Book picks similar to
Tempting Fate by Meryl Sawyer


romantic-suspense
romance
plaza
contemporary

A Thin Dark Line


Tami Hoag - 1997
    A suspected murderer is free on a technicality, and the cop accused of planting evidence against him is ordered off the case. But Detective Nick Fourcade refuses to walk away. He’s stepped over the line before. This case threatens to push him over the edge.He’s not the only one. Deputy Annie Broussard found the woman’s mutilated body. She still hears the phantom echoes of dying screams. She wants justice. But pursuing the investigation will mean forming an alliance with a man she doesn’t trust and making enemies of the men she works with. It will mean being drawn into the confidence of a killer. For Annie Broussard, finding justice will mean risking everything—including her life.The search for the truth has begun—one that will lead down a twisted trail through the steamy bayous of Louisiana, and deep into the darkest reaches of the human heart.

Stuck on You


Patti Berg - 2003
    Of course, real trouble bubbles over the day an enigmatic stranger named Logan Wolfe shows up in town. The outsider's one hunk of a guy, with a smile that could knock a redhead off her sky-high heels. But when a mysterious woman literally drops dead at Scarlett's feet and the town's wealthiest widow disappears, suspicion falls on the secretive man. Scarlett is positive Logan's up to something -- but is he out to scam the people in town, or steal her heart?The last thing Logan wants is a screwball sleuth dogging his footsteps and digging into his past. The ex-cop came to Plentiful to escape the madness of Las Vegas and to ditch bad memories, not to have some zany redhead with a man-killer body mess with his peace of mind or history that's better off buried. But Logan can't help admiring Scarlett's spirit -- or the gold stars dangling from her belly button ring. And when her wacky investigation takes a surprising turn, Logan finds himself glued to Scarlett's side, helping her look for clues, keeping her out of trouble -- and maybe falling in love ...

While You Were Dead


C.J. Snyder - 2011
    To be qualified to earn the coveted prize, a book (published in 2011), must score higher than 8.0 on twenty questions provided to six randomly selected reader judges. This year's winners were the best of the best!NEW FORMATTING!Lies have consequences…Twelve years ago, Max Crayton had no choices. Honor bound to hunt a traitor, the government declared him dead to the outside world. He completed his mission, but lost the only woman he ever loved and a child he never knew existed.And so does breaking a woman’s heart…Max was her life, her very heartbeat. After his death, alone and haunted by a dangerous past, Kat Jannsen made the ultimate sacrifice to keep their daughter safe.When Kat discovers Max is alive her carefully constructed jigsaw puzzle life is torn to pieces. But an old enemy has been watching…waiting to strike. As the danger mounts, she has nowhere to turn but to Max. She can trust him with her life, but does she dare trust him with her heart?

The Inn at Ocean's Edge


Colleen Coble - 2015
    She showed up a year later at the same hotel, with a note pinned to her dress but no explanation. Nobody knows where Claire spent that year—and until now, Claire didn’t even know she had ever been missing.But when Claire returns to the Hotel Tourmaline for a business meeting with her CEO father, disturbing memories begin to surface . . . despite her parents’ best efforts to keep them forgotten.Luke Rocco lost his mother under equally mysterious circumstances—at the same time Claire disappeared. After a chance encounter reveals the unlikely link between them, Claire and Luke set out together to uncover the truth about what happened that fateful year.With flashbacks swimming just beneath her consciousness and a murderer threatening her safety, Claire’s very life depends on unscrambling her past . . . even if her family refuses to acknowledge it. Someone—maybe everyone—is hiding something from Claire Dellamare, and it will cost her everything to drag the truth out into the light.

Second Love (The Love Makers Trilogy)


Judith Gould - 1997
    Tonight is her crowning moment: The beautiful businesswoman has just unveiled the San Francisco Palace, the fabulous new luxury hotel that towers over the neon-bright city like a giant, glittering jewel. But as the star-studded grand opening festivities gather momentum several stories below, Dorothy Anne stands alone on the hotel's penthouse balcony, anxiously scanning the skies for a glimpse of her husband Freddy's private helicopter. It never arrives, and soon her most dreaded fears come true. As Dorothy Anne tries to cope with the devastating loss of the man who was her friend, her lover, and her whole life, a mysterious group of powerful businessmen plot a ruthless takeover of her hard-won international empire. With dizzying speed, Dorothy Anne's world spins wildly out of control, plunging her into a nightmare of scandal, deception, and cold-blooded murder. Then she meets charismatic Hunt Winslow, a decorated war hero and rising political star on a clear career path to the White House - if his domineering mother has her way. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Hunt offers Dorothy Anne something as unexpected as it is miraculous: a second chance at love. But their illicit passion will place both their lives in grave danger and could destroy everything they have worked so hard to attainall they hold most precious.

