Book picks similar to
Taken by Skye Warren


romance
dark-romance
dark
contemporary

What We Leave Behind


Linda Oaks - 2021
    In search of the mother who abandoned her at the age of ten, Lucy travels to the small backwoods town of Briarwood, Georgia determined to lay her past to rest. What Lucy doesn’t count on is a complication she never saw coming.The notorious outlaw known as Devil rules the town of Briarwood, and a chance encounter with a feisty brunette along the highway leaves him burning for more. Temptation comes in many forms, and Devil is intrigued.Now, the outlaw has Lucy in his sights.Small towns have their fair share of secrets, and Briarwood is no exception to the rule. What started out as a trip for Lucy to reconnect with her past turns into something more, following the disappearance of an undercover FBI agent. Not only does Lucy find herself playing a dangerous game that could ultimately end up costing her life but also battling her heart.Will Lucy have the opportunity to make amends with her past or end up paying the ultimate price?Can you really dance with the devil without getting burned?

Rose and Thorn Complete Series


Isabella Starling - 2021
    Waiting for the time to strike, preparing to steal her from the spotlight, Thorn only has one goal in mind... to make Harlow his captive, his newest little Rose.Naive and innocent, Harlow has no idea of the things that await her in Thorn's Mansion. Taken, stolen and used, she will have to adapt to a new life... one where she is trained to be the perfect submissive to a cruel, but loving Master.Thorn discovers his soft spot for Harlow, but there is no denying his dark nature. Despite his love for the vulnerable dancer, Thorn's dark tendencies demand for him to do the unthinkable. Will Harlow be able to love him when he takes away the one thing she loves most?This is Harlow Granger and Rueben Thorn's complete story of over 150,000 words. Available for a limited time. Rose and Thorn is a dark romance trilogy.

Belles & Mobsters: Luciano


Eva Winners - 2021
    Heartless. Ruthless.A criminal. A monster. A murderer.Belles and Mobsters were never meant to be together. And I still fell in love with him, only to be torn apart. Lesson learned.I escaped with nothing but the clothes on my back and my best friend at my side. We hid in plain sight, and started a new life. Just as life became normal again, we were found. Dragged back into the underworld. This time the stakes are much higher. Failing is not an option.If only he wasn't my demise.

Triple Threat


K. Webster - 2022
    I would never abandon my little sister. Hope comes in the form of a devilishly handsome man with dark eyes and darker secrets.With each encounter, I’m lured deeper into the labyrinth. The danger lurking beneath his surface calls to me, even as it warns me away.Except there’s a new side of him every time we meet. A different danger each time we touch. It’s as if three different men want to devour me.He’s not just one villain. He’s three.

Dirty Ties


Pam Godwin - 2015
    I race to finance it. I evade to protect it. I kill to attain it. I planned everything. Except her. The alluring, curvaceous blonde at the finish line. With sapphire eyes that cheat and lie. Whose powerful family murdered mine. I hate her. I want her. I know she’s hiding something. But so am I.

Come


J.A. Huss - 2014
    I walk the shadows like darkness itself. I hide in the corners where nobody looks. I live by no rules, I have no boundaries, I take no prisoners, and I never, ever blink. I am not your knight in shining armor; I’m your worst nightmare. My name is James Fenici and you are my target. Only one of us is getting out alive, and that’s not gonna be you. Once your name is on my list, your life is over. It’s a deal I make with death, it’s a contract I sign in blood, it’s forgone conclusion—get used to it.My name is James Fenici and I’m as dirty as they come. But then one day I saw her. And every monster I thought I was. Every fact I thought I knew. Every dirty promise I ever turned down came back to slap me in the face.My name is James Fenici and I think I am in love.-----------------------------------Dirty, Dark, and Deadly, #1This is a SERIES. This is BOOK ONE. This is a NOVELLA. It used to be part of the BEND Anthology. COME will be re-released on June 23, 2014 and there will be a cover reveal for COME BACK, BOOK TWO, on June 25th.

