Books like 'Rival'
Readers who enjoyed Rival by Penelope Douglas also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance stepsibling second chances forbidden love pregnancy from hate to love bad boys cruel hero new adult
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The Finish Line by Kate Stewart
Secrets and Lies. .. I’ve lived the entirety of my life wrapped up in subterfuge for one purpose—revenge. Through the years, I lived more as an enigma than a man. For so long, I denied I had a beating heart of my own. Until her. Until she unearthed the starving vessel inside, forced me to acknowledge it, forced me to understand that I’m capable of bleeding the same as any other. For that, we paid...Categorized as:
super rich hero angst suspense alpha male tortured hero new adult from hate to love second chances -
Dare To Take by L. Ann, Claire Marta
Arabella Gray. Studious. Good Girl. Liar. I warned her. I told her I would break her if she stayed. Who knew watching her shatter would taste so sweet? Eli Travers. Outcast. Artist. Monster. He vowed to make me pay—to ruin me. Only now it's my own sin that will break me. The monsters of Churchill Bradley Academy are stirring and deadly dangers haunt the halls... -
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Scandalous Prince by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsA mafia romance about secrets and soulmates by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series. The Woods are Lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go, before I sleep —Robert Frost... -
TRIGGER by J.L. Drake
I was raised by the Devil himself. Formed into a man who was unreachable. I went from the boy with bruises to the man with a trigger. Killing is the only thing that calms the itch. The demons inside were a constant battle…. …until she changed everything. Problem is when you spend most of your time in the dark, is it smart to step into the light?Categorized as:
suspense alpha male fighters vengeance strong heroine angst from hate to love tortured hero -
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Buttons and Blood by Penelope Sky
Crow Barsetti knows about me—and he doesn’t like it. I know he’s paying his top guys to dig up every piece of dirt they can find, but I don’t care what he discovers. There’s nothing I’ve done that he hasn’t done himself. All that matters is I love his daughter—and he’s going to accept it. I get a call in the middle of the night while Vanessa is dead asleep—and it’s him...Categorized as:
suspense alpha male possessive hero strong heroine sassy heroine forbidden love m-f contemporary -
Becoming Noah Baxter by J.M. Sevilla
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsJay and Lily complete each other in ways no one else ever could, teaching one another things about themselves they wouldn't have known otherwise, but is it enough? Can two people from entirely different worlds find a way to make it last? Even if their love is strong enough, they still have an obstacle standing in their way...Categorized as:
vengeance alpha male bad boys suspense new adult virgin heroine possessive hero cruel hero -
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... -
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 hush. I am the swift uplifting rush. Of 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... -
Possessive Mafia Vows by Vivy Skys
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI thought she was dead. Not even my billions or my Irish mafia could save the redhead I’d just claimed from the crash. Then she showed up—scarred, fierce, pregnant with my heir, and hunted by the Russian mob. Six years ago, I was dragged from the wreckage—burned, broken, and told she didn’t make it. My obsession. My punishment? Endless nightmares of her screams...Categorized as:
super rich hero from hate to love suspense m-f tortured heroine mafia length-medium contemporary -
Sweet Addiction by Bella Matthews
From #1 Amazon and USA Today Bestselling Author Bella Matthews comes an enemies to lovers, forced proximity, sports romance. Rome Beneventi is a walking, talking bad decision—six feet, five inches of tattoos, temptation, and trouble wrapped in a smirk and dipped in sin. This MMA champion should come with a warning label . . . or at the very least a disclaimer. I sell books, and he breaks bones... -
The Aftermath by R.J. Prescott
When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose. But what happens when you have everything you ever wanted? You fight to keep it. Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell’s star is on the rise. Billed as the most promising young boxer of his generation, his new career is taking him to places he never dreamed. But O’Connell only needs one thing in life: his wife... -
Double Trouble for the Mafia Prince by Lisa Cullen
I hid his twins for years—now he’ll make me pay. The meeting was supposed to be about numbers. Quarterly reports. Port manifests. Business as usual. Until Dante Salvatore walks into my conference room. Six feet of charcoal suit and dangerous eyes. The youngest Salvatore prince. The one even Luca can’t control. “This meeting’s over,” he growls, snapping my laptop shut...Categorized as:
suspense m-f from hate to love forbidden love forced proximity pregnancy second chances betrayal -
The End by Ruby Vincent
It doesn’t feel like the end. It feels like all of my problems are just beginning. There’s more happening in my town of Raven River than I knew. More lies. More secrets. More pain. Enemies seen and unseen are circling and not even my guardian angels can protect me. There’s a war coming and I’ll fight because this time my Angels…. My Horsemen…. My loves…. …are the ones who need saving...Categorized as:
cruel hero suspense from hate to love new adult cold hero high-school pregnancy competent heroine -
