Books like 'Darkness Before Dawn'
Readers who enjoyed Darkness Before Dawn by Claire Contreras also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance suspense friends to lovers alpha male bad boys pregnancy mystery tortured heroine mafia
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The Black Wolf by J.A. Redmerski
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 34 ratings-Series Reading Order-#1 - KILLING SARAI#2 - REVIVING IZABEL#3 - THE SWAN & THE JACKAL#4 - SEEDS OF INIQUITY#5 - THE BLACK WOLF--- Since devastating secrets were uncovered by Nora Kessler, Niklas Fleischer and Victor Faust have been divided as business partners and brothers... -
![Undeserving by Madeline Sheehan]()
Undeserving by Madeline Sheehan
Warning: This isn’t a romance, but instead a tale of love between two despairing people, from two different worlds, both aching for something more. Debbie Reynolds is a runaway, New York City-bound... -
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![Behind the Hands That Kill by J.A. Redmerski]()
Behind the Hands That Kill by J.A. Redmerski
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 30 ratings-Reading Order-#1 - KILLING SARAI#2 - REVIVING IZABEL#3 - THE SWAN & THE JACKAL#4 - SEEDS OF INIQUITY#5 - THE BLACK WOLF#6 - BEHIND THE HANDS THAT KILL#7 - SPIDERS IN THE GROVE---Even professional killers need vacations, but for Victor Faust, his vacation in Venezuela is about more than relaxation and time alone with Izabel Seyfried... -
![Dylan and Aubrey by M. Robinson]()
Dylan and Aubrey by M. Robinson
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsI fell in love with her when I was seventeen. She brought me to my knees when I was twenty. I loved her against reason. I loved her against hope. I loved her against all odds. Now she's back, a constant reminder of what I lost, what could have been. I hate her. I resent her. I still love her. Can I forgive her..Categorized as:
alpha male friends to lovers angst bad boys suspense secret child contemporary new adult -
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![Orbiting Mars by K.L. Savage]()
Orbiting Mars by K.L. Savage
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsI'm a car accident waiting to happen and it's only a matter of time before I crash into something.Every day that passes, every second I blink, the need to drink grows. Meetings aren’t enough. My willpower isn’t enough.Sunnie… The second I see her, I want to crash into her instead. But she may not be enough to kill the need.And when Sunnie tells me something that I can’t handle?I break. I run away... -
![Secondhand Smoke by Lauren Gilley]()
Secondhand Smoke by Lauren Gilley
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsReal life. It isn’t sexy. Isn’t pretty. There are no alpha bad boys. No easy outs. No Hollywood soundtrack. Real life hurts like hell and tastes like the grit between your teeth. And love…love always bears a hefty price. This isn’t a biker romance. This is love and war in the world of the Lean Dogs MC... -
![Wasted Lust: Sasha by J.A. Huss]()
Wasted Lust: Sasha by J.A. Huss
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA GIRL WITH REGRETS... Sasha Cherlin died the night she let Nick Tate walk out on her for a life of crime. Her very essence was destroyed when they broke their promise to one another. A MAN WITH REMORSE... Nick Tate made his choice with her future in mind. He loved Sasha enough to know that leaving her behind was the only way to keep her safe. A PATH TO REVENGE.. -
![Miles by Lane Hart, D.B. West]()
Miles by Lane Hart, D.B. West
Who could ever fall in love with a cold-blooded killer like me?The answer is no one. That’s why I’m giving up trying to find a woman who wants me for more than one rowdy night. I’m determined to find a wife instead. If I buy a mail order bride, then she’ll have no choice but to stick around... -
![Saving Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia]()
Saving Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsBeckett Taylor’s quest to be a better man has brought Eve Hartt back into his life, but sometimes it feels like they’re bound together with barbed wire. Though he longs to love her without causing pain, the wreckage of their past continues to crash down around them. Yet with the help of this brothers—and for his brothers—Beckett won’t stop trying... -
![Becoming His by Ami Van]()
Becoming His by Ami Van
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsDerrick King He and his brothers are the ruthless heads of a crime family. KINGS. They’ve built their empire to become what it is today, collecting fortune and power, bending rules and taking out whoever stood in their way. Tall, dark and sinfully gorgeous, Derrick as head of the family never went to bed alone yet never slept in a bed with any woman either...Categorized as:
mafia alpha male mystery suspense dark age difference contemporary competent heroine -
![Destructive King by Rachel Van Dyken]()
Destructive King by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA mafia romance about love and loss by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series.…When you awaken in the morning's hushI am the swift uplifting rushOf quiet birds in circled flight.I am the soft stars that shine at night.Do not stand at my grave and cry;I am not there. I did not die. — Mary Elizabeth Fyre "I'm sorry for your loss... -
![Raven by K.L. Savage]()
Raven by K.L. Savage
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsNot even the holidays can make a bastard like me feel better.The guys are all gone for Christmas, but I decide to stay.I'm hunting a horrific serial killer and I can't afford to lose him.I'm regretting that decision when I find her:Beaten, bloodied, and left out in the snow to die.Who is she?That's the problem. Not even she knows... -
![The Demon by Stella Andrews]()
The Demon by Stella Andrews
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 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... -
![Six Degrees of Separation by Taylor V. Donovan]()
Six Degrees of Separation by Taylor V. Donovan
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 20 ratings*WARNING FROM THE AUTHOR: By Degrees is an ensemble serial with continuing story lines. Six Degrees of Separation is the second installment, and it must be read after Six Degrees of Lust. Thanks. In the sequel to Six Degrees of Lust, F.B.I. team leader Samuel Shaughnessy and bar manager Machlan O’Bannon are exploring a new phase in their non-relationship... -
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![Dirty Cillian by Harley Diamond]()
Dirty Cillian by Harley Diamond
CROSSOVER UNIVERSE #2MY SAVIOR. MY SIN.With blood on my hands, I ran for seven years.Now the prodigal sister has returned to the city that never sleeps.New York.For once, this biker chick needed saving. Turns out my black knight’s a mobster.Dirty. Deadly. Irish.Cillian O’Connell’s not offering me a happily ever after. All he’s offering is sinful, no-strings sex... -
![Blackjack by Jessica Ames]()
Blackjack by Jessica Ames
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBlackjackAs Vice President of the Manchester chapter of the Untamed Sons, I have one job—to stand at my president’s side. That’s what I’ve done since we came here to expand our territory. I’m always on the lookout for trouble, but I never expected to find her in a casino in my home patch. She looked sweet, innocent, then she took me for everything I had...Categorized as:
pregnancy alpha male bad boys friends to lovers mystery suspense age difference bikers -
![Lyrica's Lasting by E.C. Land]()
Lyrica's Lasting by E.C. Land
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsCan love and passion overcome everything else?LyricaAfter everything I went through, there’s only one thing I wish they didn’t take from me. My chance at true happiness. Yes, I love Fuse. He’s everything to me, but seeing what my friends have, I want that too.Fuse and I find a solution, but what happens when the solution becomes a problem, and I’m left wondering... -
![Wheelie's Challenge by Chiah Wilder]()
Wheelie's Challenge by Chiah Wilder
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsA member of the Insurgents MC, Wheelie is a chick magnate. Having a ripped body, mesmerizing tats, and a boyish grin, he can have any woman he wants. Except for one: Sofia. Ever since he laid eyes on her, he was taken in by her sparkling eyes, her sweet laugh, and her pretty face. There’s just one very big problem: she belongs to another Insurgent... -
![Reviving Izabel by J.A. Redmerski]()
Reviving Izabel by J.A. Redmerski
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 55 ratingsDetermined to live a dark life in the company of the assassin who freed her from bondage, Sarai sets out on her own to settle a score with an evil sadist. Unskilled and untrained in the art of killing, the events that unfold leave her hanging precariously on the edge of death when nothing goes as planned...Categorized as:
suspense bad boys mystery alpha male tortured heroine mafia cruel hero strong heroine -
![Dark Endings by Bella Jewel]()
Dark Endings by Bella Jewel
