Book picks similar to
Secrets and Lace by Dori Lavelle
dark
thriller
romance
romantic-suspense
Unbeautiful
Jessica Sorensen - 2014
Some might even say perfect. They say that I’m a pretty girl. They say I should be happy. They say that I have nothing to be angry about. That I’m popular. A cheerleader. That I’m perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. But all they see is what’s on the outside. On the inside I’m raw, open, bleeding. Scars that can’t seem to heal the wounds. Carrying dark secrets about who I really am.How afraid I am to tell the truth.And it’s slowly killing me. RylerTattoos. Piercing. Scars. The guy who can’t speak. Gothic freak. Mute. Punk. I’ve heard it all. They say that I’m probably dangerous. They say people should stay away from me. They say. They say. They say.But who are they anyway? To decide what I am. They don’t know what’s hidden beneath the scars. Beneath the piercings and tattoos. The secrets I keep hidden beneath the silence.Maybe if they knew, they wouldn’t fear me so much. Then again, maybe they’d fear me more.
Love, Lies, and Deception
L.P. Dover - 2013
What made it even better – or so she thought – was when her path crossed with the alluring Alec Holden. Unable to stay away from him, Marissa experiences a love like no other, and falls into his world of passion and intrigue. However, things begin to shift when this path takes a deadly turn.Her trust is put to the test when hidden dangers unfold before her, revealing secrets that have been buried for years. Secrets that were meant to stay hidden. Murder, lies, and betrayal … will Marissa figure it all out in time and escape with her life intact, or will she be too late and fall into the trap of deception?
Reborn
Meredith WildMeredith Wild - 2018
Days. Weeks. I measure mine in kills. A covert military mission gone wrong robbed me of my memory and any link to my past. This is my existence now. I execute and survive. Nothing more, nothing less. I was ready to write Isabel Foster’s name in my ledger of unfortunate souls until she uttered the one word that could stop the bullet meant for her. My name. She knows my face. She knows me. She’s the key to the memories I’m not sure I want back. Now nothing is simple. I still have a job to do, and my soul isn’t worth saving. I’m not the man she thinks I am. I can’t love her. And sparing her life puts us both in the crosshairs.
Mr. Rook
Mimi Jean Pamfiloff - 2017
Rook's Island, a Sexy, Dark, Romantic Suspense.~~~~~He's Enigmatic, Dangerously Handsome, and COMPLETELY OFF-LIMITS...The women who vacation on Mr. Rook's exclusive island are looking for one thing and one thing only: to have their wildest romantic fantasies come to life. Pirates, cowboys, billionaires--there's nothing Rook's staff can't deliver.But when Stephanie Fitzgerald's sister doesn't return after her week in paradise, Stephanie will have to pose as a guest in order to dig for answers. Unfortunately, this means she'll need to get close to the one thing on the island that's not on the menu: the devastatingly handsome and intimidating Mr. Rook. And he's not about to give the island's secrets away.
Malevolent
Cassia Brightmore - 2015
Once the devil has a hold of you, true malevolence is born. Sheriff Brady James has sworn to protect the small town of Durham Heights, his current priority to ruthlessly hunt a sadistic killer on the loose. With lives at stake, his focus is split between two beautiful women - one dark, one light. The clock is ticking, the threat palpable; crawling closer at every turn. Once death has you in its sights, there is no escape. Pain. Suffering. Lives shattered and broken. In the fight of good against evil, who will survive? This is the first book in the Darkness series, a wishing evil upon others novel that can be read as a standalone. Due to mature content and violent situations, this book is recommended for readers 18 years and up.
Watch Me
Cynthia Eden - 2014
Chance Valentine had tried to keep his distance from the sexy socialite for years, but when her father hired him to keep watch on her—as a twenty-four, seven bodyguard—Chance knew his control was about to be pushed to the limit.He’d never wanted another woman the way he desired her. Hot. Intense. Consuming. Being so close to Gwen, Chance knew that he wouldn’t be able to resist her. So he gave into his need, her need, and he took them both to the edge of a dark and consuming desire.But Chance soon realizes that he isn’t the only one watching Gwen. Someone else is out there, a stalker who won’t rest until Gwen is destroyed. Every day, every moment…Gwen is in danger. And Chance knows that if he can’t unmask the stalker, then he may just lose the only woman he has ever loved.
