Book picks similar to
Kiss Me Deadly by Susan Kearney


romance
contemporary
suspense
romantic-suspense

Trouble in High Heels


Christina Dodd - 2006
    When Brandi becomes the mark for a killer, she has no choice but to turn to Roberto—a man who’s destined to be either her savior or her downfall. But one thing's for sure: She’s not going down without a fight....

The Neighbor


Lorhainne Eckhart - 2020
    But he can’t resist the pull he feels toward her — especially once Alison goes missing and the truth about her daughter’s real identity comes out…After the devastating loss of her husband, Jenny Sweetgrass packs up her teenage daughter, Alison, and moves to Livingston, Montana, hoping for a fresh start—that is, until Ryan O’Connell knocks on her door.
Park ranger Ryan is one of the six O’Connell siblings in Livingston, raised by an independent mom who has been a rock to him. He has a career he loves, and up until six weeks ago, he lived a comfortable life. When a new neighbor moves in and disturbs the quiet peace of the area, bringing with her a daughter who’s walking trouble, Ryan is shocked to discover that the woman is a one-night stand he picked up at a bar years ago.
Right now, the gorgeous Jenny isn’t too interested in making friends, but despite her cool façade, as Ryan gets to know her, he can’t fight an idiotic need to try to ease the pain he sees her trying to hide. At the same time, he knows deep down that both mother and daughter have a secret, and if he were smart, he would listen to his brother’s warning and walk away.
When Alison goes missing, everyone in town believes she simply ran off or found her way into trouble, but nothing about her disappearance adds up. She simply set out on an afternoon hike into the park and never came back.
Jenny soon learns she’s not alone when Ryan takes matters into his own hands and sets off with her into the park to find her daughter. What he doesn’t know is that Alison is actually his daughter, too, and when he learns the truth and the real reason she left, the secret could end up dividing the O’Connell family.

The Protector


Jodi Ellen Malpas - 2016
    But Camille is determined to have a life free from his strings. Out on her own, she's made mistakes, including one that found her clawing her way back after a stint in rehab and plenty of bad press. Now, after fighting so hard to be independent and happy, she finds her life threatened as a result of her father's ruthless business dealings. Caught between resentment and fear, Camille prepares herself for the measures her father will take to protect her. But nothing could prepare her for the ex-SAS sniper who crashes into her life.Jake Sharp resides in his own personal hell. He was distracted from duty once before, and the consequences were devastating--both personally and professionally. He vowed never to let that happen again. Accepting the job of bodyguard to Camille Logan isn't the kind of distraction from his demons he should take. Women and Jake don't mix well, yet protecting the heiress seems the lesser of two evils. But Jake soon discovers that she isn't the woman she's perceived to be. She's warm, compassionate, her presence settling, and his duty to protect her soon goes deeper than a well-paid job, no matter how hard he fights it. He needs absolution. He comes to need Camille. But he knows he can't have both.

The Hostage Bargain


Annika Martin - 2012
    . . and then three hunky bank robbers took me hostage. Sure, I'd always dreamed of escaping my life, but I was thinking Greyhound bus - not getaway vehicle! Then I started asking questions, and I found out about their rules. These guys have more rules than a grammar class. Except their rules are shockingly dirty. And way more fun to memorize. They're letting me stay for now, but I'm never supposed to ask their real names. Or where they're from, or why they lead this life. And we can never, ever think about tomorrow. Here's a secret: I'm starting to suspect my tough-as-nails outlaws might have tender-as-taffy hearts. And every night I go to sleep wishing this didn't have to end.

