651 Book(s) Related to afton family story book

After five years in a long-distance relationship, I boarded a more than 10-hour flight without telling him, touched down in the city where he lived, all to give him a surprise.
Hardly had my phone connected to the local network when I scrolled across a post pushed to my feed from the same city.
The title read: What’s the thing you’ve done that you’ve never regretted for a single second?
The top comment stared back at me, sharp and unmistakeable:
I got him drunk and slept with him on the day we graduated college. Back then, he promised his girlfriend he’d never see me again, but his heart softens the moment I cry. Now our kid is 4 years old, and I’m pregnant with our second baby!
The comments below were flooded with questions, and someone asked outright: OP, are you the other woman?
She replied with unapologetic audacity: The one who isn’t loved is the real homewrecker. Besides, that woman was abducted and molested before. She’s long been tainted, and she never deserved him in the first place.
My fingers began to shake uncontrollably. Every single detail lined up perfectly with my own life.
Desperate to calm my heart, which felt like it was about to hammer out of my chest, I stepped into a roadside convenience store to buy a bottle of water.
The second I looked up at the checkout counter, the blood in my veins turned to ice in an instant.
The woman standing beside the cash register was none other than Su Miaomiao—the same woman who’d lain in the same hotel bed with Lu Sinian on that night of our college graduation.
My feet felt nailed to the floor as I watched her walk out of the store with a smile on her face.
The very next second, she threw herself into the arms of a man across the street, tilting her head up to kiss him in a sweet, lingering embrace.
That man was Lu Sinian. My husband. The man I’d legally married, the man I’d spent five years in a long-distance relationship with, the man who’d vowed over and over again to love me and protect me.

Camille Laurent was stolen at birth. Swapped by a greedy nanny, abandoned without a second thought, and erased from her rightful place in one of the most powerful families in the country.
While the real heiress struggled to survive, the nanny’s daughter, Talia, was raised in luxury as the beloved jewel of the Laurent family, pampered by Camille’s parents, adored by her three brothers, and even promised to the prestigious Matteo Devereux through a childhood engagement arranged by their grandparents.
Then the truth came out.
Six months ago, Camille was finally brought back to the Laurent family. To protect the family reputation and prove their devotion to their bloodline, the Laurent patriarch transferred 35% of his personal shares into Camille’s name overnight, instantly making her one of the wealthiest heiresses in the country.
It brought anxiety to all the Laurent family. But what they don’t know…is that Camille never needed them.
Behind her elegant smile lies a woman filled with secrets powerful enough to shake the whole family. She's a miraculous healer capable of curing the incurable poisons.
Yet despite everything, her family still chooses Talia.
Every accusation against Talia is forgiven. Every scheme against Camille is brushed aside. Even Matteo, the man who was supposed to be Camille’s fiancé—cannot let go of the woman he always believed belonged by his side.
But while the Laurent family underestimates Camille, another man begins to see exactly who she is.
Dante Moretti.
The ruthless heir of an old-money dynasty. A billionaire CEO worshipped by the public…and the merciless king of a criminal empire hidden beneath the city’s glittering surface. When Dante is poisoned by a rival syndicate with a deadly toxin no doctor can cure, he offers a fortune for anyone who can save him.
Only Camille can. Their deal is simple: she becomes his personal physician, and he gives her anything she wants.

Fourteen years ago, Isabella Winston died.

At least, that's what everyone believed.

One moment, she was trapped inside a sinking car beneath the icy waters of the Hudson River. The next, she woke up in her own bathtub and somehow fourteen years in the future.

Her husband is no longer the warm, easygoing man she remembers.

Her five-year-old son is now a nineteen-year-old stranger who looks at her with suspicion.

Her twins barely remember the mother they lost—one forever chasing affection, the other keeping the entire world at arm's length.

And the family she left behind has become something broken, distant, and unrecognizable.

Now Isabella faces an impossible challenge: rebuilding a family that never truly recovered from losing her.

Fourteen years have left scars on everyone.

Unfortunately for those causing the damage, Isabella Winston has returned to set things right.

In an incredibly realistic precognitive dream, my vampire stepparents and nominal brother cruelly pushed me off the second floor to feed the zombies for half a moldy loaf of bread.

I opened my eyes to find less than 72 hours until the full-blown apocalypse!

To hell with hypocritical family ties! In this life, I decisively spent money to buy a shelter, unexpectedly awakening my spatial abilities! With a thought, I remotely emptied the largest warehouse supermarket in the entire state, and even used tens of tons of heavy steel plates to build an indestructible doomsday fortress!

