Book picks similar to
Island Rush by Marien Dore


romance
wattpad
favorites
new-adult

The Accidental Text


Becky Monson - 2021
    Right guy?Once upon a time, Maggie Cooper lived for adventure. Jumping out of planes was child’s play. Now she can’t even work up the nerve to ask out her coworker. For a bit of self-therapy, she begins to text her recently deceased mother’s phone—the only problem is that the number has been reassigned and for weeks she’s been unknowingly texting a stranger her deepest thoughts and feelings. There have also been some not-so-deep texts, like the ones about her appreciation for her coworker’s butt.When Chase Beckett, the unsuspecting stranger who has more in common with Maggie than he’d like to admit, texts back, Maggie is beyond mortified. But message after message and night after night, Maggie realizes that Chase’s wit, charm, and advice are exactly what the doctor ordered. Is it enough, though, to get her back up in the sky? And what about her heart? Can she risk taking a leap of faith for the man on the other end of her accidental texts?

Mine Would Be You


K. Jamila - 2022
    After throwing herself into work at Poze, a major fashion magazine, drunken nights with her friends in the city, and long therapy sessions, she still keeps the walls around her heart sealed up tight. A wedding invitation sends her straight to the past and to the bars. And the blurry night ends with sea-blue eyes, blonde hair, and a bright smile.Jackson Ross holds the sun in his hands.He’s the complete opposite of her, overly optimistic, and wouldn’t know a rain cloud if it hit him. And he’s anything but deterred by her negative outlook on relationships. If anything, it just enchants him more. When he finally begins to whittle his way past her walls, life comes crashing in when he least expects it.Will Valentina take a chance and let Jackson in? Will Jackson make his way through the rain? Or will life and all its disasters come crashing down and shroud them in the darkness just when they were ready to step into the sun?

Even When You Lie to Me


Jessica Alcott - 2015
    Another year of living in the shadow of her best friend, Lila. Another year of hiding behind the covers of her favorite novels. Another year of navigating her tense relationship with her perfectionist mom.But everything changes when she meets her new English teacher. Mr. Drummond is smart. Irreverent. Funny. Hot. Everyone loves him. And Charlie thinks he's the only one who gets her.She also thinks she might not be the only one with a crush.In this stunning debut, Jessica Alcott explores relationships-and their boundaries-in a way that is both searingly honest and sympathetic.

Artistic License


Elle Pierson - 2013
    She’s completely fascinated and attracted by the striking planes and angles of his unusual face, and can’t resist sneaking out her pencil when he’s not looking. Security consultant Mick Hollister is used to women looking at his ugly mug – but not with the genuine pleasure he sees in the face of the girl with the charcoal-smudged fingers and terrible skills at covert surveillance. A security breach brings the two into fast and furious collision, and an unlikely friendship begins to blossom. And an even more unlikely – and very reluctant – love. Introvert Sophy is content with her independence and solitude. She’s never looked for a long-term relationship, and isn’t sure she wants one now. Mick, apparently born with a face that not even a mother could love, has given up all hope of having one. They have nothing in common. They shouldn’t even like each other. And they can’t stay away from one another.

Through to You


Lauren Barnholdt - 2014
    Harper had casually threaded a piece of blue and silver tinsel through her ponytail in honor of school spirit day. And that carefree, corny gesture is what grabs Penn Mattingly’s eye. Penn—resident heartbreaker of the senior class. Reliably unreliable. Trouble with a capital “T.” And okay, smolderingly sexy.Harper’s surprised by Penn’s attention—and so is Penn. The last thing he needs is a girlfriend. Or even a friend-with-benefits. The note is not supposed to lead to anything.Oh, but it does. They hang out. They have fun. They talk. They make out. And after a while, it seems like they just click. But Penn and Harper have very different ideas about what relationships look like, in no small part because of their very different family backgrounds. Of course they could talk about these differences—if Penn knew how to talk about feelings.Harper and Penn understand their attraction is illogical, yet something keeps pulling them together. It’s like a crazy roller coaster—exhilarating, terrifying, and amazing all at once. And neither knows how to stop the ride…

