Books like 'Ruthless Empire'
Readers who enjoyed Ruthless Empire by Rina Kent also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance young adult from hate to love virgin heroine stepsibling forbidden love cruel hero strong heroine virgin hero
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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...Categorized as:
new adult high-school alpha male sports bad boys stepsibling from hate to love athletes -
![The Finish Line by Kate Stewart]()
The Finish Line by Kate Stewart
Secrets and Lies...I’ve lived the entirety of my life wrapped up in subterfuge for one purpose—revenge.Through the years, I lived more as an enigma than a man.For so long, I denied I had a beating heart of my own. Until her. Until she unearthed the starving vessel inside, forced me to acknowledge it, forced me to understand that I’m capable of bleeding the same as any other.For that, we paid...Categorized as:
super rich hero angst suspense alpha male tortured hero new adult from hate to love second chances -
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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...Categorized as:
suspense bad boys friends to lovers alpha male virgin heroine angst new adult tortured hero -
![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... -
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![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 super rich hero bad boys high-school forbidden love from hate to love alpha male m-f -
![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... -
![Still Jaded by Tijan]()
Still Jaded by Tijan
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsSheldon, 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...Categorized as:
athletes friends to lovers alpha male bad boys suspense mystery sassy heroine other-man-woman -
![Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken]()
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... -
![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...Categorized as:
new adult bad boys high-school from hate to love forbidden love mystery angst cruel hero -
![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:
from hate to love suspense new adult mystery forbidden love cruel hero bad boys angst -
![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...Categorized as:
new adult cruel hero suspense bad boys alpha male mystery from hate to love high-school -
![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...Categorized as:
forbidden love from hate to love bad boys alpha male angst new adult suspense high-school -
![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...Categorized as:
m-f high-school tortured hero angst from hate to love strong heroine cruel hero suspense -
![Malum: Part Two by Amo Jones, Lucy Rivers]()
Malum: Part Two by Amo Jones, Lucy Rivers
Some girls don’t like pretty things.Some girls like things that are destructive and toxic. Things that fuel our bodies with adrenaline and bring our demons to their knees.They say magic isn’t real, but isn't it the closest way to describe love? It doesn’t exist physically. It merely exists around us, within us, possessing our souls and making us do stupid shit... -
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![Deviant Reign by Tracy Lorraine]()
Deviant Reign 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.Watching her walk away for a second time... nearly destroyed me.But it was nothing less than I deserved from the things I put her through.I should have let her go. I’d already caused Emmie enough pain to last a lifetime. But I’m a masochist...Categorized as:
from hate to love cruel hero new adult high-school mystery second chances forbidden love suspense -
![Taint Her by Caitlyn Dare]()
Taint Her by Caitlyn Dare
He 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... -
![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.. -
![Savage by Tracy Lorraine]()
Savage by Tracy Lorraine
The Rosewood boys are back!Ethan has the perfect life, or so it seems but a shock revelation from his father results in his world crashing to his feet. A new arrival sends his anger and need for justice spiraling out of control. Can he accept his new reality and what he really wants or are his actions going to cause too much pain?Dear Reader,SAVAGE is the third book in my Rosewood High series...Categorized as:
high-school sports new adult from hate to love cruel hero forced proximity m-f stepsibling -
![Ride or Die by Sheridan Anne]()
Ride or Die by Sheridan Anne
Gang life isn't for everyone, but a b*tch in colors always looks good.The West Side Wolves claim to be a brotherhood, but what do they do when a sister walks in demanding their attention?To everyone else, stepping into the Wolf Den was an epic mistake, filled with consequential betrayals...Categorized as:
high-school new adult suspense from hate to love cruel hero forced proximity super rich hero m-f -
![Be My Brayshaw by Meagan Brandy]()
Be My Brayshaw by Meagan Brandy
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes an enemies-to-lovers, standalone romance about love, lies, and finding the strength to forgive."Cross one, cross all."That's the Brayshaw way.She should have realized this before sliding into our world with secrets too big to bury.She didn't and now the target is on her back...Categorized as:
new adult sports from hate to love angst suspense cruel hero sassy heroine strong heroine -
![The Moth and the Flame by B.B. Reid]()
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 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:
new adult sports friends to lovers alpha male bad boys virgin heroine angst forbidden love -
![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...Categorized as:
sports bad boys angst from hate to love cruel hero new adult secret-relationship m-f -
![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... -
![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... -
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![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...Categorized as:
new adult suspense high-school from hate to love mystery bad boys alpha male cruel hero -
![Dusty by YellowBella, TeamBella23]()
Dusty by YellowBella, TeamBella23
Now published as InnocentsShe 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...Categorized as:
new adult high-school angst bad boys forbidden love tortured hero alpha male other-man-woman -
![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.. -
![Ghostgirl by J.B. Salsbury]()
Ghostgirl by J.B. Salsbury
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 16 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:
new adult friends to lovers bad boys forbidden love virgin heroine mystery young adult contemporary -
![Light in the Shadows by A. Meredith Walters]()
Light in the Shadows by A. Meredith Walters
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 45 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:
tortured hero second chances bad boys virgin heroine sassy heroine angst new adult high-school -
![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... -
![The Saint by Kelsey Clayton]()
The Saint by Kelsey Clayton
DELANEYCruel.Heartless.A mistake waiting to happen.Knox Vaughn is the epitome of a bad boy.He's trouble in a sexy-as-sin package. I know it.They know it.Even he knows it. But, it's like a moth to the flame.I can't stay away—even though I'm going to get burned.You know what they say,The sinners are much more fun. And this saint is changing the game.KNOXSweet.Innocent.Valedictorian... -
![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... -
![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... -
![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...Categorized as:
cruel hero sports new adult from hate to love super rich hero angst strong heroine tortured heroine -
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![Savage Delight by Sara Wolf]()
Savage Delight by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 49 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... -
![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 mystery angst suspense alpha male from hate to love cruel hero friends to lovers -
![Brutal Precious by Sara Wolf]()
Brutal Precious by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 38 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:
mystery strong heroine alpha male bad boys tortured heroine cruel hero sassy heroine angst -
![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...Categorized as:
from hate to love second chances cruel hero angst suspense new adult high-school virgin heroine -
![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.. -
![Just Like Heaven by Trilina Pucci]()
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...Categorized as:
new adult high-school suspense angst forbidden love from hate to love bad boys alpha male -
![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... -
![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... -
![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... -
![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 suspense from hate to love cruel hero alpha male strong heroine angst -
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![Fall With Me by Lucy Smoke]()
Fall With Me by Lucy Smoke
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIsaac Icari: The God of Hazelwood University. My stepbrother.My lover.My enemy.It was dangerous to let myself be swept up by him but he’s a drug that I crave.I should have walked away the second I realized what he was involved with, when he revealed who his father truly was.Now it’s too late.We should have known better. Get too close to the sun and you get burned... -
![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... -
![Black Tangled Heart by Samantha Young]()
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:
new adult friends to lovers from hate to love angst second chances suspense alpha male high-school -
![Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan]()
Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 108 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...Categorized as:
mystery friends to lovers athletes suspense virgin heroine tortured heroine sports possessive hero -
![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...Categorized as:
alpha male angst athletes bad boys from hate to love friends to lovers mystery new adult -
![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:
high-school new adult cruel hero tortured heroine tortured hero other-man-woman dark contemporary
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