Book picks similar to
Close by Fen Wilde
dark
romance
erotica
first-reads
After Love Leaves: The Story of Us
Michelle Alstead - 2017
When she met Brad Sorenson, Zoe was convinced her bad luck with men had finally changed. He saw past her insecurities and the Oreo addiction she just couldn’t shake, inspiring her to chase her dreams. Brad was looking for a good time online, not love. But Zoe was so sweet, so kind. Everything about her was perfect—until she fell for him. Doesn’t she understand he’s the wrong guy for a woman like her? Zoe doesn’t know why Brad left her standing in an airport; he won’t return her calls or texts. With her self-esteem and dreams shattered, she can’t imagine ever loving anyone else… When a devastating diagnosis changes Brad’s life forever, he’s forced to finally face the truth: there’s only one woman he’s ever truly loved.Will Zoe give Brad a second chance or is she done with love for good?***This is not your typical romance. Real love is complicated and messy. This story is written for those who have loved the wrong person for all the right reasons.
Alpha On Top
Leah Holt - 2018
. . His eyes were heart stopping, his hands possessive and fierce, touching me as if I belonged to him. We met by accident. My blind date never showed up and this muscled god was all alone. It was the perfect one night stand; no names, no expectations, just unbridled lust. Until a stranger barges in with a gun and everything changes. My night of passion quickly turns into a bad dream I can't escape. To my surprise, the man I had just been kissing, the guy I was about to let have me anyway he pleased, had done the unthinkable... He killed the guy. He tells me everything will be alright, and for a second I believe him. Except he won't call the police, taking me against my will instead. This man claims he's protecting me, he claims he won't let anyone hurt me. But I don't know if he's the good guy or the bad guy. What I saw scares me, and what I know makes me question everything about him. I want to hate him for what he's doing, but I don't. I'm falling in love with a killer. What the hell is wrong with me?
The Target: A Dark Mafia Romance (The Syndicate's Revenge Book 1)
Mara McQueen - 2020
Now she's forced to be his.When a Clan wedding turns into a massacre, Emiliana "Ella" Caputo, the Syndicate's First Daughter, will do anything to find out who killed her dad—even marry the vicious Brotherhood Commander. The Shadow. The Gunman. A man as ruthless as he is gorgeous.Now the enemy she has despised all her life might steal her heart.The last thing Axton wants is a fiancé. Damn spitfire reminds him he has a soul. And that mouth of hers… But if she finds out Axton knows who killed her father, all hell will break loose.Can two lost souls find themselves and love in the dangerous Underworld?When the Clans clash, which side will you choose? #SyndicateVSBrotherhoodDelve into the twisted Underworld of The Target, book 1 in The Syndicate's Revenge, a Dark Enemies-To-Lovers Mafia Gothic Romance series. The novel can be read as a standalone, but the series has an overarching mystery plot. The novel has steamy scenes and mentions of violence.
Love & Other Chaos
Jackie Walker - 2020
Brody’s my friend - just a friend. He’s also my autistic son’s favorite teacher.He’s as off limits as they come, no matter how drop dead gorgeous he is. Falling for him would be wrong. Resisting him though, is becoming pure torture. After being burned by men who can’t handle dating a single-mom of a special-needs child, I refuse to date anymore. Not until my son is grown. My plan is working fine until my trouble-making bestie presents me with a dare that I can’t resist. I’m a sucker for a good dare - especially when margaritas have been consumed. And she’s just dared me to plant a surprise kiss on Brody’s sexy lips, while she records it for a trending TikTok challenge video. But if I do this, it could change everything. My life is already pure chaos and maybe now is not the best time to shake things up even more. Is it worth risking our friendship and his important role in my son’s life for one kiss? What if he wants more? What if I do? Love & Other Chaos is a hilarious, steamy, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy featuring a drop dead gorgeous and seriously buff teacher with the hots for a single-mom of an autistic pre-teen son... who happens to be one of his students. This story also includes wise-cracking grandparents with zero respect for personal boundaries, swoon-worthy beach scenes, a jerky boss with no concept of personal space, nosey siblings and a foul-mouthed best friend who loves to instigate trouble. If you don't like sarcasm, steam, sexy-times, heroines who drink copious amounts of margaritas and laugh-a-minute dialogue, then this might not be the book for you. It’s a stand-alone novel with a happy ending, because cliffhangers will kill your margarita buzz.
Smooch
Susan Renee - 2020
No names. No rules. Just fun.Meant as revenge against my ex-boyfriend,And it was hands down the most physical and best night of my life.So, imagine my surprise when my one-night stand shows up at my workplace the following Monday, greets me by name, and asks for my number, adamant that fate is bringing us together.Of course, I refuse. I’m not looking for love, but within minutes I’m somehow shaking hands and agreeing to a convoluted blind date deal with Chett Hayes, my ridiculously nice, and very…gifted, one-night stand.Oh, and four other men.Four blind dates and a date with Chett after each one. That’s his deal.Choose Chett in the end and live happily ever after with apparently the new love of my life, or don’t and never hear from him again.The way I see it, this is a win-win for me,Until things start to get blurry and the rules are broken.Rules that were meant to keep my heart from breaking all over again.Maybe I’m right and I’m just not meant for a happily ever after,or maybe Chett Hayes was right all along and fate is real, and love is worth fighting for
Falling Through Darkness
Kira Berger - 2018
One night shattered it completely. Moving to another country was supposed to be a fresh start, an escape from my past. A way to heal and move on with my life. I was looking for happiness. What I wasn’t supposed to find was him. Dark, handsome, and irresistible. Not strong enough to resist, he broke through the walls around my heart. Every single one. For a fleeting moment, I was happy. Until I'm reminded that the clutches of my past will never let me go. The evil shrouding it in darkness has finally found me. It threatens everything I love. I need to fight it—for him and them. For us. Even if that means letting go of the light.
