Book picks similar to
Cognati by Elizabeth Gray
taboo
dark
abuse
dark-romance
Pretty Stolen Dolls
Ker Dukey - 2016
Kidnapped and held prisoner by the psychotic serial killer, they spend years in captivity, lost to the world. Resolute in seeking freedom, Jade finally manages to escape the clutches of the brutal monster of a man and his sadistic torture. But it comes at a devastating price. Macy is left behind. Years later, and now a detective herself, Jade is determined to hunt down her kidnapper and finally free her sister. She soon learns, after a string of new murders with an eerie familiarity…She's not the only one on the hunt.Her past is about to catch up with her. And Benny is a lot closer than she thinks.This is a dark title with adult themes.
Counsellor
Celia Aaron - 2015
Once every ten years, the pretense falls away and a tournament is held to determine who will rule them. The Acquisition is a crucible for the Southern nobility, a love letter written to a time when barbarism was enshrined as law. Now, Sinclair Vinemont is in the running to claim the prize. There is only one way to win, and he has the key to do it — Stella Rousseau, his Acquisition. To save her father, Stella has agreed to become Sinclair's slave for one year. Though she is at the mercy of the cold, treacherous Vinemont, Stella will not go willingly into darkness. As Sinclair and Stella battle against each other and the clock, only one thing is certain: The Acquisition always ends in blood. Full disclosure: This book is a dark romance with elements of slavery, violence, BDSM, and super-hot sex. It is the first of a series and ends on a cliffhanger. If you're good with these caveats, enjoy.
The Tied Man
Tabitha McGowan - 2013
But Lilith has an artist’s eye, and a gift for seeing what lies beneath the skin. She soon discovers that Blaine is more gaoler than lover, and if the price is right, depravity has no limits.As the weeks pass, Lilith finds that she too is drawn into the malign web that her patron has spun, yet against the odds she forges a strong friendship with the damaged, dysfunctional Finn. In a dark, modern twist to an age-old story, Lilith Bresson proves that sometimes it’s the princess who needs to become the rescuer.Please note that this storyline contains depictions of drug abuse, violence and non-consensual sexual activity.
Taken
Natasha Knight - 2018
He’s the first-born son of the Scafoni family. And we have history.For generations, the Scafoni family have demanded a sacrifice of us. A virgin daughter to atone for sins so old, we don’t even remember what they are anymore.But when you have as much money as they do, you don’t play by the rules. You make them. And Sebastian Scafoni makes all the rules. The moment I saw him, I knew he would choose me. Even though the mark on my sheath declared me unclean. Even though my beautiful sisters stood beside me, offered to him, he still chose me. He made me his.And then he set out to break me. Note: Taken is book one of the Dark Legacy Duet.
Slashes in the Snow
M. Never - 2019
Away from our MC club, all his responsibilities, and me. We haven’t spoken since the day he handed me the keys to the kingdom. Shoved them down my throat was more like it. I hate him, and the new family he’s playing house with. He left his entire life behind for a woman he barely knows. But I’m strong, resilient, and don’t need a damn soul to survive. At least, that’s what I thought...until she walked into my bar. Kira Someone is watching me. I can feel it. I wake up in the middle of the night freaked out of my mind, paranoid a stranger is there. My skin prickles every time I leave my house, because I know someone is following me. I’m afraid. Alone. And there’s only one person left to turn to. The stepbrother I never met. The man my stepfather speaks so highly about, but never sees. He’s the president of a notorious motorcycle club, and exactly the kind of person I need to protect me. Little did I know, Ky Parish, freakin’ hates my guts. Slashes in the Snow is an enemies to lovers, stepbrother romance, romantic suspense (emphasis on romance) with dark elements. Reader discretion is advised.
XV
Lana Sky - 2019
Armed with only her instincts, Ellen must resist her captor for as long as she can—which is easier said than done the more she's exposed to the complex man beneath the beast.Because Mischa Stepanov isn’t a mindless monster—he’s a wolf, and she’s the unwitting doe caught in his midst. Unraveling the torment of his past may be her only hope of salvation...Or the secrets uncovered may destroy them both.
Auctioned
Cara Dee - 2018
He was just another happy-go-lucky dude, a college student and hockey player, when his ordinary existence was interrupted, and he became a human trafficking statistic.He and seven other young men were taken aboard a luxurious yacht where they were to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Gray was beaten, shattered, and almost defeated by the time his buyer stepped out of the shadows in a swirl of his own cigarette smoke.He was Gray’s new owner.Darius Quinn had vowed never again to find himself in a situation like this. His days as a private military contractor were over. No more missions, no more risks, no more personal attachments. Yet, here he was, after weeks of searching, face-to-face with his broken prize.It was time to get the knucklehead back to his family.Quick and easy was Darius’s plan.Then everything went sideways.----------------------------------------------------Auctioned, book 1. (Does not end with a cliffhanger.)
Fable of Happiness
Pepper Winters - 2021
A man who’s lived alone for a decade.A woman who trespasses on his solitude. A love full of hate as well as hunger. The thing about my life is... I was never in control of it.I just I thought I was.I thought I had everything figured out—a good career, fun hobbies, a bright future, but everything changed when I found an ivy-cloaked house, tucked in a forgotten valley, hiding the man who would corrupt my world forever.I thought I was successful, until he showed me fortune and happiness could be snatched away in an instant.I believed I was blessed, but really, I was cursed.Cursed to become a plaything for a monster.Cursed to become a prisoner just because I trespassed.Now, I know nothing.I am nothing.I’m just his.It’s the start of something huge. From New York Times Bestseller, Pepper Winters, comes a new Dark Romance full of decadent angst, monstrous heroes, and pages chock-full of lust.
