Books like 'Cross My Heart'

Readers who enjoyed Cross My Heart by Shae Ruby also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

gay romance  cheating  friends to lovers  military  angst  hurt-comfort  queer-awakening  other-man-woman  queer  found-family

  • Still Beating by Jessie Walker

    Still Beating by Jessie Walker

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 22 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...
  • Wicked Outlaw by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott

    Wicked Outlaw by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Cole loves the city. He loves the noise, chaos, and having tacos delivered at 2 a.m.He loves his job at Ward Security. He might look like a bodyguard, but there’s nothing better than being counted as one of the hacking tech triplets.There is no way he will ever love horses, cows, and the great wide open of Texas.At least, that’s what he thought until JB Alexander rode into his life...
  • Sponsored links
  • Dealing Him In by Charlie Cochet

    Dealing Him In by Charlie Cochet

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 17 ratings
    Play with fire, and you’ll get burned. Santos “Saint” Cavallero had his life all figured out when he married his high school sweetheart, joined the Navy, and became a SEAL. After years of being deployed, Saint comes home for good, only to discover his wife has fallen for another man. Now divorced and a bodyguard for Four Kings Security, Saint loves his job and his found family...
  • 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...
  • Perfect Match by Pandora Pine

    Perfect Match by Pandora Pine

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Brando Lombardi has successfully matched all three of his brothers with their soulmates, gifting them each with a lifetime of love and happiness. The problem is, Brando himself is always the bridesmaid and never the bride… er, groom. But then he meets a broken-hearted man in uniform who takes his breath away and changes everything...
  • Haven by Reese Knightley

    Haven by Reese Knightley

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    For years Link and Eagle have danced around their attraction for each other, and neither one is willing to cross the line from friendship to lovers. Link doesn’t want to lose what they have. Eagle lets things go, following Link’s lead. But ignoring their attraction isn’t working anymore, and one more spark ignites their mounting passion...
  • Heppel Ever After by Con Riley

    Heppel Ever After by Con Riley

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Because every epic romance deserves an epic happy ending...All Charles Heppel wants is a wedding. It's not much to ask now that he's set his playboy days aside for his almost-ordained fiancé. He can't wait for a lovely, lazy beach honeymoon with His Holy Hotness to continue Hugo’s education in the bedroom...
  • 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
  • The Contractor by Raleigh Ruebins

    The Contractor by Raleigh Ruebins

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    He’s my best friend, my best worker, and it was just a silly crush.Then he kissed me. Now it feels like he's mine…I’ve shown my best friend Tristan everything: how to use a circular saw, how to lay grout, and how to do a kitchen renovation right. On the job, we became close friends—then even closer as we learned to share a camping tent.It was all harmless. Just like my crush on him...
  • This Will Hurt II by Cara Dee

    This Will Hurt II by Cara Dee

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 23 ratings
    Part II of II Angst Awakening Friends to Lovers FamilyBuckle in. Roe and Jake have mountains to climb, walls to tear down, and countless private moments to bring them even closer in this final part of their journey.The ground beneath me had finally settled. I was content. I was all right. I could move forward and live with my choices.Then I found Jake’s damn journal from… therapy . That was right...
  • 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...
  • Without Limits by Reese Knightley

    Without Limits by Reese Knightley

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Hayden –Cobalt Security had felt like home to Hayden Thorne for years. But now he needs space and time to get over the fact that Jaxon West was never going to be more to him than his best friend. Quitting his job as a bodyguard to go work for a dark underground group of assassins, seemed like the perfect plan to get over the sexy bodyguard once and for all...
  • Extended Stay by Mia Monroe

    Extended Stay by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    I’ve never been interested in a man before. So why do I want to kiss this one?Promising my sick uncle I’d help fix his rundown hotel in San Diego was just the beginning of my problems. I plan to do what I can, convince him to sell, and then take off, returning to my calm and structured existence back east. I double down on that plan when I arrive to find it in worse shape than I expected...
  • 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...
  • Love Directions by A.F. Zoelle

