Book picks similar to
Gathering Storm by Sara Claridge


romance
freebie
contemporary-romance
suspense

Seducing Summer


Serenity Woods - 2016
    Four seasons. Four ways to fall in love.Book 1: Seducing Summer When a CEO falls in love with her PA, it can only lead to trouble…Callie Summer, CEO of The Four Seasons lingerie business, is in shock. She’d expected her new PA to be a middle-aged frump, but Jean turns out to be Gene, and he’s neither middle-aged, nor anything like a frump. When the gorgeous Bond-lookalike insists he’ll be the perfect companion on her business trip around the country, Callie agrees to give him a trial. Having recently found her ex in bed with another woman, she’s not looking for love. But a little bit of private lusting never did anyone any harm.Once a military journalist with the New Zealand Army, Gene now runs his own security firm. Hired by Callie’s mother, Phoebe, to secretly protect her daughter after Phoebe receives death threats against her family, Gene finds his work cut out for him. Callie’s as delectable as she is infuriating, and his urge to seduce her fights with his duty to keep her safe.It’s not long before they give in to their passion, and the weather isn’t the only thing that turns hot and sultry as they travel further north. But Gene can’t keep his identity a secret from Callie forever. And when an attempt is finally made on her life, the truth threatens to break them apart.Warning: it grows hotter and hotter as they travel north through the country. So does the weather.

Meridian File


C.B. Samet - 2018
    He wants an uncomplicated assignment. As a celebrity stalker targets Aurora Meridian, the Rider team--Mason and Maxine--are drawn into the sinister underworld of the Russian mafia. Aurora and Mason fight for their lives and each other while Maxine Rider discovers the lines she must cross and the sacrifices to be made to keep her client and her team safe.

Twisted Devil (Quentin Security, #0.5)


Morgan James - 2021
    But occasionally we find something good, something worth fighting for. When a case takes me out of my way one morning, I spy Chloe behind the counter of a local coffee shop. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a sweet smile that lights up my dark world, I know she’s meant for me.All of a sudden she’s gone without a trace, abducted from the parking lot after her shift. There are no clues. No eye witnesses. And each minute that passes narrows the window of opportunity to bring her back to me safely. The clock is ticking, and I don’t have a single second to lose…*Twisted Devil is the prequel novella to the Quentin Security Series and can be read as a complete standalone. There are no cliffhangers, no cheating, and each book ends with a HEA. Warning: Contains scorching alphas and feisty heroines... Read at your own risk!#0.5 Twisted Devil – Jason and Chloe#1 The Devil You Know – Blake and Victoria#2 Devil in the Details – Xander and Lydia#3 Devil in Disguise – Gavin and Kate#4 Heart of a Devil – Vince and Jana#5 Tempting the Devil - Clay and Abby#6 Devilish Intent - Con and Grace (February 2022)

Sweet Retaliation


Mimi Barbour - 2017
    Be prepared for an all-nighter… She watches the mob kill her twin and is too frozen with fear to stop them. How can she live with that cowardice eating away at her self-respect? Revenge claws at her sheltered existence until she can’t breathe. Though she’s naïve, she isn’t stupid. When she finds a stash of loot in her brother’s gym locker, she has the means. Now all she needs is the guts to make every one of those low-life gang members pay. People might think detectives are hard-assed cops with no home life, but Trace McGuire has a dying mom he loves fiercely. Already stressed over his personal problems, he takes a bullet for a virgin beauty hiding while mobsters shoot her brother. This chick draws out every protective instinct he thought had disintegrated over years on the job and he becomes invested – in her hot body, her plans for retaliation and her fighting spirit. Helpless, he watches her enter the seedy underworld that’ll eat her alive. Then he sees her fight. And wonders if they’ll survive her.

Loving L: A Dark Romance


Amy J. Heart - 2018
    Love is pain. Until the right person at the wrong time changes everything.From the sordid streets to a life of luxury, things are finally looking up for me. Then I meet her.Eden.Sweet. Beautiful. Everything I ever dreamed of...except she's under the control of the greatest tormentor from my past.Blackmail. Corruption. Even murder. Am I prepared to do the unthinkable to keep her safe?Damn right I am. Previously titled Lightning Boy, Loving L is a full-length novel with a HEA and now contains the prequel, Finding E (A Boy Called L), and tells Edie and L's entire story!** Not for the faint of heart. This book deals with dark subjects.

