Book picks similar to
Running Scared by Linda Ladd
mystery-thriller
romantic-suspense
do-have
jackie-collins
Intimate Enemies
Joan Swan - 2012
Searching for closure, Cassie returns to her childhood home on the Pacific Coast of Baja, Mexico, where she launches her own investigation into the accident. She never expected to find an adversary in the man who had once touched her heart with kindness in her darkest moment.Rio’s been fantasizing about reconnecting with Cassie for months. But not here and sure as hell not now. As an undercover agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he’s working the biggest sting operation in all of northern Mexico, and he definitely doesn’t have time for the wild attraction he feels for Cassie.Not only is his cover on the line, so is his heart. Because as the end of a yearlong operation draws closer, Rio knows if he tells Cassie the truth about who and what he is, it won’t only jeopardize his mission, it may result in him losing her forever. And if he doesn’t, his lies and deception could get them both killed.Note: Also appears in the 2013 anthology Dark Nights Dangerous Men
Knights of Sin MC: The Complete Series
Erin Trejo - 2018
I pushed the one thing I loved the most away. I watched her run as far as she could. I ruined the love we had. I threw myself into the Marine's thinking I could get her out of my system. That didn't work. When I came back I got the worst news ever. Or so I thought. Now I'm forced to keep a promise I made and find the one girl that stole my heart. Book 2 Learning To Love: Bullet: I fought my way through life. Family was an important part of that. I kept myself away from them not wanting to see the disgust of my father. My club was all the family I needed. When I was taken and forced into a living hell, the one thing that kept me going was the unknown girl next to me. Getting her out alive was my priority. After I do, I have to make the toughest decision of my life. Trinity: I was never wanted. My father used me to his advantage. I was taken for his debts. I thought I would die. I wanted to. That faceless man that kept me going was all I looked forward to. Until he was gone. When he finds me again, I have to learn to love. Can he be the one to show me how? Book 3 Fighting For A Chance: Dax: I was a fighter. I was good at it. When I met Laura I thought I was having a round of hot sex like usual. When I saw her for who she truly was, I wanted more. A lot more. She had her own problems but I wasn't ready to let go just yet. I'll fight for what I want even if she does push me away. Laura: I have a past that won't go away. Literally. Hector hasn't gotten the message that I don't want him. A night with Dax turns into more. I didn't plan on it. Every single time I turned around, he was there and I found myself liking it. But Hector remains a problem. A problem that quickly gets out of hand. Book 4 Keeping Faith: Kane: Unhappily married. Yeah, that sums up my life. I messed up with that decision. I still have my sister though. When I attend her wedding, I run into an old friend. Ivy. When she admits that she had feelings for me, I take her home like any good man would do. I didn't expect all the complications that came with it though. She was used before me and I want to show her that I'm not the same as him. The problem is, I am. Ivy: I fought cancer and won. I fought a useless husband and won. When I see Kane again, I lose. Badly. I always had a crush on him when we were kids. I never thought the feelings would still be there years later. One night with him and my world is thrown off balance. His club is his life and I know that. When my cancer comes back in full force, I do the one thing I can. I run. He will chase me. He told me he would. When the tables turn, will I do the same? Book 5 One More Try: Sebastian Blood. Death. Darkness. Those are things I know. Drinking. Walking away. I was good at that. I messed up one night when I slept with the President’s niece. We were both drunk and out of control. Now she’s pregnant with my kid. I can’t be a father. I don’t want to be. At least not at first. After a hit goes wrong, I change my mind. Book 6 Promise Of Love: Link: I was a virgin. Jordan was the girl that changed my outlook on life but truths and lies threaten to rip us apart.
