Book picks similar to
Blurry Messes by Holly Caste


cliffy
romance
angst-drama
college-young-adult

Dog-Eared Love: Animal Control Officer Instalove Romance


Mazzy King - 2021
    

Lucas


Avery North - 2020
    After breaking up with reality TV star Nancy Patterson he decides to leave love alone and focus on his business, helped by a suggestion from an old college friend that they become friends with benefits.Everything in Lucas’s life is going great until he meets gorgeous baker and charity founder Sammy Wicker, and his world is turned on its head. Thoughts of her take over his mind, and he embarks on a quest to know this beautiful independent woman better.Things seem to be on track for the two until Lucas is hired to sell the building Sammy’s bakery is located in, promising to make his company a lot of money. However, the new owner is kicking out the existing businesses for their own plans and Sammy is furious that Lucas is part of it, breaking up with him and refusing to see him.Can Lucas find his way back to Sammy’s heart or will their businesses get in the way of their relationship?

Reckless Hart (A Cross Creek Small Town Novel Book 4)


Kelly Collins - 2021
    When Noah goes behind my back and hires Lauren, my gut tells me something isn’t right about the beautiful, intelligent woman.When she uncovers a company secret, I rethink my doubts about her.When her ex pops back into her life, I’m on guard again.When her adorable daughter and snaggle-toothed, one-eyed dog melt my heart, I lose sight of what’s important.In the end, I should have gone with my gut. She’s trouble with a capital T. The question is, what do I do when I’ve fallen for her, already love her daughter, and my company needs her expertise?

Bullard's Best


Dale Mayer - 2021
    Leia wants to get married there, so Dave has gone ahead with Katie, Bullard’s caterer, to set things up.Dave has a new lease on life, now that Bullard is safely back home, and fixes his sights on an old friend he’s always kept slightly distant. Katie has been in Dave’s orbit for a long time; she’s not sure what’s changed in their relationship, but something certainly has, and she couldn’t be happier.Except for one loose thread from that same island. After all, someone let the outside world know Bullard was alive. Someone they had yet to find. So a week in paradise might start with some time in hell first.

Nobody's Girl


Michelle Love - 2017
     He promises he will never leave me, and god help me, I believe him. Ivo Zacca…my husband He’s gorgeous…not, that’s not the right word. He’s beautiful – in every way, his face, his body, his mind… His kindness. Nobody that beautiful should be that sweet. Sweet but an animal in bed, god… He thinks I married him for convenience, to get away from my asshole of a step-father. I’ll let him think that, because then maybe it won’t be so painful for him when they tear me away from him, when they come for me… When they kill me. I’ll never let you know, Ivo, how happy you have made me, how much I love you… Because fairy tales always end… Nobody's Girl is a full-length Billionaire Romance novel with a guaranteed HEA and no cliffhanger.

That Girl: The Montgomerys


Jennilynn Wyer - 2021
    He was that guy; NFL football quarterback and Mr. Popular. He told me he would never leave. He lied. Now he’s back. But I’m not that girl anymore.Aurora St. Claire is that girl. The one who excels at academics. The one from a broken home who lives on the bad side of town. The one with an alcoholic mother who couldn’t care less if she existed. The one with an abusive older sister who would give her bruises instead of hugs. The one who keeps to the shadows, trying not to be seen.Sometimes the best families are the ones you create, not the ones you are born into. Aurora never knows what a true family is like until she has one suddenly thrust upon her at the age of eighteen. It takes a single revelation from a stranger to change her life forever.Then, JD Hallstead comes barreling into her life. He is everything she never thought she wanted, but everything she craves. That is, until the day he destroys her and leaves her heart to burn to ashes in his wake. What is the adage? The flip side of love is hate. Well, her hate burns bright, and it has a name: Jackson Dillon Hallstead.JD Hallstead is that guy. The one who is Mr. Popular and Quarterback King of Highland High. The one voted class president and most likely to succeed. The one who girls go crazy over and guys want to be. The one with a controlling, abusive father who will go to any lengths to keep his son in check. The one with the secrets.Aurora is the girl JD has secretly crushed on for years. It takes a friend’s tragic death to bring Aurora and JD together. It takes JD’s secrets to tear them apart. Aurora tells JD everybody leaves. He promises her he never will.He lied.Now, JD will do anything, fight anyone, give up everything, to get Aurora back. Aurora said JD broke her heart. Who better than him to put it back together?But the thing about secrets is that they always come back to haunt you. The question is: How far will JD go to protect the woman he loves before those secrets destroy them all?Reader’s Warning: That Girl is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance with scorching heat that will melt your Kindle and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing what will happen next. It takes place after the conclusion of Broken Butterfly, Fallen Brook Series, Book 3. Even though the book can be read on its own, fans of the Fallen Brook Series will love seeing some of their favorite characters return! That Girl touches upon topics that may be triggering to some readers such as flashbacks to an attempted sexual assault, child neglect and abuse, and violence. The story also contains foul language and sex. Any sexual intimacy between the main characters is consensual. For these reasons, the book is recommended for readers aged 17+.

