Book picks similar to
Beyond the Pale by Jennifer Millikin
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romance
love-triangle
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The Southern Roots Series
L.K. Farlow - 2020
She doesn't need a man. After all, her Grams taught her a thing or two about making lemonade out of life's lemons.Then she meets Cash Carson.Reeling from a bad breakup, Cash has sworn off love. It led to nothing but pain and misery, and he’s determined to move forward alone.Until a redheaded Southern beauty crashes into him. With her shopping cart. At the local Piggly Wiggly.If love wasn't for him, why did his heart beat a little faster every time Myla Rose sent that sweet smile his way?He was no knight, and she didn't need saving.But damn if he didn't want to try anyway.AN UPHILL BATTLE: Azalea Barnes has hated Drake Collins since the day he broke her teenaged heart.Fast forward almost seven years later and her libido still hasn't gotten the memo.Now they're frenemies... with benefits.Which suits Azalea just fine. She gets what her body craves while keeping her heart safe.Kind of.Mostly.Drake has loved Azalea since the day they met. He knows that she's his forever. Too bad she only sees him as a good time. He wants more. Needs more.If only he could convince her that it's real this time. He's more determined than ever to prove to Azalea that chemistry like theirs doesn't exist only in the bedroom.The odds may be against Drake, but he's prepared to fight.WEATHER THE STORM: Magnolia Ellington is all too aware that dangerous things can come in shiny packages. Her husband made sure to teach her that.Desperate to escape his wrath—and his fists—she flees in the dark of night. Seeking safety and shelter with the only family she has left, Magnolia finds herself in the sleepy, Southern town of Dogwood—and in the arms of Simon McAllister.Simon has always been more of a thinker than a doer. That changes the minute he meets shy and mysterious Magnolia. She has him rushing into action, ready and willing to do whatever it takes to earn her trust.Slowly, with his steadfast determination and kind heart, Simon brings Magnolia out of her shell. But just as things start heating up between the two of them, the darkness of Magnolia’s past resurfaces, threatening to rip apart everything they’ve worked so hard for.With their future hanging in the balance, Simon fears he’s losing Magnolia. He must find a way to convince her they're better together.
Inseparable
Siobhan Davis - 2018
An unbreakable bond. One tragic event that shatters everything. It all started with the boys next door… Devin and Ayden were my best friends. We were practically joined at the hip since age two. When we were kids, we thought we were invincible, inseparable, that nothing or no one could come between us. But we were wrong. Everything turned to crap our senior year of high school. Devin was turning into a clone of his deadbeat lowlife father—fighting, getting wasted, and screwing his way through every girl in town. I’d been hiding a secret crush on him for years. Afraid to tell him how I felt in case I ruined everything. So, I kept quiet and slowly watched him self-destruct with a constant ache in my heart. Where Devin was all brooding darkness, Ayden was the shining light. Our star quarterback with the bright future whom everyone loved. But something wasn’t right. He was so guarded, and he wouldn’t let me in. When Devin publicly shamed me, Ayden took my side, and our awesome-threesome bond was severed. The split was devastating. The heartbreak inevitable. Ayden and I moved on with our lives, but the pain never lessened, and Devin was never far from our thoughts. Until it all came to a head in college, and one eventful night changed everything. Now, I’ve lost the two people who matter more to me than life itself. Nothing will ever be the same again. A standalone new adult contemporary romance with a happy ending. Only suitable for readers aged eighteen and older due to mature content and possible triggers.
The Art of Lainey
Paula Stokes - 2014
And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be?
The Blame Game
Tracie Delaney - 2019
Especially when you fall for the one you set out to destroy.Indie Monroe was supposed to ruin Jax. Not fall for him. But his family has to pay for their sins, regardless of her heart.Jax Brook lost everything—his parents, his place at Juilliard, and his identity. For twelve years, he set aside his own happiness for the sake of his family. Finally, his time has arrived, except the gorgeous, seductive Indie Monroe isn't what she seems.Beneath the professional façade, Indie is hiding a secret that will forever change the course of Jax’s life. Possibly even end it.But as she and Jax grow closer, Indie begins to have second thoughts about the path she is destined to walk.Which course will she choose? And will Jax’s love be strong enough to forgive her?The Blame Game is a complete standalone and part of a series. Buy your copy today, and step into the world of the Brook Brothers.The Brook Brothers SeriesThe Blame Game – Jax and IndieAgainst All Odds – Calum and LaurellaHis To Protect – Cole and MillieWeb of Lies – Nate and Dex
This Is Not How It Ends
Rochelle B. Weinstein - 2020
Weinstein comes a moving novel of hearts lost and found, and of one woman torn between two love stories.