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsOver a year – that’s how long he’s been gone now. Not knowing if he’s alive or dead, Willow has suffered through the hardest time of her life. With no ending in sight, it almost feels like she’ll never breathe again. Jagger saved her, gave up his life for hers, and left her alone and broken. Then, without warning, the gang left her, too. Leaving her with nothing. No one... -
![The End of Games by Tara Brown]()
The End of Games by Tara Brown
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsSee you at Christmas! The words are still burning a hole in Evie Evans' mind and undergarments. Not that she really has time to think about it. Not with the world ending, as always, and the kids' school starting back up. But when Evie and the team stumble upon something no one expected, her and Servario are reunited much sooner than anticipated... -
![Cooper by Lane Hart, D.B. West]()
Cooper by Lane Hart, D.B. West
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsCooper and Elizabeth Townsend are from two very different worlds - she's an attorney and he's an outlaw biker. At first, she was just an escape he needed, but now she's everything to him, even though their relationship remains a secret.After his world is blown apart, Cooper is no longer the same man he was before... -
![Deliver Us From Evil by Monica James]()
Deliver Us From Evil by Monica James
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMonsters are real…and that monster is me.I’ve surrendered. I have no other choice.With Babydoll gone, I’m going to do whatever it takes to find her.I will lie.Cheat.Murder…and I’ll do so with a smile.I’ll even sell my soul to the devil…because that’s who my father, Sean Kelly, is. He won’t stop until Belfast is his. He knows I’m at my breaking point... -
![Sax by Lane Hart, D.B. West]()
Sax by Lane Hart, D.B. West
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsI never thought I would be stupid enough to make a deal with the devil, but here I am doing just that.It’s not like he really gave me a choice. I have to give the Governor what he wants, or he’s going to throw all of my Savage Kings MC brothers into prison for decades.And what exactly does Governor Satan need from me? That’s the real kicker because he’s insisting that I…date his daughter... -
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![Seeking Peace by Crystal Daniels, Sandy Alvarez]()
Seeking Peace by Crystal Daniels, Sandy Alvarez
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNothing remains of Blake’s life before the club except death, deceit, and corruption.He was on the road to self-destruction when his path crossed with Jake, the President of Kings of Retribution.Now Blake is dedicated to the MC and loyal to the men he calls brothers.The club gave him a family and purpose.Blake thought he finally had everything he ever wanted.Until Ember... -
![Zeppo by Mirrah McGee]()
Zeppo by Mirrah McGee
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTrigger Please note this book contains some content which may be triggering to those sensitive to SA off page, verbal abuse, violence, and torture. You may contact the author for more information.RuthPaleontologist? Police Officer? Doctor? Not me. When asked in school what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always the same; Zeppo Kraus' wife and the mother of his children... -
![Last Resort by Janie Crouch]()
Last Resort by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom USA TODAY Bestselling Author Janie Crouch. Previously published as Texas ChanceShe 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... -
![Facing Daemon by E.C. Land]()
Facing Daemon by E.C. Land
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsShe’s mine, only she refuses to face the truth.DaemonI didn’t see her coming. Not until it was too late. My life was good, and I had it all. My son means the world to me, and he has a good relationship with his mom. What I didn’t need was the collision course of what crashes into me. She’s been around the club. I know how she is and what she tastes like... -
![Thy Kingdom Come by Monica James]()
Thy Kingdom Come by Monica James
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsMonsters are real.When I was five years old, I watched my mother take her last breath-a breath three monsters stole from her.I never chose this life. My father says it's my birthright, but all I see is a curse. It's because of the Kelly name my mum was slain by the Doyles-our enemies in Dublin, the fellas livin' on borrowed time.All of Belfast fears my family, especially me... -
![Blackbird by Molly McAdams]()
Blackbird by Molly McAdams
