Book picks similar to
Close Encounter, Part 1 by Stephanie St. Klaire
romance
amazon
contemporary
mystery-suspense
Her Best Friend's Keeper
Calle J. Brookes - 2016
Three months. Sixteen days. ★ ★ ★She hasn't felt safe in ten years, three months, and sixteen days.As a teenager Gabby Kendall witnessed the execution of her best friend's family. Those images haunt her every day. Now... Now the killers are back. They know who she is, where she lives, and who her friends are. They know everything about her...He has the TSP to run, and a woman to protect...Elliot Marshall had lost almost his entire family when they'd been murdered ten years ago. Now he is back in Finley Creek, searching for the killers. Elliot isn't about to let anyone hurt the woman who had been his murdered sister's best friend.The only place she feels safe is next to him.
But the price of that safety may be someone else close to her.
Close to him.And one thing is clear: they can't lose someone else they love like that ever again...
Dissident
Cecilia London - 2015
After losing her husband, she is raising two small children alone while trying to navigate the tricky and sometimes shallow halls on Capitol Hill. A string of nasty speeches has her scrambling to apologize to any number of candidates, including newly elected Republican Jack McIntyre. Falling in love again is the last thing on her mind.Jack McIntyre might have a reputation as a playboy, but he has his sights set solely on his new colleague. Can he break through Caroline’s grief and capture her heart? Told mostly in flashback and set against a chilling fascist backdrop, Dissident is a rollercoaster ride of political intrigue, passionate contemporary romance, and undying love. For readers 18+. Ends in a cliffhanger. The first part in a six book saga.
The Bradens at Weston, CO
Melissa Foster - 2015
Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won't want to stop reading. Every book's a winner!" New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak 3 AWARD-WINNING CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE NOVELS in 1 GREAT BOXED SET LOVERS AT HEART (The Bradens, #1) DESTINED FOR LOVE (The Bradens, #2) FRIENDSHIP ON FIRE (The Bradens, #3) Sneak Peek: SEA OF LOVE (The Bradens, #4) --- LOVERS AT HEART SILVER MEDAL WINNER, Readers' Favorite Awards, Contemporary Romance Handsome, wealthy resort owner Treat Braden is used to getting what he wants. When Max Armstrong walked into his life six months earlier, he saw right through the efficient and capable façade she wore like a shield, to the sweet, sensual woman who lay beneath. She sparked an unfamiliar desire in him for more than a one-night stand, leaving his heart reeling and his blood boiling. But one mistake caused her to turn away, and now, after six months of longing for the one woman he cannot have, he's going home to try to forget her all together. Max Armstrong has a successful career, a comfortable lifestyle, and she's never needed a man to help her find her way--until Treat Braden caught her attention at a wedding in Nassau, causing a surge of emotions too reminiscent of the painful past she'd spent years trying to forget. Max will do anything to avoid reliving that pain--including forgoing her toe-curling, heart-pounding desire for Treat. When a chance encounter turns into a night of intense passion, Treat realizes that the mistake he made six months earlier may cause him to lose Max completely. He will do everything within his power to win her heart forever--and Max is forced to face her hurtful past head on for the man she cannot help but love. --- DESTINED FOR LOVE BRONZE MEDAL WINNER, Readers' Favorite Awards, Romance Sizzle Love hot cowboys? Rex Braden is wealthy, hard working, and fiercely loyal. Sweat at his brow, he works the family ranch by day, then kicks back at night with part time lovers who require nothing more than his physical presence a few times each week. But that was before. Before Jade Johnson, the daughter of the man his father has been feuding with for over forty years, moves back into town. After ditching a horrific relationship--and her veterinary practice in the process--Jade Johnson returns to the safety of her small hometown and finally finds her footing. That is...until her horse is injured and Rex Braden comes to her rescue. The last thing she needs is a bull-headed, too-handsome-for-his-own-good Braden complicating her life. Despite the angry family history, sparks fly between Rex and Jade, and attitudes follow. Fifteen years of stifled, forbidden love stirs a surge of passion too strong for either to deny--and the rebel in each of them rears its powerful head. Loyalties are tested, and relationships are strained. Rex and Jade are about to find out if true love really can conquer all. --- FRIENDSHIP ON FIRE SILVER MEDAL WINNER, Readers' Favorite Awards, Romance Sizzle Small-town overachiever Riley Banks has finally scored her big break--working in Manhattan as a fashion design assistant for her childhood crush, Josh Braden. She enters her new job hoping to make a name for herself and--just maybe--explore the romance that slipped through her fingers way back when. Josh Braden has models at his beck and call, a staff that never says never, and an elegant clothing line for the holiday season. When he hires Riley Banks, he expects her to learn the business from the ground up.
