Book picks similar to
Underwater by Maayan Nahmani


new-adult
military
celibate-hero
arc

Savage


Kat Austen - 2016
    Marooned on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he long ago let go of the pleasantries and mannerisms of civilization. He’s become a savage, driven by instinct and impulse—more animal than man. Then she washes up on his island, and everything changes. Her survival becomes more important that his. Her needs more essential than his own. Her pleasure more imperative than his. This woman becomes his whole life. Not because she’s the first woman he’s seen in years, but because she’s the one he’s spent his whole life waiting for. But will she feel the same? Will she be able to bring the man back from the savage? Or will she bring even more of the savage out of the man?Either way, this tropical island’s about to get even hotter.

LoveLines


S. Walden - 2014
    sharp. Check. Count forty-seven steps to cubicle. Check. Arrange pens in their red-blue-black-green-purple order of importance. Check. Apply hand sanitizer before opening email. Double check.And that’s just the first few minutes of her work day.Thirty-one-year-old proofreader Bailey Mitchell is a slave to her tics. She inherited Obsessive Compulsive Disorder from her father, and it’s done nothing but inhibit her love life. She’s run the gamut of boyfriends—none of them willing or able to cope with her condition.Enter 32-year-old Reece Powell, her new coworker at Beach Elite Marketing Firm. He’s more than willing to cope. He finds her habits cute and quirky... for now. Reece wins her over, and life coasts along for them until Bailey experiences a devastating blow. Tragedy exacerbates her OCD, and Reece realizes her tics aren’t so cute and quirky anymore. Just like all the others, he has the choice to leave.But Reece isn’t like all the others.

Lifers


Jane Harvey-Berrick - 2014
    He is the local pariah, shunned by everyone, including his own parents. But their hatred of him doesn't even come close to the loathing he feels every time he looks in the mirror.Working odd jobs for the preacher lady, Jordan bides his time before he can leave this backwards town. But can distance erase the memories that haunt him? Trapped in the prison of his own mind Jordan wonders if the pain of living will ever subside?Torrey Delaney is new in town and certainly doesn't behave in a way the locals believe a preacher’s daughter should. Her reputation for casual hook-ups and meaningless sex is the talk of the town. Add that to her budding friendship with the hardened ex-con handyman, and the good Reverend is less than thrilled with her estranged daughter’s path.As friendship forms, is it possible for two damaged people who are afraid to love take their relationship to the next level? Can Torrey live with Jordan’s demons, and can Jordan break through Torrey's walls? With the disapproval of a small town weighing heavily on them, will they find their place in the world? Can they struggle against the odds, or will their world be viciously shattered?Is love a life sentence?Due to scenes of a sexual nature, not recommended for under 18.

Unexpected


Amy Marie - 2014
    Or so she thinks.When her visions of a marriage proposal are met with the ultimate betrayal, Erin finds herself in the arms of sexy and strong-willed distraction, Walker Prescott.Her summer becomes life changing as she realizes Walker has left her with a tiny piece of himself and no way to find him…until he suddenly shows up and turns her world upside down.Can she let go of her past to make way for a future she never saw coming?Can Walker be exactly what Erin needs?Will he give her the perfect life she so desperately craves in the most unexpected way?Warning: This book is intended for readers 18 and Up. Strong language and explicit sexual scenes.

Waking Olivia


Elizabeth O'Roark - 2016
    She's trouble of the devious, manipulative, too-f***ing-hot-for-her-own good variety. She's the kind of girl who causes trouble merely by existing, and then makes sure to cause more. And the last thing I need right now is more trouble."A failing farm.His father’s debt.And a struggling college track team. Will Langstrom has too many responsibilities, and the last thing he needs is Olivia Finnegan, a beautiful but troubled new transfer student.A smart mouth. A strong right hook.And a secret that could destroy her. Olivia is her own worst enemy, with a past she can’t seem to escape, and the last person she wants help from is a cocky track coach she can never seem to please.Refusing to be pushed away, Will is determined to save her. And determined to resist an attraction that could destroy them both.

Nothing Left to Lose


Kirsty Moseley - 2013
    Three years after the tragic events of Anna’s sixteenth birthday which saw her boyfriend killed and her kidnapped by his sadistic murderer, she’s no longer the happy-go-lucky girl that everyone used to know and love; she’s now cold, hard and suffers from night terrors. Carter is currently serving time for the murder of Jack–a conviction that Anna helped secure–but his retrial is coming up because some key evidence appears to have been tampered with. Needing to ensure his daughter’s safety, presidential candidate, Senator Spencer, tasks in Ashton Taylor, a newly qualified SWAT agent, to guard the broken girl and keep her safe until the end of the trial. For three years Anna has refused to feel emotion or pain. Can Ashton help her rebuild her life and finally deal with the grief of losing her childhood sweetheart? Will he be the one to make her see that life is, in fact, worth living and that not all men will hurt her? Author's note: This edition contains Part 1 (Guarding the Broken) and Part 2 (Blurring the Lines) and combines them into one novel of epic proportion! Librarian's note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN: B00GGMQLFO.

