Books like 'Cruel Beginnings'
Readers who enjoyed Cruel Beginnings by Lili St. Germain & Lyra Parish also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
dark romance new adult forced proximity from hate to love suspense abduction strong heroine mystery
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Fantasy in Lingerie by Penelope Sky
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsBones is the son of the man who killed my aunt. He's the descendant of a psychopath, a murderer. His handsome face, blue eyes, and strong physique can fool anyone into believing he's a good man. Including me. My loyalty to my family makes me despise him. But I also can't stop thinking about him. Thinking about his kiss... -
![Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine]()
Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThey’re hunting a killer so silent, so invisible, that his unspeakable crimes are the only proof he exists.A car submerged in a remote pond. The bodies of two girls strapped into their seats. The mystery of their mother, vanished without a trace, leads Gwen Proctor and Kezia Claremont into dangerous territory... -
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![The Body Keeper by Anne Frasier]()
The Body Keeper by Anne Frasier
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsThe Thriller Award–winning series continues as Detective Jude Fontaine finds a decades-old connection to missing children that will freeze her blood.A boy’s frozen body is found trapped in the ice of a Minneapolis lake. The horrifying discovery leads Detective Jude Fontaine and her partner, Uriah Ashby, to more bodies in the ice, all of twelve-year-old boys missing for twenty years...Categorized as:
mystery suspense strong heroine contemporary dark abuse heroine sleuth length-medium -
![The Elite Kings Boxset Vol. II by Amo Jones]()
The Elite Kings Boxset Vol. II by Amo Jones
Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThe Elite Kings books 1-5MADSHIPMadison + BishopThe Silver SwanThe Broken PuppetTacet a MortuisNATILNate + TillieMalum: Part 1Malum: Part 2Riddle me this.. -
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![First Chorus by Heather Long, Blake Blessing]()
First Chorus by Heather Long, Blake Blessing
Protect her at all costs…The last thing I was looking for when I left the facility was a new woman, a new relationship, and a new cause. I found all three in a dark alley. Saving her life was the best choice I’ve ever made.Now, Vienna is the center of my world. I’ve never met anyone so perfect for me and for whom I am perfect. Where others see flaws, she finds strength... -
![Seeds of Iniquity by J.A. Redmerski]()
Seeds of Iniquity by J.A. Redmerski
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsVictor Faust’s new Order is growing. Business is good as there is no rest for the wicked in an underground world of hardcore criminals and contract killing. Relationships among the operatives have changed little over the past year—but things are about to change now, and all six high-ranking members of the new Order will be blindsided by an unlikely enemy...Categorized as:
mystery suspense abduction strong heroine new adult contemporary vengeance alpha male -
![Can't Go Back by Debra Webb]()
Can't Go Back by Debra Webb
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe past and the present collide in the final installment of USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb’s Devlin & Falco series, threatening everything these two detectives care about.Birmingham detectives Kerri Devlin and Luke Falco arrive at the scene of a double homicide to discover that nothing makes sense... -
![It Breaks Me by Penelope Sky]()
It Breaks Me by Penelope Sky
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAxel betrayed me.As hard as I tried to keep him out of my heart, he broke through it like shattered glass. Even though my father didn't approve and our relationship would always be a secret, I didn't care. He was worth it...until he wasn't.Six months have passed, and that's exactly how long it's taken me to get over what he's done. I never see him at my father's estate... -
![Code Name: Pisces by Janie Crouch]()
Code Name: Pisces by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMy code name is Pisces. The stars say I’m independent, wise, and intuitive.Still waters run deep. I’m the leader of Zodiac Tactical’s guardian unit. We’re the bodyguards—the ones who stand toe to toe with danger and refuse to give any ground. We protect people who need it most.But what if who needs it most is a spoiled diva?I don’t normally take on movie stars...Categorized as:
suspense mystery from hate to love military contemporary age difference dark alpha male -
![Edge of Nowhere by Freya Barker]()
Edge of Nowhere by Freya Barker
