Book picks similar to
Wicked Secrets by Renee Harless


college
college-romance
contemporary-romance
new-adult

Take Me in the Night


R.L. Kenderson - 2018
     It started in high school. I was his girlfriend…he was the love of my life. We had plans for after graduation. We were going to escape—he from his family’s reputation and me from my father’s control. But all that changed the summer before college. Charged with a crime he hadn’t committed, he was whisked away from life, never to be heard from again. Then, he takes my body. Twelve years later, he’s back. He’s bigger, he’s tougher, and he’s harder around the edges. He’s no longer the boy I fell in love with. But I’m no longer the girl who gave him her heart. Everything’s changed between us. Anger, resentment, and bitterness have replaced happiness, love, and trust. Except for when darkness falls. That’s when he comes to me at night, taking what is still his. Now, he’s going to take my soul. When the lines between our old love and our new hate begin to blur, I know that, this time, I might not survive if he leaves.

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.*

Forbidden


Julie Kriss - 2015
    He was my first. And now he’s back.I met Bram Riordan when we were teenagers. I was shy, and Bram was dark and wild, untameable. He was also off-limits because his mother had married my father.It didn’t stop him from becoming my greatest mistake.Now, six years later, Bram has been released from prison. Our parents are divorced, but he’s back in my life. Big, tatted, and terrifying. I should have nothing to do with him, and he should never touch me.But the way he looks at me, I’m tempted to make the same mistakes all over again.We’re still forbidden. But now we just might break the rules — if we don’t break each other first.NOTE: This book was originally published under the title BREAK ME.

Hate Struck


Nikki Ashton - 2020
    The scars she carried constantly reminded her of what she'd suffered, but she was determined to move on. If only the boy who ruled the school corridors didn't hate her so much. I played, I taunted, and I went in for the kill Adam Hudson was the Captain of the school football team and the boy that every girl in the school wanted. He was also the one they feared, but now Sarah Danes was in his sights. Now she was the girl he wanted to break - before she broke him.Girl meets boyGirl hates boyBoy hates girlAnd we all know what happens next…Hate Struck a story of secrets, lies and fear This book is based in a British high school and ends on a cliffhanger and may contain triggers with mentions of suicide, rape and violence. There are also some scenes of bullying

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.

Billionaire Bossman


Laura Lee - 2019
    The same man that you hate with a fiery passion but your traitorous body refuses to read the memo. I’ll admit, Liam Maxwell’s cockiness is not unwarranted—in the bedroom or the boardroom—but I’m a professional. I refuse to let an inconvenient attraction affect my career. I’ll just have to do what I do best: manage the situation objectively. Why do I get the feeling that’s going to be much easier said than done? Note: Billionaire Bossman is an interconnected standalone novella in the Bedding the Billionaire world. It was previously published under the title: Public Relations. The content has not been revised.

Cross Check


Colleen Masters - 2016
     We grew up together, me the bookish nerd, him the rich popular jock. To make matters worse, my parents worked for his, they were the groundskeeper and housekeeper of the King estate my entire life. But now that Jamison’s parents are gone, he needs me to run his father’s company—his father’s dying wish was that we get married to align our interests… I have a feeling we’ll be aligning much more than that if Jamison gets his way. And he always does. Includes BONUS BOOK Stepbrother Billionaire!!!! This novel is a full-length contemporary sports romance novel. Contains harsh language and graphic sexual content. Readers 18++ No Cliff.

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.

Opulence


Angelica Chase - 2015
    

This Cruel Love


Nikki J. Summers - 2019
    They trick you into believing true love will appear on the back of a white horse, in the form of a perfect, handsome Prince Charming. Most of the time Prince Charming turns out to be even more deceptive and evil than the wolf himself. I thought I’d met my soul mate at high school. Turned out my Mr Wright was so very wrong. Jackson.I live in a cruel and unforgiving world. I learnt from an early age how vicious life can be, but I’m a survivor. Life may have dragged me down to the depths of hell, but I know how to dance with the devil. Sometimes bad things happen to good people for no other reason than to remind us that this life is cruel. Sometimes good people are pushed to do very bad things to right the wrongs of another. But when all is said and done, we need to ask ourselves… how far would you go to protect the ones you love? Ryley thinks she has her whole life mapped out. Her happy ever after with her high school sweet heart Justin is already planned down to the very last detail. But life doesn’t always work out the way we expect it to, and when demons from Justin’s life threaten to destroy everything they’ve built up, Ryley finds herself thrown into a world of deception, lies and confusion. Truths get twisted, love and hate walk a dubious thin line and the enemy you think you know isn’t always what they seem.This book serves as a reminder that the first Prince Charming to cross your path isn’t always the hero in your happy ever after. *An enemies to lovers, second chance novel. Although this story isn’t a dark read, there are elements of darkness within, so please take note of the trigger warnings. There are cameos from Luca’s story in this book. However, you don’t have to have read Luca to enjoy this, it can be read as a standalone. **Warning: 18 years + recommended reader age due to sexual content. This story also contains scenes of drug abuse, suicide and sexual violence that may be upsetting to readers. Please proceed with caution.

Claiming Carter


Jennifer Bonds - 2022
    The only thing missing? A national championship. Something he intends to rectify. With his kicker laid up and the university’s home opener in three weeks, he’s not above poaching talent from the women’s soccer team. Or recruiting a sassy, STEM-loving brunette who wants nothing to do with football or him.Kennedy Carter is no jersey chaser. Hell, she doesn’t even like football players. They’re all swagger and no substance. Guys who like to play games on and off the field? Hard pass. She knows exactly how those stories end. But when Waverly’s sexy quarterback dangles the prospect of a full scholarship under her nose, it’s game on.Sparks fly and the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to fight the sizzling attraction. Austin’s always done what’s expected of him, but when the clock runs out, he’ll have to decide what’s more important: fulfilling his legacy or following his heart.This is a full-length, standalone enemies-to-lovers sports romance with a sizzling, swoonworthy HEA.

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.

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.

Tormented


Esme Devlin - 2020
    

Lorenzo Beretta


Abigail Davies - 2021
    The head of the Beretta Family.But I hadn’t known there were conditions.Three rules to obey.Three rules standing in the way of becoming King of the underground.The first two were easy, but it was the third rule that was most problematic.I had to find someone to marry.A good Italian woman who wouldn’t distract me. Someone who knew their place. Someone who wouldn’t expect anything of me.So when Aida turned up—quiet and respectful—I knew she was perfect for the role, whether she wanted it or not.Vows were promised; lines drawn. And I became the Mafia Boss I’d always known I would be.Everything was going to plan.Until I saw her smile at another man.Until I saw her lay her hand on his chest.She’d made a mistake.But maybe I’d underestimated her.I thought I was getting sweet and innocent. I hadn’t bargained on feisty and opinionated.We’d been forced into something neither of us wanted.I may have needed to get married, but that didn’t mean I wanted a wife.Or did I?Lorenzo Beretta is an all new standalone in the Unseen Underground series. A forbidden, unputdownable, arranged marriage, mafia romance that will have you turning the pages non-stop.