Book picks similar to
Southern Comforts by JoAnn Ross


romance
contemporary
romantic-suspense
fiction

Plum Girl


Jill Winters - 2002
    Until stumbling upon her boss's corpse at the law firm of Twit & Bell almost puts her priorities in order.

Broken


Cynthia Eden - 2015
    But when knockout Eve Gray steps into his office, he's rattled. For the mysterious woman is a dead ringer for the heiress thought to be the latest prey of the serial killer who goes by the name Lady Killer.When Eve awoke in an Atlanta hospital, her past was a blank slate. Then she recognized her own face in the newspaper and vowed to learn the truth. Determined to confront the nightmares hidden in her mind, she never expects to find a partner in Gabe.As Gabe and Eve work together, their explosive attraction becomes irresistible. Gabe knows that his desire for Eve is growing too strong, bordering on a dangerous obsession, but nothing pulls him away from her. And when another Eve lookalike disappears, Gabe vows to protect Eve at all costs. While Eve may have forgotten the killer in her past, it's clear he hasn't forgotten her.

Cover Me


Catherine Mann - 2011
    But when it comes to passion, nothing is ever simple. With the snowstorm kicking into overdrive, Sunny and Wade hunker down in a cave and barely resist the urge to keep each other warm... until they discover the frozen remains of a horrific crime. Unable to trust the local police force, Sunny and Wade investigate, while their irresistible passion for each other gets them more and more dangerously entangled...

Weddings Can Be Murder


Christie Craig - 2008
    Will seeing her wedding planner murdered and getting herself locked in the dark with a sexy PI do the trick?Hired by Houston's elite wedding planner to investigate some missing brides, the last thing bad-boy Carl Hades wants is to be shackled with another man's soon-to-be wife. Especially when the gorgeous redhead stirred emotions he'd avoided for years. Now, avoiding her sounds like a genius plan, especially when her future wedding goes the same the way as her engagement ring—down the toilet—making Katie available. . . and a hell of a lot more tempting. But when the missing brides come up dead, Carl suspects that Katie might be next, which makes avoiding her impossible and improbably, especially when being with her is a whole lot of fun.

Better When He's Bad


Jay Crownover - 2014
    . . meet Shane Baxter. Sexy, dark, and dangerous, Bax isn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks, he is the wrong side of the tracks. A criminal, a thug, and a brawler, he’s the master of bad choices, until one such choice landed him in prison for five years. Now Bax is out and looking for answers, and he doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to get them. But there’s a new player in the game, and she’s much too innocent, much too soft…and standing directly in his way. Dovie Pryce knows all about living a hard life and the tough choices that come with it. She’s always tried to be good, tried to help others, and tried not to let the darkness pull her down. But the streets are fighting back, things have gone from bad to worse, and the only person who can help her is the scariest, sexiest, most complicated ex-con The Point has ever produced. Bax terrifies her, but it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize that some boys are just better when they’re bad.

Hot in Handcuffs


Sylvia Day - 2012
    Hear the purr of his zipper as he lowers it, then reaches for the shiny metal hanging from his black leather belt. It's futile to resist arrest. Give yourself up to the fantasy. Besides, he thinks you're so hot in handcuffs...Arresting Desire - Shayla BlackFBI Agent Jon Bocelli never stopped wanting beautiful professor Lucia DiStefano. She's interested in taking her first lover, and he intends to be that man. When her past puts her life in danger, Jon risks everything to save her and prove this fling is forever. On Fire - Sylvia DayWhen Deputy Marshal Jared Cameron investigates a series of arson attacks in a seaside town, the biggest blast of heat comes from sexy fire inspector Darcy Michaels—until their scorching after-hours affair is compromised by a secret from Darcy’s past.The Unwilling - Shiloh WalkerMica Greer and her former lover, ex-FBI agent Colby Mathis, once shared an intimate past and a powerful psychic gift. Now, they’ve been reunited by a bizarre series of murders—and an electrifying passion that could put them both in jeopardy.

Fade to Black


Leslie Parrish - 2009
    Not easy to do when he's been thrust into the darkest, most violent investigation of his career. A psychopath calling himself the Reaper is auctioning off murder at a deviant cyber club called Satan's Playground, and Dean and his team are forced to helplessly witness the killer's brutal crimes online. Stacey Rhodes is happy in her quiet, sleepy little town of Hope Valley, Virginia, where she has taken over as Sheriff because of her father's ill health. Nothing much seems to happen here, except for the mysterious disappearance of the town bad girl a year ago. So she is shocked when a sexy, brooding FBI agent intrudes on her world, bringing evidence that the missing local girl was the victim of a serial killer. Even more shocking, that serial killer might be someone she knows. Maybe even someone she loves....'

