Book picks similar to
Saving Sam by J.M. Northup


military
romance
romance-contemporary
contemporary

When the Music Ends


Simone Beaudelaire - 2013
    Young builder Sean Murphy isn't really in the market for a relationship. He's more interested in helping build his father's construction company. Even if he were, his sister's best friend isn't even on his radar. That is, until Sheridan plays matchmaker. A pity date quickly flares into irresistible passion. But as their love reaches a crescendo, personal tragedies and impossible decisions threaten to end their harmonious, unlikely romance. When the music ends, will these troubled lovers find a way to compose a life together? NOTE: this is a steamy romance and contains graphic sex scenes.

All for Anna


Nicole Deese - 2013
    Held captive by regret, 23 year-old trauma RN, Tori Sales, has seen the reality of many nightmares. But there is one nightmare she will never wake from—her last memory of Anna. Her efforts to save the little girl were not enough; she was not enough. After a year of living alone, Tori is forced to return home—a place where heartache, loss, and broken relationships lurk around every corner. Isolation is her only solace; running is her only escape. But she cannot outrun the truth forever. When a handsome, compassionate stranger enters her world, Tori is inspired to deal with her past and focus on the future—one she never believed possible. But before her quest for closure is complete, a new revelation surfaces, tainting her world yet again. Will she accept the recovery she so desperately needs? Or will she choose the escape she knows best...

Concealment


Scarlet Wolfe - 2015
    She is an undercover detective who infiltrated my hotel and casino as an employee to take down my illegal enterprise. What she doesn’t know is I am fully aware of it. The operation I’m orchestrating is monumental compared to anything her mind could envision.It’s the burning desire I feel when she’s near that I didn’t see coming. An unwavering draw to touch her, and the need to break down her walls is testing my restraint; however, nothing can stand in the way of my ultimate goal. She could destroy everything my brothers and I have worked toward to avenge our father’s death. To keep the upper hand, it is vital to know your enemy. How deeply can I go, peeling back her intriguing layers while still concealing the truth? How much of Victoria can I claim before she’s too close … too close for me to let her go?This novel is for a mature audience due to harsh language and descriptive sexual scenes, including aspects of BDSM. It also ends in a cliffhanger.

Reclamation: Murder at the Beach


Erosa Knowles - 2014
    If you’ve served in the Armed Forces, chances are you’ll find a friend who gets you and what you’ve been through at Club Reclamation, where everyone gets a second chance.What if someone you trusted for years stole your child? What would you do to get him back? Former SEAL Maximus Delgado cannot accept never seeing his son again and sets out to find his son, Kevin. With the help of fellow vets and team members, he leads his team across North Carolina and beyond to find Helen Grant, the older woman who manages to stay one step ahead of them.During the search for Kevin, Max and his team come across a body in a place Max had searched. With his fingerprints near the location of the corpse he becomes a prime suspect and seeks to find the murderer before his arrest. In a surprising turn of events, Max discovers he has room in his heart for one more. He refuses to stop searching until the real culprit is found and brought to justice for the Murder at the Beach.

SEAL The Deal


Kate Aster - 2013
    Yet she is the type of woman he wants to avoid – the kind that gets him thinking about settling down, spawning kids, and finding lower-mortality employment.Lacey has her own reasons for avoiding Mick. Tired of living in the shadow of her financial mogul sister, this real estate agent has tossed ethics aside to succeed in today’s beleaguered housing market. Her no-fail plan to land lucrative listings? Crashing the funerals of wealthy corpses with the hope their heirs will need to sell their homes.But when their circles of friends collide, Lacey can’t avoid Mick’s rock-hard abs and a smile that melts her into a pool of hot wax. Friendship blossoms and passion simmers... even as she struggles to conceal the unethical business plan that brought him into her life.SEAL the Deal is a full-length novel about the fine line that divides friendship and love, and the unexpected joy of crossing it.