Identity Crisis


Eliza Watson - 2018
    She learns they were placed in the Federal Witness Security Program when she was five years old. Her father was involved in an art forgery ring and testified against the mob. Brought up not to trust anyone, Olivia has a difficult time relying on U.S. Marshal Ethan Ryder to protect her, and to keep her secret. She fears her father may have continued his life of crime through her art gallery. She has little choice but to depend on Ethan when she realizes someone is now after her. Olivia’s search for the truth leads her and Ethan across the country to a family and a past she doesn’t remember. At the age of ten, Ethan witnessed a brutal murder. He vowed that when he grew up, he’d protect people in danger. Protecting Olivia is difficult when she won’t trust him. He soon realizes his desire to protect her goes beyond doing his job, but if his judgment becomes clouded by emotions, her safety could be jeopardized. Can Ethan and Olivia learn to trust each other when they uncover secrets that will change their lives forever? *This book was originally published under the name Eliza Daly.

Combat


Emma Calin
    Interpol cop Anna Leyton meets world champ cruiser-weight Freddie La Salle in a black London cab. Both have pasts and secrets. They need each other openly but neither must reveal the truth. A sports reporter is slain. Organised criminals conspire to rig international gambling. A cop in love with her number one suspect risks the fire to express the heat of her erotic love. The do-or-die passion of a fighter in his prime feeds the flames to a white heat of lust. Follow the big fight build up through London, Paris and California all the way to that round one bell in New York City. Can Freddie La Salle do what he has to do in the ring? Can true love be built on deception? Take off the gloves and buy this book now for a front row seat. Enjoy this novel 'Combat' from Emma Calin's 8-part 'Passion Patrol Series', combining thrilling crime mystery with explicit steamy suspense romance. If you enjoy James Patterson, Catherine Coulter, Nora Roberts and Kendra Elliot you'll love a series that combines all of their best traits in fast-paced, pulse-pounding roller-coaster adventures full of passionate romance, deception, danger and love.

Random Acts


Alison Stone - 2012
     When a family emergency forces Danielle Carson to return to the hometown she’d rather forget, she must face the only man she had foolishly allowed close enough to break her heart. Patrick Kingsley, a police officer and widower, is surprised by the feelings Danielle rekindles, but is reluctant to allow anyone new into his daughter’s life. When Danielle learns her sister’s car crash was no accident, she’s forced to trust Patrick to protect her family. Just when Danielle thinks she can risk her heart, she learns Patrick knew more about her sister’s accident than he let on. This betrayal drives them apart, but Danielle must learn to forgive Patrick before it’s too late…for her sister, for her, and for their second chance at love. *Originally released in 2012/Revised 2017

What If I Never?


Lisa Renee Jones - 2021
    I'm the wrong Allison.That misplaced gift places in a man in my path. A man who instantly consumes me and leads me down a path of dark secrets and intense passion. Dash Black is a famous, bestselling author, but also a man born into wealth and power. He owns everything around him, every room he enters. He owns me the moment I meet him. He seduces me oh so easily and reveals another side of myself I dared not expose. Until him. Until this intense, wonderful, tormented man shows me another way to live and love. I melt when he kisses me. I shiver when he touches me. And I like when he's in control, especially when I thought I'd never allow anyone that much power over me ever again. We are two broken people who are somehow whole when we are together, but those secrets—his, and yes, I have mine as well—threaten to shatter all that is right and make it wrong. What If I Never is the first book in the Necklace Trilogy

Play Dirty


Lorie O'Clare - 2010
    But there's more to Greg than meets the eye…and he's still haunted by the memory of his beautiful, estranged wife. Much as he's tried to move on, he's never been able to stopstopped wondering why Haley left him. Or what he could have done to make their marriage better—and make her stay…After putting a vicious criminal behind bars, Haley King had no choice but to leave her loved ones behind and enter the witness protection program. Turns out that, in her new life, Haley has once again found herself in serious trouble—and needs help from the only person she can trust: her husband. Now, as old secrets threaten to tear them apart and danger closes in from all sides, it's up to Greg to keep Haley safe…and convince her that this time, he's playing for keeps.

