Books like 'If There Be Thorns'

Readers who enjoyed If There Be Thorns by V.C. Andrews & The Real Virginia Andrews also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  dark romance  suspense  mystery  horror  m-f

  • Can't Go Back by Debra Webb

    Can't Go Back by Debra Webb

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    The past and the present collide in the final installment of USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb’s Devlin & Falco series, threatening everything these two detectives care about.Birmingham detectives Kerri Devlin and Luke Falco arrive at the scene of a double homicide to discover that nothing makes sense...
  • Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine

    Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    They’re hunting a killer so silent, so invisible, that his unspeakable crimes are the only proof he exists.A car submerged in a remote pond. The bodies of two girls strapped into their seats. The mystery of their mother, vanished without a trace, leads Gwen Proctor and Kezia Claremont into dangerous territory...
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  • Extreme Risk by Jane Blythe

    Extreme Risk by Jane Blythe

    Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Can she accept an offer of help from a patient she’s attracted to?Dr. Piper Hamilton is used to keeping on the fringes. She knows what it's like to be responsible for the death of someone you love and she'd do anything to protect herself from feeling that pain again...
  • Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

    Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 61 ratings
    Every time Gwen closed her eyes, she saw him in her nightmares. Now her eyes are open, and he’s not going away.Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text…You’re not safe anywhere now...
  • Code Name: Pisces by Janie Crouch

    Code Name: Pisces by Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    My code name is Pisces. The stars say I’m independent, wise, and intuitive.Still waters run deep. I’m the leader of Zodiac Tactical’s guardian unit. We’re the bodyguards—the ones who stand toe to toe with danger and refuse to give any ground. We protect people who need it most.But what if who needs it most is a spoiled diva?I don’t normally take on movie stars...
  • Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose

    Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    Deadly secrets lie beneath the murky waters of the Louisiana bayou in this pulse-pounding new romantic suspense novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose. There's no safe place for a child to hide when danger comes from every direction. Public prosecutor J.P...
  • Hammer by J.E. Daelman

    Hammer by J.E. Daelman

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    As the head of the construction business for the club, Hammer is off checking out new business opportunities. Some good, others not so good, but the Flower shop gives him more options than just construction. Adding in his relationship with Shar, the ex-husband after Tilly, the loan shark that wants his money and the kids causing trouble in town, Hammer and the club have their hands full...
    Categorized as:
    m-f  suspense  contemporary  bikers  dark  humor  length-medium
  • Obsession by T.K. Leigh

    Obsession by T.K. Leigh

    Rated: 4.88 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    One week. No names. No expectations.That was our agreement. We were supposed to walk away after our time in Hawaii was over. No matter what.That was before…Before I learned who she is.Before I realized how interconnected our lives are.Before I fell in love.But our love isn’t the stuff fairy tales are made of.Demons lurk around every corner.Good doesn’t necessarily prevail over evil...
  • Bed of Roses by D.V. Fischer

    Bed of Roses by D.V. Fischer

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 13 ratings
    I never thought I'd fall for a murderer. As an old employee at a funeral home, Tegan's life had been full of corpses. When her parents died, she couldn't take being surrounded by death anymore. She had to get away, and to do that, she moved to a small, sleepy town in Utah. When Tegan rented a house sight-unseen, she had been told it would need a lot of work...
  • Code Name: Gemini by Janie Crouch, Danielle M. Haas

    Code Name: Gemini by Janie Crouch, Danielle M. Haas

    Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 12 ratings
    Tasha Volkov has been on the run for three years from a brutal cartel who want her her family.She already paid a heavy price for crossing them, and has the scars to prove it. Her only choice is to keep running, even if the tiny town of Pine Valley feels more like home to her than anywhere else she's ever been...
  • Raven by K.L. Savage

    Raven by K.L. Savage

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Not even the holidays can make a bastard like me feel better.The guys are all gone for Christmas, but I decide to stay.I'm hunting a horrific serial killer and I can't afford to lose him.I'm regretting that decision when I find her:Beaten, bloodied, and left out in the snow to die.Who is she?That's the problem. Not even she knows...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  mystery  m-f  dark  contemporary  bikers  bad boys  christmas
  • The Demon by Stella Andrews

    The Demon by Stella Andrews

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    They call me The Demon for a reason and Eliza Ortega is about to find out why.A runaway mafia princess who stumbled from one nightmare to an even bigger one.She has something I want and I intend on collecting.I will stop at nothing to deliver my promise and if there are casualties I will consider it a good day at the office.My hobby is testing limits...
  • A Dark Mind by T.R. Ragan

    A Dark Mind by T.R. Ragan

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    A serial killer is terrorizing Sacramento, preying on happily married couples and unleashing unspeakable cruelties upon his victims. The ordeal rekindles disturbing memories for private investigator Lizzy Gardner, who barely escaped a serial killer clutches only years ago...
  • Layered Lies by Kaylie Hunter

