Book picks similar to
The Shattered Girl by Leigh Christopher


arc
dark
academic
dark-romance-mystery-suspense

Hero


Leighton Del Mia - 2014
    For years I’ve watched her from afar, but what started out as duty has become obsession.Cataline FordI work hard.I play by the rules.I’m content.My scars are quiet and invisible, and that keeps me hidden.Doesn’t it?One fateful walk home, I’m taken by someone I didn’t know I should fear. Captive and afraid, nobody will tell me why I’m confined to this hauntingly beautiful mansion. I’m given everything; I have nothing. He takes what he needs from me, and for that I hate him. But I might have loved him once.And just because you’re reading this doesn’t mean I survive him. "Escape is now her singular obsession, the need for it all but physiological. But freedom is the only thing I can't give her, because I have an obsession of my own: her safety. Or, maybe now, just her." HERO is a dual POV, standalone erotic novel. WARNING: meant for a mature audience due to dark themes including non- or dubious-consent.

Prisoner


Brook Wilder - 2020
    Beautiful. Helpless. Defiant. Mine to do whatever I want to with her. She thinks she will find a way out. She could not be more wrong. Because no matter how far she runs.I will find her and bring her back.In the golden cage I built for her in my mansion, she will learn.Learn what it means to be owned.What it means to submit.What it means to be mine forever.And that nothing will ever change that.Prisoner is a dark Romance & Psychological suspense novel by bestselling author Brook Wilder.WARNING: This book contains scenes that may be disturbing to some readers.

Shiver


Ella Frank - 2017
    The Wolfe’s Den is no place for a little lamb, but you came anyway, and from the moment you stepped inside, you were mine. In my life there are no happy accidents. Every move is carefully orchestrated. Every situation premeditated. That’s what makes the hunt so intoxicating. What you need, I become. What you crave, I will give. Except the one thing you desire above all else—love. Everything I told you is true—I’m not a good man, but you choose what you want to hear. You shouldn’t have come that night. Maybe then you’d be safe. But it’s too late now. I want you because you remind me of him. I need you to give me back what I lost. Warning: This is not a love story. It is not a romance. This is an obsessive stalker lust story that contains darker themes that may serve as a trigger to some readers. Shiver is a standalone novel.

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.

Deception and Chaos


S.M. Soto - 2018
    With her older brother being her only living relative and her anchor, Sophia is sure she's destined for a brighter future. But that was until she was taken.Stolen from her mundane, orderly life, she was drugged, and woke to every woman's worst nightmare.With only four grimy basement walls and a rancid mattress, she loses her sense of time, and preserves what's left of her dignity by hurtling herself into the safety of her mind. The men, the beatings, they come and go with no reaction, until she hears one word that sends an arctic chill through her body. Sold.On the eve of Sophia's bidding, all hell breaks loose in the mansion of horrors. Gunfire and screams erupt all around her, as panic rises.Snatched by one monster only to be taken by another, Sophia slowly starts to learn that not everything is as it seems. When secrets unravel, and the twisted game of cat and mouse ensues, The Puppeteer pulls his favorite strings and chaos brews. Lives are lost while the clock ticks, and only time will tell who will be killed next... WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, dubious content, strong language, and graphic violence. May contain triggers for abuse victims.

Queen of Diamonds


Natalie Bennett - 2018
    His partner. His whore.His mind games. Her morals.The road to hell...Well, there is no road to hell.I already live there.I was forced to partake in a rigged game of seduction, manipulation, and murder.Mateo Remmington is my formidable opponent.He makes the devil look like a saint.He’s immoral.He's ruthless.He's a goddamn king. King of a clandestine empire who sits on a throne covered in innocents’ blood.I’ve become his obsession.He’s becoming my deadly addiction.And if I make one wrong move he’ll end my life.

Skin


B.B. Easton - 2017
    . . perhaps on the entire planet. He hated everyone, except for BB Easton—the perky, quirky punk chick he couldn’t avoid.BB, on the other hand, liked everybody . . . except for Knight. She was scared to death of him, actually. All she wanted was to marry Little Mermaid’s Prince Eric-lookalike and king of the local punk scene Lance Hightower.But Knight was patient. Persistent. Unexpected. And once he got under BB’s skin, her life would never be the same.A  forbidden love story overflowing with '90s nostalgia, dark humor, and heart-wrenching angst, and based on a true story.

