2015 was a great year especially in the land of books. I have been lucky enough to read some amazing books from some amazing authors. I even received a part time job at a bookstore (which means even more books to read). It is really hard to pick out just a few books, I hope you enjoy the list and read some yourself.
Young Adult Novels:
Wild Reckless
by Ginger Scott
Kensington Worth had a vision for her senior year. It involved her best friends, her posh private school in downtown Chicago and time alone with her piano until her audition was perfected, a guaranteed ticket into the best music programs in the world.
Instead, a nightmare took over.
It didn’t happen all at once, but her life unraveled quickly—a tiny thread that evil somehow kept pulling until everything precious was taken from her. She was suddenly living miles away from her old life, trapped in an existence she didn’t choose—one determined to destroy her from the inside, leaving only hate and anger behind. It didn’t help that her neighbor, the one whose eyes held danger, was enjoying every second of her fall.
Owen Harper was trouble, his heart wild and his past the kind that’s spoken about in whispers. And somehow, his path was always intertwined with Kensington’s, every interaction crushing her, ruining her hope for any future better than her now. Sometimes, though, what everyone warns is trouble, is exactly what the heart needs. Owen Harper was consumed with darkness, and it held onto his soul for years. When Kensington looked at him, she saw a boy who’d gotten good at taking others down when they threatened his carefully balanced life. But the more she looked, the more she saw other things too—good things…things to admire.
Things…to love. Things that made her want to be reckless.
And those things…they were the scariest of all.
Wicked Restless
by Ginger Scott
Andrew Harper grew up in a house marked by tragedy. His older brother Owen did his best to shelter him, but you can only be protected from life’s pain for so long. Eventually, you end up just feeling numb…and isolated.
Loneliness was the one constant in Andrew’s life. Until one girl, met by chance in a high school hallway, changed everything. Emma Burke was a mystery and all that was beautiful in this world, the only air Andrew ever wanted to breathe. She took the lonely away, and filled it with hope and color, and Andrew would do anything to keep her safe, happy and whole.
But sometimes, what feels good and right is what ends up hurting us the most. And when Andrew and Emma are faced with an impossible decision, Andrew is tested to see just how far he’s willing to go for the girl who owns his heart.
Cuts are deep.
Scars are left behind.
And revenge beckons.
When Andrew finally gets his chance, in college, five years after his first love broke him completely, he finds out old feelings don’t really disappear just because you say you hate someone. The more he tries to avenge all that he believes he lost, the more he uncovers the real story of what happened years before.
Love is wicked. But a restless heart is never satisfied beating on its own. Can Andrew and Emma make it right before it’s too late, or will the ties that bind them now destroy their only chance at a future?
Backstage Pass Series
One of my favorite young adult picks is a series by a bunch of different authors called the Backstage Pass Series. I couldn’t choose just one, so they are all on my list.
Aimee and the Heartthrob By Ophelia London:
He never noticed her before, but now she’s all he can see…
Miles Carlisle is every teen girl’s fantasy. His rugged good looks and exotic British accent have helped catapult his boy band, Seconds to Juliet, to super-stardom. But after two disastrous and very public breakups, Miles isn’t interested in dating just any girl; he wants The One. And the only girl he’s interested in is not only his best friend’s little sister – and off-limits – but won’t even give him the time of day…
As a kid, Aimee Bingham had a huge thing for Miles…until he made fun of her for always tagging along. Now that she’s outgrown both him and her pigtails, the prospect of spending two weeks on tour with the childhood crush who broke her heart isn’t exactly enticing. Except now Miles seems interested. Very interested. And no matter how hard Aimee tries to resist him, her crush is definitely making a comeback. But everyone knows that falling for a heartthrob is a backstage pass to heartbreak…
Mia and the Bad Boy by Lisa Burstein
This good girl’s about to meet her match…
Ryder Brooks is living the dream—he’s famous, loved by millions of girls, and miserable. All he really wants is to write his own music, not Seconds to Juliet’s sugary sweet pop. In order to do that, though, the “bad boy” of the band will have to play by the rules. And that includes behaving with his new—and super cute—über-good-girl tutor.
Mia Reyes is in fangirl heaven. Tutoring her favorite member of her favorite band? It’s a dream come true…until it turns into a complete nightmare. Ryder is nothing like she thought. He’s crude, arrogant, and pretty much a total jerk. And the worst part? She’s roped into pretending to be his girlfriend so that no one finds out he’s being tutored. Fake kisses, plenty of PDA, and even sharing his hotel room…
But sometimes even the baddest of bad boys needs a little redemption.
