Book picks similar to
Taken by Surprise by Valerie J. Clarizio
romance
contemporary
ebook
unshelved
Hard Hart
Whitley Cox - 2018
It’s not just a man’s world anymore and she'll show them all she’s up to the challenge, even if it means putting up with the advances from her lecherous mentor, Myles Slade. However, Brock is even more stubborn than she is, he’s all male, all alpha—and whether she likes it or not he’s made keeping her safe his number one priority. He doesn't realize she doesn't need protection; she can take of herself and then some. Brock Hart, bodyguard and retired special operative, has never known anyone like Krista. Ever since their first meeting, when she pulled him over for speeding, he’s been drawn to her. She infuriates him, challenges him, and has gotten under his skin in a way no woman ever has. He’s kept people at arm’s length all his life for good reason, but Krista won’t stand for it. She wants to know everything about him, and that puts him on edge. But one drunken night together changes everything. Their worlds are rocked, and Brock’s quiet, introverted life is threatened forever. Which may be exactly what he needs.
The Christmas Truce: A Novella (Rosalind Brewery Series)
Palmer Jones - 2020
The Pleasant Valley Series
Anna Brooks - 2020
Fixing Fate I don’t remember what it’s like not to be scared. And then I meet him. My brother’s friend and ex-partner is everything I’ll never be. Sexy, confident, and perfect. He calls me sunshine and tells me I’m beautiful. He asks me to stay. When my past come back with a vengeance, he proves just how much he’d risk to shield me from the demons that were never supposed to resurface. Love, Me He has trouble written all over him. From his dark brown eyes and cocky smile to the leather jacket and ripped jeans, I know exactly what kind of guy he is. The tempting bad boy comes out of nowhere and makes me question everything… and everyone. He marks people’s skin for a living, but what he doesn’t know is he’s already tattooed his way onto my heart. I don’t need ink for a permanent reminder of him, but I’d do almost anything for his touch. Steady We couldn’t be any more opposite. He comes from a life of wealth and fame while I grew up in the system and am one step away from living in my car again. I see the pain he’s trying to hide, and he knows the hell I’ve lived through, but that didn’t stop us. One night was what I needed, but he wanted more, and men like him always get what they want.
Christmas Reflections
Joanne Jaytanie - 2014
She moved to California to attend college, and then went to work for a large corporation. It didn’t take her long to realize that clawing her way up the ladder at others expense wasn’t the life she wanted. She moved back to her home town, fell in love with the ‘family feel’ of living there and has a close knit group of girlfriends she shares everything with. Now if she could only find a way to make her dream career a reality she would have it all, except for Mr. Right. Colton Weatherly is a city guy who eats and breaths his career as a project manager for a acquisitions corporation. He is assigned to acquire the Glenville Ski Resort, along with the Schwartz Christmas Tree Farm. By his estimation it will be an easy close, and he plans to wrap it up in one short weekend. What he didn’t plan on was butting heads with Juliet, who is not the average ‘local girl.’ Reflecting on one’s life can sometimes lead to discovering a path you never knew existed.
Vice
Jayne Blue - 2016
That’s what everyone thinks of me. Only I know it’s a lie. They took my gun, my badge, my soul. I have one last shot to earn it back. My job? Go deep undercover to bring down a ruthless drug lord. It should have been easy. Until I met his niece, Devin. I crave her just like the drug her uncle’s trying to push. Pure and simple. She brings out every protective instinct I have. All the wicked ones too. Except acting on them could blow this investigation and ruin my chance to clear my name. And it might get us both killed.
He’s the hero she never knew she needed.
Devin - When Jase walked into my bar, he turned everything upside down. He made me feel things I can’t want. I have to walk away. Because, I know he’s a liar just like all the others. He’ll tell me he loves me then disappear. Plus, I know he’s hiding something. But, his smoldering touch and perfect kisses are almost enough to drive my doubts away. Almost.
The truth will either save them both, or burn them to the ground.
Author’s Note: Each book in the Tortured Heroes series is a full length, standalone novel. They can be read in any order and DO NOT contain cliffhangers. They DO contain dark themes and elements.
