If you know me or read my reviews then you already know I tend to have a type of book I gravitate to: the gritty and fucked up sort. It’s no secret that I love an alphahole, but what I love even more is the anti-hero. The baddie that you just can’t help but love, and you do end up loving them. Hard. He may hero that may be inherently good but does bad things. Or he may be downright bad, but there will be a woman out there that is just perfect for him. Or he may be something of a cross between those two. Whatever or whoever he is, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I will be shaking in pervy glee to be reading about them. Does that make me slightly screwed up? Nah. Just makes for one kick-ass read. Though the years I’ve read my fair share of anti-heroes, but the ones I’m about to list below are my ultimate favorites. They’re the ones I recommend blindly whenever someone asks me for a rec. You’ll notice I’m going to be spotlighting my very favorites, and below I will also give you a few other worth mentioning. That’s not to say I didn’t love those books either, I loved each book on this list. But the ones spotlighted are hands down, bar none, some of my very favorites.
So let’s get right into it, shall we?
THE DARK DUET by CJ Roberts
What kind of list would this be without the book that first began my obsession? Caleb was the anti-hero that first popped my cherry, and damn what an anti-hero to start with. This man is utterly FUBAR. If you’ve read this series, you know exactly what I mean. And if you haven’t? Umm…I’m fairly certain you must have been living under a rock somewhere. No joke. Climb on out of there and come join us on the dark side. We have cookies. Or is it cockies? I get confused…
MUST BE READ IN ORDER
CAPTIVE IN THE DARK | SEDUCED IN THE DARK | EPILOGUE
In the Company of Killers by J.A. Redmerski
In the theme of going by reading order, let’s talk about Victor Faust. When I first read Killing Sarai, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. All I knew is that I read and loved The Edge of Never and then went, “Oh look! A new book by J.A.!” Boy did I step into it… LOL! Here I went from angsty NA to gritty romantic suspense. As far as dark books, this one barely bleeps on the scale. It’s more thriller and suspense, but Victor is all baddie. A contract killer and a girl that’s desperate to escape nine years of captivity. This book was AMAZING! I haven’t read past the second in this series, but I hear they’re just as good as the first! Reviving Izabel is the continuation of book 1, but the rest are different characters.
MUST BE READ IN ORDER
KILLING SARAI | REVIVING IZABEL |
THE SWAN & THE JACKAL | SEEDS OF INIQUITY | THE BLACK WOLF
BLOOD & ROSES series by Callie Hart
Zeth fucking Mayfair. Does he even need an introduction? If you haven’t read this series yet, prepare yourself for a binge. They’re impossible not to read back to back. The story of Zeth and Sloane is gritty and so erotic, you may need to keep some ice on standby for your ovaries.
MUST BE READ IN ORDER
Deviant | Fracture | Burn | Fallen | Twisted | Collateral
And you need to check out Callie’s spin off series, DEAD MAN’S INK. Rebel is another favorite of mine, though slightly different from Zeth he’s still just as much of a badass. The series focuses on the Widow Maker’s MC of which Rebel is the President and the heroine is Sloane’s sister, Sophia.
Consequences series by Aleatha Romig
Mr. Anthony Rawlings. The man who pretty much guaranteed that you will never look at a cocktail napkin the same again. The man who fucked with your head almost as much as he did with Claire’s. If you’re looking for a mindfuck and a half, this is a series that you need to read…and probably be rolled straight to your local loony bin. Not even kidding.
