best novels to read in your 20s Audiobooks

It's said that only in our darkest hour do we find light. That may be true for the lucky ones. When your light has been extinguished and pitch-black bleakness has taken hold, you could be excused for doubting that it will ever be reignited. In the past when people mentioned Joel O'Brien, they talked about "the quiet one". The boy who was the family's voice of reason and their go-to guy for wisdom well beyond his years. Nowadays, they whisper about the "crippled one". The man who radiates darkness, who wallows in his self-pity, and refuses to find a way to deal with the injuries he sustained at the beginning of the war that's threatening to engulf the Black Shamrocks MC. Sascha Koswalski is the light of her family's life. With a smile that could brighten the day of the most hard-hearted, the single mother's innate exuberance lessens the pain of her physiotherapy clients. She's yet to find a patient who doesn't respond to her sunny nature and skilled hands. Until Joel. The stubborn, angry man might be the one patient she fails. Unable to crack his protective shell, Sascha is on the verge of giving up when Joel shows her another side of himself. Buoyed by the knowledge that there is a man filled with hope hiding beneath his cold veneer, can she rehabilitate more than his broken body? Will she be the light that reignites his belief in himself and sets them both on the path to FINDING NIRVANA? DISCLAIMER: This book contains depictions of graphic situations and is not suitable for all readers.

Best friends to lovers...or will they always be branded by their pasts? Tattoo artist India Ellison is well-acquainted with preconceived notions. As a walking advertisement for the tattoo shop she’s set up in a small Wyoming town, India is used to comments about her colorful tats and hair. Still, life is good. She’s clean and sober, adored by her family, and best of all, spends most of her free time with her best friend, Colt. Reformed bad boy Colt McKay never expected three years of sobriety to lead to three years of abstinence. Curbing his craving for booze is nothing compared to the ever-increasing yearning for his hot-tempered, hot-bodied best friend, India. Too bad she hasn’t a clue that Colt’s been in love with her since day one. After an unexpected, steamy encounter, all India can think about is riding the sexy cowboy as hard and fast as her motorcycle. But Colt is determined to show her a slower ride is worth the wait. The friendship that helped them conquer their pasts is about to be tested by their new addiction. Each other.

He betrayed them all. Is he truly back to make amends? Wendy Markham. Gentle. Compassionate. Loyal. Step-mother to five headstrong children, long-time partner of the cantankerous ex-President of the Black Shamrocks MC, and the woman everyone turns to in a crisis. Patrick “Beast” O’Brien. Brutal. Merciless. Duplicitous. A father in name only, traitor to his own Club, and a man living on borrowed time. He’s broken all of the rules, hurt the one’s closest to him, and then run away like a coward. She’s been left behind to clean up his mess. Pouring every ounce of energy into their abandoned children, the last thing Wendy needs is for her own health to fail. Facing the battle of a lifetime and determined to protect everyone from the fallout, she forges ahead alone. In the meantime, Beast’s found that putting your ego above your family makes for a lonely life. When he discovers Wendy’s secret, will he learn the true value of what he threw away and find the capacity to commence CONQUERING CIRCUMSTANCES? WARNING: This story contains triggering content and is not suitable for all readers. Conquering Circumstances is a novella in the International Bestselling Black Shamrocks MC Series. If you enjoy gritty, authentic, and sexy MC reads, then you’ll love Kylie Hillman’s unique take on MC romance. Continue the epic ride today!

Facing the loss of a loved one in a death-avoidant culture can be excruciating. Grievers may be expected to put on a brave face, to “move on” quickly, and to seek medication if they are still grief-stricken after an “acceptable” amount of time. Psycho­therapist Judy Heath draws on extensive experience as a grief specialist in private practice to help those struggling with the anguish of loss. Addressing the myths and misinformation about mourning that still abound today, Heath gently coaches readers to understand that coping with loss is a natural process that our society tends to avoid and hurry people through, often leading to unresolved, lasting grief. No Time for Tears offers practical advice for both short- and long-term recovery, including how to manage rarely discussed physical and emotional changes: feelings of “going crazy” and inability to focus; feeling out of sync with the world, exhausted and chilled, and crushingly lonely. This updated second edition includes new information about medication and discusses various types of loss including that of a parent, child, spouse, friend, or pet. Helpful not only to grievers but also to those who care about, counsel, or employ them, No Time for Tears is an essential resource for grief management and recovery.

