Book picks similar to
Sanctum by K. Michelle


dark
contemporary
dnf
cliffhanger

Amnesia


Cambria Hebert - 2017
    A place where everyone knows everyone, yet…No one knows me.I don’t know me.If a woman doesn’t know her own name, does she really exist?I don’t know my natural hair color, my birthdate, or where I live.I am invisible.To everyone, to everything, even to myself.Except to him. I see the recognition deep in his stare, the way it lingers on my face as if I’m a puzzle he’s desperate to put together.I just want answers, the truth… knowledge. His lips are sealed. Still, his eyes beguile me.I can’t trust anyone, not even myself. Someone wants me dead, the same someone who tried to bury me in a watery grave. They’ll come for me again… I won’t know their face.I don’t even know mine.I am amnesia.

Aftereffect


T.L. Hodel - 2020
    Each born into privilege and power. We could have anything and anyone we wanted.And I wanted Riley Adams.That pigtailed little brat slapped me in the park. She thought she could handle me. That I was just an entitled prick who got my kicks taunting her.She should’ve listened to the rumors, paid attention to the warnings. . . Not that it would’ve mattered. Her fate was sealed the day she came up to me looking for her damn dog.Hate wasn’t a strong enough word for how I felt about Micha. I could handle his taunting words and cruel jokes, but he decided to up the ante. Trap me, lock me in a cage and throw away the key.But the thing about a cornered animal is that, they eventually turn feral. Desperately clawing around for a way out. Even the devil had a weakness. I just had to maintain my sanity long enough to find his, and hope that I didn’t lose something I couldn’t get back in the process. Because there’s a fine line between love and hate. . . and that line is starting to blur.Warning: This book is a dark romance and contains intense sexual scenes. If you are a reader with certain triggers sensitive to such dark themes, please heed the author's note at the beginning of the book

The Scars of You


Rachael Tonks - 2017
    The loss of the girl who owns his heart and his best friend unleashed the dark in him. Part of a world of crime and murder, Brax knows he’s reached a breaking point and something’s got to give. He has to find her. Isabelle. The girl he's loved since she saved him that fateful day when they were nothing more than just kids. The day she went away was the day he lost his heart. That was the day he became everyone's worst nightmare. He became a monster. He is hated, feared, and has nothing left to live for. Isabelle has lived the last six years of her life without hope and in total isolation. Now she finds herself in the clutches of evil with no way out. All she dreams of is to be reunited with the one boy who showed her what it means to truly be loved. Without him, she’s surrendered herself to an existence she doesn’t know how to escape. In a moment that will change both of their lives forever, Brax comes face to face with the girl who, for six years, captured his heart. He is unable to ignore the buried desires and the hope for the future they dreamed they’d have. Can he save the girl he once lost, or will the fight cost him more than he could ever imagine?

Nocturnes & Nightmares


Keri Lake - 2019
    Two found dead, bearing the signature marks of a brutal serial killer. With the kind of tragedy that mars Nola Tensley’s past, she should be concerned, but without a pot to piss in, all the struggling single mom cares about is making a normal life for her son. After all, she’s clearly not the murderer’s type.Or is she?When Rhett Voss, an enigmatic and handsome stranger, answers her ad for the outdated in-law suite at the back of her property, offering double her asking price, Nola really can’t refuse. Even though the supposed Wall Street Wolf seems better suited for a high-rise downtown—a suspicion that quickly turns into hindsight once she submits to the flirtations of her charming new tenant, and consequently, unearths a series of disturbing revelations.Her curiosities lead her down the path of a madman, whose moniker, The Sandman, only hints at the grisly nature of his crimes. He’s smart. Evasive. A cunning psychopath with a twisted method of disposing his victims.And his hunting grounds are hitting too close to home.Author note: This book contains scenes of graphic sex and violence that some readers may find disturbing.

Resist


K. Bromberg - 2019
    Rich, handsome, and more than intriguing, he thinks blackmail will bend me to his will.But he’s wrong.I may have done a few things that weren’t exactly legal, but I have my own reasons for that. The last thing I’m going to do is let some high-powered divorce attorney come into my life, have my body, and rule my heart. Not to mention ruin everything that I have carefully built in just a short amount of time.But as much as I try to resist him, and against my better judgment, there is something about him that has me agreeing to his proposal.I’m putting everything on the line for him. I just hope I won’t lose everything when this is all over.

