Book picks similar to
Bound by Steel by Connie Lafortune
dnf
romance
mystery
suspense-thriller
There is No Light in Darkness
Claire Contreras - 2013
Her present cloaked in secrets. The future holds the only truth that cannot be escaped.After the mysterious and violent death of her parents, Blake Brennan finds comfort with an unconventional family. As the dramatic loss of her parents continues to haunt her—and hinders her from reciprocating love that others give freely—Blake embarks on a harrowing journey in search for the truth.Living in a constant state of fear and need for control, vivid nightmares reveal details that lead to perilous situations. The past begins to collide with the present, and Blake must decide if the truth is worth losing the ones she loves. Can love conquer all as her past comes to light? Or will Blake realize that there is no light in darkness?Book contains: Explicit language & sexual content.
Taking Turns
J.A. Huss - 2017
And maybe everyone wants what they can’t have, but I should’ve thought it over before I accepted the key and unlocked the door to their forbidden world.Number One is mostly silent. He watches me with them very carefully. His gaze never wanders. His interest never wanes.Number Two is mostly gentle. But it’s the other side of him I like best. The wild side.Number Three is mostly reserved. He refuses to cross the line. Even when I beg.It was carnal, it was sensual, and it was erotic. That’s it. That’s all it was supposed to be. A trip into the dark. A peek into the forbidden.I just didn’t expect to like them.*****I heard the door open and close and said nothing. And the footsteps coming down the hallway towards the bedroom. I even heard him say, “Hey.” So softly. “You awake?” Like he didn’t want to wake me.I listened as he stepped into the closet. There was that slick sound a man makes when he pulls his tie through his shirt collar. I heard the unclasping of his watch. The jingle of his belt buckle and the shuffle of his pants as they dropped to the floor.I even heard his moan as he stood over me. I could feel his shadow from the streetlamp outside like it was heat.Then the bed creaked, the mattress sank. And his warm, hard body straddled me.Still, I said nothing.I just buried my face in the sweet scent of the pillow and closed my eyes, feigning sleep.“Rochelle,” he whispered, leaning over me. His fingertips gently brushed the hair away from my shoulder. His mouth pressed against my skin. “Did you miss me? God, I’ve missed you. Two weeks is too long. We need to renegotiate.”He nipped my neck. Kissed it. Licked my ear as he positioned himself to begin.And I said… nothing.Even though my name is not Rochelle. That’s why I’m here. Tied up and gagged inside the closet. Sitting in the dark as three men on the other side of the door argue about where Rochelle went, why I was in her bed, and what they should do next.I should be scared but I’m not.I should be screaming, but I won’t.Because this just feels very, very right.And the only thing on my mind is… what will happen next?
Winters Heat
Cristin Harber - 2013
Uninterested in his white knight act, she’d rather take her chances without the ruggedly handsome, cold-blooded operative who boasts an alpha complex and too many guns.Colby Winters, former Navy SEAL and an elite member of The Titan Group, has a single objective on his black ops mission: recover a document important to national security. It was supposed to be an easy in-and-out operation. But now, by any means necessary becomes a survival mantra when he faces off with a stunning woman he can’t leave behind.When Titan’s safe houses are compromised, Colby stashes Mia at his home, exposing his secret—he’s the adoptive father of an orphaned baby girl. Too soon, danger arrives and Mia lands in the hands of a sadistic cartel king with a taste for torture. As hours bleed into fear-drenched days, Colby races across the globe and through a firestorm of bullets to save the woman he can’t live without.
HOT Pursuit
Lynn Raye Harris - 2013
He broke her heart. He's the only one who can save her life...Evie Baker hasn’t seen Matt Girard in ten years. Not since the night she gave him her virginity. Now the Black Ops soldier is back in town and looking to make things right. Too bad she doesn’t believe a word he says. But when her sister goes missing and Evie’s suddenly a suspect in a murder, Matt’s the only man she can trust to keep her safe.Matt knew Evie wanted forever ten years ago, but all he wanted was escape. He’s older and wiser now, and he knows what matters. He’ll do whatever it takes—break any rules necessary—to protect Evie and find her sister. And then he’ll do everything he can to win his best friend’s heart and prove he’s the man she needs him to be.
Talon
Sybil Bartel - 2016
I fuck. I pretend to smile. Two years ago my life was perfect, until it wasn’t. I scattered my wife’s ashes then walked away from the Marines. I didn’t think I had anything left to lose. I was wrong. The blonde showed up on my doorstep beaten and stabbed. I did what I was trained to do — I stitched her up. I didn’t have a clue who she was and I told myself I didn’t care. Until they came looking for her. I swore I’d take my last breath before I let anyone else hurt her, except I didn’t know she was keeping a deadly secret. Now I had two choices, her life or mine. Marriage and combat taught me the same thing — I was no one’s hero. And I was about to prove it. Warning: This book contains offensive language, violence and sexual situations. Mature audiences only.