When the zombie horde descended, order collapsed. I sat in my absolutely safe fortress, eating a tomahawk steak, watching the brutal family of three on the monitor, driven mad by hunger, even killing each other and cannibalizing flesh for half a biscuit.

They knelt in the blood-soaked floor, desperately crying and begging me to open the door and give them alms.

My fingertips danced with violent lightning power as I coldly hung up the phone: "The door is welded shut. You can enjoy hell outside!"

At the auction, when Anna’s painting was sold for the highest price of the night, I died in a dim underground studio.

No one knew that the painting had stolen my inspiration.

I was the most talented painter in the Hale family, yet I lived forever in my sister’s shadow — only because our paintings always ended up strangely similar.

At first, people said it was the bond between sisters.
Later, after my sister stole my paintings and exhibited them first, I became the so-called thief who plagiarized her works, while Anna turned into a celebrated, sought-after painter.

“Hard work really is more reliable than talent.” That was what people loved to say.

Before the auction, my family locked me away in the studio.
“Don’t ruin Anna’s big night.”

My sister Anna handed me a piece of bread.
“Little sister, have something to eat. When the auction’s over, we’ll go celebrate with a nice meal.”

“Look how kind your sister is — she still worries you’re hungry.”
Mother kicked me hard.

But she never knew Anna had poisoned the bread.
After just one bite, my skin broke out in rashes, I could barely breathe, and pain tore through every part of me.

Before I suffocated, I called my boyfriend Edd.
All I got was his cold scold:
“Lily, stop playing these cheap tricks!”

To the busy beep of the phone, I took my last breath.

When they came home triumphantly, thinking I was just being moody and refusing to join the celebration, they never knew I had stayed forever in that dark, quiet studio.

Jaymin Clarance is a rogue half vampire—she’s hunting supernatural convicts and trying to stay anonymous, which doesn’t always go according to plan. When a mysterious Fae approaches her in Lviv and offers her a spot at the highly sought-after Moonlight Academy, it’s her only chance to finally turn her miserable life around. However, the Academy isn’t just an ordinary school for supernaturals—it’s also the place where students are prepped for admission to the most exclusive academy in Bucharest—The Elite.

Soon enough, Jaymin and her new group are sent out on a mission in Moscow. Their job is to rescue the daughter of a warlock who’s been kidnapped by an ancient clan of vampires, however, an experienced member of the school, a handsome Scottish vampire named Lachlan, doesn’t trust a half breed like Jaymin.

One mistake during her probationary period could jeopardize Jaymin’s chance to prove that she’s worthy of being considered for a trial in the Elite Academy, and pretty boy, Lachlan, would love nothing more than to see her expelled.

His lips trailed down her neck, teeth grazing her collarbone before he sucked a mark just above her pulse. She arched into him, a soft whimper slipping from her throat as his hands slid down to cup her breasts, his thumbs circling the sensitive peaks.
“Oh.” Her cheeks warmed, but her smile stayed steady. “We’ve known each other five seconds, and you’re already making promises?”
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep,” he said, voice low, edged with something dangerous.
Her fingers curled into his shirt, eyes locked on his.
“Then be gentle with me.”
~

He was her first, but he can’t even remember her.
Katherine Henry can’t believe her luck when she ends up working in the same hospital as the man, she gave her virginity to. It has been a few years since they last saw each other, but it seems like her first doesn’t remember her. Her father kicking her out of the house presents an opportunity for her to get closer to AJ Ross. Close enough to sneak in his bed, his head, and his heart. But first she has an odd proposal…roommates with benefits.
All she wants is sex, but AJ doesn’t know what to do when the arrangement spirals into something much deeper.

“Morgan Rice has come up with what promises to be another brilliant series, immersing us in a fantasy of valor, honor, courage, magic and faith in your destiny. Morgan has managed again to produce a strong set of characters that make us cheer for them on every page.…Recommended for the permanent library of all readers that love a well-written fantasy.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (regarding Rise of the Dragons)From #1 Bestseller Morgan Rice comes an unforgettable new fantasy series. In A THRONE FOR SISTERS (Book one), Sophia, 17, and her younger sister Kate, 15, are desperate to leave their horrific orphanage. Orphans, unwanted and unloved, they nonetheless dream of coming of age elsewhere, of finding a better life, even if that means living on the streets of the brutal city of Ashton. Sophia and Kate, also best friends, have each other’s backs—and yet they want different things from life. Sophia, a romantic, more elegant, dreams of entering court and finding a noble to fall in love with. Kate, a fighter, dreams of mastering the sword, of battling dragons, and becoming a warrior. They are both united, though, by their secret, paranormal power to read other’s minds, their only saving grace in a world that seems bent to destroy them.As they each embark on a quest and adventure their own ways, they struggle to survive. Faced with choices neither can imagine, their choices may propel them to the highest power—or plunge them to the lowest depths.A THRONE FOR SISTERS is the first book in a dazzling new fantasy series rife with love, heartbreak, tragedy, action, magic, sorcery, fate and heart-pounding suspense. A page turner, it is filled with characters that will make you fall in love, and a world you will never forget. Book #2—A COURT FOR THIEVES—will be released soon.“An action packed fantasy sure to please fans of Morgan Rice’s previous novels, along with fans of works such as The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini…. Fans of Young Adult Fiction will devour this latest work by Rice and beg for more.” --The Wanderer, A Literary Journal (regarding Rise of the Dragons)