The Power of Salvation


Caterina Passarelli
    Betrayal. Demons. Mind-blowing Passion.A high-powered, hot-tempered CEO with visible scars meets an Emergency Room doctor shielding her own invisible pain.Luke and Ariana are two lost souls with tragedy running deep in their blood. In their families. And in their hearts.They want nothing to do with love.Absolutely nothing. But the city of Chicago keeps pushing them together to ignite a intensity that's addicting.That is … until the ghosts of their pasts explode in their present.Will it douse their flame? Are they meant to be alone forever?

Carter Grayson


Sandi Lynn - 2018
    Because of those tragedies, I lived in a world of darkness and despair. Even though I ran and owned a multi-billion-dollar enterprise that I saved from bankruptcy, had more money than I could spend, and lived in a high-rise penthouse on Fifth Avenue, my life was still desolate and empty. I closed off my heart and myself to everyone. Anger had become my best friend and I’d never let anyone get close to me again. This was my life until a woman named Zoey Benson crossed my path. For the first time in over five years, I felt something. A feeling that I had long buried deep inside me. A feeling I never wanted to experience again. She wanted to be my savior and I sure as hell didn’t want to be saved. Carter Grayson is a stand-alone novel told in two different POV’s. 18+

The Cowboy's Forbidden Crush


Deborah Garland - 2021
    I don’t go there. Never. But I wasn’t prepared to be challenged like this. There’s only so much a man can take…Dr. Walker Rhodes, DVM:Rule #1: I don’t do relationships.Rule #2: I don’t sleep with the vet students in my class.When Emmaline Phillips waltzes into my class, Rule #2 lands on shaky ground.Could I? Just this once...She's smart and beautiful with long blonde hair I want to wrap around my hands. Those haunting caramel eyes will be my undoing. Emmaline licks those cherry red lips when she thinks I’m not looking. But I’m watching her every move while I wait to make her mine.Graduation day.As soon as we’re no longer teacher and student, I’ll get her in my bed and keep her there until she leaves this small Texas town to chase her dreams in the Kentucky Bluegrass. She’s got plans that don’t include me.Perfect.I’m not looking for anything long-term. I just need enough time with her to satisfy my needs and get her out of my head.As long as I don’t break Rule #1, I’ll be fine.But can all this no-strings sex lead to something we’re not expecting?Her staying in our small town and me…falling in love?The Cowboy’s Forbidden Crush is part of the Wild Texas Heart Cowboy Series but can be read as a standalone. No cheating. No cliffhanger. HEA Guaranteed.Grab the whole series:The Cowboy’s Forbidden Crush- FREEThe Cowboy’s Last SongThe Cowboy’s Accidental WifeThe Cowboy’s Second ChanceThe Cowboy’s Christmas BrideFollow Deborah for updates about new releases!

Clique Bait


Ann Valett - 2020
    She’s traded in her jeans and T-shirts for the latest designer clothes, erased anything on social media that would tie her to Monica (and blow her cover), and carefully figured out how she will befriend the members of the clique, find out their deepest and darkest secrets, and reveal them to the world.Chloe has the perfect plan . . . but there’s one thing she didn’t prepare for. And that’s falling for someone she’s determined to destroy. The closer she gets to uncovering the secrets the in-crowd is determined to cover up, the more she realizes that she is going to have to choose between betraying her oldest friend or the boy who’s captured her heart

