Book picks similar to
Hard Times by C. Hallman


dark-romance
dark
arc
contemporary-romance

Beauty Tempts the Beast


Mink - 2020
    Helen. She seems innocent and sweet, but she comes from a family that left me scarred and broken. Taking her will be the pinnacle of my vengeance. So I do. But once I have her -- I can’t seem to continue with my plan.This has never happened... I’ve killed without remorse, taken revenge again and again on any who wronged me. But when it comes to Helen, I can’t bear to see her so much as break a nail, which happens with a frightening frequency given her adorable clumsiness. So I keep her. And I protect her. And before I know it -- I love her.But her family isn’t the sort to let anything or anyone go. I’ll have to fight to keep her, but will my beauty decide to stay with her beast -- or leave and break my heart?*-*MINK's Note: Who doesn't love a tale as old as time, made so much better with a kitty and a coffee, and a beast who would do anything for the beauty he loves?

Their Kidnapped Bride


Vanessa Vale - 2015
    Money, social standing and the protection of her step-brother. Or so she thought. When she discovers his dark secrets, he turns on her and sells her to a western brothel to keep her quiet. There, she's forced to work or participate in an auction. A virgin auction...and she's the prize.One look at Emma James and Whitmore Kane and Ian Stewart know she would belong to them. Marriage was the only way to truly claim her...so they bid and bid well. As their bride, they return to the Bridgewater Ranch and teach her the ways to please not one husband, but two. But danger has tracked Ian around the world and threatens their newfound relationship. Together, can they fight the demons of the past while forging a future?>This is the first book in the Bridgewater Ménage Series, where you'll meet all of the men in Kane and Ian's army regiment and discover their unusual beliefs on marriage. Read the entire series to follow along as the men, two or three at a time, claim their brides. Bridgewater: Where ménage meets marriage.

The Death Club


Caroline Peckham - 2021
    Carnage. Killing.The three Cs that make my life complete.I know killing technically doesn’t start with a C – but wouldn’t life be better if it did? Just like it would be better if the Devil was my boyfriend, Santa wasn’t a d*ck and I didn’t live under a bridge.I wished for my life to improve, but it didn’t. I was kidnapped, sold, sold again, stuck in a death game, sold AGAIN and now I’m living in a serial killer’s basement.Oh and there’s another dude down here who lives in a cage and doesn’t talk. I call him Dead Man on account of his soulless eyes. He either wants to kiss me or choke me out. I can’t decide which I want most.Anyways, my hot, tattooed, muscular insane Irish captor thinks I might make a good hit woman once he trains me up. Which is a freaking insult by the way as I’m already the best killer in town. Ask anyone. Except the cops. Don’t ask them or they’ll send me back to that creepy asylum where they gave me the crazy pills. But shh, that’s a secret. Want to know another one? I quite like it here. Every day is anarchy and that’s my favourite flavour.So I think I’m gonna join The Death Club and let my freak flag fly.This is a brand new dark menage series set in the same world as the Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep series with character crossover. Each series can be read independent of each other and the lead female character will end up with more than one love interest.

Blaire


Anita Gray - 2016
    Conditioned. Sold to the enemy.My name is Blaire. I'm head of security to a man who controls the Russian underworld in Europe. His name is Maksim and he's my master. He bought me ten years ago and conditioned me with brutality to worship and protect him. And I have protected him. I've slain everyone who has tried to do him harm. Everyone but a man he loans me to; a man who threatens to break me and everything I believe in. You're going to need a strong stomach and a strong heart to follow my story, because take my word for it, it's no fairy tale.

Sugar Wood: A Twisted Tales Novel


Brynn Ford - 2021
    I want every ounce of their poisonous passion.I don't believe in evil or enchantments. I know better than to believe in things that don't exist. But I'm certain of the sickness of humanity and the twisted energy it leaves behind…and Sugar Wood Forest is infected with it. My home is infected, too. The preppy college boy and his heiress stepsister I've trapped within it will feel the effects of that soon enough.They said they were lost when they stumbled upon my cabin in the woods, but I'd seen them out there earlier trying to bury their secrets together—the same way I'd buried mine. I should've sent them away, but instead I stole them and locked them up. And now their own wicked energy plagues me, drawing us all together with toxic desire.These two are my secret now. But I haven't decided yet whether they're a secret worth keeping or burying.This steamy dark romance is a twisted retelling of Hansel & Gretel which features an MMF relationship. Heed the warning—this is a dark story and parts of it may be upsetting to some readers. Please use your best judgment in deciding whether this book is for you.

A Love of Vengeance


Nancy Haviland - 2014
    Vasily needs someone he can trust in Seattle to protect his estranged daughter, Eva Jacobs, while he avenges the murder of the young woman’s mother. Gabriel is unstoppable in a fight, whether he’s using fists, blades, or bullets; but innocent, onyx-haired Eva may just be the most dangerous—and beautiful—thing he’s come up against.Intense sparks fly between the two, tempting Gabriel to mix business with pleasure while in the Emerald City. But once word gets around that Gabriel has shown up in New York, Stefano—his vengeful brother and the de facto head of the family—decides that Eva is the key to ending the feud between them…permanently.In this pulse-pounding romantic thriller set against the backdrop of New York City’s storied underworld, loyalties will be tested, secrets will be told, and mob justice will be served.

