Book picks similar to
The Agreement by Bethany-Kris
mafia
dark
romance
crime
Diamonds in the Dust
Charmaine Pauls - 2020
Then she came along like a pretty wildflower pushing through the cracks on a dirty pavement—fragile yet resilient, a breath of beauty among the filth. She was supposed to be just another job, a nameless person I was to pluck from her life and hand to my brother, nothing but a pawn in the gamble of our diamond business. There’s a psychological label for men like us.We lack empathy and guilt.We do things to have what we want, things that make flowers wilt.(This is Book 1 of the Diamonds are Forever Trilogy and ends on a cliffhanger. Diamonds in the Rough (Book 2) will be released on 14 July 2020, and Diamonds are Forever (Book 3) on 15 September 2020.)
Ricardo
Marita A. Hansen - 2014
After his fiancée is murdered, Ricardo, the eldest of the brothers, starts spiraling out of control, his violent nature leading him down a path that could rip his family apart. But, when two women walk into his life... His first love—Bianca D’Angelo And an assassin from the Viper Sisterhood ...he finds himself pulled into a world of espionage, intrigue, and seduction, where he'll win his family's safety and the woman of his dreams—or lose everything.
Made
J.M. Darhower - 2014
The abused child. The neglected teenager. The broken man. He always did whatever he had to do in order to survive.It's kill or be killed.Throughout his life, he has been there in the shadows, a witness to everything from beginning to end. Bound by loyalty and honor, there's only one thing he would sacrifice it all for: family.Never get close. Never get attached. It's a lesson that has been brutally pounded into him since childhood, but they're words the DeMarcos make it difficult for him to follow. Through them he finds love and grieves loss, realizing the world isn't quite as black and white as it's made out to be.Made.
Stolen Hearts
M. O'Keefe - 2021
To me, he was a mystery, but he was also the only man who ever knew me.In that single stolen moment before I had to give my life to someone else, I imagined myself with him, the man with scars and bruises. The one who knew what hurting meant far more than I did at that time.Instead I was given to another man, one who broke my soul right along with my bones.Through it all, there was always that memory of the man in the shadows, the one who said--not in words--that I was strong, that I could endure, that I was more than just a princess in a ballgown.Now Ronan is the only man who could keep me safe from two warring families that wanted my blood. The spark that started two years ago burned brighter with each touch, each glance, each kiss. He woke me from the nightmare, giving me life with soft touches and sharp words.Two years ago, Ronan gave me strength, but he took something in return. I never gave him my heart, but hearts like mine are made to be stolen.
The Skull King
Penelope Sky - 2019
I sold myself to save someone I loved...and this is the price I have to pay.I was sitting alone in a bar when the most handsome man walked inside. Striking blue eyes, cheekbones as sharp as glass, and a muscular body fit for a war. He was gorgeous. I couldn't take my eyes off him. When he bought me a drink, I didn't say no. I'd been unfulfilled for so long, and I wanted a real man for the night. My husband had his affairs so why couldn't I?I noticed the peculiar ring on his right hand, a diamond carved into a skull. If only I'd known what that meant, I would have known who this man was.The Skull King.A man more cruel and ruthless than my own husband.
Little Doll
Melissa Jane - 2014
What I would find was something belonging to nightmares.What I would lose would unknowingly become my fight for survival.An escape from the clutches of evil seemed almost an impossible task. Warring with Mexico’s leading cartel would only see me closer to my grave. Or worse, used as a bargaining chip to seal a sickening deal my brother had unwillingly played a part in. But then there was one man who ruled over me. A man who promised to destroy my world at every turn. Juan Florez. Taking on the notorious cartel son was a battle I was bound to lose.This series continues with:Book 2: Ruthless SonsBook 3: Savage KingBook 4: Wicked GamesThis book contains themes and situations some may find confronting.
The Gun Runner
Scott Hildreth - 2016
TrippOnce, I took down terrorists on the front lines as a marine.Now I'm in the business of bad.I've sold guns to people others might not approve of.I've eliminated the criminals, the lowlifes and the thugs who've tread on my turf.And I looked the Sicilian Mafia boss in the eye and told him to f*** off.No one tells me no, unless it's their last word.I didn't just act the part of bad—I lived it. Then she stumbled into my life.I tried to stay away from her. Tried focusing on moving my merchandise. But one smile from Terra was like a shot to the heart.She's mine now. And no one threatens what's mine.
Terra
I've seen a lot of terrible things in my life.I grew up around lies and deception, and I ran away from all of them.Until I met him.I knew he was corrupt. I knew he was dangerous.I should have stayed away, but my attraction to him, my need for him, overrode my logic.Now I love him.If he finds out who I am, we're done and I'll be nothing.I never wanted to be the Mafia princess they tried to make me, but mia familia had other plans. And what mia familia wants…it gets.Only Michael Tripp can save me.Tripp and Terra's story continues in Book Two of Mafia Made, The Game Changer.
Crowned by Hate
Amo Jones - 2017
Daughter of the current President of the United States, wealthy, famous, and all things that some girls wish they had. Only I'd dream of having a simple life. A life where I wasn't marrying the scariest man I have ever met. Well, I thought I had just met him, but it turns out, there's so much I don't know about myself. That's all thanks to a past so twisted, so warped, that no amount of money, or presidential status could wipe it clean. I'm the rebel child. Or as some may see it, the disappointment. I’ve never cared about expensive wedding gowns, or how much someone paid for a tailored suit. I don’t care if your wedding dress is from Walmart, or if it’s from some fancy, upscale designer line. So why am I marrying the devil dressed in a thousand-dollar suit? I'm about to find out how I got here. To marrying one of the most powerful men in the country. The road to finding out, though, is paved with darkness, painted with the blood of innocents, and it leads my ass straight to hell. Only this hell is a multi-million-dollar penthouse suite in New York City where Bryant Saint Royal, sits on his throne.
