Book picks similar to
Blood In, Blood Out by Brenda Novak


brenda-novak
mystery
thriller
romantic-suspense

The Turtle Boy


Kealan Patrick Burke - 2004
    For eleven year old Timmy Quinn and his best friend Pete Marshall, the dreary town of Delaware Ohio becomes a place of magic, hidden treasure and discovery. But on the day they encounter a strange young boy sitting on the bank of Myers Pond a pond playground rumor says may hide turtles the size of Buicks everything changes. For it soon becomes apparent that dark secrets abound in the little community, secrets which come cupped in the hands of the dead, and in a heartbeat, Timmy and Petes summer of wonder becomes a season of terror, betrayal and murder.

Shelter Island


Carla Neggers - 2003
    Thinking someone sees her as a means of derailing the senatorial hopes of her boyfriend, Hank Callahan, Antonia leaves Boston for the secluded wilderness of Shelter Island.This story is also available in a paperback 3-story anthology, "On the Edge" (ISBN: 9781551667119) which also has stories by Heather Graham and Sharon Sala.

Grave Danger


Heather Graham - 2012
    Especially when her coworker Victor leaves her alone in the studio one night, surrounded by scary creations—zombies, werewolves and mangled corpses. And then she hears footsteps.... Footsteps that shouldn't be there.Nearby, Ali's ex, cop Greg Austin, is called to the graveyard set of a horror movie after a real corpse appears. But the dead man isn't who his ID says he is. And Victor isn't who he seems to be, either. Greg quickly realizes that Ali, the woman he's never stopped loving, is in grave danger....

Reckless Heat


Lynn Raye Harris - 2016
    He's everything I ever wanted. And he doesn't know how I feel. I have three weeks left to tell him before he leaves this place forever… There’s only one way I know how to do that. I have to give him what I've never given anyone. I'm going to ask him to be my first… Matt Girard is the guy every girl wants. Rich, handsome, and popular, his future is brighter than the sun. Evie Baker comes from the wrong side of town. She loves Matt desperately, but he only sees her as his tomboy best friend instead of the young woman she's blossomed into. Until one fateful night when a reckless dare changes everything… This is the prequel story to Hot Pursuit, Book 1 in the Hostile Operations Team Series.

The Rancher and the Runaway Bride Part 1


Susan Mallery - 2014
    She took advantage of the power failure to sneak out of the lodge--only to overhear strange gunmen discussing a murder. Now she's on the run from a furious groom and ruthless killers.Fleeing halfway across the country to Texas, Randi arrives at Brady Jones's ranch. It's the perfect safe haven--big sky, horses and no questions. And since the handsome cowboy's willing to take a chance on her, she'll work hard and prove her worth while she's there.Brady has taken in enough misfits and strays to know trouble when he sees it, but something about the feisty girl with the raven curls is making him look the other way. He hopes he won't regret giving her a chance....The story continues in The Rancher and the Runaway Bride Parts 2 and 3.

Water Under the Bridge


Britney King - 2016
    So when she sees a handsome stranger walking toward her, she feels it in her bones, there's no time like the present. *He's the one. *Kate vows to do whatever it takes to have what she wants, even if that something is becoming someone else. Now, ten pounds thinner, armed with a new name, and a plan, she's this close to living the perfect life she's created in her mind.*But Kate has secrets. *And too bad for her, that handsome stranger has a few of his own.With twists and turns you won't see coming, Water Under The Bridge examines the pressure that many women feel to "have it all" and introduces a protagonist whose hard edges and cutthroat ambition will leave you questioning your judgment and straddling the line between what's right and wrong.

While You Were Dead


C.J. Snyder - 2011
    To be qualified to earn the coveted prize, a book (published in 2011), must score higher than 8.0 on twenty questions provided to six randomly selected reader judges. This year's winners were the best of the best!NEW FORMATTING!Lies have consequences…Twelve years ago, Max Crayton had no choices. Honor bound to hunt a traitor, the government declared him dead to the outside world. He completed his mission, but lost the only woman he ever loved and a child he never knew existed.And so does breaking a woman’s heart…Max was her life, her very heartbeat. After his death, alone and haunted by a dangerous past, Kat Jannsen made the ultimate sacrifice to keep their daughter safe.When Kat discovers Max is alive her carefully constructed jigsaw puzzle life is torn to pieces. But an old enemy has been watching…waiting to strike. As the danger mounts, she has nowhere to turn but to Max. She can trust him with her life, but does she dare trust him with her heart?

Knight's SEAL


Donna Michaels - 2015
    based agency, asks for help. Owing his life to former Commander Jameson Knight, Sam is eager to help retrieve a mutual friend from a dangerous cartel, until he learns the operative assisting him is Knight’s oldest daughter, Lisa—Sam’s former lover. Elisabeth Knight has waited over eight months to get into the field, and just her luck, her first mission hits close to home in more ways than one. Not only does it involve rescuing her friend, a former NIO like herself, but her father assigns one of his former SEALs to assist—the one she’d given her body and heart to five years ago. Sam had walked away when he’d realized who her father was, and she let him, not wanting to see the sexy man shot, or worse, assigned to Antarctica…permanently. Completing their current mission isn’t the issue, the danger lies in their inability to fight their resurrected attraction and keeping that failure from her father.

