Book picks similar to
When Dawn Breaks by Melissa Toppen


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new-adult

Leave Me Breathless


Jodi Ellen Malpas - 2019
    Ryan Willis has spent years in the protection business, a job that requires constant vigilance and quick thinking. His only chance to truly relax is at his secluded cabin in a small town where there are never any surprises. So when Ryan returns after an assignment and encounters a beautiful stranger, he isn't only surprised, he's also instantly intrigued.Hannah Bright is a breath of fresh air, and Ryan is soon completely consumed, unable to stop from falling for her. As the two grow closer, his instinct tells him something is amiss. Yet nothing could prepare him for what he discovers when he starts digging into her past.Hannah spends her days painting, running her arts and crafts store...and hiding too many secrets. It's why she won't let the ruggedly handsome bodyguard get too close. But their chemistry is undeniable, and Hannah quickly finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance with Ryan. He is peace personified, a balm to her battered soul. Yet the gorgeous, captivating man who has swept Hannah off her feet doesn't even know who she really is. And the moment he finds out, both their lives are at risk.

Ex Games


Stella Rhys - 2016
    Ghosted by my fiancé, I was suddenly broke, heartbroken and facing eviction. Enter Mason Leo, the six feet and two inches of pure muscle and arrogance I’ve hated with a passion since the day we met. The man is cocky, womanizing and ruinously gorgeous.Worse than that, he’s my ex’s brother. And for the next two weeks, he gets to do with me as he pleases.I’ll explain.With both our exes – wait for it – set to marry each other in St. Lucia, I’ve agreed to let Mason pay my debts so long as I play his date. My only job is to keep my clothes on while I get my closure. Because as much as I hate Mason Leo, the man is a walking sex god. And in the name of revenge, he gets to take me out, show me off – dress, touch and kiss me with those wicked lips. It’s all for show, but every night in paradise with him brings more drinks, more drama and another temptation, so no matter what I do, I can’t stop reminding myself this:There’s absolutely no good to come from f*cking my ex’s brother.No matter how good it’ll feel.**EX GAMES is a sexy, full-length standalone with a HEA**

Fighting Absolution


Kate McCarthy - 2019
    Until she does.Bear is the boy behind the fence, the one who was there for her when no one else was. Until he's not.Left with nothing, Jamie joins the army hoping it will give her purpose. The last thing she expects is the best friend from her past to reappear in the dusty plains of a war-torn country. No longer the boy she once knew, Bear is now a man: big, bearded, and SAS—one of the army’s elite.Soon Jamie finds herself not only fighting against her enemies, but her feelings for a man who left her once before. Can she risk losing him all over again?Fighting Absolution is a 130k friends to lovers romance. It features characters from Fighting Redemption, but is written as a standalone.

Little Liar


Willow Winters - 2018
    That’s how stories like these get started. But every lie I told, he saw through it. I think in his heart he knew I was broken; he felt my pain as if it was his. And that’s what changed everything. He’s the reason it all fell apart.Sometimes it’s a single moment that alters everything in existence.Sometimes it’s the fall of dominoes, lined up in a pretty little row and designed so that each one will cause more and more pain.In a single day, it’s all changed, and there’s no way to take it back.I didn't know what would happen. But secrets and lies ruin everything.“I was captivated from the very beginning, and I couldn't let go until the very end. Winters wove an outstanding tale, which has an even better message within its pages.” - Kendra @ Reads and Treats** It's Our Secret was previously titled Little Liar **

Blurred Lines


Lauren Layne - 2015
    Six years later, they’re still best friends, sharing an apartment in Portland’s trendy Northwest District as they happily settle into adult life. But when Parker’s boyfriend dumps her out of the blue, she starts to wonder about Ben’s no-strings-attached approach to dating. The trouble is, even with Ben as her wingman, Parker can’t seem to get the hang of casual sex—until she tries it with him. The arrangement works perfectly . . . at first. The sex is mind-blowing, and their friendship remains as solid as ever, without any of the usual messy romantic entanglements. But when Parker’s ex decides he wants her back, Ben is shocked by a fierce stab of possessiveness. And when Ben starts seeing a girl from work, Parker finds herself plagued by unfamiliar jealousy. With their friendship on the rocks for the first time, Parker and Ben face an alarming truth: Maybe they can’t go back. And maybe, deep down, they never want to.

