Book picks similar to
Necessary Cruelty by Ashley Gee
bully
romance
dnf
new-adult
See No Evil
Ivy Fox - 2020
They have been sentenced. All that remains is their execution.No one goes unpunished. We’ll make sure of it.We are The Society and all who dare cross us will find their miserable end by our hand.Don’t be fooled. This is not their story.It’s ours.FinnAs long as I can remember, I’ve played by the rules.On and off the football field, I’ve done everything that has been expected of me.Until that fatal night.Now my life and the lives of my best friends hang in the balance, hung there by a sadistic sinister shadow forcing us to do their will.And it’s just my damn luck that I’m the first to be put on their butcher’s block.I must prove my worth by eradicating a certain pebble in their shoe.The order is simple.To save ourselves, I must ruin another—a life for a life.Meaning Stone Bennett’s life is about to be forfeited in exchange for my own.The poor girl never stood a chance.StoneHe’s all American perfection.I’m the poster child for this country’s rejects.He’s old Asheville money and privilege.I’m the Southie eyesore people stay clear from.He’s caviar dreams and champagne wishes.I’m the trailer trash his momma probably warned him about.I doubt it can get any further away from the elitist’s social spectrum than the two of us.So why the hell is Finn Walker, Richfield’s football god, suddenly all in my face wanting my attention?Nothing good can come from this.I can feel it.*The Society is an Enemies to Lovers, New Adult College Romance.*Each book can be read as standalones. However all four books in this series have an entwined subplot, that will only be resolved in the final book.*Recommended 18+ due to mature language and situations.
Treacherous
Alex Grayson - 2019
It was supposed to be an amazing year—the perfect year. And it started out that way… until my mom remarried, and I found myself in a new town, at a new school, and living with quite possibly the most conniving person I had ever met. But my horrible stepbrother wasn’t even the worst part. It was his best friend. Zayden Michaels. Gorgeous. Unpredictable. Treacherous. The kind of guy who sends most sane people running in the opposite direction. He hated me from the first moment he saw me. He made it his mission to make sure I knew it too. I became the target—the bullied. Until suddenly I wasn’t anymore. But in a world of rumors, games, and deceit, you never really know who you can trust. Sometimes the best deceptions are the ones you never see coming.
Bad Boy Blues
Saffron A. Kent - 2019
In middle school, he spread false rumors about her. And in high school, he ruined her prom. She hates that his smirks are unfairly sexy. And she definitely loathes that his dark eyes seem to follow her everywhere. Sometimes, even in her dreams. It doesn’t matter that he’s rich and popular or that he lives in a freaking mansion full of butlers and maids. He’s rude and arrogant, and she wants to stay as far away from him as possible. But unfortunately for Cleo, she lives in the same freaking mansion as Zach. Only he’s the prince and she’s the lowly maid who serves him. #EnemiesToLovers #ZachAndCleo #AssholeAlpha #Angst #NewAdult
Cold and Broken
Nichole Greene - 2020
No one befriends her. Otherwise they risk the wrath of the Titans.”Moving her senior year of high school was not Lilith’s idea of a great plan. She would have much rather stayed with her best friend Zion for their final year of school. Her dad had different plans though; this new job was too good to pass up, and she knew she needed to go with him. Being thrown into a school of snobby rich kids, where she would even have to wear a uniform, seemed like an even worse idea. The icing on the cake, though, is Connor Volkov. He wants her gone and thinks siccing his friends Griffin, Levi, and Margaux on her will scare her off. But, if he wants her out of his life so badly, why does he keep butting into hers?When he first saw Lilith, Connor realized two things: one, he wanted her, and two, he wanted her gone. Making her life at school hell should be enough to make her and her dad get out of his house. The more time he spends with her though, the more his desire for Lilith and her company grows. Realizing he doesn’t want to be the bad guy anymore, Connor has to convince Lilith he’s worth taking a chance on. But, can he show her he’s a lot more than cold comments and hot, stolen kisses? Recommended for readers 18+ due to bullying elements, triggers, and sexual content.
Hated You Then
M. Robinson - 2019
Robinson. A coming of age, enemies to lovers, contemporary romance filled with angst and all the feels. I couldn’t remember a time before her... Harley Jameson. Before she owned me.Hated Me.Needed me.Before I hated her…Things were simple. We had an understanding. Bully. Fight. Hate. It’s what we did.Mind. Body. Soul. It’s how we loved.I thought nothing would ever change that, until everything did. She was mine. Always had been. Always would be. Nothing altered that.Not how much I hated her.Not how much she hated me. Especially, not how much I hated… That I LOVED her.
Savage Queen
Alley Ciz - 2021
James inside the gilded halls of my new school, but I’ll always be Savvy King at my core.Now Jasper Noble and his merry band of douchebags expect me to yield.That’s funny.They think they’re tough.Gods among men.I know they’re nothing but ordinary bullies.With threats coming from all sides, my adversaries will come to learn—I don’t bend the knee for false kings.
