Book picks similar to
Devil You Know by Max Henry
romance
dark
abuse
contemporary
Annihilate Me Vol. 1
Christina Ross - 2013
If she doesn't find work soon, she'll need to return to her native Maine, where the job situation is even more bleak. And where her abusive parents lie in wait.But when an unorthodox arrangement is proposed, Jennifer decides to take it. She agrees to be the "girlfriend" of Alexander Wenn, the reluctant, billionaire CEO of Wenn Enterprises, who is so devastatingly good looking, he needs a beautiful woman like Jennifer on his arm to "keep the wolves at bay." In this case, the wolves are other women, all of whom vie for his attention so aggressively, they keep him from focusing on business at the exclusive events he must attend. It's there that deals are cut. What they want is his money and his power. Damaged by a past event, the only thing Alex wants to do is focus on work. And to forget the past.But can Jennifer deny their white-hot chemistry? As she's swept into this glittering otherworld of society and big business, she finds herself struggling to keep from falling for Alex, an almost impossible feat she nevertheless must meet.Armed with her MBA, Jennifer Kent knows about business. But what she doesn't know is what could destroy her--the business of protecting her own heart. And maybe her own life.This story unfolds over multiple volumes approximately 50,000 words each.
Thursday Nights
Lisa N. Paul - 2013
But when fate brings two weak souls together, will the love they find mend the fragments that are barely holding them together, or will the weight of their past finally cause them to crumble?Max DeLucca has spent seven years trying to forget the betrayal of his past. He lives his life from day to day never looking forward and never looking back. The walls around his heart keep anyone from getting too close and prevent him from feeling too much…until he meets her.Her entire life, Janie Silver searched for the kind of love that wouldn’t leave her broken and more importantly, wouldn't leave her behind. She longs for a love that can heal the wounds of her past and give her the future she knows she deserves. She thought she was looking for something that just didn’t exist…until she meets him.Danny’s on Main is where their story begins. A neighborhood bar where strangers become friends, friends become family and some … become lovers… it all started on Thursday Nights
Debt Inheritance
Pepper Winters - 2014
I have the piece of paper to prove it. It’s undeniable and unbreakable. You belong to me until you’ve paid off your debts.” Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Being the first born daughter, her life is forfeit to the first born son of the Hawks to pay for sins of ancestors past. The dark ages might have come and gone, but debts never leave. She has no choice in the matter. She is no longer free.Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-ninth birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey. There are no rules. Only payments.
Wild Boys After Dark: Logan
Melissa Foster - 2015
Four fiercely loyal, sinfully sexy, uber alpha brothers, about to fall head over heels for their leading ladies.Meet the Bad Boys... Four fiercely loyal, sinfully sexy, uber alpha brothers, about to fall head over heels for their leading ladies.Navy SEAL vet turned private investigator Logan Wild has a thirst for justice -- and one-time flings. But when he meets Stella "Stormy" Knight, he finds himself craving more from the mysterious beauty...Everything's naughtier after dark...Stella "Stormy" Knight is an expert at hiding--her feelings, her past, and her identity. Sometimes all that hiding takes its toll, and she needs to come out from under that heavy suit of armor and cut loose--but it never takes her long to put it right back on and disappear without a trace.Navy SEAL turned private Investigator Logan Wild is relentless in his pursuit to discover the truth for his clients. He works hard, plays even harder, and always walks away unscathed and untethered. Until he meets mysterious and sexy-as-hell Stormy, who leaves him craving more than a one-night stand.Passion ignites, secrets are shared, and their deep connection is impossible to ignore. But in order to have a future, Logan must uncover Stormy's dark past--and when he does, he'll hold her fate in his hands.***The Wild Boys After Dark books are long enough to burn up the sheets and short enough to leave you craving more.Read the whole Billionaires After Dark series:WILD BOYS AFTER DARK (Available Now!)LoganHeathJacksonCooperMore Billionaires After Dark books:BAD BOYS AFTER DARKMickDylanCarson (coming soon)Brett (coming soon)The BILLIONAIRES AFTER DARK series are part of the LOVE IN BLOOM big family romance collection. Each book may be read as a stand-alone novel, or as part of the series.
