Book picks similar to
The Safeguarded Heart by Melanie A. SmithMelanie A. Smith
contemporary
romance
contemporary-romance
romantic-suspense
Ever After Drake
Keary Taylor - 2014
But I got dumped that morning. Via text. And then one of my students hit on me. And the rest of the day was a complete mess. The beautifully single Mr. Drake McCain found me in my classroom, feeling sorry for myself. And not sixty seconds later he had me laughing and electricity racing through my blood.My family is broken and complicated. I literally don’t know my biological father’s name. My mother is absent and my half-brother barely knows who she is. But Drake? He’s not complicated. He’s sweet and kind and insanely adorable, and comes from a wonderful family. He is everything I want.The chemistry between us? It’s there in spades. I keep telling myself that I should be feeling really awful and depressed since I just got dumped a few days ago. But I keep getting this ridiculous smile on my face every time Drake is around and it’s kind of hard to keep telling myself that.I’m Kaylee Ray. I believe in fairy tales and happily ever after’s, and maybe the search for Prince Charming is over.Cue reality check.
Refuge (Pinegrove Mountain, #1)
Julianna Foxe
Unfortunately, that means she has to see someone she never wanted to see again, her brother’s best friend. Chase kissed her back in high school and ran off and joined the Marines the next day. He’s now a cop, and is trying to squeeze his massive form into a sleeping position on her couch because he is refusing to leave until she’s safe.Chase tried not to fall for the curvy and smart Alexis when he practically lived at his best friend’s house as a teen. He knew he was never good enough for her, a point his abusive parents proved when they forced him out of town after high school. Now he has a second chance to show her how much she has always meant to him, if he can catch whoever is trying to kill her first.Will Alexis give Chase the chance to move from the couch to her bed? Or is their reunion 10 years too late?
Sybil’s Protector
Ellie Masters - 2021
I was abducted and shipped out, meant to be sold. My freedom stolen. My body no longer mine. My life…over. Or so I thought. The Guardians swooped in. They saved me from a living Hell, but my life is still in danger. The men who took me want me back. They’re out there, hunting me. Once again, the Guardians step up. They assign me a Protector to keep me safe. A former Navy SEAL, Brett’s not only easy on the eyes, he’s a living hero with a unique skillset. Tough as nails, he takes his job seriously, and he’ll do anything to keep me safe. Even if it means risking his life while saving mine. There’s one problem and it’s getting bigger each and every day. The longer we’re together, the more I want Brett to guard more than my body. I want him to be mine. He can never be mine, but I want him anyway. BRETT My mission is to protect her, not make her mine. As a former Navy SEAL, I’m used to dodging bullets. I’m used to living by a code. Protect and defend is a motto seared into my soul. Now, I’m a personal protection specialist, a Guardian Protector, and my first assignment comes with a different kind of danger. Danger wrapped in the sinful curves of Sybil Niles incredible body. Which is why I made three rules. Rule #1: protect my client at all cost. Rule #2: no emotional entanglements. Rule #3: Don’t break rule #1 or rule #2 My rules keep things professional, but day by day, night by night, and touch by touch, my control is slipping. I’ll put myself in harm’s way, risk my life to save hers, but the one thing I can’t do is protect her from myself. Loving her could kill us both. I broke my second rule, but I won’t break the first. I’ll protect Sybil if it's the last thing I do. After all, Sybil is the siren who stole my heart.
All the Little Lights
Jamie McGuire - 2018
Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.
Danny
Janice M. Whiteaker - 2020
He can find anyone. Anywhere. Any time.Doesn’t matter how hard they try to hide. But locating his friend’s lost family is proving to be more of a challenge than he anticipated. Shadow Pine, Washington is Craig’s last lead, one built on nothing but rumor and hearsay. But sometimes that’s all you need.That and maybe a little luck, and Craig’s luck comes in the form of a tall blonde with a knack for bringing the dead to life. Danny is strong. Smart. Driven. Fearless.And hiding secrets of her own. Secrets wound together so tightly even Craig might not be able to unravel them. If he can’t, everything that matters to him is in jeopardy.
Wedged between her past, and their future.
****You don’t get to pick your parents. It’s a hard truth to swallow. Especially when your father is crazy.But Danny thought she’d left that all behind her. Then he showed up, looking like nothing she’d ever seen before. Clark Kent in a well-cut suit, with dimples deeper than the Grand Canyon and a voice that could melt the ice off Mount Rainier, Craig is a man who does what he says he will. Makes promises he keeps. Gives more than he takes.Except he wants to dig through a past she has no desire to remember, let alone discuss. Because her past is more than crazy. It’s dangerous.
Maybe even deadly.
