Book picks similar to
The Curse of Carranca by Elsie Lee


gothic
romance
romantic-suspense
elsie-lee

Intimate Strangers


Laura Taylor - 2011
    Nevada wilderness. Ignoring posted No Trespassing signs and the property's angry owner, she dismisses his threats and demands that he reveal her missing brother's location.Nicholas Benteen, ex-mercenary and former CIA covert operative, assumes she is yet another adversary intent on exacting lethal revenge for his past deeds. He will fight to the death to protect the sanctuary he has created for himself and those from his past he has vowed to safeguard. Even as Hannah penetrates Nicholas's isolation and melts the ice that encases his weary heart, she is seduced by the sensual, battle scarred veteran and the dark secrets of his past.

Club Alpha


Marata Eros - 2015
    May contain triggers.Francisco “Paco” Castillo is a bilingual billionaire with unconventional ideas about love, sex and possession. He believes there is no other half to make him whole. Paco dreams of experimenting with a dangerous reality not of his own making. Club Alpha owner, Zaire Sebastian, can make Paco's vision a reality—for a price.Greta Dahlem is an extreme sports executive whose ambition masks a terrible secret. When her mentor Gia Township, sponsors her as a player in Club Alpha, Greta's unsure she can survive the inherent risk of the game Zaire weaves. But in her heart, Greta yearns for a man who will complete her, and erase the brutal tragedy of two years ago.As the fantasy progresses, Greta comes to realize she is the loose string in a plot of murder and deception that begins to unravel. Without knowing who to trust, Greta must decide between two men. When the three are thrown together, the lines of reality and fantasy blur.Is there any way for her to know what is real?Cliff-hanger freeStandalone novelHEAPsychological Dark Romantic Suspense.

He Found Me


Whitney Barbetti - 2014
    I walked out the door of my apartment with a backpack and never looked back. I left the life of Cora Mitchell behind, seeking freedom from my real-life nightmare. But my freedom came with a cost. I lived a fictitious life for the next six years, never letting anyone close enough to see underneath the facade that was Andra Walker. I was content with my simple little life. Until I met Julian. And the moment I started allowing myself to open up, allowing someone to see through the superficial, was the very same moment the Monster from my past would return to find me.

Throwaway


Heather Huffman - 2010
    But even if Jessie could walk away from Spence, there are darker forces of evil who won't let her go that easily. In this romantic suspense, author Heather Huffman delivers an adventure from the vibrant streets of St. Louis to the caves of the Ozarks as Jessie discovers whether she can love another, whether she can love herself, and whether any of it is enough.Throwaway is the first installment in the surprisingly warm and funny series The Throwaways, twelve novels that don’t shy away from the dark corners of this world but always shine the light of hope. At the core of the series is a group of strong but often unlikely heroes and heroines coming from all walks of life whose lives intertwine as they fight for justice, for love, and to leave their indelible mark on this world.Immerse yourself in a world of suspense, laughter, and love with The Throwaways.

Outfox


Sandra Brown - 2019
    He has gone by many names, worn many faces, and assumed many personalities. These incarnations have enabled him to bilk wealthy women of their fortunes...and then to disappear along with the women, only to resurface with a new identity and his sights set on another victim. FBI agent Drex Easton is relentlessly driven by a single goal: to outmaneuver the conman once known as Weston Graham. Over the past thirty years, Weston has assumed many names and countless disguises, enabling him to lure eight wealthy women out of their fortunes before they disappeared without a trace. The only common trait among the victims: a new man in their life who also vanished, leaving behind no evidence of his existence. Drex is convinced that these women have been murdered, and that the man he knows as Weston Graham is the sociopath responsible. But each time Drex gets close to catching him, Weston trades one persona for another and disappears again. Now, for the first time in their long game of cat and mouse, Drex has a suspect in sight. Attractive and charming, Jasper Ford is recently married to a successful businesswoman many years his junior, Talia Shafer. Drex insinuates himself into their lives, posing as a new neighbor and setting up surveillance on their house. The closer he gets to the couple, the more convinced he becomes that Jasper is the clever, merciless predator he’s sought-and that his own attraction to Talia threatens to compromise his purpose and integrity. This is Drex’s one chance to outfox his cunning nemisis before he murders again and eludes justice forever. But first he must determine if the desirable Talia is a heartless accomplice . . . or the next victim.

She's Gotta Be Mine


Jennifer Skully - 2004
    Instead, she reinvents herself and the new Bobbie Jones—new haircut, new name, new attitude—follows her soon-to-be ex to the small Northern California town of Cottonmouth. What better way to show him—and his sweetheart—what he’s missing in the brand new Bobbie Jones than taking up with the town’s local bad boy—who’s also reputed to be a serial killer. Nick Angel is devilishly handsome and sexy as all get-out. In a word, perfect.It’s all going exactly according to plan...until a real murder rocks the little town of Cottonmouth. Of course, Nick didn’t do it...did he?“She’s Gotta Be Mine”, previously published as “Sex and the Serial Killer”,

False Memory


Meli Raine - 2018
    Not the best way to wake up, right? I work in a flower shop. I know a funeral arrangement when I see one. I know a killer when I see one, too. And one is standing in my hospital room right now, straight behind the man who saved my life. I can’t tell anyone the truth, because that’s the fastest way to really die. So I do the next best thing. I “lose” my memory. I fake my amnesia. Pretending not to remember a brutal attempted murder has its perks. The killer is backing down, spending less time around me, loosening the noose. The less I claim to recall, the more my rescuer, Duff, works to help me “remember.” I hate lying to him. But he doesn’t understand that my memory is dangerous. To me. And to him. Fooling everyone isn’t easy. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Except it’s starting to look like I’ve been fooling myself. In more ways than one.

