Book picks similar to
Sweet Justice by Vanessa Vale


erotica
romance
historical
historical-romance

Jessamine's Folly


S.G. Rogers - 2013
    When her aunt gives her an ultimatum to leave, Jessamine accepts a position as companion to Lord Kirkendale’s sister—even though she’s been warned her predecessors can’t seem to resist the earl’s exceptional good looks. Can Jessamine manage to hold onto her job without losing her heart?To honor a promise made to his dying father, Lord Kirkendale agrees to an arranged marriage to a woman he cannot love. Although he is resigned to a life without sentiment, the arrival of his sister’s new companion awakens a slumbering passion. Can he find a way to secure his own happiness without sacrificing his family’s honor, or will his broken promise result in the ruination of the person he loves most?

Between Love and Lies


Jacqui Nelson - 2015
    Now she works in Dodge—one of the most wicked and lawless towns in the West—at the Northern Star saloon. But her survival in this new world of sin and violence depends on maintaining a secret so deadly it could end her life before the town of Dodge can.The one man capable of unraveling all of Sadie's secrets is Noah Ballantyne, the Texan rancher whose herd destroyed her home. Back in town and taking up the role of deputy alongside legendary lawman Bat Masterson, Noah vows he won't leave until he's made things right. But with the saloon’s madam unwilling to release Sadie and a rich cattle baron wanting her as well, the odds aren’t in favor of finding love...or leaving town alive.

Silver


Krystal M. Anderson - 2018
    But when her outlaw uncle reappears after four years’ absence and threatens to kill her, Clara embarks by stagecoach on her wildest adventure yet… and unexpectedly finds love along the way. Seeking fortune to prove his worth, Hal Horner buys a silver mine in the Owyhee Mountains, feeling the solemn darkness of the underground mine reflects perfectly the emptiness in his own heart. He succeeds in finding treasure, though it’s not the shiny type he intended….

Tangled Webs


Lee Bross - 2015
    Everybody has a secret. Lady A will keep yours—for a price. This sumptuous, scandalous YA novel is wickedly addictive.Lady A is the most notorious blackmailer in the city. With just a mask and a gown to disguise her, she sweeps into lavish balls and exclusive events collecting the most valuable currency in 1725 London—secrets.But leading a double life isn't easy. By day Lady A is just a sixteen-year-old girl named Arista who lives in fear of her abusive master, Bones, and passes herself off as a boy to move safely through the squalor of London's slums. When Bones attempts to dispose of his pawn forever, Arista is rescued by the last person she expects: Jonathan Wild, the infamous Thief Taker General who moves seamlessly between the city's criminal underworld and its most elite upper circles. Arista partners with Wild on her own terms in the hopes of saving enough money to buy passage out of London.Everything changes when she meets Graeden Sinclair, the son of a wealthy merchant. Grae has traveled the world, has seen the exotic lands Arista has longed to escape to her whole life, and he loves Arista for who she is—not for what she can do for him. Being with Grae gives something Arista something precious that she swore off long ago: hope. He has promised to help Arista escape the life of crime that has claimed her since she was a child. But can you ever truly escape the past?

The Man in the Black Suit


Sylvain Reynard - 2017
    When her superior, Marcel, is attacked in a supposed random mugging, she is tasked with serving one of the hotel’s most mysterious and attractive guests.Nicholas Cassirer checks into the hotel under an assumed name every three months. Usually, he stays in the penthouse suite with a beautiful female companion but on this occasion, he arrives alone and is displeased in having to deal with someone new. A match of wits ensues as he tests Acacia’s expertise with a series of almost impossible demands. Her intelligence and creativity rise to the challenge, earning his respect.They strike a tenuous accord until Acacia discovers a famous stolen painting in his suite, she contacts a former boyfriend who works for the elite BRB, a unit of French law enforcement that deals with art thefts.Nicholas is questioned by police and released when it is revealed the painting is a reproduction. Irked with her behavior, Acacia’s supervisor demotes her threatening dismissal and the cancellation of her work permit.But Acacia has already attracted Nicholas’s attention. Remorseful that she may lose her job on his account, he offers her a choice – she can wait until her supervisor dismisses her, or she can leave the city of lights behind and become his personal assistant.Acacia initially refuses his offer, but Nicholas is persistent. He reveals himself as a man who quietly acquires stolen art in order to restore it to its rightful owners. Faced with mounting familial debts and the possibility of dismissal and deportation, she agrees to work for him.Nicholas opens up a whole new world of beauty and intrigue to Acacia as they travel the globe. Soon the line between employer and assistant is blurred, and the two lonely people embark on a passionate relationship.

