Book picks similar to
Justified Burden by Lori Matthews


romantic-suspense
romance
romance-suspense
suspense

Ground Zero: Mission Ready


Jessika Klide - 2021
    There are no rules, no restrictions, no reason not to be together. After rescuing a young girl from human traffickers, I make a decision to continue to fight for freedom, forming a private security company, and I want Nina Fox, Bravo’s Targeting Officer, by my side. Military restrictions forbade our relationship, but she is my Ground Zero and our time has finally come.When we meet again, will she want to remain strictly teammates, or will the spark between us erupt with the freedom to act upon it? I am mission ready to make Foxtrot mine. * * * * * * * From the queen of short sexy military stories comes an action and adventure, romantic suspense book about taking a stand for freedom and love. GROUND ZERO is the first book in the Born To Fight Task Force Missions Series of interconnected novels.

The Protector


Gennita Low - 2004
    Navy SEAL Jazz Zeringue soon discovers that his lovely savior is a covert agent and mistress of disguise who needs Jazz and his men to help her complete her most important and dangerous mission.

Whiskey Beach


Nora Roberts - 2013
    But to Eli Landon, it's home... A Boston lawyer, Eli has weathered an intense year of public scrutiny and police investigations after being accused of--but never arrested for--the murder of his soon-to-be-ex wife. He finds sanctuary at Bluff House, even though his beloved grandmother is in Boston recuperating from a nasty fall. Abra Walsh is always there, though. Whiskey Beach's resident housekeeper, yoga instructor, jewelry maker, and massage therapist, Abra is a woman of many talents--including helping Eli take control of his life and clear his name. But as they become entangled in each other, they find themselves caught in a net that stretches back for centuries--one that has ensnared a man intent on reaping the rewards of destroying Eli Landon once and for all...

Saving Christmas


Michele E. Gwynn - 2019
    Shane McCall wanted for Christmas…was to save her from the mafia!
 Left on the doorstep of an orphanage Christmas morning, Christmas Jones grew up knowing nothing about her biological parents. But on the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, everything changed. A letter delivered by a lawyer reveals her origins but opens a Pandora’s box of danger!
 
Home on leave for the holidays, Lt. Shane McCall, codename Badger, looked forward to spending time with family, especially his cousin Dude. Little did he know, a quick detour to his favorite diner would end in meeting a beautiful girl and then saving her life!Drawn in by her fiery spirit and endearing vulnerability, Shane can’t resist. When Chris insists on pursuing answers arising from both events, he knows he can’t let her go it alone. But will the stubborn woman let him help without bucking him every step of the way? As each answer leads to more questions, Chris discovers her past is inextricably tied to two feuding mafia families and a cold case of missing millions of illegal gambling money.Each new clue reveals even more danger, and somewhere between butting heads and running down leads, love blooms. But some bad relationships in her past are preventing Chris from accepting Shane’s incredibly sexy attention in the present. And the guilt he carries deep inside for so many of the things he’s done may stop any shot at a future with the beautiful, feisty Christmas Jones. When she goes missing, Shane must go dark to save her from unscrupulous criminals convinced that she alone is the key to the stolen millions. Will he save Christmas in time?

Saving Scarlett


Shauna Allen - 2018
    To make matters worse, the girl who got away is now living and working on his family’s property, making his recovery all the more painful because she is still very much off limits. Scarlett Rayburn never thought she’d be a widow at her age, much less left alone with two small boys and a closet full of painful secrets her “hero” husband took to his grave. Two years later, she’s picked up the pieces and gotten on with her life . . . at least until her husband’s best friend, Johnny Ray, showed back up after being shot, as sexy and standoffish as ever. As Johnny and Scarlett spend time together, the truth finally comes to light and hearts are opened, but all too soon, Johnny gets word the cartel is on the move and a little too close for comfort. When the dangers that brought Johnny home come banging on the front door of the ranch, will his team make it in time to help them survive or will he and Scarlett be left to work together to protect what they cherish most? More importantly, can they break through each other’s walls and finally claim the love that has eluded them both? ***Continue the hunt that began with Susan Stoker’s Navy SEALs and my Marine Corps Reconnaissance team from Defending Danielle and Rescuing Rebekah, as they take aim at the Mexican drug cartel and their bloodthirsty hacker, El Lobo Blanco—the only one who can give Tex a run for his money—as this game of cat and mouse becomes dangerously more personal.

