Book picks similar to
Brutal Winter by Quirah Casey


reverse-harem
dark
dark-romance
mafia

No Good Deed


Emma Cole - 2021
    I lost my innocence and dreams in one fell swoop.Now, I'm a junkie dancer who will do just about anything to earn a buck or get my next fix. When you're living off the books to stay hidden on the fringes between Carlotti and Finelli territory, anything means...anything.The mafia lords and their heirs own this city. They fiercely protect their turf along with anything else they lay claim to. Murder, mayhem, and money are the driving forces behind the ruthless Familes, and death comes swiftly to those who get in their way.Tony, Vanni, Marco, and Santos are the heirs to the Carlotti Empire, one of the most prolific crime syndicates in NYC. And one of them was the catalyst for the wreckage my life had become.Due to a budding war with another Family, our paths have crossed again. Except this time, I didn't have a chance to run. The Carlotti men I'd once trusted as boys took me, but to what end?To save me? Keep me? Kill me?The Carlotti heirs don't know what they just took on, but I'll enjoy showing them exactly what I'm capable of. That is, if I don’t wind up dead first.***No Good Deed is a dark contemporary reverse harem romance. Content Warning: vulgar speech, explicit scenes, drug use, violence, gore, and possibly a myriad of other aspects that may not be suitable for all readers. 18+/Mature readers recommended***

The Angels


Ruby Vincent - 2020
    Nothing could unite the two factions until I set foot on campus.For the first time in our history, they all agree on one thing:I must pay for my father’s sins.But why should I care?The joke is on them because I have nothing left inside. No part of me that isn’t already broken. I invite them to do their worst.Until The Angels enter the game.The most dangerous gang in town has a score to settle with my family, and Cassius, Clay, Hiro, and Royal are here to collect.Raven River soon becomes a battleground of lies, deceit, and violence, and I stand at the heart of it.The gorgeous otherworldly Angels will remind me that there is one thing left that I care about… and they’ll destroy it in heavenly fire.

Carnage


Sarah Bailey - 2021
    A girl. Scarlett.She was one of us until she was ripped away from her life. The only trace of her was dust in the wind.One day she returned to the city and sought us out. Scarlett couldn’t remember who we’d been to her, but we recalled her all too well.If she knew what was good for her, she would have never come back. The moment she stepped through the doors of Fortuity, it was the beginning of her end. And the start of our reign over the girl who wanted us dead.A dark reverse harem contemporary retelling of the four horsemen of the apocalypse set in Sarah Bailey's Dark Universe with cliffhangers and a HEA in the final book.This is a DARK romance and therefore comes with a content warning. Please see the author's website for full details.

Playing With Knives


A.J. Merlin - 2021
    I can use the questionable life skills God saw fit to give me and be the best stalker-I mean, investigator-anyone has ever seen.Until four sexy as sin strangers waltz into town like we’re some kind of fun tourist destination rather than the most boring place on earth.Lysander, Azriel, Nikos, and Rhys don’t belong in this town. Something’s off with them. Something is wrong behind their shrewd gazes and swoon-worthy looks. More suspicious still, they show up right as my roommate was found, and the reasons they give for coming here are flimsy at best.At worst? I’m starting to think they killed her, or they know who did.Is it coincidence that they’re here just after the first murder in over a decade occurs?And even if I’m wrong, what happens if the dust settles and I can’t keep living the only life I know?Well, let’s just hope my body doesn’t end up in the river too.18+ Dark Reverse Harem Romance. PWK contains graphic sex scenes and detailed violent acts that may be triggering for some readers. There are also MM and MMFMM scenes and relationships.

