Book picks similar to
Lace and Bullets by Marie Carnay


romantic-suspense
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alpha-male
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Mr. X


Clarissa Wild - 2014
    X is ready for you, but are you ready for him?USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Clarissa Wild brings you Mr. X, a dark Romance thriller, which is a stand alone without cliffhanger.*Author Note: This is not your average romance story. Some people will kill for love.*He’s come to kill me.I’m a user and abuser of my own body. In my darkest hour I sold my soul to the devil and now I must pay the price. With his gun to my head I have no choice but to listen and obey, but I refuse to go down easily. Nothing is stronger than the will to survive. My instincts kicked into full gear the second he stepped into my motel room.Except when I look at him I see my own heart staring back at me. A history tainted by blood.I don’t know his name, but I know he wants me. To save myself I’ll sacrifice my sanity. My body. My soul. Something tells me the x-shaped scar that marks his eye is the only escape I have. He is Mr. X: the man who comes to claim my life. Can I save myself before he demands my heart?WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, strong language, drugs and alcohol, and graphic violence.No Cliffhanger. Complete at 90800 words. Stand Alone.

Predator


Michelle Horst - 2017
    I'm tortured and beaten within an inch of my life when he walks right into my hell.No one knows who he works for, only that he leaves no one alive. But for some unknown reason, he doesn't end my miserable life.Instead, he takes me, and I don't know which is worse... the death sentence hanging over my head or being at his mercy.Previously published as 'PREDATOR.'(Rewritten with a new cover and title 2021)WARNING:This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. There is dark and triggering content between these pages. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.This is Cara's story. Her trauma and her journey of healing are the main focus of this book.

Red.


London Miller - 2016
     Seven years ago, Niklaus "Red" Volkov was offered an opportunity, one that would give him the ability to even the score with the Albanian mobsters that had tortured him for days and took the life of the only girl he'd loved. But that gift came with strings... Molded into the perfect soldier, Niklaus joined an elite group of mercenaries, loyal to a mysterious man known only as The Kingmaker. He willingly paid the price for means to fulfill the vendetta that plagued him each day. Vengeance was all he knew... And death was all he lived for... Until it wasn't... Until her...

Safe Word


Teresa Mummert - 2013
    His job is to find an easy target and take her back to his place for a few days. He is working his way up the crime ladder doing a job he never wanted.Lily Hilton has it all, but is hiding from a troublesome past. When she enters a bar downtown, and runs into her old high school crush, her entire world is turned upside down. She is determined to make him notice her, but that plan may work better than she expects. Colton does not hesitate to take Lily home and use her as his new pawn, but their past begins to catch up with them as their secrets unravel and he must decide what is more important to him, protecting Lily or himself.Excerpt:"Cole...""Answer the f**king question!" I took a deep breath, struggling not to lose control completely."I knew you didn't do it.""You don't f**king know me, Rose. Does this look innocent to you? Huh?" I pointed to the spare bedroom with the lock dangling from its metal closure."I'm Lily now," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself. I leaned in closer, knowing she was terrified."You're whoever the f**k I want you to be. For the next two weeks I f**king own you and, if you're lucky, you may still be alive when all of this is over." She had awakened an animal inside of me, and as I spat my hatred at her I could still taste her on my tongue. I hated myself for giving in to her. Tears welled in her eyes and her chin quivered as she struggled to keep from breaking down. I cupped her cheek, running the pad of my finger over her silky skin. "Don't cry, Rose. Things are just about to get fun." I placed a gentle kiss over her lower lip and ran my thumb over it, soothing her. "Can you taste that, Rose?" All traces of anger had left my voice, but something had snapped inside of me. "I can still taste your sweetness, still smell you all over me." I leaned down and ran my nose up the curve of her neck, inhaling. I grabbed her wrist as my mouth reached her ear."Look what you're doing to me, Rose." I placed her hand on my jeans so she could feel how stiff my c**k was from just thinking about her. She tried to pull back but I tightened my grip and held her against me. "Do you still think I'm the good guy?"Warning: This novel is intended for readers 18 yrs. older

Dark Protector


Celia Aaron - 2017
    Charlie shone like a beacon in a world that had long since lost any light. But she was never meant for me, a man that killed without remorse and collected bounties drenched in blood.I thought staying away would keep her safe, would shield her from me. I was wrong. Danger followed in my wake like death at a slaughter house. I protected her from the threats that circled like black buzzards, kept her safe with kill after kill.But everything comes with a price, especially second chances for a man like me. Killing for her was easy. It was living for her that turned out to be the hard part.Author's Note: This is a full-length romance novel. It's not a super-dark read, no trigger warning. Explicit violence and hot sex included. HEA, no cheating.

