Books like 'Hero's Heart'
Readers who enjoyed Hero's Heart by Janie Crouch also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance action / adventure small town military age-gap suspense crime drama bodyguard
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The Hero I Need by Nicole Snow
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow returns with a hilariously intense small-town love story where two star-crossed hearts and one snarly tiger ignite a romance up-roar.He knew I was trouble the instant I showed up with a stolen Bengal tiger.But Grady McKnight didn't flinch like a sane person—he took us in.Bruce the tiger found shelter. I met a hero grump. And Grady got a hot mess...Categorized as:
age-gap cheerful-mc crime grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine military suspense action-adventure -
Broken Vow: A Dark Mafia Romance by Sophie Lark
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsI’ll Protect Her… Whether She Likes It Or Not. Riona Griffin is gorgeous, intelligent, and iron-willed. My perfect woman, except she hates my guts.She thinks she doesn’t need anybody. But she needs me.She’s being hunted by an assassin who never misses his mark.I’m going to stay by her side, day and night, keeping her safe...Categorized as:
bodyguard cheerful-mc crime forced-proximity grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine military suspense -
Conquered by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDylan Welsh was the last man standing…until Sawyer Glasgow brought him to his knees.Dylan wasn’t ready for Sawyer. He wasn’t ready to confront the truth of his past. He wasn’t ready to admit he’s fallen in love with the sweet, sexy woman who captivated him from the moment he saw her. He’s especially not prepared to face the hurt he’s caused Sawyer. But to keep her, he must do all three...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc found-family grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine military suspense action-adventure adult -
Jonny's Redemption by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCan two lost souls find redemption or are some transgressions beyond forgiveness? Lieutenant Jonny Spencer’s life is spiraling out of control. With no end in sight, he withdrawals. Giving in to the darkness is his only reprieve. Roberta “Bobby” Layne knows what it means to live in the shadows. Her childhood was spent fading into obscurity—loneiless her only friend... -
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Playing with Lies by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA no-strings kinda guy and a forever kinda woman…what could go wrong?I had a stalker and I knew just who to ask for help—Detective Dalton Neary. My own personal Prince Charming. The problem was, he turned out not to be so charming, at least not in the forever kind of way I was looking for. He was a good-time guy with a sexy smile and a goat game that should be illegal. But not the man for me...Categorized as:
suspense grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc law-enforcement forced-proximity bodyguard romance -
Fractured Sky by Catherine Cowles
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsDamaged. Broken. Destroyed. I’ve heard it all. A single moment of trusting the wrong person shattered my life into pieces, and my family has never looked at me the same. It’s impossible to convince them that I’m anything more than the broken girl they rescued all those years ago.Until I meet him.Ramsey’s grumpy demeanor and menacing scowl scare most of the world away. But not me...Categorized as:
age-gap angst cheerful-mc drama forced-proximity found-family grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine -
Hear My Heart by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMilitary duty called them away to war zones, but after tours overseas, the group of friends found their way back home as men, seeking the peaceful little seaside town. Now, the band of brothers, together once more, work to provide a place for less fortunate veterans to call home... -
Sweet Rose by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJason Boswell had moved to Baytown at the invitation of his Navy buddy to open a garage and tattoo parlor. He never meant to start off on the wrong foot with the beautiful Rose. Rose Parker wanted to open an ice-cream parlor in Baytown, but life kept handing her one setback after another. And for Jason? It appeared that he managed to get everything he wanted... -
Watching Trin by Freya Barker
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFreelance journalist and single mom, Katrina (Trin) Paige, has recently returned to her hometown to help her sister care for their elderly father. They’ve barely settled back into Durango’s daily life when her rebellious teenage son gets himself in tumultuous waters... -
Tallowwood by N.R. Walker
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsCold cases, murder, lies, and an unimaginable truth.Sydney detective August Shaw has spent the last decade of work solving cold cases. Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone — and that’s exactly how he likes it... -
Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Devil is in the details . . . Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries)...Categorized as:
age-gap cheerful-mc crime grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine law-enforcement suspense action-adventure -
Delicate Escape by Catherine Cowles
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTrust doesn’t come easily when you’ve been running for as long as I have, which is why moving in with a man I barely know is such a bad idea.Shepard Colson is all golden-boy charm and devastating good looks. But I know what it’s like to be taken in by easy smiles and the promise of forever—I have the scars to prove it...Categorized as:
suspense forced-proximity found-family grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc angst romance -
Searching for Khloe by Susan Stoker
