Books like 'Hearts Held by Barbed Wire'
Readers who enjoyed Hearts Held by Barbed Wire by Deanne Dietz also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy tortured hero tortured heroine mafia suspense from hate to love
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Fate & Furies: An epic romantic fantasy by Scheuerer
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 27 ratings“I always knew you would be the end of me.”With darkness cursing the world around her, Althea Zoltaire is desperate for vengeance. But as she hunts Wilder Hawthorne across the kingdoms, brutal secrets begin to unravel.Not knowing what – or who – to trust, Thea and her companions find themselves entwined with a destiny far greater than one man... -
![Callum by Nyssa Kathryn]()
Callum by Nyssa Kathryn
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsOne wedding, one fake relationship, and a threat no one saw coming.Attending a wedding is dead last on Fiona Lock’s list of priorities. She has two options: stay home and let the family gossip mill speculate on why she isn’t there; or attend the wedding and pretend she’s just fine. The decision is obvious. Not only does she choose option B…she may have mentioned a boyfriend she doesn’t have...Categorized as:
suspense from hate to love military mystery contemporary marriage of convenience fantasy m-f -
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![A Court of Wicked Fae by Alaya Wells]()
A Court of Wicked Fae by Alaya Wells
A woman determined to destroy a conniving king. A fae lord who will sacrifice himself to shield her from harm. Can their love survive the upcoming battle? A thorny collar controls my every move and betrayal haunts me, but I’m still determined to seek vengeance for my brother’s death. I’ll do it with or without Vexxion’s help. But when he calls in his favor, I’m given no choice... -
![The Queen's Shadow by Alexandra St. Pierre]()
The Queen's Shadow by Alexandra St. Pierre
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsRaven and Rycon are on a warpath to reclaim what was stolen from them.As Raven fights to protect those she loves, she must also somehow manage to build political allies for the looming war...Categorized as:
suspense from hate to love fantasy forced proximity fated-mates contemporary length-epic -
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![The Order: Chasm of Wicked Sins by Katerina St. Clair]()
The Order: Chasm of Wicked Sins by Katerina St. Clair
In the third gripping installment of "The Order Series," Forest Blackburn, burdened by her past and haunted by her demons, faces her toughest challenge yet. As the death of those closest to her shatters her world, Forest finds herself teetering on the edge of darkness, grappling with grief and betrayal... -
![Preacher by Erin Trejo]()
Preacher by Erin Trejo
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI was put on a job that I didn’t really want until I saw her. Keeping the Mafia Boss’s sister safe was a job I could handle. She was feisty and smart and something I wasn’t expecting. Throw in a fake marriage you have a disaster in the making. Now I’m running from not only my feelings but her brother who will kill me if he knows what we did... -
![Bratva Beast by Misty Winters]()
Bratva Beast by Misty Winters
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsI have a secret...I’m the daughter of one of the most deplorable Bratva Bosses in the underworld.Only I didn’t know that growing up.I was shielded and under his watchful eye until his past caught up with him and tragedy struck.I fled to Moscow to find answers, and the only thing I found was my father’s past chasing after me.I had nowhere to go until I came upon the perfect hideout... -
![Vengeance by Rebecca Gannon]()
Vengeance by Rebecca Gannon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAngela I've been a captive my entire life behind the walls of my family’s making.And while the walls have kept me in, they didn’t keep the monsters out.Under a constant watchful eye, I have no choice in anything, my path already carved out for me the moment I entered this world... -
![Hating Them by Evie Rae, Poppy Flynn]()
Hating Them by Evie Rae, Poppy Flynn
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsThey're my stepbrothers. My rivals. My enemies.It’s hard to watch someone else live your dream.When my best friend settles into her happy-ever-after, I’m determined to make my own dreams come true. Inheriting my father’s beach house gives me the space I need to make my desires a reality.But love seems to be a bit more elusive for me.Enter my stepbrothers.I barely know them and ought to hate them... -
![Humility by Brooklyn Cross]()
Humility by Brooklyn Cross
