Book picks similar to
Twisted by Esme Devlin


dark-romance
dark
romance
dystopian

Her Alien Alpha


Leslie Chase - 2020
    He’s dangerous. He’s hunted. And now he’s got me, he won’t let go.I'm not in space to meet a man. The crew of the Ladies’ Choice left Earth to work without distractions, so we have a rule: no men on board. That rule went out of the airlock when I found Delkor.An alien cyborg, locked in stasis for decades since the Big War. Leader of the rebels who took down an Empire. A smoking-hot alien alpha with a robot arm and a voice that melts me every time he speaks.But he's as valuable as he is dangerous. The local gang bosses are powerful and will do whatever it takes to control Delkor, putting me and my crew in danger as long as he's with us.Maybe walking away would be the smart thing to do, but I don’t have that option. Delkor wants me as much as I want him, and what he wants, he takes.Her Alien Alpha is book one of the Salvaged Hearts series. Each book is a complete science fiction romance story with no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a happy ending guaranteed.

Pawns in the Bishop's Game


Emilia Finn - 2019
     His job is to keep his kingpin boss safe and off the local law enforcement's radar. But when Jessica Lenaghan - immediate family to the police that just won't mind their own damn business - steps into Kane's world, his protective instincts take a wild one-eighty and his focus shifts to someone other than the man he works for. Jess is months away from sitting the bar exam, but she has a point to prove: she doesn't always have to be the good, dependable girl in the family. But dipping her toes into Kane's world turns into something she never anticipated. When drugs, guns, and wh*res are involved, all bets are off. Join the crew on a nail-biting ride of adrenaline, murder, and one good-girl shooting at her bad-boy because he annoyed her one too many times. SHELTER is book 1 in The Checkmate Series, and can be read as a complete Standalone.

Land of the Beautiful Dead


R. Lee Smith - 2015
    Now he rules in the walled city of Haven with his favored Children and his dead court, while all that is left of the living struggles to survive in the ruins of a world that used to be their own. But even as extinction looms, humanity will never surrender to their monstrous conqueror.For Lan, this brutal life has been the only one she’s ever known, but she still believes it can change. If the war can never truly end until the Eaters are ended, she will go to Haven, to Azrael himself, and demand he end them. To her surprise, she does not immediately die the hero’s death she expected. Instead, Azrael offers her a chance to convince him, and all she has to do is submit herself to the chill embrace of the lord of the Land of the Beautiful Dead.

Elegant Sins: A Dark Secret Society Romance


Stasia Black - 2020
    There is nothing more dangerous than a secret…It is how the powerful survive.They spin their influence in the shadows as their sins corrupt the innocent.And I, Montgomery Kingston, am one of them.The elite.The chosen.It is my inherited fate to claim a place among one of the most secret societies of them all…The Order of the Silver Ghost.It is her fate to be my sacrifice on the altar of wealth and seduction of riches.Tonight, my belle of the ball will dance with the devil and by morning, I will have broken her.For my initiation is a ritual steeped in a dark and twisted tradition of elegant sins.As I said, secrets are dangerous…But then again, so is love.

Devil Dog


Delta James - 2020
    He's going to take her back.Dex is a brute who doesn't hesitate to take his woman over his knee for the kind of spanking that leaves her sore, sobbing, and ready to be reminded of her place in a much more shameful way. Fortunately for Mallory, he's also a US Marine Raider who knows how to run a rescue mission.When she took a job in a country on the brink of war, Mallory had no idea what she was getting herself into, and there is only one man she can count on to bring her home after things go south.The same man who is going to blister her bottom for running away in the first place, then lead her to the bedroom to remind her who she belongs to so thoroughly she never doubts it again.

Branded


Abi Ketner - 2013
    In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home. Constant darkness. Brutal and savage violence. Excruciating pain. Every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole. I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

Space Mercenary's Prize


Lynnea Lee - 2022
    Jenny brings out my instinct to guard and protect. Drunk and eager for a fight, I knock out her attacker and vow to take her home to Reka 5.There’s only one problem: Jenny’s owner wants her back.We wake the next morning with an enormous bounty on our heads. New Rhea is chock full of no-questions-asked mercenaries eager for the credits, but a promise as a promise, and I will get her to freedom.Besides, Jenny is mine. And anyone who wants her will have to get through me first!This is a novella-length stand-alone story set in the Tallean Mercenaries universe. Sweet and steamy scenes ahead. HEA guaranteed!

