Books like 'Pain'
Readers who enjoyed Pain by E.M. Leya also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance mystery mlm dark crime lgbtq friends-to-lovers children suspense
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Ride or Dye by Aimee Nicole Walker
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsGabe and Josh Roman-Wyatt have been living life in the fast lane. Demanding jobs, precocious twin toddlers, an ever-growing circle of friends, and a menagerie of pets means their home is filled with love and laughter but very few quiet moments for the happy couple. Gabe’s solution is to plan a surprise vacation at a perfect hideaway where the two of them can slow things down and reconnect... -
Skylar by Addison Jane
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSkylar thought she’d outrun her past six years ago. Growing up, her life was dictated for her and reinforced with a heavy fist. The people who were meant to love and protect her were those that caused her the most pain. So she risked everything and ran... -
Final Orders by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn embattled author. Fanatical parents. A son who can’t stay out of trouble. It’s the last one that’ll probably kill him.When Emery Hazard gets drawn into a brawl at a monthly school board meeting, he knows he’s in trouble; his husband, John-Henry Somerset, is chief of police, and they’re already under enough scrutiny as they try to finalize their foster son’s permanency plan... -
A Dye Hard Holiday by Aimee Nicole Walker
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of year for Gabe and Josh Roman-Wyatt as they celebrate their first holidays as fathers, but someone’s war on St. Nick threatens to ruin their holly jolly Christmas... -
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Devil's Hour by Aimee Nicole Walker
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDevil’s hour, noun: the hour when the demon or devil who leads hell is at its strongest. Born on the wrong side of the tracks, Royce Locke is no stranger to scrapping and fighting for the things he wants. What he desires most is Sawyer Key—his partner on the force and the man he’s falling in love with... -
The Innocent by C.J. Bishop
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen Clint and the boys “clean house” after discovering a small dangerous operation of child sex traffickers, they find themselves pulled into a nightmare of unparalleled proportions where children are nothing but “merchandise” and the depth of depravity and abuse reaches beyond human comprehension. Note: This is an M/M romance and should be read by readers 18yo and above only... -
Domestic Animals by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSometimes, 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. But Hazard is willing to play along; he suspects something much darker is going on, and he wants to know what it is... -
Broadway Butchery by C.S. Poe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Cold Case Squad of the NYPD is overworked, understaffed, but receiving great press due to star detective, Everett Larkin. His uncanny memory and Holmesian-like skills of deduction have already led to the capture of one serial killer. Now he’s identified a second predator and brought an end to their twenty-plus year reign of terror... -
The Grave Between Us by Tal Bauer
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt 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... -
Deserted by Cara Dee
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDeserted is the third book in the Auctioned Series, following book 1, Auctioned, and book 2, Stranded. Gray Nolan had survived a kidnapping where he was supposed to have been auctioned off to the highest bidder. He had also survived being stranded on an island, under siege from a different set of foes, and throughout the hell they’d all endured, their motto had been “Leave no man behind... -
Beautifully Loyal by Nicole Edwards
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSometimes love isn’t enough… Sometimes you’re required to be beautifully loyal. If you think you know her… You’re wrong. If you think you know her family… Wrong again. If you think you know her story… You don’t. Ashlynn Adorite is no stranger to the cruel and unusual world she was born into. In fact, she accepts it, understands it, embraces it... -
Rialto by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSomeone has it out for Rialto. Ian Banner is loving his hectic life. He’s newly married, ready to start a family, and opening a new restaurant. All his dreams are coming true. The last thing he needs is a problem with his restaurant. But when one attack after another comes, he grows convinced he has another enemy... -
Tied Over by Mary Calmes
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJosiah 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... -
Looks Over by Rose Christo
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"There's nothing wrong with trying to get to know my son's boyfriend." Skylar knows he's lucky to have an open-minded father. It's not just that Skylar and Rafael are both boys. Between their families exists a dark and turbulent past: Rafael's father was the first serial killer in the history of the Nettlebush Indian Reserve, and Skylar's mother was his last victim... -
