Books like 'Hidden Worthiness'
Readers who enjoyed Hidden Worthiness by Susan Fanetti also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance angst disabilities and marks mafia insta-love age difference strong heroine sassy heroine alpha male
-
Once A Crime Lord by Mia Knight
It all ends here. It’s been two years since the Pyre family was ripped apart by a sadistic killer who will stop at nothing to take Gavin Pyre’s position as crime lord of the Las Vegas underworld... -
Behind the Hands That Kill by J.A. Redmerski
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 30 ratings-Reading Order-#1 - KILLING SARAI#2 - REVIVING IZABEL#3 - THE SWAN & THE JACKAL#4 - SEEDS OF INIQUITY#5 - THE BLACK WOLF#6 - BEHIND THE HANDS THAT KILL#7 - SPIDERS IN THE GROVE---Even professional killers need vacations, but for Victor Faust, his vacation in Venezuela is about more than relaxation and time alone with Izabel Seyfried... -
Reluctant Surrender by Measha Stone
I took her to protect her. I'll be keeping her as my bride.As her thong is ripped off and my belt lashes her beautiful bare backside for the first time, I can tell Maggie Dudek is finally starting to realize that defying a man like me has consequences.Painful consequences.Rigging a high-stakes poker game put her in danger, but that's not why she's face down on my bed... -
Buttons and Devotion by Penelope Sky
If I don’t give her what she wants—I’ll lose her forever. When Sapphire became my muse, it was supposed to be a business transaction. We both got what we wanted—until she wanted something more. If I don’t give it to her, give her all of me, she’ll walk out of my life. My father already granted his approval—so he would be disappointed if I let her slip through my fingers...Categorized as:
strong heroine possessive hero alpha male suspense contemporary dark explicit-plentiful m-f -
-
Buttons and Shadows by Penelope Sky
I told him I loved him—and I can’t take it back. Bosco promised to give me everything I want to make me stay. Marriage. Four kids. A villa in Tuscany. But he won’t give up the one thing that matters most—his job. As long as he’s involved in the underworld, my unborn children will never be safe. When I finally have the strength to leave, disaster strikes...Categorized as:
alpha male super rich hero possessive hero mafia age difference insta-love suspense contemporary -
It Ruins Me by Penelope Sky
I married you because I was in love with you.Those words have echoed in my mind ever since he said them, and despite the way my heart races for him every time he steps into the same room, I can't say it back. Not after he hurt me. Not after he betrayed me.Every time I feel us come close together, my heart pulls away...Categorized as:
mafia super rich hero angst strong heroine tortured hero possessive hero alpha male contemporary -
Mr. Garcia by T.L. Swan
He was gorgeous, older and guarded.I knew he was trouble from the moment we locked eyes.We met at work, on my first day as a barista.He smiled, I melted … then he tasted my coffee and threw it away.Again, the next day, and the next.He hated the coffee, yet still came back.I knew his game.He called my coffee death in a cup.I called him god’s gift to women.I wasn’t lying... -
Lone Star by Lauren Gilley
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsFrom London, England to Amarillo, Texas, Michelle Calloway – now Michelle Snow – has spent her whole life with the Lean Dogs Motorcycle Club. The last two years, she’s served as the first lady of the Texas chapter, keeping the books and overseeing the club’s expanding legitimate businesses, including the bar named for her husband: Tastes Like Candy...Categorized as:
age difference strong heroine alpha male mafia contemporary suspense bikers dual-pov -
Fallen Rose by Amelia Wilde
Leo Morelli has lost everything.His safety. His sanity. But worse than that, the woman he loves. He will destroy Bishop’s Landing to get her back, even if it means becoming the monster she fears. The entire city will feel his wrath. Haley Constantine loves her beast, but she can’t walk away from her family. They need her now more than ever. It will take more than violence to face these enemies...Categorized as:
super rich hero age difference angst alpha male mafia possessive hero tortured hero contemporary -
