Book picks similar to
Truth by Cassie James


reverse-harem
rh
contemporary
dark

Corrupt


Penelope Douglas - 2015
    My nightmares, however, became my obsession. His name is Michael Crist. My boyfriend’s older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. He is handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college’s basketball team and now gone pro, he’s more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me. But I noticed him.I saw him. I heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid…For years, I bit my nails, unable to look away. Now, I’ve graduated high school and moved on to college, but I haven’t stopped watching Michael. He’s bad, and the dirt I’ve seen isn’t content to stay in my head anymore. Because he’s finally noticed me. MichaelHer name is Erika Fane, but everyone calls her Rika.My brother’s girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. She looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. I can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while I haven’t had her body, I know that I have her mind. That’s all I really want anyway. Until my brother leaves for the military, and I find Rika alone at college. In my city. Unprotected. The opportunity is too good to be true as well as the timing. Because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they’re out. We’ve waited. We’ve been patient. And now every last one of her nightmares will come true. ***Corrupt can be read as a stand-alone. No cliffhanger.

No Good Deed


Emma Cole - 2021
    I lost my innocence and dreams in one fell swoop.Now, I'm a junkie dancer who will do just about anything to earn a buck or get my next fix. When you're living off the books to stay hidden on the fringes between Carlotti and Finelli territory, anything means...anything.The mafia lords and their heirs own this city. They fiercely protect their turf along with anything else they lay claim to. Murder, mayhem, and money are the driving forces behind the ruthless Familes, and death comes swiftly to those who get in their way.Tony, Vanni, Marco, and Santos are the heirs to the Carlotti Empire, one of the most prolific crime syndicates in NYC. And one of them was the catalyst for the wreckage my life had become.Due to a budding war with another Family, our paths have crossed again. Except this time, I didn't have a chance to run. The Carlotti men I'd once trusted as boys took me, but to what end?To save me? Keep me? Kill me?The Carlotti heirs don't know what they just took on, but I'll enjoy showing them exactly what I'm capable of. That is, if I don’t wind up dead first.***No Good Deed is a dark contemporary reverse harem romance. Content Warning: vulgar speech, explicit scenes, drug use, violence, gore, and possibly a myriad of other aspects that may not be suitable for all readers. 18+/Mature readers recommended***

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.

Lilac


B.B. Reid - 2020
    Or so the world keeps telling me. Every so often, gods walk the earth. This time they came as musicians. When Bound loses its lead guitarist, yours truly is chosen to fill his shoes. From dive bars to the big stage, my instant claim to fame is nothing short of a fairytale. The only problem? My new bandmates. Jaded, gorgeous, and ridiculously talented--they're determined to turn my dream into a nightmare. It's no secret I wasn't their first choice. I wasn't even their last. The label wants a new image, Bound wants me gone, but I've got my own agenda.To succeed I have to survive a world tour, public scrutiny, and idols turned enemies. But the biggest threat of all isn't a meticulous front man, a narcissistic bassist, and a drummer with too many secrets. It's me. Somehow, I must resist the temptation of Houston Morrow, Loren James, and Jericho Noble. It seemed easy enough when I boarded their tour bus, but it only took one city for the lines we'd drawn to blur. Only ninety-nine more to go.Lilac is a reverse harem and standalone suitable for ages 18+.

Naked or Dead


A.E. Murphy - 2019
    Already she hates it despite its beautiful landscape.Between riding her dirt bike through the sacred lands of the natives, plotting against those she meets, and holding greasy truckers at gunpoint, Lilith makes no time for love or friendship. Forever the walking mystery (read misery) of her new home and school.That is until Nokosi Locklear catches her eye with his arrogance and a hard, toned body that she’s certain she doesn’t want to climb.Shoved up against a locker by him in her first week, she sets him in her wicked sights.Life is only fun when you have somebody else’s pain to focus on. So long as you stay detached. Something Lilith will find is impossible to do when it comes to Nokosi. A guy with looks but no charm. Strength but no power. Love but no morals. With a serial killer roaming the States, taking victims one by one, a past in Nokosi’s eyes that he tries to hide, and a mother that would rather work than keep her daughters happy, Lilith finds plenty of time to spare and plenty of things to keep herself occupied. Note: This is your only trigger warning. Read at your own risk.