Never Say Never
Taylor Holloway - 2018
Never hesitate. Never get emotionally involved.Words I've lived by. Until her.I'm a fixer.I fix bad, embarrassing, illegal problems, for the right price.My clients are rich, famous, powerful, and very dangerous.Now I’ve got a problem of my very own: Eva Martin. She just happens to be both my best friend’s little sister, and at the center of the most explosive problem I’ve ever faced. As the body count rises around us, I’m falling for the one woman that’s totally out of bounds. Her wide innocent eyes, perfect curves, and sexy, smoky voice—she’s a liability and a weakness, but I'm unable to resist.Eva’s a risky distraction for a man like me. I'm going to make her mine, and I'll use everything in my arsenal to keep her safe.Even if it means everyone else—including me—becomes collateral damage.
Take a Chance on Me
Jaqueline Snowe - 2017
Their relationship had always been easy. Both of them loyal to a fault, they had been there for each other through everything: heartbreaks, hangovers, and tragedy. So when Kate needs a place to stay for three months, Brody doesn’t think twice about agreeing. After all, they had known each other forever. What could go wrong living with his closest and oldest friend? Apparently, everything. Three months in a small apartment becomes more than complicated. Brody shouldn’t be attracted to his dorky best friend…he most definitely shouldn’t. That would be absurd. She’s a relationship girl and he’s more a one-night-sans-clothes kind of guy. One drunken dare of strip poker changes everything. Suddenly, two people with too much to lose play a dangerous game. The unapologetic playboy and the girl-next-door have a choice to make, if only their pasts didn’t keep getting in the way of their future.
Run Posy Run
Cate C. Wells - 2021
He didn't care about my past. The talk. The stain on my family's reputation.Then he saw something I never wanted anyone to see.He cares now.This isn't a breakup, it's a warning shot, and if I want to get out of this bad romance alive, I have to run and never look back.Dario Volpe is no storybook hero. He's a psychopath, and he can't decide--kiss me? Or kill me?DarioI'm the man behind the curtain, the power behind the throne. I could have killed her, and no one would have blinked an eye. Posy Santoro isn't exactly a mafia princess.No one sees her as clearly as I can--the perfect mind hidden by that knockout body in the tight dress.I made a mistake, running her off, but now I get to play one of my favorite games.Posy can run, but she isn't made to be free. She's made for me. And when I catch her? Game over.Run Posy Run is a standalone mafia romance with dark elements. Intended for adult readers.HEA guaranteed.
Fleeting Moments
Bella Jewel - 2016
My rock.He was just a strangerJust a selfless stranger with a face I'll never forgetCan't forgetWon't forget And like everything else, he just disappearedAs if he never existedI have to find himI need to find himHe has to know that he saved me He has to know that in that one fleeting moment, he was all I could see
Tempted: The Dark Necessities—Dalton's Tale #1
Felicity Brandon - 2019
She's feisty and tempting.And she doesn't let anything come in the way of her mission.I've dealt with my fair share of rule-breakers.So, Delilah isn't what I need.But I can't stop dreaming about holding her in my arms.She might be hiding a secret.A secret that could destroy me and burn the city to the ground.There's only one question that remains.Is she worth the destruction that she's about to cause?
Pretty Scars
C.D. Reiss - 2019
Her beauty got her past the velvet ropes and into high society, but it ripped her away from the man she loved and chained her to an unbearable life.Then, in a single night, a song played by a mysterious and secretive musician carries her back to a past ripe with possibilities, when love could open any door.Who is this anonymous performer?How can a man she’s never met tell such a precise story of a boy she loved?She needs to know. But sometimes masks exist for a reason, and this unveiling could scar them both.
Murphy's Wrath (Murphy's Law Book 2)
Michelle St. James - 2019
Once upon a time Ronan lived by simple rules: take care of his family, take care of his dog, take care of his business - and never, ever let it get personal. But that was before he fell head over heels in love with Julia Berenger. When an ill-fated trip to Dubai forced Ronan to choose between finding Julia’s sister, Elise, and saving Julia’s life, he didn’t even think twice. Julia knows Elise is alive. It doesn’t matter that Elise was taken by a group of powerful men hidden behind the secret society called Manifest: this time Julia won’t let anything get in the way of saving her sister. Not even Ronan. But when a new lead turns up in Florence, Ronan and Julia begin a whirlwind quest for answers that brings them face to face with one of the most powerful men behind Manifest. The discovery leads them to a yacht off the coast of Greece and a high-stakes rescue operation with Ronan’s brothers that may force Julia to go it alone. Ronan has already broken one of his cardinal rules by falling in love with Julia — now the only question is whether he can let her go.
The Suicide Princess
Anthony Bryan - 2013
She has a near perfect husband, the perfect life, and she has it all in the palm of her hand. When her marriage falls into a romantic rut, Stephanie is skillfully swooned by a charming and intriguing stranger who looks to be the answer to all of her fantasies. A whirlwind and erotic affair quickly spirals out of control, and before long, Stephanie learns that things aren’t always as they appear, and people are rarely who they seem. One poor decision becomes the catalyst that rips her life apart, and Stephanie is left with nothing but the thirst for revenge against the man who viciously stole everything from her. The Suicide Princess is a sexually charged roller coaster ride where nothing is as it seems and everything is at stake!