Book picks similar to
Darkness Series: Books 1-3 by J.L. Drake


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romantic-suspense
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contemporary-romance

Forsaken Sinners MC #1-3


Shelly Morgan - 2016
     That’s my new saying in life, and trust me, life has handed me lots of lemons. My name is Danielle DeChenne, and for eighteen years I took every punch “destiny” threw at me. Now I’m no longer a naive girl. Traumatic abuse will do that to you. I was forced to grow up too fast, and the one person I depended on—that gorgeous Marine, Zane—turned his back on me. So now I say screw the lemonade and just give me a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, because I don’t believe in destiny anymore. There is no pre-destined path set out for each of us. That crap doesn’t exist. Sometimes bad things happen…it’s just how the world works. It sucks, but you have to pick yourself up and get on with your life. Even if it’s an impossible task. I’m done sitting around and waiting for my life to change or something good to fall in my lap. It took me awhile to understand, but once I stopped being the doormat for destiny, it was time for me to take control. Now I decide where I go in life and what will happen. It won’t always be pretty, it will sometimes hurt like hell, but I will make sure I live my life to the fullest… Then the gorgeous Marine from my past returned with a vengeance—except this time, I was ready for him. It's time to rewrite destiny. FIGHTING DESTINY #2- With a dark past of abuse, Toby Smith full-on raged against life. After years of neglect from his junkie mother, Toby turned to the one thing that made his fury go away—mixed martial arts. Now, as an adult, he lives and breathes his training club and fighting, inside or outside of the cage. But when a mousy blonde walks into his gym for a self-defense class he's teaching, that all fades away. Sara Carmichael was always a doormat—until the day she took her life back. Struggling to cope with years of physical and emotional abuse from a boyfriend, things take a turn for the worse. Drunk and in rare form, he nearly violates her in unspeakable ways. So she leaves and escapes from New York to California, hoping it’s far enough away that he won't find her. When Sara and Toby meet, they never expected it would be in a sweaty gym. When they are together, Toby feels things he can’t understand. But when Sara’s past clouds their present, will she be strong enough to defend her new life? Or will Toby snap and become the man she’s always feared? It’s one thing to fight for love, but it’s another when you’re…Fighting Destiny. DEFYING DESTINY #3- Twenty-six-year-old Louie Creighton knows there is something inside him he can’t control… Ever since he can remember, Louie has had a short fuse. People always said he’d amount to nothing. He wasn’t smart enough to get into college. He wasn’t tough enough to be a Marine. No one believed in him. No one except his father, Mike Creighton… Louie’s father always taught him to turn the other cheek. He was a true mentor, teaching him how to be a man in a world of cowards. But when his father is murdered the day after scratching a winning lottery ticket, Louie’s inner monster can’t be contained. He becomes determined to track down the suspect at any cost. All along, he struggles to live by his father’s motto—To find out what you live for, you have to discover what you’d die for. Then he meets Harlow McPherson… Her entire life has been a battle. Harlow grew up in the system, bouncing from one foster home to the next. Most weren’t that bad, but some were hell.

Whisling Island Series Books 1-3: Inspiring Women's Fiction


Julia Clemens - 2021
    Sunset on Whisling Island - Meet Bess, Olivia, Deb, and Gen as they endure and overcome loss. A visit to the beautiful island just off of the coast of Washington State will change you. You'll laugh, cry, and rejoice with these wonderful women as they navigate through life.New Beginnings on Whisling Island - After darkness, there will always be light. A new beginning. Join the women of Whisling on this next thrilling and lovely chapter of their lives as they find purpose, love, and discover who they really are.Sisters and Sunrises - The women of Whisling are back! Through the mess and craziness of life's ever-present changes, the women continue to rely on each other. And they're reminded that even after the longest of nights, the sun always rises again.

