Book picks similar to
Keeping The Tarnished by Bradon Nave
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Fear of Falling
S.L. Jennings - 2013
Security seemed more like a luxury to me, reserved for those who were fortunate enough to have picture perfect childhoods. For those who didn’t bear the ugly scars that keep me bound in constant, debilitating fear. I’ve run from that fear my entire life. But when I met him, for once, I couldn’t run anymore.He scared the hell out of me in a way that excited every fiber of my being. It wasn’t the tattoos or the piercings. It wasn’t the warmth that seemed to radiate from his frame and blanket me whenever he was near. It was just…him. The scary beautiful man that threatened to alter 23 years of routine and rituals, and make me face my crippling fear.My name is Kami and I am constantly afraid. And the thing that scares me the most is the very thing I want.“Don’t worry,” he smiled, pulling me into the hard warmth of his chest. “I’ve got you. I’ll always catch you when you fall.”And just like that, Blaine had staked his claim on the untouched part of me that no living soul had ever moved. He had captured every fear, every reservation, and crushed them in the palm of his inked hand.Author Disclaimer: Abuse is real- verbal, emotional, physical and sexual. It takes place all around us; it doesn’t discriminate against race or gender, wealth or poverty. It affects us all- those of us who’ve had to live through it, or watch it happen, even those of us who’ve only heard about it. We are all affected. We are all forever changed. This is not a story for the faint of heart; this is the story of one woman’s very real struggle through a world against her, the people who hurt her, her real life demons and the people who showed her that every gray sky, no matter how dark, has a sun waiting to break through.***Inspired by true events***
Sweet on Wilde
Fabiola Francisco - 2015
Inappropriate messages. Disaster dates.I was tired of being “Savannah, profile 8713,” but I made a deal with my best friend to give online dating a chance. What I wasn’t counting on was meeting a guy at the local bar. Parker Wilde won me over with his two-step and blue eyes. He brought out the best in me and understood the worst, but when an amazing opportunity presents itself and our lives take different directions, is being sweet on Wilde enough for us?Note: This book is as sweet as the cupcakes the heroine makes and as charming as the hero. Low on drama, high on love.
Serenade
Heather McKenzie - 2017
But as she forms an unlikely connection with her abductor, Luke, her adventure takes a strange turn.There is nothing magical about growing up in a mountainside castle, when it’s your prison. Kaya’s ruthless and powerful father keeps her under lock and key, watched every second of the day–and Kaya’s not really sure why. She’s just a normal girl…no one special. She doesn’t understand her father’s obsession with her safety – until she is kidnapped. Dragged through a brutal wilderness, Kaya’s captor shows her the devastating truth, and even though he has dark secrets of his own, she is inexplicably drawn to him–when the stars are in your eyes, sometimes the line between right and wrong is blurred. Passion obliterates common sense. Love... makes you reckless. As Kaya's father’s men and her devoted bodyguard scour the woods to find her, she wonders if staying in the arms of her abductor is the safer place to be. At least, that’s what her heart is saying—her head is saying run…
Dangerously passionate and darkly romantic, SERENADE is a page-turning thriller and seductive love story.
Running Barefoot
Amy Harmon - 2012
Josie teaches Samuel about words, music and friendship, and along the way finds a kindred spirit. Upon graduation, Samuel abandons the sleepy, small town in search of a future and a life, leaving his young friend behind. Many years go by and Samuel returns, finding Josie in need of the very things she offered him years before. Their roles reversed, Samuel teaches Josie about life, love, and letting go. Deeply romantic and poignant, Running Barefoot is the story of a small town girl and a Native American boy, the ties that bind them to their homes and families, and the love that gives them wings.
Catch a King: Five Kings
Stella Andrews - 2021
I found her. A woman with so much sass wrapped in a body that will be my downfall.She thinks she hates me, but hate doesn’t look at me like that.Beautiful, strong, and brave but her loyalty lies with another.She is to be auctioned and my brother is the only bidder.Then I discover the truth. She was brought here for a reason.My family will use her to bring our father’s killer down.Will I betray my own family to save her life?MillieIt was hate at first sight. I went undercover to find a killer. I found him.When he looks at me, I’m a hot mess.I don’t want to react to him; I don’t think I even like him, but my body has other ideas.Dark flashing obsidian eyes rip the breath from my body and leave me burning inside.The scowl on the face of what can only be described as a god among men is trying its best to scare the hell out of me and the fact this man is tall, broad, and wrapped in leather and evil intent, sends a message straight to my soul.My heart says he’s going to break you, my head says walk away.What if it's not my choice to make?
