Book picks similar to
Beneath the Surface by M.J. Fredrick
contemporary
romance
romantic-suspense
suspense
Talking with the Dead
Shiloh Walker - 2006
A horrific tragedy blasted open a door in young Michael O’Rourke’s mind—cursing him with the ability to talk with the Dead. Nearly two decades later, Michael has moved from victim to survivor, using his abilities to seek out those who would go unjudged. With his gift, he talks to those who’ve died violently and seeks out their killers. Only once he’s found the murderer, can the victims be at rest. After his last case, the only thing he wants is peace and he hopes to find it in the small town of Mitchell, Indiana. But something is horribly wrong—the dead are waiting for him there, as well. Small town sheriff Daisy Crandall is frustrated. The murder investigation she’s leading is going nowhere, the few leads she’s had haven’t panned out. She needs a break—this case is personal and when a stranger arrives, turning up where he shouldn’t be, she’s suspicious. Finding out that he is more than what he appears to be should shock her but doesn’t. The fact she’s highly attracted to him at the worst possible time is a hindrance. Unfortunately, teaming up with Michael is the only way. Now it’s a race against time before the killer destroys the life of his next victim…
This book has been previously published, but has been expanded and revised.
Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, violence
If I Didn't Care
Kait Nolan - 2016
While he might once have dreamed of a different future for them, everything changed the day her father tried to kill them both. Determined to keep her safe, Judd put his feelings aside and turned his focus to protecting her, always.She leads a double lifeNobody in their small town would ever dream that Autumn, Wishful's friendly librarian, is really successful erotic romantic suspense author, Rumor Fairchild. No one knows that the swoon-worthy hero of her series is based on her best friend, Judd. He's been fulfilling her rescue fantasies for years, and now she's ready to catapult them out of the friend zone to make her real life romance come true.Their nightmare returnsBut when the past comes full circle and Autumn's father returns to Wishful, even the power of Judd's badge isn't enough to keep her safe from the madman. If he wants the chance at a future with the one girl he's always loved, Judd may have to toss everything he's worked for aside to do the one job that matters.
While You Were Dead
C.J. Snyder - 2011
To be qualified to earn the coveted prize, a book (published in 2011), must score higher than 8.0 on twenty questions provided to six randomly selected reader judges. This year's winners were the best of the best!NEW FORMATTING!Lies have consequences…Twelve years ago, Max Crayton had no choices. Honor bound to hunt a traitor, the government declared him dead to the outside world. He completed his mission, but lost the only woman he ever loved and a child he never knew existed.And so does breaking a woman’s heart…Max was her life, her very heartbeat. After his death, alone and haunted by a dangerous past, Kat Jannsen made the ultimate sacrifice to keep their daughter safe.When Kat discovers Max is alive her carefully constructed jigsaw puzzle life is torn to pieces. But an old enemy has been watching…waiting to strike. As the danger mounts, she has nowhere to turn but to Max. She can trust him with her life, but does she dare trust him with her heart?
Identity Crisis
Eliza Watson - 2018
She learns they were placed in the Federal Witness Security Program when she was five years old. Her father was involved in an art forgery ring and testified against the mob. Brought up not to trust anyone, Olivia has a difficult time relying on U.S. Marshal Ethan Ryder to protect her, and to keep her secret. She fears her father may have continued his life of crime through her art gallery. She has little choice but to depend on Ethan when she realizes someone is now after her. Olivia’s search for the truth leads her and Ethan across the country to a family and a past she doesn’t remember. At the age of ten, Ethan witnessed a brutal murder. He vowed that when he grew up, he’d protect people in danger. Protecting Olivia is difficult when she won’t trust him. He soon realizes his desire to protect her goes beyond doing his job, but if his judgment becomes clouded by emotions, her safety could be jeopardized. Can Ethan and Olivia learn to trust each other when they uncover secrets that will change their lives forever? *This book was originally published under the name Eliza Daly.