Destructive by Jay McLean
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSome villains are made. Some villains are born. And some villains aren’t villains at all. Nate DeLuca was born into a life he didn’t want. Forced to walk a path that was already chosen for him. Grandson to a mob boss, he’s forever torn between his duty, his honor, his legacy, and the truth. But the truth is never simple, and it’s not at all what it seems... -
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The Hockey Situation by Lyra Parish
Hating Patterson Cross is easy. Keeping my hands off him? Not so much. He's my ex-fiancé's identical twin brother, my father's star hockey player, and the man I've despised for years. That's three very good reasons I shouldn't ask Pattycakes to be my hookup for the season. But I recklessly do it anyway. To my surprise, my biggest hater says yes. We agree to keep it secret...Categorized as:
super rich hero from hate to love athletes sports new adult m-f forced proximity forbidden love -
Undying by Madeline Sheehan
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA creation of chaos and lust, I was born into a world so foul, I made it my mission to find the beauty hidden within, to reveal the sun behind the clouds, the rainbows after the storms, the life that still exists even in death. One-third my mother, I had an infectious smile and a heart so big, there was room enough for everyone, no matter their sins... -
Tiny Dark Deeds by Eden O'Neill
Stolen. Missing. Erased. I’m a headline in the town of Maywood Heights and known by a name I’ve never heard. They tell me I was taken, stolen, but none of this makes sense. I’m not who they say I am. I’m not a… twin, but even those close to me seem to believe the rumors swarming around me. Tiny. Dark. Deeds... -
Into the Blackness by Norma Jeanne Karlsson
Cease being everything you’re trained to be in order to find who you’re meant to be…with. Nick Cooper is many things in life. He’s a vicious enforcer for a crime family. He’s a monster that tortures with a smirk tattooed on his lips. He’s an olive-skinned god, mysterious and captivating. He’s the best undercover field agent in the Domestic Crime Agency. He’s my partner for the next year... -
Taking the Fall: The Complete Series by Alexa Riley
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsLayla O’Leary has had enough. For years she has been haunted by the night she can’t remember. When she learns the only man she's ever loved has betrayed her, she escapes and crafts a new identity. She's finally free. .. Carter has waited eight years to claim his woman. Locking him up only fueled his obsession. The day he gets out he's coming for her. Taking the Fall was just the start...Categorized as:
alpha male pregnancy virgin heroine bad boys second chances virgin hero suspense m-f -
A Peek Beyond the Consequences by Aleatha Romig
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsNo longer available: Previous available in BREATHLESS - An Anthology. Due to reader request. .. this novella has been expanded (tripled in length) and will be release in January of 2015 as Beyond the Consequences. Anthony Rawlings is a man most women love to hate or hate to love... -
Vile by Lulu Waters
EVERLEE VERA. This isn’t the life I’m meant to live—stuck on the arm of a rich asshole while he has a pissing contest with other rich assholes. They’re all puppets, playing a dutiful role that condemns them to hell until death do they part. Hatred pushes me forward. Lust fuels me. And there is only one guy who checks both: Holden Van. My boyfriend’s enemy. The guy who flusters me beyond anything...Categorized as:
from hate to love sports cruel hero bad boys high-school suspense angst virgin heroine -
Blowback by Monica James
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis was supposed to be simple. Vengeance was mine. But I should know by now that nothing in life is easy. My endgame has changed all because I met someone who wishes I was dead. Yet her hatred is the only thing saving her from The Big Bad. My lies protect her, so the harder she hates, the safer she is. The thing about love and hate—it skates a very thin line. I need to stay away... -
Amos y mazmorras: Segunda parte by Lena Valenti
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsChegou 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... -
Staying Dirty by Cheryl McIntyre
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 30 ratings“What I did today… I don’t want to be that person anymore. I don’t know how you can stand to touch me. ". “I’ll never stop wanting to touch you, Link. I’m pretty sure you’re the only one I want to touch for the rest of my life. ”. Link and Rocky's story concludes in this fifth and final installment of the Dirty series. *This is part five in a five-part novella series... -
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It Breaks Me by Penelope Sky
Axel 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...Categorized as:
suspense from hate to love m-f super rich hero new adult angst betrayal independent heroine -
Damaged by Willow Winters
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 Lover's Regret: The Ramseys by AlTonya Washington
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsYohan Ramsey and Melina Dan battle private demons and simmering passions, when their paths cross following an eight-year separation. The murder of eighteen year old Sera Black has haunted Yohan's family for decades. What really happened the night she died? Melina knows and it's wreaked chaos in her life ever since... -
Consumed by Truths by Ella Miles
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEnzo 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 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. From then, we were inseparable... -
Bury Me by Selena .
