Book picks similar to
Trapped by Carol Ann Erhardt


romance
romantic-suspense
mystery
christian

Winter Trees


Kim Stokely - 2014
    Ginny struggles to make the holidays joyful for the residents, while still mourning the death of her fiancé. Edith and Frank decide it’s time for an intervention. The two conspire to play matchmaker between Ginny and Chester. The task isn’t an easy one. Ginny must find a way to let go of her grief and Chester’s past may stop any romance from growing. But the two matchmakers are nothing if not persistent. They’ve lived too long, and learned too much, to give up hope. They know that barren winter trees bloom again in the spring and everyone deserves a second chance at love. Semi-finalist Christian Writers Guild’s Operation First Novel Contest 2010

Love to the Highest Bidder


Rachel Ann Nunes - 1998
    Jared is a buyer for an exclusive New York gallery. Sparks fly as the two come head to head in a bidding war for a hideous but very expensive Indian Buddha from the Kushan period. Each is determined to win the statue, but others also want the Buddha—at any cost. Thugs, art forgers, the FBI, or Jared’s beautiful and alluring boss . . . who will end up with the statue? During a string of hair-raising exploits, Cassi and Jared are forced to develop a tentative friendship that deepens into romance. Will they survive long enough to see it through? Best-selling author Rachel Ann Nunes has crafted a wonderfully intriguing and romantic drama in this fast-moving novel, bringing two idealistic young people together from opposite edges of the continent and allowing them, in their own way, to find an unexpected connection. In the end, their very lives depend on the trust they’ve developed. If you love romance and excitement that you're not embarassed to share with your daughter or your mother, you’ll be captivated by A Bid for Love.

Shame


Greg Garrett - 2009
    He certainly thought there'd be more to it than his ramshackle Oklahoma farm and a mundane job coaching basketball at his old high school. He questions his fatherhood skills too: his oldest son won't speak to him, his younger son wants to quit the basketball team, and now his daughter wants to go out on dates. He loves his wife, but the marriage has settled into complacency. Now his twentieth high school reunion looms and he has agreed to play in an exhibition game at the reunion, which is sure to be a wretched joke. And his ex-girlfriend's back in town, newly single. Twenty years is plenty long enough for a man to mope after what might have been. It's time for John to make himself understand that.Professor of English at Baylor University, Greg Garrett is an award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction. His critically acclaimed novel Free Bird was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the best first novels of 2002. He resides in Austin, Texas.

Tropical Dreams


Kelly Cozzone - 2008
    She can't escape the devastation of anger and pain. Bringing Tropical Dreams to life is the culmination of facing all life has dealt to her. The same life that taught her trusting someone carried dire consequences. Until David Murphy walked into her club. He made her want to trust again, made her want to love again. What she didn't know was someone wasn't about to let that happen. They wanted her dead! Can David keep her alive long enough to find out who is after her? Can he put aside his own demons for her? Can they overcome deceit, betrayal and more death? Or will life finally take its toll!

Love Me If You Must


Nicole Young - 2007
    For a start she discovers something unsettling in the basement that interests the police officer next door.

Honey Creek Homecoming


Barbara Kaylor - 2013
    When her step-grandmother sends for her, Olivia returns with a plan. To marry the town’s wealthiest bachelor, Payton Vance. But things go quickly awry for the self-absorbed, arrogant, and angry woman. Secrets in her past, the devotion of a woman longing to be her grandmother, a destitute family, and Rusty Baker, the guy she humiliated in high school all push Olivia into an emotional battle only a Savior could help her win. Over a short amount of time, Olivia learns she can’t make it alone no matter how independent, ambitious, and stubborn she is. Something spiritual is at play here. Her return to Honey Creek was no random happening. God has chosen this particular time and place to give Olivia a choice. Either trust Him or lose everything.

