Book picks similar to
Playing With Knives by A.J. Merlin
reverse-harem
rh
dark
standalone
Good Girl
Sam Hall - 2021
So that's what I'm doing, attending soirees and parties with the glittering elite, looking for the man that will complete me.Then I meet him.Orion Ratcliffe, heir to Ratcliffe Industries and all around bad boy, we're shoved together by his parents in the hope of a match.But what he wants is something else altogether.He has three mates, some of the biggest, baddest men in town, each more beautiful than the next. The last thing he needs is another, more socially acceptable partner. So in exchange for my help in deflecting his parents' attentions, he'll Bridgerton the situation, squiring me about town, drawing other men's eyes, helping me find The One.So why is it their gaze I feel on me the most, tracking my every movement? All in the name of protection, of course.Society wants me to be a good girl. They don't want another mate.But fate? She has completely different ideas about our futures.
Lilac
B.B. Reid - 2020
Or so the world keeps telling me. Every so often, gods walk the earth. This time they came as musicians. When Bound loses its lead guitarist, yours truly is chosen to fill his shoes. From dive bars to the big stage, my instant claim to fame is nothing short of a fairytale. The only problem? My new bandmates. Jaded, gorgeous, and ridiculously talented--they're determined to turn my dream into a nightmare. It's no secret I wasn't their first choice. I wasn't even their last. The label wants a new image, Bound wants me gone, but I've got my own agenda.To succeed I have to survive a world tour, public scrutiny, and idols turned enemies. But the biggest threat of all isn't a meticulous front man, a narcissistic bassist, and a drummer with too many secrets. It's me. Somehow, I must resist the temptation of Houston Morrow, Loren James, and Jericho Noble. It seemed easy enough when I boarded their tour bus, but it only took one city for the lines we'd drawn to blur. Only ninety-nine more to go.Lilac is a reverse harem and standalone suitable for ages 18+.
Vines
Brynne Asher - 2016
When the opportunity arose, she settled in horse and wine country. Experiencing more than her fair share of tragedy and loss, she had plans for her future, one where failure wasn’t an option. And not just because people and cows were counting on her. She’d poured everything she had into her struggling vineyard, because once she’s in, she’s all in. After giving himself wholly to the job for ten years, Crew Vega was done. He’d fulfilled his commitment, done his duty, gone above and beyond to settle the score. And the score was high. All he had to do was train his replacements and he’d be out for good. He had a plan, one that didn’t include getting involved with his new neighbor, a woman who not only kept cows for pets, but treasured her employees as family, and understood him better than anyone ever had before. But when he learned a high level CIA target being investigated for treason was keeping tabs on her? No, he never planned on that. And like everything Crew Vega did in life, when he goes in, he’s all in. Warning: I’m a devout member of the mama club and don’t want to get kicked out by angry mamas. If you aren’t eighteen, turn around, go drink your milk and eat your veggies, it’s good for your bones. And go to bed early, you’re still growing, your body needs sleep. And don’t text and drive. And be nice, sit with the kid who sits alone at lunch. And read a PG-13 book, it’s good for your brain. And go tell your mama you love her. Chop-chop, run along now. I’ll see you back when you’re eligible to vote.
Hard Truths
Rebecca Royce - 2018
I had plans, big plans. I had my pretty little life outlined: Graduate school and get a job in social work—maybe even one day marry a nice man who actually knew what he was doing in bed. But everything changed when I woke up in a strange place with five men who insisted I call them D, W, J, K, and T. The Letters. They told me that the world wasn’t what it seemed. I lived my life thinking that I was in control of my own destiny, but in actuality they controlled everything. The world was their playground and I was just another ant, marching in line to the beat of their drum. The Letters kidnapped me to force my father’s hand, and they couldn’t promise me safe passage. I knew my place in all of this but still found myself losing who I was to their games. I’m Everly Marrs, and I’ll save myself if I have to.
