Book picks similar to
Motive by Kennedy Layne


contemporary-romance
arc
romance
mystery

Swept Away


Robyn Carr - 2005
    #1 New York Times bestselling author ROBYN CARR explores the challenges facing women today as they are valued for what's on the outside rather than the inside.Jennifer Chaise is proud of her life. Coming from nothing, she's used her beauty to her advantage and is swept up in a glamorous world of wealth and privilege as the mistress of a high-flying businessman. But when she walks in on a violent scene in their Las Vegas hotel room, Jennifer knows she can no longer ignore the truth about her boyfriend and she flees. Desperate to escape the men searching for her, she invents a whole new persona—with a new look and a new name—as she hides out in a small Nevada town.Working as a waitress in the local diner, she finds a mentor in Louise, a retired professor who takes her in. As Jennifer begins to embrace a new life, she realizes how much was missing from her old one: a sense of community and purpose… But it's not easy to simply disappear. Her neighbor Alex is a cop, and while he's friendly enough, he may also suspect that Jennifer is not what she seems.Although she is under constant threat of being discovered, Jennifer is surprised to realize that, for the first time, she's genuinely happy. Suddenly this real world is all she wants. But will it be enough when her past catches up with her?

Rebel Love


Tess Oliver - 2017
    For a long time, I thought of that kiss, the kiss that unraveled everything, the kiss that changed the course of history, as a split second decision. But there was nothing split second about an obsession. And while she might have been impetuous and wild, there sure as hell wasn't anything split second about Rebecca . . . the girl I called Rebel.Rebel Love is a standalone romance.

Business or Pleasure?


Raquel Belle - 2019
    I’m about to get really pissed off. Maybe I should just go (in hindsight…even based on what happened next, I’d probably do it all the same!) As is, I hate blind dates! I usually create this “picture perfect” guy in my head and then reality generally walks in! Ohhh god, and reality can be REALLLLLY cruel at times (MOST of the time!!!).Anyway…I’ve just moved back to Seattle to work with my dad at his law firm. We haven’t always had the best relationship…I’m really hoping that this is him reaching out to me. Honestly, blind-dates are the last thing I need right now in my life!I’m about to give up on this night and leave when the most delicious looking specimen of a man comes up to me. I honestly thought I was hallucinating! This guy is ravishing…the type of “stop and stare” guy. Mr. I LITERALLY felt I wanted to get pregnant just by looking at him, says...“Please, tell me I’m the one you’ve been waiting for!” with a naughty smirk on his face.“Are you David Blake?” I ask.“No, but I can be anyone you want me to be.” He smiles, and my head…ohhh god…my head is filled with strong dose of naughty thoughts (a “bit” of an understatement actually!). It’s not my blind-date…and I think to myself (well, I’M TRYING to think!!!) What the hell should I do?I don’t know what the heck happened to me but I stare right into his eyes and say “Tell you what, I’m staying upstairs.” I pause. I could feel his eyes penetrating me. And then I drop the bomb… “Let’s skip the drinks and the preamble, you follow me to my room, and let's have one hell of a one-night stand. You don’t even have to tell me your name.”I couldn’t believe I just said that!He’s shocked. I’m shocked. I don’t normally do this kind of thing. But we do it. Oh, boy…do we do it. We have the most amazing, earth shattering night that I could ever dream of. And THAT was the gift…now comes the SLAP…When the weekend is over and I go in to work on Monday morning. The secretary shows me in to my dad’s office. What the heck is he doing in here? Mr. I LITERALLY felt I wanted to get pregnant just by looking at him turns and smiles.Guess what? My one-night stand is my dad’s billionaire best friend, Jared Hawthorne. He’s my new client. Things are about to get really complicated!Business or Pleasure? is a stand alone romance book with an amazing HEA!

