One Night Years Ago


J.R. Pace - 2020
    Now, Fowler’s back in town.When he was twenty, Hunter Fowler made a huge mistake. He’s spent the last twelve years in prison paying for it. When he gets out of prison, the last thing he wants to do is go back to Sharp’s Cove, but he has no choice.Natalie Bowmann isn’t a frightened young woman anymore. She’s the town’s sheriff now and she’s not going to let Fowler’s return destroy the life she’s built for herself. But when another young woman is attacked, Natalie realizes two things: that twelve years earlier an innocent man was sent to prison and, most importantly, that a monster is loose in their peaceful coastal town.Will Hunter and Natalie be able to find him before he strikes again? What will they do with the growing attraction between them?This suspense romance book is intended for adult readers. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone romance.Warning: one of the characters was assaulted years earlier, and remembers the assault at several points during the story.

A Texas State of Mind


Ann DeFee - 2005
    But it gets even more hectic when she's hit by a double whammy– dead drug dealers floating ashore and Christian Delacroix, an undercover cop sent to investigate the murders. She doesn't need Mr. Tall, Dark and Dangerous on her mind–or messing with her lust-meter–while she's dealing with mayhem. On their first meeting Lolly makes quite an impression by zapping Christian with a taser–talk about shocking! Her dream is to meet a quiet, respectable man, not someone who wears a gun and deals with the dregs of society. Christian, on the other hand, is cozying up to Lolly's white picket fence kind of life with kids and a black shaggy dog. Set in a small beach town with an eccentric cast of characters, A Texas State of Mind is a fast-paced, fun story of love and family relationships. And BTW, who is that villain? "A Texas State of Mind is sexy, it's sassy, it's full of action and outrageous characters. The perfect summer read!" Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling author

Center Stage


Denise Grover Swank - 2016
    Ten years ago, Magnolia Steele fled Franklin, Tennessee after an incident that left her with hazy memories and a horror of the place where she had been born and bred. Though her abrupt departure destroyed most of her treasured relationships, she vowed never to return . . . until she has no choice. When Magnolia’s breakout acting role in a Broadway musical ends in disgrace, there’s only one place she can go. She finds herself on her momma’s porch, suitcase in hand. Drama follows Magnolia around like a long lost friend. She reluctantly agrees to help her momma’s catering company at a party for a country music star, only to find herself face-to-face with a sleazy music agent from her past. After a very public spat, Magnolia not only finds him dead but herself center stage in the police’s investigation. Now she must scramble to prove her innocence, relying on the help of acquaintances old and new. But the longer Magnolia stays in Franklin, the more she remembers about the big bad incident that chased her away. The past might not be finished with her yet, and what she doesn’t remember could be her biggest danger.

Antihero


C.J. Pinard - 2016
    She's trying to stay clean and walk a straight path. Is the chemistry storming between them enough to keep them together? Ellis I did my time, both on the streets and in the Marine Corps. Now that I’m out, I’m feeling sort of lost. I need to find a job and get past this disability the ugliness of war has left me with. The only thing that makes me feel grounded and stable is Talia Logan. She’s a red-haired breath of fresh air when I feel like I’m drowning in nightmares and responsibilities. So why can’t I just commit to her – make her mine? Because I’m jacked up and no good for anyone. Especially her. Talia The only part of my past I’m proud of is how I beat the addiction that almost killed me. I’m on the right path to a clean life, a college degree, and new friends. Ellis Anderson keeps coming over to worship my body and whisper sweet things in my ear that keep me hanging onto him. But he’s bad for me. A guy with too many demons that I don’t have the time or energy to deal with. So why can’t I just tell him to get out of my life? Because I’ve traded one addiction for another, that’s why. Antihero is book 1 in the Imperfect Heroes series. For readers 18+. Reading order: Antihero (Imperfect Heroes 1) Above Protection (Imperfect Heroes 2) Beneath Broken (Imperfect Heroes 3) Beyond Love (Imperfect Heroes 4, releasing in Spring 2017) Each book can be read as a standalone, however, this is the recommended reading order.

