Book picks similar to
Guarded by Dominique Wolf
romance
forced-proximity
bodyguard
arc
A Bridge Between Us
K.K. Allen - 2020
As the seasons changed, the corn stalks grew strong, and the grapevines flourished with hope. But none of it mattered, not when the soil at our feet bound us in a century-old rivalry. We’d never even had a chance. They said life flashed before your eyes on the way to death, but on that night, after my final scream burst from my throat and my world started to fade to black, I only thought of him. Of his sweet chocolate eyes, his desperately cautious stare, and his silence that carried more weight than gold. I should have died that night. Instead, I crossed the moonlit bridge and never returned. I let rivalry win. If only that had been enough to keep us all safe. If only we didn’t have a bridge between us.
Crossing the Line
Lucy Score - 2016
Xavier Saint's by-the-book rules are thrown out the window when he finds himself crossing lines to keep his beautiful client in line. His business is protecting clients-often from themselves-and as co-founder of one of the top private security firms in the country, he's seen it all. But when he's contracted to protect Waverly Sinner, the stunning and rebellious actress, he finds that some rules are made to be broken. Waverly Sinner is a second-generation Hollywood goddess living in the gilded cage of expectations. She's reluctantly playing her role while counting down the days to her escape from the life she never chose. But meeting sexy, rule-bound Xavier Saint slams the door shut on her own private prison. She doesn't trust him and will do anything to shake him loose. Sparks fly and ignite when Waverly and Xavier's agendas clash. But when a dangerous stalker threatens her life, can Waverly trust Xavier to stand between her and a potential killer? Or will their growing feelings for each other endanger them both? Author's Note: This is the first novel in a two-book series. The stories take place five years apart so my astute readers can guess that this one doesn't have the happily ever after we all love. But I promise, I more than make up for it with the conclusion of Xavier and Waverly's story in Breaking the Rules.
Unmasked Dreams
L.J. Evans - 2021
An accelerant lighting me up.”
Dawson Langley is living three separate lives and hiding secrets from those he loves most. Returning to New London and discovering Violet Banner managing the bed and breakfast he calls home isn’t just a problem, it’s a catastrophe because she’s the only person who’s ever seen right through him.When Violet first met Dawson, he was a guilt-ridden boy who branded her heart without ever touching her. Five years later, she thinks she’s finally moved on, but one torturous skim of a hand proves nothing has changed. Except for the lab she’s built in the garage and the shadows lurking around him.As the clandestine activity tangled with his boat race starts to unravel, Dawson is determined to keep Violet out of harm's way. But everything changes when she stumbles upon the truth and unknowingly turns the storm that’s coming in her direction. There’s only one thing left to do―give in―and hope they can survive the swells together.Inspired by Daughtry’s “What About Now,” comes a slow-burn, standalone romance with vibrant, heartfelt characters and an adventure that whirls the reader around the globe and back.
When Heroes Fall
Giana Darling - 2021
A disappointment to my family. Haunted by my childhood traumas. I felt so much all my life that I resolved to feeling nothing at all. Until I met my match. As the most infamous mafioso of the 21st century, Dante Salvatore was madly passionate, unequivocally bad, and entirely too dangerous to know. He was everything I abhorred, yet I found myself representing him in the biggest criminal trial of the decade. I was so focused on winning and achieving the success I deserved that I didn't notice the gorgeous black-eyed man's effect on me until it was too late. My icy heart had been held too close to his flame and now I wouldn't let Dante go down without fighting with everything I had in me. Even if the cost of a new life with him meant the loss of my old life and everything I thought I held dear.