Irrevocable
Skye Callahan - 2014
” (Everything Marie) Book 1 in the Irrevocable Duet Stripped of everything she knows--even her real name--Silver is forced to adapt, to obey, and to do anything she needs to do to survive. Sometimes when you can’t go back, the only way out is to descend into the darkness. my Captor When I woke in that place, I just wanted to survive. But survival came at a cost, for which they demanded my will and body. my Master With pain came acceptance. Fully-dependent on the man who claimed me, I learned to appreciate what I had-life and relative safety. my Protector I watched him spill blood and tend my injuries. With betrayal came a revelation. “Not only did Irrevocable gut me, it took me on a roller coaster ride full of emotions that I usually don’t experience while reading romances…. You start to hate, you start to sympathize, and you begin to fall in love in every way. Ms. Callahan has turned my world upside down with her writing. Dark, sensual, and at times overwhelming, Irrevocable will bring you on a dark journey that you will never forget..” (Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads, TOP PICK of 2014!) IRREVOCABLE is a dark romance intended for adult readers 18+ only. Not intended for those easily offended by dark subject matter.
Horses and Heroin
Bev Pettersen - 2012
Her only ally is a recuperating PI who unfortunately is the owner's best friend. Soon she is caught between a blossoming romance and a far-reaching conspiracy...where misplaced trust can be deadly.
More Than Memories
Kristen James - 2011
She meets Trent Williams, a Ridge City police detective, and something else definitely sparks. Not only does he know her, Trent takes on her case and promises to do everything he can to solve it. He wants to know why she left town, with her parents, but without a word to anyone. She doesn’t remember that life. She can only tell him she knew her parents briefly before they died . . . or were murdered, she’s not sure. She hopes regaining her memory will help answer that question. Trent has his own secrets, but they have a mystery to solve. As they work together, and Molly meets their old friends, she realizes her relationship with Trent went deeper than memories. In fact, she grew up in Ridge City, even though her parents had said they lived there just a few years. How could she have forgotten her lifelong friend and love? Has he really been looking for her—waiting for her—for the last four years? Can she love him again if she doesn’t remember him? There’s also the possibility that she did something awful –and maybe that’s why she’s afraid to remember her old life. Molly knows she wants Trent now, but the truth might destroy their love.
After the Storm
M. Stratton - 2013
She enjoys the simple things in her beach cottage. Life is finally complete.Noah Matthews is Rock & Roll’s hottest star and on top of the world. After years without a break he finds the solitude he craves at his beach house. Enjoying his early morning coffee, Noah is surprised to see his neighbor sneak into his garden and crawl around.They never saw that fateful morning coming. Someone was watching them. Someone who thought Lexi belonged to him and would stop at nothing to have her.Lives are changed forever when they meet amongst the blooms in his garden. Even when things seem darkest, there is always light After the Storm."A suspenseful, page turning twist on the typical boy meets girl" - Carey Heywood - Author"The perfect combination of funny, creepy and hot. A unique story that will have you begging for more." - Evelyne Stone - AuthorBook Two - Eye of the Storm - Available NowBook Three - Caught in the Storm - Available Friday June 13th 2014
Deviant
Jaimie Roberts - 2014
This is not a fairy tale. He is not her Prince Charming about to whisk her away into the sunset. This is a story about betrayal, lust, desire and, ultimately, revenge...And revenge can only lead to one thing. TylerHe was my stranger, my visitor, my shadow in the corner of my room. He stalked me, watched me, knew everything about me. But all I could do was sit and wait. I waited for him to visit me night after night. He was becoming my addiction, my craving, my obsession. He knew every inch of me, but I knew nothing about him. His calls himself Lotus and, as crazy as it sounds, I think I’m falling in love. DeanI wanted to take her, possess her, dominate her, and ruin her. I wanted to ravish her, please her, and consume her until I couldn’t take much more of her.She will want me to kiss her. She will want me to hold her all night so that she feels a connection with me. I would make it so that she would seek me out in the dark. The one that satisfies her ultimate fantasy. A stranger who sneaks into her room. Someone who gives her the ultimate pleasure, but also seeks to give her ultimate pain. Pain she has never had to endure. Pain that will eat away at her until there is nothing left.She was my nemesis, I was her lotus. And payback was a bitch.
