Book picks similar to
Barely Breathing by Erica Marselas


second-chance
romance
contemporary-romance
dnf

Creole Kingpin


Meghan March - 2020
    That’s exactly what I am, but I can’t stay away from Magnolia Marie Maison for one more day, let alone another year.We’ve already got fifteen of those between us.As it stands, she’ll want to kill me as soon as she lays eyes on me. And knowing her, she’s completely up to the task.But I’m a man on a mission, and I’ve got everything riding on this.So, here I come, Magnolia. This ghost is ready for whatever you got.After all, there’s only one way I want this to end—’til death do us part.

Prisoned


Marni Mann - 2016
    A man who would kill me if he found out what that secret was.Someone wanted to torture me.Torture us.One of us deserved it.It wasn’t Garin.* * * * ** WARNING *"Prisoned" is an extremely dark novel. There are strong sexual themes, drug usage, physical abuse and torture that could trigger and/or cause emotional suffering. You have been warned.* * * * * * Note READING ORDER *The Prisoned series should be read in the following order, to ensure the best understanding of the overall stories:Book #1: PrisonedBook #2: AnimalBook #3: Monster

The Five


Lily White - 2019
    Having lived a life of sex, drugs and manipulation, she is a temptation with far too many secrets.When psychologist, Justin Redding, is assigned to Rainey's case, he has no way of knowing the tale of debauchery he will encounter.On a twisted path of love, loss and murder, Rainey leads Justin through the events of her life.Death follows Rainey...Justin fights to discover her secrets...But will he discover the secret of THE FIVE in time to resist Rainey's ultimate seduction?***DISCLAIMER: This book deals with sensitive subject matters that may be upsetting for some readers.

Hard to Love


W. Winters - 2019
    I was too much of a bastard to push her away.I grew up in this life, and now I run these streets. Blood and violence taint everything I touch.Everything but her. She was my constant through it all.Just a touch would singe and soothe.Just a look would tempt and torment.She became my escape and my addiction.I only survived because she was by my side.I should’ve known better than to indulge.I should’ve known better than to let her fall for me.It was only a matter of time before the danger bled into what we had.I was Laura’s downfall. Problem was, she was mine too.

Sicko


Amo Jones - 2020
    He swore to protect me.He failed.They all failed.I’m an open box of passé photographs, snapped in chaste daylight, but filtered in sepia. I’m the past that he tried to forget, and he was the future I needed. When he left six years ago, I screamed for him every night. But then it all stopped. My screams were suddenly muffled by cruelty, and further coaxed by pain.But he has come back. He’s not the cute big brother I had a furtive crush on, or the bad boy, rich brat that I hated to love.He’s the ruthless vice president of Wolf Pack MC, and he doesn’t answer to Royce Kane anymore.He answers to Sicko.

Kiss of War


Clara Elroy - 2021
    His eyes fostered demons solely reserved for me. They craved to own my soul.And for the longest time, I took it, I bore his cruelty alone.But then... then I grew thorns of my own.And now?Now it's time for his torment to taste my kiss of war.Kiss of War is a complete standalone and a part of the City of Stars series.

Operation: Marry Me


Emma Nichols - 2018
    A Marine sent to protect her.EnriqueFrom the moment I saw Maddie Weeks, I was smitten.We could've had a great love affair, except for three little things:1. It was my job to protect her.2. She was already married.3. I could never marry.Then her jerk of a husband blew up.Literally.And our low key surveillance was kicked up a notch.We needed an inside man.Naturally, I took one for the team and assigned myself that role.My cover?Obviously, we'll have to be married.Fake married.Too bad I really love her.