Give Him the Slip
Geralyn Dawson - 2006
She never dreamed that helping a gentle old man would force her to run for her life, right into the arms of the infamous Luke "Sin" Callahan. He has just settled into a fishing vacation, and the last thing he needs on his line is a long-legged redhead stowaway with secrets in her heart and killers on her trail. Lucky for her, he's deadlier than the guys who are chasing her. Unfortunately for him, she's gorgeous, smart and determined to make it on her own. When the secrets start spilling and the nights heat up, Luke realizes he faces a new sort of danger-losing the woman he loves. Can he win the battle for her heart? Or will she give him the slip?
Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot
Sarah Osborne - 2018
So when a childhood friend asks Ditie to babysit her kids for a few days, she jumps at the chance. She never imagined she’d be solving a murder too . . . Despite growing up together, Ditie hasn’t seen Ellie Winston in two years, and she didn’t even know Ellie was living in Atlanta. But when Ellie asks her to take care of Lucie and Jason for the weekend, she thinks nothing of it. They’ll bake cookies together, play with her dog—it’ll be fun! Until the police call with terrible news . . . Ellie may not have been the best friend, but who would want her dead? Could it have something to do with the vague get-rich-quick scheme she mentioned to Ditie? Or the men in a black truck following her and breaking into her home? Not sure who to trust other than her best friend, Lurleen, Ditie’s buried maternal instincts kick in to protect the kids and find their mother’s killer—before they’re orphaned again . . . Includes Family-Friendly Recipes!
HOT SEAL
Lynn Raye Harris - 2015
Navy SEAL Dane “Viking” Erikson has sworn off women—or at least he’s sworn off one woman: DEA Agent Ivy McGill. His ex-wife. But when they’re forced to work together on a critical military mission, Dane can’t help but notice how the one woman he shouldn’t want is the only one he can’t stop thinking about. Ivy knows what it’s like to fall for a SEAL’s hard muscles and killer smile—and she knows what it’s like when everything falls apart. So why is she naked against a wall and begging Dane for more?
Finding Forever
Milan Watson - 2020
Here Stetsons are a way of life and not just a fashion statement. Cowboys, romance and small-town charm guaranteed.She’s a city girl, he’s a rancher – will a kiss seal the deal?Ford Caldwell has just taken over the family’s beef operation. The first order of business; get a better contract from the beef buyers. A rugged rancher, Ford is used to doing business with men. But when Brent Beef sends out their new representative, Ford knows it’s going to be hard to focus on the business at all.Kelly Peyton has finally landed her dream job. As the new representative for Brent Beef, Kelly’s first assignment is to sign a deal with Caldwell Beef. Falcon Falls has long since been rumored the best cattle operation in the state and she wants them to sign with her.When Ford and Kelly meet its mutual dislike at first sight. Forced to spend time on the range together both are surprised by the strong attraction. Will Kelly sign the deal she’s been dreaming of, or will she lose her heart?
Spying in High Heels
Gemma Halliday - 2006
shoe designer, Maddie Springer, lives her life by three rules: Fashion. Fashion. Fashion. But when she stumbles upon the work of a brutal killer, her life takes an unexpected turn from Manolos to murder. And things only get worse when her boyfriend disappears - along with $20 million in embezzled funds - and her every move is suddenly under scrutiny by the LAPD's sexiest cop. With the help of her post-menopausal bridezilla of a mother, a 300 pound psychic and one seriously oversexed best friend, Maddie finds herself stepping out of her stilettos and onto the trail of a murderer. But can she catch a killer before the killer catches up to her...
The Lake House Secret
Debra Burroughs - 2013
When human remains are discovered not far from town, Jenessa is assigned the story, throwing her into the thick of town drama.Caught between her old boyfriend, with whom she shares a sordid past, and her new love interest, who offers her something she has desperately been wanting, Jenessa is embroiled in a homicide investigation that ends up pointing the finger at someone she cares very much about. Can she uncover the truth of this murder before it destroys her family and any chance she has for a happy life?