My five-year-old son had never hugged me first.

Whenever I reached for him, Ian stepped back, lowered his eyes, and politely told me I could go.

I thought he didn’t want me.

Then, on the night I was supposed to die, a mysterious reader thread appeared on my phone.

Look at him pretending he doesn’t care.

He wants his mother to stay so badly—but if he gets too emotional, his wolf ears will appear.

I canceled dinner and crouched in front of him.

“I’m staying home tonight.”

Hope lit his face before he could hide it.

Then he asked the question that broke my heart.

“Only tonight?”

The folder slid across the table toward Hannah's husband. Sign here. Family helps family.

What the Whitfields never once thought to wonder was that the quiet daughter-in-law they'd spent four years bleeding had almost three million dollars they couldn't see.

She'd hidden it for one reason: to keep the only good man in that family from being turned into their wallet.

Now they wanted his signature. His house. His name on their debt.

They had spent a lifetime underestimating the quiet one.

They were about to learn what that costs.

Married to Declan Hargrove for three years, I kept my past locked away tight. I let no one near Greybell, and I never, ever mentioned the name Calloway.
Until Piper excitedly dug up the "incest scandal" between me and my own brother. The Hargrove family booked their flights that very night, vowing to fly to Greybell and tear my "white-trash" parents to shreds.
I knelt on the carpet, shaking and sobbing.
But hiding behind the curtain of my long hair, no one saw the truth. I wasn’t begging for my own life.
I was begging for theirs.
Because my brother, Reid, had already gotten the news. He was in Greybell right now, preparing an unforgettable "feast" for our arrogant guests.

Spring is the season I dread the most.

Because every spring, my mere existence becomes a lethal weapon against my own son.

Theron told me he suffers from a highly rare condition: Maternal Stress Rejection Syndrome.

If I so much as get near Flynn during the spring months, it triggers severe asthma attacks and terrifying asphyxiation.

To keep our boy alive, Theron takes him away to an isolated treatment center for three months, every single year.

And I stay behind, swallowing antidepressants by the handful just to survive the crushing guilt.

That is, until I found a photo hidden in Theron's burner phone.

In the picture, my husband and my son are tightly embracing another woman.

The so-called Maternal Stress Rejection Syndrome was nothing but a sick lie—a meticulously crafted excuse so my husband could spend the season playing "happy family" with his first love.

......

---The game between Alpha and his Huntress mate---
---Who can be the final winner?---
---Who loses her/his heart in the game?---

“You know you never told me why you had those numbers,” Rogan said, “Do they mean something special?”
“We get them assigned, but I was able to decide mine,” I said.
“Oh? Why 110 then?” Rogan kept asking.
I smiled a little, and Rogan looked at me confused.
“It … it was my father’s number,” I said.
“I … I wanted to honour him, you know.
Rogan squeezed my hand and I looked up at him and smiled.
“You were a great hunter,” he said. “But now you need to be a great Luna.”


Her number is 110, her name was rarely used. But she indeed has a beautiful name, Serena. Serena lost her family at a very young, she hated all of the werewolves who ruin her life. When she was sent to kill the most powerful Alpha Rogan, Serena didn’t have any hesitation, Alpha Rogan must be killed.

Alpha Rogan caught the most unexpected prey, his mate, a little huntress. To deal with her was much more difficult than killing his enemies with blood. He knew she hated him and he himself should stay away from her. But he just couldn’t, he wanted his mate so much and never wanted to hurt her.

She ran away from home, leaving with anger inside her heart.
She will never accept his father's mistress to become the legal wife after her mom died.
Alone, lost, hungry and desperate. She met the young and wild Lance Angelo Vergara.
They shared a night with full of passion...
Ashamed of what she did. Nathalie Audrey Falcon leave without saying goodbye.
Leaving Lance in so much rage and burning desire.
After 6 years, their path crossed again.
The Forgotten Desire that they felt a long time ago, ignites...
Lance will never forget the night that they had and chased her.
But it will never be the same again...
She is already married, with a twin.
Hiding something...
And he has a secret...
That will about to be revealed...