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOpen roads and honor meets poke bowls and self-controlI’m a homesick nomad.A protégé, a mountain man, an ally, and a seeker.My name is Wapi.I’m a work in progress looking to belong, and though my road has been a winding one, my heart has found focus.I’m a straightlaced hellcat.A princess, a fool, a target, and a handle.My name is Lindsey...Categorized as:
suspense mystery forced proximity from hate to love mafia cowboys dark friends-benefits -
![But I Need You by W. Winters]()
But I Need You by W. Winters
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSome love stories are a slow burn. Others are quick to ignite, scorching and branding your very soul before you’ve taken that first breath. You’re never given a chance to run from it. That’s how I’d describe what happened to us.Everything around me blurred and all that existed were his lips, his touch… The chase and the heat between us became addictive...Categorized as:
suspense new adult mystery contemporary super rich hero love triangle dark other-man-woman -
![Behind My Words by J.L. Drake]()
Behind My Words by J.L. Drake
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsSpencerMy entire life vanished the day I found my parents’ bodies.It changed me, broke me, and I went from a bestselling author to a ghost writer hiding behind my words…Then an assignment pairs me with a new detective on a high-profile murder case.But things spiral out of control as bodies start piling up—a cruel reminder of a past I’m desperate to forget... -
![Even When I'm Gone by Nicole Fiorina]()
Even When I'm Gone by Nicole Fiorina
The second book in a heart-consuming series. Ollie. Forget everything you thought you knew. Hell, I don't even know myself anymore. For seven months I've been gone only to come back to be tested in every way possible. They say keep your enemies close, and my demons welcomed me back with open arms. My downfall is a necessary evil. But Mia is my endgame. Mia... -
![Severe by Keta Kendric]()
Severe by Keta Kendric
Jade Raised by a drug kingpin, you would think that I would be intimately familiar with chaos but the roles in my life were flipped after my father’s death. Boarding school, owning businesses, and mingling with the social elite became my norm.Until one day, the chaos returned... -
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![Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose]()
Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsDeadly secrets lie beneath the murky waters of the Louisiana bayou in this pulse-pounding new romantic suspense novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose. There's no safe place for a child to hide when danger comes from every direction. Public prosecutor J.P... -
![Away from the Dark by Aleatha Romig]()
Away from the Dark by Aleatha Romig
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsNine months ago, Sara Adams awoke with no memory. The man holding her hand told her she’s a member of The Light, a tight-knit religious group led by the terrifying and charismatic Father Gabriel. As a woman in the community of The Light, her duty is to be unquestionably obedient and to submit to the will of her husband... -
![A Day of Ruin by Steph Macca]()
A Day of Ruin by Steph Macca
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsWhat do my high school sweetheart, roommate and work associate have in common?They all loved me and now they hate me.My family used to run this town. Until that fateful night when my mother died, and an innocent man went to prison…And it was apparently all my fault.Not only did the entire town now hate me, but I was left with my mother’s secret crippling debt. And I had to face everything alone... -
![Corrupted Seduction by Kiana Hettinger]()
Corrupted Seduction by Kiana Hettinger
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsHeidiNo one needs to tell meI'm in deep, deep trouble.I never meant for it to happen,but I walked into a crime scene.Instead of fleeing, I did the unthinkable.I stabbed the killer in the back.Now I find myself kidnapped and held prisonerby a brutally gorgeous Italian mafia don,a man who’s as magnetizing as he is terrifying... -
![Extreme Risk by Jane Blythe]()
Extreme Risk by Jane Blythe
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCan she accept an offer of help from a patient she’s attracted to?Dr. Piper Hamilton is used to keeping on the fringes. She knows what it's like to be responsible for the death of someone you love and she'd do anything to protect herself from feeling that pain again... -
![Chasing The Dragon by T.K. Leigh]()
Chasing The Dragon by T.K. Leigh
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsHe’s trying to protect his heart… She’s a shell of the girl she once was… Can he chase away the demons threatening to destroy her? Mackenzie Delano craves control. After tragedy strikes during her freshman year of college, she compensates for the helplessness she felt by micro-managing every aspect of her life, from her business life to her social life…to her love life... -
![Murder Girl by Lisa Renee Jones]()
