Book picks similar to
The Nerd and the Marine by D.R. Grady


romance
contemporary-romance
military
contemporary

Hold on Tight


Serena Bell - 2014
    The son he never knew he had. And the woman he could never forget.Mira Shipley is far from home, raising her son on her own—and the babysitter has just quit. Then salvation appears, in the messiest—and hottest—form possible: Sam’s real dad, who’s an Army Ranger. Jake Taylor was Mira’s first love—her first everything—and she always vowed that if she ever saw Jake again, she’d tell him he had a son. But she wasn’t expecting him to be so wounded and angry. Part of her wants to walk away—but she knows she needs to be patient with him.That was before he volunteered for childcare duty.Now they’re under one roof together. There’s no way to keep this alpha warrior at a distance. No way to protect her own heart, or her son’s. No way to deny the wild chemistry between them. It’s a recipe for the deepest intimacy of her life. The most intense connection she’s ever known. And maybe, if she and Jake can both overcome their fears, a recipe for…family.

Running Barefoot


Amy Harmon - 2012
    Josie teaches Samuel about words, music and friendship, and along the way finds a kindred spirit. Upon graduation, Samuel abandons the sleepy, small town in search of a future and a life, leaving his young friend behind. Many years go by and Samuel returns, finding Josie in need of the very things she offered him years before. Their roles reversed, Samuel teaches Josie about life, love, and letting go. Deeply romantic and poignant, Running Barefoot is the story of a small town girl and a Native American boy, the ties that bind them to their homes and families, and the love that gives them wings.

Code Name: Ghost


Natasza Waters - 2013
    Kayla is intent on leaving her past north of the border. Hired as a Canadian liaison by the US Navy, she finds the Coronado SEALs tough but amiable. Their Commander is another matter. With eyes like blue steel and a body carved from it, Kayla resists the hungry attraction between them for good reason.Navy SEAL Commander Thane Austen (Ghost) treats his women like his missions: in, out and gone. Returning from deployment to find Kayla is his new tactical specialist poses a challenge, one he’s never faced. When the defiant beauty with haunted eyes becomes a serial killer’s target, the Commander has the excuse he needs to close ranks around her. Fear is a word unknown to the legendary SEAL until he realizes love can be as dangerous to a warrior as combat. Convincing Kayla to surrender to him and catching a killer is a mission he won’t fail.A Warriors Challenge seriesBook One - Code Name: GhostBook Two - Code Name: Kayla's FireBook Three - Code Name: Nina's ChoiceBook Four - Code Name: Luminous (Winner of the 2015 "Reward of Novel Excellence" award best suspense)Natasza's newsletter http://nataszawaters.com/subscribe-to...

Shoot to Thrill


Nina Bruhns - 2000
    KYLE “KICK” JACKSON is a bona fide bad-ass. The product of a rough childhood and a youth spent proving how tough he was, Kick was the perfect CIA black-ops operative. Right up until the fateful mission that left his best friend dead and Kick in the hospital for months. They were betrayed…from the inside. Now his former bosses will stop at nothing, including kidnapping, to get him back to complete his mission.Unfortunately, there is a complication. A big one.LORRAINE “RAINIE” MARTIN is a fiercely dedicated ER nurse—-a vocation decided upon when her parents were killed in a brutal carjacking. But the impenetrable fortress of safety she has erected around herself and her heart do no good when she finds herself stranded in the unforgiving desert, dependent on a dangerous man without mercy for her very survival…and the only way home is to confront her worst fears

Heat of the Moment


Elle Kennedy - 2008
    Then she overhears Garrett talking to his SEAL teammate--a discussion in which they conclude she's vanilla. Stung, Shelby sets out to show them exactly how un-vanilla she is. Garrett can't believe it when sweet, sexy Shelby suggests a wild and sweaty menage. He's been trying to figure out how to ask her out without coming off as a guy who only wants to get in her pants--her friendship is too valuable to him to risk it. But if a crazy, heat-wave three-way is what Shelby wants, then he's ready and willing to give it to her. Once she gets it out of her system, however...well, then he'll let her know he wants her all to himself.Warning: This title contains two dangerously hot Navy SEALS and a heroine determined to get it on with both of them. Be prepared to take a cold shower (or maybe two) after reading this heat-wave menage.