For Renata, the world of the rich is a place where she will never belong, as everyone, without exception, as self-centered, mean, rude, overbearing, cheating and wicked.
When she leaves the country, she starts working for one of the biggest companies in the world, and although she hates herself for feeling this, she can't keep the bold Italian out of her thoughts, she can't control her heartbeat let alone the butterflies in her stomach every time he's around.
She tries not to want him for 3 reasons:
1 - He is rich.
2 - He is her boss, and
3 - She finds the behavior of this Italian tycoon very suspicious.
The more she tries to stay away, the more he insists on getting closer.
Between them, which will speak louder: love or reason?

Clyde grew up to be a very quiet person. An obedient son and a good brother to his siblings. A simple person, despite his high status in life as a doctor, never gets tired of helping others. And because of his goodwill, he will meet one of his patients who he never thought would have a major role in his quiet life. He will enter into a relationship that will disrupt and destroy him which will trigger his unpredictable mental disorders back again, which will lead to a secret agreement just to keep him sane and soon will come to the point where he will do everything just to keep the woman he dearly loves.

MATURE CONTENT WARNING! It contains sensitive scenes and speech not suitable for young readers. R18+

His life is full of violence, blood and death. His name is Cerberus, that's what they call him because he's vicious, cruel, and ruthless. To be The Mafia leader you have to be, fearless, heartless and shameless, to have what you want, to get what you want and to own what you want. Gabriel 30 years, the leader of the black cross mafia or family as he calls it, he's well known everywhere due to his cruel acts. Ariel a sweet 18 years high school girl innocent, shy, kind and pure. The girl who always sees the good in people even though they can't see it themselves. She's a believer that everyone matters and everyone must have a chance. These two people will meet, their worlds collide, their life won't be the same. Is the gangster going to be changed by the angel or the pure soul of the angel is going to be tainted.

Adele Green was a werewolf in the Silverlake pack born to an Alpha family. She trained with her father and brother from a young age and became the pack head warrior at the age of 18. She was a very skilled warrior and also very intelligent with good leadership qualities. When she was 20, she found out that she had not 1 but 2 mates Chris Black and Liam Taylor who were the Alpha and Beta of the most powerful pack in the world, Blackwood pack. Adele was very ecstatic as she was told mate bond is the most sacred bond which needs to be cherished but her mates did not share the same idea.
Chris and Liam were best friends from childhood and their friendship turned to love by the time they were 15. When they were 18, they became the Alpha and Beta of Blackwood pack. Both hated woman and even the concept of mates. According to them women are good only for one thing , to bare pups and take care of them.

This is the first book in the series: The Lupian Chronicles.
Kiran Sinclair is the future Alpha of his pack in Seward, Alaska. He battles his own supernatural powers while Death taunts him with signs of who will die. Adara Kinkaid is a battered and broken girl when she arrives on the Sinclair family's doorstep. There she experiences what love and family is really like and that love heals her wounds. Follow their journey through family tragedies, secrets being spilled, murder and revenge as they try to navigate their imprinting. They face the ultimate test between being human and wolf, where danger lurks closer than they think.

The story of Kiran Sinclair continues in Gravity. He returns to find his pack in danger and discovers that while he was healing himself, he lost the one thing most precious to him. Old enemies are still there and planning his demise. Adrian Peters goes on a rampage to kill the one wolf he really wants, Kiran Sinclair. Kiran's life is turned upside down when four-year-old Christian comes to live with them. The little boy fills the emptiness in Kiran's heart and while a new enemy arises, things seem to work out for Kiran. Life's not always what it seems and Kiran will soon realize that his family secrets run deeper than he ever thought when Death shows him the future that awaits him.

"But, why are you driving me out of your mansion? You are my mate, why are you doing this to me, I thought you will be so…''

He interrupted. "Does it matter, do you think because I'm your mate, we will then, become lovers, get married and lived happily ever after, then, our lives will become a fairytale. Quit those thoughts and get your head straight to reality, beholding your sight alone is annoying, just forget that I'm ever your mate? I don't want to ever see you again."

"Why are you doing this, when…"

"If you don't understand a single word, I just said, should I throw you out this minute like some piece of trash before you understand me. I'm keeping you here in the meantime and that's just for today. Be prepared, so you can leave first thing tomorrow morning and I don't want to see you again."

