Book picks similar to
Deviant by Dani René


age-gap
romance
dark
dark-romance

Absolution


L.P. Lovell - 2016
    Please take that into account before reading. ***Evie All sins are equal in the eyes of God, but I'm not God. One sinner made me his sin, and I can't let men like him live. I want to kill them. Every. Last. One. Ezra James is no different. I was going to kill him, but then I found myself obsessed and possessed in the most reverent of ways. I became his sinner, and he became my sin, but the wages of sin is death, so I must kill him. Ezra The son of a whore, raised by criminals, molded to fit into a world without morals. I've never given a shit about anything until the night I watched a man drop dead at the feet of my little killer. She called to my depravity, and everything in me demanded that I take her, possess her, own her. Some monsters hide behind the faces of angels. Damned. Broken. Irredeemable. Through blood, absolution shall be found.

Savage Beginnings


J.L. Beck - 2020
    Like a thief I came in the dead of night and stole her away from her protected castle and placed her in a gilded cage made of gold. The arrangement had been made. Her father knew I was coming, knew I had intended to make him pay. His empire was crumbling. He had no money, nothing of value to me, nothing except... her. Which is why he agreed. His precious, virgin daughter in return for a debt paid. He thought I would break her, kill her, he had no idea what I had really planned. She would become my wife. She would bear my children. She would bend to my will. And I would go to any lengths to keep her by my side. *This is a dark mafia romance that contains mature themes, graphic violence, and sexual content. This is a standalone with a HEA.*

Ruthless Princess


Rachel Van Dyken - 2020
    A mafia romance about best friends turned enemies by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series.The enemy of my enemy is my friend…I never thought my father would ask this of me, to become the second generation at Eagle Elite University, to rule with an iron fist, and to take care of anyone who gets in our way.But ever since the incident.Ever since Him.There’s been a war in our little clique.After all, a house divided cannot stand.He’s the problem, not me.He used to kiss me like I was his oxygen.Now he looks at me like I’m his poison.But we both drank it, again and again, never believing there would be a day when our love would start a war.And our friendship would shatter into a million pieces.Then again, the worst thing you could do in the mafia is hang on to hope that your life will be normal.The second worse thing?Fall in love with your best friend.Enemy.And heir to the Nicolasi throne.

Dynasty


Sheridan Anne - 2021
    Fearless. Destructive. They’re everything a girl shouldn’t want. Too bad this foster girl never had a daddy to chase away the monsters because I’m a sucker for a bad boy … or four. Carver, King, Cruz, and Grayson—the Kings of Ravenwood Heights. When I was forced to come here, I was expecting just another run-down town to add to the ever-growing list of unwanted homes. What I wasn’t expecting was them. They’re dangerous and they're keeping one hell of a secret—a secret that's going to change it all.Boys of Winter is a Dark, Enemies to Lovers, Reverse Harem Romance. It contains explicit sexual content, detailed violence, and coarse language.

Mr. Heartbreaker


Jordan Marie - 2020
    He prowls the halls of Black Mountain Academy like he owns them. But since he’s from one of the wealthiest families in Black Mountain, he can. He’s famous—or infamous, and not for his baseball skills like his brother—currently the Major League’s media darling.On campus, Big Mike is notorious for the giant bat he swings—the one between his legs, not on the field.And every girl swears Big Mike definitely lives up to the hype. Mike owns it, embracing his reputation. Until Violet Raines. New girl in school, pure as driven snow, and she hates his guts from moment one. Mike wants Miss Purity under him, begging for mercy he'll never give. When Violet refuses to play ball? It’s time for Big Mike to get creative and steal a home run. He zeros in on the new girl. Now, there’s nowhere for her to hide. No sassy words to save her. No denying her hot, longing glances. Big Mike gets what he wants.And Violet Raines? She’s already his.

