Book picks similar to
Expressionate by Lucy Smoke


dark
romance
available-now
contemporary-romance

Beat


Amity Cross - 2014
    Then one day they lose the battle and she’s all alone.Now twenty-two, Ren reluctantly goes to find her estranged father. He owns the down and out boxing studio, Beat, and Ren finds herself drawn to the ring. She thrives on learning a new way of fighting a life that kept kicking her down…instead of struggling against the current, she kicks it right between the legs.Then one day, Ash Fuller, her Dad's star fighter comes back to town. Mysterious, handsome… Dangerous… Everything Ren doesn't need.But he's got other ideas……and so does she.

Last (Copperslane, #1)


Garnet Christie - 2021
     BiancaI heard “nothing lasts” when my father first said it.I understood “nothing lasts” when my mother died and my dreams of becoming a romance author also withered away.Now, I find myself begging that “nothing lasts” with the arrival of the town’s newest alphahole, Brett. Every word out of his foul mouth and every smirk on his handsome but cruel face, ignites contempt. I dish the misery right back at him, and in those few moments of triumph, I relish those gritted teeth, and the red glow on his face. But beneath the biting comments, there’s something we share. A yearning for something to endure and to hurt those who have wounded us.However, it may be too late.Our rough start might override our new fire filled connection, and when he starts to challenge all my beliefs, I might be too scared to give myself over. But if we do work past it all, something unusual may happen––we might fall in love. Now if he can only make me believe that it will last.Last is a new adult romance intended for readers 18+Content warning includes strong, frequent language, mature situations, explicit sexual scenes, mentions of alcoholism, abuse, and suicide.

Fighting for Everything


Laura Kaye - 2018
    It kills him to push her away, especially when he’s noticing just how sexy and confident she’s become in his absence. But, angry and full of fight, he’s not the same man anymore either. Which is why Warrior Fight Club sounds so good.Kristina loves teaching, but she wants more out of life. She wants Noah—the boy she’s crushed on and waited for. Except Noah is all man now—in ways both oh so good and troubling, too. Still, she wants who he’s become—every war-hardened inch. And when they finally stop fighting their attraction, it’s everything Kristina never dared hope for.But Noah is secretly spiraling, and when he lashes out, it threatens what he and Kristina have found. The brotherhood of the fight club helps him confront his demons, but only Noah can convince the woman he loves that he’s finally ready to fight for everything.

No Bad Days


J. Sterling - 2017
    Sterling comes another smash hit in the college romance department! If you loved The Perfect Game, you're going to love No Bad Days.I'm the hottest guy at State. It's not cocky when it's the truth. Girls want to date me. Guys want to be me. Cliche, I know, but welcome to my life. There's more to me than what they all see though. Isn't that usually the case? No one knows the reality of my life. They think they do, but they have no idea. I hide it well. I have to or it will break me. Jess Michaelson is gorgeous, ambitious and totally wants me. She doesn't hide it well. Honestly, I'm not sure she even tries. Jess thinks I'll give up pursuing her... but I won't. She thinks this is just some game I'm playing at... but it's not. Jess belongs with me and I'm going to make sure she knows it.

Gentleman Sinner


Jodi Ellen Malpas - 2019
    After all, she escaped it long ago. Determined not to let her past beat her, Izzy has a secure, stable life with a job she loves in nursing. But one act of kindness will completely upend everything she's so carefully built-putting her right back in the crosshairs of danger she's been so desperate to avoid.When Theo Kane shows up like a knight in shining armor, Izzy can't help thinking she's been saved from one threat and exposed to another. His imposing physique, the harsh lines of his face, and the wariness of everyone who comes close are just a few clues to Theo Kane's notorious reputation. The man is positively terrifying. But with Izzy, he's tender and a complete gentleman, and her fascination with the mysterious beast of a man becomes too powerful for her to walk away.As Theo's demons come to light, running becomes even more impossible. And yet staying together could doom them both.

My Best Friend's Sister


Hazel Kelly - 2020
     Okay, so that's a lie. I am an anxious person. Always have been. And no one reminds me of that more than my brother's best friend. He’s the walking, talking opposite of my comfort zone, and he sees through my false bravado. Senses my insecurities. I think that's why I feel so vulnerable when he's around. So…under-clothed. Which is ridiculous. He doesn’t even know me. Still, every bone in my body senses danger when he’s around. Like he’s always about to push me under a spotlight I'm not ready to squint into, a spotlight that would expose me for the awkward introvert that I am. Yet he never says more than two words to me. As if he knows that’s the surest way to drive me crazy. And I hate him for it. Always have. Always will. Author's Note: This standalone romantic comedy is the first book in a new series by best-selling author Hazel Kelly. If you like feisty women and funny men, you'll love this forbidden romance about two unlikely roommates and the trouble they get into when big brother stops watching…

The Legend of Arturo King


L.B. Dunbar - 2015
    A quiet girl in the shadows. Fate has plans for them.The generous lover.Arturo King has it all - fame, fortune, and a band family. But the one thing he needs is her.Quiet, complex, and sexy, she is his destiny.He just doesn’t know it yet.The unsuspecting partner.Guinevere DeGrance wants two things - music and recognition.As the daughter of a prominent rock star builder, she’s no stranger to bad boy band members, like him.Dark, talented, and completely irresistible, he’s a future rock king.And she will be his queen, if her father has his way.A story steeped in tradition where fate cannot be denied, this centuries’ old romance retells the tale of a man destined for greatness and the woman guaranteed to ruin his heart. Live on, Arturo King.+++The Legendary Rock Stars is a series and best enjoyed in order:The Legend of Arturo KingThe Story of Lansing LotteThe Quest of Perkins ValeThe Truth of Tristan LyonsThe Trials of Guinevere DeGranceFull-length novels full of rock star hotness, strong heroines, gritty sexiness, and a bit of suspense.