Violent Delights
Jessica Hawkins - 2019
An untouchable among thieves. Heiress to a life others have killed for, and one I'd do anything to escape. I vowed not to leave without Diego, my first love and best friend, but if his ruthless brother has his way, I won’t leave at all.Cristiano de la Rosa is a man as big and bold as his legend. Once upon a time, he was our cartel’s best soldier . . . until he became my family’s worst enemy. And a man like Cristiano will bend fate to his will to get what he wants—even if it means tearing me from another's arms.Because in the de la Rosa family, old grudges run deeper than loyalty, and betrayal is a three-letter word: war. But this feud isn’t between enemies—it’s between brothers. And I’m the prize.
Hidden
Ivy Nelson - 2021
Instead he got investigative journalist Carrie Davenport. His hatred of journalists runs deep, but she's going to get herself killed. So he'll do what he must to keep her safe and his conscience clear.Carrie Davenport didn't look for trouble but it always found her. This time it came in the form of a human trafficking ring involving D.C.'s most powerful. And she could expose it all and turn it into the biggest story she’s ever written. Or get herself killed. And Peter Mercer seems hellbent on preventing her from doing either.When he shows up at Club Exposure, she thinks he's following her again. Turns out they have more in common than either realizes.
Collide (Off-Limits, #2)
Piper Lawson - 2022
But he won’t give up on our future.I thought I knew who Sawyer Redmond was. I was wrong.But he’s fiercely determined to keep me, and I can’t avoid him. He’s everywhere—in class, at events, in my head.He forces me to discover a side of myself I never knew. One that terrifies me almost as much as it excites me.He says our secrets can bring us closer. But there’s no way I can love the man I’ve discovered…Is there?COLLIDE is an illicit, addictive forbidden age gap romance from USA Today bestselling author Piper Lawson. It is book 2 in the OFF-LIMITS series and should be read following CRAVE. Pre-order now to devour it release day!Read less
Falling in Reverse
Julia Wolf - 2021
Built like a slab of marble. Infuriatingly controlling.My new bodyguard...All I want is to rock hard with my band, The Seasons Change, and finally live my life exactly how I please. No one telling me what to do, no constraints, total freedom.Too bad I’ve managed to piss someone off.Crazed fan or bitter ex, it doesn’t really matter, since the result is the same. My wings are clipped and I’m strapped to a bodyguard with steamrolling tendencies and a disdain for celebrities.Everyday I spend with Ronan is a battle. For control. For independence. And most unexpectedly, with my own willpower.Because Ronan doesn’t just want to protect me. He wants me in his bed too, and ceding my control to Ronan is more tempting than I ever imagined.But I’m Iris Adler, a fierce-to-my-bones rocker. If Ronan Walsh really wants all of me, he’d better be prepared for the fall.
Torn Bond
Abigail Davies - 2020
I’d been deep undercover for nine months.Nine months away from the self-made family I’d been accepted into.Nine months of losing myself in a world I’d grown up in.Nine months of forgetting who I was.But all it took was one action to springboard me back into the real world.Belle wasn’t meant to walk into the club of a cartel boss. She wasn’t meant to fall into my arms—literally.But there she was, the girl I’d known since she took her first breath. The girl who had grown into a woman people couldn’t take their eyes off.I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was protecting her from the evil surrounding us.I thought kissing her and getting her out of there was the only option to keep her safe.It didn’t matter that her lips pressed against mine roared a fire to life within me.It didn’t matter that there was a twenty-two year age gap.It didn’t matter that she was my bosses daughter.All that mattered was that she was safe.Until she wasn’t. I vowed to protect her with my life.I promised she wouldn’t get hurt.But I hadn’t factored her feelings into it.Belle was forbidden fruit I hadn’t been able to resist, and now there was no going back.Bonds weren’t meant to be broken, but ours had been torn apart irrecoverably.
