Book picks similar to
Venerable by Laura B. Martínez


dark
freebie
romance
contemporary-romance

Thy Kingdom Come


Monica James - 2021
    My father says it’s my birthright, but all I see is a curse. It’s because of the Kelly name my mum was slain by the Doyles—our enemies in Dublin, the fellas livin’ on borrowed time. All of Belfast fears my family, especially me. I’m Puck Kelly, otherwise known as Punky; the lad ye don’t want to double cross. I don’t do feelings or emotions. I never have…until she walks into my world.Babydoll is a liar and a thief, but I can’t stay away. We both thrive in the darkness because that’s where our demons can play.No word af a lie, sixteen years later, those monsters still haunt my dreams. But every monster is scared of somethin’…and that somethin’ is me.No more hiding in the shadows because I’m huntin’ youse. Run, wee monsters, run.

The Initiation


Nikki Sloane - 2019
    But there are rumors of a sordid rite of initiation. Whispers how one woman and nine men disappear into a boardroom. This time, that woman will be me. The Hale family owns everything—the eighth largest bank in the world, everyone in our town, even the mortgage on my parents’ mansion. And now Royce Hale wants to own me. He is charming. Seductive. Ruthless. But above all, he’s the prince of lies. My body may tighten with white-hot desire under his penetrating gaze, but I refuse to enjoy it. I’ll make a deal with the devil to save my family and sell myself to the Hales. But Royce will never own my heart.

Deliverance for Amelia


Bonny Capps - 2015
    IT IS NOT INTENDED FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. THERE ARE SCENES WITH EXTREME HORROR AND BRUTAL TREATMENT AS WELL AS ABUSE. THIS BOOK IS INTENDED FOR THOSE 18 YEARS OR OLDER DUE TO ITS GRAPHIC NATURE. THERE ARE SCENES WHICH INCLUDE CONSENSUAL AND NON-CONSENSUAL SEX. IF YOU HAVE TRIGGERS, IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED THAT YOU READ THIS NOVEL. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.AmeliaMy entire life I've lived in my father's shadow. As the Mayor's daughter, I'm expected to maintain a pristine reputation. Everything must be perfect. My days of tutors and piano lessons may be behind me, but the need to be my father's perfect daughter still rings true.However, I'm in college now - so why not have a little fun? It started out that way, anyway. When I decided to go to a party with my new friend Meg, I thought my college days were just beginning. My boring little life was finally getting the shakeup that it desperately needed. Little did I know, I would become the captive of the devil himself.He says that I'm his. He calls himself my master.GabeWell, well - Mr. Mayor couldn't pay up. I can't say that I'm surprised. The greedy bastard is more concerned about pocketing all that money masked as charity rather than paying his debts.I'm not a debt that you want to forget. I did, after all, kill that poor journalist that was putting his nose where it didn't belong. Not saying that I minded - no, not one bit. It's a high. Watching them writhe in pain, their bodies seizing up as every last drop of hope is drained from their wide eyes. I live for it - the thrill of killing. Not to mention it keeps my wallet nice and plump. My clients know when they say they'll pay - they better pay. Otherwise, I take what I want from them. In most cases, the result is their own blood on my hands. Not this time though. This time I wanted her, and I always get what I want.GABRIEL, which is the sequel to this novel, will be released no later than October 2015.

King of Diamonds


Renee Rose - 2018
    I told you not to set foot in my casino again. I told you to stay away. Because if I see those hips swinging around my suite, I’ll pin you against the wall and take you hard. And once I make you mine, I’m not gonna set you free. I’m king of the Vegas underground and I take what I want.So run. Stay the hell away from my casino. Or I’ll tie you to my bed. Put you on your knees. Break you.So come to me, beautiful, if you dare...

Dark Room


Heidi McLaughlin - 2016
    . . break them and you're out. Rule #1 - No names It doesn't matter if you want to know, it's forbidden. Rule #2 - No exchanging numbers It doesn't matter if you want to call, it's forbidden. Rule #3 - Everything is to remain strictly anonymous. It doesn't matter if you want to tell, it's forbidden. The Dark Room is the only place you can live out your fantasies and no one will ever know it’s you. For Parker, what started out as a business transaction has turned into an addiction. For Mia, it's been a chance to discover who she truly is. What happens in the dark will have you begging for more . . .

