Books like 'Very Wicked Beginnings'
Readers who enjoyed Very Wicked Beginnings by Ilsa Madden-Mills also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance bad boys athletes new adult mafia sports college cruel hero football
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Eulogy by Rachel Van Dyken
The next book in the internationally bestselling mafia series… All is lost. All. I don't recognize myself in the mirror anymore. My thoughts are filled with hatred and dripping with rage. I've lost my soul. She took it to the depths of Hell with her and haunts me with images of what could have been. Sixty lives are mine to take. Sixty lives stand in the way of my vengeance... -
Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsEnrage is the next standalone in the international best selling mafia series, Eagle Elite.Part of a world I loathe.Part of a family who hates me more than I hate myself.Living with a girl who reminds me of my darkness.I'm. In. Hell.Also known as the Cosa Nostra.My life was over the minute I stepped off that plane.Son to a murdered mob boss.Heir to a throne of murder and lies... -
Easy to Fall by W. Winters
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes the epic conclusion to the heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat gripping, romantic suspense, Hard to Love series.With her I was always on the highest high. That's why it was so easy to fall. I never stood a chance without her. The two of us were made for one another. It's as simple as that. The world could try to rip us apart, but it would fail... -
Falling by E.K. Blair
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsSometimes it takes someone else to show us what we are truly capable of becoming. Suffering from years of violent abuse, Ryan Campbell has learned how to keep people from getting too close. But when you shut yourself off, people get hurt along the way. Never caring much about others, Ryan creates a world in which he doesn’t have to feel... -
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Intolerable Bishop by Brooklyn Cross
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe arrogant bishop feels superior, but it will race the fastest to its downfall. I had been looking forward to summer break since learning I was going home for a month. Not only would I see my Aunt Nadia and my best friend Lizzy, but I wasn’t traveling alone.But being home wasn’t at all what I thought it would be…I’m drowning in mysteries and have to find the answers or die trying... -
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 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... -
Nightshade by Autumn Woods
*Book one of a duet*When Ophelia Winters accepts a scholarship at a prestigious Scottish university to prove that her parents' death was the fault of Cain Green, an American aviation tycoon, her plan is simple; keep her grades up and her head down. The last thing she wants is to wind up in a mafia war or step on the toes of royalty... -
Tempted to Kiss by W. Winters
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author W Winters comes an emotionally-gripping, romantic suspense. I fell for someone I shouldn’t have. I’m not the only person to ever do such a thing. I know that. And I’m not an awful person for desiring his touch, his kiss, his everything… but I knew I shouldn’t have indulged. There’s something about knowing it’s wrong that tempts me that much more... -
Broken Trust by Jaymin Eve, Tate James
They think they own me now. They think they’ve won, and that I’ll be their good little soldier. Four dangerous, damaged, messed up boys. There used to be five, but one of them died, and I’m starting to suspect he was murdered. I didn't ask for this. No one would ask to be played, manipulated, seduced and betrayed. But that’s what happened, anyway. It wasn’t enough for them to break me...Categorized as:
new adult bad boys mafia cruel hero suspense alpha male from hate to love contemporary -
Heads You Lose by Bea Paige
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsBeast…Beast in name. Beast in nature.Once upon a time Tales was my home.I was the second in command and the best goddamn fighter the club had ever seen.I fought. I won.Every. Damn. Time.Until one day I lost trying to protect the princess from the true monster of this f*cked-up fairy tale.She shunned me, sent me away.Now I’m back to tell her the truth, not some tale full of half-truths and lies...Categorized as:
new adult sports mafia bad boys contemporary age difference from hate to love forbidden love -
SINS: Books 1-4 by Emma Slate
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSins of a King (Book 1)Flynn Campbell is a king among men.He plays Manhattan’s elite like pawns on a chessboard.He’s a man you don’t cross, but that’s exactly what my brother has done.Debts must be repaid.But it’s not money Flynn wants…It’s me.Suddenly I’m thrust into a criminal underworld, full of seduction and lies.Ensnared by danger and power, foreign desires burn within me... -
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... -
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A Single Kiss by Willow Winters
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes a heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat gripping, romantic suspense. I should feel shame for not wanting this to end, but he doesn’t want it to end either. When the darkness sets in, the flames all flickered out, and the loud click of the locks signal it’s over, that’s when reality comes back. The war. The drugs... -
The Arrangement 10: The Ferro Family by H.M. Ward
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsWhen Avery realizes that her latest client wasn't Sean she doesn't know what to do. This person has invaded her life on a personal level and to make matters worse she doesn't even know who he is. The only good thing that came from it has been seeing Sean again, but now that he's in front of her, she doesn't want to let him go...Categorized as:
new adult college cruel hero contemporary alpha male dark super rich hero length-novella -
When Darkness Ends by Marni Mann
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAn all new angsty, dark, stand-alone Contemporary Romance in the Moments in Boston Series ...You never forget your first love … even when he becomes a memory.There was before.When we were together, when we were happy.When we had nothing but dreams.When not a single bad thing could ever happen because we were young and in love.And there was after... -
