Books like 'Desperate Acts'
Readers who enjoyed Desperate Acts by Alexandra Ivy also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance mystery small town action / adventure suspense crime forced-proximity whodunit family
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Gators and Garters by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars · 18 ratings‘Til death do us part?Ida Belle, Fortune, and Gertie are gearing up for the big day—Ida Belle’s wedding to Walter—but when the caterer goes missing just a week before the big day, it puts a huge black mark on the joyous celebration... -
Fortune Funhouse by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe traveling carnival has made its stop in Sinful and everyone is ready for thrilling rides, challenging games, and most importantly, funnel cake. But when a man is murdered in the funhouse and Emmaline LeBlanc is knocked unconscious so the killer can escape, the good times are over... -
A Merciful Promise by Kendra Elliot
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe Wall Street Journal bestselling series continues as Mercy Kilpatrick becomes embedded in the nightmare of a terrorist conspiracy.The job: infiltrate a militia amassing illegal firearms in an isolated forest community. FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick is the ideal candidate. She knows Oregon. She’s near the compound... -
Catch Her Death by Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSheriff Bree Taggert and those she loves become the target of a family’s deadly revenge in a chilling novel of suspense by #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.After Sheriff Bree Taggert’s takedown of cold-blooded murderer Travis Ekin, his family vows revenge. Travis’s mother and brothers are every bit as violent, and Bree is in their crosshairs... -
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Sacrifice The Knight by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSacrifices are never ideal, but to win the game, sometimes the knight must fall. Katrina Blair is a single mom to a daredevil teen, which means she has no time for fruitless endeavours such as dating. Why? Because men are all the same: liars, thieves, and unreliable a**holes...Categorized as:
crime law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult book coming-of-age contemporary -
What I've Done by Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Amazon Charts bestseller.In the fourth book of the multimillion-copy bestselling series, Morgan Dane’s new client has blood on her hands—and no recollection of what happened.Haley Powell wakes up covered in blood, with no memory of the night before... -
Lasting Shadows by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsRidge Faulkner was a renowned luxury house builder. When Ridge was selected at a charity bachelor auction, he was surprised when it wasn’t for an actual date. The woman only wanted him to help fix up her house. Savannah Ambrose was starting her life over in Shadows Landing. But she needed help with the fixer-upper she was moving into... -
Reel of Fortune by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNothing says Welcome Home like a murder. It’s official. Fortune Redding is out of the CIA and a newly minted resident of Sinful, Louisiana. She never expected her homecoming to be all apple pie and hugs, but a murder wasn’t on her list of things to deal with before she’d even gotten her name stenciled on her mailbox... -
Hurricane Force by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the seventh book in the Miss Fortune series. A force to be reckoned with… During missions as a CIA assassin, Fortune Redding saw and overcame most every obstacle, but Sinful, Louisiana, keeps producing new challenges for her. When a hurricane blows through, it brings a shower of counterfeit money raining down on the tiny bayou town... -
The First Death by Kendra Elliot
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA Wall Street Journal bestselling series.For a search and rescue expert, the buried remains of her past are a dangerous obsession in a twisting novel of suspense by a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author.Rowan Wolff was five years old when she, her brother, and their babysitter were kidnapped by a serial killer in the Pacific Northwest. The babysitter was murdered... -
Save Your Breath by Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMorgan Dane and PI Lance Kruger investigate the mysterious disappearance of a true-crime writer.When true-crime writer Olivia Cruz disappears with no signs of foul play, her new boyfriend, Lincoln Sharp, suspects the worst. He knows she didn’t leave willingly and turns to attorney Morgan Dane and PI Lance Kruger to find her before it’s too late... -
Bones Don't Lie by Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsShocking evidence hits close to home for attorney Morgan Dane and PI Lance Kruger as Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s acclaimed series continues. Private investigator Lance Kruger was just a boy when his father vanished twenty-three years ago... -