Nixon


Ker Dukey - 2018
    Her. Things may be complicated, but we were always destined for each other.I’ll protect her from any threat and defend my interests, even if it means going against my own brothers. My name is Nixon Pearson.I’m ruthless and deadly, but also devoted. People may think I’m young and naïve, but that’s just a mask I wear to fool them.****First came the Four Fathers. Now it's time for the Four Sons.Nixon (Four Sons, #1) by Ker DukeyHayden (Four Sons, #2) by J.D. HollyfieldBrock (Four Sons, #3) by Dani RenéCamden (Four Sons, #4) by K Webster***This series should be read in order to understand the plot.***

The Maiden


Celia Aaron - 2018
    But I've discovered so much more, and the darkness here is seducing me, pulling me down until all I can think of is him. Adam Monroe, the Prophet's son, a dark prince to an empire that grows by the day. He is tasked with keeping me safe from the wolves of the outside world. But the longer I stay at the Cloister, the more I realize the wolves are already inside and under the Prophet's control. If Adam discovers the real reason I'm here, he'll bay for my blood with the rest of them. Until then, I will be Delilah, an obedient servant of the Prophet during the day and Adam's Maiden at night.Author's Note: If you have a trigger, this book will pull it. The Maiden is the first book of The Cloister Series. The Prophet will release in May, and the conclusion to the series, The Church, will release in June.

Deathless & Divided


Bethany-Kris - 2015
    This is how a war starts.A life for a life. That’s the mafia way. Damian Rossi owes his life to a man who is ready to collect. That payment comes in the form of an arranged marriage to the daughter of another leading family in the Chicago Outfit. He’s ready to follow through, even if that means making sure Lily knows she’s his.Lily DeLuca isn’t being given a choice. Forced home to marry a man she doesn’t know and back into a life she’d rather forget, her world is full of half-truths, buried pain, and uncertainty. But Damian is nothing like she expects. His motives aren’t clear. Her beliefs are being tested.When it comes to this world, no man can be trusted. Someone is ready to flip the Chicago Outfit on its side all for the promise of something better. But no one runs a clean game and these men play for keeps. When blood begins to paint Chicago red, four families will be divided by loyalty, hatred, and revenge. There is no hiding. There is no safety.No one is deathless.No one.

Revenge


Meredith Wild - 2019
    I’ve never trusted him less. Is it murder in his eyes or just jealousy when he insists we’ll find answers in Boston, headquarters of one of our greatest enemies and home to the man I left back in Rio? I haven’t forgotten Kolt’s betrayal nor the blood that’s already been spilled between our families. Inviting him back into my life with the promise of settling our unfinished business is a dangerous gamble that could end in more bloodshed. But as his family’s twisted plan starts to unfold, nothing can prepare me for the horror of what will happen if I do nothing. More people will die, and every death will serve a dark purpose. Tristan and I may be an army of two, but one thing is certain—if we can’t save them, no one will.

Brick


Jen Davis - 2019
    During the day it’s mud and grime on the construction site. At night…it’s the blood I spill. A drug lord’s enforcer does what needs to be done. It’s my obedience, my loyalty to the boss that keeps my family alive. I know I’m teetering on the edge. I’m losing my humanity, I can feel it. It’s changing me, and it’s only a matter of time before the darkness takes over.Then I meet her. Liv. The only person who sees past my busted knuckles and brutal exterior. She sees…me. But being with me will get her killed. The only way I can keep her safe is by staying away. Until her own actions catapult her into the center of my world—a world which will swallow her whole. Now I’m forced to be the ruthless bastard I’ve been for so long. Only this time it’s not to destroy…but to defend.