The Newcomer


Mary Kay Andrews - 2021
    Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister’s warnings: “If anything bad happens to me—it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.” With a trunkful of emotional baggage...So Letty grabs her sister’s Mercedes and hits the road with her wailing four-year-old niece Maya. Letty is determined to out-run Evan and the law, but run to where? Tanya, a woman with a past shrouded in secrets, left behind a “go-bag” of cash and a big honking diamond ring—but only one clue: a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel in a Florida beach town with the improbable name of Treasure Island. She sheds her old life and checks into an uncertain future at The Murmuring Surf Motel. The No Vacancy sign is flashing & the sharks are circling... And that’s the good news. Because The Surf, as the regulars call it, is the winter home of a close-knit flock of retirees and snowbirds who regard this odd-duck newcomer with suspicion and down-right hostility. As Letty settles into the motel’s former storage room, she tries to heal Maya’s heartache and unravel the key to her sister’s shady past, all while dodging the attention of the owner’s dangerously attractive son Joe, who just happens to be a local police detective. Can Letty find romance as well as a room at the inn—or will Joe betray her secrets and put her behind bars? With danger closing in, it’s a race to find the truth and right the wrongs of the past.

Lethal Confessions


V.K. Sykes - 2013
    SykesThe brutal murder of her twin sister drove Amy Robitaille into a career as a homicide detective for Palm Beach County. When a serial killer targets the wives of local baseball players, Amy has more than just a professional interest at stake—her only surviving sister fits the profile of the other victims. Amy’s hell-bent on catching the killer, not only to protect her sister but to destroy the demons haunting her since the death of her twin.Baseball star and former soldier Luke Beckett has just retired from the game and is looking to move on with his life. When he’s asked to consult on the serial killer case for the local police, he finds the challenge he needs—despite the objections of lead detective Amy Robitaille. But Luke has no intention of backing away from the job and every intention of getting to know the intriguing detective.Amy has no time to babysit a celebrity consultant while trying to catch a serial killer. But Luke is not the man she assumed him to be and he threatens to become a powerful distraction. That’s the last thing she needs, especially when the killer starts closing in on her family. But without Luke’s help, Amy stands to lose everything.This story is also included in Anthology Danger and Desire

See How She Dies


Lisa Jackson - 2004
    Over the years, many women have claimed to be the long-lost heiress. Now Adria Nash has arrived in Oregon, claiming to be London - but she's different. She knows personal details only London could have known. And there is someone who does believe her . . . who is watching her every move, waiting to see how she runs, how she screams, and how she dies.

Promise You'll Stay


Julianne MacLean - 2016
    A Standalone Contemporary Romance Professional security expert Jocelyn MacKenzie knows better than to mix business with pleasure, especially in the presence of her new client, Dr. Donovan Knight, a wealthy, handsome heart surgeon. She’s been burned by handsome men before, so all she wants to do is her job and protect him from the stalker who’s been sending him threatening letters. But it’s not easy to stay focused when she feels an intense attraction that can’t be ignored… When danger escalates and the stalker makes an attempt on Donovan’s life, he agrees to leave town under Jocelyn’s protection and hide out with her in a secluded cabin in the woods. Jocelyn wants to keep things professional, but Donovan is falling fast and hard for his female bodyguard, and he has other ideas. Now the challenge is to get her to let down her guard at last, and turn this contractual arrangement into a personal one….

Talk Me Down


Victoria Dahl - 2008
    Until her inspiration runs dry—thanks to a creepy ex—and it's time to skip town and move back to tiny Tumble Creek, Colorado.One look at former high school hunk chief of police Ben Lawson and Molly is back in business. The town gossip is buzzing at her door and, worse still, a stalker seems to be watching her every move. Thankfully, her very own lawman has taken to coming over, often. The only problem now is that Molly may have to let the cat out of the bag about her chosen profession, and straitlaced Ben will definitely not approve.…

Impulse


JoAnn Ross - 2006
    But that's all about to change. Because, just when the wind suddenly stops, a killer comes to Hazard -- a hunter as deadly and primal as evil itself.When Sheriff Will Bridger sees the murdered teenage girl, it's the worst scene he's ever witnessed. But there's worse to come. Much, much worse. While the nights grow longer and the winter snow gets deeper, the violence intensifies. As does the blazing passion between Will and late-night radio host Faith Prescott. Harboring secrets as potentially dangerous as his own, Faith knows all too well the dark side of the human heart. She can help Will. If he'll only let her.It won't be easy, though. The man who was once the boy raised by wolves is no ordinary serial killer. Fortunately, Will Bridger is no ordinary cop.

