Books like 'The Penalty Box'
Readers who enjoyed The Penalty Box by Odette Stone also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance mystery sports marriage-of-convenience fake-relationship arranged-marriage forced-proximity enemies-to-lovers alpha-mc
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Highball Rush by Claire Kingsley, Lucy Score
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsRough around the edges Gibson Bodine takes his lone wolf image seriously. The tough guy. The bad boy. Gibson lives alone. Works alone. He doesn’t do love. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. In Bootleg Springs—home of moonshine and the nosiest neighbors in West Virginia—secrets don’t keep forever... -
Kate by Tate James
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsMadison Kate is a new adult/college age dark romance with enemies to lovers/hate to love themes. This is a reverse harem series, meaning the leading lady has several love interests and she doesn't have to choose between them for her happily ever after. If this isn't your cup of tea, then this isn't the series for you. ♥KATE is book 4 of 4 in the MADISON KATE series...Categorized as:
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Unraveled by Ivy Layne
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSummer Evers Sinclair is dangerous. One flash of that teasing smile, and I know he’s going to ruin me. He makes my body shiver and my brain melt. He’s also a huge mistake. Girls like me don’t land guys like Evers. But every time he knocks on my door, I let him in. I thought we understood each other. I thought we were playing the same game. I was wrong... -
Break Me by Meagan Brandy
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsI had a plan, and it was solid. Track down what was hidden away and take pleasure in toying with it. Toying with her. It worked like a charm.Until it didn’t. Turned out, the feisty little thing I found was far from what I hoped for. She was different from all I knew and more than I expected. She was light, and I’m the bastard who led her into darkness.But this girl..Categorized as:
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Twisted Bonds by Cora Reilly
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsCan you ever truly leave the past behind in a house full of haunted souls? Kiara always wanted a loving family she could take care of. She never thought she’d find it with the Falcones. Nino and Kiara both lost part of themselves in their traumatic childhood...Categorized as:
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The Resurrection by Jodi Ellen Malpas
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the moment Danny Black met Rose Cassidy, he knew she’d be the death of him. But their electric connection and twisted love gave him a purpose beyond ruling Miami with his iron fist. Faking his own death and disappearing to St. Lucia was the only way he could escape the deadly underworld that brought them together... -
Awakened by Sin by Mia Knight
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCarmen Pyre had it all until her husband was murdered by a madman who threatened everyone she loved. Now that her husband has been avenged, it's time to move on... she just doesn't know how. Two men who fill her husband’s former roles offer to help her move forward with her life...Categorized as:
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The Finish Line by Kate Stewart
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsSecrets and Lies...I’ve lived the entirety of my life wrapped up in subterfuge for one purpose—revenge.Through the years, I lived more as an enigma than a man.For so long, I denied I had a beating heart of my own. Until her. Until she unearthed the starving vessel inside, forced me to acknowledge it, forced me to understand that I’m capable of bleeding the same as any other.For that, we paid...Categorized as:
alpha-mc angst billionaire cheerful-mc crime drama enemies-to-lovers forced-proximity -
Queen in Lingerie by Penelope Sky
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMuse told the world how she felt about me.Instead of feeling joy, I felt terror.This isn't what I want.This isn't how our relationship is supposed to be.I end things because I have no other choice.But I struggle to cope with my misery, to sleep in an empty bed without her beside me...Categorized as:
alpha-mc billionaire cheerful-mc crime grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine multi-pov organized-crime -
The Don : The Oath Duet by Serena Akeroyd
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBlood stains my hands, my soul, my heart, yet I’ll shed more to keep her safe. A chance meeting brings Jen MacNeill into my life—the woman born to reign at my side.She just doesn’t know it yet. How could my Lady be anything other than a silken promise taunting me with every breath she takes?A new Don reigns over Manhattan.But though I won the war, peace isn’t easily brokered... -
Blame It on the Shame by Ashley Jade, Michael San
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." I've fallen in love with Lou-Lou. And I'll stop at nothing to keep her away from you. But there's one thing I never counted on... The moment when our 'truths' would turn into lies. I thought Bruno DeLuca was our biggest threat. I was wrong. Because the fire burning between us—would end up destroying us. And killing me... -
Ruin by Laurelin Paige
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWith her heart literally in his hands, Celia will have to try and bargain with a devil.Edward Fasbender is my captor.Trapped on this island he owns everything on--including, it seems, me.He told me he would break me, but I thought he meant in the bedroom. It turns out Edward is playing a completely different game.And he won't stop until he's ruined me...Categorized as:
alpha-mc angst arranged-marriage billionaire crime drama enemies-to-lovers fake-relationship -
Kingdom Fall by A. Zavarelli
