Books like 'The Red Cardinal'
Readers who enjoyed The Red Cardinal by Mia Smantz also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary reverse harem dark romance poly (3+ people) insta-love friends to lovers new adult mafia suspense
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Anarchy by Tate James
Five years ago, I made a choice that I haven’t regretted a day since. I protected the single most important person in my world, my little sister. I protected myself, and I seized control of the Tri-state Timberwolves. Since then, I’ve wielded that power with an iron fist. Done whatever it took to take care of my people. Kept us out of the public eye, and kept us safe...Categorized as:
mafia suspense new adult friends to lovers reverse harem contemporary age difference poly -
Beautiful Soldier by E.M. Moore
In the Heights, everyone fears the Heights Crew. I wish I had the luxury.I can’t afford to run away from them, I have to run to them. Why? Because now they’re my only chance at survival.Johnny, Brawler, Oscar, Magnum—I hope we can all come together to get out of this. It’s going to take a lot more than luck to free me from the wrongs I’ve been accused of... -
Seduction by Cassie Hargrove, Story Brooks
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsᴀ ʟᴇꜱꜱ ᴛʜᴀɴ ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴏʙꜱᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ʜᴀꜱ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴀᴅʟʏ ɢᴀᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴇᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ…The Deadly Seven were something I never could have prepared for. They came into my life like a silent stalker, claiming my heart and body, and I gave into them willingly. I love those seven broken souls, but even love has it’s limits... -
Poison Roses by Jaymin Eve, Tate James
You know that saying, things can’t possibly get worse? They always can. I thought I’d hit rock bottom when I turned sixteen. The day I broke my first love's heart, ending things before I could ruin his career as a rock star. But damn, was I wrong. Things got progressively worse from that moment on, until now...Categorized as:
mafia friends to lovers new adult suspense insta-love cruel hero forced proximity from hate to love -
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Rule: A Dark MC Romance by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThe Red Ridge Sinners MC series from bestselling author Caitlyn Dare continues…The truth is out—I’m in love with three Sinners.Zach, Jax, and Diesel might want to make me theirs but there’s still too many secrets between us, ones that could ruin everything.Ones that could break us.They might rule my body.Own my heart.But ultimately, they have the power to break me...Categorized as:
friends to lovers suspense new adult reverse harem dark menage age difference high-school -
Chaos & Carnage by R.A. Smyth
Blood will be shed.Lives will be lost.Freedom will be won.I might have my brother back, but Giovanni still runs free, and his alliance with the Grim Bastards is causing chaos in the streets of Black Creek.Now, more than ever, it is important for us to work as a team, but tensions are at an all time high... -
Cardinal of Hope by Mia Smantz
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsCallie Jensen has officially taken a step into the world of romance, but even that can't be uncomplicated. She's pretty sure that more than one guy is showing interest in her, and with no experience on the matter, she's not sure how to handle it. It certainly doesn't feel normal. However, the harem she seems to be building with the Delta members is the least of her worries... -
Dangerous Men by Evelyn Ward
“Careful, Sydney. No one likes an angry woman.”Sydney Sinclair has spent her life trying to be good.And it hasn’t always been easy.Reeling from a bad breakup, Sydney’s life takes an unexpected turn when a night out with her best friend leads to an encounter with Alec, a wealthy and enigmatic businessman... -
The Throne of Lies by Candice M. Wright
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen people think of Saylor Adams, They think of the boy whose life she ruined The football superstar whose future was forever altered by a secret A secret that followed him to his grave. Dubbed a bad seed and a liar,Saylor was the girl we warned our sons aboutBack before she ran away amid a storm of rumors and accusations...Categorized as:
insta-love suspense new adult reverse harem age difference contemporary menage bikers -
Delirium by Katie May
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsELLIE New secrets and shocking revelations have brought me and my guys closer together. We must work as a team to bring down the Paragons of Prosperity once and for all. But with one of my men presumed dead, another being actively recruited by the cult in question, and the other three chasing lead after lead, I fear we may be in way over our heads... -
Damaged & Deadly by R.A. Smyth
Blood will be shed.Lives will be lost.Lines will be crossed.I married the very man I’m supposed to hate. I still can’t believe it, but when I saw Luc, beaten and bloody in that church, I knew there was no way out. I had to marry him. That doesn’t mean everything the Rejects and I have worked toward has been for nothing. If anything, it matters more now than ever...Categorized as:
mafia suspense new adult reverse harem dark from hate to love contemporary marriage of convenience -
Reign Of Ruin by Santana Knox
I lied…My name isn’t Cecilia. When the doors of my past were pried open, all of my skeletons came tumbling out. I’d lived my whole life thinking the worst had already happened, and nothing else could hurt me. I couldn’t have been more wrong.In the wreckage I’m reborn. I’ll do anything to get my revenge on those who’ve wronged me and the man who stole my throne, My uncle... -
