Book picks similar to
Lift You Up by Jessica Gadziala


romance
contemporary-romance
jessica-gadziala
contemporary

Barely Breathing


Pamela Clare - 2016
    Now, here she is—over thirty, out of a job and with little choice but to move back in with her father. Lexi knows it’s just a matter of time before she runs into Austin Taylor, her first boyfriend and her first heartbreak. She’s determined to show him she’s over him—until he steps out of a pickup truck and back into her life, looking sexy as hell in his mountain ranger uniform.As far as Austin is concerned, Lexi can turn her snazzy little convertible around and drive back to Chicago. After all, she ripped his teenage heart apart and turned her back on the town he loves. But from the moment he sees her again, he can’t get her out of his mind. Even her smile messes with his head. When an evening of conversation turns into something else, Lexi and Austin agree to be friends again—with benefits. But as Lexi starts making plans to return to the big city, Austin realizes he’ll lose her a second time unless he can show her that what she’s searching for has been right here all along.Note to readers: This is straight contemporary romance, not romantic suspense.

Want You


Jen Frederick - 2018
    It’s Leka Moore. I don’t care that he took me in when he was barely more than a kid himself. I don’t care that he raised me. I don’t care everyone thinks being with him is wrong. I know we belong together, and the only person I need to convince is him. Leka I found her in the corner of a dark alley. If I hadn’t taken her with me, she would’ve died that night—or maybe worse. Before I knew it, she became the light in my dark life, the haven from the madness. I watched her grow up. I tried to teach her right from wrong. Now that she’s an adult, I’m feeling things that no good man should ever feel. But then…I’ve never been a good man. I have a chance at redemption by saving her from the greatest danger of all—me. A stand alone novel.

Blow


Kim Karr - 2015
     2 fatal sides. 1 epic love. 7 days to survive. They met in the face of danger. They weren’t looking for love. They both knew better. But they couldn’t stay away, and they fell hard. He is heart-stopping handsome, fearless—and haunted by deadly ties. She is breathtakingly beautiful, determined—and in harm’s way. They should have parted. They didn't. And now time is running out. One hundred sixty eight hours. That’s all that remains. While Logan McPherson fights to save them, Elle Sterling is forced to make a choice that could change everything. When torn between right and wrong, tainted love doesn’t have a chance...or does it? ***This is the first book in the Tainted Love Duet. The second book will release on November 16th, 2015 and is now available for pre-order. BLOW is a full-length romance told in dual POV. It contains mature themes, violence, and strong language, and thus is intended for readers ages 18 and up.***

Addicted


S. Nelson - 2015
    With the recent passing of her grandmother there is nothing holding her back from starting over. She dreams of a normal life, one which isn’t constantly plagued by nightmares. Everything seems to be going her way until a gorgeous stranger walks into her shop, turning her world upside down. Although Alek Devera is not the relationship type, everything changes once he comes face to face with Sara. Never having met someone quite like her, he starts to question everything he knows. She intrigues him. She challenges him. She threatens the secret he’s been hiding for years. Will a promise made long ago be the very same thing that destroys their chance for happiness? **Author's note** This book ends with a cliffhanger but the second book in the Addicted trilogy will be available a month later, in June 2015.

Facade


D.H. Sidebottom - 2014
    This book contains situations that some may find offensive. If you are sensitive to graphic violence read with caution. This book also leads into a second book. You will get answers but the story will continue into a final instalment. You have been warned. Enjoy. You meet someone. You date. You fall in love. You marry. The four simple rules of love…. Wrong! I’m getting married but I’d never met him before now, never dated him, never fell in love. I have no access to the memories of the most magical time of anyone’s life. My mind won’t allow me to evoke the past, I can’t remember those simple stages to lead me to the fourth . I can’t comprehend why I would have ever wanted to marry someone like Dante. I should never have passed the first stage, although, I may have seen him through the eyes of the woman I once was, this me that lives, breathes here now, can’t understand how we made it to the next stage. I’m not sure, without memories, how I know that this voice inside me, telling me I would never have chosen him, speaks some truth, I just know. He’s controlling, arrogant, callous and violent, and utterly hell bent on humiliating and degrading me – Like watching me falter, watching me struggle to comply and be the woman he asked to marry, powers him- as though he wants to break me piece by piece. Fiber by fiber. Until all that’s here is the shell he created from a soul that I once owned. Now my memories are slowly returning. And they show me a completely different side to meeting him. Our dates, falling in love. The Dante haunting me in the shadows of my mind is loving, gentle and utterly enamored with me, nothing like the man with me now. And this is what taunts me. My tender lover turned into a debauched, cruel sadist who is determined to consume my life, destroy my mind and murder my spirit. I am, Star, and just like with some stars in the sky, the light you see is an echo, a façade, I am already gone I am a no one. Especially to him. To him I am the dark in his desires, the corrupt in his depravity. The sin in his immorality