Lord of London Town
Tillie Cole - 2020
She has never wanted for anything. A comfortable future as a married London socialite awaits her. But since the age of thirteen, Cheska has harboured a secret—an unshakeable fixation on a boy who could never offer her anything close to comfort. A boy steeped in sin and draped in depravity. A boy born into the possessive embrace of darkness. When Cheska’s seemingly perfect world is ripped apart by an unknown but deadly enemy, there’s only one person she can run to. One person in the world who has the power to keep her safe. The one person her weak and shattered heart craves. Arthur Adley. The new head of the most feared crime family in London. Forced too young to take the helm of the Adley firm, Arthur has become even more ruthless, formidable, and cold than ever before. His enemies are circling, and he must fight—and kill—to maintain his family’s place at the top of the London crime underworld. There is no room for weakness, emotion, or loss of control.But then Cheska smashes back into his life with the force of a wrecking ball. She has no place in this dark, vicious, and bloodthirsty world. And worse, she is the solitary chink in his impenetrable armour. He’s already pushed her away once, but this time she desperately needs him. She’s broken, lost, and in danger, and he is the only one who can help.Arthur must protect her. He must destroy those who dare to threaten her, hunt down those who would take what is his. He would raze all of London to the ground to keep her safe… but can he also protect himself?The infamous Dark Lord of London Town faces his most brutal battle yet—the crippling weight of the past, the unrelenting enemies lurking in the shadows… and the havoc that Cheska’s presence is wreaking on the granite fortress that was once his heart.
Richer Than God
Amelia Wilde - 2020
And I'm the only one who can save her.In a life like mine, there is only danger dressed up in money and power. I'm a monster in expensive suits and an opulent home. Brigit is an innocent angel with only the clothes on her back.She's on the run from a nightmarish arranged marriage, and I'm her only hope in the city. If she works my business she'll be able to buy herself a new life.But the moment she steps into my life is the moment she's trapped forever.She thinks she can tempt me and slip away like a thief in the night. She thinks I can make her mine and then let her go.She's never been so wrong.Richer Than God is an intense dark billionaire romance. It is the first in a breathtaking new trilogy.
Dark Protector
Celia Aaron - 2017
Charlie shone like a beacon in a world that had long since lost any light. But she was never meant for me, a man that killed without remorse and collected bounties drenched in blood.I thought staying away would keep her safe, would shield her from me. I was wrong. Danger followed in my wake like death at a slaughter house. I protected her from the threats that circled like black buzzards, kept her safe with kill after kill.But everything comes with a price, especially second chances for a man like me. Killing for her was easy. It was living for her that turned out to be the hard part.Author's Note: This is a full-length romance novel. It's not a super-dark read, no trigger warning. Explicit violence and hot sex included. HEA, no cheating.
Borden
R.J. Lewis - 2015
After a crime-filled upbringing in a very harsh neighbourhood, Borden leaves his hometown, returning four years later mysteriously rich and unrecognizable, with one woman on his mind. A woman he'll never have. Pained by his devastating loss and filled with rage and guilt, Borden's world turns dark. * As a fiercely independent woman, Emma Warne knows all about hard living. Having kept to herself most of her life, the last thing she expects is to be thrust into the world of infamous criminal Marcus Borden, the dangerous man the entire city fears and loathes. But the more she pushes him away, the more he comes back, taking over her life and stripping her of her control she desperately clings to. Once Borden has his sights on her, Emma is going nowhere anytime soon, and what she doesn't expect least of all... is that she may not want to either. Book 1 of 2. ******* WARNING: This is NOT a love triangle. This book contains sexual situations - of a very rough nature - violence, and strong language that may be offensive to some.*******
Black Hearts
Karina Halle - 2017
The son of an infamous drug lord, Vicente was born to help run the family business, which means he’s been raised on a throne of sordid pasts and dirty laundry, violence and pride. But when Vicente stumbles across someone he’s not supposed to know about – a woman from his father’s checkered past – he sets out to California to find her behind his father’s back.What Vicente doesn’t expect to find in San Francisco is Violet McQueen, the woman’s twenty-year old daughter. Beautiful and edgy with a vulnerability he can’t resist, Violet tempts Vicente from afar and though he promised himself he’d stay away from her, curiosity and lust are powerful forces. Besides, Vicente has always gotten everything he wants – why shouldn’t he have Violet too?Soon his wants turn into an obsession, one that sweeps Violet into his games as they fall madly, deeply in love with each other, the type of first love that can drive a person mad.But it’s a love with tragic consequences.Both the truth – and the lies – not only threaten to tear them apart, but threaten their very lives.Someone has to pay for the sins of the fathers.And they’ll be paying the price with their souls.
Seduced
Helena Newbury - 2015
I thought I wanted a taste of the action.Then I met him. Luka. Arms dealer. Russian mafia. A man who'll kill to get what he wants. And he wants me.Now I'm on a plane to Moscow with orders to "accidentally" run into him again. Seduce him. Sleep with him.I can’t control myself when I’m near him.And if he finds out who I really am, I'm dead.
Crooks & Kings
London Miller - 2017
He was a man with demons. For her, it was supposed to be a way out from beneath the hands of a man who wanted her dead. For him, it was supposed to be a job to make amends for a past wrong. They were never meant to fall in love.