Book picks similar to
One Hot Holiday by Cynthia Eden


romantic-suspense
christmas
romance
contemporary

Kill Without Mercy


Alexandra Ivy - 2015
    Individually they're intimidating. Together they're invincible. They're the men of ARES Security.Rafe Vargas is only in Newton, Iowa, to clear out his late grandfather's small house. As the covert ops specialist for ARES Security, he's eager to get back to his new life in Texas. But when he crosses paths with Annie White, a haunted beauty with skeletons in her closet, he can't just walk away--not when she's clearly in danger. . .There's a mysterious serial killer on the loose with a link to Annie's dark past. And the closer he gets, the deeper Rafe's instinct to protect kicks in. But even with his considerable skill, Annie's courage, and his ARES buddies behind him, the slaying won't stop. Now it's only a matter of time before Annie's next--unless they can unravel a history of deadly lies that won't be buried.

Captive at Christmas


Danielle Taylor - 2013
    She crosses the border into Washington State and locates the idyllic cabin that will serve as her home for the next two weeks.Mackenzie Dunlop is a man of action and reaction. A creation of his past and his profession. When he travels to the cabin he rented to stay in until the repairs on his house are complete, there is a surprise waiting...and Mac loathes surprises.Thrown together in the least likely of circumstances, Mac and Hannah find solace in each other after a harrowing event. But the future holds no promise for either of them. Distance and circumstances stand in their way. Will love prevail? Or will Hannah and Mac remain two solitary souls sharing love and memories, living separate lives?

Safe


Ryan Michele - 2013
    An escape—from him.After being brutally abused for years, Sadie seeks sanctuary and safety. But can she ever be safe when evil has his eyes on her from afar.Landon doesn’t want a relationship. He’s been burned too badly to want anything more from a woman than the physical, but one look at Sadie and he’s rethinking everything. Can trust be formed when it’s been so beaten down? Can love conquer fears? What happens when evil doesn’t give up? Can Sadie ever really be safe? **Please note. This book contains the very difficult subject of physical abuse and has a non-consensual sexual scene. It also has a very strong woman who learns to heal from these acts and finds the kind of love we all dream of having.

Dirty Angels


Karina Halle - 2014
    Please see the bottom of this description to see if this is the kind of book that you'll love or piss you off**For Luisa Chavez, a twenty-three year old former beauty queen, a better life has always been just out of her reach. Sure, she’s had men at her feet since she was a young teenager but she’s never had the one thing she’s craved – security. Having grown up in near poverty, her waitressing job in Cabo San Lucas can barely let her take care of herself, let alone her ailing parents. Every day is another unwanted advance, every day is a struggle to survive.When Salvador Reyes, the depraved leader of a major Mexican cartel, takes an interest in her, Luisa is presented with an opportunity she can’t afford to pass up. She’ll become Salvador’s wife and exchange her freedom and body for a life of riches – riches she can bestow upon her deserving parents. But Luisa quickly finds out that even the finest wines and jewels can’t undo the ugliness in her marriage, nor the never-ending violence that threatens her every move.Soon, Luisa is looking for an escape, a way out of the carefully controlled life she’s leading. She finally gets her wish in the worst way possible.As it is, being the wife of Salvador makes her an ideal target for rival cartels and there’s one particular man who needs Luisa as part of his cartel’s expansion. One particular man whose quest for power has destroyed lives, slit throats and gotten him out of an American prison. One particular man who will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.That man is Javier Bernal. And he wants Luisa. He wants to take her, keep her, ruin her.Unless she ruins him first.***WARNING*** This book deals with drug cartels and as such it contains a lot of sex and violence and some violent sex. It can get pretty ugly, pretty dark and pretty crazy. There is drug use, abuse, a bit of torture and dubious consent. The hero is not a hero and the villains...well, they're even worse. If this sort of thing bothers you, PLEASE DO NOT READ IT. This ain't no cupcake farting unicorn kind of book. If you are even a bit squeamish about violence, brutality and rape, this is your warning to stay away from a book that you certainly will not like (and why read books that you know you won't like?)******While this is a spin-off of The Artists Trilogy, prior knowledge of the books is not needed. DIRTY ANGELS is the first in a trilogy, however each book can standalone and follows or introduces different characters***