Books like 'Joke'
Readers who enjoyed Joke by Mia Malone also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance small town mystery stalking steamy madness crime dark
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Toxic Creek by K.C. Kean
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“It’s so nice when toxic people stop talking to you. It’s like the trash took itself out.”I had everything I ever wanted, until my life was flipped upside down. Now, I’m suddenly being forced to live in my parent’s hometown, with complete strangers. Like my heart isn’t broken enough. Could I fall any further?Yes. Yes, I could.Why might that be?The Allstars... -
Shamrock: A Linear Tactical Romantic Suspense Standalone by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEvery mission has a price.He never meant for her to pay it. Aiden has never left anyone behind. Not a comrade and certainly not an innocent. But when an undercover mission goes wrong, he's forced to abandon a woman trapped in a human trafficking ring. Violet learned brutally that no one is promised a happy ending... -
Boss: Time Served MC Book 1 (Tenillo Guardians TSMC) by Cee Bowerman
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“You’re everything I never even thought about wishing for.”After serving time in prison for killing a man, Boss is mostly content with his life in small town Tenillo, Texas. He’s got his friends, his brothers from the club, his job working for his mentor, and pets who welcome him home at night. A single offhand comment to some friends changes his entire life... -
At Peace by Kristen Ashley
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsViolet Winters once had it all but lost it when her husband was murdered by a criminal madman. During a cold winter night Violet has to leave her warm bed to tell her neighbor to turn the music down. And that’s when she meets sinister, scarred, scarily attractive security specialist, Joe Callahan... -
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Cyclone by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHe’d protect her from any threat… But what if the biggest threat is him? Doctor Anne Nichols is back in Oak Creek, Wyoming, only because she has no other options. Here, she was always the shy, stuttering girl, invisible to everyone. Except Zac Mackay. The very reason she left in the first place... -
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... -
Claiming the Enemy: Dustin by Jamie Begley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Porter brothers were raised to live and die by Three Rules. One, a Porter always keeps what’s his. Two, a Porter stands his ground. Three … Dustin never had to search for his true love. They used to play and get in trouble together, shared a playpen, and their mothers used to be best friends. But that was before their fathers made them enemies and changed the course of their lives... -
Redwood by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGavin Zimmerman. Military codename: REDWOOD. This former Special Forces soldier will protect Oak Creek from any threat. Even one that comes in the form of a delicate blonde with haunted eyes.A tiny town in Wyoming and the fake ID in her pocket are Lexi Johnson's last chance. She's used her all her resources to escape the danger that hounds her... -
Code Name: Gemini by Janie Crouch, Danielle M. Haas
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTasha Volkov has been on the run for three years from a brutal cartel who want her dead. her family.She already paid a heavy price for crossing them, and has the scars to prove it. Her only choice is to keep running, even if the tiny town of Pine Valley feels more like home to her than anywhere else she's ever been... -
Kevlar To My Vest by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsYou’re the Kevlar…Behind the badge and the pretty face was a heart. A heart that bled just like the rest. A heart that was so in love with Viddy Sheffield that it was humiliating. Trance had been burned before by a woman that couldn’t handle the fact that he risked his life each and every time he went on shift. She was too vulnerable; somehow he had to convince his heart to let her go... -
Blood & Bones: Sig by Jeanne St. James
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRevenge isn’t always sweet, but it sure can be satisfying... Sig never wanted to return to Manning Grove since it didn’t hold any good memories. Growing up a part of the Blood Fury MC ended up being a disaster and screwed up his life, which led to him spending most of it in and out of jail... -
Twisted Creek by K.C. Kean
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI have nothing left to give this twisted town, not a single ounce. I’ve let them beat me down, almost break me, but it’s time I fixed my ‘Grady’ jersey, and show them I will do anything to protect what is mine.Trying to survive Knight’s Creek without Xavier, Hunter, and Tobias is harder than I care to admit. I have to give it my all and try again; I have to run... -
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... -
The Beat of My Heart by Avery Maxwell
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOne week. No strings. Sexy stranger. What could go wrong?My name is Julia McDowell. I’m not the pretty girl next door, I’m the boss at work who solves all your problems. I’m an awkward genius with the worst taste in boyfriends; the last one left me with a 6-figure debt to prove it... -
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Warped Minds by Elena Lawson
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsOne, two, the Crows are coming for youThree, four, time to settle the scoreFive, six, Rook will get his fixSeven, eight, accept your fateNine, ten, this is your end.Warped Minds is the fourth and final book in the Boys of Briar Hall series and should be read after Twisted Games... -
Hold On by Kristen Ashley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSince she was young, Cher Rivers knew she was not the kind of girl who got what she wanted. A girl who could hope. A girl who could dream. She knew a happily ever after just wasn't in the cards for her. In love for years with the last bastion of the 'burg's eligible bachelors, Garrett Merrick, Cher worked hard at making him laugh. Being one of the guys... -
Rason & Eliza by Cee Bowerman
