Book picks similar to
Destroy Me by Shana Vanterpool


romance
new-adult
contemporary-romance
college

Rotten


J.L. Brooks - 2013
    Years later, Toni is lost in a dead end marriage and makes a painful confession that sends her back to the one place she always wanted to escape. But can she really right the wrongs that haunt her? Toni soon finds that the only place where things stay the same is in your mind.When her path crosses with David Stark, childhood playmate turned one night stand, she cannot deny the spike in temperature she feels every time he's near or the scorching dreams that flood her at night.Digging through the years of heartache, Toni soon finds herself torn between the man she is committed to and the one who has always held her heart. As each layer unfolds before her, she discovers the root cause of her pain. Always believing the source was external, nothing could prepare her for the truth.*This book contains sexual content and adult language. Intended for readers 17+.

Break Even


Lisa De Jong - 2015
    Every day, River gives me ten reasons to stay away, and then eleven reasons why I can't. Our relationship was to remain strictly business, or at least I tried. Four years of marriage, and everything with Cole has changed. I never knew two people who lived together could be so distant. But I’m not ready to give up on him.One man wants to break me.The other is just trying to get even. Both are lying to me.

Staying in Vegas


Sam Mariano - 2018
    When I met Rafe Morelli, he didn’t look like the biggest mistake I’d ever make; he seemed closer to the crime family version of Prince Charming. Charismatic, beautiful, and attentive—with an intoxicating air of power—Rafe was the stuff of my darkest fantasies. What we had should have been a simple fling, no-strings-attached. My hot weekend with the sexy, dominant Vegas boss—a harmless memory to replay once I returned to my quiet, predictable life. One tiny hitch in that plan: a panty-melting memory isn’t all he left behind. Now the stakes have changed, and I’m faced with a potentially life-altering decision. Do I stay away and enjoy my status as the only woman in known history who has played in the Morelli flames without getting burned, or do I risk everything and step back into the fire?BOOK 1 OF 3 IN THE VEGAS MORELLI TRILOGY. This trilogy can be read even if you haven't read the original Morelli family series, but as it takes place AFTER that series, there will be Morelli family series spoilers. Two of the main characters from this trilogy were introduced in the original Morelli series. If you want to read the original series and experience it without spoilers, you may want to start there (with Accidental Witness). Like the original Morelli family series, this trilogy is a continuing story following the same characters, NOT three separate-couple standalones.

Price of a Kiss


Linda Kage - 2013
    I mean, just because my last boyfriend tried to kill me and left a bit of a scar on my neck, then forced me to move across the country and legally change my name to Reese Randall to escape him, does not mean— Oh, who am I kidding? For a freshman in college, I have to have the worst dating track record ever. It’s no wonder love is the last thing on my mind when Mason Lowe enters my life. But the chemistry between us is like bam! Our connection defies logic. And he’s just so freaking hot. Being around him makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before. I even like bickering with him. He could be my soul mate...except for one teeny tiny glitch.He's a gigolo.Boy, do I know how to pick them.

Redemption Lane


Rachel Blaufeld - 2015
    But rather than stay and help the needy college coed, Lane decides to teach his brother a long overdue lesson––a decision that later comes back to haunt him and only adds fury to the transgressions of his past he is already fleeing from. Years later, Bess and Lane meet again. She doesn’t know him, and he doesn’t share that he knows what happened on that ill-fated night when she almost died. After all, he has a web of complicated lies from his own youth to protect.Both are seeking salvation in the arms of others and ignoring the truth—that the only road to redemption lies in confronting your past.When the past and present collide, is there any chance at redemption?

Jag


Stevie J. Cole - 2014
    This material is intended for a mature audience. "My name's Jag Steele. I’m the lead singer and guitarist to the band Pandemic Sorrow, and I have a drug problem. Well, I mean it's not really a problem – unless you count the fact that I almost made my heart explode from all the blow I shoved up my nose a few weeks back..." That was my introduction during my first stint in rehab. I'm messed up. If you asked anybody who I am there’s a list they will go down: Famous, rock star, legend, drug addict, womanizing man-whore, but if you asked me, I wouldn't have the first idea of what to say, because I don’t know who Jag Steele is. Really, I’m living every other damn person's dream, and all I want is reality. Roxy Slade, that girl was my reality. My brutally flawed and beautifully broken reality. And she hated everything I stood for. To her I was just one of “those guys”, and she’d rather be buried alive with poisonous snakes than give someone like me a piece of toilet paper to wipe their ass with. Brutal. Life. Is. Brutal. And it is just a giant pain, which is why I chase after anything to make it numb, anything that can fill this void. I just want anything that can make me not feel. I just don't want to feel.

