Books like 'Very Bad Things'
Readers who enjoyed Very Bad Things by Ilsa Madden-Mills also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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Long Way Down by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie
With a seven-year age difference, Ryke & Daisy have faced an uphill battle in the eyes of the world and their families. Known as the most adventurous, fast-paced couple — their next step has always been elusive to the rabid media. Behind the scenes, heartbreaking troubles continue to test Ryke & Daisy’s resilience and shape their future together. They promise:. To never slow down...Categorized as:
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Fallen Crest Family by Tijan
Samantha and Mason are together. Everyone knows it. Not everyone is dealing with it. While Mason's ready to give them the middle finger, there's one not going away. Her mother. Threats are issued. Ultimatums are given. Even blackmail is used, but only Samantha can put a stop to Analise. However, when a trauma from her past is triggered, she may not have the courage or strength to do what's needed... -
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Inferno by Catherine Doyle
Romeo and Juliet meets The Godfather in the second installment of Catherine Doyle's Blood for Blood series. Sophie's life has been turned upside-down, and she's determined to set things right. But Nic, the Falcone brother who represents everything she's trying to forget, won't give up on their love - and it's Luca's knife she clutches for comfort...Categorized as:
love triangle alpha male bad boys forbidden love other-man-woman m-f contemporary young adult -
Made by J.M. Darhower
Corrado Moretti. The world knows the notorious Kevlar Killer, but few have ever seen what lies beneath his armor. The abused child. The neglected teenager. The broken man. He always did whatever he had to do in order to survive. It's kill or be killed. Throughout his life, he has been there in the shadows, a witness to everything from beginning to end...Categorized as:
forbidden love bad boys alpha male m-f contemporary suspense friends to lovers virgin hero -
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Still Jaded by Tijan
Sheldon, Bryce, and Corrigan ruled their school until a killer wanted to rule them. Three years later, Bryce’s back home from Europe the local celebrity jock. Corrigan’s busy running his fraternity and Sheldon's about to be pulled back into the social world of drama. With the killer killed, who's trying to hurt Sheldon this time? Or maybe it's someone closer than she wants to admit?Categorized as:
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Mafiosa by Catherine Doyle
A blood war rages on the streets of Chicago. Protected by an infamous mafia family, Sophie is living a dangerous lie, pretending to lead a normal life. But the deceit can’t last for ever. Her heart belongs to a killer and Sophie’s the prime target of a rival clan...Categorized as:
angst forbidden love love triangle other-man-woman m-f young adult contemporary mafia -
Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken
Cursed, numb, rejected, scorned, wicked, sinister, dark, twisted. .. my name is Tex Campisi and this is my legacy. I killed my father in cold blood and lost my soul right along with him. I crave war more than peace, and I'm about to take my place in history as the youngest Capo dei Capi in the Cosa Nostra. .. that is until someone stops me, saves me from myself... -
Logan Kade by Tijan
People think that just because they know my name, my reputation, and my family that they know me. They don't. They say I’m a manwhore, but who wouldn’t be with my face and body? They say I’m a partier, and that's not going to change. They say I'm a fighter, and hell yes I am. F*ck with mine, and I’ll f*ck you back ten times worse. So, yes. Maybe what they say is true, but that’s not all of me... -
Almost Broken by Portia Moore
Lauren Brooks fell in love with Cal Scott at 21, married him at 22 and had her heart broken at 23 when he walked out of their marriage. At 25, though raising his daughter on her own, Lauren was finally moving on with her life. Until, she learned the reason for Cal's abandonment, the walls she’d carefully built around her collapsed.Categorized as:
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Speed by B.B. Easton
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsWith Netflix adapting BB's 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN into a new series, you're going to want the full story behind her outrageous adventures. Because BB Easton had so much fun writing her bestselling, award-winning memoir, she decided to give each of her four men his own steamy standalone... -
The Gravity of Us by Brittainy C. Cherry
Graham Russell and I weren’t made for one another. I was driven by emotion; he was apathetic. I dreamed while he lived in nightmares. I cried when he had no tears to shed. Despite his frozen heart and my readiness to run, we sometimes shared seconds. Seconds when our eyes locked and we saw each other’s secrets. Seconds when his lips tasted my fears, and I breathed in his pains...Categorized as:
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Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 61 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...Categorized as:
love triangle tortured heroine college angst other-man-woman m-f young adult contemporary -
The Resolution of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 37 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... -
Hothouse Flower by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie
Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway . .. she’s all grown up. Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole . But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption...Categorized as:
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Enforce by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThere’s two sides to every story…. And ours? Isn’t pretty… Then again,. what’s pretty about the mafia? Trace Rooks, that’s what. But she only wants one of us, and I’ll kill him before I let him have her. The only problem ? We’re cousins . And she may just be our long lost enemy. Whoever said college was hard, clearly didn’t attend Eagle Elite University... -
