Books like 'Ruthless Ruler'

Readers who enjoyed Ruthless Ruler by A.K. Rose also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

dark romance  suspense  mystery  angst

  • Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken

    Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken

    Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    Enrage 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...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  angst  new adult  mafia  contemporary  dark  m-f
  • Lie To Her by Melinda Leigh

    Lie To Her by Melinda Leigh

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 40 ratings
    Lies from the heart lead to a dangerously intimate case for Sheriff Bree Taggert in #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s novel of revenge and fatal deceptions.When a digital marketer is found murdered in his backyard—hands bound and face smothered by plastic wrap—Sheriff Bree Taggert and criminal investigator Matt Flynn respond to the call...
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  • Can't Go Back by Debra Webb

    Can't Go Back by Debra Webb

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    The 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...
  • Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine

    Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    They’re hunting a killer so silent, so invisible, that his unspeakable crimes are the only proof he exists.A car submerged in a remote pond. The bodies of two girls strapped into their seats. The mystery of their mother, vanished without a trace, leads Gwen Proctor and Kezia Claremont into dangerous territory...
  • The Betrayer by Kimberley Chambers

    The Betrayer by Kimberley Chambers

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    From the author of Born Evil this gritty, warmhearted East End family epic is set on a rough and ready council estate in Stepney. The story, which spans four decades starting in 1975, tells of the trials and tribulations of the Hutton family.From the Hardcover edition...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  angst  suspense  dark  vengeance  length-long
  • Little Girl Vanished by Denise Grover Swank

    Little Girl Vanished by Denise Grover Swank

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Disgraced, ex-detective Harper Adams is perfectly content wallowing at rock bottom. She’s lost her job, house, and reputation, and it only gets worse when she’s forced to move back home to Jackson Creek, Arkansas, the one place she swore she’d never return. But everything changes when she gets chilling news...
  • Even When I'm Gone by Nicole Fiorina

    Even When I'm Gone by Nicole Fiorina

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 25 ratings
    The second book in a heart-consuming series. Ollie. Forget everything you thought you knew. Hell, I don't even know myself anymore. For seven months I've been gone only to come back to be tested in every way possible. They say keep your enemies close, and my demons welcomed me back with open arms. My downfall is a necessary evil. But Mia is my endgame. Mia...
  • Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

    Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 59 ratings
    Every 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...
  • Obsession by Helen Hardt

    Obsession by Helen Hardt

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 35 ratings
    Jade Roberts is in love with Talon Steel but no longer welcome in his home. While she resolves to move on, she still longs for the passion she and Talon shared…and when her boss asks her to dig up information on the Steels, she’s only too happy to comply. Talon and his brothers are hiding something, and Jade is determined find out what it is...
  • The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White

    The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    She’s come back to solve the mystery of her father’s death and confront her own dark past. When Detective Rebecca North left her rural hometown, she vowed never to return. Her father’s apparent suicide has changed that. The official report is that retired cop Noah North shot himself, knocked over a lantern, and set his isolated cabin ablaze. But Rebecca cannot believe he killed himself...
  • Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose

    Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    Deadly 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...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  contemporary  dark
  • Away from the Dark by Aleatha Romig

    Away from the Dark by Aleatha Romig

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    Nine months ago, Sara Adams awoke with no memory. The man holding her hand told her she’s a member of The Light, a tight-knit religious group led by the terrifying and charismatic Father Gabriel. As a woman in the community of The Light, her duty is to be unquestionably obedient and to submit to the will of her husband...
  • The Good Lie by A.R. Torre

    The Good Lie by A.R. Torre

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 46 ratings
    Six teens murdered. A suspect behind bars. A desperate father. In a case this shadowy, the truth is easy to hide.Six teenagers dead. Finally, the killer behind bars. But are the games just beginning?Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore is an expert on killers...
  • Fable of Happiness: Book Three by Pepper Winters

    Fable of Happiness: Book Three by Pepper Winters

    Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 17 ratings
    From New York Times Bestseller, Pepper Winters, comes the third and final book in Kas and Gem’s fated romance. A stranger full of rage. A battle that has no victors. A decision that has to be made. And a future that has to be fought for. Scarred and learning how to live again, Kas might never be free of his darkness. A life full of triggers is no life at all...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  angst  new adult  dark  abuse  open-door  length-long
  • Flame by Aleatha Romig

    Flame by Aleatha Romig

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 19 ratings
    “What matters most is how you walk through the fire.” ~ Charles Bukowski No longer simmering and crackling beyond our realm, the fire smoldering in the distance roars to life. The blaze has the capacity to scorch and destroy everything and everyone in its path. All that I’ve known and believed was obliterated the moment Madeline spoke a truth I’d never suspected...
  • Extreme Risk by Jane Blythe

    Extreme Risk by Jane Blythe

    Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Can 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...
  • Unbreakable by Cari Hunter

