Books like 'Upper Hand'

Readers who enjoyed Upper Hand by Freya Barker also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  suspense  found-family

  • Cappadonna 3 by Jahquel J., Joseph Editorial Services

    Cappadonna 3 by Jahquel J., Joseph Editorial Services

    Rated: 4.73 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 40 ratings
    When it comes to my family I will protect them with my life. I’m a protector, and my family is my responsibility. When it comes to my team, I’m the same way. They are family, and the reason that me and Capone are able to do us in the streets, knowing they are tucked away safe. As a man, you sometimes fall short, and something— someone falls through the cracks...
  • Death Rocks by L.J. Ross

    Death Rocks by L.J. Ross

    Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 38 ratings
    THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A COINCIDENCE. .. When the body of a talented photographer is found on the rocks beneath the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, DCI Ryan and his team of detectives immediately suspect the worst. But, since none of their potential suspects seems to have a motive, the case runs cold...
  • Sponsored links / Remove ads
  • Sanibel Moonlight by Hope Holloway

    Sanibel Moonlight by Hope Holloway

    Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 30 ratings
    Nearly a year has passed since Eliza arrived for a “few days” on Shellseeker Beach. She has overcome grief, forged lifelong relationships, and finally found a place where her heart can sing. Most of all, she’s found a second chance at romance…but must face one last and unexpected challenge or this new love will slip through her fingers like moonlight on the water.
  • State of Alert by Marie Force

    State of Alert by Marie Force

    Rated: 4.77 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    The first couple is on full alert, deflecting new threats from near and far…. Lieutenant Sam Holland has seen just about everything as a D. C. homicide detective, but she’s never been asked to lie to her closest colleagues and her husband—until now...
  • State of Alert by Marie Force, Eva Kaminsky

    State of Alert by Marie Force, Eva Kaminsky

    Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    11 hours, 35 minutes. The first couple is on full alert, deflecting new threats from near and far…. Lieutenant Sam Holland has seen just about everything as a D. C. homicide detective, but she’s never been asked to lie to her closest colleagues and her husband—until now...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  contemporary  mystery  audiobook
  • Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh

    Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    In the wake of a woman’s savage murder, the suspects and motives are only mounting for Sheriff Bree Taggert in a twisting novel of suspense by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh. In a quiet suburban neighborhood in upstate New York, single mom Kelly Gibson is slain in her home—the victim of a rage killing...
  • Fatal Fraud by Marie Force

    Fatal Fraud by Marie Force

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    Previously title Fatal Vengeance. A dangerous truth revealed. .. A prominent member of the D. C. community has been murdered, pulling Lieutenant Sam Holland into yet another high-stakes homicide investigation that has her trying to connect the dots between a dead woman and the friends and family who’d turned against her right before her untimely death...
  • Sanibel Sunsets by Hope Holloway

    Sanibel Sunsets by Hope Holloway

    Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    When Eliza’s son arrives in Shellseeker Beach, he’s struggling. Dane deeply disapproves of his mother’s relationship with a new man, causing friction in Eliza’s happy life. In addition, he must navigate a whole new life and find a way to channel his emotions in to music. Support comes from the most unexpected corner, surprising everyone…including Dane...
  • Swamp Spies by Jana Deleon

    Swamp Spies by Jana Deleon

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 30 ratings
    Things have reached a critical point in the Middle East. Carter agreed to serve as a consultant for his old Force Recon unit but for reasons unknown to his friends and family, jumped from the command center and into the field. Now he’s MIA, and Fortune is the only one who can put together a rescue mission that has any chance of being successful...
  • Enigma by Christy Barritt

    Enigma by Christy Barritt

    Rated: 4.82 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Some secrets refuse to stay buried . . . Olive Sterling thought time off from her job would finally give her the chance to uncover the truth about her family’s unsolved murders. The man she believes holds the answers is none other than the father of Jason Stewart—her former boyfriend and current colleague...
  • State of Suspense by Marie Force

