Book picks similar to
Stakeout by Karen Raines


mystery
alpha-male
contemporary-romance
doormat-heroine

Whiskey Lullaby


Dawn Martens - 2013
    All books are about different couples.Julie Walker thought she found true love with Jase. Until he betrayed her in the worst way, with one of her best friends. Devastated and heartbroken she runs away, leaving behind her family and friends. She starts a new life filled with secrets.When Julie meets Dean, she thinks he is the answer to all her prayers, but Dean isn’t who she thinks he is.Jase Gibson is a player. Even when he had the girl of his dreams, he still played. When he lost Julie, his life fell apart. He turned to whiskey and women, to fill the void. But, only Julie will ever make him whole.Nine years later, Julie's back home, but she's not alone. What will happen when all of Julie's secrets are uncovered?Jase vowed that if he ever got her back, he would do right by her and never let her go. Will he let Julie's secret keep them apart?When Julie's ex-husband refuses to be her ex, Jase must choose to help her or hang on to his anger.Jase and Julie have to find a way to give their whiskey lullaby a happy ending.

Because You're Mine


K. Langston - 2013
    She’s already working for one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston as a research assistant, and in a few short months, she will finally graduate from Harvard and collect her law degree. Everything she’s worked so hard to accomplish is well within her reach. But when Madison has to take an unexpected trip back home, she's blindsided by the one thing she never anticipated. A man who not only tests her patience but tempts her heart. Madison doesn’t have time for love and a love as consuming as his will only derail her perfectly laid plans. Desperate to escape his wicked past, Holden Brooks moved to Madison's hometown five years ago, hell-bent on overcoming the demons that nearly destroyed him back in Texas. He’s in a good place in his life. Love is the last thing on his mind until he tastes her honeysuckle skin and looks into those deep blue eyes. Desire ignites as their two paths collide and they soon find out, fate has a plan of its own.

Bang Gang


Jade West - 2016
    That would be far too regular for Darren Trent. Darren Trent – my teenage sweetheart and father to my two young girls – is not just whoring himself out. Oh no. Darren Trent pimps himself out alongside four of his mechanic friends – all of them at the same time. Five hot, sweaty mechanics at your service.They call themselves the Bang Gang… you can imagine. In a village our size I should keep my head down and hope the scandal blows over before the girls or my poor old Nanna catch wind of it. Only it’s not blowing over. Far from it. It seems every woman in the village wants themselves a five-mechanic sandwich.They make no qualms about it, either. Just rock on up to my café counter and ask how they can book themselves in for a Bang Gang special. Like I would know. I definitely wouldn’t know. I hardly even know Darren Trent anymore. We split up a lifetime ago.I definitely don’t think about him late at night. Don’t think about five mechanics and me as much as every other woman in this village. And even if I did, I wouldn’t act on it. I wouldn’t draw the money from my savings account and have a go for myself.And even if I did that, I definitely, definitely wouldn’t fall for him. Not again. Not after everything we went through. Not after splitting up the first time nearly brought me to my knees.Not after settling into a decent routine, the girls and me, with no drama, no heartbreak, no crazy passions to rock the calm little boat we’re sailing on. I mean, who would be stupid enough to risk all that over a hot, sweaty, oily bit of rough like Darren Trent?

Kane's Hell


Elizabeth Finn - 2015
    Eleven years later their lives are nothing like they once were. Time has changed them … and not for the better.Helene is smart, driven, and accomplished—her education and achievements a smoke screen hiding the frigid and fragile child wounded long ago. Kane is equally obsessed with his coping mechanisms—fighting … drinking … screwing … compulsively destroying himself one vice at a time.When their paths collide again, their past becomes an obstacle no coping mechanism in the world can protect them from. But confronting the past so they can heal in the present is no easy task. Can Kane reach Helene and recapture what used to burn so warmly between them, or will his own self destructive demons pull her into his hell?A woman determined to look forward. A man always looking back. A love desperate to be restored. “You’re the brightest, warmest star in my universe. You’ll never be less than everything to me.”WARNING: This book contains darker subject matter and violent content that may be difficult for some readers.

