Book picks similar to
Before the Rain Breaks by Calle J. Brookes


romance
contemporary
romantic-suspense
romance-contemporary

Kakadu Sunset


Annie Seaton - 2015
    Soaring above the Kakadu National Park, she feels freed from the questions around her father’s suicide and the heavy loss of her beloved family farm. But when a search-and-rescue mission on the boundary of the old farm reveals unusual excavation works, Ellie vows to investigate. The last thing she needs is her bad-tempered copilot, Kane McLaren, interfering. He's the son of the current owners of the farm, and her attraction to him is a distraction she can’t afford, especially when someone threatens to put a stop to her inquiries - by any means necessary. Ellie must trust Kane if she is to have any hope of uncovering the truth. Between Ellie’s damage and Kane’s secrets, can they find a way to open up to each other before the shadowy forces shut her up...for good?

Champagne and Bullets


Olivia Jaymes - 2014
    He told her it was because he wanted to serve his country after 9/11. It was the truth but only part of the story. Amanda has rebuilt her life since Seb left and has done a pretty damn good job of it. Great friends, her own business, and a peaceful life. She hardly ever thinks about Seb anymore. She’s completely over the hurt and devastation. Hired by Seb’s mother to plan a party for him, Amanda is thrown back into his life. She’s determined to keep her distance but just seeing him again shakes her to the core. How will she ever be able to hold herself together for this job? Seb never stopped loving Amanda. He’d walked out thinking he was doing the right thing. But one look at the woman he’s never stopped loving and he knows there isn’t anything he won’t do to win her back. But the first thing he must do is tell her the real truth of why he left. Series description: Money. Champagne. Diamonds. And the most precious of all… Love. Three men born into wealth and privilege. Growing up together – they worked hard and played even harder. Now back in civilian life after serving their country, these hot alpha males are primed… ready for passion and their very own happily ever after.

Secrets in the Shadows


T.L. Haddix - 2010
    So what if she gets lonely from time to time? With a healthy, beautiful daughter, and a successful coffee shop-cafe, the divorced single mother convinces herself she doesn’t have time for love. When she gets her first glimpse at her parents’ handsome new neighbor, though, she starts reconsidering her stance. Once Charlie Clark begins breaking through her defensive walls, Lauren finds him hard to resist. Just as Lauren is learning to let go of the past and embrace the future, her personal demons rear their ugly heads in the guise of a vandal hell-bent on destroying Lauren’s happiness. When another local businesswoman is brutally murdered, the investigation into the crime reveals an unexpected connection to Lauren’s past. The message is clear--the past has come calling, and it’s out for blood. Note for Readers: This book does deal with the issues of incest and sexual abuse, more with the effects on the victims than the abuse itself. Reader Discretion Advised. “Secrets in the Shadows” is the first book in the Shadows Collection, a series of novels set in small-town Indiana. Other titles include “Under the Moon's Shadow,” “Shadows from the Grave,” “Hidden in the Shadows,” "In the Heart's Shadow," and "Deception in the Shadows."

Close to Home


Suzanne Ferrell - 2012
    I’m Lorna Doone. Yep, spelled just like the cookie and I own the Peaches ‘N Cream Café here in Weston. You might think nothing much happens in a small mid-western town, but as my friend Harriett says, things aren’t always what they appear. Take our girl Emma for example…”Emma Lewis has a lot on her plate. The single mother of two precocious twin boys and an aging mother who is having trouble getting through each day, the last thing Emma needs is a man in her life, especially a doctor. So when the town’s doctor goes on vacation and his handsome nephew takes over, Emma is shocked to not only find him standing in her bedroom, but accusing her of being a neglectful parent.Clint Preston came to Westen for the year to fill in as the town doc while his uncle took a long needed vacation. Clint also needed a sense of peace and calm to try to find his passion for medicine burned out by long shifts in an urban hospital’s ER. Angered to find two boys in his clinic with broken wrists and no accompanying parent, he is determined to confront their mother. The feisty redhead he meets quickly dispels his belief that she’s a neglectful mother, but he can see her situation is more critical than she wishes to face and finds himself volunteering to help care for her sons and the remodeling of her home.As Emma and Clint forge a relationship among the slightly off-beat characters that inhabit Weston a menace from Emma’s past threatens her and her sons. Clint and Emma join forces to prevent the loss of either boy and the love they’ve discovered in each other’s’ arms.

Long Time Coming


Edie Claire - 2003
    But back at home, the past is ready and waiting to haunt her...Eighteen years have passed since Joy's childhood best friend, Jenny, met her death in a tragic car accident just a few days after their senior prom. A broken Joy left their small Kentucky hometown shortly after - determined never to come back. But when her father's illness forces her to return, she realizes that neither time nor distance have truly healed her troubled soul.Plagued with nightmares of the accident and crippled by a vague fear whose source she can't identify, Joy realizes that in order to move on she must face the truth behind several disturbing gaps in her memory of that fateful spring. But the only person who can help her is a man she despises - Jenny's erstwhile boyfriend Jeff, now a respected doctor, whose carelessness as a teenager was the cause of Jenny's horrendous death - and Joy's own emotional destruction. Can she ever forgive? She may have no choice but to try. Because both the danger she sensed - and the childhood friendship she treasured - now suddenly seem very much alive...