Fear None


Amarie Avant - 2022
    . .TATUMI lived by my father’s motto until River entered the MMA cage, River’s brown eyes reflected mystery, and his soul held darkness.Off-limits to a good girl like me.One day, the demons that haunted River swallowed him whole. Forever passed away yet I failed at forgetting the beast who showed me a tender side of him.Now, I’m the law. A cop.River’s as gorgeous as sin. An ex-convict.And I’m the reason he was tossed in the slammer.RIVERCoach treated me better than any blood of mine. I stabbed him in the back.This time I’ll twist the knife, steal his most prized possession: his daughter, my everything.Tatum’s innocence was created for my corruption. Prison sharpened the monster she couldn’t save.She can take down any enemy.But her biggest opponent has a claim to her heart.I’ve loved that girl for the better part of my life. Only one of us stopped loving the other. And it wasn’t me.Trigger warning: this story has some dark elements and graphic language, steamy scenes, and twisted situations.

Cowboy’s Christmas Past


Mary Sue Jackson - 2021
    What could possibly go wrong?After his mother’s death, Beau Taylor returned from college to care for his baby sister. He left behind his dream of becoming a cinematographer—and his heart.The cowboy never thought he’d see Amelia Crawford again. She followed her dreams and became a big movie star. But when she shows up in town to shoot a western ten years later, their worlds collide after Beau’s ranch is selected as the perfect filming location.With Beau’s attraction to Amelia growing, it might also be the perfect setting for a Christmas romance. But falling for Amelia means letting her in again, and his heart still has the scars from the first time.Amelia finally has the chance to make a serious film, but she needs to learn how to ride a horse—and Beau is the perfect person to teach her. She’d forgotten how gorgeous he is, and how his touch made her feel.Amelia can make audiences believe she’s in love, yet the only time she’s ever truly fallen for a man was with the smoldering Beau. But how can she trust that her cowboy won’t break her heart again? Maybe what they need is a bit of Christmas magic...

Closer


Mary Elizabeth - 2016
     Teller Reddy is wrecked. Misery loves company, and that’s exactly what Ella gets the afternoon her path crosses with Teller’s: the misunderstood premed student who instantly becomes her lifeline when she moves to Los Angeles, an attempt at escaping her heartbreaking past. In the beginning, Lonely and Defensive complete each other. But in the end, their relationship is like broken glass—cutthroat and jagged. Calling it off before they kill each other, Ella and Teller decide to “just be friends” despite the intensity that binds them together. It’s a delicate foundation rocked by tragedy, effectively destroying the illusion they’ve so carefully built. Unable to deny what’s between them any longer, this is what happens when wrecked and damaged collide and close is still not close enough.