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsShe thought secrets would tear them apart; instead, they brought them together.Khloe Moore has secrets. She came to Fallport, Virginia, under false pretenses, only intending to stay for a short while... -
Blaze by Lynn Raye Harris
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDead 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. Former Hostile Operations Team soldier Blaze "Shadow" Connolly knows what it’s like to lose everything. He’s got nobody except his job and his team and that’s the way he likes it...Categorized as:
military suspense found-family forced-proximity age-gap romance contemporary small-town -
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Forbidden Hero: Hometown Heroes A-Z by Jo Grafford
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratings...Categorized as:
suspense military law-enforcement small-town contemporary action-adventure fiction book -
Out of the Darkness by Jessica Prince
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe light had been snuffed out of Xander Caine’s world a long time ago, leaving him to suffer in darkness. After a tremendous loss, he closed himself off from anyone and everyone, content to live alone in the shadows. Then a woman blew into town with the force of a hurricane and shook everything up. Sage Winthrop was looking to start over...Categorized as:
angst cheerful-mc drama grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine military suspense action-adventure -
The Hero She Deserves by Anna Hackett
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen he goes to investigate a blaring smoke alarm, the last thing he expects to find is Hollywood’s hottest actress…naked.Deputy Sheriff Sawyer Lane likes the pace of life on Maui. After years as a Navy SEAL and in Ghost Ops, he likes that no one shoots at him. Coming to the island saved him. He still can’t sleep, but he’ll take the sun, sand, and solitude...Categorized as:
suspense military forced-proximity found-family bodyguard romance contemporary small-town -
Tyler by Nyssa Kathryn
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSometimes, the biggest secrets can bring both salvation and destruction.Emerson Charles grew up luckier than most, going from a difficult life to finding safety and a true home with her stepmother and stepbrother. Years later, when Levi's in trouble, Emerson will do anything for the brother of her heart, her greatest protector...Categorized as:
military bodyguard age-gap found-family suspense forced-proximity romance contemporary -
Jenner by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratings...Categorized as:
drama forced-proximity law-enforcement military suspense action-adventure adult animals -
Tate by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCountry music, his parents, cold beer, and apple pie…just a few of the things Frank Tate loves. The former SEAL, now a Lighthouse Security specialist also loves his job and lives for the next mission. But when a call from home sends him back to the mid-west, the past and present collide as danger follows the girl he left behind years before... -
Guarding Your Heart: Baytown Boys by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSophie Bayles was devastated by grief when her beloved brother, a soldier, had been killed in action when she was a teenager. Guarding her heart, she left Baytown and the boy she had loved…her brother’s best friend. Callan Ward lucked out when he was assigned to the Coast Guard station in his hometown of Baytown... -
The Hero She Needs by Anna Hackett, Aaron Shedlock
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe last thing he expects to catch in his river is a billionaire heiress.Loner Boone Hendrix left the military with ghosts that haunt him. He lives with his dog Atlas on a farm in Vermont. Alone. Just the way he likes it. Until he rescues a half-drowned, beautiful brunette from his river...Categorized as:
military suspense forced-proximity bodyguard grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc romance -
Tempt by Melanie Harlow
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsYou’ve heard the story about the wedding planner who falls for the groom?Well, this is the one where she falls for his father.And that groom? He’s my ex.I didn’t realize who the gruff, gorgeous older man was the night he rescued me from a creep in a Manhattan hotel bar...Categorized as:
age-gap bodyguard cheerful-mc forced-proximity grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine military action-adventure -
Montana Ranger's Wedding Vow by Elle James
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDallas Hayes muscled her way through Army Ranger training only to be considered a curse on her all-male unit in an operation in Syria. When half the team is killed, she’s left Injured, losing the lower portion of her left leg. Back in the States, she’s fitted with a prosthetic, still jogs and works out, but she’s medically discharged. Angry and resentful, she doesn't trust anyone... -
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Home Sweet Home by Lacey Black
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLeoEveryone has a past they’re trying to outrun, myself included. My time in the military left me with scars, both physically and emotionally, which is why I keep to myself. Since returning home to Stewart Grove, I work a lot so I have little time to think. To remember. I’m just content to make it through the day.Then I meet Kallie Carpenter...Categorized as:
military grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc romance contemporary small-town female-mc -
The Lightkeeper by Rebecca Sharp
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAurora Cross just got the educational opportunity of a lifetime—to complete her coastal biology thesis at one of Maine’s most iconic lighthouses. She didn’t realize the toughest, most reclusive creature inhabiting the keep was a broody artist with more secrets than the sea.Kit Kinkade has had enough of the world...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc forced-proximity military age-gap romance contemporary -
Bourbon & Lies by Victoria Wilder
