Book picks similar to
Brave by Zoe Dawson


new-adult
netgalley
contemporary
stand-alone

My Forever June


DeAnna Kinney - 2014
    She is addicted to coffee and clutter, and with her quirks and mother issues, she is perfectly content to be alone, feeling her life is utterly complete. But when the adorable Tucker Mitchell helps her out of a sandy situation during an altercation on the beach, the powerful sparks are hard to ignore.Despite the facts that they are completely opposite and not looking for love, they fall—hard, neither one seeing it coming. And just when they think life couldn’t get any sweeter, illness strikes, blindsiding them both. Will they overcome despite the odds against them? Or, just when they have found each other, will fate play a cruel joke and separate them forever?

Lost


Nadia Simonenko - 2013
    Now, in her final semester of college, she still struggles against paralyzing fear just trying to speak up in class, and the terror and helplessness linger on in her nightmares.Across campus, Owen sees his scars in the mirror every morning while he gets ready for class. They remind him of the broken home he left behind, the father he hates and fears, and the little sister he couldn't protect. Now, in his final semester of college, he's scared that he may have to return to the hell he called home after staying away for almost five years.When Owen becomes a teaching assistant for one of Maria's classes, they find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other. As the two learn each other's secrets and grow closer, they realize that although they may be lost, they're not alone anymore.This new adult contemporary romance is recommended for ages 17+ due to heavy subject matter.

Sparrow


Sara Mack - 2014
    After spending countless summers of boredom with his grandmother at Buhl Lake, Kyle’s world turned upside down the minute Addison appeared. She was unlike any girl he had ever met; she was confident, out-going, and honest. She was beautiful inside and out, and she accepted Kyle for who he was ~ a young man without direction. They shared an amazing summer and, despite living miles apart, Kyle felt sure they had a future.Until she vanished without a trace.Where did she go? How could she disappear without saying a word? Was everything between them a lie? Unable to answer his own questions, Kyle had no choice other than to bury his memories and move on with his life. Eight years later, his hard work to forget is threatened when he is forced to return to Buhl Lake. Faced with reminders of Addison, Kyle wonders if he will ever discover the truth.Little does he know it is about to be revealed.Sparrow is the story of finding love, losing it, and the uncertain journey to reclaiming it again.*Due to language and suggestive scenes, Sparrow is recommended for ages 17+

Three Years Later


Casey McMillin - 2013
    The first thing she did when she got there, however, was run headlong into her happily ever after. Unfortunately for her, the guy was way out of her league.Collin Blake, along with the rest of his college swim team, was just visiting Los Angeles for a few days. It was something the U Cal swimmers did every year. Falling in love definitely wasn't on his list things to do while he was there.Is love at first sight even possible?Collin and Rachel thought so. They had an instant connection... right up to the point when Rachel disappeared.Can they pick up where they left off even though it’s... Three Years Later

The List


Kate L. Mary - 2015
    Twenty things every girl must do before she turns twenty...Body PiercingGet DrunkFirst KissBut thanks to her crazy, over-protective father, Annie Roth is way behind schedule. Good thing it's her first semester of college, because Annie is more than ready to start checking off items...Fake IDSkinny DippingRoad Trip!!!Where it gets complicated? Ryan and Chris. Best friends. Both sweet, funny, totally hot, and totally into Annie.But there are some things on The List that Annie only wants to do with Ryan...Lost itGet heart brokenFall in love

Overexposed


Noelle Adams - 2014
    Only Leah knows Kevin is the guilty one, using the public sympathy to advance his career and breaking her heart in the process. Leah isn’t naïve anymore. She’s given up on romance, and she’ll do whatever necessary to prove she hasn’t been defeated. So when she needs another shot of notoriety to ensure the success of her new restaurant, at the same time Kevin needs some PR help of his own, she agrees to a crazy plan. She can fake a two-week romantic vacation with Kevin, pretending to rekindle their relationship for the eyes of the world. And she can resist Kevin’s breathtaking sexiness, even in such close quarters. And she absolutely won’t fall for any of his lies.

Choosing You


Allie Everhart - 2013
    She’s determined to succeed and that means keeping her focus on school and not guys. But her plan falls apart her first day on campus when Garret, a rich prep school boy with swimmer abs and a perfect smile, offers to help her move in.Jade tries to push him away, but she can’t deny her attraction to him and Garret won’t let her. Things quickly heat up between them, but then come to a sudden halt when reality hits and Jade realizes that a relationship with Garret may never be possible. He comes from a world of wealth where there are rules, including rules about who he can date. And not following those rules has consequences.As the two of them try to overcome the obstacles working to keep them apart, Jade is confronted with another challenge. On her 19th birthday, she receives a letter that her now deceased mother wrote years ago. In it are revelations that explain her traumatic childhood but also make her question the past she’s been running from.

