Book picks similar to
Handled by Heather Slade


not-interested
contemporary-romance
action
arc

Twisted


Ariana Rose - 2022
    Bromberg’s Driven Worlds project.I bought into fairytales. I was raised around them.My grandparents are one. My parents are another.I spent hours playing the hero big brother by reading them to my sister when she was little. It was easy to think they were attainable.I even had one until three years ago.Then she showed me love just isn't enough.Ever since, I've worked hard to avoid feeling and anything that resembles deep emotion. My life was ordered, specific, and calm. Until a dance in a dark, crowded nightclub.Dylan is a game changer.Thanks to her, I'm finally healing.She pushes my thoughts, my limits, and my needs to the edge.We work hard and play even harder.I don't know where it's going, but I know I'm enjoying the ride.

Shadow Woman


Linda Howard - 2012
    . . and memories that can kill. SHADOW WOMAN  Lizette Henry wakes up one morning and makes a terrifying discovery: She doesn’t recognize the face she sees in the mirror. She remembers what she looks like, but her reflection is someone else’s. To add to the shock, two years seem to have disappeared from her life. Someone has gone to great and inexplicable lengths to keep those missing years hidden forever. But the past always finds a way to return.   Strange memories soon begin to surface and, along with them, some unusual skills and talents that Lizette hasn’t a clue about acquiring. Sensing that she’s being monitored, Lizette suddenly knows how to search for bugs in her house and tracking devices in her car. What’s more, she can elude surveillance—like a trained agent.   Enter a mysterious and seductive stranger named Xavier, who claims he wants to help—but who triggers disturbing images of an unspeakable crime of which Lizette may or may not be the perpetrator. With memories returning, she suddenly becomes a target of anonymous assassins. On the run with nowhere to hide, Lizette has no choice but to rely on Xavier, a strong and magnetic man she doesn’t trust, with a powerful attraction she cannot resist. As murky waters become clear, Lizette confronts a conspiracy that is treacherous and far-reaching and a truth that, once revealed, may silence her and Xavier once and for all.BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Linda Howard's Running Wild.Praise for Shadow Woman  “Dazzling . . . From the opening line, [Shadow Woman] will grab readers and take them on an exhilarating and terrifying adventure!”—RT Book Reviews   “Fast-paced, intricately detailed romantic suspense . . . Readers won’t want to put it down until the extraordinary conclusion. . . . Highly recommended.”—Fresh Fiction   “An intriguing plot and captivating characters [with] lots of drama, tension, intrigue and suspense.”—The Star-Ledger

Denial


Lisa Renee Jones - 2015
    This is a standalone spin-off of the INSIDE OUT series (soon to be a TV show) that follows Ella Ferguson, Sara McMillan's best friend.Ella Ferguson awakes alone in Italy, unsure of who she is, and a gorgeous man has claimed her as his own. He’s tall, dark, and sexy, with money and power, the kind of man who makes a girl want to be possessed. And he does possess her, whispering wicked wonderful promises to her, stealing her trust and her heart. Soon though, the past finds her, yanking her from a cocoon of passion and safety. Everything is not how it seems. The truth will shatter her world, but it can set her free, if it doesn't destroy her first.

Nicoli (Lucian & Lia #9)


Sydney Landon - 2020
    As the top lieutenant and best friend to the head of the Moretti family, he thought he knew everything about the man he considered a brother—but he was so very wrong. Still reeling from that blow, he discovers that not only did the woman he loves know before him, but she also has secrets of her own—ones that could well get her killed. His thirst for revenge is almost overwhelming—yet so is his love for Minka Gavino. A relationship with someone from another mafia family would be complicated on a good day, but is it even worth fighting for now? Once the trust is gone, can it ever be rebuilt? Or, will he walk away from the only life he’s ever known and the only woman he’s ever loved?

Fighting for Marcy


M.J. Nightingale - 2021
    A lying, cheating, soon-to-be-ex-husband and his newest “girlfriend” won’t stop her from pursuing a happy life. The last thing she's ready for is a new relationship with the sexy addition to the Banderas Sheriff’s Department. But when crazy things start happening in Tarpley, around her and her children, she comes to depend on the gorgeous man she met in the produce department more and more.Former Detective Blake “New York” Levine comes to Texas to continue his career of catching criminals and putting them behind bars. As a new deputy and member of the Tarpley Volunteer Fire Department, Blake's determined to unravel the mysteries of the cold cases he is asked to solve. His first one, a murdered artist whose skeletal remains were found in the desert, has him stumped. So far, the best thing to happen to him is meeting the strikingly beautiful Marcy.Juggling his caseload becomes a whole lot harder when he is tasked with bringing down a heinous criminal attempting to hire MC members to kill a local. When he finds that Marcy and her kids are in the crossfire, will he be able to solve the crime in time to save them?

Mister Stand-In


C.M. Albert - 2020
    Right. He wouldn’t exactly call himself a street rat, but his life had somehow become a rags-to-almost-riches story—one he’d rather keep to himself. The best part about being a stand-in to some of the wealthiest a-holes in New York? Access.To anything, and anyone, he wanted.And that certainly wasn’t little Miss Moneybags, PRESLEY KINCAID. No, he had his sights set on someone even hotter—her stepmother. But when Lauren asks him to stand in for her richer-than-sin fiancé at their rehearsal dinner, and then he’s later paired up with her spoiled daughter Presley at the wedding, Carter can do the only thing he’s truly good at: Shut up. Smile. Be charming.Be the stand-in he was born to be.But when Presley turns out to be more than she pretends—and a one-night stand gives her more access to his past than he intended—Carter’s simple, easy-going lifestyle starts to unravel, exposing the biggest lie of all. One so big, Carter never even saw it coming.Will Presley accidentally expose The Stand-In for who he really is? Or will her discovery free Carter from the street hustle he’s perfected and finally help him claim a life, and love, that was always meant to be? Mister Stand-In releases NOVEMBER 8 as part of the Cocky Hero Club stand-alone collection. If you loved Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward's Mister Moneybags...then you'll absolutely swoon over Mister Stand-In.

