Book picks similar to
After They Go by J. Mercer


freebie
fiction
mercer-j
contemporary

Never Say Never


Taylor Holloway - 2018
    Never hesitate. Never get emotionally involved.Words I've lived by. Until her.I'm a fixer.I fix bad, embarrassing, illegal problems, for the right price.My clients are rich, famous, powerful, and very dangerous.Now I’ve got a problem of my very own: Eva Martin. She just happens to be both my best friend’s little sister, and at the center of the most explosive problem I’ve ever faced. As the body count rises around us, I’m falling for the one woman that’s totally out of bounds. Her wide innocent eyes, perfect curves, and sexy, smoky voice—she’s a liability and a weakness, but I'm unable to resist.Eva’s a risky distraction for a man like me. I'm going to make her mine, and I'll use everything in my arsenal to keep her safe.Even if it means everyone else—including me—becomes collateral damage.

Shattered Rose


T.L. Gray - 2013
    GrayAvery Nichols knows how to wear the mask. Perfect student, perfect daughter and perfect friend. Nobody would ever guess that inside, Avery is a prisoner to her own self loathing. Then she meets him…and everything changes. Handsome, charming and self assured, Jake Matthew sweeps Avery off her feet in an effortless fashion. Avery knows that Jake is everything she needs and all she has ever wanted. She would destroy herself to be loved by him…until he walks away.Broken and lost, Avery meets Parker. His genuine, caring nature reaches past the mask and the shattered pieces her heart begin to slowly heal. But just when Avery starts to feel whole again, she realizes the impossible.Jake never really left.

Afterglow (Four Corners Book 1)


Artemis Anders - 2018
    But when a friend's party means facing her ex and the woman he left her for, Teagan skips town and heads to the scorching heat of Arizona.She never expects to meet Aaron, an Army Major who's smoking hot... and also coming off a divorce. He's so not her type, but he gives her two days and one sizzling night to remember.When Teagan returns to Colorado and her man-free existence, Aaron keeps finding excuses to see her and inch his way into her heart. But when Aaron's past finds them, it threatens to shatter their connection... and break Teagan's heart for good.If you love steamy romance with heart-stopping twists and an HEA, you'll love Afterglow.Afterglow is a standalone novel in the Four Corners series.

After Love Leaves: The Story of Us


Michelle Alstead - 2017
    When she met Brad Sorenson, Zoe was convinced her bad luck with men had finally changed. He saw past her insecurities and the Oreo addiction she just couldn’t shake, inspiring her to chase her dreams. Brad was looking for a good time online, not love. But Zoe was so sweet, so kind. Everything about her was perfect—until she fell for him. Doesn’t she understand he’s the wrong guy for a woman like her? Zoe doesn’t know why Brad left her standing in an airport; he won’t return her calls or texts. With her self-esteem and dreams shattered, she can’t imagine ever loving anyone else… When a devastating diagnosis changes Brad’s life forever, he’s forced to finally face the truth: there’s only one woman he’s ever truly loved.Will Zoe give Brad a second chance or is she done with love for good?***This is not your typical romance. Real love is complicated and messy. This story is written for those who have loved the wrong person for all the right reasons.

Given to Fly


K.L. Montgomery - 2017
    That's what her family and church have been telling her since she was a little girl. But when her marriage turns rocky, and she struggles with her weight and infertility, she fears the childhood dream thrust upon her will never come true.Then she meets Trek Blue, the father of a little girl in her preschool class. After losing his wife to cancer, he's moved to Indiana with his two young children to seek a fresh start. In need of a friend, Trek is immediately drawn to Annelise, who begins to think of him as a confidant and bright spot in her otherwise dreary life.But when the two grow close enough to raise eyebrows, she is forced to make a choice. Will Annelise honor her faith, family, and wedding vows? Or will she spread her wings and fly away?

