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

  • Lie To Her by Melinda Leigh

    Lie To Her by Melinda Leigh

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 43 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...
  • 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.
  • Extreme Risk by Jane Blythe

    Extreme Risk by Jane Blythe

    Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars
    · 17 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...
  • Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose

    Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 24 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...
  • The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White

    The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · 28 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...
  • Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

    Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 63 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...
  • 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...
  • Single Mom's Undoing by Kai Lesy

    Single Mom's Undoing by Kai Lesy

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    When hot exes come with even hotter best friends…. Five years ago, I fled Blackthorn Falls. Now I’m back—broke, desperate, and hiding out in my late brother’s cabin,. Counting the days until a trust fund saves my little boy. Then I see them. My brother’s three best friends. The men I've yearned for in secret—and left without goodbye...
  • 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. Will this renewed desire warm my soul or consume my world? Is it too late? Will the life we yearn to have survive the ashes? From New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a brand-new dark romance, ASHES, set in the dangerous world of Sparrow Webs...
  • Obsession by Helen Hardt

    Obsession by Helen Hardt

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 36 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...
  • 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...
  • The Good Lie by A.R. Torre

    The Good Lie by A.R. Torre

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 59 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...
  • Onyx by Freya Barker

    Onyx by Freya Barker

    Rated: 4.88 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    a privately-funded organization operating independently in the search for-and the rescue and recovery of-missing and exploited children. Although, at times working in conjunction with law enforcement, GEM aims to ensure the victims receive justice. .. by whatever means necessary. ____. Operator Onyx; balanced, strong, a guardian She's the voice of reason, advocates, and strategizes...
  • The Demon by Stella Andrews

    The Demon by Stella Andrews

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    They call me The Demon for a reason and Eliza Ortega is about to find out why. A runaway mafia princess who stumbled from one nightmare to an even bigger one. She has something I want and I intend on collecting. I will stop at nothing to deliver my promise and if there are casualties I will consider it a good day at the office. My hobby is testing limits...
  • Behind My Words by J.L. Drake

    Behind My Words by J.L. Drake

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Spencer. My 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...
  • Six Degrees of Separation by Taylor V. Donovan

    Six Degrees of Separation by Taylor V. Donovan

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    *WARNING FROM THE AUTHOR:. By Degrees is an ensemble serial with continuing story lines. Six Degrees of Separation is the second installment, and it must be read after Six Degrees of Lust. Thanks. In the sequel to Six Degrees of Lust, F. B. I. team leader Samuel Shaughnessy and bar manager Machlan O’Bannon are exploring a new phase in their non-relationship...
  • No Way Back by Santana Knox

    No Way Back by Santana Knox

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    THERE’S NO WAY BACK FROM WHAT WE’VE BECOME. There is no way back. There is no way. No way back. Not from what we’ve become;. Bloodthirsty, vengeful, vile. Some women strive to make their men better,. I VOW TO MAKE HIM WORSE. With each life we take, we fall deeper into our own sinister desires...
  • Unseen  (Joker's Wild Novella) by B. Livingstone, Indie Black

    Unseen (Joker's Wild Novella) by B. Livingstone, Indie Black

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    What happens when the dutiful wife is pushed too far? Rebellion and Freedom. While the whole world searches for the senator’s missing housewife,. Zoey crafts a plan to guarantee she steers clear of their radar. But when three gorgeous brothers and a high school sweetheart barge into her new life,...
  • Fable of Happiness: Book Three by Pepper Winters

    Fable of Happiness: Book Three by Pepper Winters

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 20 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...
  • 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...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  angst  dark  military  length-medium
  • The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

    The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 48 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...
  • A Dark Mind by T.R. Ragan

    A Dark Mind by T.R. Ragan

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    A serial killer is terrorizing Sacramento, preying on happily married couples and unleashing unspeakable cruelties upon his victims. The ordeal rekindles disturbing memories for private investigator Lizzy Gardner, who barely escaped a serial killer clutches only years ago...
  • Pitch Dark by A.M. Wilson, Alex Grayson

    Pitch Dark by A.M. Wilson, Alex Grayson

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 14 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...
  • Layered Lies by Kaylie Hunter

    Layered Lies by Kaylie Hunter

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 14 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: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 11 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...
  • I'm Watching You by Karen Rose

    I'm Watching You by Karen Rose

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 48 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...
  • Devil's Azalea by Roselyn Ash, Sasha Leone

    Devil's Azalea by Roselyn Ash, Sasha Leone

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 7 ratings
    Everyone has a first love. Mine’s just a little… darker than most. Rafael Moretti is a gorgeous monster. Tall and broad, he dominates New York’s underworld with an iron grip and cold, silver-gray eyes. But before he was the man everyone feared, he was my protector. My friend. The boy I could never forget. Then, tragedy struck. My father was killed, and Rafael was implicated in the murder...
  • The Devil's Crown-Part Two by Monica James

    The Devil's Crown-Part Two by Monica James

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    All The Pretty Things Trilogy Spin-Off. With the enemy dead, my throne awaits my return. But the reason I’m still standing is being held captive by another foe.
  • Into Temptation by Monica James

    Into Temptation by Monica James

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 8 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...
  • Watch Her Bend by Emily Klepp, Jade Katzchen

