Book picks similar to
Child of Darkness by Dorothy Daniels
gothic
gothic-romance
romance
romantic-suspense
Persuading Piper: Brotherhood Protectors World
Susan Boles - 2018
She lives in a planation home that’s been in the family for generations with her overprotective father and Ham, the family guard dog. She dates, but keeps her broken heart under lock and key. Nobody will ever hurt her again like Ian Elliot did. Ian “Hawkeye” Elliot lives his lifelong dream of being a Navy Fighter pilot until a busted eardrum clips his wings forever as a pilot. Brotherhood Protectors, Inc. throws him a lifeline working with other retired veterans offering valuable skills honed by military service. Until his latest assignment, nothing shakes him, but this job threatens not only the life of the woman he loves, but also his heart. Using a visit to his mother as cover, Hawkeye arrives back in town to provide bodyguard services to Piper’s father. His challenge is to keep his charge alive while avoiding the glares and hostility from the girl he left behind. Complicating his job is Ham-the-guard-dog, who hates him. The question is which is more deadly? Bullets, a mean dog, or emotions? Only time will tell.
House of Men
Catherine Cookson - 1977
Even so, Kate found it difficult to understand his peculiar hatred of his elder brother Logan, on whose charity Maurice was obliged to depend. But when she accidentally stumbled upon Maurice with Logan's fiancée , she became aware of some of the secrets of Tor-Fret, and realised she was getting too deeply involved with Logan Rossiter and the other inhabitants of the mysterious household.
The Eye Stones
Harriet Esmond - 1975
She soon discovers that both her sister and her new husband have tragically perished in a fire which destroyed their home. Alone in the bleak Norfolk brecklands, Deborah is at first forced to accept hospitality from the handsome yet forbidding widower, Sir Randall Gaunt. Yet even when Deborah later stumbles upon the warm companionship of Lord Stannard, the charming young aristocrat wooing her with such passionate urgency, the strange events that follow cause her feelings of uneasiness to grow. And then, before long Deborah becomes inextricably involved in a nightmare of unimaginable evil…
Calamity Jayne Boxed Set
Kathleen Bacus - 2011
Tressa is determined to prove there's more to this cockeyed cowgirl than meets the eye and she’s just been handed the perfect opportunity to get "Ranger Rick" and a skeptical citizenry to finally take her seriously. How? By solving a murder no one else believes happened...No one, that is, except the killer. CALAMITY JAYNE RIDES AGAINTressa’s off to the State Fair to work at her Uncle Frank’s ice cream concession stand. But when a soft-serve saboteur appears at the same time her cousin, Frankie, goes missing, it's another fine, sticky mess she's gotten herself into. With a string of malicious pranks, to scary, psycho dunk-tank clowns, two geriatric Jessica Fletcher wannabes, a dishy state trooper, and a sister who may have her eye on a certain ranger-type, and it's mayhem on the midway time. GHOULS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUNTressa thinks she on to a scoop when eccentric and reclusive bestselling writer, Elizabeth Courtney Howard comes to Grandville to finish her latest book. So, what's stopping Tressa from scoring this journalistic coup? Only the fact that the skeletons to uncover in this little exposé are all in a closet in Haunted Holloway Hall--a house only Norman Bates could love.CALAMITY JAYNE GOES TO COLLEGEAce cub reporter Tressa Jayne Turner is back in college and nothing’s going to stop Tressa from making the grade. Well, except for a wrinkled roommate rekindling an old flame, maid of honor madness run amok, a botched betrothal that’s more than just schoolyard gossip and a campus criminal out to teach the student body a lesson—one one crime at a time. Failure is so not an option.CALAMITY JAYNE HEADS WESTTressa Jayne Turner’s off to Arizona to see her gammy hitched. Her cousin’s keeping secrets, Ranger Rick Townsend is sending signals—more of the smokin’ than smoke variety—and it seems Tressa’s not the only person with an attachment to “Kookamunga”, the fertility figurine she picked up at a roadside stand. Throw in a washed-up actress out to kick-start her career, a suspect spiritual advisor, locals with a cause, and a ten-year-old who’s a chip off a certain ranger’s blockhead and it’ll be a vision quest to make Thelma and Louise’s southwestern spree seem like amateur night at the OK Corral. May the best spirit guide win.ANCHORS AWEIGHTressa Jayne is off on a post-wedding cruise. Good food. Warm beaches. Romantic sunsets. Nothing can take the wind out of Tressa’s sails this time. Nothing that is except this particular Love Boat has Iceberg ahead! written all over it. Why? It’s a lo-cal “biggest loser” cruise, Tressa’s bad-boy faux fiancé and his marriage-minded aunt Mo are stowaways, and Tressa’s barely got her sea les before a dastardly murder plot bobs to the surface and Tressa Jayne knows just how Capt. Jack Sparrow feels when the rum is gone. Yo ho ho and a bottle of V-8!