The Unfortunates


Skyla Madi - 2014
    Kade Sario was supposed to vicious and cruel. He was supposed to be a monster, to hurt and chastise me for the smallest things... but he didn't. I didn't understand it... until I found out what he really wanted from me.He wants to use me. He wants to hold me high above the lion's den and wait for the strongest lion to offer him something he can use...He won't hurt me and he won't take from me, but he keeps me close... So close I can smell him on my skin even when I'm alone. Growing up it was ingrained in me that I do whatever I can to please my Fortunate. It was ingrained in me that I be loyal and faithful, and that I love my Fortunate more than I love myself. I expected that I'd want to please him. I expected that I would be loyal and faithful, just like I was taught... But I didn't expect to fall in love with him.Time is running out. Things are changing, the balance of power is shifting and if I'm going to survive in this world, I need Master Kade on my side…

Talen


Shay Savage - 2019
    I’m not a thief. I prefer to be known as the head of Lost and Found.When I discover a beautiful but dangerous competitor in my territory, I also learn she knows more about me than she should. Is she a spy sent by my father, or is she a rebel like me? I don’t trust her, but together we’ll discover secrets that may destroy what’s left of our world.There have always been those with wealth and those without. My name is Talen, and I’m here to even the score.

Wildlanders' Woman


Jenycka Wolfe - 2014
    Ava Cosgrove, Maiden of Arcadia was no more. Now, she was simply Ava, Wildlander Tribute Bride."Ava has been given as bride to the men of the Wildlands, a harsh, unforgiving place where Dark creatures roamed free and peace only a memory. Her virginity taken in public ceremony, she's now a woman of the Wildlands, the wife to a Clan of four. Her body aching from her first possession, Ava initially fears her new life. Her Clanmates, though, prove to be tender and caring, seeing to her every need out of the bedchamber and lovingly awakening her flesh inside of it. These mates - powerful, unbending Blaise; fierce but sensitive Jodah; mischevious, lighthearted Daven and gentle, masterful healer Killian - all stir her in their own ways, yet she struggles to come to terms with the idea of falling in love with more than one man.Ava slowly works to adjust to this strange new place, in a culture that reveres, rather than disdains women, where magic is not unheard-of, and violent death is an accepted part of life. As a rash of attacks from the fearsome Dark creatures that her Wildlander warriors are sworn to fight threatens both her community and her own Clan's lives, Ava must look into herself and find strength she did not know she possessed to fight alongside her Clan. Through tragedy, betrayal, forgiveness, and failure, Ava learns not only that love does not fit into the tidy definitions she'd once believed, but that she might be capable of far much more than she dreamed.

The Ruthless Gangster


Avery Kane - 2021
    but I did.I was taken, stolen and completely destroyed.The Shadows were hovering upon me to wreck me, hiding and waiting- until they finally attacked.Ace West is on a mission to ruin me.He told me he’ll break me in the most ruthless way.What he doesn't know is that you can't break someone who’s already broken.And you definitely can't break the girl you love without destroying yourself.The Ruthless Gangster is book ONE in an ALL-new college romance series- The Shadow Sinners- with your favorite enemies to lovers trope by debut author Avery Kane! This is a mature new adult book and contains dark themes like kidnapping.

Claimed by the Alien Warrior King


Zara Zenia - 2020
    The newly crowned ruler has always been stand-offish, yet his intentions are clear: he wants her.King Thras wasn’t ready to take the throne, but he holds the responsibility of ensuring peace in his system. The attack and kidnapping of his sister is an act of war, and it exposes the warrior’s true weakness: his feelings for the human slave Chera. He’s always been able to resist temptation, but when she’s injured and his uxormea appears over his heart, he knows he’s in the presence of his true mate.Can King Thras secure the safety of his kingdom and the heart of his mate, or will the forces intent on destroying his birthright succeed in ending his rule and his life with his true love?Claimed By The Alien Warrior King is book 1 in The Veda Wars series, featuring the assertive alien King Thras and the courageous human slave, Chera.

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.⁣

Mercy


Debra Anastasia - 2017
    Murder is in my blood now. It runs through my veins and though I hide the monster I see in the mirror with ink, it doesn’t keep him from coming out. My street name is Mercy, but I never show any. Except for her. I watch Becca, though she doesn’t know. She saved me a long time ago; the day my father killed my mother. Her bravery turned her into a target.My father holds a grudge and knife with the same proficiency, and Becca is the focus of his hatred. And I’m the only monster who can save her.

Ruthless People


J.J. McAvoy - 2014
    But behind closed doors is a constant battle for dominance between two Bosses, cultures, and hearts.Ruthless People is a romantic crime fiction set in modern day Chicago, following the life and marriage of Melody Nicci Giovanni and Liam Callahan—rivals by blood and leaders through fear. Their marriage was arranged by their fathers in hopes to end years of bloodshed between the Irish and the Italians.Liam, next in line to lead the Irish, believes he’s getting a simple-minded wife, one he can control, one who bends to his every need . . . the complete opposite of Melody. Bred to be a Boss, a world-class marksman, master of disguise, with no mercy and no fear. Twenty-four years later, she has achieved more than any man could even dream of, killing anyone who steps in her way. She knows exactly what type of man Liam is, and she would rather die than give up the power she has spent her whole life building. But with no other family left, she must not only learn to work with Liam, but the whole Callahan clan.The Mafia of the past is evolving, and with rival bosses gunning for them, Melody and Liam will have to figure out how to work as one to take down those who stand in their way, all while keeping up appearances.Power, Family, and Respect are everything.Warning: This book contains adult language and subject matter including graphic violence and explict sex that may be disturbing for some readers. This book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.