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsRason Harper is all about family and tradition. Raised by two loving parents, he’s not willing to sacrifice his future for the wrong woman. After a dating catastrophe makes him decide to give up on love, his mind is changed in an instant when a quick conversation with his favorite bookworm gives him the chance to get to know her better... -
Naked or Dead by A.E. Murphy
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSmall town, small-minded people, small expectations, and big A-holes.Lilith Deville is the new enigma at Lakeside Preparatory Academy, a prestigious high school by a river and not a lake, which makes sense, not. Already she hates it despite its beautiful landscape... -
Rebel Heart by Elle Thorpe
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe epic conclusion to Rebel, Fang, Kian, and Vaughn's story. Blurb coming soon... -
When You Come Back by Debra Webb
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom AMAZON CHARTS bestseller of TRUST NO ONE Forensic Anthropologist Emma Graves knows about the dead. But can the dead help her remember why she’s still alive? When You Are Lost… Emma Graves was only eight years old when a tragic school bus accident shattered the rural community where she grew up... -
High Impact by Freya Barker
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsManager for Hart’s Horse Rescue, Lucy Lenoir, finally feels she has a handle on life after having worked hard to leave her old one behind. So hard, there are times she almost forgets what she escaped. Memories which suddenly come flooding back when she catches a glimpse of a familiar horseman in town. What’s worse, he’s in the company of the unlikely cowboy she’s only just beginning to trust... -
A Rogue Cowboy's Second Chance by Stephanie Rowe
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFifteen years ago, he shattered her heart. Now she needs to trust him with her life. First in a new billionaire cowboy series by New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Rowe.Billionaire rancher Brody Hart protects others…no matter the cost to himself. When the woman he lost a decade ago needs his help, he has a second chance with the sassy country music star he never stopped loving... -
Ranger by Rebecca Sharp
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSydney Ward woke up on the wrong side of life—that’s what it feels like when cancel culture claims another victim... -
Defending Allye by Susan Stoker
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsLove is a life-and-death risk for the Mountain Mercenaries in New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker’s explosive series of alpha heroes, hot action, and hard passion… Ever since his rescue op off the Pacific Coast, Mountain Mercenary Gray Rogers hasn’t been able to forget his latest “job”—Allye Martin... -
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Until Nico by Aurora Rose Reynolds
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsSophie Grates has never had it easy, but she’s finding her way through life one step and one day at a time. That is, Until Nico comes in and flips her world upside-down. He forces her to see you cannot live life from the outside looking in, and sometimes you have to step out onto the ledge so you can really enjoy the view. Nico Mayson knew the moment he saw Sophie Grates that she was the one... -
Love Me by Ashley N. Rostek
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsColt is my comfort.He’s the first one to hold my hand when life becomes hard.Creed is my support.He always has my back, is always ready to help me battle the world or my insecurities.Keelan is my joy.He effortlessly makes me laugh and exudes a light even when days become dark.Knox is my strength.He holds me together even when I want to break... -
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... -
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... -
Entangled by R. Phillips
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“These stars of ours were written in darkness and bound with light…”I fell in love with them thirty-five million heartbeats apart and an ocean away.One shaped me at the scratch of a pen and the other remade me with the strum of a note.And the truth is that I loved them both, desperately.I never foresaw our worlds colliding... -
Searching for Redemption by Tonya Burrows
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCrazy. Dangerous. Monster.Shane Trevisano knows what the town of Steam Valley, Arizona thinks of him, and he’s happy being their bogeyman in the woods. After suffering horrific burns that left him disfigured, all the former SEAL wants is to be left alone in his remote cabin with his demons... -
Battles of the Broken by Anne Malcom
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSouls are interesting things. Not something you can prove you possess. Not something that can be measured, like a heartbeat. But something that can be destroyed by the absence of a heartbeat. No, you cannot prove you possess a soul. But once that soul dies, there doesn't need to be proof that you don't have one. Once that blackened pit opens inside you, the world can see it... -
Beneath the Wreckage by Catherine Cowles
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt was supposed to be a summer we’d never forget.Instead, everything was stolen from me.The best friend who was more like a sister. The innocent way I looked at life.Leaving me with only unanswered questions. Returning to the island is the second chance I didn’t know I needed.And Hunter is the surprise that knocks me sideways. There’s a hurt in him that calls to my own... -
Chalk Dirty to Me by Lani Lynn Vale
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTwo years ago, Cannel Crow experienced the worst day of her life. She was taken from a supermarket, and forced to spend a year with a man that treated her worse than a neglected, chained up dog.One year later, she’s saved by a shadow organization that believes the law is a joke, and the only person you can count on is you... -
Something to Dye For by Aimee Nicole Walker
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA phone call in the middle of the night forces Detective Gabriel Wyatt out of his warm bed and into the frigid night to identify the body of a murdered man whose wallet contains Gabe’s business card instead of an ID. That night sets off a chain of events that chills Gabe to his bones when it appears that the killer has set his eyes on a new target – Josh Roman... -
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Sin's Enticement by Ciara St. James
