Book picks similar to
Love Wasted by Shirl Rickman
romance
new-adult
contemporary-romance
dual-pov
Mr. Popular
Nicole London - 2017
Popular. Rule #2: Do not talk to Mr. Popular. Rule #3: (Most importantly, and above all) Do not fall for Mr. Popular... Liam 'Mr. Popular' Carter will always be the closest thing to the "walking plague" in my eyes. His cockiness seeps through his every move, and no matter how many state championships he wins with the basketball team, he will forever be a "loss" to me. Because he's my older brother's best friend, I'm forced to tolerate him, and he's forced to tolerate me. In fact, unless my brother is around, we happily ignore each other every chance we get. It wasn't always this way, though...Several summers ago, we both attended the same summer camp. A place we returned to year after year. We became friends--close friends, but right when I thought he could possibly turn into my everything, he made it clear that what we had was nothing. Now that's he's a senior, and I only have to deal with him for one more year, I've vowed to keep repeating the same set of rules to myself. Especially since he seems so hell-bent on wanting to talk to me for some reason, and especially since he seems to be staring at me every time we're in the same room together... Rule #4: Always follow rules #1-3...Rule #5: (OMG what the hell are you doing?) Do not KISS Mr. Popular...
Knocked Up By My Billionaire Boss
Ella Brooke - 2018
I've always been a businessman. It's in my blood. It defines me. Well, that and being a single dad. My daughter is the only thing I prize above money. And I want to be the role model she deserves. But when I'm suddenly on the verge of bankruptcy, the s#!t hits the fan. And in more ways than one. Maybe that's why I turned to my new secretary - to fuck away my troubled thoughts. Elena Hayes. Twenty-four, fresh out of college, green eyes, tall, curvy, smart… No man in my position could resist all that. I knew she was off-limits. She knew I was bad for her. But that didn't stop us… Until the test with the two pink little lines. I want to support Elena. I want this baby. But I have a dark past that isn't done toying with me yet…
Kiss and Break Up
Ella Fields - 2019
Dashiell Thane wasn’t a nice guy. He was an abrasive, demanding, conniving, intolerable brat. Yet somehow, we’d been best friends our whole lives. Until our senior year when I finally decided to dip my toes into the dating pool. All it took was one kiss for jealousy, lies, and betrayal to sweep in and propel us heart first into dizzying, hostile depths. You’re not supposed to kiss your best friend. You’re definitely not supposed to kiss your best friend while you’re dating someone else. And the absolute worst thing you could do is fall for your best friend. Unless, of course, you want to ruin everything.
All My Life
Prescott Lane - 2018
I loved him while he loved someone else. I loved him when he had a baby with her. I loved him when she left him.The greatest of love stories is that between a dad and his daughter. I should know. I’ve had a front row seat. First steps, first words, all the big moments. Garrett was just a teenager when Mia was born. I’ve watched him braid his daughter’s hair, hold her hand crossing the street, seen her asleep on his chest. I’m the best friend, the one they can count on for everything from dance lessons to motherly advice, anything they need. I’m their go-to girl.The best part of any love story is the happily ever after.But what if the happily ever after doesn’t include you?All my life, that’s how long I’ve loved him.Of course, he’s clueless.
Fragile Longing
Cora Reilly - 2020
Perfection. Until she wasn’t. Until she ran off to be with the enemy and left her fiancé behind.Now Sofia is given to Danilo in her sister’s stead, knowing she’ll never be more than second best. Yet, she can’t stop longing for the love of the man she’s been crushing on even when he was still her sister’s.Danilo is a man who’s used to getting what he wants.Power.Respect.The sought-after ice princess.Until another man steals his bride-to-be. Danilo knows that for a man in his position losing his woman can lead to a loss of face.Wounded pride.Thirst for revenge.A dangerous combination—one Danilo can’t leave behind, not even when a girl just as precious takes her sister’s place to placate him. Yet, she’s got one flaw: she’s not her sister.Unable to forget what he’s lost, Danilo might lose what he’s been given.
On the Rocks
Kandi Steiner - 2019
It's what the town said when his father died and the Becker brothers went wild. And it's on repeat in my mind the day I walk into the whiskey distillery where he works to buy a wedding gift for my fiancé.He's trouble. Dirty, sweaty, rude trouble. No matter how many times I repeat it, I can't escape Noah in our small Tennessee town. And the more I run into him, the more he infuriates me. Because he sees what no one else does.He sees me—the real me. The me I'm not sure I'm allowed to be.I'm Ruby Grace Barnett, the mayor's daughter. Soon to be a politician's wife, just like Mama and Daddy always wanted. Soon to fulfill my family's legacy, just like I always knew I would.Until the boy everyone warned me about makes me question everything, like whether the wedding I'm planning is one I even want. Everyone says Noah Becker is nothing but trouble.If only I had listened.
