Book picks similar to
Travesty by Carrie Thomas


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Kiss Me Like This


Bella Andre - 2014
    Nothing seems to matter anymore...until the night Serena Britten unexpectedly ends up in his arms. Serena is a world-famous model who has only ever wanted to be normal, even though her mother has always pushed her to become a superstar. Though it isn't easy to try to leave everyone and everything she knows behind, Serena is determined to enroll in college. More than anything, she wants to turn her love for books into a new career that she actually loves. Only, she never expected to meet someone like Sean on campus—or to be instantly consumed by their incredible chemistry and connection. But when the pressures of her high-profile modeling career only get bigger and more demanding, will it make living a normal life as a college student—and falling in love with the hottest guy on campus—impossible?

Living in Sin


Isabel Lucero - 2013
    Intended for mature audiences only.** Jace Jamison is every woman’s fantasy. He’s a mysterious businessman willing to sweep you off your feet, a tattooed bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, and a sexy friend you want to take that next step with. Jace is everything and anything you want him to be. He’s a highly paid escort. But nobody knows who Jace really is; the man whose dad abandoned him, whose brother was killed, and who had to take care of his mom at a young age. At the age of nineteen, he was living in Sin City, ready for a life away from stress and struggle. Adrienne has been having a sexual drought since she broke up with her boyfriend. Even then she wasn’t getting fully satisfied. Being an event planner, she’s constantly working at numerous events. Several times she’s seen a man she can only refer to as the God-like creature at her work functions. He’s devastatingly handsome, tall, and has beautiful eyes, but he’s always with a different woman. The last thing she needs is another player in her life. After a few chance encounters with Jace, her best friend convinces her to just get some good sex out of him and not worry about who she’s seen him with. But what happens when she finds out that he isn’t dating these women because he wants to, but because he’s paid to? Keeping his job a secret from Adrienne seems easy at first, but when she begins meeting people he knows in his escort life, and they begin getting closer, he knows he has to tell her before someone else does. When their worlds entwine, and confessions are made, will they be able to work through it? Will she be able to push aside his sins and focus on the good in him? Will Jace get what he’s never had? A woman who wants him despite what he’s done. Or will living in sin cost him what he never knew he wanted? *An erotic, contemporary romance* *Book one in a series, but can be read as a standalone.*--As it's been mentioned a lot, I want to warn you of the first chapter. For some people, it's hot and amazing, and they love it! For others, it's shocking and not for them. However, don't let it scare you away, it's not like that the whole way through. Others who were taken aback by it, ended up giving it 5 stars.It is an erotic book though, so there will be adult situations. ;)--

When Fall Breaks


Julie Solano - 2015
    She’s studious, musically gifted, and headed for a successful career in swimming. Her dreams are well within her reach. That is until she becomes tangled up with the handsome rodeo cowboy, Pistol Black. Not only does he turn every teenage girl’s head in the county, but he also turns her perfect world upside down. Kaitlyn’s protective twin brother, along with her best friends, begin to see warning signs in their relationship. When best friend Brody steps in to protect her, newly discovered feelings complicate an already volatile situation. Soon, everything begins to change. Old feelings die, new feelings emerge, and the situation that arises will alter their lives forever.*** This book contains mild language, some suggestive humor, and underage drinking.

Unintentional Virgin


A.J. Bennett - 2013
    Cursed with a stupid name and the inability to lose her virginity. She's on a mission to lose her virginity before she turns twenty if it's the last thing she does.One night, her good friend Eva brings her to an underground club where Karma meets a tattooed bouncer. He’s far from the clean-cut type she normally falls for, which makes her think this finally might be the night she crosses the threshold of womanhood.Excited, she goes home with the bouncer named Jax and as always, her dreams crash down once again. Jax cannot believe she is willing to give away her virginity to a stranger she met at a club. As the only son with five sisters and a widowed mom, he can't morally go through with it, even though he's never been more tempted in his life.Unwilling to let her walk away he strikes a deal. Karma has to spend three weeks dating him and then decide if she wants to have sex or walk away.

Chopped (Taboo Tales Book 1)


Colleen Charles - 2019
    I mean... woods.This is my forest and everything in it belongs to me.Especially things with hypnotic eyes, cascades of raven hair and killer curves that make my long, hard ax roar to life.My people have owned this land for generations.She's trespassing, so I'll claim her.Make her mine.She may try to escape... return to her boring city slicker life.But I'll make her think twice.If my perfect little Dove thinks she can just gallivant into my forest and keep her innocence...She's barking up the wrong tree.*****Chopped is a steamy long novella by USA Today Bestselling Author, Colleen Charles, about a huge ax-wielding lumberjack in the depths of the forest and the woman he claims as his own. It's the first book in the Taboo Tales series and is a standalone with all the steam and feels you're looking for, along with an emotional HEA.

