Book picks similar to
Protected by the Monster by B.B. Hamel
mafia
romance
arc
type-romance
Stark Revenge
Andi Rhodes - 2020
I’ve spent years craving it, and now that I’m finally in a position to make it happen, nothing can stop me. Enter one stripper that doesn’t fit in and everything changes. I still need revenge and to ease the ache of failure, but she makes me want something else, something I never thought possible. Now, I want a life. Katelyn…I never dreamed I’d be taking my clothes off for money, but here I am, working at The White Lily, trying to satisfy my deal with the devil. For months, I’ve done what I had to in order to protect the people I love, but when I’m given to my boss’s head of security as a reward, I wish I were more selfish. I need to finish what I started, but I also can’t turn my back on the beautifully broken man who is not at all who I thought he was. Revenge is his past and present, but can I be his future? Stark Revenge contains subject matter that some may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.
Russian Tattoos #1-3
Kat Shehata - 2017
Her overprotective father monitors every aspect of her life, so when he becomes employed by Vladimir Ivanov—a sexy Russian with an array of tattoos and an accent that weakens her knees—a bit of danger is within Carter’s grasp. Behind her father's back, she enjoys spending time with Vladimir at his lavish estate. But is he really the upstanding businessman she believes him to be?Vladimir Ivanov reigns as godfather of a Russian mafia crime ring.Vladimir spent five years of his life in a Siberian prison camp and has earned every tattoo inked into his skin. He is a powerful man who gets what he wants, and after stalking the gorgeous tennis player for years—he wants Carter. A little charm melts her heart, and behind the scenes, he orders his henchman to track her every move.He’s a tattooed stick of dynamite ready to blow at the slightest spark.As their romance reaches deadly levels, Carter senses something’s not right. When she’s lured into a compromising position at the hands of a shady European drug dealer, she calls in Boris, Vladimir’s right hand man, to rescue her—without telling Vladimir. With his authority questioned, he sets out to teach Carter a lesson about loyalty she’ll never forget.When Carter realizes she's in too deep, she must fight for her freedom before the attraction turns fatal.But the Russian mafia plays for keeps, and Vladimir’s fierce lust to possess her spirals their romance out of control.RUSSIAN TATTOOS PRISONER - BOOK #2American tennis player Carter Cook is being held prisoner by the Russian mafia...Carter is the obsession of mob boss Vladimir Ivanov, a man she once loved. Now a mafia war has erupted on his home turf, and Vladimir’s enemies have put a bounty on her head to force him to surrender. If she is captured, his rivals will deliver a deadly ultimatum—his life in exchange for hers. The price for Carter’s freedom is Vladimir’s blood.Vladimir holds ultimate power as godfather of the Ivanov Bratva…He spent five years in a Siberian prison camp and has earned every tattoo inked into his skin. He is a powerful man who rules his crew with an iron fist.But his enemies have discovered his only weakness—Carter. Vladimir knows if she stays in his world, he is handing her a death sentence, so he vows to get her home and never interfere in her life again. Giving up the woman he loves is the only way to protect her from the bad guys—including himself.Vladimir’s rivals have a different plan for the ill-fated couple…Some punishments are worse than death, and the head of the Ovechkin Bratva will go to any length to seek vengeance and inflict maximum suffering on Vladimir.Carter may be Vladimir’s weakness, but she is also his only hope for survival. When the boss of the Ovechkin family threatens the man she loves, she must fight for Vladimir’s freedom before their rivals can deliver the fatal blow.Love is blind—but it could also be deadly.RUSSIAN TATTOOS CRIMINAL - BOOK #3Russian mob boss Vladimir Ivanov has many enemies—one of them just kidnapped his wife.A mafia war has erupted in London, and Vladimir’s enemies know his one weakness is his deep passion for his new bride, Carter Ivanov. When rival mob boss Maksim Ovechkin kidnaps her, Vladimir is willing to pay the ransom with his own blood.But Maksim’s plans go deeper than that. Vladimir’s blood may not be enough.Maksim wants Carter for himself.Carter has a secret—she’s pregnant with Vladimir’s heir.If Maksim finds out, the consequences will be disastrous. But Carter isn’t willing to give up on her husband, even if her loyalty to Vladimir puts her life on the line.Some risks are worth taking, however, and Carter has a plan.Unfortunately, Maksim is one step ahead of her.
