Book picks similar to
The Ex Assignment by Victoria Paige


romance
second-chance
romantic-suspense
suspense

Remembering Us


Stacey Lynn - 2014
    I followed it, begrudgingly, because it’s what was expected. And then one day, everything changed. I woke up. Different. Independent. Free from all the rules that had surrounded me. Only I have no idea how I got to where I am. I have no memory of graduating college. No memory of Adam, the boyfriend I live with. He loves me. And I love him. At least that’s what everyone says. Except when my memories return to me as dreams, I see a different man than the one everyone claims is perfect for me. He terrifies me. He makes my heart race and he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. I have no idea if I want to welcome the emotional roller-coaster that his piercing brown eyes and messy black hair puts me on every time I get a glimpse of him, or if I want to run back to the safe shelter of the scripted life-plan that used to be mine.

Only Once


Ashley Munoz - 2021
    Being a single mother and having a lapse in child support had made me that desperate.Still, I would have rather avoided the circus that rolled into Hawk Tail Resort and the man who sauntered in with it.Tall with those perfectly rounded shoulders made for throwing footballs and winning championships, he carried himself in that regal way that told everyone in the room he was all talent and power.All these years later and he was still that same gorgeous man I left behind in college.Except now he wasn’t gracing the gridiron unless it was for a movie role.I assumed he wouldn’t even recognize me, not with the actress on his arm and the crowd pressing in around him.But when his unexpecting glare lands on me, the last ten years seem to slam back into us at once.Ryan Prince didn’t just recognize me; the angry tilt of those lips on that too perfect face told me he remembered exactly what I did when I left.I thought maybe this was a gift, a way to put the past to rest…but the look on his face told me he had plans to dig up everything that was unfinished between us. It had me wondering if he’d buried anything at all. Maybe he’d just carried all the dirt in a little glass jar, waiting for this moment to shatter it all at my feet.The summer was about to end, but it felt like my penance for the last decade was about to begin.*This is a standalone romance novel with no cheating.*

The Kingmaker


Kennedy Ryan - 2019
    In a world of haves and have nots, my family has it all, and I want nothing to do with it.My path takes me far from home and paints me as the black sheep. At odds with my father, I’m determined to build my own empire. I have rules, but Lennix Hunter is the exception to every one of them. From the moment we meet, something sparks between us. But my family stole from hers and my father is the man she hates most. I lied to have her, and would do anything to keep her. Though she tries to hate me, too, the inexorable pull between us will not be denied.And neither will I.

Slim To None


Freya Barker - 2014
    Life has been pretty good, that is until she received a strange phone call that starts an alarming chain of events. Investigator Gus Flemming is hot on the trail of a bail skip with organized crime connections that bring him to Cedar Tree. Once there, the focus of his investigation lands squarely on the gently rounded shoulders of a vivacious red haired Emma, whose physical limitations have done nothing to dampen her zest for life. When it becomes clear that Emma is at risk, Gus does't hesitate to step in and protect her. Call it a job with some very hot benefits...... **Due to content of a sexually explicit nature, this book is recommended for a mature audience only.**

Knotted


Pam Godwin - 2018
    It’s impossible. Growing up together, Conor and I shared all our firsts. First love, first kiss, first… Not all our firsts. We were sixteen the night she was violently assaulted while I helplessly watched. I’ll never forget the sounds of her suffering. Or my inconsolable agony when she left Oklahoma. Years later, she returns to honor our teenage pact. Except the boy she loved is gone, replaced by a ruthless cattle rancher knotted with secrets. She doesn’t know my dark cravings or the trails of sin that lead to her. I don’t deserve her, but one truth remains. She’s mine. TRAILS OF SIN series (HEAs with no cliffhangers - must be read in order): Knotted #1 Buckled #2 Booted #3

Code of Silence


Shantel Tessier - 2020
    Who just so happens to also be my ex-boyfriend.It’s complicated. Two years ago, he broke my heart when he left me to do his father’s bidding. After months of crying, I finally accepted he was gone and wasn’t going to look back. That maybe he’d never loved me at all. I never wanted to see Luca again.Now a cruel twist of fate has signed me over to him in a heartless deal. I’m his. He thinks he did me a favor, but I feel like I’ve been given a death sentence. He doesn't want to get married because he still loves me. No, he did it for money. More power.I’m going to be a mafia wife. And there’s only one way out of it. Death.But as it turns out, someone else doesn’t want me to marry the ruthless Luca Bianchi. And if he has his way, I’ll see that early grave.Due to mature content and themes this book is recommended for readers aged eighteen and over. Code of Silence is an arranged marriage and a complete standalone. This novel may contain triggers.

Pretty Little Killers


Rita Herron - 2018
    She is his most guilty secret—the one-night stand who almost cost him everything.Korine has her own demons. As a child, she witnessed her father’s murder, and she’s spent her life waiting for the killer’s return. She and Hatcher are both looking for closure, but the disturbing case that draws them together could be their last.When the mutilated body of a corrupt Savannah judge surfaces, Hatcher and Korine find themselves on the trail of a vigilante who is showing no mercy. Not for the predators who’ve gone free. And not for anyone who gets in the way.As the body count rises, and as Hatcher’s and Korine’s own pasts unfold, they must risk their lives tracking a killer they’ve come to understand all too well. After all, the ends justify the means.

