Book picks similar to
Ruined by B.B. Hamel


dark
romance
contemporary
crime

Art of Seduction


Monique Orgeron - 2017
    Fallon’s life has been a road paved in misery and loneliness.Then one day, she’s propositioned with a way to change it all.From that day forward, Fallon planned on never looking back.Until, she met her target, the man who could destroy everything.Fallon’s a survivor, but can she survive him? Gabriel is independent and brutal.He learned early on about his mother’s games.For years his mother has tried to control every aspect of his life.He was born to be her successor, but he refused to be her chess piece.When a mysterious woman shows up, Gabriel’s life is turned upside down.Is she his mother’s pawn?Soon they will learn that the games Gabriel’s mother, Catherine Stern plays are for keeps.Secrets and deception always find a way of being revealed.

When the Stars Align


Isabel Jolie - 2019
    I can’t stand the place. But when an offer to move to NYC includes a fast track to partner at a well-respected law firm, there’s no way I can decline. My move to the city goes exactly according to plan, everything falling perfectly into place…until the elevator door in my new apartment building opens, and I come face to face with my past. Four years ago we parted ways, neither of us willing to change our future career plans. We were too stubborn, too ambitious, and refused to make sacrifices. To add salt to the wound, she ended the year dating my roommate. But right now, staring at her beautiful face after all this time, I can still feel it. The attraction, the desire—it’s palpable. Four years ago, I wanted forever with Anna. Now, I’m a different man. A relationship isn’t in the cards. She threw that chance away. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun…right?

Caught in Flames


Lexy Timms - 2016
     Bestselling author, Lexy Timms, brings you a firehouse romance so hot, it's sizzling! To Rebecca Taylor, her job had become simple. Sort of like lather, rinse, repeat. She travels throughout the country certifying fire station equipment. She’s a fully certified fire fighter, but her area of expertise is in testing out new equipment that will save lives. She lands up at Station 5 in Phoenix, AZ, the one place she’s been trying to avoid. She grew up just outside the city, along with the newly hired sexy lieutenant, Sam Evans. He was best friend’s with Becca’s brother, before he died in a random fire almost a decade earlier. Heat runs ramped in the city of Phoenix—desert sun, burning buildings, and the undeniable hot attraction between Becca and Sam. When the past begins to appear in familiar fire patterns, Becca is startled to realize there may be an arsonist in the city. Her brother, Corey’s death had been ruled an accident. Will she be able to prove it was murder before the arsonist comes looking for her? Firehouse Romance Series Caught in Flames Burning with Desire Craving the Heat As a courtesy, the author would like to inform you there this does end in a cliffhanger. It's a first book to a 3-part series.

Translucent


Erin Noelle - 2014
    The day I watched my husband murder the woman who was pregnant with his child, my point didn’t just break, it exploded like a full magazine’s worth of hollow points firing through the barrel of a fully-automatic AK-47. Literally. I am no longer his American Princess, nor am I his slave. Now, I’m a murderer in hiding. My name was Bryleigh Carter Oliveira, and that was my story. Translucent is one woman's story of breaking free, starting over, and learning to trust again through willful submission.

Erased


K. Webster - 2014
    She’s a concert pianist in New York who lives with her longtime boyfriend and is close with her fiercely protective father—until one fateful night when she is taken in the middle of the night.In a desperate attempt to access a program that could be a threat to national security, her ability to play the piano is threatened. Her world comes crashing down when her father puts his need to protect a program over his own daughter.At the last minute, Joss finds herself whisked away by an unlikely ally. She later lands in the protective custody of none other than small-town bad boy and bar owner Derek Slade. Slade is entrusted to look after Joss and see to it that she hides behind her new persona, Jill, so that bad people don’t find her ever again.Joss has been erased. Joss is now Jill.As Joss trades her blond locks for Jill’s mahogany ones, she also takes on the strength of her new persona. Jill is someone who doesn’t put up with crap. Jill doesn’t trust easily. Jill must protect the broken heart of Joss.Joss and Slade battle an intense attraction, but she isn’t the only one with secrets. Behind Slade’s silver eyes are mysteries he’s unwilling to share. Slade knows better than to get involved with Joss, yet he finds it nearly impossible to push her away. What happens when Slade crosses the line of protector? Can he protect her when the evils of both of their pasts come back to haunt them?

