Book picks similar to
Justified Burden by Lori Matthews


romance
romantic-suspense
suspense
romance-suspense

SEAL's Angel


Lynne St. James - 2021
    After losing faith in everything but his teammates, he meets Dawn Randolph, and she is everything good he’s forgotten.Dawn has lived her own hell over the last few years since her Army Ranger husband died in action. Being a single mom and trying to learn a new normal has been harder than she ever imagined. When she meets Jake, an extraordinary man with a perilous job, she doesn't think she can put herself or her children through that kind of stress again, no matter how much Jake speaks to her soul.Determined to win Dawn’s love, Jake promises he’ll do what it takes to protect her heart and her children no matter what. Then the man they’ve been hunting is finally located, and the team is immersed in danger in the Middle East. When the worst happens, will Dawn and Jake's burgeoning love be destroyed?

Sympathy for a Stranger


Kate Mckeever - 2021
    When her son is kidnapped, she turns to the Brotherhood Protectors and Shadow Ops, an organization specializing in covert missions, to recover him and learn why he was taken. Kyle Richards, a member of Shadow Ops, is trained for covert operations and is content to live that life. When he meets Lacey, however, he realizes he needs more than missions and occasional women. Will Lacey take a chance on Kyle and will he be able to find her son before it’s too late?

Fatal Secrets


Desiree Holt - 2020
    But now the reporter, with a contract to write a true crime book about it, is turning over every rock she can. But someone wants to frighten her off, adding to her stress level. On a rainy night, after some long days of research and interviews, a cold drink in a roadside bar eases the pressure, along with the very sexy, war-weary ex-SEAL whose bed she falls into. Zoe’s not given to one-night stands but, for the moment, this guy is just what she needs.Bitter at being medically discharged, still haunted by nightmares of the last mission, Sean Patterson has finally accepted his cousin Hank’s invite to check out Montana. He’s got his choice of Brotherhood Protectors or joining the staff of the new sheriff, either of which could be the turning point in his life that he needs. Either way, when he agrees to act as bodyguard for Sadie Patterson’s friend, Zoe Young, he is stunned when he’s face to face with the woman with whom he shared the best night of sex ever.Together twenty-four-seven, the emotional connection between them explodes along with the increased danger. When they finally uncover the answers, they are shocked to learn who the killers are But will Zoe survive a last attempt on her life so she and Sean can explore a life together?

Saving Leather


Jen Talty - 2021
    He’s at the top of his game and he’s not about to let a couple of death threats stand in his way. However, he will do what he always does; he’ll hire a bodyguard.However, he’s not prepared to come face-to-face with the woman who stole his heart, twice, and trust her with his life.But he’s left with no choice. Not if he wants to play and no way will he let the enemies of the past ruin his future.Lacey “Lace” Brown had only ever wanted to be a sailor, so when her career in the Navy comes to an abrupt halt, she opts to take a job with the Brotherhood Protectors. Her first assignment is to protect the infamous gambler, Leather Wellington, which goes against everything she believes in, but she will do exactly what she’s hired to do, even when she finds out the truth, because sometimes it is the truth that will set you free from the scars of the past.

Securing Willow


Annie Miller - 2021
    When she discovers he is not only alive but has been searching for her the last fifteen years. The foundation of her entire life rapidly changes and she finds herself unsure how to life a normal life.

 Tyler Ellison lost his team in an ambush and struggles with what is next in his life. When he is sent on a mission with his new team to extract a woman from a survivalist camp, he soon finds himself in a different kind of struggle. 

Can Willow find love after she’s returned home to a father she doesn’t know? Can Tyler move past his guilt and grief from losing his team? Can he work with his new SEAL team?

 Will these two find something they are both missing? Can they find forgiveness and trust each other with their insecurities?
 Can Tyler take on his most important mission, Operation: Securing Willow?

Protecting Harper


Olivia Michaels - 2021
    A former teammate gives Flint a new lease on life when he offers Flint a job in Colorado with Watchdog Protectors, a security company with its own secrets. Flint has the chance to meet and learn from Tex Keegan for a week while the computer genius and his wife Melody are visiting—Tex for work and Melody for a much-deserved vacation. Flint is no stranger to Colorado. It’s where he met, loved, and lost the woman of his dreams ten years ago.

Harper Marling knows she’s a dead woman walking. Her charming narcissist ex-husband has done his best to ruin her life from the minute she reached for freedom. Now, she’s on the cusp of taking down the powerful multi-millionaire and reclaiming her life, if she can keep her plans a secret. Blackballed from her job as a medical researcher, Harper’s just taken a temporary job with Watchdog Protectors when she runs into the man who broke her heart a decade ago. Harper isn't sure if she’s ready to love again, but Flint gives her a reason to try as he stirs a slumbering passion deep inside her.

James isn't done trying to destroy Harper. If he can't have her, no one can, let alone a retired SEAL-turned-bodyguard. Can Harper trust Flint, Tex, and Watchdog Protectors to have her six? Or will James’ deadly game of cat-and-mouse end Harper’s life—in service to a darker purpose?

Protecting Harper is the first book in the Watchdog Protectors Series which branches off from the Watchdog Security Series by Olivia Michaels. Each book can be read as a standalone with an HEA but they do have reoccurring characters.

SEALed With a Twist


Rachel McNeely - 2021
    Becky will do just about anything to champion the downtrodden, and that has landed her in some serious trouble on the streets. 
Tyler Howis loves his life as a bachelor almost as much as he loves being a Navy SEAL. While everyone around him seems to be getting married and settling down, casual relationships are his standard operating procedure—until now. He can’t seem to keep his heart safe around a certain woman with fire in her eyes and danger at her back.Experience has taught Becky that putting her faith in a man is a fool’s game, and she’s no fool. It should be easy to resist Ty’s strong arms and commanding presence. It isn’t. Especially when a deadly threat follows her home.

