Books like 'Back in the Shadows'
Readers who enjoyed Back in the Shadows by J.A. Owenby also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance serial killer suspense steamy dark age-gap male-mc anti-hero stalking
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The Butcher of the Bay: Part II by J. Bree
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMonsters have stalked me my entire life.From my father’s failing drug business to the evil men he sold me to, I have seen the worst of humanity only to find safety in the arms of the greatest monster of all.I call the Butcher of the Bay mine.Betrayed by his oldest and most loyal friend, I was stolen away from him and have once again been sold at auction... -
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsA friends-to-lovers dark romantic comedy full of murder, chaos, and spice, unlike anything you’ve read before.Every serial killer needs a friend.Every game must have a winner.When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul... -
Broken Hearts by Stella Hart
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI love him, and it’s killing me… I never thought this would happen, but here I am—a willing captive to the most sinfully-handsome serial killer the world has ever seen. I belong to him now, the man who is both my savior and my downfall. The man who will probably destroy me one day, just like he’s destroyed so many others before me. If I want to live, I have to be a good girl... -
Atone by Cassandra Robbins
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsI don’t apologize or regret the destruction I’m about to cause. I’m at peace with what I must do… nothing can or will stand in my way. Not even the raven-haired beauty with golden eyes who haunts my dreams.No one is innocent in the story of my life. Fairy tales don’t exist!I. Make. No. Excuses.Everyone needs to atone, and I’m the man who is going to see to it... -
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Bleeding Hearts by Stella Hart
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDexter crossed with 50 Shades: enter a world filled with dark secrets, twisted lies, and dirty desires... I’m coming for her… I’ve watched her, I’ve hunted her, and now I’m here to claim her. Celeste Riley, my pretty little angel. Soon to be my pretty little captive. She pretends she’ll never want a killer like me, but we both know that isn’t true... -
Obsession by Harleigh Beck
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSavannahImagine my surprise when the chance to interview the country’s most notorious man on death row lands on my table. His final confession. It’s too good of an opportunity to turn down.Robbie Hammond is old enough to be my father, a man condemned for the murder of at least fourteen women. He is dangerous, deadly. Intense in ways I can’t explain... -
Cold Fury by Toni Anderson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeven years ago, Hope Harper was a star defense attorney with a great life and a beautiful family—until she got the wrong defendant released, and he turned around and viciously slaughtered her husband and child. Since then, the only thing Hope cares about is locking bad guys behind bars where they can’t hurt anyone else... -
Unholy Bonds : A Dark Serial Killer Romantic Suspense by Maya Raine
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThree serial killers connected by an unholy thread, tangled in a twisted chase for revenge and blood. In this game of hunters, who will become the ultimate prey?***He is every sin she wants to commit. Yara West spends her day as a Medical Examiner. At nights, she dons the mask of a twisted killer to satiate the demons in her head... -
Black Hearts: A Dark Captive Romance by Stella Hart
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt takes a monster to destroy a monster. My enemies have taken Celeste. Kidnapped her to torture and kill her. I won’t stop looking for her. Won’t give up on her. I’ll destroy anyone and anything that gets in my way, and the punishment for those who have taken her will be brutal and unmerciful. She belongs with me. She belongs to me. I’m never letting go. Ever... -
Ominous: Book I by K.V. Rose
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhat is the true cost of obsession?The consequences of lust driven bone-deep?Eli and Eden are about to find out.After a quiet meeting in their private school’s library, it doesn’t take long for them to recognize the hidden darkness in one another. Surrounded by a strange disappearance, skeptical friendships, and conflicting dreams born out of nightmares, together,theyfall... -
Control: A Dark Mafia Captive Romance by Olivia Ryann
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis dark and twisted tale of ownership will make your blood run hot. Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Bestseller Vivian Wood writes dark romance as OLIVIA RYANN. I wake up terrified, humiliated, and chained to a wall. The shackles around my wrists mean only one thing. He owns me now. With his dark glares and barked orders, he is dangerous... -
Dead of Summer by A.J. Merlin
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCamp Friends Are Forever FriendsOr so the motto of Camp Crestview says.Having been a camp counselor for the last three summers, I can handle most situations that come my way courtesy of rowdy children. This year shouldn’t be any different, even with a new counselor who’s everyone’s type and too good to be true. But even so, Kayde Lane is nothing I can’t deal with... -