Glimpsing at the Omega's expression was somewhat getting on his nerves, he will never tarnish his family, or his reputation because of him.

Never.


Liam Huxley is a twenty year old, a young handsome man, who comes from among the wealthiest family and suffered at the hands of his biological parents because he was an Omega and not an Alpha, when he was an heir to the pack. Even the Storm pack hated him for it and never accepted him. They mistreated him so much and he endured everything and hid it, within himself. He didn't want to disgrace his family, by exposing them and he fell in love with a beta, who loved him. Until, one day, he's had enough from his parents and decided to stay with his boyfriend, only to discover that he was cheating on him with his brother. Heartbroken and depressed, which almost resulted into suicide, he met the most handsome man, an Alpha, leader of the strongest pack, whom everyone feared, but he didn't give a damn about anyone and stretched out his hand to help him, only for him to find out that he had just fallen in doom and disastrous intricacies. Was this the only way to survive and endure the torture, to the extent of ruining someone's life.

"Come back to me, Ivy," the man whom she used to love with all her heart said.“No, no,” Ivy shook her head and backed away from him. Her body trembled as fear consumed her whole being. He was the reason her baby was gone! He was the reason for all her suffering!

Ivy thought she was the luckiest woman in the world - she was married to the man of her dream.But that was just her illusion. On the day she received her pregnancy report, she found her husband in bed with his best friend. Before she had the chance to tell him about her pregnancy, she was forced to divorce and her family was driven to bankruptcy by that one man she loved.Since then, her life went south.
She married a governor in another country whom everyone thought was a gentleman. Everyone envied her, but no one knew he was a sadist who loved to abuse her.Five years later, the man she used to love met her by chance and begged her to come back.But would she be able to give her heart again, when all she felt toward him was fear and hatred? Knowing that he was the sole reason her life had turned to be what it was today with endless suffering?

Aston Whitmore thought I loved him. Truth is, his mother bought a year of my life for a million dollars.
He thought those 3 AM study sessions were about redemption and romance across class lines. He didn't know I was never watching his pretty face—I was watching the countdown to my mother's kidney transplant payment.
I froze this trust fund prince's credit cards, cut his internet, and nailed him to that desk until his eyes went bloodshot cramming calculus.
When he turned into a guard dog in front of the whole cafeteria, publicly staking his claim on me, all I was calculating was the date that final payment would clear.
Today, he burst through the mansion door clutching his Yale acceptance letter, ready to give me some grand confession.
I was already thirty thousand feet up on a flight to Zurich, staring at that million-dollar deposit notification, face blank as I pulled out the SIM card, snapped it in half, and tossed it in the trash.
No note. No goodbye.
Just one notarized Service Completion Certificate sitting on that empty desk. Terms fulfilled. Transaction closed.

Tracy's life shatters the day her sister asks her to deliver a simple package.She never reaches her destination.Instead, she wakes up bound inside a van with ten other terrified women, on her way to be sold. But before she was taken, Tracy had a dream she can't forget. As her dying mother faded into darkness, she whispered one chilling warning:Never trust your father.Sold into the household of one of the country's most powerful billionaire families, Tracy is forced to work as a maid inside a mansion where every smile hides an agenda and every locked door conceals another secret. The family who bought her seems to know far more about her than they should—and the closer she gets to the truth, the more she realizes her kidnapping was never random.Caught between two enigmatic billionaire brothers, dangerous family secrets, and a conspiracy that reaches back to her mother's death, Tracy must uncover who betrayed her before she becomes the next victim.Because someone has been waiting for her all along.And if her mother's final warning is true, the most dangerous person in Tracy's life isn't inside the mansion...It's the man she's called Father her entire life.

The day before Thanksgiving, my husband, David, dragged his suitcase to the airport, claiming he was flying to Seattle to meet an important client.
My parents took my younger brother to Miami for a vacation and conveniently took my six-year-old daughter with them.
With the house empty, I picked up a last-minute catering shift that paid double the usual hourly rate. I needed the extra money to cover next month's rent and buy David a gift. So I temporarily filled in as a dinner server at a mansion in Beverly Hills.
After changing into a black-and-white uniform, I entered the employer's home through the service entrance.
The person in charge was the lady of the house—a young, beautiful blonde.
She had barely led me through the hallway toward the main room when I saw several workers hanging a massive engagement portrait on the central wall.
The man in the photograph, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, was my husband of six years.
David.
I froze where I stood, my mind going completely blank.
"Move it a little to the left. Yes, that's it. Straighten it!" the blonde girl called out to the workers.
Then she turned toward me.
"What? Can't take your eyes off it? That's my fiancé."
She looked me up and down, her voice dripping with condescending, fake sympathy.
"Working on a major holiday? I guess you're not married yet."
I closed my eyes and took a slow, deep breath. "I am. But I'll be a widow very soon."

