Book picks similar to
A Tortured Soul by Rollen Joy Buhian


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Just You


Rebecca Phillips - 2012
    When her first boyfriend cheats on her, Taylor can’t even pretend to act surprised. After all, her own father left her mother for another woman after fourteen years of marriage, so it was only a matter of time before it happened to her too.Betrayed one time too many, Taylor vows to give up boys for good. But when she meets sweet, gorgeous Michael Hurst at a party, her resolve to stay single begins to crack. Maybe, in spite of her past, she can trust him not to break her heart. Taylor and Michael begin an exciting-but-cautious romance, hitting several challenges along the way—parental disapproval, family secrets, and the most daunting obstacle of all, Elena Brewster, a calculating beauty who is determined to make Michael hers.Not just another teen romance, JUST YOU is about learning to embrace the risks involved in trusting someone with your heart.

Accidental Crush


Adrienne Torrisi - 2013
    Ashley Taylor is just starting her freshman year of high school. She’s certain this year will be exactly like every other. She'll go unnoticed in the shadow of her older brother, Ryan, because he and his two best friends, Todd and Brian, are juniors as well as stars on the varsity football team. Everyone knows and loves them, while she is only a freshman; a nobody. Ashley has known both of her brother’s best friends her entire life, however, she's never really noticed Todd's clear, blue eyes and perfectly messy hair until now. Unfortunately, he still only sees her as Ryan's kid sister. Not to mention, he's also her best friend's older brother; so she needs to keep her true feelings a secret. As she navigates her own, difficult feelings, Ashley learns that she's not the only one keeping secrets, and if these other secrets get out, they could destroy friendships... maybe even lives.

When October Starts


Seven Rue - 2020
    JunoAs his student, I should’ve kept my distance.Out of all the guys in the world I could’ve fallen in love with,it had to be my new teacher.We fell in love slowly, hidden from others.Keeping it secret, and falling deeper each day.But no love is perfect, and we learned it the hard way.When the truth came out and he left town, he left me broken and alone.He’s to blame, at least that’s what everyone says.But to me, he’s still the greatest man I’ve ever gotten to love.And when October starts, no one can tear us apart.This is a student-teacher age gap, taboo romance.It’s emotional, deep, and contains detailed sex scenes.You have been warned.

Say the Word


Julie Johnson - 2014
    When their paths cross again unexpectedly in New York City, Lux does her best to feign indifference toward her first love. But the harder she tries to hold Sebastian at arm’s length, the more determined he becomes to uncover the secrets she’s been keeping about their past… and the true reason she broke his heart seven years earlier.She’s as much in love with him as ever; he’s just as furious at her for leaving. But beneath the anger, forbidden attraction still simmers… and it’s only a matter of time before it boils over. When the past is finally unearthed, the monsters Lux spent seven years running from will finally catch up to her. And nothing – not even her love for Sebastian – will be enough to save her… **SAY THE WORD is a steamy, suspenseful standalone contemporary romance for fans of action and angst. Due to sexual situations, adult language, violence, and thematic elements, it is intended for readers ages 16 and up.**

Tight Knit


Allie Brennan - 2012
    But Nan gets sick, and it couldn’t be worse timing. Talia’s panic attacks are getting worse, her boyfriend is a jerk, her best friend is distant, her parents are more absent than usual and she’s stuck planning the Cozy Christmas Charity Drive for her knitting group in place of Nan. If that’s not panic inducing enough, enter Lachlan.Lachlan McCreedy doesn’t rely on anyone. Not after what he’s been through. It’s him and Gram, nothing else matters but keeping his past buried, and his secrets hidden. So when Gram forces him to help with her Christmas sale, Talia is the last thing he expected, and trusting her with his secrets comes as a shock to both of them. But when he unexpectedly falls for her, the question becomes can he trust her with his heart?~Mature YA~>

Flawed


Kate Avelynn - 2012
    For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely.Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give.Sam Donavon has been James’ best friend — and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on — for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realizes James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact...

The Heir


Sophie Lark - 2021
    Where mafia heirs are trained to control, dominate, infiltrate, and kill.I followed Anna because she’s my best friend. I’ve always been right by her side.She needs me to protect her. Especially from Dean Yenin, a Bratva heir with a lethal grudge.He plans to take everything from me. Starting with Anna...“The Heir” is the first book in the epic dark mafia Kingmakers Series. It’s a forbidden friends-to-lovers romance filled with mystery, suspense, and kindle-melting bedroom scenes that take place everywhere but the bedroom.

