Book picks similar to
Tequila Haze by Melissa Toppen


romance
contemporary-romance
second-chance
contemporary

Cherry Beats


Vicki James - 2019
    Bryan Adams. Presley West. My favourite men of music. Only one of them within reach. The night before Presley West was due to leave our small town of Hollings Hill, all of my high school fantasies came to life. He finally wanted me. Eight years I’d spent pining, and now I, bar-tending Tessa Lisbon, was going to make damn sure I made that night count before the music industry stole him. Never screw your idols. That’s what they say, right? Well, I did, and I did it well. So well, I somehow managed to screw my own heart in the process. He gave me one night to convince him to stay. In the end, I begged him to go. Forever. But that’s the thing about rock stars: they do what they want, when they want, and forever didn’t end up being as long as I expected. Presley was back, and with his face, voice, and music now everywhere I turned, I officially had nowhere left to run.

When the Music Ends


Simone Beaudelaire - 2013
    Young builder Sean Murphy isn't really in the market for a relationship. He's more interested in helping build his father's construction company. Even if he were, his sister's best friend isn't even on his radar. That is, until Sheridan plays matchmaker. A pity date quickly flares into irresistible passion. But as their love reaches a crescendo, personal tragedies and impossible decisions threaten to end their harmonious, unlikely romance. When the music ends, will these troubled lovers find a way to compose a life together? NOTE: this is a steamy romance and contains graphic sex scenes.

Stone


Max Monroe - 2018
    Then, want. But in the end? Heartbreak. My celebrity life was supposed to be easy, and this movie was the biggest break of my career. But from the moment Officer Levi Fox gave me a speeding ticket on my way into town, he’s been nothing but a thorn in my side. Dominant. Cocky. Callous. Midnight blue eyes, a bad attitude, and muscles for days, he’s exactly the kind of man I should avoid. But as the Cold, Montana Police Department’s official movie liaison, he’s taken up a permanent place in my life that I can’t shake. We fight. A lot. Then, we kiss—and my carefully crafted hate toward him no longer feels so much like hate. I’m falling falling falling. But how often do alpha-jerks cushion the landing? Note: Levi and Ivy’s story will continue in Book Two—Cold.

Detour


Kacey Shea - 2017
    I play. You play. Don’t hit on me. Don’t flirt with me. Understood?”Handsome, charismatic, and blessed with a voice that brings thousands of fans to their knees, Trent Donovan is a walking cliché. But he has another thing coming if he thinks he can charm his way into my panties.I don’t care if he’s rich and famous because I’m not here to bag a rock star. I’m here to pave my own way. To prove I belong center stage. There’s just one problem.The more time I spend on the road with the band, the more I realize Trent’s nothing like the arrogant playboy I expected. We share a love of music, and if I’m honest so much more. I came on this tour to follow my dreams, but if I’m not careful he’s bound to lead them off track—right along with my heart.

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.

A Song for Julia


Charles Sheehan-Miles - 2012
    Six years later, he’s still at odds with his father, a Boston cop, and doesn’t ever speak to his mother. The only relationship that really matters is with his younger brother, but watching out for Sean can be a full-time job. The one thing Crank wants in life is to be left the hell alone to write his music and drive his band to success.Julia Thompson left a secret behind in Beijing that exploded into scandal in Washington, DC, threatening her father's career and dominating her family's life. Now, in her senior year at Harvard, she's haunted by a voice from her past and refuses to ever lose control of her emotions again, especially when it comes to a guy. When Julia and Crank meet at an anti-war protest in Washington in the fall of 2002, the connection between them is so powerful it threatens to tear everything apart.

The Choices I've Made


J.L. Berg - 2017
    I couldn't be me anymore. So, with nothing more than a few boxes and a beat up truck, I left behind my old life at the tender age of eighteen.And I never looked back. Twelve years later, I find myself traveling back to the sandy shores of that North Carolina town where my late father has left me his medical practice. Coming here means facing my past... My memories... And her--Molly McIntyre. Growing up, Molly had been my entire world, first as a childhood friend and then so much more. We'd made promises to each other back then. Promises I broke when I walked away. And now that I'm back? Well, let's just say she's not exactly the head of my welcoming committee. But even she can't deny the undeniable spark that still burns so brightly between us and soon, we're tumbling fast and hard into the past.But I need to keep my eyes set to the future, because mine isn't here in this dead end town. Not anymore. All Molly has ever known is here, on this small island. Could I really ask her to give it all up? For me? If I walk away again, will she follow?

Marry Me


Samantha Lind - 2018
    She captured my heart from the moment I first saw her dancing through the sprinkler. I always kept my feelings hidden though, standing back as she dated other guys, afraid to cross that line and risk losing her. I even went out with a few girls myself, but no one ever measured up. Then that dreaded day arrived, and I knew I’d lost her forever. Lauren- Sam was always my constant. My rock. My best friend. That feeling, the one I only got around him, had never been matched by another man. But Sam never showed me he felt anything more for me than friendship, so I moved on... Now, standing at the end of the aisle, ready to walk to my forever, my mind spins with what-ifs. Do I keep moving forward, knowing a man who loves me is at the end? Or do I risk it all, for the one man I’ve always wanted, and hope he wants me in return.

