Book picks similar to
The Cruel Guardian by Isabella Starling
romance
dark-romance
novella
arc
His Virgin Queen
Mink - 2020
Even so, I still held onto the hope of living free of the families. But when I’m given to Antonio Tuscani, I realize my thin dreams of escaping this life were just that -- dreams. Giving up -- I accept my fate … Until a fierce-eyed boss, Nick DaVinci, shows up on my wedding day to exact lethal vengeance. NickI came for Tuscani blood, and I took it.The doe-eyed bride in her white dress and veil of innocence doesn’t bat an eyelash when I do what I was born to do. I’m the head of the most powerful mafia family in the city, and I didn’t get here by sparing enemies. But Sophia’s demeanor intrigues me, and soon I realize she is far more than a mafia princess -- she is a queen -- and I will stop at nothing to keep her by my side. *-*Mink's Note: Curl up with your fav feline for this safe, sweet, steamy, a 'lil dark, and a lot dreamy, HEA.
Cards of Love: The High Priestess
Olivia Ryann - 2018
Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Bestseller Vivian Wood writes dark romance as OLIVIA RYANN.Damen Aetos. Mob boss. Madman. And soon to be my husband.He doesn’t care that I’m a virgin. Doesn’t care about my beauty.Nothing matters to him but my last name.By marrying me, the Madman ensures that a centuries-old bargain will be met.The fact that he gets me -- gets to do anything to me that he wants -- is just icing on the cake for him.But I have secrets too, lurking beneath my pretty surface.Secrets, lies, and a power greater than either of us can imagine.The question is, when The High Priestess comes calling, how will he respond?
The Mobster's Masseuse
Jessa Kane - 2019
Nor did I expect the dangerously attractive criminal to offer fifty thousand dollars to give me the message, instead. The surprises keep coming, too. Because Walker isn’t satisfied with one session. Oh, no. He wants an entire lifetime of them. With me. And he’s not accustomed to hearing the word no…
Obsidian Liquor
Scarlett Dawn - 2014
But when she’s caught red-handed by a man who kills for a living, her enmity rapidly turns to fear. Daniil Kozar isn't a man to trifle with, and Elizabeth is forced to strike a deal with the mafia king. Her every action is watched, and she needs to decide how to handle the gun-toting criminal--and his seductive charm.Daniil may be the devil her father warned about. Or he may be the sensual awakening Elizabeth never knew she needed. Somewhere, Elizabeth's dad is screaming a prayer...*Originally published in The Obsidian Collection**This work contains sexual material intended for readers 18+*
Deklan
Shay Savage - 2017
I am his currency.I’m supposed to marry the recently crowned mafia king of the Foley family as repayment for my father’s transgressions. I don’t understand why the Foleys would want me, but I’ve grown up in a crime family, and I know the ugly consequences of not doing what you’re told. But as the wedding date approaches, the deal changes, and I’m about to be wed to a man I know nothing about. In fact, I don’t even know his last name.Instead of becoming a mafia princess, I’m marrying the henchman.Deklan.After one look at him, I’m not sure I’ll survive the wedding night.
Devil You Hate
J.L. Beck - 2021
Gorgeous but frightening. The night before her arranged marriage, I kidnap her. As the last remaining daughter to the Ricci Family I know her father will do anything to keep his hold over the five families, which means he'll do anything to keep her safe.Beautiful, fragile and innocent, destroying her will push her father over the edge.Taking her was revenge, plain and simple. Spilled blood for spilled blood. Most wouldn't dare cross another mob family, but I'm scared of no one. I figure the mafia princess will be easy to break, but I was wrong. The light in her tempts the darkness inside of me. Teases it, tortures it. Every day I find myself wanting to hurt her, break her, but also keep her. Lucky for Celia, she fails to see that there is no escaping what I have planned. When she attempts to draw me in with her innocence, and sweet naive heart I thrive to show her what true darkness is.
Heartless
Jade West - 2020
That’s my plan until I see her, the woman in gold with the sinful curves and the blonde curls. My will to dominate her runs as deep as the hate I have for her last name. No matter how beautifully she bends beneath my hands, I'll leave her shattered, a broken toy for her cruel family.I'm a sadist, and she's the object of my obsession."I'm speechless... My limits were tested and I even found a few hard limits of my own. I still hear that divinely, sexy man demanding those sinfully sweet words." - USA Today bestselling author B.B. Reid on DIRTY BAD WRONG
Arranged
Vanessa Waltz - 2019
She had him first. Alessio Salvatore. Charming, gorgeous, and completely off-limits. I watched him propose and counted myself lucky when my sister said "yes" to the notorious gangster. I have plans for my life. None of them involve sleeping with the enemy, even if it's to broker peace between our families. But when my sister mysteriously dies, my life turns upside-down. I'm now the heir of my father's assets, and without an arranged marriage, our families are on the brink of war. Until my father gives Alessio an offer he can't refuse. Me. -------- ALESSIO I need Mia to understand three things: 1. We are getting married in a month. 2. I demand loyalty. 3. I want kids. Now. I was meant to walk her sister down the aisle. A relationship with Mia would've been unforgivable. She was persona-non-grata forever until her old man gave me her hand in marriage. How could I say no? But wrangling the boss' daughter is more trouble than I thought. When she's not fighting her feelings, she's fighting me. Never mind that we have more fireworks than dynamite. Or that we're perfect together. Or that we're marrying in a few weeks. She hates me. Too bad. She'll have to get used to me. Author's note: This is a dark, mafia arranged marriage, standalone romance. A young woman desperate to leave a life of crime and violence fights her arranged marriage to her late sister's fiancé, a ruthless mob boss who demands three things from her: marriage, loyalty, and a baby. As their wedding date approaches, Mia struggles with a decision that once seemed easy--escape his control or surrender to her heart?
