Book picks similar to
Wingarden by Elsie Lee


gothic
romance
romantic-suspense
vintage-gothic-romance

Hail Mary


Hope Anika - 2021
    “How did it happen?”“How did what happen?”The growl in his voice probably cowed a great many folks. She didn’t happen to be one of them. Even if he was big and intense and talked about delivering death like it was the mail. “Your leg.”He didn’t respond. Instead, he stood at the sink and stared out into the storm.“Is it a state secret?” she wanted to know. “A matter of national security? An injury suffered while on a clandestine mission that you can’t talk about under penalty of death? Did they make you swear on a Bible?”“You’re a piece of work,” he said. “I know.” When he turned to glower at her, she smiled. “It’s a gift.”His gaze fell to her mouth, and awareness speared through her, a hot, electric slide that made her cheeks burn. He was attracted to her, the same way she was attracted to him. And he didn’t like it.Not one bit.You and me both, bucko...◆◆◆When a local bank robbery brings newly elected Sheriff Beau Greystone to Wynn Owens’ front door, she has only two things to give him: the endless bounty of her caustic wit and a one-finger salute. Wynn has history with the law, none of it good. And the notion that one of her elderly tenants might have something to do with the robbery is just plain crazy.A former DEA agent, Beau owes his newly minted badge solely to his meddling aunt and his own foolish indifference. Recovering from the murder of his wife—and the debilitating injury caused by the explosion that killed her—Beau has been happily checked out for some time. But the people of Blossom Hills are counting on him to do his job, and bringing a bank robber to justice is a fine place to start…until the killer that's haunted the town for the last decade abruptly returns. Wynn has a tenant to exonerate; Beau, a killer to catch. Neither is prepared for the compelling but unwelcome current between them, or the unexpected circumstances that will force them to reassess the rules by which they live. But the clock is ticking, and they must decide: adapt and evolve, or surrender to the past and the dark malevolence that has risen within it…. A dark, edgy, steamy thriller with characters you won't forget…contemporary romantic suspense at its best.

FBI Joint Task Force #1-5


Fiona Quinn - 2019
    It would be so much easier without her special forces code – no man left behind. It’s a cross-country cat and mouse game while maintaining her undercover status. It’s hard to explain why a criminal would go to such lengths for the guy who is determined to throw her behind bars.EVEN ODDS –A plan is hatched to insert the two intelligence officers into the action—under the cover of a fake marriage—painting a target on Raine’s back, enticing the mole out into the open.Damian wasn’t there when his Delta Force brothers saved Raine from the terrorists in Afghanistan, will he be there for her this time when she’s in the sniper’s rifle sights?

Hollow Heathens: Book of Blackwell


Nicole Fiorina - 2020
    Cold and hollow.They said I shouldn’t go near him.Still, there was this aching pull to Julian Blackwell that I couldn’t escape.A nostalgic pull as if we’d been here before.

A Stitch in Time


Kelley Armstrong - 2020
    As a young girl, Bronwyn could pass through a time slip in her great-aunt’s house, where she visited William Thorne, a boy her own age, born two centuries earlier. After a family tragedy, the house was shuttered and Bronwyn was convinced that William existed only in her imagination. Now, twenty years later Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor. And when she returns, William is waiting. William Thorne is no longer the boy she remembers. He’s a difficult and tempestuous man, his own life marred by tragedy and a scandal that had him retreating to self-imposed exile in his beloved moors. He’s also none too pleased with Bronwyn for abandoning him all those years ago. As their friendship rekindles and sparks into something more, Bronwyn must also deal with ghosts in the present version of the house. Soon she realizes they are linked to William and the secret scandal that drove him back to Thorne Manor. To build a future, Bronwyn must confront the past.

