Books like 'Code Word'

Readers who enjoyed Code Word by N.R. Walker also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  romance  mlm  friends-to-lovers  lgbtq  sad  forced-proximity

  • John & Jackie by T.J. Klune

    John & Jackie by T.J. Klune

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    John and Jackie first laid eyes on each other when they were twelve years old. Now, seventy-one years later, Jack prepares to give his beloved husband the ultimate gift. Before he does, they'll relive five key moments from their younger lives together over the course of a single afternoon...
    Categorized as:
    friends-to-lovers  lgbtq  mlm  sad  abuse  adult  book  contemporary
  • Splintered by Isabel Lucero

    Splintered by Isabel Lucero

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Welcome to Black Diamond Resort and Spa —the best place to go when all you want to do is disappear and not have anyone expect anything of you.Overwhelmed with work and feeling like I’m being pulled in multiple directions at once, I crave the serenity a private island holds for me...
  • Censored Soul by Anne Malcom

    Censored Soul by Anne Malcom

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I give myself to strangers. When I'm on stage, and when I'm off it. Whether it's throngs of screaming fans or just one man, it's always outsiders. People who don't know me. Not the real me. It's easier, because then it's not so obvious that there is no real me. Just layers of lies. Then I'm peeled back to the nerve. Showing the world my ugly. Everyone sees me for what I am...
  • Blood & Milk by N.R. Walker

    Blood & Milk by N.R. Walker

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    ** LGBT Romance.Heath Crowley is an Australian man, born with two different coloured eyes and the gift—or curse—of having premonition dreams. He also has nothing left to live for. Twelve months after having his life upended, his dreams tell him where he needs to be. So with nothing―and no one―to keep him in Sydney, he simply boards a plane for Tanzania...
  • Old Ink by Ali Lyda

    Old Ink by Ali Lyda

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    He’s way too young and he works for me … so why can’t I stay away? I had no trouble saying no to Channing when he left for college two years ago. I’m two and a half decades older than him and he was just a kid. But he’s all man now and it’s hard to stay away. Especially when he takes a job at my tattoo shop for the summer. He’s got his whole life ahead of him. I can’t let him waste it on me...
  • Messy Ink by Ali Lyda

    Messy Ink by Ali Lyda

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Dane Chris is a great doctor, but he can’t heal me… I learned to look out for myself on the streets and in juvie. I’ve cleaned up my act, but it doesn’t mean that I’m about to start trusting a guy to stick around. Especially not a clean cut doctor like Chris. No wonder I ended things between us the first time around. I’m sure it’s for the best...
  • Felix by Emmy Sanders

    Felix by Emmy Sanders

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    What more could an exhibitionist want than a willing voyeur right next door? EmilI like being watched. I’m not ashamed of it, nor my job at Elite 8 Studios where fans know me as Felix. But when my newest costar turns out to be the very same neighbor I’ve been giving private shows to through the window, I’m thrown for a loop...
  • MAXWELL 2: Trial By Fire by C.J. Bishop

    MAXWELL 2: Trial By Fire by C.J. Bishop

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    MAXWELL, Part 2 As the trial becomes an emotional battle ground – within the courtroom and without – Max struggles to maintain his resolve to resist his heart. But as it becomes more and more evident that Horatio’s heartbreak over losing Max isn’t healing, but in fact growing worse, Max begins to question the choices he made so long ago...
    Categorized as:
    friends-to-lovers  lgbtq  mlm  sad  adult  book  contemporary  dark
  • Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild by Gregory Ashe

    Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild by Gregory Ashe

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild is a collection of short stories. It includes the following:“First Dates”A prequel to The Lamb and the Lion books, this short story shows Jem and Tean as they are set up on blind dates—with disastrous results.“Cheap Seats”Jem and Tean go to the movies. Jem insists it’s an epic bromance date. Tean insists they’re just casual acquaintances...
  • Wheels Down by Beth Bolden

