Books like 'Controlled Burn'
Readers who enjoyed Controlled Burn by Marie James also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary funny suspense single-mother m-f angst height-difference forced proximity slow burn found-family
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Rewriting You by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsI’m a mom to teenagers… I’m also my late husband’s executioner.He was an abusive man on the fast track to devastation. He hung me from a fancy chandelier to die. Had my saviours driven the long way home, I wouldn’t be here today to tell my story. It’s been a long road since then, but my children and I have finally moved back to town. It’s time to lay some ghosts to bed... -
Forever Paired by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.77 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsLandon Davies had worked hard to start his own restaurant. It was a very different path than most of his family had taken. He was one of the few family members that were not military or law enforcement. But his hard work had given him a restaurant that was beginning to take off when a woman’s scream in the alley outside his kitchen changed everything... -
Put Out by Lani Lynn Vale
Angie is a survivor. Anything you could throw at her, she could overcome. After her father left her like a pile of unwanted trash, she began fighting. Fighting to build a life. Fighting to keep her child. Fighting to matter. She thought she had it all figured out. Then Bowen Race Tannenbaum walks into her life, turning it into a flurry of confusion, hope, and then ultimately despair... -
Forever Freed by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJackson Parker has seen evil first hand as a Tier 1 government asset with the FBI Hostage Rescue Team. After months of black ops work overseas, he’s finally coming home for a break. But with Keeneston’s wedding of the century, a stowaway on the run, and a plot that could kill thousands of civilians, Jackson gets anything but rest and relaxation... -
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Dynamite by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsThey call us the devil twins - a fallacy and unfair assumption on everyone’s part.Well... mostly.My name is Luke Hart, and I’m the oldest of identical twin boys. Although I may be responsible for the ‘devil’ in our name, I have no urge to set the record straight and exonerate the innocent half of our pairing.There’s no point letting the truth get in the way of a good story.Right?Not so...Categorized as:
m-f found-family competent heroine independent heroine sports new adult humor length-medium -
Promise Me This by Karla Sorensen
Imagine this: an author with a raging case of writer’s block finds an unexpected source of inspiration in her grumpy, gorgeous new roommate. Sounds amazing, right? Except that new roommate is my childhood best friend. And Ian Wilder has been off-limits since I was five... -
Forever Thrown by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.68 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsEverything Porter Davies has worked for is about to be ripped away from him with one throw from a rodeo horse. The hits don’t stop there, either. He’d known they’d come for him one day. His father had been the best spy back in his day and they’d been keeping tabs on Porter since he was eighteen... -
Forever Burning by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsColton Davies is living the ultimate bachelor life in Keeneston as the chief fireman. He should be enjoying every moment of it, but a strange feeling in his chest suddenly takes over whenever he sees his friend Cady dancing with other men. The urge to rush in and rescue her is almost overwhelming, but he can’t let himself get carried away... -
Dirty Little Midlife (fake) Date by Lilian Monroe
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsBrooding, grumpy Des has a problem. He needs a date to his family's Thanksgiving reunion for reasons he'd...rather not say.Single mother and all-around hot mess Mia has an even bigger issue: She can't afford her rent, and her new landlord Des is a major you-know-what.So, they make a deal. One simple weekend away in exchange for a serious rent reduction... -
I Can't Even by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsEllodie Cassandra Solaire made a single, solitary New Year’s resolution.That resolution was set in stone, and she wouldn’t be breaking it, no matter what.It was simple: Say yes to every person who asks her out on a date until she finds a boyfriend.Easy, right?Wrong.She breaks that New Year’s resolution three months into the year after a guy gives her serial killer vibes...Categorized as:
suspense forced proximity m-f contemporary military humor from hate to love length-medium -
Forever Saved by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJace Davies has devoted his life to helping others. He is opening a new medical practice in his small hometown of Keeneston and is looking forward to starting the next phase of his life. Who knew that the new phase would begin with a 9-1-1 call? Stella Winters left her ex-boyfriend behind for a move to Keeneston to accomplish her dream of opening a garden center... -
Fierce Shadows by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsDare Reigns is Charleston’s newest undercover ATF agent. Dare and his bosses believe a nearby resort is responsible for several deaths from tainted alcohol. As a favor to his friend, Marcy Davies, Dare agrees to a blind date with her grand-niece who lives in the area. What he didn’t tell her was having a date night at the resort would be the perfect cover for him to begin his investigation... -
Forever Devoted by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLayne Davies needed a break—a break from the busy bodies in her small town of Keeneston, Kentucky and a break from dating men who turned into scared little boys upon meeting her father. That’s why she was so excited to have been invited to speak at a medical conference in Charleston, South Carolina. Never did she think her whole life would change the second she stepped on that stage... -
