Books like 'Defy'

Readers who enjoyed Defy by L.J. Shen also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  romance  action / adventure  high-school  steamy  sports  age-gap  forbidden-love  alpha-mc  dark 

  • The Rosemary Beach Collection: Rush and Blaire by Abbi Glines

    The Rosemary Beach Collection: Rush and Blaire by Abbi Glines

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    The Rosemary Beach Collection brings together Fallen Too Far, Never Too Far, and Forever Too Far, three sensational new adult novels by #1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines.Fallen Too Far...
  • Fallen Fourth Down by Tijan

    Fallen Fourth Down by Tijan

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    My mother tried to destroy me. She doesn’t exist to me anymore and my father, the one who raised me and the biological one, are both works in progress. The only two people that I can trust are Mason and Logan, and they’re the two people who I could lose. It won’t happen. I won’t let it. No matter the truth, no matter who loves me, I won’t let anything or anyone come between us. They’re my world...
  • Rebel by Rebecca Yarros

    Rebel by Rebecca Yarros

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    She’s Penna Carstairs. The Renegade they call Rebel. FMX-treme Magazine’s sexiest female athlete of the year.There’s no rule in extreme sports she hasn’t broken,No gender barrier she hasn’t demolished. She’s the woman I met in a bar in Vegas.The woman I illegally BASE jumped for.The woman I spent one insane, incredible night with.But now I’m screwed.Or rather…not screwed...
  • Nashville Dreams by Julie Capulet

    Nashville Dreams by Julie Capulet

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    “All I wished for was to experience that spark you read about, just once. What I wasn’t expecting was the Fourth of July and heaven on earth all rolled into one.” ~ Stella Bass player Kade Tucker is known as the Magic Man, and not only for his riffs. After breaking off a disastrous relationship, he swears off women. Only problem is, five minutes later, he might have just met the love of his life...
  • Those Three Words by Alexis Winter

    Those Three Words by Alexis Winter

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Those three words…
Those three delicious, naughty words instantly set my body ablaze...
  • His Control by M. S. Parker

    His Control by M. S. Parker

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    CAI: My entire life has always been focused on accomplishments, working myself ragged in the hopes of getting out from underneath my big brother's shadow. Now, Grandfather's gone, and my relationship with my brothers is at a breaking point, leaving me to decide what's truly important...
  • Mace by Lane Hart

    Mace by Lane Hart

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Mace I fell for Hailey the moment I laid eyes on her, before I knew about the three King Kong size battles I would have to fight to be with her. By the time Linc warned me that his gorgeous sister with legs a mile long was off limits and “emotionally fragile,” it was too late. There was no turning back. Then there’s my friend Senn, who had a one-night stand with Hailey...
  • Home Run by Jordan Marie

    Home Run by Jordan Marie

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Green Lucas doesn't know what's about to hit him. Complete Standalone Romance Wanted A woman with grit and fire who will help me get my son’s head out of his ass. You must be self-sufficient and not looking for a gravy train. Common sense is a plus, book smarts are optional. Cannot have red hair, as my son seems to go for that type and he needs something to shake him up...
  • At First Sight by M. S. Parker

    At First Sight by M. S. Parker

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Sixteen years ago, I lost Belle, the love of my life, in a tragic car accident.Devastated, I left Scotland to work in Uncle Ben's brokerage firm in Manhattan. Dedicating my life to the job, I rose to the top of the ladder, next in line to head the billion-dollar company.Belle, however, never left my heart. Every year––on our anniversary––I dine at the restaurant where we first met...
  • Cash's Treasure by Cassi Hart

    Cash's Treasure by Cassi Hart

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Kayla A year after my whole world turned upside down, I’m finally settled into my new life with a job, friends, and a man who means everything to me. Cash is more than my rescuer and protector. He’s my best friend. Everyone around us might argue that we are a couple, but despite how much I long to admit my true feelings, it’s a line I know we can’t cross...
  • Inferno: Part 4 by T.K. Leigh