The Villa in Italy
Elizabeth Edmondson - 2006
Delia, an opera singer robbed of her voice by illness; George, an idealistic scientist who cannot face what his skills have created; Marjorie, desperately poor and unable to dislodge her writer’s block; and Lucius, ostensibly in control but whose personal life is in chaos. All are summoned to the Villa Dante, home of the late Beatrice Malaspina. But who was she?While they wait to find out, the villa begins to work its seductive magic. With its faded frescoes, overgrown garden and magnificent mediaeval tower, it is unlike anywhere they have been before. Slowly, four characters who have gone to great lengths to hide their troubles find that change – and even hope – is possible after all. But the mysterious Beatrice has a devastating secret to reveal that will affect them all…A beautiful evocation of Italy in the aftermath of World War Two, the personal consequences of living through such a time, and a celebration of humankind’s ability to heal and learn to love again, this most absorbing novel will win Elizabeth Edmondson a host of new fans.
Secrets
Dakota Haywood - 2020
I’ve lived my whole life on the move, up until three years ago. Mom made a promise that I’d graduate here. I allowed myself to make friends, get a boyfriend, even join a sports team. But if something is too good to be true then it probably is. Promises are broken. Lies are spewed. Now I’m being uprooted from the only place that has ever felt like home. I guess being kidnapped by my neighbors was just the cherry on top of the pie. Callum, the obnoxious flirt Wyatt, the lazy genius Logan, the kidnapper Trey, the aloof stoic man And Kade, the forgetful leader. A group of criminal misfits. Everyone’s lied to me, I can’t even trust my own family. So why do I find myself trusting them when it could cost me everything?
Forgotten Secrets
Robin Perini - 2016
Fifteen years later, she’s channeled the pain of her past into a career as an FBI profiler. Riley devotes her life to bringing violent criminals to justice…and secretly uses government resources to search for her sister, who was never found.When Riley gets a call from the only man who’s ever swept her off her feet with a killer two-step and dangerous smile—ex-Navy SEAL Thayne Blackwood of Singing River, Wyoming—it stirs up dark memories. Thayne’s sister, Cheyenne, has been kidnapped. There are no leads, and the only witness is the victim’s Alzheimer’s-afflicted grandmother.Desperate to find Cheyenne, Thayne needs Riley’s expertise. With time running short, they delve into dangerous small-town secrets while fighting against an increasingly ruthless adversary. But when her past and his present collide in a shocking revelation, can they overcome the secrets that have kept them apart?
A Slow Burning
Stanley Pottinger - 2000
All those years haven't dimmed Nat's memory or satisfied his hunger for justice. When a routine homicide investigation unexpectedly leads to an opportunity to avenge the murder, the NYPD detective does not hesitate to act—but only at enormous risk to himself and the woman he loves.Dr. Cush Walker lives with the childhood memory of watching the Ku Klux Klan lynch his father. A pioneering brain surgeon, Walker has dedicated his life to perfecting a breakthrough medical procedure designed to eradicate the kind of hatred that caused his father's death—but with dangerous consequences to his patients and himself.Camilla Bisonette is brought to the doctor's clinic barely clinging to life. Now Nat Hennessy's fiancée—but once romantically linked to Cush Walker—she might be saved, but only if Walker stretches his ethics and medical expertise to the breaking point—and only if he joins forces with his bitter rival, Nat Hennessy.From an explosive secret that stretches back more than half a century to the mysteries of memory locked away in the human brain… from the impulses and passions that drive us to acts of rage to the shattered lives we leave behind, Stanley Pottinger weaves an unrelentingly suspenseful novel of deception, murder, love, and science rapidly spinning out of control.
Kiss Me With Lies
S.M. Soto - 2019
One unsolved murder. A sickening plot for revenge. When Mackenzie Wright attends her first real high school party, held somewhere deep in the woods of her small California town, no one expects to wake up the next morning to news of a gruesome murder. Especially not her own sister’s. No suspects.No motive.No convictions.Just one unsolved murder and whatever’s left of the now deserted town. Mackenzie has spent years with her sister’s death weighing heavily on her shoulders, but it isn’t until she stumbles across a photograph that changes everything for her. The memories, everything from that night, come flashing back in high-speed technicolor and Mackenzie soon finds herself obsessed with the truth. Determined to find out what really happened to her sister, Mackenzie relies on that one photograph to give her the answers she needs by embedding herself into the lives of five of the wealthiest men in Los Angeles. Consumed by her need for revenge, Mackenzie infiltrates the world of the rich and elite, only to come face-to-face with an alluring complication in the form an elusive playboy. When enemy lines are drawn, Mackenzie has to choose between her loyalty to her sister and the man who has stolen her heart.