When Charlotte and Philip meet, the pair form a deep and instant connection. Soon they’re settled in the Florida Keys with plans to marry. But just as they should be getting closer, Charlotte feels Philip slipping away.Second-guessing their love is something Charlotte never imagined, but with Philip’s excessive absences, she finds herself yearning for more. When she meets Ben, she ignores the pull, but the supportive single dad is there for her in ways she never knew she desired. Soon Charlotte finds herself torn between the love she thought she wanted and the one she knows she needs.As a hurricane passes through Islamorada, stunning revelations challenge Charlotte’s loyalties and upend her life. Forced to reexamine the choices she’s made, and has yet to make, Charlotte embarks on an emotional journey of friendship, love, and sacrifice—knowing that forgiveness is a gift, and the best-laid plans can change in a heartbeat.This Is Not How It Ends is a tender, moving story of heartbreak and healing that asks the question: Which takes more courage—holding on or letting go?
No Turning Back
Tiffany Snow - 2011
She moved to Indianapolis to start seeing to them, but things aren't going quite as well as she'd hoped. She's a runner for a high-powered law firm in town, not the most prestigious of positions, but it and her part-time bartender gig at least pays the bills. And one of the senior partners is a dreamboat in that obscenely rich, disturbingly good looking, slightly snobbish sort of way.Before she did a mortifying face plant in his lap during a meeting, she was quite happy ogling him from afar. After that...well...she was more about the avoiding. Mature, no. More likely to assure she keeps her job, yes.She's made some friends in the few months she's been in Indy. One of those friends is her neighbor Sheila, though Kathleen can't say she's completely comfortable with Sheila's job choice as a high-dollar escort.It's the middle of the night when Kathleen hears fighting coming from Sheila's apartment. As disturbing as that is, it's the ominous sound of silence afterwards that keeps Kathleen from falling back to sleep. Slipping from bed with the intention of making sure everything is okay, Kathleen knocks on friend's door, only to find Sheila murdered, her naked body sprawled on sheets stained crimson with her blood.Shock and horror are followed by gritty determination when it becomes clear that Sheila's death isn't random and it isn't the result of a jealous boyfriend. It's the opening gambit in a web of murder, deceit, conspiracy, and fraud that stretches to the law firm for which Kathleen works. Maybe to the very office that Blane Kirk commands.And Kathleen Turner, law office runner, can trust no one if she wants to survive.
Bentley
Melanie Moreland - 2018
Their pasts dictate the men they are, but their present shapes their future. What happens when these men meet the one person they are destined to be with? Can they fight their feelings and walk away? Or will they each succumb and learn the sweet agony of love?BentleyThe leader of the group. He is uptight, formal, and cold. Rigid and set in his ways, always following the same path. Until the day, he stumbles upon her. Emmy.She brings with her spontaneity and light. The world she lives in is so different from his, yet he cannot control the draw to her. Nor can he explain the way she makes him feel. Happy. Protective. Loved.
Until Harry
L.A. Casey - 2016
Hard because Harry, her beloved uncle, has died suddenly, but also because of him. Kale.Kale Hunt has been her best friend since childhood. But it was never that simple. He was Lane’s reason for leaving home and moving to New York. Seeing him with someone else, in love with someone else, shouldn’t have hurt. But it did. It really, really did. So she upped sticks and left, started a new life and cut herself off from her past.But now she’s back, and all the feelings are right there. As if she had never left.Emotions are running high for everyone, and tragedy has a funny way of bringing people together. But is Lane reading the signs right? Are they still just friends, or is there something more?
Bailey And The Bad Boy
R. Linda - 2017
I was too… until my heart was ripped out of my chest. As if getting dumped wasn’t bad enough, I’m forced to endure the humiliation of witnessing my ex-boyfriend flaunt his new girl — who also happens to be my now ex-best friend — all over town. Double whammy. Now I’m the pathetic ex-girlfriend left gutted, heartbroken, and nose deep in a bucket of ice cream. I’m doomed to spend the summer sulking over a guy who thought I was predictable and bad in bed. So, when I get an offer guaranteeing me some well-deserved payback, of course I’m going to take it. Besides, the plan is simple. Pretend like I’m dating Ryder, the town’s popular bad boy, and make my ex wallow in a pit of jealousy and regret. It’s perfect. I mean… what could possibly go wrong?
