Books like 'In the Shadows'
Readers who enjoyed In the Shadows by J.A. Owenby also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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Grounded by R.K. Lilley
James and Bianca’s story draws to a close in the explosive conclusion to the Up In The Air Trilogy. After a short but earnest courtship, Bianca can no longer deny her feelings for James, and though she’s tried her hardest, she can’t help but see that he cares deeply for her, as well... -
Reaper's Salvation by Jamie Begley
Have you ever wondered: if soulmates were meant to be together for eternity, then why do they have to search for each other over and over?Reaper didn’t think it was possible to be deceived by anything, or anyone, after the hell he had gone through. Ginny had proven him wrong. Not only wasn’t she the woman he believed her to be, but she had also sacrificed herself to pay for his crimes... -
Out of Time by Beth Flynn
They thought with his execution it would all be over. They were wrong. The leader of one of South Florida’s most notorious and brutal motorcycle gangs has been put to death by lethal injection. Days later, his family and friends should have been picking up the pieces, moving on... -
A Gift of Time by Beth Flynn
A Gift of Time is the third installment in the Nine Minutes Trilogy. It is not intended to be a stand-alone novel, but could be read as one. Still, I highly recommend that you read my first two novels, Nine Minutes and Out of Time, to be able to understand the background stories of the main characters. There are many twists and turns in both books that can best be connected if read consecutively...Categorized as:
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Sancte Diaboli: Part One by Amo Jones
The Devil comes with baggage, and not the kind you can lose. I was two years old when he saved me. I didn’t understand much at that age, but I remember the pale boy with hair as dark as ink, saving me from two evils. He said he would protect me; I just didn’t know he meant from himself...Categorized as:
cruel hero alpha male suspense bad boys mystery possessive hero angst age difference -
Once A Crime Lord by Mia Knight
It all ends here. It’s been two years since the Pyre family was ripped apart by a sadistic killer who will stop at nothing to take Gavin Pyre’s position as crime lord of the Las Vegas underworld... -
Unchosen Ruler by Maggie Cole
He’s the future unchosen ruler of the O’Malleys.Locked away for too many years.Underestimated and pissed off.Protective beyond all rationale.Possessive unlike any man I’ve ever known.I should run. Except Liam O'Malley isn't a choice. He's the air I breathe.Still, I wonder if I can really be queen of the O’Malleys—especially when I discover the truth about who I am...Categorized as:
suspense possessive hero sweet heroine independent heroine career professional alpha male m-f mafia -
Code Name: Pisces by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsMy code name is Pisces. The stars say I’m independent, wise, and intuitive.Still waters run deep. I’m the leader of Zodiac Tactical’s guardian unit. We’re the bodyguards—the ones who stand toe to toe with danger and refuse to give any ground. We protect people who need it most.But what if who needs it most is a spoiled diva?I don’t normally take on movie stars... -
But I Need You by W. Winters
Some love stories are a slow burn. Others are quick to ignite, scorching and branding your very soul before you’ve taken that first breath. You’re never given a chance to run from it. That’s how I’d describe what happened to us.Everything around me blurred and all that existed were his lips, his touch… The chase and the heat between us became addictive...Categorized as:
suspense super rich hero mystery love triangle other-man-woman m-f contemporary new adult -
It Destroys Me by Penelope Sky
I chose the wrong man...and I chose him for the wrong reasons.Now all I want to do is repair the broken relationship with the man I've always wanted. But he's wounded by my rejection and it'll take time to heal what I've broken.But I know there's hope...otherwise he wouldn't have come for me... -
Beautifully Broken by Portia Moore
The conclusion to the If I Break Series.Cal’s back and his arrival changes everything.Lauren knew it was coming but what she didn’t think he’d bring with him was an ultimatum.A choice.One that Lauren feels trapped under. A choice she’s unsure will make a difference but could possibly change everything.The ultimatum isn’t the only thing Cal’s got with him but answers...Categorized as:
suspense mystery angst love triangle alpha male possessive hero other-man-woman contemporary -
Hammer's Pride by E.C. Land
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsHammerNothing works out the way it's supposed to. The day I walked in to find my entire family gone, I learned that hard lesson. It was the same day I completely shut down. Why? Because you can’t lose yourself when you have no emotions. I became who I am now by being ruthless, I pride myself in it... -
Saving Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsBeckett Taylor’s quest to be a better man has brought Eve Hartt back into his life, but sometimes it feels like they’re bound together with barbed wire. Though he longs to love her without causing pain, the wreckage of their past continues to crash down around them. Yet with the help of this brothers—and for his brothers—Beckett won’t stop trying... -
Untamed by M. O'Keefe