Still Not Over You


Nicole Snow - 2018
    I'm just counting on him to save my life. Never, ever fall for your brother's hot older friend. I flunked the test the instant I laid eyes on Landon Strauss. Tall. Ripped. Commanding. Irresistibly alpha. He gave a damn like no one else did. His soul-searing eyes saw me, not just a nerd girl next door. I had my idol, my destiny, and names for our future kids picked. Then I read Landon's little black book. One nosy peek exposed the shock of a lifetime. His confession. His pain. His plan. The sweet boy I loved was gone. Hero-turned-villain-turned-bad-memory overnight. Five years later, an insane slip of fate puts us under the same roof. Sweet closure, I think. I almost forget he hates me. I almost think we'll talk like normal adults. I don't expect the shirtless behemoth who comes barreling through my door. Landon's grown up. All snarls, testosterone, and lethal chemistry. We're in trouble, he says. Oh, Landon. Oh, baby, don't I know it? From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow – a tale of two hearts torn, stomped, and dragged through the mud. An uber-alpha protector bent on reclaiming his nerd next door. Full length romance novel with a Happily Ever After worth a “hell yeah.”

Night Sins


Tami Hoag - 1995
    But when a young boy disappears, it marks the beginning of a unspeakable nightmare. There are no witnesses, no clues, only a note, cleverly taunting, casually cruel. Has a cold-blooded kidnapper struck? Or is this the reawakening of a long-quiet serial killer? Now, a tough-minded investigator on her first, make-or-break case, and a local cop who fears that big city evils have invaded his small town, are hunting for a madman. Together, they must outsmart a killer who knows no bounds...and protect a town that may never feel safe again.

Deadly Shadows


Jaycee Clark - 2004
    If she keeps to herself, she can’t get hurt. Haunted by the past, Jesslyn never again wants to experience the soul-shredding pain of losing loved ones.But a murder changes that.Aiden Kinncaid is running from his own secret loss. As the CEO of Kinncaid Enterprises, he travels to this remote Colorado resort town to oversee the opening of the new Highland Hotel. Though he’s not interested in any kind of relationship, he finds himself drawn to this temperamental, brown-eyed beauty. And her rough-edged attitude is a challenge to him.But whether or not either sought a relationship—they’ve found one. Aiden wants to protect Jesslyn even if she claims she can take care of herself, and she finds she can’t stop thinking about Aiden, even when he annoys her. Will they get their second chance at love and life before the killer eliminates one problem he doesn’t need?

Last Chance to Run


Dianna Love - 2005
    He’s interested. Escaping the compound of a deadly international felon--with a fortune in rare, stolen coins hidden on her body--elite athlete Angel Farentino has to make the most important run of her life. Literally. With her father in prison, where he belongs, and a prior undeserved conviction hanging over her head, she has nowhere to turn and no one to trust. Definitely not law enforcement who railroaded her through a judicial nightmare. One step ahead of lethal men and dogs on her trail, she runs into the arms of a dark stranger willing to help her if she’d let him. But that would only get the sexy pilot killed. Between figuring out who’s sabotaging his undercover work for the DEA and trying to save his baby sister from herself, Zane Jackson has enough on his plate. The last thing he needs is to get entangled with a woman who’s treading on the wrong side of the law. But when the long-legged distraction races into the middle of his operation and stows away on his plane, a primal need to protect forces Zane to risk everything, starting with his heart.Note - This book was originally released as Worth Every Risk. When Dianna received the rights back she revised the story to the much larger romantic thriller version she'd always envisioned, which includes more romance and plenty of action.

Out of the Blue


Kathryn Nolan - 2021
    Until a security job goes bad, and he suddenly finds his career on thin ice. Cope’s newest assignment comes with serious consequences - he’ll keep his job as long as he makes no mistakes.Cope isn’t worried…until his new client turns out to be a beautiful blast from his past.Big wave surfer Serena Swift loves the adrenaline of her sport. And the elite athlete hates being told what to do. That goes double when the orders are coming from the sexy bodyguard-in-a-suit who broke her heart.But she doesn’t have a choice when a mysterious threat materializes and Serena’s sponsor saddles her with the last man she’d want guarding her body. She’d rather focus on her next surf competition, not on some shadowy danger or the arrogant ex who dared to get even hotter since their breakup.Cope can’t stop butting heads with his new client. Just like old times, Serena refuses to play it safe, even when it’s clear she’s in peril. Now the intimacy of spending every second of the day by her side is wearing away at his self-control. He can’t afford to lose focus, but everything about the woman is a constant distraction. Including the fact that their divorce was never finalized…Author’s Note: One-click this scorching-hot bodyguard romance if you’re a fan of second-chance angst, sizzling sexual tension, thrilling action and mysterious danger set on the warm, sunny beaches of San Diego.

Whatever Remains


Lauren Gilley - 2013
    He’s spent the past five years dodging her phone calls and keeping his kid at arm’s length, but when Jade finds a body on her farm, Ben rushes to the scene.Eleven-year-old Heidi Latham, dumped at Jade’s doorstep, is a painful reminder that his girls live in a dangerous world… and that their pull on him is absolute. Ben’s charged with finding Heidi’s killer, and keeping his relationship with Jade a secret. Jade Donovan has spent the past five years teaching lessons and training horses, leaning on the unswerving support of gay best friend, Jeremy, as she raises her daughter, Clara, alone. When she finds Heidi's body, Ben crashes back into her life, and she’s too rattled to steel herself against his dark, stern magnetism. She needs him, she realizes, to hold at bay the terrifying evil that lurks in the shadows, claiming the lives of little girls.As the dark nights close in around them, they cling to the tatters of their relationship; Ben risks his job, and Jade risks her heart in the search for justice, keeping the daughter they both love safe.