Book picks similar to
The Scars of Us by Nikki Naravez


romance
abuse
new-adult
contemporary-romance

Only for You


Genna Rulon - 2013
    It also feels an awful lot like a kick to the stomach when you try to fight it!” All Everleigh Carsen wanted to do was complete her final semester at Hensley University and begin the life she carefully planned. When a wave of violent crime seizes campus, Everleigh is persuaded to attend a school sponsored self-defense seminar by her best friend, where she meets volunteer instructor, Hunter Charles. After Everleigh’s biting sarcasm induces Hunter to eject her from class, a tempestuous relationship is born. Everleigh is determined to forget the striking man, but fate—that fickle shrew—continuously intervenes. Unable to escape him, she declares Hunter an enemy combatant. The only complication…Hunter is resolutely pursuing vindication…by any means necessary. Verbal warfare ensues, and despite Everleigh’s ingenious efforts, in Hunter, she has finally found her equal.Only For You is a compelling tale of friendship, desire, and redemption—brimming with intelligent characters, witty dialogue, unexpected twists, profound sorrow, unfettered hope, and love’s unassailable perseverance.• This story is appropriate for readers 18+• Only For You is the first book in the For You series by Genna Rulon. Each book in the series can be read as a stand alone novel.

Unbreakable


Rebecca Shea - 2013
    She’s a good daughter, makes excellent grades, and always strays on the safe side of life. The last thing she thought would ever happen was falling in love with her best friend’s brother. But sometimes fate just has a way of bringing two people together. Wide receiver for the University of Arizona, Gabe Garcia, seems to have it all. When his feelings for Jessica come to surface, Gabe will give up everything to be with her. But what happens when a tragedy abruptly changes the course of your life? For Jessica and Gabe, everything they thought they knew about each other will be questioned. Sometimes, there are scars in life that are cut too deep to completely heal. Will their love prove to be unbreakable, or will it shatter and prove fate is just another lie?*This book contains mature subject matter and is not intended for those under 17 years of age.*

Deep Down


Brenda Rothert - 2015
    My closest companions now are shame and loss. But a sliver of hope lies in the only person I have left in this world – the one who’s growing inside me.Survival becomes living again because of my child, and the town where I begin anew. That’s where I meet the man who starts to melt the ice inside my heart.As we get closer, reminders of my past become sharper. Clearer. To confront the pain, I have to discover what’s deep down inside me. Is there enough left there to become whole again, or am I too wounded to heal? A portion of sales from this book will benefit the Keith Milano Memorial Fund at AFSP

Betrayal


Aleatha Romig - 2015
    No future. No past. No more.Alexandria Collins has one week to live carefree—no ghosts of her past or pressures of her future haunting her. Reinventing herself as "Charli," she is knocked off her feet by a sexy, mysterious man who brings her pleasure like she never imagined. With her heart at stake, she forgets that decisions made in the dark of night reappear in the bright light of day. "Some of my tastes are unique. They aren’t for everyone. I understand that.” Lennox "Nox" Demetri is wealthy, confident, and decisive—he knows what he wants. From the first time he sees Charli at an exclusive resort, he knows he wants her. Although he is usually the one to make the rules, together they agree on one: One week. No more.When betrayal comes from those closest to Alexandria, she must decide how far she is willing to go to survive. Choices are not always easy, especially when they involve the heart, body, and soul. After all, Infidelity is a business, and some rules are meant to be broken."Is it really cheating if you're doing it to yourself?"From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a sexy, new dominant hero who knows what he wants, and a strong-willed heroine who has plans of her own. With classic Aleatha Romig twists, turns, deceptions, and devotions, this new epic dark romance will have readers swooning one minute and screaming the next. Have you been Aleatha'd? BETRAYAL is a full-length novel and the first of five in the INFIDELITY series.

Damaged and the Beast


Bijou Hunter - 2013
    His newest conquest is college freshman Farah Smith.When the tattooed bad boy reminds her of a rough childhood she desperately wishes to forget, Farah keeps him at arm's length. Yet, Cooper refuses to give up. He pushes her buttons, tears through her walls, and forces her to admit her feelings for him. What begins as lust soon builds into something more powerful than either expects.Can the beast heal the damage inside the girl of his dreams?***Warning: This novel contains scenes of a sexual nature, violent themes, and coarse language. It is intended for mature readers.Damaged and the Beast is a complete novel with a HEA. Damaged and the Knight is scheduled for publication in June 2013 and follows Farah's sister. Damaged and the Outlaw is planned for autumn 2013.

Better When He's Bad


Jay Crownover - 2014
    . . meet Shane Baxter. Sexy, dark, and dangerous, Bax isn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks, he is the wrong side of the tracks. A criminal, a thug, and a brawler, he’s the master of bad choices, until one such choice landed him in prison for five years. Now Bax is out and looking for answers, and he doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to get them. But there’s a new player in the game, and she’s much too innocent, much too soft…and standing directly in his way. Dovie Pryce knows all about living a hard life and the tough choices that come with it. She’s always tried to be good, tried to help others, and tried not to let the darkness pull her down. But the streets are fighting back, things have gone from bad to worse, and the only person who can help her is the scariest, sexiest, most complicated ex-con The Point has ever produced. Bax terrifies her, but it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize that some boys are just better when they’re bad.

