Book picks similar to
Taken by Esme Devlin


dark
freebie
short-story
age-gap

Blood to Dust


L.J. Shen - 2016
    Me.His name is Nate and I should hate him, but I don't.I'm not supposed to know his real name, even worse, I'm not supposed to care. He is nothing to me but means to an end. The plan is simple: break free, collect the pieces of my broken soul, kill the bastards and run away.His name is Nathaniel Thomas Vela, and I've never seen his face, though I hear that it's beautiful.Behind the rugged and handsome exterior, there's a quiet murderer, a killer who thinks guns are for pussies and ends people with his bare hands.His name doesn't matter, neither does his face, but what does matter is my heart. And right now, sadly, it's his. Blood to Dust is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.

Stepdaddy Savage


Charleigh Rose - 2016
    Read at your own risk You do not say no to Graham Savage, because Graham Savage doesn’t ask. Just like his name suggests, he takes, and right now, he believes I’m his. He is a cold, calculated, ruthless, formidable Irish mobster, and... my step-dad. Regardless of the fact that it's nothing more than a business transaction, he's technically married to my mom. Even still, I find myself scared to be caught, yet even more terrified of being cut loose. They say love is like a butterfly…well, we are about to prove to the world that it’s also like a punch in the face. Sometimes inevitable…and always painful.

Taking Avery


D.H. Sidebottom - 2017
    Avery belongs to Lilith’s Army now, after being taken against her will, but she isn't just anyone, she's a Cutter's MC Princess, and they don't take kindly to people taking what's theirs.As Avery’s life starts to spiral out of control, she finds that her only hope of survival is to put her trust in the man she doesn’t trust at all. The only man that can bring destruction to not only both clubs, but also to her heart.When the fallout reaches beyond just the two clubs, the consequences bring death, devastation, and chaos for everyone. The dynamics of both clubs change forever in the wake that follows. Fate isn’t done teaching Avery that life isn’t always better with the devil you know sometimes it’s with the devil you don’t.

Crave to Conquer


Zoey Ellis - 2018
    Plunge into this “must-read” epic world and prepare for addiction.Her mission seemed simple: hide in plain sight, search for his secrets, and under no circumstances draw his attention.Posing as a researcher, Cailyn infiltrates the palace of the savage ruler known as Emperor Drocco. He is on a crusade to find the omegas that have been missing for over a century and craves to find his mate. While reviewing his files, Cailyn never expected to meet him.But their attraction is instant.Unfortunately, Drocco is the most intolerable male she’s ever had the displeasure to encounter.He rarely leaves her side, inflicting his bold arrogance, heated gaze, and alpha dominance in a way that infuriates her. Yet their intense attraction captivates her in a way she cannot resist.As an omega spy, Cailyn knows she must slip away. If she falls prey to Drocco’s growing obsession, her deception will be uncovered and she will be at the mercy of his legendary ruthless vengeance.But unbeknownst to them both, she is the omega he seeks.Enter the dark and carnal world of Zoey Ellis’ Myth of Omega. For fans of faithful alpha anti-heroes and captive romances. Cliffhanger included however this series is complete. Includes romance and situations of a dark nature.

Follow Me Darkly


Helen Hardt - 2020
    But he’s a master of control. Skye Manning knows what she wants. Her job as assistant and photographer for a major social media influencer isn’t perfect, but it’s a rung on the ladder to bigger and better things. She’s confident she’ll one day take feature photos for National Geographic.Self-made billionaire Braden Black didn’t get where he is by taking no for an answer. When a chance encounter with the refreshingly innocent and beautiful Skye piques his interest in more ways than one, he’s determined to make her submit.Dating a billionaire soon has Skye in the middle of a Cinderella story…until the clock strikes midnight and Braden reveals his dark side. Heat sizzles between them, and Skye finds herself falling hard.But Braden Black is no Prince Charming, and his dark desires are far from his only secret.Start this amazing series off with Darkly, Follow Me Darkly told from the hero's point of view, or spice up your reading with Braden's story any time while enjoying the Follow Me series.Darkly (Book #1 in the hero's POV) can be read and enjoyed in any order!Reading order of Follow Me trilogy:Book #1: Follow Me DarklyBook #2: Follow Me UnderBook #3: Follow Me Always