    Love Directions by A.F. Zoelle

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Elias ForthwrightHoroscopes always seemed a bit woo-woo to me, but I don't know how else to explain why it feels like the cosmic universe is pushing me in the direction of the mysterious North Easton, who miraculously comes into my life at just the right time. We’re nothing alike, but for the first time since my mom passed away, life is finally fun again thanks to him...
  • 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...
  • Lost at the Crossing by Nicky James

    Lost at the Crossing by Nicky James

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Two lost boys. Two long years. One path back to each other. Elian has lost two major anchors in his life, and he can’t figure out how to get back on track, so he takes to the rails, trying to outrun his struggles. The farther he runs, the deeper he sinks, losing himself more and more until a random phone call reminds him, he isn’t as alone as he thought...
  • Catching Out by Nicky James

    Catching Out by Nicky James

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Dodger Valmai is sure about three things: He is straight. He will ride the rails until the end of his days. And there is a serial killer out on the lines. When rail riders in the community start to go missing, Dodger is convinced the Canadian rail lines have their very own serial killer...
  • 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...
  • How Much for a Life of Lies by R.J. Scott

    How Much for a Life of Lies by R.J. Scott

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Posing as a couple leads to passionate nights and dangerous days, but when their undercover mission implodes, revenge is everything, love is impossible, and they have nowhere left to run.Zach has always been a man torn between duty and family. Strong, capable, and fiercely dedicated to being a SEAL, he’s made countless sacrifices to ensure the safety of his son and his country...
  • Sinister in Savannah by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Sinister in Savannah by Aimee Nicole Walker

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Sinister in Savannah is a fictional podcast exploring the city's most nefarious crimes with Southern-fried snark. The best-selling trilogy is now available in one collection! Ride the Lightning: When the Sinister in Savannah team delves into the thirty-eight-year-old murder of a drag queen, they quickly discover that the story doesn't end with the alleged killer's confession in 1995. Mr...
  • Wreck Me by Jenn Plummer

    Wreck Me by Jenn Plummer

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    CarterI’ve always chased the temporary high that comes with sex, and lived by three simple rules: no feelings, no relationships, and definitely no love . . . until Griffin Nash. I’d never been with a man until he came into my life and wrecked everything I thought I knew about myself...
  • To Take a Quiet Breath by Fearne Hill

    To Take a Quiet Breath by Fearne Hill

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 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...
  • but always in tandem by Youcouldmakealife

    but always in tandem by Youcouldmakealife

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Doesn’t matter which jersey they’re wearing. Doesn’t matter that off the ice Robbie can’t even look at Georgie without feeling sick, half the time. Doesn’t matter that Robbie doesn’t think he’s ever hated anyone more. They still play beautiful hockey together...
  • Bear's Best Friend by Raleigh Ruebins

    Bear's Best Friend by Raleigh Ruebins

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    He’s a ray of sunshine. I’m a loner lumberjack. We don’t make sense……But my straight best friend keeps ending up in my bed.Sawyer Hendricks is the best friend I’ve ever had—the Goose to my Moose, and the shoulder I’ve cried on even though I’m not the crying type. The difference between us? Sawyer brightens any room in an instant, and I’m the gruff guy wearing flannel who’d rather be alone...
  • Most of You by E.M. Lindsey

    Most of You by E.M. Lindsey

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 19 ratings
    There he was…Shirtless.Wearing glasses.Chopping wood like some kind of fantasy lumberjack.And Emil was officially helpless.Moving to the East Coast, Emil was there for two things exactly: to become a better person, and to face the part of his past he’d spent his entire life avoiding.He most certainly hadn't planned on falling in love...
  • 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...
  • Delicious by Sierra Riley

    Delicious by Sierra Riley

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    “You’re exactly what I never knew I needed.” “I don’t have time for love.” Gavin Campbell has poured everything he has into starting up his bakery, Delicious...
  • Again by Sierra Riley, Stella Starling

    Again by Sierra Riley, Stella Starling

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    “If you can’t remember it, was it ever real at all?” “How do I fall out of love?” Cash Bennett enlisted in the Marines the day his boyfriend married someone else, but military life failed to numb the pain...
  • Battle It Out by Reese Knightley