Forever Secret by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSophie Davies has a secret . . . in fact, she has quite a few secrets. Sophie Davies is the head of weapon development for a private firm contracted with the Department of Defense. Because of her knowledge and high security clearances, she has kept her job a secret for fear of kidnapping and sabotage... -
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Royal by Cee Bowerman
A favor for his twin brother put Royal Conner under the spotlight. The highest bidder won and she’s nothing like he thought she’d be. One look and he’s smitten, one conversation and he’s intrigued, one kiss and he’s lost. Paula has too much on her plate to deal with a man... -
Charlie Foxtrot by Giulia Lagomarsino
Rated: 4.73 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMummies.Yeah, you heard me right. That’s my next job—protecting a mummy.It wouldn’t be a problem, except someone doesn’t want this particular mummy to make it to the museum.Not to mention one of my teammates thinks this particular mummy is cursed.On top of this ridiculous job, I’ve also met the most gorgeous woman in the world... -
Forever Ventured by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.77 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWyatt Davies is faced with a hard choice: give up being a veterinarian or give up the family horse racing farm he inherited. He has one chance to save the farm and that chance lies with horse trainer Camila Callahan. Camila was raised by the United Kingdom's greatest horse trainer, and he taught her everything he knew... -
Forever Concealed by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsCan love find a way when truth is concealed? Gabe Ali Rahman is the standby heir to the crown and he’s okay with that. So what that he’s gotten the reputation of being a playboy prince? He’s had a lot of fun along the way. But now he wants more in life than casual flings... -
Reckless by Adriana Locke
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 26 ratings“How did you get in here?”That’s not what you want to hear when you’re staring into the sea-green eyes of the hottest man you’ve ever seen. Yet I suppose it’s a fair question, considering I’m an uninvited stranger standing in Boone Mason’s kitchen.If you think that’s bad—just wait. It gets worse...Categorized as:
forced proximity single-mother m-f contemporary humor christian insta-love audiobook -
Moonshine Kiss by Lucy Score, Claire Kingsley
All those years of adolescent fantasies and this was how Bowie Bodine first touched my boobs. And he apologized. Real life was stupid and unfair.Small town deputy Cassidy Tucker’s dating life is a train wreck on repeat. All she ever wanted was a solid partner. A man to share pajamas with. The handsome, big-hearted Bowie Bodine. Wait. Scratch that. Mr...Categorized as:
forced proximity suspense found-family m-f angst friends to lovers contemporary siblings-bff -
Killing Booth by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEvery single thing you want is going to require you to be uncomfortable. Those words had been shared with her by the one man she didn’t think she could take a chance on. She just didn’t know that he was right, or that he was going to be the one making her uncomfortable. Nash Wilder Christopherson was the world’s golden boy. For fifteen years, she watched Nash race from the safety of her phone...Categorized as:
suspense angst forced proximity strong heroine m-f humor grumpy sunshine friends to lovers -
Axe-identally Married by Daphne Elliot
I used to be a good girl. That is until I woke up in Vegas married to a former hockey player who also happens to be my best friend’s ex. Cole Hebert and I are opposites. I’m the new town doctor, a rule follower, and five-five on a good day. He’s the six-seven bad boy currently doing court-ordered community service... -
Forever Hunted by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe hunt is on... Carter Ashton had always been close to the entire Davies family. Until he decided he wanted to bring his relationship with Reagan Davies out of the shadows. As tempers flare, Carter must stand his ground or lose the love of his life. But when an old family friend asks for help, Carter unknowingly brings danger to the doorstep of the woman he loves... -
Kiss My Giraffe by Erin Nicholas
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsEnemies to friends to almost lovers then back to enemies…to lovers.She's got a lot of baggage...literally and figuratively. And an entourage. And a freaking giraffe. For real.For a guy who wants to keep things simple, this is anything but... -
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Catch a Kiwi by Rosalind James
Breathe, smile, and move on. When you’re writing the next chapter in your rags-to-riches-to-rags story, you need about a million quotes like that. I might be short on inspiration, but I had determination. That was it, except for a very young cousin and a very old campervan, but I was all about starting over...Categorized as:
m-f forced proximity strong heroine independent heroine slow burn contemporary humor poor heroine -
Time to Bounce by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLoneliness is overwhelming in its intensity. There are times you think you can cope, that you can make it despite the hollow feeling in your chest. Then there are the times when you realize you can’t breathe through the pain of loss. When Gable Buchanan Carter walks into Athena’s life, it’s like a light is switched on inside her chest. Suddenly she can breathe... -
Van by Melanie Moreland
Vince Morrison, known to most people as Van. Good with his hands, be it crafting a piece of wood, playing his guitar, or pleasing a lover—he excels at them all. Friendly, flirty, and talented, he’s cool under pressure, and hot everywhere else. But he keeps his heart closed, even as his interest and emotions are tested. Olivia Rourke works alongside him at BAM... -