Murder Girl by Lisa Renee Jones
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones returns with the second book in her electrifying series featuring Lilah Love, an FBI profiler who doesn’t fight her dark side—she embraces it. It’s Lilah Love’s job to inhabit a killer’s mind. The unapologetically tough FBI profiler is very comfortable there. But her latest case is making her head spin... -
![Vile Wicked Eyes by Candace Wondrak]()
Vile Wicked Eyes by Candace Wondrak
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMy name is Stella. I used to be empty, broken, a shell of a person watching as days passed me by.But then I found out the truth. What I’d done. What I wanted to do again. My three killers took me and shook my world upside-down, stopping only when I faced the fact that I was just like them.A brute. A monster. A beast with an innate craving to make others bleed... -
![Drew by Siobhan Davis]()
Drew by Siobhan Davis
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe explosive finale in the highly addictive Rydeville Elite series. Mistakes and secrets. My life is littered with them. And it’s not always me who pays the price. So, I do something I swore I wouldn’t do—become the monster my father raised me to be. To shield my loved ones from the predators I hunt, I keep family and friends in the dark, but I won’t apologize for protecting them... -
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![Bed of Roses by D.V. Fischer]()
Bed of Roses by D.V. Fischer
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI never thought I'd fall for a murderer. As an old employee at a funeral home, Tegan's life had been full of corpses. When her parents died, she couldn't take being surrounded by death anymore. She had to get away, and to do that, she moved to a small, sleepy town in Utah. When Tegan rented a house sight-unseen, she had been told it would need a lot of work...Categorized as:
mystery from hate to love suspense dark grumpy sunshine contemporary bdsm length-short -
![Home Town Knight by Hannah Shield]()
Home Town Knight by Hannah Shield
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe's a cowboy with a sheriff's badge. And the last man she wants as a Protector.Investigative reporter Genevieve Blake rolls into Hartley County, Colorado on a mission. She's determined to expose the Last Refuge Protectors as vigilantes and the local sheriff as corrupt. The last thing she needs is a distraction—especially in the form of a handsome stranger at the hotel bar... -
![Killman Creek by Rachel Caine]()
Killman Creek by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsEvery time Gwen closed her eyes, she saw him in her nightmares. Now her eyes are open, and he’s not going away.Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text…You’re not safe anywhere now... -
![City Of Thieves by Cora Kenborn, Catherine Wiltcher]()
City Of Thieves by Cora Kenborn, Catherine Wiltcher
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom Cora Kenborn and Catherine Wiltcher comes a new mafia romance where love is the most dangerous crime of all... This city tells a story of a man seeking vengeance… Renzo Marchesi gives me two choices when he walks into my art gallery: Help him find his brother’s killer or suffer the consequences. He’s a mafia prince… Heir to the Marchesi throne. A man consumed by his demons.Beautiful... -
![Sinner by Sheridan Anne]()
Sinner by Sheridan Anne
Death surrounds me.Every step I take, there’s someone waiting for me in the shadows.There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and now, I’m out here on my own, my hands stained with the blood of those I’ve killed to survive.Zade DeVil was my executioner, my most feared enemy, but he was also my protector. I wasn’t willing to cross that line with him, despite how much I may have wanted to... -
![Heads You Lose by Bea Paige]()
Heads You Lose by Bea Paige
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBeast…Beast in name. Beast in nature.Once upon a time Tales was my home.I was the second in command and the best goddamn fighter the club had ever seen.I fought. I won.Every. Damn. Time.Until one day I lost trying to protect the princess from the true monster of this f*cked-up fairy tale.She shunned me, sent me away.Now I’m back to tell her the truth, not some tale full of half-truths and lies...Categorized as:
new adult from hate to love mystery suspense contemporary sports mafia age difference -
![Copper by K. Webster]()
Copper by K. Webster
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsFrom USA Today Bestselling Author K Webster, comes a new MC dark standalone novel!I’m a Fed.Rigid. Rule follower. One of the good guys. I uphold the law…when it suits me.My loyalty lies first with my brother, Koyn, and secondly with his motorcycle club.Jeremy Koynakov was the man I used to be. I’m Copper now. For a decade, I aided my brother in his quest for revenge. We thirsted for vengeance... -