Lawless Kingdom


Natalie Bennett - 2020
     Judas Barron, for example. Wicked blue blood and heir to a severely twisted cutthroat society. Everyone knew who he was and what crew he ran with—a clandestine group of filthy rich kids surrounded by ominous secrets. Secrets that were rumored to be dark, dirty, and stained with blood. It was never my intention to get tangled up with them, but Judas and I had a secret too, one he was determined to make sure I took with me to my grave, which meant keeping me by his side. Now forced to be part of a savage coterie, I start to see his world through a new pair of eyes. It isn’t long before temptation becomes something dangerous and wild, breeding the sickest kind of infatuation. And those secrets Judas keeps? They’re about to tear my life apart. **WARNING** Before beginning this series please be aware that while LK is mild in terms of darkness, the following books in this series will be on a drastically different level, containing graphic violence, total power-control, explicit sexual content, and varying triggers. LK is a percursor that sets the stage for the rest of the series. 18+ only.

Taken at Midnight


Amelia Wilde - 2020
    I know he’s lying.And worst of all, I might not want to leave.

Gothikana


RuNyx - 2021
    An enigmatic man. An ancient castle. What could go wrong?An outcast her entire life, Corvina Clemm is left adrift after losing her mother. When she receives the admission letter from the mysterious University of Verenmore, she accepts it as a sign from the universe. The last thing she expects though is an olden, secluded castle on top of a mountain riddled with secrets, deceit, and death.An enigma his entire life, Vad Deverell likes being a closed book but knowing exactly everything that happens in the university. A part-time professor working on his thesis, Vad has been around long enough to know the dangers the castle possesses. And he knows the moment his paths cross with Corvina, she's dangerous to everything that he is.They shouldn't have caught each other's eye. They cannot be. But a chill-inducing century-old mystery forces them to collide. People have disappeared every five years for over a hundred years, and Corvina is getting clues to unraveling it all, and Vad needs to keep an eye on her.And so begins a tale of the mystique, the morbid, the macabre, and a deep love that blossoms in the unlikeliest of places.

The Boy on the Bridge


Sam Mariano - 2021
    I saw someone hurting and wanted to help. I saw someone possibly in danger and wanted to make sure he was safe.There’s nothing safe about Hunter Maxwell, though. I thought there might be. I fell under his spell. Whatever the world saw when they looked at him, it wasn’t what he showed me. The bond we formed was real. I know it was real. But with Hunter, when the tides turn, you’d better hope you’re safely on the shore and out of his reach.I thought I was a strong enough swimmer to keep my head above water. I thought if it came down to it, I could resist his pull.I didn’t know, but now I do.Once Hunter sets his sights on you, there’s no such thing as out of his reach. Whether it’s today, tomorrow, or five years from now, he’s coming for me—and when he does, he won’t stop until he’s destroyed me.***The Boy on the Bridge contains mature, adult content and is only recommended for adult readers.

Lord of London Town


Tillie Cole - 2020
    She has never wanted for anything. A comfortable future as a married London socialite ⁣awaits her. But since the age of thirteen, Cheska has harboured a secret—an unshakeable fixation on a boy who could never offer her anything close to ⁣comfort. A boy steeped in sin and draped in depravity. A boy born into the possessive embrace of darkness. ⁣⁣When Cheska’s seemingly perfect world is ripped apart by an unknown but deadly enemy, there’s only one person she can run to. One person in the world ⁣who has the power to keep her safe. The one person her weak and shattered heart craves. ⁣⁣Arthur Adley. The new head of the most feared crime family in London. ⁣⁣Forced too young to take the helm of the Adley firm, Arthur has become even more ruthless, formidable, and cold than ever before. His enemies are circling, and he must fight—and kill—to maintain his family’s place at the top of the London crime underworld. There is no room for weakness, emotion, or loss of control.⁣⁣But then Cheska smashes back into his life with the force of a wrecking ball. She has no place in this dark, vicious, and bloodthirsty world. And worse, she is the solitary chink in his impenetrable armour. He’s already pushed her away once, but this time she desperately needs him. She’s broken, lost, and in danger, and he is the only one who can help.⁣⁣Arthur must protect her. He must destroy those who dare to threaten her, hunt down those who would take what is his. He would raze all of London to the ⁣ground to keep her safe… but can he also protect himself?⁣⁣The infamous Dark Lord of London Town faces his most brutal battle yet—the crippling weight of the past, the unrelenting enemies lurking in the shadows… and the havoc that Cheska’s presence is wreaking on the granite fortress that was once his heart.⁣