Dirty Cillian by Harley Diamond
CROSSOVER UNIVERSE #2MY SAVIOR. MY SIN.With blood on my hands, I ran for seven years.Now the prodigal sister has returned to the city that never sleeps.New York.For once, this biker chick needed saving. Turns out my black knight’s a mobster.Dirty. Deadly. Irish.Cillian O’Connell’s not offering me a happily ever after. All he’s offering is sinful, no-strings sex...Categorized as:
mafia possessive hero super rich hero strong heroine alpha male angst contemporary suspense -
The Devil's Crown-Part Two by Monica James
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAll The Pretty Things Trilogy Spin-Off With the enemy dead, my throne awaits my return. But the reason I’m still standing is being held captive by another foe... -
Queen's Move by Nikita Slater
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe declared war, she accepted the challenge. Vee is poised on the edge of a mob war. Born to the mob, abused by the mob, she is now ready to rise up and take over her dead husband's mafia holdings. She is queen in a beautiful and brutal city. She runs her organization with cool logic, passionate loyalty and an iron will. She's the perfect woman for the job... -
Breathe Again by Nola Marie
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the flames of sin I rose, by her virtue, I fell...I found her in my eleventh hour. My whiskey-eyed canary. Quinn.Call it Fate or destiny or whatever, but she is the melody to calm my madness. With her, the demons inside me quiet. She doesn't have a hold on my heart, she owns it. She is my everything.I've been given a second-chance and I’m not about to squander it... -
A Reckless Note by Lisa Renee Jones
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 21 ratings“I can chase you, and I can catch you, but there is nothing I can do to make you mine.” ― Morrissey It all started with a note, just a simple note hand written by a woman I didn't know, never even met. But in that note is perhaps every answer to every question I've ever had in my life. And because of that note, I travel thousands of miles. I look for her, but find him... -
-
His Queen: A Dark Forbidden Mafia Romance by Bella J
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI knew loving him would be my downfall.I just didn’t think it would happen so soon.There’s always a price to pay when you’re loved by a man like Nicoli Del Rossa.He’s my king. The captor of my heart.But with the Dark Sovereign empire comes savage enemies thirsting for bloodshed, and when a mafia war is raging, buried secrets are brought to the surface...Categorized as:
super rich hero strong heroine mafia alpha male sassy heroine angst contemporary suspense -
Whiskey Poison by Nicole Fox
The hottest man I’ve ever seen is now my new boss—and I’m stuck in a house with him…Until one of us cracks.I’ve got debt—yeah, I know, so does everyone else on Planet Earth.But the bills I’m paying keep my dad and my grandma alive.So it’s pretty messed-up for Timofey Viktorov to use them as a threat to keep me under control.Not that he cares... -
Dark Seduction: An Age Gap, Office Romance by K.C. Crowne
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhat’s more humiliating than the walk of shame?Walking into your new job…Locking eyes with the dominating stranger.And realizing he’s your boss.Lev Ivanov.Dark. Commanding.The most irresistible silver fox I've ever seen.After rescuing me from a sketchy situation,He didn’t just suggest dinner— he demanded it. Curiosity won over caution, and that night became the most passionate of my life...Categorized as:
age difference mafia alpha male super rich hero boss & employee dark suspense office -
A Debt So Ruthless by Vero Heath
At the stroke of midnight on my twentieth birthday, he comes in darkness and in blood. Elio Titone, heir to Toronto’s most brutal Cosa Nostra famiglia.Turns out my father is massively in debt to the Sicilian mafia. Elio has come for one thing and one thing only – to claim what he is owed.And what he’s owed is me.My captor is dangerous and demanding. Tortured, possessive, and wealthy beyond belief...Categorized as:
age difference mafia disabilities and marks angst sassy heroine alpha male possessive hero dark -
A Lovely Confession by Coralee June
