Book picks similar to
Secrets of the Last Castle by A. Rose Mathieu
crime
mystery
lesbian
mystery-thriller
The Disappeared
Nicole Pyland - 2018
Her brother had been the favored child. Ada had been the only witness to his disappearance. Her life changed the day the police officer assigned to the case made Ada a promise that she’d find Noah Cramer.Dylan Easton had many cases over the course of her career as a detective. She only had one case though that she’d describe as the one she’d never let go. It had started the day she’d made a promise to a fourteen-year-old girl that she’d find her brother.Ten years after Noah’s disappearance, the two women are reunited when a true crime series wants to highlight the anniversary of the missing boy. Ada is now ten years older and still bitter about the way her life had taken a turn that day. Dylan is now a detective on her way to running her own team. When the two women meet up after all these years, there’s an unwanted spark between them that they attempt to deny.A new lead in the case mixed with some startling discoveries has these two women attempting to balance their new and confusing attraction to one another along with the possibility of finding Noah Cramer.
The Job
Jove Belle - 2014
When her cover is blown, her priority shifts from closing her case to just making it through the day alive. She ends up in the middle of a bank heist, pointing a gun at her ex-girlfriend, Torrence “Tor” Jewel. She sees a flicker of recognition in Tor’s eyes as she pulls her gun and yells, “On the floor!”Before Tor can fully register that “the one who got away” is standing in front of her, she’s pushed facedown onto the floor. Sera might as well shoot her now because as soon as she gets up, Tor’s going to kill her. Or kiss her. She’s still undecided.First, they have to survive their reunion, then they can worry about happily ever after.
Necessary Sacrifice
Noelle Winters - 2017
Running a domestic violence shelter keeps Emma Stevens on her toes, and serves as a living reminder of her mother’s legacy that falling in love can hurt you in more ways than one. But when one of her clients is murdered, Emma comes face to face with a detective who makes her question her resolve to remain safely unattached. Reeling from her wife’s death, Nick Tanner fled her life as a homicide detective in the big city. But when a brutal murder rocks the police department in sleepy Battle Creek, she isn’t prepared for the haunting memories, or complications, it brings - especially stubborn therapist Emma, who is determined to solve the case all by herself if she has to. But when Emma becomes the target for a killer, both their lives - and the love building between them - are put in danger. Is it better to love with the risk of losing, or not love at all?
30 Dates in 30 Days
Elle Spencer - 2019
She’s about to be named a partner at one of the most prestigious law firms in New York City. She’s on top of the world, except for one tiny ridiculous thing: she promised herself she’d be married by thirty-five. After a drink too many, she accidentally lets her “life plan” slip to Bea, her steadfast, ever meddling assistant, and now Bea won’t let the idea go. Rachel Monaghan doesn’t do serious relationships. As a busy wedding photographer, she’s jaded about lasting love, has a thriving repeat business, and hasn’t had much luck with love herself. While bartending at her cousin’s bar, Rachel learns of Bea’s plan to get her boss married off by scheduling thirty dates in thirty days. In this sophisticated contemporary romance, Veronica Welch tries to find love in the most efficient way possible, while Rachel Monaghan avoids love at all costs. What could possibly go wrong?77,000 wordsGenres: Contemporary / Romance
Rainey Days
R.E. Bradshaw - 2010
She drinks too much and hasn't had a good night's sleep in months. On a hung-over morning, in June, Rainey finds herself thrust back into the world of stalkers, rapist and serial killers by a request for help, from an old friend. The next thirteen days will change Rainey's life forever, if she survives. On top of all that, Katie, her friend's wife, the one she is supposed to protect, brings out feelings Rainey didn't know she had. Though Katie is married and neither she nor Rainey has ever been in a lesbian relationship, the two women are thrown together by a bizarre series of events, learning to depend on each other for survival.
Dark Dreamer
Jennifer Fulton - 2005
Seeking inspiration and a fresh start, she abandons life in Manhattan for an old Victorian house in Maine. But Dark Harbor Cottage is a far cry from the tranquil writing environment she envisioned.
This Time
S.W. Andersen - 2018
Neuropsychologist Dr. Contessa “Tess” Kenner isn’t one of them. She can explain in detail how lust and desire cause the limbic system to battle the prefrontal cortex over ethical decision making, but ask her about her aversion to relationships and she’s completely at a loss. It’s not due to lack of trying. She’s just never felt the need or the connection to put in the effort. Free spirited artist Elena Jake, on the other hand, wants to fall in love with the woman of her dreams—quite literally. Ever since her youth, her nights have been consumed by a beautiful stranger, so much so, that no flesh and blood woman has ever been able to measure up. When the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, she seeks guidance from her Native American roots. Driven by strong astrological influences, the “powers that be” attempt an intervention between the two women. Their pasts and presents merge, sending Tess and Elena on an unimaginable journey, causing them both to question their sanities. Will these two souls rediscover an epic love? Or are they destined to forever be star-crossed lovers? This paranormal romance is a must read for every true romantic who believes true love knows no bounds.