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAfter years of serving his country, Sin reclaims his life and forms the Ares Infidels MC, with like-minded military brothers. They decide his home town of Tenillo, Texas is the perfect place to build their futures. By forming a club where they get to make the rules and determine what orders to follow... -
Until Jax by Aurora Rose Reynolds
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsEllie Anthony isn't looking for love. She isn't even looking for a man, but when Jax Mayson insists on keeping her and her daughter safe, she's left with no choice but to trust him. Now she just hopes she doesn't get hurt when she falls hard for a guy who's known for breaking hearts. Jax Mayson knows that Ellie is his BOOM the moment he sees her... -
Carwrecked by Francesca Penn
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCeleste FontanneComplicated is too simple a word and doesn’t quite describe my life. I’m trapped in between prison and truly being free. Figuratively, I may have escaped from my cell, but I’m still very much in the building. I’d gotten a glimmer of freedom, which lasted mere minutes until it came to a screeching halt. Now, I must climb out of the dregs of my former life and begin anew... -
Nauti Intentions by Lora Leigh
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFourth in the New York Times bestselling series known for "blistering sexuality and eroticism."(Romance Reviews Today) Since he saw Janey Mackay taking a dip in her bikini, Major Alex Jansen has had to quell the fire she ignites in him. Even touching her would mean death at the hands of the Mackay men... -
Outlaw's Promise by Helena Newbury
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsShe was just a kid when she found me lying injured beside the road and saved my life. I promised her I'd return if she ever needed me. Twelve years later, I answer the phone and hear her voice: a biker gang's about to sell her to the highest bidder. Like hell they are! I tear the place apart and we roar off on my Harley.. -
Fearless by Tracy Lorraine
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn all-new and addictive dark, why-choose, captive romance from the USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Tracy Lorraine.You know what they say about things that are too good to be true…We might have been in a safe house recovering, but we were in danger, and still the four of us found a way to be together.We’d even managed to find something that I never thought possible.Peace... -
Unholy Soul by Andi Rhodes, Lacy Rose
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThere isn’t a person in the world who hasn’t committed a sin. Some sins are worse than others, but seven of them are deadly. But those seven worst of the worst? They’re what drive Saints Purgatory MC to keep fighting... -
Dams by Esther E. Schmidt
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDams is a man of few emotions, apathetic if you will. His past carved him into the man he is today; a strong body and mind but lacking the desire for connections beyond his brothers. He’s stoic. Unflappable. You can throw anything at him and he will divide and conquer making him the perfect VP of Areion Fury. He’s got everything he needs in life, or so he thought... -
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... -
Lethal Temptation by Kaylea Cross
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShe’s got her guard up.Detective Avery Dahl finally has her life back on track after a painful divorce. She’s not going to risk her heart again, especially to a sexy veteran with heartbreak written all over him. Due to extenuating circumstances at an upcoming family wedding, she reluctantly agrees to bring him as her fake boyfriend—and soon realizes her mistake... -
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The Very Thought of You by Iris Morland
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMegan Flannigan wants only two things in life: to run her bakery The Rise and Shine, and to avoid the handsome and insufferable Officer Caleb Thornton. Caleb has made her life difficult ever since he arrested her over a decade ago, and her one wish is that he leaves her alone—while they both continue to deny the attraction that sparks between them every time they meet... -
Jason by Nyssa Kathryn
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDanger throws them together. Attraction keeps them from parting. Having lost her best friend, Courtney Davies lives every day like it's her last. Because if life has taught her anything, it's that some are cut far too short without warning. So when sexy former soldier Jason moves to Cradle Mountain, she shouldn't hesitate to express her immediate interest... -
Burning for Autumn by Freya Barker
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Autumn McCoy accepted a temporary work contract in Durango, she thought it would be a safe way to add some spark to her existence. She may be getting more than she bargained for when she finds herself the target of impending danger. The outspoken forty-two-year-old isn’t prepared for that spark to ignite flames threatening to engulf every aspect of her life... -
One Family by R.A. Smyth
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWe’re so screwed. My father is ramping up the danger and trying to win a game we can’t afford to lose. The Feral Beasts have taken over Charles Donahue’s business and put a bounty out on two of my guys. I never dreamed making it to graduation and getting out of this corrupted town would seem this impossible. But I have my four guys by my side, finally, and we’re going to put up a fight... -
Two Forces by R.A. Smyth
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMy father is a criminal. His plans are falling into place and every new truth I learn makes me fear him more. At school, I’m a target or ignored, there is no in between. I keep finding those insanely creepy notes in my locker. My saving grace right now? My small slice of happiness?Aiden and Ty. And sometimes, even Barrett and Preston... -
Complicated by Kristen Ashley
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhen small-town Nebraska sheriff Hixon Drake meets Greta Dare, the connection couldn't be stronger, but the timing couldn't be worse. Dealing with the fallout of a divorce he never wanted and setting up a new home for his kids, Hix becomes that guy, that one he never wanted to be, and puts a stop to things before they can even start. Protecting his kids and himself is his only priority...
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