Nori's Delta


Lori Ryan - 2020
    Protecting a State Department official is just another assignment until he discovers that Eleanor Bonham is Nori Duncan, the one that got away. He can protect her from enemy forces in the Republic of Kazarus, but can he defend his heart from the woman who used to be his everything?She’s not going to fall for a soldier boy…High school was a long time ago, and Eleanor is no longer the heartbroken girl who ended things with Heath. She doesn’t have time for love, not if she’s going to rise in the ranks at State Department. But Heath is even more handsome than he was back then, and his years in the military have honed him into a man completely unlike the boy she once knew. With his sights set on her, how can she resist?The mission in Kazarus is as important as it is dangerous. Eleanor and Heath will need to rely on one another if they are going to see the mission through. But will they be able to overcome past pain for the hope of a future?

When All the Girls Have Gone


Jayne Ann Krentz - 2016
    In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends, women in a Seattle-based online investment club, for answers. But what they find is chilling…When her uneasy alliance with Max turns into a full-blown affair, Charlotte has no choice but to trust him with her life. For the shadows of Jocelyn’s past are threatening to consume her—and anyone else who gets in their way...

Naughty Shorts: True Stories of Sex and Bad Judgment at Work


Jesse Lawler - 2019
    These workplace disasters bring out the voyeurism, Schadenfreude, and plain old warped sense of humor in all of us. And so . . . from my naïve colleague who called our CEO a dildo, to the employee caught on videotape licking door handles in the company parking garage, their stories must be told! “...the entertainment factor is consistent and the laughs should come easily for readers who fancy the awkwardness of workplace weirdness... Ideal for readers who need a refresher course on the consequences of impropriety.” - Kirkus Reviews

Deathwatch


Dana Marton - 2013
    Murphy Dolan is in the Army Reserves, returning from his 2nd tour of duty, only to find a stranger hiding in his house. She's scared spitless. He's completely burned-out on violence. Neither of them has any trust left to give. If the best of the FBI couldn't protect her from the country’s most notorious assassin, does a burned-out small town cop have a prayer?

Chasing Katie


Heather Long - 2018
    His only clue? The purse he was found holding. But he isn’t the only one looking for her…This woman needs to hide…Determined to keep her head down, Katherine “Katie” Hennessy hides on her family ranch. When a man arrives, seemingly looking for work, Katie recognizes him as the person who saved her life on that dark, horrible day. Guilt and terror eat her up inside, but Liam’s presence is strangely comforting - he seems to know what she is hiding, and his strength buoys her. Then he tells her he needs her to come back to New York with him, to identify the bombers. The truth could cost her everything.Katie holds herself accountable, and the weight of the lie threatens to cripple her. If she tells the truth, it might set her free - and cost her everything in the same breath. Then the attacks begin, and Liam refuses to leave her side. The man will risk everything for her - can she do any less?

She's Still The One


Kaci Rose - 2021
    This is why I packed up everything into my car and I’m now heading to my brothers.Only he’s not there. His best friend Dallas is.Dammit, he’s the reason none of my relationships have worked out. I compare them all to how he treats me.When they go on tour and drag me along it’s hard to hide feelings in the small space of a tour bus. But my brother has made it very clear.Dallas is no good for me. We both risk losing my brother if we go any further.DallasIt sucks when you can’t have the one girl you love.When the band I started with Austin’s brother took off girls were easy. It was less messy having flings.Then she moves into the house with us.Even when her brother has made it perfectly clear she is off limits I can’t seem to stay away.She is still the only one who makes my heart race.When her life is on the line because of the band's fame can we put our differences aside long enough to save her?Can I convince them both I’ve changed, and I will be a one-woman man the rest of my days if she just chooses me?This is a Steamy, Rockstar, Brother's Best Friend Romance. No Cliffhangers.As always there is a satisfying Happy Ever After.If you love steamy romances with hot love scenes, and rockstars, then this one is for you.

