Book picks similar to
Safer Outside by Kristina Renee
romance
young-adult
abuse
ya
Tempting Distractions
B.C. Morgan - 2021
Now, at twenty-five, I answer to no one; everything I own is mine and no one can take it from me.I’m not one of those sob-story people who shake their ass on a pole to get by, I do it because I’m great at it—because I love it. I thrive on the money and sense of power I get every time I take the stage, taking my clothes off is a small price to pay for what I get in return. Love and fun are two words that haven’t been part of my vocabulary, at least not until there’s some serious changes made to the club I work at. With light comes the dark, and there are heavy shadows I have never noticed before—shadows that are cast by the man who won’t leave me alone, the man who wants me all to himself. This isn’t only about me though, there’s also the man who keeps me safe, the guy who makes me laugh, and the other one一who takes some of the control I’ve never given away before. Tempting Distractions is book one in the Dancing with Desire series—a dark romance, and it will end on a cliffhanger. Please beware of triggers such as: violence, foul language, explicit sexual content, and stalker/obsessive themes.
A Game Like Ours
Marissa J. Gramoll - 2021
To the outside world, Bobby Anderson is an attractive, charismatic baseball star. But inside, Bobby holds secrets—including his closeted sexuality—and each secret alone has the power to destroy his carefully-constructed life.When his best friend Cody dies, Bobby is thrown into the unwitting role of supporter for Cody’s grieving fiancée, Lexie. The issue? Bobby has long-harbored feelings for her that he never allowed to surface. Torn between his growing attraction for Lexie and devotion to his deceased friend, Bobby is forced to re-examine his life and concern about divulging his sexual identity. Another secret spoken by Cody during his final moments eats away at Bobby’s conscience, driving the wedge of Cody’s death deeper. Once these secrets come to light, will Lexie ever be able to forgive them? Can she accept Bobby for who he is? Will she ever want anything to do with him again?
My Brother's Bodyguard
G.L. Snodgrass - 2017
Elle is cursed with a genius younger brother. A brother who has absolutely no idea of the problems he will face as a thirteen year old senior. Desperate to protect him, she reluctantly asks the school’s new bad boy, Nate Clark, for help. Unfortunately, the only way this will work is if everyone believes Nate cares enough for her to get involved. The last thing Nate Clark ever expected was to get close to someone like Elle Watson. Girl’s like her should know better. But he’d learned long ago, when a chance like this came along. Seize it, and figure out the details later.
Best Friend With Benefits
B.B. Hamel - 2017
Henry broke my heart years ago. I never forgave him for what he did. But now I have my dream job, and it turns out we’ll be working together. He’s even hotter than I remembered. And he still wants me. I need to resist that delicious jerk’s charm. What a huge mess. Back in high school, we were inseparable. Henry was my best friend and a little bit more. But he broke my heart. One day we were close, and the next he was ignoring me in the halls. Fast forward ten years. I just landed my dream job working for an online news organization. It’s my chance to report on serious issues. Except I’ll be working very closely with Henry. He’s the producer on my first story. I never thought I’d see him again. But he’s back, and he’s all grown up: cocky grin, muscular body, hands that have a ton of experience. I can’t stop picturing all those nights we used to undress each other in the dark. I need to keep it professional. But Henry isn’t making that easy. He wants me again. And he’s not being subtle about it. If I give in to him, I know I’m going to need more than just one night. I’m in for the best mistake of my life. Best Friend With Benefits is a steamy romance with hot scenes and bad language. It’s only recommended for readers 18+. Best Friend With Benefits is a STANDALONE, full-length novel. No cliffhanger. Guaranteed HEA. Includes bonus content!
Crash and Burn
Michael Hassan - 2013
You likely already know what came after for Crash: the nationwide notoriety, the college recruitment, and, of course, the book deal. What you might not know is what came before: a story of two teens whose lives have been inextricably linked since grade school, who were destined, some say, to meet that day in the teachers' lounge of Meadows High. And what you definitely don't know are the words that Burn whispered to Crash right as the siege was ending, a secret that Crash has never revealed.Until now.Michael Hassan's shattering novel is a tale of first love and first hate, the story of two high school seniors and the morning that changed their lives forever. It's a portrait of the modern American teenage male, in all his brash, disillusioned, oversexed, schizophrenic, drunk, nihilistic, hopeful, ADHD-diagnosed glory. And it's a powerful meditation on how normal it is to be screwed up, and how screwed up it is to be normal.
My Heart and Other Black Holes
Jasmine Warga - 2015
With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner. Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince.
Tainted by Crazy
Abby McCarthy - 2016
I did the one thing I’ve been dreading for the last thirteen years, I finally went home. I needed to get back on my feet and I needed my Grams. As much as I wanted to pretend life was working for me, it wasn’t.The problem with home though is that everywhere I turn, her ghosts were haunting me. Crazy, crazy, crazy, just like her, just like my momma. I wanted to pretend that crazy didn't exist, but it was all around me, trying to do its best to pull me under. There’s one problem with that, Keenan Rys. He’s determined not to let it. And I’m determined to keep him away.
Fight or Fall
Anne Leigh - 2014
A tortured soul. A man betrayed. This is NOT your typical fighter story. In this arena where fame and glory are at stake. One man seeks to find the humanity he once possessed. He fights not for honor but for redemption. He lives by these rules. Break. Bleed. Fight. Live. For love.