Coming Home to You


Barbara Lohr - 2015
    She doesn’t plan on seeing Cole Campbell again. Doesn’t know he’s now a single father. Ten years shift the balance between the valedictorian and her high school crush, president of her Debate Club. Kate discovers Cole’s daughter Natalie in the stacks of the local library and she’s smitten. Prissy, Cole’s Great Dane, is equally engaging and needy. Always helpful, Cole shows up on Kate’s doorstep way too often. But she can’t give in to the SOS her heart is sending since the handsome contractor is taking her beloved Gull Harbor in an alarming direction. If there’s one thing Kate can’t stand, it’s change. Encouraged by her fun-loving girlfriends, Kate extends her visit and opens a flower stand. She pairs Natalie up with her recovering mother for summer support and companionship. With summer kisses on their minds and sand between their toes, Kate and Cole discover what might have been ten years ago, but she has lots of distractions. Her sister Mercedes is determined to sell Breezy Point, the family home. Kate’s life feels as choppy as the waves on Lake Michigan as her summer unfolds. Can a woman and man heal past mistakes in the summer moonlight? Can Kate’s man from yesterday be more than just a memory?

Challenging Andie


Sally Clements - 2012
    When his colleague Emily Harte is murdered, he feels responsible for her death, and travels to England to return Emily’s effects to her daughter.Bereaved, primary school teacher, Andie Harte has set herself a list of challenges to prove she can be as brave as her recently murdered mother, but when she’s hounded by the press the need to escape means she must accept help from Ryan. During their time in seclusion, attraction blossoms into an affair. Their relationship was only supposed to be a fling. When the time comes for Ryan to return to Bekostan, can she risk loving a thrillseeker, or is that a challenge too far?Ryan avoids love, knowing the pain losing it can bring. A life without Andie is sensible, but is it possible?

The Plus One Rescue


Jo Grafford - 2020
    So it comes as no surprise to his friends and family when their favorite defensive tackle player returns from Afghanistan with a Purple Heart for an injury sustained while saving three fellow soldiers during an ambush. He’s the only one who blames himself for the one man he failed to rescue from their burning vehicle before it plunged over a cliff. Despite his own injuries, he’s determined to atone for the loss of his battle buddy, Marcus, by devoting the rest of his career to search and rescue operations. Kristi Kimiko was first called the “dog whisperer” on her sixteenth birthday when she coaxed a wounded Boston Terrier from their burning apartment complex. Seven years later, she’s living her dream as an expert search and rescue trainer in Disaster City, Texas. Unfortunately, it leaves her little time for dating or any sort of social life, for that matter. When the hunky Axel half-limps and half-swaggers his way into her renowned dog training course with his beautiful golden retriever, she senses her life is about to change — especially after he somehow manages to coax her into serving as his Plus One at a big family birthday bash the following weekend. If she’s learned anything in her line of work, where there’s smoke, there’s a fire; and this particular hunky firefighter has a way of making the sparks fly every time he looks in her direction! Step into the world of Disaster City Search and Rescue, where officers, firefighters, military, and medics, train and work alongside each other with the dogs they love, to do the most dangerous job of all — help lost and injured victims find their way home.

Becoming Me


Staci Stallings - 2018
    Just ask her. She’ll tell you. After all, he is her sister’s best friend, “royalty” in her high school, a senior, and so talented he would never notice a nobody like her. So Paige resorts to pouring her non-existent feelings for Nelson into a very special notebook, a notebook of the words that cascade through her without her knowing how or where they come from. She’s always been like that, writing words that are poetic, ephemeral, and too precious to share with anyone else. But what happens when she loses the notebook that contains the words that are such a part of her? Worse, when Nelson starts to want to hang out, can she play it cool or will he learn all the secrets she’s been keeping from everyone, even herself? Nelson Samuels knows he’s always been a little weird. For as long as he can remember, he’s done his best to keep just how weird a secret from those closest to him. Yes, they know he writes music. What they don’t know is that he hears music in haunting melodies all the time. Having learned to capture some of them into notes on a page, he struggles to share just enough of his talent without risking anyone knowing all of it. It’s only when Nelson starts to notice his best friend’s younger sister that life is about to dare him to open the deepest secrets he holds about himself to someone else. Will he be brave enough to share the imagination side of him, or will he forever stay trapped in knowing he has this amazing gift but being too afraid to share it with anyone? “Becoming Me” begins The Imagination Series by USA Today Best-Selling Christian author Staci Stallings. This set of stories begins in the very real world and takes the reader on a journey to learn that we all have gifts and talents, and those were placed inside of us by a God Who loves us and wants us to learn to use them—for ourselves, for our friends and family, for the world, and for His Kingdom. Come along on this journey that dares to ask what would happen if we all stopped judging our differences and started celebrating them instead.