    Wheels Down by Beth Bolden

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Shaw isn’t his friend—until Ross discovers he’s so much more. Ross Stanton is having a bad week—a bad month—really, a bad year. But the last thing he wants, after the betrayal of his friend and business partner, is for anyone else to know just how much he’s fighting for survival...
  • Forbidden Ink by Ali Lyda

    Forbidden Ink by Ali Lyda

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I’m not a deadbeat.I didn’t know my kid existed before Milo showed up, but now that I do, I’m determined to keep my beautiful little Sofie in my life. Even if it means I need to spend time around her irritable uncle, Milo. The man pushes all of my buttons.He riles me up until I can’t think of anything except kissing him. Definitely not the reaction he expects...
  • Teddy by Emmy Sanders

    Teddy by Emmy Sanders

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Waking up married is bad enough. Having feelings for my husband? Pure disaster. TeddyI wasn’t looking for attachments. I certainly wasn’t looking to get drunkenly hitched to my coworker’s best friend, the very man I’ve been denying an attraction to for over a year...
  • Lost And Found by Aiden Bates

    Lost And Found by Aiden Bates

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    I’m going to die on this cliff with only a bobcat kitten for company. I’m sure of it until the hottest man I’ve ever seen swoops in and makes me leap.Eli’s made for danger, and he dedicates his life to finding desperately stranded hikers like me.He’s too perfect to be true.I’ve fallen hard before and ended up bruised and battered.I have to resist him...
  • Stick Shift by K.M. Neuhold

    Stick Shift by K.M. Neuhold

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Is it possible my straight best friend had a sudden stick shift?I made peace with my hopeless crush on my straight best friend, Journey, years ago. It helps that he’s never in the country long and our relationship consists of sporadic texts and video chats at odd hours.Now Journey is back. Back in the country, in my space, sharing my bed, and something is changing between us...
  • Handmade Holidays by 'Nathan Burgoine

    Handmade Holidays by 'Nathan Burgoine

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    At nineteen, Nick is alone for the holidays and facing reality: this is how it will be from now on. Refusing to give up completely, Nick buys a Christmas tree, and then realizes he has no ornaments. A bare tree and an empty apartment aren’t a great start, but a visit from his friend Haruto is just the ticket to get him through this first, worst, Christmas...
  • Care for You by Jayda Marx

    Care for You by Jayda Marx

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Miles - I may be young, but I know what I want. And what I want is Jake Woods. He’s funny, caring, gorgeous...and straight. Which is exactly why I need to stay away from him. I’m only going to get my heart broken. But I can’t help it; every day I fall a little deeper in love with the guy...
  • Blooming by Sean Ashcroft

    Blooming by Sean Ashcroft

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Instagram crush. Instant fling.The last thing amateur food photographer Milo expects to find in the sleepy town of Otter Bay is the cute boy he’s been crushing on from Instagram. He’s in town to help his pregnant sister, not to look for a fling, but his best friend is right—it’s been so long since he got laid that they’ll be reissuing his v-card any day now...
  • Maddie by Annabella Michaels

    Maddie by Annabella Michaels

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    After witnessing firsthand just how dirty and underhanded a life in politics can be, Maddie Vanderhorne steps off the campaign trail to follow his passion. Starting his own event planning business is the best decision Maddie’s ever made, quickly winning over his clients with his vibrant and outgoing personality...
  • When the Storm Comes by M.A. Innes

    When the Storm Comes by M.A. Innes

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Donovan’s day just keeps getting worse. It might not have been the zombie apocalypse, but a tsunami and hurricane hitting the East Coast at the same time was definitely the start to a bad B-movie. Alone and doing his best to run from the impending wall of water that was only hours away, Donovan thought his day couldn’t get any worse. It could...
  • Head Over Heels by Jayda Marx

    Head Over Heels by Jayda Marx

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Dwayne - Twenty years ago, there was a terrible accident which put my son in a wheelchair and took the life of the woman whom I thought I’d spend my life with. I became depressed and despondent, and pushed everyone away. I could have lost it all forever, but fate, a little luck, and a firecracker named Finn helped me piece my life back together...
  • Sheets by Sareyen