What We Saw
Aaron Hartzler - 2015
When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.
Capture the World
R.K. Ryals - 2016
He didn’t see a breakdown. He saw me." I see people. The way they travel through life like a blurred stream of light. I am one of them, these people, and we’re all light blasting together from one place to another. We’re all trying to be a part of the world, and yet not be a part of it. Like we’re trying to ball the world up into our hands and hold onto it. That’s me. Trying to capture it. The world. To keep it with me awhile before it goes away. My mom is a traveler, and she takes me with her everywhere. I am ashamed. I am proud. I want to catch her and make the world stop spinning. Maybe make it spin backwards, so that she is changed. The worst part is the fear I see when people look at me. As if I’m her. As if I’m going to be her. I’m not. But I wish I was. Because she doesn’t see our world. She has her own, and it’s beautiful. Her life. Her extraordinary world. My name is Reagan Lawson, a seventeen-year-old seasoned traveler without a passport. My life. My origami world. His name is Matthew Moretti. Senior basketball star, handsome, and as far from my complicated world as he can get, he surprises me with his interest, with the way he pulls me into a world I didn't want any part of. Until now. His life. His surprising world.
The Best Friend
Kat Bellemore - 2019
He’s the best friend. But it wasn’t enough.
Alexa Parker’s only goal is to get into the best pre-med program in the country. No big deal. Except that nothing in her life ever goes as planned. If an ice cream machine is going to explode, it will be her pulling the handle.If a cactus is going to be sat on, it will be her butt that will be full of needles.The only thing going right is the fact that her lifelong—and only—friend, Charlie, has stuck by her side through it all. Until Alex realizes she likes him more than a friend, and she manages to mess that up too.
The Blame Game
Tracie Delaney - 2019
Especially when you fall for the one you set out to destroy.Indie Monroe was supposed to ruin Jax. Not fall for him. But his family has to pay for their sins, regardless of her heart.Jax Brook lost everything—his parents, his place at Juilliard, and his identity. For twelve years, he set aside his own happiness for the sake of his family. Finally, his time has arrived, except the gorgeous, seductive Indie Monroe isn't what she seems.Beneath the professional façade, Indie is hiding a secret that will forever change the course of Jax’s life. Possibly even end it.But as she and Jax grow closer, Indie begins to have second thoughts about the path she is destined to walk.Which course will she choose? And will Jax’s love be strong enough to forgive her?The Blame Game is a complete standalone and part of a series. Buy your copy today, and step into the world of the Brook Brothers.The Brook Brothers SeriesThe Blame Game – Jax and IndieAgainst All Odds – Calum and LaurellaHis To Protect – Cole and MillieWeb of Lies – Nate and Dex
Love & Other Chaos
Jackie Walker - 2020
Brody’s my friend - just a friend. He’s also my autistic son’s favorite teacher.He’s as off limits as they come, no matter how drop dead gorgeous he is. Falling for him would be wrong. Resisting him though, is becoming pure torture. After being burned by men who can’t handle dating a single-mom of a special-needs child, I refuse to date anymore. Not until my son is grown. My plan is working fine until my trouble-making bestie presents me with a dare that I can’t resist. I’m a sucker for a good dare - especially when margaritas have been consumed. And she’s just dared me to plant a surprise kiss on Brody’s sexy lips, while she records it for a trending TikTok challenge video. But if I do this, it could change everything. My life is already pure chaos and maybe now is not the best time to shake things up even more. Is it worth risking our friendship and his important role in my son’s life for one kiss? What if he wants more? What if I do? Love & Other Chaos is a hilarious, steamy, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy featuring a drop dead gorgeous and seriously buff teacher with the hots for a single-mom of an autistic pre-teen son... who happens to be one of his students. This story also includes wise-cracking grandparents with zero respect for personal boundaries, swoon-worthy beach scenes, a jerky boss with no concept of personal space, nosey siblings and a foul-mouthed best friend who loves to instigate trouble. If you don't like sarcasm, steam, sexy-times, heroines who drink copious amounts of margaritas and laugh-a-minute dialogue, then this might not be the book for you. It’s a stand-alone novel with a happy ending, because cliffhangers will kill your margarita buzz.
What I Didn't Say
Keary Taylor - 2012
He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.
The Last True Love Story
Brendan Kiely - 2016
To Hendrix and Corrina, both seventeen but otherwise alike only in their loneliness, that sounds like another line from a pop song that tries to promise kids that life doesn’t actually suck. Okay, so: love. Sure.The thing about Corrina—her adoptive parents are suffocating, trying to mold her into someone acceptable, predictable, like them. She’s a musician, itching for any chance to escape, become the person she really wants to be. Whoever that is.And Hendrix, he’s cool. Kind of a poet. But also kind of lost. His dad is dead and his mom is married to her job. Gpa is his only real family, but he’s fading fast from Alzheimer’s. Looking for any way to help the man who raised him, Hendrix has made Gpa an impossible promise—that he’ll get him back east to the hill where he first kissed his wife, before his illness wipes away all memory of her.One hot July night, Hendrix and Corrina decide to risk everything. They steal a car, spring Gpa from his assisted living facility, stuff Old Humper the dog into the back seat, and take off on a cross-country odyssey from LA to NY. With their parents, Gpa’s doctors, and the police all hot on their heels, Hendrix and Corrina set off to discover for themselves if what Gpa says is true—that the only stories that last are love stories.