Books like 'Cruel Beginnings'

Readers who enjoyed Cruel Beginnings by Cora Kent also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  dark romance  new adult  stepsibling  somnophilia

  • Easy to Fall by W. Winters

    Easy to Fall by W. Winters

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes the epic conclusion to the heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat gripping, romantic suspense, Hard to Love series.With her I was always on the highest high. That's why it was so easy to fall. I never stood a chance without her. The two of us were made for one another. It's as simple as that. The world could try to rip us apart, but it would fail...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  suspense  contemporary  alpha male  dark  mafia  m-f
  • Out of the Ashes by R.C. Boldt

    Out of the Ashes by R.C. Boldt

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Phoenix /fēniks/: (in classical mythology) a unique bird inhabiting the Arabian Desert that burned itself on a funeral pyre before rising from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle. This isn’t mythology, it’s war, and Hendy is left in the hands of Hell’s cruelest gatekeepers...
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  • Chasing The Dragon by T.K. Leigh

    Chasing The Dragon by T.K. Leigh

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    He’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...
  • Andrey by LeAnn Ashers

    Andrey by LeAnn Ashers

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    NicoleSince I was a little girl, raising my younger sister had always been my main priority. I never imagined, however, that taking care of her would put me in danger.Men came for her, but kidnapped me instead by mistake.Then he rescued me, and on that day, he claimed me.Andrey is mine just as much as I am his.AndreyThe second her eyes met mine I saw the fear in them...
  • Delilah: An Under Your Scars Novella by Ariel N. Anderson

    Delilah: An Under Your Scars Novella by Ariel N. Anderson

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Seventeen years after the events in Under Your Scars, Caroline makes her yearly visit to Meridian City and is taken on a heartbreaking and bittersweet journey that gives her something she's been searching for her entire closure.This is a sequel novella to Under Your A Dark Romance Novel, and the series must be read in order...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  dark  length-novella
  • Sweet Anarchy by Steph Macca

    Sweet Anarchy by Steph Macca

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 11 ratings
    Five morally grey souls sat on the wall until bullets knocked them to the floor. But all of the Rebels and their men, might not be able to put us together again. It was here. War. Blood has been spilled and lives have been lost - brotherhoods ripped apart. We can't continue to let the Norsemen destroy our lives. It's time to end this... or die trying...
  • Cold Hearted Casanova by L.J. Shen

    Cold Hearted Casanova by L.J. Shen

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 24 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen comes a witty romance about a woman desperate to marry into money…and her fake marriage to a (real) billionaire reluctant to commit even to a zip code.Riggs Bates may be a billionaire, but he knows money can’t buy happiness. He keeps his financial status a secret and takes his women the same way he takes his meals—a different one three times a day...
  • SCARS by Jaimie Roberts

    SCARS by Jaimie Roberts

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    I had the perfect school, the perfect friends—the perfect life ... At least, that’s what I thought. But you changed all that. You are always there ... Always watching ... Always waiting in the shadows. You send me flowers and messages. You stalk me, trace my every movement..
  • Out of the Ashes by R.C. Boldt

    Out of the Ashes by R.C. Boldt

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Phoenix /fēniks/: (in classical mythology) a unique bird inhabiting the Arabian Desert that burned itself on a funeral pyre before rising from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle. This isn’t mythology, it’s war, and Hendy is left in the hands of Hell’s cruelest gatekeepers...
  • When Darkness Ends by Marni Mann

    When Darkness Ends by Marni Mann

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    An 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...
  • Tangled Promise by Ella Miles

    Tangled Promise by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    I can’t keep my promises. I’ve made too many, to too many people. All the promises have tangled into a web of sin and truths. But there is one thing I’m certain of…I have to end this—us. This is Book 4 in the Sinful Truths series...
  • Broken Anchor by Ella Miles

