Books like 'Defy'
Readers who enjoyed Defy by L.J. Shen also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance young adult new adult age difference bad boys alpha male forbidden love insta-love strong heroine
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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... -
![Empire by Rachel Van Dyken]()
Empire by Rachel Van Dyken
I have lost everything. My purpose. My love. My soul. Death knocks on my door, I want to answer, but every time I reach for the handle--the promise I made her, brings me back. So I breathe. I live. I hate. And I allow the anger to boil beneath the surface of a perfectly indifferent facade. I am broken, I dont want to be fixed... -
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![Inferno by Catherine Doyle]()
Inferno by Catherine Doyle
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsRomeo 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... -
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![Ember by Rachel Van Dyken]()
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... -
![Trouble at Brayshaw High by Meagan Brandy]()
Trouble at Brayshaw High by Meagan Brandy
"You don't belong." No words whispered in anger have ever rung more true. They're the Kings of Brayshaw with the world at their feet, destined for greatness and in need of control. I'm the girl from the gutter with nothing to offer and as defiant as they come. They say it doesn't matter, that I'm one of them now, and nothing could ever change that. Not even me, should I dare try... -
![Mafiosa by Catherine Doyle]()
Mafiosa by Catherine Doyle
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsA 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... -
![Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken]()
Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsCursed, 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... -
![Dark Legacy by Tracy Lorraine]()
Dark Legacy by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.That our love could start a war...Dear reader,Dark Legacy is the twelfth book in my Knight's Ridge Empire series, and the third book of Calli and Batman's story... -
![Hothouse Flower by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie]()
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:
new adult forbidden love alpha male bad boys strong heroine age difference angst sports -
![Logan Kade by Tijan]()
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... -
![Speed by B.B. Easton]()
Speed by B.B. Easton
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 25 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... -
![Sinful Knight by Tracy Lorraine]()
Sinful Knight by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world. The night we met, she left behind a lot more than just her shoes on my bedroom floor. She left an impression. A lasting memory burned into my brain. It teases me… tortures me. Months have passed since that night...Categorized as:
new adult bad boys high-school forbidden love alpha male m-f contemporary young adult -
![Skin by B.B. Easton]()
Skin by B.B. Easton
With Netflix adapting BB's 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN into a new series, you're going to want the full story behind her roller-coaster love story with the ultimate bad boy. 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... -
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![Wicked Princess by Tracy Lorraine]()
Wicked Princess by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.My entire life has been a lie.The one person I've trusted despite all his secrets has shattered my faith, and the men around me have proved just how unworthy they really are...Categorized as:
sports cruel hero new adult high-school strong heroine m-f first-person-pov from hate to love -
![Real Girl by Sheridan Anne]()
Real Girl by Sheridan Anne
Lucien Valentine must die.It’s the thought that’s kept me going for four long years. I’ve imagined it, dreamed about it, relished in it. I want it so bad, but the question is, do I have what it takes to make it happen?Taking a life isn’t for the faint-hearted. Just ask Lucien, he knows.He’s taken me back to where it all started and I know exactly how it’s going to go... -
![Corrupt Knight by Tracy Lorraine]()
Corrupt Knight by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world.The night we met, she was just another one-night stand. We were never meant to see each other again, and my best friend certainly wasn’t supposed to go and fall in love with her best friend...Categorized as:
new adult forbidden love cruel hero bad boys angst strong heroine high-school alpha male -
![Corrupt Princess by Tracy Lorraine]()
Corrupt Princess by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next instalment of her forbidden dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world.I learned from a very young age that the only person I could count on was myself.For years I’ve been content with meaningless one-night stands and zero promises for tomorrow... -
![Corrupt Union by Tracy Lorraine]()
Corrupt Union by Tracy Lorraine
I found everything I didn’t know I needed. Accepted forgiveness I didn’t deserve.She fought for us. Killed for us. She was one of us. And there was no way I was letting her go… again. But I’m not the only one with wicked intentions for my siren. With her missing, we turn our blame to an obvious enemy. But our path of destruction could be leading us right into another trap... -
![Legend by Tracy Lorraine]()
Legend by Tracy Lorraine
I made one mistake…And she made one phone call that nearly destroyed my life.I’ve spent the past year plotting my revenge and imagining all the wicked things I’d do to her when our paths finally crossed again.I just had no idea it would be so soon.The last thing I expected when I re-entered the world was to find myself right in the middle of hers...Categorized as:
cruel hero high-school sports bad boys secret-relationship new adult m-f from hate to love -
![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.. -
![Lost Girl by Sheridan Anne]()
Lost Girl by Sheridan Anne
Who the f&*k gave Slade Cruz this kind of power over me?I don’t know how it happened. One minute he was the guy I loathed and the next thing I knew, I was waking up beside him desperate to get out of there.When secrets are revealed, Slade and I realize that we are more connected than we could have ever known... -
![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... -
![Taint Her by Caitlyn Dare]()
Taint Her by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsHe wants to ruin her. She wants to save him.Hadley Rexford was a distraction I didn’t need. But when she discovers me with blood on my hands, I know I can’t walk away without demanding her silence.I’ll taint her.Torment her.In the end, I’ll ruin her.Cole Jagger was a puzzle I wanted to solve. But he refuses to let me in, and now I’m ensnared in his trap.He’s cold.Immoral...Categorized as:
new adult sports cruel hero m-f high-school first-person-pov contemporary young adult -
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![If You Dare by Shantel Tessier]()
If You Dare by Shantel Tessier
The game was over. The dares were getting old, and the secrets were piling up faster than the bodies.But someone had other plans. They wanted to play a new game.Becky Holt was the love of his life until he found out what she was hiding. Now he wants to seek his revenge in the most daring way.Deke Biggs has always been a shark. He's not afraid to kill, and he's about to become her worst nightmare... -
![The Retaliation You Deliver by Tracy Lorraine]()
The Retaliation You Deliver by Tracy Lorraine
When something seems too good to be true. It’s usually because it is.A lesson I learned the hard way.Every single fear I had about falling for Leon, has just come true in the most brutal way.The sweet guy act he’s been putting on the past few weeks is over.The cold, hard truth is... he never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation.And like a fool, I played right into his wicked scheme...Categorized as:
cruel hero new adult sports first-person-pov m-f contemporary from hate to love college -
![Tempting Little Thief by Meagan Brandy]()
Tempting Little Thief by Meagan Brandy
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes a steamy forbidden romance featuring a possessive hero … who falls first and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Bastian Bishop. That’s his name. He’s rough, rugged, and utterly unpredictable. He’s not cautious or contemplative. He’s a volcano. Silent and steady one second, and a nightmare in the next...Categorized as:
angst new adult strong heroine high-school forbidden love sports alpha male insta-love -
![Out of the Dark by Danah Logan]()
Out of the Dark by Danah Logan
LillyMy name is the only truth they didn’t take from me.Betrayed by my family, my desperate need for answers put me back on his radar.The one person who was never supposed to find me.Again.I was unprepared for the world I got thrust into—the connection we shared.The deeper I dug, the more unstable my future became.With Rhys as my anchor, I will fight to bring my past out of the dark... -
![Wild Girl by Sheridan Anne]()
Wild Girl by Sheridan Anne
Have you ever known what it feels like to die?It’s not great. Trust me, I don’t recommend it.I’ve always said that my life is about surviving, but I didn’t realize how true that was until the devil sent me soaring off a bridge with the love of my life and lodged a bullet through my thigh.It’s not my time to die... -
![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.. -
![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... -
![Reckless Dynasty by Tracy Lorraine]()
Reckless Dynasty by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world.My life has been full of half-truths tangled in lies—I’d been to hell and back more times than I could count... -
![Shame by Rachel Van Dyken]()
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... -
![Requiem by Callie Hart]()
Requiem by Callie Hart
SORRELLHe’s going to pay for what he’s done…Theo Merchant was born into a kind of privilege I’ve never known.He has everything I don’t: Money. A private school education. Popularity. A bright and shiny future, full of success to look forward to. He took the only thing I had going for me—my best friend, Rachel. Now that she’s gone, I have nothing left to lose.I will infiltrate his world...Categorized as:
new adult angst alpha male cruel hero high-school athletes strong heroine first-person-pov -
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![Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas, Lessa Lamb]()
Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas, Lessa Lamb
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsWest Golden—Fierce protector. The one.The cocky jock I once wanted to kill with my bare hands is now the only one I trust with my heart.In a city full of corruption and dark secrets, knowing who’s on your side gets harder to determine every day. Especially now that Vin’s on the warpath, passing out threats he fully intends to see through to the end... -
![River Knight by K. Webster]()
River Knight by K. Webster
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLife was nearly stolen from me. In the blink of an eye, everything changed. I'm no longer the charismatic, hot playboy Hornet. I'm irrevocably altered. Damaged both inside and out. I can't think. I can't function. I can't live. Not with all this darkness and pain dragging me into unknown depths. Some days, I wish I never woke up. But then life takes an unusual turn...Categorized as:
age difference new adult angst alpha male m-f strong heroine first-person-pov high-school -
![Royal Elite Epilogue by Rina Kent]()
Royal Elite Epilogue by Rina Kent
