Books like 'Beyond the Thistles'
Readers who enjoyed Beyond the Thistles by Samantha Young also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary suspense age difference grumpy sunshine alpha male single-mother poor heroine tortured heroine abduction competent heroine
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Fractured by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.69 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsLoving Echo Kent was painful. Not the falling in love part, that was easy. One look at the tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed narcotics detective and I knew I wanted him. A few months later I knew I couldn’t live without him. But my Echo, he had demons and secrets and a mountain of guilt. His love was selfish and one-sided—he could love but he refused to allow others to love him... -
![Men of Honor, Books 1-4 by K.C. Lynn, Callie Dalton]()
Men of Honor, Books 1-4 by K.C. Lynn, Callie Dalton
This military romance boxed set series includes all four Men of Honor stories: Fighting Temptation, Sweet Temptation, Resisting Temptation, and The Final Temptation. Best if in order, but all can be listened to as standalones! You will not break me for I am unbreakable. I will live with integrity, fight with honor and die for what's right... -
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![Spy With Me by Lexi Blake]()
Spy With Me by Lexi Blake
Zach Reed had two objectives when he joined the CIA team led by Ian and Charlotte Taggart. First, he needed to get close to Cooper McKay. Second, he needed to sideline or dismantle their operation. Getting to know Cooper was even better than he expected, but amongst the team he discovered a family he’d always dreamed of and a woman he wanted to spend his life with... -
![Law & Beard by Lani Lynn Vale]()
Law & Beard by Lani Lynn Vale
Winnie thinks she has the perfect life. Two beautiful, healthy children. A police officer husband. A job that she loves. Oh, and let’s not forget that she’s a nationally ranked marathon runner. Fast forward six months, and her perfect life has imploded. Winnie finds herself in a completely new world, and this new world is a brutal bitch. In this new life of hers, her husband is gone...Categorized as:
military suspense alpha male friends to lovers age difference poor heroine cold hero single-mother -
![Leo by Maryann Jordan]()
Leo by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.69 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsHe had no complaints… Great job, great boss, great co-workers. And a best friend he’d known for years. Okay, almost no complaints… The women he dated paled in comparison to his best friend. She had a lot of complaints… A job she hated, a tyrant for a boss, working with people that got on her last nerve. And no time for love. Plus, the guys she dated couldn’t come close to her best friend...Categorized as:
friends to lovers mystery military suspense m-f contemporary length-medium audiobook -
![Scorch by Chelle Bliss]()
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. Men of Inked®: Heatwave Series:...Categorized as:
suspense friends to lovers alpha male sassy heroine age difference m-f contemporary abuse -
![Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard]()
Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsThe final "powerfully intense" (Romantic Times) Black Ops, Inc. novel from New York Times bestseller Cindy Gerard, featuring a covert private security team and electrifying romantic suspense. Black Ops, Inc. operative Joe Green is determined to bring to justice the man responsible for former team member Bryan Tompkins's death... -
![Rescuing Rosalie by Ellie Masters]()
Rescuing Rosalie by Ellie Masters
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIn the Nicaraguan jungle, I'll battle dangerous wildlife, treacherous terrain, and my growing attraction to Rosalie as we outrun a madman and survive. When a hostage rescue mission intended to save innocent lives takes a devastating turn, Hayes, a Guardian Hostage Rescue Specialist, leaps into action and plunges headlong into danger to save Rosalie... -
![Line of Resistance by Jemma Westbrook, Janice Whiteaker]()
Line of Resistance by Jemma Westbrook, Janice Whiteaker
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGetting stranded in the snow without cell service wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened to Eloise Rivers. Being saved by the man who’d led her on more than once was... -
![Bishop by Marie James]()
Bishop by Marie James
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsIn the grand scheme of things five years isn’t a very long time. It goes by in a blink, literally. Waking up with no recollection of the last five years is devastating. The woman I remember loving is with someone else. The only family I had is gone, and I’m forced to relive those losses all over again...Categorized as:
