Books like 'Love & Ruin'

Readers who enjoyed Love & Ruin by J.A. Owenby also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  dark romance  pregnancy  new adult  secret child  mystery

  • Can't Go Back by Debra Webb

    Can't Go Back by Debra Webb

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    The past and the present collide in the final installment of USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb’s Devlin & Falco series, threatening everything these two detectives care about. Birmingham detectives Kerri Devlin and Luke Falco arrive at the scene of a double homicide to discover that nothing makes sense...
  • Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose

    Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Deadly secrets lie beneath the murky waters of the Louisiana bayou in this pulse-pounding new romantic suspense novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose. There's no safe place for a child to hide when danger comes from every direction. Public prosecutor J. P...
  • Sponsored links / Remove ads
  • Seeds of Iniquity by J.A. Redmerski

    Seeds of Iniquity by J.A. Redmerski

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 32 ratings
    Victor Faust’s new Order is growing. Business is good as there is no rest for the wicked in an underground world of hardcore criminals and contract killing. Relationships among the operatives have changed little over the past year—but things are about to change now, and all six high-ranking members of the new Order will be blindsided by an unlikely enemy...
  • Deceiving Lies by Molly McAdams

    Deceiving Lies by Molly McAdams

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 31 ratings
    The irresistible, blazing-hot sequel to New York Times bestselling author Molly McAdams's Forgiving Lies. Rachel is supposed to be planning her wedding to Kash, the love of her life. After the crazy year they've had, she's ready to settle down and live a completely normal life. Well, as normal as it can be. But there's something else waiting—something threatening to tear them apart...
  • Sinners Reign by R.E. Bond

    Sinners Reign by R.E. Bond

    Rated: 4.74 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    *This series is unpublished and has been rewritten with brand new plot and books added to the series. This edition does not follow the updated storyline. The wars have ended, and we are finally at peace. I never thought I’d be glad to not have to shoot at someone. I guess I’m not that crazy after all. The Psychos and Devils have expanded business, and things are running smoothly...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  pregnancy  mystery  dark  poly  menage  bad boys  alpha male
  • Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

    Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 75 ratings
    When they were children, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle were friends. But then a strange car pulled up to their street. One boy got into the car, two did not, and something terrible happened -- something that ended their friendship and changed all three boys forever. Twenty-five years later, Sean is a homicide detective. Jimmy is an ex-con who owns a corner store...
  • Dutch’s Surprise Baby by Aria Ray

    Dutch’s Surprise Baby by Aria Ray

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Figured my major screw-up was losing Joy, but it was losing that precious secret she cradled in her belly. Now she's back, and I'll guard her and my little dude 'til my last wicked beat. Despite being much older than Joy, I was damn sure we were meant to ride together. Then, she vanished, leaving me with just a quick note and a shattered heart. Didn't sit right, but I respected her call...
  • Delirium by Katie May

    Delirium by Katie May

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    ELLIE. New secrets and shocking revelations have brought me and my guys closer together. We must work as a team to bring down the Paragons of Prosperity once and for all. But with one of my men presumed dead, another being actively recruited by the cult in question, and the other three chasing lead after lead, I fear we may be in way over our heads...
  • Kade's Turn by Tiffany Snow

    Kade's Turn by Tiffany Snow

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    It 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...
  • Phoenix's Plight by Tiffany Casper

    Phoenix's Plight by Tiffany Casper

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    After being left in a dumpster as a baby, Heathen’s life was laid to ruin from the start. Being adopted should have been his saving grace, but after his adoptive mom passes away he’s left alone once more. That was until Powers, a member of the Wrath MC, gave him a home and a family among the brotherhood. With the tendency to level everything in his path, Heathen was appointed Enforcer of the club...
  • Savage: The Awakening of Lizzie Danton by L.A. Fiore

    Savage: The Awakening of Lizzie Danton by L.A. Fiore

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 29 ratings
    They call him a monster. Pale blue eyes as cold as ice that see right through you. He’s hard. He’s damaged. He’s dangerous. He lives in a castle fit for a fairy tale, but he’s no prince. He’s savage. He’s brutal. He’s a killer. By an act of fate, our worlds collide. They call him a monster, but he is my salvation...
  • I Belong to You by Lisa Renee Jones

    I Belong to You by Lisa Renee Jones

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    Book 5 in the New York Times bestselling INSIDE OUT series now in development for TV with Marvista Entertainment! Master. .. Being that person, that man, is how I define myself, how I allow the rest of the world to define me as well. And now, with a terrible loss shredding me inside out and someone trying to destroy my family to punish me, control is more important than ever. It is everything...
  • Unseen  (Joker's Wild Novella) by B. Livingstone, Indie Black

