Book picks similar to
The Initiation by Elena Monroe
dark
dark-romance
romance
dnf
A Love of Vengeance
Nancy Haviland - 2014
Vasily needs someone he can trust in Seattle to protect his estranged daughter, Eva Jacobs, while he avenges the murder of the young woman’s mother. Gabriel is unstoppable in a fight, whether he’s using fists, blades, or bullets; but innocent, onyx-haired Eva may just be the most dangerous—and beautiful—thing he’s come up against.Intense sparks fly between the two, tempting Gabriel to mix business with pleasure while in the Emerald City. But once word gets around that Gabriel has shown up in New York, Stefano—his vengeful brother and the de facto head of the family—decides that Eva is the key to ending the feud between them…permanently.In this pulse-pounding romantic thriller set against the backdrop of New York City’s storied underworld, loyalties will be tested, secrets will be told, and mob justice will be served.
Dark Room
Heidi McLaughlin - 2016
. . break them and you're out. Rule #1 - No names It doesn't matter if you want to know, it's forbidden. Rule #2 - No exchanging numbers It doesn't matter if you want to call, it's forbidden. Rule #3 - Everything is to remain strictly anonymous. It doesn't matter if you want to tell, it's forbidden. The Dark Room is the only place you can live out your fantasies and no one will ever know it’s you. For Parker, what started out as a business transaction has turned into an addiction. For Mia, it's been a chance to discover who she truly is. What happens in the dark will have you begging for more . . .
Iron Crowne
C.D. Reiss - 2019
Byron Crowne is a gentleman on the outside, and a pure savage on the inside. I detest him. I can't resist him. He’s awakened desires I didn’t know I had. When he touches me, I need to fight him . . . and I need him to win. Our one night stand bruises my skin and leaves dents in the walls, but the sheets aren't the only thing we shred that night. And suddenly, the stakes are higher than ever. Olivia Monroe lights a fire in me that died a long time ago. I’m a different man when I’m with her. I need to own her, take her, mark her as mine. Everything changes when she might be pregnant and for the first time in my life…I’m powerless against this stubborn, untamable woman. She’s the one in control and I have an impossible job: Prove I’m worthy to be a father.
Vines
Brynne Asher - 2016
When the opportunity arose, she settled in horse and wine country. Experiencing more than her fair share of tragedy and loss, she had plans for her future, one where failure wasn’t an option. And not just because people and cows were counting on her. She’d poured everything she had into her struggling vineyard, because once she’s in, she’s all in. After giving himself wholly to the job for ten years, Crew Vega was done. He’d fulfilled his commitment, done his duty, gone above and beyond to settle the score. And the score was high. All he had to do was train his replacements and he’d be out for good. He had a plan, one that didn’t include getting involved with his new neighbor, a woman who not only kept cows for pets, but treasured her employees as family, and understood him better than anyone ever had before. But when he learned a high level CIA target being investigated for treason was keeping tabs on her? No, he never planned on that. And like everything Crew Vega did in life, when he goes in, he’s all in. Warning: I’m a devout member of the mama club and don’t want to get kicked out by angry mamas. If you aren’t eighteen, turn around, go drink your milk and eat your veggies, it’s good for your bones. And go to bed early, you’re still growing, your body needs sleep. And don’t text and drive. And be nice, sit with the kid who sits alone at lunch. And read a PG-13 book, it’s good for your brain. And go tell your mama you love her. Chop-chop, run along now. I’ll see you back when you’re eligible to vote.
King of Lies
Whitney G. - 2020
That I'm a mere pawn in his twisted game of chess.Despite the fact that my heart is still tethered to his, or the fact that he's still the most gorgeous and beautiful man I've ever met in my life (he can still make me wet with a single sentence), I have to focus on getting away from him.I have to accept that he's no longer the man I fell in love with.He's the king of lies...
Sweet Obsession
Callie Rose - 2020
I risked my life for a man I didn’t even know and nearly died for it.I’ve tried to forget him. To forget that whole night.But he hasn’t forgotten me.He’s been watching.Obsessing.Craving.And when he crashes back into my life like a wrecking ball, accompanied by two dark shadows—men he calls his brothers—the life I’ve been trying to rebuild for myself shatters into a thousand sharp-edged pieces.He believes our souls are bound by blood, and he’s come back to claim what’s his.Two years ago, I saved Marcus Constantine’s life.Now I wish I hadn’t.This is the first book in the Ruthless Games series, a dark reverse harem romance. It contains sexual situations, violence, and dark subject matter.
Owned by the Hitman
Alexis Abbott - 2016
I will not hurt you, unless you want me to.”I'm in deep to the Mafia. My father was the one who made the deal, and when I inherited his club, I also inherited his troubles.Ivan wants to save me, or so he says. More like he wants me to be his slave for a year. After the one-night stand I had with him, though, would that be so bad? With his impossibly hard body, and the way he always makes me scream...But he's still a monster. He's a criminal, and something so much worse.And yet I can't stop the tingling in my body every time I think of how he touched me, and those dark but delicious words rolling off his tongue, tinged with his Russian accent.He knows what I'll say, even before I do. "I'll take your offer."