military suspense alpha male tortured hero forced proximity single-mother friends to lovers m-f -
![Smolder by Helen Hardt]()
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 action, drama, and secrecy continue with Smolder, coming June 28, 2022! -
![Nuclear Option by Giulia Lagomarsino]()
Nuclear Option by Giulia Lagomarsino
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe exciting and thrilling conclusion to Cash and Eva’s story, and the second book in the OPS series! The military defines a Nuclear Option as a drastic step or last resort, and I’m about to take it. Cash. I am an expert marksman, engaging the enemy from afar. You’ll never see me coming because I’m that good. Even a sniper can be drawn out of hiding... -
![This Much Is True by Adriana Locke]()
This Much Is True by Adriana Locke
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsWhen celebrity Laina Kelley bolted from her small hometown church on her wedding day, she ran to the first place that came to mind—the home of the local farrier, a gorgeous playboy who just so happens to be her first love … and biggest frenemy... -
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![Deserving Henley by Susan Stoker]()
Deserving Henley by Susan Stoker
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsYears of adversity have molded Henley McClure into the attentive, conscientious psychologist she is today. She lives for her daughter, Jasna, and her work at The Refuge, an exclusive retreat for victims of PTSD. Her life is fulfilling…if a little lonely. But the only man who’s captured her interest, the most standoffish of the mountain retreat’s seven owners, lives in self-imposed isolation...Categorized as:
military suspense tortured hero age difference single-mother m-f contemporary men in uniform -
![Into the Deep by Brittney Sahin]()
Into the Deep by Brittney Sahin
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsAssigned to protect his best friend’s sister, a battle-hardened operative must break every rule in the book to keep her—and his heart—safe in this pulse-racing romantic suspense novel by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brittney Sahin. Audrey Langston is done with love. After heartbreak, betrayal, and secrets that shattered her life, all she wants is peace—and to raise her son in safety... -
![Sinful Sorrow by Emilia Finn]()
Sinful Sorrow by Emilia Finn
October is the month of haunted houses and deadly secrets — allegedly. It’s not like I’m unaccustomed to Death or the cruelty with which he arrives, knocking on one’s door and demanding access... -
![Join the Club by Lani Lynn Vale]()
Join the Club by Lani Lynn Vale
There are a few lessons one has to learn for themselves. Then there are the lessons that most people don’t have to learn because it’s just not done. For instance, most people know instinctively that they shouldn’t crave the mother of their brother’s child. Bourne Pena isn’t most men... -
![Enigma by Lora Leigh]()
Enigma by Lora Leigh
In the prologue to LIVE WIRE, Tehya Talamosi, code name: Enigma, is the one woman Jordan Malone, commander of the Elite Ops, wants and is the one woman he knows he can never have. But when they share one blazingly hot night, everything changes in ways Jordan could have never imagined. ..Categorized as:
suspense alpha male mystery military m-f contemporary explicit-open-door length-novella -
![Blaze by Helen Hardt]()
Blaze by Helen Hardt
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 12 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 action, drama, and secrecy continue with Blaze, coming February 22, 2022!Categorized as:
suspense sassy heroine mystery alpha male angst friends to lovers contemporary sweet heroine -
![Shadows and Silk by Liliana Hart]()
Shadows and Silk by Liliana Hart
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsAgent Brant Scott knows when a battle is lost. He’s been an integral part of hunting down members of the del Fuego cartel for years, but it’s not the violent criminals that have the ability to bring him to his knees. That honor belongs to one woman...Categorized as:
military suspense friends to lovers mystery alpha male m-f contemporary men in uniform -
![Moonraker's Bride by Madeleine Brent]()
Moonraker's Bride by Madeleine Brent
Born in a Mission in China, Lucy Waring finds herself with fifteen small children to feed and care for. The way she tackles this task leads to her being thrown into the grim prison of Chengfu, where she meets Nicholas Sabine - a man about to die. He asks her a cryptic riddle, the mystery of which echoes through all that befalls her in the months that follow. . -
