Book picks similar to
Ruined by Marie Johnston


freebie
contemporary
romance
novella

Save Me


Bella Scully - 2015
    Cal Gatlin hates me. And now? Cal Gatlin is my stepbrother. I’ve been broken since Dad died. Crippled by pain and the secrets I keep. I’m supposed to be perfect—the good girl with the 5.0 GPA and a ticket to Harvard. The last thing I need is a sexy, dangerous, tattooed bad boy stalking me, flirting with me, and calling me Sis with a cheeky grin. Especially if that bad boy is my obsessive childhood bully. Cal Gatlin. I hate him. But now that we are forced together by our parents' marriage, our acts are breaking down. He’s seeing the weak, imperfect side of me I’ve been terrified to show to anyone. And I’m discovering the pain beneath his cocky bad boy mask. Deep down, we’re each both just as broken as the other. Loving Cal Gatlin hurts. It’s dangerous. It’s reckless. But maybe we can save each other. ___ Warning: this novel contains strong language, adult themes, and explicit sex. It is intended for readers over the age of 18.

Love Rewritten


J. Saman - 2017
    So when lacrosse star, Brandon Kessler, comes along with his all-American good looks, easy disposition and magnetic charm, things seem to be looking up. Even if they come from two totally different worlds. Xander Novak is the gorgeous, volatile and often times mean best friend of Abby's twin brother, Aubrey. Her relationship with him is strained at best. But when Xander moves in unexpectedly, things seem to shift between them. But in what direction?One night of deception, lies, and heartbreak are a common link the three share. When the truth about that night comes out, none of their lives will ever be the same.Will Abby be able to find the love she's been searching for or will everything in her world fall apart?Warning: Strong language and moderate sexual content.

Mack: A Standalone Enemies-to-Lovers Romance


Alex Wolf - 2021
    Arrogant. Powerful.Presley Griffin is a do-gooder out to save the world.Sweet. Giving. Smart.But they have one thing in common… They’re ruthless in the courtroom.The spark is instant. The attraction undeniable.The yearning inescapable.And when they go from enemies to lovers, can they both survive the fire?

Addictive


Lola Finn - 2020
    Gorgeous. Frustrating. Sculpted perfection.Years ago, he claimed me as his best friend and then left, never to be heard from again—or so I thought until he showed up last year.We both spent the summer working at his father's luxury resort. Except he pretended not to know me, ignored me, managed to not even look at me for twelve weeks.Now we're both back again for another season, and a lot has changed since last year.He isn't just my secret obsession anymore. He isn't just my boss for the entire summer.Knox Cabot is about to become my stepbrother.And given the scorching stares, forbidden touches, and downright dirty things he says, Knox plans to claim me again...only in a hotter, sinful, and much more scandalous way.Welcome to Haven Cove. Elite, sexy, scandalous—and that's just the guests and staff. At one of the world's most exclusive resorts, someone's always doing something they shouldn't. Or, more likely...someone.Don't forget the sunscreen. It's amping up to be one long, hot summer. Each book in the Haven Cove series is a complete standalone with no cliffhangers, no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA.

Preacher


Christopher Harlan - 2020
    The 1st in a #newseries of interconnected standalones, “Preacher” will give you ALL the feels. SYNOPSIS:My preacher absolved no sins, because he was the sinner.Lyric:They say that you should give your heart away to the right guy, but mine was taken from me ten years ago, the moment Preacher moved into town and sent a blast wave through my life. He was my walking contradiction—gentle eyes set in a hardened face, an angel and an uncaged beast, mesmerizing good looks and terrifying ferocity, my savior and my destroyer.When he disappeared senior year he broke me like so much fragile glass. I thought I’d moved on from what happened between us, but now he’s reappeared out of nowhere, upending my life and reminding me that I can never break his hold over me.Preacher:I was trouble with a capital T—the guy your mom warned you to stay away from because he’d ruin you. She was right. I had no business being with a girl like Lyric—it was against all the rules—but when the hell have I ever followed other people’s rules?Never.She was beautiful, delicate, and oh so breakable. I was forceful, aggressive, and cocky as hell. Ten years ago fate split us apart. But now I’m back, here in New York, to remind Lyric of what she knows deep down but has always tried to deny.That she’s mine, and she always will be.

Wicked Secrets


Renee Harless
    It was dark. It was ugly. It was my dirty secret.No one knew the weight of the burdens that nearly consumed me. I lived with a singular focus—seeking revenge on my father.Then the new girl, Jolee Ward, moved into the apartment above me and shattered my carefully constructed world. We were like oil and water. . . until we weren’t.Then we detonated like gasoline and fire, but the inferno threatened to destroy us both. One night with her couldn’t erase years spent plotting.Wellington University wasn’t big enough for the both of us.(Previously published as Of Boys and Men)

A Thousand Cuts


Melissa Toppen - 2020
    But then I grew up and I realized that life isn't like the books I once loved so much. There are no princes riding in on their white horses. No magic wands or fairy god mothers. And no happily ever afters. Ryland Thorpe taught me the hard way that good doesn't always win and sometimes the people we trust the most are the ones that can hurt us the deepest. At fifteen, my world began and ended with him. He was my older brother's best friend. He was my protector. He was the boy I had loved since I was old enough to understand what loving someone meant. And he was a liar… It's been five years since I've seen him. Five long years and the memory of him still haunts me like it was yesterday. Only he's not just a memory anymore. Prison has hardened him, changed him, altered him in ways I never expected. But beneath it all I can still see a glimmer of the boy I used to love. When lies are exposed and secrets are revealed, I find myself questioning everything I thought I knew. They say the first cut is the deepest. They were wrong… A Thousand Cuts is a complete standalone novel in the Cell Block C Series.  A five book series- each book written by a different author in The Romance Collaborative.

