Book picks similar to
First, Last, and in Between by Jamie Bennett


romance
slow-burn
contemporary-romance
fragile-heroine

Cruel Prince


Ashley Jade - 2019
    But four years later, here I am...back to finish my senior year at Royal Hearts Academy.And forced to face Jace Covington. My first friend. First crush. First kiss. The one I left behind.Only—he isn't the same boy I gave my heart to.This new Jace is as cruel as he is gorgeous.And he's determined to make my life a living hell. Along with the rest of his glorified family and crew of tyrants.They expect me to worship the ground they walk on like everyone else, but I'd rather eat dirt.If Jace Covington wants me gone...he'll have to try harder. Because I've never been the kind of girl to play by the rules.WARNING: Royal Hearts Academy is a New Adult/High School series of standalones filled with drama, a touch of angst, and boys who are bad to the bone. And when I say bad, I mean they are assholes with a capital A. If you're looking for a safe, sweet romance, this series is NOT for you. At all! Please don't say you weren't warned.WARNING: Royal Hearts Academy is a New Adult/High School series of standalones filled with drama, a touch of angst, and boys who are bad to the bone.This series is recommended for mature readers due to graphic language and sexual content.

Medicine Man


Saffron A. Kent - 2018
    But this is no ordinary castle. It’s called Heartstone Psychiatric hospital and it houses forty other patients. It has nurses with mean faces and techs with permanent frowns.It has a man, as well. A man who is cold and distant. Whose voice drips with authority. And whose piercing gray eyes hide secrets, and maybe linger on her face a second too long. Willow isn’t supposed to look deep into those eyes. She isn’t supposed to try to read his tightly leashed emotions. And neither is she supposed to touch herself at night, imagining his powerful voice and that cold but beautiful face.No, Willow Taylor shouldn’t be attracted to Simon Blackwood, at all. Because she’s a patient and he’s her doctor. Her psychiatrist. The medicine man. WARNING: This book discusses sensitive issues including but not limited to, depression and suicide.

Sweet Surrender


Sav R. Miller - 2020
    Everyone has a debt to collect, and somehow that burden falls to me.I’m being forced into a loveless marriage to pay off my father’s debts when the capo of the Montalto outfit intervenes with an offer I can’t refuse: his hand in exchange for protection.But I’m not the one who needs protecting.EliaThe men in my life value loyalty to our family over everything.I’m supposed to, but my dark heart has a mind of its own.My offer to marry Caroline is half-hearted; I set my eyes on the beautiful nymph and want her for myself.I want to use her. Break her.Turns out, someone else beat me to it.Now all I want is her heart.Sweet Surrender is an enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, dark, erotic, small town mafia romance. Due to adult themes and scenes, it is recommended for ages 18 and older.

Only When It's Us


Chloe Liese - 2020
    Why she hates me, I don't know. What I do know is that Willa is the kind of chaos I don’t need in my tidy life. She’s the next generation of women’s soccer. Wild hair, wilder eyes. Bee-stung lips that should be illegal. And a temper that makes the devil seem friendly. She’s a thorn in my side, a menacing, cantankerous, pain-in-the-ass who’s turned our Business Mathematics course into a goddamn gladiator arena. I'll leave this war zone unscathed, coming out on top…And if I have my way with that crazy-haired, ball-busting hellion, that will be in more than one sense of the word.  Willa Rather than give me the lecture notes I missed like every other instructor I’ve had, my asshole professor tells me to get them from the silent, surly flannel-wearing mountain man sitting next to me in class. Well, I tried. And what did I get from Ryder Bergman? Ignored. What a complete lumbersexual neanderthal. Mangy beard and mangier hair. Frayed ball cap that hides his eyes. And a stubborn refusal to acknowledge my existence. I’ve battled men before, but with Ryder, it's war. I’ll get those notes and crack that Sasquatch nut if it’s the last thing I do, then I’ll have him at my mercy. Victory will have never tasted so sweet. Only When It’s Us is a frenemies-to-lovers, college sports romance about a women’s soccer star and her surly lumberjack lookalike classmate, complete with a matchmaking professor, juvenile pranks, and a smoking slow burn. This standalone is the first in a series of new novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.

