Books like 'Pretty Reckless'
Readers who enjoyed Pretty Reckless by L.J. Shen also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance young adult from hate to love new adult bad boys angst sports strong heroine second chances
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Fallen Crest Family by Tijan
Samantha and Mason are together. Everyone knows it. Not everyone is dealing with it. While Mason's ready to give them the middle finger, there's one not going away. Her mother. Threats are issued. Ultimatums are given. Even blackmail is used, but only Samantha can put a stop to Analise. However, when a trauma from her past is triggered, she may not have the courage or strength to do what's needed...Categorized as:
new adult high-school alpha male sports bad boys stepsibling from hate to love athletes -
Ember by Rachel Van Dyken
Everybody Loves A Bit of Darkness..Until It Consumes Them... I am a Killer. A Rapist. A Monster. I know only pain and survival. That is until the Cappo's sister walked into my life. And changed everything...Categorized as:
suspense bad boys friends to lovers alpha male virgin heroine angst new adult tortured hero -
Inferno by Catherine Doyle
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsRomeo and Juliet meets The Godfather in the second installment of Catherine Doyle's Blood for Blood series. Sophie's life has been turned upside-down, and she's determined to set things right. But Nic, the Falcone brother who represents everything she's trying to forget, won't give up on their love - and it's Luca's knife she clutches for comfort...Categorized as:
vengeance love triangle alpha male bad boys forbidden love suspense new adult other-man-woman -
If You Dare by Shantel Tessier
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe game was over. The dares were getting old, and the secrets were piling up faster than the bodies.But someone had other plans. They wanted to play a new game.Becky Holt was the love of his life until he found out what she was hiding. Now he wants to seek his revenge in the most daring way.Deke Biggs has always been a shark. He's not afraid to kill, and he's about to become her worst nightmare...Categorized as:
sports bad boys angst from hate to love cruel hero new adult secret-relationship m-f -
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Sinful Knight by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world. The night we met, she left behind a lot more than just her shoes on my bedroom floor. She left an impression. A lasting memory burned into my brain. It teases me… tortures me. Months have passed since that night...Categorized as:
new adult super rich hero high-school forbidden love bad boys college from hate to love alpha male -
The Choice by Ashley Jade
The Star-crossed Lovers DuetFrom USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ashley Jade comes a gritty, off-limits standalone romance about mistakes, choices, and love conquering all. He was the mysterious dark knight always swooping in to save me when I needed it most. I was the troubled girl with scars and a bleeding heart. He was the gifted guitarist destined for big things...Categorized as:
love triangle angst forced proximity new adult suspense bad boys other-man-woman forbidden love -
Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsCursed, numb, rejected, scorned, wicked, sinister, dark, twisted...my name is Tex Campisi and this is my legacy. I killed my father in cold blood and lost my soul right along with him. I crave war more than peace, and I'm about to take my place in history as the youngest Capo dei Capi in the Cosa Nostra...that is until someone stops me, saves me from myself... -
Mafiosa by Catherine Doyle
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsA blood war rages on the streets of Chicago.Protected by an infamous mafia family, Sophie is living a dangerous lie, pretending to lead a normal life. But the deceit can’t last for ever. Her heart belongs to a killer and Sophie’s the prime target of a rival clan...Categorized as:
love triangle angst new adult high-school forbidden love vengeance other-man-woman m-f -
The Devastation You Reap by Tracy Lorraine
He never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation. But I’m not the monster he thinks I am... -
The Retaliation You Deliver by Tracy Lorraine
When something seems too good to be true. It’s usually because it is.A lesson I learned the hard way.Every single fear I had about falling for Leon, has just come true in the most brutal way.The sweet guy act he’s been putting on the past few weeks is over.The cold, hard truth is... he never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation.And like a fool, I played right into his wicked scheme... -