Take Me Home


J.H. Croix - 2015
    Croix, a new contemporary romance series! A sexy Christmas romance set against the wilderness and beauty of small-town Alaska. Gage Hamilton is a smoldering Navy SEAL and a man on a mission. He’s returning to Diamond Creek, Alaska to resurrect his dream of reopening Last Frontier Lodge. Marley Adams moves back home hoping to find a sense of security and safety after it was stolen from her.Gage has spent many years successfully avoiding emotional entanglements. He is looking for nothing more than peace and sanctuary at his family’s old ski lodge. His new neighbor, Marley, was definitely not part of his plans. Marley is a brainy computer whiz and way too sexy for Gage’s own good. A man who prides himself on always being in control, Gage finds that he has little when it comes to Marley.Marley only wants to get her feet back under her after her world was turned upside down in Seattle. She’s been focused on little else beyond her work and is seriously out of practice with anything resembling romance…including the scorching hot attraction that sizzles anytime Gage crosses her path.Gage and Marley are powerless against the magnetic pull between them. Steamy and snowy nights weave a spell around them. While Marley thought she escaped whoever set out to hurt her in Seattle, she finds the threat of danger has followed her to Diamond Creek. Gage must face the depth of his feelings for Marley when he realizes he will do anything to protect her. Can Marley and Gage discover love in time for Christmas? The magic of a white Christmas is right around the corner.*All novels in this series are full-length standalone novels with an HEA.**Take Me Home is an updated title for Chrismas on the Last Frontier

With Visions of Red


Trisha Wolfe - 2015
    Dark and light battle. This explosive first installment of the Broken Bonds series sets the exhilarating pace for a cat and mouse game where no one knows who’s really pulling the strings.Criminal profiler Sadie Bonds knows blood. Her affair with the gruesome, dark world of killers began long before she started applying her analytical skills to investigate gory crime scenes. She gets inside the killers’ heads, breaks them down, relates to them on an arcane level. She prefers it this way—because it’s safer to ally herself with the villain than the victim. At least, that’s how she’s coped ever since she was abducted and tortured as a teen.She will never be a victim again.Now, she’s honed her skills in order to bring justice to these ritualistic offenders. Working alongside her colleagues, armed with sharp wit and a SIG, Sadie always catches her sadist. Until one ruthless serial killer gets inside Sadie’s head, turning the tables. He knows her secrets. Her obsessions. The darkest, most deviant part of her soul.When she meets Colton Reed, dangerous stakes are raised as he threatens to unravel her control and reveal her darkest fantasies. The sexy-as-sin bondage rigger at an exclusive BDSM club pushes her boundaries, forcing her to acknowledge that side of herself she fears. Plunged into a realm of torture and suffering, pain and pleasure, Sadie balances on the razor-sharp edge of two intersecting worlds threatening to swallow her.

Dreams Come True


K.B. Winters - 2018
    Just ask anyone. I’m also a world class designer. Until critics start to say I'm washed up. Now the company wants to bring in someone else. But I don’t like to share. Just ask my ex—the woman who’s out to destroy me. Or as I call her, the queen of smashing hearts. My charmed life becomes more like a curse, Taking a turn down a dark rabbit hole. Until Alice walks in. She’s everything that’s good and innocent. And I want her so bad. It’d never work. But I’d give it all up for just one chance. He's a filthy rich beast. I bet he f**k's like an animal too. Jessibelle The first time we meet, I see more of my client than any self-respecting lawyer should. Every sizable inch of his hard body on display. I almost come on the spot. Too bad my visit is for business—not pleasure. Because he’s losing everything, And it’s my job to help him get it back. Not screw him. Zach I’ve lost everything that matters to me. My woman, my money, my business. I withdraw to my castle, angry and bitter. Pissed off at the world. But then I meet her—my smokin’ hot attorney. Prim, proper, she’s as distracting as hell. Suddenly, I don’t want to lick my wounds. I want to lick her. It’s no longer just about winning back what I’ve lost. It's about winning her. Sometimes a girl has got to make her own fairy-tale ending. I moved to NYC for adventure, And found it in a ten-thousand-dollar suit. Toby Wallace is my employer’s biggest client. And he wants me to take care of him, I mean…only in a professional sense. But Toby is hot, tempting, and extremely seductive. Over the course of one dirty weekend, This small-town virgin is caught up in a tornado of lust. Over and over (and over) again. I didn’t move to the big city for love. But the yellow brick road lead me there, To him and his perfectly sculpted abs. But when we get back to the city, His mother shows how just how much of a wicked witch she can be. I’ve got the brains and heart, but not the courage to fight this. Until I realize, there’s no place like him. Three different books, three different modern dirty fairytales with a whole lot of heat and happily ever afters!

