Books like 'Painting Fire on the Air'
Readers who enjoyed Painting Fire on the Air by J.P. Barnaby also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance gay romance tortured hero friends to lovers bdsm hurt-comfort queer
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Finder Volume 4: Prisoner in the View Finder by Ayano Yamane
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 27 ratings"Don't tell me you actually believe Asami is in love with you?" The gorgeous and devious Fei Long has kidnapped Akihito and taken him all the way to Hong... -
Final Orders by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAn embattled author. Fanatical parents. A son who can’t stay out of trouble. It’s the last one that’ll probably kill him.When Emery Hazard gets drawn into a brawl at a monthly school board meeting, he knows he’s in trouble; his husband, John-Henry Somerset, is chief of police, and they’re already under enough scrutiny as they try to finalize their foster son’s permanency plan... -
Finder, Volume 3: One Wing in the Finder by Ayano Yamane
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe Chinese crime lord Fei Long comes to Japan hoping to lure freelance photographer Akihito into his web of intrigue and sex. But when his friends fall prey to Fei Long's diabolical schemes, Akihito has only one person he can ask for help, the person he despises more than anyone else on Earth: the Yakuza boss Asami, who once made Akihito his sex slave... -
Anti-Hero by Kelly Fox
Spoiler This isn't some sad exploration of my tragic past. I have a list of the people who bought and sold me. And they aren't getting a redemption arc. I was luckier than most. I was rescued by a team of guys who search out people like me, and now I get to work with them. But I'm not the hero of this story. I don't forgive. I don't forget...Categorized as:
friends to lovers hurt-comfort queer m-m height-difference suspense age difference humor -
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Home by Cara Dee
For as long as I can remember, I've only had one goal: survival. It's what I know. There is no future beyond making it through another night and getting my hands on as much money as possible, by any means necessary. Pride and dignity are things I can't afford. It's been the worst year yet—and not because I live on the streets. That's nothing compared to being separated from my little girl... -
Domesticated Beast by Onley James
JAVIER DE LA FUENTE is a criminal, an ex-con with a long line of offenses, atoning for his sins by rescuing abused animals and advocating for child victims. But that doesn’t mean he’s a saint. Javier learned years ago that what’s right and what’s legal aren’t always the same thing. BOWIE BAKER is a ballet dancer, a soloist doing his best to get ahead in his LA dance company... -
囀る鳥は羽ばたかない 4 [Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai 4] by Kou Yoneda, ヨネダコウ
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsYashiro is the young leader of Shinseikai and the president of the Shinseikai Enterprise, but like so many powerful men, he leads a double life as a deviant and a masochist. Chikara Doumeki comes to work as a bodyguard for him and, although Yashiro had decided that he would never lay a hand on his own men, he finds there's something about Doumeki that he can't resist... -
The Air That I Breathe by Cara Dee
The Game Series, Book 3.5 “In that moment, I stopped caring about right and wrong.” The only thing that stood between us were the boundaries set by others, by society, by our parents. But together we could knock them down. Together, we could find freedom and live life on our own terms. Screw the rest of the world. He was all that mattered. He was the air that I breathed... -
17 Black and 29 Red by Richard Rider
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsSecond part in the Stockholm Syndrome trilogy:Some mistakes are too enormous and some people are too stubborn for anything to work except running away, but the world is never as big as you need it to be and eventually you can't help circling back to where you started... -
Death's Ink-Black Shadow by John Wiltshire
It takes a certain kind of courage to live as if favoured by the gods, ignoring the ever-present ghosts of your past—or perhaps not bravery, but arrogance. And maybe not even that. Ben genuinely believes that the past is behind them—that they deserve to enjoy the life they have created. So it’s not hubris that leads him to overlook the signs that Nikolas does not share his faith, it’s love... -
The Devil Inside by Nicky James
Their love was innocent and pure… Until they were forced to believe differently. Until they were brutally schooled on the “right” way to love.Oakland is not gay. Jameson is not gay.Being gay is wrong. It is immoral. It is a sickness they must fight. It is the devil inside that needs to be purged.At least that’s what they’ve been conditioned to believe...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort friends to lovers tortured hero queer angst contemporary lgbtqia hate mental illness -
Strays by Garrett Leigh