The Way Back Home


C. Lymari - 2019
    -On the day you got the keys to your dream shop, you came across the most gorgeous man. The only problem? He’s with the town's mean princess.-That gorgeous guy hit on you, so you insulted him.-A few days passed, and you bumped into that gorgeous guy again. This time, he was persistent.-You continued to insult him, only for him to inform you that the mean girl was not his girlfriend, but his cousin.-So you apologized, and he kept trying to take you on a date. The problem now? He's not in town for long.-Still, you gave in and got all dressed up to go on a date…except he never showed, and everyone knows he stood you up.Now, two years later, he comes back, and he’s changed. But one thing is clear: he still wants you. And worst of all, he acts as if nothing ever happened…

Driven to Distraction


Lori Foster - 2018
    But this particular obstacle—huge, hard-muscled, unashamedly masculine—is impossible to ignore. Stuck in a cramped car with Brodie Crews for hours en route to their new assignment, Mary feels her carefully crafted persona—and her trademark self-control—is slipping, and she won’t allow it.Brodie can’t imagine what secret in Mary’s past has left her so buttoned-up, though he’d dearly love to find out. Maybe then she’d trust him enough to explore their explosive chemistry. But he needs this job, so he’ll play by her rules and bide his time…until an enemy determined to outwit them strikes and he needs to get close—in every way—to protect her. Otherwise they could lose much more than a precious collectible. They could lose it all.

Bullard's Best


Dale Mayer - 2021
    Leia wants to get married there, so Dave has gone ahead with Katie, Bullard’s caterer, to set things up.Dave has a new lease on life, now that Bullard is safely back home, and fixes his sights on an old friend he’s always kept slightly distant. Katie has been in Dave’s orbit for a long time; she’s not sure what’s changed in their relationship, but something certainly has, and she couldn’t be happier.Except for one loose thread from that same island. After all, someone let the outside world know Bullard was alive. Someone they had yet to find. So a week in paradise might start with some time in hell first.

Bedroom Rodeo


Sarah J. Brooks - 2017
    But now I want her in my bed… In my billionaire empire, business always comes first. But as a single dad, this is a real issue. I have to be away for a while and I need help. And that help is Summer Edwards, my new, gorgeous as sin nanny. She takes great care of my kids, but I want her to take care of me too. She makes my children happier than they’ve ever been. And for that I want to make her happy. So happy that she screams my name in ecstasy. But will she let me? She only wants to stay for 30 days… *** Buckle up, it's going to be a wild ride! This is a steamy STANDALONE contemporary romance with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.***

Watch Me Drown


C.E. Johnson - 2020
    Keep my heart closed and my head down. But that’s kind of hard to do when the only way to keep Danielle safe is to move her into my house.I was doing fine all by myself until I witnessed her harassed in the park.The look of terror on her face was something I couldn’t ignore.There was something about her-all I wanted to do was protect her.But I had no idea saving her that afternoon would lead to my rules against falling in love to be picked off one by one. Dani’s soft touch and stubborn kindness is everything I never knew I wanted.The only thing is, saving her could drag me back underwater.I pulled myself out of the undertow once.I’m not sure I’d survive another round behind bars.But for her, I’d risk drowning.

Keep Me Warm


C. Morgan - 2019
    My wealth.But a weekend at the Winter Moon Lodge is exactly what I need to clear my head.And the hordes of hunky handsome guys that are coming out of the woodwork are just what the doctor ordered.But one has my attention without effort.Hunter. And this man is on the prowl.I, for one, am happy to get caught up in his net.Unfortunately, my family will never accept him.Wealth hasn’t corrupted me, but they’re a different story.If our love affair could just be a fling, all would be fine, but I can’t settle for anything less than all of him.Love or family? That is the question…

The Barber


Mazzy King - 2020
    My promise to you, the reader: no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed HEA.

Standoff


Sandra Brown - 2000
    Tiel calls her editor and learns that Sara was "kidnapped" by her boyfriend Ronnie and is pregnant. Tiel is at a gas station store when an armed couple robs the cashier and orders all the customers to the floor. The girl goes into labor and Tiel realizes that she has a huge story on her hands. A tense standoff begins as the FBI and Russell Dendy wait outside. Tiel learns that Sabra and Ronnie are more afraid of her father-who plans to put the baby up for adoption-than of the FBI and would rather die together than surrender and be kept apart. Now it is more than just a story to Tiel as she fights to prevent these two kids from becoming a tragedy.

Shattered With You


J. Kenner - 2019
    But Quincy isn’t the man he appears to be.When the woman whose body he once worshipped and whose heart he broke pleads for his help, Quincy knows he must either turn his back on her or risk revealing his dark secrets to the one woman who can—and will—tear open his old wounds.For years, struggling actress Eliza Tucker has tried to forget the decadent weeks she shared with Quincy Radcliffe. His smoldering good looks had drawn her in, while his British charm had enchanted her. But it was the wildness of his seduction and the ferocity of his passion that captured her. She’d given herself to him—and he’d shattered her like glass when he’d walked away.Now, he’s the only person who can help find her missing sister. She’ll use him because she has too. She’ll pay any sensual price he demands. But she won’t fall for him again.