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The Evening Wolves by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEvery victory comes at a cost. The trail has gone cold. For months now, Emery Hazard and John-Henry Somerset have been trying to find something—anything—that might help them uncover the truth about the criminal organization operating out of the Cottonmouth Club. But every lead has turned out to be a dead end, and every step forward has cost them two steps back... -
Good Vibes Only by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJust vibing. Good Vibes Only is a collection of short stories from Iron on Iron. It includes the “All the Feels” Jem and Tean get settled in their temporary new home. This story is set after The Face in the Water . “Add Me Back” Theo and Auggie (especially Auggie) spend time with their new friends. This story is set before The Girl in the Wind . “Adulting is Hard” North and Shaw are.. -
Black Light: Suspicion by Measha Stone
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“I have my own suspicions about you, Sophie.” Sophie Nelson knows her kinky interests are no more than fantasy, definitely not something that’ll ever happen in the real world. So the sexual playground Black Light is the best place to turn. A safe place to play. Until Scott. Detective Scott Russo knows better than to get sexually involved with his partner... -
A True Fit by Michele Notaro
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTrent~ My life has been great the past few years and I have zero intention of screwing anything up. I’m certainly not going to let some guy ruin things for me, especially not my boss’s ex. But for some reason, every time I run into Declan, I become more and more intrigued by him... -
Christmas Panther Style by Annabella Stone
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTheir world was turned upside down... With booms, kabooms, and bullets flying after a mad dash across continents on a rescue mission in a plane painted like Santa's sleigh. Join some friends old and new as they chase the enemy none of them ever wanted. One of their own... -
Foxes by Suki Fleet
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Dashiel's body is found dumped on an East London wasteland, his best friend Danny sets out to find the killer. But Danny finds interaction difficult and must keep his world small in order to survive... -
Crocus by Amy Lane
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSaying “I love you” doesn’t guarantee peace or a happy ending. High School Principal “Larx” Larkin was pretty sure he'd hit the jackpot when Deputy Sherriff Aaron George moved in with him, merging their two families as seamlessly as the chaos around them could possibly allow... -
Custody Battles by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSome parents would die for their children. Others will do a whole lot worse.Emery Hazard and his husband, John-Henry Somerset, are settling into their new normal—at home, with the latest addition to their family, and at work, as Somers adapts to his new role and Hazard manages his expanding agency. The only thing Hazard is worried about is getting through dinner with his in-laws... -
Olive Juice by T.J. Klune
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt begins with a message that David cannot ignore: I want to see you. He agrees, and on a cold winter’s night, David and Phillip will come together to sift through the wreckage of the memory of a life no longer lived. David is burdened, carrying with him the heavy guilt of the past six years upon his shoulders. Phillip offers redemption... -
A Light in the Darkness by Alice Winters
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFelix and Lane are trying out their new normal. Normal means no more car chases, no more drug lords, and definitely no more kidnapping bad guys. All of that is a thing of the past in this new, normal(ish) life style filled with family get-togethers, torturous jogs through the park, and the occasional romp in the parking lot. Felix is done stealing (all but for the cat)... -
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Redirection by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen it comes to your ex, nothing is ever easy.The Borealis boys are settling into their new normal, or at least into their new digs. But when North’s soon-to-be (please-let-it-be-soon) ex-husband, Tucker, is arrested and charged with murder, everything goes sideways.Hired by Tucker’s parents, North and Shaw begin looking for proof that Tucker is innocent, in spite of the evidence against him... -
Suspicion by Eden Winters
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLucky “Simon Harrison” Lucklighter left behind his criminal past to become one of the best agents in the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau. He’s found a committed partner in fellow agent Bo Schollenberger and built a life. Now, enemies within the SNB and a friend’s betrayal leave him nowhere to turn—not even to his mentor. His boss’s life, the future of the SNB, and Lucky’s career depend on him... -