Cards of Love: The Tower


Linnea May - 2018
    The day my world came crushing down on me.And it was all because of him.Keane Hastings. Wanted criminal, ruthless assassin - and now my sole protector in a world that is out to get me.But he is part of that world. There’s a bullet left in his gun, and it’s meant for me.Strapped to his strong chest I fall into the abyss, unsure what I will find at the bottom.Death? Mercy?Or… love?No. How could I possibly fall for the man whose job it is to kill me? A man who took everything away from me and is now holding me as his captive, just waiting for the right moment to turn the passion between us into a deadly finale? We both know what he has to do. We both know that there’s hell to pay if we don’t stop this. Yet, here we are. On our road to ruin…

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***

Dark Russian Angel


Odette Stone - 2019
    I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,And I witnessed a crime.The police are failing to protect me.And my chance of survival isn't looking good.Andrusha, is the cold and dangerous leader of the Vancouver Russian mafia,He's also my best chance to make it to trial alive.The only thing we have in common,Is our shared enemy.This man is everything your mom warned you about.He's ruthless.He's cold.And he likes to be in control.I should be afraid of him.I should keep my distance.So why is he the only one who makes me feel safe?Who will protect me from my protector?

Blood to Dust


L.J. Shen - 2016
    Me.His name is Nate and I should hate him, but I don't.I'm not supposed to know his real name, even worse, I'm not supposed to care. He is nothing to me but means to an end. The plan is simple: break free, collect the pieces of my broken soul, kill the bastards and run away.His name is Nathaniel Thomas Vela, and I've never seen his face, though I hear that it's beautiful.Behind the rugged and handsome exterior, there's a quiet murderer, a killer who thinks guns are for pussies and ends people with his bare hands.His name doesn't matter, neither does his face, but what does matter is my heart. And right now, sadly, it's his. Blood to Dust is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.

Dirty Ties


Pam Godwin - 2015
    I race to finance it. I evade to protect it. I kill to attain it. I planned everything. Except her. The alluring, curvaceous blonde at the finish line. With sapphire eyes that cheat and lie. Whose powerful family murdered mine. I hate her. I want her. I know she’s hiding something. But so am I.

Killing Sarai


J.A. Redmerski - 2013
    Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.This is their story…

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.

The Hitman's Last Job


Selena Black - 2016
     Carl's an ex-marine turned contract killer, and Anna is the daughter of an abusive drug addict who takes out his every sick desire on his timid daughter. Carl tries to tell himself that his new line of work is justified, since he's only killing criminals - after all, he's no stranger to putting bullets in men who deserve it - so when he gets an order to kill a rival who got on the wrong side of the mob, he doesn't think twice. That is, until it's time to kill the witness. Knowing that any failure to finish the job could be a death sentence, he tries to tell himself to squeeze the trigger. But against his own judgement, he puts down the gun and picks up Anna, dragging her to the getaway vehicle - and to their new lives as fugitives on the run. This book contains explicit sex scenes involving bad boys who aren't scared to take what they want, when they want it.

A Dangerous and Possessive Love: Dark Mafia Romance Duet Part 1


Marian Tee - 2020
    And right now, the prince wants...me.I really should've known better.His place looks more like a fortress than a home, and everyone living with him is armed to the teeth.That should've been enough to send me running.But because I was foolish, I ended up working for him.A foolish lamb serving the terrifying wolf in a suit.I thought having a boyfriend would make me immune to the Prince of Darkness.I thought I could keep myself safe.But I was wrong.This is Part I of the Dark Mafia Romance duet. If you enjoyed books such as 365 Days or 365 DNI by Blanka Lipinska, then you might want to give this a try.Other themes: college romance, bully romance, billionaire romance

Married to the Bad Boy


Vanessa Waltz - 2015
    A man-whore. Whatever the hell you want to call it, I get around. During the day, I crack heads and extort businesses. At night, I find girls to f*ck. I live to hear them moan for me, but one night is all they get. No one ever made me want more. Until her.Elena.The moment her lips wrapped around me, I was done. All day, I think about running my tongue all over those curves. Too bad those curves are off limits. She's running from a man who will kill me for touching her.Well, she's tired of running and needs my help.She thinks I'm doing it for money.I'm doing it to make her mine.