The Jetty Beach Series Box Set Books 5-7


Claire Kingsley - 2021
    Sweet. Romantic. Fall in love with more swoony heroes and sassy heroines of Jetty Beach.A sexy, dirty-talking bartender. A carefree bad boy. And a hot chef who'll stop at nothing to keep his woman safe. You'll find them all in this collection of three full-length novels from the Jetty Beach Romance series.This collection includes:Weekend FlingGood Girl Next DoorThe Path to You

The Holidays


M.S. Parker - 2020
    It’s perfect. Getting married now is as easy as Christmas pie.Nyx and Bradyn are in Savannah surrounded by family and good friends for Christmas. They’ve been together nearly a year and Bradyn is more than ready to put a ring on the finger of the woman he loves. A real Norman Rockwell scene, worthy of a snow globe moment. What could possibly go wrong?

Motormouth


Courtney Lynn Rose - 2020
    A mercenary all my life, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. After the death of my mentor, I assemble a team to continue his work in protecting the citizens of Hollow Ridge. But The Lady Depot Club is about to bring a lot more trouble than some egotistical strippers. In my line of work, love is the last thing I’m looking for. But that doesn’t stop the new club DJ from catching my eye. Chris “Preacher” Boseman is a walking wet dream . . . and despite trying to ignore his advances, I’ve got no problem getting on my knees to pray in front of this guy. Even though I should be used to secrets, the one Preacher is keeping doesn’t just have the power to destroy us, but everything I’ve worked my life to build. When lines are drawn the truth comes tumbling out, everyone has to pick a side— but my choice might be the one that gets us all killed.

Hold Me: A Rock Star Box Set


Arell Rivers - 2021
    All along, publicist Rose Morgan has been at his side, either covering up his indiscretions or promoting his new songs and fake relationships. When Cole unexpectedly focuses his attention on his quiet publicist, neither can predict the dangerous events looming ahead.So, crowd surf into the second chance romance box set with this captivating couple. And before the World Tour concludes, you’ll be begging Cole, “Hold Me”!

Elusive: Elusive Dawn / Return Engagement


Kay Hooper - 2004
    In On Her Doorstep, we have bestselling author Erin Scott, a guarded and wary woman who has escaped a painful marriage to live contentedly in her isolated mountain retreat -- until publisher Matt Gavin comes looking for an author whose face has haunted him for years. And in Return Engagement, we have actress Tara Collins and producer Devlin Bradley, a fiery pair once engaged for real and now forced to act the part of lovers. Or are they acting? Relationships between men and women will always lie at the heart of everything I write. I loved writing these stories, and I hope you enjoy reading them.

Murder on the Hill


Kennedy Chase - 2014
    Until now she’s been know as many things: Thief, Bandit, The girl dressed like a ninja… When she’s offered an investigative position at the Silvers Finders Agency, she decides it’s time to go straight. But when a jewelry store break-in she’s investigating turns into a murder case, Harley will need all her skills to find the killer and avoid the attentions of a Russian crime boss. With the help of her new friends, and some from her underworld past, Harley faces a race against the clock. She’ll need to uncover the secret behind the artifact left at the jewelry store if she’s to catch the murderer. If she fails, it won’t just be the job she loses — but her life.

Deadly Cover-Up


Julie Anne Lindsey - 2020
    In order to discover the truth, Violet insists she and Wyatt work together—but trusting him with her and her baby girl’s lives is a different matter. As their investigation heats up, they uncover a scandalous town secret, and a determined killer takes aim at Violet. Now, in a race against time, it’s not always obvious who is friend and who is foe…

In Self Defense


Debra Webb - 2019
    But Audrey fears that finding the killer will mean exposing the family secret she desperately needs to stay buried. She’ll do whatever she has to in order to protect those she loves. No matter what happens…or how hot things get with Colt.

Slightly Off Balance


Kaylie Hunter - 2017
    But strange occurrences threaten her safety, and he vows to protect her. Determined to ignore him, she rolls her eyes and focuses on her baking. But as the ovens heat up, so does the danger level she faces and irresistible pull to be closer to Reel. Tweedle will have to hang up her apron long enough to stay alive. But can she solve the mystery before Reel Thurman becomes too tempting to avoid?