Pretend You're Mine


Lucy Score - 2015
    He’s strong, sexy, broody. The last thing he’s looking for is a woman to ruin his solitude. When the wildly beautiful Harper stumbles into his life, though, he realizes that she’s the perfect decoy. A fake girlfriend to keep his family off his back until he’s deployed.So what if kissing her sends his mind to wicked places? He can control himself. Can’t he?Harper was on her way to starting a new life… again. But something about Luke makes her want to settle down in this small town and make his house a home. When she’s in his arms, she finally knows what it’s like to feel safe. Protected.One night of sharing a bed turns into something much, much more… and soon Luke can’t keep his mind off Harper’s wide gray eyes or his hands off her luscious curves. He never thought he’d feel this way about a woman again. But he knows that he can’t tell her the truth about his dark past. And she can’t reveal what she’s running from.At least this isn’t a real relationship. It’s only for a month. It’s only pretend. Until it isn’t…

Misbehaved


Charleigh Rose - 2017
    She’s outspoken, brazen and wants nothing more than to escape the Nevadan hell hole that she calls home. On the brink of eighteen, with a deceased mother and a well-meaning, yet absent father, she is forced to fend for herself. The only person she’s ever had to depend on is her borderline obsessive stepbrother, Ryan. But, what used to be her anchor is quickly becoming a loose cannon. When Remi gets the opportunity to attend the best private school in the state during her senior year of high school, she jumps at the chance. Then she meets Mr. James. Ornery, aloof, and totally irresistible. Most girls would swoon in secrecy. Most girls would doodle his name with hearts in their notebook. But Remi Stringer has never been like most girls.

Royal Atlas


H.J. Bellus - 2016
    The boy turned into a man, and I fell even deeper. Guy Webb had no idea my fragile heart belonged to him for so many years. He was too busy being my brother’s best friend and a star on the football field. He was my daydream, and consumed every single thought, but he was always one step from my reach. Beartooth Ranch was our home. The rich ranch land raised us, fostered our laughs, losses, and even gained a new family member when Guy moved in for his sophomore year of high school. I hid my love for years. But now he’s back. Guy Webb returned a broken soldier after serving his country all over the atlas. And now it’s my job to help him heal. My family lost everything with his return and I can only hope I survive it.

Remembering Ivy


Claire Kingsley - 2017
    Alone and disconnected, she’s struggling to pick up the pieces and move forward. The mysterious William Cole walks into her life, like a beacon of light in a fog. He’s sensual and captivating—awakening Ivy in ways she’s never experienced before. But he knows things about her—deeply personal things—that he shouldn’t. His explanation is impossible, but the alternatives are worse. Her friends insist he’s either a con artist, or he’s crazy. With her heart on the line, Ivy has to decide who—and what—she believes. The rational explanation from her trusted friends? Or the impossible story from the man without a past? The man who swears he will do anything to protect her. One thing she is sure of—William doesn’t just know facts about her life. He knows her, inside and out. He knows her as intimately as if he’d spent every moment of his life loving her. And, according to him, he has. ***Remembering Ivy is a stand-alone contemporary romance with a hint of mystery, and ends with a HEA. Contains mature language and content and is intended for mature readers.***

Night Shifts Black


Alyson Santos - 2016
    But nobody knows that. He was an iconic musician before he gave up music. But nobody knows that either. They also don’t know he’s twenty-seven, that he used to have an infectious laugh, and that he’s way too young to be widowed. They certainly don’t know the rest of his tragic story. All they know is that he comes into their café at the same time every morning and stares at the same chair at the same table. They know he’s strange. They know he interrupts their breakfast with a cold blast of air as he hovers in the doorway, mustering the courage to confront a piece of furniture. No one asks why. No one cares. He’s fine with that. He’s done with life. This isn’t even his story anymore. It’s actually Callie’s, the young writer who sat in his chair one day.

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.

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***

All In


Sarah Curtis - 2017
     Her brother owes one-hundred grand to the mob, and River feels it’s her responsibility to help him.The daughter of a renowned poker player, River does the only thing she knows how to do to win that much money...She hits the tables.Headed to Eden Island, home of the most elite poker tournament, The Omega One, River runs into--literally--the man from her teenage fantasies.Now she has another problem, and his name is Alec Throne.  Because after the famous poker star catches her from falling, he decides he's never letting her go.And, as River soon discovers, when Alec Throne sets his mind to something…He's all-in.

Mirepoix


Paige Conners - 2016
    It doesn’t matter that he is tall, dark, and handsome. Or how good he smells.Or how strong his arms areOr that he has tattoos she wants to lickHe wants to be a celebrity chef and live in the spotlight. She wants to hide in the shadowsWhere it’s safe with her fellow misfits.It could never work with him… right?*** Warning contains explicit sexual content and adult language. Not intended for readers under 18 ***