Swallow it Down


Addison Cain - 2020
    The unquestioned leader of this ship.A ship I wish to be free of. A man I want to be as far away from as my legs might carry me.The society he’s designed, the rules, the endless battle of wills...Yes, I’ve seen the way he looks at me.I’ve felt his fingertips brush my skin. Heard his laugh. Experienced his smile.One that’s only for me, and only in secret.And I know what he wants.He told me himself that everyone has to pay; that all who survived the fall of civilization were culpable. That’s how he justifies the decisions he’s made, the necessary evils he allows to take place on this ship… all in the name of a greater good. And it’s why I resist the starved way his gaze drinks me down. Why I can’t be had at any price. SWALLOW IT DOWN is an angst-ridden, enemies to lovers romance, boasting a strong female lead and a swoon worthy hero. This standalone features an HEA that will keep you turning the page all night.

Merciless


Willow Winters - 2018
    Women like her are made to destroy men like me. I couldn’t resist her though. Given to me to start a war; I was too eager to accept. But I didn’t know what she’d do to me. That she would change everything. She sees through me in a way no one else ever has. Her innocence and vulnerability make me weak for her and I hate it.I know better than to give in to temptation.A ruthless man doesn’t let a soul close to him.A cold-hearted man doesn’t risk anything for anyone.A powerful man with a beautiful woman at his mercy… he doesn’t fall for her.

Innocent Eyes


Charlotte E. Hart - 2018
    A blind date, she said. What harm could it do? He was charming. Beautiful. God's finest creation. He wined me and dined me. Made me do things I'd never before dreamt of in the bedroom. It was perfect. Dangerous. Arousing. But Jenny didn’t tell me the full story. She didn’t tell me about the debt she owed. And now Quinn Cane wants his money's worth, and he’s going to make me pay whatever way he can. “A debt needs to be paid.” The woman who came to meet me didn’t owe me money. I could tell by her innocent eyes. Still, the debt will be paid either way. She was something to play with and use as I saw fit, but something about Emily Brooks made me want to keep her. So she became my dirty girl. Pure. Innocent. Mine. Then she whispered my damned name and invaded my world, changing its reasoning. She wasn’t meant to break the rules. But she rolled my dice and won. Shame. Forgiveness. Dark. Erotic. Romance. This book is intended for mature audiences. 18+ only.

Prisoner


Annika Martin - 2014
    He’s dangerous. He’s wild. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.So I hide behind my prim glasses and my book like I always do, because I have secrets too. Then he shows up in the prison writing class I have to teach, and he blows me away with his honesty. He tells me secrets in his stories, and it’s getting harder to hide mine. I shiver when he gets too close, with only the cuffs and the bars and the guards holding him back. At night I can’t stop thinking about him in his cell.But that’s the thing about an animal in a cage—you never know when he’ll bite. He might use you to escape. He might even pull you into a forest and hold a hand over your mouth so you can’t call for the cops. He might make you come so hard, you can’t think.And you might crave him more than your next breath.

Dirty Girls


Lily White - 2020
    Only time will tell if I’ll escape.Because when wealthy boys are accustomed to getting everything they want, not even the lives of those around them are too high an asking price.