Blowback


Lisa Hughey - 2011
    Now she lives alone, works alone, survives alone. When a covert mission goes horribly wrong, suddenly she can trust no one. Not her boss, not her agency, not even herself. Lucas Goodman, former FBI agent turned PI, is on the trail of a missing teenager when his investigation leads him to Jamie. Despite her attempts to ditch him, Lucas tenaciously continues to shadow Jamie, realizing he doesn’t just want information...he wants her. When their investigations collide and her sister is in danger, Jamie is forced to team up with Lucas. Together they must expose the connection between agents’ murders, a missing teenager, and a sixty-year-old government conspiracy. But can she open her heart to find the truth within the lies? been odd man out in his family. Not the oldest, not the most charming, he'd had a lock on the youngest until another half-sibling came to live with them, so he raised hell in his youth. Con knows now the only way to redeem himself is with deeds, not words and sets out to prove once and for all he is worthy of the Stone family. When his older brother asks him to take care of business, Con finally will have redemption he craves. Except when Ava Sanchez, his brother's assistant, is threatened, he must choose between saving the girl and protecting his family. Will his choice bring him love or break his heart?

Double Forté


Aaron Paul Lazar - 2004
    To deal with the loss, he plays endless Chopin etudes on his piano and lavishes love on his grandson and dog, but nothing lessens the pain. Life spirals out of control when Gus heads for the snow-covered hills on an early morning skiing excursion to find a mute child shackled to a bedpost in a cabin. Gus rescues the child but the kidnapper, Baxter, escapes into the woods to stew in hot revenge. Unexpectedly thrown together with Camille, a social worker who takes the child into her own home, Gus falls hard. The first woman who’s stirred his soul since his Elsbeth, Camille is polite enough toward him -- but her own dark secrets have her pulling away despite the mutual attraction. When Gus’s little grandson goes missing, he fears the worse. Does Baxter have the little boy? Does he want to trade for the mute child? Gus braces for the fight of his life, struggling to protect Camille and his family before time runs out.

Tell Me a Story


Jennifer Rebecca - 2018
    Most recently, a young boy is missing from his home and the tenacious Detective Claire Goodnite is eager to find him. But the case is stirring up old memories best left forgotten. When a blast from her own past, FBI Special Agent Wesley O’Connell, turns up, Claire finds it hard to keep old ghosts at rest. And even harder to keep the sexy SAIC out of her case and her bed. Claire Goodnite is the best damn detective in the state of New Jersey and you better believe she's coming for you.

Chase: The Secret Billionaire Society Book 1


Nancy Pennick - 2019
    One unforgettable birthday bash. Now their livelihoods are in the hands of a stranger. Each is tasked a mission. If one fails, they all fail. Billionaires, no more.Serious Chase Young is chosen first by this ominous, never seen Smith and goes from billionaire to pilot for a small airline in a day. Unable to use money to fix the problem, he’s tasked to dig deeper into the airline’s problems. Chase never expects to meet Grace Edison, the owner’s daughter, and immediately wants her in his life. Undercover, Chase can’t tell Grace the truth. Never one to back down, he accepts the challenge ahead of him, win Grace and save her father’s company.This book can be read as a standalone.

Hewitt


A.L. Long - 2020
    She thought she could have that with Peter Hewitt. She was wrong. With too many secrets getting in the way she knew it would never work. Accepting her parents’ offer to help with running a new art gallery in Paris, she thought she would be able to put her feelings behind and start a new life, only it didn’t work. Her days were filled with thoughts of Peter. Returning back to New York, Lilly wanted what her best friend Dylan Matheson had, a loving home, a beautiful child and a man that loved her more than life itself. Only the man she wanted to share these things with still had secrets that could tear them apart forever. When danger and loss enters her already imperfect life, would she finally be able to let down her guard and give the one thing she said he would never have. Her heart. This book contains adult content and is intended for mature audiences.

Ninety-Nine Signs


Elisheba Haxby - 2019
     A breakdown strands her in Vancouver, Washington on the corner of 99th and Highway 99. Across the street is the Highway Ninety-Nine Diner where she lands a job as a waitress—however starting over is hard with all the broken trust. Joe Phillips, the diner’s short-order cook, is rugged, handsome, sweet, and is determined to push past her walls—but he has secrets of his own. Tamara finds comfort in his friendship as she struggles with a past that haunts her, and a darkness she cannot shake. She could give her heart to Joe, if not for the fears that plague her. Their friendship deepens and Tamara begins to hope again until she’s forced to make a choice no woman should ever have to face. Then the signs reappear, and lead her down her darkest path yet.