The Trials of Tamara by Ginger Talbot
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“I’m going to tear apart heaven and hell to find her.” My Tamara is gone. Taken. Kidnapped to be tortured and killed. In my search for her, I won’t leave a stone unturned. I’m going to find her. And then I’m going to f*cking destroy the man who took her away from me… family or not. It’s time to train Tamara. When I’m not around, she needs to know how to protect herself... -
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Buried Lies by Kaylea Cross
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsShe left her painful past behind. Poppy Larsen is finally free. She moved to Crimson Point to make a new life for herself, full of bright possibilities. A whole new world awaits her, if she can find the courage to trust again—even her gorgeous neighbor, the town sheriff. But darkness lurks in the picturesque Oregon Coast town, concealing a deadly threat that’s closer than she ever imagined... -
The Annihilator by RuNyx
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe highly anticipated fifth book in the bestselling Dark Verse series.𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?She lives in the shadows. He rules them.She's the moon, and he the dark night encompassing her. She's surrounded by demons, and he's the biggest devil of them all. And she's his... -
Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThe conclusion to the Cat and Mouse Duet is here...The DiamondDeath walks alongside me,But the reaper is no match for me.I'm trapped in a world full of monsters dressed as men, and those who aren't as they seem.They won't keep me forever.I no longer recognize the person I've become,And I'm fighting to find my way back to the beast who hunts me in the night... -
Shameless by Brynley Bush
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSheltered good girl Victoria Raine has always wanted to be a little bad. Tired of living life safely on the sidelines, she summons the courage to forge a new path for herself and applies to the FBI, looking for adventure and something to fulfill her vague longing for something…more... -
Devotion by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLegions worship at my feet, but I only bow to her.THE SPIDERI move through Layla’s world in silence, always watching.It’s incredible where you can hide a camera these days.She’s the daughter of my enemy, a threat to my flock, and I had a solidplan for her.The weight of her father’s sin was meant to fall on her shoulders.Only, the second my world bled into hers, that plan derailed... -
Cherish by Olivia Ryann
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThis dark and twisted tale of ownership will make your blood run hot. Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Bestseller Vivian Wood writes dark romance as OLIVIA RYANN. Something has shifted and changed in me. I have left Katherine behind, and stepped fully into the blossom of Fiore. But while I am undergoing that transformation, Monster too senses a sea change within... -
In the Shadows by J.A. Owenby
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen you finally meet the monster hiding under your bed.One, two, I’m coming for you.She’s my obsession.Three, four, kneel on the floor.I want to possess her in every way.Five, six, I’m up to my old tricks.She knows me as The Portland Serial K!ll3r.Seven, eight, lay in wait.Little does she know I’m watching her.Nine, ten, never to be seen again.Welcome to your worst nightmare, Little Lamb... -
Sole Survivor by Candice M. Wright
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThere’s a murderer on the loose.One who kills without hesitation and remorse.When Rue Anderson, the killer’s tenth victim, is found in a shallow grave at a children’s park, it sends shockwaves through the local community and sparks a media frenzy.But there is a difference between Rue and the nine victims that came before her.Rue survived... -
Dead Man Walking by Giana Darling
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsFrom USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Giana Darling comes a dark MC romance about a broken enforcer and the beautiful, innocent woman who shows him that light can exist even in the dark... A killer. A criminal.A psychopath.The Irish enforcer for The Fallen Men MC is everything good girls are taught to stay away from... -
With Visions of Red by Trisha Wolfe
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis is a dark erotic thriller intended for adult audiences. The UNSUB has made contact. After a rapid string of grisly murders shakes the usually peaceful city of Arlington, Virginia, the sadistic killings of young women lull into a deceptive calm. Agent Sadie Bonds knows the terror isn’t over; serial killers don’t stop until caught... -
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Nocturnes & Nightmares by Keri Lake
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom USA Today Bestselling author Keri Lake comes an intense and gritty romantic thriller that’ll have you turning the pages well past your bedtime. The most terrifying monsters aren’t found in dreams ... Four young socialites have gone missing in the Chicago area. Two found dead, bearing the signature marks of a brutal serial killer... -
His Sinner: A Masked Stalker Romance by Harmony West