Hellion
Shannon McKenna - 2020
He and his brothers were raised at GodsAcre, a mysterious doomsday cult deep in the mountains, and are the only survivors of the deadly fire that destroyed it. The townspeople see them as time bombs just waiting to blow, but Eric’s going to prove those bastards wrong. He’s an ex-Marine, fresh off a tour in Afghanistan, working three jobs and barely sleeping. Utterly unprepared for Demi Vaughan’s dazzling green eyes, lush pink lips and sexy curves. She’s the town princess…he’s a dangerous outcast. It was a sure recipe for disaster. But the closer he gets to Demi, the more impossible it is to resist… Forbidden fruit is the sweetest… Demi Vaughan has big plans for life post- college, and Eric Trask, notorious bad boy with a complicated past, is not part of them. So when he saunters into the sandwich shop where she works she tells herself he’s just tall, ripped, smoldering eye candy, nothing more. Eric was damaged. Marked by violence and tragedy. He’d be the ultimate bad boyfriend, and right now she was too busy even to shop for a good one. But his hot eyes and hard body, his sensual smile and that rough, sexy voice of his shook her resolve. After all, she was leaving this place forever. A little taste of heaven…what could it hurt? But Shaw’s Crossing has deeper, darker secrets than Eric or Demi could guess. The evil that destroyed GodsAcre is lying in wait...and it will stop at nothing to keep Eric and Demi apart… AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hellion, Book One, ends on a cliffhanger, but it leads right into HEADLONG, Book Two, Demi and Eric’s continuing story, dated seven years later and available for preorder now! The other titles in The Hellbound Brotherhood are a connected series, but each book features its own couple and has its own HEA.
Dazzled by Silver
Lacey Silks - 2013
Desperate to forget the past, he helps out a friend to keep busy, oblivious that his good deed is about to throw him into a sizzling romance.Samantha Connor wants to forget her toxic relationship and she’s on the prowl for a re-bound. When she meets Gabriel Silver she thinks she's found the perfect one-night stand, but the handsome and mysterious man is full of surprises. As she falls prey to his charms, she tangles herself in his next dangerous case.On the run and plotting for their safety, Samantha and Gabriel test the bounds of their sizzling relationship and begin a thrilling game of cat and mouse. With growing feelings, danger at every turn and seduction on the table, anything can happen, especially when their provocative friend, Kendra throws another twist into the mix.Can Gabe and Sam outrun a drug cartel and overcome their shattered pasts for long enough to find true love?Join the unlikely duo on their romantic adventure as they give into temptation while running for their lives.Warning: This title contains adult situations, graphic language, a steamy threesome and a hot FF scene. It is however, an MF romantic suspense.Librarian's note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN: B00DZSOC62.
lost in texas
Sandy Appleyard - 2021
The city girl in a strange predicament. The scoundrel that thinks fiancés come with a price tag.Never, ever date a client. That’s what I keep telling myself. Until Terence Daniels walks into my office. Fine. I caved. Biggest mistake of my life. Next thing I know I’m fleeing Louisiana, hunkering down with my best friend in Dallas. I’m starving, terrified, so confused, and I’m thinking…things just cannot get any worse. Until Kate’s car breaks down outside this bar that looks like their patrons kill women with sticks. We have no choice but to go inside. What I find in there is nothing that I would expect. What unfolds in the coming weeks are more mistakes. Better ones. And then one that I’ll forever call my favorite mistake.***After the day I’ve had, I’d sooner eat my boot than cook something. My brother Zack agrees, so we go to this hillbilly bar, where we keep a tab. One cranky woman and her sidekick show up, looking like lawyers among us cowboys, and we ask if we can help. The cranky one thinks we’re trying to steal her car, but the other one softens. All is fine and dandy until she hits us with something that would shock a groundhog back into his burrow until hell freezes over. The look in her eyes is what gets me. Fear. I can’t stand that in a woman. Especially this one, with the tough exterior, making out like she’s fine when inside she’s a crumbling mess. Never figured she’d turn things around like she does. Never figured I’d be the one to help her put it all back together. Never figured she’d see right through me yet show me the way in a way that nobody else has.…and for the life of me, I never figured that she’d inadvertently bring so much danger to the ranch.HEA (Happily Ever After)Ranch romanceCowboy romanceMedium heatCourse languageCliffhanger ending