The Marriage Pact


Winter Renshaw - 2019
     We shook on it. Pinky swore. Even put it in writing and all but signed our names in blood. It was the one and only thing we ever agreed on. To the world, he’s Prince Julian, Duke of Montcroix, second in line to the Chamont throne. Panty-melting accent. Royal charm. Hypnotic presence. Blindingly gorgeous. Laundry list of women all over the world who would give their first born for the chance to marry him. Most eligible bachelor in the free world … But to me, he’s nothing more than the son of my father’s best friend—the pesky blue-eyed boy who made it his mission to annoy the ever-loving hell out of me summer after summer as our families vacationed together, our parents oblivious to our mutual disdain as they joked about our “betrothal.” He was also my first kiss. And my first taste of heartbreak so cataclysmic it almost broke me. I meant it with every fiber of my soul when I swore I’d never marry him. But on the eve of my 24th birthday, His Royal Highness has the audacity to show up at my door after years of silence and make a demand that will forever change the trajectory of our lives: “We have to break our pact.”

Burning Ember


Darby Briar - 2015
    She’ll never let another man take away her freedom and treat her like she means nothing.But that is exactly what Maverick Gunn, leader of the notorious Harbinger’s of Chaos Motorcycle Club seeks to do from the moment his lethal gaze locks on her. He burns her with every look. Every touch. Every word. Ember’s only hope is to convince him she’s nothing like the woman who blackened his soul before he drags her down into the darkness with him.

Resisting Her


Kendall Ryan - 2013
    Too vulnerable.I'm too rough. Too fu*ked up.I will ruin her.But you and I both know that won't stop me.Resisting her is harder than I ever imagined. My name is Cole, and this is my story of trying to do the right thing, and failing. Don't judge me too harshly until you've read the final page.Forbidden erotic romance. Read at your own risk. Full length stand alone. No cliffhanger.

Falling for the Groomsman


Diane Alberts - 2014
    He’s the one she can’t forget.Photojournalist Christine Forsythe is ready to tackle her naughty little to-do list, and who better to tap for the job than a hot groomsman? But when she crashes into her best friend’s older brother, Christine realizes her list needs updating. And fast. Tyler Dresco took her virginity during the best night of her life, then bolted. Now that they’re trapped together at a destination wedding, she’s going to get her revenge.Tyler has never forgiven himself for how completely he lost control all those years ago. Being in Christine’s arms had felt right…until he realized what he’d taken from her in the hallway of a cheap motel. And oh, how she’s making him pay for it now. The insatiable heat between them has only grown stronger, but every time things heat up, Christine walks away. With every encounter, things go a little bit further until Christine’s caught in her own trap of seduction. And before their time’s up, Tyler’s not the only one wanting more… Grab the rest of the Wedding Dare series! • Dare to Resist by New York Times bestselling author Laura Kaye• Baiting the Maid of Honor by New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey• Seducing the Bridesmaid by New York Times bestselling author Katee Robert• Best Man with Benefits by USA TODAY bestselling author Samanthe Beck

Southern Chance


Natasha Madison - 2020
     Kallie I fell in love with him when I was seven. I scraped my knee, and he helped carry me inside. Our love story was the talk of the town until a woman told everyone she was pregnant with his baby. The only rational solution was to high tail it out of town and never come back. My best friend needed a place to hide, and you can’t get much more covert than my family farm, so I came back. For her. It was supposed to be temporary, and I wasn’t supposed to see him, but that’s what happens when you live in a small town where everyone knows each other. Jacob Being the sheriff in a small town was never my dream. My father died and my older brother took off, so I had to be the one to look after my mother. I stayed. I fulfilled my duties as a son and I protected my hometown. My life wasn’t perfect, but I was content. Until I locked eyes with a ghost from my past, Kallie. I thought it was my imagination, it couldn’t be. I loved her most of my life, but now I hated her. The town gossip mill was going into overdrive. I kept my head down and my mind off of the woman who shattered my heart when she ran away. She didn’t give me a chance to explain, it didn’t matter to her then. I didn’t matter. A second chance is never promised, but now that mine is right under my nose, I’m not sure I can take it.