Sin
Elena M. Reyes - 2021
Sin and pleasure.The Devil she never sees coming…Everyone knows that Malcolm Asher owns Chicago. Nothing—not a single move is made in my city without my authorization. I’m ruthless. Conniving. Worshipped by those around me, and yet, it means nothing the moment my eyes meet hers…Clear blue and innocent, the delicate doll on this stage holds me captive against my will. She’s decadence personified—a corruptible angel I want to own.I’m hard for her. Starving for a taste. Eager for her to feel me.This little girl has no idea of the danger she’s in within my presence. How I will make her crave the darkness I control.How I will make her…Mine.
Violent Delights
Jessica Hawkins - 2019
An untouchable among thieves. Heiress to a life others have killed for, and one I'd do anything to escape. I vowed not to leave without Diego, my first love and best friend, but if his ruthless brother has his way, I won’t leave at all.Cristiano de la Rosa is a man as big and bold as his legend. Once upon a time, he was our cartel’s best soldier . . . until he became my family’s worst enemy. And a man like Cristiano will bend fate to his will to get what he wants—even if it means tearing me from another's arms.Because in the de la Rosa family, old grudges run deeper than loyalty, and betrayal is a three-letter word: war. But this feud isn’t between enemies—it’s between brothers. And I’m the prize.
Kings of Blood and Money
Ker Dukey - 2021
My father was supposed to be there that night. He should have been there. Should have protected them—us.When you strip a man of all he cares about, you’re left with a soulless entity seething with primal rage. He promised to turn Gallo's bloodline to dust to get his retribution.And he did.All but one.FreyaI was seven years old when I was taken in the night. I don’t remember much of life before that. All I know now is the glaring eyes of a boy who hates me, and the comfort I find in the boy whose face mirrors his.I’m not part of this family, but they’re all I have familiar as one. To hate is easy.And I do hate them.But to love even in hate is what hardens you, strengthens you, gives you reason.The truth is I shouldn’t love them, that all these years are leading somewhere I won’t want to go.But I do…Love them.I love them both. The only question left now is, do they love me?
Surrogate Betrayal
Aria Ray - 2021
Instead, I found myself right in the middle of a dangerous mafia war.When my father's life is at stake, becoming a surrogate for an insanely wealthy couple seems the right thing to do.But when the casual meeting with the future parents turns into a raging mafia war, I find myself in mortal danger.The loving couple was a fraud, and I've been duped in the worst possible manner.My child's real father is a man that makes my blood run cold.A menacing mafia boss.A ruthless killer.And the catch is – he had no idea he was going to become a father...Powerful, brutal, and deviously handsome, Vlad is someone I should avoid.But when a powerful enemy who's determined to kill us is getting dangerously close, there's no one I trust more than him to protect me and my unborn child.What do you do when the monster you loathe is the only one who can ensure your survival?"Surrogate Betrayal" is the first book in the "Ruthless Russian Mob" bad boy mafia romance series from author Aria Ray.It is a stand-alone Dark Mafia Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers.
Gian
Lisa Cardiff - 2016
And I had a plan to make it all happen. Move to New York. Find an agent. Work hard. Then with a little luck mixed in with some natural talent, I’d be a Broadway star. One devastating injury and a broken engagement later, I have nothing to show for my life except an empty bank account and a jaded heart. Desperate to salvage my dreams, I agree to interview for a job with my best friend’s brother, Gian Trassato. Gian is charming. He’s magnetic. He’s connected to the Trassato Crime Family, and everything I should stay away from, but I don’t have a choice. I need the job. Just when I thought I was about to get my life and career back on track, I make one thoughtless mistake. I go back to the club to pick up my purse and witness something Gian’s enemies would kill to keep secret. Now I’m being sucked deeper and deeper into a terrifying world I don’t understand…Friends and enemies are interchangeable. Honor and family are everything. And the scariest part of all…I might actually be getting lost in Gian.
