Books like 'Crushed But Not Defeated'

Readers who enjoyed Crushed But Not Defeated by Nicole Dykes also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  gay romance  from hate to love  forced proximity  hurt-comfort  angst  friends to lovers  alpha male  second chances  queer 

  • The Queen & the Homo Jock King by T.J. Klune

    The Queen & the Homo Jock King by T.J. Klune

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    Do you believe in love at first sight?Sanford Stewart sure doesn't. In fact, he pretty much believes in the exact opposite, thanks to the Homo Jock King. It seems Darren Mayne lives for nothing more than to create chaos in Sandy's perfectly ordered life, just for the hell of it. Sandy despises him, and nothing will ever change his mind.Or so he tells himself...
  • Here Comes My Man by Lauren Blakely

    Here Comes My Man by Lauren Blakely

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 44 ratings
    A red-hot, enemies-to-lovers, fake boyfriend, second chance romance, and the conclusion to the Hopelessly Bromantic Duet!Let me just say this -- fake dating the cocky movie star was not my idea. Especially since he’s my former roomie and, gulp, my secret ex.But my agent tells me I have no choice since I’m ridiculously overdue with turning in the next big blockbuster love story to my publisher...
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  • Still Beating by Jessie Walker

    Still Beating by Jessie Walker

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    THE END WAS JUST THE BEGINNING... I thought I was strong enough to say goodbye.I thought I was ready to leave him.It doesn't matter that I'll be seeing him in three days.I just have to get through three more nights.I'm dying now. Shattering. Breaking.I'm determined to show him I can manage on my own.What if he needs me?I need him...What if he doesn't?...but I want to be better for him...
  • Instant Regret by E.M. Lindsey

    Instant Regret by E.M. Lindsey

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 15 ratings
    There’s nothing like having your sanctuary destroyed.My life has been a series of carefully cultivated, strategic moves to ensure peace and quiet. I’m generally a happy guy but there’s one thing I can’t stand: having my space invaded. After all, that's why I chose this run-down building that no one wants to live in.And then he moved in...
  • Lost and Found by Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy

    Lost and Found by Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 45 ratings
    He promised to never leave me. But when I needed him the most, that was exactly what he did… From Bestselling Authors Sloane Kennedy & Lucy Lennox comes an exciting new series about how a twist of fate can change everything... He promised to never leave me...
  • Second Shot by Con Riley

    Second Shot by Con Riley

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Second Shot (Second Chance School #2)Welcome back to Glynn Harber School for another steamy, swoony romance between two bruised souls.Passion always leads to heartbreak for Hayden Novac. Nice guys always get picked last. That’s what my coach at a soccer academy once promised...
  • Wheels Down by Beth Bolden

    Wheels Down by Beth Bolden

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Shaw isn’t his friend—until Ross discovers he’s so much more. Ross Stanton is having a bad week—a bad month—really, a bad year . But the last thing he wants, after the betrayal of his friend and business partner, is for anyone else to know just how much he’s fighting for survival...
  • Unforgettable by Marley Valentine

    Unforgettable by Marley Valentine

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 16 ratings
    One night with Reeve Hale wasn’t enough. I knew it when I kissed him, I knew it when I slept with him, and I was certain of it when I walked out of his motel room the very next day. So when the shy, gorgeous man is introduced as our newest employee at Vino and Veritas, I can’t help but conjure up all the ridiculous ways to convince him to repeat that unforgettable night...
  • Forever by Kindle Alexander

    Forever by Kindle Alexander

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Dr. Robert Adams grew up with more advantages than most, the son of a former vice president, he had two loving fathers, a twin sister he adores and wonderfully doting grandparents. Life is good until one afternoon when his dreams flat-line. And no scalpel can repair the guilt and grief he carries with him for the first time in his life...
  • Rhythm of Us by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Rhythm of Us by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Xavier Cruz has come home after touring with his band for eight years, a life his family and friends would never envy if they knew the truth. Haunted by past decisions, he’s lost himself and his music. Every day is a struggle to recapture them both and forgive the mistakes he’s made. Can Xavier push past his nightmares and hear the melodies all around him again?Ben St...
  • His Last Christmas in London by Con Riley

