Book picks similar to
Declan by Ava Manello


contemporary-romance
military
arc
romance

Revenge


Dana Delamar - 2012
    And I want Kate Andretti with a fire that burns me to ash.Carlo Andretti wants Kate too… and my fortune, my estate, my empire. Most of all, he wants my death. Just as I want his.The vendetta between our families is old and deep. Only one of us can win, and only one of us can have Kate. Carlo believes that he can take what’s mine, that he can break me and make me crawl.But I’m Enrico Lucchesi.And a Lucchesi always gets what he wants.KATE ANDRETTIMy mother always said my impulsiveness would get me into trouble. She was right. Marrying a man I barely knew, letting him take me to Italy… not my best decisions.Especially when I now know what the “family business” really is.I want out of this life, and I want out of Italy. But the only person willing to help me escape the Andrettis is Enrico Lucchesi. And he wants me to stay in this world that I can’t bear to be part of.The vows these men take talk about “blood and honor.”But I know what this life is: it’s blood and danger. It’s blood and death.And I’m not ready to be a Mafia don’s wife.

TAG


Shari J. Ryan - 2014
    . . a life changing secret. My dad, the bigwig CIA agent, was always on the run, whether he was being chased or doing the chasing. I missed him. Then my mom passed away, and my sister was murdered. I turned my solitude to strength because the alternative was too bleak. But my luck seemed to turn: I met Tango. And while I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my twenty-two years, danger lurks around every corner and I simply can’t take the chance of it finding me. But his tattoos, his smell, his darkness, and his body— that marine has taken over my every thought. But, what if he too isn’t what I think? A ticking time bomb isn’t going to leave me much time to waver. Even the bravest person can be in need of a miracle. Before she was gone, my mom warned me to know everyone and trust no one. But what was I supposed to do when I found out I am the one not to be trusted? Turns out, I was always the bait in this conspiracy. In author Shari J. Ryan’s New Adult novel, TAG, the canyons hold secrets, the waterfalls provide safety, and romance has a pesky way of showing up when you are sweaty and dirty and least expect it.

SEAL's Bride


Vivian Wood - 2016
    Settle down? Hell, the ripped, fierce bad boy doesn't even bed the same woman twice.When he winds up back in his hometown, he's got no intention of changing his ways. F*ck the comforts of small-town life, there's a world full of pussy out there to conquer.That is, until he sees her. Remy River, the gorgeous blonde knockout who slams the door in his face -- apparently, she hasn't forgiven him for his past sins.Time to conquer the unconquerable.I had his baby, and he doesn't know.Four years ago, Remy made a huge mistake. Lovesick and impulsive, she slept with Sawyer Roman.And while he was off shooting bad guys, she had his baby.He doesn't know Shiloh is his son, and if she ever tells him, his family's threatened to ruin her life. But now he's back, damaged but hotter than ever, and he still wants her.If only she could turn away. If only she could resist his kisses, but Remy melts when he looks at her like that. But this secret's weighing on her soul, the guilt getting heavier and heavier every day.Remy has to tell Sawyer that Shiloh is his, but can they start fresh? Or will it be the tragic end to their love story?

Love in a Small Town


Zoe York - 2014
    The demands of his double career—as a police officer and military reservist—were a dealbreaker when they were together. And he’s thrilled for her when she lands a new job with a film company, but it comes with a deadline: when she finishes this project, she’s leaving town for good.Olivia has no reason to stay in Rafe’s tiny hometown, where the only job she could find was waiting tables in the local diner. But she couldn’t move on until she figured out what she wanted next in life. Now she’s been tasked with the unlikely role of ambassador for a town that has done nothing but break her heart, and discovering unexpected surprises at every turn.They aren’t the same young kids who rushed into marriage the first time. But as summer slides into fall, Rafe sets out to prove he’s a changed man before he loses her forever.***This is a second edition, revised and expanded for 2020; the first edition was published in 2014.