Last Resort Love


Holly Cortelyou - 2018
    No more cheating exes or downsized jobs. With fingers crossed, she lands in Colorado, but right off a storm flattens her dream cabin. But disaster turns delicious when irresistible Nick Olin saves the day. And now Vail’s sexiest resort developer is her landlord and next door neighbor.Nick’s career is on the line…Nick’s silky brown curls and teasing smile melt her heart, but Krissa can’t shake the ache in her soul and won’t trust in love. Too bad for Krissa, Nick has other ideas. With her luscious curves and vulnerable amber eyes, Nick is oh-so-distracted from his empire building. Every time Nick makes a move, Krissa bolts. Can Nick prove he’s trustworthy and just the man to heal her heart? Or will Krissa run out on her chance at love?If you love the charmingly sexy romances of Susan Mallery and Addison Cole, you’ll melt into the arms of the swoon-worthy heroes of Holly Cortelyou. Come meet Nick Olin of Wescott Springs, your next book boyfriend…

Windmera-Desperation


Claudy Conn - 2018
    Godwin goes to the cliffs of Cornwall and there sees Heather Martin.Forbidden love.Sara, Godwin's wife was not going to be set aside and so it begins. An epic tale of friendship, betrayal, passion and wickedness.

The List


Kate L. Mary - 2015
    Twenty things every girl must do before she turns twenty...Body PiercingGet DrunkFirst KissBut thanks to her crazy, over-protective father, Annie Roth is way behind schedule. Good thing it's her first semester of college, because Annie is more than ready to start checking off items...Fake IDSkinny DippingRoad Trip!!!Where it gets complicated? Ryan and Chris. Best friends. Both sweet, funny, totally hot, and totally into Annie.But there are some things on The List that Annie only wants to do with Ryan...Lost itGet heart brokenFall in love

Can't Buy Me Love


Maggie Marr - 2012
    She's my assistant. I sent her far far away to a different division within my company for a very good reason--I want her. But while I can have most anything I want in the entire world I can't have Meg. Now Meg is back and she's brought me a deal that I simply can't refuse.

Harley


Michelle Jo Quinn - 2016
    Determined to either confirm or debunk her father’s claim, she sets out on a mission to grow close to the only man with evidence to set things straight. To do that, Cadence earns a position in an elite security firm owned by her father’s old army buddy, Noah “Mac” Mackinley.Mac is the only man who could hold the evidence to support her father’s claims…But first, she must prove herself worthy of Mac’s trust and get close enough to find the truth. Her first mission is to watch over an eight-year old girl, Harley Clark.Harley is not an ordinary girl. She’s the daughter of a rock star…Despite her fragile appearance, Harley has tenacity and brilliance like nothing Cade has ever seen. To everyone’s surprise—including her own—Cade forms an unlikely friendship with the beautiful wallflower.Her first assignment just became more interesting… When Harley’s rock star father, Jax Clark, enters the scene, Cade can’t deny the instant attraction for the self-proclaimed bad boy. Tattoos, piercing eyes, and a raspy voice that sends thousands of fans into a screaming frenzy, he’s more than just a heartthrob. Worse, Jax starts to pay her more attention than she expects. She’s faced with a choice—get lured in by the celebrity world and lose any chance of finding out the truth, or stick to the plan and avoid Jax at all costs to earn Mac’s trust.

His to Take


Stella Noir - 2016
     The boy I’d always compared all the others to. But now he’s a man and he’s holding me captive. I’d heard the stories for years but I didn’t believe them. My Adrian couldn’t have done the things they say he did to all the other girls. But now that I’m with him I see that it’s true. I know he’s a monster … and I’m terrified of him. But I’m also terrified of the feelings I still have for him … and what those feelings mean about me. Adrian … Brooklyn was the only one who ever saw my true self. But that was seven years ago … and it might as well have been a dream. I had to leave her behind. It was the only way I could protect her from the truth about my family and our business. But now a debt must be paid and she’s been brought here. And my father has ordered me to break her … to ruin her. If I follow his orders it will destroy me. But if I don’t … my father will. His to Take is the first part in a series with a HFN ending. Although there is some closure with the main characters, there are also many unanswered questions that will ultimately be revealed. For a limited time His to Take includes the dark romance novel Colin: A Serial Killer Romance.