Book picks similar to
Amanda's Blue Marine by Doreen Owens Malek


romance
romantic-suspense
contemporary
fiction

Not by Sight


Kay Lyons - 2012
    The job is an answer to many prayers. Blind herself, Emma dreams of independence and freedom away from her overprotective family. Tutoring Ian in all things “blind” isn’t easy, especially when the biggest challenge is helping him walk by faith. Protect someone you cannot see? Good soldiers show no weakness. Ian MacGregor holds his battle with claustrophobia close to his chest, unsuccessfully trying to cope on his own, too angry with God to seek comfort. Ian knows duty, honor, serving his country. So why is he being punished with this very personalized hell? As Ian struggles to strong-arm his phobia and let go of his anger, his growing feelings for Emma are overshadowed by the danger lurking around them. Emma would be better off with someone else. Someone sighted. Someone able to protect her from the person determined to keep them apart...

Dangerous Secrets


Abbie Zanders - 2014
    one passionate love story. Taryn Malone is stranded, broke, and desperate for help. But even if the sexy bartender she's been eyeing offers her a job for the evening... even if he seduces her with his impossibly intense blue eyes... even if every fiber of her heart tells her to stay with him... she can't. Because Taryn Malone doesn't exist.Jake Callaghan has been running the family's Irish pub for years now. When he sees Taryn standing out alone in the rain, he does what he's been trained to do as a SEAL - he rescues her. It has nothing to do with her full, firm curves, or her loose, golden-blonde hair, or the way she brushes against him that sends lightning bolts through his body. It's just the right thing to do. Really. But both Taryn and Jake are hiding secrets from each other. Dangerous secrets. And neither one of them knows just how dangerous it can be to fall in love...

Redemption River


Lindsay Cross - 2015
     Until one mission turns his world upside down. He left Mercy to fight for his country and escape a broken heart. Years later, he is hard. Cold. A man without mercy. Part of an elite Task Force, he tracks a brutal terrorist to his home town. And runs into the woman who betrayed him… Evangeline Videl was destroyed when Hunter left. Determined to move on, she finds another man, but discovers too late the monster hidden beneath his smooth smile. Struggling to find the conviction to live, Evie finds her life spinning out of control. Then Hunter returns… Forced to band together to find the terrorist before its too late, Hunter and Evie must learn to forgive or risk losing the promise of redemption and their lives…

Cinderella in Overalls


Carol Grace - 1992
    She takes a job in South America to help other farmers and to satisfy her heart's longing for the land. But Catherine finds a willing spirit and a degree in agriculture aren't enough. She needs a truck to get the produce to town which means asking for a loan from the one man she doesn't want to see - banker Josh Bentley. Josh might seem all business, but he too has a dream. He's come to South America to find a secret treasure hidden from the world for ages. Meeting a woman like Catherine was not in his plans. A modern-day Cinderella she was disguised as a local woman living in a remote village. He soon knew she was the promise of love and the home he'd never had. If only he could convince her to trust him...A sample from CINDERELLA IN OVERALLS"At midnight I turn into a farmer again," she warned him."Like Cinderella," he said.His face was very close to hers and she realized if she lifted her face to his and he kissed her, no one would know or care. She closed her eyes and felt her spine tingle in anticipation."Don't run away," he said. "You might lose a glass slipper." She knew she'd better run. And fast. She had a lot more to lose than that.Note to readers. January 2012 - Typos and goofs all gone! Take another look at this best-seller.

Around the Bend


Britney King - 2014
    I'm that normal. I'm just like you, only wealthier. I have it all. The kids, the family, the dog, a house on the hill. Hell -- I'm so cliché, I even have a white picket fence. I guess you could say that I've dotted my I's and crossed my T's. But what I also have -- what no one sees in yoga, or at Neiman Marcus, or during the dreadful Ladies Who Lunch charity events I attend (because only God knows why), and perhaps most importantly, in the school pick up line--are secrets.Deep, dark, deadly secrets.We all keep secrets, don't we? We all have thoughts in our heads, things we do, things about us that if people knew, they'd be shocked...right? Well, what if one day we just decided to let the cat out of the bag, so to speak.What if we decided to let the whole world in on our dirty little secrets? And what if along the way, as we were spilling those secrets, we realized that things aren't always what they seem and with that knowledge, it changed the whole story?In this book, I'm laying it all out there. The unraveling of my life. My coming undone. What one might've seen had they been paying attention.What I've found in life is people often believe lies before they'll believe the truth. Well, here it is, in a nutshell. I'll let you decide which is which.

