Books like 'Contempt'
Readers who enjoyed Contempt by Sam Mariano also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance young adult cruel hero virgin heroine forced proximity stepsibling high-school from hate to love possessive hero
-
Play the Game by J. Bree
All of my hard work has paid off and now I have a family to call my own - my best friend Avery and my three boyfriends; Harley, Ash, and Blaise.But with more people depending on me, the stakes have never been higher.I’ve stepped out from the shadow of the Jackal. I’ve laid claim on the men I want and I’m not letting anything get in our way.Easier said than done... -
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... -
Jackson by Siobhan Davis
The devil came to me in disguise. Too bad I didn’t notice until it was far too late. Vanessa:The devil doesn’t always wear an evil mask.Sometimes, he appears in the most beautiful form.Like the super-hot bad boy with the dirty-blond hair and a wicked glint in his blue eyes who swept in out of nowhere, stealing all the air from my lungs.I thought he was my savior. But he’s my ruination... -
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 -
-
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... -
Wicked Princess by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.My entire life has been a lie.The one person I've trusted despite all his secrets has shattered my faith, and the men around me have proved just how unworthy they really are...Categorized as:
from hate to love cruel hero new adult high-school strong heroine m-f first-person-pov dual-pov -
Ruthless Empire by Rina Kent
She’s off limits. He has none.There’s a girl.Beautiful. Popular. Fake.And my obsession.My fall.Probably my damnation.Did that stop me? Do I care? No and no.There’s a line between right and wrong. Moral and immoral.And then there’s her.I cross every limit with blood-coated fingers.She says she hates me.I say I hate her too as I trap her, own her.Make her all mine... -
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 new adult high-school cold hero m-f -
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 from hate to love strong heroine cruel hero new adult dark -
Legend by Tracy Lorraine
I made one mistake…And she made one phone call that nearly destroyed my life.I’ve spent the past year plotting my revenge and imagining all the wicked things I’d do to her when our paths finally crossed again.I just had no idea it would be so soon.The last thing I expected when I re-entered the world was to find myself right in the middle of hers...Categorized as:
cruel hero high-school from hate to love bad boys secret-relationship dual-pov new adult m-f -
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... -
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... -
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 new adult from hate to love cruel hero forced proximity dual-pov m-f stepsibling -
The Sinners by Ruby Vincent
I knew when I started this path it would lead to destruction......but nothing could have prepared me for this.Drugs flooding campus. Tensions brewing between the factions. Old enemies reappearing. New secrets taking over my life. Love awakening a soul I long thought was dead.Cassius, Clay, Hiro, and Royal have named me one of them, but sharing a title is easy... -
-
Taint Her by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsHe wants to ruin her. She wants to save him.Hadley Rexford was a distraction I didn’t need. But when she discovers me with blood on my hands, I know I can’t walk away without demanding her silence.I’ll taint her.Torment her.In the end, I’ll ruin her.Cole Jagger was a puzzle I wanted to solve. But he refuses to let me in, and now I’m ensnared in his trap.He’s cold.Immoral...Categorized as:
new adult cruel hero from hate to love m-f high-school dual-pov first-person-pov contemporary -
Ride or Die by Sheridan Anne
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsGang 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 from hate to love cruel hero forced proximity super rich hero m-f dark -
The Moth and the Flame by B.B. Reid
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThey're the best of friends or the worst of friends. Neither one is letting go.THE FLAMEHere lies Louchana Valentine. She was a homeless, orphaned virgin.I never cared what my gravestone would say until I landed in deep with a powerful gangster. Lucky for me, my best friend happens to be ruthless too. I should feel guilty that he's forced to turn on the man who's been a father to him...Categorized as:
new adult alpha male bad boys virgin heroine forbidden love strong heroine cruel hero dual-pov -
The Retaliation You Deliver by Tracy Lorraine
When something seems too good to be true. It’s usually because it is.A lesson I learned the hard way.Every single fear I had about falling for Leon, has just come true in the most brutal way.The sweet guy act he’s been putting on the past few weeks is over.The cold, hard truth is... he never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation.And like a fool, I played right into his wicked scheme...Categorized as:
