Book picks similar to
The Silent Cries of a Magpie by Ashlan Thomas
new-adult
romance
contemporary
dark-and-gritty
Wildcard
Emilia Finn - 2020
I’m a pro fighter, the son of a murderous wifebeater, overprotective big brother, and Evelyn Kincaid’s best friend.I’ve known Evie since we were kids. I loathed her on first sight, and picked on her as often as she picked on me, but somewhere around my fifteenth birthday, my dislike was replaced with something else. It was foreign and new, potent and exciting.Now Evie is the woman I’d die for. The friend I would kill for. The girl I will love for eternity.Evie may be a pro fighter too, capable enough to fight her own battles, but she’s wild, and too spontaneous for her own safety, so I’m going to be right here, protecting her six, cleaning up her crazy, and praying she gets on board when I tell her I’ve loved her for years.My five-year plan has been put in place, my claim has been made, but I could lose more than a round in the octagon when another fighter enters a competition he was never invited to.What I feel for Evie was never up for negotiation, but she’s always been my wildcard.From the author of the best selling Rollin On series, comes this beautiful coming of age story that will make you sigh, scream, melt, and giggle; all on the same page.
Shielding Jolene
Jen Talty - 2021
Now all she has to do is hit number one with the next one and she has just the story to do it with: The Alleyway Strangler. And the woman who brought him down is willing to give her a once-in-a-lifetime interview. Jolene boards a plane heading for Texas where she meets a well-meaning emergency room doctor who happens to be her biggest fan. Except, this isn’t any ordinary fan. He’s connected to her past. And now history might repeat itself.While forced into a little mini vacation, Michael “Cannon” Santoro is asked by a fellow Delta Force soldier to pick up Jolene up at the airport and keep an eye on her while she interviews his wife. Cannon doesn’t hesitate. Jolene is like no one he’s ever met, and he finds himself in uncharted waters. Only, he’s about to uncover a sinister plan that will bring both their pasts on a collision course with the future, and it isn’t bright.
The Secrets of Life
K.L. Humphreys - 2017
For Jessica Hughes, this is her reality.At 21, she’s single-handedly supporting her 2 younger brothers and her 4-year-old daughter while paying off her deadbeat mother's gambling debts.Her life may seem like crap to others, but Jess knows it could be worse.Then, Hunter O'Shea walks back into her life and drops a bombshell - a secret that could destroy everything they once had.Once again, Jess finds herself picking up the pieces of her broken heart.Will Hunter find the courage to claim the family he never knew he needed?Or will Jess move on before he gets the chance?
The Hazards of Skinny Dipping
Alyssa Rose Ivy - 2013
If you want a book like that, I'd be happy to recommend one, but I don't have that kind of story to tell. Instead my story is about rash decisions and finding out that your dream guy is bad in bed. It's the story of when I finally went skinny dipping, and how my life was never the same again. Oh, and it's also the story of my freshman year of college and realizing Mr. Right might have been there all along.
Ruined
B.B. Hamel - 2017
It’s a dangerous job, but I live for the thrill. I can’t get close to anyone. Women get one night and that’s more than enough.Until I go on a mission to take down a sex slave ring. That’s when I’m first given Riley. She’s innocent and gorgeous, and I know she’s never been touched like this before.She’s mine to train, bend, and break. I don’t want to hurt her. But to keep my cover, I’m going to have to push her limits.And she’s going to love it. She’ll learn to stay down on her knees, obeying my every command.I go easy on her at first, until I realize that she needs it hard almost as much as I do.The mission is complicated. Danger threatens to rip her away from me.But I won’t allow it.I can’t stop until I get everything I want, including her.Ruined is a dark romance with steamy scenes and bad language. It’s only recommended for readers 18+.Ruined is a STANDALONE, full-length novel. No cliffhanger. Guaranteed HEA. Includes bonus content!
