Book picks similar to
Stain by M. Hayes
arc
suspense
mental-illness
mystery
The Contradiction of Solitude
A. Meredith Walters - 2015
He tells me that I'm beautiful.That I'm an enigma wrapped in irresistibly complicated skin.Elian says that he loves me.These words terrify me.I can't trust love.Or hope.Or truth.Because I fear the beast inside.It threatens to drown Elian and his sweet, unconditional love.It's a beast that will destroy everything.*This is a psychological thriller and very different than my previous books*
Masque of Red Death
Kenya Wright - 2019
He calls himself Poe, and he invites only the most corrupt to his game.The invitations arrive with masks made of human skin. Participants must dress for a masquerade ball and go to a specific nightclub where a riddle is given. Each hour, a guest will die, if the riddle isn’t solved. No one can contact the police.However, Poe makes a grave mistake by inviting two people—Shadow and Lyric.Shadow towers over most, wields power like the devil, and holds the city in his hands. Wanting to be steps ahead of this killer, Shadow joins forces with the one person he believes can discover Poe’s identity—Lyric Blue. Once, she was Shadow’s lover and the brain of his operations. But then Lyric chose her morality and pushed him away. Still, there’s an enduring attraction that weaves them together. United, they attend the ball, ready to beat the game.Secrets are revealed. Bodies pile up. Every death from an unsolved riddle comes with a clue. And a story unravels, exposing victims and betrayal that no one could have ever imagined.
Siren
Jaimie Roberts - 2016
In fact, I’m a real bitch. If the opportunity arises, I will take your husband, give him the best sex he’s ever had, and laugh behind your back once I’m done with him. I do not put on airs and graces. I just take what I want whenever I want it. I am the abused who has become the abuser. I live for power because all power had been stripped from me for years. Now that I have it back, I feed off of it like it’s my primary sustenance, and I don’t care who I hurt in the process.Every woman hates me, but do you know what? I don’t give a shit.You won’t like me. I’m not here to be liked. You want to know my story? I won’t stop you from observing. Just know that once I’m done with you, no shower—no matter how scalding—will ever get me out from under your skin.Warning: If you’re looking for pink, fluffy clouds, rainbows, and HEA’s, then this book is not for you. These pages contain flashback scenes of child abuse in all forms (physical, sexual, and emotional) as well as BDSM and other taboo themes. Love does not live in this book. Only dark, twisted, and sick obsessions thrive here. You. Have. Been. Warned!
Rip
Rachel Van Dyken - 2015
But I broke her, and now we both have to pay the price.I'm her nightmare. I'm her savior. And now that I have her signature on an ironclad contract, I own her body and soul. She doesn't remember me. She will. It's inevitable. Because as much as I know I need to stay away, for fear of unlocking the memories I helped her father bury--I can't. She was the apple in the Garden, dangled in front of me, her core so tempting and sweet. A voice whispered. Just. One. Bite. I bit. I tasted. I fell. Welcome to the world of the Russian mafia, where death, is your only future.
Forget Me Not
Willow Winters - 2017
I was only a small girl. Scared and frightened, I was taken from my home and held against my will. His father hurt me, but he protected me and kept me safe as best he could. Until I left him. I ran the first chance I got and even though I knew he wasn’t behind me, I didn’t stop. The branches lashed out at me, punishing me for leaving him in the hands of a monster. I’ve never felt such guilt in my life. Although I survived, the boy was never found. I prayed for him to be safe. I dreamed he’d be alright and come back to me. Even as a young girl I knew I loved him, but I betrayed him. Twenty years later, all my wishes came true. But the boy came back a man. With a grip strong enough to keep me close and a look in his eyes that warned me to never dare leave him again. I was his to keep after all. Twenty years after leaving one hell, I entered another. Our tale was only just getting started. It’s dark and twisted. But that doesn’t make it any less of what it is. A love story. Our love story.
Trigger
L.P. Dover - 2017
. . that’s what I am. It’s what I do. It’s what I live for. I’m no longer the Preston Hale everyone knew. I left that life and the people in it a long time ago the second I made my first kill. I wasn’t going to give in, but when I heard the screams there was no going back. It triggered the pain, the need. I knew what I had to do, and I did it well. But I never expected for Emma Turner – the only link to my past – to come back into my life. She triggers a different emotion inside me, something I hadn’t ever felt. It’s not a want to kill . . . but a need to CLAIM.
Ricochet
Keri Lake - 2015
I wish they had. Now I'm cursed by the memories of that night, and the words I whispered to my dying wife.A promise—to avenge the wrong and set it right.I’m no longer Nick Ryder. I’m a masked vigilante. Faceless. Loveless. Fearless. A man with nothing left to lose—one who's seen the dark and violent truth behind the city’s flawless veneer.Michael Culling doesn’t know who I am. Or what I want. All he knows is that I’ve kidnapped his beautiful wife.An eye for an eye—isn’t that how the saying goes? And Aubree Culling is the perfect pawn to destroy him.If she doesn’t destroy me first.