Savage Prince


Meghan March - 2018
    * * *I do what I want and who I want. I don’t follow anyone’s rules—even my own.I knew I shouldn’t touch her, but it didn’t stop me. Didn’t stop me the second time either. Only made me want a third. My lifestyle suits the savage I am, and she doesn’t. But Temperance Ransom is my newest addiction, and I’m nowhere near ready to quit her yet.I’ll have her my way, even if it means dragging her into the darkness.Hopefully it doesn’t kill us both. * * *Savage Prince is book one of the Savage Trilogy, set in the same world as Ruthless King, however you do not need to read the Mount Trilogy to devour this scandalously hot new trilogy.

Perfect Strangers


J.T. Geissinger - 2019
    They're hungry and deep. They're the kisses of a man who wants more of a woman—who wants everything—and isn't going to stop until he gets it." Author Olivia Rossi hasn’t been able to write a word since tragedy struck two years ago and ripped her world apart. Heartbroken and still haunted by the past, she accepts an offer to spend the summer at a friend’s apartment in Paris in search of healing and her lost muse. What she finds instead is James, an enigmatic stranger who ignites in her an unexpected and all-consuming passion. Agreeing to tell each other nothing more than their first names, Olivia and James embark on a torrid affair. But the more time they spend together, the more Olivia begins to realize her summer fling is turning into a powerful connection…and that the magnetic man she’s falling in love with might not be what he seems at all. Author's Note: This is a work of literary fiction, not a romance. Readers looking for a traditional happy ending should look elsewhere.

The Duke Who Knew Too Much


Grace Callaway - 2015
    Tormented by his past, Alaric knows better than to trust a woman yet finds himself ensnared by a spirited, virtuous virgin—who accuses him of a crime he didn’t commit. Is she his foe... or his salvation? A Novice to DesireEmma Kent is an independent country miss cast adrift in the ton. When a depraved encounter with an arrogant rake lands her in intrigue, Emma’s honor compels her to do the right thing. But desire challenges her quest for justice, and she must decide: can she trust her heart to discover the truth? Bound by Passion and PerilAlaric and Emma engage in a battle of wits and will. As their attraction flares, the true enemy stalks their every move. With danger looming, will they solve the mystery and find true love— before it’s too late?

These Men


Andrea Smith - 2014
    Paige Matthews has a lot to learn - about everything, including herself. At age twenty-two, she finds herself driving across the country to start an internship with the F.B.I. in Quantico, Virginia. You might think that Paige would be grateful to her older brother, Trace Matthews, a senior F.B.I. agent who pulled strings on her behalf to get her into the program, right? Wrong. She has insecurities and self-esteem issues, and she masks those issues in various attention-grabbing ways. Always a loner, she quickly wears out her welcome with Trace and his wife Lindsey, due to her . . . need for random hook-ups, and finds herself crashing with her oldest brother, Easton, and his wife Darcy. Through Darcy, Paige is introduced to her sister-in-law's former roommate and bestie male friend, Eli Chambers, along with his sinfully handsome partner, Cain Maddox. They're looking for a roommate and Paige is looking to get out from underneath her family's watchful eye. This is no typical "Three's Company" story though. Living with these men, Paige quickly learns that it's time to grow up and take responsibility for her life. She embarks on a journey of self-discovery that teaches her not only about giving, but about accepting love as well. She soon realizes that sometimes what you're searching for has been right there with you all along. This book is intended for mature audiences. Explicit Sex.

Clash


Sawyer Bennett - 2015
    She slings insults with precision, not caring about the destruction she leaves in her wake. We clash in a battle of wills every time we’re around each other, and yet… I still fantasize about being lodged deep within her body.Clash (verb): to come together or collideI have never encountered someone that grates me the way Cal Carson does. His pompous, arrogant demeanor. A holier-than-thou attitude. Any interaction with “Saint Cal” ends in a verbal clash of epic proportions, and yet… there’s no one I’d rather have in my bed than him.Clash (noun): a battle, fight or skirmishHer breathy moans mingle with the sound of our flesh coming together, clashing with the silence that surrounds us, dispelling any notions I once had about Macy Carrington.Maybe I can break down her walls if we can call a truce to this battle.He whispers filthy words in my ear, provoking feelings I never knew were possible. The burning desire in his touch clashes with everything I once believed about Cal Carson.Maybe he can be the balm I need to soothe my broken soul, if only temporarily.**Cal and Macy’s story is a trilogy within the Legal Affairs series. All three books—Clash, Grind and Yield—must be read in order. You do not have to read the other Legal Affairs books to understand this trilogy.