Rewrite the Stars


Charleigh Rose - 2018
    Beautiful and popular, if not a little jaded. A chance encounter with a green-eyed stuntman sets off a chain of events that turns her perfect, little world upside down. Short on options and desperate for adventure, she joins the traveling carnival for the summer. Thrust into a world full of drama, deception, and secrecy, Evangeline tries to find herself and protect her heart in the process. Sebastian McAllister is cursed. He knows better than to think otherwise. He’s content to live out the rest of his life traveling the country as one of the four Sons of Eastlake, seeking thrills the only way he knows how. The one thing he doesn’t see coming is the spoiled blond with stars in her eyes. The only problem is, the more time he spends with her, the more hope starts to stir in his dormant heart. Too bad hope is a dangerous thing when you’re a McAllister

Conflicted


M.M. Koenig - 2013
    Her life was everything she wanted it to be; until one fateful night changed everything – leaving her broken and without direction. Nearly a year later, she still has little faith in anyone or anything. Desperate to reclaim her life’s ambition, she takes an unexpected offer that promises to solve all her problems. But as Mia moves forward, she’s faced with obstacles she couldn’t have foreseen. The biggest of them lies within the mystery of Ethan Fitzgerald; a man who affects her like no other, but who she should avoid pursuing, at all costs. On a mission himself, Ethan Fitzgerald didn’t care who he pissed off on his road to fulfill his mother’s dying wish. He relied on himself, and was closed off to the world around him – until Mia Ryan walked through his door. Normally one to avoid messy emotions, Ethan’s world is turned upside down by Mia, and he can’t seem to get enough of her. There are lines you can cross that will change the course of your life forever …

Little Dove


K.C. Decker - 2018
    There is something special about me. Not special in a good way though, more like special in a way that will get me killed one day.It’s not something I talk about with anyone, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to snare my neighbor in my devious web.He is angsty and brooding and completely sexy in a scrappy, bloody knuckle kind of way.I should also mention that he’s a scheming, felonious drug dealer and I’m drawn to him like flies on shit.The problem is, he doesn’t yet know his role in my narrative, but he will fall in line. They always do.Trigger Warning: This book contains references to past abuse, violence, and a sexual assault that some readers may find distressing. Follow National Award-Winning Author KC Decker, as she takes you on an intense, sensual ride through the dark corners of the human psyche. Little Dove is a commanding story that explores both the mercy and self-destructiveness that lives within us all.

Diamond in the Rough


Skye Warren - 2020
    A white van. A dark hood. Every woman's worst nightmare.Now I'm trapped in an abandoned church. The man who took me says I won't be hurt. The man in the cell next to me says that's a lie. I'll fight with every ounce of strength, but there are secrets in these walls. I'll need every single one of them to survive.DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH is a new dark romance from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren. Finding yourself has never been so dangerous...

All the Little Lights


Jamie McGuire - 2018
    Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.

Knotted


Pam Godwin - 2018
    It’s impossible. Growing up together, Conor and I shared all our firsts. First love, first kiss, first… Not all our firsts. We were sixteen the night she was violently assaulted while I helplessly watched. I’ll never forget the sounds of her suffering. Or my inconsolable agony when she left Oklahoma. Years later, she returns to honor our teenage pact. Except the boy she loved is gone, replaced by a ruthless cattle rancher knotted with secrets. She doesn’t know my dark cravings or the trails of sin that lead to her. I don’t deserve her, but one truth remains. She’s mine. TRAILS OF SIN series (HEAs with no cliffhangers - must be read in order): Knotted #1 Buckled #2 Booted #3

Private


Xavier Neal - 2016
    No face to face meetings. No interviews. No social media accounts. Despite his ghost demeanor he continues to financially flourish and make his fellow investors richer with every decision. Throughout the years many have sought to discover the man inside the mogul while others have spread legends painting him as a heartless monster consumed by greed. None of it matters to him. Weston's true identity is secured away in his estate of solitude, which consists of the only people in the entire world he believes he can trust. That is until he's asked to allow a guest access to the property under extreme circumstances. One he knows he shouldn't. It doesn't take long before his world is turned upside down, unexpected threats arise, and Weston's forced to ask himself what really should be kept private?

Fables & Other Lies


Claire Contreras - 2020
    Not until I met River Caliban himself, heir to a fortune of curses. My fated sworn enemy. I knew I should have stayed away from him. I should have run the other way when he called out my name, when he flashed that sinful smile of his, but instead, I walked toward him, leaving the light behind. Instead, I go against all reason, against all warning, and attended the gala of the year at his dark, allegedly haunted home at the top of the hill. The moment I step foot inside I know I’m in trouble, but there’s something about River that magnetizes me, reels me in, and when he asks for the impossible, I find it impossible to turn him away.