    Unseen (Joker's Wild Novella) by B. Livingstone, Indie Black

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    What happens when the dutiful wife is pushed too far? Rebellion and Freedom. While the whole world searches for the senator’s missing housewife,. Zoey crafts a plan to guarantee she steers clear of their radar. But when three gorgeous brothers and a high school sweetheart barge into her new life,...
  • Out of the Ashes by R.C. Boldt

    Out of the Ashes by R.C. Boldt

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Phoenix /fēniks/: (in classical mythology) a unique bird inhabiting the Arabian Desert that burned itself on a funeral pyre before rising from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle. This isn’t mythology, it’s war, and Hendy is left in the hands of Hell’s cruelest gatekeepers...
  • Erik's Refuge by Nyssa Kathryn

    Erik's Refuge by Nyssa Kathryn

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    The choice is simple…surrender or perish. In the blink of an eye, he became her everything. Her hero. Her savior. Her whole world. Hannah and Erik are finally building the future she’s longed for…but it doesn’t include a family. Erik’s already felt the pain of losing a child before he even experienced the joy of holding them in his arms. It’s not something he’ll risk again...
  • Desperate Lies by Ella Miles

    Desperate Lies by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    I lied. He lied. His search for answers is unrelenting. It makes me hate him, but I also want him. No, I can’t want him. I want to kill him, but I’d also die for him. I’m done relying on men to protect me. I’m the huntress, about to become the killer. Desperate Lies is Book 2 in the Lies Series. Ends on a cliffhanger.
  • Brutal Saint by Luna Kayne

    Brutal Saint by Luna Kayne

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    HARLOW IS HUNTING HER SISTER’S KILLER. AND COLE IS HUNTING HER. COLE SAINT. The woman my family is looking for is the one-night stand I can’t get out of my head, and her life depends on me getting to her first. Harlow is sunshine and light. I live in the shadows, among the dark and the damned, but there’s something about Harlow that makes me want to take care of her...
  • Bound by Passion : A Motorcycle Club Romance by Ryan Michele

    Bound by Passion : A Motorcycle Club Romance by Ryan Michele

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author Ryan Michele brings the action packed, suspenseful, spicy next generation of Ravage MC filled with angst, loyalty and family. Raid bled the blood of the club. Undeniably loyal. Focused on family. Determined. His thought processes would make any other man cringe. Calculating. Meticulous. Always thinking...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  mystery  bikers  contemporary  suspense  humor  dark  abuse
  • Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch

    Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    She 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. Even though she ended their relationship, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to protect her and their child...
  • Last Resort by Janie Crouch

    Last Resort by Janie Crouch

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From USA TODAY Bestselling Author Janie Crouch. Previously published as Texas Chance. She 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...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  pregnancy  dark  suspense  contemporary  military
  • Broken Anchor by Ella Miles

    Broken Anchor by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    I’m broken. He’s broken. We are broken. But sometimes you have to shatter to pick up the pieces. To start over. To overcome our enemies. And find out if we can love again. He’s my anchor, but can our love be repaired? This is the final book in the Sinful Truths series.
  • Promised to the Killer by B.B. Hamel

    Promised to the Killer by B.B. Hamel

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 11 ratings
    Her family tossed her aside like a broken doll. But she's my shining treasure and I'll kill to make her mine. Siena Bastone is going to die. She's the cast-off traitorous daughter of a minor mafia family with deliciously pouty lips and a wicked tongue. But after we spend one unforgettable night of sin in a hotel room, I can't walk away. I pull her from her family's clutches and make her my own...
  • Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii Vol. 6 by Asuka Konishi

    Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii Vol. 6 by Asuka Konishi

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 21 ratings
    PLEASE DON'T SEND ME BACK TO WHERE I CAME FROM. Ripples travel out from the battle in Osaka, and Renji is none too happy with Shouma and Kirishima for involving his granddaughter. When a fight breaks out, Yoshino grabs a bat and breaks it up. But corporal punishment is not her style, never mind that Kirishima would absolutely take it and beg for more...
  • The Final Hour by London Miller

    The Final Hour by London Miller

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    Three months pass without incident, leading Mishca and Lauren to believe they can finally move on from the past and build a life together. . .. but enemies both old and new lurk in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to strike. When a dangerous threat presents itself, Lauren is forced to turn to the one person that would rather see Mishca dead than live happily ever after. . .
  • Bastard Vol. 3 by Carnby Kim, 김칸비

    Bastard Vol. 3 by Carnby Kim, 김칸비

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    FROM ONE KILLER TO ANOTHER. Jin Seon's high school life may seem normal from the outside, but a dark secret hangs over him: his own father is a serial killer! Despite wearing the mask of a philanthropic CEO, Jin's father is a murderous monster who's manipulated his son for years, even forcing him to serve as an accomplice for his crimes...
    Categorized as:
    mystery  new adult  horror  dark  contemporary  m-m-m  poly  queer
  • Ace by Brooke Summers