An eye for an eye. A heart for a heart. The war should be over. I got what I wanted. I should be happy. But nothing is as it should be. My brothers made the team, but they still want more. They don't rule the halls of Willow Heights, and they won't stop until they do... -
Ghost by Nicola Jane
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsNelly. It started as a favour. I needed him to pretend to be my boyfriend for a few family dates. Despite having worked the bar at The Perished Riders MC for a couple of years, I’d hardly ever spoken with Ghost, so he was less than pleased when the club’s President forced him into helping me. But he shows up for me, something I’m not used to when it comes to relying on men...Categorized as:
suspense from hate to love cheating pregnancy alpha male other-man-woman grovel contemporary -
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... -
Blame It on the Shame: Part 3 by Ashley Jade
There's something lurking in all of us. Something we hide and shelter from those we love in order to protect them. A darkness we try to suppress because we're ashamed of who that makes us. Because that's the thing about Shame. It wounds us. It damages us. Or, for the few poor souls out there like me. .. it defines us. It's there—in the shadows, beneath the surface. .. just waiting...Categorized as:
suspense angst bad boys alpha male new adult forced proximity from hate to love pregnancy -
Amore, Part 1 by Bella Jewel
“It is not love that defines us, Julietta. It is love that destroys us. ”. I’m just a normal girl. Or so you would think. I’ve never thought of myself as anything different. Until I met him. He doesn’t think I’m normal. He thinks I’m special. Special enough to be in his life. Special enough to enter his world. Special enough for his bed. Rafael Lencioni. Dangerous. Beautiful. Terrifying...Categorized as:
suspense cheating alpha male forbidden love super rich hero bad boys pregnancy new adult -
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The Wolf and His Wife by Penelope Sky
Tensions rise and now I have two enemies that want me dead. But I've never felt safer. My wolf protects me. He cherishes me. And I think he loves me. This arranged marriage was detested by us both, but now I look at him with new eyes. My husband is strong, smart, and gorgeous. His coffee-colored eyes make me melt. My heart slowly starts to soften for this man and I fall deeper and deeper... -
Son of a Gun: A Marked Men and The Point Crossover by Jay Crownover
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHeavy is the head that inherits the crown. The only thing on Daire Archer’s mind when she pulled a disappearing act on Christmas was proving she was worthy of being her father's daughter. She was born an Archer, which was a blessing and a curse, and Daire was determined to show everyone she deserved to carry the legacy that came with her name... -
Blame It on the Shame 2 by Ashley Jade, Michael San
"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. ". I've fallen in love with Lou-Lou. And I'll stop at nothing to keep her away from you. But there's one thing I never counted on. .. The moment when our 'truths' would turn into lies. I thought Bruno DeLuca was our biggest threat. I was wrong. Because the fire burning between us—would end up destroying us. And killing me. ***...Categorized as:
sports suspense new adult angst forced proximity pregnancy from hate to love strong heroine -
Liberated by Elle Charles, Rachelle Gould-Harris
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe final, concluding part of the Fractured series - book one, Fractured, is currently free. After escaping the life that was determined to never let her go, and leaving behind the man that coaxed her from the darkness, Kara is back to living a solitary life. Hiding away, once again, she is living in isolation, forging an existence from the torn shreds left behind... -
Mistakes Made by Marie James
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe worst thing you can ever do is make an assumption about me, despite my job resting solely on making people think I’m someone I’m not. I know that makes me crazy, narcissistic, and a little out of touch with the reality of how the world works. I’ll never argue that fact with anyone. Maybe it was the hundred-degree Texas weather. Maybe it was overstimulation from the crowds at the beach...Categorized as:
suspense from hate to love bad boys alpha male forced proximity contemporary dark length-short -
The Villain by Nana Malone
