Books like 'Light in the Shadows'
Readers who enjoyed Light in the Shadows by A. Meredith Walters also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary young adult dark romance tortured hero second chances bad boys college new adult dual-pov virgin heroine
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Redeeming 6 by Chloe Walsh
I’m saving you, six.With his world unraveling around him, and pressure rising at home, Joey Lynch’s life has never been in more turmoil. Desperate to prove himself worthy of the only person he’s ever put his trust in, Joey fights to stay away from a world that threatens to destroy everything... -
Saving 6 by Chloe Walsh
Fresh out of rehab for an addiction that almost cost him everything, Joey Lynch knows that it's time to put his life back together. Still reeling from the events that decimated his family and haunted by his past, he struggles to keep a handle on his fragile sobriety. Thrown into a brand-new home and school life, he's well and truly shaken up...Categorized as:
new adult tortured hero angst virgin heroine sassy heroine bad boys high-school dual-pov -
Empire by Rachel Van Dyken
I have lost everything. My purpose. My love. My soul. Death knocks on my door, I want to answer, but every time I reach for the handle--the promise I made her, brings me back. So I breathe. I live. I hate. And I allow the anger to boil beneath the surface of a perfectly indifferent facade. I am broken, I dont want to be fixed... -
Ember by Rachel Van Dyken
Everybody Loves A Bit of Darkness..Until It Consumes Them... I am a Killer. A Rapist. A Monster. I know only pain and survival. That is until the Cappo's sister walked into my life. And changed everything... -
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Jackson by Siobhan Davis
The devil came to me in disguise. Too bad I didn’t notice until it was far too late. Vanessa:The devil doesn’t always wear an evil mask.Sometimes, he appears in the most beautiful form.Like the super-hot bad boy with the dirty-blond hair and a wicked glint in his blue eyes who swept in out of nowhere, stealing all the air from my lungs.I thought he was my savior. But he’s my ruination... -
Falling Away by Penelope Douglas
Jaxon is the guy she’s supposed to avoid. K.C. is the girl he won’t let get away.... K. C. Carter has always followed the rules—until this year, when a mistake leaves her the talk of her college campus and her carefully arranged life comes crashing to a halt...Categorized as:
bad boys new adult tortured hero dual-pov angst high-school second chances cold hero -
Dark Legacy by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.That our love could start a war...Dear reader,Dark Legacy is the twelfth book in my Knight's Ridge Empire series, and the third book of Calli and Batman's story... -
Mafiosa by Catherine Doyle
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsA blood war rages on the streets of Chicago.Protected by an infamous mafia family, Sophie is living a dangerous lie, pretending to lead a normal life. But the deceit can’t last for ever. Her heart belongs to a killer and Sophie’s the prime target of a rival clan... -
The Last Piece of His Heart by Emma Scott
At Santa Cruz Central High School, they called them the misfits, the outcasts, the weirdos. But most of us knew them as the Lost Boys... Ronan Wentz has been to hell and back, and he carries the scars to prove it. Worse, the blood of a monster runs through his veins. After ten years in foster care, eighteen-year-old Ronan is finally reunited with family... -
Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsCursed, numb, rejected, scorned, wicked, sinister, dark, twisted...my name is Tex Campisi and this is my legacy. I killed my father in cold blood and lost my soul right along with him. I crave war more than peace, and I'm about to take my place in history as the youngest Capo dei Capi in the Cosa Nostra...that is until someone stops me, saves me from myself... -
Sinful Knight by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world. The night we met, she left behind a lot more than just her shoes on my bedroom floor. She left an impression. A lasting memory burned into my brain. It teases me… tortures me. Months have passed since that night... -
Corrupt Knight by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world.The night we met, she was just another one-night stand. We were never meant to see each other again, and my best friend certainly wasn’t supposed to go and fall in love with her best friend... -
Speed by B.B. Easton
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsWith Netflix adapting BB's 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN into a new series, you're going to want the full story behind her outrageous adventures. Because BB Easton had so much fun writing her bestselling, award-winning memoir, she decided to give each of her four men his own steamy standalone... -
Corrupt Union by Tracy Lorraine