!! SECOND EDITION WITH EXTENDED CONTENT !!Award winning MM romance. A grumpy hero with the sweetest heart as forced proximity and found family give two damaged men the HEA they deserve.Work, sleep, work, repeat. Nero’s lonely life suits him just fine until his best friend, Cass, asks him to take on a new apprentice—a beautiful young man who’s never set foot in a professional kitchen... -
The Tin Box by Kim Fielding
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWilliam Lyon's past forced him to become someone he isn't. Conflicted and unable to maintain the charade, he separates from his wife and takes a job as caretaker at a former mental hospital. Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum was the largest mental hospital in California for well over a century, but it now stands empty... -
Devil by Silvia Violet
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsA Dark Mafia Romance Devil is a mobster with a dangerous secret... There's a cop who hates him. A cop he caught and released. A cop he can't get out of his mind after the one forbidden night they shared... -
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All We Are by Jessie Walker
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPride.Will and Waylon have been through hell and back—more than once. But they’re still standing, still loving each other, still embracing their found family. And that’s something Will is stupidly proud of. He’s happier than he’s ever been, and more in love than he ever thought possible. He just hopes he can find a way to make Waylon believe in them as much as he does.Pride... -
In These Words, Volume 2 by Kichiku Neko, Guilt Pleasure
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAsano Katsuya realizes the meaning of his nightmare as everything came around full circle. Finally, Katsuya learned who Shinohara Kenji was and the meaning of his presence in his memories. With some answers surfacing, more questions also were pulled up with it. In These Words rewinds and replays the past that begun it all... -
Doll Parts by Cara Dee
The Game Series, #4 [Standalone.]I have the best boyfriend in the whole world, but there’s one thing I won’t tell him. It’s that I don’t believe in absolute happiness anymore. Not with the cards we’ve been dealt... -
Forgive Me Father by Garrett Leigh
Expect: a sizzling hurt/comfort MM romance with a damaged chaplain and a dark-souled enforcer with a tender-hearted secret.“I gave my darkest secrets to a man who doesn’t exist.”Embry"...you don’t understand.”Mateo lowered himself to sit, still vibrating with the need to fix me, the way he always did. “Then tell me. Explain it like I’m the simplest idiot you’ve ever met.”I can’t... -
Chip's Forever Daddy by Sammi Cee
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsChip’s had a good example of a Daddy—and the absolute worst. Ollie’s determined to give him the best…forever. If Chip didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck at all. All he’s ever wanted is a man to see him, truly hear him, and love him. Ollie is the definition of protective, with the muscle to back it up...Categorized as:
queer hurt-comfort friends to lovers m-m contemporary age difference daddy-kink height-difference -
How Did You Survive Alone? by Ki Brightly, M.D. Gregory
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe Legacy Mobster Fallon Maher is falling for the most unlikely person. Aspen is handsome, but he’s quiet, while Fallon is the opposite and talks enough to irritate everyone. The two men dance around their feelings, but when Fallon is injured while on a job for their boss, Aspen charges into the line of fire to help him... -
Midnight Target by Elle Kennedy
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Score and Midnight Revenge... Four years ago, Cate’s entire life changed when she discovered she was the daughter of a supersoldier. But Jim Morgan’s overprotectiveness has pushed her away. These days, she’s working as a freelance photographer and living the dangerous life Jim never wanted for her... -
Shattered Pieces by K.M. Neuhold
“I was sure my heart had withered away years ago, but then you smiled at me, and I felt it beat again.” ~Gage Years ago, I fell in love with my best friend’s little brother. Then, he took his own life, leaving me shattered and unable to piece my heart back together. I’ve been a zombie for nine long years...Categorized as:
friends to lovers tortured hero queer m-m contemporary tearjerkers dark length-short -
The Interrogation (Hunt&Cam4Ever) by Adira August
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHunter’s most twisted killer. Cam’s most dangerous case.A STAND-ALONE PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERIf you like a master gamesman for a detective and a few twists in your criminal cocktail, you want to read this... -
How Much for a Broken Heart? by R.J. Scott
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen the game turns deadly for a SEAL and his Ranger, love becomes the most dangerous mission of all.In a single devastating morning, August's life crumbles. His covert assignment derails disastrously as the family he's meant to safeguard falls prey to the ruthless Cooper River cartel...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort friends to lovers queer suspense m-m grumpy sunshine dark queer-awakening -