    Sheets by Sareyen

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    [BxB] Waking up next to someone after having a little too much to drink was no new, riveting story in this day and age. Waking up next to another boy, when you were also a boy, was a little more interesting, but still nothing to write home about. But waking up in Nico Beckett's sheets?To Wesley, it was a nightmare come to life...
  • Jaxon by Ruby Raynes

    Jaxon by Ruby Raynes

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    ***Jaxon - Love in Ink - Book 2***AlexMy life is going fine. Okay, it was going fine until I found myself both homeless—my trusty car Trixie on her last leg—and in need of a fake fiancé. What I don't expect is for Jaxon, my long-time crush and the owner of Ink Me, to come swooping in like a knight in shining armor...
  • Let’s Bi Curious by Romeo Alexander

    Let’s Bi Curious by Romeo Alexander

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Dalton: It was just a kiss! I didn’t mean anything by it. We’ve always been close, but I’ve barely shown an interest in anyone, and Zane’s only ever chased women. We know what’s what and where we belong. Zane was the one who said we should do it again…just to check…and wow! Now everything’s changing, and it’s great…but it’s terrifying...
  • Second Shot by Con Riley

    Second Shot by Con Riley

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Second Shot (Second Chance School #2)Welcome back to Glynn Harber School for another steamy, swoony romance between two bruised souls.Passion always leads to heartbreak for Hayden Novac. Nice guys always get picked last. That’s what my coach at a soccer academy once promised...
  • Finding Their Balance by M.Q. Barber

    Finding Their Balance by M.Q. Barber

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Three’s the naughtiest kind of crowd. Getting to the one-year mark is hard enough in a relationship between two lovers. For three, just getting through the day can be half the battle. Between Alice’s headstrong insistence on pushing her sexual limits and Jay’s need to confront an abusive former lover, Henry has his hands full keeping both his partners safe and happy...
  • The Inconvenient Love by Briar Prescott

    The Inconvenient Love by Briar Prescott

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Max:He's funny, smart, dorky... and all grown up.Isac. My best friend's little brother. He kissed me when he was nineteen and told me he loved me. I shut him down, telling him he was too young and didn’t know what he was saying. That damn kiss is coming back to haunt me now...
  • Chasing Fate by Mia Monroe

    Chasing Fate by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Hooking up with your friend is a totally acceptable way to pass the time until your soulmate shows up. Right?I’m on a mission - happily ever after or bust. I just know my handsome, successful, bearded prince is out there waiting for me to find him. I’ve had my cards read a million times. This is my destiny...
  • Fancy Free by Mia Monroe

    Fancy Free by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The last thing I need is a curious straight guy sniffing around me. So why is he so hard to resist?My life is everything I ever wanted - by design. Being one of the nation’s most sought after wedding planners has led to a life of traveling to glamorous locations, bumping elbows with the rich and famous, and sampling every handsome hunk the world has to offer...
  • Operation Makeover by D.J. Jamison

    Operation Makeover by D.J. Jamison

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Will a makeover bring his fantasy to life or lead him to a love he never saw coming? As a professional X-ray tech, Ridley has come a long way from the geeky kid Jace took under his wing in high school. Not that his best friend has noticed. Tired of pining, Ridley decides to show Jace what he’s missing...
  • Two Best Men, Only One Bed! by Romeo Alexander

    Two Best Men, Only One Bed! by Romeo Alexander

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Blake: Planning my twin brother’s wedding seemed like a feat on its own. But I’m the only family he’s got left, and really, I couldn’t be happier for him. Turns out, planning a wedding isn’t so hard, especially when the other best man is such a big help. Of course, I wasn’t expecting to have to share a bed with the man or to discover he’s a cuddler and a little handsy...
  • Keeping It Casual by Jax Calder