Knocking Boots by Jordan Marie
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsI’ve always heard, don’t fall in love with a cowboy. I just didn't listen. I've sworn off men. They’ve never given me much in life, except a bun in the oven and grief. My kids are my life and all that truly matter. Until him. Jansen Reed is a living fantasy straight from the old west. Sexy drawl, tight jeans and that glint in his eyes that make my knees weak... -
Hopelessly Shattered by Bink Cummings
Single Mother- ✔ Dead Father- ✔ Motherless Childhood- ✔ Librarian- ✔ Black Rimmed Glasses to Fit the Job Description- ✔ The Biggest A-hole in the World for an Ex- ✔✔ When you’re born you never know what life will throw at you. You just make the best of it no matter what happens. That’s pretty much been my go-to since infancy... -
Breathless With Her by Carrie Ann Ryan
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan comes a sexy new contemporary series. Devin Carr likes his life. He likes his job, his family, the outlook for his future. Then he meets her. Erin. As soon as he sees her, drunk and wearing a sequined dress as her world crashes down around her and she fights to put on a brave face, he knows what he’s been missing. Her... -
Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens
A hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating... -
The New Doctor at Peony Practice by Christie Barlow
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPreorder the next book in the heartwarming and bestselling Love Heart Lane seriesLove Heart Lane – where friends are there for you no matter whatAll’s fair in love and…medicine?Dr Katie O’Neil has only been in Heartcross a few hours when she finds herself already ruffling feathers – not least with medical school nemesis and new colleague Ben Sanders...Categorized as:
suspense forced proximity m-f small town humor contemporary from hate to love length-medium -
Dirty Little Midlife Secret by Lilian Monroe
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLily Viceroy arrived in Heart’s Cove with a suitcase by her side and two eensy weensy secrets tucked into the corners of her heart.Well, that’s if “eensy” and “weensy” are code for “terrifying” and “dire.”Clearly, the only thing for Lily to do is to engage in a good ol’ bout of denial... -
Zach: The Four Families by Cee Bowerman
With the help of his friends in the Four Families, Zach Campana has been working hard to rectify his father and grandfather’s mistakes, but a decision made not long before his father’s sudden death could change Zach’s future and rip away everything he’s worked so hard to build. After watching the senior Campanas hurt everyone around them, Zach made a vow that he would never be like either of them... -
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Saving Shadows by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGavin Faulkner was the only doctor in the small South Carolina inner coastal town of Shadows Landing. He was used to patching up everything from fishing lures stuck in skin to gator bites. Nothing could surprise him anymore—except when he found an unconscious woman partially submerged near his dock after a fierce thunderstorm. Ellery St. John’s last memory was of a bat swinging toward her head... -
JINXED by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsDrakeThey call me a flirt. ‘Detective Sl()ts-A-Lot’ when they’re feeling frisky, because my morals are loose, and my choice in women, according to the haters, is unfussy.But they don’t know I’ve been watching her.Waiting for her.The problem is, she’s half my age, and has no business being with a man like me.***RoryThey call me clumsy.Jinxed.And when they’re feeling a little dramatic, doomed...Categorized as:
suspense forced proximity angst age difference humor contemporary new adult length-medium -
I Knew He Was Trouble by Amanda Schimmoeller
I’ve never needed help from anyone. I certainly don’t need it from the infuriating doctor next door.I loathe my uncivil neighbor and the loud music he blares before the sun has risen. Even the dogs I walk—for one of my four jobs—despise him.I’d be happy never seeing him again... -
Forever Entangled by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsRyan Parker had always loved Sienna Ashton, but gave up on his fantasy years ago. After working as an undercover FBI Agent in Los Angeles, Ryan gets a phone call telling him to come home to the small town of Keeneston, Kentucky. The woman he thought he was over is now in serious trouble. Sienna Ashton fell in love with Ryan Parker too late... -
Reset by Janet Elizabeth Henderson
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFormer soldier Ryan Granger’s life has become all about numbers:13 months since he was shot in the head7 months spent in a coma6 months since he woke, a changed man5 hours since he’d been kidnapped4 minutes since he’d opened his eyes in an underground cavern3 minutes since he’d heard a woman calling for help…Two strangers trapped together.One impossible way out... -
Skye by Jessica Ames
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSkye Pregnant and in the hands of my enemies, I have no choice but to hope the father of my baby will protect me. I should have known that nothing in my life is ever simple. Rage is furious when he learns the truth about who I really am and his club isn’t prepared to let me go... -
Levi: Driverton 2 by Ruth Cardello
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDriverton’s bad boy is falling in love with his best friend’s cousin and it just might cost him everything.Levi has always had a sweet spot for Katie, but she’s not his type. He likes his women wild, willing, and from out of town so they’re easy to move on from when his interest wanes.Katie is opinionated and off-limits... -
Stella & Nine by Kennedy B.