The Moth and the Flame by B.B. Reid
They're the best of friends or the worst of friends. Neither one is letting go. THE FLAME. Here 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:
alpha male bad boys angst forbidden love strong heroine age difference m-f new adult -
Kess by Tijan
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsShe's one of two females in Roussou's Crew system. He was sent to protect her. She never knew. Until now. .. A short standalone based in the Crew/Roussou world. -
FALL by Cora Brent
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsFrom NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author Cora Brent comes a new epic crossover novel. Jenny. .. I was a lost girl, a child bride. Now, to most people I appear to be just an average college student. They would never guess my strange history. But secretly I'm still held down by my past. I cannot bring myself to trust men... -
Dusty by YellowBella, TeamBella23
Now published as Innocents. She loves him. He loves her crazy. She's a hopeless romantic. He's just hopeless. She's afraid to let go. He won't let her. A story about a silly girl in love with a foolish boy. Here, forever is a lie. Twilight Fanfic. Words: 409,514 Complete.Categorized as:
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Defy by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA new MFMdark romance from the bestselling author of the Savage Falls MC series. I always knew that once we caved to our desire that it would change everything. He's forbidden. My brother's ex-best friend. And his masked accomplice is still a mystery to me. But while I might try to do the right thing, they seem to have other ideas...Categorized as:
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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. .. she followed with a smile...Categorized as:
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Shame by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsEverything done in darkness, will eventually be brought into the light. I ran, but all it did was keep me one step ahead of my past. I tried to start over; new name, new identity. But you can't change your soul. A fresh start at college was just what I needed. For a while, it worked. I was the party girl, the one that seemed confident, but it was a lie. When guys kissed me--I felt only pain... -
Therapy by Kathryn Perez
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 32 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... -
Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 84 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:
love triangle tortured heroine college angst other-man-woman m-f contemporary young adult -
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Finding Eden by Mia Sheridan
The second book in the Acadia Duology, a forbidden friends-to-lovers romance, from the New York Times bestselling author of Archer's Voice . When the world as you know it has ended, when all that you love has been washed away, where do you find strength? Calder and Eden are free from the stifling grasp of Acadia, but the new world they've stepped into is just as isolating...Categorized as:
forbidden love angst strong heroine cheating other-man-woman m-f love triangle tortured heroine -
Reap by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsI never imagined falling for a Red Ridge Sinner… let alone three. But here I am, sneaking around with Diesel, Zach, and Jax, willing to risk the consequences for just one more kiss or touch or moment. They get me. Understand what I need, and how to make me soar. But every time we find ourselves in the dark, stealing precious minutes together, reality closes in around us. One of them is broken...Categorized as:
alpha male age difference love triangle angst bad boys forbidden love other-man-woman new adult -
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... -
Just Like Heaven by Trilina Pucci
He’s a criminal—an abomination. We’re wrong in every way. If only I could’ve convinced my heart. His lips whispered promises of all the stars in the sky. I dreamt of a love that would last forever. We were gorgeously young and desperate for one another. But we're star-crossed. Fate had decided our course. Leaving us to cling to each other as we crumbled to ash. His need became possession... -
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:
bad boys college love triangle other-man-woman m-f young adult contemporary second chances -
Wreck Me by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhen Avery Hensley met Conner Wellings, she thought she’d found the guy she was going to spend the rest of her life with. She got married young and had the most beautiful son in the world. Life seemed perfect. But not everything is what it seems. Turned out Conner had another side to him, a darker side that Avery didn’t see coming... -
Damaged and the Knight by Bijou Hunter
After 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...Categorized as:
alpha male bad boys possessive hero tortured heroine age difference young adult contemporary dark -
Black Tangled Heart by Samantha Young
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe New York Times Bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series and As Dust Dances brings readers an addictive and passionate new standalone romance about love, revenge, and surviving both. To the McKenna sisters, Jane was a friend. A pseudo-sister, the girl they grew up with. To Jamie McKenna, she was everything. Their youthful passion consumed them...Categorized as:
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Temper Him by Caitlyn Dare
She wants to protect him. He can't stay away. Kennedy Lowe wasn’t supposed to walk away, taking my heart with her. Now she’s gone, but I’m determined to get her back. I want to save her. Punish her. In the end, I’ll make sure she knows exactly who she belongs to. Conner Jagger wasn’t to supposed to save me, but he did. Now I’ll do anything to protect him and the people he calls family. He’s good...Categorized as:
m-f possessive hero bad boys alpha male new adult contemporary young adult from hate to love -
Like Gravity by Julie Johnson
