Book picks similar to
Captured Light by Raya Morris Edwards
mafia
romance
age-gap
spicy
The Italian
T.L. Swan - 2019
Travel the world. And fall hopelessly in love. I aimed to do all three. I went to Italy to find myself. But he found me. It was like a story book, our eyes met across a crowded room. He asked me if I needed help reading the menu. We ate, we laughed, we danced, and I fell. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan, and we parted ways. Two years later, our eyes meet across a room again. Only this time I was on a date with another man. He went crazy in a jealous fit. But the man I met then is different now. He’s colder, harder, and officially one of the most powerful men in Italy. Dare I say it, even more enticing. But if you dance with the devil, you get burnt. And the fires in Italy are scalding hot.
Because You're Mine
Claire Contreras - 2018
They're the ones with experience. The ones with secrets. The ones that exude sex just by saying your name.From the minute I laid eyes on Lorenzo, I knew he wasn't just bad news. He was the headline.My opinion didn't change on our second meeting. Or our third. But my head and my heart are at war. He’s too mysterious, too gorgeous, too wild, and now, he wants me. I should run far away. So why am I racing toward him? I’m totally going to get burned. I know it. A man like Lorenzo won’t leave me unscathed.He'll make ashes of me.
Binding Rose
Ivy Fox - 2022
And in most cases, you would be correct in that assumption.But not for me.A cartel princess has no vote on who she can or cannot marry—much less love.Any decision in my life was forfeited just by being born into the most powerful Mexican cartel there is.Still, it does sting that I’m to be hand-delivered to the Irish mob and marry into the Kelly family, who my own brother has coined to be nothing more than bloodthirsty savages.They’re animals, Rosa. Filthy, unscrupulous, vicious animals.Those were his exact words, yet he still followed our father’s orders to walk me down the aisle, making sure I didn’t run from my obligation.As if that was even an option.All my choices were stolen away from me the minute I became another pawn to be used and abused at the hands of evil men.Which leaves me to question…Can a rose blossom in the dark?Or will I have to rely on my thorns to protect me against the fate that’s been bestowed upon me?Only time will tell if I’ll survive this cursed life or become another lost soul in these cruel and merciless Mafia Wars.*Binding Rose is a full-length reverse harem novel in the dark and twisted Mafia Wars world.*Recommended 18+ due to mature language, adult situations and sensitive content.
Inevitable
Kristen Granata - 2021
Her feisty attitude and caring heart kept me there. Her pain called out to mine and out souls entwined. Now I’m in so deep, I don’t know which way is up.If my father finds out, we’ll be next on his list.I’ll do anything in my power to protect her, but how can I keep her safe when I’m the one I need to keep her safe from?Eva doesn’t know it yet, but she’s playing the part of Juliet in this twisted tragedy.And our final act is inevitable.
Little Bird
Ria Wilde - 2021
Lex Wren Valentine.My sweet Little Bird.I had no right dragging her into my world of violence and bloodshed, but I did it anyway.I am the King, sitting on a throne of chaos.She was supposed to be the enemy, a means to an end but she became much more than that.In this life, you take what you want and strike down those who oppose you.She is mine.And I'll paint these streets red if anyone dares to take her.Little Bird is Book 1 in the Twisted City Duet.If you like dark, dirty and suspenseful romance, this one's for you!Warning!This is a dark romance and contains themes common in dark romances including, kidnap, violence, drug and alcohol use, sexual content and strong language. It is not recommended for readers under the age of 18.
Hate
Tate James - 2020
I wasn’t dead. But I was set up.After being charged with a string of offences--and made an example of by my political minded father--I’m eventually released back into Shadow Grove with one thing on my mind.Hate.Someone is going to pay for derailing my carefully laid out future. Someone is going to catch the full force of my hate. How very convenient that someone just moved into the bedroom down the hall from me.Archer D’Ath and his boys messed with the wrong chick and they’re about to learn just how cold Madison Kate’s hate can run.HATE is a full length mature college/new adult romance with enemies-to-lovers/love-hate themes. This is a reverse harem novel, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. This is book one of four in the series.
The Bloody Bride
Bree Porter - 2020
Sophia always knew her marriage would be arranged and out of her hands, but when her husband-to-be is nonother than the notorious Alessandro 'The Godless' Rocchetti, prince of the Rocchetti family and Capo of Chicago Outfit, she finds herself falling into a nightmare. The arranged marriage begins bloody and the violence does not end on their wedding day. Sophia is forced to navigate her new family, her grief, and the brutal world she knows. As well as dealing with her dangerous yet intriguing husband. Secrets and threats surround her from the Feds and criminal world alike. Including the strange occurrences surrounding her sister's death… UPDATE: The Bloody Bride has been professionally edited as of the 12th of July 2020. Thank you to Sheri at LightHandProofreading.
