Books like 'Brutal'

Readers who enjoyed Brutal by A.J. Merlin also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  dark romance  suspense  m-f  bad boys  horror  praise-kink  spanking  age difference  bdsm 

  • Grounded by R.K. Lilley

    Grounded by R.K. Lilley

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 185 ratings
    James and Bianca’s story draws to a close in the explosive conclusion to the Up In The Air Trilogy. After a short but earnest courtship, Bianca can no longer deny her feelings for James, and though she’s tried her hardest, she can’t help but see that he cares deeply for her, as well...
  • Eulogy by Rachel Van Dyken

    Eulogy by Rachel Van Dyken

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 34 ratings
    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...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  suspense  bad boys  m-f  mafia  angst  alpha male  dark
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  • Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken

    Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken

    Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    Enrage 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...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  suspense  m-f  mafia  contemporary  angst  dark
  • This is Who I Am by Cherise Sinclair

    This is Who I Am by Cherise Sinclair

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 64 ratings
    When trying to save a woman from slavers, Sam screwed up. Royally. Now Linda wants nothing to do with him. Or with BDSM. She won’t even admit she’s a masochist. As a dominant and sadist, he can give her what she needs, and when an opportunity arises, he slips into her life, intending to make amends. She’s everything he knew she would be…except for her bullheaded determination to be ‘normal’...
  • Reluctant Surrender by Measha Stone

    Reluctant Surrender by Measha Stone

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 21 ratings
    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

    Buttons and Devotion by Penelope Sky

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 24 ratings
    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...
  • Copper by Lilly Atlas

    Copper by Lilly Atlas

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 30 ratings
    Enormous, commanding, and hotter than sin, Copper is the only man Shell has ever wanted. Even as a young teen, when it was impossible and taboo to capture the attention of a grown man, she longed for him. For years, Shell clung to the dream of turning eighteen and finally being noticed by the Hell’s Handlers’ rough and gruff president...
  • Easy to Fall by W. Winters

    Easy to Fall by W. Winters

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    From 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...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  suspense  m-f  contemporary  alpha male  dark  mafia
  • Buttons and Betrayal by Penelope Sky

    Buttons and Betrayal by Penelope Sky

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 23 ratings
    Conway paid off Knuckles to keep me—but he expects something in return. I belong to him exclusively, to fulfill every order he gives, personally and professionally. I’m more just his muse now. I’m his in every sense of the word. I live a life of luxury in his mansion, but he treats me like a servant. I can’t deny my attraction for him, but I despise the kind of man he is...
  • Saving Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

    Saving Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Beckett 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...
  • Drew by Siobhan Davis

    Drew by Siobhan Davis

    Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    The explosive finale in the highly addictive Rydeville Elite series. Mistakes and secrets. My life is littered with them. And it’s not always me who pays the price. So, I do something I swore I wouldn’t do—become the monster my father raised me to be. To shield my loved ones from the predators I hunt, I keep family and friends in the dark, but I won’t apologize for protecting them...
  • Tempted to Kiss by W. Winters

    Tempted to Kiss by W. Winters

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    From 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...
  • Savage by K.L. Savage

    Savage by K.L. Savage

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    I'm on the road, but there's only one thing on my mind.Eden...Problem is, this isn't me.I don't chase.I don't pursue.But I can't help myself.Eden is stubborn.Headstrong.The toughest woman I know.My mistake was letting myself have a taste.It wasn't enough.I'm addicted.I'm breaking my own rules.I don't care how complicated it is.But the complications keep coming..
  • Primal Pursuit by Bella J.

    Primal Pursuit by Bella J.

    Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 14 ratings
    Davian Stark is beautiful, twisted, cruel.And he’s going to die.By my hand.He’s one of the Elites of the Dark Sovereign.A bloodthirsty Mafia Assassin.And a hunter fueled by his need for the chase.If I want to get close to him, I have to give him something to hunt.Me.He made a mistake by letting me survive my family’s massacre. I've trained, fed my hate, and now, I'm ready to strike...
  • Untamed by M. O'Keefe

    Untamed by M. O'Keefe

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Marriage has always meant violence. I don’t trust it, but it’s the only thing keeping me afloat in these dark undercurrents. I married for safety but I got the most dangerous thing in the world—Ronan Byrne for a husband.Now we’re returning to Bishop’s Landing to face our demons. Mine. His. We have real enemies to conquer, but it’s the fear in my heart that beats the loudest...
  • Chelsea by Addison Jane, Kaylene Osborn