    Inferno: Part 4 by T.K. Leigh

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    He found me in the dark when I thought all hope was lost.He swore he loved me when I didn't think anyone ever would.He vowed to keep the shadows haunting me at bay when I felt like I was drowning in my past.But in doing so, he also kept the truth from me.It shouldn't surprise me...
  • Hood River Zero by K. Webster

    Hood River Zero by K. Webster

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author K Webster comes a forbidden, friends to lovers romance called Hood River Zero!She sees the darkness inside that I’m trying desperately to hide from everyone.Pokes. Prods. Infuriates.This girl won’t stop until she’s touched every scar, both inside and out...
  • The Baby Contract: A Best Friend's Brother, Surrogate Pregnancy Romance by Ajme Williams

    The Baby Contract: A Best Friend's Brother, Surrogate Pregnancy Romance by Ajme Williams

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The contract clearly stated that I was paying her twenty-five million dollars to have my baby.No love.No sleeping together.Those were the rules, but here’s one thing you need to know about me…I’m a rule breaker.My biggest mistake was having her move into my place.Anne was nothing like the other girls I’d been with.I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame...
  • Beg For It by Alexis Winter

    Beg For It by Alexis Winter

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    You know that feeling—the one where you tell yourself it’s a terrible idea but you know you’re going to do it anyway?Even though you know that this man isn’t just your father’s best friend who’s twenty years your senior…he’s your new boss.I’m the good girl that’s always done the right thing and yet here I am, fresh out of grad school feeling directionless in life and love...
  • Just Playin': Romantic Sports Comedy by Shandi Boyes

    Just Playin': Romantic Sports Comedy by Shandi Boyes

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Presley “Elvis” Carlton was at the top of his game. Number one draft pick, engaged to an up-and-coming model, and voted best player of the decade his first year on the field. Things were golden. . . until an accident saw everything important torn from his grasp...
  • Return to Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

    Return to Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Beckett Taylor is a murderer. His calling, his craft are destruction and intimidation—whether he wants it that way now or not. He left Poughkeepsie to keep his brothers safe, to keep Eve safe. Set up with happy lives to live, they’re better off without him, right?But all his willpower crumbles when he hears his brother Blake’s frantic voice on the phone...
  • Detained by Luna Mason

    Detained by Luna Mason

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    FrankieI don’t have to hide behind a mask anymore.I rule New York, and now all I have to do is finish what I started ten years ago. To destroy the man who took my life from me. No one can get in my way. That is until I am arrested for murder and have my first taste of Detective Zara O’Reilly.The woman hell bent on ruining my plans...
  • Wilder by Rebecca Yarros

    Wilder by Rebecca Yarros

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    He’s Paxton Wilder. Twenty-two-year-old, tattooed, smoking-hot leader of the Renegades. Five time X Games medalist. The world is his playground—especially this year—and for the next nine months I’m stuck as his tutor on the Study at Sea program. He’s too busy staging worldwide stunts for his documentary to get to class...
  • Collide by Piper Lawson

    Collide by Piper Lawson

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    My hot professor’s past tore us apart. But he won’t give up on our future.I thought I knew who Sawyer Redmond was. I was wrong.But he’s fiercely determined to keep me, and I can’t avoid him. He’s everywhere—in class, at events, in my head.He forces me to discover a side of myself I never knew. One that terrifies me almost as much as it excites me.He says our secrets can bring us closer...
  • Dark Secret by Summer Cooper

    Dark Secret by Summer Cooper

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    He’s all I have left... But he doesn’t even know my real name. I thought I could have it all, but no. My family won’t allow it. They say he’s their nemesis. At least I know their priorities now: business before silly me. So just like that, I’m no longer a Thompson. I’ve been tossed out into the cold — exiled. Mr Dark is everything to me now...
    Categorized as:
    billionaire  sports  humor  dark  steamy  secrets  multi-pov  military
  • Dark Truth by Summer Cooper

    Dark Truth by Summer Cooper

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    They say the truth hurts. But living a lie hurts more. Trent’s letter has left me with so many questions. What does he want from me? What do my family want? They’re not usually ones to forgive and forget. I’m finally in a good place. At peace with not having them in my life. I’ve got a good job, I'm standing on my own two feet...
  • Broken Heir by Amber Vant