Sometimes, I wondered if he was real. Our time together was short, but it left a lasting impression on me. I’m older now. Wiser, too. Five years have passed, and I still can’t get him off my mind. Hunter was cruel, angry, and protective. I learned his secrets and he fled. The day he left, I vowed to find him... -
A Lovely Obsession by Coralee June
My guardian angel is a devil in disguise. He hates me. He protects me. He watches me. My stalker is obsessed with keeping me safe. He calls me his prettiest debt. An assassin in the notorious Bullet gang, he uses his empire to control my life. Everything I know is a lie. What started as a debt turned into something more. What started as regret turned into obsession... -
Deadly by Suzanne Steele
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSome people say she's a machine and maybe she is when it comes to Born Bratva business. When her father gifts her with a new bodyguard named Oleg she does everything she can to torment him. Through the years of watching over the Pakhan's daughter Oleg finds himself wrapped up in a dark, sadistic, out of control love. It is the only weakness he has ever known... -
Strawberry Venom by J.L. Kenna
I am not a good man.My nine to five is spent with a blade in my hand. I hunt, intimidate, collect debts for my uncle’s Brotherhood, the Hooligans. I believe in consequences, an effect for the cause. Fate is folklore and love? An illusion.Until I met her. Little Red.Some call me Reaper, the Angel of Death. She calls me her wolf...Categorized as:
mafia angst age difference alpha male possessive hero sassy heroine dark forced proximity -
House of Heathens: The Complete Trilogy by Alta Hensley
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA villain is made.A monster is hidden.A viper who is forbidden.Together, they are the Gods Among Men.Welcome to the House of Heathens.Within these walls, you are captive to a world of decadence and sin.Where dangerous secrets hide in the shadows.And a family tree with roots so twisted, they bind and strangle each unlucky generation...Categorized as:
alpha male age difference tortured hero super rich hero dark daddy-kink pregnancy from hate to love -
Ruthless Redemption by Eden Summers
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThey say love hurts—but they never mentioned it could make you bleed. His deceit was like wine.I drank it in. Let it intoxicate me.But he’s not the man I fell for.Matthew Langston is a lie.I’d run from him if I could. I’d flee. If only he hadn’t turned my family against me.Now, I have nothing. There’s no money, phone, or external support.Only him, and his obsession with winning me back... -
-
Bratva Jewel by Sabine Barclay
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI can’t resist her. I don’t want to…She’s tried to leave our life behind, but no one walks away from the bratva.She can run, but she can’t hide.I’ll be the one to catch her when she falls. And she will because she’s walking a fine line.I’ll be there because she’s mine.I’ll go to the ends of the Earth for her. She’ll discover her limits and realize only I can please her... -
Filthy Mogul by M. Robinson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author M. Robinson comes a contemporary standalone romance.All’s fair in love and war…I’m ruthless.I’m feared.I have more enemies than friends.I didn’t just step into my father’s shadow—I’m a Jameson and that last name comes with moneyand power. I’m never afraid to get my hands dirty, especially when it comes to something I want... -
Blame It on the Shame: Part 3 by Ashley Jade
There's something lurking in all of us. Something we hide and shelter from those we love in order to protect them. A darkness we try to suppress because we're ashamed of who that makes us. Because that's the thing about Shame. It wounds us. It damages us. Or, for the few poor souls out there like me...it defines us. It's there—in the shadows, beneath the surface...just waiting...Categorized as:
angst alpha male mafia age difference strong heroine sassy heroine possessive hero super rich hero -
The Party is Over by Lisa Renee Jones
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsSometimes a girl just has to get stabby...Lilah has sworn she's done with that side of her personality.Then again, maybe not... -
