Book picks similar to
Stolen Innocence by Julia Sykes
dark
romance
dark-romance
mafia
The Invitation
Roxy Sloane - 2014
Now, two years later, he’s going out of his mind with wanting her -- but she’s still off-limits. Now school is over, and his control is wearing thin. They've got one last night together, and he’s determined to make it an experience she’ll never forget.The one girl he swore off is going to have the night of her life. And with a sexy game of dare on the table, it won’t take long...
He Found Me
Whitney Barbetti - 2014
I walked out the door of my apartment with a backpack and never looked back. I left the life of Cora Mitchell behind, seeking freedom from my real-life nightmare. But my freedom came with a cost. I lived a fictitious life for the next six years, never letting anyone close enough to see underneath the facade that was Andra Walker. I was content with my simple little life. Until I met Julian. And the moment I started allowing myself to open up, allowing someone to see through the superficial, was the very same moment the Monster from my past would return to find me.
Promises, Promises
Josie Bordeaux - 2013
Keeping her secrets guarded closely, she finds solace with a man who is caring, warm, and loving, the complete opposite of what she left behind. Zander can’t trust love. He has a string of bad relationships as proof, and it leaves him wondering if Isabella is just one more temptress who will break his heart. A troubled past threatens the budding relationship between Isabella and Zander. She can’t shake the eerie feeling of her ex lurking in the shadows ready to end her newly found happiness. Unfortunately, she’s right.e that she’s always searched for? Or will he ruin the love that is finally just in her grasp?
Dubious
Charmaine Pauls - 2017
Breaking people runs in my blood. The Haynes’ were supposed to be a straightforward job. Go in and pull the trigger twice. One bullet for Charlie, one for his sister. But when I saw Valentina, I wanted her. Only, in our world those who owe us don’t get second chances. No way in hell will my mother let her live. So I devised a plan to keep her.It’s depraved.It’s immoral.It’s dubious.It’s perfect.Just like her.(Dubious is Book 1 of The Loan Shark Duet and ends on a cliffhanger. The story is concluded in Book 2, Consent.)
Hidden Truths
K. Webster - 2019
Light.Until I got wrapped up with the wrong people.Nothing but a piece of property to pay for the sins of my father.I’m to be married off to a handsome monster.I see his truths every day, and it’s hard not to fall for the enemy.He won’t let me escape, but I’m not sure I want to.I wanted to marry for love, but it looks like love is a lie.*Hidden Truths is book one in the Truths and Lies Duet*
Bare-Knuckle Love
K.A. Merikan - 2015
LOVE TO THE BONE. — Jason is back in his home town and trying to make money the only way he knows – in an illegal MMA fight. Bare knuckles. Hardly any rules. All he needs to do is… lose. The Rabid Mongrels Motorcycle Club bet against him, and they are set to make a killing, but when Jason spots his high school crush in the audience, he can’t bear to lose. All he wants is to have Hyde notice him. He gets more than he bargained for when Hyde turns out to be the president of the MC, now out for his blood. To survive, Jason will have to make a deal with the blond devil. No matter how manipulative and vicious Hyde can be, he is a dark wet dream come to life, and Jason can’t keep his hands to himself. Soon enough, the self-destructive lust he has for Hyde becomes a dangerous obsession that takes Jason to the most forgotten corners of his soul. POSSIBLE SPOILERS: Themes: Outlaw motorcycle club, criminal activity, abuse, sexual orientation issues, second chances, enemies to lovers, first time, coming home, alternative family, blackmail Genre: M/M dark erotic romance, suspense, drama Length: ~34,000 words WARNING: Adult content. Explicit gay sex, strong language, violence, mentions of past animal abuse, mentions of past child abuse. Reader discretion advised.
Love Handles
Gretchen Galway - 2011
She hates the gym, is nice to everybody, and shops at Ross Dress for Less. When she's not teaching preschool, she's wearing yoga pants... to nap in. So when she inherits her estranged grandfather's fitnesswear company in San Francisco, nobody expects her to keep it. Fite Fitness needs a heartless suit to save it from bankruptcy, not a thirty-year-old woman who cries when her students leave for kindergarten.Someone like Liam Johnson. A former Olympic swimmer, Liam is Fite's executive vice president. Unlike Bev, he's devoted his life to Fite's success. Managing one little preschool teacher — and his attraction to her — shouldn't be an issue. Right?But Bev's tired of being underpaid and underrated, and refuses to step aside as an obedient figurehead. To everyone's shock and horror, she moves up to San Francisco, sets up an office, and dives into the business. Nothing — not mockery, not exercise, not sabotage, not a disastrously hot night with her aggravating VP — is going to scare her away.As Liam realizes she's tougher than she looks, he discovers that losing Fite might not be nearly as bad as losing her...A story about the pursuit of love, happiness, and the perfect yoga pants, Love Handles will speak to anyone who's ever had to face the thing that scares her most.Warning: contains at least two loves scenes and a happy ending.
Fierce
Rosalind James - 2015
It was true that I had a lousy job. Not to mention a lousy apartment and too much responsibility, although it was a responsibility I wouldn’t have given up for the world. That still didn’t mean I needed rescuing, if that was what you’d call the situation I ended up in. And anyway, I knew that a multimillionaire Maori CEO with too many muscles, a tribal tattoo, and a take-no-prisoners attitude was way, way out of my league. So, no, I didn’t ask him to, but he rescued me anyway. Because Hemi was fierce. But you know what I found out? So was I. Note: This is the “book within a book” that Faith is writing in Just in Time: Escape to New Zealand. Hemi isn’t Will, but you may see some of Faith’s feelings about Will coming out...
