Book picks similar to
Bending to Break by A.L. Hartwell
mafia
romance
dark-romance
giveaways
Nest or Invest
Enni Amanda - 2021
He's the hotshot developer about to make her homeless.Single mum Shasa Daniels is heartbroken to lose her beloved, cheap rental. Even worse, it's being sold to Mac McCarthy, a developer about to replace the old villa with luxury condos. Determined to stop him, Shasa gathers her friends to outbid him and build community housing instead.Mac, the man in thousand-dollar shoes, isn't as financially stable as he makes out. This deal promises to secure his future until Shasa the eco-warrior stands in his way. It's time to keep his eyes on the prize. Definitely not the time to get distracted by some bleeding-heart hippie, no matter how sexy and cute.Looks can be deceiving. As Shasa learns more about (okay, snoops on) Mac, she discovers one surprise after another, including a mutual love of acting and sizzling stage chemistry. The more she finds out about the real Mac, the more she's torn between her building plans and the man she's inevitably falling for. In the end, is it better to win in love or in real estate?Escape into this cheeky, heartfelt love story set against New Zealand's overheated real estate market.
The Cruelest Stranger
Winter Renshaw - 2020
I was there to drown my sorrows after a trying day, he was there to escape the storm. After a brief yet incredibly cruel exchange, the handsome stranger bolted before I had a chance to tell him off. Incensed and two cocktails deep, I followed him out the door, determined to give the audacious Adonis a piece of my mind.
Tearing after him in heels and barely able to keep up in the freezing rain, I ended my chase when I realized where he was going.
They say never to judge someone unless you know their story.
I never could have anticipated his... And I never could have anticipated the way our paths would cross again—or that I would one day find myself falling for a man with a hollow cavity where his heart should be, a man as callous as he was beautiful, as complicated as he was mesmeric. They say never to judge someone unless you know their story. This one’s ours.
Prisoner
Annika Martin - 2014
He’s dangerous. He’s wild. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.So I hide behind my prim glasses and my book like I always do, because I have secrets too. Then he shows up in the prison writing class I have to teach, and he blows me away with his honesty. He tells me secrets in his stories, and it’s getting harder to hide mine. I shiver when he gets too close, with only the cuffs and the bars and the guards holding him back. At night I can’t stop thinking about him in his cell.But that’s the thing about an animal in a cage—you never know when he’ll bite. He might use you to escape. He might even pull you into a forest and hold a hand over your mouth so you can’t call for the cops. He might make you come so hard, you can’t think.And you might crave him more than your next breath.
Endless: Ty & Zoey
Kaylene Winter - 2021
“She ripped out my heart and threw it away.”
Tyson Rainier had only one way out - leading his band Less than Zero (LTZ) to the top.Stardom, success, touring the world – all his dreams were about to come true until Zoey Pearson gave him a new dream.And passion beyond anything he thought possible.Absolutely nothing could have prepared him for it to end.Abruptly.Definitively.Crushingly.His songs of heartbreak made LTZ the biggest band in the universe, as Ty does anything he can to put the life he had with Zoey behind him.Will Ty forgive Zoey for nearly destroying him?
“I left the only man I’ll ever love.”
Beautiful bookworm Zoey Pearson’s love for music led her to Ty.The gorgeous, sweet rocker was made for her.When the man Ty trusted most told her to break it off, she does.Painfully.Regretfully.Selflessly.Now he’s the hottest rockstar in the world because of the songs that eviscerated her.Ty’s fully immersed in a life of excess and debauchery.Zoey doesn’t even recognize him as the man she loved more than anything in the world.Will Ty’s past come back to destroy Zoey?When circumstances throw them together eight years after breaking up, the fireworks are explosive, but their hearts are fragile.Can Ty and Zoey prove that true love is ENDLESS?
There Are No Saints
Sophie Lark - 2021
Until the night we both laid eyes on Mara Eldritch.Shaw wants to use her as a pawn in his twisted game.I’m fixated on her for a different reason…She makes me feel things I never thought I could feel. Want things I never wanted.Only she can make me lose control.I don’t know if I should protect her at all costs… or destroy her before she ruins me.Mara knows I’m no saint. But she has no idea she’s dancing with the devil…
The Lark Notes:
I have always been fascinated by true crime, as well as by villains and anti-heroes. A serial killer is, of course, the ultimate anti-hero — the baddest of the bad boys. Redeeming a character who starts so evil was a challenge that inspired me to entirely new heights and entirely new depths. Come on this darkly sensual and utterly brain-bending ride with me! — Sophie"There Are No Saints” is the first book in the Sinners Duet. Reader be warned: this is a dark and steamy serial killer romance that will take you on a journey through the twisted mind of an artist on the brink of madness.
Little Doll
Melissa Jane - 2014
What I would find was something belonging to nightmares.What I would lose would unknowingly become my fight for survival.An escape from the clutches of evil seemed almost an impossible task. Warring with Mexico’s leading cartel would only see me closer to my grave. Or worse, used as a bargaining chip to seal a sickening deal my brother had unwillingly played a part in. But then there was one man who ruled over me. A man who promised to destroy my world at every turn. Juan Florez. Taking on the notorious cartel son was a battle I was bound to lose.This series continues with:Book 2: Ruthless SonsBook 3: Savage KingBook 4: Wicked GamesThis book contains themes and situations some may find confronting.
