Book picks similar to
This Cruel Love by Nikki J. Summers


romance
dark-romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary

Dark Legacy: The Complete Series


Jaymin Eve - 2020
    Includes Broken Wings, Broken Trust, Broken Legacy, and a BONUS never before seen epilogue. They rule my new town, my school, and with more money than God, there's very little out of their reach.Four gorgeous, perfect, scary boys. There used to be five, but one of them died, leaving a fifth position that I now fill. I didn't ask for this. I didn't want to be part of this billionaire-boys-club. But no one cares about what I want.Sebastian Beckett is the worst of them. Their leader. He draws me in, and strips me of every defense I have. He calls me Butterfly, but it's not a pet name, it's a threat. Beck wants nothing more than to break my wings, pin me to a board and watch me writhe.He wants to see me broken. Body, heart and soul.And what these elite want, they get.Only they've never met Riley Jameson.Let the battle begin.*This dark contemporary romance features one girl and four sexy, dangerous boys but is NOT a reverse harem.*

How to Date Your Brother's Best Friend


Julie Kriss - 2016
    No filter. No morals. Meet my boyfriend. Holly Everyone knows Dean Madden. He's a bad boy - and my older brother's best friend. The guy you'd never bring home to your parents. His looks are pure sex, and the only fun he knows how to have is the filthy kind. I've known him for years. No one in their right mind thinks I should date him. But now I've grown up - and everything has changed. I want him, even if it's just for a little while. Until I can't let him go. Dean I'm not that guy - the relationship guy. I'm the one-and-done guy, or so everyone says. But when Holly bets me she can date me for four weeks, I'm not going to say no. She's grown up gorgeous - and now I've got my chance. I don't deserve her. It can't get serious. I can't get my feelings involved, because there are things she doesn't know about me. But until it falls to pieces, I can give her the wildest, hottest four weeks of her life.... *This is a full-length standalone with no cheating and an HEA.*

Addictive


Lola Finn - 2020
    Gorgeous. Frustrating. Sculpted perfection.Years ago, he claimed me as his best friend and then left, never to be heard from again—or so I thought until he showed up last year.We both spent the summer working at his father's luxury resort. Except he pretended not to know me, ignored me, managed to not even look at me for twelve weeks.Now we're both back again for another season, and a lot has changed since last year.He isn't just my secret obsession anymore. He isn't just my boss for the entire summer.Knox Cabot is about to become my stepbrother.And given the scorching stares, forbidden touches, and downright dirty things he says, Knox plans to claim me again...only in a hotter, sinful, and much more scandalous way.Welcome to Haven Cove. Elite, sexy, scandalous—and that's just the guests and staff. At one of the world's most exclusive resorts, someone's always doing something they shouldn't. Or, more likely...someone.Don't forget the sunscreen. It's amping up to be one long, hot summer. Each book in the Haven Cove series is a complete standalone with no cliffhangers, no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA.

Let Me


K.V. Rose - 2019
    “I don’t need to love you for this, Riley. Let me.”Love and hate are merely two sides of the same coin. And I hate Riley Larson. She's responsible for my little brother's death. She played us both, all those years ago. And she drove him to the edge.I've spent all this time avoiding her, loathing her, wishing to get her back for what she did.And now, she's back in my city. And finally, I can get vengeance for my brother.She did always like to be scared. No cliffhanger, can be read as a stand-alone. Dark romance, only suitable for those 18+.

Dirty Hearts


Khardine Gray - 2019
    Be prepared to take a walk on the dark side. Claudius Rule #1 of being mafia boss- Trust no one. Rule # 2- Keep your friends and enemies damn close. In the underground world, friends and enemies could be the same thing. Don’t let them know who you love… My story started out with a guy who liked a girl. She looked like an angel to him. I was the guy, Ava the angel. But… my life turned into this world where I got married to her twin sister and Ava hated me. Then I got caught in a game with the devil I didn’t want to play. My enemies used my weaknesses against me, and killed my wife. Ava could have died too so I stayed away. The universe, however, had other ideas and threw her right back in my path. An angel like her didn’t belong in the dark world of a Mafia boss. I know that, except, I’m selfish. I should leave her alone, but I can’t. The problem is …history is repeating itself, and there’s an enemy in my circle. It’s the same game as before and this time losing could get her killed. Ava Avoid him… That was the most sensible thing to do. Ten years ago, when I first met Claudius, I knew he was trouble. He’d made me love’s fool and broke my heart in so many ways when he married my sister. So, what was I doing running back into the arms of a man I shouldn’t be with? Coincidence reunited us, but my heart did the rest. My heart stifled the voice inside that told me to run away. My heart made me selfish... I wanted him for myself. I knew I shouldn’t be with him, but I couldn’t leave him alone. That very thing could be my downfall. This isn’t like any other second chance romance you’ve read before… Stolen Kisses is a standalone, full-length mafia romance and a part of the Gangsters and Dolls series. Gangsters and Dolls series is a spin off from The Accidental Mafia Queen series. Continue the adventure with these sizzling hot, drool-worthy Alpha males. Meet the Chicago Familia in these series by USA Today bestselling author, Khardine Gray! The Accidental Mafia Queen 1. Mafia Boss 2. Mafia Scars 3. Mafia Love Gangsters and Dolls 1. Dirty Hearts 2. Stolen Kisses- Coming soon 3. Remember when we – Coming soon 4. Double Edged Hearts- Coming soon 5. The Sting of love - Coming soon

