Books like 'Guarded Heart'
Readers who enjoyed Guarded Heart by Gina Norris also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary single-father small town from hate to love suspense
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The Chesapeake Series: Sea Swept / Rising Tides / Inner Harbor / Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts
#1 "New York Times" bestselling author Nora Roberts presents her breathtaking Chesapeake Series--SEA SWEPT, RISING TIDES, INNER HARBOR, and CHESAPEAKE BLUE presented together in one set for the first time.SEA SWEPTWhen Cameron Quinn receives word that his father has been in a terrible car accident and is near death, Cam returns home... -
Take A Chance On Me by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsOh Sh*tThis is part 2 of the Marc and Meg Duet. It cannot be read as a standalone. Due to spoilers, the above is all the blurb you will get.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The conclusion to the Meg and Marc duet is phenomenal. It’s been a long time since I’ve found a writer that makes me laugh, scream, and cry in the same sitting. This is an epic story - epic love, epic friendship, epic woman finding her way... -
In the Air Tonight by Marie Force
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsI was there. I saw what you did.BlaiseI wasn’t supposed to be there that night, but my friend Sienna talked me into going to the party in Land’s End so she could spy on her boyfriend. While hiding out in the woods, we witnessed an unspeakable crime. And we did everything wrong afterward.Connections run deep in our small town... -
Final Vow by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsAs the ultimate bodyguard, Ahmed’s focus has been protecting the lives of everyone he cares about. When the darkest part of his past resurfaces, Ahmed knows he must go on the offensive to protect his future . . . a future with the one woman that can match his toughness and return the love that was once robbed from him... -
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Sunset by Sharon Sala
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 11 ratings"Sharon Sala is a consummate storyteller." —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling authorCrossroads, Texas, just might be the place to settle down and find the love of your dreams in this new small town romance series from Sharon Sala, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Blessings, Georgia series... -
The Starfish Sisters by Barbara O'Neal
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsFrom the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids comes an emotional novel about two women facing the betrayals, heartbreaks, and refuge of true friendship.Phoebe and Suze used to be closer than sisters. Growing up in a quiet and wildly beautiful coastal town in Oregon, they shared everything... -
Jules by Cleo Browne
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJules Tombs doesn’t do relationships. Or emotions. Or any kind of attachment that lasts longer than a night and involves fewer than three people. Feelings are messy, and he’s got no interest in them—until a baby shows up on his doorstep with his scowl and his DNA, forcing him to face the one thing scarier than fatherhood... -
A Forever Home at Honey Bee Croft: Cosy up with a BRAND NEW gorgeously romantic read from the million-copy sensation Jessica Redland for 2025 by Jessica Redland
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA BRAND NEW feel-good novel from MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER Jessica Redland, guaranteed to leave a smile on your face! New friends, new life, new love…Single dad, Joel Grainger, is devoted to his little girl, Imogen, doing all he can to be a key part of her life. But with Imogen’s mum being ever more difficult and Joel’s job suddenly in doubt, he’s worried that everything is about to change... -
The Sawmill Book Club by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA restless woman discovers the comforts of small-town Texas—and more—in a bighearted novel about the next chapters in life by New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.Unsure of the future but ready for risks, Libby O’Dell trades big-city life for whatever the back roads hold... -
Always Us by Scarlett Avery
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJace Halsey…It seems I’m the only sane woman in LA who’s immune to that self-important man.Even my big sister swoons all over him. It makes me sick. Truth be told, I want nothing more than to annihilate him because he’s always in the way. Never mind he has no clue of my existence, he’s still the thorn in my side... -
Seth: A Small Town, Enemies to Lovers, Military Protector Romance by Lynn Raye Harris
Dead to their pasts. Ghosts. No family ties. No connections.Six men with a top-secret mission move to a small town where they have to navigate local life, protect their secret, and, above all, stay single.Software engineer Caroline Crowell is a dead woman walking. When the top-secret lab she’s working in goes up in flames and she barely makes it out alive, she knows her time is up... -
Going Rogue by Amelia Shea