The Hitman's Desire (The Silent Family #1)
T. Steele - 2020
What is bad, though, is the feelings I’m trying to hide toward John, my father’s personal assassin. With his brooding, bad boy aura and intense blue eyes, I know he could command anything from me and I would obey. His eyes, though sinister, say they want to touch me, to kiss me, to cross that line we know is forbidden. I feel drawn to him. His presence calls to me like a beacon. Even though my father took him in and molded him into what he is today—a merciless killer— my father will be even more merciless when it comes to his only heir. Nothing but a brutal and violent death will be waiting for John if my father ever finds out. But I don’t know if either of us are strong enough to stay away. (Disclaimer: this is a mature, new adult book with explicit sex scenes and violence. 18+ readers only.)
White Rabbit: The Rise
London Miller - 2018
When she crosses paths with a man whose smile is a little too cunning—and his power a little too vast—she learns very quickly that dancing with the devil is far more enjoyable than she had ever imagined. But Uilleam Runehart is not at all what he seems, and as a notorious fixer with a thirst for power, he’ll do anything to obtain his title. Ruthless. Sinful. Seductive. How much would you pay to be a king? From Romantic Suspense author, London Miller, comes the first book in a sexy, thrilling new series following a man with too much power and the only woman that can bring him to his knees.
Slave
Sherri Hayes - 2011
After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent's death. As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and mentor, Daren, leads him to buying a slave.Thrust into a situation he never thought he'd be in, Stephan can't walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how. Brianna knows only one thing: she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing. Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave?***This is book 1 of a 4 book series.***
A Million Dirty Secrets
C.L. Parker - 2013
Delaine Talbot has a secret. When a matter of life and death threatens to tear apart her family, Delaine makes the ultimate sacrifice. She auctions herself off at Chicago’s most exclusive erotic club. Now she belongs to Noah Crawford, a wealthy mogul who introduces her to a seductive feast of the senses, awakening desires she only dreamed about. Noah doesn’t know why Delaine sold her body for a cool two mil. But it’s the perfect business arrangement. The inexperienced beauty will learn to satisfy his every sensual need, yet never touch his heart. Almost immediately their relationship generates heat—in more ways than one. When they fight, they take no prisoners. When they love, they show no mercy. When they’re together, they never want to leave each other’s arms. But soon, their intense, physical bond will take an unexpected turn—evolving into something neither has bargained for: the promise of a lasting love.
River's End
Leanne Davis - 2014
After her mother’s suicide, Erin has no choice but to seek out her brother where he works as a ranch hand, as she is left penniless, homeless and for reasons she will share with no one; without the basic skills to navigate her life.However, no one distrusts her motives or dislikes her more than widower Jack Rydell.But unforeseen circumstances leave Erin nearly destitute on the ranch, and finally reveals the secret Erin has desperately hidden. And only then, does Jack finally begin to know the woman whose presence has so altered his life. Eventually, Erin finds a job, and starts to work with Jack and his horses in order to repay the debts she feels she owes him. But the longer Erin is there Jack begins to wonder if he can resist the woman he now knows, despite everything that stands between them.Binge read this contemporary, western romance series, full of hot cowboys and family entanglements that is based around the Rydell River Ranch brought to you by small-town romance author Leanne Davis…Recommended Reading Order for River's End Series:River's EndRiver's EscapeRiver's ReturnRiver RoadRiver on FireRiver's LostRiver of ChangeRiver's DestinyRiver's RescueRiver's WinterContinue with the Second Generation in The Rydell River Ranch Series:River in DarknessRiver in LightRiver in the MountainsRiver at the RanchRiver to the OceanRiver from the CityRiver Through the ValleyEach book is a standalone with a happily-ever after, but the journey getting there? Never easy and always epic! You’ll get to check in with beloved characters in this interconnected, standalone series.
Changing the Rules
Catherine Bybee - 2021
Armed with an impressive set of covert skills, she’s more than prepared to tackle any job that comes her way…except one involving Cooper Lockman.Cooper and Claire used to work together before his feelings for her sent him packing to Europe for six long years. But now he’s back and determined to ignore the still-smoldering heat that lingers between them.Their current mission: go undercover together at a California high school to root out the mastermind behind a prostitution ring targeting young girls. The closer they get to the truth and the closer they get to each other, however, the deadlier their task becomes. As Claire and Cooper risk their lives to bring down their target, will their hearts be the final casualties?
King
K.L. Donn - 2018
With brutality in his stare and a black heart beating in his chest, he doesn’t do love. He’s focused, driven, hard as they come…Until Lilith Riley.The girl who thinks she’s worthless. The girl ready to die by his blade. With a debt to be paid, an enemy on the rise, and his desires being tested, King is ready to bring his Queen to heel. When Lilith is taken, he’ll stop at nothing to bring her back and slay her demons. After discovering who their adversary is, a game of cat and mouse begins. Setting a trap, and discovering a spy in their midst, they’re all left wondering…Who’s next?