Bradford Butcher by Sheridan Anne
One life. Two lives. Three lives. Four.My hands are stained from the blood and the gore.The screams and cries of agonizing pain.If I lose them now, I’ll never be the same.My sister, my cousin … my whole damn world.It was my worst nightmare come to life, and I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to survive.I thought that night was the end of it... -
Real Girl by Sheridan Anne
Lucien Valentine must die.It’s the thought that’s kept me going for four long years. I’ve imagined it, dreamed about it, relished in it. I want it so bad, but the question is, do I have what it takes to make it happen?Taking a life isn’t for the faint-hearted. Just ask Lucien, he knows.He’s taken me back to where it all started and I know exactly how it’s going to go...Categorized as:
high-school suspense sports new adult cruel hero from hate to love angst strong heroine -
Always Crew by Tijan
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFor the longest time, I was Bren Monroe.I lived in Roussou, California.I had no parents, no brother, but I had a crew.Then things started to change.I never planned for any of it.I didn’t think I’d fall in love.I didn’t think I’d have a relationship with my brother again.I didn’t think that he’d come back.Now I’m in Cain.My crew is in college.They’re growing, going through their own things... -
Taint Her by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHe wants to ruin her. She wants to save him.Hadley Rexford was a distraction I didn’t need. But when she discovers me with blood on my hands, I know I can’t walk away without demanding her silence.I’ll taint her.Torment her.In the end, I’ll ruin her.Cole Jagger was a puzzle I wanted to solve. But he refuses to let me in, and now I’m ensnared in his trap.He’s cold.Immoral... -
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Logan Kade by Tijan
People think that just because they know my name, my reputation, and my family that they know me. They don't.They say I’m a manwhore, but who wouldn’t be with my face and body? They say I’m a partier, and that's not going to change. They say I'm a fighter, and hell yes I am. F*ck with mine, and I’ll f*ck you back ten times worse.So, yes. Maybe what they say is true, but that’s not all of me... -
Almost Broken by Portia Moore
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsLauren Brooks fell in love with Cal Scott at 21, married him at 22 and had her heart broken at 23 when he walked out of their marriage. At 25, though raising his daughter on her own, Lauren was finally moving on with her life. Until, she learned the reason for Cal's abandonment, the walls she’d carefully built around her collapsed.Categorized as:
suspense college cruel hero love triangle alpha male angst new adult other-man-woman -
The Choice by A. Jade, Ellie McLove
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ashley Jade comes a gritty, off-limits standalone romance about mistakes, choices, and love conquering all.The world thought I belonged to another man...they were wrong.He was the mysterious dark knight always swooping in to save me when I needed it most.I was the troubled girl with scars and a bleeding heart... -
Legend by Tracy Lorraine
I made one mistake…And she made one phone call that nearly destroyed my life.I’ve spent the past year plotting my revenge and imagining all the wicked things I’d do to her when our paths finally crossed again.I just had no idea it would be so soon.The last thing I expected when I re-entered the world was to find myself right in the middle of hers...Categorized as:
cruel hero high-school from hate to love sports vengeance dual-pov secret-relationship bad boys -
Speed by B.B. Easton
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWith Netflix adapting BB's 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN into a new series, you're going to want the full story behind her outrageous adventures. Because BB Easton had so much fun writing her bestselling, award-winning memoir, she decided to give each of her four men his own steamy standalone... -
Sweet Retribution by Siobhan Davis
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe good thing about hitting rock bottom is I’ve nothing left to lose, and the only way is up.He thinks he’s destroyed me. Broken me beyond repair.But he always underestimates women.All he’s done is reinforced my resolve. I won’t stop until justice prevails and he gets what’s coming to him.Kaiden is the only light in the darkness...Categorized as:
high-school new adult cruel hero from hate to love alpha male angst suspense super rich hero -
Where We Ended by Ashley Munoz
