Book picks similar to
Abandon by Rachel Van Dyken


romance
rachel-van-dyken
second-chance-romance
novella

Ain't He Precious?


Juliette Poe - 2017
    It has one stoplight, one bar, and the one-and-only Trixie Mancinkus.Eleven years ago, Trixie graduated Harvard Law, turned down a job offer from one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston, and headed home to Whynot to open her own firm. Not only did she leave behind the big city, but she also left her boyfriend of three years. And just so we’re clear… that would be me.So what am I doing in Whynot at this very moment? It seems Trixie needs help with a legal case and for some insane reason, she called on me for assistance. I’ve been in town for five minutes, and I’m every bit as out of place as I feel. Trixie is all sweet, southern curves to my tailored suits and high-priced haircuts. It’s a culture clash of north versus south and about the only thing we have in common is our physical attraction to each other.But I have a new motto since coming to Whynot: When life hands you lemons, all you need is a little sex and sweet tea to make things better.

Then There Was You


Claire Contreras - 2018
    Love is about walking to the edge of the cliff and taking the leap together.Timing was never on our side.My first mistake was hooking up with my best friend.My second came years later, when we met again, and I fell for her. My third was letting her go, because I had to. Because a love like this wasn't built to withstand the winds coming in our direction.Love and timing.I didn't believe in either. Then there was you . . .

Consumed


Taryn Elliott - 2015
    That unforgettable night rocked Oblivion in more ways than one, and now the journey back seems almost impossible. The only bright spot is Margo. Margo, the one woman he’d been sure would never be more than a hot ride in the dark. Margo, who would never be his. Except she is…for now. But taking one dream and trading it for another isn’t supposed to hurt this much. As long as Margo never realizes the man she fell for no longer exists, maybe he won’t lose everything that matters due to just one all-consuming night.**This book resolves the cliffhanger at the end of Destroyed.**

The Boy I Grew Up With


Tijan - 2018
    In first grade, he asked for my Trapper Keeper. I hit him in the head with it. Third grade, we were best friends. We kissed in seventh grade. Eighth grade, he turned into a bad boy and the rest was a tumultuous storm. Growing up, the problem was never love for us. Bad times. Good times. There were times when I felt our love in every inch of my body, vibrating, making me feel like it could bring me back to life. The problem was us. The problem is that we’re living in two different worlds now. Fallen Crest and its millionaires for me. Roussou and their criminals for him. I was thriving in mine and he was running his. But…But there were nights I felt we couldn’t be further apart than we were, and there were nights I felt we shared the same heartbeat. When was it time? When was it time to either sacrifice, make a change, or walk away from the boy I grew up with?

The Resistance


S.L. Scott - 2014
    You don't choose where. And you don't get to choose who you fall in love with. The minute he opened his sexy mouth, Holliday Hughes should have known Jack Dalton was trouble. His smooth pickup lines, broad shoulders, and ridiculously handsome face charmed her right out of her clothes. She gave into her desires, the instant attraction blinding her to the obvious. One night. That was all it took for Holliday’s world to be flipped on its axis. Jack Dalton was cocky. Smug. Volatile. Demanding. He ignited something deep inside her like no other, but there was something more to this brooding bad boy. There was a dark side to him she couldn't help but be drawn to. Torn between what she knew about him and a mysterious side he tried to hide, could she walk away or was he simply too hard to resist?

Fury


Michelle Pace - 2012
    Finally success is within her grasp. A journalist for the music magazine, The Sound Wave, the assignment of a lifetime just landed in her lap. An all access pass to tour with the British rock band, Fury. Their latest album went triple platinum and they've never granted interviews.Once her assignment begins, Fury's tour explodes in a Molotov cocktail of sex, scandal, and violence that threatens to ruin Fury's quest for worldwide success. Can Cheyenne navigate her treacherous path unscathed, or will the demons of her past poison her blossoming career?

Stay with Me


K.L. Grayson - 2019
    Her happiness and well-being mean more to me than anything else, which is why when the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself, I had to take it. Three months was such a short amount of time to be apart to provide the financial stability we needed to start our lives. It wasn’t supposed to catapult my band to stardom, and it sure as hell wasn’t supposed to set off the chain of events that pushed my relationship with Allie to the brink. Our hearts were shattered, our love tested, and when everything fell apart she begged me to leave. Eight years ago, tragedy broke us. Now we’re back in the same little town where we once dreamed of building our future.She’s a divorced, single mom.I’m a damaged country music star.There are a hundred reasons for us to stay apart.But all it takes is one look, one touch, one kiss to know our story isn’t over. Now I have to convince her to let me stay.

Connected


Kim Karr - 2013
    Happily ever after is a far cry from reality in her world. But, when she is reconnected with her past, the bonds that form are irrefutable.When River Wilde, lead singer of The Wilde Ones, comes back into Dahlia’s life, the intensity that fires their relationship combined with underlying feelings that have never died lead her to believe she has met her soulmate. Struggling with confusion as old connections fade and new ones begin, Dahlia's grief begins to lift--but guilt remains. River wants to be the one to mend all that is torn within her. But with a past that is never really gone, can their future survive?

