Book picks similar to
Her String of Pearls by Ella Burns
dark-romance
dark
revenge
ella-burns
Safe Word
Teresa Mummert - 2013
His job is to find an easy target and take her back to his place for a few days. He is working his way up the crime ladder doing a job he never wanted.Lily Hilton has it all, but is hiding from a troublesome past. When she enters a bar downtown, and runs into her old high school crush, her entire world is turned upside down. She is determined to make him notice her, but that plan may work better than she expects. Colton does not hesitate to take Lily home and use her as his new pawn, but their past begins to catch up with them as their secrets unravel and he must decide what is more important to him, protecting Lily or himself.Excerpt:"Cole...""Answer the f**king question!" I took a deep breath, struggling not to lose control completely."I knew you didn't do it.""You don't f**king know me, Rose. Does this look innocent to you? Huh?" I pointed to the spare bedroom with the lock dangling from its metal closure."I'm Lily now," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself. I leaned in closer, knowing she was terrified."You're whoever the f**k I want you to be. For the next two weeks I f**king own you and, if you're lucky, you may still be alive when all of this is over." She had awakened an animal inside of me, and as I spat my hatred at her I could still taste her on my tongue. I hated myself for giving in to her. Tears welled in her eyes and her chin quivered as she struggled to keep from breaking down. I cupped her cheek, running the pad of my finger over her silky skin. "Don't cry, Rose. Things are just about to get fun." I placed a gentle kiss over her lower lip and ran my thumb over it, soothing her. "Can you taste that, Rose?" All traces of anger had left my voice, but something had snapped inside of me. "I can still taste your sweetness, still smell you all over me." I leaned down and ran my nose up the curve of her neck, inhaling. I grabbed her wrist as my mouth reached her ear."Look what you're doing to me, Rose." I placed her hand on my jeans so she could feel how stiff my c**k was from just thinking about her. She tried to pull back but I tightened my grip and held her against me. "Do you still think I'm the good guy?"Warning: This novel is intended for readers 18 yrs. older
Honor
Jay Crownover - 2016
Honor and conscience have no place in my life. But I've fought and I've survived. I've had to.The first time I saw her dancing on that seedy stage in that second rate club, I felt my heart pulse for the first time. Keelyn Foster was too young, too vibrant for this place, and I knew in an instant that I would make her mine. But first I had to climb my way to the top. I had to have something more to offer her.I'm here now, money is no object and I have no equal. Except for her. She's disappeared. But don't worry, I will find her and claim her. She will be mine.Like I said, don't be fooled. I am not the devil in disguise… I'm the one front and center.
Twist Me: The Complete Trilogy
Anna Zaires - 2015
Over 1000 pages of addictive, thrilling dark romance at 30% off the individual books’ prices.
“Will you ever let me go?”
“No, Nora,” he replies, and I can feel his smile in the darkness. “Never.” On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Nora Leston meets Julian Esguerra, and her life changes forever. Stolen away to a private island, she finds herself at the mercy of a powerful, dangerous man whose touch makes her burn. A man whose obsession with her knows no bounds. Her enigmatic captor is as cruel as he is beautiful, yet it’s his tenderness that devastates her most. Drawn into his violent world, Nora must find a way to adapt and survive—and find light within the darkness. Over 1000 5-star reviews across individual books. Here’s what readers are saying: • “So enthralling, gripping, raw, thrilling, breathtaking I could not put my Kindle down” • “Twists you into gut wrenching agony and fear and turns you into a writhing mass of need” • “I enjoyed this book with fear and arousal, amazed by the beauty in its darkness” • “This series will forever be burned into my heart. I loved it from the very first page and mourned the last page because I never wanted it to end.” • “This trilogy deserves 10 stars!” • “Utterly brilliant”
Devil You Hate
J.L. Beck - 2021
Gorgeous but frightening. The night before her arranged marriage, I kidnap her. As the last remaining daughter to the Ricci Family I know her father will do anything to keep his hold over the five families, which means he'll do anything to keep her safe.Beautiful, fragile and innocent, destroying her will push her father over the edge.Taking her was revenge, plain and simple. Spilled blood for spilled blood. Most wouldn't dare cross another mob family, but I'm scared of no one. I figure the mafia princess will be easy to break, but I was wrong. The light in her tempts the darkness inside of me. Teases it, tortures it. Every day I find myself wanting to hurt her, break her, but also keep her. Lucky for Celia, she fails to see that there is no escaping what I have planned. When she attempts to draw me in with her innocence, and sweet naive heart I thrive to show her what true darkness is.
