Book picks similar to
Holding On by Kaithlin Shepherd


romance
freebie
contemporary-romance
dnf

A Hero's Honor


Tessa Layne - 2017
     Prairie’s police chief, Travis Kincaid, has had enough of death and destruction. After an operation gone wrong, he left the SEALs for a slower life at home. But when a deadly tornado destroyed half the town, the floodgates opened up and memories of the past haunt him daily. The only person who seems to help is single mom, Elaine Ryder. Her gentle presence pulls him out of the darkness he battles and helps him to feel again. But Elaine has demons of her own, and a young son to raise. When she accepts Travis’ offer of temporary housing after the tornado, she’s shocked to find herself falling for one of Prairie’s most eligible and elusive bachelors. But how can she risk loving again? Especially a man so conflicted and full of secrets? As past and present continue on a collision course that may cost Travis his family’s ranch, Travis must decide whether he’s brave enough to revisit the battlefield a final time. In the aftermath, will the couple be able to rebuild their hearts together?

Beyond the Call of Duty


Tracy Tappan - 2015
    High-risk flying, lots of armed bad guys, and a vicious drug lord to take down are all the temptations he needs to jump onboard an interagency op with the DEA. He’s just not thrilled about having to get naked. If Special Agent Nicole Gamboa has to do one more mission with a partner staring at her breasts, she’s going to hit somebody. Batter up, you damned cocky Navy pilot! Guaranteed this guy will take advantage of his dark Irish good looks to slip a little collateral seduction into their steamy mission. Let him try. A childhood spent in hiding has trained her how to harden herself. But when their mission spirals out of control, Eric’s reaction to the catastrophe floors her, and her carefully built protections begin to crumble. Is this the one swoonworthy man she can depend on when the tables turn and the ruthless drug lord gets his steely hooks into her?EYOND THE CALL OF DUTY is the first in Tracy Tappan’s electrifying romantic suspense series about naval aviators—helicopter pilots of courage and honor who proudly wear the Wings of Gold.

Before


Nicola Marsh - 2013
    Unless Mom’s the town joke and I’ve spent my entire life shying away from her flamboyance. College in Las Vegas should be so much cooler. But it’s not. Bad things happen. Real bad.So when my brother Reid offers me an all-expenses paid vacation to Australia for a month, I am so there. Discounting the deadly snakes on the outback cattle station, I should be safe. Until I meet Jack.Jack defines bad boy and then some. He’s big, buffed, bronzed, and hotter than any guy I’ve ever met. His sexy Aussie accent makes me melt. And the guy can cook.But he’s my brother’s new bestie and he lives on the other side of the world. There’s no future for us.Is there?

Take Me Home


J.H. Croix - 2015
    Croix, a new contemporary romance series! A sexy Christmas romance set against the wilderness and beauty of small-town Alaska. Gage Hamilton is a smoldering Navy SEAL and a man on a mission. He’s returning to Diamond Creek, Alaska to resurrect his dream of reopening Last Frontier Lodge. Marley Adams moves back home hoping to find a sense of security and safety after it was stolen from her.Gage has spent many years successfully avoiding emotional entanglements. He is looking for nothing more than peace and sanctuary at his family’s old ski lodge. His new neighbor, Marley, was definitely not part of his plans. Marley is a brainy computer whiz and way too sexy for Gage’s own good. A man who prides himself on always being in control, Gage finds that he has little when it comes to Marley.Marley only wants to get her feet back under her after her world was turned upside down in Seattle. She’s been focused on little else beyond her work and is seriously out of practice with anything resembling romance…including the scorching hot attraction that sizzles anytime Gage crosses her path.Gage and Marley are powerless against the magnetic pull between them. Steamy and snowy nights weave a spell around them. While Marley thought she escaped whoever set out to hurt her in Seattle, she finds the threat of danger has followed her to Diamond Creek. Gage must face the depth of his feelings for Marley when he realizes he will do anything to protect her. Can Marley and Gage discover love in time for Christmas? The magic of a white Christmas is right around the corner.*All novels in this series are full-length standalone novels with an HEA.**Take Me Home is an updated title for Chrismas on the Last Frontier

The Officer's Promise


K. Langston - 2016
    New York Police Officer Ryker Cunningham comes from a family of men committed to upholding every letter of the law. But when he crosses paths with MaryAnn Glover, a troubled woman who not only tempts his heart but also his self-control, his need to protect her overrides everything he’s ever believed in. With a promise to keep her safe at any cost, Ryker shows MaryAnn what it means to live without fear…and love without regret.