Midnight Fae Academy: Book One


Lexi C. Foss - 2020
    Even if it kills me.Except Headmaster Zephyrus is one step ahead of my every move.Prince Kolstov won't stop cornering me.And Shadow--the reason I'm in this damn mess to begin with--haunts my dreams.My affinity for the earth is dying and being replaced by something more sinister. Something powerful. Something deadly.The Midnight Fae believe this is my fate.They claim that I was "recruited" for a purpose.To battle a rising presence.Or to die trying.I don't owe them a damn thing. But if I have to pass their trials to find my way home, then so be it. I survived a plague and far worse in the Elemental Fae realm. An ominous energy? Please. What a joke.Give it your best shot.I'm waiting.And don't you dare bite me.Or I'll make you regret it.Author Note: This is a dark paranormal reverse harem romance, and despite Aflora's opinions on the matter, there will definitely be biting. Shadow, aka Shade, guarantees it.

Cruel


Raven Kennedy - 2019
     Savannah, Georgia is full of debutantes and greed. The Heirs own this town. They own me, too. I don’t know what I did to ruin what we had. But their kindness turned cruel almost a year ago. I was prepared to leave it all behind and start over at a new school. But Rogue Kelly, the king of the Heirs, ruined that. He doesn’t want me anymore but doesn’t want anyone else to have me either. I know too much to be set free, but not enough to stay. The Heirs aren’t through with me yet. And I crave their cruelty too much to give up now.

Wicked Gods


Michelle Hercules - 2019
    I’ve been offered a place at the prestigious Gifted Academy, an opportunity very few Norms get.To survive, I must become invisible. But my hope to get through the academy unscathed goes down the drain when the most powerful boys in school set their eyes on me.They hate me simply because I’m a Norm. If they knew who I truly am, they’d tear me apart limb by limb. But I’m done cowering away from Idols. It’s time for the Norms to fight back, and it all starts with me.*Wicked Gods is a steamy, paranormal academy RH bully romance.

Kiss Me With Lies


S.M. Soto - 2019
    One unsolved murder. A sickening plot for revenge. When Mackenzie Wright attends her first real high school party, held somewhere deep in the woods of her small California town, no one expects to wake up the next morning to news of a gruesome murder. Especially not her own sister’s. No suspects.No motive.No convictions.Just one unsolved murder and whatever’s left of the now deserted town. Mackenzie has spent years with her sister’s death weighing heavily on her shoulders, but it isn’t until she stumbles across a photograph that changes everything for her. The memories, everything from that night, come flashing back in high-speed technicolor and Mackenzie soon finds herself obsessed with the truth. Determined to find out what really happened to her sister, Mackenzie relies on that one photograph to give her the answers she needs by embedding herself into the lives of five of the wealthiest men in Los Angeles. Consumed by her need for revenge, Mackenzie infiltrates the world of the rich and elite, only to come face-to-face with an alluring complication in the form an elusive playboy. When enemy lines are drawn, Mackenzie has to choose between her loyalty to her sister and the man who has stolen her heart.

Smile Like You Mean It


Willow Hadley - 2020
    She became cold and distant, and Charlotte slowly withdrew into herself. She spent years feeling lonely and insignificant, and rarely spoke more than a few words to anyone. One night, after a traumatic incident instigated by her mother, Charlotte is arrested and taken to juvie.A year later, Charlotte’s being released from juvie for the second time. Instead of an awful group home, her social worker brings a welcome surprise: Charlotte’s long-forgotten uncle, Arthur, who is all too eager to help her after everything she's been through. When Charlotte learns that Arthur has a step-son her age, she’s even more apprehensive. How could he not resent having a stranger thrust into his home and family?To her surprise and relief, Sebastian is kind and friendly. He and his four best friends—Grayson, Remy, Liam, and Elliot—make Charlotte feel welcome. They never make Charlotte feel badly about her past or her anxiety. They make her feel seen. As she gets to know the boys, she realizes they each have their own issues and demons they’re fighting, and she forms a unique bond with their group.It doesn’t help that they’re ridiculously attractive. How could Charlotte not fall in love with all five of them?

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.

