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


love-triangle
new-adult
freebie
college

Endangered Hearts


Amanda Lance - 2014
    Instead, she is certain it something else—someone else. However, in a life with college classes and alcoholic mother to look after, Emilia doesn’t have time to explore her suspicions. She would much rather think about her new job at Iram Manor, and more importantly—its mysterious and alluring owner. After a lifetime of isolation and trapped in a disfigured body Kasper Zafar thought he knew pain. Confining himself to his work as an architect and the love of his music, he never expects the beautiful Emilia Ward to enter his life. Young and naive, his new housekeeper does not flinch at the sight of him, and is even so bold as to call him her friend. Determined to teach her in all worldly things, the opposites grow closer and the role of student and teacher interchange. Yet Emilia’s life outside the manor is not a happy one, and when Kasper’s attempt to watch over her fails, both will discover than love may be the most painful thing of all.

Lost


Nadia Simonenko - 2013
    Now, in her final semester of college, she still struggles against paralyzing fear just trying to speak up in class, and the terror and helplessness linger on in her nightmares.Across campus, Owen sees his scars in the mirror every morning while he gets ready for class. They remind him of the broken home he left behind, the father he hates and fears, and the little sister he couldn't protect. Now, in his final semester of college, he's scared that he may have to return to the hell he called home after staying away for almost five years.When Owen becomes a teaching assistant for one of Maria's classes, they find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other. As the two learn each other's secrets and grow closer, they realize that although they may be lost, they're not alone anymore.This new adult contemporary romance is recommended for ages 17+ due to heavy subject matter.

Let Love In


Melissa Collins - 2013
    Ripped from her home and everything that she has ever loved, she is forced to start all over again. The only way for her to move on is to build walls around her heart and keep everyone at a safe distance. Her logic: she can't get hurt if she doesn't fall in love. That theory is blown to pieces when she meets Reid Connely during her freshman year at college. He is gorgeous and darkly mysterious. He understands Maddy's pain all too well, but sharing his pain would mean breaking down the walls he put up around his own heart. Conflicted between loving Maddy and hiding his dark past, Reid starts to reevaluate his world. Maddy's inner strength, snarky personality and breath taking beauty help Reid to make peace with his past. Together they find out what happens when they let love in.

Fool for You


Megan Noelle - 2013
    Danielle promised herself she would never return, but now - she has no choice. The family Inn her Grandparents put their lives into is going under and Danielle is the last hope they have to save it. When she temporarily returns to her home town, she’s even less prepared than expected to run into her first love, Oliver Garrison. After their encounter leaves her on edge she decides what is really needed is a distraction. What she doesn’t expect is the way she feels when she meets Corey Preston with the bad boy edge, a gentle heart and smoking body. Oliver is everything she thought she ever wanted while Corey is everything she never thought she needed. Dani promised herself when she left Serenity Cove at 18 that never again, would this be her home. However, her heart didn’t get the memo and for the first time in her life, she feels at home. But will her demons from the past let her have the love she deserves? Or will she return to her life in New York - once again leaving her heart behind in the one place she fears to be?

Prescribed


D.D. Parker - 2014
    She went into college wanting a brand new lease on life, thinking she was going to become a doctor. She had it all planned out. Well...at least until she found out she fainted at the sight of blood. After banging her head on the floor, she’s taken care of by Dr. Ryan Matthews, an unfairly hot specimen of a man. Even after waking up in a cloudy, post-concussion daze, she can’t take her eyes off of him and their chemistry is becoming undeniable. Strong. Handsome. Charming. Even that couldn’t encompass everything Ryan has to offer. Only thing is, she’s already taken by another man. One that would never let her go. Ever. Will Dr. Matthews still be able to prescribe Emma just what she needs or will Emma’s own demons come to threaten more than just their relationship? College just got a whole lot harder. **Recommended for 18+ due to sexually graphic scenes and adult language. This is Book One in The White Coat Series. It can be read as a stand-alone story without a cliffhanger.