Spring Fling
Laurelin Paige - 2021
And another.I’m on the wrong side of my quarter-life crisis. Dead-end job, lease ending, and single af. It’s made all the harder by knowing exactly who the perfect man for me is: my super hot, incredibly kind, and extremely taken friend Austin. What’s a girl to do but drown her troubles in pinot and let her bestie open her an account on a dating app?If there are other men for me out there, I’m determined to find them. Spring is for new beginnings, and Finn’s abs are a perfect introduction to dating.Unless, of course, perfection is as overrated as my new app.Episode one of six in Dating Season.
Carter
Adrienne Bell - 2015
Ally Weaver is used to following the story, but she’s never had a lead blow up on her before…literally. Now one of her confidential sources has been murdered, and she’s determined to find out why. But Ally can’t risk drawing anyone else into this violent mess…no matter how skilled--or gorgeous--he may be. But a girl can’t always get what she wants. And when the pair find themselves thrust into the crosshairs of a corrupt politician who would do anything to stay in power, they must work together to expose a deadly conspiracy before they become the next victims. But while both Ally and Carter are willing to put their lives on the line to discover the truth, neither is prepared for the danger the other poses to their heart. *** Part romantic comedy, part thriller, and filled with plenty of intrigue, CARTER is the first novel in the Sinner Saints contemporary romance series. ***
Sweet Retaliation
Mimi Barbour - 2017
Be prepared for an all-nighter… She watches the mob kill her twin and is too frozen with fear to stop them. How can she live with that cowardice eating away at her self-respect? Revenge claws at her sheltered existence until she can’t breathe. Though she’s naïve, she isn’t stupid. When she finds a stash of loot in her brother’s gym locker, she has the means. Now all she needs is the guts to make every one of those low-life gang members pay. People might think detectives are hard-assed cops with no home life, but Trace McGuire has a dying mom he loves fiercely. Already stressed over his personal problems, he takes a bullet for a virgin beauty hiding while mobsters shoot her brother. This chick draws out every protective instinct he thought had disintegrated over years on the job and he becomes invested – in her hot body, her plans for retaliation and her fighting spirit. Helpless, he watches her enter the seedy underworld that’ll eat her alive. Then he sees her fight. And wonders if they’ll survive her.
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.
Dead Presidents MC: Books 1-3
Harley Stone - 2019
These fierce, faithful vigilantes are all about wild, passionate nights with the strong, intelligent women they love. This collection includes the first three full-length novels of the series. No cheating, no cliffhangers. Link’d Up: Club president Link’s search for a lawyer brave enough to fight for justice for his (mostly) innocent sergeant at arms leads him to an alluring defense attorney with a bleeding heart and a steel backbone. This isn’t the first time Emily Stafford’s commitment to defending the falsely accused has put her in harm’s way, but this time her heart is in danger. Smart, cautious, and independent, she might be just the queen Link needs. Wreaking Havoc: Julia Edwards is a recovering mean girl who needs a formidable date for her sister’s wedding. Dead Presidents MC sergeant at arms, Havoc, has a heart of gold hidden beneath layers of anger and PTSD. But in this beautiful yet volatile bookstore owner, he finds peace. Can two attempted murderers build a life together? Or will the loose ends from their pasts unravel their future? Trapping Wasp: Wasp, VP of the Dead Presidents MC, rides life like it’s his bike, at full speed with no real destination. But when he sets his sights on an irresistible new bartender with a comical little kid, he’ll have to give up that carefree lifestyle to become the man they need. With Carly’s dangerous past nipping at her heels, can Wasp prove himself to be more than a party boy with a panty-dropping smile and made-for-sin body?