Hot Mess 6 by Stormy Glenn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLany: I just wanted to help my Mom out with the Children's Fall Festival. I had no idea I'd be dragged into a mess that would change my entire world. Learning that children in foster care were being abused, and determined to stop it, I jumped in feet first. I just had to stay alive long enough for Sal to rescue me... -
Calem by Christopher Harlan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn Calem, the first of the New York's Finest series from contemporary romance author Christopher Harlan, a renowned psychologist and an embattled NYPD detective join forces to end the city's reign of terror, finding salvation and love in each other's arms in the process. Dr. Cordelia Summers is a brilliant psychologist... -
The Strangest Forms by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWatson is dead. Holmes is alone. And Jack is desperate.Sixteen-year-old Jack Moreno is managing to hold his life together. Barely. After a terrible car accident leaves his father unable to work, Jack makes ends meet by dropping out of school and covering his dad’s custodial shifts at a school for troubled teens, high in the Wasatch Mountains... -
Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild is a collection of short stories. It includes the following:“First Dates”A prequel to The Lamb and the Lion books, this short story shows Jem and Tean as they are set up on blind dates—with disastrous results.“Cheap Seats”Jem and Tean go to the movies. Jem insists it’s an epic bromance date. Tean insists they’re just casual acquaintances... -
Codirection by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThey killed a girl to keep their secrets. They won’t stop there.A new home, a fresh start, a chance to do things right this time—and Shaw and North are determined to make it work. But the night of their housewarming party, things don’t go as planned. A reporter arrives, wanting to talk to North about his ex-husband, his father, and a criminal syndicate... -
The Old Wheel by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBlackmail. Breakups. Boys. Trouble always comes in threes.Life is different for Jack Moreno. Good. Definitely good. Well, better, anyway.He’s back in school (although classes are harder than he expected). And his dad is healthy (which means he’s worrying again about things like Jack’s curfew and, oh yeah, grades)... -
Blue on Blue by Dal Maclean
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom Lambda Literary Award Finalist Dal Maclean After three years working as a private investigator, newly reinstated Detective Inspector Will Foster still holds himself responsible for the death of an officer under his command. But he’s returned to the Met bent on redeeming himself and that means bringing down gangland boss Joey Clarkson... -
Stryke First by Sandrine Gasq-Dion
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis book is part of a series. It contains homosexual relations, violence and coarse language. It is preceded by Falcon's Fox. Rebel Stryker has had to fight to survive from the moment he was born to a heroin-addicted mother. Raised by his grandparents, his only mission in life was to succeed where his mother had failed... -
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Cold Calculation by Cole McCade
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsABOUT THIS EPISODE How do you profile a serial killer who keeps changing his pattern? A body encased in ice and a cryptic message make Malcolm, Seong-Jae, and Aanga Joshi question everything they thought they'd learned about the Golden Ratio Killer. If their suspect can change his methods and alter his patterns, he could easily disappear... .. -
Dear Cassius by Alice Winters
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDear Cassius,Do you feel me watching you? When Cassius starts his junior year of college, he has no idea how different it will be. The only thing he’s worried about is getting through college and his unrequited love for his best friend.Initially, Cassius thinks nothing of the picture with a strange note slipped under the windshield wiper of his car, but it ends up changing his entire life... -
Complete Corruption by C.D. Reiss
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCan be read as a STANDALONE! Theresa Drazen can have plenty of guys, but the one she can't keep away from....the one she's just about addicted to, is more than forbidden. With felony-black eyes and a mouth built for lies, loving him is one step away from illegal. But her body keeps overriding her brain. Maybe it's time to stop playing by the rules. ------- Antonio is obsessed... -
Sadistic Sherlock by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTen years ago, Dominic Walsh faked his own death. With no true identity, it wasn’t hard. But if he’d stayed, he would have been drawn further into a life he’d never chosen. He has friends and family at Ward Security now and has managed to escape his dark past. There is only one thing he truly wants. Abraham Stephens... -
Piece of Cake by Mary Calmes
