Book picks similar to
Cruel War by Dani René


new-adult
romance
dark-romance
arc

Ricochet


Keri Lake - 2015
    I wish they had. Now I'm cursed by the memories of that night, and the words I whispered to my dying wife.A promise—to avenge the wrong and set it right.I’m no longer Nick Ryder. I’m a masked vigilante. Faceless. Loveless. Fearless. A man with nothing left to lose—one who's seen the dark and violent truth behind the city’s flawless veneer.Michael Culling doesn’t know who I am. Or what I want. All he knows is that I’ve kidnapped his beautiful wife.An eye for an eye—isn’t that how the saying goes? And Aubree Culling is the perfect pawn to destroy him.If she doesn’t destroy me first.

Those Heartless Boys


E.M. Moore - 2020
    Maybe just maim him a bit. Peel off his perfectly chiseled handsome looks until he knows what it feels like to be normal. And while I’m at it, I’ll throw his friends in, too. They all deserve to be taken down.I should’ve seen it coming. I should’ve felt it in my gut. The moment my treasure hunter father went missing, my arch enemies sprang into action. While I still reeled, they mapped out their twisted trail of retaliation. They planned their payback, finally acting on what they’ve always wanted.Because grieving is the perfect time to blackmail someone in the Jacobs’ playbook. Well, I have news for them. My back may be up against the wall now, but a Wilder will never bow to a Jacobs. Never.

Strong Enough


Michelle Leighton - 2015
     Is she strong enough to trust the most dangerous man she’s ever met? And is he strong enough to let her? How would I describe myself? Well, I’m Muse Harper. I’m a twenty-something painter who loves red wine, quirky movies, and men with a fatal flaw. But that was before I met Jasper King. He became my fatal flaw. Eight months ago, I had a choice to make—abandon everything I’ve ever known to protect my family, or stay and risk someone getting hurt. I chose the former. My plan was working just fine until I found out my father had gone missing. That’s when I met Jasper. A bounty hunter with the eyes of a tiger and the nose of a bloodhound, he was supposed to help me find my father. What I didn’t know was that meeting him was no accident. Hunting people isn’t all that Jasper does. And helping me was only part of his plan. I just wish I’d found out sooner, before my heart got involved. But even then, I don’t know if I’d have done things differently. Now, I have another choice to make—trust the man that I’m falling in love with and hope that he’ll do the right thing, or run as far away from him as I can get.

Trouble in Hell


Alex Grayson - 2018
    Welcome to Malus. Trouble and his brothers escaped from Malus, Texas as kids. In the dead of night, they left behind a hell so hideous, it made national news. Years later, they returned to make the place that was once their living nightmare, a safe place for those who have suffered just as they have. When Remi comes to town, heavily pregnant and in desperate need of help, as the town's only doctor, Trouble reluctantly offers his services. Little did he know the strong attraction he would feel for the woman. He fights it, tries to push it to the side, but it only grows stronger, nearly consuming him. Love is not something Trouble can afford to feel. Not when he still has vengeance in his blood and the need to punish those of his past. Not when he knows Remi would never be able to see past the merciless actions he must carry out. Remi has no time for love either, no matter how much her heart yearns for Trouble. Not when danger is knocking on her door, demanding something she'll never be able to give. Will the darkness in their pasts devour them, or will they find the beauty that's just out of reach? In a town like Malus, anything is possible.... DISCLAIMER: Intended for readers 18 years and older due to mature content, abusive situations, and harsh language. May contain triggers for some readers. Please read with caution.

Perversion


T.M. Frazier - 2018
    New/alternate cover edition here.USA Today bestselling author of the King Series, T.M. Frazier, brings you an all-new trilogy with a sexy anti-hero you're going to love to hate, and a ballsy heroine with more up her sleeve than just tricks. Love is supposed to be a fairy tale.Ours is a death wish.I'm the executioner for the Bedlam Brotherhood. She's a con artist working for my greatest enemy. I use her. She manipulates me.We find ourselves on opposite sides of a bloody war. My heart and head tell me I have to stay away. My lust for her doesn't give a sh*t. Nothings fair in love and gang war.

Tough Sh*t


Sheridan Anne - 2020
    Wrong.When the bank took our home, it didn’t come as a surprise. The bomb was when mom told me we were moving out of Breakers Flats, away from my crew, and to a place that only existed in fairy tales—Bellevue Springs. Home of the insanely beautiful, rich, and famous.Only, Bellevue Springs is far from a fairy tale. It’s a nightmare full of secrets, horrors, and the ugly reality of the one-percenters, but without this move, mom and I are up sh*t creek without a paddle.We don’t belong here—not even as the help.I should have been prepared. I should have done my homework so at least that way I wasn’t blindsided by Charles Carrington’s son; my new housemate.Colton F*cking Carrington.He’s the definition of an arrogant, entitled prick and he’s determined to make my life a living hell. Guess what, Colton? Where I’m from, you don’t start a war unless you intend to finish it, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.You can’t take down a girl who has nothing left to lose.We may be on your territory, but this is my game.WARNING: Rejects Paradise is a Young Adult / New Adult Dark High School Bully Romance series. It features dark themes and mature content.

Tangled Love


Haley Jenner - 2020
    A bloody and vengeful penance for wrong doing. She was our way to inflict pain and suffering on those who took away what was most important to us. She was supposed to be a no one. Insignificant. She wasn’t supposed to make me smile. She wasn’t supposed to make me laugh. She sure wasn’t supposed to make me feel anything other than hate. She wasn’t supposed to make me love her. She was a means to an end. Now the bloody and vengeful end looks to be mine. Because it now comes down to love or loyalty and it’s on me to decide what reigns absolute; heart or family.

