Books like 'Illuminate the Shadows'

Readers who enjoyed Illuminate the Shadows by Isobel Starling also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  gay romance  mystery  suspense  hurt-comfort  age difference  angst  queer  queer-awakening  alpha male 

  • Stars & Stripes by Abigail Roux

    Stars & Stripes by Abigail Roux

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 93 ratings
    Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have managed the impossible: a few months of peace and quiet. After nearly a year of personal and professional turmoil, they're living together conflict-free, work is going smoothly, and they're both happy, healthy, and home every night before dark. But anyone who knows them knows that can’t possibly last...
  • Fish & Chips by Abigail Roux

    Fish & Chips by Abigail Roux

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 115 ratings
    This romance is entering rough waters. After almost dying on their hiking trip, Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have a moratorium on the word vacation. This makes it hard to discuss their newest case: an undercover operation aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean...
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  • Divide & Conquer by Abigail Roux

    Divide & Conquer by Abigail Roux

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 102 ratings
    The last place these men want to be is in the limelight. Law enforcement in Baltimore has a PR problem. Robberies, bombings, and violent crimes are on the rise. The public wants something done, and even the FBI is catching blame. When Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett accidentally become the handsome faces of the counter-offense, they find themselves the center of attention from the media...
  • But For You by Mary Calmes

    But For You by Mary Calmes

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 36 ratings
    Jory Harcourt is finally living the dream. Being married to US Marshal Sam Kage has changed him—it’s settled the tumult of their past and changed Jory from a guy who bails at the first sign of trouble to a man who stays and weathers the storm. He and Sam have two kids, a house in the burbs, and a badass minivan. Jory’s days of being an epicenter for disaster are over. Domestic life is good...
  • Domestic Animals by Gregory Ashe

    Domestic Animals by Gregory Ashe

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 19 ratings
    Sometimes, the most dangerous animals are the ones you let inside. When a man hires Emery Hazard to track down a teenager who, he claims, robbed him, Hazard isn’t convinced. The story has holes in it, and the client seems eager—too eager—to keep the authorities from getting involved...
  • The Grave Between Us by Tal Bauer

    The Grave Between Us by Tal Bauer

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 46 ratings
    It was just one moment. It was just one mistake. For years, men have been disappearing. A father in North Carolina. A boater in California. A hiker in Arkansas. And more, scattered across the United States. The FBI knows who’s responsible: a serial killer they caught, a man they sent young profiler Cole Kennedy to interrogate...
  • Breaking Cover by Kaje Harper

    Breaking Cover by Kaje Harper

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 41 ratings
    For homicide detective Mac, it's been a good year. Having Tony to go home to makes him a better cop and a better person. For Tony, it's been hard being in love with a man he can't touch in public. Evasions and outright lying to friends and family take a little of the shine off his relationship with Mac, but Tony is determined to make it work...
  • Tied Over by Mary Calmes

    Tied Over by Mary Calmes

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 18 ratings
    Josiah Redeker has been tied up, tied down, and just plain tied to Bodhi Callahan since the younger marshal was paired with him five years ago. It was an easy slide from partners to best friends, and though Bodhi wanted more, Josiah thought Bodhi could do far better than him...
  • A Chosen Man by Jaime Reese

    A Chosen Man by Jaime Reese

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    For Wall McCormack, actions speak louder than words. He’s giving and protective, loyal to his friends, and devoted to his job. While confident and powerful enough to conquer any challenge, his greatest strength lies in his calm nature. Until an unexpected assignment sends his world into a loud and colorful chaos he never could have anticipated. Rejection...
  • Taking It Slow by Reese Knightley

    Taking It Slow by Reese Knightley

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 21 ratings
    Can two men from opposite sides of the tracks find love? Colonel Liam Cobalt has it all. He is content being a successful colonel in the Army and a billionaire with enough money at his disposal to help others. It takes only one glimpse of Spencer Turner to change all that. When a headlong clash sets him back, he must rethink his strategy...
  • Promises Part 3 by A.E. Via

    Promises Part 3 by A.E. Via

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 25 ratings
    A bounty hunter’s partners to lovers’ story. The hunt is on… and he’s the prey. Bradford (Ford) King was sure he had the rest of his life mapped out. Though he was no longer a SEAL Lieutenant, his brother was home safe and he had a job that still allowed him to satisfy his hunger for hunting bad guys. Life was simple, no distractions or complications – at age forty-six – that’s all Ford wanted...
  • Enduring Night by John Wiltshire