Blackwood
Celia Aaron - 2017
It’s what I do. I’ll literally use a shovel to answer a question. Some answers, though, have been buried too deep for too long. But I’ll find those, too. And I know where to dig—the Blackwood Estate on the edge of the Mississippi Delta. Garrett Blackwood is the only thing standing between me and the truth. A broken man—one with desires that dance in the darkest part of my soul—he’s either my savior or my enemy. I’ll dig until I find all his secrets. Then I’ll run so he never finds mine. The only problem? He likes it when I run.Author’s Note: This is a standalone mystery/suspense romance with violence and explicit/intense sex. If you need a trigger warning, then this isn't the book for you.If you purchased the book during the first week, Counsellor is included at the end as a bonus. Blackwood is a 67k-word FULL-LENGTH novel that ends at 54%.
Trouble in Hell
Alex Grayson - 2018
Welcome to Malus. Trouble and his brothers escaped from Malus, Texas as kids. In the dead of night, they left behind a hell so hideous, it made national news. Years later, they returned to make the place that was once their living nightmare, a safe place for those who have suffered just as they have. When Remi comes to town, heavily pregnant and in desperate need of help, as the town's only doctor, Trouble reluctantly offers his services. Little did he know the strong attraction he would feel for the woman. He fights it, tries to push it to the side, but it only grows stronger, nearly consuming him. Love is not something Trouble can afford to feel. Not when he still has vengeance in his blood and the need to punish those of his past. Not when he knows Remi would never be able to see past the merciless actions he must carry out. Remi has no time for love either, no matter how much her heart yearns for Trouble. Not when danger is knocking on her door, demanding something she'll never be able to give. Will the darkness in their pasts devour them, or will they find the beauty that's just out of reach? In a town like Malus, anything is possible.... DISCLAIMER: Intended for readers 18 years and older due to mature content, abusive situations, and harsh language. May contain triggers for some readers. Please read with caution.
Unimaginable
Sophia Kenzie - 2015
Try to picture the cutest, tallest, cockiest guy you’ve ever met, with the bluest eyes and the darkest hair... He’s that times ten. Evan knows that I can’t control how my body reacts to him, and he never misses a chance to tease me in class for being so smart, or give me hell in the hallways for being so uptight. He also happens to be my Resident Advisor at The Valley School. His room is down the hall from mine and he’s the one I’m supposed to go to whenever I’m feeling homesick…lonely…vulnerable… But I don’t come from a wealthy family like the other kids at this school, I’ll never be on the same level as Evan Covington...he’s out of my reach. When his uncle—who’s a teacher at our school—decides to “put me in my place”, Evan does the unthinkable to defend my honor... But I never imagined that I would end up being framed, convicted, and sent to prison for a murder I didn’t commit. Fifteen years later I finally learn the truth…that I was right to hate Evan Covington from the very beginning. Unimaginable is a full length contemporary new adult romance novel. Content is suitable for adults only, contains graphic sexual content, harsh language, and mature themes.
The Tutor
K. Larsen - 2017
She accepts a summer long live-in tutoring job for a handsome man and his little sister at a secluded home deep in the mountains.There is no running water.No electricity.No internet or cell service.When her tutoring job ends she's hit with a brutal turn of events ... she's not permitted to leave. After months in captivity, she makes a harrowing escape with her student that ends in a car accident on a desolate road. When Nora comes to, her student is missing. In a desperate attempt to find the girl, Nora will have to recount her time held captive. The good and the bad. Can Nora and the authorities work together to find the man who took her? Will they rescue the girl Nora tried to save?Author’s Note: This is a dark romantic suspense. Trigger warning: all of them. This will not elicit warm fuzzy feelings
Devil's Bargain
Natasha Knight - 2019
I call it a deal she can’t refuse.I was owed a debt and I expected payment. That payment? One night in my bed. My rules. The debt cleared, and she could walk away. There are worse things. And besides, debtors can’t be choosers.The night started as it should. She obeyed as she should. But then something happened. Something I was wholly unprepared for. And what I saw changed everything. I broke my own rules after that. And I didn’t keep my end of the bargain. Because walking away was no longer an option I would grant her, no matter the cost.
