Books like 'The Edge of Darkness'
Readers who enjoyed The Edge of Darkness by Melissa Andrea also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary young adult dark romance virgin heroine tortured heroine
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Ember by Rachel Van Dyken
Everybody Loves A Bit of Darkness..Until It Consumes Them... I am a Killer. A Rapist. A Monster. I know only pain and survival. That is until the Cappo's sister walked into my life. And changed everything...Categorized as:
virgin heroine young adult suspense bad boys pregnancy friends to lovers alpha male dark -
![The Sainthood by Siobhan Davis]()
The Sainthood by Siobhan Davis
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA complete dark romance trilogy from USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis. Includes Revere, a bonus novella set twelve years after the end of Reign.Everything changed the night my dad died.The night I met Saint, Galen, Caz, and Theo.Those manipulative a-holes set out to ruin me after our hot night together, but they didn’t realize you can’t destroy something that’s already broken... -
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![Riot Act by Callie Hart]()
Riot Act by Callie Hart
USA Today Bestselling Author, Callie Hart, delivers a twisted and edgy new interconnected standalone dark romance, featuring a girl with nothing left to lose and a broken boy with a heart as black as his soul. Want something? Pax will take it from you. Love something? Pax will destroy it. Love him? Heaven help you. You’d have to be the stupidest person to walk the face of the earth...Categorized as:
tortured heroine contemporary high-school dark suspense new adult abuse friends-benefits -
![Stay with Me by Nicole Fiorina]()
Stay with Me by Nicole Fiorina
In a desperate final attempt to save nineteen-year-old Mia from herself, she gets transferred to Dolor University, a reformatory college in the UK that housed deranged and dangerous young adults who viewed the private institution as their own personal playground. Mia didn’t care. She needed feelings to care...Categorized as:
tortured heroine suspense new adult dark contemporary angst mental illness friends to lovers -
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![Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan]()
Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 56 ratingsEmma leaves Weslyn and everyone in it behind to attend Stanford University, just as she always intended. A shell of her former self, she is not the same girl. She is broken, and the only way that she’ll be whole again is through forgiveness. Emma must find a way to forgive herself and recognize her own worth before she can receive the love she deserves... -
![The Silent Waters by Brittainy C. Cherry]()
The Silent Waters by Brittainy C. Cherry
Moments. Our lives are a collection of moments. Some utterly painful and full of yesterday's hurts. Some beautifully hopeful and full of tomorrow's promises. I’ve had many moments in my lifetime, moments that changed me, challenged me. Moments that scared me and engulfed me. However, the biggest ones—the most heartbreaking and breathtaking ones—all included him...Categorized as:
tortured heroine virgin heroine new adult contemporary tearjerkers musicians dark friends to lovers -
![Ruthless Empire by Rina Kent]()
Ruthless Empire by Rina Kent
She’s off limits. He has none.There’s a girl.Beautiful. Popular. Fake.And my obsession.My fall.Probably my damnation.Did that stop me? Do I care? No and no.There’s a line between right and wrong. Moral and immoral.And then there’s her.I cross every limit with blood-coated fingers.She says she hates me.I say I hate her too as I trap her, own her.Make her all mine... -
![Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan]()
Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsEmma’s struggle with an abusive home life came to a heart pounding conclusion in the final chapters of "Reason to Breathe". Now everyone in Weslyn knows Emma’s secret, but Carol can’t hurt Emma anymore. Some are still haunted by the horror of that night, and some must face the repercussions of their choices...Categorized as:
tortured heroine contemporary young adult tearjerkers suspense dark love triangle abuse -
![Nine Minutes by Beth Flynn]()
Nine Minutes by Beth Flynn
On May 15, 1975, fifteen-year-old Ginny Lemon is abducted from a convenience store in Fort Lauderdale by a member of one of the most notorious and brutal motorcycle gangs in South Florida. From that moment on, her life is forever changed...Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured heroine pregnancy rape abduction forbidden love mystery suspense -
![Therapy by Kathryn Perez]()
Therapy by Kathryn Perez
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsSometimes you have to get lost in order to be found... I’m needy. I’m broken. Cutting breaks through my numbness, but only opens more wounds. Depression, self-harm, bullying....that's my reality. Sex and guys....that's my escape. The space between the truth and lies is blurred leaving me torn, lost and confused...Categorized as:
tortured heroine young adult tearjerkers pregnancy cheating friends to lovers love triangle abuse -
![Sadie by Courtney Summers]()
Sadie by Courtney Summers
A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial-like podcast following the clues she's left behind. And an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water... -
![Break Me by Meagan Brandy]()
Break Me by Meagan Brandy
I had a plan, and it was solid. Track down what was hidden away and take pleasure in toying with it. Toying with her. It worked like a charm.Until it didn’t. Turned out, the feisty little thing I found was far from what I hoped for. She was different from all I knew and more than I expected. She was light, and I’m the bastard who led her into darkness.But this girl..Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured heroine contemporary new adult sports angst from hate to love bad boys -
![The Moth and the Flame by B.B. Reid]()
The Moth and the Flame by B.B. Reid
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThey're the best of friends or the worst of friends. Neither one is letting go.THE FLAMEHere lies Louchana Valentine. She was a homeless, orphaned virgin.I never cared what my gravestone would say until I landed in deep with a powerful gangster. Lucky for me, my best friend happens to be ruthless too. I should feel guilty that he's forced to turn on the man who's been a father to him...Categorized as:
virgin heroine new adult sports friends to lovers contemporary young adult mafia dark -
![The Resolution of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen]()
The Resolution of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThings are well for Callie and Kayden. They’re still dealing with their past and the pain connected to it, but for the most part they’ve moved on. The biggest decision they have at the moment is what they want to do with their lives in the future. Eventually, though, the past catches up with them and they’re left facing tough choices... -
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![Hunter by Tracy Lorraine]()
Hunter by Tracy Lorraine
I’m a nobody... until everybody realizes who I am and who I’m related to.Then it’s like a giant target is painted on my back. They all think they can use me to climb the Rosewood High royalty ladder.They obviously underestimate me. I won’t cower down or give in.They can’t break me. But he can... without even trying.Zayn Hunter.He doesn’t want to use me..Categorized as:
virgin heroine cruel hero from hate to love sports high-school dark new adult contemporary -
![Ghostgirl by J.B. Salsbury]()
Ghostgirl by J.B. Salsbury
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsShe was brainwashed into believing she could save mankind.Now, she’s the one who needs saving. Abandoned with his two younger brothers, Milo Vega was placed in foster care. Now a twenty-year-old high-school senior covered in gang tattoos and working as the school’s janitor, he is living a life vastly different from the one he was destined for...Categorized as:
virgin heroine new adult friends to lovers young adult contemporary dark bad boys abuse -
![Light in the Shadows by A. Meredith Walters]()
Light in the Shadows by A. Meredith Walters
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsHow do you keep going when you feel like your life is over? Maggie never thought she’d see Clay again. So, she attempts to put her life back together after her heart has been shattered to pieces. Moving on and moving forward, just as Clay wanted her to. Clay never stopped thinking of Maggie...Categorized as:
virgin heroine young adult contemporary tortured hero second chances abuse bad boys dark -
![Underneath the Sycamore Tree by B. Celeste]()
Underneath the Sycamore Tree by B. Celeste
It happened in stages. My father left. My twin sister died of an incurable autoimmune disease. My mother started breaking down. Then I was diagnosed with the very thing that took my other half from me. That was when I realized Mama’s eyes turned gold when she cried. So I moved in with my father and his new family—new wife, new son, new stepbrother. Kaiden Monroe made me feel normal... -
![Now Is Everything by Amy Giles]()
Now Is Everything by Amy Giles
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThis is a previously published edition of ISBN 0062495739.The McCauleys look perfect on the outside. But nothing is ever as it seems, and this family is hiding a dark secret.Hadley McCauley will do anything to keep her sister safe from their father...Categorized as:
tortured heroine young adult contemporary abuse mystery suicide mental illness high-school -
![Release by Aly Martinez]()
Release by Aly Martinez
From USA Today Bestselling Author Aly Martinez comes an all new standalone. Growing up, Ramsey Stewart branded my soul in ways time could never heal. At twelve, he asked me to be his girlfriend. At thirteen, he gave me my first kiss. By sixteen, we’d fallen in love, planned a future together, and had our eyes set on the horizon. Love never fails, right? But for Ramsey, it did... -
