Book picks similar to
Defy Fate by Abigail Davies


age-gap
student-teacher
teacher-student
romance

Always


Bethany-Kris - 2017
    Cross Donati defines trouble. He does what he wants because he’s never known anything different. He’s unapologetic, and he owns it. Catherine Marcello is every bit a good girl … on the outside. Her entire world is a legacy, and she lives it. She’s curious, and she’s exploring it. She chases bad things.He never learned to be good. They’re late nights, stolen cars, first times, fist fights, leather jackets, beaches, bloody smiles, and life.They’re vicious and precious, dangerous and harmless, innocence and sin. They are love. Love is killing for someone.Love is living for someone. Sometimes, you can’t keep saving your heart when it means sacrificing it, too.Sometimes, you have to learn to save yourself.Sometimes, love has to fall, crash, and burn. This is what love is like when you’re a principe and principessa della mafia.This is what love is like when you’re Cross Donati and Catherine Marcello. *** Always is a Legacy Novel, and while it is standalone, it can also act as a prequel for Revere. Each Legacy Novel stands alone from any other book, series, or collection.

Normal


Danielle Pearl - 2014
    Starting at a new high school, in the middle of my senior year, in a new town, in a new state. I know no one. No one knows me. That's what I'm counting on.A year ago, Aurora "Rory" Pine was just a normal teenage girl - just as sweet and naive as the fairy tale princess she was named after.But this isn't a year ago.Rory is broken, and now suffering from a debilitating anxiety disorder, wrought with precarious triggers, she moves across the country to escape the source of her troubles. Her plan is anonymity, but that's easier said than achieved for the new girl having a panic episode outside of calculus. The worst part? There's a witness - and a gorgeous one at that.Sam is a walking trigger for Rory. Incredibly handsome, built like the star athlete he obviously is, and undoubtedly popular, Sam outwardly represents everything Rory despises about high school. But as the fates keep throwing them together, a connection sparks that neither ever expected, and certainly couldn't ignore.But Sam has issues too, and Rory's past won't just stay in the damned past. When friendship evolves into something deeper, can a girl utterly destroyed by the worst kind of betrayal and a boy battling demons of his own ever have a normal relationship? Is that even what they want? Find out in NORMAL, a gritty story of trust and abuse, heartbreak and salvation, and if they're lucky - love. This is not a flowery romance - not for the faint of heart.

Heartbreak Prince


C.R. Jane - 2020
    I believe in them. I was lucky enough to have two of them at one point.The only problem. My soulmates happened to be twin brothers.Caiden was the light to Jackson's dark. And after all that I had been through, the light was what I thought I needed.When I chose Caiden, I lost Jackson.Feeling like half a person after Jackson left, I barely survived when tragedy struck and I lost Caiden too.It took me years to admit to myself that I had chosen wrong from the beginning. I’m ready to admit it to Jackson...only problem, he hates me.I’m ready to fight for my happily ever after.But there’s a reason they call him the Heartbreak Prince.

Teach Me


Amy Lynn Steele - 2012
    Nearly ten years later she is focused on her last year of high school and which colleges to apply to, not the attractive surfer who keeps showing up at the little corner of beach where she reads. She has no interest in a romantic relationship, especially one that starts in the summer and would be long distance. Ali tries to ignore him, but finds the boy on the beach much more distracting than the words in her books. Cooper Perez has never surfed the same beach this many days in a row. He just can’t seem to change spots until he has the courage to talk to the girl who is always reading her books in the shade. When he finally approaches her he is overwhelmed with the instant attraction he feels for this beautiful and intelligent girl, even though she is three years younger. Cooper and Allison spend the rest of the summer together discovering their love of many things, including each other. Summer eventually comes to an end, but their love does not. Allison heads home to start her senior year, but an opportunity brings Cooper closer to Allison than either of them would have expected. Mr. Perez is the new English teacher at Allison’s high school.