Breath of Scandal
Sandra BrownSandra Brown - 1991
Robbed of her youthful ideals and at the center of scandal and tragedy, Jade ran as far and as fast as she could. But she never forgot the sleepy "company town" where every man, woman, and child was dependent on one wealthy family. And she never forgot their spoiled son, who, with his two friends, changed her life forever. Someday, somehow, she'd return, exact a just revenge -- and free herself from fear, and the powerful family that could destroy her.
Severinov Bratva: The Complete Series: A Dark Russian Mafia Romance Box Set
Kristen Luciani - 2019
Jet set across the world from the sinful sparkle of Las Vegas to the opulence that is Monte Carlo as they claim what’s rightfully theirs…including the hearts of the bold and brazen women who dare cross their paths. "Sexy, suspenseful, and so addictive! A dark romance filled with heat, passion, and drama that will keep you flipping pages until you gasp at the last words!" – USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Kristen Hope Mazzola This box set includes four complete standalone novels of the Severinov Bratva series that can be read in any order. In addition, the set contains a brand-new, never before published novella, which is the prequel to the Marcone family Men of Mayhem series coming in January 2020. All of the books in the Severinov Bratva series contain mature content and of course, a HEA. 5 books. 900 pages. Pulse-pounding action. White-hot chemistry. Jaw-dropping twists and turns. If that isn’t enough to make you one-click, then keep reading! Merciless, Book One I’m a ruthless killer. A bloodthirsty beast. I always take what I want, What I’m owed, And what has been stolen from me. With a gorgeous face and a porn star body, Lindy thinks she owns Sin City. But my new obsession made a deadly choice when she walked into my casino. She trusted the wrong people, put greed before common sense, and lost everything. Now, there’s a debt to be paid. To me. But I don’t care about money. I want her as my payment. And it’s time to collect. Possessive, Book Two I struck a deal with the devil…and lost. For years, I followed orders and obeyed instructions. I put the family first. Always. Until temptation consumed me. I made mistakes and lost my focus, putting a target on my own back. I changed the game, Risked it all, And collected a prize. His prize. So when the devil came to collect, I had two options. Join him… Or kill him. Vengeful, Book Three One single gunshot threw my life into upheaval. An assassination that will bring my family to its knees. It’s up to me to avenge the murder. An eye for an eye…that’s my MO. I have one job to do, and it may be my last. Find my father’s killer and make him pay Before he finds me. But there’s one problem - one incredibly sexy obstacle I never saw coming. Tali Severinov. I’ve met my match with this woman. She’s beautiful, deadly, and more ruthless than I’d ever imagined. Think with my head? Never. At least, not with the one attached to my neck. She thinks I’m the enemy. Little does she know I’m her savior. Ravage, Book Four Protect the empire at all costs, Eliminate any threats, And defeat our enemies. For years, I’ve accepted these responsibilities to keep my family safe. I’ve given up my life in exchange for their happiness.
A Promise to Believe In
Tracie Peterson - 2008
When their father is accidentally killed, the oldest sister, Gwen, reasons that she's cursed. After all, death seems to haunt her: her mother, now her father...and she was married for a mere ten days before her husband died from a bout of measles.As Gwen and her sisters struggle to maintain the inn on their own, an unexpected visitor adds to the mayhem. Hank Bishop claims to be searching for something in the possession of Gwen's late husband. But mayhem of another sort builds in Gwen's heart as she finds a growing attraction to this man. Can she dare to hope that love might again be hers?