Daisy and the Front Man by Rebekah L. Purdy
Hell hath no fury like a fangirl scorned…
When Daisy Morris finds out she’s spending the summer with her dad, bodyguard for Seconds to Juliet—the hottest boy band around—she knows it couldn’t be more perfect. But not because she’s a fan. Oh, no. Because ever since front man Trevin Jacobs completely humiliated her by standing her up for homecoming, Daisy is out for a little revenge. Yup, Trevin Jacobs is goin’ down…
When one of his bandmates bets Trevin he can’t make Daisy—the gorgeous but surprisingly ice-cold daughter of their bodyguard—fall in love with him, it’s a bet he can’t resist. Sure, Daisy won’t give him the time of day for reasons he can’t understand, and her dad’s hell-bent against his little girl spending time with a superstar. But the terms are set, and Trevin is determined to make Daisy fall…hard.
But every front man should know never to trust a girl with a pretty face…
Anya and the Shy Guy by Suze Winegardener
It’s always the quiet ones…
Anya Anderson doesn’t just need a big break, she needs anybreak. Living on the streets doesn’t leave a girl many options, so when she scores a gig reporting on the Seconds to Juliet tour, she jumps at the chance to earn enough money to sleep somewhere safe. And the paycheck will get bigger – and keep her off the streets for good – if she can dig up dirt on Will Fray, the irritatingly hot “shy guy” of the band.
Problem is, Will Fray isn’t who everyone thinks he is. In fact, he’s not Will at all. Matt, Will’s identical twin, is actually the guy onstage, reluctantly covering for his brother while he’s in rehab. To make matters worse, Matt’s being shadowed by a cute reporter with troubled eyes determined to get the scoop. On him. And he’s having trouble finding the willpower to keep his distance…
But if the secret gets out, it won’t just be his head on a platter – it’ll be the whole band’s.
Abby and the Cute One by Erin Butler
He’s cute. He’s famous. And he could ruin everything…
Every member of Seconds to Juliet has a girlfriend-except for Nathan Strong. Now the band’s manager is leaning hard on “The Cute One” to play the role of the band’s heartthrob. With the band’s sales in decline, it’s up to Nathan to keep the fans’ fantasy alive.
The plan is to stage a fake relationship and a fake breakup, and then let the fans fight to be the one to mend Nathan’s broken heart. Just one problem. There’s another girl in the picture-one Nathan can’t stay away from. In private, Nathan’s stealing kisses with the band’s new opening act, Abby Curtis.
If they’re caught, no one wins. Abby will be fired, and the band might not recover the success they need to survive. But even with the pressure mounting, Nathan and Abby can’t stop themselves from stealing one more touch, one more kiss. And it’s only a matter of time before it all falls apart.
Romantic Suspense Novels:
With Visions of Red
By: Trisha Wolfe
Passion and lust ignite. Dark and light battle. This explosive first installment of the Broken Bonds series sets the exhilarating pace for a cat and mouse game where no one knows who’s really pulling the strings.
Criminal profiler Sadie Bonds knows blood. Her affair with the gruesome, dark world of killers began long before she started applying her analytical skills to investigate gory crime scenes. She gets inside the killers’ heads, breaks them down, relates to them on an arcane level. She prefers it this way—because it’s safer to ally herself with the villain than the victim. At least, that’s how she’s coped ever since she was abducted and tortured as a teen.
She will never be a victim again.
Now, she’s honed her skills in order to bring justice to these ritualistic offenders. Working alongside her colleagues, armed with sharp wit and a SIG, Sadie always catches her sadist. Until one ruthless serial killer gets inside Sadie’s head, turning the tables. He knows her secrets. Her obsessions. The darkest, most deviant part of her soul.
When she meets Colton Reed, dangerous stakes are raised as he threatens to unravel her control and reveal her darkest fantasies. The sexy-as-sin bondage rigger at an exclusive BDSM club pushes her boundaries, forcing her to acknowledge that side of herself she fears. Plunged into a realm of torture and suffering, pain and pleasure, Sadie balances on the razor-sharp edge of two intersecting worlds threatening to swallow her.
Fractured Karma
by Nancy Straight
Mark believes he is alone in the world. Rejected by his parents as a child, he spent his childhood bouncing from one foster home to another. The loss of his beloved little brother, Davey, makes him believe he has nothing left to live for. Mark finds himself on a destructive path after agreeing to help a person from his childhood.
A wager made by two strangers sets a chain of events in motion: Mark finds the one person he believed he had lost forever, while he desperately tries to get out of the life he has made for himself. Never having allowed himself to get close to anyone, he can’t understand the connection he has to Libby. Can Mark escape the life he set in motion seven years ago and allow Libby into his life, or is his karma fractured permanently?
New Adult:
Love So Hot
By Marquita Valentine
Bank Teller and all around good girl, Sydney McKnight, is tired of being the girl all the guys want to have as a friend. Who better to help unleash her inner vixen than her best friend and secret crush, Brody Lawson? Only, Sydney has no idea how to ask him, without their friendship going up in flames, until that is, the town of Jessamine’s annual Firemen’s Auction gives her the perfect excuse to set her plan into motion.