    Keeping It Casual by Jax Calder

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    DustinI moved to Mineral Creek so I could focus on my son. After my recent breakup, small-town life is exactly what we need, and I’m determined to stay single.But the town’s resident matchmakers have other ideas. Every second person I meet tries to set me up with Mineral Creek’s one other gay single Dad.Jeremy. King.I’ve heard those two words so many times since we moved here...
  • Meant For Me by Ann Lister

    Meant For Me by Ann Lister

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Tony Wilcox, the quiet keyboard player for Ivory Tower, has always believed he was straight. A sexual encounter with his best friend leaves Tony questioning his heart and the unwavering attraction he has for Jared. Living and working together is no longer enough for Tony... he wants more. He wants Jared as his...
  • My Ride, I Love You by Patrick Rangimant

    My Ride, I Love You by Patrick Rangimant

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    This is a love story of Mork, who is a motorcycle taxi driver in Bangkok, and Tawan, a junior internal medicine resident doctor in the university hospital. Seems like they both have a small chance to meet, let alone the falling in love, but it did happen...
  • Wildflowers by Suki Fleet

    Wildflowers by Suki Fleet

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Xavi has given up on love, unable to bear the pain he's caused.Sam has given up on living. He only wants one thing—to see Xavi one last time. He doesn’t expect Xavi to drop everything and promise to stay with him. They travel through the countryside in a stolen sea-green Cadillac, both searching for something neither has the courage to admit to...
    Categorized as:
    friends-to-lovers  lgbtq  mlm  sad  adult  angst  book  contemporary
  • The Dogs of Balboa by Rose Christo

    The Dogs of Balboa by Rose Christo

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Michael Mirez witnesses a sexual assault and does nothing to stop it. Torn apart by guilt, Michael sabotages his own life, until one year later, when Michael unexpectedly crosses paths with the victim again. Michael is determined to make it up to Noah, a painfully shy Native American boy whose only ambition is to travel into space...
    Categorized as:
    friends-to-lovers  lgbtq  mlm  sad  abuse  angst  book  contemporary
  • Forever Man by A.J. DeWall

    Forever Man by A.J. DeWall

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A bond forged in Catholic school, an unspoken attraction that outlasts years of separation and other relationships. Ren and Cole never acted on that thing that always bubbled beneath the surface of their friendship, not until a chance encounter in a Santa Fe bar and a song that would tip the scales forced them to confront their feelings...
  • The Soccer Field Is Empty by Mark A. Roeder

    The Soccer Field Is Empty by Mark A. Roeder

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The Soccer Field Is Empty is the story of teen love, steamy romance, friendship, loyalty, understanding, and ancient prejudice. Here is a tale that breaks the stereotypes of the ignorant and peers into the soul of two boys who want what we all want; to love and be loved...
    Categorized as:
    lgbtq  mlm  sad  book  contemporary  fiction  sports  young-adult
  • Star of the Game by Amy Aislin

    Star of the Game by Amy Aislin

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Felix only wants two things:1. To make music.2. His best friend, Emery.But he’s not willing to risk two decades of friendship for something more. Besides, a bout of writer’s block is preventing him from creating new material, and he’s got deadlines to meet. He doesn’t need any distractions—and Emery is the biggest distraction of all.Emery only wants two things:1. To play hockey.2...
    Categorized as:
    friends-to-lovers  lgbtq  mlm  sad  adult  book  contemporary  family
  • Jericho Candelario's Gay Debut by R. Cooper

    Jericho Candelario's Gay Debut by R. Cooper

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Jerry Candelario, known as Potts to almost everyone, has spent his entire adult life focused on raising his siblings and his niece. But the home he fought hard to make feels empty since everyone has grown up and moved out, and his precious baby niece is now a teen with a life of her own...
  • Breaking the Record by Raleigh Ruebins

    Breaking the Record by Raleigh Ruebins

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    “When will I see him again? And why do I want to so badly?” Ben Lakeland owns a failing record store in small-town Welling, New York, and it's the last place he wants to be. Everything used to be easy: watching football with his frat buddies, drinking beer, and being popular in school. But at 24 years old, everyone else seems to have grown up but Ben...
  • Pitcher Perfect by Lee Blair

