Book picks similar to
Barely Breathing by Erica Marselas


second-chance
romance
dark
contemporary-romance

Daughter of a Killer


Lexi Archer - 2021
    I will be safe.Only school isn’t. It’s as dangerous as my old life.The bullies hound me. I can’t have a moment of peace.But they’re wrong. I’m not weak. I’m not helpless. And I’m not about to take their crap.Because I’m the daughter of a killer, and if they push me too far…I’ll push back harder, and they won’t like it.I’m a survivor by choice.

Deceit in Bloom


Jennifer Michael - 2017
    The sister of a whore. The fool who fell for the wrong guy. Paisley James is all too aware that sometimes fairy tales just don’t exist.There is no telling where hearts belong or loyalties lie when deceit is in bloom.Author Note: Deceit in Bloom is book one of a series and ends in a BIG, dramatic cliffhanger (No joke). The story continues in book two, Vengeance in Bloom.

Sin with Me


Delaney Foster - 2016
    He is death. She is his salvation. He is her destruction. Makenna Taylor and Reid Landry are high school sweethearts. He was her first. Her only. They had life all planned out. Right down to the white picket fence and 2.5 kids. Then Reid joined the Marines, and from that day forward, life as Makenna knew it would never be the same.She thought it was just another part time job waiting tables while she worked her way through college. She thought she had the fairytale. She thought she had imagined what happened that fateful night at the liquor store. She thought Cal Suppato was just another man. She was wrong.Soon, she would learn that every family has secrets. Every stranger has a dark side. And love isn’t just a simple four letter word. From greed, to pride, to lust, Makenna is slowly introduced to the seductive world of sin. A world she’d only heard about in the whispers of her grandmother’s living room. A world many know about but simply refuse to see.***This book contains a HFN ending and may be read as a standalone OR with book two, Callisto's POV, which is coming Fall 2016.***

Healing the Broken


K. Street - 2017
    Monsters didn’t just exist in nightmares.They were real; they lived among us.As the sole witness to a brutal murder, Ryann Sinclair knew that better than anyone.He’d been burned once, and Cash Donovan swore it was the last time.That all changed when Ryann stumbled back into his life.She was fiercely protective of her heart, and he was hell-bent on protecting her.Never one to back down from a challenge, Cash was determined to break her.Just so he could be the one to put her back together.

Depraved


Eva Charles - 2019
    Wilder, and it takes a lot to shame me, but we’re about to see where you draw the line. Gabrielle Duval once belonged to me. And like it or not, she'll be mine again. In a world where money, power and corruption rule, I'm prepared to do whatever it takes. Although nothing with that woman is ever easy. But believe me when I tell you, I'll enjoy every minute of the fight. Pick-up a copy of Depraved today, and let Eva Charles take you on a deliciously decadent journey. Buckle up. **Those who are sensitive to dark storylines, please proceed cautiously!**

Deceit


Addison Jane - 2016
    A lethal killer. I do what needs to be done in order to protect those who can't protect themselves.I’m never the same person twice.It’s never been an issue.But I underestimated her.The beautiful woman next door. There's something sexy about the way she watches me, eyes wide with an innocent curiosity. I find myself aching for her attention. I want her to look at me, but not when I'm covered in the blood of the man I just killed.I live in the dark. She could be my light. I want her. And I know she feels it too.When what I do puts her life in danger, everything changes. And I start to realize that maybe not all is as it seems. Every part of me screams to save her...But what if I'm wrong.What if she's the one saving me?

Best Laid Plans


Stylo Fantome - 2015
    Together, they'll learn that sometimes even the best laid plans can fail.If this NOVEL were a MOVIE, it would have an R rating from the MPAA. Contains: Violence, Grisly Images, Strong Language, Nudity, and Graphic Sexual Content

Slaughter


Shantel Tessier - 2018
    It is about revenge and hatred, misery and violence. I wasn’t always this way even though it was in my blood. I grew up happy and in love with my best friend until she betrayed me and walked away. After that, I fell into the deep, dark world I was meant for. Presleigh Clarke's actions turned me into the ruthless man I am today. Too bad for her, I believe people should pay for the things they have done. The more painful and messy, the better. I get off on making people bleed. It feeds my inner demon, and right now, he is starving. She crossed me once, so now she’ll know what it’s like to fear me. But not all stories end the way you think they will … mine certainly didn’t.