I found everything I didn’t know I needed. Accepted forgiveness I didn’t deserve.She fought for us. Killed for us. She was one of us. And there was no way I was letting her go… again. But I’m not the only one with wicked intentions for my siren. With her missing, we turn our blame to an obvious enemy. But our path of destruction could be leading us right into another trap... -
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Skin by B.B. Easton
With Netflix adapting BB's 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN into a new series, you're going to want the full story behind her roller-coaster love story with the ultimate bad boy. Because BB Easton had so much fun writing her bestselling, award-winning memoir, she decided to give each of her four men his own steamy standalone... -
Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 56 ratingsEmma leaves Weslyn and everyone in it behind to attend Stanford University, just as she always intended. A shell of her former self, she is not the same girl. She is broken, and the only way that she’ll be whole again is through forgiveness. Emma must find a way to forgive herself and recognize her own worth before she can receive the love she deserves... -
Real Girl by Sheridan Anne
Lucien Valentine must die.It’s the thought that’s kept me going for four long years. I’ve imagined it, dreamed about it, relished in it. I want it so bad, but the question is, do I have what it takes to make it happen?Taking a life isn’t for the faint-hearted. Just ask Lucien, he knows.He’s taken me back to where it all started and I know exactly how it’s going to go... -
Legend by Tracy Lorraine
I made one mistake…And she made one phone call that nearly destroyed my life.I’ve spent the past year plotting my revenge and imagining all the wicked things I’d do to her when our paths finally crossed again.I just had no idea it would be so soon.The last thing I expected when I re-entered the world was to find myself right in the middle of hers... -
More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer
Rev Fletcher is battling the demons of his past. But with loving adoptive parents by his side, he’s managed to keep them at bay...until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.Emma Blue spends her time perfecting the computer game she built from scratch, rather than facing her parents’ crumbling marriage... -
Always Crew by Tijan
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFor the longest time, I was Bren Monroe.I lived in Roussou, California.I had no parents, no brother, but I had a crew.Then things started to change.I never planned for any of it.I didn’t think I’d fall in love.I didn’t think I’d have a relationship with my brother again.I didn’t think that he’d come back.Now I’m in Cain.My crew is in college.They’re growing, going through their own things... -
What's Left of Me by Amanda Maxlyn
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsLife works in mysterious ways. Four years ago I became known as the girl with cancer. I refuse to cry. And I refuse to give in. A relationship with a man is the last thing I’m looking for right now, but one night with Parker changes everything. He is persistent, and he knows what he wants. Me. He doesn’t treat me like I’m fragile. But he doesn’t know, and I’m not ready to tell him... -
If You Dare by Shantel Tessier
The game was over. The dares were getting old, and the secrets were piling up faster than the bodies.But someone had other plans. They wanted to play a new game.Becky Holt was the love of his life until he found out what she was hiding. Now he wants to seek his revenge in the most daring way.Deke Biggs has always been a shark. He's not afraid to kill, and he's about to become her worst nightmare... -
Boys of Brayshaw High by Meagan Brandy
"Girls like you aren't exactly welcomed at a place like this, so keep your head down and look the other way." Those were the exact words of my social worker when she dropped me in my newest hellhole, a place for "troubled teens". I didn't listen, and now I'm on their radar. They expect me to play along in their games of hierarchy, to fall in line in the social order they've deemed me fit... -
Ten Below Zero by Whitney Barbetti
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 38 ratings“In here,” he said, pushing on the skin above my heart, “you're ten below zero. And you’re closer to death than I am.” My name is Parker. My body is marked with scars from an attack I don’t remember. I don’t want to remember. I choose to live my life by observation, not through experience. While people are laughing and kissing and connecting, I’m in the corner. Watching them live... -
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Taint Her by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsHe wants to ruin her. She wants to save him.Hadley Rexford was a distraction I didn’t need. But when she discovers me with blood on my hands, I know I can’t walk away without demanding her silence.I’ll taint her.Torment her.In the end, I’ll ruin her.Cole Jagger was a puzzle I wanted to solve. But he refuses to let me in, and now I’m ensnared in his trap.He’s cold.Immoral... -