Edge of Control


Trish Loye - 2015
    Security is a covert international organization that handles jobs most governments won’t. The operators are the elite of the elite, soldiers and spies, chosen for their skills and secrecy, and their ability to go beyond the edge. E.D.G.E wants to recruit Navy SEAL Jake ‘College’ Harrison but he’s skeptical of the good he can do as an E.D.G.E. operator. His trial assignment is a simple recon mission with the target being the Russian mob. The only interesting aspect of the job is the sexy IT tech, but Jake doesn’t want or need any trouble in his life and Dani has trouble written all over her. No one knows who Danielle Everett really is, beyond the fact that she works as a simple tech at E.D.G.E. Security company. The new hire who gets the operator job she covets, frustrates her as much as he attracts her, because he digs beneath her carefully constructed identity and she has to fight the urge to run. But when Dani’s best friend goes missing, she uses the hacking and thieving skills she’d learned as a child to find her, but in the process alerts her enemies that she’s still alive. Can she trust Jake to help her escape and save her friend, or will she push him to the edge of his control?

As Deep as the Ocean


Serenity Woods - 2017
    “To save the vineyard. It’ll be strictly business.”He’s right, Winifred (Fred) Cartwright thought. It was just a contract, a way to access the money tied up in her inheritance. It didn’t mean anything.She mustn’t think about his broad shoulders. About the intriguing tattoo that curled around his arm, how his muscular body gleamed when he worked in the warm sunshine, or how his ocean-blue eyes heated her from the inside out. She mustn’t think about the stolen kiss, the way he’d slipped his arm around her waist to pull her against him. The soft touch of his lips on hers.“It’ll be strictly business,” he repeated.Yeah, right.

The Unraveling of Raven


Theresa Sederholt - 2014
    Finally, her life seems on track when she starts doing what she loves the most; teaching second grade. However, the best-laid plans are not always the right path as Raven learns when fate puts her in the direct path of mega-billionaire, Jaxson James Phillips, owner of Raiders, Inc., a corporate raiding company. With the spotlight now focused on Raven, her past is threatening her future. So, she does what she does best—run! This beautiful girl, with the violet eyes, has left Jax, who never gets rattled, totally speechless. Used to getting what he wants, he can’t understand why she’s running from him. As time goes on, he slowly unravels the many layers of Raven. What he finds . . . puts everyone around them in danger.Can anyone survive? Mature audiences only. This is not a stand-alone.

Hopelessly Devoted


A.M. Myers - 2017
    Suffering through loss after loss has left him a shell of the man he used to be. He’s unable to move on but he’s learned to survive. As the VP of the Bayou Devils MC, he finds solace in the work they do to rescue people from dire situations and it’s enough to keep the lurking darkness at bay. Just barely. After being cheated on by her ex, Alison James isn’t interested in dating. It’s more hassle than it’s worth as far as she’s concerned and she’d much rather focus on getting ahead in her career anyway. There’s less of a chance of getting hurt that way. But when her mysterious neighbor barges into her life, Alison finds it hard to stay away. Alison brings a spark of light to Logan’s life and he will do whatever it takes to hang on to her, but there are some things that are just out of his hands. His past rears its ugly head, putting Alison in danger and thrusting Logan into a hell he thought he had escaped years ago. Can Logan force himself to let Alison go if it will save her life? Or will she become just another loss he has to endure?

November Rain


T.J. West - 2014
    He was her world until the day he left to go into the Air Force. From many letters she had written and mailed, responses from Matt never came. Her world felt destroyed and lonely. After graduating high school she moved to Paris and lived there for 12 years. During her years of living there she met the man she thought could replace Matt. Turned out her years in Paris brought nothing but pain, loss and suffering.Making a fresh start from her wounded past she makes her way to San Diego, California where she ends up finding the one person who had always made her feel whole. Will she be able to get past her scars and give Matt her whole heart again? Will she be able to forgive him for leaving her hopeless? Denying her love for him will be a struggle, sexually and emotionally.Matt Cooper was the black sheep of his family. He wanted nothing more than to play music and live outside his father’s influence within the Air Force. Having no other choice, he took that road and left the one girl who loved him unconditionally. Regretting his decision for not writing Marty back, he continued to serve his country. Years later, after retiring, he started living his dream in San Diego, but the loneliness was always there. His heart had always been with Marty. He couldn’t get past the thought of ever living without her. Feeling like he came out of years of a coma she enters his life again. He felt his love for her immediately and more stronger than ever. Getting her to trust him again will be a battle, but he was never going to give up. He was determined to keep her in his life forever.