    Battle It Out by Reese Knightley

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 9 ratings
    Master Sergeant Zane Gannon loves nothing more than being a part of his Special Forces unit and kicking ass, but above everything, he values his friendship with Isaac. Sure, they argue and snipe at each other, but it’s all in good fun. Until it isn’t. Now, Isaac is pulling away and something Zane has buried for two decades is resurfacing...
  • When Forever Ended by Cara Dee

    When Forever Ended by Cara Dee

    Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 25 ratings
    At ten years old, Kelly and I were two rambunctious boys who carved our initials into a tree in the forest. We promised to be best friends forever and bumped our fists to seal the deal. I never should've kissed him that summer before college. It was a day that buried me in shame, a day I spent the next twenty-four years regretting, a day I never told anyone about...
  • Summer Secret by Raleigh Ruebins

    Summer Secret by Raleigh Ruebins

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    We’re still just best friends. …Even though we’re sharing a bed. Owen: Is it weird to want to sleep with your best friend? Max has always been there for me. He’s rescued me when I partied too hard and saved me from bad situations more times than I can count. And it’s never mattered that he was gay and I was straight...
  • 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...
  • Gin & Sin by Mia Monroe

    Gin & Sin by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Helping him explore his attraction to men was supposed to be no strings fun, not turn me into a whipped puppy dog, but here we are. The college twink scene is wearing on me. Sure, it works out for a no-commitment guy like myself, but the constant drama and faceless rotation of pretty boys in and out of my bed isn’t as exciting as it once was...
  • War Torn by Andria Large

    War Torn by Andria Large

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    My life has been completely turned around with the help of my boyfriend and best friend, Tucker. My depression is under control. I’m not having nightmares or flashbacks anymore. My sister is having a baby. Life with Tucker is great… Or is it? Everything seems to be going so well, almost too well...
  • Strike a Pose by Jackie North

    Strike a Pose by Jackie North

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Make a wish on a shooting star. Cry to the moon like the coyotes do.There are so many things Sid cannot have, so many things he tells himself he does not need. His job at Farthingdale Ranch is good enough, right? Then along comes Heston, a glamorous and gorgeous top-tier model from New York City who makes Sid want and then want some more...
  • Walking Wounded by Lauren Gilley

    Walking Wounded by Lauren Gilley

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Luke always thought he’d grow up to be a famous author. He also thought nothing could ever damage his relationship with his childhood best friend, Hal. He thought a lot of things that proved to be untrue. Now he barely makes rent and proofreads articles at a New York gossip rag, dreaming about what-might-have-been. He’s not bitter about it. He’s not. And he certainly isn’t lonely...
  • Brotherhood of Man: M/M Straight to Gay First Time Romance by Jerry Cole

    Brotherhood of Man: M/M Straight to Gay First Time Romance by Jerry Cole

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Immediately following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Boston-born Chris Collins decided to forego college and enlist in the Marine Corps, to do his patriotic duty and go overseas to fight the enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan. There he would meet and form tight bonds of friendship with three other soldiers: Joey Martelli from Chicago, Antoine Rowe from Detroit and Sebastian Constantine from New York...
    Categorized as:
    military  queer  queer-awakening  m-m
  • Beautifully Wrecked by Charity Parkerson

    Beautifully Wrecked by Charity Parkerson

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Johnny sees himself as straight. Wrecker disagrees. Their friendship is about to get an upgrade.When Johnny moved to L.A. to start a singing career, he never expected to end up working instead as security for one of the world’s most renowned musicians. It’s not so bad. After all, his job led to him meeting his best friend, Wrecker. That’s one relationship he wouldn’t trade for the world...
  • Stronger Than Longing by Katherine McIntyre

    Stronger Than Longing by Katherine McIntyre

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Return to small-town Chesapeake and fall in love with the single-dad bad boy who keeps breaking hearts, and the adorable geek who can't help but fall head over heels for his brother's best friend.For one night with the man of his dreams, Taran's willing to break all his rules.....Taran's always been the reliable one. Safe. Which is why he keeps getting dumped by the assholes he dates...
  • Starlight by Evie McGlynn