A Dangerous Harbor


R.P. Dahlke - 2011
    Now, alone and isolated in the Mexican port’s police station for the last six hours, she’s convinced that reporting the body of a floater to authorities was a mistake. Even the arrival of a handsome, if somewhat dour, Mexican/Italian investigator, does nothing to dispel her growing anxiety that she’s about to be charged with the murder.Chief Inspector, Raul Vignaroli, is as surprised by the attractive solo-sailor as he is to find that she’s a respected member of the San Francisco police force, and after some well-placed phone calls he’s sure that he’s found the perfect partner to help him solve a murder, if not the cure for his broken heart.Released, she's free to go. But leaving the police station hits a snag when two policemen march in, dragging a listless prisoner between them. But before Katy can dodge them for the exit, the prisoner raises his head and a startling pair of aquamarine eyes meet hers.He straightens his back, wincing at the angle of his cuffed wrists. “What the… Whisper?”Suddenly, the sound of the ceiling fan is terribly loud. Blood pounds in her ears, her mouth goes dry, her palms are damp and her feet are nailed to the floor. In a knee jerk reaction, she hisses, “Don’t call me that!” A mermaid, a bald parrot, the past she'd hoped to leave behind and perhaps the love of her life… all in A Dangerous Harbor.

The Forbidden Sitter: A Billionaire Holiday Romance (Nightclub Sins)


Michelle Love - 2021
    

Guarding Her Heart


Laura Haley-McNeil - 2014
    To protect Victoria, Garrett whisks her away to an isolated lodge. Major problem for Victoria—how does she help Garrett capture the stalker while guarding her heart against the man who broke it once before? Garret thought his heart had healed when Victoria left him ten years ago. Garrett’s bigger problem—capture the stalker determined to imprison Victoria. Keeping Victoria safe is no easy task for Garrett, but getting her to trust him is an entirely different challenge. He puts his life on the line to guard the woman who is more deserving of love than any woman he’s known. But love takes a back seat to the Whitloch-Reynolds feud. At the center is the Crystal Creek Ranch. The Whitlochs own the ranch. The Reynolds are the rightful heirs.

Chasing Justice


Danielle Stewart - 2013
    But her plans of settling into a normal life are derailed when she witnesses a prominent judge in her community committing a violent assault. Running from her own past and fueled by a passion to make the judge answer for his crimes, Piper is forced to decide if she’ll play by the rules or achieve justice in her own way.Complicating things further, Piper finds herself fighting a powerful attraction to rookie cop, Bobby Wright. Although she’s increasingly enamored with Bobby, his staunch belief in the justice system is in stark contrast to her own. She may not share his opinions about the effectiveness of the law, but she certainly can’t deny how safe she feels when she’s in his arms or how every kiss leaves her desperate for more.For Piper, the idea of finally living an ordinary life with a man to love is tempting. However, fate keeps placing the judge, quite literally, in her path. Will she decide the only way to win is to be as wicked as the judge, but with righteous intentions? And more importantly, will Bobby choose to let her go, or follow her as she crosses the line and takes justice into her own hands?

Run With Me


Lacey Silks - 2017
    Coincidences are more reliable than a rising sun.  And my heart can bear a thousand more nails than my coffin. Ben’s family murdered my parents and so I took my revenge. I changed the course of our futures with one flick of a matchstick. I run to survive. I run to protect those I love. I run so that my daughter doesn’t have to. With danger lurking over my shoulder, trusting strangers is dangerous until you don’t have a choice. Barely alive, I placed my life in the hands of the handsome and mysterious bounty hunter Xavier Black.  He gave me everything and asked for nothing. He helped me live again; but now, he’s the one who needs to run with me. We can each choose to stop the hunt, but if one of us chooses wrong, that extra nail won’t be driven into our hearts but straight into our coffins. Warning: Contains subject matter that may be considered sensitive to some readers (triggers). Intended for mature audience only. While Run With Me is a full complete novel with HEA ending for the couple, it does contain a cliffhanger.