Book picks similar to
Into Dark Water by Regina Bartley


young-adult
doormat
hs-college
a-complete-disappointment

Say Yes


L.K. Shaw - 2021
    Or so Casey Santiago thinks. For ten years, she’s lived with the memories of an abusive childhood. Now, she’s ready to make new ones. Who better to help her than her best friend, Philip Maxwell? When she approaches him with her shocking proposal, he hesitates. Sex complicates things. Can Casey convince Philip that their friendship is strong enough to withstand anything, including falling in love?

Bailey And The Bad Boy


R. Linda - 2017
    I was too… until my heart was ripped out of my chest. As if getting dumped wasn’t bad enough, I’m forced to endure the humiliation of witnessing my ex-boyfriend flaunt his new girl — who also happens to be my now ex-best friend — all over town. Double whammy. Now I’m the pathetic ex-girlfriend left gutted, heartbroken, and nose deep in a bucket of ice cream. I’m doomed to spend the summer sulking over a guy who thought I was predictable and bad in bed. So, when I get an offer guaranteeing me some well-deserved payback, of course I’m going to take it. Besides, the plan is simple. Pretend like I’m dating Ryder, the town’s popular bad boy, and make my ex wallow in a pit of jealousy and regret. It’s perfect. I mean… what could possibly go wrong?

Beneath Him


Komal Kant - 2014
    When Sky Hudson first has a run-in with tall, dark, and handsome Nicholas Ruggarson, she wants nothing more than to throw her coffee at him. He is rude and arrogant, and she is glad she never has to set eyes on him ever again. Or so she thinks. It turns out, not only does she have to see Nick again, she also has to live with him. Hired as the new nanny to work for Nick’s affluent family, she can’t seem to get away from the womanizing jerk. With a hot and cold relationship, and an undeniable attraction between them, Sky might finally be the woman to break through Nick’s arrogance and discover that there is more to him than she ever imagined. If she doesn’t kill him first. *Recommended for readers aged 18+ due to language and sexual content. **This novel is a standalone.

Playing the Player


Lisa Brown Roberts - 2015
    The PlayerRound one begins...Trina Clemons needed the money. Why else would she - the most organized, prepared student in school - spend the summer as a nanny and partner with the biggest slacker ever? Now she's ready to tackle nannyhood with her big binder of research and schedules. Just don't ask her about the secret job of "fixing" the bad habits of a certain high school player...Slade Edmunds prefers easy hook-ups, and Trina is definitely not his type. She's all structure and rules, while Slade wants to just have fun. Fortunately, Trina has no idea about the bet Slade made with his best friend that he can totally get her to unwind by the end of summer...Then the weirdest thing happens. There's chemistry. A lot of it. But nothing gets between a boy and a girl like a big, fat secret...

HOLDEN (Billionaire Bastards, Book Three)


Ivy Carter - 2017
     A gold Rolex on his wrist. A custom-tailored suit designed to highlight every single muscle. A different model each week, all clutching his arm with perfectly manicured nails and Botox smiles. There is no way I could ever be with a man who is a) way out of my league b) richer than anyone I’ve ever met c) would hate me on sight if he knew whose daughter I am. But I’m mesmerized by the way Holden looks at me, like he could gobble me up in one wolfish bite. I’m mesmerized by thoughts of his mouth pressing against mine, how those taut muscles beneath his suit would feel against my naked skin. He can be brooding and cold, then explode into violent rage when provoked. His unpredictability is an asset in his business, but makes it impossible for him to have any kind of stable romantic relationship. He wakes up in cold sweats at night, coming out of horrific vivid nightmares where he sees violence played out over and over again. He still lives with the guilt of a horrible secret—a secret he’s never told another soul. I want to get through to him, want to be the one to save him. If he doesn’t reveal his demons, he’ll break my heart. If he does, I might be too scared to stay. Either way is a dead end. Because when it comes right down to it, my heart knows the truth. Holden Quinn is a cold, billionaire bastard. And that’s all he’ll ever be…

Forever Changed


Tiffany King - 2012
    She is used to a lifestyle where everything comes easy to her, from good grades to being captain of the cheerleading squad.Her entire world is shaken to the core when a fatal accident takes her father, causing Kassandra to re-examine the course her life was on. The actions of one individual forever changes her life, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her broken family. Kassandra begins to question everything she once cherished and the people she disappointed along the way.Maddon Johnson’s life is as different from Kassandra’s as night and day. Abandoned by his mother at a young age, he is left to deal with his abusive, alcoholic father on his own. He has one goal: lay low and get the heck out of dodge as soon as he is legally old enough.Everything changes when his father’s tragic actions send Maddon crashing into Kassandra’s world. Suddenly, getting away is the last thing he wants as he discovers it is possible to believe in love after all.

Crazy For You


S.B. Alexander - 2021
    One girl yearning for hope.Colton Caldwell is hotter than I remember—broad chest, muscles in all the right places, wavy brown hair, and eyes that suck me in. All private-school perfection. Pity he can’t drive worth a damn. He hit me with his truck, just backed out without looking, leaving me bruised, aching... and well aware of him. But things have changed since he left. A lot of things. He’s no longer the budding football star, and I’m no longer the gawky kid he never noticed. We have one thing in common now… our tortured past. When I witness a fight between Colton and his dad, I realize just how much we’re alike. The only problem is, he doesn’t seem to think so. But as the darkness we try to leave behind pushes us together…We realize one thing is certain.Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow isn’t given. So what if we live today as if it’s our last?Crazy For You is a standalone boy next door romance with a happily ever after and is suited for mature audiences.

