Book picks similar to
The Pawn and The Puppet by Brandi Elise Szeker
romance
dark-romance
booktok
dark
Savage Empire
Bri Blackwood - 2021
Themes in this dark and sexy series may not be suitable for all readers. Anais and Damien’s story continues in Scarred Empire and the trilogy concludes with Steel Empire.
Ruin
Jolie Vines - 2022
He wanted to ruin me.It was the blood I noticed first. Running down the neck of the man on the ferry.Then his bruised knuckles, dark eyes, and arrogant smirk.The handcuffs came last.No one else paid him attention, but I couldn’t look away. Or deny my instant lust. I had no idea he was being imprisoned on the remote, dark Scottish island I knew well. Or that he’d been kidnapped, not arrested.I went from that naïve girl on the boat, dreaming of stolen kisses, to the one who held the key to his prison cell.When heat turns to hate, all that’s left is ruin. --Ruin (Dark Island Scots, #1) is a new adult romance with dark themes, including angst, lust-to-hate-to-love, and lost innocence. This series will be deeply interconnected, so expect the occasional wicked cliffhanger (and McRae cameo). It'll be well worth the heart palpitations.Lose yourself in Ruin.
Hot Vampire Next Door: Season One
Nikki St. Crowe - 2021
"Look at me when I touch you."It's near impossible to ignore my vampire neighbor, Bran Duval, when he has a habit of shucking off his clothes while the blinds are up. He's playing games with me, but I don't mind a challenge.Only problem is, I'm supposed to pledge myself to a rival vampire family and now all I can think about is Bran Duval, black sheep of the Duval vampire family, and the wicked things he's promising to do to me in the dark.Note: Hot Vampire Next Door is first and foremost a Kindle Vella serial. This version is a boxset of episodes 1-18.
Filthy
Serena Akeroyd - 2020
Not even God will deny a man like him.I'm certainly not God.I'm just a woman he's set his sights on. One he’ll never relinquish. His idea of being ‘kind’ is to give me two options.One Destroy the reputation of a man I love.TwoBed him . . . and he’ll forget about what he knows.One night only. He doesn't know I'm a virgin.And when he finds out?One night isn't enough.-- Not for him, and not for me. --But his world is forged on the misery of others. He might have a house in the Hamptons, stare at the Hudson when he sits behind his desk,and manage a billion dollar hedge fund, all of that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a mobster. One of the infamous Five Points. Being with him puts me in danger. But my heart?Well, it’s been in danger from the first moment we met . . .*-*Note: This was originally released as "The Air He Breathes".
His Darkest Craving
Tiffany Roberts - 2018
But from the moment she arrives, she’s not alone. She glimpses dark shapes from the corner of her eye, feels phantom touches, and her dreams are filled with seductive shadows. What she first mistakes for delusions of her traumatized mind soon prove to be so much more… An ancient, mysterious, dangerous entity lurks in the woods — and it wants Sophie. ---------- **Trigger Warning: This book contains sexual explicit scenes and violence, including a history of domestic abuse.**
A Vow Of Hate
Lylah James - 2021
We were poison together and there was no antidote.Our story began like any other fairy tale ended.With a beautiful wedding.One kiss.Two rings.Three vows.Killian Spencer became my lawfully wedded husband and I, his dutiful wife.But he was no Prince Charming. He didn’t come to save me… and he vowed there would be no happily ever after.And me?Just like the legends I'd read as a little girl, I always thought I’d be the princess in my fairy tale.Well, I was the villain of our love story.“Till death do us part…”
Nothing More to Tell
Karen M. McManus
. . and your secrets closer. Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she’s determined to find out what really happened. The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin’s murder. They've never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day. Just like he hasn’t forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie. Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and as Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she begins to uncover secrets that might change everything—about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot. Four years ago someone got away with murder. The most terrifying part is that they never left.
Three Simple Rules
Nikki Sloane - 2015
Now I have to.In order to save my skin at the office, I'm forced to sell it at an exclusive and illegal blindfold club. He paid thousands of dollars for one night to own me, but when my blindfold comes off, I want more. More nights, more rules, and more from this unavailable and uncompromising man.Rule number one, no questions. Rule number two, no lies. But, rule number three? That's the hardest one to obey.
These Monstrous Ties
K.V. Rose - 2019
He was Lucifer.Halloween night, one year ago, I sold my soul to the devil. Complete with a blood rite and everything. I had less than nothing. He promised me the world. And then he disappeared, taking my heart with him. But now, he’s the one with everything to lose. A family. A name. A reputation. I’ve still got nothing, but I’m clawing my way to the top, one body at a time. This Halloween, things are going to be different. This Halloween, ‘Lilith’ is coming to take what’s hers. Book 1 of the Unsainted series. Dark romance, only suitable for those 18+.