    Broken Heir by Amber Vant

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    My once perfectly orchestrated kingdom is crumbling and it’s all because of her. Rory may have disappeared, but like a flame, light will always shine brighter in darkness.She grew up believing she only ever had herself, and maybe at one time that was true, but not anymore. She’s one of us now. I may be on the outs with the hellhounds but that doesn’t mean she’s allowed the same generosity...
  • Broken by Alexis Winter

    Broken by Alexis Winter

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Librarian's Note: This is an alternate title/cover edition for ASIN B07WRXPCQT“He wanted what wasn’t his.”He stops moving but doesn’t let go of me.He has a look in his eye…Intense. Predatory. Claiming.“But I’m not yours either.”“Tonight, you will be.”The moment she made that stupid bet with me I should have walked away...
  • Easy Ride by Nichole Rose

    Easy Ride by Nichole Rose

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Loving his curvy lamb will be this former SEAL's easiest ride yet. ShepAinsley Foster has the brightest eyes and sweetest smile I've ever seen.Whatever she's running from sent her straight to my gym.I want her to run right into my arms.But earning her trust is no easy feat.All she knows of motorcycle clubs is what she's seen on the news...
  • Bastards and Scapegoats by Coralee June

    Bastards and Scapegoats by Coralee June

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    The first time I saw Hamilton, he was balls deep in one of the bridesmaids at my mother’s wedding.He was lethal. Handsome. Cruel. Twisted.I was drawn to him like fists to glass. We had an angry sort of relationship. There was nothing kind about the broken man that stole my heart and crushed it in his fist. He was all sharp edges. One touch could ruin me. One kiss could end our happy little family...
  • In The Game: A Secret Baby Hockey Romance by Sloane St. James

    In The Game: A Secret Baby Hockey Romance by Sloane St. James

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    RaleighBeing a “puck bunny” isn’t a term I enjoy, but it’s what they call me. And I’m okay with that, as long as my nights with hockey players provide me with a taste of true love, something I’m not sure I’ll ever find. Where I grew up, there was no happily ever after. But I’ve got a body that lets me play pretend every once in a while.My first night with Barrett transformed me...
    Categorized as:
    sports  dark  age-gap  billionaire  steamy  multi-pov  humor  romance
  • Inferno: Part 1 by T.K. Leigh

    Inferno: Part 1 by T.K. Leigh

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    A suspenseful age gap romance from a USA Today bestselling author.I met him on the worst day of my life.After ditching my wedding and hopping on a flight to Rome, all I wanted was to forget about the burdens that had been placed on my shoulders since birth.I never expected to meet him.Dante Luciano.Mysterious. Rugged. Alluring.And possessing an Italian accent so toe-curling it should be illegal...
  • Jude by Lane Hart

    Jude by Lane Hart

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    MMA cage fighter Jude Malone leads a simple life - eat, sleep and train. His older brother Jax is a legend in the octagon, and while Jude's had his fair share of recent losses, he's better than his record. He just needs a chance to prove it. When Jude is suddenly offered the fight of a lifetime by his head coach, there is only one tiny string attached...
  • Until Brandon (Kindle Worlds: Happily Ever Alpha) by Natasha Madison

    Until Brandon (Kindle Worlds: Happily Ever Alpha) by Natasha Madison

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Brandon Anytime I heard someone speak of the boom, I laughed. Surely only crazy people believe they can fall in love as soon as they lay eyes on someone. I thought it was all in their heads until the moment she walked into my office asking for a job. The instant my gaze locked with hers, I knew she was mine, and I would do anything in my power to protect her...
  • JOCK by Jacob Chance

    JOCK by Jacob Chance

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    When the dean of students asked me for a favor, I had no idea it would mean tutoring Owen Dawson. Me, forced to spend time with Boston University’s notorious quarterback? With his dark hair, chiseled body, and a promising future playing in the NFL, every guy on campus wants to be him. Every girl wants to be under him. Every girl, except me...
  • T.A. by Jamie Begley