![The Past by Sawyer Bennett]()
The Past by Sawyer Bennett
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBefore ascending the throne of the Blackburn Empire in Kentucky horse country, they were just Tommy and Fiona, two teenagers from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Young love bloomed during an Irish summer set amidst the rolling green hills and lush pastures of Tipperary County. Fiona Conlan grew up sheltered by her overbearing parents and vibrating with the need for something more...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers sassy heroine angst office contemporary length-medium audiobook -
![Adored by Lexi Blake]()
Adored by Lexi Blake
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA man who gave up on love. Bradford is an intimidating man. In his professional life, he has a reputation for demolishing his opponents in the courtroom. At the exclusive BDSM club Sanctum, he prefers disciplining pretty submissives with no strings attached. In his line of work, there’s no time for a healthy relationship... -
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![Embrace The Suck by Giulia Lagomarsino, Reggie Deanching]()
Embrace The Suck by Giulia Lagomarsino, Reggie Deanching
Rated: 4.68 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEmbrace The Suck is book 8 in the OPS Protector Romance series and should be read in order. I should have just stayed home. I thought I could get away and relax. But that was scrapped the first day when Dash and FNG followed me on vacation. It was supposed to be a trip to reset my brain... -
![Lucas by Elle James]()
Lucas by Elle James
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsFormer Delta Force Operator, Lucas LeBlanc, has lost everyone he’s ever loved and is afraid to commit his heart to anyone. He believes he’s the black cloud, the bad luck killing off the people he dares to love as family, friend or lover. After leaving the military, he joins Brotherhood Protectors where he hopes he can put his combat training and skills to work helping others... -
![Jenner by Dale Mayer]()
Jenner by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHeading to Ashland, Kentucky, where his ex-wife’s family lives, is not in Jenner’s plans anytime soon. But, given a War Dog is potentially in trouble, well, Jenner will even face his past. Arriving at a small bed-and-breakfast, he meets a woman more interesting than anyone he’d met in a long time... -
![Cold Fear by Toni Anderson]()
Cold Fear by Toni Anderson
A relentless FBI profiler hunts a vicious killer. When old evidence turns up on a fresh corpse, ASAC Lincoln Frazer is determined it won’t delay the execution of a convicted serial killer. But when more young women are brutally slain, it becomes clear—this new killer is intimately familiar with the old murders. A dedicated emergency physician hides a dark secret. Former Army Captain Dr... -
![Defending Home by Caitlyn O'Leary]()
Defending Home by Caitlyn O'Leary
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWill Two Tormented Souls Have The Courage To Reach For Love? The only family Nolan O’Rourke ever claimed were his Navy SEAL brothers, they had never let him down. His childhood wasn’t rough, it wasn’t hard, it was hell, and now any mission that he was assigned to was a cakewalk in comparison... -
![Dare by Chelle Bliss]()
Dare by Chelle Bliss
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAustin Moore found his purpose in the military, but there was always something missing. He wanted what everyone in his family had…someone to call his own. But his life didn’t make it easy to find a soul mate, someone to be his forever. Sage Hill enlisted to follow in the footsteps of her father, but never wanted to be in his shadow...Categorized as:
military alpha male age difference sassy heroine friends to lovers suspense m-f humor -
![Sinful Corruption by Emilia Finn]()
Sinful Corruption by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSinful Corruption is the 14th standalone Mayet Justice novel. Full blurb coming soon. -
![Bright Light Dark Thunder by Connor Crais]()
Bright Light Dark Thunder by Connor Crais
Rated: 0.00 of 5 stars · 0 ratingsWalker. I was a soldier. A terrible weapon forged in secret. Now I'm a ghost. I've exiled myself to a remote cabin in Montana, where I intend to live out the rest of my days, buried as deep as my secrets. Until I run into a stunning woman in a prison uniform. Or rather she ran into me, a weapon in her hand and secrets of her own chasing her... -
![Reckless Refuge by Catherine Cowles]()
Reckless Refuge by Catherine Cowles
