair. Charlie and Colin must learn to cope with his transition to playing professional football, the crushing attention of the media, and constant demands of his fans. At the same time, she’s struggling with how her dream of attending medical school will fit into their already stressed relationship and Colin’s new life. Falling Into Infinity asks the question is just loving someone enough to make a relationship work?

Fair Play (End Zone, #1)


Cathryn Fox - 2021
    The opposite of mine.I’m the quiet twin he never knew existed, until he heard a lie—I hated him.Maybe that’s why he pursued me—why I became his obsession. It’s all about the chase, right?I can’t deny that I like the attention. That my body burns for him. I shouldn’t crave him. I hate that I do. We don’t belong together.That should have been enough to stop me from sneaking into his room, from teasing a thirst I just can’t quench…because once the hunt is over, it’s ALL over.Unless he never knew it was me…

Spinning Out


Lexi Ryan - 2016
    I had it all, and I threw it away with a semester of drugs, alcohol, and pissing off anyone who tried to stop me. Now I’m suspended from the team, on house arrest, and forced to spend a semester at home to get my shit together. The cherry on my fuckup sundae? Sleeping in the room next to mine is my best friend’s girl, Mia Mendez—the only woman I’ve ever loved and a reminder of everything I regret.I’m not sure if having Mia so close will be heaven or hell. She’s off-limits—and not just because she’s working for my dad. Her heart belongs to someone else. But since the accident that killed her brother and changed everything, she walks around like a zombie, shutting out her friends and ignoring her dreams. We’re both broken, numb, and stuck in limbo.Until I break my own rules and touch her. Until she saves me from my nightmares by climbing into my bed. Until the only thing I want more than having Mia for myself is to protect her from the truth. I can’t rewrite the past, but I refuse to leave her heart in the hands of fate. For this girl, I’d climb into the sky and rearrange the stars.SPINNING OUT is a sexy, emotional novel of 100,000 words. It is first in the Blackhawk Boys, a series of standalone novels.

Fever


Melissa Pearl - 2014
     Ella Simmons does not want to move across the country. But she is, because her boyfriend has persuaded her to join him at UChicago to finish out her college education. Never able to tell him no, she hops on a plane and makes the trek from LA expecting to adjust to life like she's often forced to, but things are not that simple when she hears a luscious voice singing over her shower wall. His deep, sexy tenor makes her weak in the knees, spreading fire through her limbs and making her question everything about her life and relationship. Can one voice really have that much of an impact? Cole Reynolds is on his way out. In his final year at UChicago, the only thing he wants to do is finish school and get on with his life. But the sweet voice that interrupts his morning shower turns his world upside down. Compelled to find his shower songbird, he begins a search across campus. The only thing to distract him from this goal is his roommate's gorgeous girlfriend who's just arrived from LA - Ella Simmons. Relationships are put to the ultimate test as future dreams are questioned and friendships are thrown on the line for love. ALL THE SONGBIRD NOVELS CAN BE READ AS STAND ALONE BOOKS.

Kicked


C.M. Stunich - 2016
     I know the feeling well. I'm the top draft prospect for the NFL, voted All-American last year, and a God at the University of Oregon. I didn't get here by fucking around or chasing fantasies—and I'll never forget where I came from. A guy like me only gets one chance to get out, to make something of himself. Passion. I thought football was my passion. But Teagan Fletcher, she's my obsession. My childhood friend is now a woman with curves for days and hair like fire. But she also hates me—and I don't blame her. I want her. But I can't have her. I need her. But I don't know how to let go. One way or another, I'll have it all: football … and Fletcher. ***KICKED is a standalone new adult sports romance with a happy ending and no cliffhanger. To celebrate the release of this bad boy, there are two free bonus books in the back: STEPBROTHER INKED and RAW AND DIRTY, both from C.M.'s pen name, Violet Blaze. All three are full-length novels, full of bad boys and tattoos, and loaded with hot, hot, hotness. Enjoy! EXCERPT FROM "KICKED": “What are we doing?” Teagan asked as I forced her to jog after me towards the tunnel. “Where are we going?” Her voice was breathy and patchy, and she panted as she ran after me, but she kept going, following me into the pitch blackness and down, down, down. At the halfway mark, I stopped, turned, shoved her back into the wall. “Tyce,” Teagan said, her voice high and reedy, like she was about to come in her panties just from looking at me. I reached up and tore my helmet from my head, tossing it aside and letting it bounce along the pavement beneath our feet. I was panting so goddamn hard in that moment, sucking in breath after anxious breath as my eyes flicked over her face, down her throat, across the full swell of her chest. I stepped forward and cupped the back of her head with a golden glove, leaned down and captured her mouth with mine. I kissed her hard and fast, frantic with time and need and desire. Less than five minutes. I bruised Teagan's mouth with my own, slid our tongues together, made her dizzy when I pulled back and looked her straight in the face. “We have five minutes,” I said and then we were working together to shove her pants down one leg, over her sneakers. Mine were next, pushed down halfway off my a**, my c*** springing free from my cup. I lifted Teagan up against that stone wall, slammed her back into the cool cement and let her curl her fingers in my sweaty hair. It was stuck to my forehead, probably a hot mess, but she looked at me like I was a god. I felt like a god there in that tunnel in the dark with thousands of fans screaming and pounding the pavement above our heads. In an instant, my coach or a security guard or one of the boys, they could come down here and find us screwing. I didn't care. Seriously. I didn't give a s***.

Ricochet


Cole Lepley - 2021
    After being betrayed by her long-time boyfriend, she makes a spontaneous decision to transfer mid-semester. College is supposed to be fun and she’ll be damned if she lets a guy ruin it.Ryan Wilkes doesn’t have a heart. He’s rude, entitled, and couldn’t care less who his destructive behavior hurts . Truth be told, he enjoys the damage it causes.When Sidney meets her new roommates, everyone is welcoming except for one. The moody guy downstairs whose attitude is warning her to stay away. But Sidney’s pain is like a magnet to Ryan, and he intends to find out why. ** Author's Note: This book contains content that may be sensitive for some readers. Themes such as cheating, emotional abuse, and assault are depicted. If any of these are triggering, I'd skip this one. You'll get a HEA, but you might hate me until you get there.**

The Year We Fell Down


Sarina Bowen - 2014
    The boy she loves has someone else. What now? She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead. Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He's way out of Corey's league. Also, he's taken. Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the "gimp ghetto" of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands. They're just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she's falling. Hard. But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won't, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness -- one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who's afraid to love her back.