Conflicted


M.M. Koenig - 2013
    Her life was everything she wanted it to be; until one fateful night changed everything – leaving her broken and without direction. Nearly a year later, she still has little faith in anyone or anything. Desperate to reclaim her life’s ambition, she takes an unexpected offer that promises to solve all her problems. But as Mia moves forward, she’s faced with obstacles she couldn’t have foreseen. The biggest of them lies within the mystery of Ethan Fitzgerald; a man who affects her like no other, but who she should avoid pursuing, at all costs. On a mission himself, Ethan Fitzgerald didn’t care who he pissed off on his road to fulfill his mother’s dying wish. He relied on himself, and was closed off to the world around him – until Mia Ryan walked through his door. Normally one to avoid messy emotions, Ethan’s world is turned upside down by Mia, and he can’t seem to get enough of her. There are lines you can cross that will change the course of your life forever …

Redesigning Fate


A.M. Wilson - 2015
    I packed up my car and left everything I’d known for the nearly twenty-two years I’ve been alive. One hundred and fifty miles of highway separated me from the life I grew up with and the one I needed to find.The same day I was offered a job in my new city, I met Elias. He was an enigma. A mystery. One that I wanted to uncover. One I didn’t know if I could trust.He pulled me in with adventure and the melodies of his guitar, but his secrets held me at a distance. He couldn’t tell me about what he did for a living, or why he took phone calls in a different room.Then my ex returned. Travis wove a sordid tale of danger; that he was only there to keep me safe from Elias.I never expected truth to be nestled in his lies.

Mister Black


P.T. Michelle - 2014
    That one person who blew through our lives, their presence forever stamped on our psyche. They linger in our thoughts, in our hearts, and in the decisions we make. A soul crusher or a dream maker, depending on the perspective.My person is MISTER BLACK. I didn’t know him by that name when I first met him. I didn’t know him at all, but the impression he left behind was just as powerful as the name I call him today.He is Black: a deadly enforcer and masterful seducer.I am Red: a justice bleeder and willing participant.Together we are passion. Colors colliding through each other’s lives. When our secrets converge in a passionate encounter, stepping out of the shadows just might be worth the risk.

Captive


Samantha Jacobey - 2013
    When you grow up with a Motorcycle Gang of Mercenaries and Drug Lords like the Dragons, a normal life is more like a fairytale. For years, she accepted her dark reality, a world consisting of drugs, sex, violence and murder. In the end, she learned the most valuable lesson: survival.After years of being ruled by the Dragons, Tori uses her skills of seduction and assassination to free herself from the grasp of the people who vowed they would never let her go. Taken in by the FBI, she fears not everything is what it seems, and soon finds herself lost in a web of lies and deceit. She thought getting away from the Dragons would put her on a path to a new and better life, but now she must face the cold hard truth” there is always a price to be paid. ˃˃˃ Excerpt "Quietly, he explained to her that he was going to arrange for another group to kill the Dragons and send her to live with someone who would take care of her. Not understanding, she asked why she would have to go with someone else. If the Dragons were dead, why couldn't she just go with him? He refused to explain, and simply said, "You are going to have a different life, baby girl. A life I cannot give you. You must be strong and willing to do whatever it takes to make this happen. Promise me you will do this...." ˃˃˃ Book 1 of 7 in A New Life Series This is the first in a series that chronicles the life of a young woman who is raised by a group of men who work as freelance mercenaries in the dark world of drug trafficking and murder for hire. They acquired the young woman at a very young age, as she has no memory of life before them. The book opens as she has broken free and moves through a series of current events and flashbacks that explain the beginning of her story. It is very dark with an unfinished feel, because in the end, the past is not the real story - the real story is what happens from here. ˃˃˃ WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES This book is intended for readers 18+ and contains scenes that may cause distress to some readers: Domestic Abuse, Kidnapping, Rape and Substance Abuse are described in detail.