    Broken Anchor by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    I’m broken. He’s broken. We are broken. But sometimes you have to shatter to pick up the pieces. To start over. To overcome our enemies. And find out if we can love again. He’s my anchor, but can our love be repaired? This is the final book in the Sinful Truths series...
  • Recklessly Damaged by Steph Macca

    Recklessly Damaged by Steph Macca

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 7 ratings
    They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I survived, but at what cost?They aren't going to stop until they get victory and more blood is shed. We're all in danger, fighting to stay on top.The most unlikely alliances are forming. But I guess that's what happens when you anger the masses. It's a tale as old as time - rivals coming together when war is brewing on the horizon...
  • There's Something About Blaire by Anita Gray

    There's Something About Blaire by Anita Gray

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    This is not a full length novel: 6k word count. This is a bonus scene from Blaire Dark Romance part 1 in Charlie’s point of View. To truly enjoy this bonus scene, I recommend you read Blaire part 1 first, available on Amazon (kindle and paperback) Kobo and B&N. Excerpt from the bonus scene-- "She’s as ominous as hell. I can feel how much blood she’s got on her hands...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  dark  length-novella
  • Damaged by Willow Winters

    Damaged by Willow Winters

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    I married the bad boy from Brooklyn. The one with the tattoos and the look in his eyes that told me he was bad news. The look that came with all sorts of warnings. I knew what I was doing. I knew by the way he put his hands on me, how he owned me with his forceful touch. I couldn’t say no to him, not that I wanted to. That was then, and it seems like forever ago...
  • A Single Kiss by Willow Winters

    A Single Kiss by Willow Winters

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes a heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat gripping, romantic suspense. I should feel shame for not wanting this to end, but he doesn’t want it to end either. When the darkness sets in, the flames all flickered out, and the loud click of the locks signal it’s over, that’s when reality comes back. The war. The drugs...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  dark  mafia  length-medium
  • Tempted to Kiss by W. Winters

    Tempted to Kiss by W. Winters

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author W Winters comes an emotionally-gripping, romantic suspense. I fell for someone I shouldn’t have. I’m not the only person to ever do such a thing. I know that. And I’m not an awful person for desiring his touch, his kiss, his everything… but I knew I shouldn’t have indulged. There’s something about knowing it’s wrong that tempts me that much more...
  • Thirty Days of Hate by Ginger Talbot

    Thirty Days of Hate by Ginger Talbot

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Secrets and lies tore us apart. Can love keep us together? SERGEI Willow thought she got away from me, but she was wrong from the beginning, wrong about everything. I find her trying to take down a human trafficking ring, unsure whether I'm there to help her, or drag her down. But from now on, Willow doesn't have a choice. She will be my wife. She will submit. She will play her role...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  dark  bdsm  length-short
  • Taken by Lies by Ella Miles

    Taken by Lies by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    From USA Today Bestselling Author Ella Miles comes a new dark romance series! At 16 I was taken. Kidnapped by a boy I thought I could love. Then he sold me as if I were property. For three years I endured. Beatings. Torture. Pain. I never broke. I was strong, determined, resilient. But then one day it happened...I broke. Setting me free...
  • Dark Truths by Rebecca Royce

    Dark Truths by Rebecca Royce

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    I used to be Everly Marrs, then D, W, J, K, and T kidnapped me to force my father’s hand. As hard as I tried not to lose myself to their games, I couldn’t have imagined how much worse things could get. Six months trapped in hell. Six months forgetting who I used to be. Six months just trying to survive. I got out—eventually—and there they were, all five of them...
  • Flight: A Dark Mafia Romance by Fawn Bailey

    Flight: A Dark Mafia Romance by Fawn Bailey

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Delve deeper into the mafia world of Gilded Cage, where dominant alpha males take what they want and never look back... My name is Ryker Marino. There's only one thing you need to know about me. I hate my f*cking brother. His bride, Ophelia, should have been mine from the start. I can give her what she needs. I can make her submit. And I am the one that will finally break her...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  dark  abuse  length-short
  • Deadly Truths by Rebecca Royce