Shadow


Maureen A. Miller - 2015
    Sophie Diem could not see him. She could not prove he was there. Sometimes he would approach. On those occasions she tried to run. Running was pointless, though. He would always return. And he would always ask the same question−over and over and over… Where is Nathan Bethard? Sophie's boss has skipped town, abandoning their counseling firm. Now a stranger is stalking her. Granted, the man is drop-dead gorgeous, but he is still a stalker. In an attempt to flee him, she seeks a new job...in London. Surely crossing the Atlantic will be enough to deter her shadow.

If I Didn't Care


Kait Nolan - 2016
    While he might once have dreamed of a different future for them, everything changed the day her father tried to kill them both. Determined to keep her safe, Judd put his feelings aside and turned his focus to protecting her, always.She leads a double lifeNobody in their small town would ever dream that Autumn, Wishful's friendly librarian, is really successful erotic romantic suspense author, Rumor Fairchild. No one knows that the swoon-worthy hero of her series is based on her best friend, Judd. He's been fulfilling her rescue fantasies for years, and now she's ready to catapult them out of the friend zone to make her real life romance come true.Their nightmare returnsBut when the past comes full circle and Autumn's father returns to Wishful, even the power of Judd's badge isn't enough to keep her safe from the madman. If he wants the chance at a future with the one girl he's always loved, Judd may have to toss everything he's worked for aside to do the one job that matters.

Hide 'N Seek


Yvonne Harriott - 2012
    Her sister, Sydney, is missing and the trail leads to Dalton Beck, CEO of Beck Security Systems. He denies any involvement in Sydney’s disappearance, but with the evidence stacked against him, can she believe him? As she races against time to find her sister, she’s not only in danger of losing Sydney -- she’s also in danger of losing her heart. Dalton Beck is positive that Sydney is responsible for the security breach at his company. Someone is hacking into his computer system. To find the truth, he turns to Marklynn for help. She doesn’t trust him, but he’s not going to let that stop him as an attraction develops between them. But to earn her trust, he must make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save his company and catch a killer who will stop at nothing to destroy them.

Moving Home


P.J. Fiala - 2018
    Then Kayden disappears during a routine gas stop, and JT is torn between going after the woman he loves, and protecting her daughter. The Devils are known to have the local law in their back pockets, so JT calls in reinforcements. Time is not on their side and the clock is ticking.Moving Home is the sixth book in the exciting Rolling Thunder series. If you like sizzling sex scenes, suspense and happy endings, you’ll love PJ Fiala’s page turning series. Moving Home is the wrap-up of JT and Kayden's story from Moving to You. While it is a stand-alone, you will enjoy it much more if you read Moving to You first.

She Belongs to Me


Carmen DeSousa - 2011
     Charlotte police officer Jordan Monroe is used to being in control. Ever since his father died, he has provided for his mother and sisters and even hired his two brothers-in-law to help run his successful construction company. On a chance business trip, however, he meets the one person who throws his life into a whirlwind--Jaynee.Jaynee has lived a tragic life and has sworn off all men. That is until a rugged southern gentleman lands in her seating area, refusing to take no for an answer. From the moment they meet, Jordan sweeps her off her feet, assuring her that happiness exists. But can she really escape her past?Five years later, Jordan finds Jaynee on their back porch with a gunshot wound to the head. While Jaynee lies in a coma, Jordan has to go back to their beginning and figure out what went wrong. Did he push his wife to the edge, or has her past come back to haunt them? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "You'll be swept off your feet along with Jaynee as she discovers the man of her dreams. You'll be drawn into the drama. And you'll flip the pages fast as Jordan must desperately figure out the truth in time. I was and did!" -- New York Times bestselling author Jaime Rush⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "SHE BELONGS TO ME is definitely a good suspenseful read. Ms. DeSousa is a talented author and I had no problem in connecting with the characters. The story displayed a realistic relationship between Jordan and Jaynee." -- The Romance Reviews

Prime Target


Ellis Vidler - 2014
    Madeleine Schier heeds her husband's panicked call and runs home, only to witness his brutal murder by a crime boss and become a target herself. Under police security, she vows to testify. But when the police protecting her are killed, the last of her NYC life disintegrates, leaving her no place to hide. She flees, relying on her wits and imagination to survive on a dangerous journey to become someone else. Who can she trust? The helpful widower who advises her on farming? The damaged recluse who's always near? The neighbor who brings cherry pie? With the murderer still searching, one wrong move could be her last.

Deadly Offerings


Alexa Grace - 2011
    It is the first adventure in this sizzling romantic suspense trilogy.Anne Mason thinks she’ll be safe living in the Midwest building a wind farm. She may be dead wrong. Someone is dumping bodies in her corn field and telling Anne they are gifts—for her!As the body count rises, Anne realizes a cold-blooded serial killer is patiently waiting and watching her every move. And he won’t stop until he ends her life. It is clear there are no limits to this killer’s thirst for revenge or how far he will go to get it.After a nasty divorce, Anne Mason does not want to get romantically involved, especially with ex-husband’s attorney, Michael Brandt.The ruggedly handsome new County Prosecutor is the last person Anne can trust, but may offer her only chance at survival from a psychopathic killer. But will she survive the passion that rages between them?