Books like 'The Espionage Effect'
Readers who enjoyed The Espionage Effect by Kat Bastion & Stone Bastion also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance suspense tortured heroine sassy heroine
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Can't Go Back by Debra Webb
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe 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... -
Tool by K.L. Savage
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsBeing the VP of the Ruthless Kings has made me jaded and scarred, a savage bloodthirsty beast.Grit, pain, blood, the three constants in my life.Love?I wouldn't burden anyone with loving me. I'm a hard man to love.Until she walks through the garage doors, looking perfect in her little blue dress and high heels.She's neat and clean and too damn good for me, but I'm determined to get her filthy... -
Killman Creek by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsEvery 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... -
Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsDeadly 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... -
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Extreme Risk by Jane Blythe
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsCan 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... -
Summer and Smoke by Coralee June
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsSummer Bright is just a name on a tombstone. A whispered mystery on the long-forgotten Woodbury Lane. Her ghost teases me with fear and perfection. She knows I’m not strong enough to do what I should’ve done years ago. The Bullets are united once more, bonded by their demand for blood. There’s a vulnerability in their friendship, though. Gavriel craves control. Blaise fears losing me... -
Savage Sin: Bellamy Brothers 1 by Helen Hardt
Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsEnter a world of mystery, suspense, sin, and heart-wrenching emotion with Helen Hardt's new series!In prison, they called him Savage.Falcon Bellamy spent years locked up for a crime he didn’t commit, which shattered his dream of serving his country as a Navy SEAL. When he's granted early parole to help with a family emergency, he’s determined to reclaim his life...Categorized as:
suspense sassy heroine contemporary super rich hero dual-pov alpha male dark length-medium -
Chasing The Dragon by T.K. Leigh
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsHe’s trying to protect his heart… She’s a shell of the girl she once was… Can he chase away the demons threatening to destroy her? Mackenzie Delano craves control. After tragedy strikes during her freshman year of college, she compensates for the helplessness she felt by micro-managing every aspect of her life, from her business life to her social life…to her love life... -
Unholy Bonds by Maya Raine
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThree serial killers connected by an unholy thread, tangled in a twisted chase for revenge and blood. In this game of hunters, who will become the ultimate prey?***He is every sin she wants to commit. Yara West spends her day as a Medical Examiner. At nights, she dons the mask of a twisted killer to satiate the demons in her head... -
Love and Lead by Coralee June
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOne. We’re alive, for now. Two. Gavriel’s totally lost control. Three. Santobello is hunting us. Four. Someone will die... -
Never Look Back by Mary Burton
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsExpect the unexpected in this gritty, tense, and page-turning mystery from New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.After multiple women go missing, Agent Melina Shepard of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation makes the impulsive decision to go undercover as a prostitute... -
Sworn by Maria Luís
I bow to no man. The words are tattooed on my skin, just as they’re branded on my heart. But I never planned for Sergeant Lincoln Asher, a man as deceptive as he is cold. His dominance sets my teeth on edge . . . and my body on fire. He won’t stop until I’m his, but I’m not his to take. My secrets bind me—and blind me. I live in the shadows of New Orleans... -
Luca by Eden Summers
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLuca dragged me from hell and delivered me to salvation.At least that's what I thought.I hoped this would be a new life. A fresh start.But the pain followed.I'm certain the monsters did, too.I'm told it's paranoia. Trauma. PTSD.Nobody believes my truth.But they'll soon learn.We all will.Because as much as I want to forget the mantra from my nightmares, it hasn't stopped being true... -
Big by L. Wilder
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHow much would you risk to save the one you love? From NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author L. Wilder comes book six in the Satan's Fury Series, a standalone MC romance. Big: I don't use a knife or a gun to get the guy I'm after. I find that my weapon of choice has a much longer, more crippling effect. With just a few keystrokes, I can have him scrambling for his life... -
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Alluring Abyss by K.E. Osborn
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Tampa Royal Bastards are riding back into town!Join Ominous as he falls into the alluring abyss... -
Condemned Soul by Emma Creed
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratings**The Final Instalment Of The Dirty Soul MC Colorado Series**'Bound not by blood but loyalty.We live, we ride, and we dieby our own laws'Being President isn’t easy.I’ve loved.I’ve lost.But through it all I’ve always had my club.We’ve gone through hell and come out fighting.Relied on each other and never gave up hope.Now, our biggest threat of all is closing in... -
Counterfeit Love by Jessica Gadziala
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsFinch can spot a fake a mile away.Raised in the Bayou with crime in his veins, he managed to turn his talent into a career. Making money. Racking up a few enemies along the way.On the run from one of those, he starts overin a new town. Where he meets her. Full of lists and guards and attitude.Someone beautiful enough to make even blackmail seem sexy.Chris has lived through hell... -