The Bastion Club: Bastion Club Novels 1, 2, and 3
Stephanie Laurens - 2014
Seven of London's most eligible bachelors band together to form The Bastion Club, an elite society of gentlemen dedicated to determining their own futures when it comes to that most important step of all—marriage.Tristan Wemyss, Earl of Trentham, never expected he'd need to wed within a year or forfeit his inheritance. But he is not one to bow to the matchmaking mamas of the ton—the lady he chooses is his enchanting next–door neighbor. Miss Leonora Carling has beauty, spirit and passion; unfortunately, matrimony is the last thing on her mind . . .Tristan's kisses might be oh-so-tempting, but once bitten, forever shy, Leonora has turned her back on marriage. But Tristan is a seasoned campaigner who will not accept defeat. And when a mysterious man attempts to scare Leonora and her family from their home, Tristan realizes he's been given the perfect excuse to offer his services—as protector, seducer and, ultimately, husband.A Gentleman's HonorThe Season has yet to begin, and the second member of the Bastion Club, tall, handsome Anthony Blake, Viscount Torrington, is already a target for every matchmaking mama in London. But there is only one lady who sparks his interest…Desperate, penniless, but determined, Alicia intends making a spectacular match for her ravishing younger sister. Masquerading as the widowed "Mrs. Carrington," Alicia boldly launches her sibling into the ton. But a moonlit stroll proves Alicia's undoing when it leads to an accusation of murder.Every instinct Tony Blake possesses tells him that Alicia—the exquisite, distraught beauty he discovers standing over a dead body in his godmother's garden—is innocent. His connections allow him to take control of the investigation, while his social prominence provides public support. But it is more than honor that compels him to protect this imperiled beauty—and he will do everything in his seductive power to make Alicia his.A Lady of His OwnDeep in the country, the third of the seven members of the Bastion Club meets his long-fated match.Appalled by the damsels of the ton, Charles St. Austell seeks refuge in his castle—and discovers Lady Penelope Selborne walking the deserted corridors at midnight. Years ago, they'd consummated their youthful passion on one unforgettable afternoon, but while the ardent interlude haunts Charles still, Penny wants nothing more to do with him.Yet although Penny has vowed she won't settle for anything less than true love, resisting a stronger, battle-hardened Charles proves difficult. And when a traitorous intrigue threatens them both, she discovers that her first love—a man who will not rest until he has made her his own—is her fated champion and protector.
Dragon's Gift: The Sorceress Complete Series
Linsey Hall - 2021
Big trouble. I'm a demon slayer, and one of those suckers has escaped. Even worse, it knows my secret... that I'm a Dragon Blood, able to create new magic and kick some serious butt with it.If anyone finds out what I am, I'll be hunted down like a dog and used by the magical government. No way I want to become their guinea pig. So I've got to catch that demon. Fast.Things get complicated when I start clashing with a sexy AF bounty hunter. His name's Declan, and we're after the same demon. Bounty hunters are my enemy, and this stupidly hot fallen angel keeps getting in my way.The only way to save the city--and myself--is to team up with Declan. I have two goals: don’t kill him & don’t screw him. Both easier said than done, since self control isn’t really my thing. But it’s a race against time to catch the demon, and there’s no way in hell I’ll fail at that.The Sorceress boxed set contains all five books in the series full of non-stop action, adventure, magic, and romance. Titles include Demon Slayer, Dragon Blood, Demon Curse, and Dragon Rising.
Edge Security Novels 1-3
Trish Loye - 2017
Security is a covert international organization that handles jobs most governments won’t. The operators are the elite of the elite, soldiers and spies, chosen for their skills and secrecy, and their ability to go beyond the edge. E.D.G.E wants to recruit Navy SEAL Jake ‘College’ Harrison but he’s skeptical of the good he can do as an E.D.G.E. operator. His trial assignment is a simple recon mission with the target being the Russian mob. The only interesting aspect of the job is the sexy IT tech, but Jake doesn’t want or need any trouble in his life and Dani has trouble written all over her. No one knows who Danielle Everett really is, beyond the fact that she works as a simple tech at E.D.G.E. Security company. The new hire who gets the operator job she covets, frustrates her as much as he attracts her, because he digs beneath her carefully constructed identity and she has to fight the urge to run. But when Dani’s best friend goes missing, she uses the hacking and thieving skills she’d learned as a child to find her, but in the process alerts her enemies that she’s still alive. Can she trust Jake to help her escape and save her friend, or will she push him to the edge of his control?
