Book picks similar to
Crush by Celia Loren


arc
love-triangle
new-adult
brothers

Combust


Tessa Teevan - 2014
    She's grabbing the bull by its horns and riding as wild as she can.Fate must be smiling on her the night she meets Cohen Wellington, the cute boy-next-door and fellow music lover. Their connection is instant, and as the night progresses, she knows she's found The One. Only...it doesn't go exactly the way she had planned it. And even though she can't get him off her mind, some humiliations are just too much to overcome. She walks away, never planning to see him again. Three years and a whole lot of experience later, Andi and Cohen are suddenly drawn together again, and it doesn't take long before it's clear their connection is stronger than ever. Fate. Destiny. Kismet. Whatever you want to call it, these two fall hard and fall fast. Their love burns hot, but when their plans for the future seem to move in two different directions, will it be enough to sustain the flames, or will the fire consume them, their relationship combusting before their very eyes? Sometimes love comes quickly without question, without hesitation, and without fear. But this kind of love is once in a lifetime, and sometimes you just have to ask yourself, can it really last?*Although these are college aged characters, they are in the contemporary romance genre.

Wish You Were Mine


Tara Sivec - 2017
    I would've stayed away longer if I hadn't received the letter. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about her, haven't missed her smile, haven't wished that things were different.The last time I saw my two best friends, I vowed to not stand in the way of their happiness, even if that meant I couldn't be a part of their lives. Cameron James and her emerald-green eyes were too much of a temptation and I couldn't stay and watch them together. Cameron deserved better than me. She deserved him.But now that I am back, things are different. I'm not going to stand by and watch the woman I've always loved slip away again. I'm done living my life with regrets and I'm ready to tell her the truth. And I'll do whatever it takes to show her that I always wished she was mine.

On the Rocks


Sawyer Bennett - 2014
    Now he’s returned home to the sand and salty breeze of the North Carolina Outer Banks so he can open The Last Call, a beach bar nestled among the dunes of the Atlantic.Five years ago, Gabby Ward drunkenly threw herself at her best friend’s brother, only to have her young heart crushed. Hunter is back but Gabby is content to stay far away from him and his dangerously charming ways. Gabby’s well-schemed plans to ignore Hunter go up in flames when he presents her an offer she simply can’t refuse. Working together day in and day out proves problematic for two reasons—Gabby realizes her feelings for Hunter are still very much alive, while Hunter struggles to break through to Gabby’s cold heart. What starts out as a mutual business arrangement soon turns into a passion that neither can deny.But when the pro surfing tour comes knocking and Hunter has a chance to reclaim his former glory, hard choices lie ahead for both of them.Choices that could destroy what they have built or take them further than they could ever dare to hope in their second chance at romance.

To Love Jason Thorn


Ella Maise - 2015
     Oh, how stupidly in love with that boy I was. He was the first boy that made me blush, my first official crush. Sounds beautiful so far, right? That excitement that bubbles up inside you, those famous butterflies you feel for the very first time—he was the reason for them all. But, you only get to live in that fairytale world until they crush your hopes and dreams and then stomp on your heart for good measure. And boy did he crush my little heart into pieces. After the stomping part he became the boy I did my best to stay away from—and let me tell you, it was pretty hard to do when he slept in the room right across from mine. When tragedy struck his family and they moved away, I was ready to forget he ever existed. Now he is a movie star, the one who makes women of all ages go into a screaming frenzy, the one who makes everyone swoon with that dimpled smile of his. Do you think that’s dreamy? I certainly don’t think so. How about me coming face to face with him? Nope still not dreamy. Not when I can’t even manage to look him in the eye. Me? I’m Olive, a new writer. Actually, I’m THE writer of the book that inspired the movie he is about to star in on the big screen. As of late, I am also referred to as the oh-so-very-lucky girl who is about to become the wife of Jason Thorn. Maybe you’re thinking yet again that this is all so dreamy? Nope, nothing dreamy going on here. Not even close. To Love Jason Thorn is a full-length standalone, which also contains some pretty hot and descriptive sex scenes. *winks*