Elara, the younger twin. Every time my sister falls ill and screams in agony, my Alpha father and mother, obsessed with their twisted idea of fairness, force me to feel every bit of that same searing pain.
Once, they cast me out into the wilds. On the brink of death, I stumbled across a fey altar. It promised anything could be traded. Without thinking, I bargained away my wolf spirit and my health. I only wanted my parents to stop punishing me for my sister’s sickness. I just wanted to be loved.
When I opened my eyes and told them I had traded my wolf spirit and health for a cup of water, what waited for me was…

Three months after being reunited with the Harrington family, I won £5 million in the lottery.

Then, they kicked me out of the house.

My father, my mother, and that imposter brother—three swindlers—fabricated an apocalyptic lie and used a so-called "heirloom" to steal my lottery ticket.

They didn't know that the end times really were coming.

Unbeknownst to them, the true power of that wristband was—item duplication.

Little did they know, I was the one who had truly been reborn from the apocalypse.

In my past life, they used me as bait, letting me be torn to pieces by the infected.

In this life, 5 million pounds? Go ahead and squander it.

I want to watch them struggle in despair and die in fear.

And I will have unlimited resources at my disposal, on this wasteland—

Rowan Hayes was just another woman lost in the city—tired, broke, and invisible—until the day she threw herself in front of a van and saved a little girl’s life.

Now that girl, Emma Vance, refuses to let her go.
Her father, Asher Vance, refuses to let her stay.

With sharp suits, inked skin, and a voice that sounds like danger, Asher is the kind of man who gets what he wants—and never forgives what he doesn’t. He built his fortune on control and his reputation on fear. But Rowan Hayes makes him lose both.

As their worlds collide, the lies holding his empire together begin to crack. Emma’s mother isn’t dead. The truth is uglier—and far more dangerous—than anyone knows.

Caught between the child who trusts her and the man who tempts her, Rowan must decide whether love is worth the ruin that follows.

He’s power and poison. She’s the spark that might burn it all down.

She rushed home late at night to celebrate her husband's birthday — only to find him with another woman.
"Daddy, when are you and Mommy getting a divorce?" her son asked, innocent and cruel all at once. "I want Auntie to be my new mommy."
She thought of the divorce papers she'd found the day before. Without hesitation, she picked up her phone and dialed her boss.
"I'll join the OriginWorld research program. But I have one condition..."
Months later, she stood at the podium as a national-level AI research consultant, delivering a keynote lecture.
And there, in the audience, sat her ex-husband — staring up at her, utterly stunned.

In the end-stage of acute heart failure, the life-saving heart I had waited three grueling years for was secretly reallocated by my parents and husband to Sera, the "true" daughter of the family.

My heart turned to ash. I refused the doctor's final conservative treatment plan and injected a potent, lethal neuro-stimulant.
The price for blocking the agonizing pain of my failing heart was total cardiac collapse and death in three days.

In these three days, I gave up all arguments and resistance.
When Adrian impatiently threw down the divorce papers, I signed them without hesitation; when the daughter I raised with my own hands pushed me away in disgust, hiding in Sera’s arms and calling her "Mommy"; when I handed over the Foundation I had spent eight years building entirely to Sera—they didn't even notice my paper-white face.

They only looked at me with relief and said, "If you had been this sensible earlier, our family wouldn't have gotten so ugly."

I am very curious. When I am dead, what will they think then?

For six years, I sold my body to underground clinics as a human lab rat to cure my son's heart failure and pay off my husband's debts.

Today, my biological brother kicked away the medicine I bought with half my life.

"Lucas was never sick. We faked the medical records to teach you a lesson for upsetting Virginia."

My husband coldly chimed in:

"I never went bankrupt either."

Even the son I bled to birth stabbed my arm, screaming, "A bloody monster like you doesn't deserve to be my mom!"

I finally realized my entire life was a meticulously crafted scam.

With my organs rapidly failing and only ten days left to live, I stepped onto the edge of the balcony.

"You're right," I smiled at my husband and brother, watching the color completely drain from their faces. "Six years of my life isn't enough to apologize to her."

"So I'll pay you with my corpse."