Never Close Enough


Anie Michaels - 2013
    At her greatest moment of need, a protective and sexy Porter Masters comes to her rescue. Ella takes a holiday week at the coast to discover herself and finds her attraction to Porter potent and undeniable. Uncertain of their future together, Ella struggles to open her heart to trust again. Porter Masters takes care of his own: his single mother, his company, and now he’s compelled to protect the beauty that walked into his world. Never one for relationships in his past, Porter discovers that he was waiting all along for Ella. As their time together comes to an end, will Porter fight for the woman who stole his heart? Porter will find a way to keep her, despite the obstacles.

Ladd Springs


Dianne Venetta - 2013
    Both are after title to Ladd Springs, a mecca of natural springs, streams and trails in the eastern Tennessee mountains, a tract of land worth millions. But Ernie Ladd, current owner of the property and uncle to Delaney, is adamantly opposed to them both.Felicity Wilkins, Delaney’s daughter, deserves to inherit her family’s legacy, but neighbor Clem Sweeney is working against her, ingratiating himself with Ernie Ladd. Clem is also harboring a secret that will make him a very wealthy man—unless the others stop him before he can bring it to fruition.Complicating matters is Annie Owens. Ex-girlfriend to Jeremiah Ladd, Ernie’s estranged son lining in Atlanta, she declares her daughter Casey is Jeremiah’s, making Casey every bit as entitled to the property as Felicity—only Annie hasn’t proven this claim. Yet.All are fighting to get the property, but only one will walk away with the gold.

SEAL It With A Kiss


Rogenna Brewer - 1999
    She’s not about to let a little thing like gender get in her way. She’ll use every wile–feminine or otherwise–and her considerable strength of will to win this battle of the sexes. But the limits of her determination are tested by the only Navy SEAL capable of commanding her heart. Commander Marc Miller is equally determined to keep her out of his program. As the newly appointed CO of BUD/S, he’s been tasked with cleaning up SEAL Training. He doesn’t need a red-hot redhead compounding the problem. For him Hell Week begins when one well-connected junior officer walks into his office. The last thing he wants is to be her commanding officer when the only thing he wants is her. The only way to have her––and the surest way to lose her––is to see that she fails. Will love conquer all or tear them apart?

The Prince


Jillian Dodd - 2016
    Fans of The Selection and The Hunger Games will discover a heart-pounding thrill ride of espionage and suspense set in glittering high society.An eighteen-year-old covert agent is pulled out of training before graduation by Black X, a espionage group so secret even the President of the United States doesn't know it exists.For her first mission, she must go undercover as the long-lost daughter of a recently deceased billionaire, infiltrate high society, and protect the Prince of Montrovia from assassination. But Prince Lorenzo is known as the Playboy Prince for a reason and his sensuality and charisma add a whole other level of complication to her mission. She knows that her every move is being watched, but what she doesn’t know is that the Prince is just a chess piece in a bigger game that will have world-wide ramifications. And that Blackwood Academy, the place she has called home for the past six years has secrets of its own.

Melting Steel


C.M. Seabrook - 2017
    Stuck up. Arrogant. The kind of guy who hasn't had to work for a damn thing his entire life. Even his name, Henry Caldwell III, reeks of privilege.And me? Well, let's just say I come with more baggage than a 747 and enough bullsh*t to fuel it.The problem is I want him. Crave him. It's the kind of pure, all-consuming, panty-soaking lust that can make a girl forget why she swore off men to begin with.He thinks I need saving. But this isn't a Cinderella story, and he's no Prince Charming. At least not mine. I learned long ago that trusting any man with my heart isn't just dangerous - it can be deadly.HENRYEmotionally crippled, smart-mouthed, and sexy as sin, the woman is nothing I need and everything I want.Despite her hard edges, tattoos, and reckless spirit, I know she craves more. More from life, more from love, more from me.She thinks I'm just a trust fund brat and maybe she's right. But I've got secrets of my own. I know what darkness is. I've lived it - faced the pit of hell and barely survived.The question is, am I strong enough to face it again? Because if I'm ever going to break through the steel wall she's placed around her heart, it'll mean facing demons we both thought were long dead and buried.

