Book picks similar to
Rapture & Ruin (Rapture & Ruin #1) by Julia Sykes
mafia
romance
dark-romance
mafia-romance
Surrender
Melody Anne - 2013
Arianna (Ari) Lynn Harlow has led a charmed life until tragedy strikes her family. He’s looking for a no-emotions attached mistress, she’s looking for redemption.They are not a pair that should ever work, but undeniable attraction and devastating tragedies bring them together in the city by the bay where he fights to keep their relationship nothing more than an enjoyable way to meet his needs, and she battles to not lose herself in him. Spending time with Ari starts cracking the hard shell that Rafe has built around his heart, but he denies the affect she has on him until it’s too late to stop the inevitable conclusion that their relationship is headed for.Rafe once believed in happily ever after, coming from a large Italian family. He’s got the Midas touch, since every endeavor he tries turns to gold. That all ends when his wife walks out the door and leaves him blindsided. His devastation quickly turns to steel when he decides no woman will fool him again. From that point on he treats relationships as nothing more than business transactions where both party’s come out mutually benefited.Just when Ari has sunk to the lowest she’s ever been she finds an ad in the paper announcing a job that’s too good to be true. It turns out she’s right. She makes it through the intense rounds of interviews only to find out the job is for a mistress to the powerful Rafe Palazzo, owner of Palazzo Enterprises. Rafe gives her a day to think about whether she wants the position or not, and she’s sent on her way, only to find out her mother’s near-terminal position has taken a turn for the worse. Her mom’s only in the hospital because Ari messed up, and her mother’s the one who paid the price. Is Rafe her savior, or will he take her with him straight to the depths of hell?
Take a Breath
Jaimie Roberts - 2013
Feelings which had been bottled up for so long are now bursting to get out. I can no longer hide the overwhelming emotions that flow through me.Unfortunately, neither can a serial killer on the loose dubbed “The Blonde Killer.” I am his obsession.And Jake, the senior detective in charge of the Major Investigations Unit, is responsible for catching the murderer.I’m scared, but I know Jake will do everything in his power to protect me.I feel things can’t get any worse.Until they do.
Dirty Angels
Karina Halle - 2014
Please see the bottom of this description to see if this is the kind of book that you'll love or piss you off**For Luisa Chavez, a twenty-three year old former beauty queen, a better life has always been just out of her reach. Sure, she’s had men at her feet since she was a young teenager but she’s never had the one thing she’s craved – security. Having grown up in near poverty, her waitressing job in Cabo San Lucas can barely let her take care of herself, let alone her ailing parents. Every day is another unwanted advance, every day is a struggle to survive.When Salvador Reyes, the depraved leader of a major Mexican cartel, takes an interest in her, Luisa is presented with an opportunity she can’t afford to pass up. She’ll become Salvador’s wife and exchange her freedom and body for a life of riches – riches she can bestow upon her deserving parents. But Luisa quickly finds out that even the finest wines and jewels can’t undo the ugliness in her marriage, nor the never-ending violence that threatens her every move.Soon, Luisa is looking for an escape, a way out of the carefully controlled life she’s leading. She finally gets her wish in the worst way possible.As it is, being the wife of Salvador makes her an ideal target for rival cartels and there’s one particular man who needs Luisa as part of his cartel’s expansion. One particular man whose quest for power has destroyed lives, slit throats and gotten him out of an American prison. One particular man who will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.That man is Javier Bernal. And he wants Luisa. He wants to take her, keep her, ruin her.Unless she ruins him first.***WARNING*** This book deals with drug cartels and as such it contains a lot of sex and violence and some violent sex. It can get pretty ugly, pretty dark and pretty crazy. There is drug use, abuse, a bit of torture and dubious consent. The hero is not a hero and the villains...well, they're even worse. If this sort of thing bothers you, PLEASE DO NOT READ IT. This ain't no cupcake farting unicorn kind of book. If you are even a bit squeamish about violence, brutality and rape, this is your warning to stay away from a book that you certainly will not like (and why read books that you know you won't like?)******While this is a spin-off of The Artists Trilogy, prior knowledge of the books is not needed. DIRTY ANGELS is the first in a trilogy, however each book can standalone and follows or introduces different characters***
Seek
Clarissa Wild - 2014
Not all secrets will be spilled yet in this prequel. Don't let this stop you from reading, though, because this series will be one heck of a ride. So open your mind and let me take you on a journey of delirious passion, unbendable trust, frightening illusions, dangerous secrets, shocking revelations, and disturbingly dark mind games. *
When illusions come to life, how do you tell what’s real?My life ended when I came back from vacation. Death was at my doorstep. Everything ceased to exist. To protect myself, I pushed the memories away.All I remember is him: Sebastian Brand, my savior.I trust only him.I am obsessed with him.But all I know about him is his name.Stuck in this mental institution, I try not to think about the terrible memories that lurk deep inside me. Sebastian is the only one who can help me forget. I don’t care that they say he doesn't exist, I need Sebastian and I will find him, no matter the cost.This is a prequel to the Delirious Series, which consists of 3 Volumes and this prequel. These books should be read in order.WARNING: This series contains very disturbing situations, strong language, drugs and alcohol, and graphic violence.