    His Last Christmas in London by Con Riley

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 15 ratings
    Falling for his final client won’t make leaving London easy… Ian ~ A talented, young photographer desperate to stay in London.Guy ~ An older, fierce food critic, determined to keep him in his city.Ian shouldn’t be attracted to a scathing food critic like Guy Parsons, not after the last time he fell for someone older, arrogant, and gorgeous...
  • Starts With a Bang by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Starts With a Bang by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The best way to get over a cheating jerk is to get under someone new. Dominic isn’t looking for love or salvation at the Thirsty Cowboy. He needs a temporary escape from the drudgery his life has become, and the universe provides him with the sexiest distraction he’s ever seen. Sven is a sucker for sad eyes, thick thighs, and a Royal Cosmopolitan...
  • Alfie: Part II by Cara Dee

    Alfie: Part II by Cara Dee

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    MM Romance • Part 2 of 2 • Second Chances • Irish Mafia • Family • Hurt/Comfort • Age Gap • Revenge • Opposites AttractWhen two broken hearts have reached their limits, it’s time for a mobster to play dirty in order to let the healing begin. Don’t worry, Alfie has a plan.That very second, the moment West said those words…I almost shattered. Again. I’d put myself out there...
  • Beautiful Mistakes by Felice Stevens

    Beautiful Mistakes by Felice Stevens

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    The other side of loathing might be lust ...Or love ...WolfDesire: What Wolf struggles with from the moment he sees Spencer Hawkins the first day of college.Fear: Not a word in Wolf’s vocabulary except when it comes to facing his feelings for Spencer.Lust: What he gives in to that changes everything between them. And his life forever...
  • Heartstring by Ana Ashley

    Heartstring by Ana Ashley

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    MikIf I had a dollar for every mistake I made… But there’s only one mistake I regret.Breaking my promise to the only person who ever understood my need to get away from a future I didn’t want…Tyler.I’ve reached many hearts through my music, but the only one I’ve ever wanted might be lost to me forever.TylerFool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…Mik broke a promise a long time ago...
  • FOG[电竞] by Man Man He Qi Duo, 漫漫何其多

    FOG[电竞] by Man Man He Qi Duo, 漫漫何其多

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    现代电竞+男神VS男神医疗师攻X突击手受【主角配角均无原型，谢谢大家】---Yu Sui and Shi Luo met each other when they were much younger. One was a pro-gamer, a widely-renowned, best of the best, in-game medic. The other was an e-sports newcomer who was just starting out. The two originally played for the same team, during which their relationship became increasingly deep.But things did not go as expected...
    Categorized as:
    queer  angst  found-family  contemporary  m-m  length-epic
  • Hard Ink by Ali Lyda

    Hard Ink by Ali Lyda

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    I don’t have the best history with older men.When Mateo saw my last relationship implode, he was there to help.He saved me.Hopefully self-defense lessons will keep me from getting hit again.I can’t ask for more of my friend.Even dreaming of keeping him is wrong.But when my ex makes things difficult, Mateo steps up again.I don’t want a protector, but maybe it’s time to accept a little help...
  • The Law of Miracles by K.C. Wells

    The Law of Miracles by K.C. Wells

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The sequel to A Christmas Promise… Joshua Trant is doing his best to support his son Micah and Micah’s partner Greg as they approach the trial of Greg’s attackers. This was never going to be easy, especially as Greg wants them prosecuted for a hate crime, but County Attorney Alexander Rycliffe assures them he’ll do his utmost to make sure the perpetrators are held accountable for their actions...
  • Performance in a Leading Role by MadLori

    Performance in a Leading Role by MadLori

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Sherlock/Watson FanficSherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto...
  • Grinding by Sean Ashcroft

