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
-
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... -
Sponsored links / Remove ads
-
Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 24 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... -
Buttons and Blood by Penelope Sky
Crow Barsetti knows about me—and he doesn’t like it. I know he’s paying his top guys to dig up every piece of dirt they can find, but I don’t care what he discovers. There’s nothing I’ve done that he hasn’t done himself. All that matters is I love his daughter—and he’s going to accept it. I get a call in the middle of the night while Vanessa is dead asleep—and it’s him... -
-
Possessive Mafia Vows by Vivy Skys
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI thought she was dead. Not even my billions or my Irish mafia could save the redhead I’d just claimed from the crash. Then she showed up—scarred, fierce, pregnant with my heir, and hunted by the Russian mob. Six years ago, I was dragged from the wreckage—burned, broken, and told she didn’t make it. My obsession. My punishment? Endless nightmares of her screams...Categorized as:
suspense tortured heroine mafia super rich hero from hate to love length-medium contemporary dark -
Guarded from Treachery by Gia Cobie
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLike a dark and dangerous hero, he came to my rescue when I least expected it. In the midst of a terrifying attack, a mysterious stranger came to my aid. Fierce but gentle, he chased off my attacker, protected, and comforted me. Before he left, my savior told me to call if I ever needed him. Did I think about it? Absolutely. Matt was the most intriguing and handsome man I’d ever met... -
Paragon by Sybil Bartel
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI didn’t get to covet. I bled duty and honor, and my mission was singular—eliminate. So when I saw her, I didn’t think twice. She was trespassing. I was trained to kill. I drew. But I didn’t pull the trigger. I gave her an order… to kneel... -
Phoenix's Plight by Tiffany Casper
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsAfter being left in a dumpster as a baby, Heathen’s life was laid to ruin from the start. Being adopted should have been his saving grace, but after his adoptive mom passes away he’s left alone once more. That was until Powers, a member of the Wrath MC, gave him a home and a family among the brotherhood. With the tendency to level everything in his path, Heathen was appointed Enforcer of the club... -
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... -
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. BLURB COMING SOON. -
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 die. by 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... -
Guarded from Danger (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) by Gia Cobie, Operation Alpha
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 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... -
Ruin Me: A Whiskey Row Spin-Off by D.A. Young
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTheir paths never should have crossed, but a mandate for justice sealed their fate. From their first encounter, Cruz "The Butcher" Merada and Zafira Wilder's meticulously laid plans were shot to hell. He's a charmingly persuasive player, a keeper of sinful promises, who's used to getting what he wants. She's resilient, determined, and nobody's pushover... -
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. SERGEI. 30 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. . -
-
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... -
Desperate Lies by Ella Miles
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsI lied. He lied. His search for answers is unrelenting. It makes me hate him, but I also want him. No, I can’t want him. I want to kill him, but I’d also die for him. I’m done relying on men to protect me. I’m the huntress, about to become the killer. Desperate Lies is Book 2 in the Lies Series. Ends on a cliffhanger. -
Perfectly Unraveled by Emily Klepp
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsI was raised to be composed, controlled, the perfect pawn in a world built on silence and shadows. Every step, every breath, every smile was measured. He was the chaos wrapped in control that my soul begged for. I wasn’t supposed to fall for him because I had a life to build for my baby girl... -
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... -
Last Resort by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom USA TODAY Bestselling Author Janie Crouch. Previously published as Texas Chance. 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... -
Concealed Affliction by Harlow Stone
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 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... -
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. -
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... -
-
Reviving Izabel by J.A. Redmerski
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 56 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 -
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... -
Hate Me by LP Lovell
Anna. 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... -
Tease Me: A Stark International Novel by J. Kenner
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsFrom New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J. Kenner comes a new story in her Stark International series…. Entertainment reporter Jamie Archer knew it would be hard when her husband, Stark Security Chief Ryan Hunter, was called away for a long-term project in London. The distance is difficult to endure, but Jamie trusts the deep and passionate love that has always burned between them... -
A Lover's Regret: The Ramseys by AlTonya Washington
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsYohan Ramsey and Melina Dan battle private demons and simmering passions, when their paths cross following an eight-year separation. The murder of eighteen year old Sera Black has haunted Yohan's family for decades. What really happened the night she died? Melina knows and it's wreaked chaos in her life ever since... -
Ten Thousand Truths by Kelli Jean
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHorror is Odessa “Opie” Powys’s truth. One with muddied memories and haunted dreams. Finding and putting the pieces of her shattered life together is impossible. Hiding herself and her truth is the only option. Until the force that is Deo Dahl notices her from across a crowded bar... -
Cruel Lies by Ella Miles
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis is book 4 in the Lies Series. It continues Langston & Liesel's story. Ends on a cliffhanger. -
Mine to Love by Kennedy L. Mitchell