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsQuinn O’Malley’s less than stellar life drags her even deeper, plummeting her into a dark abyss when her misfortune designates her Enemy Number One to the devil himself.After an altercation and deal gone wrong, Quinn finds herself living on borrowed time, at the mercy of a notorious, ruthless, and unpredictable King of the Underground. She has nothing of worth to bargain with except her life... -
Their Unlikely Protector by Meghann Whistler
Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsTo give two little boys a home… She must take a chance on forgiveness.The last person Valerie Williams expects to rescue her and her toddler twin brothers from a fiery blaze is Brett Richardson, her high school nemesis. But with her house burned down, Valerie is forced to stay at the same inn as Brett and work with him on the town festival... -
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Accidentally Forever by Carrie Ann Ryan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn the world of romance, Aria Montgomery knows two things for sure:She’s not in love with the man everyone thinks she is.And she refuses to let herself love Crew McTavish.Her former best friend is spiraling, and her photography career seems to be standing in her father’s shadow. Aria knows she needs to find her way out of the darkness... -
King: The Epilogue Collection by Nina Levine
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIf you love King, strap in for the ride as he and Lily navigate their HEA. This story has it all: ✔️ angst ✔️ scorching heat ✔️ MC action ✔️ Stormgirl time ✔️ old favourites showing up But mostly this story is about two people fighting for their love. Day in, day out. Life with an MC president like King isn't an easy ride. Watch as these two figure out how to love and be loved... -
SEAL's Tempest by Lynne St. James
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShe’s His Worst Nightmare. He’s Her Living Hell. Until…Navy SEAL Josh Hartman’s neighbor has been driving him crazy for weeks, and now he’s fallen into his worst nightmare. She can’t possibly have been assigned to his Red Falcon team for a mission, can she? The Fates wouldn’t be that cruel. Because Josh hates the woman, right?Tempest Miller has been leading a double life for years... -
Perfect Boy by Hannah Gray
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsAn entire campus knows my name. Women throw themselves at me, hoping I’ll take them home that night. Whispers from the NHL say I’m the one to watch. And the weight of each game is on my shoulders because if our opposing team scores … that’s on me. All the things that keep me up at night are probably someone else’s dreams... -
Strays by Cora Brent
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSTRAYS (An Anti-Hero Romance)Before age sixteen I was kicked to the streets, condemned for a crime I didn’t commit.Since then I’ve done nothing to be proud of.Which is why a man like me isn’t cut out to be a dad.And if this kid had another option I wouldn’t try to be one now.But for once I’m going to step up.I’ll right the worst of old wrongs... -
Keeping Her by Jordan Marie, LJ Anderson
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOne kiss from those cherry lips and I knew she was meant to be mine.I’m claiming her and I won’t be letting her go.Luke “Grunt” Stafford had one job.He didn’t like it, but when your President gives you an order you usually follow it.He didn’t plan on the feisty redhead that showed up and rocked his world.Jasmine Blake knows how her family and friends see her... -
Undertow by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen Jill Morgan left Tempest Island after high school, she didn’t know what she wanted to do the rest of her life. The only thing she’d ever loved was writing fiction, but that was a pursuit with no financial guarantees. So she did the responsible thing and got her college degree, then a job that provided a good living, and she wrote in her free time... -
No Hard Feelings (Birch Harbor: Coming Home) by Rue Lennox
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe watched her throw away their future, and swore to win her back.My brother died and I threw a grenade into my life, breaking two hearts in the process. The man I left? My dead brother’s best friend, and a member of his military unit.I may be miserable, but at least I’m not going to bury another person I love.There’s only one little problem with my current situation... -
Blackbridge Security Box Set 1 by Marie James
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBox Set contains Hostile Territory, Shot in the Dark, and Contingency Plan!Hostile TerritoryCan you call someone an enemy if you haven’t seen them for the better part of a decade?Deacon Black is perfectly content with the status quo—work, sleep, repeat.Who cares if he’s rigid, structured, and set in his ways?It’s a job requirement that keeps his men safe and his company’s doors open... -
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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:
small town suspense from hate to love humor forced proximity contemporary length-medium m-f -
Blue Skies Over Wildflower Lock by Hannah M. Lynn