![Savage Royals by Callie Rose]()
Savage Royals by Callie Rose
A long time ago, I was one of them. Now I’m back, and they hate me for it. Plucked out of the harsh life I was living and thrust into a world of unimaginable wealth, power, and privilege, all I want to do is keep my head down and survive until graduation. But they have other plans—Mason, Finn, Elias, and Cole... -
![Ryan's Bed by Tijan]()
Ryan's Bed by Tijan
I crawled into Ryan Jensen’s bed that first night by accident. I barely knew him. I thought it was his sister’s bed—her room. It took seconds to realize my error, and I should've left... I didn’t.I didn’t jump out.I didn’t get embarrassed.I relaxed.And that night, in that moment, it was the only thing I craved. I asked to stay. He let me, and I slept. The truth? I never wanted to leave his bed...Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured heroine contemporary young adult sports angst friends to lovers dark -
![Brutal Precious by Sara Wolf]()
Brutal Precious by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsLife meets death. The end meets the beginning. Eighteen-year-old Isis Blake hasn’t fallen in love in three years, forty-three weeks, and two days. Or so she thinks. The boy she maybe-sort-of-definitely loved has dropped off the face of the planet after his girlfriend's death, leaving a Jack-shaped hole... -
![The Probability of Violet & Luke by Jessica Sorensen]()
The Probability of Violet & Luke by Jessica Sorensen
Luke Price and Violet Hayes haven’t seen each other in a couple of months, not since they discovered Luke’s mother’s connection to Violet’s parent’s murders. But when Luke gets into some gambling trouble with the wrong people, destiny decides to throw the two of them together and they head out to Vegas to try and settle Luke’s debt... -
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![Like Gravity by Julie Johnson]()
Like Gravity by Julie Johnson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsTwenty year-old Brooklyn “Bee” Turner is no stranger to grief. After witnessing her mother’s brutal murder at age six, Brooklyn is guarded, damaged, and – by all accounts – a bitch. And that’s just the way she likes it, if it means keeping everyone at arm’s length...Categorized as:
tortured heroine young adult contemporary tattoos bad boys alpha male musicians friends to lovers -
![Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan]()
Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 101 ratings"No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?" In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all... -
![Unraveling You by Jessica Sorensen]()
Unraveling You by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsLyric Scott has always had a good life. Outgoing, spunky, and musically talented, she’s constantly surrounded by family and friends, yet she still feels there’s something missing. Then she meets her new next-door neighbor Ayden Gregory. Mysterious, sweet, and sad, Ayden is the exact opposite of Lyric and exactly what she needs to fill the void in her life...Categorized as:
virgin heroine contemporary young adult musicians mystery dark friends to lovers abuse -
![Connected by A.E. Murphy]()
Connected by A.E. Murphy
Stuck between what feels wrong but should be right and what is definitely wrong but feels so right, Gwen has to deal with her new life and being a single mother to her baby, Dillan. Whilst trying to move on and fill the gaping hole that Caleb left behind, she struggles with the knowledge of what happened to Nathan... -
![The Blood We Crave: Part One by Monty Jay]()
The Blood We Crave: Part One by Monty Jay
My secrets are infested with infatuation. His cravings are dripping in blood. Is it love? Or is it something much darker… An obsession. Death found me as a young girl. Latching onto the core of my soul. No one knows what that horrid night did to me. What kind of monster it flourished inside me...Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured heroine dark found-family mystery virgin hero contemporary suspense -
![Perfectly Flawed by Nessa Morgan]()
Perfectly Flawed by Nessa Morgan
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsI thought I was okay.I mean, I went through my days just fine, pushing toward a goal I could easily achieve. I had friends that loved me, an aunt who adored me, and everything was just okay.But what I thought was okay and fine, all of that changed... -
![Fighting for Flight by J.B. Salsbury]()
Fighting for Flight by J.B. Salsbury
What happens when in order to win, you’re forced to lose? The only daughter of an infamous Las Vegas pimp, Raven Morretti grew up an outsider. Liberated from the neglectful home of her prostitute mother, she finds solace as a mechanic. With few friends, she’s content with the simple life. Flying under the radar is all she knows, and more than she expects...Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured heroine young adult contemporary strong heroine dark insta-love suspense -