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Unquiet by Melanie Hansen
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLoren Smith has been in love with Eliot Devlin almost his entire life. During their turbulent childhood and teen years, Loren didn’t always understand Eliot, and sometimes he could be a challenge, but Eliot was the only one to ever truly ease Loren’s deep loneliness and accept him... -
Deliverance by Garrett Leigh
Banished gangster Benito Martell is living on the edge. An explosive hook-up in a club gifts him the relief he craves, but nothing about his life is ever so simple. Complications abound, and before long, he’s falling for the only man who can save his family from eviction.Recovering addict Mickey Larwood has worked hard to leave his past behind... -
Hook by Gianni Holmes
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsKITDodging bullets and jumping from two story buildings are things I’d only ever seen in movies.Never would I have expected that this would become my life.I keep deadly secrets for the man I love.I’ll follow him across countries to have his back.Why am I willing to risk everything for him?Because of the look in his eyes when I purr for him.SULLYWorking with Kit is my greatest joy... -
Happy Krampus Xmas & The Meet Not Cute: Two Xmas Novellas by Paulina Ian-Kane
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratings-Happy Krampus XmasHappy Krampus Day!Krampus who? Santa’s evil brother, duh.The horned demon sort of cursed me, and I need to find a way to appease him.Otherwise, I won’t be able to proceed with my donor initiation: blood, torture, death, screams—not in that order.All I need is to follow my three-step groveling plan... -
Home Then by A.E. Jensen
ColtonAfter being in the army for more than 20 years, Colton returns to his home town in Nebraska. His estranged uncle has offered him a job at his auto shop. With nothing to his name, he hopes to start over and build some sort of life. Preferably a quiet life where he doesn’t have to deal with the rest of the world...Categorized as:
friends to lovers hurt-comfort queer tortured hero contemporary m-m military mental illness -
Remember Me by Avril Ashton
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTheirs was a connection that began and ended in the shadows. Secret moments. Missed opportunities and what-ifs. Wanting more than what they had, but grateful with the bits of happiness they snatched.A bullet stole it away, setting two men adrift. One waiting in the darkness for light to shine once again... -
Surrender by R. Phoenix, Adara Wolf
FoxWhen I was hired to kill Cristiano Fiore, I thought I'd get in, take the shot, and get out. I didn't count on the explosion. I didn't count on him rescuing me.I didn't count on him taking care of me, dominating me, and giving me the best sex of my life. I didn't expect the word "Daddy" to make me feel so safe. He's making it harder and harder for me to go back to my old life... -
Boxed In by Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIn the exciting final season of the Flesh Cartel . . .With the help of the FBI, Mat Carmichael has let himself be re-taken by the Flesh Cartel. Objective? Rescue his brother, exact revenge, and destroy the entire organization from the inside... -
Twenty-Five by Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIn the exciting final season of the Flesh Cartel . . .With the help of the FBI, Mat Carmichael has let himself be re-taken by the Flesh Cartel. Objective? Rescue his brother, exact revenge, and destroy the entire organization from the inside... -
How Do You Survive A Kiss? by Ki Brightly, M.D. Gregory
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Heartless MobsterCillian Shaughnessy has a reputation for being violent. He is the kind of killer who can get any job done, which is why his boss sends him and his partner in crime, Aspen, to Miami to finally rid the Killough Company of an enemy. As long as he has his best friend, Aspen, at his side, he can take on any assignment, no matter how difficult. No target stands a chance... -
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Griffin in Wonderland by Tiffany Reisz
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHard partying trust fun baby Griffin Fiske wakes up after a hard night with a King's boots on his chest and gets an invitation he can't refuse...This Original Sinners short story takes place approximately six years before The Siren... -
My Name Is Tryst by Julie Anne Addicott
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOn the outside, I am perfect. On the inside, something sinister lurks. I am sick and I cannot be cured. I use them, abuse them, then sell them to the highest bidder. But there’s Glen. He’s mine. My addiction, my sanity, my destruction. His touch calms the monster that lurks beneath my skin. If I continue on this path, I could lose him, and I refuse to let that happen... -
Hazardous by Charity Parkerson
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsWulf and Beau have nothing in common. There’s no reason for them to see each other at all. So why can’t they stay away? Wulf’s friend married Beau’s brother. That’s it. They have no other common ground. Wulf isn’t certain they even like each other. They have nothing to talk about when Wulf finds himself on Beau’s couch. Neither of them calls or sends texts between unexpected visits... -
