Books like 'Empress of Ruin'
Readers who enjoyed Empress of Ruin by Lilith Vale also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance from hate to love age difference alpha male betrayal abuse angst
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King & Tyrant by T.M. Frazier
Book one and two in the King series. King:. Homeless. Hungry. Desperate. Doe has no memories of who she is or where she comes from. A notorious career criminal just released from prison, King is someone you don’t want to cross unless you’re prepared to pay him back in blood, sweat, sex or a combination of all three. King’s future hangs in the balance. Doe’s is written in her past... -
Dylan and Aubrey by M. Robinson
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsI fell in love with her when I was seventeen. She brought me to my knees when I was twenty. I loved her against reason. I loved her against hope. I loved her against all odds. Now she's back, a constant reminder of what I lost, what could have been. I hate her. I resent her. I still love her. Can I forgive her. .. Will she be my end once again or my beginning? STANDALONE within a series... -
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Code Name: Pisces by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsMy code name is Pisces. The stars say I’m independent, wise, and intuitive. Still waters run deep. I’m the leader of Zodiac Tactical’s guardian unit. We’re the bodyguards—the ones who stand toe to toe with danger and refuse to give any ground. We protect people who need it most. But what if who needs it most is a spoiled diva? I don’t normally take on movie stars...Categorized as:
age difference alpha male from hate to love suspense military contemporary dark mystery -
Envy by Eva Charles
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsMy dark prince. My greatest temptation. My husband. Antonio Huntsman isn’t the prince of childhood fairy tales. He’s savage and dangerous. The ruthless king I need. The beast I crave. Together we’ll fight the monsters. The demons threatening to tear us apart. The villains who will stop at nothing to destroy everything . Our family. Our valley. Our love. There will be no mercy... -
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Hidden Monsters by London Miller
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsUntil Luka…. Aleksandra Volkov happily escaped into the oblivion that alcohol and pills provided, longing to forget the memories that plague her. But sometimes, it takes someone as equally broken to mend the fractured pieces of her life. Until Alex…. Luka Sergeyev willfully courted death by living in the midst of the very people who would have him killed if the truth of who he was ever came out... -
Craved by Gray by Cassi Hart
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsScarlet. All I’ve ever known is a life of danger and crime. Growing up among the Chrome Vipers, I’ve never known love or safety. As an adult, I still can’t break free. My father’s hold on me is ironclad. But I have secrets, things my father might kill me over if he ever found out. And one of those secrets just walked into my father’s office with a fake name on his lips and mischief in his eyes... -
Runaway by bazookah
𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤... -
Shane by Nicole James
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsShane—. I live at the end of this dark deserted dead-end street for a reason. I don't like neighbors coming around my place. There's only one other house down here. It sits across the street from me, and has been deserted for years. I like my privacy, so I'm pissed to learn that that vacant house just got un-vacant... -
Destined: Satan's Rebels MC Book 2 by Kira Johns
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAfter surviving hell not once, but twice, Jade Moore is once again living, but her nights are filled with torture as she relives her time with the Condemned Warriors again and again. The only person capable of chasing away those demons is Viper, the man she has fallen deeply in love with. He is not just her hero, he is her destiny... -
No Beginning, No End by Richard Rider
“What if that’s all there was? If I don’t need you looking after me no more are you still gonna want me? ”. The first time they were together was a messy, jagged jigsaw of interlocking flaws. Seven years later, Lindsay Brown and Pip Valentine have got back together and are taking a shot at normal life with 9-to-5s, family Christmas, and babysitting duties... -
Destined by Kira Johns
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsAfter surviving hell not once, but twice, Jade Moore is once again living, but her nights are filled with torture as she relives her time with the Condemned Warriors again and again. The only person capable of chasing away those demons is Viper, the man she has fallen deeply in love with. He is not just her hero, he is her destiny... -
The Dangerous Convenience Store Vol. 5 by 945
THE LONG GOODBYE. It's been three years since Eui-joon last saw Gunwoo and there have been a lot of changes. Eui-joon no longer works his punishing graveyard shift at the convenience store, but instead works in sales at a small company where, as the newest employee, he's constantly running errands for his boss... -
The Savage by Stella Andrews
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsIvan may be my name but I am best known as The Savage. Born and bred Bratva heir and loving every delicious minute of my life. That's why it was easy to kidnap the entitled Charlotte Richmond from her finishing school in England. It was my pleasure to hide her away while her depraved father searched for her. I have no heart, no emotion, and no morals. She is a bargaining chip, a means to an end...Categorized as:
from hate to love alpha male age difference mafia contemporary dark forced proximity suspense -
Deserved by Kira Johns
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFive years after leaving Rockingham, Jade Moore is still trying to move on. Easier said than done when your heart lies in your hometown. She finds friendship with a man who bears a dark secret, one that could destroy her. Shadow has spent the last five years in misery over losing Jade. He still loves her, but knows he lost his chance... -
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Shattered by Bethany-Kris
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 13 ratings“Don’t fall in love with me. I ruin beautiful things. ”. Love made him this way, but life makes him stay. Life doesn’t give a redo. There’s no rewind or pause button to take you back or stop time. Once something happens, it happened. The most tragic of those times in his life, the ones he wouldn’t get back and the moments he could never fix, reminded Demyan Avdonin of a bullet meeting glass... -
The Return by Amelia Shea
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsBorn and raised a Ghosttown girl, Trista Anderson has nothing but love for her hometown. After her recent graduation from college, she is eager to return and start the next chapter of her life. However, things don’t go according to plan when her homecoming is derailed by a biker club, an altercation, and a sexy new neighbor who grates on her last nerve... -
Alluring Abyss by K.E. Osborn
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Tampa Royal Bastards are riding back into town! Join Ominous as he falls into the alluring abyss. BLURB COMING SOON. -
In Havoc Lays Chaos by Samantha Barrett
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsPain. Loss. Revenge. Are you ready to get to know the Dark Knight's twins? Will they be as dark as their father or will they follow after their mother? Are you ready for the final? *In Havoc Lays Chaos is the final book in the Memento Mori series. *. -
Five Second Rainbird by Nashoda Rose
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMacayla. "He’s rude, abrupt and doesn’t know how to smile. ". My new landlord, ex-Special Forces Vic Gate, is intense, and even that’s too domesticated a word to describe him. Extreme raw power seems more appropriate. Or maybe godlike, except there isn’t anything forgiving or merciful in him. Then again, he gave me and my little boy Jackson a week to vacate his cabin instead of seven minutes...Categorized as:
from hate to love angst abuse alpha male age difference contemporary forbidden love tortured hero -
Perfectly Imperfect Complete Set by Neva Altaj
A collection of the first three books in the Perfectly Imperfect Series. PAINTED SCARS. I get anything I desire. And I want this perfectly imperfect little manipulator. She doesn't know it yet,. But I am not letting her go. The deal - is off. BROKEN WHISPERS. The most beautiful woman of the Italian mafia,. And the Bratva's most feared monster. I loved her from afar for so long,... -
The Wolf Box Set by Penelope Sky
The collection includes:. The Wolf and The Sheep. The Wolf and His Wife. The Lone Wolf. New York Times Bestselling author Penelope Sky delivers a story filled with heartache, revenge, betrayal, and off-the-charts chemistry! Forced into an arranged marriage, Arwen and Maverick must learn to trust one another if they hope to survive. Till death do us part... -
Written with You by Aly Martinez
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 58 ratingsWhen I was fifteen, a single bullet changed my life. I spent the next decade trying to outrun the devastation of my past, building an empire that would shield me from whatever life could throw at me. But all the money in the world couldn’t help me when I found a screaming newborn abandoned on my doorstep. I’d never wanted to be a father...Categorized as:
alpha male from hate to love angst age difference betrayal super rich hero suspense contemporary -
Massimo by Lora Nox
I’m his enemy’s daughter. His captive. His revenge. Until he becomes my weapon to wield against the monsters in my world. Nova. I am the Mancini Princess. A pawn in my monstrous father’s game. His key to an alliance worthy of a king. However, I end up under the control of a new monster - Massimo Santoro. A lethal man whose hate, wrath, and malice toward anyone with the Mancini name is palpable...Categorized as:
from hate to love abuse age difference alpha male mafia dark contemporary found-family -
Forever My Saint by Monica James
All hope was lost until Zoey Hennessy walked back into my world, shaking it up beyond repair when she uttered two simple words. He’s alive. She speaks of her brother, my Saint, the man who lost everything to set me free. I believed he was dead. I saw it with my own two eyes. But when Zoey proves he’s alive and being held captive by a monster, I know what I have to do. It’s time I saved him... -
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The Devil's Crown-Part Two by Monica James
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAll The Pretty Things Trilogy Spin-Off. With the enemy dead, my throne awaits my return. But the reason I’m still standing is being held captive by another foe. -
Watch Her Bend by Emily Klepp, Jade Katzchen
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsFor two long years, we kept our distance while also sitting on the same couch during my sessions. I kept my secrets tucked far away from my psychiatrist because revealing one thing would lead to the unveiling of my traumatic past. When I am forced to set aside my desire to weather this storm alone, Dr. Daxton Cooper is the one to catch me before I sink... -
