Book picks similar to
Make Me Stay by Amarie Avant


romance
dnf
second-chance
interracial-romance

What Once Was Perfect


Zoe York - 2013
     Heading home always stirs up mixed emotions for Laney Calhoun. Twelve years ago she left for graduate school, broken-hearted. She's found professional success, but positive personal relationships have proved elusive. Running into her ex-boyfriend fans flames she thought long extinguished, and causes a renewed interest in love. Not with Kyle, of course. Never again. But as sparks fly and items of clothing disappear, she scrambles to keep her emotions in check. ...Now he has a second chance to get it right. Kyle Nixon let Laney slip away once. Their chemistry together is undeniable, but steamy sex is not enough to convince her to let him back into her heart. Even if she did trust him again, her career as a paediatric surgeon is five hundred kilometers away from the hometown that he loves, and the life he once chose over her. Come home to Wardham. Come home to love.

A Heart Not Easily Broken


M.J. Kane - 2012
    What she doesn't expect is a blond haired, blue-eyed bass player—who won’t take “no” for an answer—to accept the challenge. When Ebony’s attempt at a brief fling turns into more, despite negative reactions from friends and family, she finds juggling love, family, and career are nothing compared to the ultimate betrayal she endures. Now her dreams spiral into lies and secrets that threaten her future and her best friend’s trust.

Just an Illusion - Side A


D. Kelly - 2016
    However, when she attends a Bastards and Dangerous concert with her best friend Belle, her world shifts on its axis.Double trouble…Sawyer and Noah Weston are the front men of BAD. They’re fraternal twins and sexy as sin. When they hear the author of The O Factor is in their green room, they’re intrigued. She’s just the person they need to write their farewell story. The brothers offer Amelia the opportunity of a lifetime, which she reluctantly accepts.Three hearts…Noah is sweet and considerate, working hard to make Amelia feel at home on the road. Unfortunately, the closer they get, the more obnoxious Sawyer becomes. Sawyer is arrogant and distant and he wants Amelia, even though she’s not his for the taking. Only during stolen moments does Sawyer show her who he really is.Can Amelia maintain a safe distance from Sawyer and keep her heart intact? Or will she shatter Noah’s heart by giving hers to his brother instead?Just an Illusion – Side A is the first book in The Illusion Series.Reading order of The Illusion Series: Just an Illusion - Side A Just an Illusion - The B SideJust an Illusion - EPJust an Illusion - Unplugged

American Bad Boy


Eddie Cleveland - 2016
    I lost my leg. I lost my career. And all I could think of was Lauren. I left for West Point with two things: a broken heart and a promise to never let it happen again.Now I'm back in Colorado as a war hero. F*ck that, I'm a celebrity.And every woman wants to open her legs for Captain America.So why do I only want her? *** Even with one leg, Mack Forrester hasn't lost his swagger. It's been a decade since he left. But under his tattoos, I still see the guy who broke my heart when he chose his country instead of me. I told myself I was over it. Over him. One glimpse in his crystal blue eyes and I knew it was a lie. Now he wants me back, but ten years is a long time. There's so much he doesn't know. Like, that I had his child.

One More Day


M. Malone - 2012
    I only have one rule: hands off the neighbors.The single ladies on the block have tried it. I mean, come on. I'm a rich, single dad with a big house and an even bigger... lawn. But playing where you live is a recipe for trouble. Especially since I've got nothing to offer beyond one night/ and a hell of a lot of bitterness.Then the girl-next-door gets locked out and I can't exactly leave her outside, right? This is a bad idea. But it's going to feel oh so good.

Again for the First Time


Raven St. Pierre - 2015
    Then again, Lissette never dreamed she’d actually say “yes”. But she did… The odds are against them from the start of their less than conventional marriage, but the couple quickly realizes that their newfound love is absolutely worth the risk.

Sweet Sinful Nights


Lauren Blakely - 2015
    It’s his greatest regret, especially since she’s all but disappeared. But when the gorgeous and captivating woman walks into his life unexpectedly, he’s determined to win her back. Whatever it takes, he won’t make the same mistake twice. Easier said than done… Shannon Paige has hardened her heart to the man she was once engaged to be married to. After the way he left, and after the hell she’s been through with her checkered family, there’s no way she’s letting him into her life again. The problem is, the second she sees him, he’s more handsome and charming than before. And she’s torn between wanting to fight with him and wanting to sleep with him -- Maybe both. Soon they fall into each other’s arms, consumed with a desire that burns through the years. But if these two fiery lovers are going to have a real second chance at this kind of intense, passionate, bone-deep love, he’ll have to give her his whole heart, and she’ll have to give up all the secrets from her messy past. And that messy past is about to spill over into her carefully constructed present… SWEET SINFUL NIGHTS is book one in SINFUL NIGHTS, a four-book series. Each book will follow a new couple.

Beautifully Wounded


Susan Griscom - 2014
    is to take a leap of faith.What would you do if you had no place to go and no one you could trust?"The lyrics are about you, Lena," he confessed, and I watched his mouth as the tip of his tongue moistened his lips before he leaned his head down. Then those beautiful lips were on mine, soft, tender at first, then his tongue glided over my lips, breaking the seal. My pulse throbbed and quickened as his tongue swirled around mine. Taking and controlling, and... and I wanted this, needed his touch. I went limp in his embrace, and the heat rose under my skin, my body vibrated against his strong powerful one. Was this really happening?" Jackson Beaumont prides himself on being a nature-loving, guitar-strumming, carefree sort of guy. When the mysterious Lena Benton walks into his bar looking scared and defeated, it's not something he can ignore. He's immediately consumed by concern for her and driven by his desire to help. She's just so beautiful. So wounded. After being shuffled from one foster home to another growing up, Lena Benton dreamt of finding her prince charming. When the captivating Troy Harington sweeps her off her feet shortly after high school graduation, she's certain she's found her happiness. Unfortunately, Troy's true colors surface shortly after their marriage and things turn ugly. Lena only has one choice. She has to leave him. She has to run... Lena's escape has brought her to Jackson, and he clearly wants to be there for her, but can she trust anyone again after what she's gone through? And will Jackson be able to help her heal without losing his heart?18+ due to sexual content and mature subject matter.