    Watch Her Bend by Emily Klepp, Jade Katzchen

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    For two long years, we kept our distance while also sitting on the same couch during my sessions. I kept my secrets tucked far away from my psychiatrist because revealing one thing would lead to the unveiling of my traumatic past. When I am forced to set aside my desire to weather this storm alone, Dr. Daxton Cooper is the one to catch me before I sink...
  • 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...
  • In These Words: Chapter 6 by Kichiku Neko, Guilt Pleasure

    In These Words: Chapter 6 by Kichiku Neko, Guilt Pleasure

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Dr. Asano Katsuya is a US trained psychiatrist who has been recruited by the Tokyo Police Department to profile a serial killer via the victims' data. Based on Asano's profile and recommendations, a suspect has at last been caught! Now, after three years and twelve victims, Shinohara Keiji is in police custody and has promised a thorough confession, provided that Asano is the one to receive it...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  angst  m-m  dark  rape  bdsm  queer  length-novella
  • 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...
  • 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 Chance. She has secrets she prefers to keep hidden. Too bad he’s so good at getting to the truth. When a violent attack puts Maci Ford in the hospital, security expert Chance Patterson learns that she’s carrying his baby...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  dark  pregnancy  contemporary  military
  • Hostile Devil: Giovanni & India Duet by Autumn Archer

    Hostile Devil: Giovanni & India Duet by Autumn Archer

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    6. Hostile Devil : A Dark Age Gap Mafia Romance (Souza Cartel: Giovanni). by Autumn Archer (Author) , Hostile Kingdom (Author). 4. 8 out of 5 stars (9). He's my devil. My forever. I've grown up around the Souza cartel, never fully realizing the brothers would never let me go. That the powerful gangsters around me would protect me at all costs...
  • The Last Party by A.R. Torre

    The Last Party by A.R. Torre

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 37 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...
  • Angels and Ashes by Avelyn Paige, Alfie Gordillo

    Angels and Ashes by Avelyn Paige, Alfie Gordillo

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    He’s the scorned President of the Heaven’s Rejects. She’s the widow of his best friend and former Vice-President. He shouldn’t want her, but he’ll move heaven and earth to have her. Left alone as a new widow to raise her family, Darcy Kyle’s life has spiraled out of control...
  • A Single Bright Candle's Flame by Cole McCade

    A Single Bright Candle's Flame by Cole McCade

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 19 ratings
    ABOUT THIS EPISODE. Detective Malcolm Khalaji is at a loss. For the second time in his life, he wasn't there when his lover needed him. And with Seong-Jae Yoon on leave pending an internal investigation, Malcolm doesn't know what to do with a shattered partner and boyfriend who's retreated from him into a dark and broken place. It's Gabrielle all over again. .
  • The Difference Between Someday and Forever by Aly Martinez

    The Difference Between Someday and Forever by Aly Martinez

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    The world took everything from us. As survivors of not only a plane crash, but two other impossible tragedies, we’d more than earned a life of peace. But time and time again, we were shown that fate had no intention of giving that to us. Remi and I were soulmates. Plain and simple. Our love should have died in the depths of our darkness, but the sun still exists even when it’s not shining...
  • Tease Me: A Stark International Novel by J. Kenner

    Tease Me: A Stark International Novel by J. Kenner

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J. Kenner comes a new story in her Stark International series…. Entertainment reporter Jamie Archer knew it would be hard when her husband, Stark Security Chief Ryan Hunter, was called away for a long-term project in London. The distance is difficult to endure, but Jamie trusts the deep and passionate love that has always burned between them...
  • Rookie Days by Natalie Debrabandere

    Rookie Days by Natalie Debrabandere

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    The Sequel to HEART OF DUTY. Rookie detective, Ellie James, always wanted to be a cop. Being promoted to a special crimes unit under her mentor, Quinn Wesley, is a dream come true. But when a job brings her face to face with past trauma, Ellie realizes that she has a lot to prove...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  angst  f-f  age difference  queer  dark  length-medium
  • Break Me by C.D. Reiss

    Break Me by C.D. Reiss

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    It was always Sarah. And she was always mine. I woke up in a nightmare. I woke up alone. There was a reason I never let myself have feelings before. Emotions make you stupid. They make you miscalculate. If someone gave me the choice, I’d do it all over again. Only this time, I’d stop everyone who ever looked at the woman I love before they had the chance to hurt her...
  • 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
  • Savage Kingdom by C. Lymari

    Savage Kingdom by C. Lymari

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The Sekt does not forgive. The Sekt does not forget. Keeper of secrets and dealers of lies. We bow to no king, nations, or men. Crossing us is certain death. • • • • • •. He was a mercenary, and I a slave. He wanted to save me, but I liked the pain. We stole, cheated, and lied. Through a savage kingdom, we found a divide. He betrayed me, but so did I...
  • Guarded from Sabotage by Gia Cobie, Operation Alpha

    Guarded from Sabotage by Gia Cobie, Operation Alpha

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    I never imagined my life could fall apart so quickly. It all started when my credit card was stolen. I chalked it up to bad luck. A minor annoyance. Until more things started happening—fraudulent loans taken out in my name, my bank accounts drained, and I was even accused of a crime I couldn’t possibly have committed. And it became terrifyingly clear this wasn’t just bad luck...
  • Sully by Dani René

    Sully by Dani René

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    I walked away from Clover once before. She was too young, and I was too much of a bastard to hurt her. But now she's all grown up, and she's mine. As much as I want to protect her, to keep her safe, I'm not a good man. I've done things I'm not proud of, sold my soul to a devil who's comin' to collect...
  • 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...
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.