Book picks similar to
Lemonade by Nina Pennacchi
historical-romance
romance
historical
dark
The Duke of Shadows
Meredith Duran - 2008
But when the pillars of privilege topple, her fiancé's betrayal leaves Emma no choice. She must turn for help to the one man whom she should not trust, but cannot resist: Julian Sinclair, the dangerous and dazzling heir to the Duke of Auburn.
To the marble halls of London...
In London, they toast Sinclair with champagne. In India, they call him a traitor. Cynical and impatient with both worlds, Julian has never imagined that the place he might belong is in the embrace of a woman with a reluctant laugh and haunted eyes. But in a time of terrible darkness, he and Emma will discover that love itself can be perilous -- and that a single decision can alter one's life forever.
Destiny follows wherever you run.
A lifetime of grief later, in a cold London spring, Emma and Julian must finally confront the truth: no matter how hard one tries to deny it, some pasts cannot be disowned...and some passions never die.
Debt
Nina G. Jones - 2014
Maybe I was bored, or lonely, or there was a void so deep inside of me that I needed something explosive to fill it. It was supposed to be safe. A thrill. A way to break through the monotony of everyday life. It was an illusion of danger that I could walk away from as soon as it was over. Except that it wasn’t. Because I had been in danger long before I ever invited it into my life. ———————My mission is almost complete. The bubbling boil of vengeance that heats my blood might finally simmer. She is the last piece of the puzzle. Once I destroy her, everyone who ever hurt me will have paid their debt. It was supposed to be quick and easy, but as soon as I met her it got complicated. Very complicated.DEBT is a standalone novel. 118k words. Adult/graphic content that may be difficult for some readers.
Island Flame
Karen Robards - 1981
. . .Lady Catherine Aldley was en route to London when pirates attacked her ship. Just in time, Captain Jonathan Hale rescued her from his own men, sweeping her into his arms, staking his claim on the pampered daughter of England's ambassador to Portugal. All Catherine had were her wits and the will to beat her captor at his own game. His searing kisses kindled unfamiliar passions, but she vowed to make him her prisoner of desire. . . . He was a legendary pirate, daring, triumphant, free. Jonathan Hale never took captives and always escaped--until he saw the headstrong beauty he couldn't leave behind. She was fire and ice, a lady outraged, a tigress in his arms. Cathy refused to be treated like chattel, yet yielded to his sensual invasion as she conquered his body and soul. She made loving truly dangerous, exposing his deepest fears--and his mutinous heart. . . .
Ward
Zoe Blake - 2020
Not anymore.He planned this before I even knew his name. He made the life I've always known vanish as if it never existed, and now I'm his helpless captive, forced to play my part in his sadistic fantasy.It could have been a fairytale... A wealthy, handsome Duke sweeps a poor orphan girl from America off her feet and brings her to a beautiful estate hidden away in the English countryside.But this isn't the Victorian era, and I'm not Richard Payne's bride or his guest. I'm his prisoner.I know it is all a sick, twisted game. But what I know doesn't matter. My delusions will be cured by pain and punishment and nothing will stop him from using me as shamefully as he pleases.I'm his ward now. Perhaps one day soon he'll have made me forget I was ever anything else...Publisher's Note: Ward includes spankings, rough sexual scenes, intense and humiliating punishments, and strong D/s themes. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book.
Suit
Jettie Woodruff - 2015
I woke from a coma unaware that I even had a twin and married to a man with two little girls. Although I fell madly in love with the children that I didn’t remember, I didn’t feel like I belonged with Paxton Pierce. I couldn’t be who he wanted me to be no matter how hard I tried. But things aren’t always as they seem. I fought my own demons, trying not to be the submissive he required me to be, yet I craved it like a drug. I wanted him.Once upon a time I was an identical twin.And then I wasn’t.
Kingdom Fall
A. Zavarelli - 2021
He was darkness personified. I had little to call my own. He was filthy rich, powerful, and dangerous. The assignment was simple, and my goal was too. Take care of his son. Keep my head down. When he least expects it, destroy him. It should have been easy. I thought it would be until I looked into his stark blue eyes. Kissing the enemy is a bad idea, but so is falling in love with him. He doesn’t know my crumbling foundation is built on lies. When he discovers the truth, I’ll find out if he’s as brutal as I believe. I came here to steal his life. I didn’t count on him stealing my heart.
Sparrow
L.J. Shen - 2016
The son of a dead mobster. The heart throb with steel blue eyes. "The Fixer" who can make or break you in this city. Oh, and my new husband. Sparrow RaynesThat's me. No one seemed to remember my name up until he barged into my life. But then he caged me.Kidnapped me.And killed every chance I had to runaway from the place where we grew up.Put simply, Troy Brennan clipped my wings.I have dreams, big ones, but I doubt he'd ever let me chase them. I have no idea why he'd decided to take me as his wife. But I do know this: pissing off this man will not do me any good. At all.Sparrow is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.
