Book picks similar to
Brutal by K.S. Adkins


dark
alpha-male
virgin-hero
dnf

Low


Mary Elizabeth - 2016
    Lowen Seely has a criminal record to prove it. Determined not to follow in his father's footsteps, he fights instinct and tries honesty. But hunger becomes painful, and bills are due. Forced to choose between what is right and wrong, the boy from the hood learns abiding by the rules is nearly impossible when corruption is in your blood. Falling for an outlaw has changed everything. Poesy Ashby is the definition of ride or die, even when it means turning her back on freedom. The girl from the suburbs gives conformity the middle finger. Bonnie and Clyde have nothing on her love story. On the run with consequences in the rearview mirror, Lowen and Poesy accept the truth: they are the bad guys. But can they get away with their crimes?

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.

Gator


Bijou Hunter - 2014
    I am a killer, yet gave her life. She is mine and I dare anyone to stand in my way.MiaI am nobody until Gator sees me through the scope of his rifle. My life is suffering and violence, but he offers redemption. I am his and I dare anyone to keep us apart.Gator is a standalone romance noir scheduled for release on Feb. 25, 2014.

Blame It on the Pain


Ashley Jade - 2016
    It hurts us. It pushes us. It punishes us. Or, for the few poor souls out there like me...it defines us. I'm not a good person. There are no redeeming qualities about me...not anymore. Any that I had, I'd given to the devil on the night that changed everything. The night my baby sister died. The night I murdered her killer. Yes, I've taken a life...and I would do it again in a heartbeat. And I would never, ever, have an ounce of regret for being who I am. Until her. My name is Jackson Reid. There are two things you need to know about me. The first—is that I'm in love with Alyssa Tanner. The second—is that I'm a murderer. My name is Alyssa Tanner, but you probably know me as the whore who caused her step-father to lose the election for New York City Mayor. And you would be right- because the day the world branded me a slut I decided to become one. You think you know all there is to know about me because you've seen what I look like naked. Believe me, you haven't even cracked the surface. What you don't know—is my past, because I've been forced to keep it a secret to ensure my safety. What you don't know is my pain. Because if you did—you'd be dead. I bet you think you know how this story will unfold...but trust me, you really have no idea. Warning: Due to strong language, some violence, explicit sexual content, and some dark elements, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. This is a full-length, novel. (100,000+ words.)

Owned by the Hitman


Alexis Abbott - 2016
    I will not hurt you, unless you want me to.”I'm in deep to the Mafia. My father was the one who made the deal, and when I inherited his club, I also inherited his troubles.Ivan wants to save me, or so he says. More like he wants me to be his slave for a year. After the one-night stand I had with him, though, would that be so bad? With his impossibly hard body, and the way he always makes me scream...But he's still a monster. He's a criminal, and something so much worse.And yet I can't stop the tingling in my body every time I think of how he touched me, and those dark but delicious words rolling off his tongue, tinged with his Russian accent.He knows what I'll say, even before I do. "I'll take your offer."

Trouble in Hell


Alex Grayson - 2018
    Welcome to Malus. Trouble and his brothers escaped from Malus, Texas as kids. In the dead of night, they left behind a hell so hideous, it made national news. Years later, they returned to make the place that was once their living nightmare, a safe place for those who have suffered just as they have. When Remi comes to town, heavily pregnant and in desperate need of help, as the town's only doctor, Trouble reluctantly offers his services. Little did he know the strong attraction he would feel for the woman. He fights it, tries to push it to the side, but it only grows stronger, nearly consuming him. Love is not something Trouble can afford to feel. Not when he still has vengeance in his blood and the need to punish those of his past. Not when he knows Remi would never be able to see past the merciless actions he must carry out. Remi has no time for love either, no matter how much her heart yearns for Trouble. Not when danger is knocking on her door, demanding something she'll never be able to give. Will the darkness in their pasts devour them, or will they find the beauty that's just out of reach? In a town like Malus, anything is possible.... DISCLAIMER: Intended for readers 18 years and older due to mature content, abusive situations, and harsh language. May contain triggers for some readers. Please read with caution.

Throne of Power


Rina Kent - 2021
    In the mafia world, women don’t reign.I’m the exception of that rule.I didn’t choose this life, it chose me.I have a legacy to protect, a power to snatch, and no one will stop me.If an arranged marriage is what it’ll take to lead, then so be it.What I don’t count on is that my chosen husband is a ghost from my past.Kyle Hunter.He was once my guard, my protector. Now, he’s after my kingdom.The road to the throne is paved with thorns, blood, and casualties.To win, I’ll risk it all. My heart included.This book is part of a duet and is not standalone.

Fable of Happiness


Pepper Winters - 2021
    A man who’s lived alone for a decade.A woman who trespasses on his solitude. A love full of hate as well as hunger. The thing about my life is... I was never in control of it.I just I thought I was.I thought I had everything figured out—a good career, fun hobbies, a bright future, but everything changed when I found an ivy-cloaked house, tucked in a forgotten valley, hiding the man who would corrupt my world forever.I thought I was successful, until he showed me fortune and happiness could be snatched away in an instant.I believed I was blessed, but really, I was cursed.Cursed to become a plaything for a monster.Cursed to become a prisoner just because I trespassed.Now, I know nothing.I am nothing.I’m just his.It’s the start of something huge. From New York Times Bestseller, Pepper Winters, comes a new Dark Romance full of decadent angst, monstrous heroes, and pages chock-full of lust.

