Book picks similar to
A Bump in the Road by Margaret McHeyzer


dnf
for-challenge
high-school-ya
stand-alone

In This Life


Cora Brent - 2018
      Will love turn them into a family?     KATHLEENHe's a loner. He's also volatile, wickedly hot and unforgiving.Probably not the kind of man anyone should trust with an infant.Definitely not the kind of man any woman should trust with her heart.When Nash Ryan returned to town for the sake of his baby brother I thought I already understood who he was.I also thought I was done giving my heart away until he proved otherwise.But we don't stand a chance.Everything is ready to unravel.And the secrets I've kept will be our undoing.NASHThis isn't the first time I've known tragedy.Maybe that's why I've chosen a solitary life.But my self-imposed exile ends when a terrible twist of fate makes methe guardian of my four-month-old brother.Suddenly I've got a kid to raise and a family business to save and there's no time for anything else.That's why Kathleen Doyle and I made this arrangement.Once a skinny little girl who used to follow me around everywhere, she's now a single mom with flaming hair, a killer body and too many responsibilities.We told each other it was just physical.We told each other there were no strings attached, no expectations.We lied.And the consequences will cost us.But I'm not surrendering this new family without a battle.Because in this life we might only get one chance to have it all...In This Life is a complete stand alone from USA Today and NYT Bestselling Author Cora Brent.**Warning: You may need tissues to deal with all the feels.**Excerpts and future book news also included at the end!

Promise Me


Ashlee Rose - 2020
    But that was a lie. Because Darcey Sawyer was not my sister. She was my forbidden fruit. Forbidden fruit that I have waited four years to touch, four years to have one little taste.I was Conor ‘King’ Royce, and this King needed his Queen.DARCEY:Four years ago Conor Elijah Royce came into my life, and it hasn’t been the same since.He was my brother’s best friend. They met in Buck Hall Private School and have been inseparable ever since their first meeting.He was everything I shouldn’t want. Forbidden fruit, but I still wanted him.Now more than ever.The King was about to take this princess down in his kingdom.

Our Song


Jordanna Fraiberg - 2013
    But after a near-fatal car accident, she’s haunted by a broken heart and a melody that she cannot place. Then Olive meets Nick. He’s dark, handsome, mysterious . . . and Olive feels connected to him in a way she can’t explain. Is there such a thing as fate? The two embark on a whirlwind romance—until Nick makes a troubling confession. Heartbroken, Olive pieces together what really happened the night of her accident and arrives at a startling revelation. Only by facing the truth can she uncover the mystery behind the song and the power of what it means to love someone.

One Moment


Kristina McBride - 2012
    Now it’s the one she’d do anything to forget.Maggie remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party. She remembers climbing the trail with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can’t she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below–dead?As Maggie’s memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?

All Are Welcome


Liz Parker - 2021
    Not because she didn’t want to, but because she didn’t think girls from Connecticut married other girls. Yet here she is with Caroline, the love of her life, at their destination wedding on the Bermuda coast. In attendance—their respective families and a few choice friends. The conflict-phobic Tiny hopes for a beautiful weekend with her bride-to-be. But as the weekend unfolds, it starts to feel like there’s a skeleton in every closet of the resort.From Tiny’s family members, who find the world is changing at an uncomfortable speed, to Caroline’s parents, who are engaged in conspiratorial whispers, to their friends, who packed secrets of their own—nobody seems entirely forthcoming. Not to mention the conspicuous no-show and a tempting visit from the past. What the celebration really needs now is a monsoon to help stir up all the long-held secrets, simmering discontent, and hidden agendas.All Tiny wanted was to get married, but if she can make it through this squall of a wedding, she might just leave with more than a wife.

The Thinnest Air


Minka Kent - 2018
    Her husband, Andrew, is a charming and successful financial broker. She has two lovely stepchildren and is living in affluence in a mountain resort town. After three years of marriage, Meredith’s life has become predictable. Until the day she disappears.Her car has been discovered in a grocery store parking lot—purse and phone undisturbed on the passenger seat, keys in the ignition, no sign of struggle, and no evidence of foul play. It’s as if she vanished into thin air.It’s not like Meredith to simply abandon her loved ones. And no one in this town would have reason to harm her. When her desperate sister, Greer, arrives, she must face a disturbing question: What if no one really knows Meredith at all? For Greer, finding her sister isn’t going to be easy…because where she’s looking is going to get very, very dark.

