Book picks similar to
Ruse by Siobhan Davis


romance
dark-romance
dark
high-school

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.

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.

With Visions of Red


Trisha Wolfe - 2015
    Dark and light battle. This explosive first installment of the Broken Bonds series sets the exhilarating pace for a cat and mouse game where no one knows who’s really pulling the strings.Criminal profiler Sadie Bonds knows blood. Her affair with the gruesome, dark world of killers began long before she started applying her analytical skills to investigate gory crime scenes. She gets inside the killers’ heads, breaks them down, relates to them on an arcane level. She prefers it this way—because it’s safer to ally herself with the villain than the victim. At least, that’s how she’s coped ever since she was abducted and tortured as a teen.She will never be a victim again.Now, she’s honed her skills in order to bring justice to these ritualistic offenders. Working alongside her colleagues, armed with sharp wit and a SIG, Sadie always catches her sadist. Until one ruthless serial killer gets inside Sadie’s head, turning the tables. He knows her secrets. Her obsessions. The darkest, most deviant part of her soul.When she meets Colton Reed, dangerous stakes are raised as he threatens to unravel her control and reveal her darkest fantasies. The sexy-as-sin bondage rigger at an exclusive BDSM club pushes her boundaries, forcing her to acknowledge that side of herself she fears. Plunged into a realm of torture and suffering, pain and pleasure, Sadie balances on the razor-sharp edge of two intersecting worlds threatening to swallow her.

My Bloodline


K.C. Kean - 2020
    It doesn’t matter that I didn’t want to go to college, it doesn’t matter that I don’t want to be here.I’ll follow the rules or risk my life. The organisation that runs the criminal underworld is no joke. Apparently I’m an Ace now, but few are happy about my arrival. Secrets have me wanting to run for the hills.Boys have curly hair, skull tattoos, big mouths and gentle caresses.A diamond has me wanting to make the world a better place.For a lone ranger, my small world just got bigger. What are you willing to do to survive?#Aceholes My Bloodline is a 97,000 word novel, and the first book in the Featherstone Academy Series.This book contains dark content that may be considered a trigger for some readers. With that in mind it is recommended for readers 17+This is a full-length reverse harem college romance novel, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. It also contains M/M scenes.

ReCAP


Danielle Pearl - 2014
    The one of how Rory and I fell in love, supposedly, even if she couldn't handle it in the end. You know how it all went.Or you think you do.You only know her side. But I have my own point of view, and even Rory couldn't know my thoughts in those few months it took for her to go from being a stranger to my whole entire world.Every moment is permanently ingrained in my memory. In my goddamned soul. From the moment I stumbled upon the girl panicking outside of calculus - the one with the tight little body, the angelic face, and the fierce attitude - to the night she abandoned me in Miami. It was the sum of those moments that changed me irrevocably.Our story isn't over. I won't let it be. But this, this is what happened so far, the way I saw it.I'm Cap. Or Sam, to Rory. And this is my story.

Lust


Ker Dukey - 2019
    I had a clear path to success. Until fate dealt me a cruel blow, leaving me empty and in need of purpose. My only focus now is to become part of The Elite—a secret society in one of the most prestigious colleges in the world.But everything comes at a price, and with The Elite, you have to earn your place. Lucky for me, being sinful is in my DNA. The only obstacle to full initiation is my task: seduce the un-seducible, the forbidden, and lure her with the sins of the flesh. Easy for a man like me…in theory. She started as my task, but what happens when the lines between lust and love blur, and the need for power rages war with the need for her?Accept your sin wisely, for the tasks given to earn your place are not for the weak—they’re for The Elite.This is my life, my chance, my legacy.I am Rhett Masters.I am Lust.

Broken Trust


R.A. Smyth - 2021
    Today I start school at Pacific Prep. This is my new lease on life, and I won’t be wasting it. I need this, now, more than ever. I need the education, the promise of a future that I wouldn’t get anywhere else. These rich kids don’t like me though. When Hawk Davenport decides he doesn’t want me here, his friends back him. Along with Hawk, Westley Warren, Cam Rutherford, and Mason Hayes rule this school and nobody dares go against them. They don’t know the real me. I won’t back down.***This book is a reverse harem, meaning the FMC will have three or more love interests. The book also has trigger warnings for emotional/physical bullying, abuse, violent scenes, reference to self-harm and mature content/swearing, so please do not read if you are easily offended or have the mentioned triggers.This book is intended for 18+

Pretty Reckless


L.J. Shen - 2019
    Shen comes an intense, high school enemies-to-lovers romance with a twist. Penn They say revenge is a dish best served cold. I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart was completely iced. I took her first kiss. She took the only thing I loved. I was poor. She was rich. The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast. Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project. Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much. Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother. There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears. Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess. Daria Everyone loves a good old unapologetic punk. But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way. The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you. In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day. Four years ago, he asked me to save all my firsts for him. Now he lives across the hall, and I want nothing more than to be his last everything. His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free. Now? Now he is making me pay.