Runner Up


Leah Banicki - 2012
    Last year's runner up was the 'good guy' heart throb Anthony Capriccio, who won over every good girl's heart when he showed off his sweet nature and his stunning good looks. Though successful in her career as a professional photographer, Hannah had been a flop on the dating scene. Would the lights and drama of a TV crew, twenty-five beautiful woman, and one good looking guy be too much? From the hearth of a Scottish castle, to expansive Australia, to the busy streets of London, Hannah Parker will find out if she is up to the task of catching her very own Prince Charming. -Appropriate for young teens and older-

Secrets


Kristen Heitzmann - 2004
    What happened all those years ago, and what is it she so desperately needs him to find? The old villa in Sonoma holds the answers, but it is now owned by a young woman who neither knows nor cares about his mission. But Rese Barret is a force to contend with, and her own impending storm could sweep him up as their sparring creates a fierce and uncomfortable attraction. From bestselling author Kristen Heitzmann.

To Dance Once More


Sherri Wilson Johnson - 2011
    While her sisters happily prepare for their traditional roles as women and talk of courting, Lydia dreams of adventure and independence. She counts the days until she can leave home to explore the world, to dance with cultured gentlemen, to explore politics and art, to leave behind the confining expectations of her family and community—and her God. Even her friendship with handsome Hamilton Scarbrough isn’t enough to hold her back…until they dance, and her heart considers love. Confused by her heart's betrayal, Lydia struggles to gain her independence. Then she overhears a private conversation about a business deal that has everything to do with her future. Now she’s faced with the biggest decision of her life—to concede or to fight. Either choice will require great sacrifice…and, perhaps, countless rewards. In an attempt to escape her imminent destiny, Lydia scrambles to find a solution—at all costs. Amidst the trials that follow, as Lydia runs out of time, she learns the meaning of sacrifice, forgiveness, hope and faith. Will she ever experience the freedom she's so longed for, or will her desires change in light of her circumstances? Will she ever be able TO DANCE ONCE MORE? Romance. Scandal. Desperation. Hope.

The Forever Stone


Gloria Repp - 2012
    . .A beautiful glass paperweight . . .Escape to the wilderness."Don't bury yourself in that wilderness!" her relatives say. "Even though you're a widow, you're still young." No matter what they think, Madeleine decides to go. She'll help her aunt restore the old house; she'll sign up for an online baking course; and she'll bury--yes, bury--those terrible memories. ''From now on," she tells herself, "I'm going to be strong and independent." Her plan seems to be working, except for the panic attacks, until she has to deflect the attentions of two men.The doctor, who has a fire-scarred past, is not upset by her panic attacks and knows he can help her to heal. The writer, who conceals more than one secret, admires her spirit and is certain that she needs him.God uses both men and her father's gift of a floral paperweight to remind her of His enduring "forever love," and as she yields to Him, she finds the courage to take a new and challenging path.

Bad Medicine


J.D. Faver - 2012
    Rafael never gave up hoping for Chloe’s return. She inherits her father’s shrimp boat and irascible crew, enabling her to make a living. Rafael’s passion breaks down her emotional barriers, but her impetuous nature draws her into a cruel vortex where she runs afoul of old and new enemies. Previous rivalries emerge, pitting Rafael against the heir-apparent to a crime dynasty. With the body count rising, Rafael and Chloe battle an infatuated but vicious drug lord, kidnappers, and a twisted curandero (Mexican healer). Will they survive the violence and be able to forge a life together?