Fierce Shadows by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDare Reigns is Charleston’s newest undercover ATF agent. Dare and his bosses believe a nearby resort is responsible for several deaths from tainted alcohol. As a favor to his friend, Marcy Davies, Dare agrees to a blind date with her grand-niece who lives in the area. What he didn’t tell her was having a date night at the resort would be the perfect cover for him to begin his investigation... -
Secrets Collide by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe mysterious Cy Davies is coming home. He’s not coming alone either. Having rescued Gemma Perry, a sassy investigative reporter for a gossip magazine, he takes her to the one place he knows he can keep her safe. Keeneston. Gemma Perry was having a bad week. Now she was in a small town where gossip was a currency... -
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Jonny's Redemption by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCan two lost souls find redemption or are some transgressions beyond forgiveness? Lieutenant Jonny Spencer’s life is spiraling out of control. With no end in sight, he withdrawals. Giving in to the darkness is his only reprieve. Roberta “Bobby” Layne knows what it means to live in the shadows. Her childhood was spent fading into obscurity—loneiless her only friend... -
Playing with Lies by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA no-strings kinda guy and a forever kinda woman…what could go wrong?I had a stalker and I knew just who to ask for help—Detective Dalton Neary. My own personal Prince Charming. The problem was, he turned out not to be so charming, at least not in the forever kind of way I was looking for. He was a good-time guy with a sexy smile and a goat game that should be illegal. But not the man for me...Categorized as:
suspense law-enforcement forced-proximity romance mystery grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc -
Secrets Never Die by Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe #1 Amazon Charts bestselling series continues as Morgan Dane and PI Lance Kruger fight for the innocence of a young murder suspect—if only they could find him.When a retired sheriff’s deputy is shot to death in his home, his troubled teenage stepson, Evan, becomes the prime suspect. Even more incriminating, the boy disappeared from the scene of the crime... -
Shadow: A Linear Tactical Romantic Suspense Standalone by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHeath Kavanaugh lost years of his life working for a covert agency that ended up being the enemy. Knowing they put something inside his head— constant, incomprehensible whispers —is driving him crazy. He needs answers, but they’re nowhere to be found... -
Griffin by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSometimes it sucked being the oldest.Griffin had been the oldest of five kids, and even as an adult, those traits still stuck. Responsible. Reliable. Always taking care of others.Moving into an apartment in old Victorian home, he longed to expand his custom home refinishing business, but found himself still taking care of others. The older woman who owned the building... -
Edge of Nowhere by Freya Barker
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOpen roads and honor meets poke bowls and self-controlI’m a homesick nomad.A protégé, a mountain man, an ally, and a seeker.My name is Wapi.I’m a work in progress looking to belong, and though my road has been a winding one, my heart has found focus.I’m a straightlaced hellcat.A princess, a fool, a target, and a handle.My name is Lindsey... -
King Me by Lucy Lennox
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFalcon: Three years ago I arrived at the scene of an art heist to find Kingston Wilde tied to a radiator, claiming to be an innocent bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was only later I learned he was actually, the elusive art thief I’d been tracking for years. And I was the one who’d let him sweet-talk his way out of my grasp...Categorized as:
crime family forced-proximity law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult age-gap -
Adverse Possession by Rebecca Zanetti
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe plural form of Nemesis is NemesesAnna Albertini never thought she’d have to look up the plural form of nemesis. In fact, she never thought she’d have one, much less three. But as she and her new partner try to make a go of their fledgling law firm, enemies come from every direction.First, there’s a newspaper reporter trying to make a name for herself by dogging Anna’s every move... -
One Last Chance by Susan May Warren
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAxel Mulligan was built to be a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He swam fast and endured long, a miracle for those in peril--until a tragedy sent him home to Alaska. Now, three years later, he's not going to let the past repeat itself. As an Air One rescue swimmer, he'll do anything to save lives--including sacrifice his own... -
Rising Storm by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsKatelyn Jacks was used to being front and center as a model. But she never had to confront the Keeneston Grapevine! After retiring from the runway and returning to town to open a new animal clinic, Katelyn found that her life in the public eye was anything but over... -
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A Merciful Secret by Kendra Elliot
