Book picks similar to
Risk by Marissa Holan


new-adult
college
romance
favorites

Familiar Ground


Michelle Lynn - 2014
    However, they live parallel lives. Lives plagued by addiction. When a tragic, but common demon, surfaces between their siblings, Leah and Adam’s worlds collide, never to be the same again. Adam loses his sister forever. Leah’s brother returns. Both gain a niece, neither knew existed. Now they face an obstacle to raise a niece together while Leah’s brother struggles to free himself from the grip of drug addiction, and as Adam’s family grieves for the sister and daughter they lost. A commonality is discovered. Deep wounds begin to heal. Lines blur as their lives entwine. This is a standalone novel. For Mature Audiences. 18+ only

Banish Misfortune


Anne Stuart - 1985
    But her tough-as-nails exterior was a mask, hiding the frightened woman underneath crying for escape. Then the real test came of just how far she would go. When a lecherous businessman wanted Jessica's body to seal an agreement for a million-dollar deal, she turned and ran right into the arms of Springer McDowell.Sexy, warm, appealing Springer. He would make Jessica face the greatest challenge of her life -- motherhood.

Stay With Me


Elyssa Patrick - 2013
    Singing, acting, dancing—I’ve done it all. The tabloids cover my every move, but I don’t want that anymore. I want to be normal, whatever that is.When I leave Hollywood for college in Vermont, I’m on my own for the first time in my life. This is my chance to figure out who I am and what I want in life.But it’s a lot harder than I expected. I can’t escape my image. Classes are difficult, and I’m struggling. And then there’s Caleb Fox.Sexy, intriguing Caleb Fox.Caleb is the one man who doesn’t want to use me. He breaks down my walls. He challenges me. He wants me. And I just don’t know if I can give him the same—or if he’ll stick around when he finds out my shameful secret that the tabloids haven’t managed to uncover.Dating him is risky enough, but loving him could break me.New Adult/Contemporary Romance with a HEA - Recommended for ages 17 and older.

Darling


Gabrielle G. - 2019
    A one-night stand with a rockstar on my birthday?I’ll pass.But Dan Darling, sexy and irresistible as he is, doesn’t take no for an answer.What follows?Five incredible days and a connection I thought I’d never feel.Until he leaves on tour.Until we’re done before we’re anything.It hurts, but it’s nothing compared to what I've been through before.***The first time I saw Anna, I knew she was it.Then I doubted myself.Thought my feelings were only a product of my impulsivity.How can she love me when I’ve kept secret who I really am?Can I pull myself together enough to be with her and make it work?Is she the soothing medication I need to survive, or should I continue living my life one one-night stand at a time?A rockstar romance with swoons, laughter and heartbreaking truths.

Addicted to Him


Lauren Dodd - 2013
    I had a huge secret and I was trying to run away from it as fast as I could. I managed to get myself shipped a thousand miles away for the summer to my estranged father and perky new stepmother’s house. Nobody knew me there and that’s the way I liked it. I didn’t have to be the screwed-up girl with the terrible secret anymore; I could be anybody I wanted to be.Being sequestered at Dad’s house turned out to be amazing. I started wondering if somehow I could convince him to keep me forever and then I might have a shot at a normal life for a change. Enter hot, mysterious, moody Seth and my desire to become a permanent resident of Colorado just quadrupled.I had never met anyone like Seth. I trusted him more than I had ever trusted anyone. I craved his lips, his body, and his touch. It didn’t take long for me to become totally addicted to him. The way he could get my body to respond was incredible. Before long I was spilling every dark secret I had to him never dreaming that he would someday use that knowledge against me.I should have known my fairy tale wouldn’t last forever. Secrets that I prayed would never see the light of day were soon exposed, changing my life forever. I couldn’t run anymore. I had to decide if I wanted to stay the same girl who never fights for herself, or try to find the strength inside myself to live the life I knew I had always deserved.This is a complete novel at 75,000 words. Content warning- This novel contains adult situations and may not be appropriate for readers under eighteen.