Unspoken Words
H.P. Davenport - 2016
Every important memory includes the other. From learning to play catch and first kisses, high school dances and college acceptances, they’ve always been there for one another. Without realizing it, the love they’ve always felt for one another evolves into something more. But when Camryn moves across country, they leave the words that could risk their lifelong friendship unspoken.Life goes on, and years go by before work brings Camryn back home. Opportunity smiles on them and both realize this may be their only chance. A chance for two friends to make new memories, and risk what they’ve always had to discover a love beyond their imaginations. To have everything their heart desires. But when the unthinkable happens, it threatens to shatter the delicate new connections Jamie and Camryn have made.When two lifelong friends are put to the test, can they come out on the other side as lifelong partners … or will those words forever remain unspoken?***Content Warning***This book contains a dark scene with graphic violence which may be a trigger. Reader discretion is advised.Editorial Reviews"Beautifully written, emotional and so realistic. I loved it." ~ Katy Evans, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author“H.P. Davenport delivers a beautiful, heart-warming, friends to lovers story in her debut novel, Unspoken Words, with a touch of suspense that causes you to tear through the pages.” ~ Michelle Lynn, USA Today bestselling author"Camryn and Jamieson's story will take up a part of my heart forever. H.P. Davenport weaves her words into gallant emotion that literally pours off every page and straight into your soul. I laughed out loud, winced and cried and grew to love not only these two characters, but the whole cast, within moments of opening this book. This love story will raise the bar for every one you read after it. Stunning." ~ Michelle Kemper Brownlow, Author“This is the debut book of H.P. Davenport. And I have to say she really knows how to pull out the emotional roller coaster for her first book! This book has it all. Swoon worthy moments, hot mess moments, and moments where you cannot put the book down because you need to know what is going to happen next.” ~ Karrie, Panty Dropping Book Blog “H.P. Davenport has taken my heart on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.” ~ Tami, The Book Enthusiast
After I Fall
Melissa Sercia - 2020
The man I thought I’d spend forever with is gone and I’m alone…until I meet him. Ozi. My new boss. He’s sexy, mysterious, and owns me with just one look. But he’s used to getting what he wants. And that makes him dangerous.OziI’m rich, immortal, and alone. And I like it that way. Until I meet her. I should stay away from Raven. But I can’t. Every time she’s near, I want to taste her blood in my veins and feel her body in my bed. I want to own her and destroy her. To break her and then put her back together with my bare hands. But I know I will be the one broken in the end.Raven and Ozi have sworn off love, but when their paths cross, the chemistry between them is undeniable. Drawn to each other’s dark sides, they can’t seem to stay away. But when Ozi’s ex comes back into town to settle an old score, the odds shift and the danger becomes real, pitting Raven in the middle. Now Ozi must decide what he’s willing to risk to protect Raven from the threat of his past coming back to haunt him. Her safety or his heart.When lust turns into obsession, can it ever become love?This is a standalone book in the Immortal Billionaires series.WARNING: This book contains graphic content and is meant for 18+ readers only
No Weddings
Kat Bastion - 2014
I think I have my act together as a successful bar owner, my master’s degree within reach, and a list of no-strings-attached women warming my bed. Turns out, I don’t. Hannah believes she has safeguarded her wounded heart by shunning men and focusing on her new baking business. The thing is, she hasn’t. When my three sisters and I start a new event-planning business with Hannah as our baker, I have no idea how my life is about to change. As Hannah and I work closely together, the attraction between us becomes irresistible. And complicated. I’ve promised my sisters I wouldn’t mix business with pleasure. But I’ve never been one to follow the rules. *** The No Weddings Series Release Dates *** No Weddings ~ Sep 8th One Funeral ~ Sep 29th Two Bar Mitzvahs ~ Oct 20th Three Christmases ~ Nov 17th
Saints
Sophia Henry - 2019
who sets my blood on fire.When my twin brother defects from Moscow to play hockey in America, a merciless gang sets their sights on me as part of an extortion plot.The leader of a rival operation offers to keep me safe…for a price. In exchange for their protection, he wants my body. And as badly as I want to say no, body over life seems like a better deal.But as I slip deeper into his world, he demands more from me. Now he wants the only thing I'm unwilling to give him.My heart.SAINTS is the heart-stopping first novel in USA TODAY Bestselling Author Sophia Henry's sizzling Saints and Sinners suspense series.
Recoil
Joanne Macgregor - 2016
The Game is real. Three years after a series of terrorist attacks flooded the US with a lethal plague, society has changed radically. Sixteen year-old Jinxy James spends her days trapped at home – immersed in virtual reality, worrying about the plague and longing for freedom. Then she wins a war simulation game and is recruited into a top-secret organisation where talented teenagers are trained to become agents in the war on terror. Eager to escape her mother’s over-protectiveness and to serve her country, Jinxy enlists and becomes an expert sniper of infected mutant rats. She’s immediately drawn to Quinn O’Riley, a charming and subversive intelligence analyst who knows more about the new order of government and society than he is telling. Then a shocking revelation forces Jinxy to make an impossible decision, and she risks losing everything. Recoil is the first book in a Young Adult dystopian romance trilogy, and makes great reading for lovers of Rick Yancey (The Fifth Wave), Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games), and Veronica Roth (Divergent). BONUS CONTENT! Chapter one of Refuse (book 2 in the Recoil series) included in this version!
