Book picks similar to
The Pawn and The Puppet by Brandi Elise Szeker
romance
dark-romance
booktok
fantasy
Deceived
Sarah Bailey - 2020
One of me. Who will give in first?It started when they stole me from my life. The daughter of a crime lord who ruled with an iron fist. The heir to a family of blood and ruin.They left only a whisper of a name in the air. Il Diavolo. A man whose reputation preceded him. Ruthless. Merciless. Cunning.The one they called the Devil. He was as beautiful as he was terrifying. Except I wasn't scared of him or his three friends. They might want to use me in their quest for revenge, but they picked the wrong girl. Or maybe I was the right one and none of us knew it quite yet.Our connection is undeniable. Our fates are entwined. But loyalty and lies keep us all locked in a battle of wills and denial.There’s only one thing I know for certain in this fight between the five of us. Secrets always catch up with you in the end. And my secrets were the worst ones of all.A dark reverse harem series 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 authors website for full details.
The River of Silver: Tales from the Daevabad Trilogy
S.A. Chakraborty - 2022
Chakraborty’s acclaimed Daevabad Trilogy gets expanded with this new compilation of stories from before, during, and after the events of The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, and The Empire of Gold, all from the perspective of characters both beloved and hated, and even those without a voice in the novels. The River of Silver gathers material both seen and new—including a special coda fans will need to read—making this the perfect complement to those incredible novels.A prospective new queen joins a court whose lethal history may overwhelm her own political savvy…An imprisoned royal from a fallen dynasty and a young woman wrenched from her home cross paths in an enchanted garden…A pair of scouts stumble upon a secret in a cursed winter wood that will turn over their world…Now together in one place, these stories of Daevabad enrich a world already teeming with magic and wonder. From Manizheh’s first steps towards rebellion to adventures that take place after The Empire of Gold, this is a must-have collection for those who can’t get enough of Nahri, Ali, and Dara and all that unfolded around them.
The It Girl
Ruth WareRuth Ware
April Coutts-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford. Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead. Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.
Elemental Claim
Miranda Grant - 2017
If she doesn’t confess all, her kidnapper will pull the water out of her blood and into her lungs. Dragged into a reality where monsters and gods exist and mercy is nowhere to be found, how can she possibly survive long enough to save her sister? Because there’s only one thing she knows for certain anymore: Liz is innocent. And she’ll do everything she can to prove it.He’ll see her imprisoned for life or dead at his feet.Tasked with bringing in a forbidden child of the gods, Rogan never expected this job to be easy. But finding out she’s his lifemate, the literal other half of his soul, has just made his mission a hel of a lot harder. For now he has to make a choice:Use his lifemate as bait.Or damn the worlds to Niflhel.
Our Thing: The Ballerina & The Butcher Boy Complete Duet
Nicci Harris - 2021
The first is to be the youngest leading ballerina in her academy. She will need unwavering dedication. No time for men. Unfortunately, her heart didn't get the memo, because her second secret want. . . is Max Butcher.
Max Butcher's scowl is notorious.
He has a dark intimidating presence, hinting at a life lived hard and fierce. He is a man of few words, but his actions cut straight to the point.To him, Cassidy is a
silly little girl.
But one he can't keep his hands off.
His world is going to intoxicate her. The dangerous men that he calls family will want to use her, tutu and all.But she is his now.It's an eye for an eye where he comes from, and he's willing to blind the whole damn lot of them.
For her, he'll start a damn war.
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Our Thing - The Ballerina & The Butcher can be read without book one and has a happily ever after. . . for these two at least. This book features a powerful and moody hero and an endearing and determined heroine. Both main characters are possessive and fight for each other. It is a love story first. Word steam second. Violence, gore, and drama, third.
Enjoy.
