Books like 'Brutal Defender'
Readers who enjoyed Brutal Defender by Maggie Cole also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
multicultural suspense mafia arranged marriage age difference from hate to love fighters sassy heroine rich heroine bad boys
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Stall by MysteryMixtapes
"Strangers in the dark can change your life in the light.""As I reach the front door I can't help the same question swimming around in my mind, what could possibly be on all of those tapes?"-----Preview:"You wanna try and be my medicine Abby?" he asks with a deep testing tone, keeping his voice quiet... -
Summer in the Falls by Elle Gray
Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhile the town prepares for the annual local festival.Spenser helps with the festivities while chatting with the residents.Unfortunately the pleasantry is interrupted when Spenser runs into Rafe Johnson,the man beginning his campaign to unseat her as sheriff.The standoff between them is tense with Spenser deciding to walk away... -
The Lies in the Falls by Elle Gray
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIt’s the perfect time to enjoy the winter snow.Unfortunately, there are things brewing in Sweetwater Falls that neither coffee nor hot cocoa can solve…It’s Founders Day in the once idyllic town, as well as the beginning of the festive holiday season.Contrary to the beautiful scenery, being the sheriff of Sweetwater is not quite as cozy as Spenser Song imagined... -
Silenced in the Falls by Elle Gray
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsTo be young, wild, and carefree.The true essence of Taft High’s Spring dance.But there’s a price for the naivety of youth.A high price that could cost your blood, soul, and your silence.Sweetwater Falls is a charming town with all sorts of characters.From chaperoning the school dance with Ryker to putting drunk drivers behind bars... -
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Take A Chance On Me by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsOh Sh*tThis is part 2 of the Marc and Meg Duet. It cannot be read as a standalone. Due to spoilers, the above is all the blurb you will get.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The conclusion to the Meg and Marc duet is phenomenal. It’s been a long time since I’ve found a writer that makes me laugh, scream, and cry in the same sitting. This is an epic story - epic love, epic friendship, epic woman finding her way... -
Ashes by Chelle Bliss
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsDylan Walsh left his small town behind and vowed to never return. But when his brother needs help, Dylan steps back into the memories he tried so hard to forget. He thought there was nothing there for him anymore until a woman he knew as a little girl catches more than Dylan’s eye.Rosie Gallo is known for her kind spirit, good-girl vibes, and her loyalty to the ones she loves... -
The Girls in the Falls by Elle Gray
Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAfter answering the job posting for Sweetwater Falls, former FBI agent Spenser Song thought that she had finally escaped her painful past. Unfortunately, she quickly learned some things you just can’t ever run away from…When a local girl goes missing and another one turns up dead, Spenser finds clues that connect to a grim reminder of another fatal mistake in her past... -
Scorch by Chelle Bliss
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe headstrong and wild Luna Gallo is about to have her world rocked, altering the course of her life and putting her on a path she never expects.Scorch is the tenth full-length standalone novel in the Men of Inked Heatwave series by Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Chelle Bliss...Categorized as:
suspense sassy heroine age difference bad boys m-f contemporary friends to lovers alpha male -
The Housewife Killer by A.J. Rivers
Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFBI agent Ava James has taken down many murderers.This time she might have met her match.While working on the Margot Carter case, Ava decides to follow a hunch.One to help narrow down the Housewife Killer suspect list.It’s been years, no one has been able to capture the elusive predator.A maniac that is killing young women and dressing them up as a 50’s housewife... -
Jules by Cleo Browne
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJules Tombs doesn’t do relationships. Or emotions. Or any kind of attachment that lasts longer than a night and involves fewer than three people. Feelings are messy, and he’s got no interest in them—until a baby shows up on his doorstep with his scowl and his DNA, forcing him to face the one thing scarier than fatherhood... -
Smolder by Helen Hardt
Rated: 4.69 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAre you missing the Steel Brothers? Are you yearning for more? Welcome to the next generation! Join the grown children of Jonah, Talon, Ryan, and Marjorie for new adventures, mysteries, and heart-pounding passion... -
The New Girl by A.J. Rivers
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSometimes starting over is simply letting go of the past...Heartbroken and in need of a fresh start,Carrie Sweet packed up her car and headed to Juniper Springs.On the road to the idyllic town with a new journalist job waiting,she encounters one roadblock after another.Stranded on the side of the road, a handsome stranger stops to offer her help... -
Shadows of the Falls by Elle Gray
Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSpenser Song could have never imagined that her career in the FBI would lead to her husband’s death.She moved to Sweetwater Falls and accepted the job as the town’s Sheriff to escape from the pain of her dark past.But a fresh start in the once idyllic town came with many unexpected twists.. -
The Tallest Tower by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.73 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsI hate Felix Malone with all my heart and soul. He’s the second born son of a murderous don.The newest leader of the Malone mafia family now that his father is dead.But if I could have hoped a change in management would mean a positive shift for the notorious crime family, then I’m proven wrong as Felix quickly settles into his new role and lays scourge on New York City... -
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Reckless: Sins of the Father by Nicole James
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Nicole James, comes a STEAMY, WOKE UP MARRIED IN VEGAS, AGE GAP, MC ROMANCE! The SECOND GENERATION has arrived! Harley Jean—The pounding in my head wakes me— that and the fact that I have to pee. Must have been one hell of a bachelorette party last night... -
Going Rogue by Amelia Shea
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsQuinn O’Malley’s less than stellar life drags her even deeper, plummeting her into a dark abyss when her misfortune designates her Enemy Number One to the devil himself.After an altercation and deal gone wrong, Quinn finds herself living on borrowed time, at the mercy of a notorious, ruthless, and unpredictable King of the Underground. She has nothing of worth to bargain with except her life... -
The Camorra Chronicles Box Set by Cora Reilly
Rated: 4.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTwisted Loyalties: Fabiano was raised to follow in his father’s footsteps as Consigliere of the Chicago Outfit – until the man abandons him. Left to fend for himself, Fabiano is forced to fight for a place in the mafia world. As a ruthless street fighter, he quickly earns his place as the new Enforcer of the Las Vegas Camorra – a man to fear... -
Legacy by Sienna Snow
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Marriage of Convenience. A War of Obsession. Avra Vitalis never expected to walk into her family’s stolen empire dressed as a bride—but this isn’t a union of love. It's a declaration of war.Her husband, Elias Xenos, is ruthless, powerful, and dangerously possessive—the heir to the family who destroyed hers. He views Avra not merely as a pawn, but as a prize he's determined to claim... -
Secret Betrayals: Dark MC & Mafia Romance | Second Chance | Romantic Suspense by Tonya Anders
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSome sins never die. And some loves refuse to stay buried.Brian “Talon” Masterson leaned into everything that mattered. Wearing the crown of the Lucifer’s Saints MC Presidency was always his legacy to carry. Loyalty, brotherhood, blood—that’s the world he chose. But no patch could ever cover the scar left by the woman he betrayed and let go… or the truth he never saw coming... -
Secret Betrayals: Dark MC & Mafia Romance | Second Chance | Romantic Suspense by Tonya Anders
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn Secret Betrayals, loyalty is tested, family is redefined, and love is forged in fire. Some sins can’t be forgiven. Some debts can’t be repaid. And some hearts refuse to be broken more than once.Beneath the roar of engines and the glint of chrome, the Sinners ride the line between loyalty and treachery... -
Crime Lord's Paradise by Mia Knight
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAfter Gavin Pyre steps down from his position as crime lord, he and Lyla focus on picking up the pieces of their lives and creating the paradise they deserve.Note: This novella intersects with book 4, Awakened by Sin, so books should be read in sequence... -
Worship Your Queen by Penelope Sky
London is a lot more useful than I anticipated. She gets me what I need like a pro. With her by my side, I feel like I can do anything.My need for revenge is dimmed. My anger is contained. But her brother is still a problem. She wants me to let him go.I'm not sure if I can... -
Drawn Blue Lines by Cora Kenborn
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom USA Today Bestselling Author Cora Kenborn comes a steamy enemies to lovers romance full of sharp banter, cold revenge, and unexpected twists. Loyalty is the deadliest sin Adriana Every devil doesn’t always get his due. I survived a fate worse than death, and the only thing my family’s traitor got was my birthright. I used to rule an empire...Categorized as:
suspense multicultural mafia from hate to love sassy heroine latinx-mc abduction dual-pov -
Savage Prince by Piper Stone
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGillian's father may be a powerful Irish mob boss, but he owes a blood debt to my family, and when I came to collect I didn't ask permission before taking his daughter as payment. It was not up to him... or to her. I will make her my bride, but I am not the kind of man who will wait until our wedding night to bare her and claim what belongs to me... -
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Lucas by Lane Hart, D.B. West
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLucas Bennett hasn't been able to catch a break lately.At the top of his growing list of disasters is the ongoing feud with Jake, his former best friend. It hasn't helped that the two are also prospects competing against each other for the single spot with the Savage Kings MC...Categorized as:
from hate to love bad boys suspense mafia contemporary bikers length-medium audiobook -