Ruthless Crown


Amanda Richardson - 2021
    After all, they’re royalty here. Because one of them—the cruelest one—is the headmaster’s son. And my new stepbrother.They can try to torment me.They can try to break me.But they have no idea what I’ve endured.They’re used to getting whatever their ruthless, little hearts desire.Maybe I should keep my mouth shut.Maybe I should let them win.But I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty. Lord knows I’m used to it by now.My name is Briar Monroe, and these Kings are about to find out just how fucked up this Queen can be.Ruthless Crown is full-length high-school bully reverse harem romance. It is book one of the Ruthless Royals duet, and while it doesn’t end with a true cliffhanger, there are unanswered questions. Book two will be releasing in a month. It is advised to read them in order. *Please note Ruthless Crown contains explicit language, bullying, and flashbacks of abuse/trauma. It also features four hot AF guys who would do anything to protect their feisty Queen. The duet will have a HEA.

Perfection of Suffering


M. Sinclair - 2021
    Specifically, their sons - the heirs to some of the largest fortunes in the country. I had grown used to them acting as my shadows, protecting me and surrounding me with enough affection that I never questioned if their words were in fact the truth.Then the Brooks twins came to town. Suddenly, everything I had known about myself was being shattered as they dug up my worst insecurities and exploited them to the world. I began questioning everything.Kingston Ross. Stratton Lee. Yates Carter. Lincoln & Sterling Gates.They have been able to protect me from everything… but myself. My boys carry a darkness inside of them that has never scared me. The shadows of deeds done at night, away from the spotlight of being who we were in this societal hierarchy. They think I’m afraid of that, but they couldn’t be farther from the truth.I wasn’t afraid of their darkness.I wasn’t afraid of my feelings for them, ones that had grown from friendship into so much more.I wasn’t even afraid of expressing that to them… eventually.What I was afraid of? That I would hurt those around me with my shame and pain.I would just have to perfect the art of suffering in silence.Wildberry Lane - Home to the extremely wealthy and powerful Southern elite.Perfection of Suffering, book 1 in The Shadows of Wildberry Lane trilogy, is M. Sinclair’s debut contemporary reverse harem novel. This work features a naive female character hiding a dark secret of her own, the men in her life that will do anything to keep her safe, and a scandal that stretches far beyond the safety of Wildberry Lane’s gate.Warning: This book does contain sexual content for +18, swearing, violence, and triggers when it comes to specifically, but not limited to, eating disorders and bullying. Important to note, the bullying is NOT done by the harem, but rather outside sources. This is a slow/medium burn series.

Desecrated Flesh


C.A. Rene - 2020
    All it took was one bad decision,A need to numb the pain that threatened to tear me apart.He was someone I trusted,And he made a decision that would forever ruin me.They used to be my best friends,But after that night, I never wanted to see them again.Now they hate me and will stop at nothing to watch me suffer.But what do they know about suffering?After what I’ve been through,Everything they throw at me is child’s play.One more year and I’ll be free of them,Never having to be reminded of that fateful night.A lot can happen in a year...

Altered by Fire


Kate Morgan - 2018
    Just like me. I’m a broken, damaged soul on the run from a very real sort of darkness. My father, a notorious mob boss, either wants me back or wants me dead. I find solace in the arms of his enemies. Five deliciously dark men that tempt me to do things I shouldn’t. Arsen, Colt, Weston, Mace, and Hawke. They’re just as dangerous as the men they’re hunting. So, will they save me, or burn me to ashes? Either way, in their arms, I catch fire. I burn. And I love every second of it. **NOTE: This book was originally published as Five Fathers by Kate Morgan. It has undergone a rewrite but the core story remains the same.**

Two Tricks


Elizabeth Knight - 2021
    Period. The end.No. No, you don’t get to ask why. Tricks runs the West Coast smuggling ring, so if you want anything to come and go, you play by the rules. You don’t like it? Well, then you’re gonna get a visit from me.Who am I? I’m Dax, his enforcer, and don’t let my height or the pink hair fool you. I’ll take your ass down.Now, can someone explain to me why the hell the Phantom Saints MC gang sent someone to try and talk me into getting Tricks to work with them? Or maybe how those same assholes ended up kidnapping me?You can bet your ass, as soon as I get the chance, I will make them regret ever having me as a ‘house guest’, even if they are sexy as sin. No one uses me and gets away with it!