Don't Lie to Me


Stacey Lynn - 2013
    What do you do when the man you love leaves, and the only man you’ve wanted since is the one you can’t have?When Emma’s first love walked away after learning she was pregnant, she was forced to pick up the pieces, re-evaluate her priorities, and change the course of her dreams all for the sake of her son, who became the only one who mattered.It also meant taking a job with Jack McMillan; powerful, sexy, controlled, and CEO of McMillan Holdings. Emma has spent the last several years keeping her dreams and fantasies of Jack to herself, but one night, and one encounter, changed everything.Once the walls between them are dropped and the truth is laid bare, will Jack and Emma’s new relationship be able to survive? When they are forced to confront their pasts, will they learn to finally put their trust in someone else, or will the lies that are told destroy them both?

It's A Date


Jess Epps - 2015
     “The thunderous storm that he is intensifies and I'm about to beg him for this.” The Ballerina I've had plenty of practice being graceful, but he has my heart tripping over my pointe shoes. I've conditioned myself to rely on nobody else and I won't start now. I'll push back as hard as I can. However, he seems to be determined on pulling down the wall I use to separate myself from others. Removing myself from his vise grip just became excruciatingly difficult. The storm that follows this man—no, the storm that is this man—has given me more than what I’ve bargained for. The Storm The primal need I have for her is deeper than any I’ve experienced before. My world has shifted in more ways than one, and I’m not going to stand around and be held hostage where I don’t belong. The next move I make won’t be for anyone else but myself, and if it happens to bring my world to a screeching halt, then I’m not going to fight it. I’m determined. I want her. This novel contains mature themes, strong language, and sexual situations. It is intended for adult readers.

Current


Abby McCarthy - 2016
    One moment was all it took for the river’s current to take everything from them. June would have done anything for Jake. The two were inseparable. He was going to run away to be with her. Then, his abusive father destroyed their happiness. Years later, June sits down to write a review for the band Silent Tides and is floored when she comes face to face with Lucas the keyboardist. Lucas looks so familiar; the resemblance to Jake is uncanny.June falls fast and hard for Lucas, but she continuously questions her feelings for him, unsure if they are because he reminds her of Jake or because of who he is. Just when June thinks she’s found happiness with Lucas, she loses him too. Their new love is torn apart, clouded in a veil of deceit and lies, shattering June. Six years pass and June feels like she finally has found peace in her life. Once again, it’s ripped wide open when she comes face to face with a love from her past.Now it’s June who has a secret.

Look After You


Elena Matthews - 2014
    Well, that’s what twenty-eight-year-old Ava Jacobson thought. Instead, she has to sit back and watch her daughter fight for her life, while her fiancé is fighting a messy war in Afghanistan. As her vulnerability hits an all-time low, she finds comfort in an unexpected pair of intense, green eyes. Eyes that belong to her daughter's doctor, Dr. Ashton Bailey. Although she tries to fight against her new-found feelings for Ashton, the pull between the two is so strong it proves impossible for her to stay away. When Ava is convinced things can’t get any worse, a single call changes everything, with news that will irreversibly shake her world forever.Warning: Recommended for ages 18+ due to heavy subject matters of rape and suicide. Also includes violence, explicit language and sexual situations.

Discovered


Kim Black - 2013
    After Adam, her ex, cheated on her with not one, but two of her co-workers, Emily fled from her former workplace, forgoing her internship, and decided to start anew.Though her decision to write off love had held up for over a year, her chastity belt would soon be put to the test when Julien Belmont, a French billionaire, takes an interest in her.In one night, she questions everything she believes, and though she is determined he is no different from the rest, she finds herself in a whirlwind of affairs, lies, and a tug of war between old and new men…Can she learn to love again, or will she flee from Julien, who she admits is the best lover she’s ever had?Julien Belmont is a gorgeous, commanding, passionate Frenchman who enjoys his freedom. His ever-growing sexual hunger means his appetite is never quite quenched. At least not until he meets Emily. One night with her changes everything he has ever believed.Will his past destroy his potential future with Emily?Or will the fire between them burn eternal?