Shadow Force: Complete 5-Part Series


Camilla Blake - 2021
    No cliffhangers. Epic action, drama, suspense, clean romance, and happy ever afters. Highly rated authors.PART ONE: Shadow PromiseCade Montgomery will always carry the guilt for the men who died on his watch, and he will stop at nothing to find the people responsible. When Piper Collins, his former foster sister and the woman who stole his heart more than ten years ago, resurfaces, things get complicated.Piper Collins left the FBI after her fiancé died three years ago, to find his killer. That search leads her to Atlanta and back to Cade, the man who broke her heart when he left and never returned. When Cade meets with two men who are working for a known drug lord at the bar where she’s working undercover, Piper is disappointed to find he turned to a life of crime instead of being the man of conviction she used to know. But things aren’t adding up, and Piper hopes that, with his help, her fiancé’s killer will be brought to justice.PART TWO: Shadow SecretCruz Ortiz is no longer the man he used to be. After being taken hostage and almost beaten to death by a Venezuelan drug lord, Cruz joins Shadow Force with a new face, a new identity, and a death certificate for his old self. When Shadow Force is tasked with sending someone in undercover, Cruz is the obvious choice.Lydia Ayala is content with her life as a nurse practitioner in the slums of Miami. Sure, her patients tend to be gang members and drug dealers, but she’s confident she’s making a difference in the world. When she’s kidnapped and forced into a marriage, she plans to find a way out of the death sentence. But Cruz Ortiz keeps a watchful eye on her, and her chances to make a break are growing smaller, while the wedding is drawing closer.PART THREE: Shadow FlightRyder Blake is grateful Shadow Force scooped him up before he died a slow death at his desk at the CIA headquarters. After running for his life during a long-term undercover op, Ryder is convinced he’s put his clandestine days behind him. But when a large shipment of drugs and guns goes missing and the Russian Mafia boss who tried to have him killed is implicated, Ryder agrees to take on his old persona and enter a string of underground fights. Only, Jolie Phillips, the office manager for Shadow Force and a woman determined to be an operative, is assigned to the case with him, and Ryder is not a happy camper.A new organization comes to light as Ryder and Jolie travel around the southeast. As they get closer to the answers, the danger escalates, and Ryder and Jolie are running for their lives.PART FOUR: Shadow RescueFormer army and explosives expert Oscar Cortada is rumored to have one or two screws loose due to his infatuation with making things go Boom! But when he and the team stumble upon a container of women, Oscar is tormented by his memories. Oscar volunteers for the job to help Shadow Force uncover the missing people.Ivy Bell never stopped loving her husband while she pursued a career in acting and modeling. Still, after eleven years apart, it seemed they would never find their way back to each other. But when a new role opens up in Atlanta and Ivy arrives on set, she realizes things aren’t what they seem.PART FIVE: Shadow RedemptionLevi Slater has fought crime since his time with the DEA, but never before has he encountered a more evil and sinister group than the Los Caballeros del Camino, The Knights of the Way.Dr. Drew Bellamy has one objective: keep her son safe. But when she’s taken from outside her home and given an ultimatum, she finds herself scrambling and forcing her way out of captivity. When she runs smack into Levi Slater in the woods outside the compound where she was held, she faces a decision—trust him with her and her son’s life or go it alone.

Once In Paris


Diana Palmer - 1998
    Brianne Martin's nefarious wheeler-dealer of a stepfather sends her to study in Paris, where she falls for widowed oilman Pierce Hutton. In the process of Pierce trying to protect Brianne from his undercover activities and Brianne trying to seduce Pierce, they both get caught up in Middle Eastern shenanigans that might, if Pierce and his allies didn't turn out to have near-superhero abilities, lead to WWIII. This is definitely thriller-lite (the supposedly tough-guy hero refers to "a hush-hush mission"), however, and Palmer manages to fracture her few French phrases (for example, femme du nuit instead of de la nuit). The dialogue is charming, the characters likable and the sex sizzling, and the roller-coaster emotions between hero and heroine will give Palmer's many fans an enjoyable ride.