Skin Deep


Kimberly Kincaid - 2016
    Smart-mouthed.Infuriating.Gorgeous.Isabella Moreno is the enemy.Kellan’s never going to forgethow the sexy detective endangered his sister’s life.Not even when he makes abone-chilling discovery at the scene of a fireand she needs his help tocatch a killer.Isabella won’t stop until she gets justiceeven if she has to work with Kellan Walker to do it.But the closer she gets to thetall, dark, and scorchingly hot firefighter,the more she wants tosleep with the enemy.But real danger lurks in the shadows.The stakes grow higher. The passion hotter.What started as a case has become everything…And with one wrong step, they could lose it all.USA Today best-seller Kimberly Kincaid offers up a sizzling, full-length firefighter suspense. Enemies to lovers never burned so hot on their way to happily ever after.

Before the Storm


Leslie Tentler - 2015
    Now living under an assumed identity—as Samantha Marsh—she still struggles with the dark secret she harbors and the fear she might one day be found. When she moves to the coastal town of Rarity Cove, South Carolina, to open a café, a handsome widower begins to chip away at the walls she’s built to protect herself. Mark St. Clair lost his wife two years ago in a tragic accident. Head of the grand St. Clair resort, he distracts himself from his lingering grief by running the family business and caring for his troubled young daughter...until a beautiful restaurateur sets up shop in town. Before meeting Samantha, Mark was convinced he could never be drawn to another woman. But as his attraction to Samantha grows, the mystery surrounding her deepens. As the two begin a hesitant courtship, double perils emerge. Someone from Samantha’s lurid past comes calling, threatening to expose her. And a powerful hurricane is forming in the Atlantic with the small beach town in its path. Trapped in the storm by the brutal man who wants vengeance on Samantha, she and Mark must fight for their lives.

The Perfect Family


Carla Cassidy - 2005
    If he can't have her, no one can To one man, recent widow Marissa Jamison and her two children are the perfect family-and he will stop at nothing to make sure that they belong to him.

Giving Chase


Lauren Dane - 2006
    Ridiculously hot and notoriously single.When landscaper Kyle Chase takes notice of Maggie Wright, all of Petal, Georgia, wonders what the quiet schoolteacher is hiding underneath her tight bun and boring blouses. Even Maggie doesn’t quite get it, but after a failed relationship and a disastrous attempt to get back out there, she’s no match against the famous Chase charm, and Kyle has it in spades. Kyle wants Maggie in his life—and in his bed—and he doesn’t mind getting down and dirty to prove it. For years he’s avoided the kind of trouble that comes with “good girls” like her, but Maggie’s the best trouble he’s ever been in. He craves more of it. And more of her.But even as their love grows into thoughts of forever, a hidden danger from Maggie’s past threatens to tear them apart. And when Maggie suddenly disappears, Kyle must put his faith in his family and race to save the love of his life before he loses her forever.The Chase is on. One small town. Four hot brothers. And enough heat to burn up anyone who dares to get close. Don’t miss the next books: Taking Chase, Chased and Making Chase.

Wanted


J. Kenner - 2014
    He is brilliant, fierce, and devastatingly handsome. But he is also headstrong, dangerous, and burdened with secrets. My family warned me to stay away, that I could never handle Evan’s dark dealings or scarred past. Maybe I should have listened. Maybe I should have run. But our desire is undeniable, and some temptations you just can’t fight. And from the moment we touch—the passion between us consuming us both—I know that I will never be the same. Wanted is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.