Wedding Bands


Ev Bishop - 2015
    Over the years, Jo reels in a life she loves, centered on the outdoors, fishing (favoring a lucky wedding band lure), and her fine dining restaurant—a life that crashes away when her husband and business partner cheats her, leaving her bankrupt and alone. Then her uncle dies, bequeathing Jo and her sister, Samantha, his rural property. Jo returns to Greenridge, determined to build a new business and permanent home—without the help of a man. Unfortunately Samantha wants her inheritance in cold, hard cash and hires a lawyer to get it for her, a lawyer who turns out to be none other than Jo’s long-lost love, Callum. Jo’s fledgling plans—and her heart—are at risk once more.If Jo can fight her insecurities, she might end up with a wedding band that doesn’t come with a sharp hook. But should she risk everything she’s worked for, yet again? Before she can decide, she needs to know: can a lost love truly be reclaimed?

I am Free


Regina Bartley - 2015
    She packed a bag, tiptoed out of her kitchen door, and ran away from her home, leaving behind a world of hurt. She was chasing the one thing that she'd dreamed about her whole life... Freedom. Jackson was a star. He was popular. He was loved. He was the opposite of Grace in every way. He'd never known what it was like to be different or misunderstood. If he wanted something, he got it. It was that simple. Until her... It would take more than a slick one-liner to make Grace fall for his charms. Grace may have only carried one bag when she ran away, but her heart was weighted down with the heavy baggage of her past. Her secrets would come out eventually, and when they did, it would take an awfully strong person to help carry her load.I belong.I am me.Don't judge.Just see.Let me live.Don't hold me back.I'm not fragile.I won't crack.Just because,You think you know.You've cast me out.And kept me low.Please don't hurt me.Let me be.For the first time,I am free...

The Problem with Crazy


Lauren K. McKellar - 2014
    It can be good crazy, bad crazy ... or "crazy" crazy--like it was when my ex-boyfriend sung about me on the radio." Eighteen-year-old Kate couldn't be more excited about finishing high school and spending the summer on tour with her boyfriend's band. Her dad showing up drunk at graduation, however, is not exactly kicking things off on the right foot--and that's before she finds out about his mystery illness, certain to end in death. A mystery illness that she could inherit. Kate has to convince everyone around her that her father is sick, not crazy. But who will be harder to convince? Her friends? Or herself? The Problem With Crazy "is a story about love and life; about overcoming obstacles, choosing to trust, and learning how to make the choices that will change your life forever.

Breaking Rules


S.B. Alexander - 2017
    She’s a talented artist. He’s sworn off girls. She’s fighting to protect her honor. Brooding, high school quarterback, Train Everly, was on the fast track to play football at the University of South Carolina until one misstep at a party put his chances in jeopardy. Now in his senior year, he’s sworn off dates, no steady relationships and definitely no sex. The last girl he’d fallen for tore out his heart and stomped on it with stiletto heels. But a new school year brings new students and one girl in particular, Montana Smith. He can’t seem to shake the blonde, curvy, and feisty girl who blows into computer class like a category five hurricane, causing his pulse to race for the end zone. Still, beauty, boobs, and curves are a recipe for disaster. He can’t afford to hook up with her. Not if he wants to protect his heart, and his spot on the USC football team.Graffiti artist and rebellious eighteen-year-old, Montana Smith has been expelled from high school more times her mother cares to count. So when Montana gets expelled for defacing school property, Montana’s mom decides it’s time to get out of the big city and find a southern sleepy town where Montana surely can’t get into too much trouble. But the small town is ripe with temptation more than Montana or her mom even realize, especially when Montana meets the star quarterback, Train Everly. She’s drawn to his sea-green eyes, and his quiet personality. What she isn’t ready for is his moodiness that seeps under her skin so much so that she decides to make a fool of herself. But she’ll take the stares and whispers over her pathetic performance rather than tango with Train’s ex-girlfriend who will do anything to get Montana out of the picture. As a relationship between Train and Montana ebbs and flows, both will be tempted to do things that could lead to trouble and broken hearts.Intended for audiences 18+ Strong language and sexual content.