    State of Suspense by Marie Force

    Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    A high-profile murder has Sam and her team chasing an elusive killer…. Just back from their anniversary trip to Dewey Beach, there’s no slow roll back to work for the first couple as Sam is immediately thrust into a baffling new case that has everyone on edge. The FBI wants in on this one, and she’s determined to figure out what happened before they can take over her investigation...
  • Ground Zero by Christy Barritt

    Ground Zero by Christy Barritt

    Rated: 4.79 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Some betrayals detonate in code. Others explode at ground zero. Blackout operative Maverick Adams’s surf session on Lantern Beach is cut short when an FBI agent blasts into his world, arresting him for crimes he didn’t commit. When he learns that his digital fingerprints implicate him in a recent terror attack, he knows someone in his inner circle has set him up...
  • On Her Watch by Melinda Leigh

    On Her Watch by Melinda Leigh

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 33 ratings
    Sheriff Bree Taggert becomes a target when she follows the twisting trail of a serial killer in a bone-chilling novel of suspense by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh. A pair of hikers find a tarp-wrapped body in a clearing in the woods. When a search in the surrounding area yields two more, Sheriff Bree Taggert knows they’ve stumbled onto a serial killer’s dumping ground...
  • Fireproof by Eric Wilson, Alex Kendrick

    Fireproof by Eric Wilson, Alex Kendrick

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 51 ratings
    INSIDE BURNING BUILDINGS, Captain Caleb Holt lives by the firefighter's adage: NEVER LEAVE YOUR PARTNER. Yet at home, in the cooling embers of his marriage, he lives by his own rules. Growing up, his wife Catherine always dreamed of marrying a loving, brave firefighter . . . just like her father. Now, after seven years of marriage, she wonders when she stopped being "good enough...
  • Chasing Fortune by Brittney Sahin

    Chasing Fortune by Brittney Sahin

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 32 ratings
    Echo Team has a new addition—a K-9, and he’s in need of training . . . Eight-plus years as Echo Three and Chris Hunter is still as mission-focused as ever, continuing to fight for his country as part of a secretive team of operatives serving the President. When Chris decides to rescue a dog for the team, he soon discovers he and the guys are far from K-9 whisperers, and they need help...
  • Track Her Down by Melinda Leigh

    Track Her Down by Melinda Leigh

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 35 ratings
    For Sheriff Bree Taggert, a gruesome double murder exposes the secrets of the dead in a shocking novel of suspense by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh. A teenager returns home from work and finds her parents shot to death in their bed. Responding to the call, Sheriff Bree Taggert realizes the crime wasn’t a burglary gone wrong. The couple was executed...
  • How to Hack a Hacker by A.J. Sherwood

    How to Hack a Hacker by A.J. Sherwood

    Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 33 ratings
    Kyou has a routine. A system. He guards Brannigan Genovese, hacks for his family of choice, and drinks far too much caffeine for any living being. He has contingency plans for everything except for the following:. • Brannigan buying up real estate from the Irish Mob. • Kyou’s band of brothers figuring out who Brannigan actually is...
  • State of Denial by Marie Force

    State of Denial by Marie Force

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Denial: refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant…. His mother has been arrested, his government is under new threat, the relentless media is driving him mad, and denial becomes the word of the day for President Nick Cappuano. Meanwhile, his wife, DC Metro Police Lt. Sam Holland Cappuano has caught a big new case with suspects everywhere she looks...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  contemporary  mystery  death  m-f  audiobook
  • The Last Girl by A.J. Rivers

    The Last Girl by A.J. Rivers

    Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    After her mother’s death and a life filled with twists and turns,. Gabriela Nolan moves to Juniper Springs hoping for a fresh start. A new job, a new town, and a new lease on life. But when an armed heist shocks the town to its core,. Gabriela’s world is flipped once more. Now, she’s thrust into madness and a mystery that defies all logic...
  • Tainted by Riley Edwards