Hard to Love


W. Winters - 2019
    I was too much of a bastard to push her away.I grew up in this life, and now I run these streets. Blood and violence taint everything I touch.Everything but her. She was my constant through it all.Just a touch would singe and soothe.Just a look would tempt and torment.She became my escape and my addiction.I only survived because she was by my side.I should’ve known better than to indulge.I should’ve known better than to let her fall for me.It was only a matter of time before the danger bled into what we had.I was Laura’s downfall. Problem was, she was mine too.

The Genius and the Muse


Elizabeth Hunter - 2012
    She thought she knew what she wanted in life. She had a great boyfriend, a promising career, and a clear path. How could one simple portrait change all that? A photograph. A sculpture. A painting. One clue leads to another, and Kate learns that pieces of the past might leave unexpected marks on her own future, too. And how, exactly, did she end up in an irritable sculptor's studio? One portrait may hold the answers, but learning its secrets will challenge everything Kate thought she knew about love, art, and life. A single picture can tell more than one story, and in the end, a young artist will discover that every real love story is a unique work of art.

Hate to Want You


Alisha Rai - 2017
    No one will know. That was the deal. Every year, Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler would share one perfect night of illicit pleasure. The forbidden hours let them forget the tragedy that haunted their pasts—and the last names that made them enemies. Until the night she didn’t show up. Now Nicholas has an empire to run. He doesn’t have time for distractions and Livvy’s sudden reappearance in town is a major distraction. She’s the one woman he shouldn’t want . . . so why can’t he forget how right she feels in his bed? Livvy didn’t come home for Nicholas, but fate seems determined to remind her of his presence—and their past. Although the passion between them might have once run hot and deep, not even love can overcome the scandal that divided their families. Being together might be against all the rules . . . but being apart is impossible.

Their Second Chance


April Angel - 2014
    From the moment she met him, Nick was the only man to make her body burn and fill her heart with joy, but somewhere along the way, they lost their ability to communicate--in any language.Nick Parker lost the woman he loved to the trials of conception. Their inability to cope with their failure broke down their relationship and their friendship. And now, he's left with a woman he lusts after, longs for, and doesn't know how to reach.One locked door and plenty of time to hash out their problems will either leave them broken forever or might just be the glue that holds them together.

Finding Allie


Meli Raine - 2015
     My stepfather turns out to be a rival drug dealer, and I'm pretty sure he killed my mom two years ago. I'm not supposed to fall in love with Chase. He's not supposed to know I even exist. But when he finds me, he can't let go. And when I find myself in his arms? I hold tight. I have to. Because if I don't, I might just die. * * * Read all three books in the Breaking Away series: Finding Allie Chasing Allie Keeping Allie With or without him.

Petal Plucker


Iris Morland - 2019
    No man has hosed my hyacinth. Fondled my freesia. Diddled my daffodil.You get the point.My excuse?I was too busy running my family’s flower shop and winning floral design competitions.Suddenly that whole pesky virginity thing becomes a big deal when Jacob West walks back into my life. The boy I once loved. The same boy who humiliated me when he stood me up for prom.This Jacob is no boy, though: he’s all man now—confident, charming, and so sexy my metaphorical blossoms are getting scorched. I can almost forget I’m supposed to hate him forever. Almost.To make things worse, he’s my main competition now, since he took over his parents’ flower shop. If I give into this sizzling attraction between us, it could jeopardize everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve.But if I’m not careful, he might not just be the first man to pluck my petals—he might also be the only man to capture my heart.

Enthrall


Vanessa Fewings - 2013
    This is the embrace of Enthrall. Mia Lauren is a single, twenty-one-year old working in a West Hollywood art store who dreams of one day becoming a fashion designer. When an unexpected offer arises to work at Enthrall, L.A.'s premier fetish club for the wealthy, Mia accepts. It's a salary beyond her wildest imagination.Mia becomes the secretary to the club's assistant director, blond and broody Richard Booth. Richard is not only one of L.A.'s most beautiful and wealthiest men, he is also the club's senior dominant. Mia is both drawn and terrified when he reveals flashes of his white-hot passion, threatening an unbound pleasure like no other. She knows her attraction may be her undoing, but the spellbinding feelings render her powerless to resist his advances. What Mia cannot know is that Enthrall's dashing founder and director thirty-year-old Cameron Cole, who is also the club's psychiatrist, has lured Mia to save his best friend and patient Richard from his obsession with thrill seeking. Cameron masterfully sets up sexy scenarios to ensure the collision of Richard and Mia, hoping that love will save him. However, despite Cameron's noble intentions, he also finds himself enticed by Mia's haunting innocence. Passion and pleasure stir, forming a dangerous love triangle. This is the world of the forbidden. This is the embrace of Enthrall.THE ENTHRALL SESSIONS TRILOGY (now available in box set) is Mia Lauren’s awakening set against the backdrop of the exclusive Enthrall BDSM club in Los Angeles.THE BEYOND ENTHRALL DUET is founder of Enthrall, Cameron Cole’s story, picking up after Enthrall Him, book 3’s ending, but can be read as a stand-alone duet.WITHIN ENTHRALL are stand-alone novellas featuring characters from the Enthrall Sessions trilogy and Beyond Enthrall duet.