Book picks similar to
Venerable by Laura B. Martínez


dark
freebie
contemporary-romance
romance

Forgetting the Enemy


Amy Cecil - 2019
    He’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants and right now the only thing he wants is Zaira Bonito, the eldest daughter of the Vitali’s most rivaled family. At one time, Michael and Zaira were very close. But, a tragedy caused false accusations and the families were torn apart. Years later the families come together to eliminate a common enemy. It was a carefully and well thought out hit.But not everything goes as plannedAt her engagement party, Zaira watches while her father and fiancée are murdered. She frantically tries to get away, but falls and hits her head. She awakes and finds herself with an awful headache and no memory in a world that she is vaguely familiar. Her only guide - Michael Vitali.Michael has Zaira right where he wants her and will do anything to keep her, even manipulate and deceive her. He knows there is a chance that when she does remember she won’t be able to forgive him, but he’s willing to risk his heart - for her.

Bastards & Whiskey


Alta Hensley - 2017
    We own Spiked Roses—an exclusive, membership only establishment in New Orleans where money or lineage is the only way in. It is for the gentlemen who own everything and never hear the word no. Sipping on whiskey, smoking cigars, and conducting multi-million dollar deals in our own personal playground of indulgence, there isn’t anything I can’t have… and that includes HER. I can also have HER if I want. And I want.

Follow Me Darkly


Helen Hardt - 2020
    But he’s a master of control. Skye Manning knows what she wants. Her job as assistant and photographer for a major social media influencer isn’t perfect, but it’s a rung on the ladder to bigger and better things. She’s confident she’ll one day take feature photos for National Geographic.Self-made billionaire Braden Black didn’t get where he is by taking no for an answer. When a chance encounter with the refreshingly innocent and beautiful Skye piques his interest in more ways than one, he’s determined to make her submit.Dating a billionaire soon has Skye in the middle of a Cinderella story…until the clock strikes midnight and Braden reveals his dark side. Heat sizzles between them, and Skye finds herself falling hard.But Braden Black is no Prince Charming, and his dark desires are far from his only secret.Start this amazing series off with Darkly, Follow Me Darkly told from the hero's point of view, or spice up your reading with Braden's story any time while enjoying the Follow Me series.Darkly (Book #1 in the hero's POV) can be read and enjoyed in any order!Reading order of Follow Me trilogy:Book #1: Follow Me DarklyBook #2: Follow Me UnderBook #3: Follow Me Always

Bane (Memphis #1)


D.H. Sidebottom - 2017
    And Milly loves her job. Her boss is the most affectionate and compassionate man she’s ever known. Geoffrey Sparrow’s high profile status and company prestige never changed the old man, and with his and Milly’s love for his respected company, their relationship gave them both something to cherish in the workplace and build an even better future for themselves and all Sparrow’s employees. That is until her boss is brutally murdered and Milly witnesses the whole horrifying ordeal. And then everything changes. Warne Industries has been trying to snatch Sparrow Towers for months, their snide underhand ways not once swaying her much loved boss. And now they are quick to move in and take what they always wanted – Milly included. Yet, one of the CEOs of Warne Industries who had been hiding behind the anonymity of his partner turns out to be the best friend Milly had left behind years ago, Rik Bane. However, everything she used to love about Rik is gone, and in his place is an arrogant and cruel man, a man Milly no longer recognises. His new ways, his coldness and the way he sneers down his nose at Milly give her many reasons to flee her new employers. Yet, driven by her love for Geoffrey and his resolve to create a traditional company, Milly is determined to stay and make sure his lifetime’s commitment isn’t torn to shreds and fed to the lions’ piece by piece. Now Milly’s past, her secrets and the lies she had told to protect herself and everyone around her is suddenly about to blow wide open. But when it surfaces that Milly is a witness to her boss’ murder, she’s soon running for her life, and the only man that can help her stay alive is Rik.