Fighting for This: The Last Resort Motel


Gwyn McNamee - 2018
    The California surf boy has no business being up Spruce Mountain or anywhere near The Last Resort Motel. There can only be one reason he’s hanging around—to search one of the old mines in hopes of striking it rich. And as soon as he’s done, he’ll be gone fast enough to make my head spin. But Max brings more than just a danger to my heart. MAX Aurora Clayton is the last thing I expect to find at The Last Resort Motel. What in the world is a girl like this doing in the middle of nowhere, Nevada? Search the land I inherited and get back to California—that’s the plan. I never expected to find something here even more precious than silver. But someone else is after what’s down that mine shaft. And I’ll do everything in my power to protect what I’ve found, including Aurora. ***Fighting for This previously appeared in The Last Resort Motel shared world as Room One***

Texas Twosome


Debbie White - 2018
    Love kept her there...When Rebecca Parsons's new assignment brings her to Steam, Texas to cover the anniversary of an unsolved missing person's story, she's more than up to the task. Then she meets Kyle, a striking man with charisma who takes a hold of her in ways she'd never imagine.Kyle is carrying on the family tradition of law enforcement. When he's asked to show the out-of-town reporter around, he's happy to do it. There's not much excitement in Steam and they don't get many out of town visitors. Something about this big-city girl intrigues him so he asks her to stay a while. Soon Becca and Kyle find themselves enthralled in a slow-burning love connection neither of them saw coming.Book 1 - Texas TwosomeBook 2 - Kansas KissedBook 3 - California CrushBook 4 - Oregon ObsessionBook 5 - Florida Fling (Coming Soon)

Jaded Billionaire


Jill Snow - 2018
     Ethan Thomas is disillusioned after selling his company for billions and discovering all the people he cared about are now only interested in him for his money. Needing to get away, he heads to a campground in Sweet Mountain, Montana. It’s the off-season and he is assured all the other cabins will be empty. He’s after complete solitude which is why the last thing he needs is a city-slicker faux camper in the cabin next door. Especially one who doesn’t even know how to boil water over an open fire. Lily Ryder doesn’t even know how to boil water over an open fire. Or on a stove for that matter. But she can’t pass up the opportunity for a big promotion at the newspaper where she works. All she has to do is spend one week at a campground and she’ll steal the job right out from under the nose of her rival. Camping, even in a cabin, turns out to be a lot hard than she expected, but the last person she’s going to turn to for help is the Neanderthal that almost shot her dog. They could just ignore each other, but Sweet Mountain is hiding a secret, one that could change both their plans forever.

Beautiful Ruin


Amy Olle - 2015
    Soon, she's face-to-face with a man from her past. The one man she never stopped longing for.Renowned archaeologist, Noah Nolan, swore he’d never return to the small, remote island in Lake Michigan. After agreeing to complete a short-term excavation project, he realizes the site belongs to the woman who inexplicably rejected him years before. A woman he’s never forgotten – or forgiven.When Noah’s affinity for uncovering all things lost, forgotten, and buried stirs Mina’s repressed memories of a terrifying secret, she must find the courage to unearth the past, or risk losing the treasure of her heart forever.

The Almost Wives Club


Nancy Warren - 2015
    Edward Carnarvon III is rich, handsome and hers. But at the final fitting of her wedding gown, one of the seamstresses pricks her and a tiny blood spot appears on the outrageously expensive gown. Its famous designer fires the clumsy seamstress on the spot, whereupon the girl puts a curse on the dress and storms out. Kate doesn't believe in curses. She’s modern, American and in love with the perfect guy. What could go wrong? But that very evening she meets a man who makes her question her future. And then she discovers that Edward has been hiding a secret or two… and before you can say, “This dress is so cursed,” she’s on the run from Edward, his family, her mother, the paparazzi and the person she thought she was. When the man who discovers her hiding place turns out to be the last man she should trust, it’s time to throw her cautious good sense out with the satin shoes she won’t be wearing. Playing it safe hasn’t done her much good. Maybe it’s time to play by a new set of rules. Her rules. Sometimes Prince Charming is the one who turns out to be the frog, and true love appears in the most unexpected places. Follow the cursed dress through five sets of bridal hands as four more women join The Almost Wives Club. These are complete novels. Watch for: Secondhand Bride coming in April, 2015 Bridesmaid for Hire coming in May, 2015 The Wedding Flight in June, 2015 If the Dress Fits in July 2015