Prisoner
Annika Martin - 2014
He’s dangerous. He’s wild. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.So I hide behind my prim glasses and my book like I always do, because I have secrets too. Then he shows up in the prison writing class I have to teach, and he blows me away with his honesty. He tells me secrets in his stories, and it’s getting harder to hide mine. I shiver when he gets too close, with only the cuffs and the bars and the guards holding him back. At night I can’t stop thinking about him in his cell.But that’s the thing about an animal in a cage—you never know when he’ll bite. He might use you to escape. He might even pull you into a forest and hold a hand over your mouth so you can’t call for the cops. He might make you come so hard, you can’t think.And you might crave him more than your next breath.
Pretty Monsters (Pretty Monsters Trilogy, #1)
Kimberly Carrillo - 2020
Here we don't hide in the shadows. I am vengeance wrapped in a pretty package, but you can call me Sin, everyone else does. I’m a weapon and as such I live for one thing only, to bring death where I’m aimed. That is until the night she walks into the moonlight. Raven Blackthorne taunts me with her beauty and innocence. She doesn’t belong in my world, even if it is her father who’s trapped me here. I’m not good for her, but maybe I’m exactly who she needs to help her escape it. Unless I break her first.
Creeping Beautiful
J.A. Huss - 2020
I raised her. I loved her. I taught her how to survive in a world of evil men. But it wasn’t enough.
ADAM
I wasn’t the one who saved her but I did my best.She needed me as much as I needed her. Bought and paid for on the auction block. But not for the reasons you think. She was my weapon.
DONOVAN
I wasn’t the one who lied to her but I hid her truth. She was broken before I got there. Wild and angry. Defiant and bratty. But she trusted me most. She loved me best.So I set her free.
Indie Anna Accorsi is a woman lost in her past.
A pretty little nightmare.A gorgeous piece of misery.A mess of lovely darkness.
She is creeping beautiful.
And now we want her back.
Vice
Callie Hart - 2016
Obey orders. Protect the guy standing next to you. Stay alive. Cade Preston left the military a long time ago, but he has never ceased to live by the laws of combat. As vice president of the Widow Makers Motorcycle club, he’s been loyal. He’s fought tooth and nail to stay alive. He’s shed blood to save the lives of those who matter to him. And now he’s gone and done something he swore he would never do. He’s fallen for the one girl he can’t have. Cortina Villalobos is an untouchable. The daughter of one of Ecuador’s most notorious cartel leaders, she is beyond Cade’s reach in every way. Fernando Villalobos is a murderer and a madman. He will kill anyone who dares look twice at his daughter, and yet Cade can’t walk away. Will he disobey orders? Will he abandon his club? And will taking on the House of Wolves cost him his life?Note: Vice is a standalone novel, with a complete beginning, middle and end. If you would like to read more about Cade Preston, you can find him featured in both the Blood & Roses series and the Dead Man’s Ink series. However, you do not need to read those books in order to enjoy this one.
Children of Vice
J.J. McAvoy - 2017
I shall show no mercy; I shall offer no forgiveness; there will be no peace for those who stand against me.I will live for my family.I will kill for my family.I will marry for my family.I, Ivy O'Davoren, the only daughter of Shay O'Davoren, solemnly swear to ruthlessly and mercilessly exact revenge on the Callahans and all those who betrayed my father and family. I will live for revenge.I will kill for revenge.I will marry for revenge.***You devoured the Ruthless People series. Now it’s time to revel in the reign of the Callahan children…Stand-alone sequel series to Ruthless People series. You do not have to read Ruthless People series beforehand .
Mr. X
Clarissa Wild - 2014
X is ready for you, but are you ready for him?USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Clarissa Wild brings you Mr. X, a dark Romance thriller, which is a stand alone without cliffhanger.*Author Note: This is not your average romance story. Some people will kill for love.*He’s come to kill me.I’m a user and abuser of my own body. In my darkest hour I sold my soul to the devil and now I must pay the price. With his gun to my head I have no choice but to listen and obey, but I refuse to go down easily. Nothing is stronger than the will to survive. My instincts kicked into full gear the second he stepped into my motel room.Except when I look at him I see my own heart staring back at me. A history tainted by blood.I don’t know his name, but I know he wants me. To save myself I’ll sacrifice my sanity. My body. My soul. Something tells me the x-shaped scar that marks his eye is the only escape I have. He is Mr. X: the man who comes to claim my life. Can I save myself before he demands my heart?WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, strong language, drugs and alcohol, and graphic violence.No Cliffhanger. Complete at 90800 words. Stand Alone.