Book picks similar to
Back to Life by Danielle Allen
romance
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contemporary-romance
The Chocolate Run
Dorothy Koomson - 2004
And every time it 'just happens' their secret affair moves closer to being a real relationship, which is a big problem when he's a womaniser and she's a commitment-phobe.While Amber struggles to accept her new feelings for Greg, she also realises that her closeness to Jen, her best friend, is slipping away and the two of them are becoming virtual strangers. Slowly but surely, as the stark truths of all their lives are revealed, Amber has to confront the fact that chocolate can't cure everything and sometimes running away isn't an option . . .The Chocolate Run is a delectable tale of lust, love and chocolate.Who needs love when you've got chocolate?
Fissure
Nicole Williams - 2012
Cursing at and writing off love after the only woman he let himself fall for wound up marrying his older brother, Patrick enrolls himself at Stanford hoping college life, the California girls, and the epic surf will get him back to his free-spirited, ladies-man-extraordinaire self. Just when Patrick feels the shadow of himself returning, Emma Scarlett enters his life, seeing through his shenanigans and calling him on his crap. Intrigued by this fascinating creature who is ignorant to his charm, surrounded by four older brothers that look at Patrick like he's a bug to squish, and dating the same guy for the past six years who gives new meaning to the term territorial boyfriend, Patrick gravitates to Emma, knowing she's everything he shouldn't fall for.So, of course, he can't help himself.It doesn't take long for Patrick to discover Emma has as many secrets as he does. And hers may be just as dark as his.This time, falling for the girl could not only break his heart, but his spirit. FISSURE is the first installment in the two part series, THE PATRICK CHRONICLES, and is a side story to the best-selling YA series, THE EDEN TRILOGY. The final installment, FUSION, will be released in the summer of 2012.
Personal Experiences
Tracy Lee - 2013
Growing up in a small Georgia town, they had the same group of friends and they all had dreams of leaving Richland. Elle’s life was perfect; going to the perfect college, had the perfect life plan of becoming a doctor and had the perfect boyfriend going to college on a full ride football scholarship. Until the day Elle’s life was turned upside down; making a decision that she thought would be the best for both her and Trevor, she turned to the one man she thought would be willing to help her, Trevor’s best friend, Willie “Bear” Jackson. Seventeen years later; Elleny ,is a changed woman,and it's not a good change. She has locked her heart away and refuses to give it to anyone. Then it happened, a millionaire, whose company just bought out the local plant where Elle’s husband is a foreman moves into town; or should I say BACK into town; turns out that it’s Trevor McHale. Secrets have kept them apart for seventeen years; will they end up keeping them apart for the rest of their lives? Life teaches us harsh lessons; Personal Experiences teach us life’s true meaning. WarningThis e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. And are intended for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.Please be advised as part of this story the main character endures spousal abuse before escaping and setting off into a new life and grows to overcomes her past. Some scenes contain some graphic, dark scenes that are not for the light-hearted; including rape. Readers discretion advised.(Contains: Adult language, sexual MF participation, some violence and explicit scenes of arousal).
The Last Time We Were Us
Leah Konen - 2016
A teen romance debut with a dark edge.Liz Grant is about to have the summer of her life. She and her friend MacKenzie are getting invited to all the best parties, and with any luck, Innis Taylor, the most gorgeous guy in Bonneville, will be her boyfriend before the Fourth of July. Local teen convict released early.Jason Sullivan wasn’t supposed to come back from juvie. A million years ago, he was her best friend, but that was before he ditched her for a different crowd. Before he attacked Innis’s older brother, leaving Skip’s face burned and their town in shock. “Everything is not what you think.”Liz always found it hard to believe what they said about Jason, but all of Bonneville thinks he’s dangerous. If word gets out she’s seeing him, she could lose everything. But what if there’s more to that horrible night than she knows? And how many more people will get hurt when the truth finally comes out?“You’re the one person who believes in me.”Leah Konen’s southern romance swelters with passion as it explores the devastating crush of lies, the delicate balance of power and perception, and one girl’s journey to find herself while uncovering the secrets of so many others.
Tempest Rising
Tracy Deebs - 2011
Surfing the killer waves. Taking care of her brothers and dad. Loving her longtime boyfriend, Mark. But the weight of her secret is pulling her under, toward the ocean's ever-growing call.Among the waves...Tempest's secret? She is half mermaid, a legacy left by her absent mother, who returned to the ocean many years ago. And now Tempest has her own choice to make. Complicating matters is Kona, an enigmatic newcomer whose otherworldly abilities hint at a shared passion and common secrets.Beyond the sea...But there is more at stake besides Tempest's heart and her identity - her life may be in danger too. Because the waters hide a mysterious and dark secret world of their own, one full of sweeping romance and thrilling adventure - but one where nobody, least of all Tempest, is safe.
Landry Park
Bethany Hagen - 2014
Downton Abbey meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayalIn a fragmented future United States ruled by the lavish gentry, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dreams of going to the university. Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won't allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty - her family and the estate she loves dearly - and desire.
Famous in a Small Town
Emma Mills - 2019
With her four best friends—loving, infuriating, and all she could ever ask for—she can weather any storm. But when Sophie’s beloved Acadia High School marching band is selected to march in the upcoming Rose Parade, it’s her job to get them all the way to LA. Her plan? To persuade country singer Megan Pleasant, their Midwestern town’s only claim to fame, to come back to Acadia to headline a fundraising festival.The only problem is that Megan has very publicly sworn never to return.What ensues is a journey filled with long-kept secrets, hidden heartbreaks, and revelations that could change everything—along with a possible fifth best friend: a new guy with a magnetic smile and secrets of his own.
