Book picks similar to
Tender Secrets by Ann Christopher


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contemporary
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Edge of Disaster


A.M. Hargrove - 2012
    A life of partying, alcohol, drugs and men has brought her near the edge of disaster. That is until one night while at work as a waitress in an upscale restaurant, she falls under the spell of one of her customers, Pearce Middleton. Once she gazes into his smoky gray eyes, her life takes on new meaning. But can she put her past behind her and allow herself to fall for the exciting and gorgeous Pearce, or will her lewd behavior come back to haunt her and ruin her chances of happiness forever?

Cherry Bomb


Madelynne Ellis - 2016
    Done with being told what to do, when to eat, when to exercise, who I can and cannot associate with. It’s time to ditch my squeaky-clean image and put teen drama the Caine Chronicles to rest, even if that means breaking the rules. My plan? Enlist the aid of an A-list British villain. When Dare Wilde kisses me at an award ceremony, our undeniable chemistry lands us on the set of a new action blockbuster. Contractually, we’re not supposed to associate outside of work… As if that’s not an incitement to prod the beast. I’m ready to hand him every scrap of my innocence. What I don’t realise, is that there are layers to this man I never imagined, or how shielded I’ve been from the realities of our industry. Cherry Bomb is the first full length standalone coming-of-age romance in the Stirred Passions series about the Sunsetters, a group of bisexual A-list actors and the women and men who love them. Check out the other titles in the series, including Black Velvet, Soul Kiss, Screw Driver, & Mint to Be.

Alpha


Jasinda Wilder - 2014
    Bills were piling up, adding up to more money than I could ever make. Mom's hospital bills. My baby brother's tuition. My tuition. Rent. Electricity. All of it on my shoulders. And I had just lost my job. There was no hope, no money in my account, no work to be found. And then, just when I thought all hope was lost, I found an envelope in the mail. No return address. My name on the front, my address. Inside was a check, made out to me, in the amount of ten thousand dollars. Enough to pay the bills and leave me some left over to live on until I found a job. Enough to let me focus on classes. There was no name on the check, just "VRI Inc.," and a post office box address for somewhere in the city. No hint of identity or reason for the check or anything. No mention of repayment, interest, nothing…except a single word, on the notes line: "You." Just those three letters.If you receive a mysterious check, for enough money to erase all your worries, would you cash it?I did.The next month, I received another check, again from VRI Incorporated. It too contained a single word: "belong."A third check, the next month. This time, two words. Four letters. "To me."The checks kept coming. The notes stopped. Ten thousand dollars, every month. A girl gets used to that, real quick. It let me pay the bills without going into debt. Let me keep my baby brother in school and Mom's hospice care paid for. How do you turn down what seems like free money, when you're desperate? You don't. I didn't.And then, after a year, there was a knock on my door. A sleek black limousine sat on the curb in front of my house. A driver stood in front of me, and he spoke six words: "It's time to pay your debt."Would you have gotten in?I did.It turns out $120,000 doesn't come free.

Tangled Beauty


K.L. Middleton - 2013
    That is, until she met Reed, Jesse's sexy as hell older brother, and ends up getting much more than what she'd bargained for.Reed Eddington assumed his future was settled until he met Sinclair, his brother's so-called "girlfriend," but the raw, sexual tension between them is hard to ignore. As he watches their ruse from the sidelines, he finds himself wanting to uncover more than just their amusing little facade.Due to sexual content and heavy subject matter, this book is recommended for ages 18+.

Reckless


Maggie Shayne - 1993
    When his two killers see her witnessing their gruesome work, she runs, but she doesn’t get far. FBI agent Nick Manelli has to keep his cover intact and keep the sexy witness alive, and there’s only one way he can think of to do both. He has to kidnap her. RECKLESS (formerly Reckless Angel) was the first published novel of romance superstar Maggie Shayne’s stellar career. This romantic thriller, a RITA Award nominee that garnered raves from RT Book Reviews, has been completely revamped for today’s readers.  Maggie Shayne writes wonderful romance with page turning thrills that have a permanent spot on my keeper shelf.” ~New York Times Bestselling Author Karen Robards Don’t miss Book 2 of THE SHATTERED SISTERS series, FORGOTTEN.

Bubbles with Brunch


Ainsley St. Claire - 2021
    Only the title has changed.If your best friend was arrested for murder? Would you lie or tell the truth?AxelI don’t want complicated, drama, or serious in the women I date.That was until I met her.Mia’s different—she’s beautiful, smart, and knows baseball better than I do.Her close friend is arrested for murder and life becomes complicated.Chaos engulfs her.Drama colors all parts of her life.And, maybe serious wouldn’t be so bad.MiaLife’s not as easy for me as people think.Sure I’m CEO of a Fortune 50 company I founded.I’ve got a group of girlfriends who’d doing anything for me.But I can’t meet a decent guy to save my life until I met him.Axel makes my toes curl and my heart melt.But the timing may just be wrong.Bubbles with Brunch is a romance with a happy ending and the first book in the The Stiletto Sisters series. This series is about strong women who need strong men. This book can be read as a stand alone that highlights the women seen in the Venture Capitalist Series and the Tech Billionaire series.