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFrom New York Times bestselling author Molly McAdams comes a powerhouse romantic suspense that will have you questioning your morals and second guessing your view on love. I live in a world few know exist. I’ve trained for this. I know what to say, what to do, and how to act. I’ve perfected the lethal calm required for this life. Now it’s time to buy my first girl... -
![Celt. by London Miller]()
Celt. by London Miller
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWelcome to the Den ... Six minutes is all he needs to get a job done … Kyrnon “Celt” Murphy is one of the best thieves in the world. After all, his childhood was spent with a caravan of Irish Travelers that taught him everything he knows... -
![Razing Kayne by Julieanne Reeves]()
Razing Kayne by Julieanne Reeves
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsFor two years, State Trooper Kayne Dobrescu has wanted only one thing: to understand why his wife inexplicably killed their children and then herself. Memories haunt his days and lay siege to his nights, leaving him questioning his reasons for living. Jessica Hallstatt became a widow and single mother the night her firefighter husband died in a fiery explosion at an accident scene...Categorized as:
suspense friends to lovers pregnancy mystery alpha male tortured heroine mafia secret child -
![Tethered Souls by Beth Flynn]()
Tethered Souls by Beth Flynn
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMy family has secrets. I’m always the good girl, doing what’s necessary to keep my loved ones safe. I've kept the darkest secrets from everyone I know. As painful as it is to hold them all inside where they live and gnaw away at me, that’s where they must stay. I haven't seen my closest childhood friend, Christian Bear, since I was a teenager—he hasn't changed a bit... -
![Devil You Know by L.A. Fiore]()
Devil You Know by L.A. Fiore
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsDamian Tate. One look into his sad green eyes and I was hooked. I wanted to be the one to make him laugh, to make him smile. I hadn't expected him to be the one to make me blush, to make me hot...to make me fall in love. He was my first kiss, my first love, my first everything. I wanted forever with him, but life got in the way... -
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![Break Me by C.D. Reiss]()
Break Me by C.D. Reiss
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt was always Sarah. And she was always mine. I woke up in a nightmare. I woke up alone. There was a reason I never let myself have feelings before. Emotions make you stupid. They make you miscalculate. If someone gave me the choice, I’d do it all over again. Only this time, I’d stop everyone who ever looked at the woman I love before they had the chance to hurt her... -
![Shadow by D.M. Earl]()
Shadow by D.M. Earl
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsHe'll protect her beyond a shadow of a doubt...Zoey "Shadow" Jeffries is no stranger to pain and suffering. Sold into slavery as a child, Shadow was left for dead until she fought back got her freedom and then meets her best friend. Together, they started an all-women's motorcycle club... -
![The Final Hour by London Miller]()
The Final Hour by London Miller
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsThree months pass without incident, leading Mishca and Lauren to believe they can finally move on from the past and build a life together ...but enemies both old and new lurk in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to strike. When a dangerous threat presents itself, Lauren is forced to turn to the one person that would rather see Mishca dead than live happily ever after .. -
![The Night Blossoms by Leylah Attar]()
The Night Blossoms by Leylah Attar
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Leylah Attar returns with a page-turning romantic suspense/thriller that careens down an emotional highway toward a chilling finale. Dark, thrilling, and ingeniously unpredictable...Categorized as:
suspense mystery pregnancy friends to lovers dark contemporary multicultural length-medium -
![The Way We Are by Shandi Boyes]()
The Way We Are by Shandi Boyes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeven 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... -
![Resilient Queen by Amber Vant]()
Resilient Queen by Amber Vant
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsI never wanted this. Never asked for any of it. The corrupted, chaos of the past is playing catch-up with the present and nothing is as it seems. Everyone wants something. Me? All I want is the truth. I thought this was the end, but it turns out it’s only the beginning. The basis for a much darker twist of fate. Secrets are starting to unravel; relationships have grown fractured... -
