Book picks similar to
His Last Defense by Karen Rock


romance
contemporary
uniformly-hot
second-chance

Killing Time


Cindy Gerard - 2013
    The eighth year was no different--until he was drugged by a woman and woke up to her questions about what had happened eight years ago in Afghanistan. CIA attorney Eva Salinas has her own theory behind what happened to Mike's team--which included her husband--in Afghanistan eight years ago, and she's determined to prove foul play. Though she doesn't trust him, Mike is the only person she can turn to for help. Under an assumed name, Eva convinces Mike to assemble a new team and go after the traitor who screwed up both their lives. As they track down the rogue who started it all, Eva and Mike discover they can't live without each other. But can they stay alive while an enemy is still on the loose?

Slip of the Tongue


Jessica Hawkins - 2016
    Nathan Hunt has her coffee waiting every morning. He holds her hand until the last second. He worships the Manhattan sidewalk she walks on. Until one day, he just…stops. And Sadie finds herself in the last place she ever expected to be. Lonely in her marriage.When rugged and sexy Finn Cohen moves into the apartment across the hall, he and Sadie share an immediate spark. Finn reveals dreams for a different life. Sadie wants to save her marriage. Their secrets should keep them apart, not ignite a blistering affair. But while Sadie’s marriage runs colder by the day, she and Finn burn hotter.Her husband doesn’t want her anymore.The man next door would give up everything to have her.Slip of the Tongue is a standalone contemporary romance. The second book in the series, The First Taste, is a standalone about a different couple.

Holding Her Hero : An Enemies to Lovers Military Romance


Amy Lamont - 2018
     Losing her fiancé in Army combat nearly killed her, but a cocky Marine could save her… Pastry chef Mandy Palmer is living on autopilot after the death of her fiancé. Her grandmother’s plea for help offers the sense of purpose she desperately needs. Still, rejoining the living doesn’t mean she’s ready to give her heart to the hunky Marine working by her side to repair her grandmother’s house. She knows better than to risk loving a military man again. According to helicopter pilot Mitch Taylor, military life and marriage don’t mix. He watched too many of his buddies’ relationships crash and burn to ever consider trying it himself. Of course, when Mandy starts getting under his skin in ways he can’t ignore, he starts questioning his standard operating procedure. Convincing her to give love a second chance is hard enough. What would it take for her to love an active duty Marine?

Forged in Desire


Brenda Jackson - 2017
    Bold enough to love her. When good girl Margo Connelly becomes Lamar "Striker" Jennings's latest assignment, she knows she's in trouble. And not just because he's been hired to protect her from an underworld criminal. The reformed bad boy's appeal is breaching all her defenses, and as the threats against her increase, Margo isn't sure which is more dangerous: the gangster targeting her, or the far too alluring protector tempting her to let loose. Though Striker's now living on the right side of the law, he's convinced his troubled past keeps Margo out of his league. But physical chemistry explodes into full-blown passion when they go on the run together. Surrendering to desire could be a deadly distraction—or finally prove that he's the only man qualified to keep her safe, and win her love.

Back in Service


Isabel Sharpe - 2013
    Otherwise Jameson Cartwright wouldn't have tripped and ruined not only his knee, but also his newly minted air force career and the Cartwright family pride. Now he's lying low and miserable until the girl he tormented as a kid comes breezing through his door, looking fresh and sexy. This time, it's his turn to be exquisitely and thoroughly tortured.Grief counselor Kendra Lonergan isn't sure she wants to help the (mouthwateringly hot) guy who once put worms in her sandwich. Still he needs her badly. But it's not long before professional turns into provocative, and the sexual tension is off the charts. And there is only one way to get this scrumptious airman back in service.

Wilde Nights in Paradise


Tonya Burrows - 2013
    Although she makes it clear she wants nothing to do with Jude, they’re forced to fake a relationship for her safety. He can’t ignore the heat still simmering between them, and when her stalker’s threats escalate to attempted murder, he’s left with no choice but to whisk her away to a friend’s safe house in Key West, FL. Cooped up in paradise together, Jude begins to chip away at Libby’s resolve to hate him. But even as she gives in to his proximity and her body’s demands for his, she refuses to fall for his charms again. Maybe a torrid affair in the sun is exactly what she needs to get him out of her system. But when her stalker tracks them down, can they escape the steamy Key West night without anyone getting hurt?