Hour of Need


Melinda Leigh - 2014
    Emotionally scarred from war, the career soldier returns home on emergency leave to temporarily care for his orphaned nephew and niece. But when someone tries to kidnap the kids and their teenage babysitter, Grant knows it’s not a random act…and neither were the murders.Already devastated by her neighbors’ violent deaths, Ellie Ross is shattered by the attempted abduction of her teenage daughter so she desperately turns to Grant for help. As they navigate a deadly search for the truth, they struggle with growing feelings for each other and Grant’s impending return to deployment.But time is running out. The killer is growing bolder by the hour, and Ellie and Grant must find him before the children become his next victims.

The Donovan Family Books 1-3: Love Me / Watch Me / Find Me


Margaret Watson - 2016
    Love Me (Book 1)When Helen Brody needed her office repaired, she never expected that the contractor would be Jamie Evans, the man with whom she shared an unforgettable night a year earlier. Jamie hasn't forgotten Helen, either, and now that he's found her, he's determined not to let her get away again.Helen can't get involved with Jamie, because he wants something she can't give him, but she can't deny the explosive, out of control attraction between them. As they try to work through their feelings, they find that the hit and run driver who destroyed Helen's office has more plans for her. Will they have only a handful of nights together, or will they have the chance to build something lasting?Watch Me (Book 2) When Tessa Porter returns home from work one evening to find her apartment has been broken into, the Chicago nurse is shocked when the detective who responds to her call is her sexy neighbor – the one she's been fantasizing about. She'd caught a naughty glimpse of him through her window one morning, but Quinn Donovan is even hotter in the flesh.Quinn had spotted Tessa through his window, as well, and when he meets her in person, his reaction is hard to conceal – or control. Their passion and desire are overwhelming, but what will happen when Quinn wants more – and Tessa is hiding a secret?Find Me (Book 3) After witnessing the murder of an FBI agent in a parking garage late one night, Lizzy Monroe meets with the FBI and agrees to work with a sketch artist. But on her way out of the office, she comes face to face with the killer – another FBI agent. She knows from experience what happens when a criminal is a member of law enforcement – cops protect their own. So when the killer shows up at her door later that morning, she knows she has no choice but to run.From the moment he sees her, Mac Donovan is intrigued by – and in lust with – their beautiful witness. After Lizzy disappears, he spends his free time tracking her down. When he finally finds her on a remote island in the San Juans, their chemistry is explosive and the sex is even hotter. But he's hiding his identity from her. What will happen when she discovers who he really is? Will she be able to forgive his betrayal? Or will the killer find them first?

Time of Death


J.D. Robb - 2011
     J. D. Robb's In Death novels have been praised as "Law & Order: SVU-in the future" (Entertainment Weekly). Now, together for the first time in one volume, are three stories that spotlight Lieutenant Eve Dallas doing what she does best: solving crime with skill, integrity, and passion. Eternity in Death A seductive killer is luring in victims with a promise of the impossible-immortality. Eve Dallas must strip away the fantasy to catch the coldhearted madman. Ritual in Death Eve is plunged into the violent aftermath of a ritualistic murder-and into the mind of an alleged witness who can't remember a thing to save his life. Missing in Death When a woman disappears from a New York City ferry, it's a case that only Eve Dallas can solve- because the woman didn't jump, and yet she's not on board.

Forget Me Not


Marliss Melton - 2004
    He has no memory of the past three years or of the Navy Seal mission that went wrong. Only two things kept him going: thoughts of his wife and the certainty that he must escape. A Sudden Homecoming. After Gabe is presumed dead, Helen pulls the tattered pieces of her and her daughter's lives back together. Married young and for all the wrong reasons, she's standing on her own two feet at last-and proud of it. Then comes the biggest shock of all--Gabe returns home. Gone is the distant, secretive husband he once was. This new Gabe is a man she could easily, finally, lose her heart to. But his memory is slowly returning, exposing a trail of government treachery...and jeopardizing his and Helen's second chance at love.

Chase the Moon


Dinah McCall - 1997
    Living off the land in rural Kentucky, they adhere closely to the words of the Bible. But there is more going on at their compound than either Elijah or Gracie realises. In fact, a man has been killed for knowing too much. When the victim's twin, Jake Baretta, arrives at the compound to search for his twin's killer, he struggles to keep his heart and attraction to Gracie to himself, and his mind on the job. Everyone knows the first rule of undercover work: Never fall in love with enemy.