Distorted Love


T.L. Smith - 2018
    Hated him from the age of eighteen. He disappeared at the age of nineteen. We started off as enemies, then fast became lovers. But our story isn’t a happily ever after. It was a story of a king and a peasant. Can you guess which I was? I knew we weren’t meant to be. You see, he fell in love with her first. He loved me last.I'm not someone's second choice.Not even for the boy who stole my heart. I'm someone's first. Now, I just have to remember that.

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.

Their Kingdom Come


Logan Fox - 2020
    Now no one stands in our way.No one, except one girl.Trinity Malone doesn't know about our past.She doesn't have a say in our future.At least, so we thought.Until we realized Trinity's exactly who we were looking for.She's our secret weapon.Soon, she'll be seeking revenge...Just like us.Contains strong language, violence, and sexual situations some may find triggering.HEA guaranteed with multiple love interests.

Innocence


Lee Savino - 2015
    A virgin.I’m ruthless. A beast.She found me for a reason.She’ll be my queen.I’ll give her everything that her heart desires.Except for one thing.Her freedom.She’s mine to keep, and I’m never letting her go.Note: This is a dark mafia romance with dark and intense sensual scenes. It is the first in a trilogy.

River Wild


Samantha Towle - 2019
    A new identity. Pregnant and alone. And far away from a past that can never find me. River Wild.Moody. Sullen. Jerk.And my new neighbor.I have no interest in befriending River. And he definitely doesn’t want to be befriended by me.Then, he helps me rescue an abandoned dog. And, that day, I see something in his eyes that reflects back in my own. Sadness. Pain. Loneliness.I know all of those things well.An unwanted and unexpected friendship that somehow works. Then, without warning, it turns into something more.River and I both have our secrets, and that’s okay. Because I understand him. And he understands me.For the first time in my life, I have something I never thought I would have—happiness.But happiness isn’t forever. Not for people like me.Especially not when my past is waiting just around the corner, ready to come and take it all away.

Beauty and the Dark


Georgia Le Carre - 2016
    They are right. Death would have saved me. The things broke me. - Sofia So I locked my heart away and swore I’d never have another man in my body again. You see, I thought, I knew everything there was to know about men: deceitful, cruel, and heartless. I thought I hated them all. Naively, I believed I could live hidden away in my brother-in-law’s castle forever. But Fate put me under a mistletoe with a man called Jack Irish. How can I describe him? Tall, dark and handsome wouldn’t even begin to cut it. Mesmerizingly magnetic with charcoal hair, eyes bluer than the bluest marbles, and tattoos that curl out of his rolled up sleeves, he stood in front of me. When his lips brushed mine the ground under my feet shook, and everything I believed about myself smashed into a thousand pieces. But I am not the girl he thinks I am. He wants me in his bed. He doesn’t know I am damaged beyond repair and dirty. If he knows how filthy I am he will run a mile. Jack I know all about pain. How it reaches into you, rips out your heart, and crushes it while you fuckin’ watch. I'd vowed that was in the past. I was going to get drunk on one night stands and casual sex. But then fate put Sophie Seagull in my path. She is damaged. She is fragile. She is broken. And she is beautiful. Not in the cold, hard way of a sparkling diamond throwing its flashy light all over the place, but in the secretively, mysterious way of a pearl glowing in the moonlight. I look into her eyes, as huge and hauntingly soulful as that of a slow loris and the world doesn’t seem to be so bleak anymore. She fights me, but this is my vow. To repair her. To protect her. To take her. To make her mine forever...