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsHe already took everything from me, but now he's back and won't take no for an answer.In a tale as old as time, a mafia princess fell in love with the wrong boy, or in my case, boys. I am Jasmine Isabella Falcone, and I grew up knowing that I needed to be on my guard from the snakes around me. But, even knowing that, I still fell in love with Angelo Esposito and Dario Lombardi...Categorized as:
mafia from hate to love suspense reverse harem forced proximity arranged marriage vengeance death -
![Corrupted Deception by Kiana Hettinger]()
Corrupted Deception by Kiana Hettinger
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsI’m hunting down the man who has taken my father.We’re finally in the same room and this time,He won’t get away.Nothing will stop me from finding the truthNothing…Until I lock eyes with a ghost from my past.Cielo Luciano.As gorgeous as he is lethal.The way he stares at me throughthose piercing blue eyesmakes my body shiver,and it’s not out of fear.Now we're forced togetherin this dangerous world... -
![Yakuza Lover, Vol. 6 by Nozomi Mino]()
Yakuza Lover, Vol. 6 by Nozomi Mino
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen feisty college student Yuri is attacked at a party, she’s saved by Toshiomi Oya, the underboss of a yakuza syndicate. Despite her obvious attraction to him, she convinces herself that she’s not in the market for a bad boy type. But when they meet again, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him—kicking off a steamy and dangerous love affair that threatens to consume her, body and soul... -
![Wish by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff]()
Wish by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom New York Times bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes a sexy, complete-standalone, Contemporary Romance.If I could wish for one thing, it would be to have never met my ex. He took my money, cheated on me, and saddled me with an impossible mortgage.Now, just as I’m fighting to put my life back together, I find an unusual bottle with a note inside: “You get one wish. Make it count.” Har har...Categorized as:
suspense tortured hero christian fantasy super rich hero humor contemporary length-medium -
![The Shadow Children by Cheryl Bradshaw, Janet Fix]()
The Shadow Children by Cheryl Bradshaw, Janet Fix
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSave the children. This is her motivation, mantra, and endgame.Within the tunnels of the historic port city of Savannah, fourteen-year-old Andi Leland has her mind set on freedom—not just for herself but for all the other teens who have come before her... -
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![Highland Strength by Celeste Barclay]()
Highland Strength by Celeste Barclay
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsA lonely woman with far too many secrets…Greer Gunn feared for her life every day that she breathed the same air as her father. An unwanted reminder that he had no heir, Greer employed her greatest defense. She looked and learned, tucking away her clan’s secrets that she used silently to defend her people against her father’s inept leadership and to keep their enemies at bay... -
![Branches of Betrayal by Sarah James]()
Branches of Betrayal by Sarah James
The sequel to the explosive, enemies-to-lovers dark romance novel Seeds of Sorrow. Loosely inspired by the Hades and Persephone myth.Peyton Dimitra is no longer a good girl. She was ruined the second she met Hadina Adis.After her life imploded and a lifetime of secrets were uncovered, Peyton found herself running from her problems...Categorized as:
mafia from hate to love queer fantasy age difference f-f length-short explicit-plentiful -
![Imprisoned by the Night King by Lola Glass]()
Imprisoned by the Night King by Lola Glass
He thinks I'll bring him peace, but all I want is revenge.Twenty years ago, everyone and everything I loved was destroyed by the kings of the Night Court. Since then, I’ve been locked in a prison, tortured and used because of those same kings.Now that I’m free, there’s only thing on my mind:I have to make them pay.Most particularly, him...Categorized as:
from hate to love tortured heroine tortured hero fantasy fae fated-mates magic length-short -
![Protection for Hire by Camy Tang]()
Protection for Hire by Camy Tang
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTessa Lancaster's skills first earned her a position as an enforcer in her Uncle Teruo's Japanese Mafia gang. Then they landed her in prison for a crime she didn't commit. Now, three months after her release, Tessa's abilities have gained her a job as bodyguard for wealthy socialite Elizabeth St. Amant and her three-year-old son. But there's a problem or two ... or three ... -
![Genius (CENTURIES) by TheBibicalSinner]()
Genius (CENTURIES) by TheBibicalSinner