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsI was a nanny in need of a job. He was darkness personified. I had little to call my own. He was filthy rich, powerful, and dangerous. The assignment was simple, and my goal was too. Take care of his son. Keep my head down. When he least expects it, destroy him. It should have been easy. I thought it would be until I looked into his stark blue eyes...Categorized as:
alpha-mc angst arranged-marriage billionaire crime drama enemies-to-lovers forced-proximity -
When Villains Rise by Giana Darling
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsFrom Wall Street Journal bestselling author Giana Darling comes the conclusion to the Anti-Heroes in Love duet, a gripping mafia romance about the capo who will risk everything to keep the woman he loves safe...I am the hero no one wanted...I was a murderer.One of the cruelest and wealthiest men in New York City.Dante Salvatore, capo of capos.Yet I had one weakness.Elena Lombardi...Categorized as:
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This Isn't You, Baby by K. Webster
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI was a pawn. Weak and someone easily manipulated. To be played with as he saw fit. Until YOU. YOU shone light in my now dark world. It was YOU who made me smile. For the first time in this game, I had hope. All because of YOU. The more powerful pieces on the board, however, were a threat to YOU and me. They would win at any cost. Two kings ruling with an iron fist...Categorized as:
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Irresistibly Dangerous by J. Saman
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFor the record, I knew I never should have touched her.She was everything good in this world and I was everything but.I was too broken to care about how off limits my best friends’ cousin was.But I didn’t know how to stop.She was the air I needed while drowning in darkness.Until I broke her heart and finally forced myself to do the right thing and walk away... -
Caelian by Bella J.
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI had to run. It was that, or marry a man my father auctioned me to when I was a little girl. I knew my father wouldn’t make it easy, but color me surprised when he sends Caelian Del Rossa to find me. The man is a menace. Arrogant. Infuriating. Enigmatic. He thinks he’s my knight in shining armor. I’m convinced he’s nothing more than my father’s retriever... -
Merciless Saints by Michelle Heard
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsAt St. Monarch’s Academy, you’re either a predator, a pawn, or prey. It’s the only neutral territory where heirs of the wealthiest rival crime families learn underworld skills.Alliances are made. Loyalty is owned. Love is taken.As the best protector in training, I will be paired with the top assassin. Because I’m unbeatable, everyone fears me.Even her, Winter, Mafia Princess of the Hemsley family...Categorized as:
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Possess Me by Michelle Heard
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsI’m a monster.I kidnapped the wrong girl, and under excruciating circumstances, we fell in love.I took every beating and form of torture meant for her.For months I protected Everleigh, only to lose her when we finally escaped.It’s been years, and the ghost of Everleigh Adams still haunts me.The nightmare of losing the only woman I’ll ever love has driven me to insanity...Categorized as:
suspense steamy organized-crime forced-proximity angst alpha-mc multi-pov grumpy-sunshine -
Tears Of Betrayal by Michelle Heard
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a new standalone, full-length romantic suspense novel.My father is the head of the Bratva, but being born out of wedlock, I’ve never been a part of that world.Until a hit is taken out on me. I’m kidnapped in the dead of night and waking up, it’s to come face to face with Demitri Vetrov...Categorized as:
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Bastiano Romano by Parker S. Huntington
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAriana De LucaMaybe if I knew what was going to happen, I wouldn’t have taken the assignment. I would have walked away from my job. My duty. My life.But I didn’t.And so, I fell in love with Bastian Romano. My new boss. The enemy of my blood. A man as talented a killer as he is in bed. A beautiful, twisted traitor wrapped in fancy designer suits and wicked smirks... -
Favorite Mistake by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe boy next door isn’t next door anymore.He’s in Vegas, preparing for the upcoming NFL season, and I’m still stuck in the small Midwestern town where we grew up.We should be together, but people wanted us apart. They won. Secrets are uncovered and lives are forever torn apart.Maybe it was a mistake to try to recapture what we once had after everything we’d been through... -
Honest Mistake by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe’s not the boy next door anymore, and I’m not the girl I used to be, either.His life is in the spotlight as one of the most popular professional football players on the Vegas Aces, while I can’t afford to have my secrets exposed. But as we work together on a project benefitting our small Midwestern town, we easily slip back into the friendship we once shared... -
Hidden Mistake by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe boy next door is back, and so am I.He’s spending his NFL off-season in our small Midwestern town after seven long years away, and I’m in town for different reasons.Memories shift to reality as we find ourselves in the place where we first fell in love. We’re different people now, but I’m falling fast and hard for the man he is now.But he’s married... -
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Final Score by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe final betrayal was enough to break us.When I learn of the secrets he’s been keeping for two decades from a source other than him, I’m devastated. I don’t know how I’ll ever trust him again.But I’m keeping a secret of my own. One he deserves to know.I thought the final score ended in a tie where we both lost, but maybe there’s hope to put a little more time on the clock...Categorized as:
sports steamy enemies-to-lovers multi-pov angst forced-proximity workplace celebrity -
Need Him Like Oxygen by Jessica Gadziala
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWithin the ruthless hierarchy of the mafia, Dav and Cinna reign as powerful capos within the same crime family.Dav, with his gregarious charm and flirtatious disposition, hides a secret darkness that few ever glimpse. Despite his relentless advances, Cinna, strong-willed and fiercely independent, keeps him at arm's length, determined to prove herself an equal in a male-dominated world...Categorized as:
organized-crime friends-to-lovers forced-proximity workplace alpha-mc slow-burn steamy suspense -
Bases Loaded by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAlexis is backed into a corner as she looks between two doors. Behind door number one is the man her father is pushing her to marry, the man who’s good for her brand and her future. Behind door number two is me: the bad boy of baseball who happens to be the man she has fallen in love with.I wish we could just run away together. I promised I’d wait for her no matter how long it took...Categorized as:
sports friends-to-lovers multi-pov celebrity angst steamy billionaire arranged-marriage -
Grand Slam by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAlexis’s father tells me he’s going to ruin me. He does not want his pop star daughter or her brand associated in any way with the bad boy of baseball.I make it my mission to prove to her father that I’m not the bad guy he thinks I am. But he takes things a few steps too far, causing major issues that will affect my upcoming baseball season... -
When Heroes Fall by Giana Darling
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsI am the villain of my own story...Jilted by my fiance. A disappointment to my family. Haunted by my childhood traumas. I felt so much all my life that I resolved to feeling nothing at all. Until I met my match. As the most infamous mafioso of the 21st century, Dante Salvatore was madly passionate, unequivocally bad, and entirely too dangerous to know...Categorized as:
alpha-mc angst cheerful-mc crime enemies-to-lovers forced-proximity grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine -
One Bossy Dare by Nicole Snow
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow returns with a howling funny office romance where two bitter insta-rivals stumble into the sweetest love.It was one little dare with razor-sharp teeth—work for him.Yes, he's a fire-breathing grump and gazillionaire bachelor.Yes, I just gave him an ego check he'll never forget.Yes, he's still offering me the job dreams are made of... -
The Oracle by Serena Akeroyd
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI friendzoned Hunter Lachlan because I thought he could never give me what I needed. After a decade of pushing him away, I don't recognize Las Vegas's new Don.Maybe my childhood best friend knew me better than I ever realized... And maybe, just maybe, he's the one man for whom I'll kneel... -
The Price Of Scandal by Lucy Score
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 21 ratings“I’m the fixer your board hired to clean up your mess.” “So you show up here, break into my house, and take a bath?” Emily Stanton’s perfect life just became a disaster. She has a trust fund brother looking for a handout, a father who is more board member than dad, and a mother who thinks she should give up on this whole billionaire CEO thing and meet a man with a pre-nup and a yacht... -
Ruthless Saints by Michelle Heard
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI move in the shadow of death. I’m the villain. The monster everyone fears.I’ve been born into a life of depravity and ruthlessness. It’s kill or be killed.Until her…The moment she smiles at me, my world changes.I keep coming back. Watching her brings me stolen moments of peace.Until I can’t stay away…She doesn’t know who I am, that she’s flirting with death... -
Reckless Trust by Nyssa Kathryn
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt’s a long-awaited homecoming…but not everyone’s happy about her return. Five years ago, Tilly Taylor’s father did something that cost her everything. Her home. Her friends. And all the trust she’d ever earned. Now she’s back, and ready to prove to everyone that she’s nothing like Martin Taylor. Unfortunately, the small town of Misty Peak doesn’t forgive or forget so easily...Categorized as:
suspense crime enemies-to-lovers forced-proximity workplace grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc -
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Rise of a Queen by Rina Kent
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNothing is fair in love. This is my kingdom. My territory.I own everything and control everyone, Aurora included.She shouldn’t have barged into my world with no armour.She shouldn’t have caught my attention with no warning.Alas, she did.Then she thought she could disappear.If a battle is what it’ll take to protect and own her, I’ll shed blood.Wars aren’t fair, and neither am I...Categorized as:
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Filthy Marcellos: Dante by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDante Marcello’s life has been a carefully planned event as an heir to a Cosa Nostra throne. For as long as he can remember, he’s had one goal in mind, and that’s becoming the Don. With his father ready to step down, it’s Dante’s turn to step up. But without a wife at his side, his seat as the boss is on shaky ground. Until she shows up with an offer he wants to refuse, but can’t...Categorized as:
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The Insiders by Tijan
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Insiders is the first in a brand new, page-turning romance trilogy from New York Times bestseller, Tijan!Bailey is as normal as could be, with a genius IQ and a photographic memory. But still, normal for her. Then, things happen—a guy breaks into her house in the middle of the night to take her hostage... -
