Book picks similar to
Taken by Esme Devlin
dark
freebie
short-story
age-gap
Brutal Prince
Sophie Lark - 2020
He’s ruthless, arrogant, and he wants to kill me.We got off on the wrong foot when I set a (very small) fire in his house.Our families believe a marriage pact is the only thing that will prevent all-out warfare.I think I might need to murder him while he sleeps.This would all be a lot easier if Callum wasn’t so damned good-looking.But I’ve got a lockbox around my heart. Because even if I’m forced to marry him…I could never love a brutal prince.“Brutal Prince” is the explosive first act in the epic “Brutal Birthright” series. It’s a stand-alone Dark Mafia Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers. It contains blazing hot bedroom scenes for mature readers only!!!
Cards of Love: The High Priestess
Olivia Ryann - 2018
Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Bestseller Vivian Wood writes dark romance as OLIVIA RYANN.Damen Aetos. Mob boss. Madman. And soon to be my husband.He doesn’t care that I’m a virgin. Doesn’t care about my beauty.Nothing matters to him but my last name.By marrying me, the Madman ensures that a centuries-old bargain will be met.The fact that he gets me -- gets to do anything to me that he wants -- is just icing on the cake for him.But I have secrets too, lurking beneath my pretty surface.Secrets, lies, and a power greater than either of us can imagine.The question is, when The High Priestess comes calling, how will he respond?
The Game Maker
Kitty Thomas - 2020
I was about to be evicted. I made a final desperate call to the man who ruined my life, but he didn't come for me.Someone else did.And then there was Seven. When I first woke in the cell, I thought he was my captor, but he is a pawn, like me.Seven is beautiful and kind. I want him so much I can barely breathe. He wants to protect me from our captor, but he can't.We are both locked inside a game neither of us can ever hope to win, and even though it's wrong, I'm starting to want both men, not just the good one... the monster as well.*This is a standalone dark contemporary romance.
Bad Blood
Cora Kenborn - 2021
A Carrera bleeds for revenge.Thalia Santiago is the daughter of my enemy. A beautiful rebel with a single cause.Impulsive. Fearless. And ripe for her father’s undoing.I recognized her the moment she stepped into my casino.I watched her start the fires that burned her pretty fingers, and then I poured gasoline on the flames. Now she’s in my debt, and her dues are a shiny gold ring and a vow of deception. I’ll bend her. I’ll break her. I’ll turn our mockery of a marriage into a battlefield.And that river of bad blood that flows between our two families? I’ll make it an ocean of hate. *This is book 1 of a new dark romance duet, releasing May 12th. Tainted Blood, book 2, releases June 9th. **Bad Blood is set in the Santiago and Carrera worlds, but it is not necessary to have read either trilogy beforehand.
The Bloody Bride
Bree Porter - 2020
Sophia always knew her marriage would be arranged and out of her hands, but when her husband-to-be is nonother than the notorious Alessandro 'The Godless' Rocchetti, prince of the Rocchetti family and Capo of Chicago Outfit, she finds herself falling into a nightmare. The arranged marriage begins bloody and the violence does not end on their wedding day. Sophia is forced to navigate her new family, her grief, and the brutal world she knows. As well as dealing with her dangerous yet intriguing husband. Secrets and threats surround her from the Feds and criminal world alike. Including the strange occurrences surrounding her sister's death… UPDATE: The Bloody Bride has been professionally edited as of the 12th of July 2020. Thank you to Sheri at LightHandProofreading.
King of Libertines
Pam Godwin - 2020
It doesn’t spoil the main story.
Reign
Jessica Gadziala - 2015
Alternate cover edition - ASIN B017JX376OOne notorious 1%erOne innocent trapped in an impossible situationOne vicious crime lordThree people who aren't who they appear to be= one big (bloody) mess.Reign is no stranger to the criminal underbelly and hard life, but when a random woman comes (literally) crashing into his life- learning things she has no business knowing, and bringing with her the weight of the city's biggest skin trader- the "hard life" starts to take on a whole new meaning.
Crime Lord's Captive
Mia Knight - 2016
She created a new identity and has been living a quiet life, but that’s at an end. He’s found her and is bringing her back to where she belongs. As Lyla navigates through the dark secrets of her past, she’s forced to face a man who won’t accept no for an answer from the woman he still claims as his.
Prisoned
Marni Mann - 2016
A man who would kill me if he found out what that secret was.Someone wanted to torture me.Torture us.One of us deserved it.It wasn’t Garin.* * * * ** WARNING *"Prisoned" is an extremely dark novel. There are strong sexual themes, drug usage, physical abuse and torture that could trigger and/or cause emotional suffering. You have been warned.* * * * * * Note READING ORDER *The Prisoned series should be read in the following order, to ensure the best understanding of the overall stories:Book #1: PrisonedBook #2: AnimalBook #3: Monster
Daddy's Girl
Isabella Starling - 2017
LAW I'm a very, very bad man. A monster sweet, innocent little Lily should run away from. She should know I only want to steal her. Take everything that matters to her and take it away. I've been watching her, wanting her. Now, I'm going to take her. And I won't rest until her pretty little mouth utters the word I want to hear from her lips. Daddy. LILY He's kidnapped me. Locked me away. He's done awful things to me. So why does every part of me want to beg him to keep going? I want him to hurt me. I want him to love me. I want him to take care of me. I want him to be my Daddy.
Full-length dark romance novel. Standalone, no cliffhanger, no cheating. HEA guaranteed.
Cruel Cravings
Jordan Grant - 2019
I thought he was my friend, but beauty is a cruel deceiver. He orchestrated the (second) worst moment of my life. He is my enemy.Yet his electric blue eyes and hair as black as night haunt my dreams. His kisses, sinfully sweet, still poison my lips.I am twenty-one year old, Cora Nambett. Fresh churned ground covers my father. Multiple Sclerosis threatens to paralyze my mother. We are about to lose our home.Desperation sends me to his door.Blood will bind my promise to him.Hate will help me survive.Note to Readers: Cruel Cravings is an enemies-to-lovers romance that does not end on a cliff-hanger. It is a sizzling hot, new adult novel that contains swearing and, at times, dark themes including bullying.
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.
Depraved
Bella J. - 2019
It's an ugly thing. It consumes you. Controls you. Dictates your every move.You can try to fight it, try to resist. But its stronger than you. It always wins. The day I first saw her, obsession took root inside me. Suddenly there was nothing else. Just her. My obsession left me no choice. I had to have her. No matter the cost. No matter the risk.In the end she will be mine. Until then...I wait. *DEPRAVED is a dark MC Romance with scenes that might offend sensitive readers*
Hate Me
Ashley Jade - 2021
The bully you can't run away from. I'm the tormentor who makes your life a living hell. The villain you love to hate.I'm the vicious stepbrother sleeping in the next room.The one who knows all your secrets. And I'll stop at nothing to make you pay.WARNING: This book is recommended for mature readers due to graphic language, sexual content, and dark elements.
Underestimated
Jettie Woodruff - 2013
She's never had anyone to look up to or help guide her in the right direction. She had it rough and never dreamed that it could get worse. However, she finds that it can and it does.She learns what real hell is when she meets the husband that she doesn't want to marry but isn't given a choice. Can she escape? She can and does, only to wake up and find herself right back at square one._____________Warning! This is not your everyday fall in love romance. This book contains disturbing situations, strong language, graphic, sexual content - some forced, some not. If it's a happily ever after love story that you are looking for, you should probably move on. If you are up for the ride, stick around and it may just turn into a love story after all.