    Unbreakable by Cari Hunter

    Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Dr. Grace Kendal never stands a chance. The injured woman comes out of nowhere, bleeding heavily and holding a gun. Compelled to help her, Grace is dragged into Elin Breckenridge’s nightmare. Their fight to survive will take them across the country and to the limits of their endurance...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  f-f  contemporary  dark  queer  length-medium
  • The Bright and Hungry Future of Hawks by John Wiltshire

    The Bright and Hungry Future of Hawks by John Wiltshire

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    The FINAL book in the addictive, best-selling "More Heat Than The Sun" M/M Thriller seriesBen and Nikolas know that if they were to compare recollections of their life together, they’d remember things very differently. Ben never asks about their time together in the Department, because he doesn’t want to hear Nikolas lie...
  • Backdraft by Cole McCade

    Backdraft by Cole McCade

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 17 ratings
    ABOUT THIS EPISODE When a 911 call goes wrong and a young man goes missing, it falls to Malcolm and Seong-Jae to investigate the responding officers when Internal Affairs' internal politics leave the case compromised and the officers aren't willing to talk...
  • Ashes by Aleatha Romig

    Ashes by Aleatha Romig

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 18 ratings
    “From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire...” ~ Robert Frost Patrick has awakened a fire I forgot existed...
  • Olive Juice by T.J. Klune

    Olive Juice by T.J. Klune

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    It begins with a message that David cannot ignore:I want to see you.He agrees, and on a cold winter’s night, David and Phillip will come together to sift through the wreckage of the memory of a life no longer lived.David is burdened, carrying with him the heavy guilt of the past six years upon his shoulders.Phillip offers redemption...
    Categorized as:
    angst  mystery  m-m  contemporary  dark  queer  length-novella
  • Behind My Words by J.L. Drake

    Behind My Words by J.L. Drake

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    SpencerMy entire life vanished the day I found my parents’ bodies.It changed me, broke me, and I went from a bestselling author to a ghost writer hiding behind my words…Then an assignment pairs me with a new detective on a high-profile murder case.But things spiral out of control as bodies start piling up—a cruel reminder of a past I’m desperate to forget...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  dark  length-medium  m-f
  • Never Look Back by Mary Burton

    Never Look Back by Mary Burton

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 38 ratings
    Expect 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...
  • Four Point by Max Ellendale

    Four Point by Max Ellendale

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Thirty-two bodies, twenty years, and a cold case that lives inside her alone. Detective Sali James teeters on the edge of sanity as she's forced to unearth her darkest days in order to stop Washington's most elusive serial killer...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  angst  suspense  f-f  dark  queer  length-short
  • Healing Hope by P.J. Fiala

    Healing Hope by P.J. Fiala

    Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    A former SEAL on a life changing mission.A congressional aide caught up in the underworld of greed.The explosive culmination of secrets, lies, and salvation.Former SEAL, Creed Rowan, rescued a beautiful captive on a yacht during a mission, but there’s more to his rescue than meets the eye. She’s the connection RAPTOR needs to stop an international exchange and save the lives of hundreds of women...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  angst  dark  military  length-medium
  • Layered Lies by Kaylie Hunter

    Layered Lies by Kaylie Hunter

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Two 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...
  • Deliver Us From Evil by Monica James

    Deliver Us From Evil by Monica James

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Monsters are real…and that monster is me.I’ve surrendered. I have no other choice.With Babydoll gone, I’m going to do whatever it takes to find her.I will lie.Cheat.Murder…and I’ll do so with a smile.I’ll even sell my soul to the devil…because that’s who my father, Sean Kelly, is. He won’t stop until Belfast is his. He knows I’m at my breaking point...
  • Into Temptation by Monica James

    Into Temptation by Monica James

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Monsters 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...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  angst  contemporary  dark  length-medium
  • The Last Party by A.R. Torre

    The Last Party by A.R. Torre

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    A 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...
  • Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch

    Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    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. Even though she ended their relationship, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to protect her and their child...
  • Vicious Scars by Jane Blythe

    Vicious Scars by Jane Blythe

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    No good deed goes unpunished.Tallulah Russel knows she's made a mistake. Unfortunately it's too late to do anything about it. Snatched from her home and held prisoner in a cabin by a man whose behavior grows more confusing by the minute, she has two choices...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  dark  military  length-medium
  • Cold Spite by Toni Anderson

    Cold Spite by Toni Anderson

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    A disgraced former Navy SEAL is looking for revenge in this romantic thriller from author Toni Anderson...
  • Last Resort by Janie Crouch

    Last Resort by Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From 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...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  dark  pregnancy  contemporary  military
  • Wicked and Bare by Shayla Black

    Wicked and Bare by Shayla Black

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Join Matt and Madison for the conclusion of their Wicked Lovers: Soldiers For Hire love story. Coming July 18, 2023!**Wicked and Bare is part of the Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire romantic suspense series. Stories in this series are told in a duet of two full-length novels. Each duet can be read as a standalone...
  • The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

    The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 45 ratings
    The 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...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  contemporary  death  dark  length-epic
  • Pitch Dark by A.M. Wilson, Alex Grayson