Her Touch


Alexa Riley - 2017
    He never expected that the officer he was living with would have a daughter who tested his honor.Maggie Drummond has been moved around more times than she can count and starting at a new high school sucks. But when a wounded Marine comes to live with her and her dad, suddenly Maggie figures out what home is.She’s forbidden fruit, and he’s trying not to taste… But desire can only be denied for so long. Circumstances keep pulling them back together, and something truly unforeseen happens. Overnight, Eli becomes a guardian and Maggie his ward.Will Eli keep his hands off Maggie? Will Maggie like it if he doesn’t? Will the two of them break the law because it feels so good? Only one way to find out!Warning: This book will make you ache in the best way possible! It’s so sweet it’s disgusting, and yet we just can’t stop. It’s a coming-of-age story that’s just what the author ordered. So eat up and enjoy!

Tortured Whispers


Danielle James - 2018
    If you are squeamish or draw a hard line at strong themes, this book may not be for you, and that’s okay. Brooklyn... Drowning in plain sight while everyone can see you is terrifying. But more than anything it’s lonely. And sometimes withstanding the weight of being alone is worse than anything. The only thing that helped me cope was cutting. Sinking a razor into my arm over and over pushed air into my lungs even though it hurt me in the long run. It was the only way I could breathe. Until I found him. He wasn’t supposed to ever be mine and my sick mind wasn’t supposed to look at him the way I did. Like he hung the moon and the stars. But he made me float And floating felt so much better than drowning. I never wanted to leave his side once I realized he was the reason I could finally breathe again. I knew the world would try to pull us apart. I knew the demons inside of me would try to sabotage our love around every corner… I knew our minds were warped for wanting to be together… We were vile. Immoral. Sin personified. But I was willing to slay every demon and heal every cut if it meant I could be with him.

Burn for Me


Sara Cate - 2021
    It was my investigation that sent his father to jail. It was my fault his mother killed herself shortly after. I’ve regretted it every day since. When he shows up in my Journalism class, I know I’m in trouble.Cullen Ayers wants to make me pay.His torment becomes my life, and I endure every moment because I deserve it. What started as revenge quickly turns into lust. He’s only eighteen, and I should be ashamed of how good this feels when we’re alone, but I can’t help myself. I’m in too deep. I’m starting to discover his family’s secrets go far deeper than I first thought. The more I uncover, the more ways he finds to punish me. Cullen wants to ruin me for life, and I’m afraid he already has. Warning: This is a dark, bully romance with explicit content that may be triggering to some readers, including dub-con, abuse, and murder. Cullen Ayers is covered in red flags, but the bigger the bully, the better the redemption.

Ruthless Love


Penelope Bloom - 2020
     That is, until I move next door to Parker High’s most eligible bastard, Tristan Blackwood. He’s gorgeous. Eyes as cold as moonlight. Lips made for cruel kisses. The entire town knows it, too. Apparently being able to throw a football elevates you to god status around here. He could have anything he wanted. Anyone. But somehow, all he wanted was to torment me. Me, trapped in my mom’s protective bubble: homeschooled and invisible, stuck in a wheelchair and saddled with more medical issues than I could count. Normal? I might as well wish to be a fairytale princess. There aren’t any princesses or knights in my fairytale. Just the dark prince who lives next door. Parker High royalty in the flesh. My very own devil in a letterman jacket. His life should be a dream, but the only thing he cares about is becoming my nightmare. And when my pride isn’t enough for him, he decides he wants my body. He wants my heart. He wants every last inch of me to himself.

Rising


Jessica Ruben - 2018
    Anonymity is key in my neighborhood—particularly as a lone female walking at night. All I want is to leave my crime-ridden shadow of a home in New York City. I’ve done everything I can to keep my head down and focus on my studies. College is my only goal; love has never been on the map… That is, until my sister brings me to an underground fight, where I meet a gorgeous and mysterious man: Vincent. He is the ghost in my shadows, showing up to feed me pieces of his upper-crust life, then evaporating into darkness until his next visit. I’m falling hard and fast. How can I trust him amidst the depth of his secrets? Vincent may be even more dangerous than the dark world I’m trying to escape.