![Kingdom of Corruption by Bella Di Corte]()
Kingdom of Corruption by Bella Di Corte
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA Royal Organized Crime RomanceMy husband had been keeping a secret from me—a secret that would irrevocably change the course of our lives.He was the son of one of the most ruthless men alive, and an heir to the infamous Fausti crime family. They were beautiful, powerful, ruthless—royalty in their beloved Italy and beyond... -
![Because of Me by Katie Pearson]()
Because of Me by Katie Pearson
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsShe aspires to be the girl he deserves.Becca Mills is desperate to give her son a better life. To do that, she heads to a new town where nobody knows her, except her mother and her mother’s dealer. When Becca meets Dereck, a tatted mechanic who enjoys making her blush and earning her smile, things get complicated...Categorized as:
friends to lovers suspense cruel hero dark contemporary forced proximity length-epic -
![A Reckless Note by Lisa Renee Jones]()
A Reckless Note by Lisa Renee Jones
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 22 ratings“I can chase you, and I can catch you, but there is nothing I can do to make you mine.” ― Morrissey It all started with a note, just a simple note hand written by a woman I didn't know, never even met. But in that note is perhaps every answer to every question I've ever had in my life. And because of that note, I travel thousands of miles. I look for her, but find him... -
![Sinful Promise by B. B. Hamel]()
Sinful Promise by B. B. Hamel
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI’m in his bed learning the limits of my body.Peter Calimeris. Greek mafia son, monster in a perfect suit, and the only man keeping me alive.He’s supposed to be my bodyguard, but he barely notices me.At least until Peter gets involved in a business deal with my half-sister... -
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![The Devil's Crown by Monica James]()
The Devil's Crown by Monica James
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI was feared.Respected.Worshiped.But all of that changed when the impossible happened—I fell in love. Only those feelings weren’t reciprocated, because who could love a monster like me?My empire crumbled. People died. I went from being a victorious leader to lurking in the shadows, planning revenge on my half-brother who now reigns in my place... -
![Until the End by London Miller]()
Until the End by London Miller
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsLauren Thompson After learning the truth behind her father's tragic murder, Lauren vowed never to go near another Volkov again, but sometimes matters of the heart are too strong to resist... Mishca Volkov As a Captain in the Volkov Bratva, Mishca has pledged his loyalty to the Vory v Zakone, but he soon finds himself at odds with the life he's always known.. -
![By Any Other Name by J.M. Darhower]()
By Any Other Name by J.M. Darhower
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 47 ratingsA deadly rivalry. Two families at war. Nobody is safe, not even the innocent. Especially the innocent. Blood will be spilled. Genevieve "Genna" Galante knows a thing or two about causing trouble. After all, it's engrained in her DNA... -
![The Price of Honor by Aleatha Romig]()
The Price of Honor by Aleatha Romig
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTHE PRICE OF HONOR: The making of a manFrom New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes the haunting story of love and honor. An epic tale of devotion and sacrifice spanning thirty years, bidding the characters, as well as readers to ponder the questions.. -
![Vow by Bethany-Kris]()
Vow by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThey say it’s always the one you least expect … Andino Marcello made his choices—the right ones for duty and famiglia. But even the right choices have consequences. He’s never been more aware of that fact than he is now. The thing is, Andino isn’t the same man he once was. The mafia wants what it wants. He’ll push until they all break. Even her... -
![Empire of Lies by Kylie Kent]()
Empire of Lies by Kylie Kent
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThirty years ago, I left Italy. I left him behind to marry another man. I thought I was leaving alone; I didn’t know I was carrying a piece of him with me...
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