Gorgeous Rotten Scoundrel


Nina G. Jones - 2014
    The kind of gorgeous where you didn’t even attempt to hide the fact that you were staring. I knew the type: His entire life he has coasted on his good looks, artificial charm, and sex appeal. Everyone wanted to be him or be ON him. I had been hurt by jerks like him before. He was like those guys but far worse.I was the unfortunate sucker to be offered a gig I desperately needed as his live-in chef for a Summer in the Hamptons. But I wasn’t like the other girls--the models and socialites who came through the revolving door of his bedroom. I would bite the bullet, take the job, deal with his sexist comments, his expectation that I would fawn over him, and have no problem letting the door hit my ass on the way out when I was done with the gig.Then something unexpected happened that changed everything and I realized that there maybe more to him than the labels I had affixed to his character. Maybe. But if he really wanted me, it wasn’t going to be easy, not like everything else in his life. He was going to have to work, I was going to make him miserable. He was going to hate wanting me just as much as I hated myself for wanting him back.Heath Hillabrand: International Supermodel. Womanizer. Gorgeous, Rotten, Scoundrel.Note: While Nina G. Jones is known for her darker suspense series (Strapped), this is NOT dark. Not even a little. This is a HOT romance novel. There are no crazy plot twists, no one is secretly related to anyone, there are no secret identities, just a fun read with sass and snark!

Dear Heart, I Hate You


J. Sterling - 2016
    Or for him. Or anything that had to do with Cal Donovan from Boston. Meeting him had been a complete and utter surprise, taking me one hundred percent off guard. I met new people every single day in my line of work and none of them affected me. Wasn’t that the way of things though? You could meet a thousand people and they’d all mean nothing to you. But then you’d meet that one and they suddenly meant everything.

Imperfect Match


Corinne Michaels - 2019
     Rule number one for a professional matchmaker? Don’t fall in love with your client. I screwed that up when I fell for my best friend, Reid Fortino. He’s gorgeous, successful, and sexy as hell. I figured it would be easy to find him a match—and save the family business at the same time. But the more time I spend attempting to find the perfect girl, the more I realize how much I want him for my own. What’s the harm if we give in for just one night? I should have known that would never be enough. Now I’m on the verge of losing my job and my heart. We were an imperfect match from the start, but I don’t know how to let him go.

I Call Him Brady


K.S. Thomas - 2014
    With women lining up to be with him, movie parts most seasoned actors would die for and the freedom to live above the rules, Jack's life is going completely according to plan.Until Embers...Embers doesn't have time to waste on any more dirt-bags. Too busy trying to take care of herself and her daughter to take any more chances on romance, she's limiting her love life to daydreaming about one hot and sexy, Jack Cole.Except her surefire way to keep her heart safe goes completely awry when her dream guy and her reality suddenly collide.A master of recreating the human emotions he's never allowed himself to feel, Jack must now deal with the consequences of offering his heart to someone who may be too scared to keep it.

Pretend


Sharlay - 2012
    She can't seem to get over him, but when her best friend's brother poses as her boyfriend at a party to make Kyle jealous and it works, she hatches the perfect plan or so she thinks...Sometimes pretending isn't the best game to play especially when pretending can become real and especially when you're pretending with your best friend's brother.

Dating You / Hating You


Christina Lauren - 2017
    The first standalone romance by New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Beautiful Bastard) is a sexy, compulsively readable romantic comedy that dives headlong into the thrill and doubt of modern love.Despite the odds against them from an embarrassing meet-awkward at a mutual friend’s Halloween party, Carter and Evie immediately hit it off. Even the realization that they’re both high-powered agents at competing firms in Hollywood isn’t enough to squash the fire.But when their two agencies merge—causing the pair to vie for the same position—all bets are off. What could have been a beautiful, blossoming romance turns into an all-out war of sabotage. Carter and Evie are both thirtysomething professionals—so why can’t they act like it?Can Carter stop trying to please everyone and see how their mutual boss is really playing the game? Can Evie put aside her competitive nature long enough to figure out what she really wants in life? Can their actor clients just be something close to human? Whether these two Hollywood love/hatebirds get the storybook Hollywood ending or just a dramedy of epic proportions, you will get to enjoy Christina Lauren’s heartfelt, raucous, and hilarious romance style at its finest.