Beautiful Dreamer
Melissa Brayden - 2019
She’s pretty much blocked out her formative years in Dreamer’s Bay, where the most exciting thing to happen was the twice a year bake sale. Unfortunately, a distress call hauls her back home and away from the life she’s constructed. Now the question is just how long until she can leave again? And when did boring Elizabeth Draper get so beautiful? Elizabeth Draper loves people, free time, and a good cup of coffee in the warm sunlight. In the quaint town of Dreamer’s Bay, she’s the only employee of On the Spot, an odd jobs company. She remembers Devyn Winters as shallow in high school, but now everything about Devyn makes her lose focus. Though her brain knows Devyn is only home temporarily, her heart didn’t seem to get the memo.Cover Artist: Jeanine HenningGenres: Contemporary / Romance Tags: Homecoming, Small Town RomancesWords: 95,000
The Chase
Jesse J. Thoma - 2013
After all, who would want to shoot a corporate CPA when a bounty hunter is standing in front of her? The answer forces Holt and Isabelle on a perilous journey through an underworld of drugs and underhanded deals, from the Rhode Island House of Representatives to a methadone clinic. Compelled to protect Isabelle by a sense of duty and an attraction neither of them expected, can Holt catch the assailant in time, or will her commitment to the chase leave the idea of happily ever after impossible?
Don't Call Me Hero
Eliza Lentzski - 2014
She knew that coming back after eight years in a war zone wouldn’t be easy, but she’d underestimated the real difficulties of transitioning back to civilian life. War is hell, but the aftermath is endless. Looking for a fresh start, she’s left her friends and career in Minneapolis to be a police officer in northern Minnesota. It’s in the tiny town of Embarrass where she learns more about Julia Desjardin. The city prosecutor is cool, professional, and untouchable. But she and Cassidy have history, and Cassidy isn’t going to let her easily forget that. For all their surface differences, Cassidy and Julia have more in common than they first realized—both are reluctant to hand over their pasts to be judged and studied. But it might take someone just as damaged as the other to help each cope with the skeletons in their respective closets.
Actual Stop
Kara A. McLeod - 2016
Sure, her boss can’t stand her, but she figures if that’s her biggest problem, she’s pretty damn lucky. She should have known it was too good to last and that when fate finally slapped her, it would do so hard enough to leave a mark.When Ryan’s ex-girlfriend, Special Agent Allison Reynolds, suddenly reappears in New York, her carefully constructed world is thrown into chaos. As they’re forced to work together, Ryan is compelled to confront several realities that she wishes she could avoid. One of which is that it’s terrible to mix the past with the present. The other is that it’s not only the past that paints the present with lead.
Hers to Protect
Nicole Disney - 2018
She thinks she's prepared for anything, but when she responds to a bloody domestic violence call, only to find her high school sweetheart is the victim, she knows she has to find a way to help.When Adrienne Contreras's mother moved her to the south side of Chicago at seventeen, she quickly saw her safe life and idealistic love with Kaia replaced with poverty, crime, and violence. Now twenty-seven, Adrienne is dating Gianna, a high-ranking member of a brutal gang. She has the streets figured out, but the first rule is to never talk to cops, even one she used to be in love with.As their attraction grows into love, Adrienne and Kaia struggle to see past the changes in each other and escape Gianna and the gang, who have threatened both their lives.
Thorns of the Past
Gun Brooke - 2017
Framed for a bad shooting while on the force, she is set on finding out the truth about what happened. Sabrina Hawk, a successful accountant with an impressive client list, still suffers the after-effects from an assault during her college years. Victim blaming on campus was bad enough, but she loathes the authorities for mistreating her. Darcy notices Sabrina often works late, and the elegant blond stirs her innate protectiveness. Sabrina finds herself able to relax around Darcy. A mutual attraction develops, but then Sabrina’s office is subjected to several break-ins. Wary of the police, she hires Darcy to investigate. Darcy fears Sabrina’s reaction once she learns Darcy was a cop—a cop who left the force in disgrace.
Three Times As Deadly
Erin Wade - 2017
An attempt on her life makes her realize that her biggest problem is not which woman is her wife, but who wants to kill her and why. She discovers that she holds secrets that will topple governments and bring down illegal poachers in Africa. The only problem is that Sloan can’t remember where she hid the evidence. Sloan quickly realizes that she must trust one of the women to help her escape Africa. Which one will it be? Wife Number One: Amarosia (Amy) Cartwright, a beautiful Halle Berry look-a-like who tells Sloan that they have been married for five years and make their home in Africa. Wife Number Two: Leigh Redding Cartwright, blonde, wholesome, girl-next-door beauty who obviously adores Sloan and claims they have been married for seven years and live in New York. Wife Number Three: Alexandra Roland Cartwright, gorgeous international business mogul who has flown into Africa to take her wife home with her. Sloan isn’t sure it is her the women want or the evidence she has hidden. You will laugh and cheer for Sloan as she juggles the three beauties while trying to stay alive and escape from a country where everyone wants her dead.
A Bad Day for Sunshine
Darynda Jones - 2020
But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of this is reminding Sunshine why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that the trouble at her daughter's new school, plus and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and, well, the forecast looks anything but sunny.But even clouds have their silver linings. This one's got Levi, Sunshine's sexy, almost-old-flame, and a fiery-hot US Marshall. With temperatures rising everywhere she turns, Del Sol's normally cool-minded sheriff is finding herself knee-deep in drama and danger. Can Sunshine face the call of duty - and find the kidnapper who's terrorizing her beloved hometown - without falling head over high heels in love . . . or worse?