Book picks similar to
Provoked by Sarah Bailey
dark-romance
contemporary-romance
dark
romance
I Pick You
Eryn Scott - 2021
Magnolia Parker loves botany, but became a professor mostly to make her parents happy. When she’s passed up for tenure, Maggie decides it’s time to make a change. Escaping the city, she finds herself in the idyllic town of Plumb Creek staring at a For Sale sign in a flower shop that shares her name. It must be destiny. Maggie goes all in. Being a florist should be easy for a professor of botany. Right? Boy, is she wrong. Before she even opens shop, she’s angered half the town. After her first customer leaves in a huff, she realizes a botany degree isn’t going to cut it. Enter Grant Sommers, hot local entrepreneur who has the town in his back pocket. He’s willing to help turn the shop around, if Maggie will listen. As much as she wants this to work, she fears she’ll never be able to loosen the town’s tight-knit roots enough to be accepted.It’s time for Maggie to pick her own path, even if it means disappointing everyone else.
About My Daddies
S.E. Law - 2019
Vlad is a filthy rich Russian billionaire who’s utterly possessive. The catch? They’re both my mom’s ex-husbands. My mom Vivian is a crazy woman. She marries and divorces men like it’s no big deal. As a result, even though Vivian’s not old, she already has two ex-husbands. I come home from college one day, and my mom says she wants to take a family photo with both men. This is crazy! Vlad and Jared aren’t even family anymore. Why are we doing this? But when the shutter starts to click, both men of the house are ready to CLAIM … and I’m just the brat to make it happen!
About My Daddies is a collection of taboo romances with growly, possessive OTT alpha males, feisty curvy girls, and lots of bouncing babies! The collection features three standalone, full length novels and one short story, including: About My Daddies, About Last Night, About This Morning and About This Evening. They don't have cliffhangers or cheating. They DO have very happily ever afters and plenty of steam!
All I Wanna Do Is You
Dylann Crush - 2020
She's planned her brother's perfect wedding weekend down to the minute, but her checklist didn't include running into the one guy she's never been able to get over. Only two things stand between her and the Florida Keys: fifteen-hundred miles and the man who broke her heart.Zach Anderson has a score to settle with Senator Campbell. And running into his daughter, Reagan, gives him just the opportunity he needs. But it'll take more than planes, trains, and automobiles to get her all the way to Florida in one piece. He might not be able to keep his hands off her cupcakes, but will he be able to keep his heart out of the way long enough to exact his revenge?
The Broken Road
K.S. Ruff - 2014
When I kiss you for the first time, you’re going to want that kiss more than your next breath.” Montana girl Kristine Stone was strong enough to break out of an abusive marriage, but is she strong enough for the road that lies ahead? For the first time in her life, Kristine finds she has some control over her life. Haunted by her ex-husband and a newly acquired stalker, she leaves Montana to work in the U.S. Senate. Kristine issues a moratorium on dating. This hardly deters Kadyn Rand, the Air Force Captain who threatens to tear down every wall she’s ever built. Still, someone from her dark past refuses to be ignored, and Kristine finds herself in yet another fight for her life. Tall, dark, and determined are the words that best describe Kadyn Rand. He is too stoic to be swept away by much of anything, but a vulnerable woman from Montana manages to do just that when she finds herself alone and in danger in DC. Kadyn is intelligent, resourceful, and a fiercely devoted friend. His sense of humor runs on the sarcastic side. He’s also the kind of guy who likes to keep people guessing about what’s going on inside his head, which is why he makes a conscious effort not to smile. That is until he meets Kristine Stone. Her missteps regularly get a smile out of him. Her moratorium on dating intrigues him, while her vulnerability calls to his protective side. Kadyn tries to earn Kristine’s love and her trust but soon learns it will take much more than that to save her from her past.
