Book picks similar to
Dark Ever After by M. Merin


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Alien Infatuation


Josie Walker - 2018
    Thanks to my mother’s horrible choice in men, I was forced to grow up in an extremist cult dedicated to one day ridding the world of their inuman enemy. Why is it I’m the only one who understands how crazy these people are? But somehow I managed to escape before they married me off to start pumping out babies to fight the enemy. I’m working hard to build a new life for myself, one that’s not full of hate, one where I’m actually worth something. I’ve been brought up to believe the aliens are the devil and the taxman all rolled into one, so I should know better than to fall for him. But what’s that saying… the enemy of my enemy is a smoking hot alien. What have I gotten myself into?

Owned


L.V. Lane - 2021
    Many dark years followed before I found a delicate peace within Sanctuary's walls.But that was over now.Standing on the desolate rooftop, I watched enemy soldiers take our community.After three days on the streets with no provisions and nothing but a temperamental handgun to defend myself, I knew I was out of options. That was when he found me, the killer with enough weapons to start a one-man war. NoraLife had gotten complicated long before my son was born. It was a thousand times harder after. The peaceful enclave, Sanctuary, offered hope until it became caught between two warring factions. They turned it into a pile of rubble.Now a new community awaited me.One where women were owned.I didn't like being around men, hated them, truth be told.But I had to pick someone, so I picked him, the too young, too perceptive doctor who brought out the temper in me. Why? Because he felt like the safe option. As it turns out, the unassuming doctor wasn't quite what he seemed. Publisher's note: Owned is a post-apocalyptic romance following two interlinked stories. It contains dark, explicit themes and power exchange.

Edge of Collapse: An EMP Post-Apocalyptic Survival Prepper Series (American Fallout Book 1)


Alex Gunwick - 2017
    In seconds, his routine business trip becomes a nightmarish struggle to survive. After narrowly escaping a nuclear explosion in San Francisco, the Navy SEAL must travel through a world without rule of law. Relying on his skills and the items in his Bug Out Bag, he fights an epic battle as he struggles to get home. Nothing will stop him from getting back to his family. As his resources run out, his resourcefulness kicks in. His family’s depending on him and he won’t let them down—even if it means leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Liz can’t believe they’re under attack. At first, it seems like things won’t be too bad. Yet within hours, it seems like the whole world’s gone crazy. With communication lines down, she’s unable to reach her husband, Luke. Getting her kids to their Bug Out Location won’t be easy, but she’s determined to make it. It’s well stocked and safely tucked away in a canyon. But as people begin to flee the cities, a new darkness spreads across America. Her struggle to survive rips apart her core values and forces her to examine what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a survivor. American Fallout is a thrilling post-apocalyptic survival prepper EMP fiction series that makes you step back and ask: Could this happen tomorrow? What would happen if the world’s nuclear arsenal was unleashed? What would you do if it happened while you were away from home? And how would your family survive?