All five couples of Royal Elite series come to life again in this long extended epilogue.Levi & AstridAiden & ElsaXander & KimberlyRonan & TealCole & SilverThis epilogue is set after the end of Royal Elite Series so all the previous books need to be read before this...Categorized as:
new adult sports cruel hero alpha male young adult contemporary dark from hate to love -
![Mr. Angry Hornet by K. Webster]()
Mr. Angry Hornet by K. Webster
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsI had it all. Popularity. Good grades. Cheerleading. Doting family and great friends. Until the wrong boy swept into my perfect world and destroyed every part of it. Abuse. Drugs. Humiliation. He trampled all over my reputation and I was powerless to do anything about it. I couldn't break free from his controlling hold. But the night of the accident changed everything. Now I'm freed at last... -
![May We Rise by K.G. Reuss]()
May We Rise by K.G. Reuss
Possessive. Violent. Perfect. Mine.After our time at Black Falls High, we moved to Mayfair, the college of my dreams. With my singing career taking shape, Fox’s football career off and running, Ethan’s photography, and Enzo and Cole’s. . .well, whatever secret things they do happening, life seemed good.Too good.If there’s one thing I know about my life it’s that nothing good ever lasts... -
![The Devastation You Reap by Tracy Lorraine]()
The Devastation You Reap by Tracy Lorraine
He never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation. But I’m not the monster he thinks I am... -
![Broken Hate by Thandiwe Mpofu]()
Broken Hate by Thandiwe Mpofu
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsWhat’s wrong Baby Blue? Did you mistake his forced sincerity for love?Every kiss will fade in time.Every memory will fade in time.Every smile, every teardrop, every wound—it’ll all dry up—in time.But every lie? That shit only gets bigger and more devastating with time.In time.. -
![Crank by Caitlyn Dare]()
Crank by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMy name is Quinn Renshaw, and my father is the VP of the Savage Falls Sinners MC.But I refuse to be a club princess.I want more from life. I want to graduate and go to college and spread my wings. I want a life beyond Savage Falls and club life.Until him.Killian Crankton, VP of the Red Ridge Reapers.He looks at me and I feel things. Things I don’t want to feel. Dangerous, deadly things... -
![The Golden Boys by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne]()
The Golden Boys by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne
Listening Length: 10 hours and 33 minutes West Golden - so easy to hate, yet so hard to resist. Don’t let that pretty face of his fool you. He isn’t the boy next door, or the kind you trust with your heart. He’s the devil in designer jeans, with all the charm of a bona fide psycho. Trust me. He swears I did something to cross him before I even stepped foot inside Cypress Prep, but it’s a lie... -
![The End Game by Kate McCarthy]()
The End Game by Kate McCarthy
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 31 ratings“Professional athletes are pillars of their respective communities. They are heroes in the eyes of boys and girls and are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that positively represents their community.” The public loves a good scandal. Seeing someone fall from the pinnacle of success makes a great headline. No one knows that better than I do... -
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![Betray Me by Selena .]()
Betray Me by Selena .
Used. Worthless. Broken. The Darlings think they won. They think they've beaten me, that I'm exactly what they call me--a dog. But there are things they don't know about my family. They don't know the lengths I'll go to get revenge. To protect my family. To honor my name. Devlin thinks he's done with me, but he's wrong. I'll never forget what he did to me, and I'll never let him forget...Categorized as:
high-school new adult cruel hero alpha male strong heroine angst bad boys forbidden love -
![Wreck Me by Jessica Sorensen]()
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... -
![The Deceit of a Devil by Holly Renee]()
The Deceit of a Devil by Holly Renee
Sinless. Stunning. Damaged. Tempting. Allie Taylor had been the girl I hated for as long as I could remember. And now she loathed me just as much. It didn’t matter that I betrayed her to save her. Completely devastated and infuriated by my dishonesty, she had no intentions of ever trusting me again. Her trust was shattered, her hate raging on with each second... -
![Wet by Cambria Hebert]()
Wet by Cambria Hebert
Making decisions I regret is basically a hobby.So I guess it really wasn’t that surprising when I went out on a date with an Elite.And then he tried to assault me.I might be small, but I’m not meek. I fought him off… then went straight to the dean.He didn’t believe me. No one does.And now my date from hell is in revenge mode, and I somehow end up in the campus pool... -
![Arm Candy Warrior by E.M. Moore]()
Arm Candy Warrior by E.M. Moore
I don’t belong in the Heights.Truth be told, no one does. It’s dirty, grimy. Riddled with crime, the destitute, and the desperate. Where the family unit doesn’t always mean a mom, a dad, and two-point-five kids. It’s whoever gives you the time of day.That’s how the Heights Crew came about. The only relationship that counts in the Heights is if you’re a part of the Crew... -
![The Golden Boys by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne]()
The Golden Boys by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne
West Golden—easy to hate, yet so hard to resist.Don’t let that pretty face of his fool you. He isn’t the boy next door, or the kind you trust with your heart. He’s the devil in designer jeans, with all the charm of a bona fide psycho.Trust me.He swears I did something to cross him before I even stepped foot inside Cypress Prep, but it’s a lie...
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