MUST BE READ IN ORDER
CONSSEQUENCES | TRUTH | CONVICTED
UNFINISHED HEROES series by Kristen Ashley
It’s impossible for me to pick a favorite in this series, so I won’t. I’ll just tell you about the one that started it all. Knight “Daddy” Sebring. Le sigh. Now I have a love hate relationship with this book. I loved the story to pieces, but the daddy thing downright creeped me out. Yeah. I’m one of those perverts with some limits apparently and the daddy thing is that one limit. BUT if you can overlook that, the story is absolutely amazing and so is the entire series. I was lucky enough to read an advanced reader’s copy of Sebring and I can tell you it’s just as good if not the best in the series. These are milder on the dark and gritty scale. The heroes in these books are inherently good men that just happen to do some bad things but for good reason. If you haven’t read these yet, they’re currently on sale for only $1.99 in anticipation of the release of Sebring on January 11.
CAN BE READ AS STANDALONES
KNIGHT | CREED | RAID | DEACON | SEBRING
DESTROYED by Pepper Winters
This was my first Pepper Winters book and it absolutely blew me away. I ugly cried myself through the ending and couldn’t stop thinking about it for days after. Having read all of Pepper’s books since then, I can definitely tell you that on Pepper’s particular scale of dark, this is gray. But in its own right? It’s not easy read. It was gritty and emotional but yet wonderful all at once. An underground fighter and the woman who wants to heal him and yet they heal each other. *dreamy sigh*
Destroyed is a standalone title.
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THE BUTCHER series by Francette Phal
Have you ever wondered what would happen if Captive in the Dark and Dexter had a love child? This fucking book is what! My. God. Do you like a dark romance with a redeemable hero that slowly succumbs to his inevitable love for the heroine? Perhaps an anti-hero that has what you’d like to think is a semblance of a conscience? Well fuck that and your delicate sensibilities! Because you sure as fuck won’t find it here! DOn’t say I didn’t warn you. This book is fucked the fuck up. I’m not even kidding. But it’s also seeeeew gewd. Like ridiculously addicting good. Oh and it also ends on a motherfucker of a cliffhanger, so…yeah. I’ve been stalking Francette for news on book two and she’s working in it but there’s no definitive release date just yet.
FLAWED | CARNAGE
PRISONER by Annika Martin & Skye Warren
This book had one of the most intense first meetings I have ever read. Period. It may have had something to do with the hero being led down the prison hall as an inmate when it happened? Yeah. That could have been it. But really, this is probably my favorite Skye Warren book I’ve read to date. It’s gritty, sexy and completely unputdownable. While part of a series, each book will be a different character and this one had a fully finished HEA. I’m absolutely salivating for any news that these authors will be writing more in this series but so far nothing. So I’ll just be in my corner…rocking and crying.
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KING by T.M. Frazier
I have yet to read a book by this author that I haven’t devoured in one sitting. This woman knows how to write one dark and utterly fucked up romance. King and Doe’s story was no light read but man was it delicious. Their story spans over two books; King and Tyrant. We now also got Bear’s book in Lawless and I’m eagerly anticipating the continuation of that with Soulless.
KING | TYRANT | LAWLESS | SOULLESS
MONSTERS IN THE DARK by Pepper Winters
So no surprise that Pepper Winters heroes make numerous appearances on my list. But there’s just something about Q from Monsters in the Dark that never left me. Quintessentially Q gutted me. That book touched me on a visceral level and I still think about it to this day. One of the best dark romances I’ve read to date and one of my favorite couples. Simply unforgettable. If you haven’t met Tess and Q yet, you haven’t lived.
MUST BE READ IN ORDER
TEARS OF TESS | QUINTESSANTIALLY Q | TWISTED TOGETHER
VANQUISH by Pam Godwin
Now here’s a baddie for you. Vanquish is book 2 in Pam’s Deliver series but you can also read it as a standalone. Van was first introduced in Deliver and he was ALL bad. This was a straight up villain. And yet, when you took a deeper look, you’d notice something just below his surface. Something…vulnerable. Now don’t get me wrong, this is a dark romance and Van is no good guy. Hell, he basically stalks the heroine in the beginning. But there’s also something much deeper to him that makes you fall for him. I adore Pam’s writing and this book shows you exactly why.
