Book picks similar to
Dark Ties by Leia Thorne
high-school
new-adult
bully
dark
Black Diamond
Ali Dean - 2016
Not even the boys. Still, Roxie was shocked when she received a scholarship to Stark Springs Academy, a boarding school that churns out Olympians in each graduating class. Entering as a high school junior, Roxie can’t wait to learn from renowned coaches and train with the fastest ski racers from all over the globe. But, upon arrival, Roxie discovers that Stark Springs lives under its own set of rules, and it appears one boy plays dictator. Ryker Black is not friendly and Roxie cannot fathom why everyone wants to be his friend. Sure, he’s gorgeous and rides a snowboard like it’s his fifth limb, but he’s cold, ruthless, and holds way too much power over the Stark Springs population. Roxie won’t put up with it. She’s here to train, and she doesn’t care about impressing anyone off the slopes. The only problem? Ryker Black doesn’t permit defiance. Not without consequences.
Untouchable
Ivy SmoakIvy Smoak - 2020
Everyone knows Matthew Caldwell.Charming.Gorgeous.Wealthy.And way out of my league.So when he invites me into the lifestyle of the rich and famous?I agree in a heartbeat.But behind all the glitz and glam?Secrets.Lies.Betrayal.All hidden behind a perfect smile and a tailored jacket.I should have known better than to pretend to belong in his world...
Hated You Then
M. Robinson - 2019
Robinson. A coming of age, enemies to lovers, contemporary romance filled with angst and all the feels. I couldn’t remember a time before her... Harley Jameson. Before she owned me.Hated Me.Needed me.Before I hated her…Things were simple. We had an understanding. Bully. Fight. Hate. It’s what we did.Mind. Body. Soul. It’s how we loved.I thought nothing would ever change that, until everything did. She was mine. Always had been. Always would be. Nothing altered that.Not how much I hated her.Not how much she hated me. Especially, not how much I hated… That I LOVED her.
When the Saint Falls
A.D. McCammon - 2020
Arrogant. Cruel. Ruthless. And the most attractive guy I’ve ever laid eyes on. He’s the rebel of Westbrook high, and I’m merely the annoying goody two-shoes he dubbed the saint. There must be something wrong with me. After nearly two years of dirty looks and constant humiliation, I’m still crushing on the guy who hated me on sight. Then he kissed me and instead of the ice-cold gaze I was accustomed to, I saw passion burning behind his dark molten eyes. Violet St. James doesn’t belong in my world. Good. Kind. Pure. She’s everything I’m not.She doesn’t just look like an angel, she is one. And I’ve fought every impulse to make her mine.But all my efforts went up in flames the second I tasted her sweet lips. My inability to stay away has changed everything. She’s determined to break down all my walls, but my little saint doesn’t understand the consequences of her actions. She tells me she’s not afraid of the fall.But she should be.
Gas or Ass
Eden Connor - 2015
Dale brought his two grown sons to help pack and move us into their house. Both were hard-bodied and handsome, but Caine didn’t speak to me. Colt, on the other hand, said crude stuff like, “Wanna ride with me? Then I’m gonna need gas or ass,” but I couldn’t take my eyes off his rippling muscles and challenging blue eyes.Some are about speed, sex, and defiance.When Colt offered me a ride to school, I thought the ‘gas or ass’ thing was a joke, but he wasn’t kidding. Though he barely touched me, he shattered the innocence I couldn’t wait to shed. Even then, I sensed I’d never be the same. He and Caine soon upped the stakes, putting me behind the wheel of cars that could reach insane speeds. They kept challenging me to find my inner wild child, pairing illegal drag races with high-octane sex games, games like 'winner gets head'.And some are about trying to break you.It wasn’t long before I was hooked, but I always planned to walk away. Then everything spun out of control and walking wasn’t an option. I had to run._____**Disclaimer: This is a tale of a young girl’s crush that turns to hatred and back to love. Gas and Ass is the crush-to-hate part of the story. There’s no HEA inside these pages, so if that’s a must, this isn’t the story for you. If you can delay gratification, however, the hatred-to-love part is the basis of the sequel, Turn and Burn.
Bitter
Eden Beck - 2020
Vicious. Ruthless. Untouchable. They are the gods of these hallways, the rest of us mere mortals.The second problem is me.Mostly, because I’m a girl.It was never my intention to lie my way into an all-boys boarding school, but here I am—and now that I’m here, I intend to stay.No matter the cost.Jasper.Heath.Beck.These boys, this Brotherhood, are as impossibly handsome as they are vile. From the day I arrive at Bleakwood they’re determined to break me. To them it’s a game, a right of passage.But to me, it’s my life.I thought my biggest challenge at this school was going to be hiding the fact that I’m a girl, but I was wrong. My biggest challenge is finding a way to leave Bleakwood in something other than a body bag.These boys might call themselves a Brotherhood, but I know what they really are.And what they are is wicked.Bitter is a full-length bully romance novel with multiple love interests. It’s the first book in the Wicked Brotherhood trilogy, a contemporary enemies-to-lovers series where the main character has no intent to choose between the men who inevitably end up falling for her...after they’ve paid their penitence, of course.
