Book picks similar to
Tender Savage by Iris Johansen


romance
iris-johansen
johansen-iris
contemporary-romance

A Whole New Light


Sandra Brown - 1989
    . . A WHOLE NEW LIGHT Cyn McCall knew she could always count on her late husband’s friend and business partner, Worth Lansing. He could make her laugh and forget her problems. She could tease him about his many romantic entanglements. The last thing Cyn expected was to find herself longing for a man who could never settle down.When Worth invites Cyn to a getaway weekend in Acapulco, he doesn’t expect to be sharing a room—or to respond to her the way he does to any beautiful woman. While he thinks it’s time Cyn stopped mourning and moved forward with her life, he can’t escape the feeling he’s betraying his friend’s memory. But even guilt can’t stop the desire that overwhelms him—and ultimately overtakes them both.Cyn wants to believe their night of passion was sparked by the exotic locale and intoxicating scent of hibiscus. But Worth knows they share something deeper, something that will outlast the Mexican sunglow. He knows he’s finally ready to stop playing games . . . if only Cyn would open her heart to new possibilities and the promise of love.

Sarah's Child


Linda Howard - 1985
    And it robbed Sarah Harper of her best friend. In the two years since the tragedy, Sarah has wanted to reach out to Rome, but she knew she needed to stay away, guarding the secret she had kept from him and Diane all those years -- that she was in love with her best friend's husband. But now Rome needs her. And though another woman will hold his heart forever, Sarah agrees to be his wife, knowing that everything has a price, including love. Then something totally unexpected rekindles her hidden hope that a marriage of convenience will become a union of love. Will Rome keep fighting his own growing need for a woman who dares him to believe there are second chances in life... or will he give in to the healing power of love and miracles?

Led Astray


Erin St. Claire - 1985
    What he had done had been unforgivable. But what he was going to do was almost as bad. Cage and Hal Hendren are as unalike as two brothers can be. Preacher’s kids, Hal has taken the righteous path, while Cage is the unrepentant black sheep of the family. The only thing they have in common is their love for the same woman – Jenny Fletcher. Jenny loves Hal for his commitment to his calling, but deep in her heart of hearts she wishes his desire for her burned as hotly. Only on the eve of his departure for a dangerous mission trip to Central America, when he comes to her bed in darkness and secret, does he take her with unexpected passion. When tragedy strikes and Hal is lost to her, it’s that night that Jenny cherishes, that Hal she misses. She yearns for that lover whose unbridled sensuality more resembled. . . Cage. For Jenny, Cage is willing to give up his wild ways. But to get on the straight and narrow, he must sin again.

Full-Time Father


Susan Mallery - 2006
    But how can Parker be a father? What will he say to his long-lost daughter? And why is the beautiful Erin suddenly giving him a chance to be part of Christie's life?After Erin Ridgway's sister dies in childbirth, Erin promises herselfshe'll do everything she can for her sister's baby, and that includes finding the baby's father. When she finally meets the reclusive Parker, she wants to give him the chance to know his daughter, but what could a lonely millionaire know about raising a little girl? And is she just imagining the chemistry between her and Parker?

Summer at Willow Lake


Susan Wiggs - 2006
    Tempted by the hazy, nostalgic memories of summers past - childhood innocence and the romance and rivalries of her teens - it's the perfect place to flee after her broken engagement. But what began as an escape may just be a new beginning...As Olivia uncovers secrets buried thick with dust, one by one her family return, their lives as frayed at the edges as the resort.

Seducing Simon


Maya Banks - 2006
    Two problems-he doesn't remember a thing that happened and now she's pregnant. Toni Langston has been in love with Simon, her best friend, for years. The night Simon breaks up with his long time girlfriend, he and Toni make love. Toni is devastated and humiliated when, in the heat of the moment, he calls her by his girlfriend's name. The next morning, Simon remembers nothing of the previous night and Toni is only too relieved not to remind him. Two months later, she discovers she's pregnant. She wants Simon to love her, apart from any obligation he might feel because of the baby. So she embarks on a quest to seduce her best friend, to make him see her as more than a little sister, to make him love her as much as she loves him. It works. Maybe too well. Now when things are perfect, she faces telling him of the secret she's kept.

Blind Promises


Katy Currie - 1984
    He had run off his last four nurses, but Dana's determined she won't be the next on that list. A powerful entrepreneur until a devastating accident left his future in doubt, Gannon raged at all who approached him. Dana hoped to light a candle in his darkness--and to escape from the shadows in her own past. But when she fell in love with her curmudgeonly employer, Dana's challenge was no longer strictly professional. Could Dana and Gannon heal to find a true happily-ever-after?