Angel's Promise by Aleatha Romig
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsEverett Ramses came into my life like a hurricane on a dark New Orleans night. With a deep voice and penetrating gaze, his mere presence tingled my nerves and twisted my insides much like the city’s legendary stories of spirits and ghosts. As the ruler of New Orleans, Everett Ramses lives life hard and takes what he wants without apology.He wants me to be his queen...Categorized as:
alpha male mafia age difference super rich hero contemporary suspense dark from hate to love -
The Confession Duet by K.D. Robichaux
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIt was love at first sight. Not just for Vivian, but for Corbin as well. Their eyes locked across the room, and that was all she wrote. But they didn't rush things. They wanted to do it right. After all, they would spend the rest of their lives together. The love of each other's life. Soul mates. He was the intense and fiercely protective soldier, and she was his doting and faithful lover... -
Sinful Promise by B. B. Hamel
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI’m in his bed learning the limits of my body.Peter Calimeris. Greek mafia son, monster in a perfect suit, and the only man keeping me alive.He’s supposed to be my bodyguard, but he barely notices me.At least until Peter gets involved in a business deal with my half-sister... -
-
The Broken One by N.O. One
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMy secret is out.My entire existence is shattered, and picking myself up again proves difficult.Leaving Rose behind for a new beginning is harder than I thought, but I need to try for a more independent me with a promising future.One that doesn’t involve the infuriating yet irresistible man who challenges me at every turn.Pushing me.Protecting me.Tempting me beyond any possible resistance...Categorized as:
super rich hero mafia age difference strong heroine alpha male contemporary dual-pov bdsm -
Monster by Dani René
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsUSA Today Bestselling Author, Dani René, brings you the first book in her chapter of the Royal Bastards MC World.They call me a monster for a reason. I left my morals behind long ago, and I forgot what empathy feels like. Emotions get you killed, and I’m tired of watchin’ people die. Not anymore, not under my rule. When Father Donahue calls on the club for help, we step up...Categorized as:
alpha male age difference insta-love mafia contemporary suspense from hate to love dark -
-
The Con-Artist by Zoe Blake
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIf I have to hurt her to get what I want... I will. No is not an option. My little con artist is about to learn I run my criminal enterprise with an iron fist. She is no exception. She will do as Daddy tells her or there will be pain. Little does she know how much I will enjoy inflicting it. This is a dark romance daddy dom series... -
My Dark Fairy Tale by Giana Darling
When a mysterious man rescues her from near death, a young woman finds herself in the throes of a dark and dangerous storybook romance, where pleasure reigns but happy endings are no guarantee. Guinevere For all my life, Italy has called to me just as strongly as my father forbade me to go... -
What Grows Dies Here by Anne Malcom
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“You will be loved many times by many men. But you will only ever love one man. And that man will be your destruction.”Wren Whitney lives a beautiful life. She is a child of Beverly Hills, growing up in boarding schools, on private jets—a life of extreme wealth and privilege.Wren Whitney lives for adventure. She is afraid of nothing. She says no to nothing... -
Gilded Thorn by Ember Davis
VLADI’ve been watching and waiting for a chance to get Laurel in my arms. I shouldn’t want her since she’s the Orlov princess, but I don’t care that our families have spent generations killing each other. All I want is her. She will be the Petrov family’s queen.I know her power, her strength, and her softness; I crave all of her. I’ll lure her to me and then I’ll never let her go...Categorized as:
mafia insta-love sassy heroine alpha male possessive hero contemporary dark forbidden love -
Unveiled by Bella J.