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIn this Wall Street Journal bestseller, a pair of ritual murders could expose Mercy Kilpatrick to something terrifying: her own past…Raised off the grid by survivalists, Mercy Kilpatrick believed in no greater safeguard than the backwoods of Oregon. Unforgiven by her father for abandoning the fold for the FBI, Mercy still holds to her past convictions. They’re in her blood... -
Siren Unleashed by Sophie Oak, Lexi Blake
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTwin detectives Ben and Chase Dawson have been sent to investigate an unusual murder at a resort owned by Julian Lodge. Julian wants them to protect the prime suspect, a young submissive who was the last person to see the victim alive. The job seems simple until Ben and Chase discover that the beautiful submissive they both desire has a dark past... -
Cold Hearted by Toni Anderson
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHunting For A Killer...Who Doesn't Play By The Rules. Detective Erin Donovan expects life to quiet down after the arrest and conviction of a serial rapist who terrified her university town last summer. Then two young women are brutally slain and the murders bear all the hallmarks of the campus rapist... -
Logan by Nyssa Kathryn
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHer scars are invisible, to everyone but him. Grace Castle lived through hell, and she's never fully recovered. Nor may she ever. But she's better than she was, and now devotes her time and energy to helping other women...until someone connects her old life to her new one. Suddenly, she's forced to do something that goes against her conscience, her moral compass...her heart...Categorized as:
forced-proximity law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult book contemporary dark -
Jenner by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratings...Categorized as:
forced-proximity law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult animals book contemporary -
Cold Aim by Janice Cantore
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPolice Chief Tess O’Rourke’s small town is still reeling from a devastating fire when the FBI asks for help: Could she shelter a witness in a high-profile human trafficking case? Initially reluctant to put the townspeople of Rogue’s Hollow at risk, Tess is swayed after she sees Pastor Oliver Macpherson’s genuine conviction to rescue those in need, a trait in him she’s coming to love more each day... -
One in Vermillion by Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the NY Times Bestselling duo that wrote Agnes and the Hitman, the third book in a new trilogy.Liz Danger is stuck in her hometown of Burney, Ohio, because her insane employer has rented a house there for the summer, which means she has three more months of trying to get a copy edit done, babysitting a seven-year-old, and figuring out what to do with three hundred and ninety-two teddy bears... -
Dead Heat by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPaige Davies finds her world turned upside down as she becomes involved in her best friends' nightmare. The strong-willed Paige doesn't know which is worse: someone trying to kill her, or losing her dog to the man she loves to hate. FBI Agent Cole Parker can't decide whether he should strangle or kiss this infuriating woman of his dreams... -
The Slow Burn of Silence by Loreth Anne White
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the crossroads of small town mystery and dark suspense comes a romance that explores the bonds of family, the power of love, and the potentially explosive collateral damage of the secrets we keep... Sometimes a contract to forget can be as powerful as a promise to remember.. -
Absolving Blue by Freya Barker, Operation Alpha
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor long-time Durango Fire Department EMT, Ava ‘Blue’ Navarro, her teammates at Station 3 represent a family more loyal than her own. However, when patients start dying on her watch, she draws the attention of local law enforcement. In particular the smooth-talking detective she’s successfully evaded for years, fearing he might stir up her quiet existence... -
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Looking for You by Kelly Elliott
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe last person I would ever expect to be waiting on the front porch for me in the middle of the night was Everly Higgins. To say I was both surprised and thrilled to see her would be an understatement. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since we met last fall when my sister, Greer, fell in love with Everly’s brother, Hudson... -
Payback by Rebecca Deel
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA mission from his past threatens his future. A stalker has his sights set on art history teacher Ivy Monroe. Still recovering from a relationship with an abusive former boyfriend, she's determined to win this fight over fear and intimidation. No one has the right to cage her again. When Ivy is nearly killed, she takes refuge in the arms of the one man she trusts... -
Montana Ranger's Wedding Vow by Elle James