Enforce by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThere’s two sides to every story… And ours? Isn’t pretty… Then again, what’s pretty about the mafia? Trace Rooks, that’s what. But she only wants one of us, and I’ll kill him before I let him have her. The only problem ? We’re cousins . And she may just be our long lost enemy. Whoever said college was hard, clearly didn’t attend Eagle Elite University... -
The Moth and the Flame by B.B. Reid
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThey're the best of friends or the worst of friends. Neither one is letting go.THE FLAMEHere lies Louchana Valentine. She was a homeless, orphaned virgin.I never cared what my gravestone would say until I landed in deep with a powerful gangster. Lucky for me, my best friend happens to be ruthless too. I should feel guilty that he's forced to turn on the man who's been a father to him... -
The Retaliation You Deliver by Tracy Lorraine
When something seems too good to be true. It’s usually because it is.A lesson I learned the hard way.Every single fear I had about falling for Leon, has just come true in the most brutal way.The sweet guy act he’s been putting on the past few weeks is over.The cold, hard truth is... he never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation.And like a fool, I played right into his wicked scheme...Categorized as:
college new adult second chances dual-pov m-f contemporary from hate to love cruel hero -
Out of the Dark by Danah Logan
LillyMy name is the only truth they didn’t take from me.Betrayed by my family, my desperate need for answers put me back on his radar.The one person who was never supposed to find me.Again.I was unprepared for the world I got thrust into—the connection we shared.The deeper I dug, the more unstable my future became.With Rhys as my anchor, I will fight to bring my past out of the dark... -
Dusty by YellowBella, TeamBella23
Now published as InnocentsShe loves him. He loves her crazy. She's a hopeless romantic. He's just hopeless. She's afraid to let go. He won't let her. A story about a silly girl in love with a foolish boy. Here, forever is a lie...Categorized as:
new adult high-school angst bad boys dual-pov tortured hero virgin heroine cold hero -
Hunter by Tracy Lorraine
I’m a nobody... until everybody realizes who I am and who I’m related to.Then it’s like a giant target is painted on my back. They all think they can use me to climb the Rosewood High royalty ladder.They obviously underestimate me. I won’t cower down or give in.They can’t break me. But he can... without even trying.Zayn Hunter.He doesn’t want to use me.. -
The Resolution of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThings are well for Callie and Kayden. They’re still dealing with their past and the pain connected to it, but for the most part they’ve moved on. The biggest decision they have at the moment is what they want to do with their lives in the future. Eventually, though, the past catches up with them and they’re left facing tough choices... -
Reckless Dynasty by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world.My life has been full of half-truths tangled in lies—I’d been to hell and back more times than I could count... -
FALL by Cora Brent
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsFrom NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author Cora Brent comes a new epic crossover novel. Jenny... I was a lost girl, a child bride. Now, to most people I appear to be just an average college student. They would never guess my strange history. But secretly I'm still held down by my past. I cannot bring myself to trust men... -
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Kick, Push by Jay McLean
There’s a single defining moment within every skater. It lasts only a second. Two if you're good. Three if you’re really good. It’s the moment you’re in the air, your board somewhere beneath you, and nothing but wind surrounds you. It’s the feeling of being airborne. The sixteen-year-old version of me would’ve said it was the greatest feeling in the world... -
River Knight by K. Webster
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLife was nearly stolen from me. In the blink of an eye, everything changed. I'm no longer the charismatic, hot playboy Hornet. I'm irrevocably altered. Damaged both inside and out. I can't think. I can't function. I can't live. Not with all this darkness and pain dragging me into unknown depths. Some days, I wish I never woke up. But then life takes an unusual turn... -
Shame by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsEverything done in darkness, will eventually be brought into the light. I ran, but all it did was keep me one step ahead of my past. I tried to start over; new name, new identity. But you can't change your soul. A fresh start at college was just what I needed. For a while, it worked. I was the party girl, the one that seemed confident, but it was a lie. When guys kissed me--I felt only pain... -
The Probability of Violet & Luke by Jessica Sorensen
Luke Price and Violet Hayes haven’t seen each other in a couple of months, not since they discovered Luke’s mother’s connection to Violet’s parent’s murders. But when Luke gets into some gambling trouble with the wrong people, destiny decides to throw the two of them together and they head out to Vegas to try and settle Luke’s debt... -
