Beautiful Dark Temptation

Beautiful Dark Temptation By Roxas Winters
Published by: Evernight Publishing
Publication date: September 27, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Dark Romance, LGBTQ+, Romance
Summary:

Tomás

I’ve lost everything.

Forced into a prison masking as a school, I find myself in the crosshairs of more than one killer. My savior? The arrogant prick who wants to control me. Kieran is a nightmare wrapped in a seductive package and when he sets his sights on me I don’t know whether to fight him or kiss him.

Kieran

I am the eldest bastard of one of the four founders of Arcadia University, and I will do anything to see my family fall.

The secrets I’ve kept hidden behind my heart now threaten to bury me alive with the arrival of Tomás. He consumes my space, my thoughts, my nightmares. I hate him for how he makes me feel. This toxic attraction between us forces me to question what matters most—vengeance, power, love. But Tomas doesn’t fit into my world of lies and violence and I’m not ready to lose it all for a beautiful dark temptation.

—

EXCERPT:

Tomás

I shifted in my seat. This was a prison. “Are we able to go off campus?”

The smile of his remained. “There may be field trips, teacher sponsored events, and special accommodations for a release, but that would need to be approved by your sponsor. Everything you need— convenience stores, clothing stores, restaurants, are all within campus.” He looked at Mad Dog.

It took me a moment to absorb what he was saying. Mad Dog held the keys to my prison. I shot to my feet. “No way.”

Look, Don’t Touch (Pieces of Us, #1)

Look, Don’t Touch (Pieces of Us, #1) By Meg Everly
Publication date: August 27, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Romance
Summary:

The scars you see are only the beginning.

Hailey Fitzpatrick

When people see me walking on a New York City sidewalk, they think mousey b*tch and stuck-up c*nt. How do I know? It’s NYC. They yell it to my face. I smile to myself and keep walking. After all, I have clients that need me.

I’m wrapping up my first decade as a licensed clinical psychologist. Things are as good as they’ve ever been. Still, I get the itch. The tattoos worked into my skin take the edge off.

When one of my first clients goes on s*icide watch and on of my newest challenges the very ground on which I stand, I seek relief only being blindfolded and bound can bring.

Arlo Judge

Look all you want. Don’t f*cking touch me. No one does.

I’m no longer that little boy who cowers in fear. I’m six three, two hundred fifteen pounds of muscle, and own the largest conglomerates in the States. Still, that boy’s demons live inside me. One in particular looms over my shoulder, always ready to strike.

When I see her, perfectly poised and in command, I think nothing of the beautiful exterior. Then I see the demons lurking in her striking green eyes. I’m intrigued. Hooked. Obsessed.

I need to know how they came to be and how she hides them so well. I need to dig them out and set her free. I never expected that she could do the same for me.

Doctor Fitzpatrick is now accepting new clients!

Look, Don’t Touch is a dark romance. It is the first in the Pieces of Us Trilogy. It’s an MF, four jalapeño, HFN novel with graphic depictions of s*x and k*nk. Trigger Warning for talks of ab*se, death by s*icide, and m*rder.

Pieces of Us is a polyamorous romance trilogy. Book 2, Forever We Fall is an MM, three jalapeño, HFN novel. Book 3, Hard to Judge is an MMF, four flaming jalapeño, HEA novel.

—

EXCERPT:

Hailey

My lips part, but I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if I can say anything without sobbing. So I let him go. The door whispers open and, after a moment, closes with an abrupt snap.

I crumple. My hands engulf my face, and I wail. Thoughts of Matt’s handsome face and his bright and tortured eyes haunt me. Sobs burn in and out of my lungs as though they might catch fire. I cry for what seems like forever. My abs cramp, and my fingers begin to tingle.

“Fuck!” I scream for all I’m worth, thankful for soundproofing, and wish I could have it installed in my brain. Where I could turn it on with the click of a button.

Fear and Desire

Fear and Desire By Sophie Kisker
Publication date: February 10th 2023

Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Romance

Dan has sacrificed everything, including his soul, for this covert op. All that’s left is Laura.

He prays every night that when this nightmare is over she’ll be waiting for him, and she’ll help him get through the guilt that will plague him for the rest of his life.

Then Laura is ripped from her safe world and thrust into his. Now she’s a part of the darkness and despair. He must say things to her, and do things to her, that she might never forgive him for.

And when the carefully scheduled mission goes terribly wrong and she’s stolen away from him, he must track her down on the other side of the world before she disappears forever into the shadows.