The Songs We Sing
Kylie Key - 2019
He's olderHe's takenHe's off limitsHe's my best friend's brotherBut when Damon asks me to help him with his songwriting I'm happy to give him a hand.It might just be what I need to find my passion for music again.I know he only sees me as his little sister's friend.But something happens...the music and lyrics connect usCould we share more than just a song?
Love Like This
Sophie Love - 2017
But their culture is brutal, her boss is a monster, and she doesn’t know if she can last for long.That changes when Keira, by a fluke, is handed a coveted assignment and given her big chance: to travel to Ireland for 30 days, witness the legendary Lisdoonvarna festival of love, and to debunk the myth that true love exists. Keira, cynical herself and in a rocky place with her long-term boyfriend, is all too happy to oblige.But when Keira falls in love with Ireland and meets her Irish tour guide, who just may be the man of her dreams, she is no longer sure of anything.A whirlwind romantic comedy that is as profound as it is funny, LOVE LIKE THIS is book #1 in the debut of a dazzling new romance series that will make you laugh, cry, and will keep you turning pages late into the night—and will make you fall in love with romance all over again.
Tied up in Heartstrings
Felicia Lynn - 2013
My daughter and I were stuck in a fog of self-preservation, afraid to believe that there wasn’t more pain waiting for us in the ‘real world’. Just the thought of allowing myself to embrace happiness and take a risk in order to feel that all-consuming love again is terrifying. And I’m not sure I would be able to survive if it all went away again. But… what choice do I have when I’m tied up in these heartstrings? I could cut the ties and run. Or I could take a chance on someone that my heart once yearned for and hope that he knows how to untangle the fear that holds my heart hostage.
Forget Me Not
Willow Winters - 2017
I was only a small girl. Scared and frightened, I was taken from my home and held against my will. His father hurt me, but he protected me and kept me safe as best he could. Until I left him. I ran the first chance I got and even though I knew he wasn’t behind me, I didn’t stop. The branches lashed out at me, punishing me for leaving him in the hands of a monster. I’ve never felt such guilt in my life. Although I survived, the boy was never found. I prayed for him to be safe. I dreamed he’d be alright and come back to me. Even as a young girl I knew I loved him, but I betrayed him. Twenty years later, all my wishes came true. But the boy came back a man. With a grip strong enough to keep me close and a look in his eyes that warned me to never dare leave him again. I was his to keep after all. Twenty years after leaving one hell, I entered another. Our tale was only just getting started. It’s dark and twisted. But that doesn’t make it any less of what it is. A love story. Our love story.
It All Started with a Lima Bean
Kimi Flores - 2013
It must be gifted freely.Abby Sullivan cherishes the life she is creating for herself in her hometown of Santa Barbara, California. She adores her best friend and supportive family. Her job as a kindergarten teacher offers her life hope and purpose. She is very talented at many things, especially hiding the pain of her past. That is until her world collides with Caleb Hunter’s, giving them both a lesson in forgiveness and love.A life changing love is cruelly snatched by sickness and death. A person must be willing to give love, the greatest gift of all, to receive love.A successful writer, Caleb is living life day-to-day. Giving refuge to his sad and lonely heart since his wife's sudden death from cervical cancer, his primary focus becomes honoring her memory by rearing their five-year-old daughter, Madison. Yet, when Madison Hunter walks into Miss Abby’s kindergarten class, everything changes for all three of them.With a little nudge from a loving mother-in-law who has everyone’s best interest at heart, anything is possible, especially when forgiveness and love gift even more blessings than ever imaginable.**This is book 1 in the Intertwined Hearts series. Each book in the series follows a different couple and they can each be read as stand alones**
Miss Match
Lindzee Armstrong - 2015
Luke is her billionaire best friend determined to break them all...Welcome to Toujour Matchmaking Inc., where your happily ever after is guaranteed!Luke has loved Brooke for eight long years. Now that she’s engaged to someone else, he’s given up hope that she’ll ever see him as anything but a best friend. When Brooke begs him for a favor, Luke is leery to accept—until he finds out that if he doesn’t, she’s moving to Italy with her fiancé. And Luke isn’t about to lose his best friend and soul mate in one swoop.Brooke has finally achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a professional matchmaker, and now the company is crumbling around her. But she knows who can help—her billionaire best friend, Luke Ryder. If she can convince him to sign up as her next client, he'll find love and she'll keep her job. It’s a match made in heaven.Everything is going as planned until Brooke realizes that finding Luke love means losing him forever. Suddenly, her rules to keep them in the friend zone seem ridiculous. Maybe she’s picked the wrong man for her happily ever after. Now the only match she’s worried about is the one she can’t have.This is a full-length sweet/clean contemporary romantic comedy that will delight readers who love Hallmark movies. Each book in this series by USA Today bestselling author Lindzee Armstrong can be read as a stand-alone.