If you loved
Books like Haunting Adeline
You finished Haunting Adeline and you want that same dread and want at once: the man in the shadows, the obsession, the line you're not sure you should cross. These ten are as dark or close to it. Every one carries heavy content, so read the warnings on each before you pick.
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1. Den of Vipers
K. A. Knight · 2020
ScorchingAdultHer father runs up a debt with the Vipers, the four men who run the town, and pays it by selling her. They expected a pawn; they got a woman who bites back. Why choose, mafia, very explicit, and some of the darkest content on this site, so check the warnings first.
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2. God of Malice
Rina Kent · 2022
ScorchingAdultGlyndon sees something she shouldn't at a party, and Killian, a med student with no conscience, decides she's his. Elite island university, a hero who is honest about being a monster, and a heroine who refuses to be his victim. Very explicit and obsessive; read the warnings first.
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3. Corrupt
Penelope Douglas · 2015
ScorchingAdultThree years ago Erika helped send Michael Crist's friends to prison. Now they're out, it's Devil's Night, and Michael and his masked friends want her to pay. Revenge, obsession and a lot of very explicit scenes; this is where Penelope Douglas goes dark, so check the warnings first.
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4. Butcher & Blackbird
Brynne Weaver · 2023
ScorchingAdultTwo serial killers who only hunt other killers keep bumping into each other, so they start a rivalry: who can take out the worst monster first. It is funny, gory and genuinely sweet, the hero falls first and hard, and the spice is very explicit. The best place to start if you want dark with a grin.
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5. The Never King
Nikki St. Crowe · 2021
ScorchingAdultFor generations every Darling woman has vanished on her eighteenth birthday. When Winnie's turns, the Never King and his Lost Boys come for her, and this time they don't let her go. A dark, grown-up Peter Pan, why choose, very explicit, cliffhanger.
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6. Hooked
Emily McIntire · 2021
ExplicitAdultPeter Pan, but Hook is the hero and Neverland is a city run on crime. Wendy Darling walks into James's bar, and he sees the perfect way to get revenge on her father. Villain gets the girl, high spice, and a gentler entry into dark romance than most; still check the warnings.
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7. The Ritual
Shantel Tessier · 2021
ScorchingAdultAt Barrington University the Lords, a secret society paid in blood, are each given a chosen one. Blakely thinks Ryat is offering her freedom; it's the start of something far darker. Very explicit, very dark; read the warnings first.
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Twist MeAnna Zaires
8. Twist Me
Anna Zaires · 2014
ScorchingAdultNora is taken from her life by Julian, a man who has wanted her since he first saw her, and kept on his private island. A classic captive romance, very explicit, ending on a cliffhanger. Read the content warnings before you start.
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9. Credence
Penelope Douglas · 2020
ScorchingAdultAfter her parents die, Tiernan is sent to live in the mountains with her late father's stepbrother and his two sons, cut off from everything for the winter. It's taboo, isolated and very explicit, and it doesn't stay with one man. Read the content warnings before you go in.
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Captive in the DarkC. J. Roberts
10. Captive in the Dark
C. J. Roberts · 2012
ScorchingAdultOlivia is abducted by Caleb, who means to train her and sell her. This is one of the oldest and hardest books in the genre, a true captive romance with no softening, very explicit and ending on a cliffhanger. Read every content warning before you start; this one isn't for everyone.