Books like 'Checking Out'
Readers who enjoyed Checking Out by Jay Leigh also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary gay romance dark romance hurt-comfort from hate to love class difference forced proximity queer found-family
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If There's a Way by Jessie Walker
He was all I ever needed. Desperate. Shattered. Lost.I was a shell of who I once was.Until him...I was a fool to come back to Shiloh.An even bigger fool to stay.But when it comes to Waylon McAllister, I never stood a chance.He's damaged. Reckless. Toxic.A walking, talking grenade to my heart.But no matter how hard I try, I can't shake him...Categorized as:
forced proximity from hate to love queer found-family hurt-comfort m-m new adult angst -
The Keeper of Bees by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEmery Hazard has pretty much everything under control. He and his fiancé, John-Henry Somerset, are more in love than ever, despite the stress of wedding preparations hanging over them. His business as a private investigator is growing. He’s even enjoying time with his growing circle of friends... -
The Rational Faculty by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsThree months have passed since Emery Hazard and John-Henry Somerset faced a madman and lived to tell about it. Three months have passed since Emery Hazard resigned from his job as a detective. Three months can be too long and too short, all at the same time. On Halloween, a professor at the local college is murdered in his apartment, in front of dozens of witnesses. Then the killer disappears... -
Relative Justice by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsAn impossible son. An impossible murder. The honeymoon is definitely over. When Emery Hazard and his husband, John-Henry Somerset, arrive home from their honeymoon, they’re shocked (understatement of the year) to find a boy waiting for them on their doorstep. Colt, fifteen and eager to pick a fight, claims to be Hazard’s son... -
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Deserted by Cara Dee
Gray Nolan had survived a kidnapping where he was supposed to have been auctioned off to the highest bidder. He had also survived being stranded on an island, under siege from a different set of foes, and throughout the hell they’d all endured, their motto had been “Leave no man behind.” Recovery was different... -
Final Orders by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAn embattled author. Fanatical parents. A son who can’t stay out of trouble. It’s the last one that’ll probably kill him.When Emery Hazard gets drawn into a brawl at a monthly school board meeting, he knows he’s in trouble; his husband, John-Henry Somerset, is chief of police, and they’re already under enough scrutiny as they try to finalize their foster son’s permanency plan... -
Transactional Dynamics by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEmery Hazard is ready for Valentine’s Day. He’s made reservations months in advance, he’s ordered flowers, and he’s got a boyfriend he wants to treat right—even if John-Henry Somerset occasionally lets the dishes sit in the sink a little too long. They even have an extra reason to celebrate this year: Somers has received a special commendation for his police work... -
Anti-Hero by Kelly Fox
Spoiler This isn't some sad exploration of my tragic past. I have a list of the people who bought and sold me. And they aren't getting a redemption arc. I was luckier than most. I was rescued by a team of guys who search out people like me, and now I get to work with them. But I'm not the hero of this story. I don't forgive. I don't forget...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort forced proximity queer found-family m-m height-difference suspense age difference -
Police Brutality by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFor the first time in a long while, Emery Hazard’s life is good. His new business as a private detective is taking off. Things are good at home. He loves his boyfriend, John-Henry Somerset; he loves their daughter. He might even love the new friends they’ve found. There’s only one problem: Somers has been talking about marriage... -
Domesticated Beast by Onley James
JAVIER DE LA FUENTE is a criminal, an ex-con with a long line of offenses, atoning for his sins by rescuing abused animals and advocating for child victims. But that doesn’t mean he’s a saint. Javier learned years ago that what’s right and what’s legal aren’t always the same thing. BOWIE BAKER is a ballet dancer, a soloist doing his best to get ahead in his LA dance company... -
Chaos & Carnage by R.A. Smyth
Blood will be shed.Lives will be lost.Freedom will be won.I might have my brother back, but Giovanni still runs free, and his alliance with the Grim Bastards is causing chaos in the streets of Black Creek.Now, more than ever, it is important for us to work as a team, but tensions are at an all time high... -
Dangerous Breed by Onley James
PREACHER GRAVES made a fatal error in judgment when he was just sixteen years old, and it cost him twenty years. Now, he plans to live out his days in quiet isolation. For six months, he’s done just that. Until a favor for a friend finds him rescuing a twelve-year-old boy from a ruthless biker gang, putting him face to face with the boy’s beautiful and very damaged older brother, Memphis... -
Fracture by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott
After three years, Snow and Jude’s relationship is still passionate and strong. They’re getting ready for a romantic vacation at home when Jude receives a horrifying call no one wants to receive. His youngest brother was found barely clinging to life. While Jude’s family is rallying around Jordan, Jude is determined to find out what happened to him... -
