Here are 100 books that The Man I Love fans have personally recommended if you like The Man I Love. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Fifty Shades of Grey

A. Martin Author Of Beauty Lover

From my list on exploring the darker side of desire.

Why am I passionate about this?

Erotic literature has always fascinated me as a great transgressor of social conventions. I read the Marquis de Sade when I was young, followed by Henry Miller and the extraordinary Venus in Furs. These are works of astonishing literary scope that explore human nature as few others do. Then I discovered Bataille, and the fascination became too profound to ignore for a restless writer determined to explore human nature. When I read Lolita, I understood that eroticism wasn't merely a perfect thread for a narrative, but could become the very essence of great literary storytelling. For me, continuing that exploration through dark romance is simply a natural extension of who I am as a writer.

A.'s book list on exploring the darker side of desire

A. Martin Why A. loves this book

This book made a strong impression on me when I read it some time ago.

Its eroticism was far more explicit than almost anything I had encountered before. Few novels described desire, and especially sexual scenes, in such a direct and detailed way while still maintaining the tension between the protagonists. It was a pleasant surprise to discover just how completely a novel could revolve around desire as the true driving force of the narrative.

It inspired me because it broke down any internal censorship I might have had as a writer, and I immediately knew that I could write a novel in which eroticism and sensuality were themselves the absolute protagonists.

By E L James ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Fifty Shades of Grey as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"And in this quiet moment as I close my eyes, spent and sated, I think I'm in the eye of the storm. And in spite of all he's said, and what he hasn't said, I don't think I have ever been so happy."
When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana's quiet beauty, wit, and independent…


If you love The Man I Love...

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Mists of the Serengeti

Robin Hill Author Of Waiting for the Sun

From my list on romance for lovers of broken book boyfriends.

Why am I passionate about this?

The tortured hero was my first love, and I’ve never been able to shake him. He never fails to crush me, and there’s nothing more rewarding to a masochistic reader than being completely annihilated, then put back together again. These heartbroken heartbreakers are easy to love (usually), easy to forgive (hopefully), and always keep you coming back for more (definitely). My character, Darian, was born of my search for the perfect tortured hero, and although I’ve moved on to a different kind of hero for my follow-up novel, Magnolia May, he’ll forever own my heart.  

Robin's book list on romance for lovers of broken book boyfriends

Robin Hill Why Robin loves this book

Once in Africa, I got my @ss handed to me by a king…” That’s a direct quote from my review, and it will make a lot more sense once you’ve read the book. Jack is the epitome of the tortured hero—angry, terse, godawful at times—but you accept it because, Oh my God! Think of what he’s suffered! And then you get to that part where said hero begins to soften toward the heroine and shut up! This book absolutely gutted me, and the pain was physical. No, seriously. My chest and stomach literally ached. I felt tingly, overheated, exhausted, and drained. And that was just from the prologue! 

By Leylah Attar ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mists of the Serengeti as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Leylah Attar, comes a compelling, emotionally resonant novel, set against the lush backdrop of the Serengeti.

An Indie Reader Discovery Award Winner

Once in Africa, I kissed a king…

“And just like that, in an old red barn at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, I discovered the elusive magic I had only ever glimpsed between the pages of great love stories. It fluttered around me like a newborn butterfly and settled in a corner of my heart. I held my breath, afraid to exhale for fear it would slip out,…


Book cover of Rush

Robin Hill Author Of Waiting for the Sun

From my list on romance for lovers of broken book boyfriends.

Why am I passionate about this?

The tortured hero was my first love, and I’ve never been able to shake him. He never fails to crush me, and there’s nothing more rewarding to a masochistic reader than being completely annihilated, then put back together again. These heartbroken heartbreakers are easy to love (usually), easy to forgive (hopefully), and always keep you coming back for more (definitely). My character, Darian, was born of my search for the perfect tortured hero, and although I’ve moved on to a different kind of hero for my follow-up novel, Magnolia May, he’ll forever own my heart.  

Robin's book list on romance for lovers of broken book boyfriends

Robin Hill Why Robin loves this book

Oh, Noah. Noah, Noah, Noah. Ask any old-school Emma Scott fan their favorite tortured hero of hers, and their answer will likely be Noah Lake. This one is broken emotionally and physically, which makes it hard to hold a grudge when he lashes out. Not that I even had a grudge to begin with. I mean, think of what he’s suffered! One of the best parts of the angry tortured hero trope is all that delicious groveling, but with Noah, I didn’t need much. (Alright, fine. I didn’t need any.) FYI, Rush is a standalone that’s only connected to the other books in the series by its city setting.