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn Fiasco, Kentucky, there is one rule: never fall for a Foxx brother. Any woman who did, ended up dead—or so the rumor goes. Townies call it a curse. But I’ve lived it, and I won’t survive it again.I’m not a cop anymore, but I’ve seen enough danger to know that Laney Young, the beautiful stranger who just showed up in my small town, is running from it...Categorized as:
suspense found-family grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc forced-proximity age-gap romance -
Things We Hide From the Light by Lucy Score
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsNash Morgan was always known as the good Morgan brother, with a smile and a wink for everyone. But now, this chief of police is recovering from being shot and his Southern charm has been overshadowed by panic attacks and nightmares. He feels like a broody shell of the man he once was. Nash isn’t about to let anyone in his life know he’s struggling...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc crime drama forced-proximity found-family grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine law-enforcement -
Deserted by Cara Dee
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDeserted is the third book in the Auctioned Series, following book 1, Auctioned, and book 2, Stranded. Gray Nolan had survived a kidnapping where he was supposed to have been auctioned off to the highest bidder. He had also survived being stranded on an island, under siege from a different set of foes, and throughout the hell they’d all endured, their motto had been “Leave no man behind... -
All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsLosing people you love is hard. Aurora De La Torre knows moving back to a place that was once home isn’t going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be. But a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. Checking out her landlord across the driveway just might cure it too...Categorized as:
age-gap angst cheerful-mc drama forced-proximity found-family grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine -
Montana Storm by Josie Jade, Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsKill first, ask questions later.It’s the instinct former-SEAL Jude Williams must fight every time someone touches him. His six months being tortured in an enemy prison camp may be long over, but he’s got scars—all over his body and mind—keeping that time at the forefront of his psyche...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc crime found-family grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine law-enforcement military suspense -
Make Me Your Villain by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBook 2 of the Battle Crows MC with Shine and Iris.Flaws—he has them.Laws? He breaks them.Dues? He’s paid them.Scars? He bares them proudly.Lessons? He’s learned them.Problems? He has one.Her name is Iris, and she’s the one thing in his life that he can’t control...Categorized as:
age-gap cheerful-mc grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine military suspense action-adventure adult -
Rescued by Stephanie St. Klaire
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJust as the walls start to come down, boundaries redefine, and things heat up, tragedy hits the small mountain town of McKenzie Ridge. Sexy EMT Dawson Tayler made hearts break, and panties melt with a single look. Far from home, in the charming tourist town, he lives a simple life his family would be appalled by – if they were alive... -
Gunner by Rebecca Sharp
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom bestselling romantic suspense author, Dr. Rebecca Sharp, comes a surprise pregnancy romantic suspense...Della Bolden needs an escape—that’s what happens when your billionaire father has shielded your entire life.Growing up under the thumb of personal security—for her own safety—Della wanted one weekend of freedom on a ski trip with her friends... -
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Wolf.e by Paisley Hope
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAlways ride faster than your angel can fly.-Gabriel Wolfe As president of the Hounds of Hell motorcycle club, my life has been infused with darkness and trauma since the day I was born. Chaos is my birthright. I crave it to feel stable. Secure. Whole.The only people I care about are the ones who don my cut. Women are just a tool. Never to covet, only to use, each face blending into the next... -
Reckless Trust by Nyssa Kathryn
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt’s a long-awaited homecoming…but not everyone’s happy about her return. Five years ago, Tilly Taylor’s father did something that cost her everything. Her home. Her friends. And all the trust she’d ever earned. Now she’s back, and ready to prove to everyone that she’s nothing like Martin Taylor. Unfortunately, the small town of Misty Peak doesn’t forgive or forget so easily...Categorized as:
suspense military crime forced-proximity grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family -
Out of Range by Em Petrova
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsArielle Jackman grew up as an Army brat—and then she became an Army wife. Now she’s widowed and looking for something she’s never had… roots. Back in her favorite Texas town, she’s teaching middle-schoolers, and since she and her husband never had any, she considers them all her kids. But the evenings are lonely, and Arielle’s wondering if she should get out and make some friends... -
Guarding Leah by Regan Black
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSome battles don’t have a winner--only survivors.Wade Fielding turned tragedy into a career--going up against man and nature as a search and rescue specialist with the 10th Mountain Division. He and his team have saved countless lives through the years, yet the scars on his heart remain...Categorized as:
forced-proximity law-enforcement military suspense action-adventure adult book contemporary -
The Runaway by Jess Mastorakos