Bro'


Joanna Blake - 2015
    You know the type. Rich, hot, tan, full of himself. Well, I've got one under my skin and he's driving me insane. The worst part is, he knows it.Clayton Westfield isn't my friend or even just a classmate. He's something even more annoying. My mother Dana works for the Westfield's and we live in their house. Well, above the garage really. Clayton is just a few years older so I've known him all my life. We even went to the same private school.He's rich, he's loud, he's full of himself. He's a BRO' in the worst sense of the word.And I can't take my eyes off of him. He knows it too. He has a lot of fun posing for me by the pool, half naked or worse. But the jokes on him because after freshman year of college, I finally grew boobs.Now it's summer and he's the one who can't keep his eyes off of me.Turn about is fair play, doncha think?

Drawn


Lilliana Anderson - 2013
    And a friendship, so strong and loving that it will wait through anything. In the end, you as the reader will be asked to make a choice. Aaron, or Damien. Light, or dark. There are two endings to this story, and only YOU can decide. Enter the world of Etta, in Drawn.Have you ever felt so drawn to someone, that you will put up with anything to be with them? That’s how I feel when I’m around him. Most of the time, I want to hate him. I want to stay as far away from him as possible. He’s so cocky, and arrogant. And he gets in the way and tells me what to do. He’s all things that I normally detest in a man. But, when we’re alone… I can’t even think for myself – the pull is that intense. I know I should run, I know I should stay away. But I can’t. I don’t know if I’m strong enough. What do you do when you just can’t stay away? Even when you know you should…***Content warning*** This is not your typical romance. This is an erotic thriller about an obsessive relationship between two people who struggle to maintain their control around each other. Its advised that readers be over 18 years of age before reading this novel due to sexual content and adult situations, including violence and abusive themes.

Lexi, Baby


Lynda LeeAnne - 2012
    She is madly in love with her sexy, drop-your-panties-at-first-sight, hottie boyfriend who is equally in love with her; more like downright obsessed. He treats her like she is his heart; like he needs her to exist; like he would do anything in his power to make her happy.Lexi knows Landyn James loves her just as much as she loves him, if not more. Deep down, she also knows high school sweethearts aren’t expected to last, but their relationship is different. They are soul mates. Their connection is unbreakable.What could possibly go wrong when you have love like that...?Everything.What will the future hold...?Only time will tell.Author's Note: Contains Adult Content – Namely, a teenager-turned-woman with a very dirty mouth and fiery temper that may or may not know how to throw a punch. Also includes hot and steamy scenes, and a small glimpse into physical/verbal abuse.

Withering Hope


Layla Hagen - 2015
    Her dress, her fiancé and the location—the idyllic holiday ranch in Brazil—are perfect. But all Aimee’s plans come crashing down when the private jet that’s taking her from the U.S. to the ranch—where her fiancé awaits her—defects mid-flight and the pilot is forced to perform an emergency landing in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. With no way to reach civilisation, being rescued is Aimee and Tristan’s—the pilot—only hope. A slim one that slowly withers away, desperation taking its place. Because death wanders in the jungle under many forms: starvation, diseases. Beasts. As Aimee and Tristan fight to find ways to survive, they grow closer. Together they discover that facing old, inner agonies carved by painful pasts takes just as much courage, if not even more, than facing the rainforest. Despite her devotion to her fiancé, Aimee can’t hide her feelings for Tristan—the man for whom she’s slowly becoming everything. You can hide many things in the rainforest. But not lies. Or love.Withering Hope is the story of a man who desperately needs forgiveness and the woman who brings him hope. It is a story in which hope births wings and blooms into a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is forbidden.

