Book picks similar to
The Crush / Hello, Darkness by Sandra Brown


romance
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Midnight Sins


Lora Leigh - 2011
    He was a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who fought through life the only way he knew how: with his fists. But Rafer never meant to bring any harm to Cambria Flannigan, the girl—the lover—whose sister he’d been unable to save… Cami lost her sister in the brutal murders that rocked her hometown so many years ago. Some still believe that Rafe, along with his friends Logan and Crowe, were involved. But how could Rafe—who haunted her girlish dreams, then her adult fantasies—be a killer? That is the question that keeps her up at night. Now a prosperous ranch owner, Rafe is trying to build a new legacy for himself. It’s finally time to settle the score with Cami—and make her his. But old wounds open up with a series of new murders…and each of the victims has a connection to Rafe, Logan, and Crowe. With suspicion, fear, and loyalty tearing her apart, Cami is once again at risk of losing her heart—or her life.

The Hidden Truths Series: Volume One


Brittney Sahin - 2017
    No attachments, no relationships — he's too busy transforming his knack for military intelligence into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. But when headstrong event planner Kate Adams comes barreling into his life, everything changes.From the moment she arrives in Charlotte, Kate is tongue-tied by Michael. She's never fallen for a client before, but then she's never had a client like him — sleek, hard, and impenetrable as steel.While Kate struggles to keep her distance, a stalker sends her tumbling more deeply into Michael's world. The former Marine is equipped and willing to protect her, and yet Kate finds herself growing more terrified than ever in his care. For as they grow closer, she realizes that Michael has his own secret past. And while he might save her life, he will surely break her heart.Previously titled - Silenced Memories Beyond the Chase ~ When your whole world disappears, where do you turn?Ava Daniels' lab has been wiped clean.Everything is missing, including her boss and the formula for the dangerous chemical substance they had just discovered.The major problem? No one was supposed to know her lab even existed. And now Ava is the main suspect in the crime.Ava needs answers, and she's utterly alone. Her search for her boss leads her to former Marine Aiden O'Connor, a Boston pub owner with a sexy Irish accent. But can she trust a man with more secrets than her own?Aiden opened his pub to put the past behind him. But when Ava shows up demanding help, he realizes this brilliant woman might be the key to his own retribution. Aiden finds himself pulled back into a world of intrigue and danger, where he can't tell his enemies from his friends.Together, the beautiful biochemist and Irish bar owner go on the run, both seeking salvation — neither expecting that the other is the secret to unlocking their heart.Previously titled: Innocence & Betrayal The Hard Truth~ Trading bullets for board meetings, or so he thought.Connor Matthews, former Marine and gun for hire, is not what you'd call the quintessential businessman. But when his father's unexpected passing leaves the family business to him and his brother, Connor agrees to take over until his brother finishes his last tour of duty. Connor resigns himself to a life of dull meetings and paperwork, but quickly finds himself mired in his father's web of shady business deals. And in the midst of the mess is Olivia Taylor, his gorgeous and headstrong ex-girlfriend.Since they last parted, Olivia has known nothing but grief, heartache, and loss. Despite it all, she's built a life for herself — a life with no room for the likes of Connor Matthews. She's survived more than most could endure, but Connor has the ability to ruin everything she's worked so hard to achieve. She must put the past behind her in order to survive... but can she forgive the man who broke her heart?Previously titled: Buried Lies

Perfect Gentleman


Brett Battles - 2011
    He’s not their uncle. He’s not even related to them. In fact, he was born thousands of miles from the Philippines, the place he now calls home. No, Wade’s none of those things. He’s their Papasan. He runs the go-go bar where the girls dance and entertain. But that doesn’t make them any less than a family.And rule number one: don’t mess with the family.PERFECT GENTLEMAN is a 6000 word short story that originally appeared in the KILLER YEAR: STORIES TO DIE FOR anthology edited by Lee Child.

Q is for Quarry & R is for Ricochet


Sue Grafton - 2008
    The case fell to the Santa Teresa County Sheriff's Department, but the detectives had little to go on. The woman was young, her hands were bound with a length of wire, there were multiple stab wounds, and her throat had been slashed. After months of investigation, the murder remained unsolved.That was eighteen years ago. Now the two men who found the body, both nearing the end of long careers in law enforcement, want one last shot at the case. Old and ill, they need someone to help with their legwork and they turn to Kinsey Millhone. They will, they tell her, find closure if they can just identify the victim. Kinsey is intrigued and agrees to the job.But revisiting the past can be a dangerous business, and what begins with the pursuit of Jane Doe's real identity ends in a high-risk hunt for her killer.R is for RicochetReba Lafferty was a daughter of privilege, the only child of an adoring father. Nord Lafferty was already in his fifties when Reba was born, and he could deny her nothing. Over the years, he quietly settled her many scrapes with the law, but he wasn't there for her when she was convicted of embezzlement and sent to the California Institution for Women. Now, at thirty-two, she is about to be paroled, having served twenty-two months of a four-year sentence. Nord Lafferty wants to be sure she stays straight, stays at home and away from the drugs, the booze, the gamblers." "It seems a straightforward assignment for Kinsey: babysit Reba until she settles in, make sure she follows all the rules of her parole. Maybe all of a week's work. Nothing untoward - the woman seems remorseful and friendly. And the money is good." But life is never that simple, and Reba is out of prison less than twenty-four hours when one of her old crowd comes circling round.