All signs point north for Not-So-Saint Nick After too many mugs of mulled wine, introverted accountant Holly North lets her best friend guilt her into filling in as Mistress Christmas at Sugar Plums, a Christmas-themed strip club. The combination of a velvet mask and a Mrs. Claus-meets-dominatrix costume gives Holly the courage to approach the hot-bodied man across the room who is as lickable as a candy cane. Detective Nick West is working undercover to find the sexy vixen who supposedly robbed his buddy at Sugar Plums. His interest in the pole dancers vanishes faster than a flying sleigh upon his introduction to Mistress Christmas—a leggy brunette with smoky eyes and a lush mouth that begs for hours beneath the mistletoe. One lap dance and their attraction flares hotter than a fireplace on a cold winter evening. And Nick is only too happy to oblige when Holly blurts out her secret Christmas wish…a night filled with sweet and dirty carnal pleasures that will land them both on the naughty list.

The fourth book in Joanna Schaffhausen's heartpounding Ellery Hathaway mystery series, Every Waking Hour .... After surviving a serial killer’s abduction as a young teenager, Ellery Hathaway is finally attempting a normal life. She has a new job as a rookie Boston detective and a fledgling relationship with Reed Markham, the FBI agent who rescued her years ago. But when a twelve-year-old girl disappears on Ellery’s watch, the troubling case opens deep wounds that never fully healed. Chloe Lockhart walked away from a busy street fair and vanished into the crowd. Maybe she was fleeing the suffocating surveillance her parents put on her from the time she was born, or maybe the evil from her parents’ past finally caught up to her. For Chloe, as Ellery learns, is not the first child Teresa Lockhart has lost. Ellery knows what it’s like to have the past stalk you, to hold your breath around every corner. Sending one kidnapped girl to find another could be Chloe’s only hope or an unmitigated disaster that dooms them both. Ellery must untangle the labyrinth of secrets inside the Lockhart household -- secrets that have already murdered one child. Each second that ticks by reminds her of her own lost hours, how close she came to death, and how near it still remains.

This time, Jazzi isn't called to solve murder. Ansel is. His uncle Len, who promised him a job when he came to River Bluffs and then let his sons drive him away, calls to ask for help. One of the workers on his construction site is buried when a retaining wall gives and dirt pours into the trench where Xavier is laying pipe. But is Xavier's death an accident? Or did someone purposely sabotage the retaining wall?

The highly anticipated final instalment to the Centrifuge Duet is here! You met Dr. Jaxon Ray in all his evil glory in Amnesia, now it's time for Xander to have his say. When everything is based on a lie, can the truth set them free? Xander Barrett had it all. Until he fell victim to a dangerous game of cat and mouse and it cost him his life, his lover, and his freedom. He thought it was over—that he was doomed to perish in the darkness. A forgotten pawn lost in a cloud of greed and deceit. Then, an unsavoury proposal promised the escape that he needed. But in order to win, he had to sacrifice his morals and strip himself of all semblance of a conscience. Luckily, it was a price he was willing to pay. Because when everything is hidden by lies, one man's testimony can bring the truth to light. Attest is part two of the Centrifuge Duet. The first installment, Amnesia must be read first to truly understand the story. A psychological suspense thriller filled with intrigue, deception, and revenge, Attest will leave you thoroughly disturbed and confusingly titillated. Grab your copy of the thrilling conclusion to the Centrifuge Duet today!

Forced into marriage by their king in order to stop years of inter-clan feuding, Sorcha Campbell and Malcolm MacGregor are each determined to drive the other away. Malcolm knows he can never trust his new shrewish wife, despite the fact that everything he observes seems to prove that she's not only trustworthy, but utterly perfect for him. Sorcha knows she can never let her guard down around the man she believes betrayed her father, yet the longer she's with him, the more she discovers he is nothing like she was led to believe. They'll have to fight their way through past prejudices and their own determination to destroy their union in order to gain their perfect HEA in this Taming of the Shrew meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days tale.

I’m more than a single mom running from the cult that held me captive– I’m a woman carving out a life for myself. It’s harder than I expected. After solving the murder of my best friend, I’m hoping my run-ins with the law are over. Then my youngest daughter goes missing. The local detective, Boone, is on the case, and the neighborhood is determined to help find my little girl alive. But the clock is ticking. And hope? It’s running out. A kidnapped child is a mother’s worst nightmare. I will search until she is found, even if it means confronting my past. My sister wives might have the clue I need and I’m no longer scared of them. I’m a mother on a mission, and losing Ruthie isn’t an option. The Sister Wife’s Secret is the second book in a new suspense series.