Finding Joy
Adriana Herrera - 2020
For Desta, the East African capital encompasses some of the happiest and saddest parts of his life--his first home and the place where his father died. When an unavoidable work obligation lands him there for twelve weeks, he may finally have a chance for the closure he so desperately needs. What Desta never expected was to catch a glimpse of his future as he reconnects with the beautiful country and his family's past. Elias Fikru has never met an opportunity he hasn't seized. Except, of course, for the life-changing one he's stubbornly ignored for the past nine months. He'd be a fool not to accept the chance to pursue his doctoral studies in the U.S., but saying yes means leaving his homeland, and Elias isn't ready to make that commitment.Meeting Desta, the Dominican-American emergency relief worker with the easy smile and sad eyes, makes Elias want things he's never envisioned for himself. Rediscovering his country through Desta's eyes emboldens Elias to reach for a future where he can be open about every part of himself. But when something threatens the future that's within their grasp, Elias and Desta must put it all on the line for love.
Ramón and Julieta
Alana Albertson - 2022
Whether that means collecting Ivy League degrees or growing his father's fast-food empire, nothing sets Ramón off course. So when the sexy señorita who kissed him on the Day of the Dead runs off into the night with his heart, he determines to do whatever it takes to find her again.Celebrity chef Julieta Campos has sacrificed everything to save her sea-to-table taqueria from closing. To her horror, she discovers that her new landlord is none other than the magnetic mariachi she hooked up with on Dia de los Muertos. Even worse, it was his father who stole her mother's taco recipe decades ago. Julieta has no choice but to work with Ramón, the man who destroyed her life's work--and the one man who tempts and inspires her.As San Diego's outraged community protests against the Taco King take-over and the divide between their families grows, Ramón and Julieta struggle to balance the rising tensions. But Ramón knows that true love is priceless and despite all of his successes, this is the one battle he refuses to lose.
Luminosity
Stephanie Thomas - 2012
When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since. The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me. But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I’ve already helped them win.
This Wicked Rush
Jessie Evans - 2014
You know I want you to beg for it.”GabeI’ve never been the kind of person to give up on something I want. Now, I refuse to take no for an answer. I want this girl. I want to help her, and sleep with her, and steal things with her, and make her laugh the way she did right that night in her friend's car. We’re going to have a summer neither of us will ever forget, and by the time we go our separate ways, she’ll have enough money to go to college, and I will have had her…every way I want her.CaitlinI’m starting to forget why it’s a bad idea to get in any deeper with a boy who is a walking, talking contradiction. A boy who has a taste for breaking the law, a wicked way with words, and a confident touch that leaves no doubt he’s way more experienced than I am. I’ve spent my life putting aside my own needs and cleaning up after other people’s mistakes. Now, I want to make a mistake of my own. I know I’m playing with fire, but for Gabe I'm willing to beg to be burned. THIS WICKED RUSH is an edgy, sexy, boundary-pushing read intended for readers over the age of seventeen. The book features graphic love scenes, violence, strong language, and thieves in love. Read at your own risk.
Wide Awake
Shelly Crane - 2013
A coma. A life she can't remember. When Emma Walker wakes up in the hospital with no knowledge of how she got there, she learns that she's been in a coma for six months. Strangers show up and claim to be her parents, but she can't remember them. She can't remember anyone. Not her friends, not even her boyfriend. Even though she can't remember, everyone wants her to just pick up where she left off, but what she learns about the 'old her' makes her start to wish she'd never woken up. Her boyfriend breaks up with the new girl he's dating to be with her, her parents want her to start planning for college, her friends want their leader back, and her physical therapist with the hazel eyes keeps his distance to save his position at the hospital. Will she ever feel like she recognizes the girl in the mirror?
The Upside of Falling
Meghan Quinn - 2018
Best selling author, Meghan Quinn, brings you a modern take on an old fashion romance that will leave you breathless and wanting more. Tucked away at the base of the Rocky Mountains lived a little boy with one singular dream: leave this broken and battered home and become someone. Be somebody’s hero. That boy was me—Colby Brooks. Except I’m not that same little boy anymore. My dreams might still be the same, but my reality isn’t. I’m smarter. Stronger. A man. And I learned a long damn time ago, the only way to achieve my dreams was to avoid distractions—at any cost. Focus. Resolve. Determination. But all it took was one single night. One night and my entire life…changed. One night had me colliding head first with the biggest distraction of my life; Rory Oaks. Smart. Charming. Beautiful. Rory changed everything. Quickly, my one-track mind started to bend. Each kiss faded decade-long dreams. And with one single incident, I fly off course.
Click
Lisa Becker - 2011
The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical "B" celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.
Waiting for the Sun
Robin Hill - 2018
When her best friend bails on their annual girls’ trip, she vows to do just that, but her plan is foiled when the hotel loses her reservation. Alone and stranded in Austin, Texas during one of the world’s largest music festivals, she's rescued by a mysterious stranger, and an unexpected friendship blossoms.Ten years after losing his family in a tragic accident, Darian Fox is finally back on his feet. The onetime rock star turned successful indie label-owner is content with the isolated life he’s created for himself and wants to keep it that way. But when he’s forced to travel to Texas on behalf of his company, he finds it’s hard to be alone in a city overrun with people. He meets the beautiful, magnetic Francesca and discovers alone is the last thing he wants to be. The unlikely pair form a bond that elevates them from merely existing to living a life less ordinary. But the lines of friendship quickly blur, and when Francesca’s true feelings surface, Darian will have to decide between breaking her heart and breaking the promise he made to the family he lost. With his own heart ruled by guilt, does Francesca even stand a chance?
…Spread your wings and fly.
Waiting for the Sun is part one of a two-part duet. The story concludes in part two, Riders on the Storm, available now. Due to mature content, both installments are recommended for readers 18 and up.