Just Like Magic
Sarah Hogle
Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury, flaunting a ridiculous collection of designer shoes and a stealthy addiction to CBD oils. That is, until her parents snipped her purse strings. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media. But the reality is: Bettie is broke and squatting in Colorado, and her family has no idea. Christmas, with its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when a drunk Bettie plays a vinyl record of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” backwards and accidentally conjures Hall, an unexpectedly charming Holiday Spirit in the form of a man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé. But as the wiles of magic lose their charm, Bettie finds herself set off-kilter by Hall’s sweet gestures. Suddenly, Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hall’s time on earth grows. Can Bettie channel the Christmas spirit and learn to live with goodwill toward all men? Or will her selfish ways come back as soon as the holidays are over?
The Kaiju Preservation Society
John Scalzi - 2022
That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls "an animal rights organization." Tom's team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble.It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society that's found its way to the alternate world. Others have, too--and their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.
The Magic of Discovery
Britt Andrews - 2020
Running my own magic shop and making a living off my green witchcraft, I have no complaints. Sure, there’s my ex, who never understood the word ‘no’, but there’s also the lovable and eccentric townspeople who feel more like one huge extended family, and let’s not forget my boy-crazed Gran who keeps us all on our toes....But something has apparently been missing, and the stars take it upon themselves to correct the problem, dropping four sexy men at my door. Well, not literally. They move into the apartment above my shop, so I’m their landlord. Drawn in by these mages who blew into town on a work assignment, a whole different kind of magic starts to grow between us, but my powers are doing things they shouldn’t, and there’s also a pesky prophecy to unravel.Strange, unnatural things are brewing in Emerald Lakes, and I can’t ignore the sinking suspicion that something life-changing is headed my way.Discovering a whole new world of magic, I can only hope I don’t lose myself in the madness.This is a full-length romance novel. There is MM content. It ends on a cliffhanger and contains brief references to domestic violence and other themes that readers may find triggering.
Marked
Charisse Spiers - 2015
That there was something dark brewing inside of me from a pretty young age. My life was anything but easy in the beginning. I was angry. I was lonely. With a neglectful mother that cared more about men and booze than me, I learned quickly how to take care of myself. Then, at eight-years-old, my luck changed.My savior showed up.Lies unfolded. Secrets were revealed. I discovered I was just a pawn in her game. Something I desperately wanted but never thought I’d have came looking for me. And in a fleeting moment, everything that caused me pain was gone. I never looked back. The place I once knew as home became a temporary purgatory to a good life. He raised me. He loved me. He gave me a life most only dream of. And he protected my innocence for as long as he could. But he never lied to me like she did.One day everything came to the light. Who he was. What he does. And why he chose to take lives for a living. Murder for hire. Living from hit to hit. It wasn’t a need. It was an obligation. A form of restitution for those that found our justice system fell short. And even though I ended up on the right side of the law, I never looked at him any different. I would have killed for him.But then that time came. A choice was to be made. In that moment it came easy. He once chose me. I choose him. His only heir to the empire he built. A businessman by day. A monster at night. Folklore tells you a reaper is ugly, but some of the scariest creatures hide in plain sight. I was untouchable. Then I met her. The rules tell me she’s a loose end. I’m locked and loaded on her. Question is—Can I pull the trigger?
Obsession
Cassie Hargrove - 2021
We are the ones who ultimately decide whether you live or die, so be careful what sins you commit.We’re the Deadly Seven, the rejects of this town and we represent death to anyone who crosses a line we deem unacceptable.When she shows up in our town like some innocent avenging Angel, we don’t know what to think…so we watch. And the more we watch, the more obsessed we become.***I’ve been on the run for the past four years. My Dad has done everything in his power to keep me hidden from the man who wants to destroy me, but you can only run for so long before you have to stop.Officially in Witness Protection, this is supposed to be my chance to finally have a normal life…but nothing is ever foolproof.If you think it is, you’re naive.I know I’m being watched. I can feel eyes on me every second of every day. I don’t think I’m as safe here as they want us to believe…*This is book 1 in a 4 book series that must be read in order.***Dark Romance with stalking, non/con, dub/con and much much more. Read TW before attempting to read this series!*****This is a reverse harem romance where the main character ends up with 3+ men. In this case, 7. If that isn't your thing then this series is not the right one for you. This book will also contain M/M scenes.***
Credence
Penelope DouglasPenelope Douglas - 2020
The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. Shipped off to boarding schools from an early age, it was still impossible to escape the loneliness and carve out a life of her own. The shadow of her parents’ fame followed her everywhere.And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she?Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of eighteen. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan soon learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore. As the three of them take her under their wing, teach her to work and survive in the remote woods far away from the rest of the world, she slowly finds her place among them.And as a part of them.She also realizes that lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching.One of them has her.The other one wants her.But he…He’s going to keep her.*Credence is a new adult standalone novel suitable for readers 18+.
