Nefarious


Steven F. Freeman - 2013
    Assigned to a desk job while recovering, Blackwell nonetheless manages to prove his resourcefulness as he matches wits with Al-Qaeda operatives in the dangerous regions of Kabul. Unable to fully heal, he resigns himself to the abrupt end of his military career as well as any hope to win the affections of the beautiful and intelligent Lieutenant Mallory Wilson.Upon returning state-side, the quiet civilian life is quickly left far behind when Blackwell’s colleague Zach Lambert calls him from a weekend camping trip in the throes of a devastating illness with forbidding implications.In a story out of today’s headlines, Blackwell and now-FBI Agent Wilson explore the possible diversion of a biotech’s project to develop an improved vaccine, scouring leads at the CDC and biotec company, putting their Army and professional skills to the test, and narrowly escaping agents with a murderous agenda at every turn. The closer they come to the truth, the quicker the bodies pile up, along with the suspects. To get to the bottom of the sinister scheme, can Blackwell still use wits when his body has failed him? And will he survive long enough to tell his colleague of the feelings for her he has long kept secret?

Changing the Rules


Catherine Bybee - 2021
    Armed with an impressive set of covert skills, she’s more than prepared to tackle any job that comes her way…except one involving Cooper Lockman.Cooper and Claire used to work together before his feelings for her sent him packing to Europe for six long years. But now he’s back and determined to ignore the still-smoldering heat that lingers between them.Their current mission: go undercover together at a California high school to root out the mastermind behind a prostitution ring targeting young girls. The closer they get to the truth and the closer they get to each other, however, the deadlier their task becomes. As Claire and Cooper risk their lives to bring down their target, will their hearts be the final casualties?

Church Bells


Jennifer Rebecca - 2017
    The battle hardened former Marine lives to protect his hometown, Mason, Texas and the people who live and love there. Abigail Williams did a bad, bad thing. Trapped in a dangerous situation with no end in sight, Abigail made a difficult choice and now she is living with the consequences, and those consequences are a life on the run—a new name in a new town.

Even the Score


Beth Ehemann - 2016
    No parent likes being sidelined, so Andy decides to hire someone to share the workload. But when one of the hottest agents in the industry applies, Andy knows that this deal is definitely trouble.Danicka Douglas works her butt off, but being an attractive woman in a testosterone-heavy industry isn’t exactly a cakewalk. She guards her professional reputation fiercely, which means no crushing on her gorgeous boss. But the more they ignore that sexy little spark, the more it sizzles…Just when it looks like romance might be in the game plan, Dani is threatened by a stalker with dark intentions. To keep her safe, Andy must cross the line between professional and very personal…because this time, he’s playing for keeps.

Vines


Brynne Asher - 2016
    When the opportunity arose, she settled in horse and wine country. Experiencing more than her fair share of tragedy and loss, she had plans for her future, one where failure wasn’t an option. And not just because people and cows were counting on her. She’d poured everything she had into her struggling vineyard, because once she’s in, she’s all in. After giving himself wholly to the job for ten years, Crew Vega was done. He’d fulfilled his commitment, done his duty, gone above and beyond to settle the score. And the score was high. All he had to do was train his replacements and he’d be out for good. He had a plan, one that didn’t include getting involved with his new neighbor, a woman who not only kept cows for pets, but treasured her employees as family, and understood him better than anyone ever had before. But when he learned a high level CIA target being investigated for treason was keeping tabs on her? No, he never planned on that. And like everything Crew Vega did in life, when he goes in, he’s all in. Warning: I’m a devout member of the mama club and don’t want to get kicked out by angry mamas. If you aren’t eighteen, turn around, go drink your milk and eat your veggies, it’s good for your bones. And go to bed early, you’re still growing, your body needs sleep. And don’t text and drive. And be nice, sit with the kid who sits alone at lunch. And read a PG-13 book, it’s good for your brain. And go tell your mama you love her. Chop-chop, run along now. I’ll see you back when you’re eligible to vote.