    Grinding by Sean Ashcroft

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Two childhood best friends. One accidental fake engagement. One Labrador puppy. One week to fall in love.When Harvey runs into his childhood best friend—literally—on the way into Otter Bay for his cousin's wedding, he doesn't plan to end up playing the part of the guy's fiancé...
  • Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Second wind: a new strength or energy to continue something that is an effort. After an amicable divorce, Lincoln Huxley is ready to embrace the sexuality he repressed for more than two decades. Rush Holden is no longer willing to settle for closeted men or those who don’t share his dreams of marriage and fatherhood. A chance encounter on a lakeside pier is the second wind they both need...
  • The Rivals of Copper County by May Archer

    The Rivals of Copper County by May Archer

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    My childhood friend. My biggest rival. The only man I’ve ever wanted. If there were a prize for the most contented man in Copper County, I’d win it every time. I’ve got my business. My son. My family. My friends… and no romantic prospects, sure, but only because I don’t need any. My life’s great as it is. Seriously. Could not be better. I’m practically bleeding serenity over here...
  • Dauntless by Victoria Denault

    Dauntless by Victoria Denault

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, at the worst possible moment.One and done. That’s always been my motto when it comes to guys, because I’m not about to pull someone else into the closet my parents have locked me inside. I’ve been waiting years to claim my inheritance and live the life I want to live–out, free, and oh yeah, rich...
  • Change of Heart by K.M. Neuhold

    Change of Heart by K.M. Neuhold

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Does my husband's heart still miss me now that it beats in the chest of another man? Lub-dub A heartbeat more familiar than Easton’s own Lub-dub He vowed to love his husband until death do they part. And then the worst happened. Lub-dub His heart kept another man alive. River. A stranger in the world with Easton's husband's heart pumping the blood that warms his skin...
  • Stronghold by Ana Ashley

    Stronghold by Ana Ashley

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 13 ratings
    A second chance at love? Or a second chance to ruin everything? When Skyler spots the new bartender at Vino and Veritas, his body responds before the guy even turns around. But when he does, it takes only a heartbeat for recognition to set in and for sparks to fly. Judson’s been gone for ten years, but he’s the man Skyler never forgot. Or forgave...
  • Saints Like Him by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Saints Like Him by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    From ex-con to self-made millionaire, there’s no challenge too tough for Cash Sweeney to conquer. So why has he spent twelve years pining for his best friend instead of doing something about it? Because losing Nick would be like existing with half of his heart...
  • A Wedding in a Week by Con Riley

    A Wedding in a Week by Con Riley

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    A second chance with his brother’s best friend also comes with a deadline. Three years after inheriting his family farm, an accident forces Stefan Luxton to rethink his future. Turning his farm into a five-star wedding venue is one goal. Another is to reconnect with Marc, who Stefan loved but let slip away to the city...
  • The Ghosts Between Us by Brigham Vaughn

    The Ghosts Between Us by Brigham Vaughn

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Dr. Christopher Allen knows how to deal with death. He’s a psychiatrist who works with hospice patients and their families, helping them cope with grief and letting go. But Chris’s job doesn’t prepare him for the sudden death of his devil-may-care brother Cal. At Cal’s funeral, Chris is completely thrown when he meets Elliot Rawlings, an artist Cal has been dating...
  • Until Jude by Briar Prescott

    Until Jude by Briar Prescott

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I'm the first one to tell you doing the right thing has never been high on my list of priorities.Same goes for respecting the law. And ethics in general.It's more like guidelines anyway.Until him.Jude Riley.I invite myself into his life and refuse to leave. I know it's wrong. I know I shouldn't.I do anyway.It's never meant to turn into anything serious.It's never supposed to matter.Until it does...
    Categorized as:
    queer  angst  hurt-comfort  m-m  contemporary
  • Definitely Deacon by Vawn Cassidy

    Definitely Deacon by Vawn Cassidy

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Jesse Ainsley’s life running his busy veterinary practice in the sleepy Cornwall bay he grew up in leaves no time for a serious relationship… at least, that’s what he tells himself, but the simple truth is much more cliché...
  • Somehow Finding Us (Second Chance Sinners) by Claudia Y. Burgoa