Legend: A Rockstar Romance


Ellie Danes - 2018
    Money, music and headaches. A town that depends on my name to make a living and I’m ready to leave it all behind. I'm tired of staring down the hill from my mansion at a town that resents me. I’ve chosen to hide in plain sight, blending in and keeping to myself. Hiding who I really am. Until she crashed the last party I’d ever have and made me realize everything I was missing. Cora Sinclair is anything but your average woman. Gorgeous with curves in all of the right places From the moment I saw her the music and blood pumped through me. A feeling I hadn’t had in years. But she came with a purpose, a night of fun and to confront the one person that is destroying her town, me. She wasn't counting on staying for the weekend and uncovering my deepest, darkest secrets that would change her live too. Legend is a 50,000 word, standalone, Rock Star romance with plenty of steam, no cheating and a HEA.

Show Me What You Got


Weston Parker - 2020
    Oh, and stupidly rich.Just my kind of alpha a-hole. Not!Never in a million years did I expect to find a devious mixture of love and lust overseas. I’m an American girl, living in Australia to help my sick momma. And she’s not getting any better. If nothing else, Mister McHottie is a great distraction. He’s a single father, which is beyond scorching, seeing that he’s a dream with his little girl. Who wouldn’t be? Even I’m falling in love with her. All I’ve ever wanted is a family, but it comes at a cost. His mother’s holding the coin purse, which is always fun. Yay me!And I have one real shot at wooing him. I’m running his big New Year’s Eve event and it’s time to put on the ritz. This guy has no clue what’s headed his way. I’m pulling out all the stops. Time to show him what I’ve got…

Erased


K. Webster - 2014
    She’s a concert pianist in New York who lives with her longtime boyfriend and is close with her fiercely protective father—until one fateful night when she is taken in the middle of the night.In a desperate attempt to access a program that could be a threat to national security, her ability to play the piano is threatened. Her world comes crashing down when her father puts his need to protect a program over his own daughter.At the last minute, Joss finds herself whisked away by an unlikely ally. She later lands in the protective custody of none other than small-town bad boy and bar owner Derek Slade. Slade is entrusted to look after Joss and see to it that she hides behind her new persona, Jill, so that bad people don’t find her ever again.Joss has been erased. Joss is now Jill.As Joss trades her blond locks for Jill’s mahogany ones, she also takes on the strength of her new persona. Jill is someone who doesn’t put up with crap. Jill doesn’t trust easily. Jill must protect the broken heart of Joss.Joss and Slade battle an intense attraction, but she isn’t the only one with secrets. Behind Slade’s silver eyes are mysteries he’s unwilling to share. Slade knows better than to get involved with Joss, yet he finds it nearly impossible to push her away. What happens when Slade crosses the line of protector? Can he protect her when the evils of both of their pasts come back to haunt them?

The Last Post


Renee Carlino - 2019
    He was the complete opposite of her, ready and willing to dive off a cliff-face, or parachute across a canyon—and Laya loved him for it. But she was different: pragmatic, regimented, devoted to her career and to supporting Cameron from the sidelines of his death-defying feats.Opposites attract, right?But when Cameron dies suddenly and tragically, all the stages of grief go out the window. Laya becomes lost in denial, living in the delusion that Cameron will come back to her. She begins posting on his Facebook page, reminiscing about their life together, and imagining new adventures for the two of them.Micah Evans, a young and handsome architect at Laya’s father’s firm, is also stuck––paralyzed by the banal details of his career, his friendships, and his love life. He doesn’t know what he’s looking for, only that there is someone out there who can bring energy and spirit to the humdrum of his life.When Micah discovers Laya’s tragic and bizarre Facebook posts, he’s determined to show Laya her life is still worth living. Leaving her anonymous gifts and notes, trying to recreate the sense of adventure she once shared with her late husband, Micah finds a new passion watching Laya come out of the darkness. And Laya finds a new joy in the experiences Micah has created for her.But for Laya, letting another man in still feels like a betrayal to her late husband. Even though Micah may be everything she could wish for, she wonders if she deserves to find happiness again.