There may be trouble ahead…Just when Daisy thought she had canal life understood, Theo, her primary go-to for all of her boating questions has left Wildflower Lock, not to mention the budding romance that has been steadily growing.Not one to sit and wallow, Daisy takes matters into her own hands... -
Summer at the Twist and Turn Bakery by Helen J. Rolfe, Helen Rolfe
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt’s summer in Heritage Cove, the picturesque village by the sea... -
TJ: Sins of the Father by Nicole James
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFROM WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST SELLING AUTHOR NICOLE JAMES COMES A ONE-NIGHT STAND, SURPRISE PREGNANCY, MC ROMANCE!TJ—The beautiful tattoo artist told me to leave her alone after what I thought was an amazing night together.Maybe she was just trying to get her bad boy fill... -
A Madness of Crows by Evelyn Flood
No longer an heir. No longer a daughter. No longer a Crow. Now, I am a wife. An accessory. A toy. Ripped away from the men I love, they want to break me. Strip away everything that made me into who I am, and create something new. I was Caterina Corvo. But now, I am Caterina Asante. For them, I will fight. For her, I will endure. But every day, it becomes harder to remember who I used to be... -
Too Complicated by Ajme Williams
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI’m in love with the man that was hired to keep tabs on me.Turns out, I’m the one keeping tabs now because he’s my neighbor…and he’s hot!I was still able to think straight until I found out Noel had a son.All my common sense went out the window when I watched him care for the kid.The kid that his psycho ex just left at his door.Yes, the last thing Noel wanted was another relationship...Categorized as:
from hate to love single-father suspense contemporary pregnancy military humor length-medium -
Bexley's Biker by Misty Walker
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsBexley:Your secrets are safe with me.It’s been my number one rule since I opened my law firm in Reno, NV.No one knows the reason is because I have my own dark secrets to hide, and a past I wish I could forget.Strategically, I only accept clients who have more to lose than I do.Like the dangerous and deadly, Royal Bastards MC.Not the best company to keep, but the most lucrative... -
Diamond by J.A. Low
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsRound 2 with the Devil begins.Grace thought she had left the nightmare of the Bratva Jewels behind her. Her days spent with them were some of the darkest of her life, but she’s safe now.Or so she thought.When the Bratva seeks revenge for losing one of their own, Grace knows she must be strong to withstand whatever they have in store for her... -
Rogue Mission by Kendall Talbot
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsShe can’t trust anyone. He can’t trust her.But pitched together in a deadly mission, trust becomes everything.Royal Flying Doctor pilot, Xander Devlin ( Razor) walked away from his military career so broken he never wanted to see his ex-army team again. Especially Aria, the woman who crushed his heart... -
Olivia: A Cold Case Murder Mystery Romance by Brooke Ramsey
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRevenge is a dish best served cold. But it might cost you everything you love.In this heart-racing romantic suspense, a sister desperate for answers and a newly recruited FBI agent desperate to prove himself team up on a high-risk mission.Olivia King.Days missing: 1,345 days.Anna has spent the last three years infiltrating the gang of Diaz Smith—the man responsible for her sister’s disappearance... -
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The Fix by Lisa Herrington
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSydney Bell knows exactly how far is too far when it comes to the law. She’s a cop’s daughter, after all. But the lines between right and wrong become blurred when it involves matters of the heart. After a devastating divorce, she escapes to the small lakeside town of Maisonville to pick up the shattered pieces of her life and make a fresh start. Unfortunately, her past isn’t ready to let go... -
The Hate I Feel: A Dark Bully Romance by Siobhan Davis, Kelly Hartigan (XterraWeb)
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe’ll make her pay for her father’s crimes before taking revenge on the brothers who abandoned him.Zayn Becker has struggled to protect his little brother in the aftermath of the car accident which claimed their parents’ lives. They lost everything that night except for each other... -
Shadow of Doubt by Susan Sleeman
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA cyber-stalker and a murder threaten her life…When IT specialist, Brooklyn Hurst’s cyber stalker grows bolder and the police refuse to do anything about it, she has to take drastic measures. Like fleeing the only home she’s known to a place so off the map that the stalker would never think to look... -
Overlooking the Past by Elizabella Baker
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDani was his high school sweetheart. The only woman to break his heart. And now the person he was forced to bail out of jail.She was also in need of his protection.Gage Roberts kept everyone in his life at arm’s length, and that included his teammates. Going back to his hometown was always a hard no for him. Until a single phone call changed everything. Now he had no choice but to face his past... -