    Somehow Finding Us (Second Chance Sinners) by Claudia Y. Burgoa

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    USA Today Bestselling Author Claudia Burgoa brings you a MM romance full of angst and tragedy that might turn to hope in a redemption love story that’ll break your heart and mend it all over again. Emotional, endearing, and full of romancePeople think they know me. They only know what I allow them to see. I’ve learned to control the narrative.I have secrets...
  • ChrisMyths by Amy Lane

    ChrisMyths by Amy Lane

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    After courtship, cohabitation, and learning about love and each other, Andy and Eli face the ultimate test: being separated at Christmas.Eli’s seen the propaganda—the country boy goes home from the city and realizes his heart is back among the snow, trees, and chickens. A big happy family is something Eli, with his demanding job running a shelter for LGBTQ youth, can’t provide...
  • Heal Me by Beck Grey

    Heal Me by Beck Grey

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A lawyer and an architect walk into a bar…Jocelin:What do you do when your boss’s pushy nephew repeatedly asks you out and won’t take no for an answer? You create a fake boyfriend. One who works a lot, so he never comes to office functions or meets you for lunch. It works well until le salaud calls my bluff...
  • Kill Me Sweetly by Davidson King

    Kill Me Sweetly by Davidson King

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Sometimes reality is the nightmare you must conquer.JJ has a good life. One where he lives with the people he loves, gets to work in Saintly Sweets with his delicious boyfriend, and takes things a day at a time. Of course, that is until he comes across a broken boy so lost in a nightmare, he vows to do everything he can to help him wake from it.There’s nothing Shepard Saint won’t do for his JJ...
  • Thawed Out by Jodi Payne, BA Tortuga

    Thawed Out by Jodi Payne, BA Tortuga

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Thawed Out is an opposites attract, second chance romance featuring an established couple on the edge of divorce, a ferocious snow storm, precocious children and a healthy dose of holiday magic.Kiren knows there is a storm coming when he goes to the cabin to deliver divorce papers to his husband Flynn, but he doesn’t plan to stay long...
  • To Take a Quiet Breath by Fearne Hill

    To Take a Quiet Breath by Fearne Hill

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    This isn’t a romance about chiseled, lantern-jawed college kids boasting V-cut abs. There are no marathon steamy sex sessions, not without having at least one nebulizer on standby anyway. Marcel Giresse, the thirty-six-year-old Director of Finance at the French Ministry of Justice, is happy to leave all that nonsense to his oldest friend Lucien, the sixteenth Earl of Rossingley...
  • Suited For You by Aiden Bates, Ali Lyda

    Suited For You by Aiden Bates, Ali Lyda

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    He’s smug, conceited … and hot as hell … Becoming a partner at Caldwell and Holton will be the crowning achievement in my hard fought career. There’s just one problem. One arrogant, materialistic, flashy problem: Saint Caldwell. Unlike me, he’s never had to struggle for anything a day in his life … or so I think. But there’s more to the man than a showy Porsche and killer smile...
  • Breakneck Hockey by S. Legend

    Breakneck Hockey by S. Legend

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    I don’t want Casey Alderchuck, but I don’t want anyone else to have him either.My hook-up for the night wasn’t supposed to be my long-time hockey rival, but here he is. I’m too worked up to let him go home without having a taste. One little bite of that smart mouth is mine for the taking after how many times he’s broken my nose...
  • Black by Quin, Perin.

    Black by Quin, Perin.

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    “Meow!”There it was.The sound that made my knees buckle.He purred, neck stretched, eyes half-lidded.With those cat ears, in his hair.And the tail, that he flicked.A ray of sun in the drizzling rain. I’d been a traveler, floating adrift, while he’d stayed in one place. How was I supposed to know he’d become my anchor? My light. My everything...
  • Savage Grace by Spencer Spears

    Savage Grace by Spencer Spears

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    My ex in my bed is a bad idea. But consequences are for when the sun comes up…Connor: If there’s such a thing as a soul, Julian Jackson owns mine.But that doesn’t mean I want to see him.I left Summersea Island 10 years ago, nursing wounds from a past I’d rather forget.Julian was my first love and my first heart-break...
  • After Ben by Con Riley