For One Night (Redemption Hwy 10) (The Daly's Book 3)


Leaona Luxx - 2019
     That’s all this was supposed to be. I came to Sin City with my best friend to celebrate my much-needed divorce. For once, I want to be the one with no care about tomorrow. That’s when he catches my eye. I watch as he works the room, and the women in it. He’s everything I hate in a man, but the epitome of what we all want. Sexy. Confident to a fault, and a smirk that will melt your panties. He’s everything my ex-husband is. As our eyes meet, I decide to give him a dose of his own medicine, show him how it feels to be used. Tonight, I’ll be the woman everyone stares at when she enters the room. The one I am in the boardroom, who takes no prisoners. I’ll be the one to bring him to his knees and leave him just as fast. I’ll be that woman. For One Night

The Wrong Bachelor


Alexandra Moody - 2018
    AKA not Cole Kingston.Seventeen-year-old Madison (Madi) Matthews wants nothing to do with the dating competition her school is holding to raise money for charity. She's never been interested in chasing a guy before and she certainly isn't interested in competing for one in front of the whole school.But, when Madi is voted as one of the ten "lucky" contestants, she's given no choice but to vie for the heart of Lincoln High's most eligible bachelor. The problem is, they've chosen the wrong guy.Cole Kingston might be good looking, great with a football and practically the king of Lincoln High, but he's also cocky, arrogant, a serial flirt and Madi's sworn enemy.Will she be able to resist him though when the competition heats up and he turns his charms on her?

Lengths


Steph Campbell - 2012
    She promptly finds a job at a tattoo parlor, a craptastic first apartment, and one friend—Ryan—who is a little less friend, a little more benefits. Deo Beckett is a soulful surfer with a passion for tattoos and beautiful women. On the eve of his twenty-second birthday, he finds himself living with his grandfather, recently unemployed, and seriously adrift. He doesn’t know much about what he wants out of life, but he does know his current situation isn't cutting it. When Deo meets Whit, she’s all sexy makeup and fierce, smart-ass fun. It doesn’t take him long to see past her tough shell. And when he gets a good look at what's under all the superficial stuff that usually gets his attention, it leaves Deo wondering if there might be more to life than living fast and free. Too bad Whit has a past she doesn't plan on sharing—no matter how hot Deo is. She might want him, but she knows better than to let her guard down. Deo falls for Whit, and falls hard. But everything about her, down to that mysterious tattoo and the way she thrashes in her sleep, tells him that the girl he loves is hiding something. And the more he pushes for answers, the more Whit pulls away. Having your guard up is one thing, but are the lengths Whit goes to to protect her secret worth throwing away the second chance she has at happiness with Deo? LENGTHS is a Contemporary New Adult Romance to be released August 2012.

Trust


Kylie Scott - 2017
    Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.

Bully


Penelope Douglas - 2013
    He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all. No, he'll barely even speak to me.But he still won't leave me alone.We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went to France for a year, just to avoid him.But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way in hell I'll allow him to ruin my senior year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back. I'm not going to let him bully me anymore.***This novel contains adult/mature young adult situations. It is only suitable for ages 18+ due to language, violence, and sexual situations.

From Within


J.M. Walker - 2015
    Book contains adult situations, substance abuse, coarse language and raw gritty emotion. Do not read if you have a trigger when it comes to discussion of cancer. Tissues may be needed. Hearts may hurt. But know in the end, everything happens for a reason.We live. We love. We die. He is my ultimate undoing. She is my strength. He will destroy me. She will make me whole. I need him more than the control that he craves. I need her more than I need my next breath. He knows me. She sees me. As much as I want to, I can’t let him in. As much as I’ve tried, I can’t let her go. Together, we need him.

Untouchable


Danielle Hill - 2020
    Scratch that: she didn’t even like the guy.Maddox ‘Reno’ Renner, the resident King of Claremont High. Dark, brooding, arrogant… you get it. He’s the kind of gorgeous no girl is immune to, including Riley. She shouldn’t feel anything for him—falling for a guy like Reno would be stupid and reckless—but when he sets his sights on her, Riley’s forced to admit just how far she’s already fallen.With expert precision, Reno manages to break down every one of her defenses, but just when Riley starts to think it might be safe to lower her guard, tragedy strikes in a way neither one of them could have predicted, tearing them apart.When Reno needs her most, Riley will have to fight to reach the boy who’s always held her heart, but this might be one fight she can’t win.Because Reno’s heart has always been untouchable.**Note: "Untouchable" is an edgy, emotional, standalone in a series on interconnected books. Each book can be read alone, but it is advisable to read them in order. Due to offensive language and mature themes, this series is intended for readers 17+.

Dizzy


Nyrae Dawn - 2012
    He and his older brother watched their dad go through hell and back, so they made a pact years ago—no girl would come between the Gibson boys. But his brother sells out. He's getting married anyway. To the sister of a chick Dylan met at a party, who's probably the angriest girl he's ever met. Unfortunately, she happens to be hot, too. Ziah’s life is upside down—her safe boyfriend turns out to be not-so-safe, and now her sister is getting married before college is over to the older brother of a spoiled, party boy who drives her crazy. And also makes her heart beat too fast. There’s no denying the attraction, but there's also no denying how much they irritate each other. When they’re thrown together as forced wedding planners, they find an ally in each other--neither wants this wedding to happen. But instead of putting a stop to the crazy nuptials they find themselves at fittings and cake testing. And maybe even…a few dates?Dizzy is a novel about what happens when two people who are determined not to fall in love, maybe do anyway. Maybe.