Necessary Proof


Camy Tang - 2014
    After opening his heart to Jesus in prison, Alex Villa has left his criminal past behind him. However, his efforts to take down a gang producing meth in Sonoma have made him a target. Set up to look like he’s being bribed by the gang, the police blame him for the death of a cop. Only the evidence on an encrypted laptop can prove he’s innocent. Software engineer Jane Lawton has been betrayed by the men closest to her, including a God she thought would protect her. She won’t let Alex down, because she knows what it feels like to be disbelieved and abandoned. However, the men after them have orders to repossess the evidence and make sure Jane and Alex take their knowledge to the grave. Can they prove Alex’s innocence before time runs out for them both? (Those of you who have read my Love Inspired Suspense, FORMULA FOR DANGER, will have met Jane and Alex as minor characters in that book. I'm so excited to finally write their own love story!) Camy Tang's Sonoma series: #1: Deadly Intent #2: Formula for Danger #3: Stalker in the Shadows #4: Narrow Escape #4.1: Necessary Proof (novella)#4.2: Unshakeable Pursuit (novella)#5: Treacherous Intent (coming December 2014) Excerpt: Jane Lawton nearly dropped her steaming pot of Mac-N-Cheese at the sound of a powerful fist knocking at her apartment door. "Coming!" She spooned the gooey, bad-for-you goodness into a bowl, then ran some water in the pot in the sink. The urgent knocking sounded again. Somehow it didn't sound like one of her neighbors, wanting Jane's help with a computer problem. She looked through the peephole. She felt a sharp pulse at the base of her throat. "Alex?" She opened the door. Normally a walking Calvin Klein ad, he now had a grim, serious cast to his face as he hurriedly entered her apartment with a messenger bag slung across one broad shoulder. "Quick, close the door." "What's going on?" She locked the deadbolt. It frightened her that he looked so different now, lacking his usual smile and dimples. "I need your help, Jane." She couldn't control the bitterness that burned the back of her throat. It seemed that was the only thing she was good for, helping the men in her life so they could leave her and move on. She swallowed and said carefully, "Doing what?" He pulled a laptop from his messenger bag. "There's information on this that I need, but I'm not sure if there's any type of security protecting it." "Whoa." Jane took a step back. "You're saying that's not your laptop, and you want me to get into it? What's going on?" She knew he had been in prison for a few years, but she thought he'd put his illegal past behind him. He scrubbed his hand over his high forehead. "It's not what it looks like." "That makes it sound even worse." He exhaled and seemed to study her. His intent, dark eyes made her squirm. She knew she'd changed a lot in the past year. She'd only spoken to him once in all that time, a few months ago at the party celebrating his brother's engagement to Rachel, Jane's second cousin but as close as a sister. After a minute or two of chit-chat, he had been quick to leave her to speak to Detective Carter, which had given her a pang even though she hadn't been in a sociable mood. What a difference from when she and Alex had first met years ago. He had seemed interested in her, but she'd been ... She shoved the memories aside. "I'm only going to ask this one more time. What's going on?" "I just ... I can trust you, right?" "Trust me with what?"

They Almost Always Come Home


Cynthia Ruchti - 2009
    Their marriage might have survived if their daughter Lacey hadn't died . . . and if Greg hadn't been responsible. Libby enlists the aid of her wilderness savvy father-in-law and her faith-walking best friend to help her search for clues to her husband's disappearance...if for no other reason than to free her to move on. What the trio discovers in the search upends Libby's presumptions about her husband and rearranges her faith.

Safe in His Arms


Juliette Duncan - 2021
    HE SAYS HE’S SURVIVINGOutdoor instructor Max Carlton lives a peaceful and tranquil life in the mountains. He’s not hiding, he simply loves the freedom wilderness living brings. The downside is that sometimes he has to deal with people.Including Junia Fox, the attractive case worker who arrives with a group of troubled teens for a week-long retreat.City dwelling Junia prays the retreat will be just what the teens need. She knows what it’s like to be misjudged and shunned. Plus, the week-long escape from the city might do her good as well.It’s a pity the ruggedly handsome instructor is so offhand and rude.DANGER LURKS IN THE MOUNTAINSDespite their dislike for each other, Max and Junia are thrown together in a fight for survival when one of the teens places the whole group in danger. Can they get past their differences and learn to trust each other? Can Max protect Junia—and her carefully guarded heart? Or will his beloved mountains ultimately become their death trap?The Heroes of Eastbrooke series features clean, Christian, pulse-pounding romantic suspense in and around the picturesque town of Eastbrooke. Each book stands alone. Grab your copy now.

Remember Love


Jessica Nelson - 2013
    After years away, Alec Munroe has returned, a successful businessman who is snooping around her bookstore with an avaricious gleam in his eye. She’d like to tell him to leave, despite still being in love with him, but the secret she's kept all these years demands to be told. Alec Munroe has been successful in all ways but one: he has never been able to escape his memories of Katrina Ross. When he discovers the secret she's kept from him, he's faced with hard decisions. Justice or the forgiveness God calls him to offer...Can Alec and Katrina leave the past behind to embrace the promise of a love they have never forgotten?