The Heart Has Reasons


Martine Marchand - 2012
    When wealthy Hank Keswick offers him a generous sum to kidnap his fugitive trophy wife, Larissa Santos, and transport her from Charleston S.C. back to Southern California, Chase welcomes the opportunity to go on yet another "mission", unaware that his new client is really Brian Sparrow, the serial killer Larissa Santos barely survived two years ago.Larissa quickly perceives that she has nothing to fear from her ski-masked abductor although--instinctively knowing that Sparrow is the engineer behind her kidnapping--she is determined to escape at any cost. Warned by Larissa's "husband" that she's a compulsive liar and an Oscar-worthy actress, Chase refuses to believe he's delivering her into harm's way.As Chase transports Larissa clear across the continent, neither one anticipates the intense attraction that develops between them despite their mutual antagonism, an attraction so intense that it crackles with sexual electricity.Will Larissa be able to convince Chase that he's delivering her to a man who wants her dead? If not, will she somehow manage to survive a second encounter with serial-killer Brian Sparrow? Will FBI Special Agent Jarvis succeed in sending Chase to prison for the rest of his life?The compelling characters, sexual tension, suspense, action, passion, and intrigue combine to create a rousing, edge-of-your-seat romantic thriller with plot twists that will keep readers mesmerized until the very last page.

Secrets Exposed


Lisa Renee Jones - 2004
    Her enemy is her passion, her passion is her enemy.Lindsey Paxton was once the number one defense attorney in New York. She fought for those who were innocent, but charged. Her instincts were her lifeline, never failing her, as they guided her in her choices of who to defend. Or so she thought. Until she won a case she would forever wish to have lost. Her client, an accused rapist, kills and rapes a woman only a day after being set free. Destroyed by her role in the woman's death, Lindsey blames her father's controlling ways for what she has become, and runs from her career and life. Years later - the past becomes the present . . . Her father has cancer, and Lindsey is forced to leave her career with the Washington branch of the FBI. She finds herself facing the responsibility of running her father's law firm with the reluctant help of hotshot attorney Mark Reeves, a man who sparks her temper while also managing to tempt her body, her mind, maybe even her heart. With his help she finds herself fighting the emotional battles of the past, tempted to trust both him and her instincts. Now, faced with a case inherited from her father so similar to her career-ending one, she now must decide if her instincts will lead her down the path to saving an innocent man or setting free another killer. But while she fights her own battles, someone watches, wanting from the past what he had failed to get the first time . . . Lindsey.NOTE: Previously released as Hidden Instincts. Title change to indicate prelude to the new TALL, DARK, AND DEADLY trilogy coming in late 2011. I wrote this in 2004 and it was published by a library publisher and is in hardback in many libraries. You will meet the first Walker Brother-- Royce

Slow Burn


E.B. Walters - 2011
    She pretends to have moved on, is a successful artist and photographer, until the morning she opens her door to a stranger she assumes is a model and asks him to strip to his briefs . He wants to expose the truth.... Wealthy businessman Ron Noble has the body, the jet, the fast cars and the women, but he hides a deadly secret. His father started the fire that killed Ashley’s parents. Now someone is leaving him clues that could exonerate his father and they lead to Ashley’s door. Blindsided by the blazing attraction between them and a merciless killer silencing anyone who was there the night of the fire, Ron dare not tell Ashley the truth. Yet the answer he seeks may very well tear them apart. While a demented arsonist...SLOW BURN(s)...and plots his ultimate revenge.

Riversong


Tess Thompson - 2011
     In the wake of her husband's tragic death, Lee is pregnant and one million dollars in debt to a dangerous loan shark willing to do anything to collect. Out of money and options, Lee seeks refuge in the small Oregon town where her mother's dilapidated home sits vacant, as desperate for a fresh start as Lee herself.With a baby on the way and a living to make, Lee opens a restaurant and begins to rebuild her life. But just as she catches her breath, and the eye of a local musician offering a second chance at love, she finds herself right back in the clutches of the debt collector with more to lose than ever.