Pine Lake
Amanda Stevens - 2017
Returning to Pine Lake, Texas, where the townsfolk still consider him suspect, might not be the smartest move, but a killer seems to be holding up a mirror to his past. The same witness to this new murder was also present the night Jack's girlfriend dieds...but both times, she was sound asleep...Sleepwalking has gotten Olive Belmont into some sticky situations. Being the witness to both murders may have put her on the killer's list. Even so, she doesn't think the killer is Jack and is willing to help him. But will putting his past to rest ease her mind or leave her with even greater nightmares?
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….
Anti Hero
Skye Warren - 2016
After losing his team in a fiery betrayal, he left the army. Now he works for cold hard cash.And the girl he loves? She's better off without him.Until her story makes her a target.Then he'll protect her. He'll kill for her. He just won't let himself fall for her again. That would be dangerous, for both of them.WARNING: Contains an inked military man, a plucky reporter on a mission, and explosive chemistry!ANTI HERO is a full-length standalone novel with plenty of heat and suspense!!
Fighting Chance
Victoria Paige - 2016
This leads him to Misty Grove, a town lined with innocent diners and general stores, but his gut instinct tells him that nothing is what it seems.It doesn’t help that his first encounter with one of its citizens is at the end of her shotgun.A beautiful hellion. Cassandra Reed is unlike any woman he has ever met. She’s tough and sassy, yet her eyes hold a vulnerability that calls to his protective side. Trent’s dedication to his job has always caused the demise of his previous relationships, so what is it about Cassie now that compels him to risk it all, especially when she has made it clear she doesn’t need his protection?When Cassie brushes off injuries from a suspicious incident, Trent’s need to serve and protect deepens into an alarming obsession over a woman who challenges his every instinct of self-preservation. Staying away from her is not an option, and he will be damned if he lets Cassie deny the growing attraction between them. But when the town’s secrets are revealed, he discovers he’s in over his head. As a mere sheriff, the menace that looms over Misty Grove is way above his pay grade. Before the threat can rip away the woman who has come to mean everything to him, Trent will have to make a tough decision. One that will give him and Cassie a fighting chance at a future together.*Strong sexual content and language. Can be read as a standalone, but may leave questions about secondary characters who will become the protagonists in upcoming books.
Fatal Embrace
Aris Whittier - 2004
Or at least it would be if her boss, ex-detective Michael Carven, stopped acting like he didn't want her there. Jessica has to prove herself to him on the ranch, and also try to penetrate his armor to get to the man inside. Michael Carven is a man who has left a difficult past behind him, and now works at his dream job raising horses under the Montana sky. But he knows that the past has a way of coming back to him, and soon enough, it does. A wave of violence hits the nearby small town of Riverside, nestled deep in the mountains, as a cunning serial killer preys on the population. Against his will, Michael finds himself both drawn into the case and coming to care for his independent new trainer. And if having a killer on the loose wasn't enough, his two worlds collide when Jessica becomes the only material witness in the case. Before it is over, Michael and Jessica will put everything they know and hold dear on the line to catch a vicious, cunning killer - and to protect each other as well.
Never Let Go
Cynthia Eden - 2017
Elizabeth Parker didn't like wild, dangerous men...yet she still found herself falling for sexy Navy SEAL Sawyer Cage. He was her exact opposite--a man she should definitely stay away from, a man who lived for the thrill of danger...but he was also the man she found herself wanting more than any other.But their secret relationship ended in heartbreak when Sawyer was killed on a mission. Grieving for him, the last thing Elizabeth ever expected was to find Sawyer listed as a test subject for the top secret government project she was heading--a project called Lazarus.For years, Elizabeth had worked feverishly to unlock the secrets of life and death, and with her Lazarus formula, she finally thought she'd made a breakthrough. Only she never expected to use Lazarus on her lover.But the choice is taken out of Elizabeth's hands...Sawyer is given the Lazarus formula, and he's transported to a remote government facility. At that facility, Sawyer wakes once more, only he's not the same man. He's stronger, he's faster, his reflexes and his senses are ten times better than an average man's. The government calls Sawyer a super soldier... Elizabeth still calls him...hers.Unfortunately, Sawyer has no memory of his life before Lazarus. All he knows is that something about the sexy doctor awakes a primal response in him. He wants her, and he'll do anything to possess her. Soul-deep, he feels that she was meant to be his.Death waits in the darkness.But something is wrong inside the Lazarus facility. The test subjects are holding back secrets, and danger seems to lurk in the air. The Lazarus subjects are super-human now, and some of those subjects have a very, very dark side. Twisted cravings drive them to the very edge of sanity. Can Sawyer keep Elizabeth safe from the madness around them...or will the growing darkness consume them both?NEVER LET GO...a gripping new romantic suspense from New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Cynthia Eden.