Watch Me Walk Away


Jill Prand - 2013
    He was suppose to be her first. First Love. First Time. First Everything. No word for six long years. She moved away from the painful reminders sacrificing her relationship with her best friend Brad. She struggled to rebuild her life.Now six years later she returns as a strong, successful woman grabbing a job at one of New York’s hottest marketing agencies. She is dating a gorgeous guy with his eyes on a corner office. But it all changes when she sees Bobby again.Can she risk another heartbreak from Bobby? Will she be able to repair her friendship with Brad? Lisa will have to decide between the man she's with, and the two men that want her.Who will she be with, and who will she tell to "Watch Me Walk Away?"

My Savior Forever


Vicki Green - 2013
    At a young age she was placed in Foster care that moved her around from one place to the other. Finally being freed at 18, she was left with no money and nowhere to go until she finds a small town in Kansas where she can start over.Little did she know her life was going to be uprooted again when she is kidnapped and brutally raped.Jesse is considered HOT in most women’s eyes, but has little time for Romance. While searching for his Mother’s killers, he witnesses a young girl being kidnapped. He now faces decisions that he must make quickly.Will Jesse rescue Cassie? Will Cassie ever find the happiness she longs for?*Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Love in All the Wrong Places


Audrey Harte - 2013
    After a series of failed relationships, she's beginning to feel like she will never meet Mr. Right. But seeing one of her longtime BFFs find love on the internet, she decides to give online dating a try. After finally finding an amazing guy who sweeps her off her feet, will he prove to be everything she could have wished for and more or is he too good to be true?

TouchStone for play


Sydney Jamesson - 2013
    United by Fate. Saved by Love... Charismatic and sexy Ayden Stone is a multi-talented media mogul by day and playboy by night, seducing and discarding women, seeking only sexual pleasure without commitment. He is looking for the love of his life, but is settling for stand-ins … then Fate intervenes.A chance meeting with shy school teacher Elizabeth Parker triggers a passionate reaction in him that he cannot explain. Unable to help himself, he is drawn to her by a kind of gravitational force. Up close, he recognises her charm and beauty and is consumed by the idea that they have met before.Unschooled in the art of seduction, Elizabeth begins her journey of sexual awakening, allowing Ayden to steer her towards deep and dangerous waters, unaware of their fateful connection. With great passion comes heartbreak, threatening their relationship and testing its limits. A dangerous figure from Elizabeth’s past returns, desperate to take back what is 'his'. Elizabeth Parker is about to be found, but will she be bound by her destiny or by her demon … The Story of Us is an epic story of love, loss and redemption. A modern day fairy-tale full of passion, unspeakable secrets and suspense.148,000 words of seduction and suspense.

Good Vibrations


S.L. Scott - 2013
    Things like three-word phrases being confessed that would end me if I was rejected. Things like selfishly wanting to own her body and doing things to her that would make my fantasies blush. And things like making her promises too soon that won’t do either of us any good. She makes me want a future that’s not possible, and one I don’t deserve.Listening to my ego got me into this situation. Will listening to my heart get me out?

Acquiring Hearts (The Heart Series Book #1)


S. Donahue - 2013
    He basically gave up his life at the young age of twenty-three to take on the many responsibilities he was not ready for. Seven years later, Bradley is not ready to settle down but one day he accidentally meets his secretary’s sister, Giavonna Coppi. He immediately has an attraction to her. She's not like any of the women he has dated before. Bradley finds himself wanting to spend more time with her.Gia is an independent, hardworking lawyer who's been hurt in the past. She invested all of her time into establishing her career. When she meets Bradley she senses the connection but is afraid to give her all. Can their relationship withstand the dilemma’s that come between them? Are they meant to be together or is it easier for them to be apart. Only time will tell…