Crave


Jennifer Dawson - 2015
    I crave. I give in.I used to be a nice, normal girl. I had dreams. Good, happy dreams of a white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and a fairytale love that lasts forever. Nobody ever warned me that sometimes, the prince dies three weeks before the wedding. Like any addict, I swear this time is the last…. Now, I go through my days, a shadow of my former self. I pretend I’m okay, and the people in my life pretend to believe me. But, sometimes, when I can no longer stand the craving, I roam an underground sex club looking for my next hit. It’s dirty and wrong, but I can’t stop, and my only line of defense between them and me, is the rules I’ve designed to keep me safe. The men always abide by my rules. Until I meet him. And, like any addict, I’m wrong.I don’t question the instincts that tell me to run. One look at him, standing there, power radiating off him in waves, tells me all I need to know. He will make me crave those happy dreams I’ve left behind. And that is not an option.

Saved


Angel Payne - 2013
     Garrett Hawkins is the most valuable asset to his Special Forces unit, because, frankly, the guy doesn’t care if he lives or dies anymore. Since the love of his life, Sage Weston, was kidnapped and killed with her medical unit a year ago, Garrett has turned the shell of his soul into the armor of a finely tuned fighting machine. Being the first tapped for the unit’s craziest missions is just fine by him. The less time for memories and the agony they carve into his soul, the better. It’s a plan that works, until Garrett’s world is upended one night in the jungles of Thailand. Memories become reality when the unit is called to rescue a group of kidnapped aid workers, and they discover Sage and her teammate among the retrieved women. Now that Sage is back in his arms, Garrett doesn’t know what to do. He has changed in dramatic ways, especially in the darker tastes of his passion. If he touches Sage again, he’ll want to claim her, restrain her...dominate her. Is Sage’s love strong enough to let Garrett back in, not only as her fiancé but her Dominant? Can she trust that visiting the new shadows of his life will lead her to ecstasy and not ruin? Or can Garrett’s discipline be exactly what her soul needs to find its way back to life—and love—again?

Alex


Irish Winters - 2013
    . . Alex Stewart, ex-Marine and tough as nails boss, ditches the success of his fledgling business and flees to his cabin in the deep woods. He’s had enough. Four years after the deaths of his wife and daughter, he’s stuck in the anger stage of grief. He wants to be left alone. Life used to make sense. It just doesn’t bring him joy. Nothing does. She’s trying to remember . . . Left to die in those same deep woods, Kelsey is the last thing Alex expects to find at his cabin. She’s everything he’s running away from. Responsibility. Memories. Having to care about someone else beside himself. To make matters worse, she can’t remember anything except her first name. Neither can she explain the marks on her body, nor why two darling baby boys haunt her dreams. But Alex can . . .

Flesh and Blood


Cynthia Rayne - 2016
    She's down to her last ten bucks and can't make the rent. Belle needs a job, any job. And that's when she's abducted by mafia henchmen. Dix is a mob boss and being bad pays damn good. Since his wife died, he's thrown himself into work, until he meets Belle. He offers her a job, she can't afford to refuse...his mistress. And Dix steps into the unlikely role of protector when someone tries to abduct Belle. But who's after her?

Billionaire for Hire


Cat Johnson - 2018
    Or that it could cost me my life.I'm Brent Hearst, for God's sake. A member of the one percent. As in old family money. Yet somehow I'm standing here, smiling while there’s a gun strapped to my leg ruining the line of my Italian suit.But my real issue isn’t with that gun. Oh, no. It’s my other weapon I can’t control when I’m around the sexy-as-sin brunette who might or might not be a spy. It seems I don’t care which while I’ve got her against the wall with my hand fisted in her hair.Oh, and while I figure out if I’ve been sleeping with the enemy, I’ve also got to keep us both from being killed by a couple of gun-toting Russians.No problem.Billionaire for Hire is a full-length standalone contemporary romance in the For Hire series, a loose spinoff from Cat Johnson's Hot SEALs with cameo appearances from favorite characters.

Can't Shake You


Molly McLain - 2014
    Cue the small town drama.One thing Carissa Brandt knows: spontaneity always gets her in trouble. But she’s gone and jumped head first into an impulsive summer renovation project anyway.When her contractor turns out to be a cheat, her only lifeline is the proffered hand of Josh Hudson—the sexy Marine who left her aching for more than their single night together three years ago.Josh has two hard and fast rules: never mix business with pleasure and never look twice at women his friends have dated, much less loved. It makes life in a small town simple. Or rather it would...If he weren’t keeping a secret that could ruin his good name and the reputation of the woman he can’t get out of his head…The woman who now needs his help.*Can't Shake You can be read as a standalone!