Book picks similar to
Close-Up by Virginia Kantra


romantic-suspense
romance
virginia-kantra
contemporary

Public Displays of Affection


Susan Donovan - 2004
    Thirteen years later, she's a widowed mom who runs her company, prepares three vegetarian meals a day for her children, and volunteers for just about every good deed in town. But no one knows that Charlotte has a secret weakness for squirt cheese, erotic poetry-and the mystery man she lost her virginity to in a reckless roadside tryst, moments before she got engaged. They never exchanged names, and even now, Charlotte can't stop fantasizing about that spectacular stranger...DEA agent Joe Bellacera isn't crazy about having to hide out in Minton, Ohio before testifying at the trial of a notorious drug lord. But he's handling it just fine...until he lays eyes on a fiery redhead and a hot little body he'd recognize anywhere. Joe's never had another woman like Charlotte since that day thirteen years ago. Now she's his neighbor-and strictly off-limits...Amid the balmy, honeysuckle-scented breezes of a Midwestern summer, sense and sensibility are about to be subverted by an ice cream-loving dog, conspiring kids, and nosy neighbors. And when the Widow Tasker's fantasies meet the rock-hard reality of Agent Bellacera, let the fireworks begin...

Undetected


Dee Henderson - 2014
    Mark Bishop is a man who accepts that responsibility, and carries it well. And at a time when tensions are escalating in the Pacific Rim, the navy is glad to have him.Mark wants someone to come home to after sea patrols. The woman he has in mind is young, pretty, and very smart. She's a civilian, but she understands life in the navy. And he has a strong sense that life with her would never be boring. But she may be too deep in her work to see the potential in a relationship with him.Gina Gray would love to be married. She has always envisioned her life that way. But a breakup she didn't see coming has her focusing all her attention on what she does best--ocean science research. She's on the cusp of a breakthrough, and she needs Mark Bishop's perspective and help. Because what she's told the navy she's figured out is only the beginning. If she's right, submarine warfare is about to enter a new and dangerous chapter...

Ricochet


Jessica Andersen - 2006
    Now her only choice was to partner with Detective Tucker McDermott - the very same man she'd sworn to keep her distance from.But suddenly, the tables turned. Alissa became a madman's next target - and her only hope to stay alive lay within the safety of Tucker's strong arms. As the danger mounted, the killer on her trail was nothing compared to the feelings provoked by reuniting with Tucker...or the consequences she'd face if she walked away once again.

Date With a Devil


Anne Stuart - 2004
    These men are waaay too tempting. One wicked, sexy grin and, well -- who can resist! Certainly not these three women....A spy should know better, but this spy gets stuck on a blind-date assignment with the ex-partner who broke her heart. A lot of making up can get done between scaling rooftops and dodging bullets. "Dance with the Devil" by Cherry AdairA hostess discovers what it's like to really crash and burn on her first date with the undercover cop who's been casing her restaurant.... "Hal and Damnation" by Muriel JensenAnd if that isn't hot enough, what about a date from hell... literally. Satan at his seductive best! It's getting hot in here .... "Blind Date from Hell" by Anne Stuart

Traceless


Debra Webb - 2007
    The key witness in his trial, Emily put Clint behind bars with her tearful testimony. But when Emily learns that Clint has been released on parole, she returns to her Alabama hometown to confront him--and make sure he never forgets the damage he has done. He is dead-set on revenge…After serving ten years for a crime he didn't commit, Clint knows only the truth can set him free. Ignoring warnings from his old friend, now the chief of police, Clint will let no one stand in his way as he tries to prove his innocence--including Emily, the girl he once loved who ruined his life. Prison has made him a hard man, yet he yearns for Emily…and he can see in her eyes that, in spite of herself, she feels the same. But even if he can convince Emily to trust him, it might be too late to clear his name--before the real killer strikes again.

Lethal Lies


Laurie Breton - 2005
    Her death is ruled a suicide, but her cousin Faith Pelletier knows Chelsea better than that. Faith returns to their hometown and begins to ask questions — questions that no one wants to answer. And it's not long before she uncovers some nasty little truths about life in this fading mill town. As Faith closes in on a web of drugs and violence, she is forced to turn to police chief Ty Savage for information. After all these years he still gets under her skin, but should she trust him? As the circle of deceit draws ever tighter, Faith must outwit a faceless enemy who will stop at nothing to have her silenced.

Once Upon a Valentine: All Tangled Up\Sleeping with a Beauty\Catch Me


Stephanie Bond - 2012
    Now that they're business partners—as well as bed partners!—Summer wonders if letting her hair down will catch him for good….He sought a sleeping beautyHistorian Ashlynn Scott is seeking the fabled castle of Sleeping Beauty. But with just one kiss, she finds herself tangled up—and tangled in the sheets!—with a rogue adventurer. She might never want to wake up!She was being chased by every manGinger Redman wanted to be irresistible, so she made a wish on a magic cookie. And the baked treat delivers—sending her sexy best friend, Stephen Fox, right into her bed!

Illusion


J.S. Cooper - 2014
    Cooper introduces the Swept Away series—three new, dark and sexy romances about a woman marooned on a desert island with a mysterious stranger—but is he friend or foe?The day started like every other day... Bianca London finds herself kidnapped and locked up in a van with a strange man. Ten hours later, they’re dumped on a deserted island. Bianca has no idea what’s going on and her attraction to this stranger is the only thing keeping her fear at bay. Jakob Bradley wants only to figure out why they’ve been left on the island and how they can get off. But as the days go by, he can’t ignore his growing fascination with Bianca. In order to survive, Bianca and Jakob must figure out how they’re connected, but as they grow closer, secrets are revealed that may destroy everything they thought they knew about each other.