from hate to love cruel hero new adult first-person-pov dual-pov m-f contemporary college -
Tempting Little Thief by Meagan Brandy
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes a steamy forbidden romance featuring a possessive hero … who falls first and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Bastian Bishop. That’s his name. He’s rough, rugged, and utterly unpredictable. He’s not cautious or contemplative. He’s a volcano. Silent and steady one second, and a nightmare in the next... -
Light in the Shadows by A. Meredith Walters
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 44 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 bad boys virgin heroine new adult high-school cold hero male-pov dual-pov -
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... -
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 bad boys forbidden love dual-pov tortured hero alpha male other-man-woman -
Fallen Heirs by Laura Lee
Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive... Pretty, pretentious little liars. I’m surrounded by them everywhere I turn. But I’m learning not everything is as it seems. The ones who I thought were my enemies have become my greatest allies. And the ones who I severely underestimated turned out to be much eviler than I could’ve ever imagined...Categorized as:
new adult cruel hero from hate to love bad boys m-f high-school super rich hero first-person-pov -
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.. -
-
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... -
Barbie B*tch by Sheridan Anne
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsCold-blooded murder. Do I have it in me? I’ve watched the people I love commit the worst kinds of crimes and within the blink of an eye, I could be just like them. I feel the jagged glass beneath my fingers, but do I have the strength to follow this through? How much of my soul am I willing to sacrifice to make this right?Nic was supposed to be my rock...Categorized as:
high-school new adult from hate to love cruel hero forced proximity super rich hero m-f dark -
FALL by Cora Brent
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsFrom NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author Cora Brent comes a new epic crossover novel. Jenny... I was a lost girl, a child bride. Now, to most people I appear to be just an average college student. They would never guess my strange history. But secretly I'm still held down by my past. I cannot bring myself to trust men... -
The Havoc We Wreak by Becca Steele
The final part of Caiden and Winter's story...Secrets and lies are being revealed. Loyalties are being tested, and betrayal cuts deep.My mother needs to be stopped, but at what cost? At the end, who will be left standing? And...WhoWillFall…Eeny, meeny, miny, mo.You underestimated the Four and Snow.You thought you were on a winning streak...Categorized as:
new adult from hate to love cruel hero super rich hero m-f stepsibling dual-pov first-person-pov -
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... -
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... -
The Ruthless Boys by C.M. Stunich
Psst, I know a secret.The same secret that the Student Council—the super-rich, super handsome elite of Adamson All-Boys Academy—knows, too.Jenica Woodruff, the only girl to ever attend the academy before I showed up, didn't commit suicide: she was murdered.Now, someone is after me, too, but no matter where I go, the killer follows... -
Mr. Angry Hornet by K. Webster
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsI had it all. Popularity. Good grades. Cheerleading. Doting family and great friends. Until the wrong boy swept into my perfect world and destroyed every part of it. Abuse. Drugs. Humiliation. He trampled all over my reputation and I was powerless to do anything about it. I couldn't break free from his controlling hold. But the night of the accident changed everything. Now I'm freed at last... -
The Devastation You Reap by Tracy Lorraine
He never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation. But I’m not the monster he thinks I am...Categorized as:
new adult cruel hero from hate to love m-f first-person-pov dual-pov sports contemporary -
Touched By The Devil by Angel Lawson, Samantha Rue
Fights, sex, and fast cars. Those are what Sebastian Wilcox is all about.On the outside he’s easy smiles and a quick temper, but on the inside, a war rages on. He told the Devils his biggest secret; during a vicious fight, he accidentally hurt someone who didn't deserve it. For months now, he's been cursed by the memory of her screams. But that’s not his only hidden truth...Categorized as:
high-school new adult from hate to love cruel hero bad boys first-person-pov dual-pov m-f -
-
Tough Sh*t by Sheridan Anne
Moving in with a billionaire playboy is supposed to be some sort of Cinderella story, right? I’m supposed to be having the time of my life while living the dream. Wrong.When the bank took our home, it didn’t come as a surprise. The bomb was when mom told me we were moving out of Breakers Flats, away from my crew, and to a place that only existed in fairy tales—Bellevue Springs... -