If You Must Know


Jamie Beck - 2020
    Amanda follows the rules—at the school where she works; in her community; and as a picture-perfect daughter, wife, and mother-to-be. Erin follows her heart—in love and otherwise—living a bohemian lifestyle on a shoestring budget and honoring her late father’s memory with a passion for music and her fledgling bath-products business.The sisters are content leading separate but happy lives in their hometown of Potomac Point until everything is upended by lies that force them to confront unsettling truths about their family, themselves, and each other. For sisters as different as these two, building trust doesn’t come easily—especially with one secret still between them—but it may be the only way to save their family.

My Kind of Crazy


Katie O'Sullivan - 2014
     Jonathan Reynolds moved back to the Cape to take over his uncle's business and start fresh after his own marriage ended. He's not looking for anything complicated - until he meets Kendall, with her big plans and wild mop of curls. Throw an unruly foster puppy and an uptight new neighbor into the mix and things get a little crazy. Now Kendall has to decide if it's the kind of crazy that she can live with... for the rest of her life.

Fighting for Everything


Laura Kaye - 2018
    It kills him to push her away, especially when he’s noticing just how sexy and confident she’s become in his absence. But, angry and full of fight, he’s not the same man anymore either. Which is why Warrior Fight Club sounds so good.Kristina loves teaching, but she wants more out of life. She wants Noah—the boy she’s crushed on and waited for. Except Noah is all man now—in ways both oh so good and troubling, too. Still, she wants who he’s become—every war-hardened inch. And when they finally stop fighting their attraction, it’s everything Kristina never dared hope for.But Noah is secretly spiraling, and when he lashes out, it threatens what he and Kristina have found. The brotherhood of the fight club helps him confront his demons, but only Noah can convince the woman he loves that he’s finally ready to fight for everything.

Tasty Cakes (Racing Heart, #1)


Molly Sloan - 2021
    There is no room for distractions. But a stop-off at the new bakery brings me face to face with the owner, Vivienne Cross. Now I can’t get her sexy little smile out of my head. Her desserts are in my house and I see her “cupcakes” all over town. It’s been a long time, but I feel alive again. My world is not as dark as it once was. I even fantasize about frosting. But she lied to me. Even if I can forgive her, I don’t know if it would work out? She’s an heiress and I’m an old-school kind of guy. I like to take care of the women I love. Do I even fit into her world?What can I offer her that she doesn’t already have? Will she be happy with me or want the bigger life within her grasp?

Take Me Again


Carly Phillips - 2019
    but she’s going to make him work for it.Sebastian Knight is a closer. Be it a real estate deal or the woman of his choice, everything he wants is his for the taking.Sexy and irresistible, a wink, a smile, or a handshake always seals the deal. Until everything unravels around him.After Ashley Easton’s social climbing mother married into the Knight family, Ashley knew better than to get involved with sexy, trouble making Sebastian Knight but their attraction is undeniable, their chemistry intense, and in a moment of weakness, she turns to him, a mistake that cost her her home and her family. After she was sent away, she swore she’d never come back.Sebastian never expected to see Ashley, the one woman he’s never been able to get over, again.When she walks back into his life at the worst possible time, more beautiful than ever, he’s ready for a second chance. She’s sassy and sexy everything he’s ever desired. And she’s back for good. Except Ashley wants nothing to do with the playboy who broke her heart. Too bad his sex appeal makes it harder and harder to keep him at arm’s length.Sebastian Knight might have a talent for sealing the deal but this is one game he’s going to have to work to win.