    After Ben by Con Riley

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    "Seattle Stories: Book One" A year after the sudden death of his longtime partner, Ben, Theo Anderson is still grieving. The last thing he's looking for is a new lover. But as Theo soon discovers, sometimes life has other plans...
  • Fly Away Home by Felice Stevens

    Fly Away Home by Felice Stevens

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Maybe Colson Delacourt teasing those nosy ladies in the coffeeshop with the plot of his next murder mystery was a bad idea. But does that mean he deserves to be arrested for attempting to kill his elderly neighbor? Why won’t the police believe he has nothing to do with her getting hurt? That detective Harper Rose won’t listen to him—he’s so annoying and arrogant. And sexy and gorgeous...
  • Landing Levi by Jaclyn Quinn

    Landing Levi by Jaclyn Quinn

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Sage Rafferty I've wanted Levi ever since my friend Cole introduced us. When Levi moved to my hometown of Coral Pointe Inlet, I thought I finally had a chance to land the sexy, misunderstood man. After months of trying, though, it's clear he doesn't want me the way I want him. Putting some space between us is the only way to reclaim some of my dignity...
  • Unwanted by Marley Valentine

    Unwanted by Marley Valentine

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 19 ratings
    Two halves of a whole, Arlo Bishop and I were both unwanted kids brought together by the foster system. Dealing with the aftermath of neglect and abandonment, we grew up side by side and found solace in one another.We wanted.We needed.We loved.Desperately.But somewhere along the way, Arlo wanted and needed and loved drugs more. So, I did the only thing I could and broke my own heart to save his...
  • Antagonist by Ana Ashley

    Antagonist by Ana Ashley

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    One artist. One attorney. Two single dads.Meeting at a bachelor auction for charity had trouble written all over it as far as I was concerned, especially when the guy that won the bid for me seemed to be after only one thing...a good time between the sheets.Refusing Fletcher’s advances was easy the first time round. After all, we weren’t meant to see each other again...
  • Blindside by N.R. Walker

    Blindside by N.R. Walker

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    Mark Gattison has avoided love and commitment his entire adult life. Not interested in more than a one night stand or a brief encounter in a bathroom stall, he is the epitome of a good time.Will Parkinson is the guy who defends him, the guy who puts up with him, the guy Mark calls his best friend.When Will becomes unsettled and a little distant, Mark takes it upon himself to find Will a boyfriend...
  • Infamous by Jenny Holiday

    Infamous by Jenny Holiday

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Is he brave enough to face the music? All that up-and-coming musician Jesse Jamison has ever wanted is to be on the cover of Rolling Stone. When a gossip website nearly catches him kissing someone who isn’t his famous girlfriend—and also isn’t a girl—he considers the near miss a wake-up call...
  • In the Gray by Christina Lee

    In the Gray by Christina Lee

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 19 ratings
    FosterI moved to a new city for a librarian job at the university, and though I’m enjoying the change, it does little to dispel the dull grayness of my world. When my dog, Oscar, forms an instant bond with a man living in a yellow tent, my surroundings begin to feel more vibrant and full of possibility. I’m first drawn to Lachlan’s soulful eyes, and then to his kind nature and resilient spirit...
  • Dear Mona Lisa... by Claire Davis, Al Stewart

    Dear Mona Lisa... by Claire Davis, Al Stewart

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Tom; shy office clerk by day and drawer of foxes by night, wakes up one Monday knowing the most extraordinary week of his life is about to begin. In five days, a lifelong ‘secret’ will be made gloriously public—but will it mean losing the person he loves most?Getting married… It seems only yesterday Tom changed nappies and sang nursery rhymes to a laughing baby...
  • Backslide by Nicole Dykes

    Backslide by Nicole Dykes

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    When you’re young, everything seems brighter, more hopeful, and like anything is possible.Which is great. But it can also lead to so many mistakes.Mistakes you promise yourself you’ll never make again.You promise yourself you'll be smarter, guard your heart, and make better decisions. And you won’t ever let anyone crush you again...
Crushed But Not Defeated by Nicole Dykes
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