Book picks similar to
The Art of Us by Symone West


high-school
interracial
suspense
abuse

Uncaged (Havoc MC, #1)


L.A. Boles - 2018
    But what choice did she have? She had vowed to protect her little sister at any cost. Now, after years on the run, Savy believes they have finally escaped. But when her past crashes back into her life, she must decide if they will flee yet again, or stand and fight the Monster that has haunted their steps. Only problem? Defeating her past means trusting the sexy but dangerous outlaw biker who comes with demons of his own. Diablo—the ruthless President of Havoc Motorcycle Club—is the devil in every sense of the word. And he definitely doesn’t have time for women, preferring the ease of club girls instead. That is until a curly-haired woman with haunted eyes stumbles into his life, awakening both his passion and a deep need to protect her. So when her life is threatened by a man from her past, he is quick to jump to her aid. He has no doubt he can save her, but can he win her heart in the process? This is a contemporary romance with a dark twist. It contains sexual situations and scenes of violence. Recommended for ages 18 and over.

Loveless


N. Isabelle Blanco - 2016
    . . PaigeHe told me he only wanted sex with me.I’ve agreed to his terms. Elijah will be my first lover—I’ll let him have my virginity.But I won’t give him anything other than that.ElijahShe was supposed to be one of many. My greatest conquest yet. But she’s in my blood now. Inside my fucking soul.It won’t end at just the sex with us.I won’t let it.

UGLY (Complicated Love Book 1)


Amara Kent - 2019
    I never expected him to be the one to put me back together. ISLA The Cow of St Mary's Pathetic A Loser The Duff This has been my identity for most of my life. Given to me be a cruel girl in designer clothing. I accepted my life as a nobody. And then he came along. He tells me he's not like the others. But I know better...they're all the same. Sooner or later they all show their true intentions. ZAYNE I never wanted to come here, but I'm stuck. In a city full of vapid girls that just want to fuck their way through the prime meat of wealthy guys. And then she comes along. She's different from everyone else. She puts me at a distance. She fights me at every turn. I keep telling her I'm not like the others, but she refuses to believe me. She'll soon discover that I'm not like them. Sooner or later, she'll realize the truth. UGLY is the first book in the Complicated Love contemporary romance series. If you love raw emotions, real characters, and steamy scenes, then you'll love this story by Amara Kent. Buy UGLY to read Isla and Zayne's story today! WARNING: Reader discretion is advised. This book contains mature content and themes that some may find offensive, distressing and a potential trigger. It is recommended for those 18 years and older.

Trapped in You


Nia Arthurs - 2020
    Except the main lead isn’t supposed to fall for an extra.The harder Hawk pursues me, the more the movie changes, bringing dire consequences and painful revelations.​Time is running out but, when I find a way to escape that world, I make a startling discovery. I've fallen for Hawk.Now, I'm faced with a heartbreaking choice. Do I stay or do I go?Trapped In You is a standalone BWWM science fiction romance, featuring a cocky hero and a fiesty black woman who charges through him like a hurricane.

The Billionaire's Twin Secret


Imani King - 2019
    but will past traumas and malicious interference steal away their second chance? Nine years ago, Candace fled her home town and her best friend, Aric ... ... and Aric married the woman he thought was carrying his child. Candace has never gotten over the only man she ever really wanted, but she's built a new life around her daughter and done her best to forget him. All that changes the day she sees Aric at Lyric's school. Now a widower, he has a daughter the same age as hers ... and the two girls could be sisters. Candace and Aric quickly realize they still have feelings for each other, but rekindling their relationship won't be a simple matter. No matter how much they want each other -- no matter how close their daughters have grown -- they haven't accounted for the schemes of an evil twin. Will a sinister plot destroy their trust in each other and any chance at a happy future? ***The Billionaire's Twin Secret is a standalone 41K novella. It deals with very sensitive issues, so if you're easily triggered, this might not be the right book for you; however, if you enjoy second chance romance with NO CHEATING, NO CLIFFHANGERS and a happily ever after ending, then this book is perfect for you. GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY!***

Taken


Esme Devlin - 2020
     Sitting there wrapped in his tailored suit with his legs spread like he owned the ground beneath my feet, I knew he was trouble. I thought he wanted to buy me. I was relieved when he didn't. But I underestimated Julian Rinaldi. He doesn't buy girls. He doesn't need to. When Julian decides he wants something -- he takes it. Arrogant. Possessive. Lethal. Deadly. Out of his goddamn mind. And now? Now I fear I may be just as mad as he is.

Elite


Rachel Van Dyken - 2013
    But after her grandmother's death, Tracey is all her grandfather has. So when Eagle Elite University announces its annual scholarship lottery, Tracey jumps at the opportunity to secure their future and enters. She isn't expecting much-but then she wins. And life as she knows it will never be same . . .The students at Eagle Elite are unlike any she's ever met . . . and they refuse to make things easy for her. There's Nixon, gorgeous, irresistible, and leader of a group that everyone fears: The Elect. Their rules are simple. 1. Do not touch The Elect. 2. Do not look at The Elect. 3. Do not speak to The Elect. No matter how hard she tries to stay away, The Elect are always around her and it isn't long until she finds out the reason why they keep their friends close and their enemies even closer. She just didn't realize she was the enemy -- until it was too late.