Rocket Science


Emily Mayer - 2020
    Oh, you haven’t? Too absurd to be true you say? I agree. Throw in my terrible social skills and it’s a disaster in the making. Why my current neighbor and former friend Paige thought it would be a good idea to set us up will forever be a mystery. Sure, it would be great to have a life partner, but I’m kind of killing it out here being Miss Independent. I have an amazing job. I build rocket ships! Okay, yes, they recently have a pesky habit of exploding at lift off, but we’ll get that tiny bug figured out soon. Probably. Who needs sleep anyway?I work with one of my best friends who set up a profile for me on a dating site. I now have a phone filled with unsolicited pictures of a certain piece of male anatomy which is honestly pretty unsettling. I have a cat who likes me. Sometimes. Attempted murder is just his love language. Oh! And I have an entire wardrobe of elastic waistbands. Elastic waistband. I think that one sells itself. So, things are great, thank you very much. Except now I have a problem. A very muscled, attractive problem. Despite the disaster at the club, Sebastian Kincaid seems determined to bulldoze his way into my life. I don’t understand what his motivations could possibly be and it’s starting to make me a little crazy. Even worse, I can’t seem to get my head and my heart on the same page. I can make this work. As long as he keeps his shirt on and hands to himself. I mean it’s not exactly rocket science.

Serendipity


Catharina Maura - 2020
    Now it's Daniel's turn.I thought I could stay away from her. I thought wrong.What was I supposed to do when I found out that Charles Moriani's last wish was for me to marry his only daughter?I owed the man everything - he taught me all I know and took on the role my late father was unable to fulfil, never asking for anything in return.Until now.The choice was easy to make. Too easy, perhaps. I tried to make myself believe I married her for honourable reasons, but nothing could be further from the truth.Alyssa was never meant to find out how I feel about her. She was never meant to end up in my bed. And she was definitely never meant to love me back.Author's note: Serendipity is based on my debut novel, The Tie That Binds, and largely follows the same events, but it's written from Daniel's point of view. While it is technically a standalone, I highly recommend reading The Tie That Binds first. It'll be a more enjoyable read that way, as Serendipity was mostly written for my beloved readers that requested Daniel's side of the story.

All the Little Lies


S.J. Sylvis - 2020
    The stone gargoyles sit at the school’s entrance, knowing just as much as anyone: I don’t belong. Once upon a time, I did. I belonged in the “it” crowd with all the other well-endowed kids, but now, I am no longer welcome. Not after five years away from this place. Not after the scandal that landed me on the wrong side of the tracks. I’d be lying if I said I’m not looking forward to seeing the one person who was always by my side. My old best friend. My safe place. Only, Christian isn’t the same boy I left behind. His cold, brooding, devastatingly attractive glare sends chills down my spine. My old best friend doesn’t welcome me with open arms, and I have no idea why. Lies continue to fall from our lips. Christian wants me gone. But I’m determined to stay.

The Isle of Sin & Shadows


Keri Lake - 2021
    They never much scared me, though, nor the possibility of evil out to do me harm. Until the night I watched shadows come to life and butcher everything I loved.With a stranger's help, I managed to escape to an isolated place miles north, and, in time, became my own ghost story. A cautionary tale for the locals.Nearly a decade passed, before I returned to my birthplace, in hopes of unearthing long-awaited answers. Instead, I found something I wasn't looking for. Someone. A remedy for my loneliness.Or so I thought.Turns out, Thierry Bergeron is no elixir. He's a deadly poison, cursed by the demons of his past, and feared by those who call him the elusive Rougarou of the bayou. A devious rogue, whose seductive whispers and rough hands haunt my dreams. The big bad wolf that defiles me without apology, or remorse.I should resist him, but I can't.And when the shadows return to stake their claim on me, his darkness is the only safe place to hide.The Isle of Sin & Shadows is a southern gothic mystery & romance standalone

Throttled


Lauren Asher - 2020
    Unapproachable. Ruthless on and off the track.A man with walls higher than the Grand Canyon.And my brother's new teammate.I want more of the prince who disguises himself as the villain.But while I crave a happy ending, he wants to destroy his.Maya Alatorre is a forbidden temptation.An ambitious post-grad I should stay far away from.And chaos wrapped with a bow.We're a ticking time bomb, about one wrong move away from exploding.I want to trip the wire, detonating together in passion and pain.Because in the end, all's fair in lust and war.