Distraction by Kelly Fox
An MM Murder Swoon RomanceFrom USA Today Bestselling Author Kelly Fox comes a uniquely unhinged Mafia romance.Look, no one's ever accused me of being sane, y'know? So when I say that I am crazy over this RICO agent, know that I mean business.Sure, I'm responsible for getting him fired from the job he's wanted his whole life, but his grandfather just died and left him 13.1 billion dollars... -
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Tango Down by Cara Dee
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Renegades #4 Romantic Suspense Enemies to Lovers Action MM“This is it, baby. Run.”The murder in Joel Hayward’s eyes wasn’t merely a reflection of the rage within. It was a promise to the men who had kidnapped his daughter. The one person—this amazing slip of a girl—who showed Joel every single day that there was good left in the world.He was running on fumes. He was desperate...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort from hate to love forced proximity queer found-family suspense m-m military -
The Innocent by C.J. Bishop
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWhen Clint and the boys “clean house” after discovering a small dangerous operation of child sex traffickers, they find themselves pulled into a nightmare of unparalleled proportions where children are nothing but “merchandise” and the depth of depravity and abuse reaches beyond human comprehension. Note: This is an M/M romance and should be read by readers 18yo and above only... -
Savior Complex by Kelly Fox
Love isn't something I get to wish for. Ten years ago, my nephew was sold to traffickers, and it was my fault. I spent the next decade doggedly searching for him in the most awful places imaginable, unable to stop until I knew he was safe.I finally track him down to Wild Heart Ranch, an equine therapy center in the heart of Texas with a secret mission to help victims of trafficking...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort forced proximity queer age difference m-m mystery contemporary mental illness -
The Tin Box by Kim Fielding
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWilliam Lyon's past forced him to become someone he isn't. Conflicted and unable to maintain the charade, he separates from his wife and takes a job as caretaker at a former mental hospital. Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum was the largest mental hospital in California for well over a century, but it now stands empty... -
What We Broke by Marley Valentine
If someone asked me to describe our love story, I would only need to use two words. Before and After. • • • •When I met Leonardo Ricci, he was determined I would only be a fling, while I was certain he was my forever. Seven years later, we're the perfect couple. Happy, married, and in love-in sickness and health, till death do us part. At least until the unthinkable happens... -
On the Double by Cara Dee
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe Renegades #3 • Romantic Suspense • Action • MMM“It’s a fine line between not revealing your arsenal and creating disorder by showing your strength.”Funny how calm you could feel when someone had ripped the heart out of your chest.River and Reese Tenley had grown up on the fringes of society, spending most of their adult years as private military contractors in places nobody else wanted to go...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort queer found-family forced proximity m-m abuse contemporary age difference -
Devil by Silvia Violet
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsA Dark Mafia Romance Devil is a mobster with a dangerous secret... There's a cop who hates him. A cop he caught and released. A cop he can't get out of his mind after the one forbidden night they shared... -
WTF: Special Edition Paperback by Cambria Hebert
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsI don’t do commitment. And though I swing both ways, I don’t do men either.It’s too messy, too stressful, and just asking for trouble.I’d rather shine bright like the sun than drown in the rain, so I adopt a pounce-and-bounce lifestyle for which my sparkling charm keeps me from being hated.When I show up in Sweden for a semester abroad, I expect a roomie. What I don’t expect is Lars... -
All We Are by Jessie Walker
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPride.Will and Waylon have been through hell and back—more than once. But they’re still standing, still loving each other, still embracing their found family. And that’s something Will is stupidly proud of. He’s happier than he’s ever been, and more in love than he ever thought possible. He just hopes he can find a way to make Waylon believe in them as much as he does.Pride... -
Save Me by Ariana Nash
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe third and final book in the outstanding mafia/priest MM Forgive Me series. Vitari Angelini knows selling a cache of Battaglia guns to a drug lord is not what Francis would call legal, but he’ll never find out. Besides, it’s for a good cause: Francis’s happy ever after...Categorized as:
queer hurt-comfort forced proximity from hate to love m-m dark dual-pov contemporary -
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Enemy Combatant by Cara Dee
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Renegades #2 • Romantic Suspense • Stockholm Syndrome • Hurt Comfort • Action • MM“The best intelligence is the knowledge that your enemy doesn’t know you have.”Crew Finlay’s ego had taken a hit or two. He couldn’t lie. As a Marine, he’d been one of the best. As a private military contractor, he’d…messed up a bit. Or failed spectacularly. Whatever... -