Dark Blood
Isabella Starling - 2016
Kidnapped from under her mobster daddy's nose, she has no way of escaping the Hound - the Abbate crime family's most vicious hitman. But maybe she doesn't want to escape. Maybe her savior is the dark beast himself... And to face him, Bianca will have to look right into the eyes of the monster.Matteo Salini is trained to kill. Pumped with drugs and used to blood, he doesn't expect to flinch when he has to take Bianca's life. She's beautiful - there is no doubt in that. But Matteo has women servicing him left and right, and he doesn't need a spoiled mafia princess to screw with his head. Bianca is much more than that, though, and her tenderness finds its way under Matteo's rough skin. She might be his only chance of redemption.She's his prisoner, he's her savior.WARNING! Dark romantic themes included. If you don't like your bad boys BAD, look the other way!
The New Girl: A Pacific High School Bully Romance (Pacific High Series Book 1)
Ashley Rose - 2020
My mom thinks sunshine, the beach and fresh air is just what I need. Which would be great if I didn’t also mean having to be The New Girl at Pacific High. Because apparently, that role comes with a target on my back. Hunter West is the king of the school, the popular, rich and spoiled bad boy who also happens to be drop dead gorgeous. They warned me about him and said that he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. And he wants me. But he’s the baddest of bad boys, and he seems dead set on becoming my worst nightmare. You see, he’s never had anyone say no before. Until he met me. But I don't like bullies. But he's not taking no for an answer. If he thinks he can change my mind, he’s got another thing coming. WARNING: The New Girl is the first book in the Pacific High Series. It is a young adult/new adult romance that at times deals with real-life gritty themes, sexual content and cursing. But if you want teen angst, heart pounding drama, and lust-filled romance, then this bad boy romance series will be right up your alley.
Illicit Temptations
Janine Infante Bosco - 2015
That's all I was before New York's most notorious gangster recruited me.Now here I am, following in my father's footsteps and breaking my mother's heart. And I'm torn between the only life I've ever known and the possibility of something else. Because the only beacon of light in this dark world is the one woman I can't have. The Boss's daughter. The nightclub king's girl. Her irresistible spirit struggling to be respected for who she is, and not just who she belongs to. I see her. All of her.She's the sweetest temptation I've ever known.And the most illicit. Publisher's Note: Illicit Temptations is volume one in The Tempted Series but it may be read and enjoyed as a standalone mafia romance. This book has been revised and edited as of January 2021.
Fighting Fate (Fate, #1)
Anastasia Austin - 2019
And she isn't going to let anything get in her way. Until she repeatedly crosses paths with poster-child frat boy, Isaac Johnson. She hesitates when all he wants is a hook up. She pushes him away when he shows signs of wanting more. Then she's torn, when she finds him all alone and sick as a dog after his frat brothers abandon him for spring break. Katie should leave. Stick to her plan. Finish the project that could make or break her college career. But she can't leave him like this--to fend for himself when he can barely breathe--or ignore the connection building between them. The one she's not sure she can fight anymore.Fun and fluffy standalone with a happily ever after.Tropes you have to look forward to:*Injury (Our boy has the flu, poor thing)*Afraid to commit*FlingThis is a sweet and spicy novella intended for an adult audience.
Forged
Cole Denton - 2019
Good things rarely knocked on my door. But hard knocks never failed to kick my ass. Nothing good would ever happen to me. Or so I thought. In college I discovered women, and never looked back. But even though I was never alone, I was always lonely. I didn't know exactly what I needed. Only that I needed something more. Until I saw her. Then I knew. She was what I needed. We were perfect. Incendiary! We were going to be what happily ever afters were about! Or so I thought. Now I'm ten years older. A hundred years wiser. I have survived so many trials by fire, nothing could penetrate my scarred and jaded armor. Or so I thought. This is my story... **Author’s note: Forged is a dark novel with intense scenes that may trigger some readers. Please read with caution.
Wings
Fawn Bailey - 2018
One woman. And a villain out to end it all. Discover the mafia world of Gilded Cage in this full-length dark romance novel. First book in a trilogy. There's only one thing you need to know about Ophelia Sokolov. She was promised to me, not my brother. And I'll do anything in my power to make her mine. She's my future. My destiny. My f*cking property. My name is Max Marino. My family owns this city. I kill because I have to. I f*ck because I can. And I will have Ophelia because I always have my way. We were destined to be together. A bond that would tie our families together forever. But she fell for my younger brother... And Ryker never wanted me to have what had always meant to be mine. He took so much from me. Our parents. Our careers. But Ophelia is mine. And I'll kill to prove it...
