Book picks similar to
Not Even Close (A New Generation Series) by Elizabeth Reyes


hot-tempered-hero
intense-story
school-shooting
hero-lies-by-omission

Full Count


C.A. Williams - 2012
    Baseball was what made his life worth living. The hunger to play, the need to live and breathe baseball—it was ingrained in his blood and veins, making his heart thump, beat for beat. It wasn’t until he met Paige that everything changed. She became part of the game, only it was a game he never wanted to end. Paige’s love for baseball was ingrained in her before she was even born. She never thought she would find love in the form of a baseball player though, but that all changes when she meets her new schools first baseman. Was Paige really ready for this roller coaster ride? When the count is full, will what they have survive?

Kept by the Professor: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance


Sasha Gold - 2019
    Tall, muscular, a Viking with a tool belt. My last semester. I’m borderline failing Algebra, the last class I need to graduate. I’ve been getting extra help from my dear, elderly professor, bringing him cookies once a week in exchange for tutoring, and then the rug is pulled out from under me. With two weeks to go, my prof leaves. A sub is coming to finish the semester. When I see the moving van pull up, I bake a dozen, oversized mint chocolate chip cookies, and I head over. My new prof isn’t there, though, just a couple of movers and a muscular, arrogant handyman. He helps himself to the cookies and flirts a little. He's so hot, I don’t stop him. I’m pretty much speechless, which doesn’t happen to me. That night, he helps me save my new puppy, and my fantasies for him kick into overdrive. Little do I realize… he wants me too. And even less do I realize… he’s my new professor.

If Only


A.J. Pine - 2014
    But now she’s off to spend her junior year in Aberdeen, Scotland, the perfect place to stop waiting for Mr. Right and just enjoy Mr. Right Now.Sexy, sweet (and possible player) Griffin may be her perfect, no-strings-attached match. He’s fun, gorgeous, and makes her laugh. So why can’t she stop thinking about Noah who, minutes after being trapped together outside the train’s loo, kisses Jordan like she’s never been kissed before? Never mind his impossible blue eyes, his weathered, annotated copy of The Great Gatsby (total English-major porn)…oh, and his girlfriend.Jordan knows everything this year has an expiration date. Aberdeen is supposed to be about fun rather than waiting for life to happen. But E. M. Forster, Shakespeare, and mistletoe on Valentine’s Day make her reconsider what love is and how far she’s willing to go for the right guy.

Still Standing


Kristen Ashley - 2021
    She’s hiding her car from the repo man, she has less than two dollars in her bank account and the only employment she can get is delivering messages for a criminal.All because of a man. Therefore, she’s sworn off them.And then she meets West “Buck” Hardy, president of the Aces High MC.Buck also meets her, and the minute he does, he makes it clear (to everyone but Clara) that they’re starting something. Since Clara doesn’t get that message, she decides to leave Buck and sort out her life in order to come back to him clean.She’s not gone but hours before life hits Clara with another blow. Which means Buck and his boys have to ride in and save the day. After that, Buck makes no bones about where they stand.But does he?Welcome to the first novel in the Wild West MC series which will tell the stories of the brothers of the Aces High MC, the Resurrection MC, and the Chaos MC…and the women who love them.

His Gothic Valentine


M.K. Moore - 2021
    I always get what I want.RainnHe's too arrogant, too perfect, but he does things to me. Things I didn't know I needed... or wanted.

Combust


Tessa Teevan - 2014
    She's grabbing the bull by its horns and riding as wild as she can.Fate must be smiling on her the night she meets Cohen Wellington, the cute boy-next-door and fellow music lover. Their connection is instant, and as the night progresses, she knows she's found The One. Only...it doesn't go exactly the way she had planned it. And even though she can't get him off her mind, some humiliations are just too much to overcome. She walks away, never planning to see him again. Three years and a whole lot of experience later, Andi and Cohen are suddenly drawn together again, and it doesn't take long before it's clear their connection is stronger than ever. Fate. Destiny. Kismet. Whatever you want to call it, these two fall hard and fall fast. Their love burns hot, but when their plans for the future seem to move in two different directions, will it be enough to sustain the flames, or will the fire consume them, their relationship combusting before their very eyes? Sometimes love comes quickly without question, without hesitation, and without fear. But this kind of love is once in a lifetime, and sometimes you just have to ask yourself, can it really last?*Although these are college aged characters, they are in the contemporary romance genre.