Endgame


Chloe Walsh - 2017
    1. Don't fall in love in high-school.2. Get through senior year and snag a full-ride scholarship to college.3. Get the hell away from my irresponsible mother.I didn't think that was too much to ask for, and I've worked damn hard to make it a reality. Until my mother went and did the unthinkable!She's pregnant.Yep, the woman-child only went and got herself knocked-up by a man who lives on the other side of the country.As if it wasn't bad enough to uproot my life six weeks before senior year, Mom's new beau comes with baggage.A sweet stepsister, Amelia.And the b*stard of all b*stards, Rourke.Rourke is a senior like me, and he doesn't want me in his town, much less his home. He's also hell bent on making sure I know it. Thing is, I don't want to be there either, and if Rourke expects me to swan in and kiss his ass to make him like me, he has another thing coming.I'm nobody's bitch and he's about to learn that...Endgame is a feisty standalone romance. Due to its explicit content, bad language, and graphic sexual content, Endgame is recommended for mature readers of seventeen years and above.

Bad Saint


Monica James - 2019
    But they didn’t realize I wasn’t a victim…not anymore.The open sea was my backdrop for nine torturous days. During that time, glimmers of my fate were revealed by a man with the mysterious chartreuse-colored eyes. He should have scared me, but he didn’t.He intrigued me. And I intrigued him.He punished me when I didn’t listen, which was every single day. But beneath his cruelty, I sensed he was guarding a grave secret.I was sold. And in a game of poker, no less. My buyer? A Russian mobster who likes to collect pretty things. Now that I know the truth, I only have one choice.Sink or swim.And when one fateful night presents me the opportunity, I take it. I just never anticipated my actions would leave me shipwrecked with my kidnapper.He needs me alive. I want him dead.But as days turn into weeks, one thing becomes clear—I should hate him…but I don’t.My name is Willow.His name is Saint.Ironic, isn’t it? He bears a name that denotes nothing but holiness yet delivers nothing but hell. However, if this is hell on earth…God, save my soul.

The Other Girl


Trisha Wolfe - 2020
    From the outside, it may look perfect and ideal—school uniforms, exemplary teachers, privileged students. But anyone on the inside could tell you about the debauchery, the scandals, the drama, the forbidden--taboo--romances. Because where Black Mountain Academy is concerned... never judge a book by its cover.The Other Girl:I am a trope. A tired cliché. I’m the "psycho stalker girl" that never gets the boy.At least, that was the rumor at my former high school. Obsessive Love Disorder was the label slapped on me after an “incident”... But now I have a chance at a new start as the school psychologist at Black Mountain Academy.Here, no one knows my past. Here, a boy with a devilish smile and bad, bad inclinations puts his sights on me. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants. Carter Hensley is the newest addition to BMA and has a thick file marked violent tendencies.He’s dangerous, especially to a girl like me—one who falls hard and fast, and who doesn’t let anyone become an obstacle. Friends, family, faculty…the fact that he’s a student. Nothing will stand in our way of being together. Not even the truth.

Off the Clock


Roni Loren - 2016
    Doing it? That’s another story. In the research lab, Marin’s lack of practical knowledge didn’t matter, but now that she’s landed a job at The Grove, a high-end, experimental sex therapy institute, she can’t ignore the fact that the person most in need of sexual healing may be her. Dr. Donovan West, her new hotshot colleague, couldn’t agree more. Donovan knows that Marin’s clients are going to eat her alive unless she gets some hands-on experience. And if she fails at the job, he can say goodbye to a promotion, so he assigns her a list of R-rated tasks to prepare her for the wild clientele of The Grove’s X-wing.But some of those tasks are built for two, and when he finds Marin searching for a candidate to help her check off her list, Donovan decides there’s only one man for the job—him. As long as they keep their erotic, off-the-clock activities strictly confidential and without strings, no one will get fired—or worse, get attached…Exclusive to this edition only—a bonus short story

Kiss of War


Clara Elroy - 2021
    His eyes fostered demons solely reserved for me. They craved to own my soul.And for the longest time, I took it, I bore his cruelty alone.But then... then I grew thorns of my own.And now?Now it's time for his torment to taste my kiss of war.Kiss of War is a complete standalone and a part of the City of Stars series.