By Emma Scott ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rush as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable. --John Milton

Charlotte Conroy, Juilliard-trained violinist, was on the cusp of greatness when tragedy swooped down on dark wings, crushing her hopes and breaking her heart. The music that used to sing in her soul has grown quiet, and she feels on the verge of setting down her violin for good. To pay the bills, she accepts a job as a personal assistant to a bitter, angry young man who’s been disabled by a horrific accident…

Noah Lake was an extreme sport athlete, journalist…


If you love Suanne Laqueur...

Book cover of I, Robot Alien

I, Robot Alien by Joel R. Dennstedt,

“Intelligent, unique, and tremendously entertaining.” - Readers' Favorite 2025

BOOKLIFE EDITOR’S PICK!

EARTH… CENTURIES AFTER THE FALL!

I was created by beings who couldn’t touch this world... only watch it crumble. Every twenty years, a new tribe... a new hope... a new failure.

I was told, “Do not interfere.” But…

Book cover of Ghosted

Robin Hill Author Of Waiting for the Sun

From my list on romance for lovers of broken book boyfriends.

Why am I passionate about this?

The tortured hero was my first love, and I’ve never been able to shake him. He never fails to crush me, and there’s nothing more rewarding to a masochistic reader than being completely annihilated, then put back together again. These heartbroken heartbreakers are easy to love (usually), easy to forgive (hopefully), and always keep you coming back for more (definitely). My character, Darian, was born of my search for the perfect tortured hero, and although I’ve moved on to a different kind of hero for my follow-up novel, Magnolia May, he’ll forever own my heart.  

Robin's book list on romance for lovers of broken book boyfriends

Robin Hill Why Robin loves this book

Jonathan isn’t your typical tortured hero, as much of his brokenness is self-inflicted. But that doesn’t make his journey to redemption any less painful or heart-twisty. We follow his progress in real-time while simultaneously discovering everything he did to fall from grace in the first place. You equally love him and hate him in the most soul-crushing way. And if that little bit of catnip didn’t sway you, give five-year-old Maddie a chance.

By J.M. Darhower ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ghosted as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A new second chance romance standalone from USA Today bestselling author J.M. Darhower.

He's a troubled young actor, Hollywood's newest heartthrob, struggling with fame as the star of the latest superhero franchise. Through scandal after scandal, addiction on top of addiction, a flurry of paparazzi hunt him as he fights to conquer his demons.

She's a single mother, assistant manager at a grocery store, existing in monotony with her five-year-old daughter. Every day when she goes to work, lurid tabloids surround her, the face of a notorious bad boy haunting her from their covers.

A man and a woman, living…


Book cover of Broken World

Linda Naughton Author Of Blackout Trail

From my list on post-apocalyptic stories that don’t lose hope.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by the “what if” of how humanity would survive a worldwide disaster. While many post-apocalyptic tales depict a bleak world where the apocalypse brings out the worst in everyone, my favorite stories—both to read and to write—have always been ones where people hold on to their humanity and band together against the darkness. That’s why I like the ones on this list.

Linda's book list on post-apocalyptic stories that don’t lose hope

Linda Naughton Why Linda loves this book

With its mix of family drama, disaster survival, and medicine, this hit all the right notes for me. Seeing things fall apart in a hospital without power was like a nightmarish version of ER.

I loved the characters, who were all just trying to protect their loved ones amidst an unimaginable disaster. Each member of the Peterson family got their chance to shine in perfectly intertwining arcs. This is a top-notch disaster story that kicks off an amazing six-book series.

By Grace Hamilton ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Broken World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

No power. No law & order. No safety net. The world as everyone knows it is over.Laurel is stabilizing a patient in the ER when the power goes out. As she struggles to keep her patients alive, she faces an ugly truth—the world as everyone knew it is over. The smart thing to do is run and try to survive, but Laurel refuses to leave her patients behind—least of all her sick mother. There’s only one choice to make. She’ll have to stay and fight.Bear is done fighting. War and PTSD have cost him everything—his job, his self-respect, and his…


Book cover of Trauma and Recovery

Anna C. Salter Author Of Predators

From my list on interpersonal violence and reduced predation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a psychologist who has worked with sex and violent offenders for 40 years and testified over 200 times in court. I started working with sex offenders by accident, as the courts in the county where I lived started sending them for treatment despite the fact that none of the people in the clinic I worked at had had any training on treating sex offenders. Certainly, how anyone could deliberately harm anyone–particularly children–was a mystery to me. I got a small grant and visited sex offender clinics around the country to learn treatment methods. I wrote up my findings and it turned into my first book.

