Book picks similar to
Reprieve by A.E. Woodward


new-adult
standalone
stand-alone
triggers

Liar, Liar


T.L. Martin - 2020
    So I ran—from them, from home, from everything.That’s when I found him. He became my savior before he even knew I existed.And then I was welcomed into the family.Now he sees me. I make sure of it.I notice the way he watches me when I slip from my bed and fall into someone else’s. See the heated flicker in his eyes when I peer up at him from behind red solo cups, wandering hands, and blaring music. Feel the burn in his touch when I stumble and he catches me—and he always catches me.But I’m no longer the same weak girl he discovered hiding behind his house all those years ago, and some demons simply can’t be set free. All the lies in the world can’t hide that.Even though the same blood doesn’t run through our veins, I know he can never be mine.I was never supposed to fall for him.We’re family now, and I’m going to be a good little sister.Liar, liar, liar.CONTENT WARNING: contains sex, profanity, and sensitive subject matter, including sexual abuse (such as rape) and taboo content.

Left Drowning


Jessica Park - 2013
    Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning. *This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.Note: due to mature content recommended for Ages 17+

At Your Beck & Call


Jane Harvey-Berrick - 2014
    At 28, he has a flashy car, a great apartment, and a job he’s good at and that he loves – as an escort – working at your beck and call.His life is easy, with no emotions or attachments slowing him down – choosing to keep moving, always running from the past.But when a new client awakens unfamiliar feelings, all bets are off. Can he convince a recently divorced woman twenty years older to trust men again – to trust him? Can Hallen trust himself not to screw things up?Surrounded by people who choose to judge them, will they make their relationship a reality, or is it heartbreak for both?Not all services are professional.

Degrade


T.L. Smith - 2015
    He is also the devil, or so I believe him to be. I gave him my heart, not realizing I was doing so. He likes to break me down, so I'm a shell of the person I once was. He's chipping away at me, bit by bit. Though I’m not as weak as he thinks, and when I can’t handle it anymore, I will come back swinging.

Rock Hard


B.B. Hamel - 2015
    They say he’s harder than the steep cliffs he climbs up. And ever since high school, I haven’t been able to get his cocky smile and his ripped body out of my head. Worst of all, no matter how much I hate him, he’s my stepbrother. There are some scary rumors about Reid, rumors involving drugs and the mob. Despite that and despite our past mistakes, I can’t help but blush at every dirty comment he makes at my expense. He’s famous for fingers that bend steel and break hearts. I don’t want to let myself get anywhere near him. I’m a good girl, the first person in my family to go to college. When I get sucked into his world, it’s fast and intense. I find myself doing things I never imagined. Reid is an a**hole. But he’s more than just his rock hard body. I need to find out what he’s hiding before the mob catches up to both of us. ROCK HARD is fast-paced violent, blush-worthy sexy, and features a hero with a filthy mouth. It’s only recommended for audiences 18+. ROCK HARD is a standalone, full-length novel. No cliffhanger. Guaranteed HEA.

Withering Hope


Layla Hagen - 2015
    Her dress, her fiancé and the location—the idyllic holiday ranch in Brazil—are perfect. But all Aimee’s plans come crashing down when the private jet that’s taking her from the U.S. to the ranch—where her fiancé awaits her—defects mid-flight and the pilot is forced to perform an emergency landing in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. With no way to reach civilisation, being rescued is Aimee and Tristan’s—the pilot—only hope. A slim one that slowly withers away, desperation taking its place. Because death wanders in the jungle under many forms: starvation, diseases. Beasts. As Aimee and Tristan fight to find ways to survive, they grow closer. Together they discover that facing old, inner agonies carved by painful pasts takes just as much courage, if not even more, than facing the rainforest. Despite her devotion to her fiancé, Aimee can’t hide her feelings for Tristan—the man for whom she’s slowly becoming everything. You can hide many things in the rainforest. But not lies. Or love.Withering Hope is the story of a man who desperately needs forgiveness and the woman who brings him hope. It is a story in which hope births wings and blooms into a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is forbidden.

Making Her His


Lucy Leroux - 2014
    Her name is Elynn. Alex Hanas couldn't believe that after so many years as a widower, his father was getting remarried. To make matters worse, the American gold digger had a kid—a daughter named Elynn. After months of avoiding it, Alex goes to brunch with every intention of giving his father's new family the deep freeze. But he can't pull it off with Elynn's anxious green-grey eyes locked on him. That was the day his life changed. Four years later, Alex is as close to Elynn as a stepbrother can be. But that's not enough for him. He wants more...and he's done waiting. Making Her His is a complete stand-alone novel of 68,000+ words.

Unlit Star


Lindy Zart - 2014
     Rivers Young is the popular guy untouchable by reality. He is like a star—bright, consuming, otherworldly. The thing about stars, though, is that they eventually fall, and he is no different. He falls far and he falls hard. Delilah Bana is the outcast enshrouded in all of life's ironies. Alone, in the dark, like dusk as it falls on the world. When Rivers hits the ground, she is the night that catches him. In the darkness, they meld into something beautiful that shines like the sun. Only, the greater the star is, the shorter its lifespan.