Shattered Legacy


Caitlyn Dare - 2021
    Welcome to Gravestone...Where everyone has secrets and only the strongest will survive.A brand new dark bully romance trilogy from bestselling author Caitlyn DareBlood.Money.Power.Are you ready to be initiated?

My Soul to Break (The Soul, #1)


Daria M. Loshlin - 2021
    A pain in my heart. A nightmare on repeat.His blue eyes haunt my dreams with the fleeting glimpse of a life not lived.Or a past, all but forgotten.For years, he'd been a tormented stare and grimace on the street.A familiar passerby in a small southern town, a ghost I'd yet to meet.The moment he fell into my life, whether by fate or chance, I knew there was no turning back.Our connection is magnetic, and his body calls to mine in ways I’ve only ever read about.He's pain and pleasure, my favorite nightmare.But is he my savior?Or did I hand him my heart, my soul, to break?

Passion & Venom


S. Williams - 2016
    Respect. Wealth.He is a savage beast of a man - dominant in every way.Soon after, he makes you an offer that you can't refuse.All you have do is submit to him, and in return you won't be punished.He will reward you handsomely.But if you disobey, you must be prepared to face the consequences.What do you do when the most wanted man in the world . . . wants you?**Please Note: This story contains dark elements that may not be suitable for everyone. If you are sensitive to darker matters or if they make you feel uncomfortable in anyway, please consider that before reading Passion & Venom. I will be the first person to tell you that this story is NOT for everyone. To all the others that are eager to read it . . . The Jefe awaits.**

The Virgin Clause (The Calegaris Book 1)


Caprice Langden - 2021
    He wasn't my type - tall, dark... dangerous. My stomach flipflopped whenever he was around and I got so tongue-tied I could never get words out of my mouth. But it didn't matter. He never talked to me. Barely knew I existed. Why did I just spend the last decade dreaming about him? I'm shy, quiet… still a virgin. A man like Dante Calegari would never be interested in a girl like me. So, I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. ~ She thinks I don't know how she feels, thinks she's hidden it all from me. She couldn't be more wrong. I've known Noemi since she was twelve, watched her grow up. She was sweet back then, a little shy, too quiet. Never talked to me. Just smiled, nodded, and walked away. Then the sweet girl I knew went away to college, traveled the world and came home to torment me. But it could never happen between us. I'm a ruthless killer and she's the girl next door.Then she made a decision that changed things. She handed me what I needed. A pass to my own personal paradise, or a one-way ticket to Hell, depending on how you looked at it. She gave me permission to ruin her. She asked me to agree to the Virgin Clause and I wasn't strong enough to say 'no.' Now, she's all mine. If I can keep her alive.

Bullet to the Heart


Lea Griffith - 2013
    She has become everything but is no one. Known only as Bullet she was long ago forced to shed the name her parents gave her. Changed, molded and trained to kill with sharp-shooting efficiency she is one of The Collective’s most valuable assets. In a cadre of killers, Bullet is death waiting but her time for vengeance has come.He was loved and then he lost. He has become a hunter in search of revenge.Everything was taken from Rand the day a bullet ended the lives of his beloved wife and daughter. He has searched for their killer seven long years and may have her in his hands. Rand has suffered but now the time has come to make The Collective pay or die trying.Joy and sorrow are two sides of the same coin. Vengeance draws them together but before all is said and done they will learn love can either break you or make you stronger.

Rules of Bennett


Ember Michaels - 2019
    Before you were born, your father traded your life to secure his. He thought hiding you in another state under a new alias would save you from your awaiting fate, but I always get what’s mine. And it’s time to cash in.While your father paid in blood, you’ll pay with your life; and now you belong to me.My rules are simple.You will bow.You will break. You will obey.Follow them, and you’ll survive. And if you don’t? I will break you in ways that’ll make you wish you were dead.I am Bennett Moreno, devil in the flesh.Welcome to Hell.