    Pitch Dark by A.M. Wilson, Alex Grayson

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    One girl disappeared. After fifteen years, her cold lifeless body was found on the damp forest floor. Not an inch of her was unmarked by the horrors she endured. Alone, malnourished, abused in horrific ways; this was how she died. One girl was found walking the streets, covered in dirt and scars. She had no memory of who she was, where she came from, or what happened to her...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  mystery  dark  length-long  m-f
  • A Reckless Note by Lisa Renee Jones

    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...
  • I'm Watching You by Karen Rose

    I'm Watching You by Karen Rose

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 43 ratings
    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...
  • Custody Battles by Gregory Ashe

    Custody Battles by Gregory Ashe

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Some parents would die for their children. Others will do a whole lot worse.Emery Hazard and his husband, John-Henry Somerset, are settling into their new normal—at home, with the latest addition to their family, and at work, as Somers adapts to his new role and Hazard manages his expanding agency. The only thing Hazard is worried about is getting through dinner with his in-laws...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  angst  m-m  contemporary  abuse  dark  queer
  • Dusk by Aleatha Romig

    Dusk by Aleatha Romig

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    “When your whole world is shaken from all the risks we have taken, dance with me. Dance with me into the colors of dusk.” ~ Ben Harper.I’ve served my country, a man, and a cause. I’ve given my whole being while at the same time finding its true meaning. There was no way for me to know the day I met the men who were to become my best friends that they would introduce me to the love of my life...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  mystery  dark  mafia  m-f  length-medium
  • Wishing Well by Lily White

    Wishing Well by Lily White

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    The perfect timing of a fairy tale is tied to its tragedy… Journalist, Meadow Graham, is invited to interview death row inmate, Vincent Mercier. Given three days to hear his sordid confession, Meadow seeks to learn why a wealthy hotel owner killed four people, including her twin sister...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  mystery  dark  contemporary  bdsm  length-medium
  • Ten Thousand Truths by Kelli Jean

    Ten Thousand Truths by Kelli Jean

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Horror 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...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  angst  contemporary  dark  length-medium
  • Gabby's Protector by Janie Crouch, Regan Black

    Gabby's Protector by Janie Crouch, Regan Black

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    After 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...
  • The Echo on the Water by JA Huss

    The Echo on the Water by JA Huss

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Rosie Harlow is desperately seeking … well, she’s not sure. A romance would be nice but so would a dinner conversation with her pre-teen son. Too bad her boy is way too busy growing up to pay his mama any attention...
  • Thy Kingdom Come by Monica James

    Thy Kingdom Come by Monica James

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Monsters are real.When I was five years old, I watched my mother take her last breath-a breath three monsters stole from her.I never chose this life. My father says it's my birthright, but all I see is a curse. It's because of the Kelly name my mum was slain by the Doyles-our enemies in Dublin, the fellas livin' on borrowed time.All of Belfast fears my family, especially me...
  • The Cursed Heir: A chilling, gripping historical mystery from bestseller Heather Atkinson by Heather Atkinson

    The Cursed Heir: A chilling, gripping historical mystery from bestseller Heather Atkinson by Heather Atkinson

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    'I have read ALL Heather Atkinson's books. They are all fantastic.'Edinburgh 1896. At Alardyce House, the family are gathered to celebrate the engagement of the heir to the estate, Robert, to his childhood sweetheart. But what should be a precious memory for his mother Amy, is marred by darkness...
  • Jezebel by K. Larsen

    Jezebel by K. Larsen

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    30 years of affection. 10 years of soul shattering love. 8 years of happy employment. 2 months of turmoil. 1 week of truth. A lifetime of betrayal. Would you have seen it coming? Annabelle Fortin landed herself in a bit of trouble. Mandated to community service at an assisted living facility for early onset dementia she meets Jezebel, one of the residents...
  • Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen

    Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen

    Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars
    · 32 ratings
    Once, Special Agent Smoky Barrett hunted serial killers for the FBI. She was one of the best–until a madman terrorized her family, killed her husband and daughter, and left her face scarred and her soul brutalized. Turning the tables on the killer, Smoky shot him dead–but her life was shattered forever. Now Smoky dreams about picking up her weapon again...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  mystery  contemporary  rape  dark  length-long
  • Devil by Ker Dukey

    Devil by Ker Dukey

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    This is a Dark romance for 18 years and over. Evi Devil. Yes, that is really my name. The irony is not lost on me. I was created from two evil souls and have the name to prove it. Devil worshipers, perverts, murderer. Is all terms used to describe the parents I refuse to remember. My mind will not allow me to...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  mystery  abuse  dark  length-medium
  • False Hope by Meli Raine

    False Hope by Meli Raine

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    She thinks she’s fooled me. But I’ve known all along.Almost.Lily is hiding something, a secret so big, she came out of a year-long coma and her first instinct was to lie.Who does that? Someone who is afraid. No—not afraid.Terrified. And it’s my job to take that fear away.My partner and I have spent countless man-hours hunting down the cold-blooded killer who did this to her...
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