The Christmas Love-Child


Jennie Lucas - 2009
    When the unworldly secretary learns he took her innocence in exchange for a business deal, she flees broken-hearted.But when Maksim discovers Grace's pregnancy secret, the ruthless Russian drags her to his guarded mansion in snowy Moscow. There he'll keep her as his captive bride and unwilling princess….

Heroes Are My Weakness


Susan Elizabeth Phillips - 2014
    She's a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids' puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill with laughs.But she's not laughing now. When she was a teenager, he terrified her. Now they're trapped together on a snowy island off the coast of Maine. Is he the villain she remembers or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes.It's going to be a long, hot winter.

Bond of Hatred


Lynne Graham - 1995
    I will marry you.'Alex Terzakis's words took Sarah's breath away - marriage was the last thing on her mind! She'd wanted two things when she'd impulsively flung her proposal at him: revenge for her young sister's death and the chance to raise her sister's baby son.True, Alex would fight tooth and nail to keep his nephew but, in her anger and grief, Sarah had believed her demand would send him packing - she'd never expected him to accept!!

Ruthless Billionaire, Forbidden Baby


Emma Darcy - 2009
    But he has one condition: it's to be a temporary romance only. Marriage is not an option. However, their passionate nights together lead to Tammy dropping a bombshell. Unintentionally, Fletcher Stanton's mistress is pregnant with his forbidden baby....

Sex, Lies, and Online Dating


Rachel Gibson - 2006
    And after way too many internet dates with men named "luvstick" and "bigdaddy182," Lucy Rothschild should know.LIES...But sitting across from her now is "hardluvnman," and he seems different -- sensitive, honest, and hot! He says he's a plumber, while Lucy claims she's a nurse! She's really a mystery writer, dating online while researching her next book. Hey, everyone lies a little, don't they?AND ONLINE DATING...But Quinn's really an undercover cop hunting down a serial killer, and he sees Lucy as his top suspect. And while he could really go for this smart, sexy woman with the killer bod -- if that's the only thing "killer" about her -- he knows he needs to wine and dine her and discover the truth. Hey, he realizes the dating scene can be deadly -- but this is ridiculous!

Vittorio's Woman


Kimberley Reeves - 2012
    But when a car accident leaves him paralyzed, he falls into a dark depression and loses all hope of sharing a life together. When Lilly is hired as his physical therapist, he is ashamed to have her see him so weak and helpless, and employs every trick in the book to drive her away.Regardless of Simon's fierce temper and sharp tongue, Lilly refuses to let him bully her into leaving. Not just because she believes she can help Simon walk again, but because she is hopelessly in love with him!

First Time in Forever


Sarah Morgan - 2015
    But this charming community has a way of bringing people together in the most unexpected ways… It's been a summer of firsts for Emily Donovan. From becoming a stand-in mom to her niece Lizzie to arriving on Puffin Island, her life has become virtually unrecognizable. Between desperately safeguarding Lizzie and her overwhelming fear of the ocean—which surrounds her everywhere she goes!—Emily has lost count of the number of "just breathe" pep talks she's given herself. And that's before charismatic local yacht club owner Ryan Cooper kisses her… Ryan knows all about secrets. And it's clear that newcomer Emily—with her haunted eyes and the little girl she won't let out of her sight—is hiding from something besides the crazy chemistry between them. So Ryan decides he's going to make it his personal mission to help her unwind and enjoy the sparks! But can Puffin Island work its magic on Emily and get her to take the biggest leap of trust of all—putting her heart in someone else's hands?

Cross My Heart


Carly Phillips - 2006
    As the owner of Odd Jobs, she's gone from rags to riches...sort of. Because Lacey's harboring a secret -- she was born Lillian Dumont, and spent her childhood with a silver spoon in her mouth, until the deaths of her wealthy parents and the evil schemes of an abusive uncle forced her to take drastic measures. She'd never planned to return to her former life or her abandoned identity -- but when her childhood sweetheart, Ty, resurfaces and urges her to claim her rightful inheritance, she decides that maybe being the Dumont heiress wouldn't be so bad. Lacey's uncle doesn't see it that way, though -- and he's willing to do anything to stop her.Now, it's up to Ty to protect Lacey before that silver spoon becomes a silver bullet. But if they live through this, the future's looking bright for this downtown guy and his brand-new uptown girl!