Heartless by A.J. Merlin
Fifteen years ago, Cassian Byers murdered his older sister.And I witnessed the whole thing.For years, I’ve fought to bury the memories of my troubled childhood, which includes the haunting image of my babysitter’s murder. Life in Hayden Fields has been eerily calm—no big crimes or chaos—until now.Until the first girl dies.And I see Cassian outside of my work like he never left...Categorized as:
suspense sassy heroine dark contemporary horror m-f length-medium explicit-plentiful -
30 Days of Shame by Ginger Talbot
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe monster draws pleasure from my pain. Now, it's time to fight back.SERGEI30 days of pain have pushed Willow to her limits.My pretty prisoner is no longer meek. She's trying to resist.But my precious prize doesn't know what I know.Nobody has ever won a war against me.Nobody has ever bested me.And she's not going to be the first.Good luck, little Willow.. -
Reviving Izabel by J.A. Redmerski
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 51 ratingsDetermined to live a dark life in the company of the assassin who freed her from bondage, Sarai sets out on her own to settle a score with an evil sadist. Unskilled and untrained in the art of killing, the events that unfold leave her hanging precariously on the edge of death when nothing goes as planned...Categorized as:
suspense tortured heroine sassy heroine strong heroine bad boys mystery abuse alpha male -
Savior by Eden Summers
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsI was stolen. Hidden. Trapped in a hell beyond salvation. Until him. Luca. The man who changed everything with his soothing words and vows of protection. I shouldn't trust him. What he promises is something I gave up on long ago. And yet here I am, falling under the spell of a reality I crave. I want him to save me. I need it... -
Layered Lies by Kaylie Hunter
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsTwo 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... -
Torian by Eden Summers
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom International bestselling author, Eden Summers, comes a seductive forbidden romance destined to leave you breathless. I fell for the enemy.A man whose actions resemble the devil so closely it frightens me.We were meant to hate each other.To despise and detest.But his appeal is so much greater than the playboy smile and body built for sin.What I'm doing is wrong.What I'm feeling is immoral... -
Knight's Bright Eyes by Ciara St James
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKnight’s life completely changes once he finds out he has a daughter. The months he spends learning to be one and forming a relationship with her have been bumpy but good. He loves her and his club. The only thing his life is missing is female companionship. He has doubts he’ll ever have anything permanent, but he’s come to accept his daughter is his priority, not his love life... -
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Into Temptation by Monica James
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsMonsters are real...and that monster is my father.Ten years ago, I surrendered. I thought I was doing the right thing. But lies and greed have once again destroyed my life, leaving me to deal with the aftermath.This life has always been a curse, but the world as I know it has changed. Belfast isn't what it used to be.Alliances are broken. Kingdoms have fallen... -
The Last Party by A.R. Torre
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA 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... -
Key to Hell by Alex Grayson
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe 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... -
When Darkness Ends by Marni Mann
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAn all new angsty, dark, stand-alone Contemporary Romance in the Moments in Boston Series ...You never forget your first love … even when he becomes a memory.There was before.When we were together, when we were happy.When we had nothing but dreams.When not a single bad thing could ever happen because we were young and in love.And there was after... -
Blackout by Janine Infante Bosco
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEvery 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... -
Dip's Flame by Andi Rhodes
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDip…I’m not a good man, and I’ve never pretended otherwise. As the Road Captain of Satan’s Legacy MC, I’ve seen and done things most wouldn’t be proud of, but me? I couldn’t care less. Good, bad, or indifferent, I am who I am, and you either accept me or don’t. That has always been the way I lived my life. Until the night I walk into a bar and see her... -
Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe 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... -
Pretty Evil by Stella Andrews
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen the cage door opens, freedom is a difficult temptation to ignore.Serena VieriMafia princess, protected her entire life for a very good reason.There is a target on her back.Her family believed she was better off not knowing but with knowledge comes a certain kind of power that she could sure use right now... -
Guarded from Danger (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) by Gia Cobie, Operation Alpha
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI wrote romance stories. But I never expected to be living in one.At least, it started out that way.In the kind of meet-cute I’d put in my own books, I met Xavier by the romance section in a bookstore. Within the first five minutes, I knew he was someone I wanted to see again. And in some stroke of luck, he felt the same way, asking me out on a date before he left... -
Last Resort by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom 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... -
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Concealed Affliction by Harlow Stone
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsRyder has done his best to break my armor. It’s been a slow process but he’s reminded me what it’s like to feel again. I could never thank him enough for the toe curling and life altering experiences. He’s been my light in a hurricane-but even I know the sun can’t shine all the time. I have a big decision to make and it’s not as simple as just going left or right, forward or backward... -
