Books like 'Lightning Boy: A Taboo Love Story'
Readers who enjoyed Lightning Boy: A Taboo Love Story by Amy J. Heart also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance suspense angst vengeance disabilities and marks friends to lovers exhibitionism strong heroine tortured heroine
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Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsEnrage is the next standalone in the international best selling mafia series, Eagle Elite.Part of a world I loathe.Part of a family who hates me more than I hate myself.Living with a girl who reminds me of my darkness.I'm. In. Hell.Also known as the Cosa Nostra.My life was over the minute I stepped off that plane.Son to a murdered mob boss.Heir to a throne of murder and lies... -
The Fallen: Genesis by Tillie Cole
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsTHE FALLEN: GENESIS (A Deadly Virtues Prequel) IN THE BEGINNING... They told them they were evil. They told them they were possessed by demons. They told them that darkness ran in their veins. Holy Innocents Home for Children is a haven for orphaned boys who have nothing and no one. The priests watch over them, educate them, raise them in the family of the church...Categorized as:
suspense tortured hero angst disabilities and marks new adult contemporary bad boys abuse -
TRIGGER by J.L. Drake
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsI was raised by the Devil himself. Formed into a man who was unreachable. I went from the boy with bruises to the man with a trigger. Killing is the only thing that calms the itch. The demons inside were a constant battle… …until she changed everything... -
Undeserving by Madeline Sheehan
Warning: This isn’t a romance, but instead a tale of love between two despairing people, from two different worlds, both aching for something more. Debbie Reynolds is a runaway, New York City-bound... -
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Revenge by Nikita Parmenter
Ever’s been taken by Blake, the last thing she saw was two of her men covered in blood lying on the floor.We’re finally going to know why Blake wants her so badly. Will she survive? Will the guys get to her in time? Or will it all be over?With their allies by their sides, it’s time to end this! No one threatens what’s theirs without deadly consequences. This has been going on for too long...Categorized as:
suspense strong heroine vengeance tortured heroine mystery contemporary dark reverse harem -
The Rise of Ferryn by Jessica Gadziala
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsShe left a broken girl. Damaged in a way no one should ever be. But determined to make a difference in the world. She stayed away. Training. Learning. Hardening. Bending and breaking herself into what she needed to become to fulfill her mission in life. Something righteous, but wicked in its own way. She returned a warrior. There were promises left unfulfilled. Questions left unanswered...Categorized as:
suspense friends to lovers strong heroine dark bikers abuse contemporary length-medium -
Shane by Nicole James
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsShane—I live at the end of this dark deserted dead-end street for a reason.I don't like neighbors coming around my place. There's only one other house down here. It sits across the street from me, and has been deserted for years.I like my privacy, so I'm pissed to learn that that vacant house just got un-vacant... -
Murder Girl by Lisa Renee Jones
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones returns with the second book in her electrifying series featuring Lilah Love, an FBI profiler who doesn’t fight her dark side—she embraces it. It’s Lilah Love’s job to inhabit a killer’s mind. The unapologetically tough FBI profiler is very comfortable there. But her latest case is making her head spin... -
Che by Jessica Gadziala
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIt was starting to seem like we would never get a break.We just needed a little peace, some time to add new members, build our club up, so we could take on whatever threats were coming our way.How could we have known that a new threat would be coming hot on the heels of someone I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade, someone who was back to call in a marker, someone who was in trouble... -
Untamed by M. O'Keefe
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsMarriage has always meant violence. I don’t trust it, but it’s the only thing keeping me afloat in these dark undercurrents. I married for safety but I got the most dangerous thing in the world—Ronan Byrne for a husband.Now we’re returning to Bishop’s Landing to face our demons. Mine. His. We have real enemies to conquer, but it’s the fear in my heart that beats the loudest... -
Fallen Royal by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA mafia romance about betrayal and faith by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series."The truth may hurt for a little while, but a lie hurts forever."—Ryan BiggeI grew up knowing it would happen one day. Believing that I would fall into my father's footsteps and become a monster of my own making. So I fought it. I lived. I loved. I teased... -
Dirty Deals by Nicole James
