Cover of Lotus

Lotus

Jennifer Hartmann

dark romance(82k)

Her childhood best friend vanished at age seven — and returned 22 years later, broken and haunted.

Content Warnings
kidnappingcaptivityabuse (physical)abuse (emotional)griefviolence/gore

Description

"All these years, I've never given my heart to anyone… The truth is, I didn't have a heart to give. My heart was with a ghost."To the rest of the world, he was the little boy who went missing on the Fourth of July. But to Sydney Neville, he was everything. Her heart hasn't been the same since her best friend disappeared, but she's learned to build her life around that missing piece. Twenty-two years later, the last thing Sydney expects is for Oliver Lynch to return. Having been captive underground for decades, he's unfamiliar with the strange new world that awaits him―but he's alive. He's here. And no matter how he's changed, he and Sydney both still feel the connection that runs between them.But as their reborn friendship begins to feel like something more, Sydney and Oliver realize there are still jagged, painful truths creating space between them. The walls Sydney's built don't want to come down, and as Oliver hunts for his missing memories and lost time, he realizes his nightmare is not yet over.With nothing as it seems, is there space for love to bloom in this dark place?

Books like this

Cover of Still Beating

Still Beating

Jennifer Hartmann

dark romance
(248k)

Trapped in a madman's basement in chains, Cora and her arch nemesis must survive — and somehow not fall for each other.

forced proximitystrangers to loversblack cat heroine

9 tropes in common

Cover of Skin of a Sinner

Skin of a Sinner

Avina St. Graves

dark romance
(39k)

The boy who shattered her heart returns soaked in blood — and drags her away as his captive.

forced proximityfriends to loverssecond chance

9 tropes in common

Cover of Darling Venom

Darling Venom

Parker S. Huntington

dark romance
(84k)

Two teens meet on a rooftop ready to end it all — then one disappears, and she falls for his brother.

second chanceblack cat heroinemorally grey hero

8 tropes in common

Cover of A Lady For A Duke

A Lady For A Duke

Alexis Hall

historical romance
(17k)

A trans woman returns from Waterloo to reclaim herself — and the grieving duke who never stopped needing her.

friends to loverssecond chancestrangers to lovers

10 tropes in common

Cover of Ever Yours, Annabelle

Ever Yours, Annabelle

Elisa Braden

regency romanceRescued from Ruin #0.5
(3k)

The girl who always chased trouble and the damaged man she ruined — reunited, and twice as dangerous.

forced proximityfriends to loverssecond chance

9 tropes in common

Cover of The V Girl: A Coming of Age Story

The V Girl: A Coming of Age Story

Mya Robarts

dark romance
(17k)

In a dystopia where sexual slavery is legal, a girl races to surrender her virginity on her own terms — before the troop

forced proximityfriends to loversstrangers to lovers

8 tropes in common

Cover of Devil's Night Series

Devil's Night Series

Penelope Douglas

dark romance
(1k)

Three dark, obsessive romances where fear, revenge, and forbidden desire collide in Devil's Night.

second chanceblack cat heroinemorally grey hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of Menace

Menace

J.M. Darhower

dark romanceScarlet Scars #1
(13k)

A scarred, bored mafia killer fixates on a woman running from her own dark secrets.

forced proximitystrangers to loversblack cat heroine

6 tropes in common

Cover of Until I Get You

Until I Get You

Claire Contreras

dark romanceFairview Hockey #1
(63k)

He was obsessed with the one girl who ignored him — now she's vanished and he's coming to collect.

forced proximitysecond chanceblack cat heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Entwined Lies

Entwined Lies

EA Miller

dark romanceEntwined #1
(460)

A DA investigating the mob wakes up married to the crime boss she slept with twelve years ago.

forced proximitysecond chanceblack cat heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Wrangling With The Bodyguard: A Lone Star Security Romance

Wrangling With The Bodyguard: A Lone Star Security Romance

Logan Chance

contemporary romanceLone Star Security Romance
(245)

Her childhood almost-kiss is now her fake boyfriend, bodyguard, and the man fixing her fences at dawn.

forced proximityfriends to loverssecond chance

9 tropes in common

Cover of Sicko

Sicko

Amo Jones

dark romanceSicko
(34k)

Her foster brother swore to protect her — then disappeared. Now he's back as Sicko, MC vice president, and nothing is sa

forced proximitysecond chanceblack cat heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Vicious (Sinners of Saint, #1)

Vicious (Sinners of Saint, #1)

L.J. Shen

dark romanceSinners of Saint #1
(167k)

A cruel, obsessive lawyer tracks down the girl he bullied — and wants her back at any cost.

forced proximitysecond chanceblack cat heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of A Twisted Love Story

A Twisted Love Story

Ace Gray

dark romance
(213)

A boy slowly falls for his best friend — but loving him means losing himself in a twisted spiral of rejection and darkne

friends to loversmorally grey hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of River Wild

River Wild

Samantha Towle

contemporary romance
(26k)

A pregnant woman hiding from her past finds unexpected solace in her brooding, broken neighbour.

friends to loversstrangers to loversblack cat heroine

9 tropes in common

Cover of Bitter Heat

Bitter Heat

Mia Knight

dark romanceSinged #1
(11k)

Stranded with her ex-husband in a remote cabin, Jasmine discovers the man she married was never who she thought.

forced proximitysecond chanceblack cat heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Sins & Needles (The Artists Trilogy, #1)

Sins & Needles (The Artists Trilogy, #1)

Karina Halle

dark romanceThe Artists Trilogy #1
(23k)

A con artist returns to her hometown to scam her high school admirer — but he's done being the victim.

second chanceblack cat heroinemorally grey hero

6 tropes in common

Cover of Loving the Liar (Silver Falls University #1)

Loving the Liar (Silver Falls University #1)

Lola King

dark romanceSilver Falls University #1
(10k)

When her family falls from power, a queen bee must survive a secret society — and her dangerous ex.

forced proximitysecond chanceblack cat heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Bad Wrong Things

Bad Wrong Things

C.P. Harris

dark romance
(6k)

His best friend's dad promised to be selfish this summer — and Raven is determined to be that indulgence.

friends to loverssecond chancemorally grey hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret, #1)

The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret, #1)

Jessica Sorensen

new adult romanceThe Secret #1
(71k)

She ran from home — and him — to bury her secrets, but Micha next door won't let her disappear again.

forced proximityfriends to loverssecond chance

8 tropes in common