His Fatal Love by Leighton Greene
Easily bored, completely manipulative, and utterly deadly…and that’s just in bed.As an assassin for the Castellani Family, I live for the thrill of the job. I'm devoted to my Family and my Don, because they keep me safe.To Leo Bernardi, I'm a monster. A killing machine. And a puppet that his Family can use for their own ends. To me, Leo is just a pawn in a game that I'm playing. A means to an end... -
Crashing Hearts by K.A. Knight
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsPine Valley is a school that’s both rich in history and legacy, and it’s once more opening its doors to another year of students.Skylar Warren owns the streets of Pine Valley and everybody in it. From cars to people, there is nothing he wants that he can’t get—until now...Categorized as:
from hate to love found-family queer grumpy sunshine sports dark mystery contemporary -
Savage by Brooke Blaine, Ella Frank
Who are we? Nobody really knows. We’re the seven most powerful heirs to empires, ruling Manhattan from our thrones on Park Avenue. By day, we’re the elite, untouchable, and more connected than you could ever imagine. By night, we revel in the darkness of our secrets, pulling strings that make the city bow to our whims.Ruthless.Dangerous.We’re the Park Avenue Kings...Categorized as:
found-family queer forced proximity m-m contemporary suspense age difference dual-pov -
Black and Brown by A.E. Via
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGrace’s composed, yet lethal disposition balances his partner Mirage’s impulsive nature, creating a duo—the second-generation Brown Ravens—with the potential for greatness. Grace was one of the most decorated sharpshooters in the Marines. He’s fiercely committed to righting the wrongs that plague the world and protecting the innocent...Categorized as:
forced proximity from hate to love queer m-m dark military contemporary forbidden love -
Kiss Your Scars by Avril Ashton
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBeing the king of Atlanta’s underworld used to have its perks, but lately all undercover agent Renzo Vega has seen is the downside. Someone is auctioning off women in his city, and he’s damn sure not about to let that offense stand. Just as he’s set to make a move, Renzo’s club is ambushed and he’s shot. Unsure of who to trust, he turns to the one man he definitely knows wants him dead... -
Just My Luck by Alice Winters
When I’m tossed into the trunk of a car, I realize that what little luck I have has finally run out—especially when I find that Tony, the man who’d abducted me, is planning on using me to get back at my father... -
Damned Souls by Jessa Wilder, Kate King
"Traitor."That was my last thought before darkness took over. Now, I've just woken up in the hospital and realized that one of the men I love put me here. Rush is a member of the Trilogy, and there's nothing I can do to bring him back. Meanwhile, Dante has risen from the dead to take over the city and he has my father on his side...Categorized as:
from hate to love queer found-family forced proximity contemporary suspense reverse harem mafia -
Savage by Erin Russell
Everyone thinks the mafia is so glamorous. They make books and movies by the hundred and it's all suave guys in suits making deals in smoky backrooms over poker games.Well, I'm the mafia prince of Oklahoma. There's no glitz or glamor here, and I hate every minute of it. But it's my birthright...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity found-family hurt-comfort mafia m-m stepsibling forbidden love -
Chip's Forever Daddy by Sammi Cee
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsChip’s had a good example of a Daddy—and the absolute worst. Ollie’s determined to give him the best…forever. If Chip didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck at all. All he’s ever wanted is a man to see him, truly hear him, and love him. Ollie is the definition of protective, with the muscle to back it up...Categorized as:
queer hurt-comfort found-family m-m contemporary age difference daddy-kink height-difference -
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Stalked But Not Afraid by Nicole Dykes
RomanHe’s an influencer—whatever that means. He’s also stunningly beautiful with a feisty attitude I can’t deny intrigues me.But more importantly, he’s in trouble.I’m not like my brother. Except for being a cop, I don’t strive to save the entire world.However, I find myself compelled to save him.If he’ll calm down and just let me.BrooksHe’s everything I despise. He’s a cop...Categorized as:
from hate to love forced proximity queer found-family m-m suspense angst contemporary -
The Wild Charge by Lauren Gilley
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsA storm is brewing, and the Lean Dogs find themselves in the center of it. What at first seemed like a routine clash with a cartel proves to be part of a much more sinister - and more powerful - operation than any of them expected. The Dogs have a choice: back out now, play dumb...or go full-on vigilante. Tennyson Fox has a new name, a new home, a new family.. -
Garron Park: Special Edition by Nordika Night
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 34 ratings*This is the same book with the same content as Garron Park [the original] but with special edition formatting and illustrated cover.*Garron Park, where hope dies and no one ever gets ahead. Until… When Devon Sawyer desperately searches for his brother in the middle of the night, beaten and broken, he finds Maddox Kane instead...Categorized as:
from hate to love hurt-comfort forced proximity queer contemporary bisexual bikers dual-pov -
Unquiet by Melanie Hansen