Stranded with the Ex-Boyfriend (Snowbound Billionaires Book 2)
Sophie Brooks - 2020
I don’t even want to see his stupid, handsome face, let alone pretend to be a couple. Too bad there’s a blizzard raging, and the innkeeper won’t rent us the last room until Aaron convinces her it’s our honeymoon. Like I’d ever marry him! Sharing close quarters should be a nightmare after everything he’s done, but with him pretending to be a loving husband, I start to remember the good times. How it feels to curl up next to him. The way his strong hands rub my shoulders when I’m tense. He’s charming when he wants to be, keeping me from going stir crazy and holding me tight when the power goes out. When I see how great he is with the kids at the inn, it reminds me of the future I thought we’d have together. Is it possible I was wrong about him? He claims he wants a second chance, but that might be even more dangerous than the storm outside.
**Stranded with the Ex-Boyfriend is a romance novel with steamy scenes, no cheating, and a happy ending. It can be read as a standalone.**
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Lauren Landish - 2021
When men find out what I do, I'm lucky to hear “it was nice meeting you.”Until I almost accidentally kill Blake Hale with my car.Instead of being freaked out by me, he’s intrigued. No matter how much I try to scare him off, he keeps coming back for more. And for a follow-the-rules guy, he’s breaking them all… for me.We couldn’t be more different. He’s all goodness and light, with a brain that’s even sexier than his six pack. I’m danger in a pretty package, and no amount of knocking on wood is going to make the happily ever after he’s promising come true. But…With each word we exchange, my resolve weakens.With each heated look, he gets further into my soul.With every kiss, he consumes me by accepting me just as I am.I deal in death all day. He sells life… insurance. What could possibly go wrong when I start believing in Mr. Right?Drop Dead Gorgeous is a full-length meet-cute Romance... with a twist! It is a standalone.
The Edge of Night
Jill Sorenson - 2011
When one of her co-workers is found raped and murdered, April does what she knows she shouldn’t—she defies the neighborhood code by giving the police a hardcore gang member’s name. Clean-cut cop Noah Young wants a shot at breaking this case more than anything in the world—that is, until he meets the unforgettable April Ortiz. When April gives Noah the tip, a spark ignites. As the fire between them threatens to blaze out of control, the two are dragged down further into the dark mysteries of the graffiti-lined streets, taunted by a crazed killer who could strike again at any time. From the Paperback edition.
Her Mother's Killer
Melissa Schroeder - 2009
She tries to ignore them until someone drives her off the road, then begins sending her sick letters. Althea returns to the small Texas town where the murder happened, planning to solve the case herself. Her main problem is avoiding the sheriff, her old crush, Duncan Perry. Duncan can't believe his best friend's little sister has grown into such a wonderful bundle of curves. At first he's stunned by his reaction to her, but never one to be slow, he starts putting the moves on her. It isn't until he's completely seduced by her that he realizes she's putting herself in danger to solve the old crime. As they fall in love with each other, the stalking and danger escalates. Women matching Althea's description are being found raped and murdered. The new lovers must now work overtime to figure out just what went wrong twenty years earlier, but the mysteries they will reveal could jeopardize everything they're fighting for.
The Wreck
Marie Force - 2011
The young couple plans to marry before they head to college, and their future seems bright with promise. Everything changes one spring night when their six closest friends, including Brian's younger brother, are killed in a fiery car accident that Carly and Brian witness. The trauma leaves Carly unable to speak, and Brian is forced to make unimaginable decisions about a future that once seemed so certain. With Carly incapable of going forward with their plans, Brian leaves home—and Carly—for good. Fifteen years later, disturbing new clues indicate the accident that wrecked so many lives wasn't an accident at all, bringing Brian home to face a past——and a love——he's never forgotten.