Beautifully Broken Pieces


Catherine Cowles - 2019
    Taylor is looking for peace and quiet away from the memories of all she’s lost. A small mountain town where no one knows her seems like the perfect escape.A man battling the ghosts of his past. Walker loves his life just the way it is. His town, his family, his brothers in blue. Everything simple and easy—until a chance encounter changes it all. When Taylor’s solitude is interrupted by the rugged cop, they find that the very thing they were avoiding might be just what they both need. As their iron wills clash and passion flares…a killer lurks. And you never know who might be caught in the crosshairs.

Burning Through Gravity


Addison Moore - 2014
    Two beautiful souls.Two seemingly innocent deceptions.Once they meet, Stevie and Ford explode into one another in a ball of lust, hotter than a July moon. Ford is assertive, dominate and in control, that is until Stevie brings him to his knees. He thinks she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever met both inside and out. Stevie thinks he’s sweet, and sort of goofy—of course it doesn’t hurt that he drips sex like honey. Stevie is starting to fall hard for Ford.And Ford is all in with Stevie.She wonders if he could ever forgive her for what she’s about to do.She wonders if she wants him to.They say love conquers all. But love never met two liars like Stevie and Ford. His lie cost her a few sleepless nights. Her lie will cost him everything.

SEAL The Deal


Kate Aster - 2013
    Yet she is the type of woman he wants to avoid – the kind that gets him thinking about settling down, spawning kids, and finding lower-mortality employment.Lacey has her own reasons for avoiding Mick. Tired of living in the shadow of her financial mogul sister, this real estate agent has tossed ethics aside to succeed in today’s beleaguered housing market. Her no-fail plan to land lucrative listings? Crashing the funerals of wealthy corpses with the hope their heirs will need to sell their homes.But when their circles of friends collide, Lacey can’t avoid Mick’s rock-hard abs and a smile that melts her into a pool of hot wax. Friendship blossoms and passion simmers... even as she struggles to conceal the unethical business plan that brought him into her life.SEAL the Deal is a full-length novel about the fine line that divides friendship and love, and the unexpected joy of crossing it.

Bluegrass Undercover


Kathleen Brooks - 2012
    And something is trying to kill his players. He’s been too busy trying to keep his players alive, while also avoiding the Davies Brothers marriage trap set by half the town, to pay attention and to the fiery redhead who has swept into his small town.DEA Agent Annie Blake was undercover to bust a drug ring that preys on high school athletes in the adorable, small town of Keeneston. She had thought to keep her head down and listen to the local gossip to find the maker of this deadly drug. What Annie didn’t count on was becoming the local gossip. With marriage bets being placed and an entire town aiming to win the pot, Annie looks to Cade for help in bringing down the drug ring before another kid is killed. What she didn’t intend on was becoming the next target.(Alternate cover editions for this title can be found here and here.)

A Cold Dark Place


Toni Anderson - 2014
    He’s an assassin who’ll die to keep her safe. His secret will destroy them both. Former CIA assassin Alex Parker works for a clandestine government organization hell-bent on taking out serial killers and pedophiles before they enter the justice system. Alex doesn't enjoy killing, but he's damn good at it. FBI Special Agent Mallory Rooney has spent years hunting the lowlife who abducted her identical twin sister eighteen years ago. Now, during an on-going serial killer investigation, Mallory begins to suspect there's a vigilante operating outside the law. When Mallory starts asking questions, Alex is ordered to watch her. As soon as they meet, the two begin to fall in love. But the lies and betrayals that define Alex's life threaten to destroy them both—especially when the man who stole her sister all those years ago makes Mallory his next target. Start reading this award-winning Romantic Suspense series today! Winner of the New England Readers' Choice Award and the Aspen Gold. Available in digital, print, and audiobook format. From New York Times bestselling author Toni Anderson. This edition features a brand-new cover.

Murder in the South of France


Susan Kiernan-Lewis - 2011
    Along the way, she finds handsome Laurent Dernier, a sexy if nefarious Frenchman who it's not clear is there to help or hinder Maggie's search for the girl. Meanwhile, her sister's murderer sets his sights on the little girl — and Maggie.The first book of the Maggie Newberry Mystery Series, Murder in the South of France was originally titled Murder on the Côte d’Azur.