Trigger


J.L. Drake - 2017
    Intended for 18+. May contain Triggers.*** I was raised by the Devil himself. Formed into a man who was unreachable. I went from the boy with bruises to the man with a trigger. Killing is the only thing that calms the itch. The demons inside were a constant battle… …until she changed everything. Problem is when you spend most of your time in the dark, is it smart to step into the light?

He Is Poison


K.A. Merikan - 2014
    ---Domenico Acerbi. The Villani Family’s best assassin. Ruthless. Vicious. With no patience for weakness.Seth Villani. The Don’s son. Clueless. Stubborn. In dire need of someone to keep him in line.Domenico Acerbi grew up ready to give his life for the Family. Ready to follow orders and exceed expectations. A proud man of honor.The last thing he wants to deal with is training the Don’s son for his future role within the organization. Lazy, annoying, spoiled, and as hot as a Sicilian summer, Seth Villani is no mafia material. But a man who could never become a threat might just be what Domenico needs. Seth Villani wants nothing to do with the mafia. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get a say when he’s pulled back into the fold. Thrown into a den of serpents otherwise known as the Villani Family, Seth has to find a way to navigate the maze of lies. But when Domenico Acerbi, the most vicious snake of them all, sinks his fangs into Seth, letting go becomes impossible. If Seth is doomed to follow in his father's footsteps, he might as well enjoy himself with the most intoxicating man he’s ever met. Maybe he can even fool himself into believing that Domenico isn’t a handsome sociopath who kills for a living. POSSIBLE SPOILERS:Themes: Enemies to lovers, mafia, homophobia, assassin, organized crime, forced proximityWARNING: Adult content. Sizzling hot scenes. If you are easily offended, this book is not for you. ‘Guns n’ Boys’ is a gritty story of extreme violence, offensive language, abuse, and morally ambiguous protagonists. Behind the morbid facade, there is a splash of inappropriate dark humor, and a love story that will crawl under your skin.

Sigil


Addison Cain - 2016
    “You will love me. It is inevitable.”The farthest corners of the universe can hide her. Not from him.Sovereign, ruler of every conquered and converted human world is coming to claim his consort.Yet Sigil refuses. Loathes the empire, hates Sovereign, his Brotherhood, and the needs they inspire which she cannot control.The need to destroy.A craving that can only be crushed in unspeakable, sensual, and terrifying ways.Sigil: Irdesi Empire Book 1 is a Space Opera Dark Romance laced with complete power exchange.

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.

Daddy's Day


Gage Grayson - 2018
    The one that got away. The one who held my heart. And the one I want back.

Blurred Red Lines


Cora Kenborn - 2017
    A word whispered in fear and respect. A name to avoid at all costs. Until I see something I shouldn't and come face-to-face with it.Abducted. Held against my will. A prisoner of a war I know nothing about.But my kidnapping is more than a case of mistaken identity, and my captor is more than a stranger.He's the heir to the devil.A ruthless cartel prince who takes everything and promises nothing. I should hate him, but the deeper Valentin Carrera drags me into his corrupt world, the harder it becomes to resist either one.He's determined to take more than my freedom.He wants to own my soul.I'm at his mercy. A plea that means nothing to a man whose hands are stained with blood.Until that stain?That blood?It becomes mine.And I'm no longer a prisoner of war.I am the war.*The Carrera Cartel books are all standalones and can be read out of sequence. However, if you prefer to avoid spoilers, it's highly recommended that you read them in order.

The King


Skye Warren - 2017
    My father gambles every night, falling deeper and deeper into debt. When he hits the bottom, he places a new bet: his daughter. I'm his entry bet to the biggest underground poker game. Every kind of danger circles the velvet-covered table, but only one man makes me tremble. A trailer park princess. The son of a criminal king. We don't belong together, but I'm caught in a twisted game. His eyes meet mine with dark promise. And when he puts down his cards, I know I'm going to lose more than my body. I'm going to lose everything.

Combative


Jay McLean - 2015
    A way to escape. And he found it in the most unlikely friendship. But at seventeen, tragedy struck, and he made himself disappear. Now, at twenty-four, Kyler’s past is knocking on his door, offering a deal he has no choice but to take… a deal that will help bring justice—not just for him, but for his brothers.The problem?He’s distracted by the girl across the hall. Madison comes with her own past, her own secrets... and her own deal. And those deals? They’re ticking time bombs.Ones they didn’t know existed.Tick.Tock.