—

EXCERPT:

“Laura, I am so sorry you got mixed up with this. You know I’m undercover, right? Please tell me you don’t think I’d actually do this kind of thing?”
“No, Dan!”

He let out a relieved breath.

“But I can’t let you go, and I can’t treat you any different from the others.”

“Dan, please, get me out of here!” She was shaking. She’d wanted to be brave, but her fear was rapidly overtaking her resolve.

Sea of Snakes

Sea of Snakes By Heidi Stark
Publication date: January 26, 2023
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Reverse Harem, Romance
Summary:

Zeke, Skyler, Dom and Rake—they grew up on this island and are in charge of protecting its various interests. 

They’re used to being in control of everything here. Including the surf. I’ve been kidnapped by a dangerous man, and am being used as collateral while my father comes up with the funds to pay off his debt (sadly not the worst thing he’s ever done although it’s up there), and if he doesn’t come up with the cash soon I’ll be auctioned off to the highest bidder. 

In the meantime, these four men are tasked with keeping me in their control and protecting me, and they take their role very seriously.

But they’re not the only people to be concerned about. I’m tough in my own way. I can tell that they want all of me, to take me over like they do everything else. But five can play this game, and I’m not good at losing.

**This is a Dark Reverse Harem/Why Choose Romance. 18+. Warning: this book includes graphic violence and sex scenes, and references of abuse/assault that some readers may experience as triggering.

—

EXCERPT:

“It’s a protection job,” says the clipped voice. “We need you to hold her for us. She’s collateral for a debt.”

“What does that entail, exactly?”

“Like I said, we need you to hold her for us.” The voices pauses. “You can do whatever you like with her while she’s with you.”

Heartless Heroes: A Dark Romance Anthology

Heartless Heroes: A Dark Romance Anthology
Publication date: September 13, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Romance
Summary:

Some heroes want to save the world. Some will burn it down for the one they love. Call them villains, anti-heroes, criminals, and monsters. 

But these dark men love deeply and fiercely, and are ready to go to the ends of the earth to save their soulmate.

They will tempt you.
Captivate you.
Drag you into darkness, and leave you breathless.
They’ll show you how good love can be in the dark.

There’s a spark between these pages, and these Heartless Heroes will set your world on fire.

Morally grey is the favorite color of these twenty new and bestselling authors. Grab your copy now to read all the dark shades of love painted by these Heartless Heroes.

Authors in this set include:
J.L. Beck & C. Hallman, H. D. Carlton, Sahara Roberts & Dori Pulitano, Sonya Jesus, Lola West, D.S. Wrights, Elizabeth Miller, Lily Wildhart, Morgan James, A.R. Breck, Brynn Ford, Indie Black & Sienna Cousins, Isabella Phoenix & Victoria Pauley, Suki Williams, Ashley Gee, D.W. Marshall, and M.L. Philpitt

—

SNEAK PEEK:

From the story Unseen by Brynn Ford in the Heartless Heroes Anthology

The fragile thing beside me whimpers as she stirs, her head rolling on her shoulders before she slowly lifts it. I grab hold of the strand of hair I was playing with and tug, jerking her head sideways, causing her to hiss as her hands fly to her hair.

“Don’t start screaming,” I warn her.

She startles more at the sound of my voice than the tug on her hair. She tries to lift her head away, but I keep my hold firm on the tangled tuft of brown hair.

The Devil’s Den (Cavaleri Brothers, #4)

The Devil’s Den (Cavaleri Brothers, #4) Lilian Harris
Publication date: August 13, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Suspense
Summary:

He was the boy held captive in the basement. I was the girl who knew.

But I never told a soul. I had innocent lives to protect. And this was the only way.

He was my friend first. My lover second. We wanted to be free, to make a life together. But that was a dream we knew would never come true.

Prisoners of my ruthless father, we could not escape the horror we were forced to endure-until I drew a weapon on the only boy who ever loved me.

And as they drag me away, screaming his name, I hope he’s still breathing.

Because our story, it’s not over yet.

 

*

*

*

*

Author note: This story contains dark themes and scenes depicting SA.

—

EXCERPT:

“What are you thinking about?” he asks, rubbing his thumb over the top of my hand, my head lying over his shoulder.

“That I have ugly hair.”

“What?” He jerks his head back in an instant. “Who gave you that idea?” The way he stares, it’s not with anger at me, but for what I just said.

