Book picks similar to
Return to Santa Flores by Iris Johansen


romance
guardian-ward
contemporary-romance
iris-johansen

First Love, Last Love


Carole Mortimer - 1981
    Not only is he a shameless playboy with a revolving door to his bedroom, he's also older than her—and her boss! He's everything that Lauri doesn't want. Yet the undeniable attraction between them is almost too strong to resist…So when Alexander suggests that the best way to get over their desire is to give in to it, it sounds like a reasonable theory… But, in practice, their passion for each other doesn't work that way!

Into the Deep


Samantha Young - 2013
    Live hard. Love deep.Charley Redford was just an ordinary girl until Jake Caplin moved to her small town in Indiana and convinced her she was extraordinary. Almost from day one Jake pulled Charley into the deep and promised he was right there with her. But when a tragic incident darkened Jake’s life he waded out into the shallows and left Charley behind.Almost four years later Charley thinks she’s moved on. That is until she takes a study year abroad in Edinburgh and bumps into none other than Jake Caplin at a party with his new girlfriend. The bad-boy-turned-good attempts to convince Charley to forgive him, and as her best friend starts spending time with Jake’s, Charley calls a truce, only to find herself tumbling back into a friendship with him.As they grow closer, the spark between them flares and begins playing havoc with their lives and relationships. When jealousy and longing rear their destructive heads, Charley and Jake struggle to come to grips with what they mean to one another.And even if they work it out, there is no guarantee Charley will ever trust Jake to lead her back into the deep…

Bound by Marriage


Nalini Singh - 2007
    It's calculating and completely devoid of any tenderness, just like the man himself. But things soon get very complicated as secrets and mistrust, jealousy and ultimatums take over, threatening Jessica's ability to maintain her emotional distance. Worst of all, the sizzling attraction between them is suddenly making this marriage of convenience decidedly inconvenient!

Tainted Black


Shanora Williams - 2015
    Black,I know you were hurting. I heard your cries. I wished over and over again that I could make it better, but as you stated I was too inexperienced; too good for someone as bad as you.Perhaps you were right, but it didn't matter because what I did know was that I loved the way you felt--loved the way you smelled. I loved how hard you got for me, and when you called me your Little Knight.I can still remember that day in the park, when you held me close and kissed me deep. How you effortlessly made me cry your name on top of sweet smelling grass, making me feel like the only girl in the world. I loved how you looked at me, how you spoke to me.I had been madly in love with you ever since I was twelve years old, but I shouldn't have been.Isabelle would have hated it--my best friend. I couldn't afford to lose her. Besides, you two had already lost enough. Losing Mrs. Black was the epitome.It's Chloe Knight.I wanted to be there for you no matter what, but Isabelle needed me too.And she would have hated me if she ever found out I was sleeping with her father.** Tainted Black is a forbidden love-story about a girl who helplessly falls for her best friend's father. After a tragic accident ends the life of Theo Black's wife, he turns to the one person he has always found interesting.Chloe Knight, the girl from across the street, his daughter's best friend, and a person that is considered completely off limits for him. **- WARNING: If you aren't a fan of taboo love stories, age gaps/differences, of if you're expecting a novel with that "unicorn and rainbows" type of feel, then this may not be the novel for you. But if you want to read about an alpha male with a tortured soul that rides a motorcycle and owns a boat named Dirty Black, then READ this! You may have just have found the right kind of love story for you! -- Taboo Romance (Best Friend's Dad)- Full-length standalone (98K words)- New Adult / Erotica

Bride in a Gilded Cage


Abby Green - 2010
    First he will take her as his bride. Then he’ll lead her to the marriage bed, where he’ll make her his.Isobel may have no choice but to give her hand to Rafael in matrimony, but she intends to stay as free as a bird…not anticipating that her new husband will keep her caged once he discovers he’s wed a virgin…

Whiskey Prince


Toni Aleo - 2014
    Having been caretaker to her for most of her teenage years, Amberlyn is inexperienced in many aspects of life. She hasn’t had time to live, have fun, or enjoy even the little things. It’s only when a letter from her mother, asking her to fulfill three things, sends her off to Ireland to live a life she never thought possible that she begins to heal.Declan O’Callaghan was born and raised in Ireland and has his family’s legendary whiskey in his veins. He’s shy and not a fan of the pressure and spotlight that comes with his family name, or the title he was given at birth—the Whiskey Prince. Declan knows just what he wants and that is to take over the family dynasty, but when his father gives him an ultimatum, everything he’s worked for could come undone in the blink of an eye.With six months to get married, the reclusive Declan spots Amberlyn across a lake and instantly feels the need to know her. Soon, the two find themselves traveling down a path neither expected. However, like any road, there are bumps and side streets to derail them. Can Declan help find the pieces that will make Amberlyn whole again? And will Amberlyn stay or run when she learns of Declan’s deadline of marriage?

Morgan Wade's Woman


Joan Hohl - 1987
    You use my name. And what wears that brand is mine!" His touch burned. His voice sent shivers down her spine.Beautiful, rich, and disdainful of men, once, Samantha would have cut this arrogant rancher dead. But her father's will had changed all that, forcing her to marry within months or forfeit a sizable fortune.It was his name for her money. It wasn't a marriage; it was a business deal. Once he had seemed the solution to all her problems. But now, Morgan Wade had other ideas!