The Devil's Eyes


Jennifer Loren - 2011
    Her only saving grace was her sister, Braylin. When Braylin dies, Kayla goes on a mission to avenge her death. Nick is the mysterious stranger with the alluring devil’s eyes. He is attractive, powerful, and dangerous. If not for her obsession for revenge, Kayla would never dare go near him. To lure Nick into her trap, she has to become what he needs while trying to fight against her growing desires. On a destructive path, Kayla enters a secret world of underground crime.

Summer by the Sea


Susan Wiggs - 2004
    For Rosa, though, there has been no real romance since her love affair with Alexander Montgomery ended suddenly and without explanation a decade ago.But Rosa's life takes an unexpected turn when Alexander arrives back in town and asks for her help sorting through his late mother's affairs. Reunited at the beach house where they first met and fell in love, Rosa and Alexander discover that the secrets of the past are not what they seem. Now, with all that she wants right in front of her, Rosa searches for happiness with the man who once broke her heart --- and learns that in love, as in life, there are second chances.

The Naked Truth


Donna Kauffman - 2005
    There are no rules to romance - and usually the only way to get a little is to take the plunge. Here are four original stories about four bold women who risk it all to win at the unpredictable game of love.

Storm of Visions


Christina Dodd - 2009
    Hailed as "a star in any genre," (New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward) Christina Dodd delivers an exciting new paranormal romance that introduces The Seven, a secret society created to combat evil in all its deadly forms.When the world was young, twins were born. One brought light to a dark world; the other, darkness and danger. Their powers could not be denied, and they gathered others around them, men and women destined to use their gifts for good or evil. Today, their descendents walk the earth as the Chosen and the ultimate battle is about to begin.Jacqueline Vargha has always run from her gift. Now Caleb D'Angelo forces his way into her life, demands his place as her lover, and insists she take her place as one of the Chosen. She flees, he pursues, but she can no longer deny her visions, or the dangerous man who is her downfall — and her destiny.

Bad Boys On Board


Lori Foster - 2003
    Lori Foster, a shining star of Brava's contemporary program, is joined by two rising Kensington stars in these smart, sophisticated, and seductive tales of women who dare to fulfill their wildest fantasies."My House, My Rules" / Lori FosterTough, rugged cop Sam Watson has a reputation for being a hero on the job and delivering mind-blowing pleasure in the bedroom. But the only woman who drives him over the edge is the one who's completely wrong for him--the sweetly sexy and extremely determined Ariel. When Ariel's headstrong ways nearly wreck one of Sam's sting operations--ruining her alluring dress in the process--Sam offers her a ride to his place to clean up. But once there, Ariel seems to have her own agenda, and Sam decides it's time to show the lady that if she wants to play games of seduction, he'll be calling the shots, turning her every fantasy into a night of unimagined bliss..."Going Down? / Donna KauffmanLong hours and little pay. That's what Callie Montgomery's life is all about as the temporary secretary to a financial wizard. Late one night, Callie honors yet one more request from her boss--to escort the dark, dashing, and very British Dominic Colbourne into the company's private elevator and out of the building. Suddenly, the elevator comes to a halt. Plunged into darkness, with hours to go till morning, two people bare their souls and their uncontrollable hunger, sharing a heartfelt intimacy that takes them far beyond protocol into exquisite pleasure..."A Fast Ride" / Nancy WarrenWhen an accident leaves a motorcycle gang member down for the count in her front yard, Nell Tennant has to perform mouth-to-mouth on the sexy, long-haired stranger. This arouses the semi-conscious hunk, and before he slides into sleep, he wakes just long enough to deliver a full-body kiss that is one step removed from getting them both arrested for indecency. Now, fully awake but with his memory gone, this bad boy's convinced that Nell is his girlfriend, and he's eager to take up their steamy, passionate affair right where he left off...in bed.

Trust Me Once (Desperate Games Series)


Jan Coffey - 2001
    In shocked disbelief she realizes the murder victim mistakenly identified as her was really her best friend. No one knows that Sarah is still alive—except the killers still hunting her down.Alone and on the run, Sarah desperately searches for answers. Why has her boss and mentor, a prominent local judge, been arrested for the crime? What does she have or know that’s worth killing for? And what are the most powerful people in exclusive Newport—a senator, a dying professor and his embittered wife, a top-notch security expert and a cadre of criminals—determined to hide.With danger closing in, Sarah must turn to a man she barely knows—Owen Dean, a Hollywood celebrity with dark secrets of his own. But what she needs to stay alive…is someone she can trust.

Fatal Tide


Iris Johansen - 2003
    Marine researcher Melis Nemid is treading dangerous water—and she’s about to be dragged under. Melis knows something that has already caused one oceanographer to disappear from the face of the earth . . . and that’s only part of a past torn by violence and betrayal. She thought she had put that past behind her when she arrived at her Caribbean island home to research dolphin behavior. But Melis’s peace—and her life—are about to be shattered by a savage killer who is cutting a path of destruction and death that leads directly to her. Only one person can save her—a man who claims to be a fellow oceanographer. But what this enigmatic stranger really wants, Melis may not discover until it’s too late. Because whoever is after her knows her fears intimately. And soon Melis will be forced to relive them all over again. Except for the final nightmare—the one she cannot possibly survive.