Book picks similar to
Jackson by Tracie Podger


romance
tbr-need-more-info
adult-contemporary-romance
bestfriend

In Her Wake


K.A. Tucker - 2014
    Until one night when he makes a fatal, wrong decision…and loses everything.When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy. Normally, he’d be able to lean on his best friends—the ones who have been in his life since he could barely walk. Only, they’re gone. Worse, there’s the shattered body of a sixteen-year-old girl lying somewhere in a hospital bed, her entire life ripped from her because of a case of beer and a set of keys.Everyone assures him that they know it wasn’t intentional, and yet he can’t ignore the weight of their gazes, the whispers behind his back. Nor can he shake the all-consuming guilt he feels every time he thinks of that girl who won’t so much as allow him near her hospital room to apologize. As the months go by and the shame and loneliness festers, Cole begins to lose his grip on what once was important—college, his girlfriend, his future. His life. It’s not until Cole hits rock-bottom that he can begin to see another way out of his personal hell: forgiveness.And there’s only one person who can give that to him…

Try Easy


Jill Brashear - 2019
    A free trip to Hawaii changes everything. Meeting Keoni changes everything. Keoni Makai is a famous surfer, known on the island for his brave rescues. He’s been burned by tourists his whole life, and he wants nothing to do with them. Until he meets Lou. She makes him laugh. She makes him feel. She draws him in.Keoni shows Lou the best parts of paradise, and they capture more than just the breathtaking views. But Lou’s life is back in Seattle. Torn between the perfect man back home, and the vacation fling who has stolen her heart, Lou is forced to make a decision that will shatter someone.When love is on the line, there’s no easy way out…

UnStable (West Family Series Book 2)


M. Piper - 2017
    She says I’m an alcoholic. I say I’m living in the moment. She says I’m immature. I say she’s stuck up. She says I need to be more serious. I say I tried that, and it broke my heart. She says I’m the best she ever had. ...I tend to agree. She says we’re not good together. She’s lying. After losing the love of my life before my twentieth birthday, I was sure I’d never love again. I’ve spent the past five years living like it’s my last day on earth, every day. Girls, booze, and as much family time as possible filled my weeks. But mostly the booze... Then, Mackenzie walked into my life and suddenly I have purpose again. She’s made me care. She’s made me feel. She’s made me love. The only problem is that she doesn’t understand me, and her heart’s been crushed too hard and too recently to take a chance on the city’s ‘wild child’. She’s convinced I’m not in it for the long haul. I’m about to prove her wrong. As long as I can make it past December 4... *18+ *This is the second book in the West Family series, but it CAN be read as a standalone. *Book 1 is UnPlanned*

Tasting Never


C.M. Stunich - 2012
    She doesn't need any complications in her life, especially not when they're attached to a man that could be her emotional twin.Ty McCabe can't stand Never the first time he meets her. He's aware that the feeling's mutual and the two don't think they'll ever see each other again, but when fate takes a hand and puts them both in the wrong place at the wrong time, Ty and Never form a tentative friendship that opens the door on their dark sides and shows them what it's like to live in the light."Sometimes, the only way to go forward, is to take a few, careful steps back."READING LIST#1: Tasting Never#2: Finding Never#3: Keeping NeverOR Books #1-#3 in one volume: "Tasting, Finding, Keeping: The Story of Never"#4: Never Can Tell#5: Never Let Go#6: Never Did SayTASTING NEVER EXCERPT:Ty's hot mouth is on my neck, and I find myself taking short, sharp, little breaths as I press my shaking hands to his chest. If I sleep with him again, I'll be making the biggest mistake of my life. He's the first real friend I've ever had, and I don't want to cheapen the feelings that are simmering between us. We made that mistake once before, and we survived. We've been through a lot since then, and I know that if I lose him now, I will never be whole again. Ty is my other half, lover or no, and just being around him is enough for me. “Ty,” I say, trying my best to sound stern. Instead, my voice comes out like a butterfly, flutters against Ty's hair and swirls it gently against my lips. I moan and find that my fingers are now curled in the fabric of his T-shirt. “Never,” he says back to me, the word like fire against my skin. In those two syllables, I hear how he feels about me. He thinks he's in love. Ty McCabe thinks he's in love with me. He doesn't say it aloud, but I can tell. Sex isn't the best way for me to show my feelings; I've abused it for far too long that it has somehow lost some of its meaning. I try to tell Ty this, but I can't speak with his lips on my throat and his hand sliding across the nape of my neck. I run my own hands down his chest and put them beneath his shirt, on the hard plane of his belly. His muscles contract as I press my fingers into them, touching, feeling, absorbing the man, the complication, that is Ty McCabe. All the while, my mind is racing in circles trying to talk me out of this.“Kiss me,” Ty says and it's not a question, it's a request, albeit a gentle one. His voice is softer than I've ever heard it. His words are naked, stripped of all the bullshit that's happened to him, all of the horrible things that mirror my own life. Ty and I are like twins, like two halves of the same whole. They say that opposites attract, but Ty and I are very much the same and the attraction between us burns brighter than the sun. “Kiss me,” he says again and I do.