INFERNO by Luna Mason
Decadent. One word that alters both of their futures.A chance encounter that entwines them forever.One night. No real names.Ending in a betrayal that still haunts them both.Declan Quinn, the new Irish mob boss like no other.Five years later, he’s now the owner of Decadence, a successful chocolate factory, but it’s what lies behind the gates that is so much more... -
Shattered Oath by Lisa Lovell
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Bratva Boss wants me dead.Too bad I’m pregnant with his baby.I’ve run far and wide to escape the Devil’s rage.But it wasn’t long before he caught me.Now I’m standing in front of him bound and naked.About to face the consequences of my betrayal.With every inch of my skin exposed to his will,And my life flashing before my watery eyes,He draws my traitorous body under his spell... -
Cruel Prince by Aidèe Jaimes
I sold my soul to the Devil and he handed me over to someone far deadlier.After the death of my father, his enemies came knocking on my door. Left with no other choice, I agree to an indentured contract, selling my body to a criminal in exchange for my life.Only he never meant to keep me as his own...Categorized as:
mafia age difference from hate to love suspense contemporary length-medium explicit-plentiful -
The Godfather’s Christmas Twins by Ajme Williams
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFive years ago, I gave birth to his twins. Five years ago, I let another man claim them as his own. Five years ago, my father forced me to marry a mobster.And now these twins are calling their real father "Uncle Max."One night of sin with my godfather changed everything. Max Giraldi—seventeen years my senior, my brother's enforcer. By morning, he vanished... -
The Hate I Feel by Siobhan Davis
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWant to know what has happened to the missing Anderson brothers? Find out in The Hate I Feel... -
A Madness of Crows by Evelyn Flood
No longer an heir. No longer a daughter. No longer a Crow. Now, I am a wife. An accessory. A toy. Ripped away from the men I love, they want to break me. Strip away everything that made me into who I am, and create something new. I was Caterina Corvo. But now, I am Caterina Asante. For them, I will fight. For her, I will endure. But every day, it becomes harder to remember who I used to be... -
To Have and To Hold: Arranged marriage stand-alone by Aleatha Romig
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsArranged marriage, age-gap, forbidden love, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, Romeo and Juliet vibes, family saga, Mafia/cartel romance, Slow burn, Redemption, Morally gray hero, dangerous romanceThe Roríguez cartel is spinning out of control, tragedy putting the alliance and our future in question...Categorized as:
multicultural from hate to love mafia m-f age difference suspense forbidden love forced proximity -
The Lost Children by Elle Gray
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSheriff Eve Wicker never expected the biggest mystery of her past would land on her doorstep years later.After her mother’s death, Eve left the small-town and joined the NSA.Only to find herself back in Chesapeake Valley.While she attempts to juggle her sheriff duties and help her ailing father.She finds herself colliding with the town brute, a man with a dark and traumatic past... -
The Girl in the Springs by Elle Gray, K.S. Gray
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSerenity Springs is a picturesque small town where everyone knows your name.Well, that was the case until one phone call changed everything... PI Bridget Hartley is obsessed with all things mystery.She even has a reputation for being Serenity’s go-to detective.With the exception of small-town drama and the occasional crime, life in Serenity is serene... -
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Savage Secrets by Amy McKinley
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsChicago Mafia boss Marco La Rosa thought the only woman he’d ever loved had died years ago. But when her brother approaches him with an arranged marriage contract, he learns that she is very much alive and in danger. Bringing her back within the fold of the Five Families is a second chance he can’t pass up. The only problem is, he has to get to her before their enemies do... -
Diamond by J.A. Low
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsRound 2 with the Devil begins.Grace thought she had left the nightmare of the Bratva Jewels behind her. Her days spent with them were some of the darkest of her life, but she’s safe now.Or so she thought.When the Bratva seeks revenge for losing one of their own, Grace knows she must be strong to withstand whatever they have in store for her... -
Beauty In Darkness by Emily Klepp, Jade Katzchen
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsIn a world full of darkness and deadly secrets, Malachi Carmichael's name strikes fear. He's a ruthless mafia boss with a heart of ice, and I never expected to fall for someone with a reputation for cruelty. As I get to know him, I see the man beneath the hard exterior. We begin to understand and trust each other, forming a bond we never anticipated... -
Necessary Pursuit by Mari Carr, Lila Dubois
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOscar has no desire to join one of the two secret societies issuing him invitations and he sure as hell isn’t interested in an arranged menage marriage. They say you can’t die of a broken heart, but he almost did. Deadly circumstances throw sexy physicist, Selene, and a dangerous man with a price on his head in his path. Now he’ll do anything to keep them safe... -