The Philistine Heart Saga


Jean Evergreen - 2018
    But he has a secret... Bridget Delaney has had a year of failures. With a defunct business and a five-year relationship gone stale, the last thing she expected was for another man to catch her eye. Especially someone like Jason. He’s arrogant, insanely handsome, and he’s her new boss. Despite her greatest efforts, she can’t stop thinking about him. What’s worse, she doesn’t want to. When she’s with him, she feels alive in ways she never thought possible. But after she finds out about his troubled past, she realizes that looks can be deceiving and the heart can tell the greatest lie of all. When the chips are down, will she be able to look beyond the sins of his past or will it be her undoing? The Dilemma - Book 2 Lies, betrayal and an obsession gone too far. When it comes to love, anything goes. Jason’s back, and this time he's not taking no for an answer. With Blake in the picture, Bridget is more confused than ever. Both are prepared to give her everything her heart desires. But with her head and heart at odds, will she wind up making a decision she'll regret for the rest of her life? Please be advised: This series is intended for mature audiences. It contains violence, graphic scenes and explicit language. If you enjoy dark romances, you'll love The Philistine Heart saga.

Brotherhood Protectors Vol 1: Books 1-3


Elle James - 2017
     BRIDE PROTECTOR SEAL A Navy SEAL bodyguard and his client’s bride struggle with rising desire while fighting to stay alive in the mountains of Montana. MONTANA D-FORCE Former Delta Force soldier and troubled LA screenwriter struggle against their burgeoning desire while trying to stay alive in the crosshairs of a murderous rapist.

The Brides of Purple Heart Ranch: Books 1-3


Shanae Johnson - 2018
    The Brides of Purple Heart Ranch series features Wounded Warriors, the women they fall for, and the loyalest pack of dogs you’ll ever meet! ON HIS BENDED KNEE Sgt. Dylan Banks lost more than just his leg in the war. His fiancée and family turned their backs on him as well. Now, he’s determined to create a safe place where wounded warriors like himself can heal. But a hidden zoning law requires all residents of the Purple Heart Ranch to be married. To save his dream, Dylan and his men will have to tie the knot—but can a man with such deep scars inside and out believe in love again? Maggie Shaw lost both her job as a veterinary technician and her apartment on the same day. Who knew her unreasonable landlord would kick her out for being four dogs over the one pet limit? Now, she and her gang of special-needs dogs are in trouble. Fate puts her in Dylan’s path with a proposal that seems too good to be true—but can her heart bear a loveless marriage of convenience? Dylan yearns to reach out for Maggie’s healing touch, but he keeps his distance, convinced his wounds are too deep for her embrace. Maggie sees past Dylan’s injuries, but if she fails to capture his heart they both could lose it all: her beloved animals, his ranch, and each other. HAND OVER HIS HEART Francisco DeMonti has always been a man with a plan. Though his last plan led to his entire squad being wounded on a mission in Afghanistan. Now he’s seeking redemption by getting all the men in his unit hitched so they can stay together and heal. But his own heart is under lock and key due to the shrapnel around it that could kill him at any moment. After years of scraping and saving, Eva Lopez finally steps foot onto a college campus only to be yanked away by the mean streets she came from. A local gang threatens her family’s safety until a wounded veteran offers a reprieve: marry a soldier in exchange for protection and the freedom to attend school. Fran has every intention of directing Eva towards one of his brothers in arms, men who aren’t in danger of a sudden death, but he can’t resist the brainy brunette and proposes to her himself. He’ll protect her for as long as he breathes, but falling in love is futile for a man with a ticking time bomb in his chest. Eva can’t help falling for the man who is making her dreams come true, but when he keeps her at arm’s length, can she convince him to make this marriage more than a convenience no matter how much or how little time they have left? OFFERING HIS ARM Reed Cannon may be a numbers guy but being minus one arm due to enemy fire hasn’t slowed him down. Now he’s faced with a new challenge—find a bride so he can stay on the rehabilitation ranch that has given him and his squad back their lives. Reed turns to a dating app to narrow down the selection of potential brides. The woman who matches him nearly 100% is accessible online, but out of reach in reality. Sarai Austin has done the impossible, she’s found a great guy online. The problem is now he wants to meet in person, and Sarai's not ready for IRL. Her profile picture was taken three years and thirty pounds ago. To hide her weight issues, she tells Reed she’s out of town on business.

