Book picks similar to
Not at First by Phalla S. Rios


new-adult
love-triangle
college
freebie

Lost in Us


Layla Hagen - 2014
    But when her boyfriend of six years abruptly leaves her, she’s catapulted back into pain, nursing a broken heart. When indulging in mountains of chocolate doesn’t work, Serena decides the best way to deal with her shattered heart is to indulge in something else. A rebound... The night she swaps her usual Sprite for tequila, she meets James. The encounter is breathtaking.Electrifying.And best not repeated. James is a successful entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. A man who has amassed a fortune by taking risks. A man who has shunned commitment completely, and still does. He’s the exact opposite of Serena. But sometimes opposites attract. Sometimes they give in to burning passion. Sometimes opposites are perfect for each other. James is everything her damaged soul could want. His kisses are intoxicating, his touch out of this world. He makes her forget. He grants her peace from her pain. But as they grow closer, Serena discovers she isn’t the only one with a past. James carries the scars of a past much darker than hers. One that has left him damaged, hurt, and wary of love. A past that gives him the power to shatter her. Now James and Serena must find a way to mend one another. Or risk losing each other forever.

The Unknown


Lara Henley - 2013
    She has learned to trust no one, and that you can't depend on anyone but yourself when the chips fall. Finally free of the states clutches she sets out on a whirl wind adventure called LIFE....But she never expected Drake....Drake... is Use to being in the lime light just graduated from college. Wondering what's next? Misty is a welcome surprise. So different from his everyday mundane experiences..Can two completely different people share a journey that could change both of their lives forever? Or will they end up destroying each other in the process?Escape to The UnKnown

Finding Solace


Barbara Speak - 2013
    The confidence she wears on the outside is only to cover the scars that are imbedded on her soul. Coming out of an abusive relationship where she was stripped of her security and confidence, she chooses to bury it under every man she gives her body to.After one intoxicated night that she will never remember in its entirety, everything begins to change. Being seen more for her positive attributes and less for her faults, Sadie arises from the dark and into a place she feels safe. But with that comes a chain of events that blur the lines of everything she thought she needed and everything she's beginning to want.Will fear keep her from the one thing she believes she desires most or will fate take a turn unexpectedly and change everything?

Someday Girl


Melanie Shawn - 2014
    Going away to college meant a fresh and new start for the girl who lived locked away in a prison of insecurities. She was ready to experience new things and meet new people. But she wasn’t ready for him…Jace Butler had experienced things that no person should have to. Trying to come to terms with his past and live in the present was a constant struggle for the man whose demons lie dormant beneath the skin of his rippling body and sexy smile. But when she walked into his life, the chance for a better life came with her…After finding each other, Cat and Jace also find that both past and present issues are trying to ruin their chance for a better future. Issues that will have to be dealt with for once and for all…together or apart.

Dear Emily


Trudy Stiles - 2013
    Comfortable. Blissfully happy. She was surrounded by her best friends in the world, who love and adore her, and would do anything to support her. But one violent night destroys everything, breaking down her perfect world and tearing away her safety. Kyle Finnegan comes into her life when she’s at her lowest. Can he help restore her faith? And can they build a future together?Tabitha Fletcher ran away from a violent and turbulent past. She attempts to hide in a new city, enveloping herself in a veil of safety. Alex Treadway strolls into her life and struggles to break through her protective barrier. As she slowly opens her heart, can she learn to love? Can he help her heal? Tabitha’s demons resurface, threatening to destroy her new life. When she finds herself at rock bottom, a surprise pregnancy only adds to her turmoil.Tabitha must make the ultimate choice to give her unborn child a chance at a wonderful life. The life Tabitha wished she had herself. Free from fear. Free from pain. Carly and Kyle desperately yearn for a family of their own. Will Tabitha’s choice give them that chance?And can they all find what they desire most…Redemption?Love?Family?Dear Emily is the first book in the Forever Family series.This book is not suitable for young readers. It is intended for mature adults only (18+). It contains strong language, adult/sexual situations, non-consensual sex and some violence.