Real Deal


Piper Rayne - 2017
     Red Flags… Too loud. Too clingy. Too much make-up. I could go on and on. The other guys in the Single Dad’s Club would say I’m obsessed with finding them. But none of their kid’s mothers call a maximum-security prison home either, so their opinions mean shit. Caterina Santora has her own list of red flags… She’s too young. She’s my client’s daughter. She’s my five-year old’s camp counselor. Even after repeating this mantra to myself every morning on the way to Lily’s summer camp, guess what happens the moment I see Cat? Yeah, that mantra turns into ride me, doggie style and reverse cowgirl. Every. Damn. Time. The fact that she doesn’t remember me from six years before grates on me until I don’t have it in me to leave her alone any longer. I have to have her. But our lives are opposites in every way. In no way compatible. When we’re together all the complications fade away and I have to keep reminding myself, even if I can have her— I can’t keep her.

At This Moment


Karen Cimms - 2016
    Kate Daniels wants it all—a big, crazy life, lots of kids, and an adoring husband. Someday. For now, she’ll be happy just to survive her first semester of college. Billy McDonald wants it all, too. Since the day he got his first guitar, he’s had one goal—to prove he’s worth something. His dream is so close, he can almost touch it.Thrown together during a freak snowstorm, Kate and Billy’s lives become permanently entwined. On the outside, they have nothing in common, but scars aren’t always visible and abuse doesn’t always leave a mark. Kate keeps the pain of her past buried, while Billy carries his like a weapon.In spite of finding love, Billy continues to be haunted by his childhood and tempted by the excesses of the music industry. He struggles to keep his career on track and his inner demons at bay, until one night, he makes a mistake that could cost him everything. Kate may have found her happily ever after, but for Billy, the nightmare has just begun.Set against a backdrop of heavy metal and emerging grunge, At This Moment is the first book in the Of Love and Madness trilogy. A love story that unfolds over twenty-five years, it’s the tale of two damaged people trying to make their way in the world without destroying themselves or each other in the process.

Tumble


Adriana Locke - 2019
    Her plan? Relax, reset, and head back up the corporate ladder. There’s just one unexpected step. Neely’s back in Dogwood Lane for barely a day when she sees the man she ran from nine years ago: the bad boy next door who was her first kiss, her first love, and her first heartbreak.Devoted single dad Dane Madden knows he hurt Neely in the worst way. He’s got a lot to make up for. And as passionate as their reconnection is, it’s a lot to hope for. Having her back in his arms feels so right. But falling in love all over again with a woman who wants to live a world away is bound to go so wrong.What’s it going to take for Neely to give him—and Dogwood Lane—just one more chance?

One More Kiss


Samantha Chase - 2017
    Instead, he finds someone he never expected: the woman whose steamy kiss he remembers like it was yesterday.Vivienne Forrester finally has her life in order... until Matt moves back to town. She doesn't want to think about the time she threw caution to the wind with him, but running into him everywhere, it's impossible not to...

Wet


Stacy Kestwick - 2015
    Wouldn’t have dived in after him.Wouldn’t have met West Montgomery.The cocky bastard should have been thankful, grateful even. Of course, he wasn’t.That should have been the end of it. Of course, it wasn’t.Damn doughnuts.

Regret


Christina Lee - 2017
    The last thing he expects is for his friend’s roommate to be the one guy he despises the most. The same guy who stomped on his heart senior year of high school. And by the looks of the girl on his arm, the same man who’s still deep inside the closet. Nicholas Dell never predicted that eleven years later, one of his greatest regrets would show up on his doorstep down on his luck. Nick has made some terrible mistakes—story of his life—and he’s been paying for them ever since. And if the guilt and shame aren’t enough, his first crush had to turn into one of the sexiest men he’s ever laid eyes on. Nick and Brin have weeks to steer clear of each other. Weeks to avoid strangling each other. But when stubbornness leads to skyrocketing sexual tension, hate-sex doesn’t seem like such an awful way to work through their frustration. Except hate is a powerful emotion, especially when it’s turned inward. And in Nick’s case he’s been drowning in a sea of self-loathing for so long, he can’t see his way out. As Brin reconnects with Nick, his perception of what really happened in their past begins to change. He’s finally ready to forgive him and take a second chance on the one guy who stirs him like no other. But Nick’s demons are complicated, heart-wrenching…demanding. So devastating, he might never allow himself true happiness—even with the one man who’s always owned his heart.

Love in Between


Sandi Lynn - 2013
    That was until I found my fiancé having sex with my sister in the church moments before I was supposed to walk down the aisle. I grew up with a famous rock star father who was nothing but a womanizer who cheated on my mother every chance he got. Cheating and lying was all I ever grew up with and I vowed never to live the life my mother did. Wanting to start a fresh new life, I moved from Seattle to Santa Monica to focus on my passion for photography. No men. No lies. No hassles. No love. Until I met Luke Matthews.My name is Luke Matthews. A year ago, I lost the love of my life, my fiancée, in a tragic car accident. My life and all my dreams died with her that day, and I do nothing now but exist and play my guitar to try and ease the pain. My love was taken away and that was something I would never get that back. Then I met Lily Gilmore.What happens when the lives of two people who no longer believe in love are suddenly changed by fate?