Book picks similar to
Gallows Pole by Eris Adderly


historical-romance
historical
romance
dark-romance

Nectar


D.D. Prince - 2015
    Feelings are messy; they're painful; they hold you back. Due to a painful past and secrets she wants to stay buried she keeps everyone at arm's length. But then when she is abducted and presented as a gift to Tristan, a bored vampire prince who is destined to become a king, she has to face a few facts. Beyond facing that vampires are real Kyla has to face emotions that Tristan won't let her run from. Tristan is a vampire with a ravenous but insatiable appetite. For ten years he hasn't once had his hunger sated. He feeds constantly, looking for satisfaction, and because his favourite way to feed is to feed during sex he goes through a lot of women. But then Kyla is brought to him as a gift to celebrate a promotion and from the second their eyes lock he knows there's something different about her. After he gets a taste of Kyla neither of them will ever be the same.“Between the taste of you, the taste of your blood, and the way you look at me, I haven’t felt this… alive… in… maybe ever.”Cliffhanger.Books 2 & 3 avaiable. Trigger warnings: Explicit sex scenes. Copious amounts of blood. Some dubious consent, an ending that could be troubling to those who are squeamish about blood. If you don't love vampire alpha males who are also sweet and swoony nymphomaniacs, maybe you should give this one a miss...

My Dirty Duke: A Dark Victorian Novella


Joanna Shupe - 2021
    anthology.

Stormfire


Christine Monson - 1984
    But even as Sean vowed to have his revenge on Catherine, with each encounter he became more attracted to her. Her fiery innocence was a seduction that lured the passions of long smoldering hostility into a blazing inferno of desire.Locked in a love-hate duel, he did not suspect that the captivating beauty who fought him with such tenacity was struggling desperately against her own awakened desires, and that his touch had become the burning reminder that the fierce hatred she felt for him had become an all-consuming love.

Lemonade


Nina Pennacchi - 2011
    But when she stands up to the boorishness of dashing Christopher Davenport at a summertime ball, Anna unwittingly attracts his wrath—and becomes entangled in his malicious scheming.After a lifetime of harboring shame and resentment, Christopher, a ruthless con artist, wants revenge, and unfortunately for Anna, he’s decided that she will be the perfect pawn in his terrible plot. With a fierceness of spirit uncommon in well-bred young ladies in the nineteenth century, Anna will have to use her intelligence and courage to protect her loved ones. But can she also save herself?

Possession


Jaimie Roberts - 2017
    A domineering man. A powerful man. On that day, the first of two transactions were made with my very unloving parents. I became his possession.Something to own.Something to keep.An object intended only for his desire, his pleasure, and his ... indulgence.Although promised to this man, I at least remained safe ... untouched ... pure. I was to be his and his alone. On my eighteenth birthday, the second transaction took place.I escaped...But he came for me.Now, I'm his. He owns my body and my soul.And, as if all of that wasn't enough, he wants to own my heart too.I’m trying to resist him—trying to fight that irresistible monster inside of him. But, as with everything else in my life, nothing is ever that easy.Warning: Contains graphic scenes with sexual assault content. Please proceed with caution.

Deep Desires


Charlotte Stein - 2012
    But in the process, she’s avoided life, desire and love. So when she sees her equally closed off neighbour, Ivan, performing for her one night through his window, she can’t stop looking. Voyeuristic pleasures become Abbie’s lifeline. But as she comes alive and craves more, Ivan backs away. He has his own secrets , the kind that draw her into kinky games and her own shameful desires, while also preventing real intimacy between them. But now she’s found someone so special, she’s not about to give up easily. And she’s willing to do whatever it takes to melt Ivan’s cool exterior. Even if captivating him means pushing through her limits to whatever lies beyond.

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.

His


Aubrey Dark - 2014
    Trying to find out his secret. His kiss was intoxicating, and I thought he was harmless.I was wrong.Nancy Drew never ended up in a basement, handcuffed to a radiator, teased to the edge of insanity, begging to be let go.Soon, I stopped begging to be let go.Soon, I started begging to be his.

I Know What Love Is


Whitney Bianca - 2014
    I'll never forget the events of that night and the days that followed. I'll never be the same. He tried to break me, but now I'm stronger than ever.I want him to pay. I want him to suffer. I want to be just as much of a monster as he is.But maybe, deep down... I want him just as much as he wants me. Maybe we deserve each other. Maybe he knows me better than I know myself.Maybe.But I know what love is, and this is not it.Warning: This dark erotic tale contains violence, explicit sexuality, and adult situations. The content may be considered objectionable, so please read at your own discretion.