Uncivilized


Sawyer Bennett - 2014
    I have lived amidst the untamed wild of the rainforest, in a society that reveres me and where every woman falls before me in subjugation.Now I’ve been discovered. Forced to return to a world that I have forgotten about and to a culture that is only vaguely familiar to my senses.Dr. Moira Reed is an anthropologist who has been hired to help me transition back into modern society. It’s her job to smooth away my rough edges… to teach me how to navigate properly through this new life of mine. She wants to tame me.She’ll never win.I am wild, free and raw, and the only thing I want from the beautiful Moira Reed is her submission.She wants it, I am certain.I will give it to her soon.Yes, very soon, I will become the teacher and she will become my student. And when I am finished showing her body pleasure like no other, she’ll know what it feels like to be claimed by an uncivilized man.

The Loner's Lady


Jessa Kane - 2019
    Pretend to be her best friend's doting girlfriend during a visit with his reclusive, ex-military hero father, John. But who could have predicted she'd be instantly attracted to the intensely rugged mountain man? Or that, despite their age difference, he'd not only want Lyssa, too--forever--but would catch on to the ruse immediately?No way in hell Lyssa was his son's actual girlfriend. They weren't even convincing liars. Forcing them to admit the truth, however, could hurt his son and John refused to do that. One thing he couldn't refuse, though? His burning hunger for Lyssa. And if he wasn't mistaken, his son continued to create situations that left him and Lyssa alone. Not touching his golden beauty before the truth comes out might prove to be the one obstacle in John's life he isn't strong enough to overcome......and the result could be a wild, enduring love for the ages.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time


Kylie Scott - 2018
    If being sent away at eighteen hadn’t been bad enough, the mess she left behind when she made a pass at her dad’s business partner sure was.Fifteen years older than her, Pete had been her crush for as long as she could remember. But she’d misread the situation—confusing friendliness for undying love. Awkward. Add her father to the misunderstanding, and Pete had been left with a broken nose and a business on the edge of ruin. The man had to be just as glad as everyone else when she left town.Seven years on, things are different. Adele is no longer a kid, but a fully grown adult more than capable of getting through the wedding and being polite. But all it takes is seeing him again to bring back all those old feelings.Sometimes first loves are the truest.

Staking His Claim


Lynda Chance - 2012
    Recognizing his ruthless intensity for what it is, she doesn't correct him when he assumes she is an eighteen-year-old freshman.Raul Vega has never met a woman he couldn't do without. Until he meets Elaina Ruiz and knows she has to belong to him--even if it means waiting for her to grow up.

Spun


Shyla Colt - 2015
    She's spent her life skating by on her wits and pure determination. When she lands in a situation, she can’t haggle her way out of, she’s forced to rely on another brother for help. Club enforcer Gage “Wizard” Carmody has done his job too well over the years. Icy and numb on the inside, he walks around in a prison of his own making. When the bright green-eyed girl he helped raise winds up unclaimed and in need of protection he steps in seeking redemption. In a life where destruction lurks just around the corner, they discover something with the potential to bring healing and happiness.But when you live in Chaos nothing goes as planned.

Homecoming Ranch


Julia London - 2013
    But Madeline is shocked out of her carefully constructed life by word that a father she never knew has died and left her an inheritance and, surprisingly, two unknown sisters. Madeline hopes that she can fly to Colorado, meet her sisters, discover her inheritance, and return to Orlando in a few days to close the biggest deal of her budding real estate career and get back to what she knows best: a quiet life. For years, Luke Kendrick has juggled school and career and rescuing his family from illness, death and financial crisis. But he has never lost sight of his goals: building and selling his own dream homes. Just when it seems that dream might finally materialize, Luke is called home to Pine River, Colorado to reclaim the ranch his father lost in a gentlemen’s agreement. He is not surprised—Luke’s family knows he will put his life on hold to rescue them...again. But Luke is surprised by a sexy yet uptight button-up woman in impractical shoes who thinks his ranch now belongs to her. Madeline isn’t sure how to put order to a sprawling, rundown ranch, not to mention a pair of sisters who are nothing like what she imagined or hoped them to be. The only thing she’s sure of is that careful planning is useless in a place where roads have names like Sometimes Pass and men as ruggedly handsome as Luke Kendrick behave so unpredictably.As Luke and Madeline go toe to toe over the future of the ranch, sparks fly as hot and fiery as their kisses. Madeline thinks she’s the expert, but it’s Luke who teaches her a thing or two—about breaking down walls, finding home, and the true meaning of family.

MILF: Wrong Kind of Love


Erin Noelle - 2015
    Wrong Kind of Love A story of forbidden love with a side of revenge...When my husband of nearly twenty years abruptly left me for another woman, I thought my life was over.But I was wrong...Wrong for thinking I was weak, wrong for assuming I couldn't go on, wrong for believing I wouldn't love again.No matter what anyone else thinks,Wrong never felt so right.

Paying Daddy's Debt


Alexa Riley - 2015
    She wears long skirts that are sort of frumpy. Her bulky sweaters hide her shape, and her hair is always in a messy bun. Her tennis shoes are clunky and worn, and there are runs in her thick tights. Her dark-framed glasses hide some of her face...but not all of it. Because he's caught sight of those ice-blue eyes, and they've pierced him to his core. She walks by his office every day, and finally, he's had enough. Ash decides he's tired of waiting and it's time to collect what he's owed. She'll come with him because there's no other choice. She'll pay her daddy's debt any way Ash sees fit. Warning: Oh, honey, this is about to get filthy. If your delicate sensibilities can't handle the dirty, then step aside for those of us who can. It's quick, but it's just the right length if you know what I mean. *slow wink, elbow nudge, goofy snort*