No Perfect Hero


Nicole Snow - 2019
    Heart of stone. Snarly mess next door.Send help before I'm prick-matized...My next big mistake has a name.Warren Ford. Best kept secret in this weird little town.An alpha's alpha. Spartan abs. Too blunt for everybody's good.Moody, broody, mysterious, and totally up in my business.I thought Heart's Edge would be safe.No two timing exes. No pink slips. No hulking, loud, inked up -Oh. Right.Leave it to a badass to bring the drama piping hot.Then he goes and saves a cat who means the world to my little niece.Making me a mushy little puddle of wishes.Wishing I didn't know his savage kiss like my own reflection.Or how erasing tears must be his superpower.Wishing I'd never poked his scary past.Or heard him growl when he swears it's not our future.There's no way this works.He's no white knight. I'm no princess.I need to go. He says stay.Even our sheet-ripping nights can't work miracles.Only an answer as the danger closes in.Is Warren my perfect slice of hero?From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow - a twisted small town love story. See how far a damaged alpha goes to claim the feisty damsel in distress under his skin. Full length romance novel with a rollicking Happily Ever After.

No Turning Back


Tiffany Snow - 2011
    She moved to Indianapolis to start seeing to them, but things aren't going quite as well as she'd hoped. She's a runner for a high-powered law firm in town, not the most prestigious of positions, but it and her part-time bartender gig at least pays the bills. And one of the senior partners is a dreamboat in that obscenely rich, disturbingly good looking, slightly snobbish sort of way.Before she did a mortifying face plant in his lap during a meeting, she was quite happy ogling him from afar. After that...well...she was more about the avoiding. Mature, no. More likely to assure she keeps her job, yes.She's made some friends in the few months she's been in Indy. One of those friends is her neighbor Sheila, though Kathleen can't say she's completely comfortable with Sheila's job choice as a high-dollar escort.It's the middle of the night when Kathleen hears fighting coming from Sheila's apartment. As disturbing as that is, it's the ominous sound of silence afterwards that keeps Kathleen from falling back to sleep. Slipping from bed with the intention of making sure everything is okay, Kathleen knocks on friend's door, only to find Sheila murdered, her naked body sprawled on sheets stained crimson with her blood.Shock and horror are followed by gritty determination when it becomes clear that Sheila's death isn't random and it isn't the result of a jealous boyfriend. It's the opening gambit in a web of murder, deceit, conspiracy, and fraud that stretches to the law firm for which Kathleen works. Maybe to the very office that Blane Kirk commands.And Kathleen Turner, law office runner, can trust no one if she wants to survive.

Steel King


Devney Perry - 2019
    Everyone but Bryce Ryan. There’s more happening at the club’s garage than muscle car restorations and Harley rebuilds. Her instincts are screaming there’s a story—one she’s going to tell.As the new owner of the small town’s newspaper, Bryce is hungry for more than birth announcements and obituaries. When a woman is brutally killed and all signs point to the club, Bryce is determined to expose the members and their leader, Kingston “Dash” Slater, as murderers.Bryce bests Dash match after match, disappointed her rugged and handsome opponent turns out to be an underwhelming adversary. Secrets are exposed. Truths defeat lies. Bryce is poised to win this battle in a landslide.Then Dash breaks all the rules and tips the scales.One kiss, and she’s fighting to save more than just her story. She’s fighting to save her heart from the Steel King.

Darker Water


Lauren Stewart - 2014
    Her lips? Hell yeah. A few other parts of her body? You better f*cking believe it. But her heart? Nope. Not even a little. Until it does…a lot.Forget I said that. I don’t have feelings for anyone. They were all ripped out of me when I was a kid.This thing between Laney and me could be great. But we have to follow certain rules. We have a good time—no dates, no sleepovers, no expectations. When one of us is ready for something new or if she starts getting too attached, we move on with no hard feelings. Win-win, and everybody’s happy.I came into this thinking it would be the same thing as it had always been and that she was like any other woman. It isn’t. She isn’t. But how do I tell her she deserves someone better - someone who can love her, someone who’s not broken - if I can’t seem to let her go? Laney I finally get it. And to think, it only took my heart being pried out of my chest and stomped on five separate times by men who claimed they loved me. That’s got to be a record, right?Let me put it as simply as I can.Fairy tales aren’t real. Love is a lie. And, at least in my experience, sex never comes with a happy ending. Fortunately, I still have a battery-operated boyfriend who’ll never fall out of love with me. I won’t walk in on him in bed with another woman either. Nope. As long as I keep supplying him with fresh batteries, BOB’s only purpose in life is to make me happy. And, damn it, I deserve to be happy. I’m a nice person. I work hard. And, most importantly, I've learned an important lesson: To never, ever let a man near my heart again. Unfortunately, some people never learn.***Be ready for a lot of laughs, a bunch of swoons, and a few tears from this standalone romantic comedy.******DARKER WATER is a standalone contemporary fairytale retelling inspired by The Frog Prince***