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIt’s been two years since I was traded to the Stone Riders Motorcycle Club. While it saved my life, I was forced to leave behind the only person that ever mattered to me.Dripping with tattoos, his hair as dark as his soul, the brooding president of the Death Raiders still holds my heart...even if he doesn't seem to know what to do with it...Categorized as:
friends to lovers suspense angst alpha male forced proximity m-f from hate to love dark -
Wild Girl by Sheridan Anne
Have you ever known what it feels like to die?It’s not great. Trust me, I don’t recommend it.I’ve always said that my life is about surviving, but I didn’t realize how true that was until the devil sent me soaring off a bridge with the love of my life and lodged a bullet through my thigh.It’s not my time to die... -
Reckless Dynasty by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world.My life has been full of half-truths tangled in lies—I’d been to hell and back more times than I could count...Categorized as:
high-school from hate to love suspense vengeance new adult bad boys angst alpha male -
Savage by Tracy Lorraine
The Rosewood boys are back!Ethan has the perfect life, or so it seems but a shock revelation from his father results in his world crashing to his feet. A new arrival sends his anger and need for justice spiraling out of control. Can he accept his new reality and what he really wants or are his actions going to cause too much pain?Dear Reader,SAVAGE is the third book in my Rosewood High series...Categorized as:
high-school sports new adult from hate to love cruel hero forced proximity dual-pov m-f -
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Enforce by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsThere’s two sides to every story… And ours? Isn’t pretty… Then again, what’s pretty about the mafia? Trace Rooks, that’s what. But she only wants one of us, and I’ll kill him before I let him have her. The only problem ? We’re cousins . And she may just be our long lost enemy. Whoever said college was hard, clearly didn’t attend Eagle Elite University... -
Break Me by Meagan Brandy
I had a plan, and it was solid. Track down what was hidden away and take pleasure in toying with it. Toying with her. It worked like a charm.Until it didn’t. Turned out, the feisty little thing I found was far from what I hoped for. She was different from all I knew and more than I expected. She was light, and I’m the bastard who led her into darkness.But this girl.. -
Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsEmma leaves Weslyn and everyone in it behind to attend Stanford University, just as she always intended. A shell of her former self, she is not the same girl. She is broken, and the only way that she’ll be whole again is through forgiveness. Emma must find a way to forgive herself and recognize her own worth before she can receive the love she deserves... -
Bane by L.J. Shen
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 29 ratings"Snow White waited for the prince. You'll be the one saving yourself in this story." Jesse Naked surfer. Habitual pothead. A con, a liar, a thief and a fraud. Last I heard, Bane was extorting the rich and screwing their wives for a living. Which is why I'm more than a little surprised to find him at my threshold, looking for my friendship, my services, and most puzzling of all―looking humbled...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers angst alpha male bad boys from hate to love forbidden love dual-pov -
Light in the Shadows by A. Meredith Walters
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsHow do you keep going when you feel like your life is over? Maggie never thought she’d see Clay again. So, she attempts to put her life back together after her heart has been shattered to pieces. Moving on and moving forward, just as Clay wanted her to. Clay never stopped thinking of Maggie...Categorized as:
tortured hero second chances bad boys virgin heroine college angst new adult high-school -
The Havoc We Wreak by Becca Steele
The final part of Caiden and Winter's story...Secrets and lies are being revealed. Loyalties are being tested, and betrayal cuts deep.My mother needs to be stopped, but at what cost? At the end, who will be left standing? And...WhoWillFall…Eeny, meeny, miny, mo.You underestimated the Four and Snow.You thought you were on a winning streak...Categorized as:
suspense new adult from hate to love cruel hero college super rich hero m-f stepsibling -
The Moth and the Flame by B.B. Reid
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThey're the best of friends or the worst of friends. Neither one is letting go.THE FLAMEHere lies Louchana Valentine. She was a homeless, orphaned virgin.I never cared what my gravestone would say until I landed in deep with a powerful gangster. Lucky for me, my best friend happens to be ruthless too. I should feel guilty that he's forced to turn on the man who's been a father to him...Categorized as:
new adult sports friends to lovers alpha male bad boys virgin heroine angst forbidden love -
Shame by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsEverything done in darkness, will eventually be brought into the light. I ran, but all it did was keep me one step ahead of my past. I tried to start over; new name, new identity. But you can't change your soul. A fresh start at college was just what I needed. For a while, it worked. I was the party girl, the one that seemed confident, but it was a lie. When guys kissed me--I felt only pain... -
Hunter by Tracy Lorraine
I’m a nobody... until everybody realizes who I am and who I’m related to.Then it’s like a giant target is painted on my back. They all think they can use me to climb the Rosewood High royalty ladder.They obviously underestimate me. I won’t cower down or give in.They can’t break me. But he can... without even trying.Zayn Hunter.He doesn’t want to use me..Categorized as:
cruel hero from hate to love sports high-school virgin heroine new adult dark contemporary -
Fall With Me by Lucy Smoke
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIsaac Icari: The God of Hazelwood University. My stepbrother.My lover.My enemy.It was dangerous to let myself be swept up by him but he’s a drug that I crave.I should have walked away the second I realized what he was involved with, when he revealed who his father truly was.Now it’s too late.We should have known better. Get too close to the sun and you get burned... -
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Cruel Intentions by Siobhan Davis
In the power struggle between two elite groups, one feisty girl will bring them to their knees… Life is a cruel game where only the most ruthless survive. It’s a truth my mother rebelled against, and she paid for it with her life. Now, I play their game. Publicly accepting the destiny that lies in wait for me when I turn eighteen.But, behind closed doors, I plot my escape...Categorized as:
high-school from hate to love cruel hero new adult alpha male angst suspense vengeance -
Campfire Chaos by K. Webster
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author K Webster comes a forbidden, enemies to lovers romance called Campfire Chaos!I have a new problem.Cal Hutton.Town’s lawless, gorgeous bad boy. A Hood River Hoodlum. My new nemesis.He wants me to pay for what I did.Cal thinks I’m weak and an unworthy adversary, someone he can toy with.But I’ll never allow another man to have that power over me.I have claws now...Categorized as:
from hate to love new adult high-school cruel hero alpha male angst suspense dual-pov -
Ride or Die by Sheridan Anne
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsGang life isn't for everyone, but a b*tch in colors always looks good.The West Side Wolves claim to be a brotherhood, but what do they do when a sister walks in demanding their attention?To everyone else, stepping into the Wolf Den was an epic mistake, filled with consequential betrayals...Categorized as:
high-school new adult suspense from hate to love cruel hero forced proximity super rich hero m-f -
Savage Games by Rachel Leigh
I shouldn’t be here. Let me rephrase that…I never wanted to be here. I didn’t ask for any of this. Not the society I was born into. Definitely not the academy I’m supposed to attend. And sure as hell not the group I’m forced to play nice with. Unfortunately, one too many school suspensions has catapulted me into the world I swore I’d never live in...Categorized as:
from hate to love cruel hero high-school new adult suspense alpha male friends to lovers sports -
The Golden Boys by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne
West Golden—easy to hate, yet so hard to resist.Don’t let that pretty face of his fool you. He isn’t the boy next door, or the kind you trust with your heart. He’s the devil in designer jeans, with all the charm of a bona fide psycho.Trust me.He swears I did something to cross him before I even stepped foot inside Cypress Prep, but it’s a lie... -
Requiem by Callie Hart
SORRELLHe’s going to pay for what he’s done…Theo Merchant was born into a kind of privilege I’ve never known.He has everything I don’t: Money. A private school education. Popularity. A bright and shiny future, full of success to look forward to. He took the only thing I had going for me—my best friend, Rachel. Now that she’s gone, I have nothing left to lose.I will infiltrate his world...Categorized as:
from hate to love high-school friends to lovers suspense new adult angst vengeance alpha male -
May We Rise by K.G. Reuss