    Deadly Truths by Rebecca Royce

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    I'm Everly Marrs. Eighteen months ago the Letters took me to force my father's hand and turned my world upside down. A few months after that, a man named Ben took me from them and I went through hell before I saw them again and they turned my heart inside out. In fast moments I'll never get over, I killed my father and walked away from everything--the Alliance, the Letters, my heart...
  • Dirty Pool by Bethany-Kris

    Dirty Pool by Bethany-Kris

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    To get what he wants, he’ll have to play a game of dirty pool. Michel Marcello never wanted to be a mafioso like every other man in his family—he wanted to be more. That doesn’t mean he’s unfamiliar with the life, or that he can’t hold his own against other made men...
  • Possessed by Lies by Ella Miles

    Possessed by Lies by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    I fought my way back, and now I’m possessed. I’ve healed the wounds that kept me trapped. I’m done fighting it. I’m hers. Completely. I just don’t know if she feels the same. What if the empire we’ve been building crumbles along with our love?Possessed by Lies is book 5 in the Truth or Lies series. It continues Enzo and Kai's story...
  • Vicious Lies by Ella Miles

    Vicious Lies by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    This isn't a love story. This is a story of all the reasons we can't be together. Reason number one: we lie.Liesel Dunn has a secret. One I literally ripped from her hands when we were kids. Her secret was in a letter that I tore in half. I have half the secret. She has the other half. We've always refused to share our part of the truth, so we've lived separate lives...
  • Merciless Union by Faith Summers

    Merciless Union by Faith Summers

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Everything changed overnight.Truth became my enemy, and the sting of betrayal dragged me into a web of lies.I’m damned if I fight to live and damned if I die. Both will be dangerous for the child growing inside me. I can’t trust Lucca to save us.Love is a myth we shouldn’t have explored.He was always my enemy.Love just made me forget and blinded me to the truth...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  suspense  contemporary  dark  mafia  m-f
  • Break by Angel Devlin, Tracy Lorraine

    Break by Angel Devlin, Tracy Lorraine

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Mine no more.I thought my heart beat for Jackie Chambers, but it was just a placebo effect.As I return to B.A.D. Inc, I’m a changed man. Ready to face the future on my own, to find out who Oliver Ward really is and stand on my own two feet for the first time in a long, long time.Yet I’ve only been at work one day when Zoey comes crashing into my life...
  • The Way We Are by Shandi Boyes

    The Way We Are by Shandi Boyes

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Seven years in heaven awarded me seven years in hell. I’ve admired Savannah Fontane since I saw her whizzing down our street on her hot pink bike with rainbow tassels taped on the handlebars. I was in awe someone so small could ride without training wheels, I asked my mom to remove mine that same afternoon. Savannah drew a rainbow heart on my cast the very next day...
  • Twist Me & Keep Me by Anna Zaires, Dima Zales

    Twist Me & Keep Me by Anna Zaires, Dima Zales

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    For a limited time, get the first 2 books in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling dark romance trilogy in one convenient bundle! A seductive, thrilling tale of abduction and dark love . . .On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Nora Leston meets Julian Esguerra, and her life changes forever...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  dark  bdsm  contemporary  suspense  length-long
  • Devotion by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne

    Devotion by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Legions worship at my feet, but I only bow to her.THE SPIDERI move through Layla’s world in silence, always watching.It’s incredible where you can hide a camera these days.She’s the daughter of my enemy, a threat to my flock, and I had a solidplan for her.The weight of her father’s sin was meant to fall on her shoulders.Only, the second my world bled into hers, that plan derailed...
  • Fallen Love by Ella Miles

    Fallen Love by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    I’ve fallen in love, then out. In… Out… Now, I’m more confused than ever. I always thought falling in love would be easy. It would feel right when I fell for the right woman. With Siren, does it feel so right, yet so wrong? This is Book 5 in the Sinful Truths series...
  • Darker Than Night by Amelia Wilde