Tempting Secrets (Tempting Nights Romance #1)


Michelle Windsor - 2018
    Or at least, it’s the name my clients call me. I work for the elite escort agency, Temptations, and for a price, I’ll be whatever you want and need me to be. I have the body, I have the looks, and I have a smile that makes any woman swoon. But It’s just a job. A necessary evil to help fund my dreams of becoming a doctor. I’m simply a robot, performing my required tasks. Until the night I’m hired to seduce Charlotte Harvey and remind her how good a man can make her feel. I didn’t expect her beauty to spark a desire in me long buried. I didn’t expect her smile to turn that spark into a flame. And I definitely didn’t expect her passion to ignite that flame into an inferno. I should have walked away without looking back, but she started a fire in me that I can’t seem to tame. Tempting Nights is the first book in the Tempted Nights Romance Series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone and features a happily ever after.

Screaming in the Silence


Lydia Kelly - 2010
    While hitchhiking across the country, she and her companion are struck by a car. Her friend is killed but Raleigh survives and her life is thrown into the hands of the three men involved in the accident. Bruised and in shock, Raleigh is locked in the basement of their remote country house, unsure of her fate. Kaden, one of her captors, is handsome and at times protective, and he convinces his friends to spare Raleigh’s life to ransom her. But the safety he provides is only from his friends, and Raleigh must face his sinister intentions. Agreeing to become his lover in return for continued protection, she begins to see a tender and caring side of Kaden despite their short but violent history. As the ransom payment begins to unravel and Raleigh's life hangs in the balance, she wonders how much she can trust Kaden. Are the feelings she has developed for him genuine or a result of her situation? Does he truly care for her, as he claims, or does he just see her as a ransom payment?

Only For You


E.L. Todd - 2013
    Penelope was the love of his life, the woman of his dreams. Scarlet knew how far her best friend was going to fall and she had to catch him. Scarlet became Sean’s rock and helped him through a very painful breakup, but her own hidden desires bubbled to the surface in the process. When they finally gave in and slept together, she thought it was the start of their new relationship. Unfortunately, Sean didn’t feel the same.Humiliated and heartbroken, Scarlet moved across the country and found what she least expected. She rekindled her damaged relationship with her brother, who she hadn’t spoken to in a year, and her brother’s best friend was attractive and interesting. Their relationship was natural and unforced, and she was immediately drawn to him. Would she be able to get over Sean, forget about him, by sleeping with Cortland, or would that just be another repeated mistake?THIS IS NOT A CLIFFHANGER*Recommended for mature audiences 17+ due to strong language and sexual content.*

Sting


Sandra Brown - 2016
    . . where nothing is what it seems and every truth brought to light exposes a darker lie.When Jordie Bennet and Shaw Kinnard lock eyes across a disreputable backwater bar, something definitely sparks. Shaw gives off a dangerous vibe that makes men wary and inspires women to sit up and take notice. None feel that undercurrent more strongly than savvy businesswoman Jordie, who doesn't belong in a seedy dive on the banks of a bayou. But here she is . . . and Shaw Kinnard is here to kill her. As Shaw and his partner take aim, Jordie is certain her time has come. But Shaw has other plans and abducts Jordie, hoping to get his hands on the $30 million her brother has stolen and, presumably, hidden. However, Shaw is not the only one looking for the fortune. Her brother's ruthless boss and the FBI are after it as well. Now on the run from the feds and a notorious criminal, Jordie and Shaw must rely on their wits-and each other-to stay alive. Miles away from civilization and surrounded by swampland, the two play each other against their common enemies. Jordie's only chance of survival is to outwit Shaw, but it soon becomes clear to Shaw that Jordie isn't entirely trustworthy, either. Was she in on her brother's scam, or is she an innocent pawn in a deadly vendetta? And just how valuable is her life to Shaw, her remorseless and manipulative captor? Burning for answers-and for each other-this unlikely pair ultimately make a desperate move that could be their last. With nonstop plot twists and the tantalizing sexual tension that has made Sandra Brown one of the world's best-loved authors, STING will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the final pages.