Forbidden


Julie Kriss - 2015
    He was my first. And now he’s back.I met Bram Riordan when we were teenagers. I was shy, and Bram was dark and wild, untameable. He was also off-limits because his mother had married my father.It didn’t stop him from becoming my greatest mistake.Now, six years later, Bram has been released from prison. Our parents are divorced, but he’s back in my life. Big, tatted, and terrifying. I should have nothing to do with him, and he should never touch me.But the way he looks at me, I’m tempted to make the same mistakes all over again.We’re still forbidden. But now we just might break the rules — if we don’t break each other first.NOTE: This book was originally published under the title BREAK ME.

A Lovely Obsession: The Complete Debt of Passion Duet


Coralee June - 2020
    

His Many Desires Book 1


Ali Parker - 2019
     My brother and father are far more the billionaire type. Art is what wakes me up. Expressing my soul through a paintbrush. That and the beautiful woman that stole my heart years ago. But she belongs to their world. An executive for the accounting firm my family runs. And we live clear across the country from one another, but that doesn’t stop the way I feel. Every time I see her, I want to change everything about myself until she takes notice. Funnily enough, she doesn’t want me to change a damn thing. She says that now, but when she finds out all that I desire of her, with her, she might not be so compliant. Or maybe that’s what she’s been waiting on this whole time. This is book 1 in a 3 book series. You will have to read book 2 and 3 to complete the story.

The Potter


Kristy Marie - 2022
    the exam room. A brilliant surgeon.A master sculptor.The media touted Dr. Potter as a savior dressed in a crisp suit.I think he’s a vicious madman of jerk-sized proportions.But fate is a wicked tease.Only Dr. Potter can give me what I need.A fresh start.A new identity.But he refused, leaving me to take matters into my own hands by accepting a job as his partner’s new secretary.Dr. Potter can’t turn down my case forever.Or at least I thought so until I found him on the floor.Broken. Angry.With a venomous warning... I failed to heed. ​​​​​​​The Potter is a standalone grumpy-sunshine rom-dramedy.

Mostly My Boss


S. Doyle - 2019
    A friends to lovers/billionaire boss story! Ethan I met Jules in college. I was the cocky rich kid from the city and she was the girl from the farm with a chip on her shoulder. We shouldn’t have worked, but we did. We were more than friends which is why I wouldn’t let us become lovers. We were too important for that. I had plans to build an empire and I wanted her by my side. But when she actually came to work for me. That’s when I knew I was in trouble. Because I wanted her. But what if I’d waited too long? What if she didn’t want me? Then one night changed everything and Jules wanted to quit. The job. Me. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to find a way to fix us.

The Cowboy's Wife For One Night


Molly O'Keefe - 2021
    He's fixing a bad situation for her—that's all—they aren't making a real life together. She wants to stay on the ranch and he's got his life elsewhere. Still, this arrangement is a good deal for both of them.Until that one night…One passionate night with Mia makes Jack rethink their relationship…and their future. But all his plans grind to a halt when she asks for a divorce. Once upon a time, Jack might have agreed. But now that he knows the chemistry they share, he's not giving up a second chance to be with his wife.

Midnight Kisses


Alexa Rivers - 2019
    She’s the smitten small-town sweetheart. After years of waiting, it’s finally her time to make a move.Emily Parker has loved Justin Simons from afar for as long as she can remember. Even his being engaged to her high school nemesis didn’t stop her from yearning for him. But everything is different now. The other woman is out of the picture, and she’s finally ready to make a move on the only man she’s ever wanted. Surely she can convince the sexy, stubborn grouch to open up his wounded heart once more, right?The last thing Justin wants is love. He’s been down that road before and has the emotional scars to prove it. The invite to his ex’s wedding? Salt in the wound. But thankfully Emily is willing to be his plus one and help him prove that he’s finally over his broken engagement. Now all he’ll have to do is ignore his overwhelming attraction to the gorgeous woman who seems so determined to bring sunshine and joy into his life.Can Emily convince broody Justin that love is worth the risk? Or will he let happiness—and Emily—slip through his fingers?

The Trouble With Bullies


Ruby Vincent - 2019
    they hate when you stand up to them. I used to be on top. I used to rule the school. Then one cruel act knocked me off my pedestal and Christian was more than happy to ride me down.Christian Moreau: resident bad boy, former best friend, now my tormentor. Nobody dared to stand up to him until one girl, a bottle of vodka, and a shove changed everything.Yeah, that girl was me.If only I had known what that shove would set off.A war with the Queen Bee of Meadow Creek. Long-hidden dark secrets revealed. And Christian Moreau moving in down the hall.Christian lures me into his game, but he's not the only bully that came to play.Can I handle the price of playing when winning may grant me his heart... but losing could cost me my life? The Trouble With Bullies is a high school bully romance. This book features language and sexual scenes. If you're cool with that, dive in!