Tangled Promise by Ella Miles
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsI can’t keep my promises. I’ve made too many, to too many people. All the promises have tangled into a web of sin and truths. But there is one thing I’m certain of…I have to end this—us. This is Book 4 in the Sinful Truths series... -
Fallen Love by Ella Miles
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsI’ve fallen in love, then out. In… Out… Now, I’m more confused than ever. I always thought falling in love would be easy. It would feel right when I fell for the right woman. With Siren, does it feel so right, yet so wrong? This is Book 5 in the Sinful Truths series... -
Broken Anchor by Ella Miles
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsI’m broken. He’s broken. We are broken. But sometimes you have to shatter to pick up the pieces. To start over. To overcome our enemies. And find out if we can love again. He’s my anchor, but can our love be repaired? This is the final book in the Sinful Truths series... -
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsThe latest installment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling Strike series finds Cormoran and Robin ensnared in another winding, wicked case.When frantic, dishevelled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn't know quite what to make of the situation... -
Inferno: Part 1 by T K Leigh
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI never believed in fate. That was something for the dreamers, the romantics, not someone as practical and pragmatic as I. Fate had nothing to do with me walking in on my soon-to-be husband in a compromising position with his secretary. Fate had nothing to do with me hopping on a plane to Rome, effectively standing up my former fiancE on our wedding day... -
When He's Dirty by Lisa Renee Jones
As a member of Walker Security, Adrian Ramos has found redemption for a walk on the dark side. For six years the former FBI agent was undercover in the notorious Texas Kings biker club. For six years he changed, he became one of them and when the bust happened, he didn't know who he was anymore...Categorized as:
suspense sassy heroine contemporary dark mystery alpha male bodyguard-hero length-short -
A Shade of Evil by Stella Andrews
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsRevenge is a dish best served cold.Shade Vieri has no mercy. No compassion and no empathy.He is cruel, enigmatic, and deliciously dark.His instructions are clear.Find the Achilles heel of the enemy and destroy it.The enemy is a woman who slides across his soul like spun silk.A breath of fresh air in a dark, depressing world... -
Duty by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThey say heavy is the head that wears the crown … Andino Marcello’s world is turned upside down when he becomes the next heir apparent to the Marcello empire. He was comfortable in his place as a Capo, but comfort is for the weak in the world of mafioso. The boss’s seat is waiting... -
I'm Watching You by Karen Rose
I Know Their Crimes. Star prosecutor Kristen Mayhew has a dangerous secret admirer. He seems to know her every thought, her every move. He sends her letters. And he kills the criminals she herself is powerless to stop. I Hunt Down the Guilty... -
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Maverick by Lilly Atlas
Stephanie Little firmly believes the world exists in two states: right and wrong; good and evil; unlawful and law-abiding. She chose her side the moment she joined the FBI and pledged to rid the world of as many criminals as possible. Maverick is everything Stephanie isn’t: inked, pierced, flirty, masculine as sin, but most of all, an outlaw... -
Unlawful Justice by K.C. Lynn, K. Langston
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsSeek the truth and you will find justice. The peaceful town of Harmony Falls, Texas, has been rocked to its core by an unspeakable crime. One that harbors revenge and injustice. Schoolteacher Olivia Bradshaw can’t remember what happened that horrific night, but it’s easy to see the effect it’s had on those around her... -
Hate Me by LP Lovell
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAnna I am a whore. A slave. A possession. I accepted my fate long ago, but fate is not done with me yet. Freedom is so close I can almost taste it, only to have it snatched away under the guise of protection. A gilded cage is still a cage. Friend or foe? Saviour or oppressor? Rafael D’Cruze is a bad man. I hate him, so why do I feel safe with him? Rafael She’s a favour. Collateral... -
Trident's Enjoyment by Ciara St James
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsTrident gave thirty years of his life to his country. He enjoyed that life and after searching for two years, he thinks he’s found a new family. However, it isn’t just a new family he finds, but a woman who affects him like no other. He finds love. If only the woman in question will give him the time of day.He’s battled for months to get her to see him as something more than a player... -
Defending Keirnan by P.J. Fiala
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAll Keirnan Vickers ever wanted was to be a teacher. Having realized that dream, she’s focusing on helping the local library with desperately needed repairs so she has a place to host her growing reading program. Just when her life is beginning to look like a storybook, an enemy of her father's threatens her very existence. Single father Dane Copeland has known his share of heartaches... -
Craving Redemption by Nicole Jacquelyn
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 47 ratingsAsa and Callie had nothing in common. He was an Ace, raised in the club and loyal to it above all else. She was a high school student with braces on her teeth and a narrow view of the world. They should have never crossed paths. But when Callie decides to defy her parents, and Asa goes on an errand for the club, their lives collide. He saves her, and she mesmerizes him...Categorized as:
suspense tortured heroine sassy heroine contemporary second chances tattoos bad boys dark
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