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsRusty—I’m the president of the Devil Kings Atlanta MC. With a fractious club to rebuild and a revolving door on my bedroom, the last thing I need is 5’4” of sex-on-a-stick trouble.When a mysterious beauty shows up with her playmate’s body, dark soulful eyes and a bagful of cash, I’m willing to make an exception. I don’t fully trust her, but she needs my help. Ashlynn—Things are finally good... -
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... -
A Fine Line by MercyAnn Summers
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis book is an interconnected standalone within the Ends World. While you don't have to read the Ends Duet before reading this book, it is recommended that you do in order to understand the entire Ends World up to this point.CarolinaI didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.That wasn’t my intention.And I knew he would come for me... -
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Tate by Jane Henry
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThere’s a spy in my Clan…She’s threatening to put my entire family in danger.When I find the lass, I will break her.Punish her.Make her rue the day she endangered the Cowen Clan.But when one lie unearths another,And our enemies are at our heels...Our spy may be our only chance of survival... -
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... -
Breathe Again by Nola Marie
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the flames of sin I rose, by her virtue, I fell...I found her in my eleventh hour. My whiskey-eyed canary. Quinn.Call it Fate or destiny or whatever, but she is the melody to calm my madness. With her, the demons inside me quiet. She doesn't have a hold on my heart, she owns it. She is my everything.I've been given a second-chance and I’m not about to squander it... -
Seeking Peace by Crystal Daniels, Sandy Alvarez
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNothing remains of Blake’s life before the club except death, deceit, and corruption.He was on the road to self-destruction when his path crossed with Jake, the President of Kings of Retribution.Now Blake is dedicated to the MC and loyal to the men he calls brothers.The club gave him a family and purpose.Blake thought he finally had everything he ever wanted.Until Ember... -
Ominous: Book I by K.V. Rose
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat is the true cost of obsession?The consequences of lust driven bone-deep?Eli and Eden are about to find out.After a quiet meeting in their private school’s library, it doesn’t take long for them to recognize the hidden darkness in one another. Surrounded by a strange disappearance, skeptical friendships, and conflicting dreams born out of nightmares, together,theyfall... -
Brothers Black 4: Braxton the Charmer (Brothers Black Series) by Blue Saffire
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAward winning Author Blue Saffire presents Brothers Black 4: Braxton The Protector Book 4 in the Brothers Black Series I'll set fire to the motherf**king wind for her. That will never change. It's why I let her take me through the ringer. I understand her. I know what she needs. It's just at some point…she's going to need to figure out what she needs more. To hide or to be who we really are... -
Wrath by Alex Grayson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDeath. 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. Can’t let go. His past is responsible for the shell of the man who now exists... -
A Reckless Note by Lisa Renee Jones
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 21 ratings“I can chase you, and I can catch you, but there is nothing I can do to make you mine.” ― Morrissey It all started with a note, just a simple note hand written by a woman I didn't know, never even met. But in that note is perhaps every answer to every question I've ever had in my life. And because of that note, I travel thousands of miles. I look for her, but find him... -
Shattered Secrets by Lilian Harris
I was loved by two men--one was my husband and the other his best friend. But I was only in love with one. Then he forgot I existed. Hudson Mackay was the only man I ever wanted.The man I married. The man who promised to love me "'til death do us part."Then he disappeared and never came home.Everyone thinks he's dead. Everyone but me.Friends tell me to move on. That he's never coming back... -
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... -
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A Lover's Worth: The Ramseys by AlTonya Washington
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJohari Frazier's life was forever changed when she found the man she adored in the arms of another woman. The scene was staged but the damage had been done. Being betrayed by Moses Ramsey was a thing Johari never thought possible. He was the man she loved beyond reason. The man she planned to marry. The man whose child she carried... -
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... -
Vengeful Hearts by S. Lexi
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsErika grew up on the streets of New York City. When her baby sister got kidnapped by the most extensive human trafficking ring in the area and eventually murdered, she swore to avenge her death. Blaise grew up in the Italian Mafia; his father was the don...Categorized as:
suspense vengeance strong heroine contemporary from hate to love mafia dark length-long -
Vengeful Hearts by S. Lexi
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsErika grew up on the streets of New York City. When her baby sister got kidnapped by the most extensive human trafficking ring in the area and eventually murdered, she swore to avenge her death.Blaise grew up in the Italian Mafia; his father was the don...Categorized as:
suspense vengeance strong heroine mafia contemporary from hate to love dark length-long -
Imperfect Affections by Charmaine Pauls
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen Leon tries to force Violet into marriage, it's war for both of them. The battle is hot and dirty, and no one walks away without scars.A DARK ROMANCELove is for people who don’t mind getting hurt. I vowed to never fall into that trap. I entered into war with my beautiful, corrupted, and dangerous husband. He warned me he always won...Categorized as:
suspense strong heroine angst vengeance disabilities and marks dark arranged marriage mafia -
The Saint by Kimberly Kincaid
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHis partner’s most trusted informant is his only hope…and his only weakness.When Detective Liam Hollister is assigned to an assault-turned-murder, he brings his signature three “C”s: control, calm, and composure. The “C” he wasn’t counting on? His partner’s informant, Carmen Desoto, who’s not only the key to unlocking his case... -
The Way We Are by Shandi Boyes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeven years in heaven awarded me seven years in hell. I’ve admired Savannah Fontane since I saw her whizzing down our street on her hot pink bike with rainbow tassels taped on the handlebars. I was in awe someone so small could ride without training wheels, I asked my mom to remove mine that same afternoon. Savannah drew a rainbow heart on my cast the very next day... -
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...Categorized as:
friends to lovers angst disabilities and marks m-m contemporary dark abuse second chances -
Because of Me by Katie Pearson
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsShe aspires to be the girl he deserves.Becca Mills is desperate to give her son a better life. To do that, she heads to a new town where nobody knows her, except her mother and her mother’s dealer. When Becca meets Dereck, a tatted mechanic who enjoys making her blush and earning her smile, things get complicated...Categorized as:
friends to lovers suspense dark contemporary forced proximity cruel hero length-epic -
Word to the Wise by Eva Simmons
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAs the daughter of a biker, I’ve been toe-to-toe with brutal men. I grew up surrounded by violence, so I thought I could survive anything.Until I learned what it really means to be at the mercy of a monster. One I loved. One I trusted.Now that I’ve escaped, I refuse to go back.But when I show up on my brother’s doorstep looking for help, I find myself face to face with Mason Zane.My protector... -
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Whiskey & You (The Kings of Texas Billionaires) by H.J. Bellus
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsSometimes it’s the hero who ends up needing a lifeline… Jack Jarvis York is a ruthless and vindictive oil tycoon who knows no boundaries when he’s been double-crossed. Debtors beware. He’ll slit your throat for a nickel. And make no mistake, he will collect. You never screw with a man’s pride, money, or oil. It’s Texas Law. Unwritten, yet gospel...Categorized as:
suspense tortured heroine tortured hero disabilities and marks mystery dark abuse rape -
Four Score by Lili St. Germain
Love and hate aren’t all that different. Two sides of the same coin, the yin and the yang. Once upon a time, Jason Ross loved me. And now that he knows what I’ve done, I see the love and the hate warring within him. I see the way he looks at me. The way he wonders how I could do the things I’ve done. I hear it in the way he begs me to stop, to leave this life and run away with him... -
A Harmless Little Plan by Meli Raine
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsTurns out there was a second video from that awful night four years ago. Mine wasn’t the only tape. Too bad mine wasn’t the worst. Drew can’t protect me no matter how hard he tries, but the roles are flipped now. I have to help him, but I’m not wired that way. Not anymore. That one night changed me more than anyone knows. More than anyone could predict... -
It's Our Secret by W. Winters
From romance author Willow Winters comes a USA Today best-selling emotionally gripping, standalone, romantic suspense. Allison: It was only a little lie.That’s how stories like these get started.But with every lie I told, he saw through it.I think in his heart he knew I was broken; he felt my pain as if it was his.And that’s what changed everything.He’s the reason it all fell apart... -
Into the Light by L.B. Simmons
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 30 ratings*****#1 Bestseller in Amazon Inspirational Romance***** "As long as you continue to travel through life in this darkness, you will never know how beautiful your light truly shines when you let yourself love and be loved. Trust me when I say, it's a breathtaking sight to see. You burn as bright as the sun... -