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLoren Smith has been in love with Eliot Devlin almost his entire life. During their turbulent childhood and teen years, Loren didn’t always understand Eliot, and sometimes he could be a challenge, but Eliot was the only one to ever truly ease Loren’s deep loneliness and accept him... -
Deliverance by Garrett Leigh
Banished gangster Benito Martell is living on the edge. An explosive hook-up in a club gifts him the relief he craves, but nothing about his life is ever so simple. Complications abound, and before long, he’s falling for the only man who can save his family from eviction.Recovering addict Mickey Larwood has worked hard to leave his past behind... -
Happy Krampus Xmas & The Meet Not Cute: Two Xmas Novellas by Paulina Ian-Kane
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratings-Happy Krampus XmasHappy Krampus Day!Krampus who? Santa’s evil brother, duh.The horned demon sort of cursed me, and I need to find a way to appease him.Otherwise, I won’t be able to proceed with my donor initiation: blood, torture, death, screams—not in that order.All I need is to follow my three-step groveling plan... -
Forgive Me Father by Garrett Leigh
Expect: a sizzling hurt/comfort MM romance with a damaged chaplain and a dark-souled enforcer with a tender-hearted secret.“I gave my darkest secrets to a man who doesn’t exist.”Embry"...you don’t understand.”Mateo lowered himself to sit, still vibrating with the need to fix me, the way he always did. “Then tell me. Explain it like I’m the simplest idiot you’ve ever met.”I can’t... -
Forbidden Titan by E.V. Olsen
"The devil wears many faces. Today, he wore the one I've been running from for five years."Five years spent running, reinventing myself at every turn, until my stepbrother finally caught up to me.Zach Knight is cold, dangerous, and determined to make me pay for almost destroying his hockey career. But beneath that icy exterior burns something far more intense than revenge... -
Nightingale by Laura Lascarso
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn accountant and an assassin set off on a homicidal mission to avenge the wrongs of the past…Since the moment we met as children at Saint Bernadine’s School for Boys, Julien has held my heart hostage. Now, he’s a ruthless and cunning assassin, known to many only by his code name Nightingale, and I am again at his mercy when he forces me to accompany him on his next hit...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort from hate to love forced proximity queer dark m-m contemporary friends to lovers -
King's Virtuous Son by Ki Brightly
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe “Innocent” Twin Hunter Tanner is a prospect for the Kings of Men MC. The club president, King, shocked Hunter with the news that he is Hunter’s biological father. King was the only man who had ever kept Hunter safe, and he’d taken King’s attention the wrong way—only to be devastated to learn they were related. Now he’s pissed off...Categorized as:
forced proximity from hate to love hurt-comfort queer m-m bikers mafia age difference -
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Rogue Launch by Cara Dee
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe Renegades #1 Romantic Suspense Enemies to Lovers Action MM“We will find you, darling. Stay strong. We will find you.”This was exactly what Elliott Jones needed. A nice barbecue with family and friends. The moving trucks were parked outside his new ranch, and he was ready to start fresh. Again. Despite the regrets he lived with, he tried to focus on the good things in life...Categorized as:
from hate to love hurt-comfort forced proximity queer found-family military suspense m-m -
Demon by Joel Abernathy
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFalling in love with an obsessive serial killer was the last thing on my to-do list.I was born into a world of villains, so it came as no great surprise when my brothers fell for the most twisted monsters of all. A sociopathic fixer. A psycho sadistic cop whose name belongs in the dictionary next to corruption.Maybe I’m the one who’s crazy, thinking I could have any semblance of a normal life... -
Reinventing Us by Ann Lister
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAlex-Zander Metcalf knew his life would always be filled with twists and turns, especially living in the public eye while playing the role of front man for his band Ivory Tower. That's what made life interesting and he loved every aspect about his job in the music world. Living in a long-term polyamorous relationship with a husband and a wife also created a fair amount of ups and downs... -
Vine by Fearne Hill
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCaspian Pumkin-Watts is at the end of his rope. Miserably divorced and facing a career crossroads, when he’s offered a chance to spend nine months filming a reality TV show on a French holiday island, he grabs it with both hands. There are only two problems. His co-star is his ex-husband, and the producer is Caspian’s replacement in his ex-husband’s bed...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort queer found-family m-m contemporary dark height-difference neurodivergent -
Hazardous by Charity Parkerson
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsWulf and Beau have nothing in common. There’s no reason for them to see each other at all. So why can’t they stay away? Wulf’s friend married Beau’s brother. That’s it. They have no other common ground. Wulf isn’t certain they even like each other. They have nothing to talk about when Wulf finds himself on Beau’s couch. Neither of them calls or sends texts between unexpected visits...
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