Book picks similar to
Life's A Cappella by Yessi Smith


new-adult
romance
contemporary-romance
abuse

Can't Go Home


Angelisa Stone - 2013
    Adrian O’Donnell (aka: Dre Donley) is no exception. Dre spins tales and half-truths like it’s his job, keeping the reality of his past buried deep within each lie he fabricates. On the other hand, Kathryn Howell is the exception to the rule. She’s a straight-shooter, a tell-it-like-it-is, no filter kind of girl. Kathryn’s honesty and straightforwardness is the ultimate turn on for a guy like Dre. He’s never met someone so sincere, so full of truth and innocence. Their chemistry is unavoidable, their connection, magnetic. When Dre sets out to make Kathryn fall for him, he doesn’t realize the grave mistake he’s making. Kathryn’s strength and convictions do not falter, even for an irresistible man like Dre. When his past resurfaces, and the lies come tumbling forth, Kathryn must decide if his deceit and betrayal can be forgiven or if the damage is irreparable. Will the truth ultimately destroy the relationship that neither one of them could deny or even attempt to resist? This novel is for mature readers only, due to language and sexual content.

Commitment


T.K. Leigh - 2018
    After all, she's my sister's best friend. Not to mention, she buried any animosity she held toward me and helped raise my two little girls when my ex split without a single glance back.But when I learn the man she's been dating has proposed, I'm faced with a decision.Do I finally tell Brooklyn the reason I betrayed her trust all those years ago?Or do I watch her marry another man to protect her from suffering any more heartache?
Commitment is the first book in the Redemption Duet. Binge-read this angst-filled second chance, best friend's brother romance today!

Toxic


C.A. Harms - 2013
     Lexi Warren was lost in a world of darkness. A spiraling whirlwind of hate and destruction. When she made a huge mistake. All because of one moment in time, and one bad decision…nothing would ever be the same. Until he reappeared… Kole Hartman was a piece of her past that she had always treasured. A time before everything went dark. Before everything no longer made sense. He was also a reminder of the things she needed to forget, and holding on to those memories was toxic. Only he refused to let her walk away.

Electrified


Rachel Blaufeld - 2014
    Her curves and long lashes tease and taunt from her very own billboard where the desert meets the Las Vegas Strip. She’s the hottest stripper in town, known for her sultry and indecent moves coupled with her virginal eyes. She’s a heady and unique combination, and a mystery to all who come to see her. Sienna captivates crowds nightly at the Electric Tunnel, leaving them wanting to know more about the sensual enigma. But no one ever sees beyond the heavily guarded stripper onstage. She is Sienna Flower 24/7. No one other than her closest friend and boss, Asher Peterson, who helped turn a young and frightened girl into who Sienna is today. Together they created the sexual illusion known as Sienna Flower. They will go to any lengths to protect her image, which is why Sienna is convinced she must remain unattached and alone. Like everyone else in Vegas, Sienna is hiding something and playing a role. A good girl in her former life, she was raised to be obedient and accepting of her fate, but there are some circumstances no one should be expected to accept. She escaped to a world light years away from the one she was subjected to…the Electric Tunnel. Now she can never be anything other than Sienna Flower. Not only would she be hurt, but everyone around her would suffer the consequences. That is, until she meets private detective Carson Graham, the dark and mysterious ex-FBI agent who watches her dance every weekend. With his dark hair and chocolate-brown eyes, Carson begins to heat Sienna’s heart and body, melting away the layers and secrets. Sienna doesn’t want to get attached to Carson, but when another man surfaces and starts hunting her down, bringing out the scars of her old life, she can’t help but seek comfort in Carson’s protection. With everyone trading on the secrets of her past, Sienna finds herself caught in an awful web of lies. Her ultimate fear is hurting her friends at the Tunnel, but she doesn’t know who to trust. Namely, Carson. Is he good? Or bad? Does she have the luxury of finding out?

Fight or Flight


Jamie Canosa - 2013
    The rules of surviving life on the streets. But when Em comes bursting into his life, in all of her disastrous glory, the rules go right out the window.Survive.Flee what’s been left behind.And never look back.Emerson’s plan was simple. Though, it was easier said than done. The city streets are dangerous and unforgiving to a new arrival. Especially, a seventeen-year-old girl who’s never known anything but life in the suburbs. Sometimes, however, what’s lurking behind those white picket fences can be more frightening than any dark alley.Both of them made the same decision when life got overwhelming—to run from their demons. Brought together by fate or circumstance, Em and Jay find the kind of love neither of them ever expected. But, when those demons come back to haunt them and their love is on the line, which instincts will they choose to follow this time . . . Fight or Flight?

Edge of Disaster


A.M. Hargrove - 2012
    A life of partying, alcohol, drugs and men has brought her near the edge of disaster. That is until one night while at work as a waitress in an upscale restaurant, she falls under the spell of one of her customers, Pearce Middleton. Once she gazes into his smoky gray eyes, her life takes on new meaning. But can she put her past behind her and allow herself to fall for the exciting and gorgeous Pearce, or will her lewd behavior come back to haunt her and ruin her chances of happiness forever?