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsWhen a decade-old one-night stand converges with a current high-profile case, can the three of them work through their differences to stop her from being the serial killer’s next victim? Running from a secret past and now a deranged killer, Remington Dotson and her nine-year-old son need protection to survive...Categorized as:
suspense tortured heroine secret child tortured hero forced proximity dark alpha male contemporary -
Vengeance by Alex Grayson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFierce, 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... -
Ruthless Redemption by Eden Summers
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThey say love hurts—but they never mentioned it could make you bleed. His deceit was like wine. I drank it in. Let it intoxicate me. But he’s not the man I fell for. Matthew Langston is a lie. I’d run from him if I could. I’d flee. If only he hadn’t turned my family against me. Now, I have nothing. There’s no money, phone, or external support. Only him, and his obsession with winning me back... -
-
Gabby's Protector by Janie Crouch, Regan Black
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAfter 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... -
Trusting Skulls by L.M. Terry
Lexie. I’ve been alone most of my life. I guess that’s why it started. The drinking … the men. They filled a lonely void, but lately the hit of dopamine they provide fizzles before it begins. I’m caught in a loop. It’s a repetitive cycle I can’t escape. No one noticed I’ve been drowning in it. Until Ash Taylor came to town. He extended his hand to me, but I’ve been reluctant to grab hold...Categorized as:
tortured heroine suspense dark contemporary new adult length-medium female-rake open-door -
Blackness Within by Norma Jeanne Karlsson
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsFighting 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... -
Ruthless Heir by Aidèe Jaimes
If love is the deadliest weapon, I’m about to discover just how much I can bleed. My father always warned me against falling in love. That all it would bring is pain and betrayal. But when I meet Noah and his golden gaze trails over me like a fiery tongue that heats my skin, I want nothing more than to prove him wrong. I should know better... -
Filthy Marcellos: The Complete Collection by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsFilthy Marcellos: La Cosa Nostra is not just a choice of regime and routine, it’s a culture. Born as mafia royalty, the Marcello brothers were raised ingrained with the beliefs and rules of what it meant to be a Mafioso prince. It is for life. Their status is considered a given right. They will always be these people. They will always be Marcellos. Family first. God second... -
Tension by R.L. Griffin
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe Stella who emerges from the rubble of the bombing in Montana is a woman full of conflict. She knows she should be grateful that she lived when others didn't, but after waking in the hospital as a celebrity, complete with a new moniker, she's bitter and distrustful, questioning everything in her life. She's unsure of her friends, her new boyfriend, and her job... -
The Catacombs by Penelope Sky
This man is the only thing that keeps me safe. The only thing that makes life worth living. But I know he's coming. .. I know he's out there. And until Benton kills him, he'll never really be gone. -
Vow by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThey say it’s always the one you least expect …. Andino Marcello made his choices—the right ones for duty and famiglia. But even the right choices have consequences. He’s never been more aware of that fact than he is now. The thing is, Andino isn’t the same man he once was. The mafia wants what it wants. He’ll push until they all break. Even her. They say love shouldn’t hurt …... -
Celt. by London Miller
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsWelcome to the Den . .. Six minutes is all he needs to get a job done …. Kyrnon “Celt” Murphy is one of the best thieves in the world. After all, his childhood was spent with a caravan of Irish Travelers that taught him everything he knows. He got in …. He got out …. No witnesses …... -
Almost Innocent by Carina Adams
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsCallaghan. A name synonymous with power and fear. A family of untouchable criminals. As a teenager, Gabriella Forte had no intention of getting to know the town's most dangerous brothers. Once Dustin set his sights on her, she was trapped. There was only one way out of her personal hell. Declan was determined to break away from his family's shadow... -
-
The Dirty Angels Trilogy: The Complete Box Set by Karina Halle
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Lie comes the complete trilogy box set (with bonus content, the novella "Esteban"). Deep within the steamy jungles and unforgiving deserts of Mexico, amid the sordid dealings and gruesome violence of the drug cartels, comes a dark love story unlike any other... -
Sin of Love (Illusions Duet) by L.M. Halloran
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThe riveting conclusion to the Illusions Duet. .. GIDEON. She took me with her when she left. A day. A thousand days. It doesn’t matter. She blew out the flame inside me and now. I’m in the dark. DEIRDRE. Suffering is the cloak that shelters. The mask that protects fragile skin. And happiness is something for those. who have suffered less. Happiness doesn’t live here,... -
Anger by Lily White
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFifth CircleAngerAlso Known as Damon CrossThere is darkness that surrounds this man. One fueled by his past and ignited by his presentHe knows what it means to lose, but he never stops fightingHe wears his heart on his sleeveBut exists within nightmaresHe is shrouded in the name the Inferno gave him. Angry. Feral. Wild and CarelessDamon is an unpredictable storm without rhyme or reason... -
Scotch by Mhairi O'Reilly
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAshby ‘Scotch’ Feilding returned from the military not feeling like a hero, but as a man fractured by the horrors he witnessed, a shadow of the man he once was. Unable to fit into the normalcy of ordinary life, he finds solace in the roar of engines and the brotherhood of The Devil’s House MC, serving as their tech wizard... -
Lies and Other Drugs by Coralee June
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsKilling my brother’s murderers has become my latest obsession. Against the advice of my alcoholic therapist, I've left my life behind, moving across the country with just two goals in mind: Take down the elite Ivy League School that covered up my twin brother’s death, and seek revenge on the ones responsible... -
Wrath by Gwyn McNamee
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsAll 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.
Find out more about romance.io.
Get recommendations by genres & tropes
Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.