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe’s her saint . . . now she’ll be his sinner.SaintBriar is more than my muse—she’s my soulmate.She just doesn’t know it yet.After a writing retreat in seclusion with me, she’ll never want to leave. And if she does? Perhaps I simply won’t let her.After all, what’s a saint without his sinner?BriarMy masked stalker is forcing me to stay with him in his Gothic manor... -
The Survivor by Jessica Gadziala
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings- Mari -True crime girlies weren’t supposed to become victims.Mari hoped that by consuming anything and everything murder and mystery, she would never find herself the star of some true crime podcast one day... -
Santiago's Conquest by V.F. Mason
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratings𝑶𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒓.Power. Money. Status.Whatever I want, I get.And if something stands in my way?I conquer and destroy it.I’m a monster with no redeeming qualities.A hunter who seeks his prey so viciously nothing can stop me.My prey hides in the shadows thinking it might save him from my wrath.It won't... -
Don't Be Scared by A.J. Merlin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEvery town has a history.Ours is just a little darker than most.For years I’ve celebrated Halloween and Hollow Bridge’s history with everyone else who lives here. Parades, festivals, and insane Halloween parties have always been a staple for us. Some bad behavior is expected, given what we’re celebrating.But murder has never been on the table before... -
Damaged: The Dillon Sisters by Layla Frost
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI’m effed up. A hot mess. Haunted.Damaged.But he doesn’t think so.He thinks my imperfectness is what makes me perfect. He loves my flaws. My quirks.My scars.He wants to protect me. See me happy. Make me alive. He wants to give me everything I need, no matter how twisted and wrong and depraved.He needs me to need him.Which makes me wonder…Is he damaged, too?Warning: Recommended for readers 18+... -
Desolate by Ker Dukey
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWarning, this book contains dark themes and explicit sex, read with caution. Desolate is the SECOND book to the International Bestselling title, Empathy. Please read book 1 to truly enjoy this title."Dark... raw... desolate. Ker Dukey at her finest." - International Bestselling Author, S.K. Hartley.Dark, twisted and captivating. I couldn't devour this book fast enough. Dukey does it again. . -
Shattered by Cynthia Eden, Abby Craden
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden's latest novel featuring the Last Option Search Team (LOST), one agent is forced to face her past as she uncovers secrets about the man who may be the key to her future.Criminal psychologist Dr. Sarah Jacobs is all too familiar with the kind of bad boys who belong behind bars... -
Taken by Cynthia Eden
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden’s latest novel, the Last Option Search Team (LOST) returns— and for one agent, the hunt for a serial killer just got very personal . . . HE SWORE TO PROTECT HER . . . Bailey Jones somehow survived her harrowing abduction by the infamous Death Angel... -
The Danger You Know by Lily White, Ada Sinclair
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsYou’ll judge me.Hate me and tell me I’m wrong.Refuse to see how my darkness is what she needs.While I don’t particularly care about your feelings in the matter, and while I pursue her despite the wedding bells that rang for another, only I can see how she is drowning beneath mediocrity.How many times must I remind her?It can’t matter that I am the person who ruined her life... -
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A Promise of Torment by Mallory Fox
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBlood hides carnal desires. Power is overrated.Killing for family, tainted with nothing but love...My emotions are supposed to be dead.I was never meant to feel this. Pain. Anger. Rage. Feelings erode me from the inside.They make me weak. They make him more powerful.But I can't lose.Dante is my sweetness in hell. My father has me where he wants me. And my boys...well they think I'm all but lost... -
Violent Promises by A.R. Breck
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsViolent Promises is the final book in the Blackridge series!When one reckless decision and a possessive heart lead to an inescapable debt...Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be at the mercy of a man who only wanted one thing, my death.With each passing hour, my growing despair wars with my murderous blood... -
Shadow of Vengeance by Kristine Mason
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPub date: TBA Welcome to Hell Week. You have seven days to find him… At Wexman University, male students will do anything to get into a top fraternity. They’ll prove their worth during Hell Week by participating in various physical, psychological and even juvenile pranks. But those shenanigans aren’t so funny when pledges start disappearing... -
Never Say Never by Bijou Hunter
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHEAT ღ HUMOR ღ HEAShelby Campbell had a very specific idea of what her perfect man would be. Goliath wasn't it. The gruff biker rubs her wrong in a million ways. Yet Shelby can't get Goliath out of her mind.Dean "Goliath" Midkiff never want another woman in his life. He refuses to bond with anyone. After five years in prison, he wants to be left alone. Yet Goliath can't get Shelby out of his mind... -