No One to Trust


Katie Reus - 2012
    When his risky lifestyle finally lands him in harm’s way, Elizabeth finds herself dragged into the dangerous underworld with him and into the path of one of Miami’s most dangerous drug lords. To stay alive, she now has to depend on the one man she has tried so desperately to forget.He’ll do anything to keep her safe…Former Marine Porter Caldwell never should have let Elizabeth walk away from him all those months ago. She means more to him than anything and now that she’s in danger and turned to him for help, he won’t make that mistake again. When a local gang targets her and she’s nearly killed in a drive by shooting, Porter vows to do whatever it takes to keep her alive. Even if it means turning his back on all that he’s sworn to uphold.

Do or Die


Suzanne Brockmann - 2014
    Or so the world has been led to believe. In reality, the former Special Ops warrior is still fighting for good, leading a small band of freelance covert operatives who take care of high-stakes business in highly unofficial ways. That makes Ian the hands-down choice when the U.S. government must breach a heavily guarded embassy and rescue a pair of children kidnapped by their own father, a sinister foreign national willing to turn his own kids into casualties. Shockingly, Ian passes on the mission... for reasons he will not–or cannot–reveal.But saying no is not an option. Especially not to Phoebe Kruger, Ian’s bespectacled, beautiful, and unexpectedly brash new attorney. Determined to see the abducted children set free, she not only gets Ian on board but insists on riding shotgun on his Mission: Impossible-style operation, whether he likes it or not.Though Phoebe has a valuable knack for getting out of tight spots, there’s no denying the intensely intimate feelings growing between Ian and Phoebe as the team gears up for combat. But these are feelings they both must fight to control as they face an array of cold-blooded adversaries, including a vindictive mob boss who’s got Ian at the top of his hit list and a wealthy psychopath who loves murder as much as money. As they dodge death squads and play lethal games of deception, Ian and Phoebe will do whatever it takes to save the innocent and vanquish the guilty.Or die trying.

Letting Go


Abbie Zanders - 2017
    After learning her father has ALS, Hannah McGinnis returns home to Muskrat Falls, determined to oversee his care --- whether he likes it or not. Dealing with an imperfect health care system and her gruff, abrasive father is a challenge, but Hannah is every bit as stubborn as he is. Colonel Angus McGinnis, US Army Rangers, Ret. knows he hasn’t been an ideal father but before he ships out, he’s made it his mission to see his daughter happy and settled with a man worthy of her, one who will love her and treat her like the amazing woman she is. It’s got to be a covert mission though, because if Hannah realizes what he’s up to, she’ll mount her own campaign … of resistance.A year after an IED ended his military career, former US Army Ranger Medic Sergeant Ethan O’Malley is going to put his life back together, whether he thinks he’s ready to or not. The first step is accepting a position as a live-in caretaker to his father’s old Army buddy. The second will be getting the Colonel’s feisty daughter to accept him. The hostile yet intriguing Hannah isn’t going to make it easy for him, but Ethan is committed and he hasn’t failed a mission yet. Three headstrong, determined people. Three challenging missions. Having a plan Bravo isn’t going to be enough; to succeed, they’re each going to need plans Charlie, Delta, and Foxtrot, too.

The Investigator


Anna Hackett - 2020
    Stay away from her boss’ hot brother.Museum curator Haven McKinney has sworn off men. All of them. Totally. She’s recently escaped a bad ex and started a new life for herself in San Francisco. She loves her job at the Hutton Museum, likes her new boss, and has made best friends with his feisty sister. Haven’s also desperately trying not to notice their brother: hotshot investigator Rhys Norcross. And she’s really trying not to notice his muscular body, sexy tattoos, and charming smile.Nope, Rhys is off limits.Investigator Rhys Norcross is good at finding his targets. After leaving an elite military team, he thrives on his job at his brother’s security firm, Norcross Security. He’s had his eye on smart, sexy Haven for a while, but the pretty curator with her eyes full of secrets is proving far harder to chase down than he anticipated.Luckily, Rhys never, ever gives up.When thieves target the museum and steal a multi-million-dollar painting in a daring theft, Haven finds herself right in the middle of a deadly situation. With the painting gone and Haven in danger, Rhys vows to do whatever it takes to keep her safe, and Haven finds herself risking the one thing she was trying so hard to protect—her heart.