Anna's book list on interpersonal violence and reduced predation

Anna C. Salter Why Anna loves this book

First published in 1992, this book tied hidden individual trauma to other, more recognized, and accepted forms of trauma, such as combat and terrorism. Beautifully written and insightful, it broadened our understanding of trauma and made the case for taking domestic violence, rape, and sexual abuse more seriously than the culture at large had heretofore taken it.

As someone who lived through the era where women were advised if they were raped to “lie back and enjoy it,” the book brought a dose of reality to the surreal assumptions of people who minimized and excused domestic battery, rape, and sexual assault.

The book also addressed why efforts are so often made to silence survivors. Perhaps the most famous quote from the book is, "It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire…

By Judith Lewis Herman ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trauma and Recovery as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Trauma and Recovery was first published in 1992, it was hailed as a groundbreaking work. In the intervening years, Herman's volume has changed the way we think about and treat traumatic events and trauma victims. In a new afterword, Herman chronicles the incredible response the book has elicited and explains how the issues surrounding the topic have shifted within the clinical community and the culture at large.Trauma and Recovery brings a new level of understanding to a set of problems usually considered individually. Herman draws on her own cutting-edge research in domestic violence as well as on the vast…


If you love The Man I Love...

Book cover of An Heir of Realms

An Heir of Realms by Heather Ashle,

An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroines—a dragon rider and a portal jumper—who fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction. 

Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswen’s dream is to…

Book cover of Denial: A Memoir of Terror

Marin Sardy Author Of The Edge of Every Day: Sketches of Schizophrenia

From my list on empowering personal stories of mental illness.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in the shadow of my mother’s untreated and very damaging mental illness, and despite how much I loved her, I struggled with having few ways to articulate or even understand how it shaped our lives. I went on to study biology and writing, and I now often weave psychology and neuroscience into my literary essays and memoir. I write to fill the gaps between my own experiences and the ways I have seen mental illness represented—or more often, misrepresented—in our culture. I write to explore mental health as it exists in real families and communities, and to tell nuanced, loving stories that fight against stigma.

Marin's book list on empowering personal stories of mental illness

Marin Sardy Why Marin loves this book

In this intensively researched memoir, celebrated war reporter Jessica Stern turns her journalistic eye on herself, peering far into her past to examine a rape to which she was a victim as a teen—an event that caused her to develop post-traumatic stress disorder and dramatically altered the course of her life. She uses her personal story as the anchor from which to more broadly examine how we think about trauma, interviewing veterans and others to explore how PTSD damages personal relationships while also contributing, for instance, to the “fearlessness” that enabled her to work in war zones. In doing so, Stern delivers a well-rounded examination of her condition with insights on why so many, including herself, are apt to deny its presence in their own lives. 

By Jessica Stern ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Denial as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Denial is one of the most important books I have read in a decade....Brave, life-changing, and gripping as a thriller….A tour de force.”
—Naomi Wolf

 

One of the world’s foremost experts on terrorism and post-traumatic stress disorder, Jessica Stern has subtitled her book Denial, “A Memoir of Terror.” A brave and astonishingly frank examination of her own unsolved rape at the age of fifteen, Denial investigates how the rape and its aftermath came to shape Stern’s future and her work. The author of the New York Times Notable Book Terror in the Name of God, Jessica Stern brilliantly explores…


Book cover of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Bella St. Patrick Author Of Broken but Healing

From my list on quiet strength and emotional recovery for men.

Why am I passionate about this?

As the co-author of Broken But Healing, I know firsthand what it means to survive emotional, physical, and psychological trauma—and to slowly piece yourself back together. Books were a lifeline during my healing journey. They offered comfort, clarity, and the reminder that I wasn’t alone. These five books helped shape my own recovery and inspired me to share my story so others could find the strength to rebuild, too.

Bella's book list on quiet strength and emotional recovery for men

Bella St. Patrick Why Bella loves this book

This book reveals how the body stores emotional and traumatic memories long after the mind tries to forget them.

Van der Kolk explains why symptoms like anxiety, emotional numbness, anger, or disconnection can surface years later.

Many men who “push through” or never talk about their trauma find clarity in this book’s explanation of how stress affects the brain and nervous system. It helps readers understand themselves physically and emotionally, while giving hope that healing is possible through therapy, mindfulness, and self-awareness.