Red Wine and Roses


S.J. McCoy - 2017
    He’s the CEO of Hamilton-Groves, one of the largest wine producers and distributors in the country. He lives a charmed life. Admired for his skills in the boardroom – and the bedroom—he works hard and plays harder. He’s not looking for a wife, he’s too busy living to want to settle down. Piper Reynolds is at a crossroads in her life. She’s just moved to California to take a job flying a private jet. After years flying cargo and believing that was as far as her career would go, her new job and new life are a dream come true. It couldn’t get any better – or could it? She isn’t looking for a man, but as Maid of Honor for her old friend Laura, she’s paired with best man Cameron Hamilton. He’s irresistible, but she’s trying to resist – at least at first.

Lockdown with My Billionaire Boss : Second Chance Office Romance


Sloane Peterson - 2020
    But when I end up in lockdown with my insanely hot billionaire boss, I start to think maybe I can make the best of a bad situation... Heartbreak is never easy. Even breaking up with someone you were never really meant to be with can be painful.I thought Dennis and I would end up married one day.But instead he dumps me at a sushi restaurant.I try to stay positive, and appreciate the ups of being newly single. But then this whole stupid pandemic comes along, and more than anything I hate spending so much time on my own.I'm getting restless, when one day I strike up an interesting conversation with my boss.He's a hot tech industry billionaire, who I find out is recently single as well since the start of the pandemic. After a few days texting back and forth, the two of us come up with a tantalizing arrangement to help us survive through lockdown... Soon my wildest dreams have all come true. I'm making love with my boss in the lap of his luxurious penthouse, and living a life of grandeur unlike anything I've ever imagined for myself. Only I'm about to find, emotions can get in the way of even the sweetest affairs.And now I'm wondering whether these new feelings I'm experiencing can possibly survive through the end of the pandemic...

The Reluctant Billionaire


Krista Wagner - 2020
    Struggling to navigate the constant presence of bodyguards and a sudden deluge of eligible bachelorettes, he is convinced that getting back to his private life is the answer, until he meets Shelly. She doesn't care about his money or his star status, and she seems to genuinely like him, but his heart has been broken once before. Can he risk opening himself up again?After Shelly meets Shawn at a charity event, she can't stop thinking about him. He’s humble, kind, and generous, everything her ex-husband wasn’t. But when his wealthy status is leaked to the press, it’s impossible to ignore all of the women who are vying for his attention, triggering her painful past. Will she be able to give love a second chance?

Freedom


Mary E. Thompson - 2018
    Kickass. Sometimes just ass. All words that define former SEAL, Archer Ford. Former because an error he made sent his friend and teammate home to his pregnant wife in a body bag.Lily Scott doesn’t know her best friend’s estranged brother. He’s always been a mystery to her. But when her best friend disappears, she has no choice but to call Archer for help.Archer can barely trust his instincts let alone his desire for the beautiful, curvy woman he finds in his brother’s bed. She assures him they’re just friends, but he doesn’t know how anyone could resist her. Archer definitely isn’t strong enough.The rest of his team shows up to help search for Archer's brother and everyone becomes a suspect, including Lily. Trust is questioned and broken. And freedom is guaranteed to no one.

Hollywood Heartbreaker


Alexa Aston - 2021
    Book One in the exciting Hollywood Name Game series has arrived. Being late to an interview lands her the biggest job opportunity of her life.He may be rich and successful--but he's just this side of miserable.Can a wannabe be The One for the biggest star in Hollywood?Cassie Carroll came to Hollywood with big dreams that never materialized. Acting isn't even on the back burner anymore--it's completely off the stove. Working for a third-rate agent, Cassie hopes to land a new job that will give her credibility, as well as help pay the rent. Late to her interview, she swerves to avoid hitting a dog--and totals the car of Hollywood's leading action superstar. Surprisingly, she walks away from their encounter with a job--as the sexiest man alive's personal assistant.Rhett Corrigan is bored with the movies he makes and the drop-dead gorgeous model he's dating. He's afraid that Hollywood has typecast him--and that he'll never be able to break out of his action mold and try new acting challenges. When Cassie Carroll literally slams into his life, she brings a breath of fresh air and common sense to his world. She pushes him to be a better actor and a better man.Can these friends become lovers--and can their love survive--in a tabloid-happy town that thrives on rumors and backstabbing?Hollywood Heartbreaker is the first book in the Hollywood Name Game series. Each book in the series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order.