Book picks similar to
Sweet Retaliation by Mimi Barbour


mystery
romance
contemporary
contemporary-romance

Chasing Bullets


Suzanne Cass - 2022
    Then she ran away from him in the ultimate act of betrayal. Two years later, Tara Hunter’s easy life in Byron Bay is turned upside down when David Cooper, her ex-police partner, appears and their chequered past comes back to haunt her. Coop is in town on an undercover mission to prevent a possible terrorist plot. While he’s recovered physically from the bullet wound, mentally he’s still scarred by her act of deceit. Reluctantly, Tara is drawn into Coop’s operation to track down a group of extremists hiding in the jungle wilderness, where she soon finds the illicit desire they shared two years ago is back, stronger than ever. But will she be able to find the courage to tell him she loves him and save him from the brutal terrorist gang? Suzanne Cass writes a thrilling romantic suspense in this game of hide and seek, full of passionate romance and heart stopping choices. Pick up a copy of Chasing Bullets today and get lost in this world of romance and deception.

Christmas Hostage


Jane Blythe - 2017
    Now it’s giving them a second chance.He walked away because he thought it was what she wanted. When FBI Agent Tom Drake arrives at the scene of a robbery, the last person he expects to see is his ex-wife. Seeing her again reminds him of everything he lost when they divorced, and the only way he's going to survive being around her again is to keep reminding himself this is just another job.She let him walk away because she thought it was what was best for him. Hannah Buffy is conflicted about seeing her ex-husband again, especially when he starts claiming he thinks the robbery at her store wasn’t random. Positive it is just another way for him to paint her as a victim, she ignores his warnings at her own peril.↝ Trigger warning - mature content, issues of sexual assault/abuse, violence ↜

Tempting Gabe


Victoria Pinder - 2017
    Megan wants to get her brother help. Neither was prepared for the electric chemistry from the enemy.While out in the desert, wealthy oil tycoon Gabe Hawke falls prey to a brazen theft. He’d joined the Marines to advance his tech skills and use them to build a premier computer technology company, but now his early prototypes are gone, and the thief remains at large. When Megan Maddox lost her mother, her world came to a grinding halt. Her brother became a virtual recluse, and the jewels left behind for her remained in his possession. But an attempt to retrieve those jewels and find a connection between her and her distant brother exposes unbelievable evidence about her brother’s true identity... as well as the dangers he faces.Desperate to keep her brother safe from harm, Megan turns to the one person who can help her. But when their worlds collide, and an unknown assailant surfaces, it exposes yet another unbelievable surprise – one that challenges her heart.This is a blending of Casino Royale and Mr. and Mrs. Smith with tons of romance to make you heart ache for a sexy hero of your own.While this story is a standalone novel that belongs to the Hawke Family Fortune, there are mentions of the Marshall Family Saga, the House of Morgan, the upcoming Brothers in Revenge novels, and even Princes of Avce characters and storylines are all intertwined in the same world.

Lover's Intuition


Noelle Greene - 2015
    On the night she meets reclusive vineyard owner Will Holloway, her sixth sense goes haywire.Although Camille’s intuition whispers that evil will strike, she doesn’t know when, why, or where.Sweet and sexy Camille is Will’s worst nightmare. She’s the only one who senses deep passion beneath his icy indifference. But tenderness checked out of Will’s soul long ago, and logic — unlike the people he loved — has never abandoned him.After a friend is brutally murdered, Camille resolves to use her psychic gift to help find the killer. Now she and Will are in the crosshairs of a sociopath with powers of his own and a shocking secret.Camille must outsmart both the sociopath and the drug cartel thugs tailing him, or she and Will won’t survive to find the love they deserve.If you like intense romance with a touch of the supernatural, you’ll enjoy Lover’s Intuition, Book 1 in the Blue Mill Intuition series.