The Guy Next Door


Lori Foster - 2011
    That's what Natalie Alexander needs to get her head—and heart—together. But her solo trip south turns into a disaster when gorgeous Jett Sutter turns up with another challenge.Gail's Gone Wild by Susan DonovanSingle mom Gail Chapman insists on chaperoning her teenage daughter's spring-break trip to Key West. But she never expects to face temptation—in the hunky form of Jesse Batista, the mysterious man in the cottage next door.Just One Taste by Victoria DahlAll-work-and-no-play businessman Eric Donovan won't be distracted by a "businesswoman" who's all wrong for him. Beth Cantrell owns a women's erotica shop! And she has a juicy little secret. Can she tempt him to put pleasure before business for once?

An Unforgettable Lady


Jessica Bird - 2004
    . . . Forced into the spotlight by her fabulous wealth, heiress Grace Hall isn't always prepared for the consequences of her standing. When a string of attacks against the city's most prominent women leaves Grace vulnerable, the refined beauty reluctantly hires a bodyguard. Now she finds herself subject to the ironclad will of her new protector. In spite of her frustration, Grace is drawn to John Smith in ways she can't explain. For beneath his tough exterior and dark past, there's an inner core that is tantalizingly seductive.John knows that when you're a professional bodyguard, it needs to be all business. But such conduct makes for a solitary life with few ties and too many good-byes. Grace was supposed to be just another assignment on a long list. Yet there's something about her that gets under his skin. With each passing day, the attraction grows more intense - until John is faced with a decision he never thought he'd have to make. Can he give up the only life he's ever known to be with the only woman he's ever loved?

Above and Beyond


Kathryn Shay - 2017
    Read about the Marino clan in this fast-paced, emotional new series, To Serve and Protect, by NYT bestselling author Kathryn Shay. Nick Marino is the top guy on POTUS’s Secret Service detail. But he’s temporarily sent to upstate New York to guard the president’s sister, Isabelle Barton, who is being threatened in anonymous notes. There, Nick becomes involved with the widowed mom and twin boys, who quickly win over what he thought was his hardened heart. Amidst the heightened anxiety of tracking down the threats, the constant vigilance and an ever-growing sexual attraction between Isabelle and Nick, these two people must uncover not only the plot against her, but determine what to do about their impossible romance. ABOVE AND BEYOND provides a deep dive into the life of a Secret Service agent and a close look at being related to the most powerful man in the world, along with the glamor of Washington, D.C. politics.

Shielding Nebraska


Casey Hagen - 2018
    Before he has the chance to do more than crack open his first beer, his recently retired, long-time SEAL brother solicits his help with a famous client who needs protection from an elusive stalker.Nebraska NightRaven is still paying for her part at Standing Rock during the Keystone Pipeline protests the previous year. Growing up in a neighboring reservation before making a career in Hollywood, the events at Standing Rock demanded she use her fame to draw attention to the danger and abuse there. It also left her with a career teetering on the edge of oblivion as she tried to manage the ever-increasing threats and honor her contracts. Now, with the Keystone Pipeline oil spill in South Dakota hitting the news, the threats have increased in an effort to keep her silent. Sparks fly and motives clash from the first minute Slyder and Nebraska get within arm’s length of each other. As near as Slyder can tell the hellcat needs a leash and tube of super glue to keep those sexy lips shut. Nebraska is no surgeon, but she’d love to start by removing that stick up Slyder’s mouthwatering, rock-hard ass. Can Slyder save Nebraska from a skillfully evasive threat, and from herself?