Blinded by the Sun (Dark Rebirth #1)


King Ellie - 2020
    I crave to stare at him, bask in all his glory and disappear in him. He makes me see what I didn’t want to see. He makes me strong. He makes me whole.He makes me…Me but I don’t want to be me, I want to be Ciro’s.--Blinded By The SunDisclaimer: This book is a Dark Romance Read. It contains triggers, violence and other acts that may bother others. Please be warned and advised before picking up the book. There is also course language used in this book. Thank you.

Striker


Rachel Leigh - 2020
    MarniI wasn't supposed to be at that house.I should have never wandered away from the party.And I definitely shouldn't have pressed my ear to that door.The words I heard play in my mind like a record on repeat.Now, they want my silence.The four guys who terrorize the streets of Redwood as a sport will stop at nothing to make sure that my lips are sealed.What they don't know is that I refuse to go down without a fight. TalonMarni Thorn thinks she's holding all the cards. She believes she's harboring our secret. Little does she know, it wasn't ours to begin with. We made a rule that she's off limits.But a body like that is meant to be touched. Limits are pushed, and rules are broken. But one thing is for certain, I have my little rebel right where I want her.Striker is a Dark Bully Romancethat contains explicit sexual content,graphic language, and situations that somereaders may find uncomfortable.

Endgame


Chloe Walsh - 2017
    1. Don't fall in love in high-school.2. Get through senior year and snag a full-ride scholarship to college.3. Get the hell away from my irresponsible mother.I didn't think that was too much to ask for, and I've worked damn hard to make it a reality. Until my mother went and did the unthinkable!She's pregnant.Yep, the woman-child only went and got herself knocked-up by a man who lives on the other side of the country.As if it wasn't bad enough to uproot my life six weeks before senior year, Mom's new beau comes with baggage.A sweet stepsister, Amelia.And the b*stard of all b*stards, Rourke.Rourke is a senior like me, and he doesn't want me in his town, much less his home. He's also hell bent on making sure I know it. Thing is, I don't want to be there either, and if Rourke expects me to swan in and kiss his ass to make him like me, he has another thing coming.I'm nobody's bitch and he's about to learn that...Endgame is a feisty standalone romance. Due to its explicit content, bad language, and graphic sexual content, Endgame is recommended for mature readers of seventeen years and above.

Trick Me Twice


Becca Steele - 2020
    That was my plan.The thing about plans? They change.One day, I was an invisible loner, the next, my name was on everyone’s lips.Why?I caught the attention of the wrong person.I tricked Carter Blackthorne, the king of Alstone High.He found out.And now?Now, he’s making me pay.It’s time for you to pay the price.You tricked me once, but you won’t trick me twice.Ready or not, here I come...Trick Me Twice is a standalone new adult high school romance with bullying and enemies to lovers themes. This book contains mature situations and content.

Pretty Little Savage


Lucy Smoke - 2020
    1: Don’t piss off the Sick BoysThey’re cruel. Reckless. Impossibly fucked up.The Sick Boys feed on the order they create. They rule Eastpoint University just as their families have for decades. But their power doesn’t stop there. The three of them are heirs to some of the largest fortunes in the world, and behind that kind of wealth lies an underworld of corruption.On the surface, they’re perfect princes and he is their King. But underneath it all, they’re filled with blood, lies, and secrets. With all of their connections, they have the power to crush anyone who gets in their way. But just because they’re as warped as I am doesn’t mean I’m going to give them a free pass.Because I, Avalon Manning, bow to no one, and I live to break the fucking rules.***This is a Dark MF New Adult Enemies to Lovers Romance.***

Nero


Sarah Brianne - 2014
    I just want to be a fu**ing made man.I’m just a fu**ing waitress.

Weightless


Kandi Steiner - 2016
     I remember I wanted to photograph them, the way the red and blue splashed across his cold, emotionless face. But I knew even if my feet could move from the place where they had cemented themselves to the ground and I could run for my camera, I wouldn’t be able to capture that moment. I had trusted him, I had loved him, and even though my body had changed that summer, he’d made sure to help me hold on to who I was inside, regardless of how the exterior altered. But then everything changed. He stole my innocence. He scarred my heart. He took everything I thought I knew about my life and fast-pitched it out the window, shattering the glass that held my world together in the process. I remember the lights. The passionate, desperate, hot strikes of red. The harsh, cruel, icy bolts of blue. They symbolized everything I endured that summer. And everything I would never face again.

Hard Knox


Nicole Williams - 2014
    The name inspires resent in every male at Sinclair University, want in every female, and contempt in Charlie Chase.Charlie can be summed up in three words: independent, independent, and independent. To Charlie, Knox epitomizes everything that’s wrong with college males: prolific one-night stands, drunken senseless fights, and a body that hints at prioritizing gym time over study time.As an up-and-coming writer for Sinclair University’s newspaper, Charlie’s tasked with getting to the bottom of who’s been dropping little white pills into girls’ drinks at parties. In an ocean of All-American boys sporting polo shirts and innocent smiles, Knox is the obvious suspect. As evidence piles up against the bad boy of Sinclair, Charlie becomes more and more certain it isn’t Knox. But when her drink is dosed at a party and she wakes up on Knox’s couch the next morning, Charlie’s left with more questions than answers when it comes to Knox Jagger.How can Charlie ever hope to uncover the truth behind a guy so closed off he’s become . . .Hard Knox.