Dark Mysteries


Jessica Gadziala - 2015
    protecting a woman from a malicious stalker. One night, a woman shows up at his office, battered and begging for help. She herself is dealing with a stalker. What he doesn't know, however, is that ELLIE is hiding things from him. A dark and troubled past that threatens to put her, and his, life in jeopardy. Among trying to figure out the mystery of the woman begging asylum at his apartment, Xander is forced to deal with his growing attraction to her. Will he be able to reconcile his feelings for her or put the pieces of her life together and help her before it is too late?

Captured


S. Nelson - 2021
    I’m alive. But I’m not living. I’m existing, clawing my way from one day to the next. My only saving grace is my job as a police officer, and it’s during a routine traffic stop one evening when the threads of my isolated existence begin to unravel. One glance from Quinn Harris and I feel like I’m dreaming. And the more chance brings us together, the more I’m powerless to stop the uneasy feeling that I’m losing control. She stirs up thoughts of something new and unexpected—of a life I’m no longer prepared to handle.***I’m done with men. I trusted my ex and he broke my heart.But life doesn’t seem to want to follow my plan, which is evident the moment I meet Nolan Bennett. He doesn’t score high on first impressions. In fact, he is downright rude. But as we continue to run into each other, I start to see another side of him, and I can’t deny I’m intrigued. Against my better judgment, I give him a chance. But again, life will step in and take over.Only this time I don’t think either of us will survive. Not with an unknown link between us too painful to overcome. S. Nelson’s Captured is a heart-wrenching, emotional, sexy, contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes World.

He Is Poison


K.A. Merikan - 2014
    ---Domenico Acerbi. The Villani Family’s best assassin. Ruthless. Vicious. With no patience for weakness.Seth Villani. The Don’s son. Clueless. Stubborn. In dire need of someone to keep him in line.Domenico Acerbi grew up ready to give his life for the Family. Ready to follow orders and exceed expectations. A proud man of honor.The last thing he wants to deal with is training the Don’s son for his future role within the organization. Lazy, annoying, spoiled, and as hot as a Sicilian summer, Seth Villani is no mafia material. But a man who could never become a threat might just be what Domenico needs. Seth Villani wants nothing to do with the mafia. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get a say when he’s pulled back into the fold. Thrown into a den of serpents otherwise known as the Villani Family, Seth has to find a way to navigate the maze of lies. But when Domenico Acerbi, the most vicious snake of them all, sinks his fangs into Seth, letting go becomes impossible. If Seth is doomed to follow in his father's footsteps, he might as well enjoy himself with the most intoxicating man he’s ever met. Maybe he can even fool himself into believing that Domenico isn’t a handsome sociopath who kills for a living. POSSIBLE SPOILERS:Themes: Enemies to lovers, mafia, homophobia, assassin, organized crime, forced proximityWARNING: Adult content. Sizzling hot scenes. If you are easily offended, this book is not for you. ‘Guns n’ Boys’ is a gritty story of extreme violence, offensive language, abuse, and morally ambiguous protagonists. Behind the morbid facade, there is a splash of inappropriate dark humor, and a love story that will crawl under your skin.

Lament


Lynsey M. Stewart - 2019
    Alexander Blayren, a brooding cellist with a body I crave and a soul I ache to know better. He’s rude and bold, brash and sharp, but I see the lost soul underneath. Crying out. Surviving grief for the sake of his daughter. Just. Before we met, Alexander didn’t believe you could survive grief. Loss had painted his life black, dimming the bright lights and quietening his music. But I didn’t agree with the man I heard play out his demons through his notes. The man I find myself infatuated by. I found my way through grief, because I had a channel for my pain. When I lost my mother and sister, dance was my therapy. Movement my recovery. Could music be his? Could the haunting melodies be his reprieve? The cry of a bow across the strings his lifeline? Or could his journey to survival begin through me? Through my body, the one he studies as I dance, through my cries of pleasure under his fingertips or his undeniable arousal at my willing restraint...Grief Fairy, you understand me better than anyone. Please help me to relieve his lament.YoursNat