![Oath of Possession by Jane Henry]()
Oath of Possession by Jane Henry
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsVivia Montavio is a traitor, and it’s my job to see to her punishment and interrogation. What a tragedy. She’s the hottest little number I’ve ever seen with that defiant little chin and eyes that spark with wit and boldness. I love a good challenge. We’re left with little choice when the truth outs. So I take her far, far away to La Cabina, a rustic cabin in the middle of nowhere...Categorized as:
suspense mystery abduction strong heroine from hate to love contemporary vengeance mafia -
![Mac by Jane Henry]()
Mac by Jane Henry
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBryn Aitkens is the daughter of my enemy.And my enemies must pay.Vengeance for the wrong done my family has driven me.Consumed me.And collateral damage means nothing.So I’ll charm the innocent girl.Seduce her.Win her over, heart and body.Ruin her for anyone but me.And then strike the Aitkens family when they least suspect it.For no enemy of the Cowen Clan goes unpunished…Including her... -
![Road To Fire by Maria Luis]()
Road To Fire by Maria Luis
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"I'm not scared of you."I meet her gaze. "You should be."Bound by a secret oath spanning generations, I am loyal to no one but the queen.Spy.Defender of the Crown.To all of England, I'm Saxon Priest. Traitor. Murderer. Owner of London’s most infamous anti-loyalist pub.And then she appears. Isla Quinn may claim that she’s only looking to bus tables, but I’m no fool... -
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![Vicious Hate by Thandiwe Mpofu]()
Vicious Hate by Thandiwe Mpofu
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDevastation tastes a lot like ash in your mouth. It feels like looming death hanging over your bones. It sounds like the violent shattering of your soul. It has an acrid smell much like that of rotting hearts. . . But most of all, devastation looks a lot like the beautiful, fiery girl with her fake sincerity and lies... -
![Murder Girl by Lisa Renee Jones]()
Murder Girl by Lisa Renee Jones
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones returns with the second book in her electrifying series featuring Lilah Love, an FBI profiler who doesn’t fight her dark side—she embraces it. It’s Lilah Love’s job to inhabit a killer’s mind. The unapologetically tough FBI profiler is very comfortable there. But her latest case is making her head spin... -
![A Sinner's Promise by Kylie Kent]()
A Sinner's Promise by Kylie Kent
GioBeing the eldest son has always been a blessing and a curse. I was raised to be one thing and one thing only.A monster.My father did everything in his power to make sure that’s exactly what I became too.He wasn’t expecting that the monster he created would be the one to take him out though.Now I’m in charge. Of the family, the empire. Everything... -
![Unholy Bonds by Maya Raine]()
Unholy Bonds by Maya Raine
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThree serial killers connected by an unholy thread, tangled in a twisted chase for revenge and blood. In this game of hunters, who will become the ultimate prey?***He is every sin she wants to commit. Yara West spends her day as a Medical Examiner. At nights, she dons the mask of a twisted killer to satiate the demons in her head... -
![Savage by K.L. Savage]()
Savage by K.L. Savage
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsI'm on the road, but there's only one thing on my mind.Eden...Problem is, this isn't me.I don't chase.I don't pursue.But I can't help myself.Eden is stubborn.Headstrong.The toughest woman I know.My mistake was letting myself have a taste.It wasn't enough.I'm addicted.I'm breaking my own rules.I don't care how complicated it is.But the complications keep coming.. -
![The Savage by Stella Andrews]()
The Savage by Stella Andrews
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIvan may be my name but I am best known as The Savage.Born and bred Bratva heir and loving every delicious minute of my life. That's why it was easy to kidnap the entitled Charlotte Richmond from her finishing school in England. It was my pleasure to hide her away while her depraved father searched for her.I have no heart, no emotion, and no morals.She is a bargaining chip, a means to an end...Categorized as:
from hate to love forced proximity suspense mafia contemporary dark alpha male age difference -
![Club Mafia – The Demon by Stella Andrews]()
Club Mafia – The Demon by Stella Andrews
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThey call me The Demon for a reason and Eliza Ortega is about to find out why.A runaway mafia princess who stumbled from one nightmare to an even bigger one.She has something I want and I intend on collecting.I will stop at nothing to deliver my promise and if there are casualties I will consider it a good day at the office.My hobby is testing limits... -