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"You want me to be a genius or do you want me to fuck you?"• • •The Alexandrettia is the finest school in the state, known for producing the smartest, and most talented kids in America. 21 year old keen painter Mia Hanson managed to get a spot. She worked her whole life to get inside, to see the hallowed halls her biggest idols once walked through...Categorized as:
from hate to love mafia suspense mystery grumpy sunshine contemporary fantasy alpha male -
![The House Of Grenville: A Deliciously Dark, Fantasy Romance. by B. Green]()
The House Of Grenville: A Deliciously Dark, Fantasy Romance. by B. Green
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsYour new, spicy Dark Fantasy obsession is here.Power, corruption, immorality. Louisa Garrick wants nothing more than her father out of prison and her family back together again. So when she’s offered a scholarship at Britains most prestigious university, she takes it without question... -
![Peaceful Chaos by Kimberly Carrillo]()
Peaceful Chaos by Kimberly Carrillo
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsRaven and I fought for peace and found it inside chaos and bloodshed. Our life will never be perfect. There are too many victims, too much pain for us to wrap our happy ending in a bow.Not that a perfect ending matters to us, because that isn’t who we are. We found each other through pain, and tied ourselves to each other in ribbons of trauma... -
![The Crown Prophecy by Meg Acuna]()
The Crown Prophecy by Meg Acuna
Mundane baker Quinn Parry wasn’t born with a Gift, unless you count her skills with a pastry bag.When she’s hired into the kitchen of the magic-Wielding royal family, she thinks the most challenging part of her new routine will be hiding her position from her magic-hating mother. She certainly doesn’t expect to get entangled in the affairs of the crown prince... -
![Prima by Alta Hensley, Maggie Ryan]()
Prima by Alta Hensley, Maggie Ryan
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsShe was an angel when she danced.Too bad she attracted the attention of the devil.She was so innocent and naïve.Not meant for the cruel realities of this world.Certainly not meant for someone unworthy.But every time she floated across the stage, I knew she danced only for me.Watching her wasn't enough...My Prima became the light to the dark. She was mine, and it was time everyone realized it... -
![Spades by Kyra Irene]()
Spades by Kyra Irene
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBetter the devil you know than the devil in disguise . . .Born into a Mafia family, Nina Romano has no choice but to respect her papa’s honor, even if that means marrying a man she doesn’t love. It’s a business transaction, but Nina knows how to drive a hard bargain. In exchange for two years of freedom, she’ll marry whoever her papa says without argument... -
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![Guarded by the Yeti by Cara Wylde]()
Guarded by the Yeti by Cara Wylde
A mute girl and a furry beast once got snowed in at the North Pole.Ysella is a mafia princess. I saved her and her brother when a rival family tried to wipe them out, and now her brother wants me to take her far away, somewhere no one will find her. The farthest place I know is my cabin in Alaska. But is this a good idea? Absolutely not.I shouldn’t have accepted the job in the first place... -
![Spades by Kyra Irene]()
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![Heat Wave by Richard Castle]()
Heat Wave by Richard Castle
Rated: 3.65 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsA New York real estate tycoon plunged to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy...Categorized as:
suspense from hate to love mystery contemporary humor fantasy heroine sleuth length-short -
![The Secrets We Bury by Elle Gray]()
The Secrets We Bury by Elle Gray
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsJudgement is inescapable.Only a fool would try to evade it.Chesapeake Valley is a charming town hiding many secrets.Sheriff Eve Wicker has spent years trying to unearth one of its dark mysteries.The truth behind her mother’s death.After moving back to her hometown, she found herself ensnared in a web of conspiracies,from serial killers to child trafficking networks... -
![The Legend of the Falls by Elle Gray]()
The Legend of the Falls by Elle Gray
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThey say there’s no rest for the wicked.What about those whose profession is taking them down?Former FBI agent Spenser Song has had to rise from the ashes of tragedy.Attempting to overcome the guilt of her husband’s death,she left the bureau and accepted a position as Sheriff in Sweetwater... -
![Wine & Warlocks by T.M. Cromer]()
Wine & Warlocks by T.M. Cromer
Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsRonan & Dubheasa's story will be the epic conclusion to the Unlucky Charms Series. Full blurb coming very soon...
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