Broken Ever After


Natalie Graham - 2013
    Contains scenes of a sexual nature. Recommended to 18+ readers.

Hating You


J.L. Beck - 2019
     Maybe she thought it was only a little lie. That she did the right thing, that the worst was behind her, that no one had gotten hurt. Oh how naive the black haired beauty was. Fate has finally brought her back to me, to Blackthorn Academy. Once upon a time I was obsessed, consumed with the need to make her mine. Now I just want revenge, and I’ll do whatever I can to get it. You see the beautiful, sweet, Willow doesn’t realize the mistake she’s made yet. She doesn’t realize that she’s entered the lion's den and there won’t be any escaping her fate. I’m Parker Rothschild, and I’ll become her nightmare, her enemy, her bully. By the time I’m finished with her she’ll be begging me for forgiveness and pleading to confess her sins. **This is a standalone DARK bully romance. This book contains scenes that may be triggering to some readers. This is not a YA romance novel and should be read by those only 18+ or older. **

Elite


Rachel Van Dyken - 2013
    But after her grandmother's death, Tracey is all her grandfather has. So when Eagle Elite University announces its annual scholarship lottery, Tracey jumps at the opportunity to secure their future and enters. She isn't expecting much-but then she wins. And life as she knows it will never be same . . .The students at Eagle Elite are unlike any she's ever met . . . and they refuse to make things easy for her. There's Nixon, gorgeous, irresistible, and leader of a group that everyone fears: The Elect. Their rules are simple. 1. Do not touch The Elect. 2. Do not look at The Elect. 3. Do not speak to The Elect. No matter how hard she tries to stay away, The Elect are always around her and it isn't long until she finds out the reason why they keep their friends close and their enemies even closer. She just didn't realize she was the enemy -- until it was too late.

Torrid Affair


Callie Anderson - 2016
    And one of them is my brother-in-law.He’s my drug. My fire. My addiction.But he’s married to my best friend. And I’m married to my husband.I’m not ashamed. I have no guilt.None.I’m not fucked. I’m a fucked up person.This is the story of how I ruined my life.And the life of the one I loved most.

Finding Fate


S.M. Olivier - 2019
    I live in a beautiful mansion on top of a hill and want for nothing. My father’s successful, and my mother’s devoted to seeing me and my siblings succeed… Oh, wait…that’s not my life at all. That’s my half-sister’s life. Until recently, I had no family, aside from my mom and dad. My life consisted of secrets, escape, two best friends, and most importantly, dance. But when my mom drops a bombshell on me, that we’re moving to her hometown hours away, all the secrets come out, including the fact that the man who I’ve called dad my whole life, is really my uncle. So now it’s a new school, new life, new town. And let me tell you, this town hates me. My life has never been a bed of roses, to begin with, but being here? It’s hell. My best friends are far away, my dance career is on hold, and the family drama is movie-worthy. The only thing that’s worth getting up for in the morning is my new friends, a group of guys who have made it their mission to put me under their wing. They bring me into their circle, determined to protect me and help me on my new path. But sometimes, we get in our own way. Sometimes, you can’t walk alone. Sometimes, the only way to live your life is to lean on the ones who love you. ***Peyton’s Path is a Contemporary Reverse Harem. This book contains some triggering content that may be sensitive to some readers. ***

Skin


B.B. Easton - 2017
    . . perhaps on the entire planet. He hated everyone, except for BB Easton—the perky, quirky punk chick he couldn’t avoid.BB, on the other hand, liked everybody . . . except for Knight. She was scared to death of him, actually. All she wanted was to marry Little Mermaid’s Prince Eric-lookalike and king of the local punk scene Lance Hightower.But Knight was patient. Persistent. Unexpected. And once he got under BB’s skin, her life would never be the same.A  forbidden love story overflowing with '90s nostalgia, dark humor, and heart-wrenching angst, and based on a true story.