Book picks similar to
Waking Up by Renee Dyer


new-adult
romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary

Unhinged


Nicole Edwards - 2014
    Never would I have expected her to step right into my reality, though. But she did. Although I can’t explain why, Payton Fowler makes me want things I never imagined I could have. She soothes the chaos in my head. But she doesn’t know who I really am, and she doesn’t see the darkness that lives inside of me.She’s supposed to be off limits to me. But that’s not a problem because I’ve perfected the art of breaking the rules. My name is Sebastian Trovato and this is the story of how I met the woman who unhinges me.

Where Love Finds You


Marilyn Grey - 2013
    She left her number, but he never called. Wondering if he somehow missed the note on the back of the receipt, she spent her twenties waiting for this man to walk into her life again. After all this time, will Ella finally discover “the one” she’s been waiting for? Or, after being sent on various blind dates, will she give her heart to someone else?Meanwhile, Matthew Ryan breaks up with his long-time girlfriend. Searching his heart he wonders if there is really a “one” for every person, or if there is simply a good, better, and best. Where does Lydia, the girl who would do anything for him, fit into the story of his life? Confused, Matthew sets out to explore his options and find the love he’s been looking for his entire life. Will he find love before it’s too late or will he lose everything?

Captivated


Emily Jane Trent - 2013
    He’s a romantic Italian on vacation, surfing at Ella’s beach. But the gorgeous billionaire has secrets. Ella feels like she’s known him forever, but fears she will lose him. Can you meet your soul mate, only to lose him in the same instant? Adam shouldn't involve Ella in the evil he must face in Brazil. But will he stay away from her? Ella Walker, still suffering from issues of mental abuse, turns twenty-one and meets the man of her dreams. Can she break the bonds of her emotional prison and be the woman he desires? As an aspiring romance author, Ella struggles to find passion in her work. When Adam Bianci, the gorgeous Italian billionaire appears in her life, he lights up her drab existence. She’s determined not to let him slip through her grasp. But will his secrets and the tangled web of his own abuse keep them apart?

Sweet Southern Sorrow


Tessa Teevan - 2014
    Two very lonely people found solace in one another and in the end, fell in love. Unfortunately their plans for the fall took them in entirely different directions. Despite their best efforts, family issues and life’s circumstances got in the way, breaking both of their hearts in the process. Almost six years later they find themselves face-to-face, and old feelings resurface. When the past collides with the present, will they be able resist the temptation, or will they finally realize that they’re where they’re meant to be?A 65k word novel of broken pasts, first loves, and ultimate sacrifice. New edition includes 15k words in bonus scenes.

Break Me


Jo-Anna Walker - 2013
    Tori McLeod moved to the big city to get away from her mother—and her past. Her new routine is destroyed when she meets a mysterious stranger who won’t take no for an answer. Sebastian intrigues her, but his eyes hold secrets she would rather avoid. Sebastian Chelios, a hard as nails enforcer, is a new-in-town loner.Sebastian has to have her. Control her. Possess her. But he can’t—won’t lose control, even though Tori’s innocence fascinates him. The last thing he’s going to do is love her, even after he gets her in his bed.Losing control is dangerous, especially when someone from Sebastian’s past covets Tori, putting more than just her heart in danger.How can Sebastian protect Tori from Jose’s sadistic obsession? If he gets his hands on her, will she make it out in one piece?

Vegas Love


Jillian Dodd - 2015
    Her ex released a sex tape of them and just when she was convinced her current boyfriend was a keeper for standing by her side, he breaks up with her at a friend's wedding. She's planning to drown her sorrows in booze when she meets a sexy stranger as she's leaving the wedding and they end up in Vegas, married. Cash Crawford is offered a dream job working with his brother as a junior talent agent. He'll put his shiny new law degree to good use and make a bunch of money in the process. His first task is simple: Keep Ashlyn Roberts out of trouble and don't sleep with her.Which might be kind of tough, since they definitely consummated their Vegas wedding.Will this one night stand end in the quickie divorce they promised each other? Or will they realize they got lucky in love?

Escape In You


Rachel Schurig - 2013
    A womanizer. A fighter. Dangerous. The type of guy most girls do their best to avoid. But Zoe Janes is no saint herself. In fact, she sees in Jet the perfect opportunity to distract herself from her responsibilities at home and the mistakes that keep her trapped there. He’s gorgeous, likes to party, and is clearly only interested in having fun—just like Zoe. The more time they spend together, the harder it is for Zoe to stick to her “fun only” mantra. Jet is getting under her skin, making her believe things could actually be different. She knows they’re both trapped by the sins of their past but Jet is starting to make her think freedom might actually be possible. And that makes him the most dangerous boy of all.

Semper Mine


Lizzy Ford - 2014
    I brought home one twin in a coffin and the other in a coma missing his leg. I did everything right – and still people died. I can’t forget that night or how many lives it changed, including mine. It’s natural for their sister, Katya, to blame me. I made one decision in the middle of a firefight, and it shattered her sheltered world. I’m the ice to her fire, and when we first meet, it’s not pretty. I don’t fear war or death, and I am definitely not going to let a beautiful woman with a quick temper and broken heart scare me off, either. I know she’s hurting, and I’m determined to make sure she’s okay. It’s the least I can do for the twins. I may have failed them that night, but I won’t fail her. What I’m not counting on: the feelings she ignites within me.” – Captain Sawyer Mathis A standalone novel in the Sons of War contemporary military romance series.