The Sound of Shooting Stars


Heather Allen - 2013
    At an early age he shut the world out, deciding he wouldn’t care. Whatever life had to throw at him, he would look the other way. Now his senior year is about to start and he’s been forced into yet another new home. This will be the last time, he assures himself. When an unexpected curveball comes his way in the form of a certain stubborn seventeen year old girl, Jamie soon finds out that life doesn’t always work out the way you plan it.Beckett Chase has been entitled her entire life. Living in the plush landscape of Palm Beach, Florida, she’s never wanted for anything. She’s always taken what and who she wants with no remorse. When she sets her sights on Jamie Grey and she’s met with rejection, her descent from the top begins.With a twist of events causing Jamie and Beckett’s worlds to collide, will they be able to put aside their differences or will fate intervene offering an entirely different option?

Unspoken


Brenda Rothert - 2014
    The end of their relationship marked the beginning of a painful solitary journey for her. Though she makes places beautiful with her work as an interior designer, the rest of her life is anything but beautiful – it’s slowly pulling her under.Brady, a contractor, is swiftly building his business into an empire. Work is a faithful companion that never lets him down like Palmer did. When he sees women now, it’s on his terms. And his terms are simple: just sex. He won’t let a woman break him again.Palmer is barely holding it together when she and Brady are unexpectedly paired on a project after a year apart. The pull between them is stronger than ever, but the fallout from their reconnection leaves them both wondering if maybe some things are better left unsaid.

The Best Friend Hookup


Kylie King - 2019
    She wants me to do things with her…in the bedroom. The things she wants to do, wouldn’t be a part of our usual hangout, where we play video games, or stuff our mouths with extra cheesy pizza. This is different. She wants me to teach her how to be on top, so she can hook up with a guy she’s always wanted to date. Of course, I’m going to help my adorable, nerdy best friend Julia. I’m the best man for the job, and she trusts me with her life. Not only that, but I’ve been with plenty of women—enough to know how to show her the ropes. Showing her what to do shouldn’t change anything between us…at least that’s what I think, until I realize that once she gets the hang of this, she’ll be on top of another guy.

One Careful Owner


Jane Harvey-Berrick - 2017
    (Standalone)Alex is lost and alone, with only his dog, Stan for company. He doesn’t expect kindness from anyone anymore, but sometimes hope can be found in the most unlikely places. He has a second chance at happiness, but there’s a dark side to Alex, and a reason that more than one person has called him crazy.Single mother Dawn is doing just fine. Except that her ex- is a pain in the a**, her sister isn’t speaking to her, and her love life is on the endangered list.At least her job as a veterinarian is going well. Until a crazy-looking guy arrives at her office accompanied by an aging dog with toothache. Or maybe Alex Winters isn’t so crazy after all, just … different. Dawn realizes that she’s treated him the same way that all the gossips in town have treated her—people can be very cruel. * * * * * * * * * * * *"You know that feeling you get in your stomach when you drive over a hill really fast? That's what I felt." T. Allen * Contains scenes of an adult nature. *

At This Moment


Karen Cimms - 2016
    Kate Daniels wants it all—a big, crazy life, lots of kids, and an adoring husband. Someday. For now, she’ll be happy just to survive her first semester of college. Billy McDonald wants it all, too. Since the day he got his first guitar, he’s had one goal—to prove he’s worth something. His dream is so close, he can almost touch it.Thrown together during a freak snowstorm, Kate and Billy’s lives become permanently entwined. On the outside, they have nothing in common, but scars aren’t always visible and abuse doesn’t always leave a mark. Kate keeps the pain of her past buried, while Billy carries his like a weapon.In spite of finding love, Billy continues to be haunted by his childhood and tempted by the excesses of the music industry. He struggles to keep his career on track and his inner demons at bay, until one night, he makes a mistake that could cost him everything. Kate may have found her happily ever after, but for Billy, the nightmare has just begun.Set against a backdrop of heavy metal and emerging grunge, At This Moment is the first book in the Of Love and Madness trilogy. A love story that unfolds over twenty-five years, it’s the tale of two damaged people trying to make their way in the world without destroying themselves or each other in the process.