Independence Day by Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMat and Douglas’s time as Nikolai’s wards is finally drawing to a close. Though torn apart by Nikolai’s machinations, their fates are still inextricably entwined: they’ve been sold to the same cruel master, and are united in their desire to go home... -
Lost in a Moment by Nicky James
When the only person Grayson has to lean on is his straight best friend, what could go wrong? After a horrific accident and an amputation, Grayson isn’t sure where to turn. Not only is he an emotional wreck, but his problems seem to be getting worse, not better. When his childhood best friend insists he come and stay with him for a while, Grayson isn’t sure how to feel...Categorized as:
friends to lovers tortured hero queer m-m mental illness contemporary bisexual angst -
Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSuccessful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain... -
Trials and Errors by Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsWith a wedge at last driven between Mat and Dougie Carmichael, courtesy of Nikolai Petrovic’s expert manipulations, the brothers must each accept their new path forward: Dougie, a perfect slave, sweet and obedient and loving. Mat, a tightly reined dog, snarling and snapping but never allowed to bite.Unfortunately, no transformation, however well planned, is without its growing pains... -
Tell No One by Barbara Elsborg
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s not every day that a total stranger asks Tag if he’s…ahem…well endowed. Of course he’s not going to say no. When he’s offered a life-changing amount of money to go to a party, he’s not going to say no to that either, even though he suspects sex will be involved. But sense prevails and Tag decides to stick to his principles and not go, except things take an alarming turn... -
Codirection by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThey killed a girl to keep their secrets. They won’t stop there.A new home, a fresh start, a chance to do things right this time—and Shaw and North are determined to make it work. But the night of their housewarming party, things don’t go as planned. A reporter arrives, wanting to talk to North about his ex-husband, his father, and a criminal syndicate... -
Promise by Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIn the exciting final season of the Flesh Cartel . . .With the help of the FBI, Mat Carmichael has let himself be re-taken by the Flesh Cartel. Objective? Rescue his brother, exact revenge, and destroy the entire organization from the inside... -
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You Always You by M.E. .
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWhatever happened in your past, did not happen. And I am your only future.I am obsessed with you; you're obsessed with me.You hurt me to comfort me.You break me to put me back together.And I do the same to you.I am addicted to you; you're addicted to me.You told me this would be a bad idea.You warned me of the heartache.And I did it anyway.I like you; you like me.When I see you, my sun rises... -
Nevermore by A.K. Graves
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen Leonor died, she didn’t see a light.There were no angels, no pearly gates.She didn’t see anything at all, just a cold, dark void.But she did hear music…Leonor heard her music, the music she made with The Ravens, and she was glad it was waiting for her in the end.Until everything went eerily silent, and she was pulled from the afterlife and thrown into the life after... -
Syren & Renzo by Avril Ashton
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsM/M Second-Chance Love Story “Your love was a weapon, and he used it to destroy us.” Syren Rua and Renzo Vega. Before they became the men they are now, they were stolen. Caged. Abused. In the grip of a monster, the black-haired boy discovered hope again when he’d lost it. The white-haired boy found family when he’d gone so long without it. They had each other...until a betrayal ripped them apart... -
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Sin and Supplication by Ki Brightly, M.D. Gregory
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Murderous PastFather Gian Sabbatini is a priest who can’t outrun his sins, but he tries to avoid his family and their mob ties. He does all the good he can for the people of St. Loren, Louisiana, to make up for the criminal life he once led. Gian’s family loves to remind him that no matter how many people he helps, there is still blood on his hands, and on the money in the church coffers... -
The Good Green Earth by V.L. Locey
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter the Syracuse Stallions clinch the championship, Nathan Zinkan, the renowned wild man of the AHL is arrested for a DUI. Again. When a no-nonsense judge adds a heavy dose of community service to an already stiff sentence, Nathan has to forget a summer of partying and slide on a pair of gardening gloves...
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