The Angels
Ruby Vincent - 2020
Nothing could unite the two factions until I set foot on campus.For the first time in our history, they all agree on one thing:I must pay for my father’s sins.But why should I care?The joke is on them because I have nothing left inside. No part of me that isn’t already broken. I invite them to do their worst.Until The Angels enter the game.The most dangerous gang in town has a score to settle with my family, and Cassius, Clay, Hiro, and Royal are here to collect.Raven River soon becomes a battleground of lies, deceit, and violence, and I stand at the heart of it.The gorgeous otherworldly Angels will remind me that there is one thing left that I care about… and they’ll destroy it in heavenly fire.
Beg for Mercy
L.A. Hart - 2019
The only problem is that Aric’s also a rich, arrogant, and gigantic prick. Nothing but filth and insults come out of his smirking mouth, constantly reminding me that poor, trailer park trash girls like myself don’t belong in his pretentious academy. Aric and his best friends all think they’re untouchable. But the cocky bastard is finally going down this year. I’ve hit the motherload of blackmail on the jerk, pun intended, and I can’t wait to give him exactly what he deserves. Aric Prince’s reign at the academy is coming to an end. Before I’m done with him, he’ll be on his knees, begging for mercy. WHILE BEG FOR MERCY IS A HIGH SCHOOL BULLY ROMANCE, IT CONTAINS DARK THEMES, EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT, AND GRAPHIC LANGUAGE THAT IS INTENDED FOR MATURE READERS.
Pretty Little Savage
Lucy Smoke - 2020
1: Don’t piss off the Sick BoysThey’re cruel. Reckless. Impossibly fucked up.The Sick Boys feed on the order they create. They rule Eastpoint University just as their families have for decades. But their power doesn’t stop there. The three of them are heirs to some of the largest fortunes in the world, and behind that kind of wealth lies an underworld of corruption.On the surface, they’re perfect princes and he is their King. But underneath it all, they’re filled with blood, lies, and secrets. With all of their connections, they have the power to crush anyone who gets in their way. But just because they’re as warped as I am doesn’t mean I’m going to give them a free pass.Because I, Avalon Manning, bow to no one, and I live to break the fucking rules.***This is a Dark MF New Adult Enemies to Lovers Romance.***
Kings of Westbrook High
Bethany Winters - 2020
Loyalty. Unconditional love..I've never seen anything like it."All it took was one bullet. One bullet put a dent in my plan to survive the vicious storm that is my father and flipped my entire world on its' axis.Dragged from the dumps of Sin City to the Palace of Westbrook, I find myself living in a strange new version of hell, surrounded by sexy bad boys, money and power.The Kingston brothers own this city and everyone in it. They seem to think they can rule me.Unfortunately for them, I don't follow rules.And my stepbrothers are about to find out just how far I'm willing to go to survive.He wants my body. He can take it. But he will never take my heart. Because you can't take what no longer exists. This is a full length dark high school romance with themes some readers might find offensive. Contains graphic language, dark triggers, drugs, violence and sex. It is book 1 of 3 in the Kingston Brothers series but can be read as a complete standalone.
Dishonorable
Natasha Knight - 2017
My grandfather knew him well, though, and he quickly conceded. That restitution? Me.Six months later, on my eighteenth birthday, Raphael came to claim me. He stole me from my home, taking me to his Tuscan estate, where from the crumbling chapel to the destroyed vineyard to that dark cellar, the past stalked him like a shadow. Even the walls held secrets here and I’d need to uncover them all to survive.Because taking me was only the beginning of his plan. RaphaelSofia was the sacrifice to pay for her grandfather’s sins. She accused me of being the devil. And she’s right. But the truth was, he betrayed her. And when the time came to promise to love, cherish, and obey she spoke the words that would seal her fate.I do.We have a common enemy, though, my unwilling bride and I. But even the devil protects what’s his. And she’s mine.She just doesn’t yet know how much protecting she needs.
Treachery
Lily White - 2020
A man with a seductive smirk and a body built for pure sin. The linchpin of a group of wealthy bad boys known as the Inferno.A dark presence that repels as much as he attracts, Tanner is the poisoned apple I want to bite even when I know it will destroy me.Our story started in college, but I ran from him so far I believed I was safe.I should have known he’d find me eventually.I should have known that nobody escapes.He has me in his sights again with an offer I can’t pass up.I know better than to make a deal with the Devil. Not unless I’m willing to pay his sensual price…***Each novel in the series depicts a unique romance, but the plots through each book connect in one world. For the best experience, read the series in order.Nine Ruthless Men. Nine Unrepentant Sinners. Nine Irresistible Manipulators.
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.
Lords of Pain
Angel Lawson - 2021
In high school, they knew my secrets and I knew theirs. They had power and I had nothing. The night everything fell apart, my stepbrother allowed his two best friends to take their rage out on me while he watched. While they laughed.But what happened that night wasn’t my biggest secret. So I ran, planning on never coming back.Three years later I’m standing on their doorstep like a stray. They’re more powerful than ever now, having risen to the rank of Lords at Forsyth University. But I’m still on the run and there's another monster chasing me down.What could bring me back into their lives, their homes, and ultimately, their beds?Fear.Shame.Desperation.Killian, Rath, and Tristian aren’t the only ones who want me. There’s someone far more dangerous out there who's been stalking me since I left town the first time. Someone who makes the evil I know feel less dangerous than the evil I don’t.But being their Lady is more than just fancy clothes and reputation.I might be under their protection, but I’m also at their mercy.And there's nothing a Lord loves more than taking control.