    Darker Than Night by Amelia Wilde

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    I told Brigit my love would destroy her. Now she's on the brink of death.With my empire in ruins, our only chance at survival is to run. There's nothing I want more than to take back what's mine and restore order to the shattered remnants of my life.There's nothing I need more than Brigit.But choosing her means abandoning countless people I've promised to protect...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  suspense  dark
  • Steel Crew: Books 1-3 by M.J. Fields

    Steel Crew: Books 1-3 by M.J. Fields

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    The first three stand alone novels in the Steel Crew series are now available in a box set.TAGGED STEELThe night before college graduation, was one for the books.Deciding to memorialize our last night together, my roommates and I ended up in front of a tattoo shop.They chickened out.I didn’t...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  contemporary  dark  length-epic
  • A Single Glance by W. Winters

    A Single Glance by W. Winters

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes a heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat gripping, romantic suspense. I saw her from across the bar. My bar. My city. Everything in that world belonged to me. She stood out from the crowd like she was looking for someone to blame for her pain. That night, I felt the depths of my mistakes. I felt my scars...
  • The Realm of You: A Novel by Amanda Richardson

    The Realm of You: A Novel by Amanda Richardson

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    When Marlin Winters awakens in an alternate universe, living in Vermont and engaged to a man she doesn’t recognize, she’s determined to figure out why she’s here and what sequence of events lead her to this moment. Over the course of one day, she begins to piece together the last week of her real life. What’s more, when the day is over, she doesn’t want to leave...
  • Not So Prince Charming by Lauren Landish

    Not So Prince Charming by Lauren Landish

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    He’s the hunter. I’m his prey. I've been sleepwalking through life—not living, just existing—working toward a future where I can actually breathe. Until HE walks in. Gabriel Jackson. With his boy next door charm and dimpled grin, he jolts me awake. He makes me want to feel the dark heat he promises. To live in the hunger lurking behind his brown eyes...
  • Amos y mazmorras: Segunda parte by Lena Valenti

    Amos y mazmorras: Segunda parte by Lena Valenti

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Chegou a hora de encarar o tão aguardado torneio Dragões e Masmorras DS. Entregue-se aos combates. Liberte seus desejos. Na busca pela irmã desaparecida, a agente Cleo Connelly conseguiu se infiltrar no ultrassecreto torneio de práticas BDSM, o Dragões e Masmorras DS...
  • Bossy Bastard by J.L. Perry

    Bossy Bastard by J.L. Perry

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    ASHTON BARCLAY, or as I like to call him, Mr. B. for Bossy, is fast becoming the bane of my existence.After running into him, literally, he’s now popping up everywhere, and somehow managing to weave his way into my life.He's egotistical, smug, and so ridiculously good-looking it should be illegal—he's way too hot to handle. I don't do hot, those type of guys are more trouble than they’re worth...
  • Dirt by Cassia Leo

    Dirt by Cassia Leo

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    ***99¢ RELEASE WEEK SPECIAL!*** When tragedy strikes, Laurel finds her life at a crossroads. Does she try to piece together the remnants of her once-perfect marriage to Jack? Or does she take a chance on creating something new and beautiful with ex-soldier Isaac? A hard-hitting, emotional new series from USA Today bestselling author Cassia Leo. Jack and I had everything...
  • Legacy by Bethany-Kris

    Legacy by Bethany-Kris

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    This is an alternate cover edition for B018IMSYZE A Legacy PrequelBLURB:filth·y (fĭl′thē)adj. filth·i·er, filth·i·est1. Covered or smeared with filth; disgustingly dirty.2. Obscene or offensive.3. Vile; dirty. adv. filth·y1. To an extreme and often disgusting extent...
  • Cross + Catherine: The Saga by Bethany-Kris

