Book picks similar to
In His Kiss by Ava Alise


romance
netgalley
college
new-adult

Getting Lucky Number Seven


Cindi Madsen - 2015
    While every other college student is out having fun, Lyla is studying. With her cat. Well, she's played it "safe" quite enough, thank you. So she creates a "College Bucket List"―with item #7 being a night of uninhibited, mind-blowing sex...But she needs some help from her man-whore best friend.Hockey player Beck Davenport thought Lyla's transformation would be subtle. Man, was he wrong. With every item she ticks off, Beck finds himself growing seriously hot for his sweet, brainiac best friend. And if he's not careful, he'll end up risking their friendship in order to convince Lyla that he might just be her lucky #7...

One Night


A.J. Pine - 2015
     But you can’t keep on pretending forever…Twenty-one-year-old Jess used to have everything—a loyal best friend, a boyfriend she loved, and a future that was right on track. But in a single night, her whole world changed.Now, Jess lives for the impersonal connection of drunken hook-ups and to-go coffee cups in the morning. All she needs is one night to pretend everything is fine…until she meets Adam.Thanks to a sports injury, gorgeous, charming basketball star Adam Carson is stuck in physical therapy at the hospital where Jess interns—giving her the perfect opportunity to see his sweet, considerate nature and making her realize that maybe she does want something more.But while Adam might be the best thing that’s happened to Jess in a long time, letting him past her carefully constructed walls means letting him know what happened...and why he'd never want her for more than one night.

The Bad Twin


Avery Scott - 2019
    Abby Levesque knows that better than anyone. While her sister drifts through life carefree, Abby's left to clean up her messes. The latest mess? Hudson Quinn— the hot, angry billionaire on her doorstep demanding she accompany him to Paris. He's obviously mistaken her for her twin, Gabby, who happens to be his assistant. Too bad Gabby is nowhere to be found. If Abby wants to fix her sister's latest blunder, she'll have to pretend to be someone else for two weeks—preferably someone who isn't wildly attracted to her mercurial boss…As far as Hudson's concerned, his sexy-but-flaky new personal assistant is just another in a long line of terrible decisions and failures in his life. But he's working on the deal of a lifetime—a deal that could change everything for him—and he needs her help to close it. The last thing he ever expected was to connect with her on a soul-deep level.Falling in love wasn't part of the job, and when Hudson finds out who she really is, Abby's terrified he'll never forgive her. With a billion dollar deal—and both their hearts—on the line, can Abby convince Hudson she's the right twin for him?

Blurred Lines


Lauren Layne - 2015
    Six years later, they’re still best friends, sharing an apartment in Portland’s trendy Northwest District as they happily settle into adult life. But when Parker’s boyfriend dumps her out of the blue, she starts to wonder about Ben’s no-strings-attached approach to dating. The trouble is, even with Ben as her wingman, Parker can’t seem to get the hang of casual sex—until she tries it with him. The arrangement works perfectly . . . at first. The sex is mind-blowing, and their friendship remains as solid as ever, without any of the usual messy romantic entanglements. But when Parker’s ex decides he wants her back, Ben is shocked by a fierce stab of possessiveness. And when Ben starts seeing a girl from work, Parker finds herself plagued by unfamiliar jealousy. With their friendship on the rocks for the first time, Parker and Ben face an alarming truth: Maybe they can’t go back. And maybe, deep down, they never want to.

Deal Breakers


Laura Lee - 2015
    But she was also the hottest chick I had ever known. I thought it would be simple. I thought we'd have a good time, then pretend like it never happened. It turns out, I was an idiot. Now, she wants nothing to do with me, but I'm determined. I've spent the last five years without her and I refuse to waste another day. I have a solid plan. All of my figurative ducks are in a row. I'm going balls to the wall, and I'm not stopping until I win back the only girl I've ever loved. Too bad for me, Devyn Summers has been sitting on a secret that nothing could've prepared me for. *Deal Breakers is filled with lots of laughs, a sexy romance, and an overflowing swear jar. It's the first installment in the Dealing With Love series, but each one can be read as a standalone.

When Joss Met Matt


Ellie Cahill - 2015
    Joss and Matt have been friends since freshman year of college, meeting one night after Joss is dumped by her boyfriend. After a few drinks, Matt humors her with a proposition: that he’ll become her go-to guy whenever she needs to heal a broken heart. In return, she’ll do the same for him. The #1 Rule: They’ll never fall in love with each other. People scoff at the arrangement. But six years later, Joss and Matt are still the best of friends . . . with benefits. Through a string of boyfriends and girlfriends—some almost perfect, some downright wrong—Joss and Matt are always there for each other when the going gets tough. No strings. No attachments. Piece of cake. No problem. After all, since they wrote the rules, surely they can play by them. Or can they?

Fly


Molly McLain - 2016
    Now I’m living the dream, on the brink of high-flying super-stardom. But something’s missing.That something is Taylor.She’s my best friend. The one who makes me want to push harder and higher. The one I fall back on when shit gets tough. The one I’d give it all up for.I’d do anything to protect her. To make her dreams come true too.But a single night changes everything.And now the one she needs protection from...is me.