Marriage has always meant violence. I don’t trust it, but it’s the only thing keeping me afloat in these dark undercurrents. I married for safety but I got the most dangerous thing in the world—Ronan Byrne for a husband.Now we’re returning to Bishop’s Landing to face our demons. Mine. His. We have real enemies to conquer, but it’s the fear in my heart that beats the loudest... -
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Becoming His by Ami Van
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsDerrick King He and his brothers are the ruthless heads of a crime family. KINGS. They’ve built their empire to become what it is today, collecting fortune and power, bending rules and taking out whoever stood in their way. Tall, dark and sinfully gorgeous, Derrick as head of the family never went to bed alone yet never slept in a bed with any woman either...Categorized as:
age difference alpha male mystery suspense competent heroine mafia dark contemporary -
Obsession by T.K. Leigh
Rated: 4.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne week. No names. No expectations.That was our agreement. We were supposed to walk away after our time in Hawaii was over. No matter what.That was before…Before I learned who she is.Before I realized how interconnected our lives are.Before I fell in love.But our love isn’t the stuff fairy tales are made of.Demons lurk around every corner.Good doesn’t necessarily prevail over evil... -
Kade's Turn by Tiffany Snow
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsIt only takes a second, a fraction of a second, to forever change your life. That moment happened to me years ago. I did something you can’t take back, and I’d do it again. It’s a secret I’ll take to my grave—which is probably sooner rather than later—and that’s okay. I live with my choices...Categorized as:
alpha male bad boys mystery love triangle suspense other-man-woman contemporary dark -
A Divided Heart by Alessandra Torre
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCan you love two men at once? Is there any future in that?Brant loves me fiercely.A brilliant billionaire who has owned my heart for four years, he keeps proposing, and I keep turning him down.I can’t marry him, not with all of the secrets between us.Lee uses me wildly.As grouchy as he is cocky, he's interested in getting me into his bed and little more...Categorized as:
angst love triangle age difference super rich hero other-man-woman mystery contemporary dual-pov -
Wasted Love with You by Whitney G.
The last time my husband gave me an orgasm was … Well, that's never happened. And from the way our marriage is crumbling under the weight of his lies, it never will.Alas, after fighting like hell for a divorce, I promise myself that I'll never waste love on anyone else.I don't even want to 'date' anyone else...Categorized as:
suspense age difference alpha male super rich hero mystery bad boys other-man-woman contemporary -
Elect by Rachel Van Dyken
Would you die for the one you love? Nixon Abandonato made his choice. And now he has to pay the price. Tracey is the love of his life, but being with him has made her a target of his family's enemies. The only way to keep Trace alive is convince the world she means nothing to him...Categorized as:
love triangle suspense super rich hero mystery bad boys alpha male cruel hero other-man-woman -
Destructive by Jay McLean
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSome villains are made. Some villains are born. And some villains aren’t villains at all. Nate DeLuca was born into a life he didn’t want. Forced to walk a path that was already chosen for him. Grandson to a mob boss, he’s forever torn between his duty, his honor, his legacy, and the truth. But the truth is never simple, and it’s not at all what it seems... -
Cry No More by Linda Howard
Fueled by an obsession to fill the void in other people’s lives, Milla Edge finds lost children—all the while trying to outrun the brutal emotions stemming from a tragedy in her past. Traveling to a small village in Mexico on a reliable tip, Milla begins to uncover the dire fate of countless children who have disappeared in the labyrinth of a sinister baby-smuggling ring...Categorized as:
suspense bad boys alpha male mystery tortured heroine possessive hero cruel hero competent heroine -
Undying by Madeline Sheehan
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA creation of chaos and lust, I was born into a world so foul, I made it my mission to find the beauty hidden within, to reveal the sun behind the clouds, the rainbows after the storms, the life that still exists even in death. One-third my mother, I had an infectious smile and a heart so big, there was room enough for everyone, no matter their sins... -
Violent Ends by Jessica Hawkins
Book 2 in the White Monarch trilogy...Categorized as:
alpha male angst suspense age difference love triangle bad boys other-man-woman new adult -
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Donati Bloodlines: Part Two by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThey’re not star-crossed—they’re impossible.Calisto Donati is what every made man in the mafia should be, and then he broke his oath for a woman that wasn’t his.Their secrets and games are deadly, but as hard as he tries to stay away from his boss’s new bride, the universe seems determined to keep bringing them back together... -