Brewer by Jessica Ames
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBrewerAs the money man of the Manchester chapter of the Untamed Sons Motorcycle Club, my job is simple: make the illegal income legal and don’t get caught. I have a good life in the Sons, an easy one. I don’t have time for women or drama. But when my former cellmate calls and tells me his daughter is in trouble, I have no choice but to respond... -
In the Garden of Discontent by Lily White
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis is a love story. It’s brutal. Heart-wrenching. Dirty, terrifying, and raw. But a love story nonetheless because it is so beautiful. Ensley: Noah Carter was the type of guy that every girl wanted. Gorgeous. Talented. Smart and kind. He was the world that revolved around me even though I didn’t deserve him. But then something went wrong. He snapped maybe, just lost his mind... -
Shamrock by Courtney Lynn Rose
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFifteen years ago, I became the President of the Emerald Isle MC . . . At the ripe age of twenty-two. It wasn’t supposed to go down like that, though. Back then, I was young and enjoying life— and freshly in love with the girl of my dreams. Faylinn O’Shea wasn’t just any girl. She was my Vice President’s daughter, my sister’s best friend, and a club princess— but she was mine...Categorized as:
suspense friends to lovers vengeance bikers abduction contemporary second chances dark -
Tarnished Soul: A Nine Minutes Spin-Off Novel by Beth Flynn
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMy family has secrets. I’m always the good girl, doing what’s necessary to keep my loved ones safe. I've kept the darkest secrets from everyone I know. As painful as it is to hold them all inside where they live and gnaw away at me, that’s where they must stay.I haven't seen my closest childhood friend, Christian Bear, since I was a teenager—he hasn't changed a bit... -
Waiting on Forever by Claudia Connor
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDallas Walker is haunted. He won’t ever forget the horrors he witnessed while working undercover to bust a human trafficking ring, but he has a plan to start a new life. Coming home to his family is step one. Getting to know his alluring new neighbor could be step two. If only she’d give him a chance…Maggie Ellis just wants to be left alone...Categorized as:
friends to lovers tortured hero contemporary forced proximity humor dark length-medium -
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Lethal Vengeance by Stella Brie
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsVengeance is the name your soul screams when it shatters. It’s a call into the darkness, a promise to Death himself, to abandon the light until death is served to those who wronged you.Three years ago, they took the only person who mattered and dumped her like trash in the desert. Justice failed Quinn. Vengeance would not.Two enemies. One down, one to go... -
Beautiful Mistakes by Cora Kent
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBranded by betrayal, fueled by revenge—I’m back to destroy the brother who banished me.The Castiglione name once ruled the Midwest mafia, but Saverio erased me like I never existed. Five years in exile only sharpened my hunger for vengeance. Now, I’ll burn his empire to the ground—but I need the most dangerous weapon I can Raiden Drake...Categorized as:
suspense vengeance tortured hero mafia dark contemporary age difference from hate to love -
Mine to Love by Kennedy L. Mitchell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 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 hero tortured heroine secret child forced proximity dark alpha male contemporary -
The Death of Us by C.A. Mariah
From birth, we're warned to beware of the wicked.But in 1994, when I decided I wanted more out of life, I was never told how beautiful the wicked could be. I didn't know what they would do once they sunk their claws into me, or how they'd break me just for fun.No one told me they'd like the taste of my tears almost as much as they enjoyed spilling my blood... -
Keeping Secrets by Lisa Eugene
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIs that how a little girl sits? No, Daddy. How should a little girl sit? Shoulders back and tummy in. And how should a little girl look? Always neat and pretty That’s my girl. Twenty-four-year-old Alexa Kennedy is beautiful, sharp as a whip, and at the top of her medical school class. She’s also been waging a war in her head for as long as she can remember. Depression. Hatred... -
The Rich One by N.O. One
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI have a secret. A double life.My name is River for some, Rose for others. Everyone gets a piece of me but no one gets it all.Becoming a high-class escort wasn’t my dream but fate decided otherwise. Now, I’m caught between the one who broke my heart, the one who pays for my screams, and the one who intrigues me.I think I have everything under control until danger comes knocking on my door...
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