The Truth About Lies


Aly Martinez - 2018
    And I was helpless to save her. Consumed by hate and rage, I spent four years running from my memories. Until a shattered woman gave me a reason to stop. Cora lived in a nightmare, but through sheer force of will, she’d turned it into something beautiful. She had a smile that could pierce the darkest soul. And with one glance, she shredded mine. Lie: I was only there for a fresh start. Lie: I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Lie: There was nothing I could do to save her, either. But that’s the thing about lies—you never know who to believe.

Cloak and Dagger


Nenia Campbell - 2012
    When a hacker breaks into their computer's mainframe, they send Michael out to finish off the loose ends. But so far, there's just one lead to go on. The hacker's daughter, Christina Parker.Christina seems like any other high school senior. And she is — until she gets kidnapped by a group of people who think she's the key to the malicious code that has infected their mainframe system and she is plunged into a world where the lines between right and wrong are blurred beyond all recognition and terror knows no bounds. What do you do when the odds are against you, and the stake is your life?As she quickly learns, there are good guys and there are bad guys. Sometimes Michael's one, sometimes he's the other--but usually he's both. And right now he's the only one who can save her.Cover design by Louisa.

Raw


Belle Aurora - 2014
    This is a story of love gone wrong.***Growing up the way I did, you’d think I’d be more screwed up than what I actually am.Soon as I turned sixteen, I left that bump in the road I called home and took my chances on the street.Best decision I ever made.Now, at the age of twenty six, I’m educated, employed and damn good at my job.My friends have become my family. Like me, they know what it’s like to grow up unloved.But the saying is true.The world makes way for those who know where they are going.That’s me.I know where I’m going and I’ll get there eventually. On my own terms and at my own pace.But then there’s him.I feel his eyes on me. I see him hiding in plain sight. He watches me.He makes me feel.It’s unconventional.But it’s real.I’m sure you’re wondering how a person falls in love with their stalker.So am I.This isn’t a story.This is my life.

Contrite


Kathy Coopmans - 2015
    Yet she can't pin point what. Together since College, they know everything about each other. So why has she spent the last few days watching everything he does, hoping for a clue? What could have happened within that week he was gone?One way or another she's going to find out.When Clove invests in the help of her brother Zack, a police detective, she’s afraid her suspicions of infidelity will be confirmed. Terrified that such news will crush her heart, she sets about preparing for the worst. Only to find it's much more than she could have imagined—there is no other woman. Clove’s life is about to descend into a web of deceit, lies and betrayal. Appearances can be deceiving… and only the Master Manipulator will be left standing. “The eyes only see what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” – Henri Bergson

Getting Dirty


Cheryl McIntyre - 2014
    This is my number. It’s the exact sum of reasons I continue to go on. One: To strengthen my body. Make it strong. Make it a machine. Make it so that what happened before can never, ever, happen again. Two: To help others find their own strength so that what happened to me, what happened to my Olivia, doesn’t happen to them.And three: My favorite—to find the bastards that took my life away and make them pay for what they did. This is what my life is now. A dead man, inside a scarred body, living only for revenge.*This is part one in a five part novella serial. **Due to sexual situations and violence, this series is recommended for 18+.

Hard


Eve Jagger - 2015
    Arrogant. Hard. Ryder Cole is the King of Atlanta’s nightlife — and the one man who can erase my past.I’m running from secrets that could destroy me and there’s no room in my life for someone like him: too damn cocky, and sexy as hell. I should keep my distance, but smart goes out the window the minute he looks my way. And when he puts his hands on me … A girl could forget her own name.But what happens when the past catches up with me, and all the things I’m hiding from tear our lives apart again? I can’t keep running forever, and Ryder always wins.He's not the kind of guy to let me go gently, Ryder will give it to me Hard.

Corrupted


Alexis Noelle - 2016
    Prey left defenseless. She needs to hide. They cannot find her. They will kill her if they do. When Lucy decided to run, she didn’t know where to go. They were coming for her. She needed protection, but she had no one to help her. Until she came across the warehouse of the Deathstalkers MC and begged them for protection. Now she owes them her life and her loyalty. Her family will never end their search for her; she is a piece of property that needs to be recovered at any cost necessary. For Lucy, there are worse things than needing to hide for the rest of her life, being found is one of those things. Sometimes the obvious evils aren’t the ones you need to fear. *Disclaimer - The book is not recommended to readers sensitive to graphic depictions of violence. This book is not suitable for persons under 18 years of age.* Alexis Noelle's Corrupted stole my heart, twisted it inside out, cut it wide open and then ripped it to shreds before putting it back together. There were so many emotions that they're impossible to describe. Kudos to her for a wonderful book.- JA Hensley, Author Alexis Noelle has written a brutal and beautifully raw no holds bar MC book. - Glenna Maynard, Author "Corrupted is not your average MC book. It's beauty and pain, heartbreak and triumph womven onto the pages expertly. It's a masterful combination of raw emotion, love and the hard-fought happily ever after. "Dark and sexy, emotional and suspenseful, Noelle corrupted me in the best way..." - Casey Bond, Author An emotional roller coaster of a story. Alexis Noelle weaves an enthralling tale of family, lust and danger, drawing you into a love story with twists and betrayal. This is a "can't put down read", and will leave you with the best kind of book hangovers. A must read. - Melissa Huie, Author "Corrupted is Alexis’s best work yet to come. She dug deep into the nitty gritty, making my heart bleed for the main character and all she’d been through. Corrupted is a must read if you want raw and real love." - Brooke Page, Author