Hate F*@k
Ainsley Booth - 2015
A crisis management expert with dubious ethics and an impeccable track record. And he has a problem: the very good, very sweet, dangerously sexy Hailey Dashford Reid, who wants nothing to do with her family, aka his clients.Hailey refuses to cover up yet another scandal. She wants Cole to get out of her life—after he makes good on the filthy promise in his dark, glittering gaze. But the tangled web of corruption runs deeper than either of them know, and when provoked, ruthless forces push back. Hard.This is the complete story of Cole Parker and Hailey Dashford Reid. The Forbidden Bodyguards series continues…Also available:Booty CallDirty LoveWicked SinFilthy Liar
Get off on the Pain
Victoria Ashley - 2015
Memphis is all that and more…I live for the pain; it’s what drives me to keep moving. But there comes a time when one has to push the demons aside in order to survive. I thought I buried them deep. I thought I was ready to finally live. Until… my brother, Alex; he throws me into the fire—right into the place I could never control myself, the one place I never want to be again. When I put my hands on people, they get hurt. Things happen that bring me back to that night. The one that will forever torment me. I’m doing fine, keeping to myself in order to ensure no one gets hurt by me. Then along comes Lyric, and all I want to do is touch her, to put my hands in places that I know will only lead to her being crushed by me. She’s the rush that I crave. The darkest of poison running through my veins, killing me bit by bit; like a drug I can’t get enough of even though I’m almost down to my last breath. And being around her only hurts more, but what she doesn’t understand is that I welcome the pain; I get off on it, which in the end leaves me with the hardest decision of my life—one that might get us all killed…
Number Thirteen
Bella Jewel - 2014
A master we've never seen.Obedience will become all we know in our shallow existence. It is the only emotion we're permitted to feel.When we're bad, we're punished. When we're good, we're rewarded. Our scars run deep. Yet we survive, because we have to... because HE teaches us to.All of us are special, we feel it with everything we are.He has us for a reason, but it's a reason we don't know.We've never seen his face, but we know that something deeply broken lies beneath the darkness. With every touch, with every punishment, we know it. Then something changed. He showed me who he truly is.Now I want him.I'll go against everything I know to be with him. A monster. My monster. Loving him is a sin, but a sinner I am. I won't stop until I see every part of him. Even the parts he keeps locked deep down inside. I am Number Thirteen, and this is my story.
One to Hold
Tia Louise - 2013
Melissa Jones is a small-town girl trying to escape her troubled past. When the two intersect in a bar in Arizona, their sexual chemistry is off the charts. But what is revealed during their "one week stand" only complicates matters. Because she'll do everything in her power to get away from the past, but he'll do everything he can to hold her. Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. (M/F)
Dare to Surrender
Carly Phillips - 2014
Being rescued by the most unlikely person possible, Gabriel Dare, makes it all worthwhile. After all, she's yearned for the sexy man for years—yet now is her chance to finally take the plunge and dare to become the independent woman she's always wanted to be. But can she be in control of her life if she surrenders to a man like him?The DARE TO LOVE books consist of Miami siblings/halfsiblings and NY cousins (hotter books) and the books ran in consecutiveorder. It makes more sense for the books to be divided by family and so I have split up the series as follows - The Dare to Love Series (Miamisiblings) and the NY Dares (NY cousins). Please note ALL BOOKS CAN BEREAD ALONE but if you enjoy your stories in order, below is the newseries order. I hope you enjoy!
His Wicked Games
Ember Casey - 2013
Can she beat him at his own game?Lily Frazer would do anything to save the Frazer Center for the Arts--even take on the infamous billionaire Calder Cunningham. When Lily breaks onto the Cunningham estate, she only wants to find and reason with Calder. (All right, all right, she wants to punch him in the face, too, but that's Plan B.) As it turns out, the arrogant billionaire is willing to give her the money he promised, but there's a catch: she must win it from him.Lily isn't about to give up the money without a fight (or let some haughty bastard seduce her), but she quickly discovers that there might be more to the brooding Calder than she initially perceived. As their games of cat and mouse become increasingly intense, she suddenly finds herself confused by her own emotions. Can she deny her attraction long enough to win the money she needs?