Guarded Hart (Cross Creek, #3)
Kelly Collins
Or does it?I’ve been keeping a secret. One that could change a lot of lives, including my own. I came to Cross Creek to find my father. He’s the difference between life and death for me. During my search, I found love, only sexy builder Ethan Lockhart isn’t having any of it. I’ve done my best to make him mine, but he’s more slippery than a fish in a brook. I built my life here on a lie, but my feelings for this man are true. Will the secrets I keep destroy what Ethan and I creating?I’m not the guy anyone picks first, so when Angie Sutton started flirting with my brother, I wasn’t surprised—that is until I found out she was doing it to get my attention. But this time, I’m determined not to give my heart away—not until I know who she really is. Letting someone get too close too fast is a blueprint for disaster. No matter how deeply I’m drawn to her, I know she’s hiding something, and until she can be honest with me, we don’t have a future.Find out if the truth can really set you free in Guarded Hart, book three in the Cross Creek Series.
The Other Half (Door Peninsula Passions, #1)
Katherine Hastings - 2019
With nothing but a hundred dollars, her tiny dog, and a car that should’ve died in the eighties, she heads to the family cabin to prove she’s more than just a pretty face with a trust fund. Local fisherman Jake Alton doesn’t know much about the woman who showed up at the rundown shack next door, other than the fact she’s putting a damper on his solitary and secluded lifestyle. Even though he tries to avoid this intruder to his sanctuary, the beautiful woman proves impossible to ignore. As Cassandra struggles to adapt to her new rustic lifestyle, Jake struggles to keep his wounded heart out of her hands. But even though they try to resist each other, these two opposites do more than attract… they collide. The Other Half is the first romantic comedy in the Door Peninsula Passions series. While each book can be read as a standalone, they will be most enjoyable read in order. Enjoy these light-hearted romances throughout the Door County Peninsula that are filled with laughter, romance, and passion!
The Cove / The Maze / Eleventh Hour
Catherine Coulter - 2004
Into The Cove comes Sally Brainerd, daughter of murdered Amory St. John of Washington, D.C., seeking sanctuary, and FBI Special Agent James Quinlan who's undercover and after her. He's got a murder to solve, and he believes she's the key. But is she really?The Maze (Susan Ericksen, Ruth Bloomquist, Jill Sovis): Lacey Sherlock's life is forever changed when her older sister's body is discovered in an abandoned warehouse. She is the fourth victim of the String Killer, the name given by the media to a murderer who leads his victims into a maze with a ball of twine. Seven years after Belinda's death, Lacey, now an FBI agent, is paired up with computer whiz Dillon Savich, who has developed a predictive program to aid in the apprehension of serial killers. When the String Killer strikes again, Lacey spots his handiwork, resulting in his capture. The suspect confesses, but maintains that he did not kill Belinda. No sooner does Lacey confirm his innocence of that crime, than an attempt is made on her life. Suspecting her attacker is the same person who murdered her sister, Lacey and Dillon know they must solve the mystery - before they become the killer's next victims.Eleventh Hour (Sandra Burr, Ruth Bloomquist, Mike Council): When FBI agent Dane Carver's twin brother, Father Michael Joseph, is brutally murdered in his San Francisco church, husband-and-wife agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich take a personal interest in the investigation. Then Nicola "Nick" Jones, a homeless woman and the only witness to the shooting, is scared out of her mind because she is trying to hide from her own monsters - who are drawing closer and closer. The chase goes from San Francisco to the Premiere Studios in Los Angeles and its new television hit, a show all about murder.
Quicksand!
Diane Lil Adams - 2010
Why is the janitor so angry? What really happened to the principal? Who hit Frankie? Where did Tommy get those expensive video games? Emily feels like she's stuck in quicksand, until Dan holds out his hand and rescues them both.
The Farm Sitter
Suzanne Brandyn - 2016
When Kate loses the last member of her family, she retreats to Farview, a cattle property on the northern tablelands of NSW Australia, to overcome her loss, to be closer to her memories and to take over where her grandmother left off. But she doesn't expect a Jackaroo to saunter into her home late one night, where she holds him at gunpoint. He introduces himself as Ryan Cross, The Farm Sitter, who remains employed by her late grandmother. According to her will, Kate cannot force him to leave, and it is important for her to honour her grandmother's wishes. Kate is attracted to the sexy stranger, but suspicion cocoons her. It appears not everyone is willing to admit the truth. Can she trust her confused feelings for Ryan or is he part of the danger?