Prodigal Son


Michelle Day - 2012
    It only serves to turn him into a willful, and incredibly determined young man.With his mothers’ Latin looks and the charm of a British Prince, he is a danger to women everywhere.Paul Jensen won’t take no for an answer and his rebellion is about to get really out of control.

That's a Promise


Victoria Klahr - 2013
    I’ve been to hell only to find it never really leaves when you get back. It haunts me through nightmares, unrequited love, lies, broken hearts, and now death. A monster almost took my life.My best friend carries half my soul a world away. My boyfriend broke my heart but refuses to let me go. And my father is dead.I don’t believe in fate and I don’t believe in happily-ever-afters, but for some reason, I still hope. Live, even with a tainted spirit.Long for my other half to come back to me. Risk another broken heart, just to feel loved again. And refuse to let another horror break me. In the face of my most recent tragedy, I have to decide whether forgiveness is something I can give. But even if that’s an option, can I be forgiven?(That's a Promise is book 1 in a 3 part series, and the new/ updated version will be available 10-10-2014)

The Girl on the Half Shell


Susan Ward - 2014
    One girl afraid to love. A beautiful, raw and intense romance series that will leave you begging for more.People think Chrissie Parker has a picture-perfect life. She leads an opulent lifestyle in Santa Barbara, her father, Jack, is a beloved music icon from the sixties, and she possesses a wealth of musical talent that will certainly lead to a promising future. But behind the façade, everything is far from perfect.When Chrissie journeys from Santa Barbara to New York City for an audition at Juilliard, romance is the last thing on her mind. She never anticipated encountering British Superstar Alan Manzone, a musician fresh out of Rehab, tormented by his own weakness and troubled past. Alan's life is everything Chrissie's is not; exciting, glitzy, and an all-out train wreck.Chrissie is soon consumed by Alan's shocking pursuit of her, his dark secrets, and his sexual desires. Will their stormy affair destroy them? Or will their love keep them together for a lifetime?

Tattoos


Denise Mathew - 2013
    Beneath the glamor is our fragile humanness, the need to belong, be understood, and in our darkest moments we are united in our desire to find comfort and love. Tattoos: A Novel is not a story about cancer, it is a story about finding hope and meaning in the devastation that can become your life in the blink of an eye. We have seen it happen to the people we love and many have lived it themselves, life shifting rapidly like ice breaking beneath our feet plunging you into the depths. This is a story and a testament to all those who have survived the unsurvivable, lived the unliveable, pushed through just one more day; this is everyones story, this is about living life... Seventeen-year-old Marilee Mackie has everything going for her, beauty, money and a bright future. But when she’s diagnosed with cancer her world falls apart. Instead of finishing her senior year she begins the fight of her life. Nineteen-year-old Jax, an enigmatic hospital orderly, lives on the Strip, the proverbial other side of the tracks. With his sleeves of tattoos and rocker look, he’s the kind of bad boy that Marilee has always steered clear of. But when Marilee’s illness strips her bare, she searches for meaning in her life. Seeing that Marilee has lost hope, Jax steps in and helps her find purpose, a reason to live another day. From devastation the Peace Project is born. With Marilee’s money and Jax’s knowledge of the Strip, the teenagers embark on an unforgettable journey. Where Marilee learns that happiness is a choice, small acts of kindness can change lives forever, that a little good goes a long way, and that love can grow even in the darkest places of you life. But especially that rainbows can follow storms.