Torment: Part One
Dylan Page - 2021
The one I knew I could always rely on.For many years, I accepted everyone and everything around me. But as I grew up, the veil was lifted, and I slowly came to understand how f*cked up it all really is. These men, who I considered uncles and close family friends, are members of the dominant MC, The Celtic Beasts. Shay is not only a proud member. He is the one they send in to do their dirty work. For some reason, this tough, muscled, terrifying guy, needs me to ground and comfort him.But I have always had bigger plans. Bigger dreams. I don’t want to be trapped here, in this life that is dark, bloody and violent. I want to get out, escape… but Shay has other plans for me.What do you do when your protector becomes the very root of your torment?**Warning: This book is meant for mature readers, 18+.Torment Part One is a dark romance and contains scenes and situations that may be upsetting for some readers. Includes several triggers and sensitive material such as: domestic abuse, profanity, gang violence, PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders, and sexual assault.Please do not read if you are uncomfortable with any of the above. Thank you.
Bloodstained Beauty
Ella Fields - 2018
Fresh out of college and headed straight for my dream job, I didn’t think things could get any better.
Then I met my dream man.
In an instant, my happy ever after had begun.
The life I’d stumbled into was beautiful, and the man I loved was perfect.
But perfection comes at a cost, and I’d slumbered through all the alarms.
Then I met my nightmare.
The man whose bright eyes held untamed darkness.
The man who disarmed me with his peculiar behavior.
The man whose cold, merciless hands shook me awake.
In an instant, questions started to dismantle my happy ever after.
But whoever said the truth would set you free was wrong.
It wasn’t going to repair the cracks in my naive heart.
It wasn’t going to caress my face with comforting hands and reassure me it was all just a dream.
No, the truth shoved me down a rabbit hole, and I landed in the lair of a real-life monster.
By Sin I Rise: Part One
Cora Reilly - 2021
Raised by his uncle, the president of the Tartarus MC, Maddox is destined to follow in his footsteps. Now their chapter is on the rise again, but for their ultimate triumph they need to destroy the Vitiello empire. And what better way to do it than to steal the spoilt Vitiello princess and break her piece by piece until her father begs for mercy.Known as the spoilt princess of New York, Marcella Vitiello grew up in a golden cage. If your father is the most feared man in New York, people gift you with reverence.Destined to marry the boyfriend approved by her father, Marcella is sick of being treated like an untouchable porcelain doll. She resents the life forced upon her by her family until everything she took for granted is ripped from her. Where she’s now, her name doesn’t bring awe, only pain and humiliation.If you’ve grown up in a high castle, the fall is all the deeper. Sins of the fathers have a way of catching up…who’s going to bleed for them?
Max
Bey Deckard - 2016
Crane takes on a new patient who both intrigues and unnerves him. Charming, manipulative, and amoral, Max has exactly the sort of mind Crane finds himself drawn to with fictional characters.As Max weaves himself into Crane's life, Crane realizes that while fiction might be safe, Max certainly is not.When the professional line between them thins, who gets to define where one man ends and the other begins?
Condemned Complete Series: A Dark Romance
Gemma James - 2020
Over 1300 pages of action-packed dark romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page. Reader discretion is advised. I was fifteen when I sent the love of my life to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Back then Rafe was my brother’s best friend and off-limits, but that didn’t stop me from drooling over him. I’ve never forgotten the guy whose green eyes made me weak in the knees. Rafe hasn’t forgotten me either. Eight years later, I find him on my doorstep with revenge on the mind. The twisted part of this story? I still want him, even though he’s holding me captive on an island. He says I’ve got eight years of misery to atone for, and every move he makes is designed to shame and punish. Instead, his touch lights us both on fire. But the lie I told years ago is ricocheting. Neither of us saw it coming. The violence, death, and betrayal that leave us in ruins. Redemption seems impossible because we can’t undo what’s been done. I belong to him as much as he belongs to me, and we’ll fight for each other or go down in flames trying. Includes all 6 books in the Condemned series: Torrent, Rampant, Fervent, Vagrant, Deviant, and Descent. NOTE TO READERS: Intended for mature readers who enjoy a dark contemporary romance with kidnapping and other disturbing themes. Not for the faint of heart. You’ve been warned.
Waking Olivia
Elizabeth O'Roark - 2016
She's trouble of the devious, manipulative, too-f***ing-hot-for-her-own good variety. She's the kind of girl who causes trouble merely by existing, and then makes sure to cause more. And the last thing I need right now is more trouble."A failing farm.His father’s debt.And a struggling college track team. Will Langstrom has too many responsibilities, and the last thing he needs is Olivia Finnegan, a beautiful but troubled new transfer student.A smart mouth. A strong right hook.And a secret that could destroy her. Olivia is her own worst enemy, with a past she can’t seem to escape, and the last person she wants help from is a cocky track coach she can never seem to please.Refusing to be pushed away, Will is determined to save her. And determined to resist an attraction that could destroy them both.
His Brat
Isabella Starling - 2016
MAX She's off limits. The one girl I can't have. Of course, I don't know that when I see her for the first time and bury myself inside her. But I'm marrying her mother... a loveless marriage that means nothing to either of us, but still means Lola Grace can't be mine. I wouldn't be good for her, anyway. I play hard, and f*ck harder. I'd ruin a pretty young girl like her in mere hours. But I just can't resist... Lola Grace is too damn sweet for me to give up. LOLA GRACE My life changes when Max River walks into it. He complicates everything, making me regret ever setting eyes on his tall, inked and toned body. But at the same time, I can't let go. I know the rules. No kissing. Not touching. No talking. No f*cking. And I'm about to break every one of them.
Full-length novel. Standalone, no cliffhanger. HEA guaranteed.