Chat


Kimberly Stedronsky Adams - 2014
    Twenty-six years later, Jason is finally ready to move on from his divorce. His ex-wife leaves behind her Kindle, and he stumbles upon Bestselling Author Carissa Steel’s latest release. After learning that she lives less than an hour from his apartment- and is single- he contacts her on Facebook. As he struggles to flirt over chat, he enlists the help of his best friend.Sandy has spent three years waiting for her boyfriend, Jack, to finally pop the question. At the same time Jason asks for her help, her world slowly begins to crumble around her. Through her pain, she continues to support her best friend, playing Cyrano to his newest conquest.As Sandy begins to chat with Jason online, she creates a safe place to explore what neither of the friends thought would ever exist between them. As lines blur and are eventually crossed, they begin to wonder if amazing sex is worth risking a lifetime of friendship.Twenty-six years… twenty-six letters.Could they have always only needed each other?

Let Love In


Melissa Collins - 2013
    Ripped from her home and everything that she has ever loved, she is forced to start all over again. The only way for her to move on is to build walls around her heart and keep everyone at a safe distance. Her logic: she can't get hurt if she doesn't fall in love. That theory is blown to pieces when she meets Reid Connely during her freshman year at college. He is gorgeous and darkly mysterious. He understands Maddy's pain all too well, but sharing his pain would mean breaking down the walls he put up around his own heart. Conflicted between loving Maddy and hiding his dark past, Reid starts to reevaluate his world. Maddy's inner strength, snarky personality and breath taking beauty help Reid to make peace with his past. Together they find out what happens when they let love in.

Because of Lucy


Lisa Swallow - 2013
    A revised and expanded 2016 edition is now available***Recommended 17+ due to strong language and sexual content* Ness's parents are shocked when she turns down her place at Leeds University and takes on a full-time job in a call center. Determined to begin her adult life the way she wants, Ness moves to Leeds to live with her best friend Abby.One night she meets Evan, who is everything she hates about guys. He may be hot but he's also drunken, arrogant, and on top of that, he apparently has sex with girls and forgets about it. But Evan isn't what he seems and Ness soon discovers they have more in common than she thought.Evan is struggling to escape from his past too, and when Lucy appears she threatens his new relationship with Ness. Unsure if she can deal with the effect Lucy has on Evan, Ness makes a decision about her future which pulls them apart.When their new lives don't go as planned, Ness and Evan are both faced with difficult choices. All because of Lucy...

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.

Pieces of Lies


Angela Richardson - 2013
    Her move allows her to reconnect with Josh, her best friend, who is more then thrilled at Norah's appearance back into his life. At the same time that Norah steps back into Josh's heart, she learns that he is in the process of being accepted into McLaren's uber exclusive secret society, the 'Lappell'. Josh takes Norah to the Lappell's glamorous parties in the hope of taking their friendship to the next level, but when Norah meets the handsome and elusive Clint Weston, a leader in the Lappell, he sweeps her off her feet in more ways then one. Norah quickly becomes caught up in an emotional tug-of-war between the two guys while also trying to deal with her own secrets that follow her every day. When Norah's past begins to intertwine with her present, what unfolds is a series of dramatic events filled with romance, mystery and dark motivations. She quickly realizes the path to real love can be paved in all kinds of lies.*NOTE: This is a new adult novel with some mature sexual content.

Blind Faith


Kimberley Reeves - 2012
    Though her phobia of men and the loss of her eye sight are constant reminders it happened, Serena has no memory of the brutal attack. Now at age twenty-two, she is ready to conquer her fears and lets an old high school friend rent out the upper floor of her house. Can Will Duncan help cure Serena's insecurities or will the secrets he harbors about that night shatter her faith in men forever?

Wrapped in Ink


Carrie Ann Ryan - 2019
    But when an accident lands him in the ER, Liam meets someone that might just be the distraction he needs.Arden Brady has spent her life in and out of hospitals. But according to the world, she doesn’t look sick. She’s lost jobs and friends because they don’t see beneath the surface, but she’s learned to rely on her family and herself to keep going. And then she meets Liam.With two sets of overprotective siblings and a puppy that can't help but get into everything, Liam and Arden might just fall harder than either one ever expected.

Undone


R.E. Hunter - 2014
    Embry’s sole focus is to get through law school—with the help of her best friend, Morgan—and make something of the broken girl she became. Not thinking about falling in love, being in a relationship or even entertaining the idea of romance, Embry is moving forward one day at a time.Luke Brody is charming and sexy, and has a past of his own. He wants nothing more than to put his demons to rest and move on with his life. But, when Embry enters the picture, is he destined to repeat those same mistakes? Blindsided by their instant attraction, neither Luke nor Embry are prepared for the feelings they’re developing. But will it all be for nothing? Will they let their pasts destroy them, or will they risk everything to fight for their relationship when it all comes undone?

Captivated


Emily Jane Trent - 2013
    He’s a romantic Italian on vacation, surfing at Ella’s beach. But the gorgeous billionaire has secrets. Ella feels like she’s known him forever, but fears she will lose him. Can you meet your soul mate, only to lose him in the same instant? Adam shouldn't involve Ella in the evil he must face in Brazil. But will he stay away from her? Ella Walker, still suffering from issues of mental abuse, turns twenty-one and meets the man of her dreams. Can she break the bonds of her emotional prison and be the woman he desires? As an aspiring romance author, Ella struggles to find passion in her work. When Adam Bianci, the gorgeous Italian billionaire appears in her life, he lights up her drab existence. She’s determined not to let him slip through her grasp. But will his secrets and the tangled web of his own abuse keep them apart?