Wicked Idol


Becker Gray - 2020
    Iris Briggs gets under my skin. With her demure skirts and braided hair, she flits around the periphery until she runs right into me, hot coffee soaking me as she looks up with wide, innocent eyes.We start off scalding.In the library, we reach lava levels.And then in the city? She burns me to the ground.I’m Keaton Constantine. My duty is to my family. At least, it was until I started unbraiding the good girl and realizing there’s more to life than duty.

Heartless


Jade West - 2020
    That’s my plan until I see her, the woman in gold with the sinful curves and the blonde curls. My will to dominate her runs as deep as the hate I have for her last name. No matter how beautifully she bends beneath my hands, I'll leave her shattered, a broken toy for her cruel family.I'm a sadist, and she's the object of my obsession."I'm speechless... My limits were tested and I even found a few hard limits of my own. I still hear that divinely, sexy man demanding those sinfully sweet words." - USA Today bestselling author B.B. Reid on DIRTY BAD WRONG

Wicked Dreams


S. Massery - 2020
    She doesn’t realize the anger I’ve been harboring.I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to ruin her life, and it’s finally here.Because even traitors sleep—and I’m going to make sure she only dreams of me.Then I’m going to destroy her.This is a dark high school bully romance with mature content and themes. It contains dubious situations that some readers may find offensive. If you're looking for a white knight hero, this book is not for you. Wicked Dreams is book one of a trilogy and cannot be read as a standalone.

The Heir


Sophie Lark - 2021
    Where mafia heirs are trained to control, dominate, infiltrate, and kill.I followed Anna because she’s my best friend. I’ve always been right by her side.She needs me to protect her. Especially from Dean Yenin, a Bratva heir with a lethal grudge.He plans to take everything from me. Starting with Anna...“The Heir” is the first book in the epic dark mafia Kingmakers Series. It’s a forbidden friends-to-lovers romance filled with mystery, suspense, and kindle-melting bedroom scenes that take place everywhere but the bedroom.

Saint


E.M. Snow - 2020
    It is not recommended for readers under 17 as it contains dubious situations and triggers that some readers may find offensive. It is NOT a standalone and ends in a cliffhanger.

I, Porn Star


Zara Cox - 2016
    Rich. Entitled. By night, I'm the exclusive porn star only known as Q. Why? Because I love women. If I believed in an almighty being, I'd thank him for creating them. They're by far his most perfect creation… especially when I'm fucking one of them. Oh, did I mention I'm an asshole? Fuck yeah. According to my shrink, I'm one twisted motherfucker. And that's just the way I like it. Until she walks into my life…My name is Elyse Gilbert, nicknamed ‘Lucky' because according to my dad, I'm the unluckiest person alive, and I'll die the same way I came into the world: naked, screaming, and dirt poor.Yeah, my life is a twisted, seething mess. But that life changed the day I met HIM. He made me forget the cameras. He made me forget I was doing this for the money. He made me forget my shame.He made me forget everything. I was consumed by him. Only him.But now my past has caught up with me.

Giving In


Lola King - 2021
    He hides it well though, under a beautiful smile and eyes that ravage your heart.But Stoneview Prep’s golden boy has always had a dark aura around him. Like a well-guarded secret. A blackness that he never lets anyone see."Curiosity killed the cat, Jamie." My mom always tells me.She never said it would get me in more trouble than I could handle. She never said it would throw me into the dark world of Jake White. And when I not-so-accidentally find out part of Jake’s past, I finally learn the consequences of mischievous nosiness.Curiosity doesn’t kill this cat. It turns it into a mouse to be played with.At least that’s what Jake decided.JakeThree years. That’s how much my twin and I got of freedom before our past caught up with us.We were doing well, we were being good, we were keeping out of trouble. Most of all, I was in control.But trouble always finds a reason to make its way back to us. And when it does, Jamie Williams is here to witness it.In the morning I learned of her existence, in the afternoon she was spying on me like a fangirl.This girl is desperate to find out what’s behind the golden boy’s facade I was kind enough to put on.So be it.I have time on my hands, darkness on my mind, and a hundred ways to make Jamie Williams bend to my will.This book is approximately 92,000 words and is the first book of a three-book series. Giving In is a dark high school bully romance intended for mature readers. It contains detailed sexual scenes and bullying scenes that some readers may find triggering. If you are unsure of your triggers, please heed the author’s trigger warning in the book.

Devlin UnLeashed


Bethany Bazile - 2015
    A man born among violence with a heavily burdened mind. He wasn't the sort of man fairy tales were made of, but he was sinfully beautiful, and addictively seductive. Dark and dangerous, yet utterly alluring. I’d fooled myself once, only allowing myself to see the beauty in him despite the shadows I’d glimpsed in his eyes. When that darkness took over, I ran. And now he’s found me. He’d trusted me with his love and now he wants it back. And he’s all too willing to crush my heart to make his whole again. Juliana betrayed me. Went against everything I believed in and pushed the monster I tried to keep hidden out into the open. Our love was twisted—and I’d made it that way. But I wasn't prepared to let it go. I hunted her for years, picking up traces of her scent as she moved from city to city to escape me. Now that I've found her, I’m not sure even her fiery light can brighten the blackout she left me in when she walked away. Mature content warning: This title is darkly romantic and intended for adults 18+ due to explicit sexual content, language, violence, and dubious consent.