Dirtiest Secret


J. Kenner - 2016
       Everyone knows him as a notorious playboy, a man for whom women and money are no object. But to me, he’s still the one man I desperately crave—yet the one I can never have.   Dallas knows me better than anyone else. We bear the same scars, the same darkness in our past. I thought I could move on by staying away, but now that we’re drawn together once more, I can’t fight the force of our attraction or the temptation to make him mine.   We’ve tried to maintain control, not letting ourselves give in to desire. And for so long we’ve told ourselves no—but now it’s finally time to say yes.  Dirtiest Secret is intended for mature audiences.

Beautiful Bounty


M.J. Nightingale - 2014
    But, her perfect life comes crashing down around her in the blink of an eye. Arrested, framed for drug smuggling, and facing years behind bars, Ronnie sees no choice but to run. Only she can prove her innocence. Nikko Marino is a sexy, devastatingly charming bounty hunter. His job, as told to him by his older brothers, is to keep an eye on the curvaceous blonde. Make sure she doesn't run. But what his brothers don't know is that he and Ronnie have a past. He and the Ice Princess are more than mere passing acquaintances. She makes his blood burn, and he knows how to warm up this woman. Nikko wants to prove himself, but this beauty might just take him down. With his reputation on the line, will Nikko, the hot-blooded youngest Marino, fall for this temptress? Will he be able to protect this beautiful bounty from herself, from the man who framed her, but most importantly can he protect his heart?Beautiful Bounty is the first book in The Bounty Hunters - The Marino Bros. Suspenseful, erotic, and romantic, these books are packed with passion, sex and characters you will love. What more could you want?

Vengeance


Isabella Starling - 2017
     I want my Vengeance. I want him to feel my WRATH. I don't want to fall for him. I don't want to love a killer. An inked, handsome as sin monster in an expensive suit. He ruined my childhood. He's the reason my family fell apart. He just bought me and took my virginity in front of my stepfather... He wants me to be perfect little girl for him. I know this won't last forever. But there are only two ways for it to end. Either I go through with my plan, and ruin Carter Knight... Or he gets what he wants instead. Me on my knees, with 'daddy' on my lips... Vengeance is a standalone novel with no cliffhanger. It's the first in the Empire Sin series based on the seven deadly sins. This is a DARK romance.

Lies


C.A. Harms - 2015
    Thrust into a world of drugs and criminal activity, integrating himself into the Russian Mafia turned out to be much more than Josh bargained for. It’s dark and it’s dangerous. The lives they destroy along the way will never be the same. The things he is forced to do will haunt him forever. Even more importantly, he never planned on meeting her… A chance encounter with Real Estate Agent Gabriella Shannon, has Josh questioning his ability to complete his mission. And now the dark world may consume them both. He’s in too deep. Leaving now would only risk the safety of those around him. But when his cover’s blown Josh is forced to make a decision that will reroute his future. One decision. The hardest decision he will ever have to make in his life. And those he meant to protect will be the ones who suffer the most…

Dark Mafia Prince


Annika Martin - 2016
    So trusting.
Like you think I’m not a monster.
Like I won’t wrap your hair in my fist and bend you to my will.
Like I won’t sacrifice you, piece by piece, to save my brother.I’m the most dangerous enemy you’ll ever have because every time you look at me, you see somebody good. That friend who died.And when you look at me like that, I die again.MiraI spent years making myself invisible.A good girl, apart from the noise.
Then you came back, beautiful and deadly in your Armani suit.
Don’t look at me like you still know me, you say.
But I remember your smile and those sunny days.Before they lowered your small casket into the ground.
Before they told us the prince was dead.

Hers


Dawn Robertson - 2013
    Blah, Blah Blah, insert sad story here about negligent parents, and shitty siblings, and you have my life story in a nut shell. When my college boyfriend dumped me, it was just icing on the cake. Five years, and a booming career later I am here to collect my revenge.That was until a delicious plaything walked into the kink club I frequent, and rocked my typically un-rockable world. Causing me to break the one rule I have lived by since Daniel Alexander walked out of my life, never have sex with the same person twice. Ever. Warning!!!! Hers contains sexually explicit situations that may be uncomfortable for some. These include FF, FMF, and MFM interactions.