Five kings is the explosive new series by Stella Andrews.Five powerful men who belong to an exclusive club where membership requires you to leave your soul at the door.Someone is out to bring them down, and each book tells their story and the women that break them.A gritty Romance filled with twists, turns, suspense, and a bit of intrigue.If you like your books on the darker side, this series may be for you.Hot, dark, and twisted with romance running like a river of pleasure through its pages.
Bully King
J.A. Huss - 2020
And the secret society that meets deep in the woods is even more exclusive. Only a select few will get in during the summer rush--and Cadee Hunter wants to be one of them. Too bad it's Cooper Valcourt's mission to make sure she fails.
Bully boys.Arrogant tyrants.Blue-blood bastards.Call them whatever you want.Around here, we just call them Kings.Fancy boats.Lakeside mansions.Luxe watches and bespoke suits.The Kings of High Court College act like Gods.And Cooper Valcourt is the worst of them.He is the bully king.His family owns everything.And his mission is to put me in my place and send me packing.But Cooper and I have a history filled with secrets.And everyone knows that power doesn’t come from having money.It comes from holding secrets.And I’m holding one of his.A very dark secret that can bring him to his knees.*****
Bully King is new-adult, dark, bully romance from New York Times bestselling author JA Huss featuring boys with power and girls at their mercy. It’s a campus shrouded in lies and a summer rush into an elite society that can propel a poor girl straight into the ruling class.If… she’s willing to pay the price.
Someday, Someday
Emma Scott - 2019
From addiction and living on the streets, to recovery and putting himself through nursing school, he’s spent the last ten years rebuilding his shattered sense of self. Now he’s taken a job as a private caretaker to Edward Marsh III, the president and CEO of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Max soon learns Marsh’s multi-billion-dollar empire is a gold and diamond-encrusted web of secrets and lies.The longer Max works and lives with the Marsh family, the tighter the secrets tangle around him. And his heart—that he’s worked so hard to protect—falls straight into the hands of the distant, cold, and beautiful son of a dynasty…Silas Marsh is set to inherit the family fortune, but his father is determined his heir be the “perfect” son. Before Silas can take over the company and end its shady business practices, he must prove himself worthy…and deny his true nature.Silas must choose: stand up to his father by being true to himself and his undeniable feelings for Max. Or pretend to be someone he is not in order to inherit everything. Even if it means sacrificing his first chance at love.Content warning: contains scenes of conversion therapy, homophobia, and parental verbal abuse of a neurodivergent character. Readers are advised to proceed with caution.
Yolo: The Lovely Little Lunatic
Sa'id Salaam - 2014
After being saved by a caring nurse she was given a new lease on life. Being born from death you would think there was nowhere for her life to go but up. However the sickly baby survived only to be placed into the dangerous New York state foster care system where she was passed along from one dysfunctional foster home to the next. Things quickly went from bad to worse when she was placed at the Brown's residence, which also happened to be the town's brothel. At the Brown's the impressionable young girl witnessed every scandalous sex act imaginable along with brutal acts of violence as her foster parents waited for her to become of a ripe age to be sold. As fate would have it Yolo was saved from a life of prostitution when her foster mother died an untimely death. Upon the woman's death Yolo was then placed in the care of an aging gentleman who just happened to be a hitman for the notorious Black Mob. The elderly man took the young girl under his wing and starts grooming her to one day be his replacement. All young girls develop crushes and Yolo was no different with the exception that her crush wasn't a rapper or an actor. Instead Yolo had fallen for a methodical killer by the name of Killa and vowed to claim him as her own. Knowing that one day their paths would cross and they would meet she embarks on a murderous journey to impress him. The two indeed meet and when they do all hell breaks loose. Yolo takes you on a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish and it's ending will leave you speechless. So buckle up and prepare to take the ride of a lifetime with Yolo, the LOVELY LITTLE LUNATIC.