Fire Captain Brody Lawson has been in love with his best friend, Sydney, for years, but he would never risk their friendship by confessing his feelings to her. So, when Sydney beats out the competition to buy his time at the annual Firemen’s Auction, Brody can hardly believe his luck until she asks him to teach her how to seduce a fellow fireman.
Now, it’s up to Brody to show Sydney how perfect she already is and convince her that the only man for her is him, because if Sydney is going to seduce any man, it’s going to be him. And once he has her in his bed, he’s not letting her go
Love So True
By Marquita Valentine
Finally, Lucas Lawson is a free man. After serving five years in prison for embezzlement, he’s come home to Jessamine to right the wrongs he committed against his friends and family. But, it won’t be easy. For starters, the brother he’s looked up to his entire life wants nothing to do with him, and no one in town trusts Lucas enough to give him a chance to make amends. Until, Bailey Yates gives him a job at her family’s diner.
Single mom, Bailey Yates, has had enough of bad boys to last her the next eighteen years. She’s always been a sucker for them, and Jessamine’s ultimate bad boy, Lucas Lawson, is no exception. So, when he returns to town, naturally she’s drawn to him. And naturally, she must avoid him at all costs—no matter how sexy he is. She’ll give him a job, and keep her distance…until Lucas saves her son from a hit and run.
Bailey gives Lucas a hope for the future he hasn’t allowed himself to feel in years while Lucas melts Bailey’s heart every time he spends time with her son. Could he be the one to put her life back together? But when Lucas is accused of stealing from a local charity, Bailey must decide to support him or realize that some men are too good to be true.
Love So Irresistible
By Marquita Valentine
All former Navy SEAL Mason Lawson craves is solitude. Unfortunately, his new neighbor won’t allow him the peace he so desperately needs. Between the traffic and the music, Mason is constantly on edge—not exactly what the doctor ordered for someone recovering from a bullet to the leg. However, when he finally has enough and confronts his neighbor, nothing can prepare him for how hot he’d get for the teacher next door.
Piano teacher, Skylar Jernigan, loves everything about the town of Jessamine—from the quaint Main Street shops to the people who own them. Unfortunately, once she’s chewed up and spit out by her sexy neighbor, Skylar begins to question her decision to move to a new town. Until, that is, she learns he’s suffering from a war wound and refuses to have anything to do with his family.
Now, Skylar is determined to help Mason recover—mentally, physically and socially—until he turns the tables and sets out to seduce Skylar right out of her meddling ways. Only seduction turns into something more and soon, Mason can’t stop looking for excuses to be with her. But when the Navy wants Mason to reenlist for a dangerous mission, will Skylar be too irresistible for him to leave?
Love So Tempting
By Marquita Valentine
Prim and proper beauty queen Lemon McCoy is at her wit’s end when one night of passion leaves her pregnant by Jessamine’s favorite ladies man, Tristan Lawson. Forced to turn to her childhood tormentor in her time of need, she convinces Tristan to marry her to keep the gossip in their small town at bay.
Marine turned hometown librarian Tristan Lawson has secretly loved Lemon McCoy for years but they can’t seem to be around each other without trading insults. When Lemon finally spends the night with him, it’s a dream come true, and he hopes, the start of something more. But the very next morning they are back to their bickering ways that forces the two apart. Until Lemon confesses that she’s pregnant with his baby, giving him a second chance he never expected.
Although Tristan agrees to a marriage of convenience, he is confident he can show Lemon they are right for each other. But can Lemon trust him with her heart, or will their past be too much to overcome?
Truth in Watercolors
by Kimberly Rose
Truth, I hide.
Truth, you seek.
Truth, I confess.
Truth, you leave.
She never meant to let anyone in, least of all him. Now that she has, she is forever changed. Capri sees her life one way. Dull. She’s learned to dim and fade into the world around her. Until the day she agreed to more time with him.
Shrouding himself in a carefully constructed shield of humor and vibrant charm, Wes has effectively kept everyone out for most of his life. He’s successfully hidden the truth about who he really is, but then she agreed to more time with him.
Lines become crossed and reconstructed. Secrets are revealed, and infatuation is born. Will their connection be enough to paint themselves new, or will the truths of their lives be too stained to overcome.
Beyond What is Given
By Rebecca Yarros
Lt. Grayson Masters is focused on graduating the Apache helicopter course, and the last thing he needs is his gorgeous new roommate Samantha Fitzgerald distracting him. While her smart mouth and free spirit are irresistibly irritating, he can’t deny their off-the-charts chemistry, no matter how hard he tries.
Having just been expelled from college, Sam has no business digging for Grayson’s secrets while she’s hiding her own, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to tear down his walls. Each barrier she busts through drops one of her own, though, and she’s not prepared for the truth: another woman laid claim to Grayson’s heart long ago.
Falling in love is something neither Grayson nor Sam can afford, and when that line is crossed and secrets are exposed, they’ll learn that sometimes it’s the answered prayers that will put you through hell.
Adventures In Bookland 