Elemental


Brigid Kemmerer - 2012
    That’s okay—she knows what happens to kids who do.Like Michael Merrick. He’s an earth Elemental, one with enough power to level cities. Which makes him sexy. Dangerous. And completely off limits. At least according to Emily’s family.But her summer job puts her in close contact with Michael, and neither of them can help the attraction they feel. When forces of nature like theirs collide, one misstep could get someone killed. Because Emily’s family doesn’t just want her to stay away from him.They want him dead.

Twisted Love


Ana Huang - 2021
    Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape. Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart. But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:A crack.A melt.A fire that could end his world as he knew it.***Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want. Her brother’s best friend. Her neighbor.Her savior and her downfall.Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear. Twisted Love is a brother’s best friend/opposites attract romance with a hint of suspense. It's book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.WARNING: This book contains a possessive, morally gray alphahole; explicit sexual content, and profanity. No cheating or menage, but if you're looking for a traditionally sweet, loveable hero, this is not the book for you. Recommended for 18+.

Crossing Lines


Colby Millsaps - 2017
    She's hasn't been to a party...ever. She doesn't date. She barely talks to anyone, let alone have any friends, and that's the way she likes it. Her plan is to keep her head down, graduate, and never look back. Until Noah Sweeney came along. Noah Sweeney is a rule-follower. He's the good guy, despite the dark storms that swirl in the depths of his even darker eyes. He's never struggled to know what is right and what is wrong. He's also painfully aware of how much is riding on this one job. He can't afford to mess up. He knows that nothing will get in the way of him excelling in his new position. Or at least he thought. Then Carter came along. This debut novel by Colby Millsaps shows there really is no right or wrong to true love as alternating perspectives take readers through all the twists, turns, ups, and downs of an unlikely but undeniable connection.

Bad Kind of Love


Remi Rose
    But, I guess my life wasn’t meant to be easy. And it was all because of them.Father and son.One was broody and broken, the other was sweet and charming.I fell for them both, only to discover the truth that sent my world crumbling, leaving only secrets and lies between us all. I loved two men but in the end I chose one and destroyed the other.

The Other Brother Part 1: Forbidden


Lauren Hawkeye - 2015
    Simple. The consummate good girl, this is the word I used to describe my life... until my stepbrother Seth came to live with us. Until that point, I’d been a very good girl... but my older, emotionally blocked stepbrother made me want to do very bad things. With him. In the course of one night everything changed, and my simple world was torn to shreds. I wanted to hate him. I did hate him. Mostly. But now he’s back. And nothing will ever be simple again. The Other Brother is a novel told in three parts. **Contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. It is only appropriate for adult readers age 18+**

Good


S. Walden - 2013
    She just happens to make one terrible mistake her junior year in high school which costs her ten months in juvenile detention. Now a senior, she's lost everything: her best friend, the trust of her parents, driving privileges, Internet access. It's a lonely existence.But there is one bright spot: Mark Connelly, her very cute, very off-limits 28-year-old calculus teacher. She falls hard for him—a ridiculous schoolgirl crush headed nowhere. She can't help it. He's the only good thing at Crestview High. She doesn't expect him to reciprocate her feelings. How inappropriate, right? But he does. And he shows her.And that's when her life goes from bad to good.

Temptation


Selena Kitt - 2008
    Sure, Erica’s father is handsome and charming, but Leah spends so much time at the Nolan’s—just Erica and her famous, photographer father now, since Erica’s mother died—that she’s practically part of the family.Both girls have led privileged, sheltered lives and are on the “good girl” track at St. Mary Magdalene’s Preparatory College, Leah pursuing her love of dance and Erica sating her endless curiosity as editor of the newspaper. Neither of them could have ever imagined that one fateful discovery will not only push the boundaries of their strict, repressive upbringing, but the bonds of their friendship as well.Leah certainly never could have imagined finding herself torn between her best friend and her best friend’s father. Sure, Leah’s mother had always talked about Mr. Nolan as “a catch,” but Leah herself had never thought of him as anything other than just Erica’s dad—until the girls discover something darkly erotic under Mr. Nolan’s bed, a deep, shameful secret that will not only lead them into temptation, but will deliver them into a far greater revelation than any of them could ever have imagined.If you read the original Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed, you will find this retelling a richer experience with deeper secrets to reveal—and don’t miss Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed: CONFESSIONS, the second installment in the three-part series!Word Count: 75,000

The Truth about Heartbreak


B. Celeste - 2019
    The guy I could never touch.Then one night changed everything for us. But there was one huge problem.He belonged to her.