Spring UnVeiled


KaLyn Cooper - 2020
    His mission to clean up the team’s tarnished reputation. When a sex trafficking ring involving SEALs comes to light, Evan must decide who he can trust to help him clean house and restore honor and pride. Before he can get started, an unexpected phone call with his college-age daughter and his ex-wife throws his personal life into chaos.Genevieve Hubbard has spent the last twenty-one years as a schoolteacher, nine as a single-mom after her decision not to follow her husband’s career to the other side of the country. While she never stopped loving her ex-husband, she’s made a life for herself that doesn’t include him.Their daughter has been keeping secrets—the father’s identity from Genevieve, and her pregnancy from Evan. When tragedy strikes shortly after the baby is born, Evan and Genevieve must work together to do what is best for everyone. Will they find love again, or will they lose everything that is precious to them?

Winter's Last Chance


Stacey Wilk - 2018
    A decision that jeopardizes her brother and their guests when a killer dressed like Santa opens fire at their annual Christmas Eve party. Lincoln Smith spent his life guarding his country, his clients, and his heart. He denied himself everything else – including Serra. He only wants a glimpse of her at the party. Nothing more. But when Santa tries to kill the only woman he ever loved, Lincoln does what he was trained to do. Seeking refuge in his cabin in the town of Winter, Lincoln vows to protect Serra even if it means dropping the shield around his heart. She had never wanted to see him again, but Serra can’t escape her true feelings. Just as passion finds a new path the killer finds them. With only hours to spare, Lincoln must forgive himself for past mistakes or he and Serra will lose their last chance for survival – and love.

Protecting Sara


Lorelei Confer - 2021
    Left with a bionic shoulder and no clear future, he spends his days alone. But he’s forced back into action when the apartment building next to his explodes and he witnesses a female fleeing the scene.

 Sara Nelson lives under an alias, in constant fear from threats to her life. But three years of frequent moves have her longing for a forever home, so she settles in North Carolina. After a year of normality, an unexpected threat forces her to trust a handsome stranger.

 Jake’s attraction to Sara is immediate, but the sole thing on her mind is staying alive. He wants to protect her but can’t do it alone. Jake calls on his SEAL brothers to help him. But when their circle is penetrated, all hell breaks loose, and Jake must choose her life over his and the lives of his Team.

A SEAL for Raven


Julia Bright - 2021
    She has no time for a boyfriend, even when the guy is as sexy as Zachary.Zachary “Mist” Fennel doesn’t know if there is a woman out there for him. When he meets Raven, he’s hooked. She doesn’t seem convinced, though. When she goes missing, he vows to rip apart the world to find her. But what if she doesn’t want him to find her?

Blind Trust


Debra Parmley - 2019
    All she wants is to stay on the ranch, a place where she can find her way around in her perpetual darkness. She has no intention of dating again, especially not Marine Force Recon veteran, Brian “Barbie” Ken, even if his voice is so sexy it makes her knees weak. Assigned to protect the patrons and workers at the ranch, Brian is fascinated by everything about Cecelia and has made it his life’s mission to take her out on a date. She might be the biggest challenge of his life. Convincing her to leave the ranch will take more than smooth talking after an ill-fated date robbed her of her eyesight. It will take Blind Trust on her part to go out again. When her cousin ends up in the hospital in San Diego, Cecelia is desperate to visit. Brian offers to drive her. Cecelia agrees to go, taking a leap of faith to leave her familiar surroundings. When a sex trafficker kidnaps Cecelia from the hospital, Brian crosses the border into Mexico to rescue her and bring her home.

Guarding Cherish


Rose Smith - 2020
     

When super sexy ex-Navy SEAL Riley “Bulldog” Rousseau flirts with Cherish Reynolds on the train to Paris, the one thing he does instantly… is turn her off. 
On her way to marry her dream man in the most romantic city in the world, some stereotypical French Casanova flirting with her is just an annoyance.
 Cherish can’t wait for her happily ever after to begin. She just knows that after all she’s been through the last couple of years, life is finally smiling down on her.
 But soon Cherish becomes embroiled in danger along with the nice American couple she meets on the train.
 The last thing she needs now is for her world to be turned upside down by imminent danger. But, as Cherish Reynolds full well knows, life doesn’t always give you what you want.

Bryson's Treasure


Linzi Baxter - 2019
    He barely got out alive with the help of a young Afghan girl he refused to leave behind. His boots barely touch Montana soil before he and his brother Noah rescue an unconscious woman trapped in a wrecked truck. A truck whose brakes were clearly tampered with. Though still wounded himself, his instincts scream to keep her safe until they find out who wants her dead. A heart she dares not trust…her own. All Lynn remembers from the accident is a pair of crystal-blue eyes she never thought to see again. Until those eyes show up a few days later, attached to a tall, sandy-haired cowboy who takes all of five minutes to get under her skin. He wants her to stay put? She just got away from a dangerous cult. No one tells her what to do or where she can and can’t go. Especially not a sexy ex-Marine with a rescue complex. But when more near-misses leave her shaken, she has no choice but to surrender to Bryce’s protection…and try like hell not to surrender her heart.

Ice


Linda Howard - 2009
    It’s a trip that Gabriel would rather not make, given the bitter winter weather—and the icy conditions that have always existed between him and Lolly. Arriving at Lolly’s home, Gabriel spots strangers through the windows—one of them packing a weapon—and kicks into combat mode. But once Lolly is rescued, the heat—and the hunt—are on. Snowbound, unarmed, and literally under the gun, Gabriel and Lolly must depend on each other to endure the merciless forces of nature and evade the ruthless enemy out in the blackness of the silent night—and out for their blood.