Frivolous
Veronica Lancet - 2021
He belongs in the shadows. The boogeyman has a name. Bastiano "Bass" DeVille. A killing machine.Loyal to his famiglia, there's nothing Bass wouldn't do in his don's name. Including accepting his latest mission. Ruin Gianna Guerra. Sounds simple enough. For a man with his past, Gianna represents everything he hates about high society and frivolous women. She's spoiled, nasty, and downright mean. She's also incredibly beautiful and every man's walking wet dream.And he's not immune.When he finds out the terrifying secret she's been hiding for years, Bass becomes conflicted between his mission and the girl that awakens all his protective instincts.But what if it's too late?When plans have already been set in motion and mistakes have been made, can Bass convince Gianna to give him another chance? One mission. One girl's ruin. One man's path to redemption.
His to Shelter
Em Petrova - 2020
To save and protect is a creed that goes beyond simply guarding their wards—it’s a way of life. And these guys are his heart and soul, his brothers…and the family he’ll never have. Now, his next call is to find the one woman who always had a grip on his heart. Eighteen years ago, he walked away from her. But she’s thrown back into his arms—and under his protection.As a JAG Corps Officer, Rose Kilbourn never expected to be kidnapped for doing her job. And there’s only one man who can save her. Back in the day, she believed Oz was the man for her. Then he vanished, leaving her with a secret she can’t confide to another soul on Earth.If Oz had chosen a different path, he might have Rose now. But a man who’s lied, cheated and killed to save those he guards doesn’t deserve the sweetness of a woman like Rose. Still, he can’t help but steal moments while he can, and Rose can’t bring herself to walk away from the happily ever after she always wanted. Now she must decide whether or not to share her secret before it’s too late. But she doesn’t want to lose the man she loves, the man who must protect her or die trying.
Sinful Daughter
Emily Bowie - 2021
One of the good guys. Theo Fox:I’m on the verge of taking down the largest mafia family. Until, Aria Rossi. She’s equal parts sexy and sassy. I want to hate her. Yet, she consumes me, drawing me into her world. She blurs the lines of right and wrong, twisting my moral compass each time we meet. She’s become a distraction that will get me killed. When I’m forced to choose between the job I love and the girl I need to hate, will I choose right? Is there even a choice? Aria Rossi: He’s the one cop who can’t be bought, making us enemies. I want him, I hate him. He should be off-limits and yet when he puts his hands on my body I can’t say no. War is at my family’s doorstep and Theo Fox wants to be the victor by eliminating the Rossi last name. I never asked for him to steal my heart but it never stood a chance. The world is all ablaze. Will my heart survive or turn to ash in my desperate attempt to save my family? Will either of us be standing when the smoke clears?
Little Dove
Layla Frost - 2020
Yeah.Once upon a time.Isn’t that how all good fairy tales start? And Maximo and I, we were definitely a fairy tale.Not the cleaned-up, sanitized ones where life’s problems were solved with a smile and a song. We were the old-school kind. The twisted tales packed with murder, violence, and tragic beginnings.Okay, so maybe we weren’t a traditional fairy tale. After all, Maximo was more villain than prince. He was scarily sexy. Devilishly charming. Controlling, possessive, and dangerous.Especially when it came to me. His little dove.And heaven help anyone who tried to free me from my gilded cage.Warning: Recommended for readers 18+. This book features graphic language, sex, violence, and a Daddy obsessed with his little dove. If this doesn't sound like your kind of fairy tale, this may not be the book for you.
The Crush
Penelope Ward - 2021
And for as long as I could remember, I’d secretly wanted my brother’s best friend, Jace.He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had.Fast forward a decade.We were all in our twenties now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died. It was just the three of us—an odd family dynamic. Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever. But he certainly didn’t look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated. I was pretty much hot and bothered twenty-four-seven. And he was torn.The signs were subtle, at first. Like on movie night, I’d casually rest my leg against his, and he wouldn’t exactly shift away.Still, I assumed he would never…go there.Nathan would kill us.The knowledge of that wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable, though.Eventually our slow burn exploded. But more than the physical attraction, we’d developed a strong connection. We just couldn’t get caught, right?That sounded simple.Until it wasn’t.This is a story of forbidden love, broken trust, and an unexpected second chance.