Dragon by K. Webster
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom USA Today Bestselling Author K Webster comes a new motorcycle club dark standalone MM romance novel! They created this monster when they took me as a teen. Abused me, tortured me, psychologically ruined me. I was once innocent, fragile, and good. Now I’m older and everything wicked. The worst of the worst... -
Ash by Sophie Lark
My Hostage. Her Secret. Our Enemy. Taking the commissioner’s daughter wasn’t part of the plan. It should have been an easy smash and grab. Instead I captured Lara, so scared and helpless…. I never want to let her go. I’m obsessed with her. A Bratva shouldn’t be this close to the law. But I can’t keep my hands off her...Categorized as:
abuse from hate to love alpha male age difference dark contemporary suspense new adult -
Breathe Again by Nola Marie
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the flames of sin I rose, by her virtue, I fell. .. I found her in my eleventh hour. My whiskey-eyed canary. Quinn. Call it Fate or destiny or whatever, but she is the melody to calm my madness. With her, the demons inside me quiet. She doesn't have a hold on my heart, she owns it. She is my everything. I've been given a second-chance and I’m not about to squander it... -
Followed by the Dark by Danah Logan
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Dark follows everywhere. She used to be The Bulldog; but she lost her bite. He buried the one person he should've protected; now, his life is driven by anger and revenge. Together they're toxic for each other, but neither can deny that something is there. FBTD is an age gap, enemies to lovers dark romance. ★ The complete blurb will be revealed with the cover. ★...Categorized as:
from hate to love age difference alpha male angst contemporary suspense new adult military -
Captive Heart: Armani by Stella Gray
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNothing lasts forever… except the Bellanti’s hatred for the Bruno family. My family prepared me to fight. My best friend taught me loyalty. My husband showed me who I am. And now I’m caught between them all. The thing about secrets is that they always come out. The past is never gone. No one expected it to explode. I finally understand why my life led me here... -
Toxic by A.C. Bextor
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsTold through Shame’s point of view, the final installment of the Lights of Peril MC takes place on the ‘implied’ wedding day. Shame is plagued with doubts surrounding his love for Mace. He loves her. He’s loved her since she was five years old, but feels he doesn’t deserve her. This uncertainty is surfacing while struggling to forget the loss of his tragic childhood... -
Lust by Eva Charles
Our fate was sealed with a blood oath. She’s more than I expected. Beautiful. Fiery. Seductive. And hiding deadly secrets. Her angels play so nicely with my demons. I crave her touch. Her whimpers. Her obedience. Her light. Do I deserve her? No. Will that stop me from taking what’s rightfully mine? Also no. Some men never seek forgiveness, not even with their final breath... -
Free to Believe by Tracey Jerald
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsIn the wake of a broken engagement, Emily Freeman is left to sew together the pieces of her life. A single phone call changes her future from bleak acceptance to overwhelming opportunity. Her family can't help her find her artistic spirit - something she needs now more than ever. Desperate for rejuvenation, Em goes on a journey to find herself. Only she finds so much more. .Categorized as:
betrayal angst dark single-father cheating contemporary other-man-woman length-medium -
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King of Souls by L.A. Cotton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsFrom bestselling author L A Cotton comes the highly anticipated conclusion to Nicco and Arianne’s duet. Arianne Capizola is living a lie. Angry. Abandoned. Afraid. She'd rather spend her days locked away on her father's estate than with the guy who stole her innocence: her fiancé. Niccolò Marchetti is living a nightmare. Broken. Banished. Betrayed... -
Rough Ride: A Chaos Novella by Kristen Ashley
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFrom New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Kristen Ashley comes a new story in her Chaos series…. Rosalie Holloway put it all on the line for the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Informing to Chaos on their rival club—her man’s club, Bounty—Rosalie knows the stakes... -
Vile by Lulu Waters
EVERLEE VERA. This isn’t the life I’m meant to live—stuck on the arm of a rich asshole while he has a pissing contest with other rich assholes. They’re all puppets, playing a dutiful role that condemns them to hell until death do they part. Hatred pushes me forward. Lust fuels me. And there is only one guy who checks both: Holden Van. My boyfriend’s enemy. The guy who flusters me beyond anything... -
Amos y mazmorras: Segunda parte by Lena Valenti
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsChegou 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... -
Break Me by C.D. Reiss
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt was always Sarah. And she was always mine. I woke up in a nightmare. I woke up alone. There was a reason I never let myself have feelings before. Emotions make you stupid. They make you miscalculate. If someone gave me the choice, I’d do it all over again. Only this time, I’d stop everyone who ever looked at the woman I love before they had the chance to hurt her... -