The Alliance: Box Set 1


S.E. Smith - 2016
    Smith presents the first three books of the Alliance series in a bundle! Book 1: Hunter’s Claim Four years ago, the Earth received its first visitors from space, causing mass fear. Alone with just her sisters in a world gone mad, Jesse has learned to use the darkness and the remains of the city to survive and keep what is left of her family alive. She has seen the savage side of human nature and finds they are not much different from the aliens who conquered the Earth. After first contact, the Trivators found it necessary to take control of the Earth to prevent the humans from destroying it in their fear. Hunter belongs to one of the elite clans of the Trivators who seek out those who resist being brought into the Alliance of Star Systems. His abilities to track, capture, and eliminate his enemies is renowned, but he finds the tables turned when he becomes the one captured by a group of ruthless humans. Hunter is shocked when a human female risks her life to help him escape, only to disappear into the ruins of the city. He now has a new mission: finding the female who saved his life. What he finds is a reward beyond comprehension to a Trivator warrior: a family. Can he convince Jesse that he can give her and her younger sisters a better life on his world? Or will fear keep her from accepting what he has to offer? Book 2: Razor’s Traitorous Heart Kali Parks is a shadow in the war between two factions that are fighting to gain control of Chicago. Born and raised on the streets, she stands as a silent sentinel at her brother's side as he battles to gain control. She will do whatever it takes to bring peace to those she has pledged her life to protect, including fighting against the creatures that came to their world almost six years before. Razor, a High Chancellor for the Alliance, has been sent to oversee the remaining Trivator troops on Earth and make sure the transition for the induction of Earth into the Alliance goes smoothly. He is the one the Alliance calls when they have a situation that needs to be resolved once and for all. His reputation for dealing with difficult rebels is renowned. When a shadow warrior saves his life and disappears, he discovers his world is no longer as cut and dry as he thought. Forced by duty to settle the conflict, Razor must make a painful decision between the Alliance he has dedicated his life to and his own traitorous heart. Book 3: Dagger’s HopeDagger is a Trivator warrior known for his dark and dangerous edge, which makes him the perfect warrior for impossible missions. He fears nothing, until he meets a delicate human female who awakens his heart. It has been a couple of years since Jordan Sampson was taken away from the war-torn Earth, and she is slowly adjusting to her new life on a strange planet. Fear, confusion, and uncertainty of what the future holds threaten to drown her as she tries to fit in. There is only one hope that keeps her going. It is the handsome alien male that stirs something deep inside her and makes her feel whole. When Dagger is captured during a mission and sold to the illegal Fight Rings, it is only the memory of Jordan that keeps him going. Time blurs as he slowly sinks deeper and deeper into a world of violence and pain until he becomes more animal than Trivator. Jordan knows Dagger is out there, somewhere. When she discovers where he is being held, she refuses to let anything stop her from rescuing him. The fight to save Dagger takes Jordan on a journey that she hopes they both survive.

The Sons of Templar MC Box Set (#1-4)


Anne Malcom - 2016
     Making the Cut Gwen Alexandra does not need a man in her life. Especially not a man who looks like Chris Hemsworth and Joe Manganiello's love child. One wearing leather, riding a Harley, and covered in tattoos. Gwen can bet every pair of her Manolo's that Cade Fletcher is trouble. From the moment she meets him, the attraction sizzles between them. Gwen has a problem when it comes to attractive men in motorcycle clubs. The last one she got involved with almost killed her. She tries to keep away from him, to ignore the attraction between them. But the biker has other ideas, soon she is in way over her head, and her heart, and her life are in danger once again. Firestorm Amy Abrams doesn’t do love. Nor does she do emotional attachments, unless you count the connection she has with designer handbags. She grew up in an Upper East Side penthouse, which had about as much affection within its tastefully decorated walls as Castle Dracula. Her family is the precise reason why she points her red-soled heels firmly in the opposite direction of that dreaded four-letter word. Then it happens. Love. It comes right out of the blue and knocks her off her six-inch heels. She learns that love comes with pesky side effects such as heartbreak, which seriously messes with the complexion. Amy promises herself that she’ll never open herself to that horrible feeling again. She doesn’t count on an infuriating, albeit drool-worthy biker to roar into her life and ruin the plans she had of locking up her heart. She keeps her distance, wary of the sinfully sexy biker whose tattoos should read: Warning - dangerous alpha male, will screw up your life. Out of the Ashes Living a life in darkness causes the soul to char to ash. Battling demons by turning himself into a monster is the only way he can survive...the only way he can keep a grip on sanity. That grip is precarious at best, every day is a silent battle with demons that threaten to yank him into the truest form of darkness, the abyss he’ll never escape. Then it happens. Light shines through the cracks. Beyond the Horizon Life is counted in tiny breaths, ones that measure the length of your existence. Life stole the ability to make those breaths easy when Lily was nine years old. Turned her quiet. Made her curl into herself, and shut out a world that threatened to bury her under its weight. The end of her world is what brings him back—her biker. His chocolate eyes pierce her soul while his club tempts her with a life that she didn’t know she could ever have. Especially not when she was clutching the tattered remains of her existence, and with a weight bearing down on her which makes her unfit for the role of Old Lady. Asher changes that. He wants to set about repairing it, repairing her and her broken world. The problem is, even his strong shoulders can’t carry the burden of her sorrow.