The Storm


Samantha Towle - 2015
     STORM (noun)—a turbulent disturbance; a disruption or dispute. Jake Wethers’s life is perfect. He’s married to the woman he’s always loved, and they have three beautiful children. The Mighty Storm is still going strong, and his record label is thriving. Jake has everything—a life he thought he would never have and one that he didn’t think he deserved. Not so long ago, Jake’s life wasn’t perfect. The unexpected and untimely death of his best friend, Jonny Creed, sent an already out-of-control Jake spiraling down further. Drug addiction. Alcohol. Women. Jake was in the fast lane to following Jonny to the grave until Tru Bennett walked back into his life and changed everything. But now, the past that Jake left behind has come back to find him. And what the past brings with it is going to be one of the biggest challenges he has ever faced. Note: The Storm is a novella following on from the international bestselling Storm series. It is advisable to read The Mighty Storm and Wethering the Storm before reading The Storm. Taming the Storm does not need to be read to understand the novella, but if read, it will enhance the reading element. Recommended reading age 18+

Fast Lane


Kristen Ashley - 2019
    Forming in a garage in a small town in Indiana. Taking their licks on the road. Going balls to the wall until they made their big break.And then Preacher McCade and the Roadmasters redefined rock and roll.Guided by their tortured lead singer and songwriter, the Roadmasters changed the face of music in the 80s and 90s. And on their journey to becoming one of the most enduring bands in history—dogged by rumors and myth and fueled by drugs and booze—the Roadmasters had one touchstone.Lyla.Preacher’s muse, the love of his life, and the band’s moral compass, from the beginning, Lyla is along for the ride. But with fame and acclaim in their grasp, they’ve entered the fast lane.And they didn’t know it, but they were headed for a crash.

Crash into Me


Tracy Wolff - 2013
    But now that Ryder and her brother's band, Shaken Dirty, has made it huge, she's just one of many pining for the brooding lead singer. Too bad Ryder still sees her as a little sister. Not that it matters. Her brother would never allow it, and the last thing Jamison wants is to be another notch on a rock star's bed post. Even if it's Ryder's.Ryder doesn't deserve happiness. After his fame destroyed his last girlfriend, he swore he'd never fall in love again. So when Jamison, the girl he's been in danger of loving for years, joins the band on the road, he'll do anything to deny the sparks between them--even after one hot night together. But Jamison is determined to show Ryder that he's worthy of love--her love--and that she's all grown up and ready to play.

The Words


Ashley Jade - 2022
    Eight weeks. Forty shows.Countless opportunities to make him pay.The world thought he was a God...But I knew the truth.

Almost Paradise


Olivia Cunning - 2016
    Well, she’s almost perfect. Rebekah’s idea to take a honeymoon road trip from their Southern Californian home to Bangor, Maine in December is far from perfect. He’d much rather travel to somewhere requiring fewer clothes—such as a tropical island paradise—but his new wife is determined to make him freeze his butt off. And unless he wins their wager and can keep from making love to his sexy, sassy lover for twenty-four hours, his butt is as good as frozen.She has the perfect planRebekah isn’t determined to go to Bangor to cause Eric’s butt discomfort. She’s discovered that his biological grandparents—who he’s never met—live in that distant Maine town and she wants to surprise him with the greatest gift of all: a real family. It will be the perfect ending to a perfect honeymoon spent driving across the country in her perfect minibus with her perfect sweetheart. She’s willing to play dirty to win her wager with Eric and knows her sexy, insatiable lover will be unable to resist her if she puts her mind—and her body—into seducing him. It’s Bangor or bust and she’s betting on Bangor.Wherever they go, it will be togetherFollow Eric and Rebekah on their fun, sexy and surprisingly emotional journey in search of their honeymoon paradise. Will they find it in Bangor or in Tahiti or will they ever make it to paradise at all? Well… almost.

Grip


Kennedy Ryan - 2017
    I know. I've been doing it for years. I may not have a musical gift of my own, but I've got a nose for talent and an eye for the extraordinary. And Marlon James - Grip to his fans - is nothing short of extraordinary. Years ago, we strung together a few magical nights, but I keep those memories in a locked drawer and I've thrown away the key. All that's left is friendship and work. He's on the verge of unimaginable fame, all his dreams poised to come true. I manage his career, but I can't seem to manage my heart. It's wild, reckless, disobedient. And it remembers all the things I want to forget. Make sure you grab FLOW, the FREE prequel first! FLOW is chronicling the week of magical days and nights that will haunt Grip & Bristol for years to come. GRIP is the full-length conclusion of their story.

No Tomorrow


Carian Cole - 2018
    They steal our breath.They steal our sanity.And we let them.Over and over and over again.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *They say you never forget your first love.Mine was a homeless musician who wandered straight into my soul.He was my first everything. And fourteen years later, I still can't get him out of my head.He broke all my rules.He also broke my heart.I watched him climb to stardom, cheering him on from afar.But I was never a fan; just a girl in love.Like a tornado, he spiraled, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.But love conquers all, right? It has to. Because here I stand, ravaged and ruined, needing it to be true.You can't go back, but I want to. Back to the park. Back to when he sang only for me. Before he was famous. Before he shattered my heart.I thought I knew everything about him.But I could not have been more wrong.He promised me every tomorrow. And here I am, waiting.And hoping.Again. _______________________ Note: This is not a fluffy, light read or a swoony romance. It's a journey of love between two people who can't let each other go, even though they are far from perfect. It's about loving someone who is struggling with mental illness and addiction and all the ups and downs that come with it. It's about finding a happily ever after that works between two people loving each other the best they can with patience, understanding, and unconditional love. Not everyone will agree with this kind of love and acceptance - but it exists, and it's real, and it happens every day.