Protecting His Best Friend's Sister


Samantha Chase - 2014
    It has since been expanded, revised, and re-edited.The only woman I want is the one I can never have.Harper. My best friend's sister. I've wanted her since I was eighteen, but she's always been off-limits. Now I'm home after years in the Marines, and nothing has changed--except everything has. Her brother is dead, and she's on a hopeless quest for answers about his death.And I want her just as much as ever.Someone is trying to kill her now, and she won't let me keep her safe. I have to protect her anyway, even if she doesn't trust me, even if she hates me for it. A man protects what's precious to him, whether or not he can ever claim her for his own.And Harper has always been precious to me.

Two Truths and a Lie


Ashley Stoyanoff - 2015
    I left everything behind—family, friends, school. It seemed like a good idea at the time. My only option, really, until I realized running from a police officer isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.It’s been exactly three-hundred and sixty-five days since I left home, but I’m finally ready to take the step I should have taken a year ago. I’m done hiding. I’m done running. I’m going to take my life back.It was supposed to be easy. A meeting with Jason Pierce, a private investigator, was set up for me. All I had to do was go to him, let him do his thing, and then I could go home, or so I thought.That is, until I met Jason and things got … complicated.

Silent No More


N.E. Henderson - 2013
    Life couldn’t get any better—or so she thought. Just when you think you have it all, add in a little betrayal and a few lies and you have the perfect mixture for a storm, strong enough to send you spiraling into a life full of unknowns—or could that have been the point? When traveling down the wrong path sometimes we need to be blown into a different direction. Now unsure of everything she had planned for herself, Shannon is on a mission to forget, but what she isn’t expecting to run into is the arrogant, womanizing, control freak that clearly thinks he’s a gift to all women. That may be for most women, but not this one. Meet Nicholas Lockhart. He’s sexy, domineering, and has a temper that is easily triggered, but those things are a must when in the business environment that he is. To be successful means to be the best, the alpha, controlling all others. Meeting a woman who can turn his world upside down is not in the cards, not part of the plan. Why have one woman when there are so many appetizing ones to taste? A renowned eligible bachelor is the person he likes to be, that is until the defiant, redhead turns his head and puts him in his place. Their quick and intense passion takes them both by surprise, eliciting a relationship neither expected. When her past collides with her present, Shannon is forced to confront it head on, tangling her in a web of lies and twisted truths that soon leave both bare and vulnerable. Sometimes the only option is to be silent no more…