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGuess who's having the craziest week EVER? That would be me. Sunday: I get dumped by my boyfriend—right before a couple's bungee jump. Monday: My little sister informs me that she’s invited our evil, estranged mom to the wedding I’ve spent months helping her plan...Categorized as:
suspense new adult super rich hero vengeance from hate to love forced proximity multicultural dark -
The Consequence by Ashley Jade
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ashley Jade comes. the conclusion. of a gritty, off-limits romance about mistakes, choices, and love conquering all. The world thought I belonged to another man. .. they were wrong...Categorized as:
angst cheating suspense from hate to love other-man-woman contemporary dark friends to lovers -
Now You're Mine by Evelyn Austin
Book #4 of 4. Description coming soon! -
Talking Dirty by Cheryl McIntyre
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsI had no idea when I met Linken Elliot that he would be capable of doing this to me. I was perfectly unhappy, living my miserable existence before he came along. I was fine humping strange men’s faces in dirty bar bathrooms. I was comfortable living like a hermit and drinking myself into oblivion. I. Was. Fine. Now I want things. I want him... -
Playing Dirty by Cheryl McIntyre
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsMy need for power came to me by accident. The need was real. It was overwhelming. It was consuming me. So we played a dangerous game of trial and error. What I could handle and what I couldn’t. It became apparent fairly quickly that I couldn’t handle much. But I liked this game because I controlled it. Link and Rocky’s story continues in this second installment of the Dirty series... -
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Nikola by Eva Winners
I was the dutiful daughter. Or, at least, that was what it looked like from the outside. Deep inside, I was suffocating. I longed for something I didn’t know how or where to find. But I kept my façade firmly in place while I searched for answers. Until one New Orleans’ night changed it all... -
Royal Bully by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsSomething dark this way comes. He's gorgeous, mean, and mine. He catches me dreaming about him, and then just like my dream, he decides to make me his. I should have said no when he asked me to swear fealty to him. The knife clued me in first. The blood second... -
His Tinkerbelle by Vivi Paige
She’s got a beautiful life. I’ll gladly burn it down to save her. She’s been a thorn in my side for as long as I can remember—Belle Barrie. With a smile that shows a sweet disposition. And a body that invites total depravity. Belle thought she knew my world. Thought she could play with the big dogs. When her boss decides to play me, she’s caught in the crossfire... -
Wicked Choices by Arianna Fraser
Even a man who knows his duty can be selfish. I'm Michael MacTavish, first born to Cormac, Chieftain of the MacTavish Mafia. I will take over my father's role, overseeing the biggest crime family in Scotland and our multi-billion dollar empire. I know my duty. I also know what I want. What I crave. Sweet Sophie, our housekeeper's daughter. I've kept my distance...Categorized as:
m-f forbidden love pregnancy betrayal found-family vengeance independent heroine strong heroine -
Endless by W. Winters, Savannah Peachwood
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author W Winters comes an emotionally captivating and thrilling, romantic suspense. He holds a power over me like no one else ever could. Maybe it’s because my heart begs to beat in time with his. Maybe it’s because my body bows to his and his alone. Maybe it’s because he thought he loved me before he even laid eyes on me...Categorized as:
from hate to love suspense alpha male angst forbidden love new adult bad boys super rich hero -
Coveting the Mafia King's Sister by P. Rayne
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAria Costa. The first time I saw Gabriele Vitale, some dark yearning deep inside me called to him and no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop wanting him. He’s made it clear that he wants nothing to do with me. But sometimes there’s a flicker of interest in his eye, and it’s enough to make me know he’s lying...Categorized as:
from hate to love forced proximity suspense forbidden love angst sassy heroine college alpha male
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