Psychotic by Katie May
ELLIEThey lied to me. Kept secrets.And now, I'm forced to pay the ultimate price.The Divine One sees me as a necessary sacrifice in this war I know very little about.Do I allow myself to become a pawn...or do I fight back with everything I have, regardless of the consequences?THE KINGSThe girl we adore and love is in the hands of our greatest enemy...Categorized as:
new adult suspense friends to lovers reverse harem contemporary poly dark virgin hero -
Unseen (Joker's Wild Novella) by B. Livingstone, Indie Black
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat happens when the dutiful wife is pushed too far?Rebellion and Freedom.While the whole world searches for the senator’s missing housewife,Zoey crafts a plan to guarantee she steers clear of their radar... -
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Cardinal Rose by Mia Smantz
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsCallie finally found a home. It's everything she's ever dreamed of - friendship, family, and a healthy dose of romance, which Dr. Harper repeatedly reminds her is a good thing since it will help her deal with her most recent loss. So, why can't she be happy? That reason comes in the form of one Russian mob boss named Nikolai Ivanov...Categorized as:
new adult mafia insta-love friends to lovers suspense reverse harem contemporary dark -
The Silence Lies by Sophie Dyer
Revenge; they say it’s best served cold, right? Well, that’s exactly what I intend to do. Enzo LaRosa was everything to me, my best friend, my second in command, and my enemies took him from me. After his death, I’m more determined than ever to make the enemy pay for what they did. But as the first female leader of The Bianchi family, I have a target on my back...Categorized as:
mafia friends to lovers suspense dark reverse harem from hate to love contemporary bisexual -
Hateful Regent by Helen Scott, Zoey Shelby
Finding out who murdered my sister was supposed to be easy…The Boys of Ascendance Bay are more complicated than I ever imagined. Between what Jude told me and the creepy notes that I’ve found in my room I’m beginning to wonder if there’s more to my sister’s death than I first thought.Melody is pushing harder for me to find the evidence we need to take our revenge...Categorized as:
new adult suspense mafia length-medium contemporary dark from hate to love arranged marriage -
Why Don't You Save Me? by Rae Knight
We will get her back. No matter the cost.Tori’s been taken. Nico's done the unthinkable—kidnapped her right from under our noses.We’ve spent years fighting for her, trying to prove that we’re the ones who deserve her, and just when we managed to have her the way we've wanted, he’s got her. He’s using her. Telling her to say she hates us, that she never loved us...Categorized as:
new adult mafia suspense reverse harem from hate to love contemporary dark forced proximity -
Vice by Mila Sin
Have you ever inadvertently flashed fifteen thousand people on a live stream? No? Just me? Damn.Hi, I’m Sage. MavenOfMischief, former escort, current junior at Steiner University. And four months ago, my carefully constructed online gaming persona went viral... -
Dirty Crazy Bad: Book 2 by Siobhan Davis
In the secret society of The Luminaries, no sin will go unpunished… The Greed & Gluttony Luminary has trapped us into executing his evil plans, and it seems we have little option but to agree. Carter has orchestrated Chad’s kidnapping, and he holds my mom’s life in his hands... -
Salvation by Cassie Hargrove, Story Brooks
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsIt started with an Obsession… We knew from the moment we saw her that she would be ours, and we used all of our means of Seduction to prove it to her... However, with our way of life comes trouble. It didn’t matter how much Devotion we had, it wasn’t enough to keep her safe, and now we’re here. We’re fighting for our lives and everything we never knew we’d have... -
Ruin by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsA new dark romance from the bestselling author of the Savage Falls MC series .My whole life I’ve been treated like some innocent naïve girl. Shielded from the dark and dangerous world my big brother inhabits.But not any longer.Now, Savage Falls is my home, the Sinners MC, my family. I’m the new club princess, a burden I neither want nor need.Because I’m not as innocent as they all think...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers mafia suspense reverse harem dark high-school contemporary -
Player by Hattie Jude
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom Hattie Jude comes Player, a sexy standalone why choose academy romance.The secrets I’m keeping are catching up with me.I’ve tried to keep my life as simple as possible out of necessity, and for the safety of me and my sister.I’ve kept my virginity, focused on my grades, and stayed away from trouble.But the desire to live a normal life is beginning to override everything else...Categorized as:
new adult suspense friends to lovers from hate to love cruel hero college contemporary sports -
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Deceptive Truce by Heather Long, Michelle Lancaster
Life has been a series of exquisite disasters…Do you ever lie to yourself? I do. Making friends has been the cruelest choice I ever inflicted upon myself. I like to say I don’t regret it, and for the most part that’s true.I resent it.I despise him because he left me behind, following another battle in this war we’ve been waging...Categorized as:
new adult suspense reverse harem contemporary dark super rich hero poly length-medium -
Chaos Crown by Ruby Vincent
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsChaos Crown description will be published closer to the release date to prevent spoilers... -
Vicious Kitten by Sarah J.D.