Revenge


Dana Delamar - 2012
    And I want Kate Andretti with a fire that burns me to ash.Carlo Andretti wants Kate too… and my fortune, my estate, my empire. Most of all, he wants my death. Just as I want his.The vendetta between our families is old and deep. Only one of us can win, and only one of us can have Kate. Carlo believes that he can take what’s mine, that he can break me and make me crawl.But I’m Enrico Lucchesi.And a Lucchesi always gets what he wants.KATE ANDRETTIMy mother always said my impulsiveness would get me into trouble. She was right. Marrying a man I barely knew, letting him take me to Italy… not my best decisions.Especially when I now know what the “family business” really is.I want out of this life, and I want out of Italy. But the only person willing to help me escape the Andrettis is Enrico Lucchesi. And he wants me to stay in this world that I can’t bear to be part of.The vows these men take talk about “blood and honor.”But I know what this life is: it’s blood and danger. It’s blood and death.And I’m not ready to be a Mafia don’s wife.

Uncovering Lily


Rene Webb - 2018
    . . in a Hong Kong brothel. After several failed attempts to escape, I know my time is running out. My innocence is about to be sold to the highest bidder. Finn My plan was to meet an investor at the upscale brothel and immediately return to Boston. That was until I uncovered Lily. I recognized her instantly, but she had no memory of me. Now I only have one night to claim her and rescue her from her captors.Will one night be enough to win her trust to save her?

Borden


R.J. Lewis - 2015
    After a crime-filled upbringing in a very harsh neighbourhood, Borden leaves his hometown, returning four years later mysteriously rich and unrecognizable, with one woman on his mind. A woman he'll never have. Pained by his devastating loss and filled with rage and guilt, Borden's world turns dark. * As a fiercely independent woman, Emma Warne knows all about hard living. Having kept to herself most of her life, the last thing she expects is to be thrust into the world of infamous criminal Marcus Borden, the dangerous man the entire city fears and loathes. But the more she pushes him away, the more he comes back, taking over her life and stripping her of her control she desperately clings to. Once Borden has his sights on her, Emma is going nowhere anytime soon, and what she doesn't expect least of all... is that she may not want to either. Book 1 of 2. ******* WARNING: This is NOT a love triangle. This book contains sexual situations - of a very rough nature - violence, and strong language that may be offensive to some.*******

Resilience


Marcia D.M. - 2018
    Until one day she’s rescued, she thought her nightmare was finally over only to find out that her torturer was also her savior posing as a double agent ready to spring her free.She thought her simple and normal life was hell while captive, but now, out here, back in society, she’ll have to face tougher situations. Such as finding love in dark and forbidden places.Sometimes love; terror and desire wear the same mask.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive too hard to read subjectsThis book contains strong language, violence and nudity intended for mature audiences.Reader discretion is advised.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Review:“Resilience by Marcia DM is an exciting dark romance story filled with intrigue, suspense and emotion. I was captivated from the very first chapter and turned the pages quickly to find out what would happen next. This book has a very original storyline that readers will be enthralled with. There are twists and turns that kept me fully mesmerized. Author, Marcia DM, weaves together the characters with the plot in an intelligent brilliant attempt to entice readers from beginning to end. It truly is one of the most unique narratives that I have read in a long time. I can’t stress it enough-this book is a must read.”- Chick Lit Café Blog."What a ride! What a read! this author has a unique voice that somehow defies all rules and makes new ones”.- Amazon Reader.“I literally could not put it down.” – Amazon reader.“Fast-paced dark read with plenty of drama, suspense and emotion. The characters are amazing and the story has you hooked from beginning to end. Can’t wait or more!” –Amazon Reader.

Queen of Diamonds


Natalie Bennett - 2018
    His partner. His whore.His mind games. Her morals.The road to hell...Well, there is no road to hell.I already live there.I was forced to partake in a rigged game of seduction, manipulation, and murder.Mateo Remmington is my formidable opponent.He makes the devil look like a saint.He’s immoral.He's ruthless.He's a goddamn king. King of a clandestine empire who sits on a throne covered in innocents’ blood.I’ve become his obsession.He’s becoming my deadly addiction.And if I make one wrong move he’ll end my life.