Stella is inches away from the title of lonely cat lady. What’s even more tragic is she doesn’t realize she’s lonely until a concussion and a tow truck driver inserts himself into her life.Nine is mean, callous, and short tempered…until he meets a woman who he can’t seem to stay away from.Sugar cookies and synergy seal their fate, creating the perfect recipe for the perfect mismatched pair... -
The Bright Side of Christmas by Morgan Elizabeth
Wren King is the one person in town everyone can rely on: need someone to watch your kids? She’s got it, you deserve a night off! Want a five dozen cookies for a bake sale? Call up Wren; she loves to bake. As the small town of Holly Ridge’s sweetheart, she’s always available to help, even if it leaves little time for herself along the way. But this holiday season, it’s ramped up to the next level... -
Undeniable Temptation by Eden Summers
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHaunted by a kiss. With his destructive marriage behind him, Ryan Bennett can no longer deny his insatiable attraction to the one woman in control of his future. He needs her. Craves her. She’s the only glimpse of happiness through the building drama in his life and yet one drunken kiss has pushed her further away. Tormented by what’s at stake... -
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Tied Bond by Emma Hart
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsHolly Woods is going to hell in a handbasket—but this time, Satanists aren’t to blame. Halloween is. Nonna doesn’t understand why there are skeletons and demons everywhere. Mom is threatening to stitch a devil into Nonna’s pillowcase if she doesn’t shut up. Bek is bumbling over a date with Jason, the handsome FBI agent who conveniently got himself relocated to Austin, and I… Well... -
Far From Destined by Carrie Ann Ryan
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan continues her sexy new contemporary stand-alone series with a broken heart and the shattered soul that can heal them both.Macon Brady remembers every moment he lay on the ground, a bullet in his chest, his life bleeding out with each pulse. Yet his nightmares aren’t the only thing keeping him up at night...Categorized as:
suspense strong heroine single-mother humor contemporary tortured hero abuse audiobook -
That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss by Julie Christianson
My dream job just got snapped up by the one man who rejected me…That’s right. I’m an unemployed twenty-something stuck sleeping on my grandmother’s old futon while Hudson Blaine, the guy who shot me down, gets to manage The Beachfront Inn.Talk about life being unfair.I’m about to flee town with what’s left of my pride when Mr. Rejection begs me to stay... -
Crossing the Line by Jessica Prince
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSome lines are meant to be crossed.Trent Montgomery knew all about loyalty and responsibility. Tracking down his friend’s long-lost sister and making sure she was safe was just another job, a favor from someone he cared about. He wasn’t supposed to get attached. But when he started to fall for the woman who had been hiding from the world, things got a lot more complicated than he ever expected... -
Shameless With Him by Carrie Ann Ryan
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan completes a sexy contemporary series with an unrequited crush on the bad boy next door.Caleb Carr might have once been ready for commitment, but when the unexpected slams into him with the force of a two-ton truck, he knows he has to run away from anything that might be important... -
In Her Jam Jar by Alina Jacobs
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRevenge is best served cold, but Weston is smoking hot!Bullies never get what’s coming to them. Instead they lead charmed lives while their victims continue to spiral into an anxious ball of junk food and wine fueled self-care. No just me?Probably because I had to move back to my small home town with only broke and reeking of failure...
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