Hawthorne & Heathcliff


R.K. Ryals - 2015
    Two shoes that did. Intense and introspective, seventeen-year-old Hawthorne Macy knows all about being abandoned. She's felt the stark pain of being left behind by the people who are supposed to love her the most; her parents. Raised by her caring uncle on an old plantation, Hawthorne lives her life on the fringes of her small Southern town. Until she meets his shoe. Senior year, last period English class, and a pair of silent tennis shoes resting next to hers in the back of the room throws Hawthorne into a world she'd learned to stay outside of. His name is Max Vincent, but in her mind, he’s Heathcliff. The handsome eighteen-year-old boy behind the shoes will pull Hawthorne into a passionate and unforgettable adventure of self-discovery during a time when love seems impossible. Shoes can tell a lot about a person. The journey they take you on can tell a lot about how they'll hold up.

Painted Faces


L.H. Cosway - 2012
    She has a habit of making offensive jokes and speaking her mind too often. She doesn't have the best track record with first impressions, which is why she gets a surprise when her new neighbour Nicholas takes a shine to her.Nicholas is darkly handsome, funny and magnetic, and Freda feels like her black and white existence is plunged into a rainbow of colour when she's around him. When he walks into a room he lights it up, with his quick wit and charisma. He is a travelling cabaret performer, but Freda doesn't know exactly what that entails until the curtains pull back on his opening night.She is gob-smacked and entirely intrigued to see him take to the stage in drag. Later on, Nicholas asks her if she would like to become his show assistant. Excited by the idea, she jumps at the chance. Soon she finds herself immersed in a world of wigs, make-up and high heels, surrounded by pretty men and the temptation of falling for her incredibly beautiful employer.In this story of passion and sexual discovery, Nicholas and Freda will contend with jealousy, emotional highs and lows, and the kind of love that only comes around once in a lifetime.**Not suitable for younger readers. Contains some strong language and scenes of a sexual nature.**

Right Next Door


A.J. Pryor - 2015
    The only problem is that he isn’t married to me. . . Addison Peacock has been stuck in the same seaside town her entire life. When her college boyfriend proposes the night before graduation, she can finally see the future she’d always dreamt about. But the sudden illness of her father causes her to put that future on hold, and her soon-to-be husband leaves, with nothing but a promise that one day he’ll return.Now, five years later, he’s kept that promise. There’s only one problem . . . he’s already married. Crushed twice by the same man, Addison needs a distraction, someone to get her back on her feet and mend her broken heart. As luck would have it, Damian Walker has just moved in next door. Having rebuilt his own life after a drunk driver stole his career, his heart . . . everything, Damian knows what it’s going to take to get Addison’s life back on track. But he’s not going to be anyone’s rebound. His life is complicated . . . there’s no room for one-night stands. Until Addison knows what she’s looking for, neighbors are all they’ll ever be. One shared wall, two sun-kissed balconies, and a chance at love...a twist of fate. Could the possibility of a future be right next door?

Pushing the Limits


Brooke Cumberland - 2015
    From USA Today Bestselling Author comes a new adult student/teacher romance...He's my art professor.I'm his student.With an electric connection and undeniable chemistry, I know it won't be long until one of us cracks.When the opportunity arises to pose naked for the entire art class, I can't help the thrill of knowing he'll be watching me.While they all look past me with their eyes narrowed and concentrated, drawing only the lines and angles of my body, he sees right through me down to my vulnerability.He sees more than just the physical aspects--he sees me.That's when I see the struggle in his features as he tries to stay in control.How do we keep our distance when everything seems to be pulling us together?What feels so right can only go wrong if we keep pushing the limits.Recommended for 18 & above due to explicit sexual content, language, and adult content.*Pushing the Limits is a 102,000 words standalone.*

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things


Ann Aguirre - 2015
    If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again…

Over Us, Over You


Whitney G. - 2017
    comes a falling for my older brother’s best friend romance.Subject: Delete this message after you read it...Dear Hayley,I'm assuming you're still hungover, so I'll make this brief.Last night, you slipped under my sheets (without my permission), and we almost had sex. I got the hell out of the bed once I realized it was you, and I took you home.That's the story.The end.Period. Just in case you've forgotten, you're my best friend's little sister. We will never be anything more. (We can't be anything more.) Our previous friendship is still unresolved--or "over" in your terms, so I'd prefer if we worked on becoming 'just friends' again since you're in town.Nonetheless, I'm not a man who leaves questions unanswered--even the drunken ones, so to properly close our inappropriate conversation:1) Yes, I liked the way your lips felt against mine when you were on top of me.2) Yes, I do "prefer" rough sex, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't rough with you.3) No, I had no idea you were still a virgin...This message never happened,Corey

Love, in English


Karina Halle - 2014
    I’m twenty-three.He speaks Spanish. I speak English.He lives in Spain. I live in Canada.He dresses in thousand-dollar suits. I’m covered in tattoos.He’s married and has a five-year old daughter.I’m single and can’t commit to anyone or anything.Until now. Because when they say you can’t choose who you fall in love with, boy ain’t that the f*#king truth.***To a restless dreamer like Vera Miles, it sounded like the experience of a lifetime. Instead of spending her summer interning for her astronomy major, she would fly to Spain where she’d spend a few weeks teaching conversational English to businessmen and women, all while enjoying free room and board at an isolated resort. But while Vera expected to get a tan, meet new people and stuff herself with wine and paella, she never expected to fall in love.Mateo Casalles is unlike anyone Vera has ever known, let alone anyone she’s usually attracted to. While Vera is a pierced and tatted free spirit with a love for music and freedom, Mateo is a successful businessman from Madrid, all sharp suits and cocky Latino charm. Yet, as the weeks go on, the two grow increasingly close and their relationship changes from purely platonic to something…more.Something that makes Vera feel alive for the first time.Something that can never, ever be.Or so she thinks.