Crashing Down


Cathryn Fox - 2014
    Straight A student Kathryn Lane is all work and no play. She's determined to keep her scholarship, and that means no distractions...until she takes a summer internship at Stone Cliff Resort and meets bad boy Noah Ryan. She knows she should keep her distance—after all he’s not the kind of guy she can bring home to daddy—but his disarming smile and dangerous ways are entirely too tempting. College dropout, Noah Ryan takes one look at Kathryn and instantly knows her type—ambitious, driven and determined, just like he used to be, before the accident that derailed his life and left him an emotional wreck. He vows to avoid her, but when a co-worker backs him into a bet he can’t refuse, everything he’s been running from is challenged and he’s forced to confront his demons. Soon, Kathryn and Noah are lost to everything except each other. As their lives become entwined, their passion is reckless, their heat all-consuming but when hurtful truths spill out, can Noah prove himself worthy of the one girl who can heal his wounded heart, or will the fire they ignited turn to ash when it all comes crashing down?

Just One Kiss


J. Saman - 2020
    Her family was rich. She was cheer captain. The most popular girl in our school while I was the opposite. Poor, nerdy, and invisible. Eight years ago, I kissed the hell out of her, knowing I was never going to see her again. Or so I thought. Because here I am, rescuing none other than London who crashed her car into a tree in the middle of a blizzard. Right before Christmas. Now she’s stuck in my house. In my head. Back in my heart before I ever have a chance to stop it.As the storm intensifies outside so does the fire between us. Despite all that, I know this is too good to last. That eventually, the storm will end, and she’ll leave. But losing her is no longer an option. I’m hoping that sometimes all it takes to fall in love is just one kiss…Just One Kiss is a fun and steamy, holiday, second chance romance! It is a complete standalone.

Undercover Boyfriend


Jacob Z. Flores - 2016
    His sister’s wedding is around the corner, and everyone expects to meet Marty’s super-successful underwear model boyfriend—whom Marty invented. Now Marty has to produce a half-naked hottie or suffer the worst humiliation of his life.FBI agent Luke Myers is in serious trouble. He’s been working undercover to take down a dangerous drug cartel, but his cover’s blown and he needs to disappear. Luckily, a geeky yet intriguing comic book artist gives him the perfect opportunity. Luke just has to pretend to be his boyfriend, and pretending is what he does best. But between Marty’s mother and his ex, Luke might’ve bitten off more than he can chew, and Marty’s knack for finding trouble might ruin more than just his sister’s wedding.

Tell Me It's Real


T.J. Klune - 2013
    For current Paperback edition see: Tell Me It's RealDo you believe in love at first sight? Paul Auster doesn't. Paul doesn't believe in much at all. He's thirty, slightly overweight, and his best features are his acerbic wit and the color commentary he provides as life passes him by. His closest friends are a two-legged dog named Wheels and a quasibipolar drag queen named Helena Handbasket. He works a dead-end job in a soul-sucking cubicle, and if his grandmother's homophobic parrot insults him one more time, Paul is going to wring its stupid neck. Enter Vince Taylor. Vince is everything Paul isn't: Sexy, confident, and dumber than the proverbial box of rocks. And for some reason, Vince pursues Paul relentlessly. Vince must be messing with him, because there is no way Vince could want someone like Paul. But when Paul hits Vince with his car - in a completely unintentional if-he-died-it'd-only-be-manslaughter kind of way - he's forced to see Vince in a whole new light. The only thing stopping Paul from believing in Vince is himself - and that is one obstacle Paul can't quite seem to overcome. But when tragedy strikes Vince's family, Paul must put aside any notions he has about himself and stand next to the man who thinks he's perfect the way he is.