    Ace by Brooke Summers

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 10 ratings
    All she’s wanted is to be loved… He only wants fun. .. Andromeda Peters lives her life in the shadows. Being dealt trauma at such a young age, she steeled her heart against everyone. She never thought she’d find someone she could trust. Until Ace. She’s the daughter of his enemy… He’s the man that she loves…. Ace made a vow months ago. He would take out all those that harmed his sister...
  • There's Something About Blaire by Anita Gray

    There's Something About Blaire by Anita Gray

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    This is not a full length novel: 6k word count. This is a bonus scene from Blaire Dark Romance part 1 in Charlie’s point of View. To truly enjoy this bonus scene, I recommend you read Blaire part 1 first, available on Amazon (kindle and paperback) Kobo and B&N. Excerpt from the bonus scene--. "She’s as ominous as hell. I can feel how much blood she’s got on her hands...
  • If You Dare by A.R. Torre, Alessandra Torre

    If You Dare by A.R. Torre, Alessandra Torre

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 39 ratings
    Equal parts Dexter and 50 Shades, this is the eagerly awaited new novel from A. R. Torre, author of the award winning erotic thriller, The Girl in 6E. The rules are the same. I can't open the door. I can't leave. I can't kill anyone. The only difference is, I don't set the rules anymore. Guards in grey uniforms do. It is everything I never wanted and everything I always deserved...
  • Hear No Evil by Ivy Fox

    Hear No Evil by Ivy Fox

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Evil cannot take hold of an unconsenting soul. Do not be amazed that hell is empty, since all the devils live here. One by one, they will meet their hellish fate. One down…. Three to go. Easton. A tyrannous society has discovered our most atrocious secret and decided to wage war on us. They’ve had their fun with Finn, and now it’s my turn to be their little puppet...
  • The Difference Between Someday and Forever by Aly Martinez

    The Difference Between Someday and Forever by Aly Martinez

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    The world took everything from us. As survivors of not only a plane crash, but two other impossible tragedies, we’d more than earned a life of peace. But time and time again, we were shown that fate had no intention of giving that to us. Remi and I were soulmates. Plain and simple. Our love should have died in the depths of our darkness, but the sun still exists even when it’s not shining...
  • Break Me by C.D. Reiss

    Break Me by C.D. Reiss

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    It was always Sarah. And she was always mine. I woke up in a nightmare. I woke up alone. There was a reason I never let myself have feelings before. Emotions make you stupid. They make you miscalculate. If someone gave me the choice, I’d do it all over again. Only this time, I’d stop everyone who ever looked at the woman I love before they had the chance to hurt her...
  • Feather by Fawn Bailey

    Feather by Fawn Bailey

    Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    The story of Gilded Cage begins with mafia princess Ophelia and twins out to own her. .. But there's a villain preying in the darkness, and he's almost ready to strike. Ophelia Sokolov. Innocent, beautiful and spoiled. The daughter of a Russian mafia kingpin, I get everything I want with the click of my fingers. Except for him...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  dark  length-novella
  • Cruel Lies by Ella Miles

    Cruel Lies by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    This is book 4 in the Lies Series. It continues Langston & Liesel's story. Ends on a cliffhanger.
  • Reaper by Rachel Leigh

    Reaper by Rachel Leigh

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    They call me the reaper. Saying I have no soul. A heart that’s charred black. I tell them it’s true,. because it is. I’ve been hiding in the shadows. Stealing secrets, destroying the lives of those who deserve it. But there’s one story to be told before this book closes. My story. Don’t be fooled, it’s not a fairytale. I’m no prince. And I certainly don’t want a princess...
  • Serving The Maestro by M. S. Parker

    Serving The Maestro by M. S. Parker

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Jazz Moors––a successful New York business woman––wants a baby, but not a husband. As her window of opportunity closes, she meets Trent Dixon, a very handsome Hollywood composer who's only in town for a short while. Preferring natural conception, she finds him suitable, so she asks him to be her donor. Trent is on board, but with a twist...
  • The Night Blossoms by Leylah Attar

    The Night Blossoms by Leylah Attar

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    New York Times bestselling author Leylah Attar returns with a page-turning romantic suspense/thriller that careens down an emotional highway toward a chilling finale. Dark, thrilling, and ingeniously unpredictable. “Do you ever really know someone, or do you just know the parts they want you to see? ”...
  • Gabby's Protector by Janie Crouch, Regan Black

    Gabby's Protector by Janie Crouch, Regan Black

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    After a heart-shattering tragedy, Tony Marino bottled up his emotions and gave more than twenty hard years to the SEAL teams. Now, he’s enjoying a later in life career in paradise in the Ellington Cove special security office. The best part? Working with their research expert, Gabby Ladd...
  • Break by Angel Devlin, Tracy Lorraine