Secrets Exposed
Lisa Renee Jones - 2004
Her enemy is her passion, her passion is her enemy.Lindsey Paxton was once the number one defense attorney in New York. She fought for those who were innocent, but charged. Her instincts were her lifeline, never failing her, as they guided her in her choices of who to defend. Or so she thought. Until she won a case she would forever wish to have lost. Her client, an accused rapist, kills and rapes a woman only a day after being set free. Destroyed by her role in the woman's death, Lindsey blames her father's controlling ways for what she has become, and runs from her career and life. Years later - the past becomes the present . . . Her father has cancer, and Lindsey is forced to leave her career with the Washington branch of the FBI. She finds herself facing the responsibility of running her father's law firm with the reluctant help of hotshot attorney Mark Reeves, a man who sparks her temper while also managing to tempt her body, her mind, maybe even her heart. With his help she finds herself fighting the emotional battles of the past, tempted to trust both him and her instincts. Now, faced with a case inherited from her father so similar to her career-ending one, she now must decide if her instincts will lead her down the path to saving an innocent man or setting free another killer. But while she fights her own battles, someone watches, wanting from the past what he had failed to get the first time . . . Lindsey.NOTE: Previously released as Hidden Instincts. Title change to indicate prelude to the new TALL, DARK, AND DEADLY trilogy coming in late 2011. I wrote this in 2004 and it was published by a library publisher and is in hardback in many libraries. You will meet the first Walker Brother-- Royce
Invisible
Beth Abbott - 2016
Ellen Thomas knows that if she’s to have a hope of staying alive, she has to remain Invisible! Ever since the night a man died trying to protect Ellen and her father from a London gangster, she’s been on the run. In an attempt to stop herself being discovered, she’s done everything she can to stay off the grid. She’s left her family and friends behind and moved halfway across the country, changed her appearance and given up everything and everyone she knew and loved just to stay alive! But will it ever be enough? Luke Roberts has finally left a distinguished career in the British army behind him, and joined with his former team-mates to start Alpha Company Security, fulfilling the dream the four men have shared for years. But he won’t be able to rest until he finds out who murdered his twin brother and why. The police claim Casey was part of a notorious London gang, but Luke is convinced that his brother would never have worked for criminals! He suspects that Casey was working undercover, but can’t get anybody to confirm it, at least not whilst it could harm an ongoing investigation. He's spent three years trying to track down the one person who might be able to tell him what happened to his brother that night, but she may as well be a ghost. And if he finds her, will he discover the truth? Or will he get a lot more than he bargained for? This is Book One in The Alpha Company Women Series. The full list of titles in the series is as follows; Invisible Anonymous Concealed Healing Living Impossible The books can be read independently, but are best enjoyed if read in order. Please note that this series of books contains swearing, violence and scenes of a sexual nature. It is not intended for anyone under the age of 18 due to the detailed and descriptive content. (M/F) There are modified versions available of all six books in this series for those who like their stories a little less "Adult". They are the exact same stories, and are still aimed at an 18+ audience, but the language and violence has been considerably toned down, and the scenes of a sexual nature are far less detailed. Please look out for the (PG-13 Clean Version) Subtitle.
Her Sanctuary
Toni Anderson - 2009
Her undercover work brought down a mobster’s empire. Her reward? A bullseye on her back, betrayal burning like battery acid in her veins, and a life on the run.A remote Montana ranch was supposed to be a safe haven to begin reclaiming her life. Which doesn’t include a man as solid as a mountain, with sapphire eyes and a slow, sexy drawl that curls inside her in a way she hasn’t felt in far too long.Nat Sullivan smells trouble coming in the Triple H’s cold mountain air. And this time it’s not the repo men sneaking in to take his prized horses. It’s a beautiful woman with wide eyes, dark hair, and skin pale as snow.Together, the damaged agent and struggling rancher find common ground…and a healing passion neither expected. But when a killer with a lust for revenge tracks Elizabeth down, the secrets she must unleash to survive could destroy everything they both love…REVISED AND UPDATED, NOVEMBER 2021.