Beauty in the Broken


Charmaine Pauls - 2019
    He gave his daughter to Jack Clarke in exchange for the excavation rights. Today, I’m walking free, and I’m coming for him with a vengeance. Six years of cruelty make beasts out of men. I’m going to take back what he stole from me, and more. I’m not interested in his properties or shares. I don’t want his small change. I want his biggest asset. Beautiful, mentally unstable, Angelina Dalton-Clarke.Worth billions, she’s the wealthiest widow in the country, and also the craziest. Her self-harming tendencies had Jack declare her incompetent before he put a gun to his head and blew out his brains. Lina isn’t allowed to touch a cent of her riches. Her father manages her finances. He has all the signing power. As her husband, that 'chore' will fall to me. But if she thinks I only want her for her money, she’s sadly mistaken.*This book is a stand-alone. No cliffhangers.

Hero


Leighton Del Mia - 2014
    For years I’ve watched her from afar, but what started out as duty has become obsession.Cataline FordI work hard.I play by the rules.I’m content.My scars are quiet and invisible, and that keeps me hidden.Doesn’t it?One fateful walk home, I’m taken by someone I didn’t know I should fear. Captive and afraid, nobody will tell me why I’m confined to this hauntingly beautiful mansion. I’m given everything; I have nothing. He takes what he needs from me, and for that I hate him. But I might have loved him once.And just because you’re reading this doesn’t mean I survive him. "Escape is now her singular obsession, the need for it all but physiological. But freedom is the only thing I can't give her, because I have an obsession of my own: her safety. Or, maybe now, just her." HERO is a dual POV, standalone erotic novel. WARNING: meant for a mature audience due to dark themes including non- or dubious-consent.

The Silver Devil


Teresa Denys - 1978
    No woman's heart is safe from the Silver Devil. From the moment he sees the beautiful Felicia, he must have her. Overnight he changes Felicia's nightmare world of tavern drudgery into an erotic adventure as his royal mistress. He is the Duke of Cabria who holds his subjects in constant fear. He is troubled. He is ruthless. And Felicia is hopelessly in love with him - though at times he seems like the devil incarnate.…

The Highwayman


Kerrigan Byrne - 2015
    But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes the heart beat faster…STEALING BEAUTYDorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, is a ruthless villain. Scarred and hard-hearted, Dorian is one of London’s wealthiest, most influential men who will stop at nothing to wreak vengeance on those who’ve wronged him…and will fight to the death to seize what he wants. The lovely, still innocent widow Farah Leigh Mackenzie is no exception—and soon Dorian whisks the beautiful lass away to his sanctuary in the wild Highlands…COURTING DESIREBut Farah is no one’s puppet. She possesses a powerful secret—one that threatens her very life. When being held captive by Dorian proves to be the only way to keep Farah safe from those who would see her dead, Dorian makes Farah a scandalous proposition: marry him for protection in exchange for using her secret to help him exact revenge on his enemies. But what the Blackheart of Ben More never could have imagined is that Farah has terms of her own, igniting a tempestuous desire that consumes them both. Could it be that the woman he captured is the only one who can touch the black heart he’d long thought dead?

The Bonus


A.J. Adams - 2013
    Facing a lingering and painful death at the hands of the Zeta cartel, Mexico’s most brutal organised crime syndicate, she persuades their enforcer to claim her.Ex marine and dark ops expert Kyle Suarez is chief enforcer for the Zeta cartel. Ruthlessly efficient, he is feared by his enemies. When he claims Chloe, he simply expects to enjoy a well-deserved and disposable bonus.Has Chloe made a huge mistake, or will her choice prove her salvation - and his?Warning: This bad boy dark romance contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. It is for adults only.This bad boy dark romance is a compelling tale of vengeance, murder, cartel violence and finding love in the darkest of times. It is the first in the Zeta Cartel novel series, and can be read as a standalone.

Claiming the Courtesan


Anna Campbell - 2007
    Men fight duels to spend an hour in her company. And only he comes close to taming her. Flying in the face of society, he decides to make her his bride; then, she vanishes, seemingly into thin air.Dire circumstances have forced Verity Ashton to barter her innocence and change her name for the sake of her family. But Kylemore destroys her plans for a respectable life when he discovers her safe haven. He kidnaps her, sweeping her away to his hunting lodge in Scotland, where he vows to bend her to his will.There he seduces her anew. Verity spends night after night with him in his bed ... and though she still dreams of escape and independence, she knows she can never flee the unexpected, unwelcome love for the proud, powerful lover who claims her both body and soul.