Captured Miracle


Alannah Carbonneau - 2014
    Not because of their light, but because of their suffocating endlessness. The dark abyss of their possession claims you before you’re even aware of the capture. Love is not linear. There is no timeline in which the emotion blooms. Sometimes it is a slow succession of events where one soul learns another and sometimes it’s quick. Sometimes it’s like lightning. Possessive. That’s what Calix was to me. He infused himself within my life – my mind – my body – and my heart. Until he possessed my soul. And then he shattered it all. The worst part of it all was that he owned me. Completely. And it only took him four days. What started out as an act of revenge quickly becomes so much more. After years of plotting and two years of watching Nova, Calix takes her. In the dead of the night, three strange men in her room, tugging her from her bed, wake Nova. Terrified of forcing the men to act on their threats to harm her mother and sisters, Nova agrees to allow them to cart her from the safety of her home. She never expected they would lead her to Calix. A dark and captivating man determined to have her as his wife – and every other way. As Nova tries to keep Calix from pushing his way past her barriers, his determination to capture her heart in the same way he captured her body grows. In his quest for her heart, Calix pushes her past her barriers and tests her every limit. When her heart softens, the reason for the game of revenge turns very real and Calix is forced to tell Nova just why he took her. Only, the truth will harden the heart that had softened against him. But Calix still won’t let Nova go. Until the end of time, she is his. *** This is an erotic romance. Captured Miracle is the first novel in what will be a three book series. This novel does end in a cliffhanger.

The Bratva's Baby


Jane Henry - 2019
    My orders are simple.Capture her.Marry her.Take her inheritance.Get rid of her.The bookish little recluse is worth more than she knows.She's an unassuming librarian.I'm the brigadier of the Russian Bratva.She has no friends.I command a small army.She's a modest virgin.And now she's mine.

Transcending Darkness


Airicka Phoenix - 2015
    But it was the only way to keep her family safe and all she had to do was sell her body and soul to the devil.Killian McClary wasn’t called the Scarlet Wolf for nothing. He’d been the head of the McClary Organization since he was fifteen and had built a reputation for being a ruthless son of a bitch when it came to running the city’s underbelly, not to mention merciless when it came to punishing those who betray him. He didn’t believe in weaknesses. Only results. Juliette, with her shy smiles and hot little body was a weakness unlike any other and yet he was powerless to resist one more taste of her sweet flesh.Two: Become his for a year.When given the choice between her life or her body, what could Juliette possibly do, but submit to a man whose very name invoked fear in the hearts of others? She just never anticipated falling for his dark, hungry eyes and clever hands, or the way the beast in him made her feel oddly safe and cherished.But what will happen when Killian’s dark past finally catches up to him and threatens the woman he can no longer imagine himself without? What will happen when both sides find themselves caught in a web of passion, lies and broken promises? Can Juliette tame the wolf or will her love for him devour them both?Three: Don’t fall in love.Boundaries will be crossed, loyalties will be tested and lives will be changed forever.

Ghostface Killer


M. Never - 2017
    Hungry, abandoned, wandering, and alone. An adolescent street rat fighting for crumbs. Then a chance encounter changed my entire world. A man in an expensive suit asked me how much my life was worth. I didn't have an answer, because I didn't know. He asked if I thought it was worth killing for.Impulsively, I said yes... He found me, then fostered me, and in the interim turned me into a killing machine. A modern day La Femme Nikita. Now, I only have one mission. To avenge the death of the man who saved me. There's an invisible war on the streets. Us against them. Family against family. Power against power. They call me Ghostface Killer because they never see me coming.I understand the weight of that danger. The hazard. The jeopardy. Because now here I stand, three months pregnant with the barrel of a gun pressed to my head cause I never saw him coming...

Deception and Chaos


S.M. Soto - 2018
    With her older brother being her only living relative and her anchor, Sophia is sure she's destined for a brighter future. But that was until she was taken.Stolen from her mundane, orderly life, she was drugged, and woke to every woman's worst nightmare.With only four grimy basement walls and a rancid mattress, she loses her sense of time, and preserves what's left of her dignity by hurtling herself into the safety of her mind. The men, the beatings, they come and go with no reaction, until she hears one word that sends an arctic chill through her body. Sold.On the eve of Sophia's bidding, all hell breaks loose in the mansion of horrors. Gunfire and screams erupt all around her, as panic rises.Snatched by one monster only to be taken by another, Sophia slowly starts to learn that not everything is as it seems. When secrets unravel, and the twisted game of cat and mouse ensues, The Puppeteer pulls his favorite strings and chaos brews. Lives are lost while the clock ticks, and only time will tell who will be killed next... WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, dubious content, strong language, and graphic violence. May contain triggers for abuse victims.