The Grump Who Stole Summer


Ella Fields - 2022
    The truth is, I just... panicked.My soul died when I was fourteen, and there was no reviving it. But when the one person who’d tried made headlines, got dumped by her Ivy League college, and was forced to work in my bookstore, I began to wonder if I needed it when my heart beat faster at just the sight of her.I began to wonder if I’d been wrong to push her away three years ago, and if she was as I’d hoped and feared—different. If maybe, she could truly accept a guy like me.All of me. Every vile, cruel, tattered piece.First, I had to find out a few things.Would she still smile and laugh when I said something acidic?Would she still melt beneath the pads of my inexperienced fingers?Did she still want me as much as I wanted her?And finally, could she ever forgive an undeserving prick like me?Something told me I’d regret not finding out.Told in dual POV, The Grump Who Stole Summer is a full-length standalone, enemies to lovers second chance romance. It contains some sensitive subject matter.

Bad Apple


Selena . - 2021
    If getting out of this hellhole town means spending my last two years of high school at an elite academy full of rich, entitled pricks, then bring it on.“Girls like you don’t belong.”The arrogant and infuriatingly gorgeous Dolce brothers reign supreme in the hallowed halls of Willow Heights, and they don’t welcome my kind. Especially when I get in their way, don’t play by the rules in their twisted games, and refuse to bow to the cruel tyrants who run the place.“Girls like you are bad news.”Royal, Baron, and Duke Dolce set their sights on me. They think a poor girl will be an easy target, that they can break me and bring me to my knees like the girls who came before me. But the Dolce boys underestimate me. In this town, even girls from the trailer park hide deadly secrets. Secrets that could destroy them.After all, it’s those from the wicked world of wealth and privilege with the most to lose.This book is not RH--the main character ends up with ONE love interest.This is the start of a brand new, dark high school bully romance/enemies to lovers story featuring a damaged anti-hero and a heroine who fights her own battles. It is not for the faint of heart. It is in *no way* safe. I don't want to list specifics bc they are spoilers IMO, so I'll just say this. If you have triggers or hard lines, avoid this book. 18+ readers only.

Dead Man's Ink Boxset


Callie Hart - 2017
    Sometimes the choice is made for you, and pretending is the only thing that keeps you going. When Alexis Romera is taken and her kidnappers find her fake ID in her purse, she must become Sophia in order to keep her family safe. Revealing her real identity to the man she's sold to would be easy enough, but can she trust him? Hell bent on revenging the murder of his uncle, Rebel doesn't seem all that interested in playing things safe. In fact, nothing about the secretive, dark and brooding MC president seems safe at all. Rebel What do you do when the man who raised you is murdered, and the only witness is kidnapped girl who's being sold as a sex slave? You buy her, of course. As president to the most powerful motorcycle club in America, Rebel isn't lacking in power. There are strings the man can pull, and entire criminal organisations and corporate businesses alike would fall to their knees. However, along with such power comes intense interest. The DEA have their eye fixed solely on the MC...and they're just waiting for Rebel to trip up. Getting Sophia to testify is the only way to bring the Los Oscuros cartel down. The beautiful, dark haired, dark eyed woman is belligerent and uncooperative and unlikely to bend to his will, but Rebel has a few tricks up his sleeve to make her compliant--he'll charm her until she's bending over backwards to please him. Of course, falling for her might cause a few hiccups along the way... * The Dead Man's Ink series contains strong ties with the Blood & Roses series, but you do not have to have read those works in order to read this one. The Dead Man's Ink series is contemporary romance story with occasional dark themes that some people might find confronting. *

Kings of Westbrook High


Bethany Winters - 2020
    Loyalty. Unconditional love..I've never seen anything like it."All it took was one bullet. One bullet put a dent in my plan to survive the vicious storm that is my father and flipped my entire world on its' axis.Dragged from the dumps of Sin City to the Palace of Westbrook, I find myself living in a strange new version of hell, surrounded by sexy bad boys, money and power.The Kingston brothers own this city and everyone in it. They seem to think they can rule me.Unfortunately for them, I don't follow rules.And my stepbrothers are about to find out just how far I'm willing to go to survive.He wants my body. He can take it. But he will never take my heart. Because you can't take what no longer exists. This is a full length dark high school romance with themes some readers might find offensive. Contains graphic language, dark triggers, drugs, violence and sex. It is book 1 of 3 in the Kingston Brothers series but can be read as a complete standalone.