The Man Who Loved Cole Flores


K.A. Merikan - 2021
    By a stroke of luck, he is recruited to infiltrate the Gotham Boys and bring them all to justice. Ripped out of his wholesome life on a ranch, he has to find his footing with a band of ruthless outlaws who challenge his morals every step of the wayBut the one who tests him most of all is Cole Flores. Deadly, full of himself and unpredictable, the gang leader’s adopted son should be a man easy to hate, but instead, he sparks illicit desires Ned has never felt before.Cole Flores is forbidden.Cole Flores is corruption.Cole Flores is everything Ned O’Leary craves.Torn between love and revenge, lust and loyalty, Ned has to face impossible choices that are bound to leave scars, no matter how hard he tries to do the right thing.*“I don’t know what this means, or how to do this with you,” he whispered as his heart broke into a gallop. “But I want to. I need to.” Dark, dangerous, yet desperately romantic, “The Man Who Loved Cole Flores” is a gritty western M/M romance novel. Prepare for violence, emotional turmoil, and scorching hot, explicit scenes, as well as a heart-pounding cliffhanger to book 1.The epic love story of Ned O’Leary and Cole Flores gets its HEA in book 2 - “The Man Who Hated Ned O’Leary”.POSSIBLE SPOILERS:Themes: Enemies-to-lovers, first love, revenge, undercover, friends-to-lovers, forbidden romance, outlaws and cowboys, crime, gang, secrets, loyalty, betrayal, period-typical homophobia, Old West, survival, corruption of the innocent, self-discovery, first love, opposites attractLength: ~155,000 words (Book 1 in a duology)WARNING: This story contains scenes of violence, offensive language and morally ambiguous characters as well as sensitive topics of child abuse and suicide

Play Along


T.L. Swan - 2017
    I realize, to save my life I need to become valuable.My body is my only weapon.Pleasure and pain.28 days is a long time to Play Along with his perverted demands.He thinks I enjoy them.It disgusts me that I secretly do.I hate him.I crave him.When my captor becomes my savior, escape will be my reality.Publishers note....This is a full length, stand alone, romantic suspense. It is not a dark romance.

When Rivals Fall


J.L. Beck - 2019
     Two years ago she set us up, tainted our family image, ruined my brother’s life. She made it personal. It was no longer just a rivalry between our parents. Now she’s here, at Bayshore University, without her family’s protection. There’s nothing to stop us from getting our revenge on her, no one to tell us enough is enough. And so my brothers and I have devised a plan. We’ll break her, have her falling at her knees for us in no time, and then we’ll send her back to her family with a warning… Cross the Bishops again and you’ll pay. *** HARLOW I’ve despised the smug, stupidly gorgeous Bishop brothers since I was a small child. Our families rivalry was one that started years before us and one that I wanted to end. I was tired of being my parent's puppet, tired of the games, of the hate. All I wanted was to enjoy college and move on with my life. But your past can never stay hidden, right? When the Bishop brothers turn up at my school I have no place to run. I know then they’ll make certain I pay for every single bad-mouthed remark I or my parents ever made about them. At Bayshore, I’m at their mercy and they won’t stop until my heart is a bleeding mess. AUTHOR NOTE: This is a reverse harem college bully romance that contains subject matter not suitable for all readers.

After The Ashes


Cheryl Howe - 2003
    After the death of her mother, she follows her younger brother out west, hoping for a fresh start with her last living relative. Instead she finds a ruthless bounty hunter looking for the brother she knows she must protect at all costs. She doesn't expect the price to be losing her heart to a man who promises her nothing but shared passion.Christopher Braddock wants information more than the bounty of a bumbling kid who got mixed up with the outlaw Braddock has been searching for since the war. But when his prey's sister tries to throw him off her brother's trail, Braddock isn't noble enough to not let her try. What he doesn't expect is the spark that brings his body, and worse, his numbed emotions back to life. His unexpected feelings for Lorelei has Braddock crossing the line from bounty hunter to outlaw. He'll do whatever it takes to keep Lorelei safe, including breaking her heart.

Josephine


Caroline Clemmons - 2015
    When the opportunity arises via a newspaper ad, she and her best friend slip away from their oppressive fathers and head for Richmond. Neither can relax until they’re far away from their tiny hometown. With wealthy young widow Lydia Harrison’s help, Josephine and six other young women have a new life waiting in Tarnation, Texas. Michael Buchanan is fairly content running his mercantile and being mayor of Tarnation. The town is dusty and tiny, but it’s growing. He believes it holds all he needs to be happy—except a wife. There are no available women in town, but he hopes Lydia Harrison’s Bride Brigade will offer a woman he can wed. He is immediately attracted to Josephine. But Josephine has every reason to mistrust men in general and politicians in particular. Will her misgivings ruin her chance at happiness?