All The Things We Lost
Kayla Tirrell - 2017
Lost in turmoil and sadness, a ray of hope shines brightly when she comes face to face with Julian for the first time in years.However, he isn’t the same boy she left behind. Reserved and covered in bruises, everyone in River Valley avoids him. Rumors of his activities run rampant.Despite his cold attitude toward her and her own sadness, Katie can’t keep her thoughts from straying to her childhood friend. Julian is barely keeping it together. He’s the sole provider for his family after his dad leaves. His dreams to go to college are ruined. Even his relationship with his older brother leaves its mark.But, Katie’s back in town and is stirring feelings in him he thought were lost forever.Can they find hope and love in each other, or will the struggle to survive their desperate situations prove too much?
Over You
H.M. Ward - 2016
Ward and L.G. Castillo Charming. Sexy. Rich. William Darcy is the triple threat that should make any woman twerk on sight. He's everything a girl could want-a beautiful billionaire with sad eyes and a crooked smile so yummy you can't help but try to lick it. Well, unless that woman is Beth Bennet. Her panties don't drop for anyone unless there's love, so a guy like Darcy doesn't stand a chance. Being shoved up the New York City socialite ladder chafes, so Beth attends college as far away as possible. Texas provides the distance she needs, but when her father gets sick she finds herself right back where she started-stuck together with a bronzed god who hates her. The prideful will fall to ruin. Their prejudice will be their undoing. And William Darcy will be the first to fall, Beth is certain of that. "Type: ROMANCE NOVEL STAND ALONE NO Cliffhanger"
The Wedding Game
Meghan Quinn - 2021
So it’s only natural that Luna would convince her brother and his husband-to-be to compete on The Wedding Game, a “do-it-yourself” TV show, for the title of Top DIY Wedding Expert.As a jaded divorce lawyer, Alec Baxter scoffs at weddings and romance. But when his recently engaged brother begs him to participate in The Wedding Game, Alec grudgingly picks up a glue gun and prepares for some family bonding.Both fierce competitors, Luna and Alec clash on national TV as harsh words and glitter fly with abandon. But as they bicker over color swatches and mood boards, they find themselves fighting something else: their growing mutual attraction. While Luna is torn between family loyalty and her own feelings, Alec wonders if he might have been wrong about love and marriage all along…
Pretty Monsters (Pretty Monsters Trilogy, #1)
Kimberly Carrillo - 2020
Here we don't hide in the shadows. I am vengeance wrapped in a pretty package, but you can call me Sin, everyone else does. I’m a weapon and as such I live for one thing only, to bring death where I’m aimed. That is until the night she walks into the moonlight. Raven Blackthorne taunts me with her beauty and innocence. She doesn’t belong in my world, even if it is her father who’s trapped me here. I’m not good for her, but maybe I’m exactly who she needs to help her escape it. Unless I break her first.
Rock Me To The Top (Gracefall: Vicious Love Tour Book One)
Victoria Zak - 2021
Now one of the hottest metal bands on the charts, things are looking up, until a tragic accident threatens to rip the band apart. Can the guys recapture the beat that rocketed them to the top, or will they crash and burn?He believed the lie.Uber-sexy drummer, Joe Grace, has it all, except the one woman he wants to share it with, his best friend, Melody. When he hires Mel to manage his band’s tour, hot summer nights flame into a new passion neither can deny, but their fire ignites the darkness hiding behind long-buried secrets and lies. Lies that could lose him the woman he loves unless he bares his soul and lays it all on the line.She fell for the fantasy.Melody Sterling is no stranger to rock and roll. As the daughter of a legendary rocker, she had a front row seat to the destruction that lifestyle did to her parents’ relationship. Dating a rock star after that disaster? Out of the question! Until her best friend becomes one. Down on her luck—and apparently out of her mind—she joins Joe on their Gracefall summer tour, and soon finds herself falling fast for the fantasy of his crazy world. Now she must decide if her own dreams are worth fighting for, even if believing in herself again means losing the man she loves.