![Finders Keepers by Nicole Williams]()
Finders Keepers by Nicole Williams
There’s tortured. And there’s Garth Black. His life has been a constant carousel of tragedy and disappointment, including his love life. Of course, applying the term “love” to Garth’s conquests is a gross misuse of the word. Some people were made to give and accept love, and others weren’t. Garth Black redefines the “others” category...Categorized as:
virgin heroine young adult contemporary second chances friends to lovers dark tearjerkers abuse -
![Better When He's Brave by Jay Crownover]()
Better When He's Brave by Jay Crownover
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsIn New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover’s third novel in her sexy, thrilling Welcome to the Point series, a woman’s search for repentance leads her to the one man from her past she can’t forget as they join forces to save their city—and the explosive love neither can live without. Titus King has always seen his world in black and white...Categorized as:
tortured heroine young adult suspense alpha male contemporary dark bad boys new adult -
![Unlit Star by Lindy Zart]()
Unlit Star by Lindy Zart
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsWe are not guaranteed anything, not even this life. Rivers Young is the popular guy untouchable by reality. He is like a star—bright, consuming, otherworldly. The thing about stars, though, is that they eventually fall, and he is no different. He falls far and he falls hard. Delilah Bana is the outcast enshrouded in all of life's ironies...Categorized as:
tortured heroine contemporary young adult tearjerkers dark college angst friends to lovers -
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![Glass Heart Hero by Lindsey Iler]()
Glass Heart Hero by Lindsey Iler
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLoyalty. Corruption. Family.A gauntlet rooted in love and jealousy may be the destruction of the students at Glass Heart Academy.DelaneyParts of me were stolen in the confines of a dark room. No matter how hard I fought, I got nowhere. The damage has already been done.Now I find myself in the arms of an unexpected boy...Categorized as:
tortured heroine high-school dark new adult cruel hero contemporary tortured hero love triangle -
![The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller by L.B. Simmons]()
The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller by L.B. Simmons
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 31 ratings*****#1 Best Seller in Amazon Inspirational Romance***** Death. For some, it's simply one of life's certainties, nothing more. For others, it's merely a fleeting thought, one often overshadowed by the reckless delusion that they have been blessed with the gift of immortality. For Aubrey Miller, death is the definition of her very existence...Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured heroine contemporary insta-love dark college christian young adult -
![Roses and Skulls by L.M. Terry]()
Roses and Skulls by L.M. Terry
Billie RoseGrowing up in a notorious motorcycle club sounds like fun, yeah?It was for a time. I was the Rebel Skull’s cherished and protected little MC princess. My childhood was storybook perfect. In my world, nothing bad existed. My days were spent on the back of my dad’s bike or playing in the woods with my grandfather. Together we battled bad guys and slayed dragons. And then tragedy struck...Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured heroine bikers dark christmas age difference alpha male secret child -
![VICIOUS by A.E. Murphy]()
VICIOUS by A.E. Murphy
Imogen Hardy hit the dirt hard and often when in the presence of Kane Jessop, not because she was so besotted with him and clumsy that she fell at his feet, but because he put her there. Usually with a hard shove or a swift swipe of her ankles.He was a vicious and unruly child; then a boy, now a man. He is in every bad memory Immy has ever had... -
![Lovely Vicious by Sara Wolf]()
Lovely Vicious by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 51 ratings1.Don't talk about love. 2.Don't think about love. 3.Thinking and talking about love leads to Love, which is the enemy... For 17-year-old Isis Blake, the list has one goal: to ensure she never falls in love again. Ever. As Isis and her mom settle into their new home in Buttcrack-of-Nowhere, Ohio, Isis is rockin' the purple hair and a beat up old car..Categorized as:
tortured heroine contemporary young adult suspense love triangle alpha male strong heroine mystery -
![Damaged and the Knight by Bijou Hunter]()
Damaged and the Knight by Bijou Hunter
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsAfter he saves her from certain death, Tawny Smith falls for her knight in shining armor. Judd O'Keefe isn't an easy man to love though. As an enforcer for the Johansson family business, he hides his heart behind cold walls built from a lifetime of pain. Yet, his angel Tawny awakens a desire in Judd more powerful than he ever imagined possible... -