Devious Lies


Parker S. Huntington - 2019
    Huntington comes an enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance full of revenge and a dash of fate. “She could enjoy her pretty, perfect world a little longer. Soon enough, everything she owned would be mine.” I had a plan to escape the friend zone. Step one: sneak into Reed’s room. Step two: sleep with him. But when the lights turned on, it wasn’t familiar blue eyes I saw. These were dark, angry, and full of demons. And they belonged to Reed’s much older brother. Four years later, Nash Prescott is no longer the help’s angry son. I’m no longer the town’s prized princess. At twenty-two, I’m broke, in need of a job. At thirty-two, he’s a billionaire, in need of revenge. Who cares if my family ruined his? Who cares if he looks at me with pure loathing? Who cares if every task he assigns me is designed to torture? I need the money. Simple as that. I’ll suffer his cruelty in silence, knowing there’s one thing he wants more than revenge… Me. Note: Devious Lies is a 145,000-word standalone in the Cruel Crown series. If you love banter and angst, this book is for you! Welcome to Eastridge. Enter if you dare.

Yours Tonight


Joya Ryan - 2015
    . . Jack Powell's confidence is matched only by his intensity. The darkness in him comes from years of secrets and memories he'd rather forget. Lana has an exotic innocence that draws him in and Jack wants a taste of her. She's a light in the darkness of his world - and she needs help, which he agrees to give her. The only rule? He makes the rules. Lana gives up her control, letting Jack take her body however he needs, while she works her way into his heart. But Jack's past catches up to them and Lana finds herself wrapped up in a scheme that will expose every secret she's worked so hard to keep. She clung to Jack once when her world was crashing down, but this time, she loves him. She'll continue to reach for him - her only fear is if he'll reach back, or go on his way, taking her soul with him . . . Addictive and unforgettable, Lana's story will seduce, surprise and stay with you. A brand new trilogy by the #1 Bestselling author of Break Me Slowly, the Reign series is an emotional rollercoaster you'll want to keep riding forever. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXCERPT "You look flushed," he said, his tone so raspy it made me want to tell him why. "I was just thinking of something," I whispered, my gaze zeroing in on his mouth."Oh?" He took one step closer. "Care to share your thoughts?"I licked my lips . . . ready to share more than just the thoughts. He'd said earlier he wondered what I tasted like. I was wondering the same about him. "Is it easy for you? Telling the truth?" I asked. "Generally.""How? Not that I lie, but I just don't know how you can say what you say.""You mean voice what I want?""Yes." It was then it hit me. I wanted that. To be able to say what I wanted. Put a voice to my fears. My desires. My everything. To have someone actually listen. "It's a matter of worth over value," he said. "Any given thing has a value. I just decide what it's worth to me to keep that value." He took a step forward. "For example, you have a value. My silence wasn't worth you walking away."

Thoughtless


S.C. Stephens - 2009
    When they head off to a new city to start their lives together, Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university, everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart.Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source—a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he's purely a friend that she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes... and none of them will ever be the same.

Because You're Mine


Claire Contreras - 2018
    They're the ones with experience. The ones with secrets. The ones that exude sex just by saying your name.From the minute I laid eyes on Lorenzo, I knew he wasn't just bad news. He was the headline.My opinion didn't change on our second meeting. Or our third. But my head and my heart are at war. He’s too mysterious, too gorgeous, too wild, and now, he wants me. I should run far away. So why am I racing toward him? I’m totally going to get burned. I know it. A man like Lorenzo won’t leave me unscathed.He'll make ashes of me.

Dear Emily


Trudy Stiles - 2013
    Comfortable. Blissfully happy. She was surrounded by her best friends in the world, who love and adore her, and would do anything to support her. But one violent night destroys everything, breaking down her perfect world and tearing away her safety. Kyle Finnegan comes into her life when she’s at her lowest. Can he help restore her faith? And can they build a future together?Tabitha Fletcher ran away from a violent and turbulent past. She attempts to hide in a new city, enveloping herself in a veil of safety. Alex Treadway strolls into her life and struggles to break through her protective barrier. As she slowly opens her heart, can she learn to love? Can he help her heal? Tabitha’s demons resurface, threatening to destroy her new life. When she finds herself at rock bottom, a surprise pregnancy only adds to her turmoil.Tabitha must make the ultimate choice to give her unborn child a chance at a wonderful life. The life Tabitha wished she had herself. Free from fear. Free from pain. Carly and Kyle desperately yearn for a family of their own. Will Tabitha’s choice give them that chance?And can they all find what they desire most…Redemption?Love?Family?Dear Emily is the first book in the Forever Family series.This book is not suitable for young readers. It is intended for mature adults only (18+). It contains strong language, adult/sexual situations, non-consensual sex and some violence.