    Tainted by Riley Edwards

    Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    Former Navy SEAL sniper Matthew Kessler thought his life was charmed. He was wrong. He thought his father had amassed the family’s wealth through hard work. He was wrong again. He thought the battlefield had taught him everything he needed to know about strength and courage. He was absolutely wrong. In the blink of an eye, everything he thought he knew about his family became a lie...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  contemporary  military  m-f  audiobook
  • A Merciful Promise by Kendra Elliot

    A Merciful Promise by Kendra Elliot

    Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars
    · 32 ratings
    The Wall Street Journal bestselling series continues as Mercy Kilpatrick becomes embedded in the nightmare of a terrorist conspiracy. The job: infiltrate a militia amassing illegal firearms in an isolated forest community. FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick is the ideal candidate. She knows Oregon. She’s near the compound...
  • Forever Lasting by Kathleen Brooks

    Forever Lasting by Kathleen Brooks

    Rated: 4.79 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    Cassidy Davies is used to being seen as the youngest in the huge Davies family. She’d grown up with too many overprotective brothers and cousins to count. So, she learned how to be invisible. That is, after she learned from her family how to be a spy, how to be an elite soldier, and how to bat her eyes and smile while taking a person down...
  • The Girl in the Moss by Loreth Anne White

    The Girl in the Moss by Loreth Anne White

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 31 ratings
    A shallow grave exposes deadly secrets as bestselling author Loreth Anne White brings her thrilling series of romantic suspense to its shocking conclusion…. Disgraced ex-cop Angie Pallorino is determined to make a new start for herself as a private investigator...
  • Cuthbert's Way: A DCI Ryan Mystery by L.J. Ross

    Cuthbert's Way: A DCI Ryan Mystery by L.J. Ross

    Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars
    · 34 ratings
    A SECRET KEPT FOR A THOUSAND YEARS. .. After the dramatic theft of a priceless artefact from Durham Cathedral, the rest of the world believes that DCI Ryan and his team were able to recover and return St. Cuthbert’s cross to its rightful home. But Ryan knows the cross he recovered was a fake—far from being over, their problems are only just beginning…...
  • State of Shock by Marie Force

    State of Shock by Marie Force

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 31 ratings
    They never saw this coming…. Hold on to your hat for the next First Family book, coming December 20, 2022.
    Categorized as:
    suspense  contemporary  death  mystery  m-f  audiobook
  • Forever Country by Kathleen Brooks

    Forever Country by Kathleen Brooks

    Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Holt Everett is still the same small-town guy he always was, even though he’s now a country music superstar. However, there are some perks to being young and famous. Including buying his new house right outside of Nashville. Hello parties, friends, and women! Until late on the first night at his new home when someone literally came banging on his door looking for help...
  • Forever Paired by Kathleen Brooks

    Forever Paired by Kathleen Brooks

    Rated: 4.77 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Landon Davies had worked hard to start his own restaurant. It was a very different path than most of his family had taken. He was one of the few family members that were not military or law enforcement. But his hard work had given him a restaurant that was beginning to take off when a woman’s scream in the alley outside his kitchen changed everything...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  contemporary  sports  humor  m-f  audiobook
  • State of the Union by Marie Force

    State of the Union by Marie Force

    Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    It’s the biggest night of President Nick Cappuano’s life. Will his first lady make it to the Capitol in time for his speech? President Cappuano has been working for months on his first State of the Union address, his highest profile moment yet as the country’s new president...
  • Montana Whispers by Josie Jade, Janie Crouch

    Montana Whispers by Josie Jade, Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Categorized as:
    suspense  military  contemporary  m-f
  • Jonas by Riley Edwards

    Jonas by Riley Edwards

    Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    She’s the assignment I can’t walk away from. He’s the danger I can’t resist. Jonas. I live by three trust my gut, stay in control, and never let anyone close enough to be a weakness. Then Derrika Layne walked into my life—big blue eyes, a smile that could outbluff the devil, and trouble written all over her and blows my rules to hell...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  military  contemporary  length-long
  • A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot

    A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    Raised by preppers, survivalist and FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick has a deep-rooted need for a safe place. Her getaway in the Cascade Foothills is her secret. But when skeletal remains are unearthed—those of a murdered man linked to a notorious heist—Mercy realizes she isn’t the only one with something to hide. Thirty years ago, an armored-car robbery turned deadly. The mastermind was captured...
  • Flashpoint by Catherine Coulter

    Flashpoint by Catherine Coulter

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    Agents Savich and Sherlock are back in the latest installment in Catherine Coulter’s #1 New York Times bestselling FBI Thriller series, where the past refuses to stay buried. A year has passed since Elizabeth Palmer was nearly killed with hundreds more in the attempted bombing of St...
  • A Merciful Silence by Kendra Elliot

    A Merciful Silence by Kendra Elliot

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 37 ratings
    In the fourth book of the Wall Street Journal bestselling series, FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick must unlock the mystery of a mass murder, and the secrets of its silent witness…. For Mercy Kilpatrick, returning to rural Oregon has meant coming to terms with her roots. Raised as a prepper, Mercy is now relying on her survivalist instincts to defend her town from the people the law can’t reach...
  • Playing With Forever by Riley Edwards

    Playing With Forever by Riley Edwards

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Evan. I’ve spent years keeping control—on the job and at home. My daughter is my world, my badge is my duty, and I don’t let anyone close enough to become a weakness. Then Josie Lark walked into my life. Classy, gorgeous, stubborn as hell. One night with her should’ve been enough, but now I can’t stop thinking about the way she looks at me, or how easily she slips past the defenses I’ve built...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  mature couple  contemporary  m-f
  • Playing With Forever by Riley Edwards

    Playing With Forever by Riley Edwards

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Evan. I’ve spent years keeping control—on the job and at home. My daughter is my world, my badge is my duty, and I don’t let anyone close enough to become a weakness. Then Josie Lark walked into my life. Classy, gorgeous, stubborn as hell. One night with her should’ve been enough, but now I can’t stop thinking about the way she looks at me, or how easily she slips past the defenses I’ve built...
  • Tears of the Falls by Elle Gray

    Tears of the Falls by Elle Gray

    Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 20 ratings
    On a beautiful autumn night, screams rang out through the forest. A young woman was found brutally murdered. And the string of mysteries that followed became an unimaginable nightmare…. After losing the love of her life and leaving her career with the FBI. Spenser Song answered a job posting and moved to the small town of Sweetwater Falls. Starting over was not easy...
  • The Hitman's Guide to Codenames and Ill-Gotten Gains by Alice Winters

    The Hitman's Guide to Codenames and Ill-Gotten Gains by Alice Winters

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 24 ratings
    Leland. Stopping a robbery was only the beginning—to fun, action-filled mayhem. Jackson’s afraid that I’m running headfirst into trouble (again), but I’m not… I’m running gun-first into it. When one of the robbers who’s really just a kid comes begging for my help, I definitely have no choice but to help him...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  found-family  m-m  contemporary  mystery  humor  mafia  queer
  • Keeper of Secrets by Denise Grover Swank

    Keeper of Secrets by Denise Grover Swank

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    The final book in the Carly Moore series. Carly had every intention of heading to Dallas to bring down her father, but not as Wyatt Drummand’s hostage. After Wyatt kidnaps her at gunpoint and threatens to turn her over to her father--the man she’s spent the past nine months hiding from--she explains that his plan will get them both killed...
  • Conquered by Riley Edwards

    Conquered by Riley Edwards

    Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    Dylan Welsh was the last man standing…until Sawyer Glasgow brought him to his knees. Dylan wasn’t ready for Sawyer. He wasn’t ready to confront the truth of his past. He wasn’t ready to admit he’s fallen in love with the sweet, sexy woman who captivated him from the moment he saw her. He’s especially not prepared to face the hurt he’s caused Sawyer. But to keep her, he must do all three...
  • Spy With Me by Lexi Blake