The Sacrifice

The Sacrifice By Kitty Thomas
Publication date: May 23, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Romance
Summary:

I caught the bouquet at my best friend’s wedding. I wasn’t even dating anyone, so I was sure I wouldn’t be next.

Until someone from the past came back. We’d promised if neither of us were married by the time we were thirty we’d marry each other.

But then I’m taken captive by someone else and told I am the sacrifice, that I’m now property. A payment for a debt that has nothing to do with me.

Now I wish I could go back to that boring, safe life. Because this can’t possibly be my fairy tale.

NOTE: This is a dark contemporary standalone in the Dark Wedding world.

—

EXCERPT:

Soren crosses the room to me and sits in a chair near the bed. “I’m afraid we’re in a bit of a situation, and you’ve become the sacrifice.”

“Are you going to throw me into a volcano?” It’s meant to sound sarcastic and angry, but it comes out small and weak as though I think that might be what’s really about to happen here. And honestly I’m not sure because who talks like this? You’ve become the sacrifice? What sacrifice? And suddenly I’m back inside my fantasy again, except this time it’s a nightmare.

Cheaters: A Dark Romance Anthology

Cheaters: A Dark Romance Anthology
Publication date: April 5, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Romance
Summary:

The game: dishonesty.
The goal: to gain advantage.

Morals don’t exist with these people. They do what they want, no matter the consequences.

Rules are thrown out.
Honor is void.
Right and wrong are abandoned.

Find out what happens when truth and loyalty are discarded in a world where what you want, is exactly what you get.

Cheaters is a limited edition collection of addictive stories from your favorite USA Today and bestselling authors.

—

Authors include:
Cole Denton
S. Firecox
Stephanie Renee
Cassandra Cripps
Anise Storm
Rae B. Lake
Kay Elle Parker
Danielle Jacks
Zoey Zane
Saffron Blu
Mary B. Moore
Stacy McWilliams
Tinley Blake
A R Thomas
Jason Hes
Kirsty-Anne Still
Persephone Autumn
Lindsay Becs
Sienna Grant
Hart De Lune
Jade Royal

Cruel Princes (Princes of Devil’s Creek, #1)

Cruel Princes (Princes of Devil’s Creek, #1) By Jillian Frost
Publication date: December 29, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Reverse Harem, Romance
Summary:

I hate the princes of Devil’s Creek.

Luca, Bastian, Marcello, and Damian.

For most of my life, no one wanted me… not until they needed me. Turns out I’m the lost heiress to a multi-billion dollar fortune and a pawn in their sick game.

They keep me locked in their seaside estate, completely at their mercy. All four of them are bullies, taking out their hatred for me in the form of punishments, each with their own reason for keeping me around.

I’m sick to want them.
It’s dangerous to need them.

I think I’m finding my place among these depraved monsters.

Except there’s one small problem.
They’re not the only men who want me.

There are far more dangerous men looking for the heir to the Wellington fortune… which means I’ll be staying in their beds and under their protection for the foreseeable future.

Cruel Princes is a DARK BULLY romance about four possessive men and one ruthless woman who will bring them to their knees. The main character will end up with more than one love interest.

—

EXCERPT:

“I don’t care if you’re a Wellington.” Luca shot up from his chair, the metal legs scraping across the tiled floor. “That name means absolutely nothing to me. In this town, Salvatore is the only name that matters.” He pointed at the space in front of him on the floor. “Get over here.”

I shook my head. “Dream on.”

Luca rounded the table, his nostrils flared. I slid off my chair, but I wasn’t fast enough.

The Lies Between Us

The Lies Between Us By Yolanda Olson
Publication date: October 17, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Taboo
Summary:

2018 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Fiction – Social Issues

Running away has always been something I’m good at.

I’ve run far away from home and back again thinking that each time would be the last.

But things are a lot different lately. I’ve learned that tides turn, seasons change, and sometimes, people do too.

I haven’t seen Hoyt Blackburn in a decade because I was so convinced he wasn’t worth my time anymore. I guess this is where I’ve changed since I found out that his execution is one of those inevitable things that life handed him. 

I can’t ever remember him being a bad man, yet I can’t shake that something isn’t right about what’s happening to him.

Maybe it’s because I miss him.

Maybe it’s because I wanna lay eyes on the man one last time.

Will he remember me? Will he even care? I don’t know; the only thing I can honestly say for sure is that there are still some secrets we have left between us that have to be spoken before he draws his last breath. Otherwise, when that day comes, they may have just killed me too.