Sucker Punch


Eva Logan - 2018
     His big dreams have left him at rock bottom and when you’ve lost everything, losing becomes easy because there’s nothing to fight for. The love of his life left him for a life he couldn’t give her and now she’s engaged and on top of the world while he claws his way out of the hole he dug when she left. Lotus Shaw plays the role of the media’s darling, and dutiful fiancé to a man only her parents approve of. She should be on top of the world, but she left her heart on the floor of a fight gym. Now, she’s got to get it back. One little secret from the past is keeping her from the future. When they come face to face again, nothing could’ve prepared them for the sucker punch love was about to land. Nothing worth having comes without a fight.

Bully Bait: A Dark High School Bully Mini-Romance (Centennial High Book 1)


Ashlea Ryan - 2020
     Defending my best friends seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Until it caught me in the sights of the Wolf Pack, the oh-so-gorgeous star basketball elites of Centennial High and their Alpha. Their leader, Warwick Harris, also known as War mowed down anyone foolish enough to cross their path. Like a sheep to the slaughter, I went willingly blind to the fact the wolf didn't plan on slaughtering but devouring me instead. Centennial High Series Bully Bait Bully Tricks Bully Frenzy This book is intended for mature audiences 18+ due to mature themes and languages. It is book one in a series and does end on a cliffhanger.

Love's Taming


Maryann Jordan - 2014
    And boring. Between focusing on keeping her small, inner-city clinic running, paying off student loans, and living in the tiny apartment above the clinic she has no time for fun or dating and certainly not for anything adventurous. Then one night, danger and surprise show up in the alley behind her clinic. And Annie is in for the ride of her life. Stoney is a mystery. A man of few words but smoldering looks. She decides to take a risk and after a night of passion finds herself thrown into a world that she never knew existed. A world of drugs, danger and intrigue. Shane is a detective, who vows to keep Annie safe at all costs. Losing his heart to her is the easy part. Keeping her safe and earning her trust will prove to be his most difficult task. **DUE TO ADULT CONTENT, SEXUAL SCENES OF AN EXPLICIT NATURE, AND LANGUAGE THAT SOME MAY CONSIDER CRUDE, 18+ only, please. **NO cliffhanger, HEA, inter-connected stand alone stories in the series**

Small Town Rumors


Carolyn Brown - 2018
    The former high school queen bee—and wealthy darling of Bloom, Texas—has returned home after all these years, riding on a common bus and bearing two bounced alimony checks. In a town that thrives on gossip, Jennie’s fall from grace has shamed her mother, set the town buzzing, and caused old, jealous enemies to whisper in delight. They say she’s taken a job as a housekeeper, gotten a garage apartment, and might be crushing on Rick Lawson, a simple farmer with modest dreams.As romance starts to bud, Jennie relishes what it means to follow her heart, find real new friends, and finally be herself—regardless of all the lying town chatter. But fate has another twist in store. Rumor has it that Jennie now stands to lose what matters most…unless she can convince Rick of one true thing—and that’s love.

Close to Home


Suzanne Ferrell - 2012
    I’m Lorna Doone. Yep, spelled just like the cookie and I own the Peaches ‘N Cream Café here in Weston. You might think nothing much happens in a small mid-western town, but as my friend Harriett says, things aren’t always what they appear. Take our girl Emma for example…”Emma Lewis has a lot on her plate. The single mother of two precocious twin boys and an aging mother who is having trouble getting through each day, the last thing Emma needs is a man in her life, especially a doctor. So when the town’s doctor goes on vacation and his handsome nephew takes over, Emma is shocked to not only find him standing in her bedroom, but accusing her of being a neglectful parent.Clint Preston came to Westen for the year to fill in as the town doc while his uncle took a long needed vacation. Clint also needed a sense of peace and calm to try to find his passion for medicine burned out by long shifts in an urban hospital’s ER. Angered to find two boys in his clinic with broken wrists and no accompanying parent, he is determined to confront their mother. The feisty redhead he meets quickly dispels his belief that she’s a neglectful mother, but he can see her situation is more critical than she wishes to face and finds himself volunteering to help care for her sons and the remodeling of her home.As Emma and Clint forge a relationship among the slightly off-beat characters that inhabit Weston a menace from Emma’s past threatens her and her sons. Clint and Emma join forces to prevent the loss of either boy and the love they’ve discovered in each other’s’ arms.