    T.A. by Jamie Begley

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Cuffing season was supposed to be about finding a hook-up to keep her warm during the cold Kentucky winter nights. T.A. wasn’t looking for Mr. Right; she just wanted Mr. Available. That was before she met Dalton Andrews. The widower was nursing a broken heart, and the only thing he wanted was a woman to take his grown kids’ minds off worrying about him...
  • Jaded Hearts by Harper Sloan

    Jaded Hearts by Harper Sloan

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Signing with Brighthouse Records was supposed to be everything we ever wanted—our better life. Our chance at everything we never had but always wanted. All our dreams would finally come true and we were on top of the world. It was our chance at the happiness we never had in life. Our every desire was at our fingertips and the power of that feeling was all consuming...
    Categorized as:
    age-gap  alpha-mc  angst  billionaire  dark  drama  female-mc  humor
  • Beauty from Love by Georgia Cates

    Beauty from Love by Georgia Cates

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    The epic romance between an all-American beauty and her Aussie continues in this final installment of The Beauty Series.Jack McLachlan is fulfilled by more than he dared to dream possible. He finds everything he never knew he wanted—or needed—in Laurelyn Prescott, his last and final companion...
    Categorized as:
    age-gap  alpha-mc  angst  billionaire  dark  drama  female-mc  humor
  • The Heat by Alice Ward

    The Heat by Alice Ward

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    She hates me on sight. I want her on sight. We don’t just argue, we explode. As the newly minted CEO of Watts Enterprises, the billion-dollar company with the world’s worst "green" reputation, it’s my job to produce the products consumers clamor for. But Atlee Young, an environmental attorney with more passion and will than I’ve ever seen, thinks differently...
  • Always Making Waves by Ali Parker, Weston Parker

    Always Making Waves by Ali Parker, Weston Parker

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Water, waves, and women. That’s my focus for my time at Pro-U. As it should be for a guy who looks like me. Unfortunately, I failed English the semester before and now I’m scrambling to keep my spot on the swim team and on the campus. The last place I expected to find help was from a hot goodie-goodie on the girls’ team...
  • Forever My Babygirl: A Billionaire Romance (Vegas Daddies) by Jane Henry, Shanna Handel

    Forever My Babygirl: A Billionaire Romance (Vegas Daddies) by Jane Henry, Shanna Handel

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A playboy billionaire, a desperate escort, and a one night stand...There are crickets in my bank account,An echo in my fridge,And if I don't pay my rent,I'm out on the street.I need a quick fix.He makes me call him daddy,Makes me obey...Makes me crave so much more.But my debts are paid,And our time is dwindling...But I want to stay... forever...
  • All In: Playing to Win by Lane Hart

    All In: Playing to Win by Lane Hart

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Zack Bradford's ego is so big that it can barely be contained in the stadium where he plays professional football. The quarterback previously named Rookie of the Year and deemed the Sexiest Man Alive is on top of the world. Or at least he was, until he gets hit by a scandal that could end his career...
  • His Secret by M.S. Parker

    His Secret by M.S. Parker

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The final book in the Hunter Brothers series. Blake: I've been angry for as long as I can remember. Angry about life, about what I've lost. It's my only defense, my only protection. No one has ever been able to break through. Then I meet her. The strong, beautiful Brea who won't let me retreat into anger. If I just can open up my walls for her, I know she can change my life...
  • Beautiful Salvation by Piper Lawson

    Beautiful Salvation by Piper Lawson

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    He wanted to punish me. I wanted to hate him.Until I didn’t.Trapped in a corner, my only way out was the ruthless billionaire who put me there.But we healed each other.We’ve done things in the dark that we’re not proud of, things that will forever be kept secret from the world.Those sins forged a bond as strong as the love that binds us together.He’s my king, and I’m his queen...
  • Snowballed by K.G. Reuss

    Snowballed by K.G. Reuss

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    ...
  • The Rogue's Princess by Cassi Hart

