Book picks similar to
Family Secrets by Ruth Ryan Langan


romance
shelf-l-authors
contemporary-romance
romantic-suspense

Ruthless


Mallory Crowe - 2016
    Now he has to find the lost heiress before anyone else and claim his stake in the Farrell family fortune... even if that means claiming her.

Murder on the Hill


Kennedy Chase - 2014
    Until now she’s been know as many things: Thief, Bandit, The girl dressed like a ninja… When she’s offered an investigative position at the Silvers Finders Agency, she decides it’s time to go straight. But when a jewelry store break-in she’s investigating turns into a murder case, Harley will need all her skills to find the killer and avoid the attentions of a Russian crime boss. With the help of her new friends, and some from her underworld past, Harley faces a race against the clock. She’ll need to uncover the secret behind the artifact left at the jewelry store if she’s to catch the murderer. If she fails, it won’t just be the job she loses — but her life.

Payback


Kristin Harte - 2018
    When a motorcycle club blows that plan apart, I’ll do anything to make them aware that they picked the wrong town to target. As a former Green Beret, I know just how to sabotage an enemy. The only weakness in my armor is my attraction to a five-foot-nothing blonde who unknowingly holds my heart in her hands. My obsession with her could cost me my life, but I’d sacrifice it all to save hers.She owes a debt that could cost her lifeI’ve spent three years hiding out in Justice and paying off a debt to the Soul Suckers, one they’ve decided to collect whether I’m ready to pay or not. When danger lands on my doorstep, one man jumps in to help. Alder Kennard—former Special Forces soldier and current object of all my fantasies. But the Soul Suckers won’t let a debt go unpaid, and with the price on my head rising every day, it’s only a matter of time until they come back for me. Alder would put his life on the line to save mine, which is something I simply can’t afford.Everyone has a debt to pay, and the only currency I have left is my body. So when the time comes, I’ll trade my life for his.

Love & Other Mushy Stuff: Would you take one for the team?


Lyndsey Gallagher - 2021
    

The Littlest Cowboy


Maggie Shayne - 1996
    So when a baby lands on the doorstep of the Texas Brand, his first question is which younger brother is in for a butt-kicking? But the little fellow isn't named after Ben, or Wes, or Adam, or Elliot. The little feller is named after him – Garrett Ethan Brand–according to the note his mama left behind.He’s still racking his brain to figure it all out, when a woman shows up at the ranch in the dead of night, spitting, fighting mad, and accusing Garrett of murdering her sister and stealing the baby!Chelsea is confused, heartbroken, and too mad to think straight, and the same trouble that found her poor sister is right on her tail. But of all the places she and the baby could've wound up, Garrett thinks this ranch is the best one.Because this is one family that knows how to pull together and trouble doesn't stand a chance against The Brands of Texas.

A Trade for Good (A Trade for Good, #1)