Twisted Love
Ana Huang - 2021
Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape. Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart. But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:A crack.A melt.A fire that could end his world as he knew it.***Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want. Her brother’s best friend. Her neighbor.Her savior and her downfall.Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.
Twisted Love is a brother’s best friend/opposites attract romance with a hint of suspense. It's book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.WARNING: This book contains a possessive, morally gray alphahole; explicit sexual content, and profanity. No cheating or menage, but if you're looking for a traditionally sweet, loveable hero, this is not the book for you. Recommended for 18+.
Bad
L.P. Lovell - 2017
And she and I are both villains… I stole her from her precious cartel, and now she's my pretty little pawn. She should fear me, but she doesn't. I'll have to teach her… I put a gun to her head and she holds a knife to my throat. Round and round we go, inviting the sickness that consumes us both. We play our twisted game with sweet threats and cruel promises, neither backing down. I crave her madness in the most depraved ways. Only a woman as ruthless as Camilla could ever make me weak, and she'd love to watch me crumble. Two very bad people who want very bad things are never safe together. Some love stories have no heroes.
The Ritual
Shantel Tessier - 2021
You vow. We vow.Barrington University is home of the Lords, a secret society that requires their blood in payment. They are above all—the most powerful men in the world. They devote their lives to violence in exchange for power. And during their senior year, they are offered a chosen one.People think growing up with money is freeing, but I promise you, it’s not. My entire life has been planned out for me. I never got the chance to do what I wanted until Ryat Alexander Archer came along and gave me an option for a better life. He offered me what no one else ever had—freedom.I chose to be his. He made me believe that anyway, but it was just another lie. A way that the Lords manipulate you into doing what they want.After being sucked into the dark, twisted world of the Lords, I embraced my new role and allowed Ryat to parade me around like the trophy I was to him. But like all things, what started out as a game soon became a fight for survival. And the only way out was death.Things to know about The RitualIt is MFTRIGGER WARNINGS (Please see the author's note on the inside)J/P & OTT Hero (jealous/possessive & over the top)This is a 150K word dark romance and may contain triggers for some due to sexual situations, language, and violence.
Bought
Lauren Landish - 2016
I trust no one. I thrive with control and I’ve learned to be ruthless and coldhearted. A love life? I’m not interested.But I still have desires.That’s where Dahlia came in; my treasure. She had never been a submissive before and I was eager to train her.The dusting of sparkles on her dress barely hid her tempting curves. I wanted to see all of her. My d*ck was already hard at the thought of my hand leaving a bright red print across her lush ass.When I saw her on stage at the auction, dressed in gold, I knew I had to have her.She’s mine for an entire month. I own her. But one lie changed everything.She’s going to be punished for it. But I’m doing this for her own good. She needs this.I’m going to make this right. I’m going to heal her.If it’s the last thing I do.
*Bought is a full-length standalone romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.
Desperate Measures
Katee Robert
All because of him. Jafar. As my world burned down around me, he offered me a choice. Walk away with nothing but my freedom… Or rise to his challenge and win my fortune back. I bargained. I lost. Now Jafar owns me, and even as my mind rails against his rules, my body loves the punishments he deals out when I break them. But a gilded cage is still a prison, I’ll do anything to obtain my freedom. Even betray the man I’m falling for.
King of Corium
C. Hallman - 2021
Assassins, mafia leaders, arms dealers and art thieves.You name it, this college houses them.Here nothing can touch them.Upon arriving I knew Aspen would be here, she was the daughter of our enemy, a snake in the grass like her father. I had no intention of sparring with her. That is until she opened her pretty little mouth. One sentence and she became my next target, and a woman that I would do anything to see on her knees at my feet.If she thought the university was the only nightmare she would have to face, she was wrong.I was the king, and this was my kingdom.**King of Corium is a dark romance novel, that contains dark themes, including dub-con, non-con. It is not a standalone novel.**
The Kiss Thief
L.J. Shen - 2019
Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky. They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred. Mine were broken before we left church. They say your heart only beats for one man. Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end. I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit. Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage. They say that all great love stories have a happy ending. I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter. One kiss. Two men. Three lives. Entwined together. And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.
Carnage
Sarah Bailey - 2021
A girl. Scarlett.She was one of us until she was ripped away from her life. The only trace of her was dust in the wind.One day she returned to the city and sought us out. Scarlett couldn’t remember who we’d been to her, but we recalled her all too well.If she knew what was good for her, she would have never come back. The moment she stepped through the doors of Fortuity, it was the beginning of her end. And the start of our reign over the girl who wanted us dead.A dark reverse harem contemporary retelling of the four horsemen of the apocalypse set in Sarah Bailey's Dark Universe with cliffhangers and a HEA in the final book.This is a DARK romance and therefore comes with a content warning. Please see the author's website for full details.