Kings of Chaos
Eva Ashwood - 2021
I wear vengeance like a suit of armor.I’ve got a list with six names on it. Six people who wronged me, who hurt me, who took everything from me. Six people who turned me into the monster I am now.And I’ve crossed off every name but one.One more name. One more death. Should be simple, right?Yeah, you’d think so. But it turns out revenge is a messy business, and when I end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, I royally piss off four brutal, twisted, gorgeous men.Gage, Priest, Ash, and Knox.Lucky for me, the last name on my list is someone they’ve got their own grudge against, so instead of killing me, they offer me a deal. They’ll give me a chance to exact my vengeance, and in exchange, all they want is…Me.I’m not stupid. I’ve played this game before. Even though they've agreed to help me, I know they want to punish me too. They want to toy with me. To let their demons loose on me.But maybe these Kings of Chaos have let my pretty face fool them.Because I'm just as vicious as they are. And I’ve got demons of my own.Kings of Chaos is a full length dark new adult romance with enemies-to-lovers/love-hate themes, featuring a slightly psycho heroine and four even more psychotic men. What happens between these pages will be dirty, dark, and delicious, so read at your own discretion.
Family of Liars
E. Lockhart
A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy. A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes. Welcome back to the Sinclair family. They were always liars.
The Stars Aligned
Kristen Ashley
But Hap lost control, not only of his passion but of his heart. And Luci knows what love feels like and learned the hard way to hold it precious. She also learned never to waste time.As Hap struggles with his deep loyalty to a dead man, will Luci wait? Or will she keep piecing herself together while trying to find her own version Heaven?Luci was ready to take another chance at love. But Hap was adhering to “the code” between brothers, unwilling to betray his dead friend Travis by falling for Travis’s widow. Further, Hap can’t quite believe a beauty like Luci could fall for a normal guy like Hap. But for Luci and Hap the heart can’t be denied. Especially when the stars align.
Brutal Prince
Sophie Lark - 2020
He’s ruthless, arrogant, and he wants to kill me.We got off on the wrong foot when I set a (very small) fire in his house.Our families believe a marriage pact is the only thing that will prevent all-out warfare.I think I might need to murder him while he sleeps.This would all be a lot easier if Callum wasn’t so damned good-looking.But I’ve got a lockbox around my heart. Because even if I’m forced to marry him…I could never love a brutal prince.“Brutal Prince” is the explosive first act in the epic “Brutal Birthright” series. It’s a stand-alone Dark Mafia Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers. It contains blazing hot bedroom scenes for mature readers only!!!
Honey Trap
Tate James - 2021
While some characters have been met in the existing MADISON KATE and HADES series, their cameos were not crucial to THE GUILD storyline. ◆◆◆honeytrapnouna stratagem in which an attractive person entices another person into revealing information or doing something unwise.Those who have reached a certain level within the mercenary guild, know that it’s not merely a job. It isn’t a hobby or a career or a fun pastime. It’s a calling. A fucking honor. Being in the Guild is our life.... Or death. Not everyone is created equal, and not everyone is truly cut out for the work we do. It’s not pretty, it's not glamorous, and it’s sure as shit not moral or good. The weight of the sins we carry can become too much for some, and they crack. When they do, they become a threat.No one quits the Guild. Not really. Either they cut a deal to make themselves useful in another capacity, or they get eliminated.But who, you might ask, can kill a killer? Who scares the boogeyman into running and hiding?Men like me.The Guild is my life. My love. My very existence.Anyone who poses a threat to that, is eliminated. No questions, no hesitations, no mercy. Until her.◆◆◆The Guild series is a dark romance and contains scenes that may be uncomfortable or disturbing to some readers. Please use your own discretion as to whether this is the right series for you. None of the main characters are the "good guys" and their moral code does differ greatly from your usual romance heroes. Please don't attempt to hold them to heroic standards, as they will fall short. HONEY TRAP is book ONE of THREE in The Guild trilogy. Recommended Reading Order for Shadow Grove interconnected series: MADISON KATE #1 Hate#2 Liar#3 Fake#4 KateHADES#1 7th Circle#2 Anarchy#3 Club 22 #4 TimberMADISON KATE NOVELLA #4.5 VAULT THE GUILD#1 Honey Trap#2 Dead Drop#3 Kill Order This is the chronological order of linked series, but it's not necessary to read prior series before THE GUILD.
The Psycho
Nikki J. Summers - 2021
She didn’t agree, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.She was all I thought about. She was my obsession.So, I watched. I studied.I toyed with her and I played my games. In her I’d found my perfect match, because she met every single one of my challenges with one of her own. She fought back and I loved it. All good things are worth fighting for, right?Trouble was, she thought it was all a game, but I would never give up. I saw something in her that made me crave more. What did she see in me?Cruelty.Savagery.A street soldier with a thirst for vengeance.I was a virus and she was immune. Or was she?Where I come from, they call me The Psycho.And I’m about to show the world exactly why.The Psycho is a Dark, New Adult standalone romance from Nikki J Summers. There are scenes of a violent and sexual nature in this story, therefore it is intended for readers of 18+ years. Please take note of the trigger warnings.