The Dominator


D.D. Prince - 2015
    He has 3 rules for me. 1) Obey. 2) Tell no one ANYTHING about him. Rule 3 gives me a peek into just how depraved, alpha and possessive he really is. My life is about to be twisted up in knots. He will hurt me. Love me. Set my body on fire with passion. He will kill for me.Full & complete story - bit.ly/tommyandtia Free in Kindle Unlimited.Book 2 - Dario Ferrano - bit.ly/dareandangelBook 3 - More Tommy & More Dare - bit.ly/dominator3unboundOR box set - bit.ly/dominatorboxsetAnd then Saved, a spin-off that's even darker - bit.ly/lexandholly

Hard Limits


Suki Williams - 2021
    Now, I’ve got a life for myself, and I even like it most of the time, but a favor owed to my boss/ex-lover is about to mess all of that up.Her husband’s become a problem, and when the team of men she’s hired can’t seal the deal, I’m brought in for some assistance. What a fucking mess. Especially since the team consists of my favorite client, his brother, my roommate, and my roommate’s boyfriend.When the shitstorm of my present starts to collide a bit too much with my past, I’ve got to hope my skills are sharp enough to keep me in one piece.There’s an unexpected danger that’s found me once again, but lucky for me, I’ve always thrived in the darkness.Trigger warning: non con, dub con, BDSM scenes, a torture scene, and other adult material that people could find triggering.

Lords of Summer


Kayla Wren - 2020
    The Birchwood boys.They’re the most popular group on campus: everyone’s dying to be in their orbit.Everyone except me, that is. I’m dying to get away.The Birchwood boys made my life a living hell. They cost me my dorm, my friends, my internship. This summer job was supposed to be an escape, a chance to finally breathe again.But when I get there, he’s waiting. With a vicious smirk and one hell of a bet.Eli makes me an offer I can’t refuse: forty thousand dollars if I can last the whole summer.They’ve taken so much from me already. You know what?I’m in a gambling mood.*Lords of Summer is the first book in the Year of the Harem collection. This is a standalone reverse harem romance with bully themes, explicit language and high heat.*

Sweet Captivity


Julia Sykes
    I’m the hacker-geek-goddess of the FBI. When I’m hiding behind my screen, I’m a safe distance from everyone; isolated, powerful. No man has ever touched me, but when I’m captured by Colombian drug lord Andrés Moreno, I no longer have the right to refuse. He’s scarred and scary, and his cruel brother Cristian has tasked him with breaking me. I try to fight, but I can’t escape his strong arms and harsh discipline. He demands that I accept his touch, and my virgin body can’t help but respond to his masterful manipulations.The longer I remain trapped with him, the more I come to suspect that I’m not the only captive in his brother’s home. Andrés’ scars go deeper than the wicked furrows carved into his flesh, his pain reflected in the dark demands he imposes upon me. His obsession is twisted and wrong, but maybe I’m twisted, too.Do I want to be rescued from him? Or is he the one who truly needs saving?

Vendetta


Autumn Karr - 2013
    I've decided between life or death, like it was my due. None of it matters, not anymore. These are not my sins.I see her raise her hands, the dark metal she's clutching reflecting the moonlight. Her finger trembles as she cocks the gun pointed at me. Her eyes are cold, determined, but I know.I know her.My name is Devon Andre and I confess my sin. I am not a good man because this is the woman I love.She pulls the trigger.* Standalone contemporary romance.* Mature reader advised due to sexual content and strong language.

Enthralled


Giana Darling - 2019
    I know most people say that about something joyous; a graduation, a wedding ceremony, the birth of their first child. My situation was a little different. Sure, it was my eighteenth birthday, but it was also the day that I was sold. Sold to a man with hair like a crown of gold and eyes blacker than the darkest pits of Hell. He bought me to own me, to control me, and to use me as a means to an end. I was his tool and his weapon. And through it all, somehow, I also became his salvation.