Stepbrother: Unbreakable (A Billionaire Stepbrother Romance)


Victoria Villeneuve - 2015
     He's also intoxicating as hell. Jaret Black is the very definition of bad boy. I can't stand him, but I can't deny that he's panty-melting sexy. And the day after he took my virginity, I found out our parents were getting married. Great. Four years later, we'd lost touch. After all, I had mentioned that I couldn't stand him, right? Until one day, out of nowhere, Jaret ends up back in my life. And in my bed. Oops. But this time, there are consequences to my crazy romp in the sack. And I'm not sure if I can survive them. If we can survive them.

Wait for Me


Alexis Noelle - 2015
    I get what I needed from girls but that’s where it ends. At least that was how it is supposed to be. Until that one night with Nicole changed everything. She is the only girl who has ever made me want more, and I hate it. I have wanted more of Jason since the one night that we spent together. He has occupied my every dream and invaded my every though. He just needs to let me in and stop fighting it so much. I’m determined to show him exactly what he is missing. I’ll wait for him, but not forever. What do you do when your whole world is turned upside down? When everything comes crumbling down around you, will you have the will to fight and break down the wall?Wait For Me was originally Breaking Through The Wall and part of the Guarded Hearts Series. The story has been changed a bit and re-edited to make it a standalone novel.**Wait For Me is for mature audiences only—strong language, and explicit sexual content are apparent.**

Dark Blood


Isabella Starling - 2016
    Kidnapped from under her mobster daddy's nose, she has no way of escaping the Hound - the Abbate crime family's most vicious hitman. But maybe she doesn't want to escape. Maybe her savior is the dark beast himself... And to face him, Bianca will have to look right into the eyes of the monster.Matteo Salini is trained to kill. Pumped with drugs and used to blood, he doesn't expect to flinch when he has to take Bianca's life. She's beautiful - there is no doubt in that. But Matteo has women servicing him left and right, and he doesn't need a spoiled mafia princess to screw with his head. Bianca is much more than that, though, and her tenderness finds its way under Matteo's rough skin. She might be his only chance of redemption.She's his prisoner, he's her savior.WARNING! Dark romantic themes included. If you don't like your bad boys BAD, look the other way!

Stolen Wishes


Lexi Ryan - 2013
    Intended for mature readers.**Cally…A sexy smile. Intense blue eyes. A goodness that makes him want to save me from these rumors when no one else would care. I didn't ask for a hero. William Bailey was never supposed to be anything more than a wish, a dream, an unrequited crush. Not for a girl like me--a girl whose fractured family has stolen her chance at a decent life.William…Since the death of my parents, I've always done what’s expected of me, what's "best" for me. Until Cally. The moment her haunted eyes meet mine, the fractured pieces of my heart feel whole again. I don’t just want to save her. I need her to save me.Stolen chances. Unbroken wishes. Two lonely souls grasping for hope in the darkness.**This novella takes place seven years before the events in WISH I MAY and shows William and Cally falling in love for the first time. It can be read before or after WISH I MAY or on its own.**

Hard Glamour


Maggie Marr - 2014
    Honoring her mother's last wish, Lane Channing vows to follow her dreams. She takes the 'big risk' and leaves her small Kansas town behind and heads to LA, the city of dreams. She's got a stellar job lined up, an old jeep, and 20 bucks to last her to her first paycheck. Her hopes shatter when she arrives to find her job's been given to someone else. Now she's broke and if she doesn't do something fast will soon be living on the streets. Welcome to cutthroat -- Lane is most certainly not in Kansas anymore. On the cusp of success... Dillon MacAvoy has one goal -- to become a star -- whatever it takes. Even if it means honing his bad-boy can't-be-tamed-and-forever-single image. Besides the image isn't far from the truth. Dillon cares only about his younger brother and his career. He's on the brink of superstardom if he can just decide on the next right script. But for that, he needs a script reader he can trust. In a strange twist of fate... Lane Channing is Dillon's last chance. If Lane lasts the summer without becoming MacAvoy's latest conquest, she's guaranteed a job in entertainment. No problem, as long as she can ignore the heat that pulses through her every time Dillon is in the room. After all, love and commitment with a sweet, hometown girl would only ruin the Dillon MacAvoy brand.

Hate Me or Love Me: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Collection


