Book picks similar to
Running Scared by Linda Ladd


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A Dangerous Silence


Catherine Palmer - 2001
    Marah Morgan returns to Cowley County, Kansas, she is surprised to find herself agreeing to run the family farm for her injured and difficult father. When government agents arrive and begin searching the farm for an Indian burial ground, Marah grows suspicious. A mysterious stranger appears, looking for work. Then Marah discovers alarming details about her mother's death more than twenty-five years earlier, making her wonder if reconciliation with her father is possible, or if bitterness—and silence—will destroy them.

Prior Sins


D.J. Gross - 2011
    Understanding the dark impulses that drive men to maim and kill comes easily to him. When he temporarily swaps teaching positions with a University of Michigan colleague, Hadrian assumes he’ll be on a sabbatical from crime. Then a series of disturbing assaults occur on campus and the Ann Arbor police ask him to consult on the case. Pursuing a link between the perpetrator and ancient mythology leads Hadrian to Sarah Roth. His reaction to her challenges his long held assumption that emotional intimacy is beyond him. She believes she’s a monster University of Michigan Classics Professor Sarah Roth dreams of blood and death. Her mother warned her to never share her dreams or she’d be locked away. Sarah pours her passion into teaching as a relationship is out of reach. When Hadrian approaches her for information, she is shocked by her attraction to him. Hadrian is dangerous to her but the demons inside her like to live dangerously. As Sarah struggles to keep her distance from Hadrian, her dreams become more vivid and violent. The real monster is hunting her Someone on campus is secretly obsessed with Sarah. He is recreating the Labors of Hercules, violent feats of power and strength, to prove worthy of her love. Once he’s completed his quest, Sarah will be his forever. Praise for the Novels of DJ Gross:“I was super glued to my Kindle for two days...The balance between the suspense-filled action and romance is spot on." The Romance Reviews on Stolen Justice "Seriously top-notch." Romance Junkies on Stolen Justice "DJ Gross made it so you just had absolutely no idea what would happen next!" Shameless Romance Reviews on Stolen Justice"For anyone who enjoys Romantic Suspense - this is a must read." The Book Pimp Blogs on Stolen Justice

Darkest Perception


Shari J. Ryan - 2018
    However, it turned out I was in the wrong class, with the wrong professor, at the wrong time. One decision to become an apprentice changed my entire life.After being left with nothing, including my true identity, money, family, and friends, I was evicted from my apartment. I knew I’d have to run and hide while struggling with starvation, but then a shady job offer became an appealing option in the midst of my desperation. I was fully aware of the risks involved, but I’m well versed in reading people and assuming their intentions. Therefore, I was confident I wouldn’t end up being that woman who ran into a trap that was decorated with luxurious accommodations and high-class amenities. I also wasn’t the type to reach for bait disguised as a gorgeous man with lust pooling in his eyes.As it turns out, though … I was wrong about everything—almost everything. I fell into the rabbit hole where nothing was as it seemed from the outside, and I had no clue I was the puppeteer of it all.

The Blue Hallelujah


Andy Straka
    When Rebecca died of cancer in prison—branded as a disturbed vigilante after killing one of his murder suspects—Jerry knew he needed to put the truth in writing to set the record straight.Now, as an old man nearing his own demise, Jerry is unsure whether to share his narrative about Rebecca with the world. But when his eight-year-old granddaughter Marnee disappears, Jerry learns she’s been taken by someone close to the killer depicted in the pages hidden in his dresser drawer.It’s time for Jerry to finish the story—by confronting an evil that threatens Marnee’s life and the lives of everyone around her. And by placing his faith in a higher power to redeem the love for Rebecca in his heart.

Sting


Sandra Brown - 2016
    . . where nothing is what it seems and every truth brought to light exposes a darker lie.When Jordie Bennet and Shaw Kinnard lock eyes across a disreputable backwater bar, something definitely sparks. Shaw gives off a dangerous vibe that makes men wary and inspires women to sit up and take notice. None feel that undercurrent more strongly than savvy businesswoman Jordie, who doesn't belong in a seedy dive on the banks of a bayou. But here she is . . . and Shaw Kinnard is here to kill her. As Shaw and his partner take aim, Jordie is certain her time has come. But Shaw has other plans and abducts Jordie, hoping to get his hands on the $30 million her brother has stolen and, presumably, hidden. However, Shaw is not the only one looking for the fortune. Her brother's ruthless boss and the FBI are after it as well. Now on the run from the feds and a notorious criminal, Jordie and Shaw must rely on their wits-and each other-to stay alive. Miles away from civilization and surrounded by swampland, the two play each other against their common enemies. Jordie's only chance of survival is to outwit Shaw, but it soon becomes clear to Shaw that Jordie isn't entirely trustworthy, either. Was she in on her brother's scam, or is she an innocent pawn in a deadly vendetta? And just how valuable is her life to Shaw, her remorseless and manipulative captor? Burning for answers-and for each other-this unlikely pair ultimately make a desperate move that could be their last. With nonstop plot twists and the tantalizing sexual tension that has made Sandra Brown one of the world's best-loved authors, STING will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the final pages.

Deadly Offerings


Alexa Grace - 2011
    It is the first adventure in this sizzling romantic suspense trilogy.Anne Mason thinks she’ll be safe living in the Midwest building a wind farm. She may be dead wrong. Someone is dumping bodies in her corn field and telling Anne they are gifts—for her!As the body count rises, Anne realizes a cold-blooded serial killer is patiently waiting and watching her every move. And he won’t stop until he ends her life. It is clear there are no limits to this killer’s thirst for revenge or how far he will go to get it.After a nasty divorce, Anne Mason does not want to get romantically involved, especially with ex-husband’s attorney, Michael Brandt.The ruggedly handsome new County Prosecutor is the last person Anne can trust, but may offer her only chance at survival from a psychopathic killer. But will she survive the passion that rages between them?