Just Kidding


Lani Lynn Vale - 2020
    It’ll be fun, they said.Well, they—I.e. Kilgore Police Department’s public relations specialists—were wrong.Now, every time Dax Tremaine walks around a corner, the women of Kilgore, Texas can’t help calling him Mr. January.Mr. January, can you fix my flat tire? Mr. January, can you cuff me? Mr. January, can you sign my boob?It goes from bad to worse when even on a SWAT call, the women won’t stay away.***It was the worst time of her life. Rowen Roberts had finally admitted to herself that the man she loved would never love her back. She was just fired from her job for violating client confidentiality, and to make matters worse, she’s held up at gunpoint in a convenience store where she only wanted some ice cream to help mask the pain.The moment the gun is pressed to her forehead, she knows she has a decision to make. Follow the rules and maybe possibly live, or go down swinging where at least she can salvage just a little bit of her dignity.And when Mr. January himself tells her to do what the gunman says, she’s had enough. Rowen has never really been a girl that does what she’s told. Mr. January won’t have to save her. She can dang well save herself.

Protecting Caroline


Susan Stoker - 2014
    It’s Book 1 in the SEAL of Protection Series.** Matthew “Wolf” Steel hated flying commercial. Luckily his job as a Navy SEAL meant he didn’t have to do it very often. He’d been unlucky enough to be assigned a middle seat on the cramped jet, but fortunately for him, the woman next to him was willing to switch seats with him. Hoping for a relaxing flight, Wolf was pleasantly surprised at the good conversation and sense of humor the woman had as they flew 36,000 feet over the countryside. When Caroline boarded the plane to Virginia to move across the country for her new job she never expected to be seated next to the hottest guy she’d ever seen. She also never expected he’d be so easy to talk to. She knew he’d never be interested in talking to her if he hadn’t been trapped in the seat next to her, but it was a nice way to spend a long plane ride. Neither Wolf nor Caroline were prepared for a terrorist hijacking of their plane, but if Caroline thought that would be the last time she’d see, or need, Wolf, she’d be sorely mistaken. Start the SEAL of Protection Series with Caroline and Wolf's storyLibrarian Note: This is an alternate cover edition of ASIN: B00N9JVRUQ. The original cover edition is here.

The Telling


Eden Winters - 2009
    He'd left Alabama hoping to escape a dull, small-town life, only to return four years later, lugging a duffle full of personal demons. Cookesville, Alabama isn’t the most welcoming place on earth, particularly for a gay, Hispanic student wanting nothing more than to earn his degree and get back home to Texas. An image of a somber young man that he knows only by name and the stories told by an adoring sister comes to life when Michael returns home, just as Jay is already half-way to losing his heart.Michael’s biggest battle lies ahead, and he’ll need all the help he can get to find his way in a world where he no longer fits in. Jay’s not sure where he fits either, but it could be next to the war-torn soldier who needs his strength.***Proceeds from Amazon sales are being donated to PFLAG.

The Safe Bet


Brittney Sahin - 2015
    No attachments, no relationships — he's too busy transforming his knack for military intelligence into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. But when headstrong event planner Kate Adams comes barreling into his life, everything changes.From the moment she arrives in Charlotte, Kate is tongue-tied by Michael. She's never fallen for a client before, but then she's never had a client like him — sleek, hard, and impenetrable as steel.While Kate struggles to keep her distance, a stalker sends her tumbling more deeply into Michael's world. The former Marine is equipped and willing to protect her, and yet Kate finds herself growing more terrified than ever in his care. For as they grow closer, she realizes that Michael has his own secret past. And while he might save her life, he will surely break her heart.Author's Note: Previously titled: Silenced Memories. This is a STAND-ALONE romantic mystery novel. Hidden Truths: Former Marines. Strong female leads. No cliffhangers.