Mercy


Debra Anastasia - 2017
    Murder is in my blood now. It runs through my veins and though I hide the monster I see in the mirror with ink, it doesn’t keep him from coming out. My street name is Mercy, but I never show any. Except for her. I watch Becca, though she doesn’t know. She saved me a long time ago; the day my father killed my mother. Her bravery turned her into a target.My father holds a grudge and knife with the same proficiency, and Becca is the focus of his hatred. And I’m the only monster who can save her.

Married to the Bad Boy


Vanessa Waltz - 2015
    A man-whore. Whatever the hell you want to call it, I get around. During the day, I crack heads and extort businesses. At night, I find girls to f*ck. I live to hear them moan for me, but one night is all they get. No one ever made me want more. Until her.Elena.The moment her lips wrapped around me, I was done. All day, I think about running my tongue all over those curves. Too bad those curves are off limits. She's running from a man who will kill me for touching her.Well, she's tired of running and needs my help.She thinks I'm doing it for money.I'm doing it to make her mine.

Unsuitable


Samantha Towle - 2016
     Daisy Smith has spent eighteen months of her life paying for a crime she didn’t commit. Now out of prison, she has only one focus—to get back custody of her younger brother, Jesse, who is deep in the foster care system. Desperate to rebuild her life and show the system that she is responsible enough to care for Jesse, she takes on the only job available to her—working as a maid at the Matis Estate. On day one of her new job, Daisy meets Kastor Matis, the only son of the owners and her new boss. An enigmatic, handsome Greek god of a man, Kas is closed off, cold, and…well, kind of a bastard. The more time Daisy spends around Kas, she starts to see there might be more to him than just his cold, bastard ways. He may actually have a heart beating in that frozen chest of his. But Kas has secrets, too. Secrets that he’s determined to keep. Secrets make Daisy curious. And you know what curiosity can do…

Vow of Deception


Rina Kent - 2021
    My tormentor.The most notorious man in the city offers me a job.Act as his dead wife.Adrian Volkov isn’t the type of person who takes no for an answer.He commands with an iron fist and all his orders are met.When he approaches me with the offer, I have two options.Go to prison or put myself under his wrath.I choose to have a roof over my head. What’s so hard about acting, right?Wrong.The moment I step into his wife’s shoes, everything spirals out of control.My only way of survival is through Adrian.Or is it?This book is part of a trilogy and is not standalone

Dirty Cops Next Door


Summer Cooper - 2017
    Even if that means staying away from the two men I want the most... Author’s Note: This is a standalone novel of 50,000 words. This book includes scenes that will make you blush, intended for adults only! For a limited time, this book will include bonus stories to extend your reading pleasure.

Ruthless Prince


Faith Summers - 2020
    It is a stand-alone Dark Mafia Enemies to Lovers Arranged Marriage Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers.Please note: this book is a dark mafia romance that contains mature content, graphic violence and may contain triggers. If such materials offend you, please do not read.

Tempted


Madelynne Ellis - 2010
    It’s so hot flames were spouting out of my E-reader!” ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – Manic ReadersSecrets, kinks and unfinished business…Evie’s world turns upside down when she finds a naked stranger in her shower with mysterious ties to her boyfriend’s past. She and Ross have never kept secrets, until now.Taking risks isn’t Ross’s style – not anymore – but he’s never been able to say no to Kit. Memories of their wild adventures still spice up his sexual fantasies – fantasies that could cost him Evie’s love, if she knew.Meanwhile, bad boy Kit knows he’s playing fast and loose with Ross and Evie’s relationship, but he’s convinced the risk is worth it.As their lives become ever more entangled, and past mysteries resurface and grow legs in their sleepy rural community, their loyalties to one another are put to the test. Can three people ever form a stable relationship, especially if they’re not all telling the truth?Highly recommended - You Gotta Read It Reviews.“…at times I wondered if the pages were going to catch fire." Just Erotic Romance Reviews★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Great menage read. Off the charts hot. I loved it. - Goodreads ReviewerContains the bonus story: Woe in Kabukicho

The Brave Line


Kate Stewart - 2017
    With a fresh perspective on life, she trades her tragic past in California for the coastal waters of Charleston. Fueled by a new career as a dispatcher, she’s determined not to let her scars weigh her down. She apologizes for nothing, especially her insatiable need for a certain police officer.Rowdy is a newly minted sergeant dedicated to his job, but the life of a Charleston police officer has never been more dangerous. With his need to take order of a city spiraling out of control, the last thing he wants is an entanglement with a mouthy dispatcher. But, there’s just one problem. He can’t get enough of her.As the heat rises between the unlikely pair, so does the tension.Three months of summer was all it took to shake their foundations, rattle their walls, and bring them crashing down.It was lust.It was love.It was real.And it would have been perfect . . . if it wasn't already over.Note to reader:This book has several elements and explores topics that some may consider triggers. For mature audiences only. Explicit sex, violence and language. (less)

A Pound of Flesh


Sophie Jackson - 2015
    There she meets arrogant Wesley Carter, who’s as handsome as he is dangerous, as mysterious as he is quick-witted, and with a reputation that ensures people will keep their distance.As teacher and student, Kat and Carter are forced to leave their animosities at the door and learn that one should never judge a book by its cover. As Carter’s barriers begin to crumble, Kat realizes there’s much more to her angry student than she thought, leaving them to face a new, perilous obstacle: their undeniable attraction to one another.