Like You Care
Kaydence Snow - 2020
I want to be seen.I want him to see me.I'm not who he thinks I am but I'm starting to suspect he's not all he says he is either.Just my luck that he starts to make friends with my tormentors. How am I supposed to tell him who I really am? How am I supposed to show him my true face? What if the boy I'm falling in love with decides I'm nothing too?*Like You Care is a part of the Bully Me Anthology. In the Bully Me Anthology, this was a 30k novella. This is now the complete book. *
Power Trip
M.T. Stone - 2015
A briefcase full of cash in one hand and documents that could land me in prison in the other, but all I can focus on is how she moves in that tight fitting dress. No longer on task, my mind is busy calculating how long it will take to slip it from those gorgeous curves and into a heap on floor. ----- Stepping onto his private jet, I have only one thing in mind... Revenge. I need to distract him just long enough to gather the key piece of evidence that currently resides in his left hand. By the time we reach cruising altitude, however, things are quickly spinning out of control. I suddenly find myself on my knees, between his... this was definitely not part of the master plan! As her master plan begins to fall apart, a more sinister and deadly plot emerges. Can two jaded souls put the past behind them and find solace in one another? Or will it turn out to be another heart-wrenching case of forbidden love? * Both Power Trip and Power Play are only 99 cents until the 3rd book is complete. Power Shift is scheduled to be released 12/27/15** This is book one in the Twin Billionaires series. Power Trip is a steamy, fast paced romance told in first person in the present moment from a dual POV. It contains mature themes and sensual adult-oriented sex scenes. (Age 18+) The second book, Power Play, is now available!
The Ghost Writer
A.R. Torre - 2017
I stood in front of the police, my friends and family, and made up a story, my best one yet. And all of them believed me. I wasn't surprised. Telling stories is what made me famous. Fifteen bestsellers. Millions of fans. Fame and fortune.Now, I have one last story to write. It'll be my best one yet, with a jaw-dropping twist that will leave them stunned and gasping for breath.They say that sticks and stones will break your bones, but this story? It will be the one that kills me. This book is not a romance. It is contemporary fiction, but very suspenseful in nature. It is about a famous romance author and a dark secret she keeps.
Overflow
Brynne Asher - 2014
Just when she forced herself to move on with life after tragedy touched her family, she finds herself thrown into a tailspin so swift, she can’t find her bearings.Being cuffed and patted down by Special Agent Jude Ortiz is enough to wake anyone up. With his dark chocolate eyes and commanding ways, Gabby can't resist. And between battling criminals, flooded basements, fantasy football drafts, and her crazy Italian family, Jude also finds himself unable to resist her charms. That doesn’t mean he isn’t wrestling feelings he hasn't allowed in years. Nightmares that are his reality have paralyzed him from living a full life. Yet, he can’t help himself when it comes to her and Jude moves in to watch over Gabby.But just when life seems to be settling down, demons surface from the past. Horrific ones that carry a vengeance so evil, no one saw them coming.
No Prince
Stevie J. Cole - 2020
He was the top of the food chain. And I was next in line to be dragged into the lion’s den. At least that’s what he thought… Good girls wanted to tame him. Bad girls want to be tainted by him. Everyone bowed down to him. And me?I hated Zeppelin Hunt with every fiber of my being.Which was why I stayed away from the arrogant bad boy with tattoos and a rap sheet.Until I couldn’t.Until we traded favors, and I owed him three months of my life. I never thought I would end up in his bed, and when I did, I had to remind myself that he hated me as much as I hated him.Until I didn’t. Zepp Hunt was no prince, and I absolutely refused to be his damsel in distress…
You Will Know Me
Megan Abbott - 2016
But when a violent death rocks their close-knit gymnastics community just weeks before an all-important competition, everything the Knoxes have worked so hard for feels suddenly at risk. As rumors swirl among the other parents, revealing hidden plots and allegiances, Katie tries frantically to hold her family together while also finding herself drawn, irresistibly, to the crime itself, and the dark corners it threatens to illuminate. From a writer with "exceptional gifts for making nerves jangle and skin crawl," (Janet Maslin) You Will Know Me is a breathless rollercoaster of a novel about the desperate limits of desire, jealousy, and ambition.
The Roanoke Girls
Amy Engel - 2017
Over one long, hot summer, Lane experiences the benefits of being one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls.But what she doesn't know is being a Roanoke girl carries a terrible legacy: either the girls run, or they die. For there is darkness at the heart of Roanoke, and when Lane discovers its insidious pull, she must make her choice...