The Never Series: Porter & Ella's Story


Anie Michaels - 2015
    This is a best selling series with a combined 400+ five star reviews. It is intended for adult readers as it contains mature themes. ~Never Close Enough~ The last thing Ella Sinclair needed on her birthday was a cheating boyfriend, a broken heart, and a dead car battery in a remote beach town. At her greatest moment of need, a protective and sexy Porter Masters comes to her rescue. Ella takes a holiday week at the coast to discover herself and finds her attraction to Porter potent and undeniable. Uncertain of their future together, Ella struggles to open her heart to trust again. Porter Masters takes care of his own: his single mother, his company, and now he’s compelled to protect the beauty that walked into his world. Never one for relationships in his past, Porter discovers that he was waiting all along for Ella. As their time together comes to an end, will Porter fight for the woman who stole his heart? Porter will find a way to keep her, despite the obstacles. ~Never Far Away~ Ella wakes up to a world turned upside down, recovering both physically and emotionally from attacks she can't remember. Her only memory from the past weeks is a nameless voice that echoes in her mind, causing her heart to ache and her soul to seek "Him". Living a life without Ella is no life at all and Porter decides to do whatever it takes to remind her of their love. Recognizing Porter without remembering him, Ella reacquaints herself with this gorgeous man, their explosive chemistry, and the possibilities that lie ahead. As Ella's memories resurface so do demons of the couple's past, testing their strength and love. Porter is determined to fight for their future together but will Ella? As everything and everyone that Ella loves gets threatened, she must find a way to fight the darkness of yesterday so that she can live in the light of tomorrow. ~Never Giving Up~ Porter Masters wants nothing more than just to marry his love, Ella. Ella Sinclair dreams of the day she can call Porter her husband and wants nothing more than to give him a family. They have overcome many deep and dark obstacles and are finally ready to enjoy their “happily ever after.” The dream they share of marriage and a family, all hang in the balance as they encounter one more obstacle from their past that could ruin everything they have. With more on the line than ever before, Porter will stop at nothing to protect Ella – at all costs. The past year fighting for their love can’t even compare to the fight they have ahead of them. With their future happiness at risk, one thing remains true: they are never giving up.

Stone Cold Heart


Lisa Hughey - 2013
    But on a humanitarian mission to aid an earthquake ravaged country, finally she finds a place where she fits, in Colin Davies' arms, and working for Global Humanitarian Relief, her big brother's company. But can the former SAS thaw Jess's stone cold heart?

Brutal Captor #1-6


Amber Adams
    In return, he holds her captive.April Cooker loves her life as an ER doctor but in a horrific twist of fate she suddenly finds herself whisked away to a heavily guarded mansion in order to care for a man she found bleeding to death in an alley. This is no ordinary situation. She has walked into the world of Valentin Ivankov, Russian mafia don. Forced to tend to his injuries, April starts to learn more about the man whose life she has just saved and can’t help but wonder if she’ll ever see her own life again outside the magnificent mansion that has become her prison. Will this devastatingly handsome but dangerous man let her go or is she forever trapped in this world by her brutal captor?Book II: Escape is her only thought. He is determined to make her his, permanently.April has now learned who her patient is and he doesn’t seem intent on letting her go.When her own secret is revealed there is suddenly more at stake regarding her life than ever. As she catches glimpses of the real man beneath his cold and hard exterior, April is drawn into the dark, violent world of the handsome Valentin Ivankov. Will she be able to resist this dangerous man or will she find herself helplessly drawn into the arms of her Brutal Captor?Book III: Being drawn to her captor was never the plan. His tenderness something he never knew that he had.Russian mafia don, Valentin Ivankov, has taken Dr. April Cooker away from everything she’s ever known and, much to her shock, he’s now announced he’ll be taking her as his wife. Escape is still her only thought. But, while she attempts to gain his trust she finds herself unable to resist the pulse-raising effect he has on her.Craving the touch of her Brutal Captor is not something she ever would have thought possible and his tenderness something she never expected. Perhaps it’s not just her life that’s in danger but also her heart.Book IV: The captive comes to hold power over her captor.A mafia Don is expected to take a wife, not necessarily to love one. Marrying April was purely a strategy in order to gain leverage against his fiercest enemy. But now, Valentin finds himself helpless against her. Each day he sees more and more that without April his life would be empty and meaningless and he will stop at nothing to protect her. And it’s this that is planting April right in the crosshairs of the violent mafia war with the Ivankov family’s longest standing competitor, Capeci. Who just happens to be April’s father.Will Valentin’s love for April be the thing that destroys both of them in the end?Book V: Having a future with him is exactly what she wants, or so she thought.Against all odds, April has fallen in love with her Brutal Captor and the man who forced her to marry him. The passion she and Valentin share is like nothing she has ever experienced before and having a future with him is exactly what she wants. Or so she thought. April soon finds out that perhaps the only thing you can count on in Valentin’s world is betrayal and ever-present danger... especially at the hands of family.Book VI: It’s life or death for both of them. Is blood always thicker than water?The war raging with his enemy Capeci is not letting up and April finds herself forced, once again, to play the role of a pawn at the dangerous hands of her father. The extent of the Capeci’s stronghold over Valentin and the Ivankov bratva is finally displayed in a crushing blow that brings Valentin to his knees. A final showdown with Capeci is about to go down and April herself has been positioned as the sacrificial lamb. Is the new love of Valentin and April strong enough for them to triumph over this nightmare or is it true that at the end of the day blood is always thicker than water?