Reflections of Yesterday


Debbie Macomber - 1985
      Twelve years have passed since Angie Robinson fled her hometown of Groves Point, South Carolina, with ten thousand dollars and a broken heart. She knows Simon Canfield still lives there. His powerful family practically owns the town. Now she’s back, if only to return the money Simon’s mother paid her to leave. For too long Angie has lived with her regrets, her mistakes, and her suffering. If there’s forgiveness to be had, the time has come.   Years of anger and bitterness have hardened Simon’s resolve, and he doesn’t want any part of Angie—or her excuses. But when he discovers the truth about what happened and why she skipped out on him, everything changes. Simon lost the woman he loves once. Despite all that’s happened since, and all that still stand between them, he’s not about to lose her again.  Praise for Debbie Macomber   “No one tugs at readers’ heartstrings quite as effectively as Macomber.”—Chicago Tribune   “The reigning queen of women’s fiction.”—The Sacramento Bee   “It’s impossible not to cheer for Macomber’s characters. . . . When it comes to creating a special place and memorable, honorable characters, nobody does it better than Macomber.”—BookPage Published by Debbie Macomber Books

Trial by Fire


Jo Davis - 2008
    Lieutenant Howard Six- Pack Paxton loves three things: being a firefighter, riding his Harley, and his bachelorhood. That is, until the curvaceous Kat McKenna falls into his arms at the scene of a fire and melts the six-foot-six tower of bronze muscle But just as passion ignites between them and they explore new heights of ecstasy, a ruthless arsonist with a deadly secret and a thirst for vengeance becomes their worst nightmare.

Kade


Apryl Baker - 2018
    Just when she starts to think she’s come to terms with it, everything she thought she knew is cast into doubt when she comes face to face with a little boy, and  every instinct tells her the child belongs to her—that he is her son. Kade can’t shake his wife’s reaction to the boy, and is determined to uncover the truth. He’d been an undercover cop investigating Los Muertos, a bloodthirsty Miami cartel, when Angel lost their child, but he knows one thing… A mother knows her child. When they uncover the horrifying truth, the race is on to save the son they never knew from a fate worse than death—and they have to face Los Muertos to do it. With the help of the men of Kincaid Security & Investigations, a deadly game of cat and mouse begins to prevent the cartel from turning an innocent child into a soulless killer. But will Kade reach him in time?

Matters of the Heart


Danielle Steel - 2008
    . . .  Top photographer Hope Dunne has known joy and heartbreak, and finds serenity through the lens of her camera. Content in her SoHo loft, she isn’t looking for a man or excitement. But these things find her when she flies to London to photograph one of the world’s most celebrated writers.Finn O’Neill exudes warmth and a boyish charm. Enormously successful, he is a perfect counterpoint to Hope’s quiet, steady grace—and he’s taken instantly by her. He courts her as no one ever has before, whisking her away to his palatial, isolated Irish estate.Hope finds it all, and him, irresistible. But soon cracks begin to appear in his stories: Gaps in his history, a few innocent lies, and bouts of jealousy unnerve her. Suddenly Hope is both in love and deeply in doubt, and ultimately frightened of the man she loves. Is it possible that this adoring man is hiding something even worse? The spell cast by a brilliant sociopath has her trapped in his web, too confused and dazzled to escape, as he continues to tighten his grip on her. Danielle Steel delivers an unforgettable tale of danger and obsessive love, as she explores the dark secrets that sometimes lurk just below the surface of ordinary lives, writing about men and women and their courage to prevail even in the face of evil.

Chasing Justice


Danielle Stewart - 2013
    But her plans of settling into a normal life are derailed when she witnesses a prominent judge in her community committing a violent assault. Running from her own past and fueled by a passion to make the judge answer for his crimes, Piper is forced to decide if she’ll play by the rules or achieve justice in her own way.Complicating things further, Piper finds herself fighting a powerful attraction to rookie cop, Bobby Wright. Although she’s increasingly enamored with Bobby, his staunch belief in the justice system is in stark contrast to her own. She may not share his opinions about the effectiveness of the law, but she certainly can’t deny how safe she feels when she’s in his arms or how every kiss leaves her desperate for more.For Piper, the idea of finally living an ordinary life with a man to love is tempting. However, fate keeps placing the judge, quite literally, in her path. Will she decide the only way to win is to be as wicked as the judge, but with righteous intentions? And more importantly, will Bobby choose to let her go, or follow her as she crosses the line and takes justice into her own hands?

Heller


J.D. Nixon - 2011
    But she soon discovers her new boss is a man of many secrets. And what is she to make of the strange group of people who live with him? After her first two assignments go disastrously wrong, and with a ruthless competitor on the scene, Tilly must decide if she has what it takes to survive the rough world of security work.

Wooed by You


Sophia Knightly - 2015
     Single mom Isabel Garcia's blood runs cold when an innocent dig in her garden unearths evidence of her late husband's criminal activity, one she knew nothing about! With her heart in her throat, she calls narcotics detective Linc Heller, and faces another shock-- her wild attraction to the hot detective.Yet Linc's perilous profession makes him unsuitable as a potential husband and stepfather. Protecting her little daughter from further heartache, Isabel vows to avoid Linc. But the alpha lieutenant is determined to woo the elusive Latin beauty and show her some risks make life worth living. With over 5,000 ratings and great reviews across her alpha male romance titles on Amazon, Goodreads and other retailers, Sophia Knightly is sure to keep you turning the pages . TROPICAL HEAT SERIES Wooed by You, Prequel: Linc and Isabel Wild for You, Book 1: Clay and Marisol Sold on You, Book 2: Marcos and Gabriela Kissed by You, Book 3: Alex and Georgiana

Man with the Muscle


Julie Miller - 2010
    Her quest to convict a cold-blooded gang leader makes her a target. The threats point to something beyond gang revenge...like the work of a serial stalker.It takes a man with extraordinary instincts and skill to guard Audrey from an elusive killer, and SWAT member Alex Taylor fits the bill. He's survived the gritty city streets and refuses to let the captivating, determined woman out of his protection...or under his skin. But to rescue her from evil, he must be willing to confront anything--including the powerful passion that binds them.