Everyone treats me differently now.Like I'm this broken doll with glue sealing the cracks.It's okay. I can handle their pitying stares.But not his.Not Nicoli's.I hate the way he looks at me like I'm this fragile thing he's too afraid to touch.I want him to love me the way he did before this nightmare started.He needs to realize that I'm stronger than he thinks...Categorized as:
angst sassy heroine mafia strong heroine alpha male possessive hero contemporary suspense -
Blame It on the Shame 2 by Ashley Jade, Michael San
"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." I've fallen in love with Lou-Lou. And I'll stop at nothing to keep her away from you. But there's one thing I never counted on... The moment when our 'truths' would turn into lies. I thought Bruno DeLuca was our biggest threat. I was wrong. Because the fire burning between us—would end up destroying us. And killing me...Categorized as:
mafia angst age difference strong heroine sassy heroine alpha male possessive hero super rich hero -
Blossom in Shadows by Ember Davis
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsZINNIAIn my pain, I have found darkness. When I am at my lowest, I find him. He is all darkness, a place where light doesn’t dare to touch. How can he bring me so much warmth when all I have known is cold for so long? I want him as my savior, but he tastes like sin on my tongue.Being separated from what I love the most due to my body’s own betrayal has broken something inside of me... -
SINS of the Syndicate: The Debt by Lexxi James
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsTia/I've done my best to avoid him.But when his dark eyes lock onto mine, this time,I know there's nowhere I can go. Nowhere I can hide.Nowhere he won't find me.He is Smoke. Head of the D'Angelos.Gorgeous and haunting. Brutal and ruthless.He rules Chicago, and I owe him a debt.And now…he owns me.Smoke/I should send her away…This beautiful, innocent girl that conjures the best and worst in me...Categorized as:
super rich hero alpha male age difference mafia multicultural suspense dark contemporary -
Beauty and the Beast: Dark Mafia Romance Boxset by L. Steele
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratings"Run my Beauty... If I catch you, you are MINE..."Michael Byron Domenico SovranoThe Capo of Sicily's notorious Mafia company.My father owed him,so he took me to repay the debt.And married me to further his own ambitions.I hate him, I am determined to resist him.But what happens when I begin to fall for my new husband..Categorized as:
mafia super rich hero alpha male age difference dark contemporary from hate to love abduction -
Inked For Life by Flora Ferrari
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsI’m inked for life—a red crosshair on my wrist, marking me as a traitor’s daughter. With my uncle, Nick, I’m forced to attend Cartel parties. I have to prove my loyalty. I have to prove I’m not like my dad. Otherwise, they’ll do the same to me. Then one night, at a party, I see him, Damien Dovlatov, the leader of the Bratva. As a supposedly loyal Cartel girl, I’m supposed to hate him... -
-
Defy by Sienna Snow
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSophia Morelli’s wild and rebellious nature has earned her a notorious reputation in Bishop’s Landing. But everything changes when she crosses paths with Damon Pierce, her brother’s best friend and a Dom at Violent Delights with secrets of his own. The temptation to submit to his dangerous possession becomes too hard to resist...Categorized as:
age difference super rich hero mafia alpha male bdsm dark contemporary length-medium -
Violent Triumphs by Jessica Hawkins
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe highly anticipated conclusion to the “emotional, steamy, and dangerous” USA Today bestselling White Monarch series. I’ve become a queen to the forsaken, a leader to thieves, and the wife of a man who instills fear in all who cross his path. He was the husband I didn’t want. Now, I can’t fathom life without my king. I should’ve been ready for anything... -
Buttons and Revenge by Penelope Sky
My brother didn’t pay his debts—and now I’m on the hook for it. They already killed him, so I know they won’t hesitate to do the same to me. With nowhere to run or hide, I buy a one-way ticket to Milan to audition for Barsetti Lingerie in the hope I can start a new life. Conway Barsetti chooses me as his next model—but then he wants more...Categorized as:
possessive hero super rich hero alpha male strong heroine contemporary suspense virgin heroine dark -
Devil's Deal by Aleatha Romig
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat is your desire?Lust, money, or power?I am the man who can make every dream come true, for a price. Years ago, a fight for supremacy took place between the two most powerful families in New Orleans. The battle was set in the metaphoric octagon with the spotlight blazing. The city sat in paralyzed fear, awaiting word of a victor. Abraham Ramses versus Isaiah Boudreau...Categorized as:
mafia super rich hero age difference alpha male suspense dark arranged marriage contemporary -
Captured Pawn by Livia Grant
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMy brother’s death was no accident, and the last thing I want is protection from the same mafia boss whose turf war got him killed...Categorized as:
alpha male mafia age difference strong heroine dark bdsm from hate to love forced proximity -
The Forever One by N.O. One
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHell hath no fury like a scorned mafia queen.They couldn't have my blood so they went after my husband.Their mistake was underestimating me.Controlled by my past and the responsibilities my true heritage bestows on me, I’m driven to make decisions I never once considered...Categorized as:
super rich hero strong heroine angst alpha male age difference mafia contemporary suspense
Find out more about romance.io.
Get recommendations by genres & tropes
Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.