Catching Cassidy


Melissa Foster - 2015
    They're tough, edgy, and accepting--most of the time. Although Catching Cassidy is a heterosexual romance, this series will include heterosexual, gay, and lesbian themes, written in the loving, raw, and emotional voice readers have come to love by New York Times & USA Today bestselling, award-winning author Melissa Foster.In Catching Cassidy...Wyatt Armstrong never imagined that instead of celebrating his college graduation, he and his twin sister would be dealing with the death of their parents. Then again, Wyatt had never been one to think past tomorrow. He heads to their summer home in Harborside, Massachusetts, with his best friend Cassidy Lowell in tow, to spread his parents' ashes and to try to figure out his next step.Six foot two, infuriatingly handsome, and flirtatious, Wyatt Armstrong has always been there for Cassidy, helping her pass her classes and fend off unwanted advances, while driving her insane with his one-night stands--but that's what best friends are for, isn't it? Having each other's backs. There was never any doubt that she would accompany him to his family's summer home--even if her jealous boyfriend is giving her hell for it. But he doesn't have anything to be jealous of...or does he?It's impossible to ignore the sizzling heat between them as Wyatt and Cassidy get even closer, but Cassidy knows Wyatt's past, and she has a real job to begin in the fall. Wyatt may be a sure thing for the summer, but Cassidy needs more. For the first time in his life, Wyatt is forced to look toward the future if he doesn't want to lose the one woman who's shared his past and owns his heart.Coming in 2015 the full Harborside Nights series:Catching Cassidy (Het)Discovering Delilah (F/F)Tempting Tristan (M/M)Chasing Charley (Het)Breaking Brandon (M/M)Embracing Evan (Het)Reaching Rusty (Het)Loving Livi (Het)Characters from the Love in Bloom series will appear in the Harborside Nights books.

Sweet Girl


Cristin Harber - 2014
     Nicola Hart grew up under the heels of her older brother and his sexy best friend, Cash Garrison. Years of ignoring her spark with Cash has transformed their friendship into a slow burning sizzle. One night with him could ruin everything. Or it could be more than she ever dreamed. They play. They flirt. But they haven't crossed the line because too much is at stake. Family. Friendship. And the deepest kind of love that she'd have to be crazy to walk away from. She's his best friend's little sister. The definition of hands off. Cash has tried to ignore her for years. Those innocent eyes and her smile that screams kiss-me-if-you-dare... Instead, he's looked at every pretty little thing who's crossed his path, all to ignore the girl he seems destined to want. But when his hard partying ways get old and everyone at school is interested in Nicola, it's time to stake a claim. To make Nicola his girl, no matter the risks, and hold the hand of the one he really loves.

To the Sea


Deirdre Riordan Hall - 2014
    When her husband Jeremy dies in a car accident, loss casts her adrift, but her heart cracks wide open when she uncovers the secrets he left behind.Despite her dislike for the ocean with the whipping wind and itchy sand, Kira seeks solace in salt: tears, sweat, and the sea, helping her move beyond the myth of perfection, and guiding her toward the truth of who she really is.She takes surf lessons to overcome her fear of the water and her well of grief. In the local surf scene, she meets sultry Jamie, with a hot Australian accent. He’s eager to spend time with her, but mostly between the sheets. Then there’s soulful Ian, her surf instructor, who helps her get on her feet and ride the waves.During a transformative trip to South Africa on surfari, she learns the best way to be loved, yet when she returns to the shores of New England, grief continues to haunt her. She must let go, but how? Torn between the tides, Kira discovers strength and courage, navigates loss, lust, and love, taking readers along for the plunge.

Pieces of You & Me


Pamela Ann - 2014
    Olivia Taylor’s life turned upside down when she found out her mother was moving into her boyfriend’s home. The glitch? The boyfriend had a son named Greyson—the guy she loathed more than anything. Greyson Edwards was your typical arrogant self-entitled jerk. He loved to taunt and tease Olivia. But the more time they got to spend together, the more complicated things became. Will these two stubborn folks ever figure things out? Will they let themselves feel what was truly boiling underneath the angst and unveil the passion that’s only a mere kiss away?