This Regret
Victoria Ashley - 2014
That's how long it's been since my brother's been gone and not a day goes by that it doesn't kill me, knowing that I'll never see Adric again. It's been a rough journey, one I've barely survived, but with the help of my childhood friend Kade Haze, I'm finally learning to piece what remains back together. Or so I thought... Just when life is beginning to make sense again and a feeling of normalcy is on the horizon, my carefully constructed walls come crashing down, making it hard to breathe once again. When walking into the tattoo shop one day, the last thing I'm expecting to see is Kellan Haze, Adric's best friend who no one has seen or heard from since the day they found my brother's body. He's nothing like I remember him as a child, with his wild messy hair, tattoos that cover most of his undeniably sexy body, and eyes so intense they make my legs quiver with one look. The one thing even I can't deny is the instant rush I feel just by being in his presence. But how can I choose between love and lust when one of these holds a dark secret, one that can crush my world to pieces and leave me gasping for air. Who can I trust when my mind is pulling me in two different directions and my heart has to choose for me? The Haze brothers are sexy, daring, and possibly . . . dangerous. This Regret is a story of love, lust, betrayal, and danger with an ending no one will see coming.
Where Life Takes You
Claudia Y. Burgoa - 2013
During her high school years, her mother married; bringing home not only a new husband, but a step sister her same age. The latter took over her Mom's role — making Becca's life miserable. Including stealing Ian — Becca's best friend and boyfriend — Lisa treated her worse than her mother had for the previous fifteen years. A couple years later, thing ended up in tragedy. Becca buried that part of her life in the deep corners of her psyche, caught between sanity and nightmares. Between therapy, work and her constantly looming past she can't seem to find room to breathe. The memories of her late step-sister, Lisa, are her closest company. Her best friend, Dan gives her that family love she always lacked. Everything was close to perfect, until everything and everyone from her past came back. Now she's trying to figure out how to survive and keep that bond which seems now to be held together by a thread.
Danny
Janice M. Whiteaker - 2020
He can find anyone. Anywhere. Any time.Doesn’t matter how hard they try to hide. But locating his friend’s lost family is proving to be more of a challenge than he anticipated. Shadow Pine, Washington is Craig’s last lead, one built on nothing but rumor and hearsay. But sometimes that’s all you need.That and maybe a little luck, and Craig’s luck comes in the form of a tall blonde with a knack for bringing the dead to life. Danny is strong. Smart. Driven. Fearless.And hiding secrets of her own. Secrets wound together so tightly even Craig might not be able to unravel them. If he can’t, everything that matters to him is in jeopardy.
Wedged between her past, and their future.
****You don’t get to pick your parents. It’s a hard truth to swallow. Especially when your father is crazy.But Danny thought she’d left that all behind her. Then he showed up, looking like nothing she’d ever seen before. Clark Kent in a well-cut suit, with dimples deeper than the Grand Canyon and a voice that could melt the ice off Mount Rainier, Craig is a man who does what he says he will. Makes promises he keeps. Gives more than he takes.Except he wants to dig through a past she has no desire to remember, let alone discuss. Because her past is more than crazy. It’s dangerous.
Maybe even deadly.
Six Years
Stephanie Witter - 2015
She’d always had a crush on him. He'd only ever seen her like a little sister. And now...he’s back.BrooklynI thought that he was a part of a distant past. I thought I didn’t feel anything for him now, but I was not so sure anymore. Having him back in my life, for however long it was, was making me see things differently. So many things had changed in the last six years and somehow I’d lost myself and forgotten all about my dreams. My home life was still a mess, my personal life was nothing to boast about and when I see how successful he is, how everything he’d always wanted came true, I couldn't help but feel lacking in a lot of ways. But he’s back and he needed me. I knew I was the only one who understood that part of his life, the only one he’s willing to share it with. My heart is still beating too hard and too fast for him and this time around, I was as much an adult as he was. Having a six year age gap didn't mean shit.NolanBeing back in Riverdale was harder than I thought. I’d turned my back on that life, but there had always been that one girl in my head. Little B. Now she’s nothing like the twelve year old girl I’d last seen. She’s a young woman, gorgeous and sexy. I couldn't stay away. There’s something drawing me to her and it goes beyond my need to reconnect with her, to have her back in my life and fill the hollow part of my chest. But I couldn't forget the little girl she had been; I shouldn’t forget the little girl she used to be.Growing up with a junkie mother and nobody else, my neighbor, Brooklyn, had been my only happy place. I had taken care of her, and when I had left, I had to leave behind a huge part of me. I couldn't do it again. I needed her. Once again, she’s the only person I want in my life, but I wasn’t sure if it was for all the right reasons. Were there too many obstacles in the way?Contemporary Romance standalone novel for readers over 18.