![Fear of Falling by S.L. Jennings]()
Fear of Falling by S.L. Jennings
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 47 ratingsI can’t remember the last time I felt completely safe. Security seemed more like a luxury to me, reserved for those who were fortunate enough to have picture perfect childhoods. For those who didn’t bear the ugly scars that keep me bound in constant, debilitating fear. I’ve run from that fear my entire life. But when I met him, for once, I couldn’t run anymore...Categorized as:
tortured heroine young adult contemporary rape bad boys suspense tearjerkers tattoos -
![Heart on a Chain by Cindy C. Bennett]()
Heart on a Chain by Cindy C. Bennett
17-year-old Kate has lived her whole life in abject poverty, with an alcoholic father and drug-addicted mother, who severely abuses Kate. At school, her second-hand clothing marks her as a target. Her refusal to stand up for herself makes her the recipient of her classmates taunts and bullying. That is, until Henry returns...Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured heroine young adult contemporary dark friends to lovers tearjerkers abuse -
![Trust by Kylie Scott]()
Trust by Kylie Scott
Being young is all about the experiences: the first time you skip school, the first time you fall in love…the first time someone holds a gun to your head. After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen-year-old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered...Categorized as:
virgin heroine contemporary new adult suspense bad boys friends to lovers angst dark -
![Innocents by Mary Elizabeth, Sarah Elizabeth]()
Innocents by Mary Elizabeth, Sarah Elizabeth
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsThe girl with an innocent heart knows all about bad choices, but has yet to make them for herself. Searching for freedom, she finds it in the delinquent down the hall. The troublemaker with summer-sky blue eyes knows he should stay away, but can’t resist the blissful wonder who makes his house a home. She’s a hopeless romantic. He’s just hopeless...Categorized as:
virgin heroine contemporary young adult alpha male love triangle friends to lovers dark bad boys -
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![If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch]()
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
There are some things you can’t leave behind… A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival... -
![Left Drowning by Jessica Park]()
Left Drowning by Jessica Park
What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe? Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College...Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured heroine young adult contemporary tearjerkers friends to lovers dark abuse -
![Hunting Grounds by Crystal North]()
Hunting Grounds by Crystal North
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis is not a love story. I was just looking to keep my head down and complete my education, so that I could move as far away from my hometown, and all its tainted memories, as possible. I never bargained on running into my past. But then again, I never asked to be kidnapped, drugged and branded as The Doe either...Categorized as:
tortured heroine dark reverse harem suspense young adult contemporary new adult poly -
![Nero by Sarah Brianne]()
Nero by Sarah Brianne
Nero is the king of Legacy Prep, living a life of power. Elle is the school’s punching bag, living a life of fear. The only good girls Nero knows jump in his bed when he tells them to. The closest Elle has come to a bad boy like him is in the cafeteria line. The mob boss gave him orders to find out what she knows. Her mouth is sealed. I just want to be a fu**ing made man...Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured heroine mafia dark alpha male bad boys contemporary suspense -
![A Deal with the Devil by Angel Lawson, Samantha Rue]()
A Deal with the Devil by Angel Lawson, Samantha Rue
Sometimes The Devil Hides in Plain Sight...One fateful night. Two lives forever changed.Sometimes the bonds of tragedy are stronger than blood.When Vandy Hall got into a stolen car with Reynolds McAllister-her brother's best friend, her childhood crush-she had no idea the lifetime of pain it would cause her...Categorized as:
virgin heroine high-school new adult dark sports friends to lovers contemporary from hate to love -
![Bang Bang by Rachel Van Dyken]()
Bang Bang by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsHe was my best friend. Until he became my enemy. All within the span of one night. Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang. The rapid fire of gunshots became the soundtrack to my life. This is the Mafia. Lines are blurred. Choices are never black and white. And the life you thought you knew is... one giant lie. He was dead. And I didn't want his life to be in vain, so I tried to make something of myself...Categorized as:
virgin heroine contemporary young adult suspense vengeance dark bad boys friends to lovers
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