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA Matter of Time Story After years of domestic partnership, Jory Harcourt and Sam Kage are finally going to make it official in their home state of Illinois... -
Breaking the Story by Ashley Farley
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPassion, peril, and a scandal that will rock American politics. Scottie Darden’s life is a disaster. Her marriage has become toxic, and her career as a photojournalist has stalled out. To attract the attention of the main players in the news industry, she needs a standout story with a unique perspective. What she finds is a scandal that could turn the 2016 presidential election upside down... -
Heart Beats by Davidson King
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEvery night Ledger stands on the stage of Joker’s Sin, the most popular gay nightclub in Haven Hart, mixing music. Many of the people who come through the doors want his attention, but lately he’s only had eyes for the red-headed bartender, Shane. When Ledger is invited to be on a panel at DJ Con, he asks for support from his friends at Joker’s Sin. To his surprise, Shane shows up... -
Their Reason by Jessie G, Andrew Reyna
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsYou are cordially invited to the wedding of Jon Connor and Ian Jones! When I think about my guys and who I think marriage would mean the most to, I always think about Red. Growing up in foster care and spending his first twenty-five years just trying to survive, the concept of family is a dream he never thought would become a reality... -
Real Hazard by Elle Keaton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThey're not looking for love, but it catches them anyway. Can two very different men find common ground and claim a future... together? FosterThings I love✓ my kid sister✓ the no-hope dogs I rehabilitate✓ my job as an EMT✓ and maybe my new friend Dutch.But Dutch isn’t gay and physical attraction isn’t something I feel often... -
'Nother Sip of Gin: A Sinners Gin Anthology by Rhys Ford
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor Crossroads Gin rock stars Miki, Damien, Rafe, and Forest, life is a Möbius strip of music, mayhem, and murder. Through it all, the sweet, hot moments between tours with lovers, friends, and family keep them sane, healthy, and happy. This Sinners collection features short stories spanning the entire series, from before the first note to after the lights go out... -
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A Thief in the Night by K. Sterling
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLong ago, Romance was ruled by rakes. The time of the ton came to an end and rakes gave way to new, more modern heroes. What if there were still some rakes left in the world? What if they were every bit as devastating and irresistible as the rakes we’ve loved and longed for but modern? K. Sterling believes there are still some rakes out there and their time has come. The rakes have returned... -
Smoking Gunn by Tatum West
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJamie:I only have two rules: I don’t tangle with anyone who wants a relationship. And I’m the one who decides when it’s over.The guys I see are quick and dirty—that’s what I want. I keep my head down and my heart to myself. The only person who sees the real me is my daughter, and I need it to stay that way.My life is small, and the guys at my new job hate me—and they’ve got plenty of good reasons... -
Mysterious Abduction by Rita Herron
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe’ll never give up on finding her baby. And neither will the sheriff of Whistler.For five years, Cora Reeves has searched for her baby, who went missing in a fire—a baby she swears is still out there. When the private investigator sniffing out clues ends up dead, Sheriff Jacob Maverick’s on the cold case. As old evidence takes on new meaning, Jacob is deperate to ensure Cora’s safety... -
Hennessey's Handler by Pandora Pine
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBar owner Hennessey McCoy finally has his life on track after being discharged from the U.S. Coast Guard under mysterious circumstances. He’s rebuilt his life piece by piece and Hennessey is the right place to open his heart to the right man. When his three-year-old niece goes missing at a party, Hennessey is paired with an annoyingly handsome search and rescue dog handler to help find the child... -
Let Me Remind You by Gianni Holmes
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat happens when a man you can't remember has more memories of you than you have of yourself?Clay's football career is brought to a halt after losing his memory in an accident. When he moves back to San Diego, he hopes familiar surroundings will bring back his memory. He doesn’t expect to be slapped in the street by the most interesting guy he's never met before... -
Finn by M. Tasia
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHEART MURMUR Fleeing from his existence as an outcast child in a fanatic cult, Finn Masterson makes his way to Los Angeles, only to find an unforgiving city with little prospects for a teenager with few life skills...
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