There were shadows I was running from. Ones that haunted and taunted. Ones that made it so I had no choice but to disappear. I’d spent years hiding from the world. My little island haven, the only assurance of safety. It all changed the moment he showed up at my door. The hint of pain in his eyes told me that something haunted him, too. And I couldn’t help but be drawn closer...Categorized as:
suspense mystery friends to lovers age difference office m-f possessive hero tortured heroine -
![Blade by Sybil Bartel]()
Blade by Sybil Bartel
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsBattle born. SEAL. Loner. Ringing out of BUD/S was never an option. Third generation Navy SEAL, the Teams were in my blood. I earned my Trident, and a year later my brother earned his. As Tier One operators, the battlefield was our playground. Then I got a cryptic call. Enemy combatants, coordinated attack, no survivors, catastrophic loss—my brother was dead... -
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![Taken by Cynthia Eden]()
Taken by Cynthia Eden
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsIn New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden’s latest novel, the Last Option Search Team (LOST) returns— and for one agent, the hunt for a serial killer just got very personal . . . HE SWORE TO PROTECT HER . . . Bailey Jones somehow survived her harrowing abduction by the infamous Death Angel... -
![Cole by Nyssa Kathryn]()
Cole by Nyssa Kathryn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsShe’s a single mom with a secret. He’s a former Delta who doesn’t let people too close. Aria Callas understands struggle and sacrifice. Getting pregnant at sixteen, she’s spent more than a decade and a half ensuring her and her son’s safety the only way she knows how—by staying on the move...Categorized as:
suspense military single-mother friends to lovers tortured heroine found-family sports contemporary -
![Sweet Justice by Christy Reece]()
Sweet Justice by Christy Reece
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsHonor Stone is a young, idealistic FBI agent when her path collides with Seth Cavanaugh. For a girl who has never walked on the wild side, the dark and dangerous Seth is a temptation she can't refuse. But then Seth walks out the door and out of her life...Categorized as:
suspense tortured hero strong heroine military mystery independent heroine contemporary abuse -
![Always Yours by Kennedy Fox]()
Always Yours by Kennedy Fox
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRehearsals, leotards, and textbooks—that was my life. Dancing is all I’ve ever known, but when Liam’s problems turn everything upside down, I’m thrust into a world I know nothing about. Secrets and betrayal changed the man I’ve fallen for and he isn’t who I thought he was. Regardless, Liam is all I’ve ever wanted and though I’m struggling with my emotions, deep down I’d do anything for him... -
![Beneath the Wreckage by Catherine Cowles]()
Beneath the Wreckage by Catherine Cowles
It was supposed to be a summer we’d never forget. Instead, everything was stolen from me. The best friend who was more like a sister. The innocent way I looked at life. Leaving me with only unanswered questions. Returning to the island is the second chance I didn’t know I needed. And Hunter is the surprise that knocks me sideways. There’s a hurt in him that calls to my own...Categorized as:
suspense mystery friends to lovers m-f alpha male cold hero tortured hero sassy heroine -
![The Hero She Craves by Anna Hackett]()
The Hero She Craves by Anna Hackett
The last thing he expects on his ship is the off-limits woman he can’t stop thinking about—his best friend’s daughter. After a tough military career as a Navy SEAL, and a member of a covert Ghost Ops team, Lorenzo “Ren” Santoro now calls a research ship home. The ocean, very few people, and solitude…it’s all he needs... -
![Slade’s Vow (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) by Anna Blakely, Operation Alpha]()
Slade’s Vow (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) by Anna Blakely, Operation Alpha
He never lets anyone in. Slade “Digger” Garrison doesn’t get close. Not when it comes to women. But there’s just something about the sultry voice in his ear during every op he and his team take on. So when the spunky tech genius who helps keep him and his teammates alive goes missing, Slade is tasked with being the one to find her and bring her home...Categorized as:
suspense military m-f forced proximity found-family competent heroine cold hero bodyguard-hero -
![JINXED by Emilia Finn]()
JINXED by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsDrake. They call me a flirt. ‘Detective Sl()ts-A-Lot’ when they’re feeling frisky, because my morals are loose, and my choice in women, according to the haters, is unfussy. But they don’t know I’ve been watching her. Waiting for her. The problem is, she’s half my age, and has no business being with a man like me. ***. Rory. They call me clumsy. Jinxed...Categorized as:
suspense age difference forced proximity angst new adult humor contemporary length-medium -
![Having Faith by Abbie Zanders]()
Having Faith by Abbie Zanders
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSometimes the biggest obstacle to overcome is yourself. Kieran Callaghan has it all. As the sole remaining single male of the Callaghan clan, he is drawing a lot of female attention. Not only is the former SEAL easy on the eyes and the poster boy for BodyWorks, the fitness center he owns/operates, but he is a genuinely nice guy with a white-knight complex...Categorized as:
military suspense alpha male independent heroine single-mother contemporary length-short audiobook -
![Protector of Misty Mountain: An ex-military, age gap, mountain man romance by Eve London]()
Protector of Misty Mountain: An ex-military, age gap, mountain man romance by Eve London
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe walked into my world like she belongs here… but I don’t let people stay. Juniper. The mountains were supposed to be my escape—a place to rebuild, to breathe, to prove to myself that I could make it on my own. But from the moment I set foot in Misty Mountain, one mountain man has made it his mission to send me packing. Griffin Calloway...Categorized as:
age difference grumpy sunshine forced proximity military contemporary length-novella -
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![Finders Keepers by Nicole Lenz]()
Finders Keepers by Nicole Lenz
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBailey Monroe knows one thing for certain. She had to leave. With her young daughter Sophie in tow, she flees from the nightmare of her abusive husband under the cover of darkness, finding safety in the quiet Texas town of Pine Grove. There, she finds refuge in the warmth of the town folk and kindness from Ms... -
![Her Eternal Warrior by Caitlyn O'Leary]()
Her Eternal Warrior by Caitlyn O'Leary
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe Needed a Hero. Tied up, tossed in a truck, and locked in a muddy shack, Jenny Rivers is sure she is going to die, because if her captors don’t kill her, her injuries probably will. Navy SEAL Braxton Walker’s job is brutal, but he thrives on it. Parachuting into Bangladesh to rescue a woman is all in a day’s work...Categorized as:
military suspense abduction competent heroine tortured heroine contemporary length-medium -
![Finally Home by Ann Vaughn]()
Finally Home by Ann Vaughn
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThis will be the 4th and final book in the Home Series, and focuses on Commander Michael Casiano and Lainey Riley. Mike Casiano has lived his life by a certain creed: take care of all those who depend on you and leave no man behind. He wanted more for his life than joining his family's law firm when he graduated college... -
![No Way in Hell: Part 2 by J.B. Havens, Samantha A. Cole]()
No Way in Hell: Part 2 by J.B. Havens, Samantha A. Cole
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsReading Book 1 is necessary, prior to reading Book 2. Steel Corps—an elite, covert U. S. military team led by Staff Sergeant Bea ‘Mic’ Michaels, based out of a secure location in Pennsylvania. Trident Security—a private security agency located in Tampa, Florida, comprised of retired Navy SEALs. T. Carter—U. S. spy and assassin. What do they have in common? They all do Uncle Sam’s dirty work...Categorized as:
alpha male possessive hero bodyguard-hero m-f suspense military office competent heroine -
![Black Hearted by Julie Ann Walker]()
Black Hearted by Julie Ann Walker
He’s everything she ever wanted. She’s everything he never knew he needed. Can she convince him she’s the one? The Black Knights are back and better than ever! Samuel Harwood has spent his entire career working in the black and gray areas of international intrigue. Living in the shadows for so long has made him forget who he was and where he came from... -
![Reset by Janet Elizabeth Henderson]()
Reset by Janet Elizabeth Henderson
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFormer soldier Ryan Granger’s life has become all about numbers:. 13 months since he was shot in the head. 7 months spent in a coma. 6 months since he woke, a changed man. 5 hours since he’d been kidnapped. 4 minutes since he’d opened his eyes in an underground cavern. 3 minutes since he’d heard a woman calling for help…. Two strangers trapped together. One impossible way out...Categorized as:
suspense mystery friends to lovers angst forced proximity m-f abduction contemporary
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