Heart of Marley


T.K. Leigh - 2014
    Having trouble coping with the loss of her soul mate, their mother tries to find comfort in drugs and alcohol… And an abusive man with a penchant for underage girls.No longer able to stand listening to his sister’s screams and cries every night for nearly three years, Cam takes matters into his own hands and they’re finally able to escape the nightmare.They’re finally able to start over…But the nightmare still haunts Marley. The years go on and she is forced to put on a smile, making everyone think that she is the perfect, well-adjusted teenager that she is supposed to be… Until she is faced with a painful reminder of her past during her senior year of high school and she’s no longer able to keep on the mask that she has been compelled to wear.Heart Of Marley is a prequel novel to T.K. Leigh’s Heart of Light.

Chasing Luck


Brinda Berry - 2014
    Especially when you’re a sole survivor...At the age of seven, Malerie walked away from a bombing that left hundreds dead—including her mother. When a crazed gunman kills her guardian on her eighteenth birthday, Malerie suspects there may be more to her survival than luck. A mysterious code holds the key to her future, and a reluctant white knight holds the key to her heart.A loner wearing emotional armor…Ace is a twenty-year-old entrepreneur focusing on two things in life: financial security and a life without ties. A life that doesn't risk losing the ones who matter. When Ace is hired to secretly act as a bodyguard for Malerie, he faces an unwanted attraction that threatens to sabotage his heart. Can Ace find the courage to love a girl with a death wish? 9780991632039 - alternate cover edition

Close Up and Personal


J.S. Taylor - 2013
    The stage is set for passion... Drama-school graduate Isabella Green wants to be a script-writer. But when she meets famous director James Berkeley, she’s tempted into the glamorous world of acting. Behind the camera, the mysterious Berkeley commands discipline at all times. But Isabella soon discovers this man's dominant tendencies also extend into the dressing room. Suddenly Isabella is discovering a side of herself she never knew existed. But she is also learning more about the alluring James Berkeley. Is his desperate past something she can help heal? Or will the flames of passion consume them both when the cameras start rolling? Lights, camera, action...

Shooting Star


Arianne Richmonde - 2014
     26-year-old movie director Jake Wild lives up to his name: he's the wildest player in town. He's also Hollywood royalty. From a family dynasty of powerful directors and producers, Jake's home is a movie set. With reams of hot starlets at his beck and call, Jake can get any woman he wants. But with his new movie, Skye's The Limit in pre-production, he's decided it's time to get serious and change his philandering ways. 19-year-old Oscar winning Star Davis also lives up to her name. She's an A-list megastar. Hell-raisingly beautiful, she tosses men aside like used Kleenex. She commands 20 million per movie--or at least did until drugs, alcohol, wild partying, and a police arrest sent her into rehab. Now she's out, squeaky clean, and determined to win the role she was born to play: the lead in Skye's The Limit - ready to re-conquer Hollywood. But there's just one problem: Jake doesn't want this "liability on legs" near his precious movie. But Star has wily ways of getting what she wants. And apart from the role of Skye, what she wants is Jake right where he belongs: Under her thumb. Lights, camera, action . . . But the action is not what Jake expected.*Due to sexy strong language and situations this book is recommended for readers 18 +

Consensual


Livia Jamerlan - 2014
    That is how she survives. That is how she’ll make a difference.Until she meets HIM.Peyton Haas is sexy, dangerous, and forbidden. The defense attorney on Braelynn’s first legal case is the only man who can cloud her judgment. Unable to stay away, she finds herself lying to everyone around her so she can spend time with the man who makes her feel things she never felt before—things she never dreamed possible.With the legal case hanging on a thread, can Braelynn ignore the relationship she has built with Peyton? Or will she succumb to the man who has the power to throw away her future?

Crown Jewels


Ella James - 2016
    Not that I keep track of Prince Liam. Definitely don't stalk him online like my friends do.I'm out of that scene now. My family's reality show might still be running, but I've been off-screen for a while. When people pass me on the sidewalk, they might squint, but most of them don't scream "Lucy Rhodes" and ask about my love of Lucky Charms or how my broken toe healed.Prince Liam--my stalking his Instagram--it's my dirty little secret. Trust me, I'm the only woman in the world who doesn't actually want him. Except I'm back in the Hamptons for the first time in two years. I'm at a party, and Prince Manwhore is here as well. I tell myself that smile has no effect on me. That his ridiculous charisma is a parlor trick I see right through.After our one night together, no one knows that I succumbed.It doesn't matter. It meant nothing.Not until I see those two pink lines.

Coming to Hale


Marie James - 2015
    Since then, Lorali Bennett has let that moment in time dictate her life. Ian Hale, sexy as sin business mogul, has never had more than a passing interest in any particular woman, until a chance encounter with Lorali, leaves a lasting mark on him. Their fast paced romance is one for the record books, but what will happen when Ian’s secrets come to light? Especially when those secrets will cost her everything she spent years trying to rebuild. This is a standalone contemporary novel. The next book in the Hale series is Alexa and Garrett’s story: Begging for Hale. Recommended for readers 18 and up due to strong language and explicit sexual content.