Only 99¢ for a limited time!

—

SEAK PEEKS:

Jori laughs, this time a good-natured laugh, and I turn back around and smile at him. When he’s genuinely happy, his smile can light up the fucking world. You can see eternity in his eyes, and everything seems like it’ll be okay, even if just for the moment we’re in.

—

Black Canvas

Black Canvas By Laura Rossi
Publication date: February 14, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Psychological Thriller, Suspense
Summary:

“I dream of waking up and being someone else—my hair, my eyes, even my voice, completely different—and each time I go to the mirror to check my reflection, to see what I look like, I’m her. Every time. 

Her. It’s her reflection that stares back at me, but I’m the one who controls it. I’m in control, and that’s exactly why it feels so good. 

I control her and what happens to me; I control both lives—mine and hers—and I have what I want the most: her looks, her status, her marriage. 

There’s nothing left of me, and only I know the secret. Only I know it’s me inside, it’s me under that perfect porcelain skin, it’s me behind those sweet, smart deep brown eyes.
And I have him. He’s mine—just mine now. I’m not the other woman anymore. I’m everything he needs.”

“A story of mystery and intrigue weaved together with prose so delectable, so sublime. A must-read. A masterpiece. A thrill.” 

Eleanor Lloyd-Jones

—

EXCERPT:

“I dream of waking up and being someone else—my hair, my eyes, even my voice, completely different—and each time I go to the mirror to check my reflection, to see what I look like, I’m her. Every time. Her. It’s her reflection that stares back at me, but I’m the one who controls it. 

I’m in control, and that’s exactly why it feels so good. I control her and what happens to me; I control both lives—mine and hers—and I have what I want the most: her looks, her status, her marriage. There’s nothing left of me, and only I know the secret. Only I know it’s me inside, it’s me under that perfect porcelain skin, it’s me behind those sweet, smart deep brown eyes.

And I have him. He’s mine—just mine now. I’m not the other woman anymore. I’m everything he needs. I can be both the wife and the whore. I’m a better version of myself and a better version of Miss Perfection.

But most importantly I have control.

I’ve never had control.

Kisser of Death

Kisser of Death By M.H.B.
Publication date: October 21, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Dark Contemporary Romance
Summary:

One accident.
Two men.
Almost three years of despair.
Four beating hearts growing in pain.
Five lives forever changed.

Everything fell apart in the blink of an eye.

These days my own misery keeps me company.

I never thought this would be me—a twenty-four-year-old—stuck in a dead-end relationship.

Gone are the thrilling adventures with Harvey Stark.

Gone is his smile.

Gone is the sight of his dimples and the sparkle in his bright blue eyes.

He’s changed into a hollow version of himself and I’m just a shadow following him around our home.

Then I meet my new boss at a firm in Downtown Chicago. Damon Dreygon challenges me in ways I never knew existed and makes me believe in myself again. Our souls match instantly, and meeting Damon feels like a step towards peace.

Except it’s not. Because everyone grieves differently.

So while one man refuses to touch me, the other can’t love me.

And I’m crawling through the crippling chaos, barely holding on . . .

—

EXCERPT:

My hell. Not everyone has the same definition of hell. Mine is different. My hell exists every day. It’s things I desperately want but can never have.

Harvey’s smile. His attention, his love, his body.

And this. Bikes.

The wind. The sun. The freedom. The speed. The power.

The thought of being so close to death.

Until Tomorrow Comes (Beauty in Lies, #1)

Until Tomorrow Comes (Beauty in Lies, #1) By Adelaide Forrest
Publication date: February 25, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Romance
Summary:

Rafael

I came for war. I left with an obsession. 

With one look, Isa captivated me. She consumed me, drawing me into her world without ever knowing the dangers of mine.
I intend to make her mine, no matter what lies I need to tell to manipulate her into falling in love with El Diablo. 

It should be simple enough, but secrets lurk in the depths of her multicolored eyes, and I’ll do anything to understand what broke her before I had the chance.
Because she’s mine to break.

Isa

Rafael Ibarra tore through my life like a raging inferno.
Consuming every part of me he touches, he promises to show me passion and the real Ibiza. Though our tryst can never be anything but temporary, I never want to leave the man who makes me wish things were different. But there’s a nightmare hiding within his multicolored gaze, a phantom rattling at the cages who wants to devour me, to take me and claim me as his.
He’s temptation, pushing me toward sin with his wicked touch. But the sins of the flesh are different from the sins of the mind, and as much as I hate his secrets…
I will never tell him my own.