Banging Reaper


Izzy Sweet - 2015
    Only one can be the best in the ring.Only one can make her completely his.AveryLife isn't easy when your mother abandons you and the grandmother who raised you is gone. Ethan has been my best friend since middle school. He helped me out with college when I was flat broke, and now I feel like I owe him. So when he starts treating me like his MMA lucky charm, it's hard to say no. But when he finally loses, he blames me--and Reaper, the guy who beat the crap out of him, is the one who rescues me.I want to forgive Ethan ... but I can't resist Reaper.ChaseYeah, they call me Reaper, because I make anyone who fights me wish he was dead. I'm large and in charge with a big house, two cars, and enough money to party for the rest of my days. Life is great--but meeting Avery changes everything. She's nothing like the ring girls I usually hook up with. There's just something about her that brings out the protective beast inside me. She needs to be mine, but that cheating asshole Ethan is in the way.I'll do whatever it takes to claim her ... even if that means destroying her best friend.Banging Reaper is a HEA, standalone MMA/Bad Boy romance with a dominant alpha hero and a young heroine trying to make her way in the world. Some content intended for mature readers.

Smitten


Lauren Rowe - 2020
    I met Alessandra at a party. Tried to impress her. Was almost positive I was going to fail. I think I said something along the lines of, “I’m a Goat called Fish who’s hung like a bull—but not really. I’m actually pretty average.” Smooth. I know. Try not to be jealous. When she laughed—and I mean, really laughed—I knew she wasn’t like the other girls I’d been meeting on tour. Hell, she wasn’t even in the same stratosphere as those fangirls and gold-diggers. At one point during the party, Alessandra said, “There’s nothing like a girl’s first love.” I knew she was talking about the first smash hit by my band, 22 Goats. Alessandra said it was the first song she’d heard by us and it “hit her like a ton of bricks.” Ironic, seeing as how I was having the same reaction from being in her presence. I made it my mission to impress her. Give her the kiss of a lifetime that night. But since I’ve always been the dude with zero game, nothing went according to plan. I’m not giving up, though. I’m going to win this girl over. I’m done sitting on the sidelines, watching the bad boy getting the girl. This time, the nice guy will finish first. Even if it’s the last thing he’ll do.

Rumor Has It


Elisabeth Grace - 2013
    Every man in your life abandons you, but who knew a one-minute clip of your latest doomed relationship would brand you a slut, prevent you from getting your perfect job, and force you to keep doing the one thing you swore you’d never do again…live with your mother.But staying with mom and her latest boy-toy (is this husband number four or five?) until your life turns around might not be all bad. Especially when you fall – literally – at the feet of a sexy, green-eyed stranger who offers you freedom and a life of luxury on a gold-rimmed platter.There’s only one little problem – the man of your dreams is none other than Mason Nash, the latest hip-hop star busting up the music charts. Fame and fortune are his calling cards and he’s vying to steal the show on a new reality TV series that will catapult him into mainstream stardom. Hello spotlight.The man behind the famous persona is perfect for Ellie in every way, but can she overcome the ugly pitfalls that come with Mason's celebrity status? Or will she be forced to choose between the man she loves and the independent life she longs for? After all, fame and fortune aren’t always what they seem and not all publicity is good publicity…***Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.***

Tap


Georgia Cates - 2015
    That’s all she was when I agreed to play a part in deceiving her. But then the unplanned happened.We met. And all I wanted from her was a dirty weekend . . . until that wasn’t enough and I longed for so much more.Lawrence Thorn suddenly means the world to me. And that’s a problem. She’s my business partner’s sister. Forbidden fruit. Pursuing her can mean trouble for me at Lovibond Brewery. But I don’t care.I yearn for her skin against mine.I crave her smell on my body.I want to make her laugh and then hear her moan my name.And she does for a brief moment in time.But Lawrence wants more than I’m able to give. And it’s a damn shame because there’s no one on earth I want more than her.An epic love.A miserable ending.Unless it’s not.