Fake Roommate


Rebel Hart - 2020
    Monica is very strict, and since the East Tower houses both genders and all four grades, a student count is performed nightly, making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be.Relieved, Nina thinks that will keep Sydney by her side as planned, but when Henry shows up with a stranger, everything goes to hell. The moment Devon, a tall and muscular bad boy with hazel eyes, tattoos, and a sly smile looks at her, she knows she is screwed.After Devon offers to swap places with Sydney, so that there are two students in each room at night, Nina is both shocked and frustrated. Yet, her protests go unheard, because Devon is determined to help his friend come hell or high water… or is he?Unfortunately for Nina, she has no idea that spending so much time with that bad boy, will make her wish he wasn’t just a fake roommate.

Wicked Thing


Angeline Kace - 2013
    She learned at a young age not to trust anyone. Especially not your spouse. So she's planned. She's planned every detail of her life: who her husband will be, what their careers will be, what their lives will be like. All to avoid the pain of infidelity. Dallas Brown lives according to his own terms. He doesn't do relationships, he doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, and he doesn't live up to anyone's expectations. When Carmyn's fiancé cheats on her, it sends her into a whirlwind of one-night stands with the most infamous player on campus. She can't seem to stay away from this tough guy and his dangerous motorcycle. Everything about him is the complete opposite of who she'd planned to fall in love with: tattoos, dark stubble along his jawline, and hair that brushes his shoulders. As Dallas and Carmyn begin to fall deeper and deeper into each other, they learn that love can truly be a wicked, wicked thing.Sneak Peek of WICKED THING by Angeline Kace. New Adult Romance, Coming Sept 2013“What gives you the right? We are not together. Stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”Carmyn’s forehead creases, and if I were a fool, I’d say it was in pain.Her face flushes with anger. “You’re right, Dallas.” Her words are clipped and cold. A stark contrast to the heat radiating from her. “We’re not together and I had no right. I’m sorry.” She snatches her purse off my dresser and turns to leave.“Carmyn, wait.”She stops but doesn’t turn around.I’m confused. She won’t let me tell her how I feel, but I’m supposed to allow her to fix the most broken part of my life? A part of me wants her to. For her to be the one who makes the broken things work. But not like this. Not when she insists on keeping things the way they are. I can’t give myself to her if she won’t accept my heart, let alone give me hers.She marches to the door and flings it open.I want to tell her to wait, but I still don’t know what to say. I got what I wanted; she won’t try to push me about Denton anymore. Was it worth losing whatever part of her I had?I’m not sure it is.Meet Dallas and Carmyn this summer in WICKED THING by Angeline Kace. For more details and teasers, visit her website at www.angelinekace.com.

Property Of The Mountain Man


Gemma Weir - 2021
    Every woman in Rockhead Point wants a taste of the mountain man. Including me. Except he doesn’t even know my name. I’m just the girl behind the counter filling his coffee, while he grunts and grumbles, barely making eye contact. Then a newcomer with a charming smile and a fancy suit shows up in Rockhead Point, and refuses to take no for an answer when he asks me to dinner. That’s when I find out Mr. Mountain Man not only knows my name… he thinks I’m his property.

Bridesmates


Sydney Smyth - 2021
    But he agreed to be her Bridesmate (her male maid of honor), and a promise is a promise. What he didn't expect is to run into his high school crush, who's out of the closet and a smoking hot cop to boot. Will Baker is just as dreamy as he was when he broke Cooper's heart all those years ago - and it turns out he's in the wedding party too. Will Cooper make it through the ceremony with his heart unscathed, or will he risk it all for a second chance at love?

Through the Pain


C.A. Rene - 2021
    most of the time.I can starve it, but I cannot starve myself.Because it's not just the darkness that craves these things... I do, too.My mother grounded me and helped calm the storm, now she's dead and everything changed.My life is now lived through red hued glasses and anger simmers just under the surface.Until him...Now my dark soul craves his and I won't let anything come between us, even if I have to kill... with my bare hands.