    Chelsea by Addison Jane, Kaylene Osborn

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    Chelsea spent most of her life running. She was young when her parents were killed, and she was thrown into the system as just another statistic. One foster home after another, hell after hell. When things got too hard, her first instinct was to get out and fast. She didn’t mind being a club girl...
  • Surrendered Innocence by Measha Stone

    Surrendered Innocence by Measha Stone

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    He didn't ask for my surrender. He took it...
  • Oath of Possession by Jane Henry

    Oath of Possession by Jane Henry

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 13 ratings
    Vivia Montavio is a traitor, and it’s my job to see to her punishment and interrogation. What a tragedy. She’s the hottest little number I’ve ever seen with that defiant little chin and eyes that spark with wit and boldness. I love a good challenge. We’re left with little choice when the truth outs. So I take her far, far away to La Cabina, a rustic cabin in the middle of nowhere...
  • One Night With Him: Jonathan and Monica's Story by C.D. Reiss

    One Night With Him: Jonathan and Monica's Story by C.D. Reiss

    Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 31 ratings
    Jonathan Drazen’s my billionaire boss.Or he was, until he fired me.Now he wants to make a bet.If I win, he’ll give me enough money to not care about this waitressing job.If he wins, I’m completely and utterly his for the night.I’m sworn off men, but I’ll take this wager. He’s hot enough to break some rules over.Besides, he’s still hung up on his ex-wife...
  • Deny by E.C. Land, Elizabeth Knox

    Deny by E.C. Land, Elizabeth Knox

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    I'll crucify every last one of them that hurt her.MalcolmI didn't think she was so important in my life until she was taken, and then everything changed. It became clear she was my entire world and my life revolved around her. I did everything I could to pull her from their evil clutches, and by the grace of God I found her in enough time.But I didn't find her soon enough. Sure, she was alive .
  • Andrey by LeAnn Ashers

    Andrey by LeAnn Ashers

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    NicoleSince I was a little girl, raising my younger sister had always been my main priority. I never imagined, however, that taking care of her would put me in danger.Men came for her, but kidnapped me instead by mistake.Then he rescued me, and on that day, he claimed me.Andrey is mine just as much as I am his.AndreyThe second her eyes met mine I saw the fear in them...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  suspense  m-f  contemporary  bikers  humor  dark
  • King of Pain by Piper Stone

    King of Pain by Piper Stone

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    My vows didn't make me his. My body did. Diego Santos may be wealthy, powerful, and sinfully gorgeous, but his slick veneer doesn't fool me. I know his true nature, and I had planned to end this arranged marriage before it even began. But it wasn't Diego waiting for me at the altar...
    Categorized as:
    spanking  suspense  bdsm  m-f  dark  mafia  alpha male  contemporary
  • Tate by Jane Henry

    Tate by Jane Henry

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    There’s a spy in my Clan…She’s threatening to put my entire family in danger.When I find the lass, I will break her.Punish her.Make her rue the day she endangered the Cowen Clan.But when one lie unearths another,And our enemies are at our heels...Our spy may be our only chance of survival...
  • SCARS by Jaimie Roberts

    SCARS by Jaimie Roberts

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    I had the perfect school, the perfect friends—the perfect life ... At least, that’s what I thought. But you changed all that. You are always there ... Always watching ... Always waiting in the shadows. You send me flowers and messages. You stalk me, trace my every movement..
  • Brutal Saint by Luna Kayne

    Brutal Saint by Luna Kayne

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    HARLOW IS HUNTING HER SISTER’S KILLER.AND COLE IS HUNTING HER.COLE SAINTThe woman my family is looking for is the one-night stand I can’t get out of my head, and her life depends on me getting to her first.Harlow is sunshine and light.I live in the shadows, among the dark and the damned, but there’s something about Harlow that makes me want to take care of her...
  • Breathe Again by Nola Marie

    Breathe Again by Nola Marie

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From 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...
  • Master Thor by Ann Jensen, Rogue London