Blood & Bone


Paula Dombrowiak - 2021
    When unimaginable circumstances bring Jack and journalist Erin Langford, together, the two embark on a journey through Jack’s past where he recounts the rise and fall of his band and the profound bond he shared with his former bandmate and collaborator.Erin Langford is a seasoned journalist tasked with writing a piece on Jack O’Donnell for a popular music website. While she had preconceived notions about Jack’s rock star image and evasive nature, she learns there is far more to his story than just the headlines. As Jack reveals the heart-wrenching details of his past, the feature she thought she was going to write, turns into so much more.Blood and Bone is an evocative story spanning from the early ‘90s to the present day which dives into the deep bonds between flawed people whose only outlet of self-expression was through their music.One InterviewTwo days. Twenty-five years of Rock ‘n Roll. Telling his story might just repair past relationships and ignite new ones.

Rebel Soul


J.C. Hannigan - 2016
    She’s been counting down the months, waiting to be free of her overbearing brothers and overprotective father — not to mention getting out of the small, suffocating town she’s grown up in. The one thing Tessa doesn't count on is falling in love, least of all with Brock Miller. He’s the kind of boy her father has always warned her about. He’s older, mysterious, and a little dangerous. Brock has had a hard past, and the whole town not only knows it, but won’t let him forget. Brock has come back to take care of his ailing mother and struggling younger siblings. He doesn’t have time to fall in love, especially with one of the town’s darlings, but sometimes, love comes fast and fierce. Can Tessa and Brock find a way to each other despite their pasts and the obstacles their families present?

Going Under


S. Walden - 2013
    Forgiveness proves elusive, and trouble finds her anyway when she discovers a secret club at school connected to the death of her best friend. She learns that swim team members participate in a “Fantasy Slut League,” scoring points for their sexual acts with unsuspecting girls.Brooke, wracked with guilt over her friend’s death, decides to infiltrate the league by becoming one of the “unsuspecting girls,” and exact revenge on the boys who stole away her best friend. An unexpected romance complicates her plans, and her dogged pursuit of justice turns her reckless as she underestimates just how far the boys will go to keep their sex club a secret.

Beautifully Broken


Bailey B. - 2019
    They coast through life, blissfully unaware of how their time is ticking away. I wasn’t like most people. I welcomed death, wanted her to take me away from the prison I called life, but she refused. I tried twice only to survive. And then, when I thought I had nothing left it came. A reason to live. Rex was a small, unexpected ray of light my world of darkness that blossomed into a beam of sunshine. I thought, maybe this was why Death didn’t take me. Maybe she knew that if I held on a little longer things would turn around. But the third time Death came to my door wasn’t by choice. Someone else brought her, and I fear this time she might take me.RexBeing the son of a country star sucks. My parents are never around, I move every year or so, and I have no real friends. Everyone around me has an agenda. Everyone except Piper Lovelace. I can’t get that girl to notice me. Trust me I’ve tried. Thankfully, fate stepped in and gave me the break I needed. I’ve got her attention, now I need her to give me a chance.

The Ocean Between Us


Michelle Heard - 2013
    I find my safe haven in the form of Detective Aiden Holden.He shows me what love is, but then our lives collide. Our little world shatters, and I'm caught in the crossfire.I'm forced to return home, to let go of the only person who has made me feel like I could be more.How do you return to a cage once you've tasted freedom?My only hope is that Aiden will cross an ocean for me.Please note: The Ocean Between Us contains graphically violent scenes that may be upsetting to some readers.Reading Order of Southern Heroes Series: The Ocean Between UsThe Girl In The ClosetAll The Wasted TimeThe Lies We Tell OurselvesWe Were LostThe Fire Between Us

Bullet


Jade C. Jamison - 2013
    He’s an idealistic, handsome, reckless young man, but he’s captured her heart. She doesn’t give up on him and eventually his walls crumble down. By the time Valerie has given herself to him completely, she discovers he’s damaged and may be beyond help. Can she save Ethan and their relationship before he implodes, or will he self-destruct and take her with him?

Collared


Nicole Williams - 2016
    . .Brings her home. Jade Childs spent ten years in captivity, but now that she’s back, the real battle for survival begins. The media shadows her. Flashbacks haunt her. Her old life evades her. Her so-called new life rejects her. She spent too many years in the dark to recognize the light. She spent too long repressing her feelings to remember how to express them. She spent a decade abandoning hope and cannot dare letting it back into her life. Jade’s not just defined by what happened to her—she’s collared to it.When the twenty-seven-year-old woman is found,A community wants to know the story,Parents want to forget the story,Friends want to be a part of the story,And the man who still loves her faces the greatest challenge yet: letting her go.

Devious Bully


Harmony Grey - 2020
     And that bad habit was men. They're like her own personal form of crack and she never wastes anytime getting through her stash. I don't know if it's intentional, but she smokes them up and bleeds them dry until there is nothing left. Each and every one of them. Then she'll move onto her next victim... making sure she drags me along for the ride too. Only this time she's made the wrong move and now I'm forced to live with the Devil himself. My new stepbrother hates me. He's not shy in showing me how much he detests me either. I never thought I'd wish for my mom to hurry up and bleed her new guy dry, but right now that day can't come soon enough.