By Bessel Van Der Kolk ,

Why should I read it?

25 authors picked The Body Keeps the Score as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times bestseller

"Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding and treating traumatic stress and the scope of its impact on society." -Alexander McFarlane, Director of the Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies

A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing in this New York Times bestseller

Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van…


Book cover of Mrs. Dalloway

Jesse Wolfe Author Of Love, Friendship, and Narrative Form After Bloomsbury: The Progress of Intimacy in History

From my list on love and historical progress.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an English professor, a poet, a lover of reading, and a happy husband and father. How did all this happen; what historical processes made my good fortunes possible? I get answers to these questions from great fiction and great nonfiction. It’s hard to find two more sensitive and beautifully written novels about marriage’s personal and social dimensions than Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and E. M. Forster’s Howards End. Their psychological insights are complemented by two marriage historians and one sociologist with broad knowledge about love’s evolution over the centuries. I’ve read these books multiple times and shared them with many students (and friends)! They never get old.

Jesse's book list on love and historical progress

Jesse Wolfe Why Jesse loves this book

I love this novel because of its ravishingly beautiful prose and deep insights into sexual selfhood. Set one day in June 1923, this book takes us into the mind of its middle-aged heroine, Clarissa Dalloway, as she prepares to host a party and reminisces about her life three decades ago.

As a teenager, she loved a daring, aristocratic woman (Sally), a passionate but troubled man (Peter), and a comparatively boring but dependable man (Richard, to whom she has long been married). What did love mean to her thirty years ago, and what does it mean now? Did she make the right romantic choice, given the constraints of her society? Virginia Woolf leaves her readers space to ponder these questions for themselves.

By Virginia Woolf ,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Mrs. Dalloway as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The working title of Mrs. Dalloway was The Hours. The novel began as two short stories, "Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street" and the unfinished "The Prime Minister". It describes Clarissa's preparations for a party she will host in the evening, and the ensuing party. With an interior perspective, the story travels forward and back in time and in and out of the characters' minds to construct an image of Clarissa's life and of the inter-war social structure.


In October 2005, Mrs. Dalloway was included on Time's list of the 100 best English-language novels written since Time debuted in 1923.


If you love Suanne Laqueur...

Book cover of The Tao of Poison

The Tao of Poison by Isham Cook,

A poisonous maiden, a Daoist sex cult, and a violent insurgency.

The polyandrous Yan family in China's rural Shaanxi Province takes in two carpenter brothers. When one brother is convicted of murder after killing their neighbor in a dispute, a constable threatens to expose the family's rumored polyandry and extorts…

Book cover of Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma: A Workbook for Survivors and Therapists

Jan Bergstrom Author Of Gifts from a Challenging Childhood: Healing the Legacy of Childhood Trauma

From my list on healing persistent childhood trauma.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was four and a half years old, I found my mother passed out on her bedroom floor. She had overdosed—shortly after giving birth to my baby brother, and she went on to spend six months in a psychiatric hospital. While she was away, I remember sitting in the backseat of our car with my brother as my father drove us to the store when our car collided head-on with another vehicle. In the months that followed, I became parentless for a period that seemed like years. That experience set the stage for my lifelong interest in the impacts of childhood trauma. As a therapist, it also sparked my passion for healing others.

Jan's book list on healing persistent childhood trauma

Jan Bergstrom Why Jan loves this book

I love this workbook because it is straightforward in defining childhood developmental trauma. It explains the Autonomic Nervous System and how trauma stays stuck in the body today. I use diagrams and simple worksheets to explain why my clients feel the way they do.

I like that it explains that trauma is not just working out through the brain but includes the body, most importantly. I also believe that true healing from trauma has to include somatic body-based work, which this workbook explains. 

By Janina Fisher ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Traumatic experiences leave a “living legacy” of effects that often persist for years and decades after the events are over. Historically, it has always been assumed that re-telling the story of what happened would resolve these effects.

However, survivors report a different experience: Telling and re-telling the story of what happened to them often reactivates their trauma responses, overwhelming them rather than resolving the trauma. To transform traumatic experiences, survivors need to understand their symptoms and reactions as normal responses to abnormal events. They need ways to work with the symptoms that intrude on their daily activities, preventing a life…


Book cover of Fifty Shades of Grey
Book cover of Mists of the Serengeti
Book cover of Rush

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,397

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in PTSD, torture, and French travel?

PTSD 119 books
Torture 44 books
French Travel 42 books