Until Tomorrow Comes is the first book in the Beauty in Lies series and ends on a cliffhanger. This is a DARK mafia romance and contains graphic violence, mature content, and elements that may be triggering. Please read at your own discretion and see the specific content warnings at the front.

—

EXCERPT:

He quirked a brow, that intense gaze of his turning unsettling as he stared down at me. “No,” he said, his lip twisting with the words. My pulse quickened, sensing that small hint of something that lurked beneath the surface. With a glance at the man standing next to the walkway up to and around the falls, I looked back to Rafael with a flare of my nostrils and purse of my lips.

I huffed in disbelief as I shook my head and fought back the surge of emotions within me. I’d been so fucking stupid to think he understood that my fear came from a place of trauma. From something not so easily overcome. Leaning into his space, I laid down the challenge I knew probably wasn’t my smartest move.

But something in the cruel set of his eyes made me want to defy him.

The Dark Arts

The Dark Arts By Kitty Thomas
Publication date: February 17, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Romance
Summary:

The Complete Duet

The Con Artist:

Art. Obsession. Twisted possession.

When starving artist Saskia Roth meets Lachlan Niche, a local art collector and tech tycoon, she has no idea how her life is about to change. One act of desperation, one con gone wrong, and she finds herself at the mercy of a powerful man she fears and despises–or so she thinks.

As her desire for him grows, life as his captive becomes something more… something that could both transform her and destroy her.

The Escape Artist:

Claire was held captive for 43 days by a man who did unspeakable things to her.

Three years after her escape, she gets her revenge. The only problem is, she’s got the wrong man.

God help her if he escapes.

(Includes Saskia and Lachlan’s complete HEA from The Con Artist)

—

EXCERPT:

Four months, three weeks, and two glorious days had passed since Saskia had run off with twelve million dollars of Lachlan’s money while Joseph Quill’s nude remained unmolested at the Raine Estate. Even with sunglasses, she had to shield her eyes against the blazing sun at Venice’s Piazza San Marco, or as the locals called it, la Piazza.

She never tired of coming here. On first arriving, she’d bought up every tourist-y book she could get her hands on and learned everything she could. The Piazza San Marco had supposedly once been called the drawing room of Europe by Napoleon. Whether he’d truly said it or not could never be proven, but it felt true nonetheless. This place kept drawing her back to it.

Violent Beginnings

Violent Beginnings By C. Hallman & J.L. Beck
Publication date: November 28, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Romance
Summary:

The deal was sealed the moment she stepped onto that stage.

It was like seeing a ghost. Sunshine blonde hair, pale skin, and azure blue eyes that held a thousand secrets.

I didn’t know what caused her to end up on that auction block.
And I didn’t care either.

All I knew was that I had to have her…no matter the cost.

One-million dollars later and she became just that.

Mine to break.
Mine to use.
Mine to keep.

But we all have secrets and when I discover hers no one will be able to save her from me.

—

EXCERPT:

“What’s your name?” I ask after we’ve been driving for a few minutes.

“Fallon,” she whispers, almost inaudible.

“I already know that. What’s your last name?”

I need to make sure she’s not related to Victoria before I let this go any further.

“Brice,” she says hesitantly.

Book Blitz: Stalker (Stalker #1)

Stalker (Stalker #1) by Clarissa Wild
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: June 16, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

No prison can keep me from seeking revenge. Especially when it comes to her.

She, the woman who put me in jail.

I swore that I’d come for her, to claim what belongs to me: Her life.

I’m not a good man. On the contrary, I love to be bad. It’s in my veins. Just like it’s in my veins to ruin her.

She’s an actress, pretending to be a saint, but we both know that isn’t true. One way or another, she’ll pay for what she did.

I will hunt for her. Make her fear me. Make her body mine.

Bad deeds never go unpunished … And I always go out with a bang.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

Frowning, I walk toward the door and notice it’s been left open. Outside are red drops scattered across the floor. I lean forward, so I can scour the premise, and that’s when I notice the pool of blood lying on the porch.

My eyes widen and I scream.

Stumbling backward inside the house, I slam the door shut with shaky hands.

That blood, is it Arthur’s? What’s going on? Is he here?

Shit, I knew it.

I immediately reach for my umbrella stand and fish out the rifle hidden behind all the umbrellas. I should’ve prepared more for this day, but I didn’t think it would arrive so soon. I lock and load the rifle, turning around quickly to surprise my attacker.