Assumption


Aurora Rose Reynolds - 2014
    Kenton Mayson learned this lesson firsthand when he made assumptions about Autumn Freeman and the kind of woman she is based on what little information he had. What he finds out is she’s not only beautiful, but also smart, funny, a fighter, and exactly the kind of woman he wants to share his life with. Autumn made assumptions of her own about Kenton, and now he needs to prove her wrong in order to protect her and their future.

Combative


Jay McLean - 2015
    A way to escape. And he found it in the most unlikely friendship. But at seventeen, tragedy struck, and he made himself disappear. Now, at twenty-four, Kyler’s past is knocking on his door, offering a deal he has no choice but to take… a deal that will help bring justice—not just for him, but for his brothers.The problem?He’s distracted by the girl across the hall. Madison comes with her own past, her own secrets... and her own deal. And those deals? They’re ticking time bombs.Ones they didn’t know existed.Tick.Tock.

Raising Ryann


Alyssa Rae Taylor - 2013
    The kind of guy a girl should avoid at all costs. When he's hired to privately train me, avoiding him isn't an option. Most girls would love to drop their panties, even if it is just to catch a glimpse of his dimpled smile. I won't fall victim to his charm. That's what I tell myself at least, though it's torture when my mind's at war with my body. Something about the tattooed bad boy draws me in. It isn't just the broad shoulders, piercing eyes, and muscular frame that has me entranced. Luke Ryann has a secret. And I plan to find out what it is. Recommended for mature audiences due to language, violence and sexual situations.

A Life Less Broken


Margaret McHeyzer - 2014
    Broken and damaged, Allyn seeks help from someone that fate brought her.Dr. Dominic Shriver is a psychiatrist who’s drawn to difficult cases. He must push past his own personal battles to help Allyn fight her monsters and nightmares.Is Dr. Shriver the answer to her healing?Can Allyn overcome the broken?Contains distressing content. Only suitable for 18+. Standalone.

The King


Skye Warren - 2017
    My father gambles every night, falling deeper and deeper into debt. When he hits the bottom, he places a new bet: his daughter. I'm his entry bet to the biggest underground poker game. Every kind of danger circles the velvet-covered table, but only one man makes me tremble. A trailer park princess. The son of a criminal king. We don't belong together, but I'm caught in a twisted game. His eyes meet mine with dark promise. And when he puts down his cards, I know I'm going to lose more than my body. I'm going to lose everything.

Every Which Way


Calia Read - 2012
    We were going to enjoy ourselves and this new adventure. She didn’t keep her side of the pact, but I was determined to. Then I met Macsen Sloan. He was quiet and kept to himself. He was nothing like his cocky, basketball star brother, Thayer. MacsenSeverine Blake was like every beautiful girl — she crooked her finger, expecting every guy within a mile to come crawling. Not only that, but she was sarcastic, opinionated and sometimes a complete bitch. We were polar opposites. I knew that, she knew that. But what gave me a second glance at her was that my brother was watching from afar. He wanted this girl. Yet she wanted me first. Thayer I saw her first. She was at a party, dancing with some guy, completely oblivious that I was staring. I knew nothing about her, yet I wanted to because I could see that her snark was just a front. She was hiding her true self. I just never anticipated her falling for my brother.New Adult

Destroyed


Pepper Winters - 2014
    Not broken or ruined or running from a past I can’t face. Just complicated. I thought my life couldn’t get any more tangled in deceit and confusion. But I hadn’t met him. I hadn't realized how far I could fall or what I'd do to get free. He has a secret.I’ve never pretended to be good or deserving. I chase who I want, do what I want, act how I want.I didn’t have time to lust after a woman I had no right to lust after. I told myself to shut up and stay hidden. But then she tried to run. I’d tasted what she could offer me and damned if I would let her go.One secret destroys them.

Melting Steel


C.M. Seabrook - 2017
    Stuck up. Arrogant. The kind of guy who hasn't had to work for a damn thing his entire life. Even his name, Henry Caldwell III, reeks of privilege.And me? Well, let's just say I come with more baggage than a 747 and enough bullsh*t to fuel it.The problem is I want him. Crave him. It's the kind of pure, all-consuming, panty-soaking lust that can make a girl forget why she swore off men to begin with.He thinks I need saving. But this isn't a Cinderella story, and he's no Prince Charming. At least not mine. I learned long ago that trusting any man with my heart isn't just dangerous - it can be deadly.HENRYEmotionally crippled, smart-mouthed, and sexy as sin, the woman is nothing I need and everything I want.Despite her hard edges, tattoos, and reckless spirit, I know she craves more. More from life, more from love, more from me.She thinks I'm just a trust fund brat and maybe she's right. But I've got secrets of my own. I know what darkness is. I've lived it - faced the pit of hell and barely survived.The question is, am I strong enough to face it again? Because if I'm ever going to break through the steel wall she's placed around her heart, it'll mean facing demons we both thought were long dead and buried.

A Terrible Love


Marata Eros - 2013
    She's left the secret tragedy of her past behind along with who she was and is forging ahead with a clean slate. Jess soon discovers that passion can't be left behind; her own and that of the one man that sees who she really is. Whose presence caresses her soul in a way that may breach the peaceful life Jess has made for herself.Devin Castile sees a young woman that is the missing puzzle piece to his existence and who is also the victim to a heinous crime. Devin convinces himself that he can remain emotionally distant even while indulging his physical desire for her. When the lies that Jess has made crumble before their attraction and the truth is revealed, one of them might pay with their life... or their very being.(Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ - Adult Contemporary Women's - New Adult Fiction)