Book picks similar to
Scars of the Soul by Darlene Tallman


darlene-tallman
romance
title-s
genre-contemporary

Beauty and the Badge


Ella Fox - 2019
    She decides to take the biggest risk of her life and move to Charlotte's Cove, the small seaside sanctuary where she’s vacationed every summer since childhood.Everything falls perfectly into place until her first day of work, where she meets her new boss Tyler Jameson, the chief of police. The chemistry between Ashley and Tyler is instant and powerful, but for reasons of their own, both are cautious about jumping in.When a woman from Tyler’s past surfaces, Ashley retreats, making Tyler realize that if he’s going to show Ashley she’s the only one who has his attention, then he needs to stop being hesitant and put everything on the line.Is the badge powerful enough to win the beauty who holds his heart?

Sweet Thing


Renee Carlino - 2013
    then you'll hear the sound of your soul."Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She's an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love.When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father's cafe, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists. She's denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions—for him, for music—but her father's legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more.A "heartbreaking and romantic" (Aestas Book Blog) debut, Sweet Thing explores the intensity and complexities of first love and self-discovery.

The Imperfect Art of Caring


Jessica Ryn - 2021
    She listens but never talks about herself. She’s friendly but doesn’t have many real friends. She’s become good at keeping people at a distance ever since she left home at eighteen and never looked back.But when Violet is forced to return home to care for her estranged mother Glenys, she quickly finds out that life as a carer isn’t easy. Feeling overwhelmed, she’s forced to turn to the other local carers, including childhood friend Adam, for help. Although returning home still feels like a mistake, maybe it will help Violet right some wrongs. After all, she can’t keep running from her past forever, and in learning to look after others, perhaps Violet can start to finally love herself.

His Christmas Surprise


Deborah Garland - 2018
    Time to smooth things over and stop…fighting. They can’t seem to agree about anything. Faith's job as a producer is on the line and his long hours at the FBI are tearing them apart. Thank goodness, they have thirty days until their twin sons are born.Or so they thought...Three days before Christmas they get a surprise. The babies can’t wait. Nothing is ready. Including them. And...Faith won’t wake up after the delivery.Now Greg's re-writing his letter to Santa. He’ll make any sacrifice to keep his family together. He won’t lose his Faith again…His Christmas Surprise is the follow-up to All for Me, but can be read as a standalone...Previously titled A Must for Christmas (less)

Fighter


Jenna Rose - 2020
    She didn’t belong at that club.So I gave her every penny I had to leave with me. I have to claim her. Show the world she belongs to me now.But I have one rule – a rule I can’t break:No release before a fight. I need my mojo if I’m going to win.The rest of our lives depends on it. I have to hold back, but I don’t know if I can resist. She might ruin everything.Or she might just save my life…All books in the Relentless Alphas series can be read as STAND-ALONES! So dig in! Enjoy this fierce, protective alpha who won't stop until he has his princess. Warning - not responsible for overheating tablets ;)

Devoted


Sierra Riley - 2016
    He just never realized how much. As a single dad, he’s tried to balance paying the bills with making time for his son, Ryan. He’s been treading water for a long time and right now, his best friend, Jake, is the only thing keeping him afloat. But when his son needs major surgery, Russ isn’t sure anyone can save him from going under.“I’d do anything for you. You know that.”Jake Larson has been in love with Russ since college, but he knows they’ll never be more than friends. Even so, he can’t seem to stop himself from coming to Russ’ rescue. With Russ facing bankruptcy thanks to his terrible insurance, Jake concocts his most desperate plan yet: A sham marriage to get Ryan on his policy.“You’re the only thing that feels real to me right now.”It was supposed to be temporary, but when an insurance agent questions the validity of their marriage, Russ and Jake are forced to get a whole lot closer. Jake knows that once their time is up, they’ll go back to being friends regardless of what they’ve shared. But after having Jake as a partner both physically and emotionally, Russ isn’t ready to let go. Can they manage to turn their fake marriage into something real?Devoted is a steamy, standalone gay romance novel with a HEA and no cliffhangers.

Reasons to Leave


Lisa J. Hobman - 2015
    Aged eighteen she thought she would be with Jason forever. Everything between them was perfect until the night of the leaver's ball when he disappeared without trace. Ten years on, can Stevie ever learn to trust again enough to give her heart? Or are the ghosts of her past determined to stop her from ever finding true love?

Worth Fighting For: A Kit and Bobby Rollin On Novella


Emilia Finn - 2019
    In fact, I’m not sure he knows how. His mom and dad taught him how to do it right, how to do it fully, and how to never let go. ‘Worth Fighting For’ is the family reunion that you never knew you needed. Through Kit and Bobby Kincaid’s eyes, we’re thrust straight back into our favorite gym to experience family life, gym life, shenanigans on the second level of Club 188, past the band, through the police station, and right around until the guys from Checkmate say hey. Catch a glimpse of the Next Gen babies doing their thing, and get a taste of how the guys handle their girls dating. Hint: they don’t handle it. One-click this fun novella today and fall back into the world that hooked readers on Emilia Finn in the first place.