Church


Stylo Fantome - 2018
    This book is a psychological thriller, 65,000+ words.

Bittersweet Surrender


Q.B. Tyler - 2021
     The office where she’d sat twice a week as she tried to repair the glaring problems in her marriage. The marriage that she’d fought hard to save to a man that wasn’t fighting alongside her. She’d been lied to, ignored and used as a pawn to climb his ladder to success. Charlotte was broken, not just her marriage. But, then she met Dr. Montgomery and everything changed. They say love is patient and kind of course, but what happens when that love comes at the cost of everything? Love was a force that took no prisoners when it decided to strike and Charlotte had been hit—hard. By a man that wasn’t her husband. By the very man who was supposed to save her marriage. *Bittersweet Surrender is part one of the Bittersweet duet and must be read before Bittersweet Addiction.

Triple Threat


K. Webster - 2022
    I would never abandon my little sister. Hope comes in the form of a devilishly handsome man with dark eyes and darker secrets.With each encounter, I’m lured deeper into the labyrinth. The danger lurking beneath his surface calls to me, even as it warns me away.Except there’s a new side of him every time we meet. A different danger each time we touch. It’s as if three different men want to devour me.He’s not just one villain. He’s three.

Secrets


Janey Rosen - 2013
    A life that isn’t what it seems… Elizabeth Dove appears to have a rich and rewarding life as a wife, mother, and successful businesswoman. But she knows the truth—she’s frustrated and trapped in a passionless marriage. She can’t face a lifetime of nothing but this hollow, bland existence and will risk it all to feel alive again. Leads to an enigmatic man and a dark journey of discovery… Following the mysterious death of his wife, Sebastian De Montfort shares his ancient manor with only his submissive maid, Scarlett. Elizabeth’s arrival rocks his world off its axis as she is pulled deeper into his world of domination and buried secrets. Torn between his loyalty to Scarlett and his growing feelings for Elizabeth, Sebastian longs for a future he covets but fears he will never deserve. Desires are meant to be fulfilled. Jealousy and betrayal lurk in the halls. And history threatens to repeat… "Forget Christian, forget Gideon, forget Gabriel, heck all those dark and mysterious alpha males - forget them all and meet Sebastian. He's going to mess with your head, he's going to make you swoon, he's going to make your pulse quicken and then he's going to make you squirm. BAM! the story hit me and got its claws in me straight away, it bowled me over and I was totally at its mercy, just as Beth is with Sebastian. You'll be laughing, nail biting and crying. The Sebastian Trilogy is a hoard of sizzling excitement and great twists." 5* Review, Amazon.co.uk

Summer Sky


Lisa Swallow - 2014
     Sky Davis is fed up of boyfriend Grant taking her for granted, and when she comes home to find him wearing a girl, Sky suspects the relationship is over. She takes an unscheduled vacation and leaves the life (and guy) she hates behind. Rock star Dylan Morgan is struggling with fame and infamy, sick of his life being controlled by other people. Dylan cuts his hair and walks away from his role as lead singer of Blue Phoenix, leaving behind chaos and speculation. Outside the English seaside town of Broadbeach, their cars and worlds collide. Sky decides Dylan is an arrogant guy with too many tattoos, and Dylan is amused by the smart-mouthed girl with no idea who he is. Dylan and Sky soon discover they’ve travelled to Broadbeach for the same reason - to escape from reality and head back to a place with happy childhood memories. Losing themselves in a world where they know nothing about each other, Sky and Dylan begin a holiday romance that soon heats up their rainy English summer. Fantasies can’t last forever, and when reality crashes the party, Sky isn’t sure she wants to be more than his ‘summer Sky’ but Dylan doesn’t want to let her go. Returning to the real world, public scrutiny isn’t their only problem. Blue Phoenix lead guitarist, Jem Jones, has a reason for wanting Sky out of Dylan’s life, and is determined to come between them. Some things won’t stay hidden, even when they’re paid to ‘go away’. 
 Summer Sky is a contemporary romance with a rock star flavour where occasionally more than the bacon sizzles. It is the first in the Blue Phoenix series. The Blue Phoenix books are a series of contemporary romance novels and novellas centred on the fictional rock band Blue Phoenix. **This book is not a standalone and has a cliffhanger. Book Two: Falling Sky will be released June 10th 2014** Please note: This is written in UK English and includes English idiom and spelling.