The Write Stuff


Tiffany King - 2014
     Twenty-two-year-old historical romance writer Nicole Blake, or N.S. Blake to her readers, hasn't taken an official poll, mind you, but she is convinced she may be the only romance author on the planet who is still a card-carrying member of the virgin club.Not that she hasn't tried to end her membership. Life just keeps finding pesky ways to interfere. With no prospects on the horizon, Nicole begins to feel like the closest she will ever get to experiencing a man is within her own stories.Opportunity presents itself in the form of hot-as-sin-on-a-lollipop-stick bartender/premed student Alec Petropoulos, who agrees to be the cover model for her upcoming book. Sparks fly instantly between them, and Nicole begins to entertain the possibility that she's finally found the right guy to hand over her tattered V-card. Alec has all the makings for a perfect one-night-stand candidate except, much to Nicole's surprise, he seems to be the only man in existence not interested in bagging a virgin.Stuck between a rock and a stubborn male, what's a virgin to do? Seduce him, of course. How hard could it be? If it works for the characters in her stories, why wouldn't it work for her? After all, what happens under the cover…stays under the cover.

The Promise


Kate Benson - 2013
    With only memories of their lost love, she's forced to start over in a new town; surviving on her own for the first time since he left. Trying to begin her new life, fate decides a different direction for her, causing her to make a choice she never thought she'd have to. Unsure of commitment after his failed engagement, Chase Mitchell finds himself stuck on a path of failed conquests and late nights at the bar. That is until he finds a pair of mesmerizing green eyes sitting in his usual spot. Something about this quiet girl forces him to question everything he has ever thought about love. As Sophie looks down at the fork that's presented in her path, will she choose the right direction? Will she be able to move towards the arms of the man who stands in front of her? Or will she choose to keep her promise to the one life forced her to leave behind?

April Showers


Karli Perrin - 2013
    When April enrolls at Manchester University, it feels like a whole new life. New city, new house, new friends...new crush. Isaac Sharpe is the hottest guy on campus - with an even hotter reputation. After a chance meeting, April quickly finds herself wrapped up in all that he is. But what if all that he is isn't what it seems?Caught up in a battle between what she wants and what she thinks she needs, April meets Lukas Roberts. Lukas is the security blanket that she craves so desperately and she finds solace in their friendship. But what happens when she finds more than she bargained for? April has always been a big believer of fate, but will she learn that she's in control of her own destiny before it's too late? Join April as she embarks on a life changing journey of love and loss, which will have you laughing and crying until the very end.

Fatalism


L.K. Collins - 2013
    She protects her heart by controlling everything around her and living her life according to a strict set of rules. For years, she has lived behind a wall, not allowing anyone into her heart. That is, until she meets Vincent, a man she can't get out of her head no matter what she tells herself. On the outside, Vincent Mileski appears to be a confident, no nonsense attorney. A prodigy in the field of law, he has just won the biggest case of his career. Needing out of the spotlight, Vincent moves back to his home state of Colorado to get some time alone to heal from a previous betrayal. He hasn’t had a woman turn his head in years, that is, until he meets Alexa. After only knowing her name and the sweet taste of her kiss, she is torn from his arms. Will fate bring these two back together, or will they spend an eternity searching?

Strangers


A.L. Parks - 2013
    She succumbs to a dark existence where loneliness, sadness and nightmares dwell; until handsome, brooding Bryce Holden walks through the door of her favorite coffee shop, wearing the same cloak of despair and grief. Abby discovers in Bryce someone who understands love and loss, and soon their close friendship grows into a deep love. But ghosts make strange bedfellows, and Abby is forced to battle the tormenting images that continue to haunt her, and confront the ethereal presence of a beloved wife to protect her future with Bryce.

Away


B.A. Wolfe - 2013
    One night of pure weakness and lust has her running away from it all and seeking refuge in Alamosa with her best friend. But it seems life has other plans for her when she finds herself lost in the small town of Keaton. Jason Bradley is a charming country guy. He lives a simple life that’s nothing like what Cassandra is used to. A single moment in life changed everything he thought he once knew, leaving him with a broken heart and an unplanned future. What happens in Keaton is nothing Cassandra or her heart could have ever prepared for. The instant connection she shares with Jason is no secret, but what they're keeping hidden from one another is. Will these two be able to find a way to trust each other or will their secrets tear them apart?