    Pitcher Perfect by Lee Blair

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    When a workaholic brewer and a lonely chef team up to win a prestigious food and beer competition, they might find the perfect pairing in each other.AustinMe and my friends knew that when we joined forces to open Tap That Brewery, we needed to do more than just make great brews to break into the crowded Oregon beer scene...
  • Omitting You by T. Ashleigh

    Omitting You by T. Ashleigh

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Rhys:I’ve loved him since before I understood what love meant.My best friend, my secret keeper, my defender.The boy with the glasses and quiet temperament.The guy with the sweetest smile, who has the dirtiest mouth.The man who owns me. Mind, body, and soul.I’m ready for the world to know that he’s mine. To love him out loud.The problem? Winston isn’t ready. And I’m not sure he ever will be...
  • The Accidental Honeymoon Catastrophe by Hayden Hall

    The Accidental Honeymoon Catastrophe by Hayden Hall

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Remember not to get drunk married to your best friend. It’s not rocket science.StefanIt was supposed to be a fun weekend trip with all my friends. The next thing I know, a splitting headache is waking me up on a plane to who knows where and there’s a ring on my finger...
  • Late Check In by Mia Monroe

    Late Check In by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    His late awakening plus my years of pining equals one explosive reunion. Five years ago, he was my history professor. The crush I had on the sophisticated, intellectual man morphed into love. As an older student and teaching assistant, I figured I’d take my shot. I asked him out as soon as the semester was over, only to find out he was married. Oh, and straight...
  • Couture Crush by Charlie Novak

    Couture Crush by Charlie Novak

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Beau Barrett is about to become Alt. Bride’s first male cover model, but what about his own fairy-tale ending?When Beau Barrett arrives to shoot for alternative bridal magazine, Alt. Bride, the last person he expects to see is Cash, his long-lost childhood best friend. The spark between them is instant, but with Beau’s calendar splitting at the seams, he’s not convinced a relationship is possible...
  • Pacies and Photographs by Della Cain

    Pacies and Photographs by Della Cain

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Stepping out from behind the camera isn’t as easy as it seems. Dax needs cash, and he needs it now since his roommate has moved away without notice. Dax has a week to either make up the difference or break his lease. Both options are out of his price range...
  • Beautiful Rhythm by Zarah Detand

    Beautiful Rhythm by Zarah Detand

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    When life gives you a sprained wrist and a hot new neighbor, make it the best summer of your life. As a successful concert pianist with three million Spotify listeners to his name, Oliver Taylor has it all figured out. He’s got his piano, his routines, and a small but close group of friends even if he doesn’t see them as much as he’d like. Love? No, thanks—he’s just fine without a girl on his arm...
  • Marshmallow Mountain by M.A. Wardell, A.J. Truman

    Marshmallow Mountain by M.A. Wardell, A.J. Truman

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    What’s worse than being snowed in with your ex? Literally nothing.Initially, the only thing Marshall and Marshall had in common was a name. Marshall (aka Data) lived his life around spreadsheets, while Marshall (aka Marsh) was an F5 tornado of chaos. Yet for eight years, they were madly in love. Until Marsh abruptly ended things with a half-baked excuse...
  • The Fly-Half by Charlie Novak

    The Fly-Half by Charlie Novak

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A Way To Score With My Best Friend Meet Jonny and Devon in the second book in the Lincoln Knights series, featuring a fly-half who's been in love with his best friend for fifteen years, a number eight dealing with new feelings of jealousy, "I want you to be mine" vibes, chaotic teammates and friends, and plenty of low-angst steam and sweetness.Coming February 2025...
  • Built to Last by Harper Robson

    Built to Last by Harper Robson

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    SamLook up the word "average" in the dictionary you'll find my picture. Average height, average looks, average smarts: average guy. Of course that's also code for boring and ordinary. I've been a serial dater forever, twisting myself into the perfect person for my dates, but somehow I'm still alone...
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