The Fire Between High & Lo by Brittainy C. Cherry
There once was a boy, and I loved him. Logan Francis Silverstone and I were complete opposites. I danced, and he stood still. He was quiet, while I ran my mouth. He struggled to find a smile, and I refused to frown. The night I saw the darkness that truly lived inside of him, I couldn't look away. We were broken together, yet somehow whole. We were wrong together, but always right... -
The Saint by Kelsey Clayton
DELANEYCruel.Heartless.A mistake waiting to happen.Knox Vaughn is the epitome of a bad boy.He's trouble in a sexy-as-sin package. I know it.They know it.Even he knows it. But, it's like a moth to the flame.I can't stay away—even though I'm going to get burned.You know what they say,The sinners are much more fun. And this saint is changing the game.KNOXSweet.Innocent.Valedictorian...Categorized as:
new adult virgin heroine angst tortured hero bad boys high-school college sassy heroine -
In Her Wake by K.A. Tucker
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsBefore you knew him as Trent in Ten Tiny Breaths , he was Cole Reynolds—and he had it all. Until one night when he makes a fatal, wrong decision…and loses everything. When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy... -
Nova and Quinton: No Regrets by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsToday is the first day of Quinton Carter's new life. The toxic guilt of his past left him in pieces-but one girl unexpectedly put him back together. Thanks to Nova Reed, Quinton can finally see the world with clear eyes. She's the reason his heart is still kicking behind the jagged scar on his chest. And he would love to have her in his arms every minute of the day . . . but he's not ready yet... -
Mr. Angry Hornet by K. Webster
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsI had it all. Popularity. Good grades. Cheerleading. Doting family and great friends. Until the wrong boy swept into my perfect world and destroyed every part of it. Abuse. Drugs. Humiliation. He trampled all over my reputation and I was powerless to do anything about it. I couldn't break free from his controlling hold. But the night of the accident changed everything. Now I'm freed at last... -
Left Drowning by Jessica Park
What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe? Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College...Categorized as:
virgin heroine college angst m-f young adult contemporary tearjerkers friends to lovers -
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The Devastation You Reap by Tracy Lorraine
He never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation. But I’m not the monster he thinks I am... -
Touched By The Devil by Angel Lawson, Samantha Rue
Fights, sex, and fast cars. Those are what Sebastian Wilcox is all about.On the outside he’s easy smiles and a quick temper, but on the inside, a war rages on. He told the Devils his biggest secret; during a vicious fight, he accidentally hurt someone who didn't deserve it. For months now, he's been cursed by the memory of her screams. But that’s not his only hidden truth... -
Sinning Like Hell by Trilina Pucci
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsUSA TODAY bestselling author, Trilina Pucci brings you the finale of Sutton and Calder’s heart wrenching love story. We’ll never run away.There won’t be stars or a blue sky filled with heaven staring down on us.All we have is death and destruction.A life sentence, forced to survive within the absence of our love.Until five years later... -
Finders Keepers by Nicole Williams
There’s tortured. And there’s Garth Black. His life has been a constant carousel of tragedy and disappointment, including his love life. Of course, applying the term “love” to Garth’s conquests is a gross misuse of the word. Some people were made to give and accept love, and others weren’t. Garth Black redefines the “others” category...Categorized as:
second chances virgin heroine bad boys college male-pov m-f young adult contemporary -
The End Game by Kate McCarthy
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 31 ratings“Professional athletes are pillars of their respective communities. They are heroes in the eyes of boys and girls and are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that positively represents their community.” The public loves a good scandal. Seeing someone fall from the pinnacle of success makes a great headline. No one knows that better than I do... -
Fall With Me by Lucy Smoke
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIsaac Icari: The God of Hazelwood University. My stepbrother.My lover.My enemy.It was dangerous to let myself be swept up by him but he’s a drug that I crave.I should have walked away the second I realized what he was involved with, when he revealed who his father truly was.Now it’s too late.We should have known better. Get too close to the sun and you get burned...
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