I am Kitten. Hear me purr!Well, hellooo trouble! I thought you'd forgotten about me for a hot minute there. But of course, you were just lulling me into a false sense of security. How silly of me to think you wouldn’t come back with a vengeance!Secrets never stay secret. One way or another, they come out and bite you on the arse... -
Dylan by Charlie Jules, Stacy Stone
Just because I’m new to the dark doesn’t mean I can’t embrace it…I used to have a decent life. A normal life. Then my mother decided to marry into the Irish mafia and everything changed.Suddenly, normal was in my rearview and I was stuck in the uppity hell known as Brooke Hollow Academy. The only upside I found was the brutally hot guy I met on day one.Dylan Blackthorne...Categorized as:
suspense mafia contemporary explicit-open-door from hate to love reverse harem dark poly -
Kiss Her Goodbye: The Complete Series by Rebecca Royce
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI'm Everly Marrs, and my life has been a whirlwind of chaos and revelation. The men who kidnapped me, known as The Letters, upended everything I believed in. They showed me a world beyond my control, one where I'm not just a victim but a player in their dangerous games. From the day they took me, my neatly outlined plans for a future in social work, for love, for a normal life, all vanished... -
Liar Liar - Part two: D'Arco Mafia Duet by Jaye Pratt
They didn’t come for me.I wanted Killian to be the one to take my life, but five months later, nothing.I’m still alive.They promised they would follow me to the ends of the earth if I left.They lied.Now, I have no choice but to go back and clear my name.I plan to walk in with my head held high and give them evidence that will force them into hearing me out... -
Return by N.V. Roez
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThey say there’s beauty in broken things… I don’t agree.My past broke me, nothing beautiful about it. I buried my past and my secrets to live a normal life at the prestigious Stratham University.School of dreams… with new friends and a fresh start. But I didn’t bury my past deep enough. The boys that betrayed me are now the men of Stratham’s elite...Categorized as:
new adult friends to lovers reverse harem contemporary dark abuse from hate to love cruel hero -
Psycho Punks by Madeline Fay
This is it.The moment it's come down to... the end of my new beginning.My veins were once frozen, that if you cut me open, it would have been so cold. So very cold that I felt nothing.Now, my blood flows with fire, a purpose to fight back. To keep living and to love.The evil that exist around me doesn't know what they have unleashed.Psycho isn't even the right word to describe me... -
Malice by Coralee June
There are three rules for being best friends with a mafia princess:1. Don't ask any personal questions.2. Don't show up at her house unannounced.3. Don't ever, ever let anyone know you're friends.For three years, I followed the rules. Vicky and I met once a week at the diner where I worked. I was her slice of normalcy, she was the one person I could confide in... -
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Penance by K.L. Taylor-Lane
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsRegret, remorse, repent.With the ghost of my past unexpectedly crashing back into my life, his presence threatening to tear through everything I’ve built, I’m quickly losing grip on my sanity.Voices start to whisper, infecting me with their poison as I struggle to battle against them. Mentally forced down into the deepest pits of hell, phantom hands trying to bury me in the fiery decay... -
Gangsters And Guns by K.A. Knight, Loxley Savage
Some people say that life won’t give you more than you can handle...but those people are liars.My life has never been easy. I’ve had my fair share of pain—every moment is a fight to survive. With my brother on his deathbed, it’s up to me to provide and protect what’s left of my broken family... -
Her Mafia Daddies by Shanna Handel
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI was an innocent virgin. They didn't care.Even good girls sometimes need a little discipline.But they're going to do much more than just spank me.They're going to make me be a very, very naughty girl for them. First she will blush. Then she will beg.Protecting her is our job. Taming her will be our pleasure.By the time we are done with her, she won't just be screaming our names... -
Girl Like Me by Jaye Pratt
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 13 ratings***RELEASE DATE WILL MOVE FORWARD***Sent back to live with my family, I'm thrown back into my old life without my memories. I have to navigate my way through this place as Bristol, a girl I don't like.Even if she was me, she isn't anymore.All I want to do is remember what happened to me so that I can go back to my guys.Sounds easy...right? Wrong...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult reverse harem contemporary high-school rich heroine humor bad boys -
Dirty Secrets by R.E. Bond