Slaughter
Shantel Tessier - 2018
It is about revenge and hatred, misery and violence. I wasn’t always this way even though it was in my blood. I grew up happy and in love with my best friend until she betrayed me and walked away. After that, I fell into the deep, dark world I was meant for. Presleigh Clarke's actions turned me into the ruthless man I am today. Too bad for her, I believe people should pay for the things they have done. The more painful and messy, the better. I get off on making people bleed. It feeds my inner demon, and right now, he is starving. She crossed me once, so now she’ll know what it’s like to fear me. But not all stories end the way you think they will … mine certainly didn’t.
Throwaway
Heather Huffman - 2010
But even if Jessie could walk away from Spence, there are darker forces of evil who won't let her go that easily. In this romantic suspense, author Heather Huffman delivers an adventure from the vibrant streets of St. Louis to the caves of the Ozarks as Jessie discovers whether she can love another, whether she can love herself, and whether any of it is enough.Throwaway is the first installment in the surprisingly warm and funny series The Throwaways, twelve novels that don’t shy away from the dark corners of this world but always shine the light of hope. At the core of the series is a group of strong but often unlikely heroes and heroines coming from all walks of life whose lives intertwine as they fight for justice, for love, and to leave their indelible mark on this world.Immerse yourself in a world of suspense, laughter, and love with The Throwaways.
Impossible Box Set
Julia Sykes - 2014
The impossibly sexy FBI agent promises he'll protect me from the violent Latin Kings, but good things like Clayton don't happen to damaged girls like me.Despite my reluctance, he insists on keeping me close. He grants me the sweet release I can only find in submission, and I am quickly becoming addicted to him. Can I learn to trust in his love and protection? Or will my life be claimed by the dangers that surround me?RogueI can't afford to make mistakes. When you work for the FBI, mistakes can cost lives.Busting club Decadence for drug trafficking is my chance to prove myself. I'm not going to allow any arrogant, Dominant man to throw me off my game. Not even the notorious club owner, Derek Carter.He's the criminal I'm investigating, and I have to keep him close in order to uncover his secrets. But keeping him close to my body while guarding my heart is proving more difficult than I ever imagined.He might be my biggest mistake yet.KnightAbducted. Drugged. Broken.I am plaything, a possession. If I did ever have a name, I don't remember it now. Slaves don't have names.But then, my new Master rescued me and took me into his care. He protects me from the sadistic madman who is determined to steal me back from him.Master's touch keeps me sane. His control keeps me grounded in reality. I am utterly devoted to my savior, but his brand of rescue might leave me more broken than ever.Do I have a hope of finding freedom when he refuses to release my heart? Or is this new form of captivity exactly what I need to survive?
Preacher
Dahlia West - 2015
Left for dead in the Badlands, he's managed to survive. He's stolen a truck, but where can he go? Body broken, mind reeling from betrayal from his own MC brothers, he knows he won't last a day back in Rapid City in his current condition.Two roads stretch out in front of him. One leads to the city and one deep into the black hills where no one knows him as the former President of the Badlands Buzzards. Revenge is not a question; it's an absolute. Preacher will get his due soon enough or die trying.Erin Walker is at a crossroads of her own. Dealt a bad hand by being the daughter of Buck Walker, ex-Rodeo Champ, she's made her own way in the world without his help. She owns Thunder Ridge Ranch outright, and she's carved out a piece of paradise for herself with her own two hands. She's not giving it up without a fight, but she's alone in the world with no one to trust.In Erin, Preacher finds something that doesn't exist in his own world: a smart, fierce independent woman who sets his blood on fire. For Erin, the mysterious man who threatens her life might very well be the only one who can save it.Can Preacher put aside his desire for revenge against his old MC and accept what's in front of him: a woman who needs him and a future worth having? Erin knows in her heart that Preacher is a bad, dangerous man, but can she trust him anyway?Not every choice is theirs to make, though, and in Rapid City the past never stays buried.
Zack
Cheyenne McCray - 2014
Then he comes striding back into her life—bigger, badder, and sexier than before. Zack Hunter never thought his job as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent would lead him back to his small hometown, and he never thought he’d set eyes on Sky again. Leaving her behind had been the stupidest thing he’d ever done, but this time he isn’t going to let her go. And as soon as Zack lays eyes on Sky, he makes it clear that he intends to make her his all over again. When Sky becomes entangled in the case he’s investigating, Zack can’t help but take the threat personally. As the danger mounts, their passion burns even hotter. **Please note: Zack was published in print only with St. Martin’s Griffin. Zack was originally published in eBook and print with Ellora’s Cave under the title "Wildfire". Character names were changed at St. Martin's request, and the Armed & Dangerous versions were expanded considerably from the original "Wild" series.