The Stormy Petrel


Mary Stewart - 1991
    One evening, she is shocked to discover an attractive stranger, Ewen Mackay, in her kitchen, who claims to have grown up in the cottage. She is tempted to believe him, when another man seeks shelter from the storm. John Parsons also rouses Rose's skepticism...and more tender feelings as well. And as the truth about the two men unfolds, the stormy petrels, fragile elusive birds who fly close to the waves, come to symbolize Rose's confusion and the mystery of her future....From the Paperback edition.

Sex, Lies & Champagne (Sex and Lies Book 8)


Kris Calvert - 2018
    Undercover for the last eighteen months, his assignment has been handed down personally from the Director of National Intelligence. Meeting with his contacts in the darkness of a global and elite, members-only sex club, Tristan spends his time not chasing women, but the origins of a dangerous Shadow Broker—a double agent selling U.S. weapon security codes to Russian intelligence. When Champagne magnate, Renè Lebleu reaches out to him, Tristan puts his duties on hold for two days, flying to his birthplace in France to meet a man he’s never seen—a father he’s never known. Upon arrival Tristan is filled with suspicion, but his animosity, forged by years of abandonment and lies, is quickly put on notice by his father’s trusted confidant and bold personal assistant, Henriette—Henry—Tribolet. Meeting his match in the gorgeous and intelligent Henry, Tristan finds it hard to keep up his typical and indifferent air. But Henry Tribolet sees straight through Tristan’s steely indifference to the heart of the real man—a man with an enormous capacity to forgive. A would-be Champagne heir discovering true love for the first time. Caught in a web of lies, Tristan must defend his innocence from a malicious ploy crafted by enemies and insiders while chasing the threats of foreign adversaries across the globe. When Tristan discovers the true nature of the family he never knew, he’ll fall deeper into the perilous world of International espionage than ever before—taking Henry with him. What begins with Champagne and trust, will end in deceit and murder.

Skeleton Bayou


Melanie Atkins - 2009
    After seven months in hiding, she resurfaces at Mossy Oak, her ramshackle family home on a Louisiana bayou, and attempts to restart her life. The empty house provides shelter, but isn't the fortress she needs when her cruel ex comes calling. Mack O'Malley, former cop turned handyman, conflicted over a bad shoot on the job, comes to Savannah's rescue when the psychopath draws them into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Fearful of Mack at first, she soon discovers that beneath his steely exterior lies a resolute defender with a heart hungry for love. Will their alliance save them, or will they fall victim to the Legend of Skeleton Bayou?

Just Love Me


Shenaé Hailey - 2019
    From her college choice down to the flowers she'd have on her wedding day and what she'd name her children. With just a few days left before her thirtieth birthday, Hailey is in a sour mood. Her perfectly planned path has been horribly shattered by fate. Not only is she divorced, but she doesn't have any children, and she hasn't put her degree to use since she received it. Kane Travis has never been one to force anything. He's preferred going with the flow to avoid disappointment. Right after his thirtieth birthday, Kane finds himself taking inventory of all that he's accomplished in life. He doesn't regret much that he's missed out on because of his laid-back attitude, but there is one thing he's consistently regretted - not pursuing Hailey as actively as he desired to. Ten years ago, Kane and Hailey met and instantly clicked. Because of Hailey's strict plans for her life, she refused to entertain the thought of settling down with any man before finishing college. With Kane believing in things happening in their own timing, he offered what they considered to be the perfect solution - meeting up for Hailey's thirtieth birthday if they're both still single. There's just one problem - life has changed them both… and neither can say if it's for the better. Two old friends, one cabin, and zero chances of their lives not being changed. Will their old flame reignite and burn more passionately than it ever has, or will reconnecting be as impossible as capturing scattered ashes?

The Summer of Going Topless


Liz Davies - 2019
    No one seems to notice her - not really. Heck, she often doesn’t notice herself, except for her monthly scrutiny in the mirror to check on her body’s steady slide towards middle age.But when her ancient, practical estate car is consigned to the scrap heap, Candice falls in love with a cute, purple convertible, and from that moment on her life begins to take on a whole new meaning. Strangers wave at her and people stop to talk, and suddenly she isn’t invisible any longer.Life seems to be looking up, especially when she meets silver fox and handy-man, Paul. There’s just one fly in the ointment, one thing that has her second-guessing herself.Is it the car that Paul sees - or is it her?

A Second Chance For The Sheikh (Sweet Sheikh Surprises Book 2)


Holly Rayner - 2021
    

Unmasked: Volume One


Cassia Leo - 2014
    I have a night job that pays the bills. Every night, I put on my mask and walk to work.Then one night, I hear and see something that will change my purpose in life... forever: a murder that will bring him to me.He says he wants to protect me. And, through a series of events I can’t fully make sense of, I find myself believing him. But our nightly visits are always cloaked in darkness. I don’t know his face and he will never know mine. I was born into this world unwanted. I will leave this world unmasked.

Mrs. Rochester's Ghost


Lindsay Marcott - 2021
    A friend calls to offer an unusual deal—a cottage above the crashing surf of Big Sur on the estate of his employer, Evan Rochester. In return, Jane will tutor his teenage daughter. She accepts.But nothing is quite as it seems at the Rochester estate. Though he’s been accused of murdering his glamorous and troubled wife, Evan Rochester insists she drowned herself. Jane is skeptical, but she still finds herself falling for the brilliant and secretive entrepreneur and growing close to his daughter.And yet her deepening feelings for Evan can’t disguise dark suspicions aroused when a ghostly presence repeatedly appears in the night’s mist and fog. Jane embarks on an intense search for answers and uncovers evidence that soon puts Evan’s innocence into question. She’s determined to discover what really happened that fateful night, but what will the truth cost her?