Book picks similar to
Step Into My Parlor by Jan Hudson
contemporary
romance
contemporary-romance
romantic-suspense
The Heart of Falcon Ridge
D.L. Roan - 2013
Always."Everything inside him ached for Claira in a way that was completely unfair to the memory of his wife." ~ Grey McLendon Claira Robbins technically didn't exist until two weeks before she began teaching at Grassland Academy. Her new identity may have given her the credentials she needed for the job, but it hasn't helped one whit to soothe her frayed nerves caused by years on the run. It also didn't come with instructions on how to handle three ravenous cowboy brothers intent on seducing her. Six years after losing their wife, the McLendon brothers are focused on running their family ranch, Falcon Ridge, and raising their rambunctious twin boys. They've never believed they could find another woman with which to share their hearts and family. When Matt and his twin, Mason, meet their sons' classy new teacher, hope and love aren't the only things that spring back to life. Matt is convinced she was Heaven sent to heal their family. Mason hopes he's right, but knows they have a bigger problem than convincing Claira to take a chance on their unconventional family; a much bigger, surly, older brother kind of problem. After their wife died, Grey McLendon planned to live the rest of his life comfortably numb from the neck down, even if it killed him...and it just might if he can't reconcile his guilt and desire for Claira before her treacherous past catches up with her. Author Note: Originally published as Second Chances. Remastered and reedited with bonus content for The McLendon Family Saga Series. GENRE: Western Romance, Menage Romance, MFM, MFMM, Contemporary Cowboy, Romantica, Family Saga The McLendon Family Saga reading order:The Heart of Falcon Ridge A McLendon Christmas Rock Star Cowboys (Coming January 2016) Rock Star Cowboys: The Honeymoon (Coming January 2016)
Dirty Lies
Tamara Lush - 2015
A reporter determined to get to the bottom of the story. A scorching romance where dangerous days bleed into hot nights.Luca Rossi is a wanted man waiting for justice. On the run from the mafia and hiding out in Florida, the celebrated Italian writer has turned into a recluse, fearful that the next person he sees may also be the last. Waiting in isolation, he counts the days until freedom.Skylar Shaw is an ambitious young reporter determined to make her name with a scoop. Beautiful, curvaceous, and fiery, her outward confidence masks hidden insecurities that push her to investigate - no matter what.When a plane spirals out of control and plows into the beach opposite Luca's hideout, he rushes to help a victim. Gone before the authorities can get his name, Skylar soon tracks him down. Her intense curiosity about the mysterious rescuer may lead her down a path from which there is no return.Sparks fly as Skylar falls for Luca's exotic accent and chiseled, tattooed body - and Luca finds his natural caution and reserves disarmed by the beautiful reporter. The two soon find themselves entangled in each other's arms. And while Luca tries to keep his secret covered up, Skylar's instincts lead her to dig deeper. What she uncovers could kill them both.
* This book was previously published under the title HOT SHADE. This edition is a significant rewrite of that novel.
Look Before You Jump
D.A. Bale - 2016
This here’s Texas after all. Meet Victoria Bohanan, a twenty-six year-old Dallas debutante turned bartender babe who rejected her father’s saintly sinner ways and struck out on her own – well, sort of. Her mom’s credit card comes to the rescue on occasion, but Vicki is still her own woman, with less than lusty – er, lofty – aspirations and a mind constantly limping from the gutter. But Texas moms don’t raise fools. Vicki will earn that twenty dollar tip by guessing the mistress’ name and your favorite drink faster than you can belly up to the bar. That sharp wit has gotten her out of more than one disastrous situation – until the mouth sinks her right into another. When an old high school flame returns to town with a pregnant wife in tow and a pastorate position lodged under his belt, life quickly becomes tangled. This time we’re not talking between the sheets. Sooner than Vicki can down a shot of Jack, her former boy-toy is embroiled in scandal that threatens to implode the megachurch his parents built – and send the gossiping gaggle into a tailspin faster than a quarterback sack on Sunday. Join the fun in book one of the Bartender Babe Chronicles. Light on mystery and long on…well, you know.