Bria Daly - 2014
    One of her debts is with the owner of a landscaping company. Could she pay him back in services? He seems nice enough...Excerpt:As soon as Jeff walked into his office, he knew something was amiss because it was Monday morning and Todd and Alan were all smiles. When he stepped in, Mitch seemed to come out of nowhere, slapping him on the back and telling him what a glorious Monday morning it was.In his seven years working with Todd and Alan, Jeff had never seen them smile; he didn’t even know they could smile. And as for Mitch ... he must have smelled too many of those weeds they were taking out of their clients’ yards.Completely dumbfounded, he turned the corner into his office and immediately realized it wasn't weeds or weed. The reason behind the smiles on and the cheery disposition of these clowns on this glorious Monday morning took another shape altogether.Stumbling into his office after being caught off guard and slapped on the back, he was immediately greeted by the most gorgeous, ass-thetically pleasing tush in tight jeans he had seen in a long, long time.He wondered what the face looked like and quickly decided it didn't really matter as he focused on her assets while she was bent down shuffling through some papers and totally unaware of the eight eyes boring through her. Four pair of eyes who should have been working on something, but couldn't disengage.The fact that she was rummaging through his papers didn’t immediately register.The woman turned around without looking up and carried a stack of papers to a file cabinet that had come with the building and had never been used. As far as he could recall, the cabinet had never been opened, and so far, had been used as a shelf for a silk plant his mother gave him as a gift when he started the business.To his dismay, the plant was now in the trash bin next to the file cabinet. That hurt.The woman was oblivious to the attention she was getting and after depositing the stack of papers in a neat pile in the top drawer of the file cabinet, she turned around to see a gaping Jeff standing before her.The first thing Jeff thought before hinging his jaw back into place was that the woman's front-side was just as pretty as her backside. She looked to be in her early thirties, and not only wore the jeans very well, but the white t-shirt she had on was filled out in all the right places and looked like an advertisement for trouble.She was petite, but disproportionately bigger where it really mattered. Her hair was tied with one of those elastic fabric bands his nieces always wore, and her eyes were as green as the silk plant had once been.Jeff gave himself a few seconds before giving in to reason. Regretfully, he decided it was time to put an end to his enjoyment - nice tush or not. After all, this was his office, he was the boss, and he had no idea what the hell was going on.“What did you do to my plant?!” was somehow the first thing that came out of his mouth. As if realizing how stupid his remark was, Jeff rather forcefully shoved his amused employees out of the way and out of his office.She looked down at the trash bin he was pointing to, and she suddenly seemed very confused when she looked up to see his expectant and slightly flushed face.“It’s dead. I don't think it can be saved, so I threw it out." Bending down to get it, she added, "I can put it back up he ..."Now that really hurt. Not to mention the fact that her bending down again completely disarmed him.“How can silk be dead?” he snapped.“That was silk?" she replied smiling. "Wow, I never met anyone who could kill silk before.”Jeff tried to ignore the chuckles coming from the room next door, but just as he was about to snap at them, the intruder...

It's Not Over


Grahame Claire - 2018
    The other tied to a past I can’t escape.For eight years, I kept them separate, knowing one day their collision was inevitable.That day has come.She’ll have to accept it.It’s over. VivianHe has two lives.A beautiful one with me. Another shrouded in ugly secrets.It didn’t matter, until now. I don’t know why he’s destroyed us, But fighting for him will be the battle of my life.It’s not over.

Phone Kitten


Marika Christian - 2010
    Throw in a gig as a phone sex operator, an unexpected hunk of a boyfriend, and a client's murder, and you have all the ingredients for the perfect chick lit romp. Even bloggers at Trashionista just had to read it: "A fabulous book.” Shy, funny, loveable Emily’s a pretty unlikely candidate for a phone sex operator. She’d die if she had to talk dirty face-to-face—especially to her hot cop boyfriend. She sure didn’t set out to do phone sex—she wanted to be a writer. But when her BFF framed her for plagiarism, she got in a tiny financial hole and saw this ad for “phone actresses”… Hey, it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. No pantyhose or pantsuits, no regular hours, you’re your own boss, and lots of people to talk to. Guys, that is. But here’s the odd thing—lots of them want to talk about more than Emily’s imagined attributes; they start to think of her as the best friend they’ll never have to meet. Next thing you know, one of her customers gets killed. What’s a phone kitten to do? Solve the murder herself, of course! “Phone Kitten was a fun debut read with an interesting premise and some great characters – excellent chick lit.” -The Brazen Bookworm “Marika Christian's debut novel was one of the most fun reads I have had this year. Sweet Emily taking a job as a 'phone actress' has to be one of the funniest things ever.” -Just Jump A fun, refreshing treat for fans of Jennifer Crusie, Janet Evanovich, and Stephanie Bond, Phone Kitten is your ticket to hours of giggles—so long as you’re not looking for raunch. Because this is so not it! “When I first heard of this book I was intrigued; a phone-sex worker turned sleuth? Sounds like the perfect mix...a fabulous book. --Trashionista Excerpt: The girl who answered the phone sounded a lot like me. She was perky, upbeat, and wanted me to come in that night for an interview. The thought terrified me, but my only other option was Walmart. I heard Walmart locks employees in the store. I've often wondered what would happen if one of the employees were pregnant and went into labor while locked up. Would they let her out? Would her supervisor deliver the baby in housewares and slap a little smiley face sticker on the baby's bottom? Phone sex had to be better than twenty-four hour retail. The company name was Dimensions. Located in the back of an industrial park, it was a little scary. There was a gravel parking lot with a dozen cars and only one door with a camera to capture anyone who pressed the call button. I was buzzed in immediately. I wondered, Why does a phone sex place need this much security? I was met by Taylor, the bubbly girl I talked to on the phone. “Come on, I'll take you in the back and we can talk.” She wasn't what I pictured. Taylor was a tattooed Goth chick, with every piercing imaginable. Taylor isn't what most people envisioned when it came to “bubbly.” Once we were in her office, she quickly closed the door. “Look, we talk dirty here. The language is sexually explicit. You have to say it all. Tits, cock, and fuck. Can you do that?” “Yes.” There, I said it. I said I could do it. I hoped I really could. She whipped out a headset, plugged it in, and said, “I want you to listen to a call.