    Cross + Catherine: The Saga by Bethany-Kris

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Once upon a time, a wild boy fell in love with a sly girl … From high school sweethearts to a criminal King and Queen, Cross Donati and Catherine Marcello’s love became a force—even destructive, it was unstoppable. They were meant to be. Even when everything stood in the way. Always. Fall in love with the saga of Cross + Catherine, and their story of a love revered, and a life lived so unruly...
  • A Love So Deadly by Lili Valente, Jessie Evans

    A Love So Deadly by Lili Valente, Jessie Evans

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Warning: This book will give it to you hard and fast. Once you start, don’t even think about stopping. Caitlin is everything I never knew I needed. But I’m not just bad for her—I’m toxic. If I stay, I’ll destroy her, but I can’t keep my hands to myself. I keep reaching for the only good thing left in the world, but I don’t know how much longer I can hold on...
  • Consumed by Truths by Ella Miles

    Consumed by Truths by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Enzo is my heart. My soul. My breath. I never thought I could be so dark. Never knew love meant losing myself and getting reborn. The lies and truths have finally caught up with us. We may have stolen an empire, but we aren’t ready to give it up. It’s ours. He’s mine. And our love will find a way to the truth. Consumed by Truths is book 6 and the final book in Enzo and Kai's story...
  • THE TEST: Secret Society Dark Romance by Elena Monroe

    THE TEST: Secret Society Dark Romance by Elena Monroe

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    I woke up to my roommate and best friend missing. In her place was a note on my bedside table that read: You can only find me with your eyes closed.No one thinks a note like that is meant for them. I knew it was meant for me, a clue, a way to seek Justice. Whoever left me that note was hoping I didn’t let my parent’s legacy die when they did...
  • Do No Evil by Ivy Fox

    Do No Evil by Ivy Fox

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The time for games is over.For the day of reckoning has finally arrived.There is no atonement for sinners.Only death.LincolnI’m in love with a beautiful monster,a vengeful soul who hides in plain sight.But now it’s too late for redemption.The Society demands their pound of flesh.And she’s come to give it to them.KennedyAll evil men must perish.The heart has no say on the matter.It never did...
  • Possessive Devil by B. B. Hamel

    Possessive Devil by B. B. Hamel

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Give me what I want and I'll obey.Calvino is a nightmare wrapped in a million dollar suit. He has eyes like the black between stars and his toned body is a sculptor's dream.And someone in his family murdered my cousin.When Calvino catches me drugging and stealing from his brother, my life hangs in the balance...
  • Almost Innocent by Carina Adams

    Almost Innocent by Carina Adams

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Callaghan. A name synonymous with power and fear. A family of untouchable criminals. As a teenager, Gabriella Forte had no intention of getting to know the town's most dangerous brothers. Once Dustin set his sights on her, she was trapped. There was only one way out of her personal hell. Declan was determined to break away from his family's shadow...
  • Savage by Isabella Starling, Marci Fawn

    Savage by Isabella Starling, Marci Fawn

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    "I can’t be gentle, sugar. I don’t know how.” MEMPHIS I don't remember my past. All I know is my present. Fighting, killing, butchering men like me every night. They call me Angel, a name I hate with all my heart, unless it's coming from her lips. Adrienne Hanson, the prize promised to me if I win a fighting tournament...
  • Wicked Love by Eva Chance, Harlow King

    Wicked Love by Eva Chance, Harlow King

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Has the real enemy been standing right beside me?One of the men I've fallen for may be entwined in my father's murder. The other three are determined to bring him to justice. I stand in the middle, unsure of what to believe.If I accept Beckett's denials and hold on to the trust he earned before, I could be letting a horrible criminal walk free...
  • Reapers and Roses  (Grove High School Book One) by A.R. Breck

    Reapers and Roses (Grove High School Book One) by A.R. Breck

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Rose When my Mom told me we were moving to the Grove, I thought it was a joke. Our family, one of the wealthiest in Woodbury, moving to a dump like the Grove? Well, I guess that's what happens when you lose everything. Now we're shoved into the house the size of a shoebox and I can literally feel the darkness seeping in around me...
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