Finding Fireflies


A.C. Williams - 2015
    I’m 32 years old, accident-prone, a church secretary, and still single. Never-been-on-a-date kind of single. But that doesn’t mean I’ve never been in love. Until I find the second love of my life, I’ll always have my memories of summers past with Aaron, the guy of my dreams, chasing fireflies at twilight. Compared to him, the options at the Highpointe Baptist Church’s singles group just add insult to injury. But my stable pastor’s kid’s life takes an extraordinary turn when a misunderstanding lands me in jail, and that’s where I meet Jordin, a young prostitute. Her troubles make my life look like a dream, and I can’t help but feel that I need to help her in any way possible. Of course, that’s the perfect time for Aaron to reappear in my life, only to befriend Jordin. Just when I think it can’t possibly get worse, Jordin gets herself kidnapped by an underground prostitution ring, and it’s up to Aaron and me to get her back. This story isn’t for the faint-hearted. I have to face off with jilted women desperate for a second MRS degree, survive bad catfish, captain pontoon boats, and fight old people for their motor scooters. This is my story. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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.

Something Great


M. Clarke - 2013
    He was everything Jeanella didn’t need in her life. Only Maxwell didn’t see it that way. His pursuit was relentless, making her even more determined to push him away.Fresh out of college, life was simple and plain for Jeanella Mefferd. Every part of her life was smooth sailing; her friends, her job, and even the guy she’d started dating. Then one night, while at dinner, she spotted someone who made her feel things she’d never felt before—dangerous, heart pounding and breathless heat. Thinking she would never see him again, she brushed it off, but when she started to run into him unexpectedly, all she could think of was how he made her feel with his sweet flirtations. Everything about Maxwell Knight screamed trouble, especially when she found out he was her new boss’s son. Now, heading to a New York fashion show, would she be able to focus on her career instead of Maxwell, who had been scheduled to attend with her? As much as she tried to forget their encounters, his good looks, smooth words and determination to win her over gravitated her toward him. The next thing she knew, her mind was utterly consumed by him. Would she be willing to ignore all the dangerous signs and jump into his arms? Or would she miss out on the chance of finding something great?

Love's Providence


Jennifer H. Westall - 2012
    If not for Jackson Carter, her childhood best friend and the only boy she’s ever loved, she’s sure she would have run away years ago. But when Jackson loses his father and a future basketball career within months of each other, his faith is so shattered, he shuts out everyone, including Lily. After months of heartache, Lily begins to piece together a life without Jackson, and while vacationing at the beach on a beautiful island off the Georgia coast, she begins a long-distance romance with Alex Walker, a police officer with a quick wit and a cocky grin. He revives her hope in love again, but their intense attraction and his devastating secret test Lily’s commitment to save herself for marriage. Through her struggles to remain true to her principles, an agonizing choice between Alex and Jackson, and a series of terrifying events that threaten all of them, Lily must endure losing everything she’s been grasping so tightly. Only then will she discover the depth of the love that already surrounds her.

Waiting to Breathe


Alyson Reynolds - 2017
    All she wants is to start over without any complications or anyone figuring out her secrets. When her twin brother Finn convinces her to move back home and finish her degree at his school, it's just the push she needs to start over.Nathaniel Ford is the golden boy of SCU. He seems like he has it all, perfect family, awesome friends and fraternity brothers, and a few buildings on campus with his last name on them. But things aren't always what they seem. From the first time Nate and Olivia bump into each other, literally, he wants more of her feisty attitude, but Olivia throws more walls up with each step he takes closer, and he isn't sure he can break them down fast enough.

Unwritten


M.C. Decker - 2014
    I thought our story had already been written. College sophomore Brooke Anderson thought she had it all − a loving family, her sexy high school sweetheart, a supportive, quick-witted best friend and dreams of being the next hotshot reporter for the Washington Post. Fate had something else in mind when Brooke collided with the devastatingly handsome upperclassman, Rich Davis. Rich was cocky, conceited and arrogant. He was everything that Brooke didn’t want, but Rich never gave her the option. He had already made the choice to be, at the very least, her friend. Would Brooke accept this egotistical man’s friendship? Would she choose to want more? Would it be too late if she did? Fast forward nearly ten years. Brooke’s life hadn’t played out quite as she had envisioned it. She was suffering from the heartbreaking loss of her mother, her high school sweetheart was long gone, and her dreams of the Washington Post had turned into a career at a small town paper. Brooke decided it was time to follow her dreams. If she couldn’t be happy in love, at least she could be happy in life. Brooke’s dreams brought her to the lobby of the Washington Post where fate intervened once again as she collided with none other than the devastatingly handsome Rich Davis. As her potential employer, Rich now seemed off-limits. Brooke wanted her successful career more than a chance at love. But, was it really her choice to make, or was it beyond her control? Maybe our story is, in fact, Unwritten…