Boarded by Love
Toni Aleo - 2014
Hockey’s in my blood, and not to sound full of myself, but I’m good at it... really good. The draft is within my reach — it’s mine to take — but that’s not the only reason people know my name. They know me because of my way with women. They know the score, and I aim to please. I just tend to stay away from repeat performances. In other words, I don’t do relationships beyond my family and friends. I’m happy with life. However, I should warn you that my story and how I see it playing out is about to change due to a certain redhead on campus.She’s beautiful. Stunning. Breathtaking.She’s my game changer.***He’s trouble from the moment I see him. I don’t know what I’m thinking, but from the moment I meet his gaze, I’m his. It’s a scary feeling.I’ve never trusted anyone outside my aunt and uncle — and even that took months. I didn’t have it easy growing up. My mom was usually strung out, and she didn’t give me a second thought. Drugs and the men who paid her were more important to her. It was horrible, but I’m stronger today. Because of my past, security is what I need most. Money assures me that I can take care of myself today, tomorrow, and next month. I don’t want to ever be hungry or go without again, so I work hard for every penny.Oh, by the way, I’m Claire Anderson. I’m a hard-studying sophomore at the University of Bellevue, dancer for the school dance team, and a burlesque dancer at a club, but that’s my secret.You may think you know how our story ends, but you have no clue. It’s not easy falling in love… or living happily ever after. At first it may seem so, but when is anything worth having ever won without a fight?Especially when you’re boarded by love.
Damaged and the Beast
Bijou Hunter - 2013
His newest conquest is college freshman Farah Smith.When the tattooed bad boy reminds her of a rough childhood she desperately wishes to forget, Farah keeps him at arm's length. Yet, Cooper refuses to give up. He pushes her buttons, tears through her walls, and forces her to admit her feelings for him. What begins as lust soon builds into something more powerful than either expects.Can the beast heal the damage inside the girl of his dreams?***Warning: This novel contains scenes of a sexual nature, violent themes, and coarse language. It is intended for mature readers.Damaged and the Beast is a complete novel with a HEA. Damaged and the Knight is scheduled for publication in June 2013 and follows Farah's sister. Damaged and the Outlaw is planned for autumn 2013.
Deep Down
Brenda Rothert - 2015
My closest companions now are shame and loss. But a sliver of hope lies in the only person I have left in this world – the one who’s growing inside me.Survival becomes living again because of my child, and the town where I begin anew. That’s where I meet the man who starts to melt the ice inside my heart.As we get closer, reminders of my past become sharper. Clearer. To confront the pain, I have to discover what’s deep down inside me. Is there enough left there to become whole again, or am I too wounded to heal? A portion of sales from this book will benefit the Keith Milano Memorial Fund at AFSP
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
M. RobinsonAlta Hensley - 2021
The notorious Morelli family hosts their annual Christmas ball. And you are invited to experience the sensual feast.MEET ME UNDER THE MISTLETOE is an exclusive anthology of scorching hot NEW holiday stories. Download your copy and tell a book-loving friend, because it won't last long.HOLIDAY STORIES INCLUDE:O Holy Night by Pam GodwinSanta Baby by Claire ContrerasAll I Want for Christmas Is You by M. RobinsonLast Christmas by Katee RobertCarol of the Bells by Maria LuisSilver Bells by Alta HensleyO Come All Ye Faithful by Amelia WildeSilent Night by Sienna SnowIt Came Upon a Midnight Clear by Jenika SnowAll I Want For Christmas Is You by Sam MarianoLittle Drummer Boy by M. O'KeefeBaby, It's Cold Outside by Giana DarlingAway in a Manger by Jade WestThis Christmas by Theodora TaylorHallelujah by Skye Warren
Adam
Jennifer Ashley - 2015
He settles in to heal at his family's ranch, where his four brothers, famous trick riders, train horses.Adam is stunned to find Bailey Farrell working there—she was the shy girl who'd helped Adam graduate high school so he could run off to Hollywood. Except the budding Bailey, with whom Adam had a brief but intense affair, has blossomed into a beautiful woman. Now the sparks that had once ignited between them threaten to explode.Adam is beaten-up, broken-down, and has lost his nerve—the stunt that injured him also killed his best friend. The only one he can turn to is Bailey, but will Bailey, who has come back to Riverbend to lick her wounds after a painful divorce, be willing to help him again?Book 1 of Riding Hard. A 230-page (approx) novel—20 chapters, plus bonus sneak peek at Grant's book and a recipe for Mrs. Ward's Harvest Pie.
Beast: The Beginning
Mary Catherine Gebhard - 2017
I thought selling myself to a mafia boss was noble. So what if they called him the Beast? I grew up in rags, and he would lift me to riches. All I had to do was give him my soul. He was punishing. Insatiable. Captivating. Nothing like I expected him to be. Each day my reality blurred, leaving me wondering if I was slave or princess. The longer I stayed, the more I lost myself to him. Even after every cruelty the Beast visited upon me, I longed for his touch. Even after every savage word he spoke, I begged for his lips. I thought the worst thing he could take was my body. I was too naïve to guard my heart. Once upon a time, I thought love was a fairytale. Now I know better than to speak of happily ever afters. Beast is the first book in the Hate Story duet. About what it means to fall in love with the person who has absolutely destroyed you, it contains disturbing and graphic situations that may be a trigger for some.
Craving
Helen Hardt - 2016
Her humiliation still ripe, she doesn't expect to be attracted to her friend’s reticent brother, but when the gorgeous cowboy kisses her, all bets are off.Talon Steel is broken. Having never fully healed from a horrific childhood trauma, he simply exists, taking from women what is offered and giving nothing in return...until Jade Roberts catapults into his life. She is beautiful, sweet, and giving, and his desire for her becomes a craving he fears he'll never be able to satisfy.Passion sizzles between the two lovers...but long-buried secrets haunt them both and may eventually tear them apart.