Thirsty for Payback
Marie Astor - 2014
Just when she seems to have hit the bottom, Ally is recruited by an undercover agency that is interested in her skills. She takes the job with only one goal in mind: payback. Getting even is the only thought on her mind as she convinces herself that her heart has no room for love–or does it?A former top agent in his field, Jake Morrissey has inner demons he can’t put to rest. Now he bides his time as a training instructor. He’s sworn off women, but try as he might he can’t keep his eyes off Allyson Roberts. When he’s asked to partner up with Ally on a new assignment, Jake is tempted to end his retirement. Will he keep running from his fears or will he find the strength to become the man he once was?
The Night Is Mine
M.L. Buchman - 2010
But a run-in with CNN puts her career on the line and ships her stateside—to the White House.Major Mark Henderson may be her commander but he’s also smitten by his very best pilot. Disguised as a jetsetter playboy, he plunges into the fray.But nothing is what it looks like at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The President, First Lady, FBI Director, and even the head of the Secret Service all have hidden agendas. Emily can’t deny her attraction to Mark, but first they both must survive.[A complete happy-ever-after with no cliffhangers. Originally published in 2012. Re-edited 2021 for improved reader experience but still the same great story.]
Fatal Affair
Marie Force - 2010
The perfect opportunity arises when Senator John O’Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed, and Sam is assigned to the case. Things get complicated when Sam has to team up with Nick Cappuano, O’Connor’s friend and chief of staff…and the man Sam had a memorable one-night stand with years earlier. Their sexual chemistry still sizzles, and Sam has to fight to stay focused on the case. Sleeping with a material witness is another mistake she can’t afford—especially when the bodies keep piling up.
Teacher Beware
Charlotte Raine - 2014
Two years later, she moves to Murray, Virginia to get a new lease on life. On her first day of substitute teaching, her new life is nearly cut short when she finds herself in the middle of a shooting that leaves a married couple dead. Luckily, she is saved by Sam Meadows, a cardiologist, but the shooter has disappeared by the time the police come around. When the shooter tries to kill Grace again, Sam and Grace realize that the killer won’t stop until she is dead. With a killer who has nothing to lose, the question isn’t if the killer will attack again, but when and who will be in the crosshairs. A romance/murder-mystery wrapped in the aspects of life: love, family, forgiveness, danger, and death.
Savage Collision
Gwyn McNamee - 2016
It’s supposed to be a rescue mission. I have to get my baby sister off the pole, into some clothes, and out of the grasp of the pussy peddler who somehow manipulated her into stripping. But the moment I see Savage Hawke and verbally spar with him, my ability to remain rational flies out the window and my libido takes center stage. I’ve never wanted a relationship—my time is better spent focusing on taking down the scum running this city—but what I want and what I need are apparently two different things. Danika Eriksson storms into my office in her high heels and on her high horse. Her holier-than-thou attitude and accusations should offend me, but instead, I can’t get her out of my head or my heart. Her incomparable drive, take-no-prisoners attitude, and blatant honesty captivate me and hold me prisoner. I should steer clear, but my self-preservation instinct is apparently dead—which is exactly what our relationship will be once she knows everything. It’s only a matter of time. The truth doesn’t always set you free. Sometimes, it just royally screws you.
Welcome to Paradise
Rosalind James - 2013
Maybe she'll get closer to her boyfriend, who hasn't been all that nice to her lately. Get fired up about her job again. Who knows, she might even win a million dollars.Gabe Kincaid and his brother Alec are after that million too, though. Mira and Scott are no threat at all, not when everybody involved is going to want to kill Scott after the first day. And there's no bond stronger than a twin's. What could possibly go wrong?Note: Despite the TV cameras, things do heat up a bit in the Idaho summer. If you prefer your romance unheated, this may not be the book for you.
