Book picks similar to
The Holy Ghost by M.E. Clayton


mafia
contemporary
second-chances
second-chance-romance

Traded


Rebecca Brooke - 2015
     When you’re done with me, you can walk away with no regrets. That’s how my husband sees me. I try to be the best wife possible for him. After all, he took me on when no one else would. Now--he’s in debt and owes more money to the loan shark than we can possibly repay. But, don’t worry, he’s come up with a solution, it’s just not one I was expecting. ...I’ve been TRADED. **Content Warning: this book contains adult language, Sexual situations and situations of emotional abuse. Please use caution when reading. **THIS BOOK IS MEANT FOR ADULTS 18+ ONLY**

The King


S.R. Jones - 2020
    This is a slow burn, Bratva romance, and both books are full length novels. There is also a free prequel that introduces the world.The reading order is:The Soldier: Bratva Blood PrequelThe King: Bratva Blood OneThe War: Bratva Blood TwoPlease note this is a dark romantic suspense and trigger warnings do apply.

Wrong


L.P. Lovell - 2015
    I knew exactly what I wanted and where I was going, until I was thrust into his world and ripped from mine. In the blink of an eye everything shattered, proving to be nothing more than a cheap illusion. Now I’m living in this twisted form of hell, where enemies and friends are one and the same. I thought I wanted perfection. Now I don’t know what I want - perhaps not even my own freedom. Jude I'm the definition of wrong. I'm violent, I'm greedy, and I stop at nothing to win. I'm a notorious bookie and in my game paying with your life is not just a figure of speech. You lose, I collect. I take whatever you have. She’s collateral for a debt, and if that debt's not paid someone will die. This should be just business, so why can’t I kill her? Everything is not always as it seems. Lust. Blood. Lies.Nothing this wrong should feel so right.

His Virgin Queen


Mink - 2020
    Even so, I still held onto the hope of living free of the families. But when I’m given to Antonio Tuscani, I realize my thin dreams of escaping this life were just that -- dreams. Giving up -- I accept my fate … Until a fierce-eyed boss, Nick DaVinci, shows up on my wedding day to exact lethal vengeance. NickI came for Tuscani blood, and I took it.The doe-eyed bride in her white dress and veil of innocence doesn’t bat an eyelash when I do what I was born to do. I’m the head of the most powerful mafia family in the city, and I didn’t get here by sparing enemies. But Sophia’s demeanor intrigues me, and soon I realize she is far more than a mafia princess -- she is a queen -- and I will stop at nothing to keep her by my side. *-*Mink's Note: Curl up with your fav feline for this safe, sweet, steamy, a 'lil dark, and a lot dreamy, HEA.

Sweet Cruelty


Zoe Blake - 2020
    Mine. If I were a better man, I would've just let her go. But I'm not. I'm a cruel bastard. I ruthlessly claimed her virtue for my own.It should have been enough. But it wasn't. I needed more. Craved it. She became my obsession. Her sweetness and purity taunted my dark soul. The need to possess her nearly drove me mad. A Russian arms dealer had no business pursuing a naive librarian student. She didn't belong in my world. I would bring her only pain. But it was too late…She was mine and I was keeping her.

Taken by Lies


Ella Miles - 2019
    From USA Today Bestselling Author Ella Miles comes a new dark romance series!I was taken.Kidnapped by a boy I thought I could love.Then he sold me as if I were property.For three years I endured.Beatings.Torture.Pain.I never broke.I was strong, determined, resilient.But then one day it happened...I broke.Setting me free.I should have run away, found a new life, and started over.Instead, I returned.To find the man who sold me.This is book ends on a cliffhanger.Series Order:Lured by Lies #0.5--Prequel Novella included in this bookTaken by Lies #1Betrayed by Truths #2Trapped by Lies #3Stolen by Truths #4Possessed by Lies #5Consumed by Truths #6

Crow's Row


Julie Hockley - 2011
    Just completing her freshman year at Callister University, Emily faces a quiet summer in the city slums, supporting herself by working at the campus library. During one of her jogs through the nearby cemetery while visiting her brother Bill's grave, Emily witnesses a brutal killing-and then she blacks out. When Emily regains consciousness, she realizes she's been kidnapped by a young crime boss and his gang. She is hurled into a secret underworld, wondering why she is still alive and for how long.Held captive in rural Vermont, she tries to make sense of her situation and what it means. While uncovering secrets about her brother and his untimely death, Emily falls in love with her very rich and very dangerous captor, twenty-six year-old Cameron. She understands it's a forbidden love and one that won't allow her to return to her previous life. But love may not be enough to save Emily when no one even knows she is missing.

With Us


Layla Frost - 2017
    My wild love affair was Netflix without the chill. I had no business dating the older man who looked as though he'd stepped out of an expensive advertisement.But he was determined to have me.Wickedly sweet, Theo gently and strategically pulled me from my rut, handing me the world in the process. Growing up with nothing, I suddenly found myself with everything. More than I'd even known to dream of.But shadows play tricks on the eyes, and life wasn’t always what it seemed. With Us…It was better.Warning: Recommended for readers 18+ due to adult content, language, and situations.