    The Rogue's Princess by Cassi Hart

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    MilaLife after my father’s tragic death has been one disappointment after another. Things only get worse when my mother abandons me, leaving me at the mercy of my abusive stepfather. When I overhear him on the phone one night offering my virginity as payment for an outstanding debt, I know I have to get out...
  • Dirty Boy by Nichole Rose

    Dirty Boy by Nichole Rose

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Can this dirty boy convince his curvy girl that love is worth any risk?DanteBehind my back, people call me rude.To my face, they call me a star.I never cared what anyone had to say.All that mattered to me was football and my family.The minute I saw Ella Morgan, everything changed.Now all I think about is that sweet smile.She thinks we're just a summer fling. She's wrong...
  • Cocky Player by Stacey Lynn

    Cocky Player by Stacey Lynn

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Like most guys I have a type— she wasn’t mine.Not at all. The angelic beauty on the dance floor has innocence written all over her. But I can’t stay away. And when she runs from me, leaving me wanting more, I can’t get her out of my head.Turns out finding her won’t be too hard. My mystery virgin is the new marketing assistant for the Rough Riders Football team. And the owner’s daughter...
  • Elusive by L.A. Fiore

    Elusive by L.A. Fiore

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    I didn’t set out to be a pirate. Life for me was about surviving the ugliness that people knew existed but didn’t talk about. I lived in hell. Then I saw her. I knew I couldn’t keep her, but for just a little while I had found heaven. Eight years later, I can’t get her out of my head. It is a mistake sailing to her island. It is a mistake reaching out to her. She doesn’t recognize me...
  • Perfect Spiral by Lane Hart

    Perfect Spiral by Lane Hart

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    ~ Quinton Dunn ~ I had the perfect life. Getting paid millions to play the sport I love and spending most of my nights with all the adoring female fans, what more could I possibly want? I sure as hell didn’t want the baby boy someone dropped on me before running, leaving behind a note saying he’s mine. If that’s true, then I don’t have a freakin’ clue who his mother could be...
  • Never Been Kissed by Lucy Darling

    Never Been Kissed by Lucy Darling

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    I handle threats. But he’s the one threat I never saw coming. Silent, strong, and far too good-looking, he makes me feel when I should be doing anything but. I’ve always prided myself on keeping up with the boys. But this time, with this man, I don’t want to be just one of the boys to him. I want to be his everything.She’s the kind of woman you savor. One that deserves devotion and sacrifice...
  • Eighty-One Nights by Georgia Cates

    Eighty-One Nights by Georgia Cates

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Beautiful, penniless American girl meets handsome, wealthy Scotsman. Sounds like the beginning of a fairy-tale romance? It’s not. This story begins with a contract. And an exchange of money. A lot of money. An angel perches nervously on one shoulder. A devil lounges smugly on my other. And even that dark little bastard is leery of what I’m doing...
  • Savage Heir by Jagger Cole

    Savage Heir by Jagger Cole

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    To know Ilya Volkov is to fear him. To defy him, lethal.They call him The Wolf—ruthless heir to the most brutal crime family in the world. A tattooed, green-eyed devil. A seductive psychopath who trades in mind-games and leaves a path of destruction in his wake.Except, I didn’t get that memo. I spit in the dark prince’s face.Now, he wants to break me...
  • The Perfect Stroke by Jordan Marie

    The Perfect Stroke by Jordan Marie

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    This bad boy wants to show her his rock-hard nine-iron…and his smooth stroke. CC Gray Lucas is a bad boy, on and off the green. As golf's new media darling, his face is plastered on the front of every tabloid in the country. His exploits are legendary--one of which is me. We had a one-night-stand, before I knew who he was. It was passionate, wild and exhilarating...
  • Van by Sawyer Bennett

    Van by Sawyer Bennett

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Score one for the Carolina Cold Fury hockey team as a stone-cold badass melts for a woman who makes his blood run hot. As one of the league’s toughest enforcers, Van Turner is ruthless on the ice. He plays hard because it’s the only way to channel the rage boiling inside, and a reputation as an A-hole is better than everyone knowing the truth...
Defy by L.J. Shen
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