She Belongs to Me


Carmen DeSousa - 2011
     Charlotte police officer Jordan Monroe is used to being in control. Ever since his father died, he has provided for his mother and sisters and even hired his two brothers-in-law to help run his successful construction company. On a chance business trip, however, he meets the one person who throws his life into a whirlwind--Jaynee.Jaynee has lived a tragic life and has sworn off all men. That is until a rugged southern gentleman lands in her seating area, refusing to take no for an answer. From the moment they meet, Jordan sweeps her off her feet, assuring her that happiness exists. But can she really escape her past?Five years later, Jordan finds Jaynee on their back porch with a gunshot wound to the head. While Jaynee lies in a coma, Jordan has to go back to their beginning and figure out what went wrong. Did he push his wife to the edge, or has her past come back to haunt them? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "You'll be swept off your feet along with Jaynee as she discovers the man of her dreams. You'll be drawn into the drama. And you'll flip the pages fast as Jordan must desperately figure out the truth in time. I was and did!" -- New York Times bestselling author Jaime Rush⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "SHE BELONGS TO ME is definitely a good suspenseful read. Ms. DeSousa is a talented author and I had no problem in connecting with the characters. The story displayed a realistic relationship between Jordan and Jaynee." -- The Romance Reviews

Mason


Dale Mayer - 2016
     Part of an elite SEAL team, Mason takes on the dangerous jobs no one else wants to do – or can do. When he’s on a mission, he’s focused and dedicated. When he’s not, he plays as hard as he fights. Until he meets a woman he can’t have but can’t forget. Software developer, Tesla lost her brother in combat and has no intention of getting close to someone else in the military. Determined to save other US soldiers from a similar fate, she’s created a program that could save lives. But other countries know about the program, and they won’t stop until they get it – and get her. Time is running out... For her... For him... For them...

Jaded Billionaire


Jill Snow - 2018
     Ethan Thomas is disillusioned after selling his company for billions and discovering all the people he cared about are now only interested in him for his money. Needing to get away, he heads to a campground in Sweet Mountain, Montana. It’s the off-season and he is assured all the other cabins will be empty. He’s after complete solitude which is why the last thing he needs is a city-slicker faux camper in the cabin next door. Especially one who doesn’t even know how to boil water over an open fire. Lily Ryder doesn’t even know how to boil water over an open fire. Or on a stove for that matter. But she can’t pass up the opportunity for a big promotion at the newspaper where she works. All she has to do is spend one week at a campground and she’ll steal the job right out from under the nose of her rival. Camping, even in a cabin, turns out to be a lot hard than she expected, but the last person she’s going to turn to for help is the Neanderthal that almost shot her dog. They could just ignore each other, but Sweet Mountain is hiding a secret, one that could change both their plans forever.

When the Right One Comes Along


Livia Quinn
     A former Army Ranger and CEO finds himself drawn to the woman of his dreams but an impulsive fling puts his mission and their relationship in danger. Former international model and photographer Lana Calloway is finally headed home, after attending the DC romance convention to find the perfect model, the “one” whose face and body could make her new business venture a success. She finds “Alex”, an unwilling and unlikely candidate. Turns out his appearance was a fluke, but the Calloways have a history of getting their man, or woman, and she doesn't intend to be the exception. Her prospect is in DC to meet with Congress about a huge veterans project; in other words, he’s got higher priorities. It will take creative measures to convince him that her goals could benefit his mission of making life better for wounded veterans and oh, by the way, that they are meant to be. From the author: Livia Quinn is the author of the Calloways of Rainbow Bayou, a contemporary small town romance series centered around the Calloways and their cousins, the Larues, in the Rainbow Bayou area of Louisiana. About Rainbow Bayou The bayou that surrounds the town was named by the Native Americans for its reflection of the colorful sky as it flowed from the river to the lake. Rainbows bring to mind hope, renewal, second chances, and the promise of new beginnings. In their legends double rainbows represented serendipity. The Calloway series is a contemporary small town romance with stories of love, community and family—of hope and second chances, reminding us that love can happen out of the blue, when you least expect it. More about the series, If you love emotional heartfelt stories with a little suspense built in, this is one for you. The first four books in the series were previously published but have been revised and rebranded with new content to reflect its true romance genre, that of a contemporary small town family romance series. Are the books standalones? Yes, the books can be read as standalones but secondary characters’ stories progress throughout the series so some readers may wish to read them in order. Books in the series: When the Right One Comes Along 9/11 Too Good to Be True. 9/11 Only the Heart Remembers 9/18 Christmas Wishes. 10/2 At Long Last Love 10/15 It Had to Be You 11/2 Christmas Vows 11/30 Love will Find You. 2/4/2019