Always Time to Die


Elizabeth Lowell - 2005
    Ironic, considering she a successful family historian. Recently hired by the eccentric aunt of New Mexico’s multi-millionaire governor Quintrell, the future looks bright. Until things start going wrong . . . and Carly begins to learn the true meaning of fear.Daniel Duran made a career out fighting for other people’s beliefs—principles they’d given their lives for. But now he wants some meaning of his own. Yearning for a reason to live, he’s come back to Taos, the town where he grew up.Soon, the lawyer(?) and the historian’s paths cross. While Carly’s investigation into the Quintrell family amuses Dan it also chills him, because he knows a dark truth Carly doesn’t: in New Mexico, tracing bloodlines is a deadly sport. . . .

The Waste Lands: The Dark Towers, Book III (The Dark Tower Series)


Stephen King - 2019
    

River Road


Jayne Ann Krentz - 2014
    The last time she visited her aunt Sara there, as a teenager, she’d been sent home suddenly after being dragged out of a wild party—by the guy she had a crush on, just to make it more embarrassing. Obviously Mason Fletcher—only a few years older but somehow a lot more of a grown-up—was the overprotective type who thought he had to come to her rescue. Now, returning after her aunt’s fatal car accident, Lucy is learning there was more to the story than she realized at the time. Mason had saved her from a very nasty crime that night—and soon afterward, Tristan, the cold-blooded rich kid who’d targeted her, disappeared mysteriously, his body never found. A lot has changed in thirteen years. Lucy now works for a private investigation firm as a forensic genealogist, while Mason has quit the police force to run a successful security firm with his brother—though he still knows his way around a wrench when he fills in at his uncle’s local hardware store. Even Summer River has changed, from a sleepy farm town into a trendy upscale spot in California’s wine country. But Mason is still a protector at heart, a serious (and seriously attractive) man. And when he and Lucy make a shocking discovery inside Sara’s house, and some of Tristan’s old friends start acting suspicious, Mason’s quietly fierce instincts kick into gear. He saved Lucy once, and he’ll save her again. But this time, she insists on playing a role in her own rescue . . .

Virtue Falls


Christina Dodd - 2014
    Her husband was convicted of the murder. Their four year old daughter Elizabeth witnessed the crime, but has no memory of the killing. Now, two decades later, Elizabeth is back in Virtue Falls. She soon discovers her father is innocent. The real killer is still out there. And her investigation has stirred dark and deadly resentments that could provoke in another bloody murder—her own—in this riveting novel from bestselling author Christina Dodd.

The Melody Lingers On


Mary Higgins Clark - 2015
    Hardcover Publisher: Large Print Press (2015) ISBN-10: 1629534471 ISBN-13: 978-1629534473 Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

Jade Calhoun Series bundle, books 1 and 2


Deanna Chase - 2012
    When empath Jade Calhoun moves into an apartment above a strip bar on Bourbon Street, she expects life to get interesting. What she doesn't count on is making friends with an exotic dancer, attracting a powerful spirit, and developing feelings for Kane, her sexy landlord. Being an empath has never been easy on Jade's relationships. It's no wonder she keeps her gift a secret. But when the ghost moves from spooking Jade to terrorizing Pyper, the dancer, it's up to Jade to use her unique ability to save her. Except she'll need Kane's help--and he's betrayed her with a secret of his own--to do it. Can she find a way to trust him and herself before Pyper is lost?Witches of Bourbon StreetJade Calhoun was never fond of her empath abilities. Now she's discovered she has another gift she'd rather not unwrap--magic. But when her mentor, Bea, becomes gravely ill and insists Jade's the only one who can help, she's forced to embrace her witchy side.It's too bad she spent a decade shunning the magical community and never learned to harness her powers. Because time's run out. A trapped spirit has revealed a clue to Jade's long-lost mother. The resident angel has gone rogue and disappeared with Jade's boyfriend, Kane. And if that wasn't enough, her ex appears to be possessed.To save any of them, Jade will need to find a way to control her inner white witch--without succumbing to black magic. Otherwise, she'll lose everything...including her soul.

Speak No Evil


Allison Brennan - 2007
    . . . Just scream.The murder of eighteen-year-old Angie Vance was exceptionally vile–her mouth was sealed with glue, an obscenity was scrawled across her skin, and she was suffocated in a garbage bag. The killing seems personal, so police detective Carina Kincaid focuses her efforts on the victim’s much older ex-boyfriend, Steve Thomas. But without physical evidence, Carina can’t make a collar or a case. She also can’t stop Sheriff Nick Thomas, the prime suspect’s brother, from conducting his own unwelcome investigation. Though Nick is still scarred and unsteady from a recent confrontation with a serial killer, he’s determined to prove his brother’s innocence. But his confidence is shaken when he learns of Steve’s dark side, and when a friend of the murdered girl meets a similarly gruesome fate. With no time to lose, Carina and Nick work together to trap a psychopath, before another unlucky woman faces an unspeakable end.