Operation: Marry Me
Emma Nichols - 2018
A Marine sent to protect her.EnriqueFrom the moment I saw Maddie Weeks, I was smitten.We could've had a great love affair, except for three little things:1. It was my job to protect her.2. She was already married.3. I could never marry.Then her jerk of a husband blew up.Literally.And our low key surveillance was kicked up a notch.We needed an inside man.Naturally, I took one for the team and assigned myself that role.My cover?Obviously, we'll have to be married.Fake married.Too bad I really love her.
The Golden Boys
Rachel Jonas - 2020
He isn’t the boy next door, or the kind you trust with your heart. He’s the devil in designer jeans, with all the charm of a bona fide psycho.Trust me.He swears I did something to cross him before I even stepped foot inside Cypress Prep, but it’s a lie. No one knows better than me that I’m all out of chances. One more misstep and I can kiss my future goodbye, which means I can’t possibly be guilty of whatever he thinks I’ve done. West marks me with a target anyway, and as this town’s football star, no one dares to go against him. His money, status, and the loyalty of his equally entitled brothers makes him seem untouchable. Only, I know better than that.This false god isn’t infallible like he wants the world to believe. Whenever I stare into those devilish green eyes, I see it plain as day. The chink in his armor. His one and only weakness.Me.The King of Cypress Prep has finally met his match and taking him down just became an inside job.*Final cover coming soon!*
Dangerous
Nora Ash - 2016
Heartbreaker. Husband…? Blaine I hurt, break and kill for a living. The Family point, I deliver. But this time, they ask too much. This time, they want me to marry the one woman who knows my secret. She has reason to hate me, I know, but I'll take her, I'll break her, and I'll make her mine. That's the only way I can keep my secret. Mira When I ran away eight years ago, I thought I’d escaped the underworld I'd always known. I made a life for myself. I thought I was free. Then my past came knocking at my door. Now I’m marrying the son of London’s biggest crime family. A man who hates me as much as I hate him. He’s ruthless, brutal, and dangerous—everything I’ve always feared. He's taken away the life I built, he's taken my freedom. And now, I fear he's taken my sanity, too. How else could I have ended up pregnant with his baby?
**Dangerous is a full-length romance novel with a guaranteed HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger!**
Clutch
S.M. West - 2017
Flighty. Stupid. That’s what my sisters think of me. I’m tired of being misunderstood. With a suitcase in hand and the ocean as my beacon, I’m charting my own path. Yet, barely a day on the road, I almost crash and burn. Running into Silas Palmer, a sexy-as-sin rock star, changes my life. Silas makes me feel … Exceptional. Aimless. He’s always known his course. And even now, when he’s abandoning fame and fortune, he knows what he wants. Me. But life is never that simple.
Stolen Lust
Charmaine Pauls - 2021
Like the thief he is, he came in the dark and stole a night of my life.He left me with souvenirs. Disaster and fear are my new realities. I'll forever look over my shoulder, terrified he'd return, because when he took me, he stole more than just a few hours of my time.His crime has consequences neither of us could've imagined. If I'm to escape the nightmare of my life, I have to outsmart him. If I'm to survive, I have to outwit every enemy he's turned against me, including Ian himself, the most dangerous and cleverest man I know.*Stolen Lust is Book 1 of the Beauty in the Stolen trilogy. Book 2 will be released on 18 May 2021 and Book 3 on 22 June 2021.Other books in the Diamond Magnate collection: Beauty in the Broken (Standalone)Diamonds are Forever trilogyDiamonds in the Dust (Book 1)Diamonds in the Rough (Book 2)Diamonds are Forever (Book 3)
Dirty Indiscretions
Roxy Sinclaire - 2017
I left all that behind, but the only skills I had were the ones I learned on the wrong side of the law. Greco liked that about me. Maybe I reminded him of himself when he was making his way up in the mafia. I was loyal to my Boss. I was there to protect him at all costs and against all threats. Then I met HER. Elda wasn’t like the other girls I’d been with. The way she moved, the way she carried herself was something else. I knew I had to have her. But I should have known that everyone has a past…what I didn’t expect was how close Elda’s secrets were to the both of us. Elda Greco’s my father. Not the one who raised me, but by blood. I was an unwanted pregnancy, the product of an affair that Greco would do anything to keep a secret. I wouldn’t have survived if mom hadn’t gone into hiding. She put me first and died giving birth because she knew Greco would have her killed in the hospital. Ever since then I knew I was going to avenge her death. I trained for years to be at the level I am at now. Greco has the best in the business to protect him. I just needed the right moment make him pay. But then I met Luke. A man with secrets as deep and allconsuming as mine. Fate is a fickle bitch. But I will get my revenge on Greco and I will give myself to Luke. Secrets can go f*ck themselves.