The Kingmaker


Kennedy Ryan - 2019
    In a world of haves and have nots, my family has it all, and I want nothing to do with it.My path takes me far from home and paints me as the black sheep. At odds with my father, I’m determined to build my own empire. I have rules, but Lennix Hunter is the exception to every one of them. From the moment we meet, something sparks between us. But my family stole from hers and my father is the man she hates most. I lied to have her, and would do anything to keep her. Though she tries to hate me, too, the inexorable pull between us will not be denied.And neither will I.

Hidden Scars


A.M. Myers - 2015
     Or she was...before him. Emma sets out to rebuild her life and find the person she once was. A wrench is thrown into her plans when she meets Phoenix West, a sexy as hell, smooth-talking tattoo artist. As soon as Nix meets Emma, he knows he's found something special. He can't deny their connection and despite her reluctance, Nix slowly works his way through her hidden scars and into her heart. Just when Emma starts to breathe again, her fear resurfaces, threatening her hopes for the future. Will she ever be free to live the life she truly wants? Or will her torturous past finally catch up to her?

Flawed


Francette Phal - 2014
    That's the only memory he carries from a childhood he does not remember. And now it is all he knows. Blood is his life.Knox Bishop has done a lot of horrible things, all at the command of the man who holds his leash. It's a matter of loyalty for him. Allegiance to the man who saved his life when he was a child. So he goes where he is needed and does what he is told. He tortures. He kills. He kills. He tortures. It is an unrelenting cycle that he constantly craves and can never quite satisfy.Until her.Eighteen year old Lacey Barnes distributes her assets to fund her dreams. Medical school is the end game and she is determined to get there by any means necessary. But a family member's careless mistake derails her plans and now she must pay a price in order to save him. She goes to Knox willingly offering him the only valuable thing she has. Herself. In doing so he allows her into his world, a world she quickly realizes is void of any light and hope for escape is utterly elusive. But escape is something she finds that she no longer wants. "He lays a path of pleasure laced agony for me to follow and I do. Stupidly I follow him down the blinding darkness of his euphoric hell."Disclaimer: This is book is intended for mature audiences (18+) due to description of violence and sexual situations.

Gas or Ass


Eden Connor - 2015
    Dale brought his two grown sons to help pack and move us into their house. Both were hard-bodied and handsome, but Caine didn’t speak to me. Colt, on the other hand, said crude stuff like, “Wanna ride with me? Then I’m gonna need gas or ass,” but I couldn’t take my eyes off his rippling muscles and challenging blue eyes.Some are about speed, sex, and defiance.When Colt offered me a ride to school, I thought the ‘gas or ass’ thing was a joke, but he wasn’t kidding. Though he barely touched me, he shattered the innocence I couldn’t wait to shed. Even then, I sensed I’d never be the same. He and Caine soon upped the stakes, putting me behind the wheel of cars that could reach insane speeds. They kept challenging me to find my inner wild child, pairing illegal drag races with high-octane sex games, games like 'winner gets head'.And some are about trying to break you.It wasn’t long before I was hooked, but I always planned to walk away. Then everything spun out of control and walking wasn’t an option. I had to run._____**Disclaimer: This is a tale of a young girl’s crush that turns to hatred and back to love. Gas and Ass is the crush-to-hate part of the story. There’s no HEA inside these pages, so if that’s a must, this isn’t the story for you. If you can delay gratification, however, the hatred-to-love part is the basis of the sequel, Turn and Burn.

Veiled Obsession


Dori Lavelle - 2015
    From the outside my life is every woman's dream. I'm married to Jude Macknight, a sexy multimillionaire who loves me...too much.Once upon a time, I loved him. But that love is dead. Unwilling to let me go, I've become his obsession. He will stop at nothing to make sure I remain in a marriage I no longer want, inside my gilded cage.Each day I pull away from Jude, I watch him transform into a monster. Before my eyes, he becomes a man I don't recognize, a dangerous man. He makes it clear that I belong to him, that my life is no longer my own. If I leave, he'll kill me. But if I stay, I'll die a slow death.**This serial unfolds over three volumes.**