Ella Miles - 2020
    As an assistant, I know I have limited qualifications, but I am loyal and have been an assistant here for almost five years.
I apologize for the initial meeting where I was late in picking you up from the airport, spilled coffee on you, and introduced you incorrectly, among other things. I know I did not make a great first impression, but I need this job. No one should still be an assistant when entering their thirties.
I have attached my résumé. I'm sorry for taking up so much of your valuable time.
Thank you for your consideration,
Olive Porter
P.S. I'm sorry for kissing you on the lips. I really was trying to kiss you on the cheek. I was told you were European, so I was trying to make you comfortable. I was clearly wrong about both.SAVAGE LOVEI hate him.He's made my life a living hell every day since we were five years old. We've been enemies since the day he cut off my pigtails in first grade and I retaliated by drawing on his face with a sharpie.Our hate of each other grew stronger as we got older. We grew more savage in the way we dealt with each other. We broke bones in fights, sabotaged each other's dates, and ruined any chance each other had at happiness.We went our separate ways after college. I never thought I'd have to deal with that asshole again.But I'm out of a job, so when the opportunity to compete for one of the highest profile PR jobs presented itself, I jumped at the chance. Even if it means I'll have to compete with Carter for the job. I'll be more than happy to crush him on the way to my dream job. I'm willing to do anything, savage things, to ensure I win.There's just one problem. I forgot how much my body betrays me every time I see Carter. Because despite all the horrible things he's done, it doesn't stop me from wanting to do naughty, unthinkable things with him. Will my savage heart be enough to resist his charms?FINDING PERFECTI want the perfect man, and Ace Knight isn’t him. He’s a foul-mouthed, pothead, tattooed bastard. He may have saved my life, but he also cost me my nursing career with one smug kiss. Now I’m broke, homeless, and jobless. I wanted a man in a suit. Tall, dark, and handsome. Not broken, cursing, and cynical. Knight thinks I’m the perfect woman for him.Perfect to help him keep his ex-wife from inheriting his millions. I can’t refuse his offer. I need the money.But what if he expects me to…sleep with him. I can’t…I won’t…until he smirks and then I’m toast. I think I need a new plan. Bad boy + flawed girl does not equal perfect.This collection includes 3 standalone romances: Not Sorry, Savage Love, & Finding Perfect.

Marry Me for Money


Mia Kayla - 2014
    Working at a top financial bank brings her into contact with two men who are as different as night and day. Kent Plack, heir to Plack Industries, has no interest in being with a woman for longer than one night. A spoiled and lazy man-whore, he is completely content with his playboy lifestyle, and Beth is surprised when they form an unlikely friendship. Brian Burcham, a finance banker, is gorgeous and respectful. A man plucked from Beth’s dreams, he is definite husband material. Unfortunately, Beth has a hard rule against dating coworkers, but Brian is determined to change her mind. When a deadbeat mother and money problems follow her to Chicago, Beth is offered a solution that could fix everything. Marrying for money seems simple enough, but when lines become blurred, Beth faces difficult choices, making her realize that the easy way out just made her life even harder than before.

Let Her Go


Briana Pacheco - 2017
     Owen Stevenson is unknowingly paying for the sins of his father. He doesn't understand why Zoë can't look at him for more than a few seconds or why his touch is unsettling at times. All he's ever wanted was to love her, to protect her, and to be hers, but it's not so easy. She pushes, he pulls. She hurts, he loves. Both are holding onto ghosts of their pasts and in order for them to peruse a relationship they'll have to let them go.WARNING: This is a darkish New Adult friends-to-lovers romance kind of book. Due to heavy subject matter, strong language, possible triggers of child sexual abuse, and some sexual situations this book is recommended for ages 18+

Why Stars Chase the Sun


C.R. Ellis - 2018
     A no-strings-attached adventure with the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen—this was my alcohol-slash-lust-fueled proposal, and given before I could consider the potential ramifications. While his looks alone are enough to make a girl swoon, it’s the rest of him—a perfect balance of mysterious, sweet, and effortlessly charming—that draws me in. Through his cryptic comments and half-answers, he’s quickly become an enigma I’m determined to solve. One way or another, this adventure promises to snap the stagnant, lackluster pattern my love life has been locked in lately. Is it naive and a little reckless to think this won’t blow up in my face? Probably. But the bigger question is the only one I need to answer… Is the chance to soar among the stars worth the risk of being burned when the sun eventually rises? EMMETT Love is a mistake I won’t make again. My rules are simple. Keep things surface-deep. Don’t make plans. And never, ever get attached. One look at her is all it takes for me to break my first rule. One conversation with her is all it takes for me to question everything. Which means accepting her proposal is bound to be a mistake. She has no idea who I am or what kind of demons I live with, so I tell myself there’s no harm in spending one day with her. But the more I lose myself in her, the more she brings me out of the darkness and into her light, the harder it’ll be to let her go. When reality comes crashing down on us in the worst way possible, I have to decide between walking away…or risking everything for the woman who breaks all of my rules. Why Stars Chase the Sun is the first full-length novel of the Forget Me Knot series, but can be read as a standalone. **Due to strong language and sexy times, it is recommended to readers ages 18 and up.**

Wild Card


Karina Halle - 2017
    Rough, raw & rugged.As the man in charge at Ravenswood Ranch, Shane Nelson has never been afraid to get his hands dirty. His sculpted physique isn't the product of a gym, but of years of hard labor under a relentless sun. His straightforward, alpha tendencies come from a man who knows what he wants and goes after it.And what he wants is Rachel Waters.He's never stopped wanting her.They were childhood best friends, then teenage lovers who evolved into soulmates. But on one fateful night, Shane made a grave mistake, breaking both their hearts in the process.Now, after six years, Rachel is back in the small, wild mountain town of North Ridge, BC.Ready to face her past.Ready to face Shane.Ready to face his dark secret.But is a second-chance at a one true love in the cards? Or will their wild hearts be broken once again?WILD CARD is a complete standalone novel and the first book about the Nelson brothers of North Ridge.