CAN BE READ AS STANDALONES
DEBT by Nina G. Jones
You know the phrase “uncomfortably aroused”? You will after reading this book. I guaran-fucking-tee it. Sweet baby jesus and all that’s holy, I don’t know how and if my ovaries survived this book. It’s taboo, gritty, and so freaking hot, you’d be surprised that your kindle doesn’t burn in flames. And if you haven’t read it, I don’t even want to talk to you until you do. That’s it. Run along now and don’t come back until you’ve read it.
This is a standalone title.
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SAVAGE SAINT MC series by Carmen Jenner
You may see this author pop up on a lot of my ultimate lists. Well that’s because the woman is a fucking rock star and can write the hell out of a book. She’s also the jack of all trades; rock stars, angst, and gritty as fuck MC are all part of her repertoire now. While I loved Kick, book 1 in her Savage Saint MC series, Tank was in a category of his own. This book was downright amazing. I can’t name any other author that can take a heroine that’s a drug addict and MC whore, and completely redeem her. Tank you will fall for right away, without a question. His and Ivy’s journey isn’t an easy one or filled with rainbows and unicorns, but it’s completely unforgettable.
SHOULD BE READ IN ORDER
INDEBTED series by Pepper Winters
Another Pepper Winters book? *Le gasp* I know, I know, try to contain your shock here, will you? What can I say, the woman writes some of my favorite anti-heroes and Jethro is definitely right up there. Indebted is a serial, but don’t get confused because these are not serial length books. They’re full length novels, so this is definitely one lengthy serial. But you’ll be gobbling it up like the crack that it is. That I promise you.
MUST BE READ IN ORDER
DEBT INHERITANCE | FIRST DEBT | SECOND DEBT | THIRD DEBT | FOURTH DEBT | FINAL DEBT | INDEBTED EPILOGUE
CORRUPT by Penelope Douglas
Michael Crist. *lusty tingles* I can’t even think his name without getting those. If you haven’t seen this book popping up all over your social media, I honestly have no idea where you’ve been. Even those living under a rock have heard about it and it’s for good reason, too. This book is just that good.
Corrupt is a standalone title.
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RICOCHET by Keri Lake
Oh man, this book. Easily one of my top 3 books I’ve read this year. I love Keri Lake’s writing and I’ve been a huge fan of her PNR series, Sons of Wrath. But when I hear she’ll be writing a dark romance, I knew I’d be all over it. What I didn’t know is how much this book will absolutely blow me away. If you haven’t read this yet, you need to. Ricochet is what would happen if The Punisher and V for Vendetta had a love child. This is a must read. Period.
Ricochet is a standalone, but a book focusing on different characters set in the same world will be releasing next year; Backfire.
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But wait! There’s more! You didn’t think that was it, did you? Here are a few more of my favorite anti-heroes that made the list that you should definitely check out too!
The farm made me numb to everything….
I’ve been waiting for Kai’s book for a long, long time. Ever since he was first introduced as a somewhat shady secondary character in 
Perfect Ruin is meant to be read after 
Kai is not a man that forms attachments. Any feeling has been beaten and tortured out of him when he was still a little boy. He doesn’t want an attachment of any kind any more than he can afford one. But when his job is to keep an eye on beautiful woman that he may have to use to bring her father to heel, it’s no hardship. What he never expects is for something to click inside of him once he does.
The connection between London and Kai is something that’s formed through many years. It may not be orthodox, but it’s them. Kai is not a gentle man, but with London there’s a part of him that comes to light that no one else has seen.
Amazon US
He stalked toward her, mirroring the tilt of her head, knees and shoulders loose, and his gaze holding her prisoner. A breath away, he paused, soaking in the subtleties of her tipped-up chin, parting lips, and glossy but resolute eyes. 
He was a cold-hearted fuck with an appetite for blood, come, and tears. And he had the perfect girl to feed it.
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I can’t stop thinking that maybe two negatives might equal a positive.