The Liar


Nora Roberts - 2015
    Then she lost her illusions …   The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn’t just dead. He never really existed.   Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows—and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning …

Cross Your Heart, Take My Name


Novoneel Chakraborty - 2020
    Six months later they find themselves consumed by the proverbial once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. Bored with their mundane daily routine, their adventurous streak makes them decide, one day, to escape the present and begin a new reality somewhere far, far away. Just that the day they are supposed to meet and escape, Yahvi doesn't turn up. Then she doesn't respond to Garv's phone calls or messages. And mysteriously Yahvi vanishes altogether.Days later, as a grieving Garv stumbles upon her Instagram profile, which he didn't know existed, he is shocked to realize that her every post is probably a clue to the truth behind her disappearance. Except, the more he unearths the meandering truth, the more he learns about a certain side of Yahvi which changes the way he saw her. And the way he understood love. Cross Your Heart, Take My Name is a beguiling tale about urban loneliness, fickle relationships and our need for companionship as depicted by the twisted journey of two individuals, caught up in their own emotional plight, blurring the lines between crime and sin.

Hunted for Christmas (Love Inspired Suspense)


Jill Elizabeth Nelson - 2020
    

The One You Love


Paul Pilkington - 2011
    Her fiancé vanishes, leaving the battered and bloodied body of his brother in their London apartment. Someone is stalking her, watching her every move. And her family are hiding a horrifying secret; a secret that threatens all those she loves. In a desperate race against time, Emma must uncover the truth if she ever wants to see her fiancé alive again. The One You Love is a fast-paced suspense mystery, full of twists and turns, following in the tradition of writers such as Nicci French and Sophie Hannah.

Blindsided


Karlene Blakemore-Mowle - 2012
    He had a job he loved, freedom to do whatever he liked and the income to buy whatever new plaything took his interest. The last thing he needed was a woman who came with a ready-made family to mess up his plans.Briella Matheson learned from her mistakes. She found out the hard way that bad boys were bad news. What she needed was someone reliable, safe and well, boring. Boring was good. Unfortunately, what she got was Jason Nash and he was anything, but boring…he was trouble!

Magic Hour


Kristin Hannah - 2006
    Julia Cates was one of the country's preeminent child psychiatrists until a shocking tragedy ruined her career. Retreating to her small western Washington hometown, Julia meets an extraordinary six-year-old girl who has inexplicably emerged from the deep woods nearby—a child locked in a world of unimaginable fear and isolation. To Julia, nothing is more important than saving the girl she now calls Alice. But Julia will need help from others, including the sister she barely knows and a handsome doctor with secrets of his own. What follows will test the limits of Julia's faith and strength, as she struggles to find a home for Alice . . . and for herself.

Sweet Curvy Mountain Soulmate


Sara Hazel - 2019
    But we’re safe and warm in here. We’ve got nowhere to go and nothing to do but enjoy each other’s company… Nick:She's come to my mountain--My cabin. Sent here by my sister, Ellie,who just loves to play matchmaker.But this woman is different than all the othersEllie has tried to push my way.One look at Amelia and I knowshe is my forever.Will I be able to make her see that? Amelia:I needed a vacationand my best friend promised meher family's empty mountain cabin.Quiet seclusion is what I need to get back on track,but instead--I'm forced to share the cabin during a blizzard with Nick Wellington,Ellie's brother turned Mountain Man.But I think Ellie knew what she was doingsending me up here to keep Nick company...and now I'm not so sure I'll ever be able to returnto my old life. The way he looks at me says it all.He wants me and nothing will stop himfrom getting what he wants... This short story romance is steamy, sweet, and might make your heart race, so be careful! It's filled with hot love scenes, sweetness, over the top romance, and two people with a deep love connection. It might be a little "cheesy", but that's how I like it! Instalove is lots of fun :).  Sara Hazel is the Queen of curves who brings you several new romance stories a month.--BBW Romance--Steamy / High Heat--Mountain Man Romance

Everything We Keep


Kerry Lonsdale - 2016
    But when her fiancé, James Donato, vanishes in a boating accident, her well-baked future is swept out to sea. Instead of walking down the aisle on their wedding day, Aimee is at James’s funeral—a funeral that leaves her more unsettled than at peace.As Aimee struggles to reconstruct her life, she delves deeper into James’s disappearance. What she uncovers is an ocean of secrets that make her question everything about the life they built together. And just below the surface is a truth that may set Aimee free…or shatter her forever.

Shifting Gears


Olivia Gaines - 2018
    A burgeoning relationship with an equally boring boyfriend Carlton Gear, one of the best accountants in the musical industry, left her engine in a permanent idling state. Craving a shake up in her monotonous life, she joins her good friend Onyx for a fund raiser with The Lady Guardians biker group. The lady riders offered a day of excitement for Keoni, but the night turned into a magical experience, especially after she meets Carlton’s cousin, Dave, a scruffy biker with a sketchy past, a tenuous future and a very sexy presence. Digging in and wanting to be a part of the female biker group, against Carlton’s advice and comfort, clothing isn’t the only thing Keoni changes. Climb aboard for a high-octane ride as Keoni reorganizes her life by Shifting Gears and donning the pink and black leather as a Lady Guardian.