Beneath the Scars


Melanie Moreland - 2014
    She wants to leave the rest of the world behind, and find some peace. The offer of a private house on the beach, set in a small town in Maine, is perfect. Time to think—to be by herself. It’s all she wants. It’s the escape she needs. Until she stumbles across the painting that seems to echo her own chaotic mindset. Until she meets the unfriendly artist behind the stormy painting and discovers his secrets.All Zachary Adams wants is to be left alone. His canvases, and the unending scope of the ocean and sand, are his life. They direct him—fill his hours. Bring him focus.Until she enters his life. She dredges up memories of the past—the haunting images he has hidden for years; the fears he has never shared. A story he keeps buried below the surface. Can she make him see what he is missing? Can he trust her enough to believe?Together they embark on a journey where their pasts collide and threaten to tear them apart. Will their fragile bond hold or wash away with the ebbing tide?

Hate Story


Nicole Williams - 2016
    Both of them have experienced the sting and sham of love and have no intentions of falling victim to it twice. Love is expensive—hate is free.Three years. A million dollars. A solution to both of their problems. They planned it all, from the story of their first meeting to the date of their divorce. Nothing could go wrong.But what they didn’t consider was chemistry, and Nina and Max have no shortage of it. After too many near-kisses, Nina convinces herself that hating Max is better than loving him, and the more she gets to know this soon-to-be-husband of hers, the more she discovers just how very much she truly, madly, and deeply . . . hates him.This isn’t a love story. This is the other kind.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time


Kylie Scott - 2018
    If being sent away at eighteen hadn’t been bad enough, the mess she left behind when she made a pass at her dad’s business partner sure was.Fifteen years older than her, Pete had been her crush for as long as she could remember. But she’d misread the situation—confusing friendliness for undying love. Awkward. Add her father to the misunderstanding, and Pete had been left with a broken nose and a business on the edge of ruin. The man had to be just as glad as everyone else when she left town.Seven years on, things are different. Adele is no longer a kid, but a fully grown adult more than capable of getting through the wedding and being polite. But all it takes is seeing him again to bring back all those old feelings.Sometimes first loves are the truest.

Love at First Flight


Marie Force - 2009
    She's wondering why they're not engaged yet. Michael is going to his fiancee's parents' home for an engagement party he doesn't want. A states' prosecutor, he's about to try the biggest case of his career, he hates the distraction, and he's having doubts about the relationship. They sit together on the plane, and discover they're on the same flight coming back. When the weekend is a disaster for each of them, they bond on the plane ride home. But life is full of complications, including their exes, who don't want to let go, and when Michael's trial turns dangerous, the two must confront what they value most in life... Praise for Line of Scrimmage: "I will definitely be reading more Marie Force." -Revisiting the Moon's Library "It was a book that made me laugh as well as cry. The three-dimensional characters were so vivid... hands down, this is the best romance I've read this year." -J. Kaye's Book Blog "With its humor and endearing characters, Force's charming novel will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, reaching far beyond sports fans." -Shelley Mosley, Booklist

Dear Heart, I Hate You


J. Sterling - 2016
    Or for him. Or anything that had to do with Cal Donovan from Boston. Meeting him had been a complete and utter surprise, taking me one hundred percent off guard. I met new people every single day in my line of work and none of them affected me. Wasn’t that the way of things though? You could meet a thousand people and they’d all mean nothing to you. But then you’d meet that one and they suddenly meant everything.