Mafia Mistress
Mila Finelli - 2021
Not many have the courage for what needs to be done to maintain power . . .but I do.And I always get what I want—including my son's fiancée.She's mine now, and I'll use Francesca any way I see fit. She's the perfect match to my twisted desires, and I'll keep her close, ready and waiting at my disposal.Even if she fights me at every turn.FRANCESCAI was stolen away and held prisoner in Italy, a bride for a mafia king's only heir.Except I'm no innocent, and it's the king himself—the man called il Diavolo—who appeals to me in sinful ways I never dreamed. Fausto's wickedness draws me in, his power like a drug.And when the devil decides he wants me, I'm helpless to resist him—even if it means giving myself to him, body and soul.He may think he can control me, but this king is about to find out who's really the boss.MAFIA MISTRESS is a full-length mafia romance written by a USA Today Bestselling author. It's the first book in the Italian Kings duet, **not** a standalone.
Fallen Empire
K.A. Tucker - 2021
Tucker comes the thrilling conclusion to the dark and sexy Empire Nightclub series.Mercy Wheeler and Gabriel Easton’s sordid tale ends in Fallen Empire as Gabriel must save Mercy and escape his father’s grip once and for all.Fallen Empire is the fourth book in the Empire Nightclub series and should be read after Sweet Mercy, Gabriel Fallen, and Dirty Empire.
Queen of Madness
Lee Jacquot - 2022
The inherent need to protect them can become overwhelming and all consuming. It makes us think irrationally and do stupid things. In my case, falling down a rabbit hole.My sister made a mistake. One that put us in debt with the Italian mob who owns half the state, and as payment they’ve enlisted me to work for them. Only it isn’t them I’ll be working for. It’s for her. Onyx Embros. She’s a ghost, a legend, the head of their rival mafia family, and the queen of Wonderland. In order to save my family, I have to act as her guard so they can find a way to kill her. But the longer I stay, the more I realize Onyx isn’t who I thought she was, and neither am I.Turns out, I’m just as mad.A Bodyguard Mafia Romance
Lady of Darkness
Melissa K. Roehrich - 2021
They are the most feared trio on the continent, but they are also wild and unpredictable. A tragic night has Scarlett finding herself locked away in a noble's household, trapped and forgotten, until she's ready to fall into line.A CHOICE.Until the day she is presented with a job. If she completes the assignment, her payment will be something she has coveted for ten years. Revenge against the Fae Fire Prince who brutally killed her mother ten years ago. Is she willing to sacrifice her ideals for retribution?A MYSTERY.But when children begin disappearing from her home, all her plans are put on hold as she races to save the most innocent. With the help of old friends, a jilted lover, and a mysterious newcomer who claims the magic of the Fae is possible in the mortal lands, Scarlett delves into the darkest corners of the world. Forgotten secrets will come to light, and she will discover the darkness extends far beyond her own kingdom.Lady of Darkness is a new adult, fantasy, enemies-to-lovers romance and adventure novel that will appeal to lovers of possessive Fae, wicked Witches, sexy Shifters, and arrogant Vampires. It may have triggers of love-hate themes, sexual scenes (both consensual and non), violence, and jealous/possessive themes.