Forbidden Love by Stella Gray
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsI chose to become a Bellanti… but no one walks away from the Bruno family. My life was planned for me, down to the smallest detail. I was to be a gift for a man loyal to my uncle, a pretty little prize. When I ran away, I did it for love. I should have known my uncle would never allow it. They say all’s fair in love and war, but sometimes they’re the same thing. And nothing about this is fair...Categorized as:
angst from hate to love age difference contemporary suspense dark arranged marriage super rich hero -
House of Heathens: The Complete Trilogy by Alta Hensley
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA villain is made. A monster is hidden. A viper who is forbidden. Together, they are the Gods Among Men. Welcome to the House of Heathens. Within these walls, you are captive to a world of decadence and sin. Where dangerous secrets hide in the shadows. And a family tree with roots so twisted, they bind and strangle each unlucky generation...Categorized as:
alpha male age difference from hate to love dark daddy-kink pregnancy tortured hero breeding -
Avenging Azalea by Brooklyn Cross
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMF, Mafia, Age Gap, OW Drama (No Cheating), OTT/JP, Family Drama, Found Family, Interconnected Standalone. I promised that I would avenge her, and I always kept my promises. I, Titus Mikhailov, am the calm that holds back the storm in my family. For years, I’ve kept the peace, negotiated, and found common ground between those I love most in this world...Categorized as:
age difference abuse alpha male mafia dark contemporary forced proximity friends to lovers -
Boss's Vendetta by Via Mari
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsA ruthless mafia boss with a score to settle. A sassy heroine who’s not getting away. Will any chance at love survive the aftermath? We knew the bloodbath was possible, just not when or how our enemies would strike. In a heart-wrenching minute of blazing guns, the responsibility of getting retribution for the savage Italian Crime Family falls to me, Salvatore Larussio...Categorized as:
from hate to love alpha male age difference betrayal dark mafia contemporary dual-pov -
Ruthless Redemption by Eden Summers
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThey say love hurts—but they never mentioned it could make you bleed. His deceit was like wine. I drank it in. Let it intoxicate me. But he’s not the man I fell for. Matthew Langston is a lie. I’d run from him if I could. I’d flee. If only he hadn’t turned my family against me. Now, I have nothing. There’s no money, phone, or external support. Only him, and his obsession with winning me back... -
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Bridges Burned by Marie James
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI didn’t swear vengeance on the Severino Family after Ellie’s death. I was only a child after all. I didn’t swear vengeance when my father, a coward who wasn’t man enough to seek justice for her, drank himself into a divorce. Going after them would be a death sentence. I chose to live my life in the shadows, seeking revenge for others. That was until I ran into the very man that took Ellie’s life... -
The Way We Are by Shandi Boyes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeven years in heaven awarded me seven years in hell. I’ve admired Savannah Fontane since I saw her whizzing down our street on her hot pink bike with rainbow tassels taped on the handlebars. I was in awe someone so small could ride without training wheels, I asked my mom to remove mine that same afternoon. Savannah drew a rainbow heart on my cast the very next day. From then, we were inseparable... -
Jaded Devil by Nicole Fox
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsI’LL SHOW HER WHAT A DEVIL DOES WHEN AN ANGEL FALLS INTO HIS LAP. I met her the day I killed her father. She stood there, soaked in his blood, and swore she’d make me pay when the time was right. Twenty years later, that day has come. She’s beautiful now. A dark temptation I never expected. But Renata Lombardi is in far over her head. Because she thinks this is a game of kill or be killed... -
Survive for Me by Ember Nicole
Jersey wasted no time in sacrificing himself, thinking that it was the necessary step to save the lives of the only two people left in the world for whom he cared. But death wasn’t what he got in exchange for that sacrifice. Death would’ve been a relief... -
Titch by Jessica Ames
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTitch. As Road Captain of the Untamed Sons MC, I've had my share of pain, but nothing could prepare me for seeing my ex-wife move on with another man. It makes my demons want to come out to play, makes me want to destroy everything in my path. I love Rachel. I'll always love her, but she's no longer mine. Getting her back is my only focus and to do that, I'm willing to cross lines I shouldn't... -
Persephone & Hades by Lee Savino, Stasia Black
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsI’m king of the criminal underworld. I always get what I want. And she’s my obsession. Cora is new to the city of sin. Her innocent blue eyes beg for me to claim her. But I’m not the billionaire she thinks I am. There’s a darkness within me. And Cora is a shining light. She’s beautiful. A virgin. I’m ruthless. A beast. She found me for a reason. She’ll be my queen...
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