The Heart Has Reasons
Martine Marchand - 2012
When wealthy Hank Keswick offers him a generous sum to kidnap his fugitive trophy wife, Larissa Santos, and transport her from Charleston S.C. back to Southern California, Chase welcomes the opportunity to go on yet another "mission", unaware that his new client is really Brian Sparrow, the serial killer Larissa Santos barely survived two years ago.Larissa quickly perceives that she has nothing to fear from her ski-masked abductor although--instinctively knowing that Sparrow is the engineer behind her kidnapping--she is determined to escape at any cost. Warned by Larissa's "husband" that she's a compulsive liar and an Oscar-worthy actress, Chase refuses to believe he's delivering her into harm's way.As Chase transports Larissa clear across the continent, neither one anticipates the intense attraction that develops between them despite their mutual antagonism, an attraction so intense that it crackles with sexual electricity.Will Larissa be able to convince Chase that he's delivering her to a man who wants her dead? If not, will she somehow manage to survive a second encounter with serial-killer Brian Sparrow? Will FBI Special Agent Jarvis succeed in sending Chase to prison for the rest of his life?The compelling characters, sexual tension, suspense, action, passion, and intrigue combine to create a rousing, edge-of-your-seat romantic thriller with plot twists that will keep readers mesmerized until the very last page.
I Think I Love You
Stephanie Bond - 2002
At least they're reuniting. A cause to celebrate? Not for Justine, Regina, and Mica. Their parents are splitting up and the family business is going on the auction block--just a little reminder of how much they really have in common...Take the local bad boy who proposed to Justine, seduced Regina, and ran off with Mica. Add the unsolved murder they witnessed when they were young girls, and their vow to keep it a secret. Toss in their knack for being drawn to shady men, and there's only one thing left for them to do--put the bonds of family loyalty to the test.But it takes courage to outsmart a murderer, know-how to avenge the cad who betrayed them, and patience to bring their parent back together. Three talents. Three sisters. And who knows? Maybe even three new chances to fall in love when Justine, Regina, and Mica discover how much they're willing to risk--and forgive--in the name of sisterhood...
All the Blue-Eyed Angels
Jen Blood - 2012
The Solar Temple. Heaven's Gate. In the summer of 1990, the Payson Church of Tomorrow joins the ranks of those infamous cult suicides when thirty-four members burn to death on a small island off the coast of Maine. At ten years old, Payson member Erin Solomon watches helplessly as the church and its congregation are reduced to ash and embers.More than twenty years later, Erin is an accomplished investigative journalist when she receives word that she has inherited Payson Isle... and all its ghosts. She returns to Maine to learn the truth behind the tragedy that has haunted her since childhood, aided by the rakish mentor who's stood by her side since she was a teenager, her trusty mutt Einstein, and a mysterious stranger with his own dark past.Soon, Erin is enmeshed in violence, conspiracy, and scandal, as she fights to unearth the secrets of the Payson Church of Tomorrow -- secrets someone will kill to keep buried.
Ace's Redemption
A.C. Bextor - 2014
Fear has a paralyzing effect, and love isn’t always enough to keep you safe.Ace was the gateway to a freedom I hadn’t known since I was fifteen. He offered his protection from the demons that haunted me; both living and dead.Although I knew I wasn’t enough to keep him, this didn’t deter my hope that one day he’d love me for who I was, not the broken girl he tried so desperately to save. In the end, the ghosts of my past found me. Their malevolence knew no bounds, and I was forced to succumb to their will of darkness. Each threat named against those I loved made any escape impossible; choosing my life for theirs became my desolate absolution.Inevitably, it was my own weakness and self-doubt that became my undoing.AceEmotional ties are sometimes severed. Friendships don’t always endure their hardships, and love offered isn’t always returned. I was in love once. For me, leaving her back in Ohio was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. For her, moving on with her life that included her son and the man she loved was no less than she deserved -- unconditional happiness.My reasons to bring Cherry home to California were obvious. I needed help with my family, and she needed help staying clean and convincing her parents she was ready to give her son the life he deserved.It was a perfect plan. However, the best laid plans often get lost amidst their best intentions.Cherry fell in love with me, and in return my love for her acted as the catalyst to her destruction.Authors Note: This novel contains material that is not suitable for individuals under the age of 18. Content includes: drug use, explicit language, violence, rape, and other scenarios with content that readers may find offensive. Please use caution when deciding on this book, as every reader has the right to understand the product before purchase. Ace’s Redemption is the first standalone novel in the Devil’s Despair series. Although the main character of Ace was introduced during the Lights of Peril trilogy, you do not need to read that series in order to follow this one.