Trail of Misery


N.A. Broadley - 2019
    Now forced to set out on the Appalachian Trail with only her backpack, two guns and a turkey carving knife. Will it be enough for one woman alone in the wilds?On a mission to find safety and a place to survive, Beth finds others in an unlikely trio struggling to find a new life. A young girl, mute with eyes blue as glass, a convict with a rage against evil, and a dog left abandoned by the merciless virus. But… There are others on the trail. And they have more sinister motives. They're on a mission, too - to take whatever they can from whomever they find. They won't give up the chase until they get what they want.And they want everything."

The End of All Things


Lissa Bryan - 2013
    With her is Sam, a wolf puppy she found starving on the streets. He becomes her companion and a reason to continue when giving up sometimes seems like the more attractive option. Still dazed with shock and grief, she hopes for the world to go back to normal soon.She is discovered by Justin, an ex-soldier who is intent on making his way to Florida before the winter sets in. Justin coaxes her out of her hiding place and convinces her to join him on his journey, because a warmer climate will be their best chance against the extremes of Mother Nature.Together, they begin a perilous journey through a nation laid to waste by the disaster. Challenges abound along the way. The weather, injury, and shortage of supplies all help to slow them down. In time, they discover that they aren’t the only survivors. Some are friendly but some have had their minds destroyed by the high fever. Then there are those who simply take what they want, leaving Carly and Justin with no choice but to defend what is theirs.But their journey is not without joy and love. Together, they face every struggle, including an unplanned pregnancy. Despite the perils of bringing a child into a world of chaos, their baby is a new beginning for themselves and a symbol of hope for the other survivors they find along the way.This is the story of their journey to find a place to begin a new life, and a home in each other.

Dead South


Zach Bohannon - 2020
    Society is broken, and most who remain have banded together in small camps and communities.Jon South is not like most other survivors.After losing his wife and son nearly two years into the pandemic, Jon now wanders the country roads and woods of rural Tennessee, a vigilante taking his revenge out on the undead monsters that took his family from him. He lives in solitary, and with nothing more to live for, he plans to die alone, sooner rather than later.But after coming to the aid of a pair of strangers out in the woods being attacked by men, Jon learns that he might have been fighting the wrong monsters the entire time.

Scorch Road


Toby Neal - 2017
    Holed up at the military survival camp prepared for his family, the Haven, JT is ready for whatever might come… except for one woman. Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, virologist and Senator’s daughter, is carrying precious cells for a vaccine against the swiftly-evolving, deadly flu that’s sweeping the nation. Her plane crashes in JT’s potato field—and she must convince him to leave the Haven and help her get to Washington, DC. One by one, the structures of society implode in the face of the flu’s devastation as JT and Elizabeth travel a scorching road cross country. Can danger bring them together to find one good, true thing in a changing world?

Winter Plague (Complete Collection)


Quinn Blackbird - 2020
    Well, it should just be Cleo and me. And it was, until--I found them.A group of mercenaries in this plagued, wintery world. Once high-ranking soldiers, something has turned them dark in this new life we all lead. And my darkness calls to theirs...Leo saves my life, Castle keeps me safe, and I'm torn between the two. Only, it's more than returned feelings that have them watching over me, and I quickly learn that my place in this group is not optional. I can't leave any time I want.I've been taken captive.And I see no way out. Not without breaking my own heart in the progress.Winter Plague is the complete (books 1 - 4) collection of the Winter Plague series, second edition. Warnings for explicit scenes, love triangle, dark romance, and graphic violence.

The Kid


N.C. Reed - 2014
    With snow on the ground, no skills, and not much more than the clothes on their backs, the group is in dire straits, and probably won't last out the coming night. Until, out of the falling snow, a lone figure approaches. Over the next few days their silent benefactor will keep them safe, fed, and warm, while helping them acquire the know how to care for themselves. The thing is, he's just a kid. . . .