Cold Hearts: A Dark Captive Romance (Heartbreaker Prequel) by Stella Hart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA FREE peek into the lives of the Heartbreaker and his future captive! Dexter crossed with 50 Shades: enter a world filled with dark secrets, twisted lies, and dirty desires.... I’ll kill to have her. The world is a dark place filled with even darker monsters. Most of them hide in plain sight, walking around right under your nose. I’m one of them. By day I’m calm, friendly, approachable... -
Reconcile by Leah Steele
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI always thought it was best to keep my darkness hidden, outta sight, outta mind. But my stalker has been showing me the errors of my ways. He’s been guiding me into nurturing that side of myself, and now that it’s been set free, there’s no going back. I’ve killed three people, and with each new kill, I learn more about myself. But I crave more than the bloodshed...Categorized as:
dark suspense stalking steamy gothic reverse-harem contemporary marriage-of-convenience -
BONES by Yolanda Olson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsContent advisory: The following book contains vivid depictions of gore, graphic sexual violence, endless mind games, will induce strangely beautiful feelings of paranoia, and lots of bad things. Really bad things. It's not recommended eating before, during, or after reading this story. Prepare for a one way trip to Hell. I'm haunted. Not by ghosts, but by a face I can't quite remember... -
Raven by Leah Steele
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSecrets are revealed, and I’ve never felt so betrayed. We had a plan, a good fucking plan, and with one explosion it all went to shit. Only, it wasn’t the bomb I set off that left destruction in its wake, it was the truth about my men. They've been hiding details about my life, and until they decide to share every last truth, they're choosing to live life on the edge of my blade... -
Painting with Blood by Dolores Lane
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 2024 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝗼𝐧.After escaping a dark and poisonous past, Jane Meyer, a sweet and talented professional painter, crosses paths with James Ambrose, a charming and smart Homicide sergeant for the Hunterville Police Department. It quickly becomes clear that theirs is a beautiful love story, written in the stars... -
The Phantom's Vice by Mindy Paige
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen the FBI’s most wanted criminal leaves his DNA at a crime scene, Brett Evangeline is sure she’s finally going to bring the masked assassin to justice. The brand-new FBI agent can’t believe her luck—both in getting assigned to this case and her findings—but what she doesn’t realize is that, in the criminal underworld of Moriton, luck does not fortune the kind or the good... -
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Deadly Match by K.A. Knight, Ivy Fox
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe was my demon when I was a child.A hellish force protecting me from the evil that hid in the dark and preyed on the weak.But I’m not that innocent girl anymore.And he’s no longer my savior.Filled with such cruelty, such madness, my survival instincts tell me I should run the other way... -
Exploited by Lane Hart
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWARNING: This book contains some dark, dirty and dangerous situations before ending in a jaw-dropping cliffhanger. The debauchery will continue in the second book in the series, Redeemed. I’m going to hell, and my angel’s about to lose her wings. For years I’ve left a path of death and destruction wherever I go... -
Vicious by A.J. Merlin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne, two, he’s coming for youThree, four, better run some moreI never would have accepted his help if I’d known what he’d do.When the stranger who got me out of a mess in Springwood turns the town into a slaughterhouse in my name, I do the only thing I can do.I run.Not far enough, though, because I can feel him in Akron, looking for me. But he wants to take me home, and I can’t go back... -
Under Your Scars: A Dark Romance Novel by Ariel N. Anderson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"If you're so concerned about my humanity, Elena, then reach into my soul and find it, because I'm not sure I have any left." According to the FBI, I was considered a serial murderer after three kills. What do they call me after fifty-two? They call me the Silencer... -
Lucian's Reign by V.F. Mason
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPower. Money. Status. All the riches this world has to offer belong to me. Whatever I want, I get. And those who stand in my way?They don’t live long enough to tell their tale. I’m a villain thriving in darkness, who seeks no redemption.A hunter who sets his sight on an irresistible prey. There is a monster reigning inside me who covets to stake his claim and drag her to his cave... -
Unhinged Cain by Brooklyn Cross
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsContemporary/MF/Thriller-Horror/Serial Killer/Captive/DarkKirby wished for a new life, but the Devil sent her Cain.I knew what my calling in life was at a young age. I was the embodiment of death. The scent of blood and watching the life fade from something’s eyes was more delicious than any dessert...
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