Thorne


Ketley Allison - 2021
    No, he wants to punish me for being here, wrap fear around my neck until I run, and smile while he chases me down.My aim was to blend in, get the grades, stay busy with extra-curriculars, all while pretending my own problems weren’t blowing up behind the scenes, but Thorne makes it impossible.The only way for me to survive is to find out what dirty little secrets Thorne keeps to himself. To do that, I must follow him into the darker corners of the academy, the place where they make college hazings look like child’s play.I watch the pleasure spark in his eyes as he does it. The joy he has over bringing pain.What makes me most ashamed is … I like watching him.If I’m not careful, Thorne will capitalize on that curiosity, and he will squeeze my heart until it bleeds.THORNE is a dark high school bully romance containing mature themes such as bullying, enemies-to-lovers, and intense, potentially triggering, situations meant for 17+. It ends on a cliffhanger.

Redlined


Cala Riley - 2021
    That is, until one of them sends me far away, making me lose the other.Now, stuck with a cousin I’m not sure even wants me here trying to pick up the scattered pieces of my life, all I want to do is find my own way.Who cares if I’m slightly attracted to the asshole who seems to run these parts? Or that I’m starting to find his little tests exciting?Who cares that the abandonment I felt from the people I thought were my family fades as I find a new group to grow close to.It doesn’t mean anything. In the end, I’ll be gone, right?RomanI knew she was going to be trouble the minute I got the call she was coming. I didn’t expect her to light my blood on fire, though.Now, she’s slowly integrating herself into my life, one irritatingly yet sexy glare at a time.It doesn’t matter that I think the fact that she knows her cars is a huge turn on. Or that I crave having her near me.The fact that I’m itching to protect her has nothing to do with the way she makes me feel.There’s no room in the inner circle for new blood. So why does she seem to fit right in?

Kisses and Lies


T.L. Smith - 2020
    That should have been my first clue to keep away. He was nothing I wanted. Yet, everything I needed. He was dark, dangerous. And I couldn’t stay away. Even when I wanted to. We made a deal—just our bodies. But lines got blurred. I asked for more than one night – I ended up asking for forever. What a mistake that was. What a mistake he was. Sometimes love burns.And sometimes kisses and lies are all you get.

The Boy Next Door


Jennifer Sucevic - 2021
    I’ve spent more years than I care to admit crushing hard on Colton Montgomery. The blond, blue-eyed hottie leaves a trail of broken hearts in his wake wherever he goes. Mine being one of them. Just when I’d decided to cut my losses and move on, he appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. It had all seemed like a fairytale until he dumped me.Through text message, no less.Ouch.Eighteen months and one study abroad program later, I’ve returned to Wesley University to finish out my senior year.And Colton?He’s nothing more than a regrettable mistake I’d prefer to forget. Or so I tell myself. It only takes one run-in to realize that my feelings for him aren’t as dead and buried as I’d thought. Nope, they’re still there, simmering dangerously beneath the surface.He wants a second chance to make things right.That’s not going to happen.But Colton has other ideas.And part of me is afraid that if he actually puts his mind to it, he’ll end up changing mine.

A Thousand Cuts


Melissa Toppen - 2020
    But then I grew up and I realized that life isn't like the books I once loved so much. There are no princes riding in on their white horses. No magic wands or fairy god mothers. And no happily ever afters. Ryland Thorpe taught me the hard way that good doesn't always win and sometimes the people we trust the most are the ones that can hurt us the deepest. At fifteen, my world began and ended with him. He was my older brother's best friend. He was my protector. He was the boy I had loved since I was old enough to understand what loving someone meant. And he was a liar… It's been five years since I've seen him. Five long years and the memory of him still haunts me like it was yesterday. Only he's not just a memory anymore. Prison has hardened him, changed him, altered him in ways I never expected. But beneath it all I can still see a glimmer of the boy I used to love. When lies are exposed and secrets are revealed, I find myself questioning everything I thought I knew. They say the first cut is the deepest. They were wrong… A Thousand Cuts is a complete standalone novel in the Cell Block C Series.  A five book series- each book written by a different author in The Romance Collaborative.

The Potter


Kristy Marie - 2022
    the exam room. A brilliant surgeon.A master sculptor.The media touted Dr. Potter as a savior dressed in a crisp suit.I think he’s a vicious madman of jerk-sized proportions.But fate is a wicked tease.Only Dr. Potter can give me what I need.A fresh start.A new identity.But he refused, leaving me to take matters into my own hands by accepting a job as his partner’s new secretary.Dr. Potter can’t turn down my case forever.Or at least I thought so until I found him on the floor.Broken. Angry.With a venomous warning... I failed to heed. ​​​​​​​The Potter is a standalone grumpy-sunshine rom-dramedy.