The Gun Runner


Scott Hildreth - 2016
    TrippOnce, I took down terrorists on the front lines as a marine.Now I'm in the business of bad.I've sold guns to people others might not approve of.I've eliminated the criminals, the lowlifes and the thugs who've tread on my turf.And I looked the Sicilian Mafia boss in the eye and told him to f*** off.No one tells me no, unless it's their last word.I didn't just act the part of bad—I lived it. Then she stumbled into my life.I tried to stay away from her. Tried focusing on moving my merchandise. But one smile from Terra was like a shot to the heart.She's mine now. And no one threatens what's mine. Terra I've seen a lot of terrible things in my life.I grew up around lies and deception, and I ran away from all of them.Until I met him.I knew he was corrupt. I knew he was dangerous.I should have stayed away, but my attraction to him, my need for him, overrode my logic.Now I love him.If he finds out who I am, we're done and I'll be nothing.I never wanted to be the Mafia princess they tried to make me, but mia familia had other plans. And what mia familia wants…it gets.Only Michael Tripp can save me.Tripp and Terra's story continues in Book Two of Mafia Made, The Game Changer.

Grit


J.M. Walker - 2016
    Walker" He refuses to fall in love. He was born alone and he will die alone. Or, at least he thought so until now. Vice-One is all he knows. His squad. His brothers. The men he spends every day protecting. He is empty and only one person can fill this void. This darkness. Meanwhile, Genevieve Gold makes it clear he should stay away when she is everything he craves. She is lost. Her heart has been ripped out; stomped on...crushed into tiny pieces, leaving only a gaping hole behind. King's Harlots is all she has. Her club. Her sisters. Her life. But something is missing until he shows up. Angel Rodriguez is everything she hates but everything she needs. Putting differences aside, they will work together to bring down a malevolent force threatening to rip them apart...

Rising Up


J.J. Harper - 2015
    A romantic second chance novelBook 1 in the Finding Me SeriesLooking at myself in the mirror, trying to clean my broken skin, I realize I no longer recognize myself. What happened to me, when did I become this battered and bruised wreck?’ Heidi has to change not only her name but the country she lives in to survive, with the help of her best friend they flee. As Imogen, she tries to start her life again, away from the constant abuse that had become her life. She takes her first steps as a new woman and when, after a year she stumbles on a man that has the power to heal her. Who can help her overcome the horrors of her past her, Imogen question’s is she brave enough to let him? After catching his girlfriend cheating on him Mason hides away to lick his wounds and injured pride.I reflect back on the wasted years and reiterate to myself ‘No more women'.Until an unnerving feeling to get out again overwhelms him, so for the first time in six weeks enters his local bar and watches as two girls walk in for the first time.The connection that flows between Imogen and Mason is physical as well as emotional. So as their bodies called out to each other, she hesitates. Has the violence from her past taken away her ability to trust and to desire again? Or can this handsome stranger reawaken her dormant passion?‘How can my body react to somebody like this? I don't even know him, but hell my skin feels like it's singing out to him.'‘I notice two girls walk in, and just like that the twitchy feeling in my gut is back and a shiver runs down my spine.’As they embark on their new relationship Imogen begins to feel free of her past demons and embraces feelings she thought lost as Mason explores her body.Then when her past catches up with her, Imogen and Mason have to find out if is she strong enough to not only face her old demons but be brave enough to fight for her new life. Is she tough enough to rise up from her past and follow her heart to a new brighter future? Will the man sent to save her wait while she finds her strength again?“How can I be a part of you when I can’t even find any part of me?”This is a contemporary new romance novel, please be aware this story is not always a pretty one. It involves violence and scenes of non-consensual sex that may act as a trigger. Therefore, is recommended for readers aged 18 and over.

Nicoli (Lucian & Lia #9)


Sydney Landon - 2020
    As the top lieutenant and best friend to the head of the Moretti family, he thought he knew everything about the man he considered a brother—but he was so very wrong. Still reeling from that blow, he discovers that not only did the woman he loves know before him, but she also has secrets of her own—ones that could well get her killed. His thirst for revenge is almost overwhelming—yet so is his love for Minka Gavino. A relationship with someone from another mafia family would be complicated on a good day, but is it even worth fighting for now? Once the trust is gone, can it ever be rebuilt? Or, will he walk away from the only life he’s ever known and the only woman he’s ever loved?