Monster SBMC Miami by Erin Trejo
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI transferred from another chapter to Miami. I needed a change and this was it. I fell into line with the rest of the guys here. The day I get shot is the day my life changes. Left at a local doctor's office to heal, I met her. She was different. She wasn't your normal type of girl. I could be myself with her...in the dark. In the light I was the monster I was named after... -
War of Monsters by Bella Di Corte
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA Royal Organized Crime RomanceHistory books are written about why men go to war. Religion. Land. Oil. And the most dangerous reason of all—a woman, the kind worth risking your heart for. My wife, Scarlett Fausti, was that woman. She sparked a war amongst the world’s most dangerous men.Enemies had attacked us from the inside, from the outside, thirsty for blood and ready to spill more for power... -
Isaac by Lane Hart, D.B. West
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIsaac Perry has spent the majority of his life wearing the Devil Hounds MC patches. As president, he’s used to making tough decisions, even the occasionally vicious ones. He doesn’t have to take orders from anyone anymore. He never bends, never breaks, until she literally stumbles into his life.Holly Garrison is young. Too young and innocent for an outlaw like Isaac to lay a hand on her... -
Run by Janet Elizabeth Henderson
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsElle Roberts wants two things in life:One—to find out everything there is to know about the mysterious spy who keeps kissing her, andTwo—to stay off her mob family’s radar.That isn’t too much to ask, is it? It’s not like she wants to win the lottery, or live in a Star Wars movie, or be Chris Hemsworth’s personal bather... -
Mafia Lover: Enemies to Lovers Dark Mafia Short Romance by Barbi Cox, Olivia King
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI'm the cop who should stay far away from Emilia Rossi, the mafia's mob boss's daughter.But one look at her forbidden curves and I'm consumed by desire.She's my informant, my enemy, and the woman who sets my body on fire.I'll risk it all to protect her and the bond she's forming with my daughter.Navigating bullets and betrayal, our forbidden passion ignites... -
Weeping Roses by Stella Andrews
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOur eyes met across a deserted graveyard.The rain weeping on the thorny rose he tossed into the ground.As the lightning struck overhead, I knew my life was about to change.My inner voice screamed at me to run. You have something he wants. The sense of danger was more ominous than the storm, but I couldn’t run if I tried.I didn’t know her secrets were included when I inherited my aunt's fortune... -
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Crow's Revenge by Nikki Landis
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFor six months, Crow has been consumed with vengeance.It’s become the driving force for nearly every decision in the club ever since his father, the former president Rook, was murdered.But when the woman he loves is kidnapped, and a vicious, unpredictable enemy takes Bella, he’ll have to join forces with unlikely allies... -
Charity Case: The Complete Series by Piper Rayne
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThese three women are the toughest juries they’ll ever have to plead their case to.THIS BOX SET INCLUDES…Clean Slate (Charity Case #0.5)Moving two thousand miles away wasn’t my plan, but when family needs you, you come. Before I can head back to my hometown of Chicago though, I have two men to say good-bye to. Neither one of them will be happy to hear the news... -
The Chase by A.J. Rivers
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFormer pilot, now restaurateur, Eric Bentley has spent years rehabilitating his body after a traumatic head injury left him unable to fly again.When he runs into Nicole Lambert, a geriatric nurse tending to his father’s medical needs, he can’t help but think about their past.The two couldn’t be more different.He dreamed of soaring the skies and traveling the world... -
Enemy Heir by Carrie Ann Ryan, Nana Malone
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA bad boy prince meets his match in this epic Tattered Royals stand-alone romance.I know men like him.Powerful. Arrogant. Trouble. The world is his playground.The playboy prince, the tabloid favorite, and the bane of my existence. And unfortunately, he’s the only one who might be able to help me uncover the truth... -
The Don's Doorstep Baby by Ashlie Silas
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe billionaire, the don, and the cute kid on the doorstep... the end. Or so I thought.I never expected to see him again but here he is, his presence as commanding as ever.His features are just as strikingly handsome as they were years ago.My relationship with Xander was a rollercoaster destined to crash so, I saved us both the trouble and left.My only regret is the one thing I had to do... -
Tully by Jane Henry
Don't let her mousy appearance fool you... McKenna Byrne is fire. Hot tempered. Passionate. All-consuming. She seared my soul from our very first kiss. Once, she wanted a chance at independence. A life away from the Clan. Then danger threw us back together, And when McKenna and I collide... We ignite. Now I'm forced to claim her. To make her a full-fledged woman of the Clan...
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