Tap
Georgia Cates - 2015
That’s all she was when I agreed to play a part in deceiving her. But then the unplanned happened.We met. And all I wanted from her was a dirty weekend . . . until that wasn’t enough and I longed for so much more.Lawrence Thorn suddenly means the world to me. And that’s a problem. She’s my business partner’s sister. Forbidden fruit. Pursuing her can mean trouble for me at Lovibond Brewery. But I don’t care.I yearn for her skin against mine.I crave her smell on my body.I want to make her laugh and then hear her moan my name.And she does for a brief moment in time.But Lawrence wants more than I’m able to give. And it’s a damn shame because there’s no one on earth I want more than her.An epic love.A miserable ending.Unless it’s not.
Aries
Gemma James - 2019
A virgin queen. One arranged marriage. The first time I met the boys of the Zodiac Brotherhood, I was forced to my knees for the introduction. Still grieving the death of my parents, I was a child queen, a pawn in my uncle’s agenda for wealth and gain. As my guardian, he had the authority to arrange a marriage upon my eighteenth birthday. That meeting took place six years ago. Now those boys are powerful men. Twelve virile men that want to own me. And I must spend a month with each one. Bending and yielding to their desires and commands. Shedding pieces of my innocence so long as my virtue remains intact. Because they want a virgin queen after the last month concludes, and my uncle plans to auction me off to the highest bidder. Out of the twelve men, only one has my heart. And only one can claim my hand in marriage. If only it were up to me to decide.
Part 1 of The Zodiac Queen.
The Golden Boys
Rachel Jonas - 2020
He isn’t the boy next door, or the kind you trust with your heart. He’s the devil in designer jeans, with all the charm of a bona fide psycho.Trust me.He swears I did something to cross him before I even stepped foot inside Cypress Prep, but it’s a lie. No one knows better than me that I’m all out of chances. One more misstep and I can kiss my future goodbye, which means I can’t possibly be guilty of whatever he thinks I’ve done. West marks me with a target anyway, and as this town’s football star, no one dares to go against him. His money, status, and the loyalty of his equally entitled brothers makes him seem untouchable. Only, I know better than that.This false god isn’t infallible like he wants the world to believe. Whenever I stare into those devilish green eyes, I see it plain as day. The chink in his armor. His one and only weakness.Me.The King of Cypress Prep has finally met his match and taking him down just became an inside job.*Final cover coming soon!*
The Bratva's Heir
Jane Henry - 2021
Mine to protect. And mine to control…
Daddy's Girl
Isabella Starling - 2017
LAW I'm a very, very bad man. A monster sweet, innocent little Lily should run away from. She should know I only want to steal her. Take everything that matters to her and take it away. I've been watching her, wanting her. Now, I'm going to take her. And I won't rest until her pretty little mouth utters the word I want to hear from her lips. Daddy. LILY He's kidnapped me. Locked me away. He's done awful things to me. So why does every part of me want to beg him to keep going? I want him to hurt me. I want him to love me. I want him to take care of me. I want him to be my Daddy.
Full-length dark romance novel. Standalone, no cliffhanger, no cheating. HEA guaranteed.
Poughkeepsie
Debra Anastasia - 2011
And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter acknowledges him—just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake Hartt is not like the others . . . he’s homeless. Memories of a broken childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh light of day. Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this kindness as nothing special, just like her. She’s the same as a million other girls—certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it were air to breathe.
Unconditional
Q.B. Tyler - 2019
One moment to link two souls forever. That moment came when I pulled her out of her darkest hour. The tragedy that threatened to swallow her whole and shatter her innocence. Save her. Protect her. Love her. I vowed. Ten years later, my vows are the same. But I’m different She’s different We’re different. And the feelings threatening to break free have the power to destroy everything. I’ll stop at nothing to keep her safe, but what if the very thing she needs protection from ...is me?
Staying in Vegas
Sam Mariano - 2018
When I met Rafe Morelli, he didn’t look like the biggest mistake I’d ever make; he seemed closer to the crime family version of Prince Charming. Charismatic, beautiful, and attentive—with an intoxicating air of power—Rafe was the stuff of my darkest fantasies. What we had should have been a simple fling, no-strings-attached. My hot weekend with the sexy, dominant Vegas boss—a harmless memory to replay once I returned to my quiet, predictable life. One tiny hitch in that plan: a panty-melting memory isn’t all he left behind. Now the stakes have changed, and I’m faced with a potentially life-altering decision. Do I stay away and enjoy my status as the only woman in known history who has played in the Morelli flames without getting burned, or do I risk everything and step back into the fire?BOOK 1 OF 3 IN THE VEGAS MORELLI TRILOGY. This trilogy can be read even if you haven't read the original Morelli family series, but as it takes place AFTER that series, there will be Morelli family series spoilers. Two of the main characters from this trilogy were introduced in the original Morelli series. If you want to read the original series and experience it without spoilers, you may want to start there (with Accidental Witness). Like the original Morelli family series, this trilogy is a continuing story following the same characters, NOT three separate-couple standalones.