Make Me Forget


Anna Brooks - 2014
    She knows she’ll see him when she moves back to Wisconsin. She’s planning on it, the connection she still feels to him after all these years is undeniable. But one lie tore them apart years ago, and she’s afraid some mistakes can’t be forgiven.Travis Parker doesn’t like liars. When he was younger, lies burned him in a bad way. It only took one summer with Charlotte’s innocence to know that she was it for him. When he thought he finally had something to look forward to, one misguided lie shattered everything he believed.Now, Char’s back, but she’s not the same girl he once knew.Make Me Forget is the first book in a series of second chance romances featuring the most loyal men as they battle their past in order to secure a future with their one true love. Defeat is not an option when their hearts are on the line. Each emotional and angsty story can be read as a standalone.

The Kiss


Sotia Lazu - 2012
    Eliza is out on a first date, when the lights go out and someone other than the man she's out with takes advantage of the dark to kiss her more passionately than she’s ever been kissed before.Since the mystery kisser has to be one of the men sitting nearest to her, Eliza is now determined to kiss as many frogs as she needs to until she finds her prince.

By Proxy


Katy Regnery - 2013
    In order to keep her promise, an afternoon favor turns into a weekend of startling but undeniable attraction, threatening the well-ordered world that keeps her heart at arm's length from any more pain....turns into a whirlwind romance!Sam's plan is to fly to Livingston, Montana, take wedding vows on behalf of his favorite cousin, and return to Chicago as quickly as possible. But his plan is turned upside-down when he must spend a weekend with Jenny in Gardiner in order to keep his promise. He doesn't want to fall for the prim, proper schoolteacher whose small-town life seems to him like selling out, but the more time he spends with her, the harder it is to say good-bye.When a city boy and a country girl come together for a double proxy wedding, the unexpected gift is true love.

Christmas in Vermont


Anita Hughes - 2019
    Emma can’t believe her luck when she finds an open pawn shop on Christmas Eve in Manhattan. She’s there to sell the beautiful bracelet her ex-boyfriend gave her when a familiar looking watch catches her eye. It’s the same engraved watch she gave her college boyfriend, Fletcher, years ago. On a whim, she trades the bracelet for the watch and wonders at the timing.Practical Emma thinks it’s just a coincidence, but her best friend Bronwyn believes it’s the magic of synchronicity that caused Emma to find the watch. Fletcher was the one that got away, and somehow Emma never quite moved on. When Bronwyn finds out that Fletcher is in snowy Vermont at a romantic inn for the week, she can’t help but give synchronicity a push. She signs Emma up to help the inn keeper as the children’s activity coordinator. Emma agrees that a week filled with quaint shops and maple syrup would do her good… and maybe Fate really does have a Christmas gift in store for her. That is until she sees Fletcher with his daughter and fiancée. Suddenly, the fairytale trip seems doomed to fail… much like the innkeeper’s dwindling cashflow. It will take a miracle to save her heart and the inn. And that just might be what Fate has in mind.Christmas in Vermont is a delightful and charming love story about the magic of second chances during the most festive time of year.

A Vampire's Christmas Carol


Cynthia Eden - 2013
    While the humans are running around being merry, he’s hunting in the shadows. Ben plans to spend the holidays his way…by stalking deadly prey. But fate has other plans for Ben.Three visitors are coming Ben’s way…A demon who will force Ben to face his past, a ghost who will show Ben the present he could have, and a shifter who will reveal the darkness that waits in Ben’s future. Unless Ben can change his ways, he may just turn into a real monster, one who can’t be saved by anyone or anything.’Tis the season…to be undead.Ben’s redemption rests in the hands of the one woman he loved and lost—Simone Laurent. If Ben is going to have a chance at being more than just the beast in the darkness, he has to prove himself to the lovely Simone. A very hard task, considering that, once upon a Christmas Eve, Simone died in Ben’s arms… _________________Warning: This book features one very tortured vampire, a sexy ghost from his past, and hot scenes designed to melt the winter snow. Plenty of action, adult situations, and steamy times are ahead. Happy holidays!Approximately 23,000 words

Two Thousand Miles


Jennifer Davis - 2013
    But Kat fears she may lose them all when the secret she's been keeping is revealed and she's suddenly summoned back to Malibu to settle unfinished business.

Stray


Natasha Stories - 2014
    But when devastating news of her ex follows her there, she begins to think she has made a terrible mistake. Tall, stunning-looking Jon Miles had only one goal: to save the mountain canyon where Sunshine is located from businessmen who want to exploit it. But how can he do that when he is already an outcast? There was nothing to suggest they’d ever meet, much less strike a spark of red-hot romance. Except that Erin can never turn away a stray. . .

Where the Heart Is


Darcy Burke - 2013
    . .Breaking free from her structured life, Chloe English quits her high-powered job and moves across the country to work as an art teacher. The simple life is all she hoped it would be until her house burns down, leaving her homeless. When a handsome firefighter swoops in to save the day, she can’t believe her luck. He’s laid-back and unassuming, everything she’s looking for in a man—or so he seems. It turns out he’s as ambitious as her ex, comes with a family who could be more stifling than hers, and harbors dark secrets he may never be able to share.Orphaned as a teenager, Derek Sumner has found a place in his best friend’s family. However, the love and support of his surrogate parents and siblings can’t erase the grief and loss he struggles every Christmas to banish. But this year he meets the fun and sexy Chloe, whose optimism and sense of joy are incredibly contagious. Can she help him face his bleak past so they can forge a happy future?