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDallas Hayes muscled her way through Army Ranger training only to be considered a curse on her all-male unit in an operation in Syria. When half the team is killed, she’s left Injured, losing the lower portion of her left leg. Back in the States, she’s fitted with a prosthetic, still jogs and works out, but she’s medically discharged. Angry and resentful, she doesn't trust anyone... -
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... -
Father Complex by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHaving a father can be hard. Being a good one might be even harder.The call-out for the double homicide, when it comes, is a strange one: two men gunned down in a motel room, no witnesses, no real clues. Even stranger, the men were enemies, and no one seems to know why they were in that motel room together... -
Rest in Pink by Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the NY Times Bestselling duo that wrote Agnes and the Hitman, the second book in a new series.Liz Danger is a ghostwriter, trapped in her old hometown for the summer... -
Reckless Fall by Nyssa Kathryn
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsShe’s back in town. He needs a nanny. It should be simple. But in the small town of Misty Peak, simple is never easy.Sadie Sandler wouldn’t consider herself a quitter. But then, she did walk out on her own wedding twenty-three minutes before she was supposed to walk down the aisle... -
You Can Run by Rebecca Zanetti
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFans of Laura Griffin and Jayne Ann Krentz won’t want to miss this brand new thriller series by New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti, as FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow, a rising star profiler, strives to stay one step ahead of the criminal mind—and discovers that her own demons may be the hardest to outrun… Laurel Snow wouldn’t call hunting a serial killer a vacation, but with a pile... -
Chasing Bliss by Sophie Oak, Lexi Blake
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRe-released in a second edition with new content. Gemma Wells came to Bliss, Colorado, after a scandal cost her everything. Utterly lost, the disgraced attorney built walls so high that she thinks no one can get through them. She’s given up on love, friendship, and all matters of the heart... -
Tethered Bond by Emma Hart
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDetective Drake Nash: hot, alpha, bossy, and… mine. Now, if someone could tell his ex that... I don’t care if the summer fair is coming to Holly Woods and she’s on the planning committee. What I do care about is sugar-filled food, bright lights, late nights… and danger. The type that won’t come in the form of Nonna’s new cantankerous British parrot, Gio... -
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Gunner by Rebecca Sharp
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom bestselling romantic suspense author, Dr. Rebecca Sharp, comes a surprise pregnancy romantic suspense...Della Bolden needs an escape—that’s what happens when your billionaire father has shielded your entire life.Growing up under the thumb of personal security—for her own safety—Della wanted one weekend of freedom on a ski trip with her friends... -
The Devil's Spare Change by Samantha A. Cole
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFBI agent Sean Malone put in a transfer to return home to North Carolina in order to be closer to his expanding family. What he didn’t expect was a pleasant surprise from his youth. Little Gracie Whitman is all grown up now and drop-dead gorgeous, and he finds himself thinking about her in ways he’d never done before... -
Smoky Mountain Judge by Ashley A. Quinn
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDivorced, single mom, Kennedy Davidson, knew the move from Richmond to Asheville would be a rough one for her twin teenagers. What she didn’t count on was the rocky start for herself. A week into her new job as a federal magistrate, danger comes calling when a mid-level cartel boss lands on her court docket... -
Distracted by A.K. Evans
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMarriage of convenience? More like marriage of inconvenience. Especially when it turns deadly.Ellery Cross did what she had to do to save her family from ruin. She married a man she wasn’t in love with. Worse, she married a man she knew nothing about.But Ellery eventually learns all she needs to know about her husband. And sticking around is not an option...Categorized as:
suspense family forced-proximity romance contemporary small-town multi-pov arranged-marriage -
Her Last Goodbye by Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsWall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s Morgan Dane series continues as the fearless attorney and her partner, investigator Lance Kruger, take on a disturbing disappearance…Young mother Chelsea Clark leaves the house for a girls’ night out…and vanishes. Her family knows she would never voluntarily leave her two small children... -
Bluegrass Undercover by Kathleen Brooks
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn her first follow-up to the Best Selling Bluegrass Series, Kathleen Brooks brings Keeneston back to life through the Davies Brothers. Cade Davies had too much on his plate to pay attention to newest resident of Keeneston. He was too busy avoiding the Davies Brothers marriage trap set by half the town...
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