Forever Entangled


Kathleen Brooks - 2015
    After working as an undercover FBI Agent in Los Angeles, Ryan gets a phone call telling him to come home to the small town of Keeneston, Kentucky. The woman he thought he was over is now in serious trouble. Sienna Ashton fell in love with Ryan Parker too late. He was gone from her life before she realized what he really meant to her. Now working as a sports psychologist, Sienna finds herself helping others figure their lives out. She thinks her chance of happily ever after is long gone until a murder brings Ryan back into her life and entangles them in a battle for their heart and their lives. Ryan and Sienna discover there is more going on than originally thought and now the two are in the fight of their lives. It doesn't take long for fireworks to ignite as passion and danger drive the couple toward a fate they never saw coming.

A Perfect Fit


Heather Tullis - 2012
    Learning her father picked him out to be her future husband, she is not amused, but neither can she back off the path they’ve begun together. But can two people miles apart in so many ways really make things work?

Starr's Awakening & Hearths of Fire


Kennedy Layne - 2016
    Since learning he went MIA on a rescue mission abroad, she has existed more than lived. She's a shell of who she used to be. Restarting Red Starr HRT is a last-ditch opportunity to overcome her pain--and keep her husband's legacy alive. With a team of cherry-picked men, she must now decide if she's willing to set aside a years-old grief to begin a new life filled with the potential of fated dreams...or deadly peril. Hearths of Fire (Red Starr, Book One) Moving forward with his life... Neal Bauer tried returning home once before and he found that some things aren't meant to be. When Red Starr HRT, a paramilitary hostage rescue team, offered him a position that would use his specialized skillset that had served him well in the military--he jumped at the chance. The past has a way of returning... Charlotte Whitefall has made some really bad decisions in her life...leaving Neal Bauer standing at the altar tops the list. Growing up in Hearth, Missouri has taught her that when someone leaves their small town, they don't return. She saved Neal from a painful choice by moving on with her life and raising her sister alone. Coming home... When a local cult invades the town of Hearth, the citizens do their best to stay clear of the members. Everything changes when Charlotte's little sister is drawn into their way of life. There is only one man who has the connections to eliminate the dangerous threat. Can Charlotte persuade Neal to come home long enough to rescue her sister? More importantly, can she convince him that she made a terrible mistake all those years ago--and possibly rekindle their smoldering passion? Series Description: Red Starr HRT is a paramilitary hostage rescue team that was originally formed years ago by two retired Marine Master Sergeants. Upon the death of Catori Starr's husband, Brendan "Red" O'Neill, she took a much needed hiatus to deal with her guilt and all consuming grief. Two years later Starr is clawing her way back and ready to lead a fresh team of five cherry-picked former Force Recon Marines. Red Starr HRT takes cases the FBI and other agencies won't touch, from domestic assignments bordering on the grey edges to missions abroad against savage terrorist regimes. Follow along as Kennedy Layne conveys each of their stories as they work together on high risk rescues that lead them down perilous paths of passion, intrigue and suspense...