In my last life, my younger brother made a contract with an S-rank ghost, but it turned out to be completely useless, while I contracted a B-rank ghost, the Starving Ghost, which could not only devour monsters but also consume other awakened humans' ghost servants to evolve.
Under my protection, my family went from scavenging for scraps to living in a luxury mansion inside the government safe zone.
But on the eve of a ghost tide attack, I was prepared to stay behind and defend the base while sending my parents, my sister, and my younger brother away first.
Instead, they killed me, all to take my Starving Ghost so they could have an easier time surviving on the road.
After I died, they didn't even have time to tame the Starving Ghost before it devoured every one of them.
When I opened my eyes again, I had somehow returned to the day we formed our ghost contracts, and this time, my younger brother chose the Starving Ghost.

She died with her bones crushed under her sister's heel. She came back with one goal: make them all pay.

Her brothers toasted her murder over champagne. Her fiancé texted "job done" as she fell from the 22nd floor. They took her name, her work, and her life.

But death gave her a gift: a second chance.

Now, she's walking away from the family that betrayed her. No tears. No begging. Just a cold, burning promise: everything they stole, she will take back.

Enter the man who sees through her armor. He's a titan of industry, a master of rare gems, and he offers her a deal that changes everything. But his eyes hold secrets—and a hunger that makes her forget why she swore off trust.

This time, she's not fighting for their approval. She's fighting for her revenge.

And the only thing more dangerous than her fury?

The man who's determined to own it.

They told me the baby was gone, but they didn't tell me my heart was being carved out, too.

I woke up on the operating table, paralyzed. Through my blurred vision, I saw my beloved husband, Marco, trembling with excitement as he held my medical chart.

"Her blood is perfect," he whispered. "It is a perfect match for Isabella. We can proceed with the transplant now."

"Finally. It wasn't in vain that I brought her back." My revered father let out a sigh of relief. "If it weren't for this day, how would someone who wandered outside for so many years be qualified to step into this house again?"

When my husband said "I love you," he actually meant "Your heart is perfect for the woman I truly love."

I couldn't scream; I couldn't move.

I could only watch helplessly as the silver scalpel pierced toward my chest, while my sister, Isabella, lay on the operating table next to me, smiling in her sleep.

I was never a long-lost daughter, nor was I a beloved wife.

I was just a mobile blood bank waiting to be slaughtered.

The car crash six months ago destroyed my body. I survive the agony only through the painkillers prescribed by my brother, Fletcher.
While shopping for my wedding dress, I simply swallowed a pill on schedule. My mother responded with a slap that made me spit blood. My father stormed in and kicked my ribs in without asking a single question.
I fled crying to my brother, only for him to grab me in disgust: "You are a disgrace to this family."
I called my fiancé. He rushed to the scene, took one look at the pill, and called the cops without hesitation: "The engagement is off. She makes me sick."
In just a few hours, I went from a bride-to-be to a death row inmate.
But as the gavel fell, I saw our family maid calmly swallow the exact same pill from the gallery…
I lunged at the railing, screaming at the judge. He leaned down, a chilling smile spreading across his face: "Linnea, this is all because…"

"Help! Somebody help me! Julian is trying to kill my baby!" I scream at the top of my lungs, bursting into my gender reveal party.

Just minutes ago, Julian was my perfect, doting husband. Then he opens my unborn baby's genetic screening report. The unadulterated ferocity and revulsion simmering in his eyes makes my entire body shake. He grips my arm, demanding I terminate the pregnancy.

I already died once because of that piece of paper. In my past life, they dragged me to a freezing lab, pumped me full of drugs, and murdered my child before locking me in an asylum.

This time, I hide behind the guests. But my parents storm in. After seeing the report, instead of saving me, Dad kicks me squarely in the stomach.

"You shameless little whore," he spits.

They are about to drag me out the back door when two police officers step through the glass doors. The cop hands me the confiscated report.

I look down at the printed words... and finally understand.

All About You (Love & Hate Series #1)

I start hating Oliver just after his older brother Christian’s death. I drag him down a road of humiliation and pain to try to cope with what his brother did to me.
A few months after Christian’s passing, Oliver leaves town, and for the next two years, he is absent from my life. The demons claw their way back in, and I must learn to live with the secret that has destroyed me.
Now I’m starting a new life, away from Gargle and away from my past, but everything crashes when I see Oliver the first day at university. It’s clear that many things have changed since we’ve been apart. Now he is captain of the rugby team and the most popular bloke on campus.
Then he makes a bet and gives me an ultimatum: I leave Braxton forever and start somewhere else, or I stay and play his game… because he’s never forgotten that it was me who ruined his life two years ago.

