Book picks similar to
Read To Me by Sade Rena


mafia
dnf
dark-romance
mafia-romance

Forbidden Love


Elizabeth Knox - 2019
    There was already so much taken from me at the hands of my father, and I would allow nothing else to be ripped from me – especially my future.It was simple. I found a new identity. I wasn’t Caprice DiGiovanni, I was Amber, a sweet and sassy southern girl from Alabama. I ran to the last place my father would expect me to go – Ireland. Everything was working out great for me, that is, until Sergei found me.I just never anticipated Liam Mackenzie coming to bat for me.He knew Amber, he never knew Caprice.Now he’s got us both. LiamFrom the second she walked into my bar and asked for a job I knew she was special. Something about this southern girl caught my eye. It didn’t take me very long to discover that she was hiding something, her awful accent was proof of that.It turns out she was far rarer than I could ever imagine.When her world came crashing down around her, I was the one ready to pick her up. It didn’t matter that she was off limits, or that she was forbidden in every sense of the word. I’d find a way to make her mine, and I did. Caprice DiGiovanni is my forbidden love.

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.

Don't Make Me Beautiful


Elle Casey - 2013
    If you liked the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy", then you might like this story too. No one knew a woman lived there or that she even existed. A monster, living in darkness...At twenty-two, Nicole doesn't even look human anymore. The beast made sure of that. So she hides. A monster, consigned to a life of fear and solitude. This is all she deserves, she is quite sure of that.  And then one day out of the blue, the autographed baseball caught by Brian Jensen at the latest Marlins game enters her prison and manages to turn her world completely upside down.Temptation comes in the form of pity at first, and then perhaps something more. Does she dare to believe the things she's told, that this is not the life she was meant to live? That being a monster is not her forever-fate? And will she be willing to risk everything, to reach out and accept the helping hands around her and share her deepest, darkest secrets? She knows only too well that hands can hurt. Finding out whether they can also heal is a risky proposition, especially when the beast is still out there. Looking for her.Content warning: Violence, foul language, and adult situations. Not meant for younger readers. A note from Elle about this book: A really long time ago, I read an article in a newspaper or a magazine (I haven’t been able to locate the original) about a woman who was so badly beaten over a long period of time, she couldn’t leave her house. I thought about that woman a lot over the years and about what her thoughts might have been, her fears, her reality … and this book was my attempt to both exorcise those thoughts from my brain and also shed some light on a subject —domestic violence— that I feel should never be left in darkness.

The Kiss Thief


L.J. Shen - 2019
     Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky. They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred. Mine were broken before we left church. They say your heart only beats for one man. Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end. I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit. Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage. They say that all great love stories have a happy ending. I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter. One kiss. Two men. Three lives. Entwined together. And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.

Ruthless Saints


Michelle Heard - 2021
    I’m the villain. The monster everyone fears.I’ve been born into a life of depravity and ruthlessness. It’s kill or be killed.Until her…The moment she smiles at me, my world changes.I keep coming back. Watching her brings me stolen moments of peace.Until I can’t stay away…She doesn’t know who I am, that she’s flirting with death.Slowly we fall deeper until she loves the lies I’ve told her.The danger that follows me, creeps closer and the façade I’ve built comes crashing down around us. And lovers turn to enemies.But there’s no going back for me.I want her. I will have her. She doesn’t have a choice.STANDALONE: Romance Suspense full-length novel.

Wicked Heart (Wreck & Ruin #1)


Ria Wilde - 2022
    𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏.There is no room for sweet or innocent in my world.No room for mistakes or weaknesses. My life was full of darkness, greed and corruption.Blood was spilled as easily as water, and life taken without much thought.I made a vow to my sister that the people who harmed her all those years ago would pay, and the only currency I would accept was their lives.𝑼𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅.She didn't belong here, a light in the dark, a flower growing on a battlefield.Her sweet nature was like a beacon for my depraved heart, and I knew going anywhere near her would be her damnation.But there's something about her, it calls to me and it's not long before her siren song snares me.I would have her.I would keep her. She's wise to be scared of me for I'm not the hero in her story...I'm the villain. I'm the very man who will corrupt her.But I'm going to take her anyway.𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓.Wicked Heart is book 1 in the Wreck & Ruin series, a spin off from the Twisted City Duet.This is a standalone dark romance and you should expect some dark themes throughout, these include violence, stalker themes, dub-con, strong language, heavy sexual content, alcohol use, mentions of SA and human trafficking.It is recommended for mature audiences.

Sweet Girl


Quell T. Fox - 2021
    He’s dirty. He’s everything I want.He’s the reason I’ve avoided coming home for summer break.It’s not because I’m scared, or mistreated.It’s the opposite, actually.I’ve caught him doing unspeakable things to himself, things I can’t get out of my head. Things I would like to do to him myself.So, what’s stopping me?Well, it isn’t the fact he’s old enough to be my father. It’s the fact he’s dating my mom.Coming home is inevitable, and I’m going to have to face him. It’s been four years, I can do this. I can handle one summer, right?Sweet Girl is a very steamy MF, age gap novel. Some instances in this book may be considered taboo.Read at your own risk.There is adult content in this book and it is not meant for readers under the age of 18.This books ends with a HFN.