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCould rescuing a runaway bride would be the detour I never knew I needed?I had a plan. But then, my cross-country road trip to my new duty station started with me getting dumped. Two seconds later, I got roped into bringing a family friend’s niece, Nikki, and her teenage daughter on the road with me.To make matters worse, I’m aiding Nikki’s escape from her own wedding...Categorized as:
suspense grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc military contemporary small-town female-mc -
The Souls We Claim by Scarlett Cole
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratings🧡 Age gap🌶️ Daddy dom vibes👧🏼 Accidental parent☠️Touch my girls and you d!e🔥 I know what's best for you🫂Hurt/comfort❤️Afraid to commitFrom USA Today best selling author Scarlett Cole, writing as S. Cole, comes an electrifying MC, age gap romance.ArianneLeaving my abusive husband was hard. Attending the funeral of my murdered sister is harder... -
From Here to Eternity by A.L. Jackson
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsI should have known everything was going to change when she walked into my tattoo shop...Timid as hell and gorgeous to the extreme. I knew better than even thinking about touching a woman like that. My life is dangerous.My calling wicked.Willing to cross any line to protect the innocent...Categorized as:
suspense crime found-family grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc forced-proximity age-gap -
Wrapped Up with a Ranger by Kait Nolan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCan a grumpy former Ranger find lasting happiness in a marriage of convenience with a sunny single mom?After losing his leg, former Army Ranger Holt Steele is building a new life and a new business with his friends. Sure, he never expected to put small-town baker on his resume, but he finds he likes the quiet, simple life...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine law-enforcement military action-adventure adult audiobook -
Unsanctioned by Kaylea Cross
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsStar-crossed lovers…Driven by her traumatic past, Nadia Bishop has dedicated her life to helping children orphaned by war around the globe. She won’t let anything stand in her way—not even the sexy former soldier she left back in the U.S... -
Sterling Brick by L.B. Dunbar
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLove wasn’t part of the blueprint when high school sweethearts reunite in their small town. But this former military man never forgot the girl he left behind and he’s more determined than ever to rebuild their relationship brick by brick and heart by heart.Getting locked in the men’s restroom during my mother’s funeral wasn’t exactly how I expected to run into my high school sweetheart...Categorized as:
military grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc romance contemporary small-town slow-burn -
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Crushed by A.K. Evans
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhat’s the price of survival?Sawyer McKinney didn’t want to come back. It wasn’t like anyone wanted to see her ever again anyway.But this was about life or death, and that meant there was only one place she could go.If Jesse Hale never saw Sawyer again, it would be too soon. After all the devastation she left behind years ago, he can’t imagine why she’d ever show her face again...Categorized as:
suspense forced-proximity bodyguard military romance contemporary mystery small-town -
Be Still My Heart by Emily McIntire, Sav R. Miller
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsSkelm Island, Maine has always been known for two things: lobsters and its broken lighthouse.But when corpses start showing up in the water, the isolated town becomes the face of a cryptic investigation.At the heart of which stands Lincoln Porter, a grumpy ex-SEAL whose lobstering business seems to attract more dead bodies than fish... -
Show Me Wonders by Riley Nash
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWait for me. Never let me go.I fell in love with Jackson Moreno in hell, the only two survivors trapped in a catastrophic tunnel collapse. But when rescue comes, I discover he has secrets darker than I could have guessed. He disappears from my life as quickly as he came, and I can’t afford to chase after him when I have to raise my daughter alone...Categorized as:
angst cheerful-mc forced-proximity found-family grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine abuse action-adventure -
Guilty as Sin by Rosalind James
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThere are secrets. There are guilty secrets. And then there's switching places with your twin. Paige Hollander and her identical twin Lily stopped switching places a decade ago. But Lily's run into trouble, and Paige is on leave from the SFPD, recovering from a traumatic shooting. It's not like she has anything better to do, and she remembers how to be feminine. Sort of...Categorized as:
crime law-enforcement literary-fiction military suspense action-adventure adult audiobook -
Promise and Protect: a small town romantic suspense novel by Lori Ryan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA perilous homecoming... Promise and Protect is the second book in the heart-soaring and electrifying Evers, Texas, series by New York Times bestselling author Lori Ryan. A true masterwork of contemporary romantic suspense, it is the story of a beautiful artist returning home to danger, and to a love she never imagined... -
Jaxon by Kate Oliver
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLeahWho knew buying a run-down house would be so much work? It was hers, though, and while it might not be much, to Leah Day, it was perfect because it meant she was free from her cheating ex-husband. What she wasn’t prepared for was the roof to leak into her bedroom… She also wasn’t expecting her hot neighbor to come marching over to scold her for climbing onto the roof...Categorized as:
age-gap grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family romance contemporary steamy
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