Books like Taken by the MC — picked by fans

Good lord, Kat simply dominates when she enters a scene.

She leaves no room for argument with all her decisions (some of them bad, some of them good) or dialogue, and even in moments where you’re screaming at her or she’s second-guessing herself, she grounds herself in her resolve and pushes forward.

Plus, Bones is swoon-worthy, and she still honors her own feels in the presence of his…well…everything, haha. I also love her evolution through the Night Huntress series and how her viewpoint toward vampires and paranormals shifts in a way that suits her character development. Also the spice? Heck. Yes.

I must admit now to having an obsession with female leads who are a bit broken, with spines of steel and a stubborn streak that refuse to bend. Not because I find them eerily similar to my own disposition or anything. *cough*cough*

Anyways, Aria is all that badassery, and a bag of flaming hot chips. The twist and turns book one revealed had me devouring the digital pages into the wee hours of the morning with zero regrets, waking up exhausted to take care of small children. Her man? Wait, let me fan myself from imaginary anticipation. Whew, he’s a hot mess express with enough baggage to sink the best cruise liners.

Amelia peels back the layers of imagination and dives into the raw, pure bliss, that only an author with a wicked imagination and talent can deliver. Go, read, so we can wait in agony together for the next… show more.

I must admit, I typically enjoy my pantry dripping scenes in the paranormal genera, but every once in a while I like to wander the digital aisles and partake in something new.

Y’all, this book has stayed with me for years as a beautifully written description of male anatomy. Seriously, I didn’t know an expert description of a mushroom head could do it for me. I was happily shocked. I’m going to admit this is the first book I dipped my toe into the waters of multiple partners, at once. But these pages are more than steamy, juice-dripping scenes. The way she breathed life into these exquisite characters, makes me wanna jump in and join. This is one of those books I hated to finish, my heart (and other parts) were aching when I reached the conclusion.

If you are looking for a feel-good, down-a-dirty read, I highly recommend.

I adore my badass bitches to have a colorful sense of humor and I can’t get enough when they own exactly who and what they are with zero fucks given. I can hear the cheering crowd now for this demon turned good-gal.

I’m also going to admit that I have a personal habit and skipping overly detailed, drawn-out descriptions. I know, I know, patience isn’t one of my strong points. Debra, however, had me reading and enjoying her descriptions. [Insert shocked face here.]

Samantha Martin, or Sam to her friends, is fearless, unafraid to make mistakes, shameless, confident, funny, and I want to have drinks with her.

While the down and dirty scenes are a bit more PG, the plot line is perfection, characters exceptionally well created, and some moments from the series are forever etched in my brain.

“I’m here for my angel.”

Sigh, girl, aren’t we all? Except… show more.

Gemma James hooked me at the title—Swallow Me Whole—and delivered on the naughty bits, dirty lies, and BDSM/dark vibe.

This friends-to-lovers trope made me want to high-five Sadie for having the guts to go for it with Ashton, and to kick the men in her life to the curb who won’t support her independence. 

What I really like is that the initial “arrangement” between Sadie and Ashton hits on the perfect note of hot and intriguing as hell. Clever quips between characters offer a comic relief that shows they’re into each other way beyond sex. 

There’s actually a great plot that unfolds where the reader will root for Ashton’s evolution into the man who allows Sadie the freedom to find who she’s meant to be: a confident, sexy woman. 

“He was at once The Evil and The Exorcist.” Considering the date of publication, a very modern account of grooming, toxic masculinity, and the objectification of women. Feeling deserted by family and friends, a bored boarding school girl entertains herself by sneaking out of the grounds after dark. One night in the woods she encounters an older man who claims to be an artist and invites her back to the workshop where he creates suspiciously lifelike dolls. Apparently oblivious to the fact he spouts creepy comments like “the craftsman must feel the willingness of his material” and undeterred by rumors of young girls going missing in the neighbourhood, our heroine embarks on a doomed (and vaguely BDSM) relationship with the stranger. An unforgettable novella about living dolls and manipulative relationships. 

Cherise Sinclair is my number one BDSM Romance author. The reason I love her books is their great storylines, relatable characters, and realistic but steamy sex, and BDSM scenes. To Command and Collar is book five in Master of the Shadowlands. Although I would advise to start reading the series from book one (Club Shadowlands), I chose book five because it is my favorite. I love Raoul and Kim and their hard-won journey to happiness.

I’m actually recommending two books here: Carrie's Story and Safe Word – a duet telling the full story.

Whether these came before the internet was a “thing” is arguable, but they were certainly published before ebooks had a chance to change the publishing industry.

They are well written, and once again come clearly from someone who understands the lifestyle. These books are highly recommended, and come towards the end of my list mainly because I’m doing this (up to this point) chronologically.

Kitty King does not play when it comes to writing erotica. It’s dark AF, featuring domination/submission and BDSM.
Red Night: Xavier’s Delight had more twists and turns than a mountain road, plus plenty of kinky sex. While I didn’t really like Xavier or his lover Marissa, their disturbing love dance left me wondering whether either one was a redeemable character.

What intrigued me the most was their codependent/narcissistic love affair—degrading, terrifying, and loving. I wasn’t sure whether to root for Marissa’s honesty to self and her eventual realization of Xavier’s motivation, or Xavier’s hot-and-cold nature. His impressively-described tool helped keep this reader attached to the story (just sayin’…).

The brilliance of this dark erotic piece: a sexy dichotomy between wanting what is safe and wanting what might destroy you. 

Although this book starts out without safe words or careful negotiations, I still recommend all of Joey W. Hill’s work and the Knights of the Board Room series as BDSM Romance. Sometimes, a Dom must dig deep to give a submissive what she needs, and this is what Matt Kensington does in Board Resolution. Savannah is trained to shield herself and I think Matt’s crazy plan is the only way through the tough outer shell and into the soft and loving woman she is. Piece by piece —with help from his team— he breaks her down, only to let her rise like a Phoenix from her ashes. Beautiful story.