Thick as Thieves
Sandra Brown - 2020
But by daybreak, their plan had been shot to hell. One of them was in the hospital. One was in jail. One was dead. And one got away with it.Arden Maxwell, the daughter of the man who disappeared all those years ago -- presumably with the money, after murdering his accomplice -- has never reconciled with her father's abandonment of her and her sister. After countless personal setbacks she decides to return to her family home near mysterious Caddo Lake, and finally get answers to the many questions that torment her. Little does she know, two of her father's co-conspirators -- a war hero and a corrupt district attorney -- are watching her every move.Ledge Burnet, a rebellious teen at the time of the heist, evaded his jail sentence by enlisting in the army. Now he's back in town to care for his ailing father -- and to keep his eye on the county's corrupt district attorney, whom he suspects was the real murderer. Although the two are bound to silence because of the crime they committed together, each has spent years waiting and hoping that the other will make a fatal misstep. But the arrival of their elusive accomplice's daughter, Arden, who may know more about the missing money than she's telling, sets them both on red alert. She ignites Ledge's determination to expose the D.A.'s treachery . . . and sparks a desire he wishes to deny.
Killer Dreams
Iris Johansen - 2006
Sophie Dunston knows all too well how dreams can kill. As one of the nation’s top sleep therapists, she specializes in the life-threatening night terrors that her ten-year-old son, Michael, suffers from. But she is also an expert in another kind of terror–the kind that can turn a dream life into a living nightmare in the blink of an eye.Someone is watching. He’s a shadowy figure from out of her darkest fears and he hasn’t forgotten her. In one shocking moment of violence, he’d shattered Sophie’s world forever and left her with only one thing to live for: her son. But the nightmare isn’t over for Sophie Dunston. It’s just begun. He’s been waiting. Sophie was supposed to die the first time around, but fate intervened. This time he’ll make sure that not even a miracle will save her.It wasn’t a miracle that saved Jock Gavin, but it was pretty close. A semiretired hit man, commando, and jack-of-all-deadly-trades, he knows what Sophie is up against–and that she’ll need help. But the man he’s chosen for the job is as unpredictable as he is dangerous. Matt Royd is a wild card–hard, cool, merciless–and putting him into play changes the game completely. But to whose advantage?Sophie will soon find out. She will have to trust Royd because she has no choices left. Because the bogeyman haunting her dreams is all too real and he’s on the hunt again. Because the nightmare he’s got planned for Sophie won’t end when she wakes up screaming. It won’t end. Ever.From the Hardcover edition.
Comfort Object
Annabel Joseph - 2009
He says he needs a personal assistant, but the work contract he shows her details not organizational duties, but sexual ones. Jobless and homeless, Nell agrees to work for him anyway, on the promise that he will pay for her to finish her college degree when her stint as his "assistant" is complete.The start of their formal Dom/sub relationship is rocky, but they soon fall into a mutually satisfying, highly sexual routine. They play vanilla boyfriend and girlfriend in public, while Jeremy uses Nell as his kinky comfort object behind the scenes. Then a stalker threatens their secret lifestyle, and their contract may not be strong enough to hold them together.This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, strong BDSM theme and content including spanking, dubious consent, exhibitionism, menage (m/f/m), group sex.
Pitch Black
Elise Noble - 2015
Forced to abandon everything she holds dear - her home, her friends, her job in special ops - she builds a new life for herself in England. As Ashlyn Hale, she meets Luke, a handsome local who makes her realise just how lonely she is.Yet, even in the sleepy village of Lower Foxford, the dark side of life dogs Diamond’s trail when the unthinkable strikes. Forced out of hiding, she races against time to save those she cares about. But is it too little, too late?
Please be aware that although one story arc is concluded in this book, Diamond’s full story is told over books 1-3 in the Blackwood Security series.
Keep Me Safe
Maya Banks - 2014
Every time she uses it, it costs her a piece of herself. Helping the infuriatingly attractive and impatient Caleb successfully find his sister nearly destroys her. Even though his sexual intensity draws her like a magnet, she needs to get as far away from him as she can.Deeply remorseful for the pain he’s caused, Caleb is determined to make things right. But just when he thinks Ramie's vanished forever, she reappears. She’s in trouble and she needs his help. Now, Caleb will risk everything to protect her — including his heart....