The Protector


Jodi Ellen Malpas - 2016
    But Camille is determined to have a life free from his strings. Out on her own, she's made mistakes, including one that found her clawing her way back after a stint in rehab and plenty of bad press. Now, after fighting so hard to be independent and happy, she finds her life threatened as a result of her father's ruthless business dealings. Caught between resentment and fear, Camille prepares herself for the measures her father will take to protect her. But nothing could prepare her for the ex-SAS sniper who crashes into her life.Jake Sharp resides in his own personal hell. He was distracted from duty once before, and the consequences were devastating--both personally and professionally. He vowed never to let that happen again. Accepting the job of bodyguard to Camille Logan isn't the kind of distraction from his demons he should take. Women and Jake don't mix well, yet protecting the heiress seems the lesser of two evils. But Jake soon discovers that she isn't the woman she's perceived to be. She's warm, compassionate, her presence settling, and his duty to protect her soon goes deeper than a well-paid job, no matter how hard he fights it. He needs absolution. He comes to need Camille. But he knows he can't have both.

Deconstructed


Liz Talley - 2022
    Her plan: hire an investigator; find an attorney; enlist the help of her new assistant, Ruby; and make her husband pay.Ruby knows how quickly everything changes. After a dicey past, she’s determined to forge a new future by working for Cricket and reinventing herself as a designer, deconstructing vintage haute couture. If anybody can help mend a few tears in Cricket’s life, she can.But turns out Cricket’s life isn’t just a little torn. It’s wrinkled, stained, and falling apart at the seams. With Ruby and her ragtag relatives—a soused PI and a hunky tow truck driver—Cricket is sleuthing her way to the truth, no matter how dangerous it gets.Sure, Cricket’s life isn’t what she imagined. But she’s embracing change and figuring out what she really wants. And that’s kind of fabulous.

Dr Naughty: A Doctor's Baby Romance


Tara Wylde - 2018
    I lost a Sunday. And now I need to find a wife. Nothing fake about that... I started partying on Friday. Saturday got kinda hazy. And Sunday'll cost me a million bucks to get back. The good behavior clause in my contract wasn't supposed to be real. Just something to scare me straight. Now the investors want to buy me out of my own company. And the experimental cancer drug? Yeah, they'll cancel that too. Yeah, messed up. That's where Diana comes in. Sweet. Innocent. Pure. And in one hell of a bind. Lost her job, and her house isn't far behind. I can fix all that. But it'll take more than my magic 'wand'. And maybe Diana will fix me too... I won't just make her scream my name.. I'll get her to call me Doctor. Please Note: this title was initially called Miss Behave, so please don't buy it twice! We pulled the book after the file got messed up - and now it's back!! Remember, Holly and Tara hate cheating, and we guarantee a Happy Ending Again, and again, and again...

A Date with Fate


Tracy Ellen - 2012
    She’s twenty eight, owns a bookstore, and is one determined, control freak of a woman. She’s decided to take the entire weekend off to have some fun. Except Anabel’s unapologetically single and perfectly uncomplicated life is suddenly upside down with problems! The cheating love of her life is back in town. Her family is meddling in her personal business. An adulterous wife of a good friend has gone missing. She’s been targeted for death by a homicidal serial rapist. An evil aunt has gone fanatic. Her sociopathic cousin has stolen her gun. The macho police chief is driving her nuts. And one not-too-tall, deliciously dark, and definitely not handsome stranger is enticing her to break all her ironclad rules on dating in the most intriguing of ways. Strange things are happening in Northfield, Minnesota. But Anabel’s never met the challenge she won’t stare in the eye while daintily spitting sideways in the dirt. Will Anabel begin to believe that life is never simple, some rules are meant to be broken, and a certain mesmerizing complication may be worth the trouble--even if it kills her? (Adult Content)