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsLiving in Hawthorne Heights wasn’t for the weak.Crime and violence surrounded us, but we did what we had to in order to survive.Not everyone made it out alive though when dodgy deals went wrong.My brother had proved that when he’d been killed right in front of me when I was twelve.I’d managed to dodge the foster system, thanks to my brother’s best friend...Categorized as:
friends to lovers new adult mafia suspense reverse harem dark contemporary siblings-bff -
Fall by N.V. Roez
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWhat happens to the broken? … Honestly, I don’t know. My past is catching up to me from all directions. I’m stuck between the girl I was and the woman I want to be. Everyone is blaming me for what happened to Micah, but nothing is as it seems. People are after me, and debts have to be repaid. That’s not the hardest pill to swallow, though... -
Delectable Lies by Shauna Mairéad
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsNever feed your fears, Saoirse, because if you do, they will eat you alive.Those were the last words my mother uttered before the masked men arrived.She begged me to run, to save myself from the past she kept hidden.But here's the thing, the past doesn't stay buried forever, and somebody has to pay the price for the choices she made.All the King's horses and all the King's men..Categorized as:
mafia new adult suspense dark from hate to love love triangle contemporary cruel hero -
Kings of Kink by N.O. One
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA 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... -
Raven by Leah Steele
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsSecrets are revealed, and I’ve never felt so betrayed. We had a plan, a good fucking plan, and with one explosion it all went to shit. Only, it wasn’t the bomb I set off that left destruction in its wake, it was the truth about my men. They've been hiding details about my life, and until they decide to share every last truth, they're choosing to live life on the edge of my blade... -
The Queen by Ivy Clyde
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThis is our time to rule.Victor has taken his father’s throne but the violent, unforgiving mafia world will not let him rule without testing his limits.Victor. River. Alexei.Each man holds a piece of my soul in his hand.Struggling to stay sane in the shitstorm blowing all around me, I must not forget my loyalty and duty to my team mates who are watching me. Waiting for me... -
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Sabre Security: The Complete Trilogy by J. Rose
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsEighteen girls. Dead.Eighteen lives. Ended.Eighteen futures. Stolen.Harlow Michaels has only ever known her cage, and the nearby screams of dying victims that paint her reality.Held captive by the sadistic Pastor Michaels, she’s tortured and abused, until fate offers her the chance to escape.But freedom comes at a heavy cost... -
Greed: A Rumpelstiltskin Retelling by J. Kearston
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsI thought they’d be my salvation, but they look at me like I'm theirs.Beaten, starved, broken.With nowhere else to go, my only hope to survive is to sell my soul to the devil. After all, when you have nothing, even poison starts to look tempting. But the brutal men that work beneath him are just as trapped as I am, and now it's too late for me to back out... -
Snakes & Lovers: Part Two by K.L. Coburn
I'M BACK IN HIS CLUTCHES.I always hoped that I would never be in this position again. Stuck, abused, taunted...AT THE MERCY OF HIS SICK MIND, AND EVEN SICKER GAMES.However, this time I am not alone. I have company in this hell. I also have four men willing to do anything to get me back.And they do. The six of us escape to recover from injuries and trauma. We plot, we learn, and we love...Categorized as:
mafia friends to lovers new adult contemporary reverse harem age difference forced proximity dark -
Reconcile by Leah Steele
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsI always thought it was best to keep my darkness hidden, outta sight, outta mind. But my stalker has been showing me the errors of my ways. He’s been guiding me into nurturing that side of myself, and now that it’s been set free, there’s no going back. I’ve killed three people, and with each new kill, I learn more about myself. But I crave more than the bloodshed... -
Betrayal & Deception by Sara Hinds
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsSin used to run this city until Vengeance ran them out.Too bad they didn’t get them all.Like a parasite, they linger, and while they’re still here, nobody is safe.Freedom means nothing if I’m constantly watching not only my back but the backs of the people I care about. And with every day that passes, that list of people grows, no matter how hard I try to fight against it... -
Mafie Queen: Brutal Boys of the Mafie by T.R. Oldin
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsEvie When I was a little girl, my mother used to tell me everything would be okay. Scary movie? Don’t worry, it gets better. You believe monsters are under your bed? Don’t worry, daddy will slay them...
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