Say Yes / The Cinderella Solution


Lori Foster - 2000
    but she would if he wouldn'tSara Simmons had decided that, for her, marriage and happily ever after wasn't meant to be. Still, she wasn't averse to having a fling with sexy Gavin Blake. But Gavin wanted more, and his new motto was "Why buy the bull if you can get the beef free?" It was driving Sara crazy, trying to keep her hands off him while he played virgin to her Don Juan...."The Cinderella Solution" / Cathy YardleyThe woman of his dreams was right under his nose...When Charlotte Taylor's best friend, Gabe Donofrio, agreed with her that she wasn't the type of woman men fall in love with, she bet him a thousand dollars she'd have a marriage proposal in three months. Then she turned her tomboy self into a sexy siren, The World's Most Eligible Bachelor moved in next door... and Gabe realized he'd made a big mistake!

Flying by the Seat of My Knickers


Eliza Watson - 2016
    NOT a cozy mystery series.Why run from your troubles when you can fly instead?When Caity Shaw is fired from her first job that doesn't require an elf uniform, her older sister, Rachel, an event planner, hires her to work a meeting in Dublin. Caity jumps at the opportunity to travel abroad and escape her pathetic life. However, even four thousand miles from home, there's no avoiding debt collectors, an overbearing mother, and haunting memories of a controlling ex.While in Dublin, Caity suffers a series of humiliating mishaps, causing her to lose even more faith in herself. Caity struggles to earn Rachel's respect--and to keep Declan, her hot Irish coworker, at arm's length. Declan repeatedly saves Caity's butt and helps boost her self-confidence, making it difficult to keep her distance from the charming womanizer. When Declan helps her research her Irish grandmother, Caity discovers the mysterious past of the courageous woman she barely knew might hold the answers to her future.

The Angel Between Them (Huron Cove Series Book 1)


Rob Shumaker - 2019
    He’s not taking her back. But will a little angel show him love deserves a second chance? Out-of-work actress Olivia Daniels returns home to Michigan to find her parents’ B&B on the verge of sale and realizes her only hope to keep it in the family is to hire Ethan Stone, the man she once left behind, to turn the business around. Cash-strapped and the emergency guardian to eight-year-old orphan, Emma Lynn Grayson, Ethan is forced to swallow his pride and take the job to make ends meet. But that doesn’t mean he’s willing to forgive Olivia and fall in love again. Or does it? Hoping for a mother and father and a place to call home, Emma is determined to bring Ethan and Olivia back together—whatever it takes. From nudging Ethan back to church and then going missing at the Fourth of July celebration, Emma’s plan to reunite Ethan and Olivia shows promise. But Olivia’s celebrity status and the pull of Hollywood causes Ethan to think twice about falling for her again. Whether Ethan opens his heart to Olivia depends on whether the angel between them can help rekindle the flame and show them love deserves a second chance. The Angel Between Them is the first book in the Huron Cove Christian romance series. If you like stories with unforgettable characters, small-town charm, and happily ever after, then you’ll love Rob Shumaker’s brand new Christian romance. Buy The Angel Between Them to begin this exciting new series today.

Texas Wanderer: Lone Star Lovers Book 6


Jean Brashear - 2012
     Hotshot adventure photographer Dane Sullivan's career is grounded after a near-death fall, and he's no longer sure he wants the life of death-defying risk that energized him for so long. While he's recovering and assessing his options, his kid sister Jilly volunteers him to help her friend Vanessa with handyman skills he and his brothers learned from their dad. The irascible, too-handsome photographer turned handyman won't be around long, which suits Vanessa just fine—until the sparks between them turn from aggravation to smoldering attraction. Though her life has been filled with loss, can she survive losing this man who's come to mean so much to her? As Dane begins to contemplate sinking roots, the once-in-a-lifetime trip to a forbidden land suddenly is his for the taking, and he will have to choose between a life he never imagined and the dream that would restore the career that was once all he ever wanted.