The Bodyguard


Natalie Wrye - 2016
    A sexy-as-sin husband.My only issue, you might ask? I don't remember any of it.***It's not every day you wake up to the man of your dreams.Literally.Last night, I went to sleep and met a stranger in my nightmare. Today, I wake up to him in my bed.He calls me his wife. I call "Bull."Until I realize my dreams are memories. My nightmares are real. And maybe my husband is, too...***Librarian's note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN: B01LXOZX10. Previously published under the title, Fool's Gold.

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.

Deprivation


L.M. Fox - 2021
    But there’s no cure for my attraction to Dr. Nicholas Barnes. I’m a magnet for egotistical playboys. It’s been years since I’ve let anyone in. Pursuing me is merely a challenge for this overconfident ladies' man. What else could this handsome, arrogant surgeon want with me? I have great friends and a job in the ER I love. A good night’s rest is what I need. One little sleeping pill couldn’t hurt. Could it? But this irresistible doctor even seduces me in my dreams. It’s a delicious temptation I don’t want to stop. Yet what happens when the line between fantasy and truth becomes blurred? When you can no longer live with the constant deprivation? This man is beautiful. He’s charming. And he could be the love of my life or my complete destruction.

Obsidian Liquor


Scarlett Dawn - 2014
    But when she’s caught red-handed by a man who kills for a living, her enmity rapidly turns to fear. Daniil Kozar isn't a man to trifle with, and Elizabeth is forced to strike a deal with the mafia king. Her every action is watched, and she needs to decide how to handle the gun-toting criminal--and his seductive charm.Daniil may be the devil her father warned about. Or he may be the sensual awakening Elizabeth never knew she needed. Somewhere, Elizabeth's dad is screaming a prayer...*Originally published in The Obsidian Collection**This work contains sexual material intended for readers 18+*

Only You: A Standalone Contemporary Romance


K.T. Quinn - 2021
    

First Touch


Laurelin Paige - 2015
    Though the two were once notorious party girls, they haven't spoken in years. Although the message might sound benign to anyone else, Amber uses a safe word that Emily recognizes, a word they always used to get out of sticky situations during their wild days. And what's more chilling than the voicemail: it turns out that Amber has gone missing.Determined to track down her friend, Emily follows a chain of clues that lead her to the enigmatic billionaire Reeve Sallis, a hotelier known for his shady dealings and play boy reputation. Now, in order to find Amber, Emily must seduce Reeve to learn his secrets and discover the whereabouts of her friend. But as she finds herself more entangled with him, she finds she's drawn to Reeve for more than just his connection to Amber, despite her growing fear that he may be the enemy. When she's forced to choose where her loyalty lies, how will she decide between saving Amber and saving her heart?

A Bullet Between Us (The Moretti Crime Family)


K. Dosal - 2021
    Terrified under the brittle moon, I’d been left behind as blood swept into the pristine snow. I’d closed my eyes and waited for the afterlife, welcoming it.Death had never come for me, but it ended the life I once knew. Now, I lived in fear, running from a world ruled by vicious men. An organized world where power and violence had no limit. And I was in the middle of it all. It’d led me to him, Ilias. But in this world, my nightmare was etched in the face of every man I stumbled upon. I didn’t trust anyone, but my heart trusted him.Even while my mind kept a bullet between us. ILIASI was given an assignment, an order. Failure wasn’t an option. Not when it meant her, Davina. But how could I keep her alive? I was no hero. Just a man dressed as one, with a heart as corrupted as the same men I grew up with.

Dirty Angels


Karina Halle - 2014
    Please see the bottom of this description to see if this is the kind of book that you'll love or piss you off**For Luisa Chavez, a twenty-three year old former beauty queen, a better life has always been just out of her reach. Sure, she’s had men at her feet since she was a young teenager but she’s never had the one thing she’s craved – security. Having grown up in near poverty, her waitressing job in Cabo San Lucas can barely let her take care of herself, let alone her ailing parents. Every day is another unwanted advance, every day is a struggle to survive.When Salvador Reyes, the depraved leader of a major Mexican cartel, takes an interest in her, Luisa is presented with an opportunity she can’t afford to pass up. She’ll become Salvador’s wife and exchange her freedom and body for a life of riches – riches she can bestow upon her deserving parents. But Luisa quickly finds out that even the finest wines and jewels can’t undo the ugliness in her marriage, nor the never-ending violence that threatens her every move.Soon, Luisa is looking for an escape, a way out of the carefully controlled life she’s leading. She finally gets her wish in the worst way possible.As it is, being the wife of Salvador makes her an ideal target for rival cartels and there’s one particular man who needs Luisa as part of his cartel’s expansion. One particular man whose quest for power has destroyed lives, slit throats and gotten him out of an American prison. One particular man who will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.That man is Javier Bernal. And he wants Luisa. He wants to take her, keep her, ruin her.Unless she ruins him first.***WARNING*** This book deals with drug cartels and as such it contains a lot of sex and violence and some violent sex. It can get pretty ugly, pretty dark and pretty crazy. There is drug use, abuse, a bit of torture and dubious consent. The hero is not a hero and the villains...well, they're even worse. If this sort of thing bothers you, PLEASE DO NOT READ IT. This ain't no cupcake farting unicorn kind of book. If you are even a bit squeamish about violence, brutality and rape, this is your warning to stay away from a book that you certainly will not like (and why read books that you know you won't like?)******While this is a spin-off of The Artists Trilogy, prior knowledge of the books is not needed. DIRTY ANGELS is the first in a trilogy, however each book can standalone and follows or introduces different characters***