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 40 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:
bad boys alpha male college strong heroine tortured heroine m-f young adult contemporary -
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Savage Kind of Love by Nicole Snow
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSAVAGE LOVE: FIERCE, SEDUCTIVE, AND LIMITLESS. .. Shelly “Saffron” Reagan's life is in shambles, and it's about to get worse. Keeping up a broken home and a brother in the vicious Grizzlies MC is more than any woman can handle. Remembering the tough talking biker who nursed her after a savage attack is all she has, a bad boy who's impossibly out of reach. Or so it seems... -
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:
tortured heroine college angst m-f young adult contemporary tearjerkers virgin heroine -
Hidden Gem by Skye Warren
Of all the girls in Paris. .. he picked me. I was studying the Mona Lisa, and he was studying me. Not my sister. Me. He turned me upside-down. I hardly recognized myself through his eyes. Beautiful. Interesting. But it was all a lie. -
I Promise You by Shantel Tessier
It was supposed to be a game. I Dare You. We bought her in 'cause I wanted to play with her. Destroy her. But plans change and she got caught in the cross fire. Then I did something far worse. I fell in love with her, but she doesn't know I still have secrets. Ones that could rip us all apart. We're sharks. Raised to hunt and kill. We take what we want without asking... -
Ignite by R.J. Lewis
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 47 ratingsThey grew up together as the closest of friends. .. and then more. When Sara Nolan and Jaxon Barlow decided to be together, their relationship as a young couple was consumed by a love that was both passionate and beautiful. Sara had it all when it came to a boyfriend: romance, trust, and a protector of all things bad. Jaxon had given her his bleeding heart for the keeping...Categorized as:
alpha male bad boys love triangle other-man-woman m-f young adult contemporary suspense -
Fractured Reign by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Mia wakes up in the hospital with no memory of how she got there, she braces herself for bad news. But nothing can ever prepare her for the truth. Betrayed by the very people who were supposed to protect her, Mia no longer knows who to trust. All Bexley wants is to fix things for the girl he loves, and keep those around him safe. Even if it means embracing his legacy... -
Remember Me Forever by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsIsis 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 and sort-of-maybe-definitely hated has dropped off the face of the planet in the face of tragedy, leaving a Jack Hunter–shaped hole. Determined to be happy, Isis fills it in with lies and puts on a brave smile for her new life at Ohio State University... -
Brutal Precious by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 41 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...Categorized as:
strong heroine alpha male bad boys tortured heroine college angst contemporary humor -
Darkly Ever After: An Organized Crime Anthology by Silla Webb, Gwyn McNamee
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe men of organized crime aren’t white knights. With quick trigger fingers and ruthless souls, they’re tall, dark, and deadly. Taking what they want and decimating anything that stands in their way. These men rule from their bloody thrones. Only a woman’s touch can tame the beasts lurking inside. Bringing light to the darkness. Love in the ruin. It may not be hearts and flowers…...Categorized as:
age difference cheating alpha male other-man-woman bad boys anthologies young adult dark -
Heartbreak Prince by C.R. Jane
Soulmates. I believe in them. I was lucky enough to have two of them at one point. The only problem. My soulmates happened to be twin brothers. Caiden was the light to Jackson's dark. And after all that I had been through, the light was what I thought I needed. When I chose Caiden, I lost Jackson...Categorized as:
love triangle angst forbidden love college bad boys other-man-woman new adult contemporary -
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Uppercut Princess by E.M. Moore
Vengeance is NOT my middle name. It’s in my blood. It’s tattooed on my skin. It’s with me 24/7. The thing that drives me. It’s also what brings me to Rawley Heights. No one would willingly come here otherwise. But me? I don’t have a choice. Here, everyone fears the Heights Crew. They’re not just some small-town gang, they’re the real deal. Crime. Sex. Murder...Categorized as:
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Broken and Screwed by Tijan
Alexandra's older brother died the night he graduated. That day changed everything for her. No longer was she the party girl. No longer did she care about being popular and no longer was her family the happy unit she always thought existed. The only person who could help her heal is the same person who loved her brother as much as she did, his best friend... -
Life of the Party by C. Erin Anderson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Mackenzie Taylor can't wait to be free from high school, to leave behind her disapproving parents and finally escape the shadow of her perfect older sister. The rebellious party girl has a perfect accomplice in best friend Riley, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks who scores them drugs, booze, and underage entry into the best club in town... -
Savage Delight by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 52 ratingsLight meets dark. Secrets meet truth. It's been three years, twenty-five weeks, and five days since Isis Blake fell in love, and if she has it her way, it'll stretch into infinity. After a run-in with her mom’s ex-boyfriend, she scrabbles to remember what she’s lost to amnesia... -
Unlit Star by Lindy Zart
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 34 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. Alone, in the dark, like dusk as it falls on the world... -
Lovely Vicious by Sara Wolf
1. 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. .
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