Deception
Fiona Davenport - 2016
Born to lead a powerful mafia family, he’s not in the habit of asking for permission—or forgiveness. He’s willing to cross any boundary when it comes to possessing what he considers to be his, and from the moment he laid eyes on Anna Martin, he knew she was meant for him.Nic is quick to move the innocent nanny into his home... and his bed. But, he hides his dark side from Anna. The deception is necessary to ensure she falls for him before she realizes exactly who he is. Please note: Nic & Anna’s romance is a three part story, but there are no relationship cliffhangers.
Keep Her Close (Bacelli Crime Family, 1)
Jenika Snow - 2020
Marra.
And it’s that rejection from her, the disinterest she shows, her lack of fear in who and what he is, that turned Joey on even more. It made him obsessed, so much so he’ll stop at nothing to make Marra his.Marra Santos knew Joey was a dangerous man, and it’s because of who and what he is that kept Marra at an arm’s length. But the truth was, she wanted him with a desperation that scared her more than the man himself.When she’s witness to a murder and her life is in danger, the only man she could turn to is Joey.
Now at Joey’s mercy and in his debt, Marra knows he’ll make her repay him in the one way he’s always wanted.
To be his completely.Reader note: This story was previously published under the title A Bad Man: Joey. Although the story itself is the same as before, it has since been re-edited, minimally revised, and new content added. Contents may be sensitive to some readers.
Master of Sin
Sienna Snow - 2019
The one I shouldn't want, shouldn't crave, the one who could destroy my carefully built life.Hagen Lykaios was the essence of sin, indulgence, and danger - everything I knew to avoid.All it took was one unexpected touch, and he consumed me, left me begging, needy, and hungry for more.He said if I entered his world he would corrupt me, own me, and change all that I had ever known...and you know what? I went anyway.
A Hundred Wishes (Band of Sisters)
Marianne Rice - 2022
She has found a sense of inner peace through her sewing, crafting, and teaching children online. Jobs that keep her at a distance from everyone but her sisters.Arson inspector Bryce Cambridge has never been shot down so quickly or so curtly as he is by the woman with gorgeous brown eyes selling quilts. Luck is on his side when he runs into her at a bowling alley the next day. He’s intrigued and turned on by her smart mouth. The chemistry is explosive between them, and even though she tries to resist, the spark between them is too hot to ignore.Those blue-grey eyes and charming smile have Gina lowering the wall she’s built around her heart. But as their relationship grows more serious, Bryce wants to see all Gina is hiding. The puckered, scarred skin and the shrapnel buried in her flesh are just the surface layers of the wounds Gina tries to keep hidden. But her deepest, darkest secret may be too repulsive even for someone as strong as Bryce.Because his fears are her reality.
The Professional
Kresley Cole - 2014
Ordered to protect her, Aleksei will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.Rules are made to be broken…Grad student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the dark and breathtaking Sevastyan before the professional enforcer whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. Every day under his protection leads her deeper under his masterful spell.Are you ready to play?Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true...
Machiavellian
Bella Di Corte - 2020
I hungered to be seen. There were three things I knew about Capo Macchiavello: He was gorgeous. He was reclusive. He was considered one of New York’s most savage animals. And he wanted me as his wife. A simple arrangement – you do for me, I do for you. Nothing owed, no expectations. Except for one: never leave. Life was never that simple, though. By the age of twenty-one, I was parentless, jobless, and homeless, and I had come to learn the hard way that nothing was ever free. Even kindness comes with strings. Capo might’ve been the only man to ever see me, but I had made a vow to myself: I would never owe anyone anything. Most of all, the man I called boss. I killed to stay hidden. Mariposa Flores thought she owed nothing to no one, but she owed everything…to me, the ghost the world had once called The Machiavellian Prince of New York.
Ruthless Arrangement
Jordan Marie - 2021
Since his father never truly acknowledged him, no one could accuse him of that.As far as the outside world knows, Killian is just a distant cousin, a nobody who showed promise and worked until he could declare himself the king of Boston.Still, he must answer to his father.When doing so puts his life on the line, Killian’s world is turned upside down. Now, he must fight tooth and nail to keep the life he’s built.The one person he sees as the key to that is Belle Tate.Belle is innocent, but as the daughter of the man who set Killian up to take the fall for murder, she will be his revenge.It’s the perfect plan.The problem is, plans never truly work out like you imagine they will when you’re Killian O’Leary.He thought he was using Belle to reclaim his kingdom.She just might be the one person who can claim him and give him a whole new world.