To the Fall


Prescott Lane - 2018
     Boy meets girl, they fall in love, two kids, white picket fence.  This isn’t that story.  This is more like...  Man meets woman.  Man sleeps with woman.  Man meets another woman, sleeps with her.  And so on.  You get the idea.I own a small boutique hotel in New Orleans, the Kingston.  I’ve seen men do some stupid stuff in the name of the woman they love, or at least the woman they love for the night.  That’s not me.  I’m always in control.  You’d be surprised how much you can get away with on just good manners and a smile. It’s the only way to keep my secrets safely locked away. And my smile hides a lot.  Until her.She turns me down flat.  Playing hard to get is my favorite game.  It’s the thrill of the chase.  Only problem is, I think it’s me that’s getting caught.

Skin Deep


J.M. Stone - 2013
    What she didn’t plan on was ending up face-first on the floor of the shop with a busted lip. Or doing it in front of the hottest guy she’d seen since…well, ever.Mortified, Emma never thought she’d ever step foot back in Skin Deep again. But fate, with a little help from Emma’s flighty best friend and a chance encounter with a fudge bar, steps in. Now Emma’s torn between taking a chance on getting her heart broken by the enigmatic, gorgeous Lucas, and playing it safe with good ol’ trusty B.O.B. Lucas lets Emma know that he gets what he wants, and what he wants is her. When Emma gives in and quits pushing him away, she’s surprised at how quickly the walls around her heart crumble. She’s even more surprised that her unconventional, zany family just endears her even more to him.But no one knows there’s someone that wants her more, and they’ll stop at nothing to get her.Recommended for readers 18+ due to HOT sexual encounters, adult situations, and language.

A Girl by Any Other Name


M.K. Schiller - 2013
    But at twelve, they become friends when he teaches her how to hook a fishing line and she shows him the value of a selfless act. At fourteen, he falls in love with her.At sixteen, she dies.Or so he’s told. But Cal never believes it. Sylvie has become part of his soul. He knows her like the steady beating of his own heart. He’d know if she was dead. Cal looks for her, prays for her and finally he just waits for her.Nine years later, she walks into the community college English class Cal is teaching. Only this girl claims her name is Sophie Becker and she doesn’t know him. Cal knows better. He’s determined to get the girl he loves back—and protect her from the danger that took her away all those years ago.

Decker's Wood


Kirsty Dallas - 2014
    I was if anything tenacious when confronted with a mystery.~ AndiShe was forbidden fruit, my friend without benefits. Is that why my malfunctioning member wanted her so bad? Is that why I wanted her so bad?I'd figure out the enigma that was Andi Jennings, and I'd have a damn good time while doing it.~ DeckerBook 2 - Bradley's Whistle (Kink Harder Presents #2) - OUT NOW

See Through Heart


Amie Knight - 2016
     It wasn’t our quiet nights by the creek or stolen kisses surrounded by a sea of cotton that saved me. It was her. She was my comfort when life threw one ugly tragedy after another at me. Until she dealt me the greatest blow. Now, abandonment, betrayal, and death darken every corner of my life. Anger and hurt burn bright where love and trust once lived. But, now, she’s back. Sure, she’s changed, but I see through it—straight to her heart.

Breaking Him


R.K. Lilley - 2015
    I gave it everything. And so when it failed, I lost myself.It changed me. He changed me.I went down with the ship.My soul, burnt embers in the aftermath. The fire of him ravaged it all.He burned me. Broke me.—Scarlett had always dreamed big. She was headed straight for Hollywood. Destined for silver screen greatness.But in her wildest dreams she never imagined she’d be broke and single at twenty-eight, doling drinks at thirty-five thousand feet.She was a glorified waitress in the skies.It had been years since she’d seen him.But one day, there he sat, gazing intently at her, ready to set everything ablaze once more.Dante wanted her. Again.Sure, she’d play along…but this time, it was his turn.She was breaking him.After all, love is war.