Operation: Endgame
Christi Snow - 2012
Six months since Jake Madsen let Chris Robertson die. Six months since the passion between Jake and Cassie, Chris’ sister, stepped over the line.But now Cassie’s being stalked and it’s time for Jake to swallow his guilt, grief, and lust so he can save her life, even if it’s a life without him. He owes it to his dead friend and he owes it to Cassie. He’s fallen in love with her, but she doesn’t have to know that for him to keep her safe.
Not Another Soldier
Samantha Holt - 2014
I was going to divorce him and now he’s dead."After five years as a military wife, Sienna is moving on. She’s keen to leave behind the misery of her marriage to Rob but for some reason the past won’t let her go. It doesn’t help that her closest friend, Nick, is also a soldier. Unfortunately Sienna is struggling to deny her attraction to the sexy marine, even knowing there can be no future in it. When the injured soldier admits he wants her just as badly, and has always wanted her, the fight to control her feelings becomes harder. And now she’s learning things about her late husband that surprise even her. When the secrets of Rob’s life come to light, Sienna finds herself involved with some very nasty people and Nick is determined to protect her, no matter what. As the danger grows to both her heart and her life, Sienna needs to decide if it was the army that was the problem or her late husband. Is Nick worth the heartache of being a military spouse again? And will he be able to protect her from the ring of drug dealers slowly closing in?
Courting Calla
Hallee Bridgeman - 2019
No matter how hard she works, though, she feels like she is just treading water and can't see any way out of the hole dug for her by a con artist who stole her identity. When flowers she sends to her best friend with a dinner invitation accidentally get delivered to IAN JONES, she decides to cook him the best meal he's ever had. By the time she admits that the flowers were never for him, he is as convinced as she is that God orchestrated the mistake in the first place. All that's left is to tell him the dark secret about her father's widow. She waits a little too long, though, and is carted off to jail for questioning on felony charges before she gets a chance. Will Ian understand her situation, or will the deception surrounding Calla destroy any trust he has in her?
The Lies that Save Us
J.L. Redington - 2013
She purchased a diner in the quiet out of the way town of Startup, Washington and hired employees to help run it. She’s just beginning to feel secure in her loneliness. <br>Suddenly her world is jolted awake by Cayman, a handsome young stranger that enters her diner seemingly from nowhere. Event’s happen quickly, and soon Alexa is deep into secret lives, deception and desire. <br>Will she figure out the riddle of her father’s death? Will she be able to resist the temptation to fall in love with Cayman in spite of her suspicions? Will she live to tell the tale?
A Christmas Family Wish
Helen Scott Taylor - 2013
She has banished him from her thoughts for eight years, but all her feelings rush back as he plays the white knight and takes Rachel and her son into his home. The young man she once knew is now a wealthy, successful business owner, and more gorgeous than ever. Life has left them both bruised, but can they put the past behind them and start again?
Flawless
Jan Moran - 2014
After her parents are killed in an automobile accident, she becomes the sole provider for her younger twin sisters and her grandmother. Instead of attending college with her friends as planned, she rises to the challenge to guide and expand her family's business. She is in the midst of a critical international expansion into Asia when her carefully organized life begins to unravel.Verena is shaken to discover that her fiancé, Derrick, might be behind a scheme to take over her growing company. While she struggles to save the business that means everything to her, she meets Lance, an executive chef at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She encounters this intriguing man again while on a business trip to Paris, and soon gains a new perspective on love, romance, and relationships.When the unthinkable occurs and Verena's world collapses, her friends rally around her, among them Scarlett Sandoval, a top intellectual property attorney; Dahlia DuBois, a perfumer from an esteemed line of French perfumers; and Fianna Fitzgerald, a fashion designer with her own trendy boutique.Ultimately, Verena learns that truth, family, friendship, and love are the unshakable pillars of life. But will she get a second chance in business, or in love?Flawless is the first book in the Love, California series. Follow a group of smart, stylish, entrepreneurial friends as they navigate the turbulences of modern life in the business of beauty. Set in Beverly Hills with action flung across the globe, this engaging series features gutsy, determined best friends, and how they manage to live the lives of their dreams.