This is book 1 of the Omerta Series. This is a dark mafia romance novel. There is NO cheating, NO cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happy ending!
Run With Me
Lacey Silks - 2017
Coincidences are more reliable than a rising sun. And my heart can bear a thousand more nails than my coffin. Ben’s family murdered my parents and so I took my revenge. I changed the course of our futures with one flick of a matchstick. I run to survive. I run to protect those I love. I run so that my daughter doesn’t have to. With danger lurking over my shoulder, trusting strangers is dangerous until you don’t have a choice. Barely alive, I placed my life in the hands of the handsome and mysterious bounty hunter Xavier Black. He gave me everything and asked for nothing. He helped me live again; but now, he’s the one who needs to run with me. We can each choose to stop the hunt, but if one of us chooses wrong, that extra nail won’t be driven into our hearts but straight into our coffins. Warning: Contains subject matter that may be considered sensitive to some readers (triggers). Intended for mature audience only. While Run With Me is a full complete novel with HEA ending for the couple, it does contain a cliffhanger.
Dirt
Cassia Leo - 2017
Then, in one brutal instant, the universe tilted on its side, discarding us into black nothingness.Now, I have a cocky a**hole for a husband. The only way we communicate anymore is when we’re fighting or f**king.With nothing left to lose, I write Jack a goodbye letter and head for Portland, where I quickly meet a neighbor who helps me find a job. My new neighbor—hot, tattooed ex-soldier Isaac Evans—is complicated. Nevertheless, we form a fast friendship, bonding over our mutual desire to create something beautiful from the wreckage of our lives. But despite the distance between us, Jack and I are still trying to make things work—fighting and f**king dirtier than ever. And he doesn’t appreciate my new friendship with Isaac. Not one f**king bit.
You Don't Know Me
Mandy Lee - 2015
When she takes on an office job at a construction company, she finds herself firmly in the sights of the owner, Daniel Foster - a dangerously attractive man with a dark past and particular tastes in bed.Although she tries to resist him, Maya soon finds herself embroiled in a steamy relationship with Dan. And while he slowly encourages her to paint again, she begins to peel back his layers. At last, when she believes that she's finally come to understand his ways, he has one final secret to reveal … and it's a secret that threatens to blow them apart.You Don’t Know Me, an erotic romance, is the first book in a trilogy.
Bad Boy Rich
Kat T. Masen - 2018
The baddest boy in town. Not my town, but the land of Hollywood. A place where dreams come true, or—become your nightmare. I was stuck somewhere in the middle. After losing her job and forced to provide for her sick mother, Milana is offered the role of a lifetime—PA to the famous Emerson Chase—and dives head first into the world of the Rich… Wesley Rich. A self-proclaimed bad boy. The ultimate heartbreaker, and—he’s Emerson’s ex-fiancé. A lethal mix that Milana should stay away from. Driven by sex, jealously and mind games, they form an obsessive love. But everyone knows bad boys don’t play nice. They play rough. They get dirty. And they’ll break you in the worst possible way.
Playing Irish
Brooke Harris - 2014
Fleeing her life in New Jersey to hide in Dublin the last thing she needs are her secrets following her across the Atlantic. And what’s the best way to keep a secret? Keep your mouth shut.Life is one big game for online-gaming genius Julian Harte, and he plays to win every time. Becoming a self-made millionaire before his 30th birthday, Julian’s office is his playground, and he sets the rules. Julian hasn’t lost a round yet and he’s used to getting everything he wants. He wants Evangeline. But she doesn’t want to play.Meet the Irish Alpha with a rule-book as thick as his accent.