Cruel Saints by Michelle Heard
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance Alliances are made. Loyalty is owned. Love is taken. Little did I know my love and freedom would be taken to form a new alliance.Brutal, possessive, and dangerous, Lucian is feared by all. Including myself. When his father is assassinated, Lucian takes his rightful place as head of the Cotroni family...Categorized as:
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Fastball by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt was over as quickly as it started…or at least I thought it was. But as it turns out, I can’t stay away. Life keeps throwing us together, and it seems like she’s everywhere all at once. She’s in the same house as me, in the bedroom next to mine as I dream about what she’s doing in there... -
Wreck & Ruin by Emma Slate
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 19 ratings"You're not lying to me, are you?" Dev's voice was low and dangerous. "I don't like people who lie to me." Wrong place, wrong time. I've attracted the attention of a violent MC president. Dev Rawlins wants me. Desperate, I turn to Dev's enemy, Colt Weston, President of the Blue Angels. He’s the sexiest man I’ve ever met, and the only one who can save me in a world of outlaws...Categorized as:
alpha-mc cheerful-mc crime drama enemies-to-lovers grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine organized-crime -
Caged by Bella Matthews
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhy are the cocky ones always the hardest to resist?Because this man . . . this man is temptation personified. He’s six feet, four inches of rock-solid, golden muscles that are inked to perfection and proudly displayed every time he steps into the cage. And I’m the idiot who agreed to stay with him for the next few days...Categorized as:
angst athlete billionaire celebrity drama forced-proximity friends-to-lovers slow-burn -
No Mistake by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAll I want is my happy ending with the boy next door.Every time we get close, something threatens to break us. Half-sisters, town gossips, and jealous exes throw punch after punch, but we hold on tight to each other as we attempt to navigate the chaos.With his life in the spotlight as a professional football player, I start to feel like it might always be like this... -
Blame It on the Shame: Part 3 by Ashley Jade
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThere's something lurking in all of us. Something we hide and shelter from those we love in order to protect them. A darkness we try to suppress because we're ashamed of who that makes us. Because that's the thing about Shame. It wounds us. It damages us. Or, for the few poor souls out there like me...it defines us. It's there—in the shadows, beneath the surface...just waiting... -
The Bayou Never Tells by Chelley St. Clair
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe only thing darker than the waters of the Louisiana bayou are the secrets it holds. I’d know—I’ve buried more than a few myself.She was supposed to be one of them.I was the boy who never had a chance, an orphan recruited by the devil himself, until the family I never knew gave me something to live for... -
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On Deck by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen a family emergency reminds us all how short life can be, Alexis’s father moves up the wedding date. She’s forced to wrestle with her father’s emotional manipulation as we fall harder and harder for one another and her wedding day moves closer. We’re keeping a huge secret from her father and her rabid fan base, and we both feel the walls closing in on us... -
The Boyfriend Experience by J.A. Huss
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom NYT Bestselling Author, JA Huss, comes a new sexy standalone in the Jordan's Game series. Oaklee Ryan needs a boyfriend but not for any of the reasons you might think...It's a simple request. But the girl... Well, she's not so simple. Oaklee Ryan is a pragmatist. She lives in reality, she deals with facts, and she's goal oriented...Categorized as:
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The Emperor by RuNyx
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhat happens when a legacy of ruin mates with a realm of blood?Heir to the notorious Tenebrae Outfit, Dante Maroni has been trained since birth. A silent rebel in the shadows, he has learned to hide his ruthlessness under his charm, his brutality under his suits, and his love for one woman under his silence...Categorized as:
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Spark by Aleatha Romig
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“From a little spark may burst a flame.” ~ Dante Alighieri A simple ember to dried kindling can ignite a raging fire. I’ve made my mark and proven my loyalty to a man, a city, a way of life. That loyalty has provided me with all the spoils of success. Until now that hasn’t included a woman at my side... -
Oath of Silence: A Dark Mafia Romance by Jane Henry
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI'll give her my ring to claim my crown.Vittoria DeSanto leaves me no choice.What she knows could destroy me.Destroy my family.And I won't allow that.She's homeless, penniless, powerless.I’ll give her the life of a mafia princess.Anything she desires will be hers…Except her freedom.Because our marriage will make me The Boss of the Rossi crime family.My word is law... -
Bride by Logan Chance
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom USA Today Bestselling Author, Logan Chance, comes a powerfully spell-binding enemies to lovers duet ready to capture your heart. Here comes the bride, all dressed in lies. Love and cherish are not in Gabriel Prince’s vocabulary. He’s used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is me—as his bride. I won’t give in to Gabriel’s undeniable sex appeal...
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