Just Joe


Carla Cassidy - 2013
    Families in need are counting on her organization for fresh fruits and vegetables. Running the charity has always been Stacy's dream, and if winning a local dance competition will keep her dream alive, that's what she'll do.After years of being consumed by work, Joe Carpenter has discovered a new passion: giving back to the community. He's started to volunteer at Bounties from the Gardens, and he's falling for the beautiful, dedicated Stacy. But Stacy is so focused on looking after her charity, she might miss the fact that Joe is just the person to watch over her heart.Look for all three ebooks inspired by real-life heroines: Good Neighbors by Sheila Roberts, Just Joe by Carla Cassidy and Light This Candle by Cindy Dees. Visit the Harlequin More Than Words website at www.HarlequinMoreThanWords.com or your favorite ebook retailer to download these free novellas today.

Love and Protect


Lori Ryan - 2014
    He's providing refuge. Together, they'll fight for new love and survival...Laura Kensington is desperate to give her unborn child a fresh start. On the run from her late husband's ruthless family, she takes refuge on a Texas ranch. As her twisted mother-in-law hunts her down, she has one reason to be hopeful: a loving man who believes in second chances.Cade Bishop has dedicated his life to protecting injured and neglected animals. He didn't hesitate to protect the strong, beautiful Laura when she showed up on his doorstep, but he never expected the passion he feels for her. As the truth comes out, Cade dedicates himself to guarding the woman he's falling for.When the powerful family draws near, Laura and Cade will need more than a refuge to preserve their love and their lives. Love and Protect is the first standalone book in the Heroes of Evers, TX romantic suspense series.Love and Protect was previously published as Ever Hopeful.

Reckless Heat


Lynn Raye Harris - 2016
    He's everything I ever wanted. And he doesn't know how I feel. I have three weeks left to tell him before he leaves this place forever… There’s only one way I know how to do that. I have to give him what I've never given anyone. I'm going to ask him to be my first… Matt Girard is the guy every girl wants. Rich, handsome, and popular, his future is brighter than the sun. Evie Baker comes from the wrong side of town. She loves Matt desperately, but he only sees her as his tomboy best friend instead of the young woman she's blossomed into. Until one fateful night when a reckless dare changes everything… This is the prequel story to Hot Pursuit, Book 1 in the Hostile Operations Team Series.

Safe in His Arms


Rita Herron - 2013
    Alex Townsend will do anything to save her…Even if it means giving up his life.

Big Jack


J.D. Robb - 2003
    Sharp-witted and sexy, NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas is used to traveling in the shadowy corners outside the law. And in a future where crime meets cutting-edge technology, she will attempt to track down the diamonds once and for all—and stop the danger and death that have surrounded the jewels for years.

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.

Bounty


Elise Sax - 2013
    Unfortunately, on day two of her vacation, Abby finds herself bound and stuffed into a burlap bag and dragged across two continents. And worse than that? Her hottie abductor has got her distracted. Maybe escape is overrated.Iain Brodie is a muscle-bound mercenary. He just helped a despotic dictator take over an island. He's also Abby's kidnapper, and he has his own problems. Framed for a murder he didn't commit and a boss who’s out to get him, he has to face facts: Early retirement is out of the question and Abby Williams looks damned good in a burlap bag.Elise Sax delivers another hilarious page-turner, filled with adventure, murder, mayhem, and love. BOUNTY is a sexy, wild ride.

Dirty Secrets


Karen Rose - 2014
    Finding the courage to sort through their possessions, she's astonished to find an old love letter from friend Chris Walker, and determines to make amends for the past. That we all mustChris, now a college professor, is trying to deal with the tragic death of a graduate student. Seeing Emma again brings back a flood of memories, re-kindling a long-lost passion. But with police investigating the student's death, Chris cannot act on his desires. FearBut is it too late? Because now someone's watching Emma and Chris. Someone who's nursing revenge. And they are about to be plunged into a nightmare where no one can be trusted and every dirty little secret is sealed with a kiss.Dirty Secrets previously appeared in the anthology Hot PursuitFrom Sunday Times bestseller Karen Rose comes an intense, pulse-pounding novella, with extracts from Karen's last four full-length books.

Ford: Finding His Fire


P.J. Fiala - 2018
    When that trail leads him to sexy waitress Megan Marshall, things take an unexpected turn. Megan is being hunted by a deadly cartel, Ford is now in their sights, and the arsonist is still running free. Their only chance of survival is if Ford and Megan learn to trust each other quickly and walk into the fire together.

Her Cowboy Prince


Trish Milburn - 2018
    Formerly CEO of her family's pharmaceutical company, she's now living incognito as a housekeeper at a cozy resort in rural Montana. New career, new apartment, new name. She knows she needs to keep a low profile. The last thing she needs is a romance with the handsome, hardworking owner of the Peak View Hot Springs Resort. When rancher and resort owner Justin McQueen impulsively asks Melody for some ideas to increase bookings for the resort, he’s impressed with her creativity and quick thinking. He persuades the reluctant Melody to jump in as the temporary events coordinator, helping him plan a week of Christmas festivities. As they work together, both of them struggle to fight their growing attraction. Justin is still recovering from a bad break-up and is very aware that as her employer, he needs to tread carefully. He also senses Melody has a secret, which he is determined to uncover. As their event planning comes to fruition, Justin knows he needs to put common sense on hold and take a chance on a love he wants to last forever.