Slater's Bride


Patricia Thayer - 2016
    Loretta Drennan learns about her stepfather’s plot to sicken her mother and take over the family business in Chicago. Letty flees to Montana in search of her brother, Johnny, to seek his help. Traveling alone, she meets Paul Slater who claims to own a ranch with Johnny as his partner. He offers to escort her on the two-day journey to their ranch in Morgan’s Crossing. Hoping to out-run a looming snowstorm, they instead get stranded in a cabin. Days later they finally reach their destination. Reunited with her brother she pleads her case for him to return home. Johnny wants to help but his share of stocks will not give him the needed votes to gain control of the family company. Letty can only get her shares when she turns twenty-five or by marrying. Paul steps in to help by offering to wed his friend’s sister. They plan a wedding, in name-only, but there are real underlying feelings. When left alone at the ranch house the truth begins to come out. But the honeymoon is interrupted when a stranger shows up and kidnaps the bride. Can Paul save the woman he’s fallen in love with before it’s too late?

Into the Night


Janelle Denison - 2011
    Heading up security for The Onyx Casino is tame compared to his past, but it's not his only job. Working for The Reliance Group is his real passion project. His current case: A missing woman. His mission: To find her. But soon Nathan must deal with a stubborn—and stunning—journalist who's nosed her way into the investigation…and into Nathan's fantasies.To reporter Nicole Hutton, exposing a ruthless, twisted criminal who abuses vulnerable teens isn't just a job. In fact, this story has become very personal, especially now that she's gotten tangled up with sexy Nathan Fox. But before she can break the story, and help rescue a missing girl, she and Nathan must brave the labyrinth of Vegas's dark underbelly…where the heat simmering between them is about to burst into flames…

Keeper of the Bride


Tess Gerritsen - 1996
    But after the bride was left at the altar, the church stood empty when the bomb went off. It wasn't until a stranger tried to run her car off the road, however, that she realized someone wanted her I dead. But who?That's what Detective Sam Navarro needs to find out...fast. As a cop, he knows better than to become attached to the woman he's trying to protect. But as a man...With a nightmare unfolding around them, Sam and Nina decipher the stunning truth. Now they're at the mercy of a brilliant madman who plays for keeps...

Courting the West: A Boxed Set of Ten Western Romances


Debra HollandKeta Diablo - 2015
    This boxed set is loaded with a variety of sweet to steamy romances designed to entice your senses and warm your heart. * * * Painted Montana Sky by Debra Holland, NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling author. Can two lonely hearts find their hearts' desire under the majestic Montana sky? "You'll fall in love with this town and these characters." Daisy (Brides of Seattle series) by Kirsten Osbourne, USA Today Bestselling Author. Can she possibly find love and contentment or is she doomed to a life of regret? "I definitely recommend this book and this series to Everyone!" His Brother’s Wife by Lily Graison, USA Today Bestselling Author. A high society mail order bride with a 14 year old bridegroom and his devilishly handsome brother all under one roof. What could possibly go wrong? “An emotional roller coaster ride, right up to the end.” ~Charlene Botha Tame a Wild Wind by Cynthia Woolf, Amazon Bestselling Author. Revenge is a dish best served cold. “Love, trust and lust just in the right combo...” Sleight of Heart by Jacquie Rogers, Amazon Bestselling author. A strait-laced spinster, a gambler with magic hands, and a fortune to be won—by sleight of hand, or Sleight of Heart? “It's a full house with romance, high stakes and adventure. You can always count on Jacquie Rogers for some laughs, and she doesn't disappoint...Enjoy the ride!” ~Meg Mims, author of Double or Nothing A Hero’s Heart by Sylvia McDaniel, Amazon Bestselling author. Wade Ketchum is searching for his only surviving sibling when he finds a ready-made family. A 1996 Golden Heart Finalist. Laying Claim by Paty Jager, Amazon Bestselling author. Jeremy Duncan heads into the Yukon Territory by dog team in the middle of a blizzard to keep one strong-willed, business-minded beauty alive. “A wonderful plunge into the Alaskan gold mining era.” Sarah Sunshine by Merry Farmer, Amazon Bestselling author. Only love can stop history from repeating itself before it’s too late…. “Loved Sarah’s story! Makes you feel good about life and how you can overcome your past.” 5 Stars Amazon Reviewer Chasing the Dead by Keta Diablo, Amazon Bestselling author. A sinister ghost chases Deacon, Madrid and the Indian maiden, Sacheen, across the desolate landscape of New Mexico. “The old west and paranormal all wrapped into one page turning book. A five-star read!” The Book Heathens The Most Unsuitable Courtship by Caroline Clemmons, Amazon Bestselling author. Storm Kincaid wants justice; Rena Dmitriev wants vengeance. “More than just another western novel. A well-plotted action thriller that's full of romance and passion and peopled by very likable characters.”