A Beautiful Lie
T.E. Sivec - 2013
They shared in each other's joy during graduations, promotions, and engagements. They consoled one another through heartache and loss.When one of the friend's life is tragically cut short, it's up to the two left behind to pick up the pieces and find out the truth - no matter the cost. As they slowly start to uncover the nature of his deception, and the very powerful people behind it, they begin to question everyone and everything, even themselves.Everyone has secrets - some do it for love while others do it for power. Those secrets can change perceptions, alter reality and sometimes destroy lives.What do you do when you find out your whole life has been a lie?
Notorious
Allison Brennan - 2014
A nationally renowned investigative reporter with her own TV show and a tough-as-nails reputation, Max tackles cold cases from across the country and every walk of life. But the one unsolved murder that still haunts her is a case from her own past.When Max was a high school senior, one of her best friends was strangled and another, Kevin O'Neal, accused of the crime. To the disgrace of her wealthy family, Max stood by her friend, until she found out he lied about his alibi. Though his guilt was never proven, their relationship crumbled from the strain of too many secrets.Now Max is home for Kevin's funeral―after years of drug abuse, he committed suicide. She's finally prepared to come to terms with the loss of his friendship, but she's not prepared for Kevin's sister to stubbornly insist that he didn't kill himself. Or for an elderly couple to accost her at the airport, begging her to look into another murder at Max's old high school. Max is more interested in the cold case at her alma mater than in digging around Kevin's troubled life, but she agrees to do both. As Max uncovers dark secrets, she finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies that hit far too close to home. And it's becoming increasingly clear that someone will do whatever it takes to make sure the truth stays buried.
A Family of Strangers
Emilie Richards - 2019
Knowing she could never top Wendy’s achievements, she didn’t even try. Instead Ryan forged her own path while her family barely seemed to notice.Now Wendy shares two little girls with her perfect husband while Ryan mourns the man she lost after a nearly fatal mistake in judgment. The sisters’ choices have taken them in different directions, which is why Ryan is stunned when Wendy calls, begging for her help. There’s been a murder—and Wendy believes she’ll be wrongfully accused.While Wendy lies low, Ryan moves back to their hometown to care for the nieces she hardly knows. The sleuthing skills she’s refined as a true-crime podcaster quickly rise to the surface as she digs for answers with the help of an unexpected ally. Yet the trail of clues Wendy’s left behind lead to nothing but questions. Blood may be thicker than water, but what does Ryan owe a sister who, with every revelation, becomes more and more a stranger?Is Wendy, who always seemed so perfect, just a perfect liar—or worse?
Matchmaker
Bella Grant - 2016
The job has it perks - a great salary, unlimited credit cards, fancy shopping, and trips around the world. And if I find him the right woman in time, and he’ll pay off my college loans and even consider sponsoring my dream PhD program! Working for him is a no-brainer. I need the cash, he needs a perfect woman. Armed with details of what his ideal woman is, this has to be the easiest job in the world, right? Find a couple of girls that fit his preferences and set him up on dates with them. Make him fall in love with one of them. Get paid and go back to school. Well, I was wrong! Sterling Waters knew what he wanted, or so I thought, but I didn’t bargain on the possibility that I wasn’t entirely sure of what my job entailed, or what I wanted. I need a wife, but I don’t believe in love. I have to marry, but I feel no need to pretend that I’d ever love someone as much as I love my precious dog. I needed a personal matchmaker to help me find the right woman – I have no time for the nonsense called love. As long as the woman is a perfect match and has all the qualities I desire, I’ll marry her and get on with my life. That was my plan until I hired the sexy grad student, Cherise Myers, to find me a wife. I knew what I wanted; all she had to do was match me up with the perfect girl, get paid, and move on with her life. Except, the perfect girl wanted more than I could give and goodness knows I could never fall in love! Not with her, not with anyone. Ever. *** For a limited time, this edition of MATCHMAKER contains one free bad boy billionaire romance book.***