Tease


Alexis Anne - 2014
    He was great in bed and only in town for a few hot nights.There was no way I could have known Adam wouldn't be satisfied with just sex. My craving for his body made me careless. I broke my rules. I let him in. I never thought two weeks could change everything. All I wanted was an escape, what I got was so much more.Something I couldn't live without once I had it.***Alexis Anne novels are explicitly romantic. You will find intense stories of love, passion, and self-discovery, alongside intimately detailed encounters that can only occur when two people are falling hopelessly in love. These novels are best suited for readers seventeen and up due to these exciting reasons. And language. Alexis Anne uses a lot of language.  THE TEASE SERIES Tease (#1) Stripped (#2)Tempt (#3) Burn (#4) *If you love Adam, be sure to check out his cousin Jake in The Storm Inside series!

The Heavenly Grille Café


J.T. Livingston - 2015
    She packs all of her belongings into her old car and drives north from Tampa, FL for several hours until she comes upon an out-of-the-way restaurant, accen-tuated by a huge golden halo instead of the more well-recognized golden arches. Th e Heavenly Grille Café is operated by three angels who take Amanda under their wings (no pun intended): Max was once a Roman Gladiator; Bertie was a loud and boisterous housewife who died unexpectedly in 1911, leaving behind a husband and two children; and Doug was a strong, handsome soldier who died serving his country in 1953. Amanda meets another young woman, Kris DeVone, who is completely opposite to herself in character and personality. While Amanda is a happy, secure Christian with tremendous faith, Kris has done everything in her power to be the ultimate "bad" girl, and does not believe in God. Amanda befriends Kris, who is seven months pregnant and has been abandoned by her live-in boyfriend. Th e women become best friends and move in together so that Amanda can help take care of the baby girl, Charlotte Grace, who is born in September 2011. By the time Christmas rolls around, both of their worlds have been turned upside down with the shocking kidnapping of Charlotte Grace. Th e next two months provide insight into Kris’ eventual relationship with God, the angels’ inability to change destiny, and a look into the lives of the kidnappers, Jack and Susan Peterson, and the reason behind why they committed such a horrible crime.

Becoming Me


Staci Stallings - 2018
    Just ask her. She’ll tell you. After all, he is her sister’s best friend, “royalty” in her high school, a senior, and so talented he would never notice a nobody like her. So Paige resorts to pouring her non-existent feelings for Nelson into a very special notebook, a notebook of the words that cascade through her without her knowing how or where they come from. She’s always been like that, writing words that are poetic, ephemeral, and too precious to share with anyone else. But what happens when she loses the notebook that contains the words that are such a part of her? Worse, when Nelson starts to want to hang out, can she play it cool or will he learn all the secrets she’s been keeping from everyone, even herself? Nelson Samuels knows he’s always been a little weird. For as long as he can remember, he’s done his best to keep just how weird a secret from those closest to him. Yes, they know he writes music. What they don’t know is that he hears music in haunting melodies all the time. Having learned to capture some of them into notes on a page, he struggles to share just enough of his talent without risking anyone knowing all of it. It’s only when Nelson starts to notice his best friend’s younger sister that life is about to dare him to open the deepest secrets he holds about himself to someone else. Will he be brave enough to share the imagination side of him, or will he forever stay trapped in knowing he has this amazing gift but being too afraid to share it with anyone? “Becoming Me” begins The Imagination Series by USA Today Best-Selling Christian author Staci Stallings. This set of stories begins in the very real world and takes the reader on a journey to learn that we all have gifts and talents, and those were placed inside of us by a God Who loves us and wants us to learn to use them—for ourselves, for our friends and family, for the world, and for His Kingdom. Come along on this journey that dares to ask what would happen if we all stopped judging our differences and started celebrating them instead.

Looking for Leon


Shirley Benton - 2011
    That is, until the wheel of fortune steps in and separates them during a fire drill. With next to no info on Leon, Andie finds it impossible to track him down - despite staging a series of publicity stunts to get the media in on the act. Back in Ireland, journalist Andie begins to write a regular newspaper column about her search. Readers love it and a local TV station flies her back to Vegas to take up the hunt for the man she can't forget. What starts off as a simple low-budget documentary spirals into a frenzied national media search. With the world's most ambitious PR agent on board, Andie becomes a heroine for those who are looking for love. But does Leon want to be found?