Book picks similar to
The Cruel Guardian by Isabella Starling
romance
dark-romance
arc
age-gap
Stolen Hearts
M. O'Keefe - 2021
To me, he was a mystery, but he was also the only man who ever knew me.In that single stolen moment before I had to give my life to someone else, I imagined myself with him, the man with scars and bruises. The one who knew what hurting meant far more than I did at that time.Instead I was given to another man, one who broke my soul right along with my bones.Through it all, there was always that memory of the man in the shadows, the one who said--not in words--that I was strong, that I could endure, that I was more than just a princess in a ballgown.Now Ronan is the only man who could keep me safe from two warring families that wanted my blood. The spark that started two years ago burned brighter with each touch, each glance, each kiss. He woke me from the nightmare, giving me life with soft touches and sharp words.Two years ago, Ronan gave me strength, but he took something in return. I never gave him my heart, but hearts like mine are made to be stolen.
The Arrangement
Bethany-Kris - 2014
The deal between leading mafia families has more on the line than anyone knew, even if the Bratva and Cosa Nostra shouldn’t mix. When Vine’s family is murdered and she’s left with nothing more than her grief to survive the mob world alone, she believes the arrangement won’t see the light of day. Anton can’t allow the one woman he was supposed to love get away. At the possibility of her death, he steps in to save her with guns blazing, knowing exactly what it might cost him: everything. But it’s been nearly a decade since their last meeting, and he can’t help but wonder if the woman he took back is the same girl he fell for all those years before. Protected and loved, Vine is unable to forget their shared moments a lifetime ago, or the future she knows they’re owed. When an old flame of Anton’s shows up to rip the veil off the carefully constructed secrets he’d been hiding, she learns that nothing about her life is as it seems. But, that’s nothing compared to the bomb about to blow. Can Vine see beyond the pain and blood to take what she always wanted? And just how far will the mob prince go to keep her safe?In a world where violence, deceit, and greed reign, your life is not your own, and sometimes, love has to be arranged.
Corrupt Kingdom
Ava Harrison - 2020
That he rules the underworld with an iron fist.A criminal. A murderer. A monster.He controlled fortunes and amassed empires.Our paths should never have crossed, but one poker game intertwined our fate. I woke up stranded on his island. Trapped.Forced to play a dangerous game of hate and lust.He said he took me to protect me. That he was saving me.But who will save me from him?
Rivalry
Laurelin Paige - 2019
I only took the meeting because I was curious. I thought he was going to offer me a job.But that's not what he's after at all. His proposal is much more intriguing, and I see an opportunity. An opportunity to turn the tables and bring down the devil.I've gotten in trouble playing these games before. I know when the risk is too great, when the stakes are too high. I know how to be cold and strong-willed and destructive. I know how to withstand dominant men with arrogant charm and rugged features.Yet I can't resist taking on Edward.And I can't resist the pull he has on me.Soon I'm not so sure which side of the battle I'm standing on--if I'm the warrior meant to slay,Or the one who will be slain.Slay is Book One in New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author, Laurelin Paige, next dark and edgy series.
Perversion
T.M. Frazier - 2018
New/alternate cover edition here.USA Today bestselling author of the King Series, T.M. Frazier, brings you an all-new trilogy with a sexy anti-hero you're going to love to hate, and a ballsy heroine with more up her sleeve than just tricks. Love is supposed to be a fairy tale.Ours is a death wish.I'm the executioner for the Bedlam Brotherhood. She's a con artist working for my greatest enemy. I use her. She manipulates me.We find ourselves on opposite sides of a bloody war. My heart and head tell me I have to stay away. My lust for her doesn't give a sh*t. Nothings fair in love and gang war.
Blaire
Anita Gray - 2016
Conditioned. Sold to the enemy.My name is Blaire. I'm head of security to a man who controls the Russian underworld in Europe. His name is Maksim and he's my master. He bought me ten years ago and conditioned me with brutality to worship and protect him. And I have protected him. I've slain everyone who has tried to do him harm. Everyone but a man he loans me to; a man who threatens to break me and everything I believe in. You're going to need a strong stomach and a strong heart to follow my story, because take my word for it, it's no fairy tale.
His Love
Fiona Davenport - 2019
Right up until the day he noticed that his neighbor’s daughter had become the beautiful woman who was meant to be his. Since then, he waited not-so patiently for her to turn eighteen. He bided his time by watching over her. When he realized that all she wanted was a baby of her own, he was ready to give her more than just his love. He’d give her everything.
Determined to Obey
C.J. Roberts - 2014
Unbeknownst to Kid or Nancy, they are taken to the mansion of Felipe Villanueva, an eccentric crime boss with a taste for the taboo.We join Kid in the dungeon, where he is about to meet Felipe and his companion Celia for the first time…Warning: 18+ only. Very frank language, graphic sexuality and coercion. Do not read if M/M/F bothers you!Determined to Obey is being published independently at the request of thousands of fans who already own Captive in the Dark, Seduced in the Dark, and Epilogue: The Dark Duet--known together as the Dark Duet series.Determined to Obey was written as part of the bonus material for Dark Duet: Platinum Edition and not meant to be read as a stand alone. However, it is possible to enjoy it as such if one prefers.
