We were tasked to compile a list of the best romance books featuring crazy possessive and jealous protagonists who are madly in love with the heroine. We are talking about book heros who stop at nothing (and we mean nothing) to claim and protect the heroine and defend what they consider theirs, often to the point of controlling or manipulative behavior.. Over the top? For sure! Delicious regardless? Absolutely!

• #41 Tormentor Mine - Anna Zaires

  

  dark romance mafia enemies to lovers forbidden love abduction

  He came to me in the night, a cruel, darkly handsome stranger from the most dangerous corners of Russia. He tormented me and destroyed me, ripping apart my world in his quest for vengeance.
  
  Now he's back, but he's no longer after my secrets.
  
  The man who stars in my nightmares wants me. more

• #42 Loving Zorn - Laurann Dohner

  futuristic aliens abduction curvy heroine insta-love

  Ariel never knew aliens existed until she finds herself kidnapped and taken from Earth. When the Anzon declare humans useless, she learns her fate-prize for the winner of a brutal fight between large, muscled alien men.
  
  Ral is a Zorn warrior. He has also been kidnapped by the Anzon, along with his crew. Forced into slavery, he's got one thing on his mind-freeing his people. That is, until he sees the small human woman he's willing to fight to win. He doesn't just want her body, he wants her heart forever.
  
  In the hands of a hot alien, Ariel is about to discover how pleasurable captivity can be. more

• #43 Whitney, My Love - Judith McNaught

  regency arranged/forced marriage enemies to lovers age gap grumpy/cold hero

  Under the dark, languorous eyes of Clayton Westmoreland, the Duke of Claymore, Whitney Stone grew from a saucy hoyden into a ravishingly sensual woman. Fresh from her triumphs in Paris society, she returned to England to win the heart of Paul, her childhood love . . . only to be bargained away by her bankrupt father to the handsome, arrogant duke. Outraged, she defies her new lord. But even as his smoldering passion seduces her into a gathering storm of desire, Whitney cannot -- and will not -- relinquish her dream of perfect love. more

• #44 Josh & Hannah - Lynda Chance

  fighters friends to lovers forbidden love shy heroine rich heroine

  Josh Turner wants Hannah more than life itself. She's perfect and new . . . but she's a McIntyre. She's from the richest family in the county, and he's a Turner, from the wrong side of the proverbial tracks. And to make matters worse, there's no love lost between their families. more

• #45 Fighting for Flight - J.B. Salsbury

  dark romance insta-love fighters sweet/gentle heroine

  The only daughter of an infamous Las Vegas pimp, Raven Morretti grew up an outsider. Liberated from the neglectful home of her prostitute mother, she finds solace as a mechanic. With few friends, she's content with the simple life. Flying under the radar is all she knows, and more than she expects.
  
  Weeks away from his title fight, Jonah is determined to stay focused on everything he's trained so hard to achieve. Undefeated in the octagon, he's at the height of his career. But resisting Raven's effortless allure and uncomplicated nature is a fight he can't win.
  
  Jonah trades in his bad-boy reputation and puts his heart on the line. more

• #46 Protecting What's His - Tessa Bailey

  working class hero sassy heroine funny independent heroine working class heroine grumpy/cold hero

  She's running from the law, and the law wants her bad.
  
  The opportunity was just too damn delicious for Ginger Peet to pass up. The purse full of money she finds—$50,000 to be exact—could give her and her teen sister the new start they need. So she grabs the cash, her gothy sibling, and their life-sized statue of Dolly Parton, and blows outta Nashville in a cloud of dust. Chicago, here we come...
  
  Turns out, Chicago has some pretty hot cops. Hot, intense, naughty-lookin' cops like Derek Tyler, who looks like he could eat a girl up and leave her begging for more. And more. more

• #47 The Mistress Mistake - Lynda Chance

  billionaire cruel hero/bully poor heroine forced proximity

  Jessica Conway is at the end of her rope. She desperately needs a few things that her moral values can't buy: food, shelter, a chance for a better life. Connor Montgomery is tortured with guilt from the past and wants only one thing from Jessica, something he's very willing to pay her for. Setting her up as his mistress seems like the perfect idea. more

• #48 Real - Katy Evans

  tortured hero insta-love fighters friends to lovers

  A fallen boxer. A woman with a broken dream. A competition…
  
  He even makes me forget my name. One night was all it took, and I forgot everything and anything except the sexy fighter in the ring who sets my mind ablaze and my body on fire with wanting…
  
  Remington Tate is the strongest, most confusing man I've ever met in my life.
  
  He's the star of the dangerous underground fighting circuit, and I'm drawn to him as I've never been drawn to anything in my life. I forget who I am, what I want, with just one look from him. When he's near, I need to remind myself that I am strong–but he is stronger. more

• #49 Beautiful Disaster - Jamie McGuire

  friends to lovers tortured heroine college grumpy & sunshine

  The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn't drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.
  
  Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby's resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. more