Binding 13


Chloe Walsh - 2018
    On the rugby pitch, he's a force to be reckoned with. Primed for stardom, he's heading straight for the top. Nothing can possibly get in his way, right?Not even the shy new girl at Tommen College. The one with the sad eyes and hidden bruises. The one that distracts him like no one ever has.Plagued with a hidden injury and desperate to impress the scouts watching his every move, Johnny has been placed on a pedestal so high, he has no room to make mistakes.Striving to maintain balance, and on the crest of the International Summer Campaign, Johnny needs to keep his head in the game. He needs to stay focused, and cannot afford to let distractions get in the way of the bigger picture.But what happens when a lonely girl with sad eyes becomes the only picture?Life has never been easy for Shannon Lynch. Bullied and tortured, she arrives at Tommen College mid-way through the school year praying for a fresh start and desperate to shake off the demons that plague her.On her very first day at the prestigious private school, she comes into contact with the notorious Johnny Kavanagh.Thrown through a hoop over her feelings for him, and desperate to keep a low-profile, Shannon finds herself once again the target of bullies as she forms a fragile alliance with rugby's rising star.Falling into a complicated friendship and grappling with their undeniable chemistry, Johnny and Shannon must face obstacles that threaten their relationship.Two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks collide.Friendship, first love, rising fame, horrifying secrets, and pain all fuel together in Binding 13.Hearts are binding and lives are entwining in Binding 13.Binding 13 is the explosive first installment of a brand-new series from Chloe Walsh. Based in Ireland, the Boys Of Tommen series is bound to captivate and lure you into the world of rugby, love, and teenage heartbreak.

Facing The Enemy


M.E. Clayton - 2019
    Growing up in an abusive household, she endured a life of violence that ultimately led to the murder of her mother. However, she's only a couple of months away from turning 18, so she's got it covered. At least, she thought she did until her guilt ridden aunt comes and takes her in. Now, living miles away, where money is worshipped like a deity, she realizes she's a far cry away from the trailer park she called home. ​ Ramsey Reed wasn't blinded by money, power or social standing, even though he had all three of those things in spades. He knew people with money were just as degenerate as people without it. The wealthy were just able to pay people to look the other way, while the poor could not. He was only 18-years-old, but he was already sick and tired of the people around him. They were nothing but tools he used for his entertainment, and he found himself not being entertained much these days. When Emerson shows up at a pre-school year party and meets Ramsey, their connection sparks a battle of wills so strong, neither is certain if they'll be able to hold on to their sanity. And, yet, neither of them cared. Warning: While the story contains a HEA, it is a dark romance, bully read. It contains triggers and can be offensive to some readers. Please do not purchase if sensitive to such materials.

Under the Lights


Tia Louise - 2018
    From USA TODAY bestselling author Tia Louise comes a sexy new tale of love, loss, and survival in sultry New Orleans...UNDER THE LIGHTS Heroes don't last long around here... Fall in love with the sexiest girl in New Orleans? Check. Prepare to die for her? Double-check. Larissa is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.She's the rising star of the Pussycat Angels, the hottest burlesque show in the French Quarter.I'll never forget the first time I saw her.The curve of her breast outlined by sparkling rhinestones.Slim hips wrapped in black fishnets.Long, dark hair...She's the Dark Angel who stole my heart.Her body is intoxicating, our love overwhelming.Cat eyes and blood red lips.Sizzling fingers on white-hot skin.I couldn't keep my hands off her...But her fame had a dark side,A sinister shadow lurking under the lights. I would do anything to save her...He would do anything to see me dead.(A CONTEMPORARY ROMANTIC SUSPENSE series.)

Once We Were Starlight


Mia Sheridan - 2021
    An audience of hungry eyes. And him, the other half of my soul, our supple bodies moving as one...Sundara: the lush and forbidden oasis in the desert where men travel to watch acts of sexual deviancy, and the only existence seventeen-year-old Karys has ever known. But despite a life where secrets and sin are in high supply, and freedom remains far beyond their reach, Karys and her partner Zakai find safety in each other, their passionate love the light that helps them both survive the darkness.Very suddenly, Karys and Zakai find themselves in the bright and confusing world of New York City, navigating separation, school, and relatives who are all but strangers. If they’ve been found, why do they still feel so lost? As their new lives threaten to drive them apart, and Zakai spins out of her grasp, Karys must figure out who and what can be trusted in this strange city, seemingly filled with more venom than the desert they once called home.