Pike


T.M. Frazier - 2020
    Baptized in the gutter. I was raised by the violent laws of the streets, spilling blood without the hindrance of useless emotions or connections.Unfeeling. Unloved. Alone.My life was perfect.Until her.While on a manhunt for a mysterious enemy, one hellbent on taking both my business and my life, I find Mickey. She's covered in mud, rambling nonsense, and clearly out of her mind. She's also a distraction I don't need.That is until I discover a connection between the girl and my enemy.Mickey isn't a distraction anymore.She's the perfect weapon.One I'll use to exact my revenge.The plan is an easy one, but there's something about Mickey that's making it more and more difficult. A familiarity I can't place. A need I can't explain.A want I have to deny.After all, she's not mine to keep. She's a tool. My pawn. My sacrifice.

Ivan


Roxie Rivera - 2013
    The intimidating, tattooed Russian operates one of the most elite mixed-martial arts training centers in the world but it’s his shadowy past and reputed connections with Houston’s underworld that interest her most.To find her sister, she’ll need the help of her big, scary Russian protector — but asking for help from a man like Ivan carries a steep price, one that might just include her heart.

First Touch


Laurelin Paige - 2015
    Though the two were once notorious party girls, they haven't spoken in years. Although the message might sound benign to anyone else, Amber uses a safe word that Emily recognizes, a word they always used to get out of sticky situations during their wild days. And what's more chilling than the voicemail: it turns out that Amber has gone missing.Determined to track down her friend, Emily follows a chain of clues that lead her to the enigmatic billionaire Reeve Sallis, a hotelier known for his shady dealings and play boy reputation. Now, in order to find Amber, Emily must seduce Reeve to learn his secrets and discover the whereabouts of her friend. But as she finds herself more entangled with him, she finds she's drawn to Reeve for more than just his connection to Amber, despite her growing fear that he may be the enemy. When she's forced to choose where her loyalty lies, how will she decide between saving Amber and saving her heart?

Machiavellian


Bella Di Corte - 2020
     I hungered to be seen. There were three things I knew about Capo Macchiavello: He was gorgeous. He was reclusive. He was considered one of New York’s most savage animals. And he wanted me as his wife. A simple arrangement – you do for me, I do for you. Nothing owed, no expectations. Except for one: never leave. Life was never that simple, though. By the age of twenty-one, I was parentless, jobless, and homeless, and I had come to learn the hard way that nothing was ever free. Even kindness comes with strings. Capo might’ve been the only man to ever see me, but I had made a vow to myself: I would never owe anyone anything. Most of all, the man I called boss. I killed to stay hidden. Mariposa Flores thought she owed nothing to no one, but she owed everything…to me, the ghost the world had once called The Machiavellian Prince of New York.

Live By The Team


Cindy Skaggs - 2016
    SSgt. Ryder was born, bred, and enhanced as a warrior, but when he returns home to his new wife--exiled from the Army along with the rest of his disgraced team--he faces mounting anger and paranoia. Something shady followed Ryder back from the desert, and he disappears to protect his wife, but his departure leaves a vacuum filled with intrigue.Lauren Ryder married thinking she had finally found stability, until her new husband disappeared. In six months, she's lost everything that mattered, and now a madman has her in his sights. Ryder's return lands her in deeper danger from a formidable enemy. As the threats escalate, so does the heat, but even if Ryder can save Lauren from the forces mounting against them, will they survive what he has become?"The chemistry between Lauren and Ryder jumped off the pages. Exactly why we read romance." (Beth Rhodes)Military trained, medically enhanced, designed to kill. The Team Fear novels are fast paced, with twists and turns and a side of steamy. The surviving members of Team Fear are out of the military and in a world of secrets, lies, and cover-ups in this new romantic suspense series by Cindy Skaggs.