Possessive. Violent. Perfect. Mine.After our time at Black Falls High, we moved to Mayfair, the college of my dreams. With my singing career taking shape, Fox’s football career off and running, Ethan’s photography, and Enzo and Cole’s. . .well, whatever secret things they do happening, life seemed good.Too good.If there’s one thing I know about my life it’s that nothing good ever lasts...Categorized as:
alpha male angst athletes bad boys college from hate to love friends to lovers new adult -
Filthy Jealous Heir: Part Two by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA brand new dark bully romance series from bestselling author Caitlyn Dare.He’s filthy. He’s jealous… and he’s determined to make her his.Reese Whitfield-Brown has been lied to his entire life. But he’s also been lying to himself.What started as a game to ruin Olivia’s reputation quickly turned into obsession. And now he needs her in a way he doesn’t understand.Kind. Compassionate. Strong...Categorized as:
cruel hero sports new adult from hate to love forced proximity suspense vengeance high-school -
Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas, Lessa Lamb
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWest Golden—Fierce protector. The one.The cocky jock I once wanted to kill with my bare hands is now the only one I trust with my heart.In a city full of corruption and dark secrets, knowing who’s on your side gets harder to determine every day. Especially now that Vin’s on the warpath, passing out threats he fully intends to see through to the end... -
Glass Heart Hero by Lindsey Iler
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLoyalty. Corruption. Family.A gauntlet rooted in love and jealousy may be the destruction of the students at Glass Heart Academy.DelaneyParts of me were stolen in the confines of a dark room. No matter how hard I fought, I got nowhere. The damage has already been done.Now I find myself in the arms of an unexpected boy...Categorized as:
high-school new adult cruel hero tortured hero love triangle other-man-woman dark contemporary -
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Echoes by Dylan Page
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBlurb & cover to come!!Release date is a placeholder...Categorized as:
high-school strong heroine new adult angst dual-pov suspense friends to lovers tortured hero -
Tempting Little Thief: Alternate Cover Edition by Meagan Brandy
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes a steamy forbidden romance featuring a possessive hero … who falls first and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Bastian Bishop. That’s his name. He’s rough, rugged, and utterly unpredictable. He’s not cautious or contemplative. He’s a volcano. Silent and steady one second, and a nightmare in the next...Categorized as:
new adult sports college dual-pov from hate to love high-school strong heroine angst -
Tempting Little Thief: Alternate Cover Edition by Meagan Brandy
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes a steamy forbidden romance featuring a possessive hero … who falls first and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Bastian Bishop. That’s his name. He’s rough, rugged, and utterly unpredictable. He’s not cautious or contemplative. He’s a volcano. Silent and steady one second, and a nightmare in the next...Categorized as:
new adult college from hate to love dual-pov high-school strong heroine angst suspense -
Broken Hate by Thandiwe Mpofu
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat’s wrong Baby Blue? Did you mistake his forced sincerity for love?Every kiss will fade in time.Every memory will fade in time.Every smile, every teardrop, every wound—it’ll all dry up—in time.But every lie? That shit only gets bigger and more devastating with time.In time.. -
The End Game by Kate McCarthy
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 21 ratings“Professional athletes are pillars of their respective communities. They are heroes in the eyes of boys and girls and are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that positively represents their community.” The public loves a good scandal. Seeing someone fall from the pinnacle of success makes a great headline. No one knows that better than I do... -
Ava by Leslie Luckie
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAva The minute we walked through the gates of Blackheath Academy I knew we weren’t welcome. It was us against them. The Club Brats against the Elite. Bastian de Trafford was their ringleader, but I wasn’t about to go down without a fight. Only - that fight would be so much easier if he didn’t look like a god of old...Categorized as:
from hate to love cruel hero alpha male dual-pov suspense new adult dark contemporary
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