Sing For Me


Trisha Grace - 2015
    She has everything she wants: a successful career, the ability to make sure she is as far away from her parents as possible, and an almost equally successful boyfriend. One phone call from a dear friend brings her back to the States, to her old neighborhood where she comes face to face with her childhood crush, Christopher Hunter. And one look into his eyes brings back all the memories and feelings she thought she had long forgotten. Feelings she shouldn’t have.

Secret Blend


Jennifer Bramseth - 2015
    He draws a formidable opponent, Hannah Davenport, a wealthy co-owner of Old Garnet Distillery, where some of the finest Kentucky bourbon is crafted north of town along Old Crow Creek and near the historic springs which gave the town its unique name.And Hannah just happens to be Rachel’s best friend.As the judicial race heats up, so does the relationship between the judges—so they decide to keep it a secret.But can any secret be kept in little Bourbon Springs, Kentucky?SECRET BLEND is the first book in the Bourbon Springs Series, an upcoming nine-book series of smooth, sensual, sexy, slow-burn contemporary romances set amidst the lush and rolling Land of Bourbon and Bluegrass of central Kentucky.

Running On Empty


Christy Reece - 2014
    That was before she watched the love of her life die before her very eyes. Brokenhearted, her emotions on lockdown, she finds purpose and hope as an LCR elite operative rescuing victims from some of the most volatile places in the world.As a covert ops agent, Declan Steele was used to a life of danger and distrust, but when the one person he trusted and believed in above all others sets him up, he’ll stop at nothing to make her pay. Finally rescued from his hellish prison, Declan has one priority—hunt down Sabrina Fox and exact his revenge.Trusting no one is a lonely, perilous path. Sabrina swears she’s innocent and Declan must make a decision--trust his heart or his head. As memories of their life together returns, he realizes just how treacherous his torture had been and the target of his revenge shifts. But when Sabrina is taken, retribution is the last thing on his mind. With the assistance of Last Chance Rescue Elite, Declan races to rescue the only woman he has ever loved before it’s too late.

Too Tempting


Bethany Lopez - 2017
    He combined his passion for football with camping and is now the owner of a football camp for teens. His summers are dedicated to spending time with family and teaching his campers about the sport he loves. Zoey Zahn is a quirky, introverted writer and self-proclaimed geek. When she's asked if she’ll accompany her nephew, Christopher, to camp, Zoey agrees, envisioning quiet evenings of writing in the great outdoors. After she stumbles upon Gabe, however, quiet evenings alone are the last thing on her mind. The chemistry between Gabe and Zoey is undeniable, but as camp ends, a brewing storm causes their blooming relationship to fumble. All Gabe knows is that Zoey is Too Tempting to deny, and he's determined to overcome the obstacles between them to be the man she deserves. Too Tempting is the first in an all-new small town romance series by Bethany Lopez. Follow the Lewis cousins of Cherry Springs, the kind of place where there are festivals for every occasion and everyone knows your business, as they learn about love and loss.More Cherry Springs:Too Tempting (The Lewis Cousins, Book 1) Too Complicated (The Lewis Cousins, Book 2)Too Distracting (The Lewis Cousins, Book 3)Too Enchanting (The Lewis Cousins, Book 4)Too Dangerous (The Lewis Cousins, book 5)Too Enticing (A Cherry Springs Novelette)

Up in Smoke


Hannah R. Conway - 2017
    Her dreams of a high profile law career are reduced to rubble when she returns home to assume custody of her sister, Brie. Without the financial means to take legal custody of her sister—or a binding will to place her safely in her arms—Leanna’s future becomes more uncertain than ever. Already prepared for a blazing custody battle, with less than capable relatives, Leanna’s world is set ablaze when her ex-fiancé complicates matters in an attempt to destroy her future and her faith. US Army, SSG Garrison Burke has spent the last few years alone—balancing flag and fatherhood since the tragic death of his wife. Facing deployment, Garrison is desperate to find a safe caretaker for his son, Ezra—preferably anywhere but the abusive home he grew up in. So, when Leanna Wilson walks unexpectedly back into his life, he’s not sure if she’s a blessing or a curse. More importantly, Garrison cannot seem to forget how he betrayed Leanna many years ago. Yet, as Leanna and Garrison begin to run out of time, they start to see that the solution to their problems might lie within each other, but will they forget the past and allow their broken hearts to mend? As sparks begin to fly and their love is rekindled, a marriage of convenience will either make their wildest dreams come true or cause their best-laid plans to go up in smoke.