    Master Thor by Ann Jensen, Rogue London

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Desperate times call for desperate measures.When I hit rock bottom I found Club Midgard was looking to hire. I knew nothing about BDSM when I interviewed with a man I couldn’t have dreamt up if I’d tried.In his world women are protected.In his world women are honored.In his world lay safety and happiness.ONLY if I gave him my submission...
  • Solemn Vow by Measha Stone

    Solemn Vow by Measha Stone

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 10 ratings
    She’s being blackmailed. Ordinarily, that wouldn't be my concern. But since it's her, someone will have to pay...
  • Amos y mazmorras: Segunda parte by Lena Valenti

    Amos y mazmorras: Segunda parte by Lena Valenti

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Chegou a hora de encarar o tão aguardado torneio Dragões e Masmorras DS. Entregue-se aos combates. Liberte seus desejos. Na busca pela irmã desaparecida, a agente Cleo Connelly conseguiu se infiltrar no ultrassecreto torneio de práticas BDSM, o Dragões e Masmorras DS...
  • Ruthless Prince by Piper Stone

    Ruthless Prince by Piper Stone

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Alexandra is a senator's daughter, used to mingling in the company of the rich and powerful, but tonight she will learn that there are men who play by different rules. Men like me. I could romance her. I could seduce her and then carry her gently to my bed. But that can wait...
  • Tethered Souls by Beth Flynn

    Tethered Souls by Beth Flynn

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    My family has secrets. I’m always the good girl, doing what’s necessary to keep my loved ones safe. I've kept the darkest secrets from everyone I know. As painful as it is to hold them all inside where they live and gnaw away at me, that’s where they must stay. I haven't seen my closest childhood friend, Christian Bear, since I was a teenager—he hasn't changed a bit...
  • Hunt for You by Aimee Lynn

    Hunt for You by Aimee Lynn

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 7 ratings
    She wants to die. He's prepared to kill.Let the hunt begin...***** You think me murdering you is going to make you feel alive? No, I think knowing that my day is coming soon will make life a lot more interesting until it does. And then when it finally does, I won’t have to think about it anymore at all. That’s dark. You’re homicide-for-hire and you’re calling me dark? Touche...
  • Possessed by Lies by Ella Miles

    Possessed by Lies by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I fought my way back, and now I’m possessed. I’ve healed the wounds that kept me trapped. I’m done fighting it. I’m hers. Completely. I just don’t know if she feels the same. What if the empire we’ve been building crumbles along with our love?Possessed by Lies is book 5 in the Truth or Lies series. It continues Enzo and Kai's story...
  • Consumed by Truths by Ella Miles

    Consumed by Truths by Ella Miles

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Enzo is my heart. My soul. My breath. I never thought I could be so dark. Never knew love meant losing myself and getting reborn. The lies and truths have finally caught up with us. We may have stolen an empire, but we aren’t ready to give it up. It’s ours. He’s mine. And our love will find a way to the truth. Consumed by Truths is book 6 and the final book in Enzo and Kai's story...
  • Reaper by Rachel Leigh

    Reaper by Rachel Leigh

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    They call me the reaper.Saying I have no soul. A heart that’s charred black. I tell them it’s true,because it is. I’ve been hiding in the shadows.Stealing secrets, destroying the lives of those who deserve it. But there’s one story to be told before this book closes. My story. Don’t be fooled, it’s not a fairytale. I’m no prince.And I certainly don’t want a princess...
  • Merciless Union by Faith Summers

    Merciless Union by Faith Summers

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Everything 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...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  new adult  m-f  contemporary  dark  mafia
  • Beautiful Devil by Piper Stone

    Beautiful Devil by Piper Stone

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I made my name and my fortune carrying out every hit with absolute precision. But this time it wasn’t a job, it was personal, and something went horribly wrong. This time there was a witness...
  • Blackness Within by Norma Jeanne Karlsson

    Blackness Within by Norma Jeanne Karlsson

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Fighting to find his worthy place in life… This is the story of a woman that has worked tirelessly to build her own life from nothing. While the task has been exhaustive, it’s been worth every drop of sweat to earn her own slice of normal. Natasha Reynolds has built a life beyond an absent mother and a drug addict brother to become a home-owning, dog-loving nurse...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  possessive hero  m-f  contemporary  dark
  • Twist Me & Keep Me by Anna Zaires, Dima Zales