Ace's Redemption
A.C. Bextor - 2014
Fear has a paralyzing effect, and love isn’t always enough to keep you safe.Ace was the gateway to a freedom I hadn’t known since I was fifteen. He offered his protection from the demons that haunted me; both living and dead.Although I knew I wasn’t enough to keep him, this didn’t deter my hope that one day he’d love me for who I was, not the broken girl he tried so desperately to save. In the end, the ghosts of my past found me. Their malevolence knew no bounds, and I was forced to succumb to their will of darkness. Each threat named against those I loved made any escape impossible; choosing my life for theirs became my desolate absolution.Inevitably, it was my own weakness and self-doubt that became my undoing.AceEmotional ties are sometimes severed. Friendships don’t always endure their hardships, and love offered isn’t always returned. I was in love once. For me, leaving her back in Ohio was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. For her, moving on with her life that included her son and the man she loved was no less than she deserved -- unconditional happiness.My reasons to bring Cherry home to California were obvious. I needed help with my family, and she needed help staying clean and convincing her parents she was ready to give her son the life he deserved.It was a perfect plan. However, the best laid plans often get lost amidst their best intentions.Cherry fell in love with me, and in return my love for her acted as the catalyst to her destruction.Authors Note: This novel contains material that is not suitable for individuals under the age of 18. Content includes: drug use, explicit language, violence, rape, and other scenarios with content that readers may find offensive. Please use caution when deciding on this book, as every reader has the right to understand the product before purchase. Ace’s Redemption is the first standalone novel in the Devil’s Despair series. Although the main character of Ace was introduced during the Lights of Peril trilogy, you do not need to read that series in order to follow this one.
What Doesn't Destroy Us
M.N. Forgy - 2014
Against all warnings, she falls for bad boy biker, Shadow. He is beast and beauty sealed in a leather cut with a gun holster. Can Dani learn to live within the Club rules? Is she more like her father than she could imagine?Shadow has grown up among drug addicts, whores and murderers. The only family he's ever trusted has been the Devil's Dust motorcycle club. He will do anything for a brother; even kill. In fact, killing is so easy, he's made a career of it. His one regret is not being able to kill his own worthless mother. When Dani shows up with her provocative temper and innocent charm, Shadow begins to question his violent lifestyle. But can he trust her with his demons?Sex.Blood.Betrayal.Will Dani and Shadow let family ties destroy them?
Grit
J.M. Walker - 2016
Walker" He refuses to fall in love. He was born alone and he will die alone. Or, at least he thought so until now. Vice-One is all he knows. His squad. His brothers. The men he spends every day protecting. He is empty and only one person can fill this void. This darkness. Meanwhile, Genevieve Gold makes it clear he should stay away when she is everything he craves. She is lost. Her heart has been ripped out; stomped on...crushed into tiny pieces, leaving only a gaping hole behind. King's Harlots is all she has. Her club. Her sisters. Her life. But something is missing until he shows up. Angel Rodriguez is everything she hates but everything she needs. Putting differences aside, they will work together to bring down a malevolent force threatening to rip them apart...
When I Break
Kendall Ryan - 2014
Fighting to fill the emptiness inside himself, he seeks solace in unfamiliar beds with unfamiliar women. As guardian to his three younger brothers, he can't seem to do a thing right. But this can't go on...they look up to him in every way and all he’s done lately is prove how messed up he really is. Needing a change, he attends a local Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting, where he finds himself tempted by the alluring instructor, McKenna.Twenty-one year old McKenna is trying to make amends. After losing her parents in a horrific accident, she knows if she can just be good enough, maybe she can forgive herself for what happened. With her newly acquired degree in counseling, she begins leading a sex addicts group where she meets the troubled Knox and her life takes on complications she never bargained for. She doesn't have time for a bad boy who only wants to take her to bed, even if her body disagrees. The fixer in her wants to help, but trusting Knox's true motivations might take more courage than she has.Warning: This book is intended for a mature reading audience and contains adult language and themes. Contains a stubborn alpha male with addiction issues and loads of sexual tension between two damaged characters. Read at your own risk. When I Break is book one in a series by New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Kendall Ryan. Please note this is not a standalone, as the story continues in book two.