The Perfect First


Maya Hughes - 2019
    Math genius. Lover of blazers. The only girl I know who can make Heidi braids look sexy as hell. And she’s on a mission. Lose her virginity by the end of the semester. I walked in on her interview session for potential candidates (who even does that?) and saw straight through her brave front. She’s got a list of Firsts to accomplish like she’s only got months to live. I’ve decided to be her guide for all her firsts except one. Someone’s got to keep her out of trouble. I have one rule, no sex. We even shook on it.I’ll help her find the right guy for the job. Someone like her doesn’t need someone like me and my massive...baggage for her first time. Drinking at a bar. Check. Partying all night. Double check. Skinny dipping. Triple check. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. The walls I’d put up around my heart are slowly crumbling with each touch that sets fire to my soul. I’m the first to bend the rules. One electrifying kiss changes everything and suddenly I don’t want to be her first, I want to be her only. But her plan was written before I came onto the scene and now I’m determined to get her to re-write her future with me.

Jax (Ink-Fusions)


Penny Anglene - 2019
    I had sworn off women for the last couple of years because of what one female had done but then she walks in. She’s a natural brunette that has hair down her back and a body that dreams are made of. I fell hard, then one unpredictable disaster struck. How do I make it right again?RiaAfter a very troubled past, I am content with my life. Through love of family and counseling I pulled myself out of the darkness. I finally meet the man of my dreams and then the unthinkable happens. Ghosts from my past have come back to haunt me. Is it real or just coming from my subconscious? Can I trust myself enough to let Jax into my life, or are we both to damaged? Do I trust my ‘dream man' to save us both?

7th Circle


Tate James - 2021
    The streets outside the Wolves HQ ran red with the blood of the old guard, and not one of those members loyal to my father were spared mercy. Not a single one. I let the media twist and distort the story. My new recruits eagerly proved themselves in spreading false news, in covering our tracks. To the general public, the Tri-State Timberwolves were extinct. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. We changed, we grew, we evolved and came out stronger than ever. Now, I live, eat, sleep and breathe Timberwolves. I’ll do anything to keep my empire safe and thriving. To keep the people depending on me safe. So, what do I do, when it’s my own weakness that places us all in danger? When I let sex cloud my judgment, and my people pay the price? Simple. Kill the distractions. I’m called Hades for a reason, after all.

Home to You


Sandra Marine - 2020
    Or with the wounded teenager who should’ve been his.But Annie’s holding a bargaining chip Nate can’t refuse, and she’ll use everything she can to protect her son and secure his future.Nate’s determined to keep his distance, but when old feelings are resurrected, he must decide if some risks are worth taking.And if some secrets are better left unsaid…

Vicious Kings


Eva Ashwood - 2020
    They never forgot me.Dad promised me we were safe, but I should've known that was just another one of his lies.The past always finds you, and mine finds me on my wedding day when four brutal, dangerous men drag me from the altar in a hail of gunfire.Four men who used to be four boys.Four boys I cared about.Four boys I left behind.They're not the same boys I knew though, and whatever we may have once been to each other, it doesn't matter anymore.Because they're only one thing to me now:My captors.Vicious Kings is book one of The Dark Elite series. This is a reverse harem new adult dark romance series that includes high steam, violence, and foul language.

Cyanide


Ella Fields - 2017
    Conceited. Shallow. Three simple words to describe me. I had everything a girl could ask for, yet nothing I truly needed. I'd made peace with who I was and the expectations set upon me long ago. Only to have that peace shattered when a nameless hero rode into my world. I wasn't allowed to have him. Too bad I never cared much for the word no. Because I'd soon learn the hard way that too much self-indulgence could result in incurable consequences.