    Twist Me & Keep Me by Anna Zaires, Dima Zales

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    For a limited time, get the first 2 books in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling dark romance trilogy in one convenient bundle! A seductive, thrilling tale of abduction and dark love . . .On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Nora Leston meets Julian Esguerra, and her life changes forever...
  • A Single Glance by W. Winters

    A Single Glance by W. Winters

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes a heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat gripping, romantic suspense. I saw her from across the bar. My bar. My city. Everything in that world belonged to me. She stood out from the crowd like she was looking for someone to blame for her pain. That night, I felt the depths of my mistakes. I felt my scars...
  • Unbreakable Vow: A Dark Mafia Romance by Measha Stone

    Unbreakable Vow: A Dark Mafia Romance by Measha Stone

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 12 ratings
    The marriage was supposed to be fake. Then he threw me over his shoulder and carried me to his bed. Sergei Petrov is about to become one of the richest men in the country, and while this Russian mob boss is counting his cash I'm scraping together pennies to pay for my mother's care facility. So when I overhear a conversation that I suspect he'd want to know about, I bring the information to him...
  • Bait by Jade West

    Bait by Jade West

    Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 146 ratings
    A stranger online. Dark hair and even darker eyes that knew my dirty desires before I did. A fantasy that should never be spoken. But he pulled the confession from me. And now he’s coming for me. Rough. Dirty. Dangerous. It’s supposed to be one night to get me off and make me forget. He’ll make me his and I’ll pretend I don’t want him to. I’ll run and he’ll chase...
  • The Woman on the Exam Table by Jessica Gadziala

    The Woman on the Exam Table by Jessica Gadziala

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 21 ratings
    He was not the kind of man meant to fall in love.He was the proud enforcer of the Costa Family who perhaps enjoyed the violent, bloody parts of his job a bit too much.All that changed, though, when he was put on a job that had him crossing paths with a woman who changed everything.She was not the kind of woman to have hope.The life she found herself trapped in had very little to look forward to...
  • Mafia Fire by Shanna Handel

    Mafia Fire by Shanna Handel

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    A dark mafia...
  • Undying by Madeline Sheehan

    Undying by Madeline Sheehan

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    A creation of chaos and lust, I was born into a world so foul, I made it my mission to find the beauty hidden within, to reveal the sun behind the clouds, the rainbows after the storms, the life that still exists even in death. One-third my mother, I had an infectious smile and a heart so big, there was room enough for everyone, no matter their sins...
  • Savored Innocence by Measha Stone

    Savored Innocence by Measha Stone

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Today I called him my fiancé. Tonight I'll call him daddy.When I claimed to be Roman Romanov's fiancé, I just wanted a Russian to leave me alone at a club. I didn't know another bratva boss was upstairs at that very moment trying to get Roman to marry his daughter, and definitely I didn't expect to end up going home with Roman that night...
  • The Arrangement by K.C. Crowne

    The Arrangement by K.C. Crowne

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 15 ratings
    He's nearly twice my age.He may have k*lled my ex-boyfriend.And his scandalous offer leaves me speechless. An intimidating Russian mobster arrives at my door...Demanding settlement for debt my horrible ex left in my name.Maksim, with his piercing dark eyes, sparks a fire within me.He proposes the repay him with my body.  I refuse instantly—yet the proposal lingers, haunting my restless nights...
  • Claimed as Revenge by Piper Stone

    Claimed as Revenge by Piper Stone

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    A Dark Mafia RomanceI claimed her to send a message. I'll keep her for my pleasure.Valencia Rivera was given to me for a night to seal a deal offered to me by her father, but after that pact was broken I decided she was mine to keep. She thought she had a say in the matter, but she found out otherwise when the first stinging lash of my belt landed on her beautiful bottom...
    Categorized as:
    suspense  m-f  spanking  contemporary  mafia  anal sex  dark
  • Kings of Kink by N.O. One

    Kings of Kink by N.O. One

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    A Why Choose Standalone NovelSometimes a queen needs a king…or three.My name is Madelina Mancini and as the younger sister to New York City’s most powerful mafia don, I’ve lived most of my life in the family’s protective bubble.Until I didn’t.Until evil found me and tried to destroy me.Happiness seemed impossible when all I felt was emptiness...
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