Crooked Crows


Elena Lawson - 2021
    Heartlessly cruel. Broken beyond repair.Corvus, Rook, and Grey – The Crows. Bred in a world of gang wars, violence, and secrets, they rule the bloody town of Thorn Valley and all the people in it…too bad for me I’ve never been good at kissing ass or keeping quiet.Even if their savage spirits awaken something inside of me I thought was long dead, I can’t break. I won’t. They think they scare me, that I’ll run and hide, but the joke’s on them. The Crows aren’t the first monsters I’ve faced, and they won’t be the last. There are worse evils out there waiting to take their stab at Ava Jade Mason.I say let them try. I’m tired of running. Tired of holding back my darkness. Thorn Valley isn’t ready for a new boogie man. Too bad I’m already here.Crooked Crows is a dark enemies-to-lovers reverse harem romance, meaning the main character will have more than one love interest.Warning: This series contains foul language, explicit sexual content, graphic depictions of gang violence, and jealous/possessive themes. Recommended for readers aged eighteen and up. Please read responsibly.

Dear Ava


Ilsa Madden-Mills - 2020
    Once upon a time, I wanted to be part of their world--until they destroyed me.The last thing I expected was an anonymous love letter from one of them.Please. I hate every one of those rich jerks for what they did to me. The question is, which Shark is my secret admirer?Knox, the scarred quarterback.Dane, his twin brother.Or Chance, the ex who dumped me. . .Dear Ava,Your eyes are the color of the Caribbean Sea.Wait. That's stupid.What I really mean is, you look at me and I feel something REAL.It's been ten months since you were here, but I can't forget you.I've missed seeing you walk down the hall.I've missed you cheering at my football games.I've missed the smell of your hair.And then everything fell apart the night of the kegger.Don't hate me because I'm a Shark.I just want to make you mine.Still.Mature Content. Recommended for 18+.A short excerpt of Dear Ava appeared in Team Player 2. (No longer available) This all-new, full-length version is 376 pages and 100,000 words.

A Loser's Revenge


Tammi Lynn - 2020
    Invisible to the three I keep under my anger filled glare.Dressed in black, I have the hood of my zip-up hoodie pulled over my head and drawn closed as I fade into the afternoon shadows to observe and plan my revenge. They probably wouldn’t recognize me if they did see me standing here. I’ve changed a lot over the past nine years and I’m no longer the slightly chubby kid who wore overalls or t-shirts and jeans everyday of the week until I was thirteen and everything changed. Everything. When my best friends became my worst enemies.I watch as Seamus, Hayden, and Axel laugh and joke around in their front yard and toss a football back and forth between one another. We’re only a five minute walk from the college we all attend, a college I just transferred to mid semester of our senior year. They don’t know I’m here and that’s the way I want to keep it for a little bit longer. I patiently watch, waiting for them to leave for the football game so I can begin my plan.I will get my revenge.Barretta Dawn Bowers thought she had the three best friends in the whole world. There was nothing and no one that could come between them. Never in a million years did she think that they would be the reason for their friendship to be torn apart and her heart to break. Having moved to Florida with her aunt when her whole life had been turned upside down it isn't until nine years of being gone and a family emergency calls her home does she return to Oklahoma.Transferring to the local college and moving into an apartment close to campus with her best friend who tagged along for support, old memories and anger start rising to the surface when she soon finds herself face to face with her ex-friends turned enemies. To keep her mind off the troubles at home she begins to plot the revenge she promised herself so long ago.*Trigger Warnings*This Contemporary college-age romance is a medium/fast burn RH and contains several themes that readers should be aware of: swearing (shocking, I know), flashbacks of bullying, present revenge, and sexual themes suitable for 18+

Scars


Dana Isaly - 2021
    One day I was the sole inheritor of my family’s fortune. The next I was diving out my bedroom window, leaving everything behind.I’ve been hiding for years, successfully outrunning my demons. I was getting by, making a life of my own. Until the Triad came for me.  Dangerous. Wealthy. Corrupt. The Triad run this city. And they think I’m the key to getting my family out of their way.  The plan is to exchange me for a truce.But if I go back, I’m as good as dead. Convincing them to keep me is my only chance.They have no clue just how valuable I can be.I am so much more than they bargained for.