Thrown to the Wolves


Pixie Unger - 2019
    She was dying right in the stronghold of a local werewolf pack. The Bellmont Boys made the decision to try to infect her with the virus causing lycanthropy. It wasn’t an easy decision, most people don’t survive the infection. Werewolves are required to hide their existence. They are 0.02% of the population the rest of the world never hears about. It isn’t easy to roll a new person into a pack, especially not when so few women are converted. Now it’s up to Marv, Gus, Mac, Craig and Sean to help her understand that the world she is surviving in is a lot more complicated that it appears from the outside. The boys are still all dealing with their own issues. As Craig would admit, living for hundreds of years gives you plenty of time to pick up all kinds of baggage. This reverse harem romance features a happily ever after ending.

Scorched


Eva Priest - 2020
    She’s a pissed-off abducted human female. Can these fated mates find love?TALUSLegion command has sent me to an outpost slum in the ass end of The Savage Lands. Cloaked operation. Purely recon. Whatever intel they need to find isn't for me to judge. I'm all for finishing my job quickly so I can find a willing female to warm my den.Should have been simple, until I see my fate-mate being traded for the very thing I'm sent to find.CALLIEI stumbled onto my bed after a night of partying, only to wake up in a human menagerie light years away. I'm about to be sold for a briefcase and a taco, when a seven-foot, tiger-striped alien claims I'm his mate, flings me over his shoulder, and runs.Now I have to figure out a way to evade two alien gangs I somehow insulted, while convincing a beast--and my traitorous body--that I'm not anyone's mate, fated or otherwise.Scorched is a full-length, stand-alone sci-fi alien romance that is set in The Legion: Savage Lands Sector universe. This series is full of fated mates, instalove, happily-ever-afters, overprotective alien males (that look like aliens!), and the headstrong females that love them.

Survivors of the Sun: A post-apocalyptic thriller


Mia Kingslie - 2020
    She was a happily married woman, at home with three children and their Boston Terriers. In an instant everything changed. The power went off, and no-one knew why. By nightfall, Nathan, her husband had still not returned. In time, the water stopped running. With only three days of food left in the house and dwindling water supplies, she has no choice but to flee Kansas City. Their world changes dramatically, entering a post-apocalyptic age, with looting, rioting and violence becoming the norm. As they escape across country, Georgia has to overcome her fears and keep her loved ones safe. Together they face heart wrenching decisions as they encounter the inconceivable. Their journey leads them through a harsh new reality. The struggles and hardships that they endure, threaten their very existence, testing their loyalty, fortitude and love for each other in ways they could never have imagined.

MUTINY: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller


Lee West - 2019
    On the last night of their cruise, while most of the passengers are sleep--the unthinkable occurs. A suspected electromagnetic pulse (EMP) damages most of the cruise ship's critical systems, forcing the crew to divert the remaining power to essential systems.While the massive ship struggles in rough seas, the seasick passengers grow increasingly uneasy about their situation. The flow of food and drinks has been significantly reduced, air-conditioning is non-existent and the ship's security team is visibly armed. What they don't know is that the ship has lost contact with the mainland, and their Captain is on the verge of making life-altering decision for all of them.Skeptical of the conditions onshore and unwilling to pull into the ship's homeport without the assistance of local pilot craft, the Captain elects to leave the area and seek safe harbor to the south. There's just one catch. The ship only carries enough food and fuel to last a few more days--and their destination remains uncertain. The geographical scope and magnitude of the damage caused by the mysterious event remains unknown to the crew.With Joe and Meg's prospect of returning home about to slip away, the Birch's face an agonizing choice. Stay with the ship and take a chance on the Captain--or steal a lifeboat and try to return home. Joined by likeminded passengers and a few salty crewmembers, they decide to make their own destiny--despite the unknown dangers.THE MUTINY chronicles this impossible, gut-wrenching journey to get home, where it quickly becomes obvious that THEIR STORY IS FAR FROM OVER!