Lost Summer


M.T. Stone - 2016
    Now I've Been Given Chance To Save Her... Hopefully It's Not Too Late! DylanWe had the time of our lives and I finally stole her innocence. Then someone stole her. Now I’m stuck in the hot seat, being grilled under the bright lights. Sitting here, all I can think about is going out there and finding her. At this point, however, it’s going to take a miracle just to stay out of jail. Unfortunately, I’m not the type who attracts miracles or even luck for that matter.CarsonOlivia Bennett is the only woman I’ve ever loved, but I lost her after choosing the Marines instead of college. Now her daughter is missing and the blame has been pinned on my only nephew. With twenty years of military and DEA experience, I know I can hunt down the bastard who took her and bring her back alive. If I succeed, it will heal some old wounds with my family and give me another shot at winning back the woman of my dreams.SummerI return to consciousness being face down on a stinky piece of cheap, prickly carpet. My head is pounding. I can’t open my eyes. I try to move my arms, then my legs, but both are tightly bound. All I hear is the sound of tires humming against the pavement. I try to scream, but my lips are pressed so tightly together that I can barely muster a moan. My mind goes blank as I scramble to think of any way of improving my odds. I have no idea where I am, where I’m headed, who has taken me or why? My heart races out of control as tears soak the blindfold that relentlessly keeps me in the dark. I find myself spiraling into utter despair.**Lost Summer is a full-length (92,000 words) stand alone Romantic Suspense with No Rape Scenes, No Cheating and No Cliffhanger. If you like a fast-paced book that you can’t put down, you will love this one!

Deceived


Danielle Pays - 2019
    Their current demand? A prominent local winery-and the land it sits on. No doubt it would only take one visit for him to charm the owners into selling.But his plan hits a snag the second he lays eyes on the alluring woman, dead-set on maintaining her family legacy. For the first time, he can see a forever with a woman. A forever that’s threatened when she discovers who he really is.Then the unthinkable happens: Declan is arrested for a catastrophic attack, threatening both their livelihoods and futures. And even though he maintains he’s innocent, Brooke’s trust is stretched so thin she doesn’t know what to believe.Or who’s really to blame. Who do you trust when everyone lies?This is a steamy, stand-alone, HEA romantic suspense.

The Watcher


Jo Robertson - 2011
    Working with a single-minded tenacity, she sets out to prove it.Deputy Sheriff Ben Slater hides his personal pain behind the job, but Kate's arrival in his county knocks his world on its axis. He wants to believe her wild theory, but the idea of a serial killer with the kind of pathology she proposes is too bizarre.Together they work to find a killer whose roots began in a small town in Bigler County, but whose violence spread across the nation. A Janus-like killer, more monster than man, he fixates on Kate. The killer wants nothing more than to kill the "purple-eyed girl again."

Borrowing Amor Boxed Set: Books 1-3


Kat Bellemore - 2020
     Chile peppers, hot air balloons and white sand dunes mix with a small town mayor, a fake fiance, and a second chance at love. Borrowing Amor: Love is a nuisance when all you want is to disappear. Two weeks before Christmas, Katie is kicked out of her apartment. Again. Rather than wander the streets and continue to work for a dirty cop, she decides to leave the city and disappear for good. But her car breaks down in a small New Mexican town, and everything is threatened when she falls for the charming mayor. Sam Freedman is the first bachelor mayor of Amor. After convincing the locals that having a mayor without family responsibilities means he can dedicate all his time to the community, townspeople watch his every move. Then Katie Andersen shows up. Against Sam’s better judgement, he hires her to replace his event coordinator. Now he can barely think straight, let alone run a town. In the midst of half-truths and outright lies, Katie and Sam desperately search for the place where honesty and trust lead to love. But they have to find it before the past catches up with them. Borrowing Love: It’s better to have loved and lost, they said. They were wrong. Ruby Freedman hasn’t left the small town of Amor in four years--not since her husband died. The memory of his fateful accident was enough to cause her to sell her airplane, and never ride in a car again. Then Parker Loveland comes back to town. Now she has to add him to her list of things she intends to avoid.After years away, Parker Loveland is back in Amor to celebrate his parents’ thirtieth wedding anniversary. He has worked hard to escape the clutches of his hometown, but when he runs into Ruby, the only girl he cared about in high school, and the only one that ever stood him up on a date, he’s torn between the embarrassment he felt more than a decade before, and his desire to be around her.Caught between memories of the past and fear of the future, it will take leaving Amor to help Ruby and Parker find the second chance they didn’t know they were looking for. Borrowing a Fiance:  She wanted freedom. She got a fiance instead. Melinda Garrett has been stuck managing her parent’s diner for over a decade, when all she had wanted was to go to college. When her younger sister gets married, Melinda reluctantly agrees to attend with her friend, Daniel, as her date. But when the pressure is on, she claims he is her fiance, in hopes that her parents’ opinion of selling the diner will change.Daniel Armstrong isn’t the kind of guy a girl takes home to meet her parents, but when he offers to attend a wedding as Melinda’s date, he finds himself labeled as her future spouse. Now, challenges lie around every corner, testing Melinda’s claim that she and Daniel are in love.