Fixing Fate
Anna Brooks - 2017
My brother’s friend and ex-partner is everything I’ll never be. Sexy, confident, and perfect. He calls me sunshine and tells me I’m beautiful. He asks me to stay. When my past come back with a vengeance, he proves just how much he’d risk to shield me from the demons that were never supposed to resurface.
From the Embers
Aly Martinez - 2021
As a single dad with nowhere else to go, I moved into her guest house. And somehow, through the guilt and grief, we forged an unlikely team.It took years, but I watched the gradual return of her smile—slow and life-altering.The two of us could sit outside for hours, talking about nothing, and it filled the massive hole in my chest with new life.I may have carried her out of that fire, but the truth was, Bree saved me.As we healed, the secrets and lies of the past smoldered in the ashes, threatening to ignite again.Our love was born from the embers, and together we would go up in flames.
Cruel Boy
Clarissa Wild - 2019
Rich boys sin best.Gossip always goes around at Falcon Elite Prep.Everyone knows Nate Wilson, the most popular football quarterback and every girl’s crush.But there’s more behind those drop-dead gorgeous eyes and that killer smile …He’s a notorious heartbreaker …And he’s got his eyes set on me.The twisted games he plays are cruel and dangerous.He teases and tempts me … just to ruin me.Because I know the one thing he doesn’t want anyone to know.A big, dirty secret …And there’s nothing bad boys won’t do to keep a secret buried.
Dirty Letters
Vi Keeland - 2019
Over the years, through hundreds of letters, we became best friends, sharing our deepest, darkest secrets and forming a connection I never thought could break.Until one day it did.Then, out of the blue, a new letter arrived. A scathing one—one with eight years of pent-up anger. I had no choice but to finally come clean as to why I stopped writing.Griffin forgave me, and somehow we were able to rekindle our childhood connection. Only now we were adults, and that connection had grown to a spark. Our letters quickly went from fun to flirty to downright dirty, revealing our wildest fantasies. So it only made sense that we would take our relationship to the next level and see each other in person.Only Griff didn’t want to meet. He asked that I trust him and said it was for the best. But I wanted more—more Griff, in the flesh—so I took a big chance and went looking for him. People have done crazier things for love.But what I found could change everything.
The Words
Ashley Jade - 2022
Eight weeks. Forty shows.Countless opportunities to make him pay.The world thought he was a God...But I knew the truth.
No Tomorrow
Carian Cole - 2018
They steal our breath.They steal our sanity.And we let them.Over and over and over again.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *They say you never forget your first love.Mine was a homeless musician who wandered straight into my soul.He was my first everything. And fourteen years later, I still can't get him out of my head.He broke all my rules.He also broke my heart.I watched him climb to stardom, cheering him on from afar.But I was never a fan; just a girl in love.Like a tornado, he spiraled, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.But love conquers all, right? It has to. Because here I stand, ravaged and ruined, needing it to be true.You can't go back, but I want to. Back to the park. Back to when he sang only for me. Before he was famous. Before he shattered my heart.I thought I knew everything about him.But I could not have been more wrong.He promised me every tomorrow. And here I am, waiting.And hoping.Again. _______________________ Note: This is not a fluffy, light read or a swoony romance. It's a journey of love between two people who can't let each other go, even though they are far from perfect. It's about loving someone who is struggling with mental illness and addiction and all the ups and downs that come with it. It's about finding a happily ever after that works between two people loving each other the best they can with patience, understanding, and unconditional love. Not everyone will agree with this kind of love and acceptance - but it exists, and it's real, and it happens every day.
Fast Lane
Kristen Ashley - 2019
Forming in a garage in a small town in Indiana. Taking their licks on the road. Going balls to the wall until they made their big break.And then Preacher McCade and the Roadmasters redefined rock and roll.Guided by their tortured lead singer and songwriter, the Roadmasters changed the face of music in the 80s and 90s. And on their journey to becoming one of the most enduring bands in history—dogged by rumors and myth and fueled by drugs and booze—the Roadmasters had one touchstone.Lyla.Preacher’s muse, the love of his life, and the band’s moral compass, from the beginning, Lyla is along for the ride. But with fame and acclaim in their grasp, they’ve entered the fast lane.And they didn’t know it, but they were headed for a crash.
The Sordid Promise
Courtney Lane - 2014
She thought she'd left her "baggage" behind her on the opposite coast, only to find that it never left her side. As her self-destructive thoughts begin to consume her, her mother -- realizing Nikki's torment -- pushes Nikki to complete her last wishes.Eric Brenton, Nikki's new neighbor, lives in a dark, chaotic world that is easily hidden behind his model good looks and cocky demeanor. Unapologetic about his dirtier intentions, he sets his sights on Nikki with an offer to help her. But his help comes with very unorthodox conditions and a huge price.And Eric...comes with an extensive black box warning label.