Uppercut Princess
E.M. Moore - 2020
The thing that drives me.It’s also what brings me to Rawley Heights. No one would willingly come here otherwise. But me? I don’t have a choice.Here, everyone fears the Heights Crew. They’re not just some small-town gang, they’re the real deal. Crime. Sex. Murder. Angry, self-obsessed dudes with bad attitudes.And they’re exactly who I need to get my vengeance from.I have my work cut out for me—especially where Bat, Brawler, and Magnum are concerned—but don’t worry, they have no idea who they’re dealing with.I’m counting on it.
Nocturnes & Nightmares
Keri Lake - 2019
Two found dead, bearing the signature marks of a brutal serial killer. With the kind of tragedy that mars Nola Tensley’s past, she should be concerned, but without a pot to piss in, all the struggling single mom cares about is making a normal life for her son. After all, she’s clearly not the murderer’s type.Or is she?When Rhett Voss, an enigmatic and handsome stranger, answers her ad for the outdated in-law suite at the back of her property, offering double her asking price, Nola really can’t refuse. Even though the supposed Wall Street Wolf seems better suited for a high-rise downtown—a suspicion that quickly turns into hindsight once she submits to the flirtations of her charming new tenant, and consequently, unearths a series of disturbing revelations.Her curiosities lead her down the path of a madman, whose moniker, The Sandman, only hints at the grisly nature of his crimes. He’s smart. Evasive. A cunning psychopath with a twisted method of disposing his victims.And his hunting grounds are hitting too close to home.Author note: This book contains scenes of graphic sex and violence that some readers may find disturbing.
Sinners' Playground
Caroline Peckham - 2020
Because it sure as hell wasn’t for the surf. But what else was I supposed to do when I found myself in Sunset Cove with twenty bucks to my name, the key to my enemies’ secrets hanging around my neck and a mouth full of grave dirt that wouldn’t wash clean?I hate the Harlequin boys.But this is the perfect opportunity to take what they owe me. Because once upon a time, they broke my heart, stole my life and sent me away from everything I’d ever known.Fox, JJ, Chase and Maverick.The four names tattooed onto my heart more permanently than any of the ink on my skin. They don’t just live in this town anymore, they rule it. And the view here may be beautiful, but the sun, sea and sand hide dark secrets.The gangs.The lies.The violence.It all lurks beneath a veil so thin that once you’ve seen through it, you can never close your eyes to the truth again.But I don’t plan on closing my eyes. I have four devils set in my sights. And this dead girl no longer has anything to lose.This is an enemies to lovers contemporary series where the girl will end up with multiple love interests and all of the characters are in their late twenties. Trigger warning: this series features gangs, violence, dark romance and jealous/possessive themes.
Cute but Psycho
Beatrix Hollow - 2021
Just ask my amazing therapist. He's my soulmate and a vampiric serial killer. There's no one I'd rather stalk more.Except no more late night slinking for me. I'm in The Asylum, committed as a danger to myself and others. They tell me I'm delusional, which they aren't wrong...except about what.See, this place is made for supernaturals too dangerous to let roam free. The doctors, the staff, the family members that helped put us here are all in on it, trying to convince us magic is just another delusion. They plan to keep us here forever--sedated and docile.Aren't we all just perfect test subjects for inhumane experiments? Well, the doctors think so at least.Yeah... it's time to bust out of the loony bin. Unfortunately for our zookeepers we're the most dangerous supernaturals there are and we haven't been taking our medicine.A genetically modified super alpha wolf monster. An ultra rare basilisk, so poisonous he can't leave any skin exposed. My dreamy serial killing vampire therapist.Oh, and me. A genetic marvel, one of the few dhamphyr to ever exist and probably, just a little... more crazy than most.Nighty, night Asylum. Don't let the nightmares bite.Author Note: Full-length STANDALONE! This is a why choose/reverse harem dark paranormal romance where the female lead does not need to choose between her three male love interests. There are m/m scenes.Content warnings/tropes & other details: Breathplay/Edgeplay, Erotic, Asphyxiation, Blood play, Period/Menstrual Sex, Graphic violence/gore, Knife, violence, Death/murder, Dub-con and forced submission, primal play, knotting/vibration, DVP, DP, Domination/submission, consuming bodily fluids (blood, menstruation, c*m), spitting, masks, three-ways, four-way, anal, mm, mmf, rough oral, squirting
All Hail
J. Bree - 2020
I’ve always known what I wanted but now I’m not so sure.But the criminal underworld of Mounts Bay never sleeps and with new players on the board there’s all new threats and the stakes have never been higher.But one thing is for sure.I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees.