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...Categorized as:
high-school new adult from hate to love cruel hero bad boys alpha male dual-pov strong heroine -
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... -
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... -
Better When He's Brave by Jay Crownover
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsIn New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover’s third novel in her sexy, thrilling Welcome to the Point series, a woman’s search for repentance leads her to the one man from her past she can’t forget as they join forces to save their city—and the explosive love neither can live without. Titus King has always seen his world in black and white...Categorized as:
alpha male bad boys new adult male-pov dual-pov young adult suspense tortured heroine -
Royal Elite Epilogue by Rina Kent
All five couples of Royal Elite series come to life again in this long extended epilogue.Levi & AstridAiden & ElsaXander & KimberlyRonan & TealCole & SilverThis epilogue is set after the end of Royal Elite Series so all the previous books need to be read before this...Categorized as:
new adult cruel hero alpha male from hate to love cold hero young adult sports contemporary -
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...Categorized as:
new adult from hate to love cruel hero alpha male bad boys cold hero high-school m-f -
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... -
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 hero other-man-woman dark contemporary tortured heroine -
Echoes by Dylan Page
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBlurb & cover to come!!Release date is a placeholder...Categorized as:
high-school strong heroine new adult possessive hero dual-pov tortured hero bad boys dark -
-
Never His Girl by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsWest Golden--Football star. Playboy. Dead to me.Nothing puts the final bullet in a girl’s rep like a leaked sex tape. Especially one starring her and the cocky quarterback who’s had it out for her since day one. Yep, you guessed it. That girl is me.At Cypress Prep, West is king, but all I see when I look at him is the wicked prick who gets off on trying to break me.His plaything.Go ahead...Categorized as:
high-school new adult from hate to love cruel hero dual-pov alpha male bad boys strong heroine -
Pained by Vera Micic, Vera Hollins
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTwo months have passed since the day I pushed Hayden away. Two months since I found out he loved me and wanted to be with me. I’ve been trying to move on and forget about him, but my heart refuses to listen. Hayden had almost died saving me. Half of me wants to forgive him for everything and give him another chance...Categorized as:
new adult from hate to love cruel hero cold hero young adult dark contemporary length-medium -
F*ck Yeah by Crystal North, Jaye Pratt
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsTragedy draws Amelie back to Australia once again, but this time she’s not alone. It’s been decided that she needs a break, and what better way to do that then with Kalen in her homeland? You can guarantee that with Fairy Bread, kangaroos, mosquitos, and the youngest Knox brother, chaos will ensue. Add in even more secrets, lies and deceit, and Amelie’s in for one hell of a ride... -
Bradford Bastard by Sheridan Anne
There are three things I know for sure.One, hot wax on the coochie ain’t for everybody. Two, diamonds aren’t a girl’s best friend—tampons are. And three, Tanner Morgan is an asshole.I’m sure if I hadn’t spilled beer all over him and gave a subtle suggestion of where he could shove his best friend’s dick, perhaps we would have started out on a better note...Categorized as:
high-school from hate to love cruel hero new adult bad boys strong heroine m-f first-person-pov -
Wicked Summer Knight by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.She’s in the wrong place at the right time… Gunshots echo, reverberating through me, allowing me to feel something… anything other than the pain that consumes me. That should be a warning to stay away, but for some reason, she comes closer. Intruding on my silence...Categorized as:
new adult m-f from hate to love high-school first-person-pov dual-pov sports contemporary -
Temper Him by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsShe wants to protect him. He can't stay away.Kennedy Lowe wasn’t supposed to walk away, taking my heart with her. Now she’s gone, but I’m determined to get her back.I want to save her.Punish her.In the end, I’ll make sure she knows exactly who she belongs to.Conner Jagger wasn’t to supposed to save me, but he did. Now I’ll do anything to protect him and the people he calls family.He’s good...Categorized as:
new adult m-f from hate to love cruel hero high-school possessive hero bad boys alpha male
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.