The Southern Nights Series
M. Never - 2017
All-Star athlete and resident bad boy. #7 quarterback on the field, and #1 player off. Every guy at school wants to be him, and every girl at school wants to date him. Well, except Laney Summers that is. The sassy city girl is the only one immune to Kam’s clear blue eyes and arsenal of southern charm. But when a debilitating injury sidelines Kam’s future and ability to play football, it’s Laney who is tasked to be his tutor while he recuperates at home. The chemistry between Kam and Laney is undeniable, and after months of ignoring what’s clearly evident, Laney gives in. Allowing herself one night with Kam, no strings attached, no commitment to speak of. Alone, under the stars, on the fifty-yard line, Kam and Laney set out to discover if what they have is real, or just one steamy southern night.The Southern Nights Series is a compilation of three novellas following the story of Kam and Laney, an all-star football player destined for greatness and the sassy city girl who challenges him on every level. This collection is steamy, fun, flirty and full of heart!
Trust Me, I'm Lying
Mary Elizabeth Summer - 2014
A lot of them. She’s a con artist, a master of disguise, and a sophomore at Chicago’s swanky St. Agatha High, where her father, an old-school grifter with a weakness for the ponies, sends her to so she can learn to mingle with the upper crust. For extra spending money Julep doesn’t rely on her dad—she runs petty scams for her classmates while dodging the dean of students and maintaining an A+ (okay, A-) average.But when she comes home one day to a ransacked apartment and her father gone, Julep’s carefully laid plans for an expenses-paid golden ticket to Yale start to unravel. Even with help from St. Agatha’s resident Prince Charming, Tyler Richland, and her loyal hacker sidekick, Sam, Julep struggles to trace her dad’s trail of clues through a maze of creepy stalkers, hit attempts, family secrets, and worse, the threat of foster care. With everything she has at stake, Julep’s in way over her head . . . but that’s not going to stop her from using every trick in the book to find her dad before his mark finds her. Because that would be criminal.Fans of Ally Carter, especially her Heist Society readers, will love this teen mystery/thriller with sarcastic wit, a hint of romance, and Ocean’s Eleven–inspired action.
Pepped Up
Ali Dean - 2013
It’s all I can think about, and I’m willing to do anything it takes to make it happen. I can handle long miles and hill sprints in cross country, but guys? That’s an entirely different challenge.I’ve kept my feelings hidden from the boy next door all this time. My longtime friend, Jace Wilder doesn’t see me that way. He has the personal magnetism and good looks to hook just about any girl in town -- and he has. Our friendship stands apart from high school social circles, and I’m fine with that, or so I keep telling myself.That is, until running star Ryan Harding moves to town and bridges the gap. Apparently, I’ve caught his eye and suddenly Jace starts seeing me in a different light. Everything changes, for all of us. On the trails, my goals are clear. Train, run, breathe, run, win. But when it comes to Jace and Ryan, it’s nowhere near as simple. This battle can’t be won by crossing a finish line, this war is in my heart.
Playing Doctor
J.D. Hawkins - 2021
Want me to kiss it better? It’s always been an unacknowledged perk of the MD behind my name that it’s also a kitty magnet. I’ve got my pick of the litter. I only have one rule, and that’s to keep dating and work in different sandboxes. I learned that lesson the hard way once, and I wouldn’t have made it through med school if I needed to be told twice. But everything about Mia makes me dumb. Everything about the hot, bookish gynecologist makes me think NSFW thoughts that just won’t quit. I try throwing myself into my work. Playing as much pickup soccer as I can handle. But it isn’t long before I’m breaking all my rules to get just one more taste of Mia. We’re headed for a reckoning. I’m about to earn a new degree: in love.
Fracture
Megan Miranda - 2012
But somehow Delaney survived - despite the brain scans that show irreparable damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be fine, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney now finds herself drawn to the dying, and when she meets Troy Varga, a boy who recently emerged from a coma with the same abilities, she is relieved to share this strange new existence. Unsure if her altered brain is predicting death or causing it, Delaney must figure out if their gift is a miracle, a freak of nature - or something else much more frightening...
Overprotected
Jennifer Laurens - 2011
He thought I'd never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever.Charles: obsessed with keeping her safe, keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.Daddy was wrong.