    Enduring Night by John Wiltshire

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 14 ratings
    The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Nikolas has always liked art. You'd have thought that Ben and Nikolas would have learnt that their romantic holidays inevitably end up as disasters. A short break on the polar ice sees them trapped in a nightmare of murder and deceit...
  • My Dearest Patrolman, Vol. 2 by Niyama

    My Dearest Patrolman, Vol. 2 by Niyama

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 18 ratings
    Living under the same roof as the man he’s had a crush on for a solid decade has Shin’s libido in overdrive, and even his rampant awkwardness can’t get in the way of him getting some! Meanwhile, Seiji is swamped with self-doubt. Does an old man with a bleak romantic history have what it takes to satisfy his hot, young partner?
  • A Matter of Time, Vol. 1 by Mary Calmes, Paul Morey

    A Matter of Time, Vol. 1 by Mary Calmes, Paul Morey

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    Jory Keyes leads a normal life as an architect’s assistant until he is witness to a brutal murder. Though initially saved by police Detective Sam Kage, Jory refuses protective custody - he has a life he loves that he won’t give up no matter who is after him. But Jory’s life is in real jeopardy, especially after he agrees to testify about what he saw...
  • Noble Hops by Layla Reyne

    Noble Hops by Layla Reyne

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 10 ratings
    Everything Dominic Price has worked hard to uphold is about to come crashing down on everything he holds dear. So much for the quiet life. Just as assistant US attorney and brewery owner Dominic Price is settling into a comfy new chapter with his partner, FBI agent Cameron Byrne, the sudden death of Nic’s father puts their happily-ever-after in jeopardy...
  • My Dearest Patrolman, Vol. 2 by Niyama

    My Dearest Patrolman, Vol. 2 by Niyama

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    The seasons have shifted, and Shin and Seiji are starting their new life together. Living under the same roof as the man he’s had a crush on for a solid decade has Shin’s libido in overdrive, and even his rampant awkwardness can’t get in the way of him getting some! Meanwhile, Seiji is swamped with self-doubt...
  • Shut Up and Drive by L.M. Krier

    Shut Up and Drive by L.M. Krier

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    A serial sex attacker is spreading fear in Stockport and DI Ted Darling and his team are on the case. The man randomly targets young women and abducts them from busy supermarket car parks. He's armed with a knife and is clearly highly trained in how to handle it. Ever-dwindling police resources make the manhunt harder, even though the attacker clearly doesn't care whether or not he's caught...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  queer  suspense  m-m  contemporary
  • Somebody to Cherish by April Wilson

    Somebody to Cherish by April Wilson

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 10 ratings
    Tyler and Ian are embarking on their new venture as private investigators. After they solve their first case, they celebrate by taking a road trip to Key West. Their objective: fun and relaxation in the sun. Unfortunately, fate has something else in store for them. When a guest at the hotel where they're staying goes missing, they can't just sit by and do nothing.
  • Forever by Kindle Alexander

    Forever by Kindle Alexander

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 17 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...
  • Off Course by Nicole Edwards

    Off Course by Nicole Edwards

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Nicole Edwards comes the ninth installment in her Brantley Off the Books series. With wedding plans underway, Brantley Walker and Reese Tavoularis are attempting to create some balance between work and life. After a busy summer, they’ve finally slowed down enough to take a breather. At least until the hacker extraordinaire—a. k. a...
  • Chain Reaction by Nicole Edwards

    Chain Reaction by Nicole Edwards

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Nicole Edwards comes the tenth installment in her Brantley Off the Books series. During the two years since they created the Off the Books Task Force, Brantley Walker and Reese Tavoularis have had their share of difficult cases, but their next one hits close to home. Too close...
  • Castiel by Annabella Stone

    Castiel by Annabella Stone

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    What once was strong is broken. Can what was broken be repaired? Former SEAL and Operative for the US Government’s elite Red Squadron, Castiel Cunningham Clark has defied the odds more times than he can count. He learned the hard way how fickle fate can be and he’s made it his business to live his life at one speed and one speed only… full steam ahead. Except when it comes to one person...
  • Modern Warfare by Valerie Vaughn

    Modern Warfare by Valerie Vaughn

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Covert Affairs M/M Romance Book Two. Navigating a new relationship is never easy, but Deputy Director Syler Perrin has the uniquely hair-raising privilege of doing it with one Special Agent Arthur Dufault, premiere CIA operative and all around menace...
    Categorized as:
    military  mystery  queer  m-m  contemporary  length-short
  • Rebel by Reese Knightley

    Rebel by Reese Knightley

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    One man on a journey of redemption and the other out to prove himself. Cohen “Ace” Gray – Pegasus Commander. He’d buried one lover; he wasn’t going to take the chance of that ever happening again. Ace had his own demons to work on, but working closely with Jacob and having his friendship— despite their twenty-year age difference—had made life a bit easier...
  • Bulletproof by Mary Calmes