Stealing Iris
Sahara Roberts - 2020
Iris, an innocent, enchanting beauty.The moment our eyes met, I wanted her.Common sense escaped me as I agreed to work with Conrado simply to be near her.But something's wrong. What it is, Iris won't say.Instincts on alert, I'm all in.If they thought they could play me, they're not prepared for the consequences.And if I find out he hurt her... there'll be hell to pay.**This is a Dark Mafia Billionaire Romance series containing mature themes, adult situations, and graphic violence. If you are not prepared to deal with this, please pass on the opportunity.**The story starts with Stealing Iris, continues with Saving Bonnie, and ends in Seducing Mattie.
Good Karma
Donya Lynne - 2014
Bullied as a child, she hides behind an unremarkable wardrobe and relegates herself to the shadows. But when her best friend convinces her to attend a charity benefit in Chicago wearing a stunning red dress that catches the eye of every man in the room, she discovers a surprising side to her personality. One that adores the spotlight but has no idea how to handle the attention.Mark Strong, a wealthy Chicago businessman, is brimming with confidence. He’s in total control. Nothing—and no one—escapes his notice. However, Mark carries a heavy, painful burden. After finding his fiancée with another man six years ago, he’s erected a fortress around his heart, unwilling to let himself fall in love again. But when enchanting Karma snares his gaze from across the room, he has no idea she will shatter his carefully ordered life.What starts out as a casual flirtation takes a series of surprising turns as Mark and Karma embark on a sensual journey destined by fate. Mark is driven to know Karma, understand her…educate her, and Karma is his willing student, eager to experience the pleasure he promises. But when the student becomes the teacher, Mark has to make a choice between taking another chance on love or a future alone.
UnStable (West Family Series Book 2)
M. Piper - 2017
She says I’m an alcoholic. I say I’m living in the moment. She says I’m immature. I say she’s stuck up. She says I need to be more serious. I say I tried that, and it broke my heart. She says I’m the best she ever had. ...I tend to agree. She says we’re not good together. She’s lying. After losing the love of my life before my twentieth birthday, I was sure I’d never love again. I’ve spent the past five years living like it’s my last day on earth, every day. Girls, booze, and as much family time as possible filled my weeks. But mostly the booze... Then, Mackenzie walked into my life and suddenly I have purpose again. She’s made me care. She’s made me feel. She’s made me love. The only problem is that she doesn’t understand me, and her heart’s been crushed too hard and too recently to take a chance on the city’s ‘wild child’. She’s convinced I’m not in it for the long haul. I’m about to prove her wrong. As long as I can make it past December 4... *18+ *This is the second book in the West Family series, but it CAN be read as a standalone. *Book 1 is UnPlanned*
Clear Skies
Suzanne Cass - 2021
Secrets may tear them apart.Daisy’s in trouble. Her car is stalled in the middle of a flooded creek, with the water rising quickly.Dale is in no mood to rescue the woman about to be swept away by a raging tropical storm, who’s clearly a city girl, unfamiliar with the country roads, and driving a completely unsuitable car. He has half a mind to leave her right where she is.Stranded on the wrong side of the creek, Daisy has no other option than to accept Dale’s offer to spend the night at the luxury resort, Stormcloud Station.All of Daisy’s plans to leave the station as soon as she can are thrown into chaos when a girl is discovered drowned in the creek and everyone become suspects in a murder investigation.Daisy has discovered that far north Queensland is a wholly inhospitable country, but it also has a man with mesmerizing dimples, whose kiss has captured her soul. But she hides a secret that would tear them apart.On a night full of chaos, Dale and Daisy uncover the truth about the killer. But how can Dale safeguard this willful, determined woman who owns his heart, when Daisy puts herself squarely in harm’s way?