Stealing Iris


Sahara Roberts - 2020
    Iris, an innocent, enchanting beauty.The moment our eyes met, I wanted her.Common sense escaped me as I agreed to work with Conrado simply to be near her.But something's wrong. What it is, Iris won't say.Instincts on alert, I'm all in.If they thought they could play me, they're not prepared for the consequences.And if I find out he hurt her... there'll be hell to pay.**This is a Dark Mafia Billionaire Romance series containing mature themes, adult situations, and graphic violence. If you are not prepared to deal with this, please pass on the opportunity.**The story starts with Stealing Iris, continues with Saving Bonnie, and ends in Seducing Mattie.

Out of Love


Jewel E. Ann - 2020
    Corruption. Serial killers.You name it—I'm fascinated by it. My mom always blamed my overly curious and highly suspicious mind on my dad.My incredibly overbearing dad.Mr. No One Is Good Enough For My Daughter has been terrifying my dates since I turned fifteen.College is my chance to be free from his control and date any guy I want. I'm absolutely certain he would hate Slade Wylder—almost as certain as I am that I do too.Since when have I shied away from trouble? Slade fascinates me. He lives in a house I'm certain is haunted. His dog is trained as well as any guard I've ever seen. Rumor on campus is that he deals drugs. It would explain a lot.But it doesn't explain why he saves me from my darkest moment.It doesn't explain why I can't stop thinking about him.And the explanation I finally discover is far more dangerous than any rumor.

Bullseye


Monica James - 2020
    That one night changed the lives of so many and taught me that monsters are real.But I also learned I’m the biggest monster of them all.Nothing and no one will stand in my way of redemption because those men…they’re now three. The fourth—he is the reason they call me Bullseye. They can run, but sooner or later, I’ll find them, just as I did with their friend. They’re already dead…they just don’t know it yet.My plan was simple until I met her. A fierce tiger who had the power to break my heart. Lucky for me…she can’t break what’s already broken. I am no longer a man because the world is a jungle, and we’re all just animals—ready to tear one another apart.

I Never Planned on You


Stefanie Jenkins - 2019
    She was going to marry the boy who stole her heart – her brother’s best friend – have a great life, and live happily ever after. Then tragedy struck and Dani had to bury those childhood dreams in a pine box along with the love of her young life. The memory of what she lost haunted her until she disappeared into the night, leaving behind everyone, and everything she’d ever known. Years later, she returns home to find everything has changed. When she meets Kyler, there is something about him that gets past the walls around her heart. Will she let fear control her, or will she let go of the past and learn to love again?

Predator


Michelle Horst - 2017
    I'm tortured and beaten within an inch of my life when he walks right into my hell.No one knows who he works for, only that he leaves no one alive. But for some unknown reason, he doesn't end my miserable life.Instead, he takes me, and I don't know which is worse... the death sentence hanging over my head or being at his mercy.Previously published as 'PREDATOR.'(Rewritten with a new cover and title 2021)WARNING:This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. There is dark and triggering content between these pages. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.This is Cara's story. Her trauma and her journey of healing are the main focus of this book.

Sick Fux


Tillie Cole - 2017
    Ellis was loud and beautiful – all blond hair, bright laughs and smiles. Heathan was dark and brooding, and obsessed with watching things die.The pair forged an unlikely friendship, unique and strange. Until they were ripped apart by the sick cruelty of others, separated for years, both locked in a perpetual hell.Eleven years later, Heathan is back for his girl. Back from a place from which he thought there was no return. Back to seek revenge on those who wronged them.Time has made Heathan’s soul darker, polluted with hatred and the thirst for blood.Time has made Ellis a shell of her former self, a little girl lost in the vastness of her pain.As Heathan pulls Ellis out of her mental prison, reviving the essence of who she once was, down the rabbit hole they will go.With malice in their hearts and vengeance in their veins, they will seek out the ones who hurt and destroyed them.One at a time.Each one more deadly than the last.Tick Tock.Dark Contemporary Romance. Contains explicit sexual situations, violence, disturbingly sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and very mature topics. Recommended for ages 18 and over.

The Ocean Between Us


Michelle Heard - 2013
    I find my safe haven in the form of Detective Aiden Holden.He shows me what love is, but then our lives collide. Our little world shatters, and I'm caught in the crossfire.I'm forced to return home, to let go of the only person who has made me feel like I could be more.How do you return to a cage once you've tasted freedom?My only hope is that Aiden will cross an ocean for me.Please note: The Ocean Between Us contains graphically violent scenes that may be upsetting to some readers.Reading Order of Southern Heroes Series: The Ocean Between UsThe Girl In The ClosetAll The Wasted TimeThe Lies We Tell OurselvesWe Were LostThe Fire Between Us