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.
Sweet Temptation
Cora Reilly - 2020
Now he needs a mother for his children, and someone who can warm his bed at night.But in a traditional world as his, choosing your wife is duty not pleasure.Rules have to be followed. Traditions heeded.That’s how he ends up with a woman—a girl barely of age. She might not be what he and his children need, but she’s wicked lovely and a sweet temptation he can’t resist.Giulia always knew she’d marry a man her father chose for her. Only she never expected to be given to someone much older.Suddenly she’s supposed to be a mother to two small children when she hasn’t even held a baby in her life.Giulia quickly realizes that Cassio isn’t interested in a relationship on equal footing. Her mother always warned her that men of power like Cassio don’t tolerate insolence; yet, tired of being treated as a nanny and clueless child-bride, Giulia decides to fight for her vision of a happy family.
Marriage & Malice
Trisha Wolfe - 2021
I've devoted my life to my pursuit of ballet, it’s my escape from the dark underworld I was born into. As a Carpella and the daughter of a made man, I've accepted certain traditions. Yet, having just been promoted to principal within a prestigious dance company, I'm so close to escaping that world…Until a devil with blood on his hands and an Irish curse inked into his skin tears into my world, now passion holds a whole new sinister meaning. With ruination in his steel-blue eyes and me in his crosshairs, Lucian Cross traps me in his gilded cage and uses me to deliver his retribution.Forced to sign a marriage contract, my father traded my life to save his own. Now I'm bound to Lucian, owned by a monster who swore an oath of pain and suffering to my family. Lucian's passion is revenge.And because my family destroyed what he loved, he vowed to destroy what I love. Every night he forces me to dance until my breaking point. He wants to condition me to loathe the very thing that once gave me hope.I can't let him break me, but the closer we get to the wedding date, the more entangled I become in his dangerous, tempting world, and I begin to lose myself in him.His vow is my pain.My vow is not to fall for the enemy.But how can I dance with the devil himself and not be singed by his fire?
The Initiation
Nikki Sloane - 2019
But there are rumors of a sordid rite of initiation. Whispers how one woman and nine men disappear into a boardroom. This time, that woman will be me. The Hale family owns everything—the eighth largest bank in the world, everyone in our town, even the mortgage on my parents’ mansion. And now Royce Hale wants to own me. He is charming. Seductive. Ruthless. But above all, he’s the prince of lies. My body may tighten with white-hot desire under his penetrating gaze, but I refuse to enjoy it. I’ll make a deal with the devil to save my family and sell myself to the Hales. But Royce will never own my heart.
Broken Vows
Nicole Fox - 2019
She’s beautiful. An angel. I’m dangerous. A killer. She’s my fake bride for a single reason – so I can crush her father’s resistance. But marrying Eve brings me far more than I bargained for. She’s fiery. Feisty. Won’t take no for an answer. She makes me believe that I might be worth redemption. Until I discover a past she’s been hiding from me. One that threatens everything. Now, I know that our wedding vows are not enough. I need to make sure she’s mine for good. A baby in her belly is the only way to seal the deal. And in the end, the Bratva always gets what it wants. A don’s daughter is sold to a ruthless Bratva kingpin in this full-length mafia romance from author Nicole Fox. Eve wants desperately to escape a marriage she never asked for… but Luka isn’t about to let his newest prize go free. Taming the girl might cost him everything. The question is: Is she worth it? Find out in BROKEN VOWS, Book One of the Volkov Bratva duet.
Dark Queen
Ker Dukey - 2021
He was my boss.Rich, ambitious, dominating.I was a waitress, struggling to pay the fees for ballet school.Poor, talented, desperate.He needed to marry to appease his dying father, to inherit the family empire.It wasn’t supposed to be real, or forever.Until he changed the rules.What Mafia king Luca Leto wants, he gets, and he’s crowned his queen.Me.I’m under his rule now.And his reign is cruel and toxic.They call him the dark king and to gain my freedom I’m going to have to become a dark queen. #Standalone Mafia romance.
Possession
Jaimie Roberts - 2017
A domineering man. A powerful man. On that day, the first of two transactions were made with my very unloving parents. I became his possession.Something to own.Something to keep.An object intended only for his desire, his pleasure, and his ... indulgence.Although promised to this man, I at least remained safe ... untouched ... pure. I was to be his and his alone. On my eighteenth birthday, the second transaction took place.I escaped...But he came for me.Now, I'm his. He owns my body and my soul.And, as if all of that wasn't enough, he wants to own my heart too.I’m trying to resist him—trying to fight that irresistible monster inside of him. But, as with everything else in my life, nothing is ever that easy.Warning: Contains graphic scenes with sexual assault content. Please proceed with caution.