    Bulletproof by Mary Calmes

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 39 ratings
    Jory Harcourt doesn't have to go looking for trouble. Wherever he goes, it seems to find him—particularly when his partner, Sam Kage, is working undercover on a federal task force. After the recession forces him to close his business, Jory goes to work as a matchmaker and event planner...
  • Just Say When by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Just Say When by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 20 ratings
    Someone wants Police Chief Emilio Mendoza dead. And if his unknown assailant doesn’t kill him, pining for Sheriff Abraham Beecham just might. Abe and Lio’s thirty-year journey has taken them from heated rivals to best friends with countless labels and pit stops along the way. Romance is the only avenue left unexplored but not from lack of love or desire...
  • Kairo's Billionaire by Jocelynn Drake

    Kairo's Billionaire by Jocelynn Drake

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 17 ratings
    Kidnapped. Someone of his skill should not have been kidnapped at all. Let alone so easily. But when Kairo Jones wakes up halfway around the world with a reclusive billionaire begging for his help, the mercenary knows he can’t say no. He also knows that he might be in over his head...
  • When I'm Old and Grey by L.M. Krier

    When I'm Old and Grey by L.M. Krier

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    DI Ted Darling doesn't like coincidences. There are too many for comfort surrounding his latest case. They're spilling over into his private life, too, when some toxic family secrets are uncovered. A serial killer appears to be targeting vulnerable elderly people in care homes and despatching them in the most cynical way. Ted and his team are struggling to get a lead on who the killer really is...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  queer  suspense  m-m  contemporary  length-medium
  • Just Jory by Mary Calmes

    Just Jory by Mary Calmes

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    A ficlet which is set in the time period between. Bulletproof. and. But For You. . __________. Status: complete. Words: 2,783.
  • Old-Fashioned Cupcake with Cappuccino by Sagan Sagan

    Old-Fashioned Cupcake with Cappuccino by Sagan Sagan

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Thirty-nine-year-old Nozue went from living a routine, melancholic life of sleep and work to spending his days in bliss with Togawa, his younger subordinate. Now six months into their relationship, the two have graduated from dates at a pancake shop to spending their nights together...
  • Wilde Fire by Lucy Lennox

    Wilde Fire by Lucy Lennox

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 45 ratings
    Otto:. Seth Walker was my first love and I always swore he’d be my last. Even after he moved away our senior year in high school, we vowed to reunite after graduation. But when he suddenly broke things off without explanation and crushed my heart, it was my turn to run. After a decade in the navy, I’ve finally come home ready to move on with my life as Hobie’s newest firefighter...
  • Obsessed by Sloane Kennedy

    Obsessed by Sloane Kennedy

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    I wanted him from the moment I laid eyes on him and from that point on, the question wasn’t if I’d have him but when…. Thirty-five-year-old Matias de la Vega is good at one thing and one thing only...
  • Red Flagged by Elle Keaton

    Red Flagged by Elle Keaton

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Ex-US Marshal turned Cooper Springs Chief of Police, Andre Dear isn’t looking for love. He’s too busy hunting a killer. The last person Andre expected to see in Cooper Springs was Dante Castone. He left Dante and the rest of his old life behind him when he moved to Washington State and what he thought would be a quiet job in a small town by the ocean...
  • Noble by Annabella Stone

    Noble by Annabella Stone

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Red Squadron is the tip of the spear in the war against global terrorism. Navy SEAL Commander, Noble Bauer, leads the JASOC Taskforce and knows his team won’t be complete until he finds a Communications Specialist. He knows just the man for the job. The only problem is can he get him to listen...
    Categorized as:
    military  suspense  angst  mystery  queer  m-m  war  contemporary
  • Ghost of Christmas Present by Pandora Pine

    Ghost of Christmas Present by Pandora Pine

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    With only a week until Christmas, Detective Jude Byrne is wrapping up final preparations for his family’s celebration. He’s made a list and checked it twice, bought presents, planned the neighborhood cookie exchange, and hung mistletoe. Jude’s got a handle on everything, that is, until his son asks if his grandfather is coming to celebrate with them—a man Jude hasn’t seen in six years...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  queer  contemporary  m-m  length-short
  • The Unbreakables: Volume 1 by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott

    The Unbreakables: Volume 1 by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    ***Note that this bundle includes books already available as single titles***...
  • Thuggiana by Gregory Ashe