Wolfsgate
Cat Porter - 2014
Years later, his step-cousin Justine finds him alive and drug-addicted, and against his family’s wishes, boldly brings him home to reclaim his inheritance.Dark surprises disturb Brandon at every turn—a ruined property, a traitorous, bitter family, his fiancée married to his rival. And Justine, the shy, quiet girl he grew up with is no longer a little girl, but an alluring and determined young woman. Can he trust her or is she a part of the intricate web of lies and half-truths?As they work together to salvage what’s left of Wolfsgate and their place in society, age-old jealousies and shadowy secrets threaten at every turn, but irresistible passions run wild and prove even more powerful.Justine is his wife, after all.Justine and Brandon have been bound in a marriage forced upon them by their family for their own deceitful purposes. But the deep, loyal bond that grows between husband and wife isn’t part of their enemies’ plan.In fact, it could destroy their plan.No one counted on Brandon and Justine falling in love.Not even Brandon and Justine.>> Please Note: This book has been re-edited & re-formatted in July 2020 since the book's release in 2014 <<"Sexy, dark, and suspenseful...Definitely not your mother's historical romance!" - Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Sunset Embrace
Sandra Brown - 1985
Two passionate travelers, united by need, threatened by pasts they could not outrun ...Lydia Bryant --- voluptuous and russet-haired, fleeing from a secret shame, vowing that never again would a man, any man, overpower her ...Ross Coleman --- dark, brooding and iron-willed, with the shadow of a lawless past in his piercing eyes, sworn to resist the temptation of his wanton longings ...Fate threw them together on the same wild road, where they fought the breathtaking desire blazing between them, while the shadows of their enemies grew longer. As the wagon train rolled west, the danger to them drew ever closer, until a showdown with their pursuers was inevitable. Before it was over, Lydia and Ross would face death ... the truth about each other ... and the astonishing strength of their love ...
Protection
S.A. Reid - 2011
Tough, smart, and ruthless in a fight, he quickly makes a name for himself inside. But Gabriel, saved from the noose by a social crusader, is serving two life sentences. And life is a very long time to endure Wentworth with no comforts but prison food, card games and cigarettes. To survive endless days without the touch of another human being...Five years after Gabriel’s incarceration, Joey Cooper arrives at Wentworth. Every convict claims imprisonment through a miscarriage of justice, but Joey is truly blameless. Trained at Oxford as a physician, the young doctor is innocent of prison culture and too handsome for his own good. Facing eighteen years behind Wentworth’s towering gates, Joey cannot hope to survive without protection. And protection is just what Gabriel MacKenna offers. At a price...
Three Nights of Sin
Anne Mallory - 2008
No one would help her save him from the gallows—no one but Gabriel Noble. In exchange for taking the case, Gabriel requests three favors from the desperate young beauty, and Marietta has no other choice but to make a deal with the sinfully handsome devil.Three nights of pleasure...Searching for clues in the rough underbelly of London, Marietta must masquerade as a shamelessly wanton wench—much to Gabriel's delight. But Marietta swears to herself that her passionate moans are just for show. She could never fall in love with such a maddening, arrogant, seductive stranger . . . could she? Three nights of sin...Night after night, she satisfies his wicked cravings. But soon Gabriel wants more from Marietta than just three nights of sin—and even a sordid secret in his past won't prevent him from trying to possess her forever.
Lord Ruin
Carolyn Jewel - 2002
He planned to marry for beauty. But a night of unforgettable passion left him a changed man—a man tied to a bespectacled spinster. Anne Sinclair's long legs drove him wild with desire, and her quick wit challenged his mind. Ruined for any other, the notorious rake had only one choice: to court his wife. To win her confidence, however, nothing less than his love would do.The Divine SinclairAnne Sinclair had sworn to protect her sister from the infamous Lord Ruin. Yet she never expected to sacrifice her own virtue. Forced to give the rogue her hand in marriage, she vowed never to relinquish her heart. But Ruan worshiped her body and valued her intelligence, making Anne long to succumb to the ultimate temptation: falling for her husband.
In Bed with the Devil
Lorraine Heath - 2008
A proper young lady risks more than her reputation when consorting with the roguishly handsome Lucian Langdon, but Lady Catherine Mabry believes she has no choice. To protect those she loves, she would do anything—even strike a bargain with the devil himself.Lucian desires respectability and a wife above all else, but the woman of his choosing lacks the social graces to be accepted by the aristocracy. Catherine can help Lucian gain everything he wants. But what she asks for in exchange will put their very lives in jeopardy. When danger closes in, Catherine discovers a man of immense passion and he discovers a woman of immeasurable courage. As secrets from his dark past are revealed, Lucian begins to question everything he knows to be true, including the yearnings of his own heart.
Wed By Proxy
Alice Coldbreath - 2019
Until one day she decides to become mistress of her own destiny and leave the royal court to find her own path. Married by proxy, Lord Martindale has never even met his bride of three years. Wed as part of a peace treaty, he bitterly resents the mercenary wife who cares only for wealth and prestige. And then he meets her... Wed By Proxy is a stand-alone novel of over 111,000 words and is set in a medieval style landscape in the fictional kingdom of Karadok. Please do not purchase if you are offended by strong language and or sex scenes.
A Rogue by Any Other Name
Sarah MacLean - 2012
Now a partner in London’s most exclusive gaming hell, the cold, ruthless Bourne will do whatever it takes to regain his inheritance—including marrying perfect, proper Lady Penelope Marbury.A broken engagement and years of disappointing courtships have left Penelope with little interest in a quiet, comfortable marriage, and a longing for something more. How lucky that her new husband has access to such unexplored pleasures.Bourne may be a prince of London’s underworld, but he vows to keep Penelope untouched by its wickedness—a challenge indeed as the lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them... even her heart.