Falling for You


Julie Ortolon - 2002
    Slow and Steady collides with Ms. Full-Speed-Ahead they're both in for the wildest ride of their lives.The forecast is smooth sailing for Oliver Chancellor, scion of Galveston's premier financier. Destined to take his place in the hallowed marble corridors of his family's bank, Chance is content with the future that's been mapped out for him, right down to his upcoming engagement to a prim debutante enthusiastically approved by his socialite mother.But when beautiful Rory St. Claire crosses his path, Chance recklessly plunges into uncharted territory with nothing but his heart to guide him-and a beautiful woman to tempt him.Propelled by a lifelong goal to buy the island home reportedly haunted by her colorful ancestors, Rory desperately needs Chance's help in securing a business loan, and she won't take no for an answer. In the midst of convincing the hesitant blue blood to take a chance on her dream, Rory unexpectedly lands in Chance's arms, stunned by his red-blooded passion-and her own awakened desire. Now, the mismatched pair can't keep their hands off one another, and something tells Rory she's headed for trouble-trouble in the name of love."I had a blast reading Falling for You... As long as Julie Ortolon is writing books like this, romantic comedy is in good hands." --All About Romance"A thoroughly delightful, fast-paced romance about what happens when opposites attract. And the setting is so vividly drawn, you feel part of the surroundings. A lovely story!" --Old Barn Gazette"Full of humor... Very entertaining and well worth your time!" --Huntress Book Reviews

Passion and Surrender


Cali MacKay - 2015
     From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Cali MacKay... Marshall should be riding high as the CEO of his own successful company. Instead, he’s in the middle of a nasty divorce as he tries to rid himself of his cheating and lying wife, while trying to track down a mole in his company. What he needs is a distraction, so when Harper Jones walks into his office with improvements she’d like to make to one of their products, Marshall knows that the brilliant and gorgeous engineer is exactly what he needs to take his mind off his problems. Harper's heard the gossip about her boss, and the last thing she wants is to get sucked into the middle of a nasty divorce—especially when rumor has it that Marshall’s ex may be carrying his baby. When Marshall sets her in his sights, Harper finds him far too difficult to resist, with his charming good looks and sexy smarts, but with her heart and career on the line, and a mole pointing the finger in her direction, will she risk it all to find happiness or simply walk away? *** This novel contains a Happily Ever After ending. Due to the adult language and explicit sex scenes, this book is for adults only.***

Blue Midnight


Tess Thompson - 2014
    “If you change your mind, here’s this.” It was the last kiss that ever weakened her knees, the last sky she noticed for over a dozen years. Then she left, returning to her fiancé, the wedding she’d committed to, and the secure life she’d yearned for since she was a little girl. Thirteen years later, her husband leaves Blythe for his young associate. Devastated, she’s unable to imagine the next chapter of her life as she packs her family’s belongings. With only the name of the small town where he once lived and the memory of their last kiss, Blythe heads across the Pacific Northwest in search of Finn. What she finds in the foothills of Blue Mountain challenges everything she thought she knew. She never expected the changes that face her, but it is her destiny…and destinies cannot be denied. The first book of the Blue Mountain series, laced with Thompson’s lovable but complex characters, Blue Midnight is a mature love story about second chances, family, and the complexities of trust and vulnerability after betrayal.

Not Over You


Amanda Torrey - 2014
    Can he catch her and help her heal? Savannah Grace left her hometown after the traumatic death of her young brother ten years ago. Fresh out of high school, she trudged through life under a shroud of guilt and shame. She couldn’t face her family after what she did, and she knew she didn’t deserve happiness. Quentin Elliott became a paramedic so he could save people. He hadn’t been able to help his high school girlfriend’s brother, but he vowed to prevent as many tragedies as possible. He managed to build a life without Savannah, but he never moved past her. When Savannah returns to town in hopes of donating bone marrow to her estranged mother, Quentin knows he will only have a short time to help Savannah realize she should stay in Healing Springs. Where she belongs. With him. Savannah prefers to lace up her running shoes, but Quentin is determined to create a treatment plan to help her settle in for the long haul. Can a decade of pain be healed with a healthy dose of love? Or will Healing Springs fail to live up to its legendary name?

Speak No Evil


Tanya Anne Crosby - 2013
    But a killer is making headlines, and Caroline may have unwittingly stepped into the crosshairs. Even as she mends the tattered bonds of sisterhood, a sinister force beyond their control may tear them apart forever…Reading order for The Oyster Point ThrillerBook 1: Leave No TraceBook 2: Speak No EvilBook 3: Tell No Lies