    Thuggiana by Gregory Ashe

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Pics, or it didn’t happen. Thuggiana is a collection of short stories connected to The First Quarto. It includes the following:. “The Slightest Folly”. This prequel provides a glimpse into Auggie’s and Theo’s lives in high school. It takes place before They Told Me I Was Everything. “As School-Boys from Their Books”...
  • Daddy Detectives Episode 1: A Tyler and Ian Jamison Story by April Wilson

    Daddy Detectives Episode 1: A Tyler and Ian Jamison Story by April Wilson

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    This is the first installment in a new series for private investigators Tyler and Ian Jamison. Our heroes are adjusting to life as a married couple and are now parents of newborn twins. While the guys are enjoying paternity leave, their administrative assistant, Kimi, comes to them with a personal emergency...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  suspense  queer  contemporary  m-m
  • Like a Lion by Cole McCade

    Like a Lion by Cole McCade

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    A new homicide case raises a question with no clear answer:. Who is the victim? When a charred body is recovered inside a burned-out car, before Malcolm and Seong-Jae can solve the case they must first trace the victim's identity. False plates. ID missing. Teeth pulled from the skull...
  • Head Over Feels by Bix Barrow

    Head Over Feels by Bix Barrow

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Well, this puts the “ex” in “explosive”. .. Felix: What would happen if everyone you’d ever dated got together and plotted against you? For me, it’s glitter bombs. Lots and lots of glitter bombs. Okay, maybe I deserved the first one or two. Or three...
  • How Not to Break by Susan Hawke

    How Not to Break by Susan Hawke

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Take one former SEAL with a healthy dose of regret…. Nick St. Cloud is living with shame from the one time he let his lust override his sense of honor. He’s haunted by the memory of when he made love to his best friend’s eighteen-year-old son. The tragic accident that happened that same night has only compounded his guilt...
  • The Final Line by Kendall McKenna

    The Final Line by Kendall McKenna

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 13 ratings
    Staff Sergeant Corey Yarwood is an instructor at the Basic Reconnaissance Course. His last deployment ended in horror, but he can’t remember those events. Battling severe PTSD, Corey’s drinking is growing out of control. Sean Chandler walks into a dive bar, and into Corey’s life...
  • Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux

    Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 40 ratings
    When Nick O'Flaherty arrives at the scene of a double homicide to find he has a witness to the crime, he thinks it’s his lucky day. But when he realizes his witness is suffering from amnesia and can’t even remember his own name, Nick wishes he’d gone with his gut and put in for vacation time...
  • Surrender Your Heart by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Surrender Your Heart by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    ***Surrender Your Heart was originally published in 2015. This second edition has been completely re-edited but does not contain new material. ***. Secrets and fears—everyone has them. Some more than others. A heavy secret brought Liam Connelly to DC, but it isn’t the only reason he stays. Hired to tend bar at Bottoms Up, Liam finds himself drawn to his enigmatic boss like a moth to a flame...
  • Roman by Annabella Stone

    Roman by Annabella Stone

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Fact: Six years ago, former Force Recon Marine Roman Walsh made the biggest mistake of his life and chose duty to his country over love. Fact: He was an idiot. Now the one he loves is missing, and Roman has only one thing on his mind. Get him back alive...
  • Barrel Proof by Layla Reyne

    Barrel Proof by Layla Reyne

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 30 ratings
    Special Agents Talley and Walker’s partnership is tested as they come face-to-face with the enemy who threatens to rip their world apart in this final book of Layla Reyne’s Agents Irish & Whiskey M/M romantic suspense trilogy. Aidan loves Jamie and wants the bright future he was robbed of before...
  • Out Of A Fix by Mary Calmes

    Out Of A Fix by Mary Calmes

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Through the years, Nash Miller has watched all his buddies fall in love and get married. It was romantic, and he’d wondered when he himself would find the one. Now, older, wiser, he realizes that what he’s always wanted—a husband and a family—just isn’t in the cards for him. And that’s all right...
  • Northland by Cara Dee

    Northland by Cara Dee

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 15 ratings
    Two years ago, Logan Ward got the surprise of his life when he discovered he was the father of a two-year-old boy. Professionally and romantically adrift, he devoted all his time and energy to caring for his son. But now he’s searching for something more, and he and Justin head north to Alaska to try out the life his best friend Quinn has been raving about...
  • The Mystery of the Moving Image by C.S. Poe

    The Mystery of the Moving Image by C.S. Poe

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 23 ratings
    It’s summer in New York City, and antique shop owner Sebastian Snow is taking the next big step in his relationship with homicide detective, Calvin Winter: they’re moving in together. What should have been a wonderful week of playing house and celebrating Calvin’s birthday comes to an abrupt end when a mysterious package arrives at the Emporium...
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