Honeymoon Angel


Suzanne Halliday - 2017
    Needing closure nearly a decade after their clandestine affair crashed and burned, Angie returns home and sets off a chain of reactions that shakes up Family Justice when the truth finally comes out. Fast-forward one year to a comically packaged happily ever after that’s queued up and raring to go now that they are officially Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan.What better way to start off their new life as a married couple than with a baby-making, naked honeymoon on a lush, private, tropical isle? Parker and Angelina Together at last and up to the hot and steamy antics you’ve come to expect from them!

DON’T HURT MY BABY: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance


Zoey Parker - 2018
     She’s a pawn in our twisted game. Caught between two killers. And we each have VERY different ideas on how to use her. She’s better off with me than she is with the sadistic scum who owns her. But that’s not saying much. Because I’m a killer and a beast. And when this beautiful prey falls in my path, You can be damn sure I’m going to devour her. After I’d had my fill, I thought I’d just throw her aside and get back to what I was doing: Putting a bullet in her drug lord owner. But I didn’t go through with it. There’s something different about this one. She’s special. Fragile. Worth protecting. And if she wants to survive this hellhole, she’ll have to recognize the truth – That I’m the only one who can keep her alive. She might not care about herself anymore. But there’s someone else whose life is worth saving… The life of the baby I put in her womb. I never thought I’d say these words. But if any man lays a finger on my little angels… I’ll kill him where he stands. DON’T HURT MY BABY is a standalone contemporary bad boy baby heist romance. It's hot, exciting, safe, and of course comes with a perfect HEA. It also includes bonus novels so you never have to stop reading!

Fighting Fate (Fate, #1)


Anastasia Austin - 2019
    And she isn't going to let anything get in her way. Until she repeatedly crosses paths with poster-child frat boy, Isaac Johnson. She hesitates when all he wants is a hook up. She pushes him away when he shows signs of wanting more. Then she's torn, when she finds him all alone and sick as a dog after his frat brothers abandon him for spring break. Katie should leave. Stick to her plan. Finish the project that could make or break her college career. But she can't leave him like this--to fend for himself when he can barely breathe--or ignore the connection building between them. The one she's not sure she can fight anymore.Fun and fluffy standalone with a happily ever after.Tropes you have to look forward to:*Injury (Our boy has the flu, poor thing)*Afraid to commit*FlingThis is a sweet and spicy novella intended for an adult audience.

Against All Odds


Angie McKeon - 2014
    Our hearts broken... Our souls torn to pieces...He was my world, my whole life. My reason for breathing. I had a perfect marriage, a baby on the way, and I felt fulfilled—almost invincible. Until the day life hit, leaving me broken, vulnerable, and alone.She was my life. My ray of hope on the cloudiest day. With her, I thought I had the ultimate safety. A love that would never hurt or betray me. I gave her my heart, my body, and my soul. Until she broke me, destroying every dream and illusion I had about life, love, and marriage.In our grief, we made a mistake. A mistake I'm not sure we can come back from.

Mr. B.F.D.


Kelli Callahan - 2017
    Mr. Vance always been my secret, delicious fantasy. He's hot as sin and totally off limits -- until we kiss. Now all bets are off. My fantasy is about to become reality and I can't wait. Erik: Go ahead and crucify me. I'm obsessed with my daughter's best friend. I don't give a fu...well that isn't entirely true. I certainly intend to give that and a whole lot more. Charley may be a sweet and innocent virgin, but I still want her. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone because I feel a sin coming on. Kelli's Note: This is a steamy standalone novella with a HEA and no cheating! I'm a girl that likes wild and crazy romances, so that is exactly what you get from me. My heroes might be a little over-the-top with a touch of caveman and you'll get some angst along the way, but I promise that the good parts will give you a plenty of reasons to read this all by yourself!