Tormentor Mine: The Complete Series


Anna Zaires - 2019
    The innocent woman standing in his way.Dr. Sara Cobakis’s quiet suburban life is turned upside down when a darkly handsome Russian assassin breaks into her home and tortures her for information. But the nightmare doesn’t end there.Because Peter Sokolov returns, and this time, he’s determined to keep the pretty young doctor for himself.No matter what it takes.Don’t miss this twisted, intensely addictive dark romance that readers can’t stop obsessing over.Note: This bundle contains all four books of the Tormentor Mine series: Forever Mine, Obsession Mine, Destiny Mine, and Forever Mine.

Lies We Tell


Jeana E. Mann - 2018
    One crazy, dark, dirty lie turned my world upside down. It dug its claws into my life, altered my future, and clouded my past.I thought I was over him. The one who lied. I thought I’d moved on with a successful career, a fat bank account, and a sexy boyfriend.All that changes when Owen Henry walks back into my life. He’s out on parole, standing on my front porch, looking sexier than ever. I want to hate him for what he’s done, but all I can do is think about how great his lips felt on mine the last time we kissed.I’m so screwed.*This book was formerly released as Monster Love and contains new content.

Glazov


Suzanne Steele - 2014
    IT IS NOW A FULL LENGTH NOVEL.A dark twisted tale of obsession, kidnapping, abduction, and two people who fall into a very unconventional love.Glazov is a man who will stop at nothing to obtain the woman he has set his sights on. The biggest mistake of Kathleen’s life was drawing the attention of a Born Bratva Pakhan. He’s ruthless, deadly and he’s not about to take no for an answer.Glazov has been immersed in criminal activity from the day he was born. He was bred for the sole purpose of carrying on his father's reign of terror. He was born into the world of Bratva, and he would die in Bratva. It was his destiny. He learned how to spot a fighter from a very early age and Kathleen had that fighting spirit inside of her. He wasn't sure what her story was, but she piqued his curiosity. In his gut he also knew he had left his mark on her. She would never be the same, never recover from unwittingly drawing his attention.This is dark romance and there are elements of blackmail and kidnapping within the story lines. Glazov and Novak are cousins, in their minds: They are born Bratva. And they will die Bratva.

Beast: The Beginning


Mary Catherine Gebhard - 2017
     I thought selling myself to a mafia boss was noble. So what if they called him the Beast? I grew up in rags, and he would lift me to riches. All I had to do was give him my soul. He was punishing. Insatiable. Captivating. Nothing like I expected him to be. Each day my reality blurred, leaving me wondering if I was slave or princess. The longer I stayed, the more I lost myself to him. Even after every cruelty the Beast visited upon me, I longed for his touch. Even after every savage word he spoke, I begged for his lips. I thought the worst thing he could take was my body. I was too naïve to guard my heart. Once upon a time, I thought love was a fairytale. Now I know better than to speak of happily ever afters. Beast is the first book in the Hate Story duet. About what it means to fall in love with the person who has absolutely destroyed you, it contains disturbing and graphic situations that may be a trigger for some.

Secrets


Aleatha Romig - 2018
    Web of Sin is a dangerous, gritty romance, complete with an all-new alpha anti-hero who will haunt your dreams and your fantasies. “Have you been Aleatha’d?”SECRETS is book one of Sterling and Araneae’s story, Web of Sin. Their story continues in LIES and concludes in PROMISES.

Release


Aly Martinez - 2020
     Growing up, Ramsey Stewart branded my soul in ways time could never heal. At twelve, he asked me to be his girlfriend. At thirteen, he gave me my first kiss. By sixteen, we’d fallen in love, planned a future together, and had our eyes set on the horizon. Love never fails, right? But for Ramsey, it did. Love failed him. I failed him. The entire world failed him. At seventeen, Ramsey was convicted of killing the boy who assaulted me. Move on, he wrote in his first and only letter from prison. Start a new life, he urged. I don’t love you anymore, he lied. There was no such thing as giving up on Ramsey. Love may have been our curse, but he was mine—then, now, and forever. So here I am, twelve long years later, waiting for a man I don't even know to emerge from between the chain link gates.

Whispers in the Dark


LeTeisha Newton - 2018
    How else would we come to love? I was captured ... That's just the beginning of my tale. I've survived Purgatory, abuse, and near death. In that abandoned farmhouse I nearly lost everything, but Jacob saved me. We were trapped in this hell together, giving each other the strength to hold on. I fell into darkness with my captor's son. Until I left him behind. She was perfect, my Alana. Brilliant and full of pain. She understood my darkness and fueled the fire. When she left, I waited patiently to find her, and in her honor, I killed men who took away from innocents. Then I found her... She's deadly now, a killer too, and perfectly mine. It was beautiful to behold, but she belongs in a cage. My cage. She'll love me again, or I'll expose her dirty secrets for the world to see while going down in flames with her. In darkness, it's most definitely till death do us part. Warning: This book is full of triggers. It's wicked dark, with created evil falling in love. People die. They are hurt horribly. The bad guys get away, and there is no apology for it.