Enemy Heir by Carrie Ann Ryan, Nana Malone
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA bad boy prince meets his match in this epic Tattered Royals stand-alone romance.I know men like him.Powerful. Arrogant. Trouble. The world is his playground.The playboy prince, the tabloid favorite, and the bane of my existence. And unfortunately, he’s the only one who might be able to help me uncover the truth... -
Enemy Stand by A.L. Lidell
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA woman hurt by her past. A Delta soldier haunted by his. A fake relationship that becomes all too real…Casey McKenzie is a jerk.The former Delta JAG turned playboy nightclub owner humiliated me in court with a smug grin.I want nothing to do with him.Too bad as Trident Rescue’s attorney, I can’t escape him either... -
Gonna Marry for Honey by Cathryn Cade
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA marriage of convenience, biker style!These strangers get one chance to save what matters most... but it will mean living as husband and wife.Devil's Flyer 'Streak' Gansett will do anything to keep his son safe--even marry to create a convincing family. But this biker didn't count on falling for his sexy, blonde bride... -
The Billionaire and His Forever by Sadie S. Black
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWe were always going to be an impossible fantasy.There was never a future for us between the secrets and the scandals, the temptations and the lies, and above all--a child who never deserved this life... -
1105 Yakima Street by Debbie Macomber
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 35 ratings1105 Yakima StreetCedar Cove, WashingtonDear Reader,You’ve probably heard that my wife has left me. Rachel’s pregnant, and she says that she can’t handle the stress in our household anymore. My thirteen-year-old daughter, Jolene, is jealous of her. Maybe it’s my fault. As a widower I spoiled her – Jolene was reading over my shoulder just now and says that’s not true... -
Love You Still by Kat Bammer
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOne night brought them together. Life tore them apart. Returning home may be their second chance.Leaving Moon Lake and serving as a Navy SEAL couldn’t erase the pain of Peter’s past. When he returns home as the new deputy Sheriff, it’s with hope for a fresh start in the place with old roots. But it also means exposing deep wounds—his own and the one he inflicted on Lisa... -
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Say You Love Me by Sarah J. Brooks
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 21 ratings“Jeremy Wyatt is the biggest playboy you’ll ever meet. He’s a great attorney and a decent friend, but he’s an ass to women. He’s all about the conquest, and then he loses interest. You’re too good for a guy like him. And I don’t want to have to break his arms for messing with you. You’re young, Lena. And a little naive. A man like Jeremy would eat you up and spit you out... -
From That Moment by Carrie Ann Ryan
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan continues her sexy new contemporary stand-alone series with an enemies-to-lovers office romance.Paris Trissel is in a dating rut. Despite the pact she made with her friends to find someone to share her life with, she’s throwing in the towel after only a few blind dates... -
Firefly Effect by K.K. Allen
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsHe's a single dad who moves to a small mountain town and becomes obsessed with a potential client—a beautiful woman haunted by her tragic past.For years, tales of the Firefly Man were nothing more than elaborate rumors spread by residents of the Appalachian Mountains.Until the night Evelyn Vaughn stumbled upon a dead body in the woods.Fear gripped her, and silence stole her voice... -
Marrying The Mafia Boss by Ashlie Silas
I got knocked up by the mafia boss, and now... I have to marry him.What began as a chance encounter on a hotel rooftop with a hot millionaire,soon became an arranged marriage I never saw coming.Tony is as captivating as he is dangerous.Unhinged, unpredictable, and… unforgettable... -
Inked Memories by Carrie Ann Ryan
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe Montgomery Ink series by NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan continues when the final Denver Montgomery sibling refuses to fall for his brother’s former flame—the company’s new plumber. Wes Montgomery watched his entire family fall in love, and now finds himself ready to settle down... -
The Gruff Loner's Bargain by Kat Baxter
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBrook:I might be down on my luck, but I’m determined to open the best all-inclusive wedding venue in the U.S. But first, I have to scope out the competition. The only problem is I need a fake fiance to pull it off. Even worse, the only man available to do the job is the annoying handsome Landry Hendricks. Because of course I need the help of the one man in town who hates me...
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