    Layered Lies by Kaylie Hunter

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Two years after her son was abducted, Kelsey Harrison rebuilds a new life for herself. She opens a store, makes new friends, and settles into a peaceful existence. At least, that’s what she hopes the world believes.Behind closed doors, Kelsey hunts her enemies, living a life of lies. She hasn’t forgotten, hasn’t forgiven. She searches for answers still...
  • Key to Hell by Alex Grayson

    Key to Hell by Alex Grayson

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The highly anticipated conclusion of the Hell Night Series. Emo's story.Death. Destruction. Pain. A soulless void. It's his life. It's his reality.Emo doesn't feel. Anything. His soul is dark and filled with hatred. People in the small town of Malus watch him with fear, with reverence. Exactly the way he prefers it.Guilt surrounds him, caging him in an ominous past he refuses to let go...
  • Blackout by Janine Infante Bosco

    Blackout by Janine Infante Bosco

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Every fairytale is just a tragedy with a twist. And happily-ever-after is a fantasy.Give me the real, ugly love of two people battling their demons to make it work. Two people like us. When the stakes have never been higher, I turn to my past. After all, it's our favorite sins that always do us in.But even in the midst of my blackout, there she is. The beacon of light I don't deserve...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  m-f  contemporary  dark  length-long
  • Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch

    Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    She has secrets she prefers to keep hidden.Too bad he’s so good at getting to the truth.When a violent attack puts Maci Ford in the hospital, security expert Chance Patterson learns that she’s carrying his baby. Even though she ended their relationship, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to protect her and their child...
  • Last Resort by Janie Crouch

    Last Resort by Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From USA TODAY Bestselling Author Janie Crouch. Previously published as Texas ChanceShe has secrets she prefers to keep hidden.Too bad he’s so good at getting to the truth.When a violent attack puts Maci Ford in the hospital, security expert Chance Patterson learns that she’s carrying his baby...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  dark  pregnancy  contemporary  military
  • The Last Party by A.R. Torre

    The Last Party by A.R. Torre

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 32 ratings
    A loving mother. A notorious murderer. They both have reasons to hide their secrets in a novel of escalating shock and suspense by New York Times bestselling author A. R. Torre.Perla Wultz lives with her husband, Grant, and their precious daughter, Sophie, in a gated Pasadena community. Affluent, sociable, and accomplished, Perla plays the part of loving wife and mother to perfection...
  • Wishing Well by Lily White

    Wishing Well by Lily White

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    The perfect timing of a fairy tale is tied to its tragedy… Journalist, Meadow Graham, is invited to interview death row inmate, Vincent Mercier. Given three days to hear his sordid confession, Meadow seeks to learn why a wealthy hotel owner killed four people, including her twin sister...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  mystery  dark  contemporary  bdsm  length-medium
  • Bitter Sweet Hell by Alex Grayson

    Bitter Sweet Hell by Alex Grayson

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The Hell Night Series continues with JW's story! As the Sheriff of Malus, Texas, JW takes his oath to protect its citizens very seriously. Born from an ugly past, he swears no child, woman, or man will ever endure what he and his brothers have. As he seeks retribution of the ones who have wronged him, his past and his present finally collide. Secrets are laid open...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  m-f  contemporary  dark  length-medium
  • Damaged Kingdom by MJ Crouch

    Damaged Kingdom by MJ Crouch

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Mari Marcosa always knew she would die young, so being left to bleed out on a warehouse floor is no shock to her. But as the blood seeps from her body, her thoughts aren’t of the Marcosa empire she's ruled for years, or the city she's given everything to protect. It's on the three men who’ve stood by her Greyson: her soul, her foundation. So hard and reserved, showing emotion only to Mari...
  • Judge of Hell by Alex Grayson

    Judge of Hell by Alex Grayson

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The Hell Night Series continues with Judge's story!Fierce, loyal, controlled. Three things Judge became at a young age.Enduring unimaginable horrors no child should, he swore no person would dictate his or his brother’s lives again.Revenge fueled him, setting a path destined from the moment he and his brothers escaped their hell...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  m-f  contemporary  dark  length-novella
  • Reaper by Rachel Leigh

    Reaper by Rachel Leigh

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    They call me the reaper.Saying I have no soul. A heart that’s charred black. I tell them it’s true,because it is. I’ve been hiding in the shadows.Stealing secrets, destroying the lives of those who deserve it. But there’s one story to be told before this book closes. My story. Don’t be fooled, it’s not a fairytale. I’m no prince.And I certainly don’t want a princess...
  • Gabby's Protector by Janie Crouch, Regan Black

