Book picks similar to
Speak Easy by Melanie Harlow


new-adult
historical
historical-fiction
romance

Clarity


Loretta Lost - 2014
    She did not expect a traumatic event to devastate her life and force her to drop out of college. Disillusioned by the cruelty of people, Helen retreated from society to live by herself as a reclusive writer in the woods--where no one could ever hurt her again.When a brilliant young doctor shows up on her doorstep, promising her that his new research can give her the ability to see for the first time, Helen stubbornly refuses. She has learned not to trust anyone, and to rely only on herself. But Dr. Liam Larson will not take no for an answer. He makes it his personal mission to rescue Helen from her loneliness, and bring joy into her world once more--the joy she has denied herself for so long.When Helen's demons come racing back into her life, threatening to rip her apart and destroy the strength she has carefully rebuilt, Liam is the only one who might be able to save her. Can he reach the broken girl in time, helping her to heal and see the world in a different light? Or will Helen's grief send her spiraling out of control, lost to him forever?**********This is the first book of a three-part series.**********

Beautiful Oblivion


Jamie McGuire - 2014
    She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt. Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red. As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.

Connected by the Sea


E.L. Todd - 2014
    Her best friend, Henry, has an invested interest in her, but Sydney never seems to notice. While Henry is the perfect man, she only dates the wrong guys. Her ex-boyfriend cheated on her, broke her heart, and now she’s too shattered to give anyone a chance. Until Coen… A sexy bad boy with a tattoo, he elicits dark desires Sydney hasn’t felt in so long. His intense eyes, the color of the sea, capture her sight, making it impossible to look away. She tries to avoid him, knowing he’s no good for her, but Coen, who always gets what he wants, doesn’t take no for an answer. Will Sydney regret this decision? Or will she find what’s been missing her entire life? The family she lost, the loves she misses, and the trust she never thought she could have for someone else?

Untouched


Melody Grace - 2013
    Juliet knows it the minute she lays eyes on Beachwood Bay's resident bad boy. Forced to spend her summer before college in the sleepy beach town, she never expected to crash into the most devastating guy she’s ever met—or for Emerson’s blue eyes to strip through her dark secrets, and make her feel a desire she’s never known. Their connection is undeniable, but Juliet is torn. She knows, once she gives him everything, there’ll be no turning back.Juliet McKenzie is dangerous. Emerson can tell from the way she blows through all his defences, laying bare the demons he’s carried alone all his life. He’s left a trail of broken hearts and empty beds in his wake, but Juliet is different. Her innocence is intoxicating—and the passion she keeps hidden, just below the surface. He wants to be the only one to set it free, but with every kiss, he’s closer to losing control and doing the one thing he swore he never would: fall in love.One summer. Two damaged hearts. Their story is only just beginning…UNTOUCHED is a prequel novella to the USA Today Bestselling UNBROKEN. It also can be read as a stand-alone story.

In the Beginning


London Miller - 2013
    With new friends and an intriguing new love interest, starting over is easier than she expected...but Mishca Volkov isn't what he seems. As the son of a Russian Mob boss, he thrives in a world of chaos and fear, earning the title of Bratva Captain through blood and pain.When the two cross paths, lines blur and passions ignite, bringing them closer than they could ever imagine. Until secrets from the past threaten to tear them apart. Can they fight past their demons...or were they doomed by fate before they ever met.

Elite


Rachel Van Dyken - 2013
    But after her grandmother's death, Tracey is all her grandfather has. So when Eagle Elite University announces its annual scholarship lottery, Tracey jumps at the opportunity to secure their future and enters. She isn't expecting much-but then she wins. And life as she knows it will never be same . . .The students at Eagle Elite are unlike any she's ever met . . . and they refuse to make things easy for her. There's Nixon, gorgeous, irresistible, and leader of a group that everyone fears: The Elect. Their rules are simple. 1. Do not touch The Elect. 2. Do not look at The Elect. 3. Do not speak to The Elect. No matter how hard she tries to stay away, The Elect are always around her and it isn't long until she finds out the reason why they keep their friends close and their enemies even closer. She just didn't realize she was the enemy -- until it was too late.

He Found Me


Whitney Barbetti - 2014
    I walked out the door of my apartment with a backpack and never looked back. I left the life of Cora Mitchell behind, seeking freedom from my real-life nightmare. But my freedom came with a cost. I lived a fictitious life for the next six years, never letting anyone close enough to see underneath the facade that was Andra Walker. I was content with my simple little life. Until I met Julian. And the moment I started allowing myself to open up, allowing someone to see through the superficial, was the very same moment the Monster from my past would return to find me.

Be All


Marie Wathen - 2013
    Invited to a welcome home party for Morgan Walker, playboy and future heir to Walker Corporation, Breesan’s self made world of exile begins to fall away.An introduction to Morgan only initiates the downfall of her self-contained world. His brother, undercover Drug Task Force Enforcer, Marcus Walker’s return adds to the chaos by uncovering family secrets, lies and evil plans to destroy her that will make protecting her heart and those around her extra difficult.Family responsibilities, deceits and the criminal behavior twist these three lives together threatening their meager existences. One brother could offer her a love that will be all worth the downfall.