    Spy With Me by Lexi Blake

    Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 1 ratings
    Zach Reed had two objectives when he joined the CIA team led by Ian and Charlotte Taggart. First, he needed to get close to Cooper McKay. Second, he needed to sideline or dismantle their operation. Getting to know Cooper was even better than he expected, but amongst the team he discovered a family he’d always dreamed of and a woman he wanted to spend his life with...
  • After Glow by Autumn Jones Lake

    After Glow by Autumn Jones Lake

    Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    One uncovered truth shines a light on the throne of lies I’ve been sitting on for years. A revelation with the power to test the bonds of brotherhood like never before. My ruthless obsession to protect what’s mine burns hotter than ever. Promises I’ve made to my brothers I burn to keep. Vows made to my wife I swear to honor. Through the web of tangled loyalties, one thing remains clear...
  • Shielding Riley by Susan Stoker

    Shielding Riley by Susan Stoker

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 31 ratings
    Porter “Oz” Reed knew better than most how words could hurt just as much as a fist. He never planned on getting married or having kids, but all that changed when his nine-year-old nephew was dropped off on his doorstep. Riley Rogers is done with men. But her plan to stay single takes a hit when her tall, dark, and very handsome neighbor needs assistance with his nephew...
  • Burn: Fury Brothers, Book 3 by Anna Hackett

    Burn: Fury Brothers, Book 3 by Anna Hackett

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · 32 ratings
    I have one goal—arrest billionaire businessman Kavner Fury. I’m dedicated to my job as a Treasury agent, and taking down crooked financial criminals. Just like the one who destroyed my family. Kavner Fury is wealthy, powerful, and ambitious, a combination I know too well. He’s New Orleans’ favorite billionaire...
  • Line of Resistance by Jemma Westbrook, Janice Whiteaker

    Line of Resistance by Jemma Westbrook, Janice Whiteaker

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Getting stranded in the snow without cell service wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened to Eloise Rivers. Being saved by the man who’d led her on more than once was...
  • This Much Is True by Adriana Locke

    This Much Is True by Adriana Locke

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    When celebrity Laina Kelley bolted from her small hometown church on her wedding day, she ran to the first place that came to mind—the home of the local farrier, a gorgeous playboy who just so happens to be her first love … and biggest frenemy...
  • Defensive Alliance by Jemma Westbrook, Janice Whiteaker

    Defensive Alliance by Jemma Westbrook, Janice Whiteaker

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Jamison was just doing his job. Protecting the woman his friend loved. But unintended consequences are everywhere. It doesn’t matter how careful you are, eventually they will find you. And what finds him is a woman with dark hair and haunted eyes. A woman who has no idea where she’s from or who she is. It’s information Alaskan Security needs. And there’s only one way to get it. ****...
  • Frost: A Hell's Handlers MC Florida Chapter Novella by Lilly Atlas

    Frost: A Hell's Handlers MC Florida Chapter Novella by Lilly Atlas

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Rachel has spent her life without family and watching others from the sidelines due to a series of unfortunate and traumatic events. She longs for the unbreakable connection only blood can bring. When she learns she has a half-brother living halfway across the country, she wants nothing more than to meet him. Even if he is the president of a motorcycle club...
  • Sinful Sorrow by Emilia Finn

    Sinful Sorrow by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 10 ratings
    October is the month of haunted houses and deadly secrets — allegedly. It’s not like I’m unaccustomed to Death or the cruelty with which he arrives, knocking on one’s door and demanding access...
  • Strings by Bea Paige

    Strings by Bea Paige

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    With Ivan I found acceptance. With Anton, home in the dark. With Erik, I fear my undoing…. Erik Hadley is a gifted violinist with a dark past and an even more troubled soul. His only place of safety, a glass room built to protect others from his violent outbursts. But it’s nothing more than a prison, and I have every intention of setting him free. It won’t be easy...
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
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

romance book finder

Looking for more inspiration? Enter another book title to get more suggestions on what to read next.


Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.