    Break by Angel Devlin, Tracy Lorraine

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Mine no more. I thought my heart beat for Jackie Chambers, but it was just a placebo effect. As I return to B. A. D. Inc, I’m a changed man. Ready to face the future on my own, to find out who Oliver Ward really is and stand on my own two feet for the first time in a long, long time. Yet I’ve only been at work one day when Zoey comes crashing into my life...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  office  dark  length-medium  m-f
  • MARCUS: Sins of the Father by Nicole James

    MARCUS: Sins of the Father by Nicole James

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Nicole James, comes a. STEAMY, FORBIDDEN MC ROMANCE! The SECOND GENERATION has arrived! This is the first book in her spin-off from her bestselling Evil Dead MC series. Brandy--. When a bunch of bad-boy bikers walk through the door to the bar, one catches my eye. He's got a killer smile, and an air of wickedness about him that draws me in...
  • Amethyst: A Wolfes of Manhattan Novella by Helen Hardt

    Amethyst: A Wolfes of Manhattan Novella by Helen Hardt

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    His best friend disappeared before he could profess his love. Her return is a miracle…but she’s damaged from her experience, and he’s engaged to someone else. I’ll find her. I will find her if it’s the last thing I do. Years ago, on a magical prom night that held promises of forever, Max Robinson planned to confess his feelings to his best friend and secret crush, Jenna Holland...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  dark
  • Reese by Candice Wright

    Reese by Candice Wright

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Welcome to the Candy shop. Where poison never tasted so sweet. .. Being a Candy Girl is more than just a job, it’s who I am. But before I became Reese. I was known as Malice, the street kid who killed a man before disappearing without a trace. Now seven years later a serial killer is using those same streets as his hunting ground. To catch him, I’ll have to go back to where it all began...
  • Digger by Brooke Summers

    Digger by Brooke Summers

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 9 ratings
    Coming October 27, 2022.
  • MARCUS: Sins of the Father by Nicole James

    MARCUS: Sins of the Father by Nicole James

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Nicole James, comes a. STEAMY, FORBIDDEN MC ROMANCE! The SECOND GENERATION has arrived! This is the first book in her spin-off from her bestselling Evil Dead MC series. Brandy--. When a bunch of bad-boy bikers walk through the door to the bar, one catches my eye. He's got a killer smile, and an air of wickedness about him that draws me in...
  • Steel Crew: Books 1-3 by M.J. Fields

    Steel Crew: Books 1-3 by M.J. Fields

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    The first three stand alone novels in the Steel Crew series are now available in a box set. TAGGED STEEL. The night before college graduation, was one for the books. Deciding to memorialize our last night together, my roommates and I ended up in front of a tattoo shop. They chickened out. I didn’t...
  • Crank by Ellen Hopkins

    Crank by Ellen Hopkins

    Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars
    · 124 ratings
    In Crank , Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank. " Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father...
  • Thirty Days of Hate by Ginger Talbot

    Thirty Days of Hate by Ginger Talbot

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Secrets and lies tore us apart. Can love keep us together? SERGEI Willow thought she got away from me, but she was wrong from the beginning, wrong about everything. I find her trying to take down a human trafficking ring, unsure whether I'm there to help her, or drag her down. But from now on, Willow doesn't have a choice. She will be my wife. She will submit. She will play her role...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  dark  bdsm  length-short
  • Damaged Vows by B. B. Hamel

    Damaged Vows by B. B. Hamel

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    He wants a piece of my business and his ring on my finger. Only he doesn’t know that I’m pregnant with his baby. It may be the most cliche mistake ever, but I have the best night of my life with Nolan Crowley. He’s a mafia prince, rich and handsome, dangerous in that scary-but-also-hot sort of way...
  • Broken Edges by Jessie Evans, Everly Stone

    Broken Edges by Jessie Evans, Everly Stone

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Loving Gabe made me stronger than I was before. Better. He taught me that love is both beautiful and vicious, terrifying and intoxicating. I’m not afraid anymore. I know that it’s possible for two imperfect people to have a bond worth risking everything for. After all we’ve been through, I thought I was ready to fight any battle. But nothing could have prepared me to face this new nightmare...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  dark  angst  alpha male
  • Darkness Before Dawn by Claire Contreras

    Darkness Before Dawn by Claire Contreras

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 38 ratings
    Is 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...
  • Whiskey & You  (The Kings of Texas Billionaires) by H.J. Bellus

    Whiskey & You (The Kings of Texas Billionaires) by H.J. Bellus

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Sometimes it’s the hero who ends up needing a lifeline…. Jack Jarvis York is a ruthless and vindictive oil tycoon who knows no boundaries when he’s been double-crossed. Debtors beware. He’ll slit your throat for a nickel. And make no mistake, he will collect. You never screw with a man’s pride, money, or oil. It’s Texas Law. Unwritten, yet gospel...
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.