Smolder


Desiree Douglas - 2017
    She is preparing to begin her dream job when she's called home to help her estranged mother, a hoarder, clean out her mess or risk losing her house. Reluctantly returning home, nothing prepares her for the shock of coming face to face with her first love. Brody Finch may have been Greenshade's glorious football legend, but he is also the man who deserted her a decade ago, when she needed him the most. As Scarlett attempts to handle her combative mother, she's forced to come to terms with airing her family's dirty laundry on the reality TV show, Packrats. Community members with agendas of their own rally to help, harm, or just plain gawk. Unexpectedly, the cold case murder of her sister comes back into focus, and Scarlett finds her own life in danger as she struggles to discover the truth about what happened so long ago. In the midst of this chaos, a serial arsonist brings the small town to its knees. Where there's smoke, there's fire. Can Scarlett and Finch find the love they once shared and lost? And if they do, will she live through the process?

Betrayed by a Kiss


Kris Rafferty - 2016
    Her job as resident investigator at Whitman Enterprises is to track down the owners of delinquent accounts, but something about Dane’s case is off, and Marnie can’t resist a good mystery. The secret files and cover-up she finds after hacking her boss’s computer are more than she expected, and now she’s fleeing her former employer...right into Dane’s arms. Former detective Dane MacLain has spent the last year gathering intel against Whitman Enterprises, the company he believes responsible for his wife’s death. When a beautiful and intense woman shows up with information, Dane is willing to accept all she has to offer, especially when the help comes in such a sexy package. Caught in a deadly cat and mouse chase, Dane must do everything he can to protect Marnie as they run for their lives.

Meridian File


C.B. Samet - 2018
    He wants an uncomplicated assignment. As a celebrity stalker targets Aurora Meridian, the Rider team--Mason and Maxine--are drawn into the sinister underworld of the Russian mafia. Aurora and Mason fight for their lives and each other while Maxine Rider discovers the lines she must cross and the sacrifices to be made to keep her client and her team safe.

Evidence of Trust


Stacey Joy Netzel - 2014
    It’s a fault that lands her in more danger than she bargains for while camping in the back-country of the Rocky Mountain National Park. Ranger Joel Morgan is used to having the upper hand in all his cases—until he runs into the headstrong blond while investigating disturbing incidents of poaching in the park. Brittany’s imprudent lie of omission awakens ghosts in his past, making the sizzling attraction between them unwelcome. As he searches for evidence he can trust her, the monster mutilating wildlife turns his sights on Brittany, and Joel discovers he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her—even give his own life.