Never Have You Ever


Elizabeth Hayley - 2020
    The semester has just begun, and the president of her sorority has already ousted her from the house. With nowhere else to turn, she ends up at her brother’s apartment—only to find it inhabited instead by a handsome stranger. On paper, Drew Nolan doesn’t have much going for him as an uneducated bartender from a sketchy family. But when a spoiled rich kid asks Drew to take over his life so he can travel around Europe instead of attend classes, Drew sees the opportunity to get the college education he’s always dreamed of. Forced into a cover-up under the same roof, Sophia and Drew forge an unlikely friendship. As the two grow closer, lines blur and boundaries stretch, and they find comfort in living the lie they’ve adopted. But reality comes knocking all too soon, and Sophia and Drew will have to weigh what’s worth fighting for and what should never ever have been.

The Real Thing


Cassie Mae - 2014
      Eric Matua has one friend—his best friend and childhood sweetheart, who needs a place to stay for the summer. Mia Johnson has thousands of friends—who live in her computer. Along with her email chats and Facebook notifications, Mia also devours romance novels, spending countless hours with fictional characters, dreaming of her own Romeo to sweep her off her feet. When she starts receiving supersweet messages from a stranger who thinks she’s someone else, Mia begins to believe that real love is possible outside her virtual world.   When the two friends become roommates, Mia finds herself falling harder than she ever thought she could. But Eric keeps his desires locked away, unsure of himself and his ability to give his best friend what she deserves in a boyfriend. As her advances are continually spurned, Mia splits her time between Eric and her computer. But she soon realizes she’s about to lose the only real thing she’s ever had.

The Man Ban


Nicola Marsh - 2021
    Hookups don't count, right? Harper Ryland has been on a self-imposed man ban for the last twelve months, after a particularly horrible breakup. Instead, she's focusing on the one thing she can control: her career as an up-and-coming food stylist. Harper's latest gig is her best friend's wedding, and she receives glowing praise throughout the night. When the Best Man, Manny Gomes, belittles her hard work, she wants to stab him with skewers from the buffet table, but she can think of something much better: to lead him on the entire wedding and then humiliate him in sweet revenge.When the handsome Anglo-Indian doctor shows up in New Zealand a week later, while Harper's on her first international job, it's the last thing she needs. Everything about him rubs her the wrong way, but when suave Manny steps in to help after an unfortunate disaster, his chivalry gets under her skin a little, and Harper discovers lifting her ban while overseas is exactly what the doctor ordered.Manny isn't looking for anything but fun either--especially not marriage, like his grandmother Izzy keeps pushing on him. But there's something about Harper that makes him want more, even though she keeps her distance, and they're about to discover how far he's willing to go to be with her. . . .

True


Erin McCarthy - 2013
    She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

Her Plus One


Jenn Sable - 2020
    Possibly for good.With my life rooted in Pine Haven, lovingly pinned in place by my family and passion for photography, my holiday fling with Clay would need a Christmas miracle in order to turn into a real relationship.Will Clay and I have a picture-perfect ending, or will my heart be shattered beyond repair by the new year?

Blocked


Jennifer Lane - 2014
     College freshman Lucia Ramirez has a secret crush on Dane Monroe. He’s a tall drink of water -- blond, brash, and one hell of a volleyball player. ¡Híjole! Lucia hopes her volleyball scholarship to his school will make him notice her. Too bad what’s noticeable is Dane’s obvious hatred for Lucia. Her family’s politics contradict everything he stands for. And politics are front and center in both their families. Dane’s mother is about to face Lucia’s father in the race for US President. When Secret Service throws them together, Dane can’t deny his frustrating attraction to Lucia’s athletic curves and sweet faith in the world. Amid the intense pressure of college athletics and presidential politics, can opposites not just attract, but overcome overwhelming odds to be together? Or do their differences block their match from the start?

Once Perfect


Cecy Robson - 2014
    Hers wasn’t supposed to be this hard. They come from different worlds, but fate lures them together in a way neither expected in Cecy Robson’s raw, steamy New Adult debut—perfect for fans of Monica Murphy and J. Lynn. Evelyn Preston’s future once looked perfect—until her wealthy father was caught in an embezzlement scandal and took his own life. Alone and struggling to pay her college tuition and bills, Evelyn finds a job as a waitress at the ultra-hip nightclub Excess, where she used to have more in common with the privileged private-school clientele than her fellow staff members. But something attracts her to the sexy six-foot-four bouncer and underground MMA fighter Mateo Tres Santos. Although they’ve led different lives, their troubled pasts bonds them in both survival and love. Mateo is ex-army who wound up in prison for assaulting the man who harmed his sister. Now he’s feeling the same protective impulse for this petite blond waitress. When Evelyn experiences a panic attack at the club, Mateo comes to her rescue. And when Mateo is wounded shielding her from a brawl, Evelyn returns the favor and comes to his aid. As their attraction intensifies, Mateo is determined to find out what nightmares are lurking in Evelyn’s past—even if that means tackling his own to save her.

Faking It


Hunter Rose - 2020
    Date a girl for a month and don’t lose my fancy sports car.It was supposed to be easy.She's my complete opposite and my worst nightmare.But her sweet innocence intrigues me,and now I’m trying my best not to fall for her.I’m in too deep, chasing down her past demons.And when I find out she has a stalker,f*k the bet, I vow to protect her at all costs. No more faking it, she’s mine!