Thick
Alexa Riley - 2019
When she meets her new neighbor she’s not prepared for how big or how hot he is. The gentle giant has her fantasies running wild and she’s learning what it means to love thy neighbor.Bull has always been the biggest in the room and it’s annoying. He’s a former security guard who now does online consulting to stay away from the stares. But when his young little neighbor wants to make friends he can’t help himself. He’s tearing down all his walls and breaking the rules just to have a shot at what he never thought was possible.Warning: Will Bull be too big to make Teeny his? Will it somehow work anyway? You betcha! Find out what happens when this bull meets his china shop...because it’s wild!
Merciless Saints
Michelle Heard - 2021
Loyalty is owned. Love is taken.
I’ll show everyone I’m a threat, and they will fear me.For my family. I have to protect them.The second I hear the name Damien Vetrov I know I’m in trouble.He’s an arrogant Russian God.Only, I have zero intention of bowing to him. Ever.Attractive and lethal. He’s such an intoxicating mixture.Every second we spend together, the pull between us becomes stronger, and my fear grows.While my body wants him, my head knows better. He has the power to kill my family.But when blood is shed, I’m forced to depend on Damien for my life.Being at his mercy, whether he’ll kill me or protect me, is still up for debate.
STANDALONE:
Romance Suspense full-length novel.
King Sized
Madison Faye - 2018
Whoops. It’s her wedding day. I’m not the groom. Oh, but I’m going to be… The world may call me a King and a gentleman, but there’s nothing gentle about me. I’ve fought like hell to get to where I am, and these rough hands want one thing and one thing only – to hold her and never let her go. She’s my obsession – my addiction. Blonde, blue-eyed, innocent and tempting, with lips that beg to be tasted and curves that were made to press against me. But a rival king – a cruel, evil piece of garbage – has stepped in to buy her hand and her innocence with the promise of paying off her parents’ debts. He thinks that makes her his, but he’s about to learn how wrong he is. You see, the rumors about my royal staff and crown jewels aren’t tall tales. She deserves a real man. A better man. King Milton just isn’t the right fit for her. …Oh, but I am. And I’m going to “fit” with her so well that she’ll be moaning for more. I’m a king, after all. And kings take what they want. And tonight? I’m taking her. I’ll do anything to make her my queen. …Even if I have to steal her. Grab those tiaras and hold on to your jewels! One totally obsessed, totally big alpha King, one smart, sassy, stolen bride, and enough insta-love, kindle-melting steam, and sugary-sweetness to knock you right out of your throne. This book is utterly over-the-top fantasy with pretty much zero grounding in reality. You’ve been warned ;). As with all my books, this one is safe, with no cheating, and a HEA guaranteed. This is a novella-length book of approximately 100 pages, though the page-count below and on your e-reader may show differently. For a limited time, this new release edition contains additional content for further reader enjoyment, as a thank you for your support.
Bad Blood
Cora Kenborn - 2021
A Carrera bleeds for revenge.Thalia Santiago is the daughter of my enemy. A beautiful rebel with a single cause.Impulsive. Fearless. And ripe for her father’s undoing.I recognized her the moment she stepped into my casino.I watched her start the fires that burned her pretty fingers, and then I poured gasoline on the flames. Now she’s in my debt, and her dues are a shiny gold ring and a vow of deception. I’ll bend her. I’ll break her. I’ll turn our mockery of a marriage into a battlefield.And that river of bad blood that flows between our two families? I’ll make it an ocean of hate. *This is book 1 of a new dark romance duet, releasing May 12th. Tainted Blood, book 2, releases June 9th. **Bad Blood is set in the Santiago and Carrera worlds, but it is not necessary to have read either trilogy beforehand.
The Beast
Jaden Wilkes - 2014
From the rough streets of Moscow to the highest ranks in the Solntsevskaya Bratva, he has seen it all.An attack four years ago left him disfigured and in seclusion, hiding from reactions to his appearance and in safety from those who failed to kill him the first time.Comfortable in his penthouse, managing his billion dollar businesses, he's resigned himself to be alone, simply called The Beast among those who've dealt with him in the past.Columbia Grey is a pseudo-activist trying to save her neighbourhood from a developer intent on levelling it to build apartment towers. She goes along with a plan to confront the CEO of the company on his own turf, to force him to listen to her demands...all in a pathetic attempt to impress a man she barely likes.Little does she know, she's taken herself into the mouth of the beast, a man familiar with death and destruction, sex and seduction, a man used to getting exactly what he wants and a man with nothing left to lose.She's a beauty, but will that be enough to tame the beast and save her life?*** This is not a fairy tale, this is what happens when the music ends and life goes on after the credits roll. This is about simply existing until you find yourself and write your own happily ever after, no matter what form it takes.
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*
Dark Fairy Tales
C.J. RobertsCelia Aaron - 2020
But the party isn’t all glamor. Villains lurk in dark corners, evil deals are struck, and starcrossed loves are born.FAIRY TALES INCLUDED:The Ugly Duckling by CJ RobertsBeauty and the Beast by Willow WintersCinderella by Aleatha RomigLittle Red Riding Hood by Karina HalleJack & the Beanstalk by Marley ValentineSnow White by T.M. FrazierRumplestiltskin by Celia AaronKing Midas by Skye WarrenKing Thrushbeard by Cora ReillyPrincess and the Pea by Sierra SimoneSwan Princess by Natasha KnightAttend the ball, wear a red cloak, lose your shoe, spin straw to gold, or fall prey to a witch. In these fairytale retellings from bestselling authors, you will find a prince, but you might choose your happily ever after with the beast.DARK FAIRY TALES is a limited-time anthology of modern fairy tales containing all NEW novellas. Download your copy and tell a book-loving friend, because it won't last long.