Claiming His Baby


Nikki Chase - 2018
    He demands my submission. Claims every inch of me. We part ways . . . then I find out I’m pregnant. I don’t think I’ll ever see him again, and that’s not even my biggest problem. He’s hot, powerful, and arrogant. The kind of guy who always gets what he wants. To my surprise, he wants me. His voice hypnotizes me. His touch scorches my skin. For a few moments, he makes me forget about my name, my father’s rules, and my duty to my family. Then, I find out I’m pregnant. To keep myself and my baby safe, I have to leave the only life I’ve ever known. I shed my identity like old clothes. Four years later, my mysterious stranger finds me. He says he’ll protect me. It sounds perfect . . . until he tells me who he really is. He’s one of them, which means I can’t trust him. He’s not just a cocky bad boy; he’s a dangerous man with dark secrets. But when I see him holding our son in his arms, it feels right. Maybe this is crazy talk, but he makes me want to throw all my objections out the window. Claiming His Baby is a standalone, full-length novel of approximately 54,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Includes bonus content!

Fractured: Volume One


Alexis Noelle - 2015
    There are wars we battle and face every day. Some too close to home. I had it all. The perfect husband. The perfect house. The perfect...Everything. Then one moment changed everything forever

Pretend I'm Yours


Vivian Wood - 2018
     Heartbroken, destroyed, and on the edge of despair. That’s how I felt for two years after my wife died, leaving me all alone with our baby. I sucked it up and kept going for my little girl… but I wasn’t living. I was only existing. Then I met Larkin, my gorgeous blonde neighbor. She’s got curves that my hands ache to hold, and toffee-colored eyes that beg me to do unspeakable things to her. I don’t want to want her. I don’t want to look at her, and I definitely don’t want to long for her. I want to avoid her. Except… I can’t. Everywhere I go, everything I do, I am brought back to Larkin. And when we finally cave, falling into bed together... It’s f**king explosive and passionate and deep. It feels as essential as breathing. I’m starting to fall in love with Larkin… but it was never supposed to turn into this. If I want a future with Larkin, I have to figure out how to let go of the past. And nothing has ever felt so good and hurt so bad. This full length, standalone novel is approximately 52,000 words. For a limited time, I've included some bonus content for you!

My Best Friend's Girl


Dorothy Koomson - 2006
    From the moment they met in college, best friends Adele Brannon and Kamryn Matika thought nothing could come between them—until Adele did the unthinkable and slept with Kamryn’s fiancé, Nate. Now, after years of silence, the two women are reuniting, and Adele has a stunning request for her old friend: she wants Kamryn to adopt her five-year-old daughter, Tegan.Besides the difference in skin color—many will assume that headstrong, impulsive Kamryn is Tegan’s nanny—there’s the inconvenient truth that Kamryn is wholly unprepared to take care of anyone, especially someone who reminds her so much of Nate. With crises brewing at work and her love life in shambles, can Kamryn somehow become the mother a little girl needs her to be? In My Best Friend’s Girl, Dorothy Koomson takes us on a warm and wondrous journey through laughter and tears, forgiveness and hope—and the enduring love forged by the unlikeliest of families.

Embrace Me


Ann Marie Walker - 2016
    Nothing could stop the passion between Allie and Hudson—not time or distance. Not even tragedy, betrayal, and blackmail. But now they're facing a new challenge: wedding planning. And while Allie's social status demands she put on the event of the century, her well-intentioned family and friends have her doubting her walk down the aisle...Hudson knows tensions are pushing Allie to the brink, but he's not letting her throw everything away over some flowers and cake. He has plans for his new bride, and unlike their last adventure, he's determined that this time there will be no...

Sexy Seaman


Paige Steele - 2020
    I’m my own woman, and I know just how I’m going to prove it. I went through six years of college to earn my master’s in business to please him, while I wanted a degree in interior design, so I worked my tush off and received my bachelor’s in that too. Now that I’m twenty-four, I’m going to do a one-eighty in my life and take a job I never saw myself doing, just to please me. It really can’t be too hard to serve food to people, make beds, and use a feather duster…can it? I’ll be sailing away and forgetting all my worries. Or so I think, until I look up to see the sexy captain, with his white hat on, step in front of me and I meet Reed Nichols. Growing up while traveling the open seas made my decision to take over the family business the easiest one I’ve ever had to make. After four years in college taking accounting classes, I went after my true dream…a captain’s license. I always knew I’d follow in my father’s footsteps; I just didn’t think it’d be this soon. Right before he passed, he asked me to do just that and I’ve never looked back. Right now, my life is perfect, just the way I want it. I run the company my father founded and drive a million-dollar yacht every day. I pick and choose who lies in my bed, and I’ve never allowed anyone there for more than a night or two. No one has ever kept my attention any longer than that. Then I look down to see the long legs of a cabin stewardess walking toward my boat and I meet Maci Foster.