The Fireproof Girl


Loretta Lost - 2016
    When the constant danger became too much to bear, she ran away, thinking she could survive on her hacking skills alone.That was until she met Cole Hunter. He became the only person she could trust: her family, her friend, her partner-in-crime. Her everything. After struggling through college and starting their lives together, she believed that nothing could ever tear them apart. Until it did.When news of a brutal murder reaches Sophie, she’ll do everything in her power to fix what is broken. If it isn’t too late…---------When Cole was nine years old, he watched his whole family burn to death in a house fire. Fueled by years of obsession, he started one of the world’s leading architectural firms, with a mission to design homes resistant to fire, earthquakes, floods, and every threat known to man. Sophie was his secret weapon. She was his purpose. Since they were teenagers, he was determined to build a better life for her, so she could finally be safe, and they could be together. But disaster has always followed Cole around, ripping away everything he loves. This time, if he isn’t careful…His enemies might just take him down.

Brutal Obsession


Kennedy Layne - 2016
    That was six years ago and he's finally ready to ease off the accelerator. A unique opportunity to work for a top-shelf security and investigations firm in Florida is right up his alley.Ashlyn Ellis had everything she'd ever wanted--a high-profile career as a federal prosecutor, an upscale apartment in the city, and a beach house for when she needed to decompress from all the stress that accompanied the job. All three are threatened when she realizes someone has been following her every move for a very long time.When Ashlyn comprehends the lengths her pursuer is willing to take things, she calls in a favor. She never expected her plea for assistance to materialize in the form of Keane Sanderson--the one man who had every reason to revel in her misfortune. She's finally given the chance to rekindle the flames of desire she never should have extinguished, just in time for it all to be taken away when the stalker takes his obsession a step too far.Series Description: Safeguard Security & Investigations (SSI) is owned and operated by Townes Calvert, a retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant who returned home to the States a bit more damaged than he'd care to admit. Not that anyone could tell outside of a very select group of former active duty buddies. It had taken Townes quite a while to acclimate to civilian life and he'd kept himself busy in the interim working in treacherous situations with even more dangerous friends. The final result is a close-knit unit of highly trained former military men who have the experience to protect the innocent, investigate crimes on the gritty edge, and aid local law enforcement when justice has taken a back seat to political correctness. Follow along as Kennedy Layne conveys each of their gripping stories as they work together on investigations that lead them down perilous paths of passion, intrigue, and suspense...

Prince Charming Undercover


Debra Salonen - 2018
    Their Gypsy fortuneteller mother predicted each would marry a prince…of sorts. She’s a princess with more to lose than her dowry. Las Vegas restaurateur Grace Parlier doesn’t gamble, but she’s risking her dowry on a new business with her late father’s friend because casino owner Charles Harmon has what she wants: location, location, location. The money may have been earmarked for a wedding, but everyone knows Grace has terrible taste in men. Look at the way her heart races every time her family’s latest Romani rescue comes close. But how could an ex-con from Detroit possibly be the prince she was meant to marry? He’s a Detroit cop with no skin in the game—or so he wants to believe. Nick Lightner goes undercover in Vegas for one reason only: to take down scumbag Charles Harmon. Does he believe Lucky Chuck is a human serpent threatening his birth father’s family? Hell, no. Nick knows who he is and where his allegiance lies. Certainly not with a sexy “princess” who makes the few drops of Romani blood in his veins run hotter than a winning streak at the craps table. His heart maintains a safe distance…until the princess takes a bullet meant for him, then all bets are off. PRINCE CHARMING UNDERCOVER is Book 1 in the Betting On Love series. If you're a fan of romance with a side of suspense, you'll love this action-packed story that introduces you to the kind of family Debra Salonen--winner of Romantic Times Reviewer's Career Achievement "Series Storyteller of the Year" award in 2006--is known for. “Debra Salonen captures reader attention with multifaceted characters, layered conflict and fast pacing.”
—Pamela Cohen, Romantic Times Buy PRINCE CHARMING UNDERCOVER--the perfect "staycation." Visit Las Vegas without leaving home. But remember, when your heart's on the line, there’s no such thing as a safe bet.