The Tillman Crush


Kelly Gendron - 2021
    His hold was firm.The next day, he vanished. After seven years, he’s back with a sexy smile, flirty eyes, and jacked muscles.Not that I care.Let him slather on the charm.I won’t give in to The Tillman Crush. Not this time. BRITT Sadie Holland. Beautiful. Smart.The untouchable girl next door.Growing up, I wanted her.To keep her at a safe distance, I was mean to her.Then, the accident happened.With my mom gone, my father turned to the bottle.So I left town the first chance I got.Now, I’m back and not just for Sadie.The other thing I want.Well, the girl I came back for might not like it.Still, I won’t stop until I get what I want.Not this time.

Revenge Love


Kata Čuić - 2018
     Emma Hastings has tried all her life to fit in. Throwing off her awkward high school years to become a member of a prestigious sorority at Wellbridge University, she has her sisters at her side, and the future spread out before her for the taking. Her senior year of college should be filled with parties, studying, and sweating between the sheets before she goes to medical school. One night at a party changes everything. Dominoes collapse as quickly as they’re erected. Suddenly, everyone has something to gain and everything to lose. Love is sweeter. Jason Gould will never fit in, so he doesn’t even try. Content to stay on the periphery of society, he works hard, plans for his future, and keeps to himself. His senior year should be filled with early morning shifts, gym sessions to keep his pent-up anger under control, and readying himself to face the rest of his life alone. One ray of sunshine refuses to let him fall into darkness. Emma won't leave his side no matter what is thrown at them. When a woman who is dying to fit in joins forces with a man who never will, they just may find they fit together in ways neither could have ever imagined, and they’ll discover a life well loved is the sweetest revenge of all.

Don't Forget Me


Frankie Love - 2021
    My stepdad was always a drunk – but he never tried to hurt me.Until last night.Now I have to run.I find a safe place to hide out for just one night…Trouble is, this cabin isn’t as abandoned as I thought.The owner – a man who’s big and thick in ways that make me feel safe – won’t like that I’ve broke into his home.I have to leave before he sees me… even though what I really want is to climb into his sturdy lap and ask him to protect me.Ask him to take real good care of me.The moment I start to run… I slip and fall.And my whole world goes dark.I can’t remember anything.But I hope he is the one to save me…

Risky Encounters


Shane Morgan - 2021
    Considering she hurried off right after, he convinced himself the woman had no further interest. Then she does something quite heroic that causes him to desire her more.The chance of a romance proves to be difficult when threats arise at every turn, and exposing the culprit behind the plot seems impossible. But after several attempts on Xander’s life, doubts start to set in, and he wonders if he may have placed his trust in the wrong person.Note: This is part of a duet and does have a cliffhanger.

I, Gracie


Sharon Sala - 2020
    . .When Mama announced to our family that she had dementia, my brother and sisters insisted they couldn't help. They had their own lives elsewhere, after all. So, I gave up my dreams and spent the next nine years caring for Mama alone, losing her bit by bit, and nearly losing myself in the process.I, Gracie, started over . . .After Mama finally let go of this world, I let go of that world, too. I left the nightmare of my life with Mama, my family, and West Texas to start over in a new place, far away. It took some doing, but I have a new job, a safe place to live, and even new friends and a man who loves me, broken as I am. But . . .I, Gracie, am scarred . . .Until my past is buried like Mama, I keep my man waiting--struggling with what was and not trusting what is or could be.I, Gracie . . .Am on hold . . .still trying to let go.Praise for New York Times and USA Today-bestselling author Sharon Sala "Sharon Sala is a consummate storyteller." --Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author"Sala hooks you from the first page." --Fresh Fiction

Try Again


Haley Pierce - 2018
     His best friend wants me in his bed… again. I’ve never forgotten how he used me and threw me away all those years ago. He was my first love and he destroyed my heart. Now he’s traded his electric guitar in for a business suit and a BMW… And I’m not going to lie, he’s hot AF. And, the heated sparks flying between us are undeniable. He’s totally off limits and giving into temptation would be ALL WRONG. But if wrong feels so good, maybe I don’t want to be right. But we’re really good at keeping secrets… aren’t we?