The Boy on the Bridge


Sam Mariano - 2021
    I saw someone hurting and wanted to help. I saw someone possibly in danger and wanted to make sure he was safe.There’s nothing safe about Hunter Maxwell, though. I thought there might be. I fell under his spell. Whatever the world saw when they looked at him, it wasn’t what he showed me. The bond we formed was real. I know it was real. But with Hunter, when the tides turn, you’d better hope you’re safely on the shore and out of his reach.I thought I was a strong enough swimmer to keep my head above water. I thought if it came down to it, I could resist his pull.I didn’t know, but now I do.Once Hunter sets his sights on you, there’s no such thing as out of his reach. Whether it’s today, tomorrow, or five years from now, he’s coming for me—and when he does, he won’t stop until he’s destroyed me.***The Boy on the Bridge contains mature, adult content and is only recommended for adult readers.

Aftereffect


T.L. Hodel - 2020
    Each born into privilege and power. We could have anything and anyone we wanted.And I wanted Riley Adams.That pigtailed little brat slapped me in the park. She thought she could handle me. That I was just an entitled prick who got my kicks taunting her.She should’ve listened to the rumors, paid attention to the warnings. . . Not that it would’ve mattered. Her fate was sealed the day she came up to me looking for her damn dog.Hate wasn’t a strong enough word for how I felt about Micha. I could handle his taunting words and cruel jokes, but he decided to up the ante. Trap me, lock me in a cage and throw away the key.But the thing about a cornered animal is that, they eventually turn feral. Desperately clawing around for a way out. Even the devil had a weakness. I just had to maintain my sanity long enough to find his, and hope that I didn’t lose something I couldn’t get back in the process. Because there’s a fine line between love and hate. . . and that line is starting to blur.Warning: This book is a dark romance and contains intense sexual scenes. If you are a reader with certain triggers sensitive to such dark themes, please heed the author's note at the beginning of the book

The Rise of Saint


Bella J. - 2020
    Monster. Thief.That’s what he is. The one who stole me. The man who ripped me from a life I thought was mine. There was no negotiating. No choice to be made. And no. Way. Out.He says my whole life has been a lie. I believe him.He says he’s addicted to my tears. I believe him.He says once I give him what he wants, he’ll let me go…I don’t believe him.~ Saint ~Orphan. Fighter. Secret.That’s what she is. The woman I took. The woman they tried to hide from me but failed.Now she’s exactly where she’s meant to be. At my side. And at my mercy. The blood that runs through her veins makes me her king. But to me she’s nothing but a means to an end. A way for me to feed my vengeance.Once she gives me what I want I’ll let her go back to her miserable, mundane life. But for now, she’s mine to play with…until she breaks.

Shunned


Steffanie Holmes - 2019
    I should have let them win. Now the kings of the school are out for my blood, ... and they’re not the only ones. The fire took everything. My parents. My best friend. My life. Now I have a second chance. I only have to endure one year at this prestigious academy for rich snobs. One year of being the charity case no one wanted. One year of taunts and insults and bullying. Then I’m free. But I didn’t count on Trey, Ayaz, and Quinn. Arrogant, privileged, dangerous. Drop-dead fucking gorgeous. They want me gone. They want me to suffer. They’re determined to make my nightmares real. Tough luck, bully boys – I won’t hide away. I’m not afraid. But maybe… I should be. HP Lovecraft meets Cruel Intentions in this dark paranormal reverse harem bully romance. Warning: Not for the faint of heart – this story of three broken bad boys and the girl who stood her ground contains dark themes, crazed cultists, books bound in human skin, high-school drama, swoon-worthy sex, and potential triggers.

His


Penelope Bloom - 2016
     Everyone in the city knows who I am: Vincent Citrione, top capo of the most powerful crime family in the city. If you’ve got two brain cells to rub together, you’re scared sh*tless of me. If you’re a beautiful woman, I may have given you the hardest, dirtiest f*ck of your life before showing you the door. Commitments? F*ck ‘em. At least, that was my motto until I caught her snooping in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wanted her to be like all the rest. I wanted to forget her. But she’s not like the others. She thinks she can say no to me and get away with it. She thinks she can walk away after what she’s seen. But one taste and I know she’s going to be mine. I don’t care what it takes. Even if I have to kill to keep her safe. I get what I want. And I want her.

Secret


G. Bailey - 2017
    Right?
 Izzy King knows dating former playboy, Blake Frost, behind her family’s back isn’t the greatest idea. When the attraction becomes too great to avoid, keeping their relationship a secret is the only way they can be together.
But, Izzy isn’t the only one keeping secrets. The King brothers are full of them. 
Can Blake and her brothers keep her safe from the past that haunts them all?
 These kings could destroy her, but she isn't able to walk away...Danger, lust, and King brothers never mix well. 
18+ due to violence, sexual scenes, and language.

Like You Care


Kaydence Snow - 2020
    I want to be seen.I want him to see me.I'm not who he thinks I am but I'm starting to suspect he's not all he says he is either.Just my luck that he starts to make friends with my tormentors. How am I supposed to tell him who I really am? How am I supposed to show him my true face? What if the boy I'm falling in love with decides I'm nothing too?*Like You Care is a part of the Bully Me Anthology. In the Bully Me Anthology, this was a 30k novella. This is now the complete book. *