Losing Traction by Amo Jones
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMy name is Phoebe Rendon. Growing up as the only girl surrounded by the Sinful Souls MC community has never been easy. Outside of the club, I had no life because my brother and his two psycho best friends kept tabs on me. My only out was racing at Point Hellers, the largest and steepest drift mountain in Westbeach, California. Cars were my life, and eight years later, that hasn’t changed... -
The Company by J.A. Huss
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSome people are above the law. Those people are called COMPANY.Twenty-eight-year-old James Fenici has been an assassin since he was sixteen. He's amassed debts and favors from countless Company brothers and participated in hundreds of Company jobs. But there are not enough favors in the world to clear his debt and make him worthy of the only girl he's ever wanted... -
Kings & Carnage by Sadie Hunt
I didn't think I could live with them.Turns out, I can't live without them.Rock - the one who takes care of me.Oscar - the one who makes me feel seen.And Neo - the one who lights my soul on fire.They made me see who I really am.Now I may have lost them forever.*This is the conclusion of the Aventine University series featuring Neo, Oscar, Rock, and Willa... -
Path To Redemption by TheFeveredBookaholic
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsRising boxer Jaxon Cage is known to be a fighter on and off the ring. He's a man on a mission; redeeming the death of his little brother, who was on his way to becoming a boxing star. Jaxon holds himself accountable for his brother's death and now takes his place in the ring to continue his dream. Turns out, he's a natural... -
Cross + Catherine: The Saga by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOnce upon a time, a wild boy fell in love with a sly girl … From high school sweethearts to a criminal King and Queen, Cross Donati and Catherine Marcello’s love became a force—even destructive, it was unstoppable. They were meant to be. Even when everything stood in the way. Always. Fall in love with the saga of Cross + Catherine, and their story of a love revered, and a life lived so unruly... -
The Final Hour by London Miller
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 27 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 .. -
Merciless Union by Faith Summers
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEverything changed overnight.Truth became my enemy, and the sting of betrayal dragged me into a web of lies.I’m damned if I fight to live and damned if I die. Both will be dangerous for the child growing inside me. I can’t trust Lucca to save us.Love is a myth we shouldn’t have explored.He was always my enemy.Love just made me forget and blinded me to the truth... -
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Possessive Devil by B. B. Hamel
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsGive me what I want and I'll obey.Calvino is a nightmare wrapped in a million dollar suit. He has eyes like the black between stars and his toned body is a sculptor's dream.And someone in his family murdered my cousin.When Calvino catches me drugging and stealing from his brother, my life hangs in the balance... -
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...Categorized as:
new adult sports cruel hero bad boys contemporary high-school alpha male from hate to love -
Toxic Obsession by J.A. Owenby
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsHe’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.I need a fresh start where no one knows me, and Whitmore University seems like my chance — if I can keep my secrets hidden. But everything I've built is shattered by Quinn Astor, a powerful football god, and he sees me as his next target.Quinn has a relentless drive and a cruel streak. He’s toxic. He's not the prince I thought he was, but a devil I can't resist... -
Thy Kingdom Come by Monica James
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 11 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... -
Perfectly Damaged by E.L. Montes
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSchizoaffective disorder: a mental illness in which a person experiences a combination of mood disorder and schizophrenia symptoms. I know about this illness—very well—because I suffer from it. It’s been four years since my diagnosis, and ever since, I’ve been living in a dark hole. Voices constantly invading my thoughts. Hallucinations... -
The Realm of You: A Novel by Amanda Richardson
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Marlin Winters awakens in an alternate universe, living in Vermont and engaged to a man she doesn’t recognize, she’s determined to figure out why she’s here and what sequence of events lead her to this moment. Over the course of one day, she begins to piece together the last week of her real life. What’s more, when the day is over, she doesn’t want to leave... -
Valon: What Once Was by London Miller
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBefore there was Luka Sergeyev, there was a boy by the name of Valon Ahmeti, born to a Russian mother and an Albanian father. His life was not an easy one and he should have long succumbed to death, but prevailed, as only he could, into a life of hell and debauchery... -
Legacy by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsThis is an alternate cover edition for B018IMSYZE A Legacy PrequelBLURB:filth·y (fĭl′thē)adj. filth·i·er, filth·i·est1. Covered or smeared with filth; disgustingly dirty.2. Obscene or offensive.3. Vile; dirty. adv. filth·y1. To an extreme and often disgusting extent... -
Dirty Pool by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTo get what he wants, he’ll have to play a game of dirty pool. Michel Marcello never wanted to be a mafioso like every other man in his family—he wanted to be more. That doesn’t mean he’s unfamiliar with the life, or that he can’t hold his own against other made men... -
Promised to the Killer by B.B. Hamel
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHer family tossed her aside like a broken doll.But she's my shining treasure and I'll kill to make her mine.Siena Bastone is going to die. She's the cast-off traitorous daughter of a minor mafia family with deliciously pouty lips and a wicked tongue.But after we spend one unforgettable night of sin in a hotel room, I can't walk away.I pull her from her family's clutches and make her my own...Categorized as:
new adult mafia bad boys contemporary suspense pregnancy alpha male from hate to love -
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Destructive Truths by Shauna Mairéad
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsLies, Saoirse. It was all lies.Those were the last words I heard before my attacker held me under.Left shattered by deceit, with a past I couldn’t outrun, Killybegs destroyed the girl I used to be.But here’s the thing, this queen was born to rise, and those who hurt me will pay for the sins they committed...Categorized as:
mafia cruel hero new adult alpha male suspense contemporary from hate to love love triangle -
Blood Sky by S. Massery
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKill those who betray you.Never trust someone with nothing to lose.Family is business. Delia I watched my enemies murder my father. On the run, I plot to return home and lead my mafia family as my father did. But some would kill for my inheritance, and unearthing those people from the shadows would be impossible without Jackson... -
Greed: A Rumpelstiltskin Retelling by J. Kearston
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI thought they’d be my salvation, but they look at me like I'm theirs.Beaten, starved, broken.With nowhere else to go, my only hope to survive is to sell my soul to the devil. After all, when you have nothing, even poison starts to look tempting. But the brutal men that work beneath him are just as trapped as I am, and now it's too late for me to back out... -
Black Widow by Sheridan Anne
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWho said prison was going to stop me from getting what I wanted?I thought breaking out of there was going to be the hardest thing I ever did. I should have known. Being the leader of The Black Widows is never that easy. Someone should have warned me that the woman I was about to kidnap was going to bring me to my knees...Categorized as:
new adult cruel hero bad boys dark contemporary m-f from hate to love forbidden love -
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... -
Shattered by Control by B. B. Hamel
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsI don’t do vulnerable. I only do control.When a brutal shooting forces me onto the sidelines of a raging mafia war, I need a discreet physical therapist to help get me back in the game.That’s how gorgeous Mirella Falconet stumbles into my life.I offer her the world: money, power, whatever she wants, so long as she keeps her mouth shut and does her job...Categorized as:
new adult mafia bad boys contemporary alpha male from hate to love dark length-medium -
Talking Dirty by Cheryl McIntyre
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 33 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... -
Dreams of the Vengeful by Adelaide Forrest
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsOur love was written in blood, but our dream was born from death.Once upon a time, I had it all.Born heir apparent to one of the Six Families,I was destined for greatness.Wealth and power were in my blood, andsweet Thalia was one more means to an end... -
Angel by K.M. Raya
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA single day at Draven Preparatory Academy and she's already made enemies. They call themselves The Brotherhood. Carter, Holden, Captain and Ellis rule the school like gods while their fathers rule the city. But Angel Valentino has never been one to take orders blindly... -
Asher: My Russian Revenge by Shandi Boyes
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsOur families were friends long before they became bitter rivals, but as the decade long hatred grew, so did the bloodshed. Things are different now, though; my father is a changed man. He’s had enough of the violence and wants to spend his final years in peace. In the midst of an epiphany, he gifted me to an enemy... -
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The Purest Addiction by Danielle Lori
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThis is the last book in the Made series, but that doesn’t mean I won’t write spin-offs in the future. As of right now, I will not be writing novellas or second books for these characters, BUT you will get to see the entire MADE cast in this final installment, including babies and more... -
Made to Sin by Vy Le
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsShe drowned in the Underworld's glitz and glamor. His darkness became her best comfort. Though she wasn't born into it, Katarina Camello found herself at the center of New York's finest syndicates. She was the Underworld's favorite definition of a mob wife: young, beautiful, and obedient.At least that was what she wanted everyone to see... -
A Hurt So Sweet: Volume Two by Betti Rosewood, Fawn Bailey
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSticks and stones may break my bones, but my bullies will never f*ck me. Dexter Booth has taken everything from me. My pride, my innocence and my resolve to resist him have all fallen prey to his wicked charm. And now, he wants to pop my cherry - the very thing that could save me from his cruel reign... -
Savage Prince by Ivy Thorn
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI was named after the goddess of war. I’m no one’s sacrifice.Dean Blackmoor says I’m his. But I’ve got other ideas. After finding out that I’ve chosen the winner of a game I didn’t even know I was playing, I’m determined to make sure that this doesn’t go the way my captors planned.Any of them.After years of being obsessed with me, Cayde St... -
Deadly Games by Faith Summers, Khardine Gray
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWe were supposed to be two passing ships on an unforgettable night…I accepted a foolish dare that changed everything-pretend you’re someone you aren’t until sunrise.I chose to be normal and free.Not bound by the duties my father forced on me.The sinfully gorgeous god-like man staring at me in the club with the I’m-going-to-devour-you smile was who I picked to be normal and free with... -
Desperate to Touch by W. Winters
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes a heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat gripping, romantic suspense. I ran from him, even though my heart knew better. Love was one thing, but survival another. He chose a life of crime. I never wanted any of it; I only wanted him. I left when the danger bled into my life, taking more than I was willing to sacrifice...
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