Ember Casey Starter Bundle: His Wicked Games / The Sweet Taste of Sin / Claiming His Treasure


Ember Casey - 2019
    As it turns out, the arrogant billionaire is willing to give her the money he promised her, but there's a catch: she must win it from him. And the games he has in mind aren't exactly...innocent. This ultra-steamy romance is perfect for those who love brooding billionaires, enemies-to-lovers stories, “stranded” romances, and oh-so-sexy competitions. THE SWEET TASTE OF SIN (The Fontaines, Book 1) To the rest of the world, Dante is Hollywood royalty, the ridiculously attractive oldest son of the notorious Fontaine family. To Ashlyn? He’s the guy who made her swear off men forever. Ashlyn just wants to move on with her life, run her bakery, and forget about the man who broke her heart. But when an accidental—and humiliating—encounter throws Ashlyn and Dante back together, she’s forced to face the truth: Dante hasn’t forgotten about her. And this time, he has no intention of letting her go… This sizzling contemporary romance will thrill those who enjoy second-chance love stories, summer/beach reads, celebrity heroes, and sexy kitchen scenes. CLAIMING HIS TREASURE (The Devil’s Set, Book 1) Charlotte “Charlie” Carver knows she’s in trouble when Jackson North shows up at her door in the middle of the night, nearly a year after he unceremoniously broke her heart. She’s always suspected her ex had secrets, but she never thought those secrets would put her in danger—or lead her on an international adventure beyond her wildest dreams. This gripping action-adventure romance is perfect for those who are looking for something a little different in the romance genre! Thrilling adventure meets a sweet second-chance love story in this exciting installment. What readers are saying about the books in this set: "His Wicked Games was, quite simply, one of the sexiest books I've read...The story went deeper than most, which I loved. Ember Casey has definitely earned a place in my favorites." - Amazon reader review of HIS WICKED GAMES "I'm at a loss for words. This is one of the very best books I've read, ever." - Amazon reader review of HIS WICKED GAMES “5 AMAZING STARS!!! MY OH MY, I could never get enough of Dante Fontaine. That man knows how to push all the right buttons, and is every woman's fantasy!!!” – Amazon reader review of THE SWEET TASTE OF SIN “Ember Casey does it again! Casey is a master at creating intense, complicated characters with rich back stories that not only draw you in, but keep you interested until the very end. Dante and Ashlyn's story is no exception!” – Amazon reader review of THE SWEET TASTE OF SIN "Holy amazeballs; Ember Casey rocked Jackson's story. This is not your average romance; this is a romance full of action, anticipation and thrill."- Alison S. Parkins Book Reviews on CLAIMING HIS TREASURE