Imagine Me


Fiona Cole - 2017
    Juliana knows his desire to be the loner and to never settle down.But none of that stops her from showing up at his hotel room late one night.Months later, she imagines every scenario for when she runs into Shane again. However, she never imagined him brushing off their scorching night together. She never imagined him calling her a ‘little girl’ who can’t handle a man.His words ignite a fire in Juliana. If she has to date every single guy in Cincinnati, she’ll prove that she is more than capable of “handling” a man. Except Juliana and Shane can’t stay away from each other, so they set up some rules; only sex, and no telling her brother.It doesn’t take long for the sex to turn into feelings, and Juliana can feel his icy exterior melting. Is he willing to risk his best friend for a chance at love?For Juliana, that might be too good to imagine.

Split


J.B. Salsbury - 2016
    Her unforgettable new novel is a story of romance and suspense, with a twist no one will see coming . . .What do you do when you wake up with no memory of what you did last night?Lucas spent the first half of his life protecting himself from others, but now his own mind is his biggest enemy. He doesn't know what happens when the blackouts overtake him, but he can recall the feelings--the rage, the confusion, the fear. Thankfully the quiet life he's found in Payson, Arizona has kept the darkness at bay. Until his boss's estranged daughter shows up in town, asking questions she shouldn't and sparking a desire Lucas can't control. Getting close to Shyann is the best thing that's ever happened to him, but when his blackouts return, unleashing the truth he's battled so long to hide, he may just lose her forever . . .

A Little Christmas Romance


H.M. Ward - 2013
    WardThere’s no such thing as second chances, and Brooke would know. This Christmas will be spent alone and uncelebrated, same as the last. It doesn’t matter that she’s a disgruntled mall elf, standing next to a chimney-scented Santa with the most annoying co-worker ever. It doesn’t make Christmas more magical. It’s just another day to endure, and the holiday can’t pass fast enough. That is, until her old flame, Chris, spots her. After taking a picture with Brooke in her elf costume, things take an unexpected turn. Maybe getting through the night won’t be so difficult after all.

Unseen Messages


Pepper Winters - 2016
    From handwritten to verbal, seen and unseen. Messages exist all around us." But what if you don't see?What if you don't understand?What if, by ignoring the message, your life is never the same again?Estelle Evermore morphed from nobody to somebody overnight.Galloway Oak put his past behind him and endeavoured to make his fortune using his trade. Two strangers.One plane.Multiple unseen messages. From sky to island, they find neither fame nor skills can save them. Stripped from society and left alone to survive the elements, the very task of staying alive outweighs all other needs. Until survival turns to desire.And desire turns to danger.From New York Times Bestseller Pepper Winters comes a timeless love story answering the question of what happens when everything is stripped away.Standalone.

Knot


M. Mabie - 2016
    TWISTED DESIRE (available March 15, 2018) and TETHERED LOVE (available March 29, 2018).He knows everything. She has all the damn answers. I’ve always been a free spirit. It’s my nature. I crave control, but with her it’s far more. He’s a power hungry climber. Her wealth could buy and sell me. It’s too much pressure being the center of anyone’s focus. She underestimates my desire for her, my need to please just her. When he’s vulnerable, it’s hard to deny him. Her crooked smile cripples me. He hides his demons, but I’m no fool. She thinks not committing to anyone makes her more honest. She’s wrong. A man like him deserves someone who can offer that kind of love. She promises nothing, yet I feel like a king when she says my name. I never let anyone possess me like he did. Not before. Not after. My greatest regret was compromising. I should have never held back. Still, when we’re apart I’m not myself. I miss the days when she was just down the hall. He’s better off without me, and it hurts. The ugly truth is I need her more than she needs me. Our relationship was born out of lust and curiosity. The lies we told ourselves killed it. Together, we found Nirvana. We learned it was all a mirage. I ruined him. I broke her heart. I keep coming back. I can’t let her go. KNOT is a contemporary romance and a complete standalone. It is the first spin-off from the best-selling Wake Series. You do not need to read BAIT, SAIL, or ANCHOR to enjoy this book in its entirety, but if you love angst you'll enjoy them, too.