Thin Lines by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsCalisto Donati Calisto had never been a fan of pain, but he found it provided a certain relief. It was a high that couldn’t compete with anything else he experienced. That was why he fought bare-knuckled, why he drove fast, despite knowing he might crash, and why he still enjoyed looking at Emma Donati—no matter her current status. Pain felt good... -
When Villains Rise by Giana Darling
From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Giana Darling comes the conclusion to the Anti-Heroes in Love duet, a gripping mafia romance about the capo who will risk everything to keep the woman he loves safe...I am the hero no one wanted...I was a murderer.One of the cruelest and wealthiest men in New York City.Dante Salvatore, capo of capos.Yet I had one weakness.Elena Lombardi...Categorized as:
super rich hero angst alpha male age difference suspense grumpy sunshine independent heroine m-f -
Last Resort by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom USA TODAY Bestselling Author Janie Crouch. Previously published as Texas ChanceShe has secrets she prefers to keep hidden.Too bad he’s so good at getting to the truth.When a violent attack puts Maci Ford in the hospital, security expert Chance Patterson learns that she’s carrying his baby... -
Stolen Hearts by Barbi Cox
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsHe obliterated my heart. Now he's back for a second chance to reclaim me as his own.He was my dream date who crushed my hopes, taking my affection only to vanish from my life.A decade passed before fate thrust him back into my world. Now he vows to never let me go.His sensual caress melts my defenses. His kiss feels like salvation...Categorized as:
alpha male age difference suspense super rich hero dark contemporary mafia length-short -
House of Heathens: The Complete Trilogy by Alta Hensley
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA villain is made.A monster is hidden.A viper who is forbidden.Together, they are the Gods Among Men.Welcome to the House of Heathens.Within these walls, you are captive to a world of decadence and sin.Where dangerous secrets hide in the shadows.And a family tree with roots so twisted, they bind and strangle each unlucky generation...Categorized as:
alpha male age difference pregnancy tortured hero breeding super rich hero dark daddy-kink -
Blackness Within by Norma Jeanne Karlsson
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsFighting to find his worthy place in life… This is the story of a woman that has worked tirelessly to build her own life from nothing. While the task has been exhaustive, it’s been worth every drop of sweat to earn her own slice of normal. Natasha Reynolds has built a life beyond an absent mother and a drug addict brother to become a home-owning, dog-loving nurse... -
Blame It on the Shame: Part 3 by Ashley Jade
There's something lurking in all of us. Something we hide and shelter from those we love in order to protect them. A darkness we try to suppress because we're ashamed of who that makes us. Because that's the thing about Shame. It wounds us. It damages us. Or, for the few poor souls out there like me...it defines us. It's there—in the shadows, beneath the surface...just waiting... -
A Reckless Note by Lisa Renee Jones
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 22 ratings“I can chase you, and I can catch you, but there is nothing I can do to make you mine.” ― Morrissey It all started with a note, just a simple note hand written by a woman I didn't know, never even met. But in that note is perhaps every answer to every question I've ever had in my life. And because of that note, I travel thousands of miles. I look for her, but find him... -
Amore, Part 1 by Bella Jewel
“It is not love that defines us, Julietta. It is love that destroys us.”I’m just a normal girl. Or so you would think. I’ve never thought of myself as anything different. Until I met him.He doesn’t think I’m normal. He thinks I’m special. Special enough to be in his life. Special enough to enter his world. Special enough for his bed. Rafael Lencioni. Dangerous. Beautiful. Terrifying...Categorized as:
suspense alpha male super rich hero love triangle bad boys age difference pregnancy cruel hero -
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The Mercer Curse by Pepper Winters
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsQ Mercer from Tears of Tess meets his half-brother Henri Ward from Ruby Tears for the first time...……….I’ve fought a curse all my life.A curse inherited by my sick father. There is no cure.No antidote for what I am. For years, I existed alone. Fighting the urges, doing my best to stay good.Until Esclave 58 entered my life and I didn’t have to fight so hard... -
Resisting Mateo by Sam Mariano
If you dance with the devil, don't be surprised when all Hell breaks loose.BOOK FIVE in the Morelli Family series. MUST be read in order! Or a unicorn dies. (Seriously, you do not want to start with this book. It'll be kookydooks...Categorized as:
suspense other-man-woman love triangle sweet heroine alpha male super rich hero cruel hero m-f -
The Blood of Black Oak by Monique Edenwood
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI watch the blood as it seeps from him, pooling like crimson flame around his neck, trickling in rivulets of liquid fire onto the dense body below.The body I've touched. I've held. I've kissed. I've felt wrapped around me for so long, holding me possessively, protecting me from those who wanted me lost...Categorized as:
suspense super rich hero age difference angst other-man-woman contemporary cheating dark -