    Gabby's Protector by Janie Crouch, Regan Black

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    After a heart-shattering tragedy, Tony Marino bottled up his emotions and gave more than twenty hard years to the SEAL teams. Now, he’s enjoying a later in life career in paradise in the Ellington Cove special security office.The best part? Working with their research expert, Gabby Ladd...
  • Blackness Within by Norma Jeanne Karlsson

    Blackness Within by Norma Jeanne Karlsson

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Fighting to find his worthy place in life… This is the story of a woman that has worked tirelessly to build her own life from nothing. While the task has been exhaustive, it’s been worth every drop of sweat to earn her own slice of normal. Natasha Reynolds has built a life beyond an absent mother and a drug addict brother to become a home-owning, dog-loving nurse...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  m-f  contemporary  dark  possessive hero
  • Love Me Harder by Nikki Ash

    Love Me Harder by Nikki Ash

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Live hard. Love harder. Up until this point, I’ve been living my life for everyone but me. Trapped under my controlling mother’s expectations and rules. My only escape—a carefully guarded list of things I can only dream of doing. One by one, I slowly find the courage to start living...
  • The Sinister Silhouette by Alex Grayson, JW Photography

    The Sinister Silhouette by Alex Grayson, JW Photography

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    “Luca….”She whispers my name at night, filling my dreams with her haunting beauty. Her tormented amber eyes beg me for something I don’t understand, and her agonizing pain becomes my own.For years, she’s come to me, calling my name.For years, I’ve never known who she was.Until now…...
  • Wrath by Gwyn McNamee

    Wrath by Gwyn McNamee

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    All I see is red.Blood.Pain.Rage.It consumes me.The moment he took her, wrath invaded my soul.I only have one purpose. End him and take back what’s mine. Love isn’t always clean, and wrath is the deadliest sin...
  • The Society by Erin Mc Luckie Moya

    The Society by Erin Mc Luckie Moya

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    What happens when you're born into a secret society? When your great-grandfather was a founding member? Do you have a choice whether you stay or not?And the benefits that befall you with such a position? The easy college access and high powered positions - the multinational firms...
  • Tink by D.M. Earl

    Tink by D.M. Earl

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Working to rid the world of human traffickers has been Tink’s life’s calling. It’s very close to her heart and only those in her inner circle know the real reason why...
  • Combative Trilogy by Jay McLean

    Combative Trilogy by Jay McLean

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    In a world full of secrets, heartache, and betrayals, they only have one thing on their mind: redemption.But with redemption comes destruction.And that destruction might cost them their hearts.*Kyler Parker is not one of the lucky ones.Abused and neglected until he was sixteen, Kyler needed an out. A way to escape...
  • Pleasure & Prey: vol. 1 by A.J. Merlin

    Pleasure & Prey: vol. 1 by A.J. Merlin

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    DepravedThere’s nothing out there.That’s what I keep telling myself while I walk back from a campfire to my isolated cabin.BrutalNothing bad happens at summer camp.That’s what my fellow camp counselors have convinced me of when the nights around the lake get a little eerie.ViciousOne, two, he’s coming for you...
  • Wicked Little Words by Stevie J. Cole

    Wicked Little Words by Stevie J. Cole

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Edwin Allen Mercer I want them all to read my words. And they do. Every last blood-stained sentence, they've read and praised me for. They love the gore and violence, the realness. And I get a sense of power with it all because I know a secret: the victims in my books—they’re real and have all died on my table. And maybe that’s why the last book had such awful reviews...
  • Darkness Lurks by J.L. Drake

    Darkness Lurks by J.L. Drake

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    Emily McPhee has struggled to overcome her father’s death... It’s not easy, but Emily finally has the life she wants. She’s an A student at Orange University and has a comfortable home and a great circle of friends. She’s also in love with handsome Orange PD officer Seth Connors. He doesn’t seem to return her feelings, though, so she tells herself his friendship is enough...
  • Merciless Union by Faith Summers

    Merciless Union by Faith Summers

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Everything changed overnight.Truth became my enemy, and the sting of betrayal dragged me into a web of lies.I’m damned if I fight to live and damned if I die. Both will be dangerous for the child growing inside me. I can’t trust Lucca to save us.Love is a myth we shouldn’t have explored.He was always my enemy.Love just made me forget and blinded me to the truth...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  m-f  new adult  contemporary  dark  mafia
  • And I Love You the Most by W. Winters

    And I Love You the Most by W. Winters

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 29 ratings
    An epic tale of both betrayal and all-consuming love...Marcus, the villain.Cody Walsh, the FBI agent who knows too much.And Delilah, the lawyer caught in between.This is the third and final book in the This Love Hurts trilogy...
  • Lost Boy by Ker Dukey