Cowboy Billionaires At Brookside Ranch
Hanna Hart - 2020
The Brookside Ranch brothers get their HEAs against all odds. Second chances, fake marriages, secret babies, country stars, blind dates, next-door neighbors... This series has got it all!A Cowboy Billionaire Best Friend’s SecretA secret could tear apart a cowboy billionaire from his old best friend.Rachel Piers is a complete wreck after being cheated on by her ex, so she seeks the comfort at her best friend’s ranch in Wyoming.The only problem? Her best friend is also her ex-fiancée’s brother.Family secrets, past traumas, and their complicated friendship might come in the way of them getting their happily ever after.A Blind Date With Her Cowboy Billionaire BossThe last thing this cowboy billionaire and his nanny wanted… was love.Shelby Peters took the job so she could cope with the loss of her own child. Falling in love with a single dad while taking care of his two children was not part of the plan. Sparks fly when a mutual friend sets them up on a blind date and they realize just how good they might be together. But will secrets come in the way of them building something together?A Cowboy Billionaire Country Star Fake MarriageCountry superstar Phoenix Brooks is a bad boy with a billion dollars. He moved his entire life to a ranch once a scandal erupted, and he knew that a girl like Miranda could help him fix things. Miranda’s life was in shambles and she desperately needed the money that Phoenix could pay her. It was a match made in heaven… or not..A Cowboy Billionaire Secret BabyCowboy billionaire Bennett Brooks finds his ex-girlfriend and a secret when he returns home to Texas. He was only visiting to attend his best friend’s wedding. Nothing more, nothing less. But his heart skipped a beat when he saw the girl he hadn’t met in years – June Harman. She was a single mom and the timing was bad. But her secret was way worse than the timing. What would happen once Bennett found out that June’s little girl was, in fact, his daughter.A Nanny For The Cowboy BillionairePaige Ramsay shouldn’t have accepted the job as a live-in nanny. She’s ready to get married and start a family but her heart is now set on her new boss. It’s impossible for her to not fall for Jett Brooks, a cowboy billionaire with an adorable little son. The only problem is that he lost his wife in a tragic accident and isn’t ready to open up his heart yet. Should Paige keep her feelings to herself or risk having her heart broken?A Next Door Neighbor For The Cowboy BillionaireCowboy billionaire, Jaxson Brooks, never expected his next door neighbor to be his adopted son’s mother. Madelyn Woodward gave him up after she was diagnosed with a serious illness. Jaxson struggles with running his billion-dollar ranch while raising his son, and he never expected his drop-dead gorgeous neighbor to be a perfect babysitter. He started falling for her hard and fast but the mountain of secrets might just destroy everything first.
A Muffin Top Christmas
Tabatha Kiss - 2016
Muffin Top2. A Muffin Top Christmas3: Hot Sauce4: A Hot Sauce Halloween
SCVC Taskforce Box Set: Books 1 - 4
Misty Evans - 2015
But will their past, with its forbidden passions and impulsive choices, put them directly in the killer’s crosshairs?Deadly Deception:When passion ignites while undercover, the truth FBI agent Ronni Punto is hiding puts her mission with DEA agent Thomas Mann in jeopardy and tests their partnership. Can they learn to trust each other while deceiving the enemy? Or will their cunning foe lure them into a dark and deadly trap?Deadly Force:On the run from the very government they serve, NSA agent Bianca Marx and her estranged husband and SEAL, Cal Reese, only have each other. When they uncover a deadly scandal threatening the nation, they’ll have one chance to save the day…and one last chance at love.Deadly Intent:Immigration enforcement officer Nelson Cruz is assigned to protect the sexy, but oh-so-aloof, FBI Agent Sophie Diaz, but he can’t trust her and she doesn’t trust anybody. As the two fight their red-hot attraction, Nelson discovers a secret that could destroy Sophie’s world. Can he keep her alive, or will their careers, as well as their hearts, go up in the flames of desire?
Montana SEAL
Elle James - 2015
News that his father was shot sends him rushing home to take over the reins of the Bear Creek Ranch. His forever-belligerent father refuses his help, insisting Hank find the person who shot him. What Hank learns is the bullet was meant for the neighboring ranch owner, a Hollywood celebrity, and a beautiful actress who once stole Hank’s heart.Hometown girl, now a Hollywood mega-star, Sadie McClain shot to fame and fortune on the big screen, earning her star on the walk of fame and a stalker who won’t back off. Escaping to her ranch in Montana, Sadie hopes to avoid her stalker, only to be hunted there as well. In need of a bodyguard with combat skills, Sadie hires her old flame, Hank to do the job. Together they struggle to overcome their rekindled desire while fighting to stay alive in the crosshairs of a madman.
Honor
Melissa Ellen - 2020
Taking a job on the opposite side of the country to escape the life he'd been born into was for the best. It also meant giving up the only woman he ever loved. He never expected to see Lena Moretti again, the daughter of the most feared mafia boss in New York. But after a near death experience on the job, he realizes life is too short to not be with the one you love...even if she's promised to another. From the author of the Blackwood Series, a new romantic suspense spin-off.