Dirty


Callie Hart - 2018
    Body of a god. And a mouth so dirty he could make the devil blush… Fix Marcosa’s time can be bought with money, but he isn’t selling sex. Murderers, rapists, criminals: if you’re on the wrong side of Fix’s moral code, you’re in trouble. The kind of trouble that winds up getting you killed. As a hitman for hire, Fix is no stranger to violence. He’s merciless. Relentless. A true savage, down to the roots of his very soul. You can beg. You can plead. You can pray, but it won’t do you any good. Once the tall, dark stranger arrives at your doorstep, it’s already too late to repent. Sera Lafferty’s no stranger to heartbreak. With an abusive father and a dependant sister, her life has been one of sacrifice and compromise. As soon as she sets eyes on Felix ‘Fix’ Marcosa, she recognizes the darkness in him and makes a vow: she will not get involved. But trapped inside a motel room with the sexiest man to ever walk the earth? Throw in some tequila and the storm to end all storms, and Sera finds herself worshipping at the altar of Marcosa. She knows she made a mistake. She knows she needs to run. But when she witnesses the assassin at work first hand, she knows it’s far too late. Thrown into the back of his sleek black ride, Sera finds herself trapped, and in more way than one. Fix is deadly. He’s demanding, he’s dirty, and he’s determined to claim her for his own.

The Boy I Grew Up With


Tijan - 2018
    In first grade, he asked for my Trapper Keeper. I hit him in the head with it. Third grade, we were best friends. We kissed in seventh grade. Eighth grade, he turned into a bad boy and the rest was a tumultuous storm. Growing up, the problem was never love for us. Bad times. Good times. There were times when I felt our love in every inch of my body, vibrating, making me feel like it could bring me back to life. The problem was us. The problem is that we’re living in two different worlds now. Fallen Crest and its millionaires for me. Roussou and their criminals for him. I was thriving in mine and he was running his. But…But there were nights I felt we couldn’t be further apart than we were, and there were nights I felt we shared the same heartbeat. When was it time? When was it time to either sacrifice, make a change, or walk away from the boy I grew up with?

Dark Russian Angel


Odette Stone - 2019
    I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,And I witnessed a crime.The police are failing to protect me.And my chance of survival isn't looking good.Andrusha, is the cold and dangerous leader of the Vancouver Russian mafia,He's also my best chance to make it to trial alive.The only thing we have in common,Is our shared enemy.This man is everything your mom warned you about.He's ruthless.He's cold.And he likes to be in control.I should be afraid of him.I should keep my distance.So why is he the only one who makes me feel safe?Who will protect me from my protector?

Spin


C.D. Reiss - 2014
    The one she's just about addicted to, is more than forbidden. With felony-black eyes and a mouth built for lies, loving him is one step away from illegal.But her body keeps overriding her brain. Maybe it's time to stop playing by the rules.Antonio is obsessed. Theresa's the last woman he should touch. She's going to get him killed. She's dangerous. Poison. The wrong woman. Except... She's perfect.And they both figure... One more time. Just one more time. One more time and they won't get killed. One more time and they won't get caught.One.More.Time...**MATURE AUDIENCES--Rough sex. Dirty talk. Criminal activity. Cursing. Fisticuffs. Closed course. Professional driver. Do not try this at home.**

Caged


Clarissa Wild - 2017
    An untamed beast. I was born in the cage. Born to fight. Born to carry its name. Locked away, I’ve spent years waiting for my mate. I'm pent up with need. Brimming with desire. All I want is her... That beautiful girl from the picture on my prison wall. Now she’s finally here, sharing a cell. So close. So hard to resist. But one thing’s for sure… Even if she doesn’t know it yet, she’s already mine. This book contains both CAGED and UNCAGED, originally meant as a duet. Note: This STANDALONE novel contains disturbing content that may be offensive to some readers. Complete at 120000 words. NO Cliffhanger. Book 1 in the Savage Men Series.

The Bribe


Willa Nash - 2020
    He also didn’t expect to see her again after rescuing her from the surly beast. As the sheriff in Calamity, Montana, he’s had his fair share of surprises but none as pleasant as pulling over a shiny black car and finding his mysterious hiking companion behind the wheel.Only, she lied to Duke. She gave him a name as fake as her hair color. According to her driver’s license, her real name is Lucy Ross, the famous country music singer whose sudden disappearance has been a hot topic in the media over the past two weeks.He’s not sure why Lucy lied about her identity or why she’s in Calamity. And she’s not talking. Instead, she offers him a bribe to keep her secret. But Duke doesn’t want her money. He wants to know why this woman is on the run. And as long as the star shines on his badge, he’s going to find out.