    Lost Boy by Ker Dukey

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    When Willis Langford, the infamous serial killer, dubbed the Hollywell Slayer, enters Lizzy West’s life, he leaves blood and pain in his wake—kidnapping his son, her best friend, Jack, and killing those who try to stop him.After witnessing unimaginable evil, the echoes of that day haunt Lizzy into adulthood.Fifteen years later, Willis is still at large...
  • Under the Stars by Tia Louise

    Under the Stars by Tia Louise

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    *Book #2 in the "Bright Lights" CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE Duet by USA Today bestselling author Tia Louise. All around us was darkness and night... I'm not a hero. I'm a survivor. I had one way out, and I took it. Now all I want is peace, A place to pick up the pieces and start over. But she wants justice. Names on a list, faces in the crowd...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  m-f  dark  alpha male  contemporary
  • HAVOC by Ker Dukey

    HAVOC by Ker Dukey

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    My brother once told me, it’s not murder if your hand is forced.But he doesn’t know the secrets I keep.I wasn’t always like this. Angry. Rebellious. A killer.The world I was born into made me this way, pushed me to become what I am. Killers aren’t born,they're made.And do you want to know one of my secrets?I like it.The kill. The violence. The vengeance.It excites me. Empowers me. Feeds me...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  dark  contemporary  bikers  abuse
  • Evanesce by K.L. Savage

    Evanesce by K.L. Savage

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Evanesce is ready to relax without her brother breathing down her neck, but the news she has for Tongue might just kick his fourth of July off with a bang. Between keeping a secret for Daphne and trying to avoid the blonde prospect, this trip to Vegas will be more than she bargained for. Knix came to Vegas, only keeping to the Kings clubs as he blows around the US...
  • Say You're Sorry by Karen Rose

    Say You're Sorry by Karen Rose

    Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 40 ratings
    Introducing the first novel in the pulse-pounding Sacramento series from New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose. There is a serial killer on the loose, preying on vulnerable women. The only identifiable mark the killer leaves are letters—sometimes one, sometimes two—all carved into the torsos of his victims. Together they spell “Sydney...
  • Lured by Lies by Ella Miles

    Lured by Lies by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    From USA Today Bestselling Author Ella Miles comes a new dark romantic suspense series! I'm heir to an empire, all I have to do is pass one final test. Assassinate my target. Easy. I have no problem killing to survive. No problem brining my enemies to their judgment day. But then, I see her. She can't be my mark. She's definitely not my enemy. This has to be a mistake...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  m-f  new adult  contemporary  dark
  • The Price of Forgiveness by M.L. Nystrom

    The Price of Forgiveness by M.L. Nystrom

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    When does sin become unforgivable? Find out in bestselling author ML Nystrom’s gritty The Dutchmen MC series, where you’ll meet a darker breed of bikers.Rail has the impossible task of leading the Dutchmen MC through a long and chaotic transition. His life is spinning out of control, trying to live up to club expectations...
  • Charlie by Elin Peer

    Charlie by Elin Peer

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    "Charles, the reserved, mysterious, and unattainable guy I had a major crush on in college, got tangled up with the wrong crowd. Being the heir to one of the largest business dynasties in the US made Charles a target for the narcissistic and cunning cult leader O'Brien. Now, I'm flying to Dublin to get him out...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  mystery  contemporary  dark  audiobook
  • The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

    The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

    Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 97 ratings
    She's looking for the perfect man. He's looking for the perfect victim.Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it all: men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can't shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect...
  • The Elder by Celia Aaron

    The Elder by Celia Aaron

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    A shocking murder. A suspicious son. A dedicated detective. In Azalea, Mississippi, the only thing hotter than the summer days are the men of the King family. When the patriarch Randall King is found dead, Detective Arabella Matthews will race the clock to stop the killer from striking again...
  • A Perfect Lie by Lisa Renee Jones

    A Perfect Lie by Lisa Renee Jones

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Secrets. Lies. A man. There's always a man. And there's always a truth to be told. I'm Hailey Anne Monroe. I’m twenty-eight years old. An artist, who found her muse on the canvas because I wasn’t allowed to have friends or even keep a journal...
  • Murder Notes by Lisa Renee Jones

    Murder Notes by Lisa Renee Jones

    Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones’s heart-pounding thriller of a woman’s secrets—and a past that’s about to come out of hiding… As an FBI profiler, it’s Lilah Love’s job to think like a killer. And she is very good at her job...
  • Trigger: A Circle of Justice Novel by L.P. Dover

    Trigger: A Circle of Justice Novel by L.P. Dover

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    *~* STANDALONE NOVEL *~* A killer . . . that’s what I am. It’s what I do. It’s what I live for. I’m no longer the Preston Hale everyone knew. I left that life and the people in it a long time ago the second I made my first kill. I wasn’t going to give in, but when I heard the screams there was no going back. It triggered the pain, the need. I knew what I had to do, and I did it well...
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