Lily (A Next Generation Carter Brother Novel Book 7)


Lisa Helen Gray - 2021
    With plans to visit with family, I want us to start a tradition we will cherish for years to come.But Christmas with the Carters is never a dull affair, and it seems life has other plans for us.When the snow falls…When the light dims…Everything is about to fall apart.And I’m not sure the Christmas magic can help me.But maybe, just maybe, my dad and crazy uncles with stories from their past, can.

The Secrets You Keep


Delaney Foster - 2018
    Independent. Focused. Driven. Grace Matthews is determined to make a difference. Confident. Powerful. Intense. Callan Fontaine is a force of nature. Because he has to be. As the lead mercenary on his team, it's how he keeps his men alive. A wounded man. A compassionate doctor. And a chance meeting that makes their two worlds collide. Now Grace's future hangs in the balance while Callan's past lingers in the background. Will she be enough to show him the world is still beautiful? Or will he walk away from the one woman that can be the light in his darkness? What do you do when the one thing that can put you back together is very thing that threatens to rip you apart for good?

What are the Chances


Brittany Taylor - 2019
    I thought I’d leave the red-headed stranger with dark green eyes behind and good freaking riddance. Except he’s not even close to being gone. Mason McConnell is everywhere, drawing me in, like an invisible thread. I just hope that string doesn't snap and break my heart. Mason: Two weeks was all I needed to go home, spread my cat’s ashes, and visit my brother. But one foolish decision at the airport managed to throw all my plans off track. Somehow, I had unknowingly cast the line, and Charlotte Kelley took the bait. The chatty, prying American somehow had a way of bringing me back to life. I didn’t want her under my skin, and I certainly wasn’t expecting her to make her way into my heart, yet once she did, I didn’t want her to leave. But with one secret wedged between us, I'm not sure I have the right to ask her to stay.

Rock Me To The Top (Gracefall: Vicious Love Tour Book One)


Victoria Zak - 2021
    Now one of the hottest metal bands on the charts, things are looking up, until a tragic accident threatens to rip the band apart. Can the guys recapture the beat that rocketed them to the top, or will they crash and burn?He believed the lie.Uber-sexy drummer, Joe Grace, has it all, except the one woman he wants to share it with, his best friend, Melody. When he hires Mel to manage his band’s tour, hot summer nights flame into a new passion neither can deny, but their fire ignites the darkness hiding behind long-buried secrets and lies. Lies that could lose him the woman he loves unless he bares his soul and lays it all on the line.She fell for the fantasy.Melody Sterling is no stranger to rock and roll. As the daughter of a legendary rocker, she had a front row seat to the destruction that lifestyle did to her parents’ relationship. Dating a rock star after that disaster? Out of the question! Until her best friend becomes one. Down on her luck—and apparently out of her mind—she joins Joe on their Gracefall summer tour, and soon finds herself falling fast for the fantasy of his crazy world. Now she must decide if her own dreams are worth fighting for, even if believing in herself again means losing the man she loves.

Before That Night


Violet Duke - 2016
    Each of the couples have two books (duets) that take place years apart. This is Caine & Addison's Book 1; Book 2 reunites them seven years later, and concludes their story.The UNFINISHED LOVE SeriesFour Spencer brothers.Each fighting for their second first chance at love.Years be damned.A heartfelt new series from NYT bestselling author Violet Duke.(Caine & Addison) - Summer 2016-- Book 1: Before That Night-- Book 2: Every Night Without You(Gabe & Hannah) - Fall 2016-- Book 3: Before That Kiss-- Book 4: Every Kiss Goodbye(Drew & Skylar) - Winter 2016-- Book 5: Before That Promise-- Book 6: Every Promise Unspoken(Max & Kennedy) - Spring 2017-- Book 7: Before That Chance-- Book 8: Every Chance We Lost

Most of All You


Mia Sheridan - 2017
    . .Crystal learned long ago that love brings only pain. Feeling nothing at all is far better than being hurt again. She guards her wounded heart behind a hard exterior and carries within her a deep mistrust of men, who, in her experience, have only ever used and taken.A man in need of help . . .Then Gabriel Dalton walks into her life. Despite the terrible darkness of his past, there's an undeniable goodness in him. And even though she knows the cost, Crystal finds herself drawn to Gabriel. His quiet strength is wearing down her defenses and his gentle patience is causing her to question everything she thought she knew.Only love can mend a shattered heart . . .Crystal and Gabriel never imagined that the world, which had stolen everything from them, would bring them a deep love like this. Except fate will only take them so far, and now the choice is theirs: Harden their hearts once again or find the courage to shed their painful pasts.

Without You


Marley Valentine - 2020
    My brother’s best friend, he fit with my family in ways I never could. While he and Rhett went on to play house, I left the only life I knew, desperate for a fresh start.Until everything changed.Heartache came along, and the aftermath of my brother’s death was here to stay. I was now face to face with Julian more than I ever wanted to be.Being around him brought up all my insecurities, forced me to deal with hard truths, and conjured up feelings I had no business entertaining. He wasn’t the man I thought I knew. He was complex and layered, and inherently beautiful in all the ways I’d never noticed.Not on another person.Not on another man.Not until him.