Two Tricks
Elizabeth Knight - 2021
Period. The end.No. No, you don’t get to ask why. Tricks runs the West Coast smuggling ring, so if you want anything to come and go, you play by the rules. You don’t like it? Well, then you’re gonna get a visit from me.Who am I? I’m Dax, his enforcer, and don’t let my height or the pink hair fool you. I’ll take your ass down.Now, can someone explain to me why the hell the Phantom Saints MC gang sent someone to try and talk me into getting Tricks to work with them? Or maybe how those same assholes ended up kidnapping me?You can bet your ass, as soon as I get the chance, I will make them regret ever having me as a ‘house guest’, even if they are sexy as sin. No one uses me and gets away with it!
Stepbrothers' Darling
K.A. Knight - 2021
I never thought I would end up here, moving halfway across the country on my mother's whim, and then I meet them… My new stepbrothers. Cyrus, Bray, Asher. Sin incarnate, dangerous, dark and deadly. Everything I crave in a man, but they are off-limits and they make that perfectly clear. However, when my past comes back with a bang, the rules begin to mean nothing and lines start to blur. The only way we will survive this is together. They are my Crew and I’m about to be their Darling. Screw what people think, I’m going to make them mine. *This book contains dark elements which some readers may find triggering. All characters in this story are over eighteen and all sexual interactions are fully consensual.*
Spiteful Punks
Madeline Fay - 2021
That’s what I did—I ran away without once looking back. People say starting over is the best way for a new beginning, but that’s far from the truth if you end up back where you began. Sometimes life likes to throw lemons at you really hard until there’s nothing left to do but make lemonade. I’ve known pain, but not the kind that messes with my heart. That is until Logan, Dalton, Trey, and Nicholas came into my life without a warning label. I’m not prepared, and I’m afraid after fighting since day one...they might just be the reason I finally break. *A dark, reverse harem bully romance, with lots of triggers warnings and a slap of taboo.
In to Her
J.A. Huss - 2019
Doesn't matter.Yvette Nightingale has something we need. We were not meant to be soul mates. We were not meant to be lovers, or friends, or partners looking for answers.We were just going to use her up, throw her away, and leave her behind.But we made a mistake. We fell for her. We fell for the way our bodies move as one and the way we come together at night. We fell for her smile, and her eyes, and the soft moans spilling past her lips when we take her together.We're in to her.But will she be in to us once she learns the truth?A thrilling, sexy trip into the mysterious world of ménage.
Best Laid Plans
Stylo Fantome - 2015
Together, they'll learn that sometimes even the best laid plans can fail.If this NOVEL were a MOVIE, it would have an R rating from the MPAA. Contains: Violence, Grisly Images, Strong Language, Nudity, and Graphic Sexual Content
A Lesson in Thorns
Sierra Simone - 2019
It should be easy enough—keep her head down while she works in the house’s crumbling private library and while she hunts down any information as to why this remote manor tucked into the fog-shrouded moors would be the last place her mother was seen alive. But Thornchapel has other plans for her... As Poe begins uncovering the house’s secrets, both new and old, she’s also pulled into the seductive, elegant world of Auden and his friends—and drawn to Auden’s worst enemy, the beautiful and brooding St. Sebastian. And as Thornchapel slowly tightens its coil of truths and lies around them, Poe, Auden and St. Sebastian start unravelling into filthy, holy pleasure and pain. Together, they awaken a fate that will either anoint them or leave them in ashes… *** From the author of the USA Today bestselling New Camelot series comes an original fairy tale full of ancient mysteries, lantern-lit rituals, jealousy, money, murder, sacred torment, and obsessions that last for lifetimes... ***A Lesson in Thorns is the first of four books in the Thornchapel series.***