Damian


Jessica Wood - 2013
    The man, the legend, the heartbreaker. As a self-proclaimed man-whore, Damian doesn’t believe in love or commitment. In fact, he can’t remember the last time he’s had feeling for a woman that went beyond hot, no-strings-attached sex. The only things he cares about are his bar, his appearance, and his needs.But then he meets Alexis.Meet Alexis Blythe. A small town girl that has lost a lot of love in her life. Wanting to leave her past behind her, she moves to San Francisco looking for a big change. Yet, despite everything she’s gone through, she still believes in true love.But then she meets Damian.When Alexis shows up at his bar, Damian’s caught by surprise. She’s different. She’s sweet, innocent, and feisty. But above all, this woman didn’t respond to his charm and piercing-blue eyes the way every other woman did. To Damian, she’s his ultimate challenge.Could Alexis be the girl that will break through Damian’s wall of perpetual bachelorhood without getting hurt? Or will Damian remain true his ways and break Alexis’s heart and her hopes of true love?

Scarred Love


M.S. Brannon - 2013
    We belong to each other. I spent too much of my time consumed with what everyone else thinks of my feelings for Darcie, but the truth is, it was always supposed to be this way." ~Reggie EvansDarcie Claiborne spent several years of her young life living with a monster, always fearing what he would do next. Clasping onto her last ounce of hope, Darcie releases a scream. It’s her final attempt to live; to survive the villain of her reality. Sweeping her up in his arms, Darcie’s knight in shining armor rescues her from the hell she’s been living; from the stepfather she's feared for all those years.Reggie Evans has been forced to grow up before he’s ready when his mother dies of an overdose, leaving him responsible to raise his younger brothers. One fateful night, Reggie jogs by an old, run down house and discovers a young girl clinging to life as she screams for help.Three years later, Darcie is healing and always protected by the man who saved her, but now she's fighting with something she isn't prepared to face. The growing love for the man who saved her life three years ago, the same man who’s nine years older. All the while, Reggie fights to protect Darcie from the demons of her past and new ones of her present.**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content**

Fall From Grace


Christine Zolendz - 2012
    But, home is definitely a bit different. My best friend (the only person alive now that knows my secret) has a new boyfriend; and he has a friend. Shane Maxton: bad boy, tattooed rock god, eye candy extraordinaire. He is also New York City's most arrogant, self-serving, son of a, well, a definite one-night stand kind of a guy.But, it doesn't matter to me because I've spent my existence looking for the love of my life, my angel. And, there is nothing that Shane Maxton can do to change that.A paranormal romance.

Inevitable


Angela Graham - 2013
    Logan will never be able to give her what she wants…love.

The Intern, Volume 1


Brooke Cumberland - 2014
    Cecilia isn’t your typical college student. Hell, she isn’t a college student at all, but that doesn’t stop her from applying for one of the biggest and prestigious enterprises in the Midwest.She wants it. She takes it.She doesn’t let anything get in her way when it comes to finding out the truth.When Bentley Leighton, soon-to-be CEO of Leighton Enterprises, meets “Ceci,” he’s instantly impressed. He doesn’t have time to train a new intern. However, when he sees her that first day, his intentions begin to change.He’s the boss. She’s the intern.Nothing can happen. It’s against the company rules.Then again, some rules were made to be broken.What starts as innocent flirting becomes raveled up into so much more—secrets, lies, deceit.*The Intern is a three-part romantic suspense serial.*Not suitable for readers under 18.

Lost in Distraction


B.J. Harvey - 2013
    A sexy stranger paid to protect her. Alone and shut off from the world, Elise Halliwell is simply going through the motions, waiting for the next step in her pre-destined life. Until a chance meeting with the dark-haired, blue-eyed Brax James shakes her to the core, achieving what everyone else before him has failed to do; he makes her feel again. As much as Brax wishes things were different, fate has not brought him into Elise’s life. His job is to keep her safe, not fall for the very woman he’s supposed to protect. Elise has no idea of the threat she faces and Brax wants it to stay that way. Unfortunately for both of them, they’ll have no say in the matter. Full of twists, turns, and revelations no-one sees coming, you won’t be the only one lost in distraction.*This book contains adult situations and explicit content/language.*

Unbreak Me


Lexi Ryan - 2013
    Due to sexual content and heavy subject matter, this book is intended for mature readers. “If you’re broken, I’ll fix you…”I’m only twenty-one and already damaged goods. A slut. A failure. A disappointment to my picture-perfect family as long as I can remember. I called off my wedding to William Bailey, the only man who thought I was worth fixing. A year later, he’s marrying my sister. Unless I ask him not to…“If you shatter, I’ll find you…”But now there’s Asher Logan, a broken man who sees the fractures in my façade and doesn’t want to fix me at all. Asher wants me to stop hiding, to stop pretending. Asher wants to break down my walls. But that means letting him see my ugly secrets and forgiving him for his.With my past weighing down on me, do I want the man who holds me together or the man who gives me permission to break?~~~Explore Love Unbound, the series of books set in New Hope and about the characters readers have come to love. Each series can be read on its own or you can read them all.Love Unbound: Splintered HeartsUnbreak Me (Maggie’s story)Stolen Wishes: A Wish I May Prequel Novella (Will and Cally’s prequel)Wish I May (Will and Cally’s novel)Or read them together in the omnibus edition, Splintered Hearts: The New Hope TrilogyLove Unbound: Here and NowLost in Me (Hanna’s story begins)Fall to You (Hanna’s story continues)All for This (Hanna’s story concludes)Or read them together in the omnibus edition, Here and Now: The Complete SeriesLove Unbound: Reckless and RealSomething Wild (Liz and Sam’s story begins)Something Reckless (Liz and Sam’s story continues)Something Real (Liz and Sam’s story concludes)Or read them together in the omnibus edition, Reckless and Real: The Complete SeriesLove Unbound: Mended HeartsPlaying with Fire (Nix’s story, coming summer 2015)