Darkness Before Dawn by Claire Contreras
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsIs love ever enough? Faced with obstacles she could have never imagined, Blake is brought to darkness and back by forces in her past she never knew existed. Desperate to stay connected to the only thing he loves, Cole is forced to revisit his past and align himself with the people who knew about Blake’s disappearance... -
Otherwise Unharmed by Shay Savage
After Evan Arden was imprisoned by the enemy for a year and a half, he returned from the desert as a military hero. He’d suffered some minor injuries during his captivity, was discharged from the Marines with just a touch of shellshock, but was considered otherwise unharmed...Categorized as:
tortured hero bad boys mystery alpha male suspense anal sex cruel hero possessive hero -
The Sinister Silhouette by Alex Grayson, JW Photography
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“Luca….”She whispers my name at night, filling my dreams with her haunting beauty. Her tormented amber eyes beg me for something I don’t understand, and her agonizing pain becomes my own.For years, she’s come to me, calling my name.For years, I’ve never known who she was.Until now…... -
It's Our Secret by W. Winters
From romance author Willow Winters comes a USA Today best-selling emotionally gripping, standalone, romantic suspense. Allison: It was only a little lie.That’s how stories like these get started.But with every lie I told, he saw through it.I think in his heart he knew I was broken; he felt my pain as if it was his.And that’s what changed everything.He’s the reason it all fell apart... -
Mine to Keep by Cynthia Eden
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsLove is the most dangerous obsession… Skye Sullivan is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. She survived a brutal stalker and escaped his abduction, and now she is looking to the future—a future that includes Skye’s lover, billionaire Trace Weston. Skye thinks the danger is finally over for her. She’s dead wrong...Categorized as:
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The War by S.R. Jones, Silla Webb
Konstantin:I took her to protect her. To keep her safe.Now she wants more.She wants to claim my heart.She says she will fight for me, for us.Trouble is, I don’t know if I have anything left to give.Cassie:He took me to keep me safe.My captor, my protector, my lover.I want more. He’s a Bratva king, and every king needs his queen.My heart is on the line, but I won’t give up the fight... -
Conor Thames 2 by R.J. Lewis
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCharlotte Miles waited. For eight long years she clung faithfully to Conor Thames, longing for his release. But rehabilitation doesn't come easy, and when Conor is finally released, he is not the same man he used to be. With love and determination, Charlotte battles to reclaim the man she loves and knows still lives inside him.For years Conor Thames lived in hell... -
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The Marriage Debt by Leona White
He was meant to kill me. Now he’s my husband. I was his brother’s widow.A grieving wife. A hunted mother. Now I’m his debt to pay.His bride in a marriage built on lies.One child.Two enemies.And a man who terrifies me more than the world chasing us.Mateo is cold steel and silence.But in Lev’s eyes, he becomes something else.A protector.A shadow I hate needing...Categorized as:
m-f sweet heroine tortured heroine alpha male bad boys cruel hero possessive hero super rich hero -
Tink by D.M. Earl
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWorking to rid the world of human traffickers has been Tink’s life’s calling. It’s very close to her heart and only those in her inner circle know the real reason why... -
Borgata by Katarina E. Tonks
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSamantha finds herself imprisoned in a world of illegal trade and criminal activity, where she must face the consequences of her actions and repay her father's debt. She also will try to resist a mob boss, who understands her on a much deeper level than her heart can allow... -
Combative Trilogy by Jay McLean
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsIn a world full of secrets, heartache, and betrayals, they only have one thing on their mind: redemption.But with redemption comes destruction.And that destruction might cost them their hearts.*Kyler Parker is not one of the lucky ones.Abused and neglected until he was sixteen, Kyler needed an out. A way to escape... -
Holding On by A.C. Bextor
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsHow does a person decide if their own life is worth sacrificing to save another? Shame holds onto a past that haunts him. Damaged by the parents that should have taught him unconditional love; they imprisoned him with violence and disregard. Even now, Shame struggles to find both the independence and love he deserves...Categorized as:
love triangle mystery alpha male pregnancy bad boys suspense cruel hero other-man-woman -
King of the Causeway by T.M. Frazier
A massive hurricane looms off the coast of Florida while a different kind of storm is brewing in Logan’s beach. A mysterious newcomer is vying for the title of King of the Causeway. He’ll do anything to steal the crown, including bringing someone back from King’s past who will threaten a lot more than the title King has spent his lifetime earning. A hurricane is coming...
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