![The Devil's Lair by Penny Dee]()
The Devil's Lair by Penny Dee
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMassimo De Kysa.The man who stole my first kiss.And now my boss.I learned early how life can turn on a dime.That’s how it is when you grow up as a mafia princess.One minute you’re rich, spoilt, and betrothed to the most revered man in the city—the next your broke and selling your designer bags so you can eat.But I’m not the kind of girl who gives up without a fight...Categorized as:
from hate to love forced proximity mystery suspense dark contemporary mafia friends to lovers -
![A Fractured Reign by Veronica Eden]()
A Fractured Reign by Veronica Eden
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Crows are more than nightmares lurking in every shadow.They’re a brotherhood. Family. When threats creep in, they’ll protect what belongs to them.QuinnDoes a wrong make a right?In my case, it has to.The Kings gave me no choice, no chance to fold.I betrayed the guy who believed he was protecting me while I gave his secrets away.Now we’re enemies once more...Categorized as:
new adult suspense from hate to love forced proximity mafia cruel hero bad boys college -
![When Darkness Ends by Marni Mann]()
When Darkness Ends by Marni Mann
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn all new angsty, dark, stand-alone Contemporary Romance in the Moments in Boston Series ...You never forget your first love … even when he becomes a memory.There was before.When we were together, when we were happy.When we had nothing but dreams.When not a single bad thing could ever happen because we were young and in love.And there was after... -
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![Savage by Stoni Alexander]()
Savage by Stoni Alexander
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsREVENGE SERVED HARDMy friends call me Jericho. My enemies know me as Reaper. Ain’t nothin’ more important than family. So, when my baby bro is gunned down in front of me, I go on the hunt to settle the score. Fury drives me forward. Sleep becomes my enemy. I’m out for blood.I work alone. No spotter. No backup. I get you in my sniperscope, you’re already dead... -
![Bound by Passion : A Motorcycle Club Romance by Ryan Michele]()
Bound by Passion : A Motorcycle Club Romance by Ryan Michele
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author Ryan Michele brings the action packed, suspenseful, spicy next generation of Ravage MC filled with angst, loyalty and family.Raid bled the blood of the club. Undeniably loyal. Focused on family. Determined. His thought processes would make any other man cringe. Calculating. Meticulous. Always thinking... -
![Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch]()
Texas Bodyguard: Chance by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe has secrets she prefers to keep hidden.Too bad he’s so good at getting to the truth.When a violent attack puts Maci Ford in the hospital, security expert Chance Patterson learns that she’s carrying his baby. Even though she ended their relationship, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to protect her and their child... -
![Pearl by Freya Barker]()
Pearl by Freya Barker
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsa privately-funded organization operating independently in the search for-and the rescue and recovery of-missing and exploited children. Although at times working in conjunction with law enforcement, GEM aims to ensure the victims receive justice...by whatever means necessary.____Operator Pearl; layered, mysterious, a protector. She masks as delicate, analyzes, and moves stealthily...Categorized as:
suspense from hate to love forced proximity mystery abuse dark multicultural contemporary -
![Opal by Freya Barker]()
Opal by Freya Barker
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGEM: A PRIVATELY-FUNDED ORGANIZATION OPERATING INDEPENDENTLY IN THE SEARCH FOR—AND THE RESCUE AND RECOVERY OF—MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN. ALTHOUGH, AT TIMES WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, GEM AIMS TO ENSURE THE VICTIMS RECEIVE JUSTICE…BY WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY. ____GEM Operator Opal; multifaceted, versatile, a chameleon.She hides in plain sight, adapts, and infiltrates...Categorized as:
suspense mystery forced proximity single-father dark mature couple contemporary length-medium -
![Emerald Bruises by Pepper Winters]()
Emerald Bruises by Pepper Winters
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“I made a bargain with a monster. A vow to save both our lives. I thought our commitment would stay true. It didn’t.” I’ve spent my entire life alone. I’m well used to loneliness and the endless pain of having no one. Sure, we made a bargain. We shared our secrets and made a vow. But I warned her not to do one tiny thing. One very important thing. For a while, she obeyed me...
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