    Starlight by Evie McGlynn

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    LiamI joined Doctors Without Borders to help save lives and almost lost my own. The only reason I’m alive is because of Marco D’Angelo. My journey to full recovery isn’t smooth, but I’m determined to get stronger and continue to help others in need. When an opportunity arises to help Marco and his team, I grab it with both hands...
  • Ollie Always by John Wiltshire

    Ollie Always by John Wiltshire

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Named after the main character in his mother’s infamous Oliver novels, Ollie’s been fighting his fictional namesake his whole life. It’s a battle for identity he is slowly and inevitably losing. Ex-army PTI Tom knows all about battles—the real ones that break soldiers...
  • Taming Ryder by Nicola Haken

    Taming Ryder by Nicola Haken

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    You met Ryder Richardson in Being Sawyer Knight. Now, this is his story. I’ve done it. I’ve stuck a whopping two fingers up at my parents, I’ve made a name for myself as one of the world’s biggest porn stars and I’ve finally found a family I belong in. Life is amazing. I get paid to do all my favourite things. Fuck. Party. Travel the world. What’s not to love? And then he comes along...
    Categorized as:
    friends to lovers  angst  queer  m-m  abuse  length-medium
  • Hot Doggin' by Raquel Riley

    Hot Doggin' by Raquel Riley

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Hot Doggin' is the first book in the Bitches With Stitches Series. This is a connected work of the Scars and Stripes series. Hot Doggin' is a friends-to-lovers double bi-awakening story about Stiles and McCormick, two lovable and clueless veterans who belong to a trauma support group of badass men who knit...
  • The General and the Horse-Lord by Sarah Black

    The General and the Horse-Lord by Sarah Black

    Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    2nd Edition The General and the Horse-Lord: Book One General John Mitchel and his favorite pilot, Gabriel Sanchez, served together as comrades and brothers-in-arms for more than twenty-five years. They followed the warrior’s path: honor first, and service, and the safety of the tribe. Their own needs for love and companionship were secondary to the mission...
  • Mourning Heaven by Amy Lane

    Mourning Heaven by Amy Lane

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Heroes fall. Peter first came to the tiny backwater of Daisy, California, as a child, and he was sure of one thing: his cousin Michael would take care of him. When Michael started a friendship with the fragile, haunted Bodi Kovacs, Peter's consolation in losing any claim to Bodi was that Michael would care for him too...
  • Don't Leave Me Alone by Jenny Wood

    Don't Leave Me Alone by Jenny Wood

    Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Alvin is coming home to bury his family His whole family, all the family that he had left. His mom, dad and twin sisters. The military didn't think he was stable enough to come back but really, he was just worried how he'd get through the days. The first one's at his empty family home especially. Carter is a school teacher going to the funeral of a very well respected family of his community...
  • After the Crash by Emma Alcott

    After the Crash by Emma Alcott

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Rule #1 Straight military men will always be straight, no matter how much you wish otherwise Rule #2 Being a billionaire won’t change that (probably) Rule #3 The whole thing between you when you were in high school? It was only fantasy Rule #4 One-sided fantasy Rule #5 God, how great would it be if it was a two-sided fantasy? Rule #6 Okay, getting off track Rule #7 Hiring your hot high...
  • Don't Leave Me Alone by Jenny Wood

    Don't Leave Me Alone by Jenny Wood

    Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Alvin is coming home to bury his family His whole family, all the family that he had left. His mom, dad and twin sisters. The military didn't think he was stable enough to come back but really, he was just worried how he'd get through the days. The first one's at his empty family home especially. Carter is a school teacher going to the funeral of a very well respected family of his community...
  • I’m His First, He’s My Forever by Romeo Alexander

    I’m His First, He’s My Forever by Romeo Alexander

    Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Two best friends, one straight, one gay, fight their own emotional storm in the middle of a raging hurricane.Who will win, heart or hurricane?Ethan: Being in love with my straight best friend? Not the greatest idea. But hey, I’ve kept it a secret from him all these years. Well, until hurricane Ada decided to visit our quiet town...
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
Find out more about romance.io.


Get recommendations by genres & tropes

Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

romance book finder

Looking for more inspiration? Enter another book title to get more suggestions on what to read next.


Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.