Charlie's Will
Susan Mackie - 2020
Rose Gordon knew the farm would be hers when her grandfather died. Strong and sassy, she was the only heir to five generations of cattle country and the magnificent Barrington Homestead. But Charlie’s will was not as she expected and the appearance of Angus Hamilton on the day of the funeral unsettled her. Handsome and single, she was attracted to him in a way she had never experienced. The ongoing drought and discovering she had friends, if not family, in the small rural community complicate matters. More sinister threats lurk in the shadows. Will Rose give up city life to face the threats head on and fight for her inheritance?
Emma: free sampler (The Austen Project, #3)
Alexander McCall Smith - 2014
Not only has her sister, Isabella, been whisked away on a motorcycle up to London, but her astute governess, Miss Taylor is at a loose end, abandoned in the giant family pile, Hartfield, alongside Emma’s anxiety-ridden father. Someone is needed to rule the roost and young Emma is more than happy to oblige.As she gets her fledging design business off the ground, there is plenty to delight her in the buzzing little village of Highbury. At the helm of her own dinner parties and instructing her new little protégée, Harriet Smith, Emma reigns forth. But there is only one person who can play with Emma’s indestructible confidence, her old friend and inscrutable neighbour George Knightly – this time has Emma finally met her match?You don’t have to be in London to go to parties, find amusement or make trouble. Not if you’re Emma, the very big fish in the rather small pond. But for a young woman who knows everything, Emma has a lot to learn about herself.Ever alive to the uproarious nuances of human behaviour, and both the pleasures and pitfalls of village life, beloved author Alexander McCall Smith’s Emma is the busybody we all know and love, and a true modern delight.
Wicked Games
J.T. Geissinger - 2019
Over 1,000 pages of sizzling, sexy romance. Binge read now! BOOK ONE - WICKED BEAUTIFUL Life coach and best-selling author Victoria Price has it all: a successful career, fabulous friends, a fantastic penthouse in Manhattan. What she doesn’t have—and doesn’t want—is a husband. Fifteen years ago her high school flame broke her heart so badly she swore she’d never love again. Drop-dead sexy restauranteur and infamous playboy Parker Maxwell has only three rules for the women he dates: no questions about his past, no expectations for the future, and no spending the night. When he meets Victoria, however, he’s willing to break his own rules if it means sating the explosive desire she arouses in him. What he doesn’t know is that the alluring Victoria Price used to be the mousy Isabel Diaz, the girl he deflowered and dumped long ago. Presented with a perfect opportunity for revenge, Victoria decides the game is on. But when her connection with Parker proves more than just skin deep, she has to make a choice: continue with her plan for payback, or risk her career, her reputation, and her heart by taking a second chance on love? BOOK TWO - WICKED SEXY Connor Hughes is a bonafide badass. His private security firm is renowned for its effectiveness. He's renowned for his lethal precision and iron self-control. But when the former Marine meets a gorgeous young hacker with a mouth as smart as her brain, his control unravels in ways he never could have predicted. Tabitha West is a genius MIT dropout with a bad attitude, an obsession with Hello Kitty, and piercings in unmentionable places. Known in hacker circles as Polaroid due to her photographic memory, she's as secretive as she is accustomed to working alone. So when Connor decides she's the only one who can help him catch a cyber criminal intent on taking down one of his clients, she tells him exactly where he can stick it. But when the cyber criminal turns out to be a dark presence from Tabby's past, Tabby and Connor are drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. They find themselves fighting not only their common enemy, but also an explosive desire that threatens to consume them. When the stakes are this high and the game this deadly, will falling in love be the most dangerous move of all? BOOK THREE - WICKED INTENTIONS In the Caribbean for his best friend's wedding, ex special-ops officer Ryan McLean meets a beautiful woman in the hotel bar. Their connection is immediate and intense, and they spend a passionate night together with pleasure as their only goal. But when Ryan wakes the following morning to discover the beautiful woman vanished--along with millions worth of jewels from the safe of the Saudi prince staying next door--he realizes he was duped. He becomes determined to find the mystery woman and bring her to justice...if only he could forget how explosive their chemistry was. A notorious thief known as the Dragonfly, Mariana has only more more job to do until she can retire, but the sexy-as-hell Marine she spent one sultry tropical night with is hot on her heels at every turn. She has to outwit him to stay out of jail, but fighting their magnetic attraction soon becomes a game neither one of them can resist.