The General and the Horse-Lord


Sarah Black - 2013
    They followed the warrior’s path: honor first, and service, and the safety of the tribe. Their own needs for love and companionship were secondary to the mission. Retirement from the army, however, proves challenging in ways neither expected. When old warriors retire, their armor starts falling away, and the noise of the world crowds in. That changing world sets up longings in both men for the life they might have had. After years of loving on the down-low, the idea of living together in the light seems like pure sweet oxygen to men who have been underwater a little too long. But what will it cost them to turn their dreams into truth?

Nobody's Angel


Kallypso Masters - 2011
    But his SAR partner, Luke, a widower, thinks Angelina has been sent to him by his dead wife. Marc knows only he can fulfill her sexual needs, but won’t hurt his friend. When the abusive Dom stalks her, she turns to Marc for help and learns a submissive has power too.

Pretend You're Mine


Lucy Score - 2015
    He’s strong, sexy, broody. The last thing he’s looking for is a woman to ruin his solitude. When the wildly beautiful Harper stumbles into his life, though, he realizes that she’s the perfect decoy. A fake girlfriend to keep his family off his back until he’s deployed.So what if kissing her sends his mind to wicked places? He can control himself. Can’t he?Harper was on her way to starting a new life… again. But something about Luke makes her want to settle down in this small town and make his house a home. When she’s in his arms, she finally knows what it’s like to feel safe. Protected.One night of sharing a bed turns into something much, much more… and soon Luke can’t keep his mind off Harper’s wide gray eyes or his hands off her luscious curves. He never thought he’d feel this way about a woman again. But he knows that he can’t tell her the truth about his dark past. And she can’t reveal what she’s running from.At least this isn’t a real relationship. It’s only for a month. It’s only pretend. Until it isn’t…

Stolen Breaths


Pamela Sparkman - 2014
    Sometimes pain lies underneath, buried so deep that for a moment you let yourself forget – until you can’t. I didn't realize how numb I was until I started feeling again, and he made me feel – everything. Cooper Hudson came into my life when I needed him the most – twice. This is my story. This is the story of us. “It was funny how you never really realized how lifeless you were until someone came along and gave you that shock to the chest that forced your heart to start beating again.”Note: This is a true love story. It is a story about overcoming tragedy and circumstance. It's about learning to heal through the heartache when you would rather hide from it. Lily and Cooper meet, and nothing is ever the same.

Letters from Home


Rhonda Nelson - 2009
    Conduct very private negotiations!Obstacle: Natalie Rowland, longtime star of his X-rated dreams...Levi McPherson's tour of duty has an unexpected benefit: anonymous red-hot love letters! Someone he knows is mailing the rugged soldier her very explicit fantasies. And he's loving every word.On an unexpected leave home, he discovers his sexy secret admirer--Natalie Rowland, the longtime star of his own X-rated dreams!But he's not letting Natalie know her cover's blown...yet. That way, the exquisite pleasure of fulfilling each and every one of her naughty ideas is all his--and hers....

Connor


Jordan Silver - 2014
    The seven men have lived hard and fought harder all their lives and now all they’re looking forward to is a life of ease running the construction company they've started together. Connor isn't really looking to settle down. During his years in service he and his brothers had made a pact never to get hitched while they were still signed up. But after their old CO the man who'd been like a father to the seven young men he'd taken under his wing and molded into the men they were today died. They learned some things that didn't sit too well with them so they decided as a team to cash out. Now their homes are built and the business is going fine. There's just one blur on their otherwise perfect horizon. It seems someone has decided to use their quiet little slice of paradise for illegal activities. Not only that but the young and genteel Danielle Dupree has set her sights on the rough and rugged Connor and no matter what he does he can't seem to shake her. So he does the only thing left for him to do, he takes her. But can the well-bred southern belle and the street kid turned soldier find a balance?