Revelry


Carmen Jenner - 2015
    Between the parties with rock royalty, booze, groupies and performing to crowds of thousands with his band Taint, life seems pretty sweet. There’s just one thing missing: the feisty little red-head that took his baby and ran off with his heart. Throwing himself into music is the only thing keeping him sane.Until a run-in with a nonplussed, package-wielding PA throws everything off balance. Ali Jones is having a craptastic life. Her grandmother died, leaving her homeless, penniless, and alone, and her boyfriend left her for a tramp who takes her clothes off for money. That’s why when she lands her dream job at a record company it seems like it’s too good to be true.Because it is.Slapped with an ultimatum, Ali must decide if facing the horror of the unemployment line is a fate worse than going on the road with four rowdy rockers hell-bent on making her life misery. He’s adored by millions.She’s not even loved by her cat.Can they ignore their hatred long enough to survive the tour from hell? Or will their chemistry force everything to come crashing down around them?

Dare Me


Rebecca Shea - 2016
    Behind his crystal blue eyes is a secret, one that screams danger but calls to me anyway.My name is Saige Phillips.I never walk away from a dare.

Make Me Hate You


Kandi Steiner - 2020
    His hands grip my waist, and I remember the pain when he rejected me, when my entire world crashed down at his command. His jaw clenches, and my senses come alive with one stinging reminder.I’m not his to kiss, and he’s not mine.I tried to stay away from Tyler Wagner, putting an entire country between us. But when his sister’s wedding brings us back to the same town, to the same house, I can’t avoid him, no matter how hard I try.He’s always there, his dark eyes bewitching, luring me into their depths. The memory of us pulls me under like a rip current, and when he flashes that smile, I lose my breath, along with my will, unable to escape his grip and find the surface.Now, hours before our plus ones arrive for the wedding, I’m in his arms, begging him to make me hate him, knowing he never could.If he kisses me right now, I’ll drown.And I’ll take him down with me.

Forever My Girl


Heidi McLaughlin - 2012
    I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after. I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I've poured my soul into my music, but I've never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile. And now I'm going back. After ten years. I hope I can explain that after all this time. I still want her to be my forever girl.

Beautiful Beast


Aubrey Irons - 2017
    He’s the anti-prince-charming. This is our happy ever disaster. Anastasia Here’s the first thing you should know: this is not a fairytale. Happily-ever-afters are fables, and Prince Charming is a sweet little lie. I know all this because he taught me. Once upon a lifetime ago, the rich, arrogant, sinfully gorgeous, and tragically broken dark prince of the Hamptons was my tormentor. My darkness, my shameful attraction, my all-consuming, forbidden temptation. I hate Sebastian Crown because nine years ago, for one night, I was stupid enough to think I loved him. And I’ve been paying for it ever since. Except now, he needs me to help him save his empire. …And he’s not taking no for answer. Bastian She’s my nemesis. My addiction. My weakness. My obsession. I used to tell myself I hated Anastasia Bell - for being poor, for not worshipping the ground I walked on, for looking at me like she pitied me for being me. When the rest of my world always told me yes, she was the ever-provoking no.
 She thinks I’m a monster - a tragic, f**ed-up, broken beast. She doesn’t know the half of it. Because she can’t begin to know the crimes of my past, or imagine the things I’ve done to her behind the scenes since she left this place. Years ago, I thought breaking her would fix me. I was wrong. Now I’ve got her in my sights again, and this time, I won’t be letting her go. Even if it means we both go down in flames... Authors's note: Beautiful Beast is a full-length, standalone romance (approximately 101,000 words) with a HEA and NO cliffhanger. For a limited time, I've included a copy of my second chance romance, Thief, in this new-release edition! Please note that Beautiful Beast finished at roughly the 2/3rds mark in this book ;).