Savage Rose
Leila James - 2021
All the guys wish they could be him.He’s a savage.He plays with my heart, but I can’t tear myself away.I’ve made a mistake in coming here.He holds the key to everything.And I’m afraid of the truth he hides.Welcome to Rosehaven Academy.This is a mature new adult high school series and contains situations that some readers might find offensive.This Book 1 of a duet and ends on a CLIFFHANGER. Book 2, Tainted Rose releases Feb 2021.
King of Nothing
Jacie Lennon - 2020
It contains themes that may be uncomfortable for some readers.
Illusion
J.S. Cooper - 2014
Cooper introduces the Swept Away series—three new, dark and sexy romances about a woman marooned on a desert island with a mysterious stranger—but is he friend or foe?The day started like every other day... Bianca London finds herself kidnapped and locked up in a van with a strange man. Ten hours later, they’re dumped on a deserted island. Bianca has no idea what’s going on and her attraction to this stranger is the only thing keeping her fear at bay. Jakob Bradley wants only to figure out why they’ve been left on the island and how they can get off. But as the days go by, he can’t ignore his growing fascination with Bianca. In order to survive, Bianca and Jakob must figure out how they’re connected, but as they grow closer, secrets are revealed that may destroy everything they thought they knew about each other.
Black Hearts
Karina Halle - 2017
The son of an infamous drug lord, Vicente was born to help run the family business, which means he’s been raised on a throne of sordid pasts and dirty laundry, violence and pride. But when Vicente stumbles across someone he’s not supposed to know about – a woman from his father’s checkered past – he sets out to California to find her behind his father’s back.What Vicente doesn’t expect to find in San Francisco is Violet McQueen, the woman’s twenty-year old daughter. Beautiful and edgy with a vulnerability he can’t resist, Violet tempts Vicente from afar and though he promised himself he’d stay away from her, curiosity and lust are powerful forces. Besides, Vicente has always gotten everything he wants – why shouldn’t he have Violet too?Soon his wants turn into an obsession, one that sweeps Violet into his games as they fall madly, deeply in love with each other, the type of first love that can drive a person mad.But it’s a love with tragic consequences.Both the truth – and the lies – not only threaten to tear them apart, but threaten their very lives.Someone has to pay for the sins of the fathers.And they’ll be paying the price with their souls.
Translucent
Erin Noelle - 2014
The day I watched my husband murder the woman who was pregnant with his child, my point didn’t just break, it exploded like a full magazine’s worth of hollow points firing through the barrel of a fully-automatic AK-47. Literally. I am no longer his American Princess, nor am I his slave. Now, I’m a murderer in hiding. My name was Bryleigh Carter Oliveira, and that was my story. Translucent is one woman's story of breaking free, starting over, and learning to trust again through willful submission.
Accidental Witness
Sam Mariano - 2017
We’d never spoken, but of course I heard the stories about his family. I know they’re dangerous. I know he’s dangerous. Vince never had a reason to notice me, anyway—until I inadvertently witnessed his first mob hit. His family doesn’t believe in leaving witnesses alive, but Vince seems different. He knows the best thing he can do for me is stay away, but something keeps drawing us together. Despite knowing the risks of getting mixed up with him, I can’t resist. Only problem is, Vince is a package deal—you don’t get him without getting swept up in his family’s dark games. Now entangled with a notorious Chicago crime family, will my life ever be mine again?**Obligatory trigger warning: While not wholly dark, this is a mafia romance with elements of DARK ROMANCE. There are no knights in shining armor to be found here.Sensitive content not recommended for those under 18, or those who loathe the dark romance genre. **This is a continuing story series. The story continues and evolves in each book until you get to the end.
Start a Fire
Julia Wolf - 2021
I’ve done the popularity thing at Savage River High, but after two years away, I have no interest in reclaiming my crown.The last time I put myself in the spotlight, I was left in shambles.Unfortunately, my carefully laid plans go to hell when I grab the attention of dark, forbidding, and brutally hot Sebastian Vega. He looks at me like he wants to kill my puppy or eat me alive. Quite possibly both.Sebastian is everywhere I go, and he’s decided I’m the twisted game he wants to play, whether I’m a willing participant or not.The question is...what will I have to lose in order to win?Authors Note: This is a DARK high school bully romance with mature themes and dubious situations that some readers may find offensive. If you’re looking for a nice guy, prince of a hero, this story isn’t for you.
For Fallon
Soraya Naomi - 2014
Fallon’s mask is real, what you see is what you get. Growing up with two loving parents in Chicago, graduating in Chicago, and now working a job she loves, she enjoys her life. Her untarnished world is shaken when Luca crosses her path. Luca’s mask is tightly controlled. Distrust, rivalry, and violence rule his life.When confronted with insecurities, when the one you love wears his mask perfectly, when your life unravels and you don’t know why, do you keep trusting the person you love? Everyone has a façade. Everyone has an ulterior motive.A contemporary romance/ romantic thriller in dual point of view. Contains sexual content and violence.