Southern Chance
Natasha Madison - 2020
Kallie I fell in love with him when I was seven. I scraped my knee, and he helped carry me inside. Our love story was the talk of the town until a woman told everyone she was pregnant with his baby. The only rational solution was to high tail it out of town and never come back. My best friend needed a place to hide, and you can’t get much more covert than my family farm, so I came back. For her. It was supposed to be temporary, and I wasn’t supposed to see him, but that’s what happens when you live in a small town where everyone knows each other. Jacob Being the sheriff in a small town was never my dream. My father died and my older brother took off, so I had to be the one to look after my mother. I stayed. I fulfilled my duties as a son and I protected my hometown. My life wasn’t perfect, but I was content. Until I locked eyes with a ghost from my past, Kallie. I thought it was my imagination, it couldn’t be. I loved her most of my life, but now I hated her. The town gossip mill was going into overdrive. I kept my head down and my mind off of the woman who shattered my heart when she ran away. She didn’t give me a chance to explain, it didn’t matter to her then. I didn’t matter. A second chance is never promised, but now that mine is right under my nose, I’m not sure I can take it.
Jax (Ink-Fusions)
Penny Anglene - 2019
I had sworn off women for the last couple of years because of what one female had done but then she walks in. She’s a natural brunette that has hair down her back and a body that dreams are made of. I fell hard, then one unpredictable disaster struck. How do I make it right again?RiaAfter a very troubled past, I am content with my life. Through love of family and counseling I pulled myself out of the darkness. I finally meet the man of my dreams and then the unthinkable happens. Ghosts from my past have come back to haunt me. Is it real or just coming from my subconscious? Can I trust myself enough to let Jax into my life, or are we both to damaged? Do I trust my ‘dream man' to save us both?
Flirting with the Frenemy
Pippa Grant - 2019
Master Baker. Dimples. Muscles. The unicorn of fake boyfriends.Complication: Wyatt Morgan. My brother's best friend. My sworn enemy. Military man. Sexy as hell single dad. The man I let into my panties for one night of hot hate sex after my ex dumped me. And the man who just scared off that perfect fake boyfriend. By pretending to be my real boyfriend.I can roll with this though. What’s the harm in Flirting with the Frenemy if it helps me get the job done?Complete my mission and move on.Or so I thought.Until Wyatt kisses me again and I start feeling things I shouldn't.The thing about weddings...nothing ever goes as planned.
Flirting with the Frenemy is a rollicking fun romantic comedy featuring a single dad military man, an irritatingly attractive blast from his past, pirates, cursing parrots, and a wedding gone wild. It stands alone with no cheating or cliffhangers.
The Blind Date
Lauren Landish - 2021
Or a total disaster.I’m Riley Watson, bringing a dash of sunshine here and a drop of positivity there. That’s how I live my life, focusing on the good that’s all around us if we look for it. There’s just one thing missing—Mr. Right.So I agree to try a new dating app and find my perfect match. The catch? No pictures.Fun times... until my Blind Date shows up. That can’t be the same man I’ve been talking to all week!Noah Daniels is my brother’s best friend and we have absolutely nothing in common.He’s grumpy, I’m sunny.He’s a workaholic executive, I’m a freelance influencer.He plans everything, and I go with the flow.This has to be a horrible joke—or is it?I shouldn’t want him, but when he touches me, I turn into a mushy pile of hot hunger.I should tell him to get lost, but when he opens his heart, I can’t turn him away.And the more I know, the more I want him.Is the wrong man my Mr. Right after all?The Blind Date is a full-length steamy romantic comedy. It's a standalone.
Plus One
Brighton Walsh - 2013
She has an amazing condo in the city, great friends, and a successful bakery she built from the ground up…what more does she need? Ian Donnelly has been in love with his older sister's best friend, Olivia, for years. He even moved away after college to get some distance from her and the intense feelings she stoked in him. But when Olivia swears off men just in time for wedding season, he impulsively volunteers to be her stand-in wedding date.The sparks that fly between them take Olivia by surprise. Ian is nothing like she remembered, and when they fall into bed, he’s everything she could ever want. What’s the harm of a no-strings summer fling? Strictly physical, of course—her track record in relationships isn’t exactly glowing.Nine wedding dates. That’s all that Ian has to show Olivia he wants more than just a summer of fun. He wants to be her plus one forever.