Mike Pike, the Royal Beta of the New Moon Kingdom was once looking forward to finding his mate at one time. Circumstances changed his mind when he met Jonda six months ago on his quest to find his missing king.
He fell in love and fully intended to take Jonda as his chosen mate.
That was until he found out the love of his life had cheated on him, and on the same night, he ran down his mate who stole Queen Tala's Crown.
Now the thief needs his help to protect her son from the Shadow Witch, the same Dark witch that searches for four ancient stones to open the realms gates, unleashing the god of the underworld.

Mike:
It didn't matter if my mate turned up out of the blue, or that the goddess fated me to a thief and murderer.
I had chosen Jonda the moment I laid eyes on her. My wolf had chosen too.
One night was all it took to knock my realm off kilt and shatter my heart.
A Dark Witch is on the hunt and he's hunting for two things. A set of stones and the jewel thief - Lyric Swift - My mate and her son.

Lyric:
For five years I have lived as a rogue, wheeling and dealing to survive. For three years I have been a mother. I would do anything to protect my son's secret. Even if that means trusting my Beta mate, a mate I can't be with, a mate I couldn't give myself to. A mate who is in love with another. A mate who makes me feel things I don't want to.

Pythia comes from a long line of dark witches, she killed her mother for her reckless behavior and becomes the queen of the dark witches and teamed up with the Great White Witch and the vampire queen to fight in the battle to keep the balance in all the different worlds, she meets her mate, Tye in the great battle. Tye is the great white witches brother and a alpha. Together they will embark on a battle to correct the elders and take a step forward to peace among the dark witches, the road is long especially when they find out Pythias true royalty line. When realms collide and the moon goddess has to step in and not only aid because of the new found threat but to tell the secrets she has helped keep hidden for many years, Pythia is forced to train harder, work harder and plan for the absolute unexpected but, as she learns her true powers she starts to realize that she can handle anything that may threaten her and her family.
The vampire queen (Ambrosia) and Pythia will become close and discover the true origins of their pasts. They rely on each other when their mates are not around. New family is discovered and it is time they all come together to face one of the toughest moments in the dark witches history.

"I've always thought the human mind is its own heaven, and it's own hell. Until the day she came into my life. She is the precise point where my sanity fractures, and God help me, I never wanted to fall into the abyss more."

AN ISOLATED ISLAND. AN INCOMING WORLD WAR. AND TWO MONSTERS TIED TO THE SAME LEASH.

Miles away from human civilisation lies Sector 9—The White Room. It isn't a facility; it's a subterranean graveyard for the most dangerous anomalies on the planet. The apex killers. The unhinged. The biological nightmares too lethal for regular prisons. Here, the world's worst aren't just contained, they are brocken, experimented on, and forged into soulless weapons for the impending World War III.

Cleo is a ghost of a girl drowning in her own trauma, fighting every single day just to keep her internal demons at bay. Then she's tethered at the neck of Kenji Sato—the Island's infuriating class clown who could walk off the Island anytime he pleases, but chooses to stay. While Cleo fights to quiet the madness in her head, Kenji wants to meet her demons. He doesn't want her body or trust—he wants to rule her mind, and he'll tear everything apart just to kneel for her in her dark space.

[Stand Alone Book: I Dare You sequel]
( DISCLAIMER‼️: Not your regular Romance!!! 🔞 proceed with caution <3
You do not need to read book one to read this book but I advice you start with book 1 in order to understand the narrative better.)

“A MASTERPIECE OF THRILLER AND MYSTERY. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) ALMOST GONE is book #1 in a new psychological thriller series by USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. When 23 year old Cassandra Vale accepts her first job as an au pair, she finds herself placed with a wealthy family in a rural estate outside of Paris, and all seems too good to be true. But she soon discovers that behind the gilded gates lies a dysfunctional family, a twisted marriage, troubled children, and secrets too dark to air. Cassandra is convinced she’s finally found a fresh start when she takes a job as an au pair in the idyllic French countryside. Just beyond the Paris city limits, the Dubois manor is a grand relic of the past, the family its picture-perfect occupants. It’s the escape Cassandra needs—until she uncovers dark secrets that prove things aren’t as glamorous as they seem.Beneath the opulence lies a dark web of malice, one Cassandra finds all too familiar, triggering dreams from her own violent and tortured past, one from which she desperately runs. And when a grisly murder tears the house apart, it threatens to take down her own fragile psyche with it. A riveting mystery replete with complex characters, layers of secrets, dramatic twists and turns and heart-pounding suspense, ALMOST GONE is book #1 in a psychological suspense series that will have you turning pages late into the night. Book #2 and #3--ALMOST LOST and ALMOST DEAD—are also available!

"A book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!" --Vampirebooksite.com (Turned)FOUND is Book #8 of the Vampire Journals, the Bestselling series which begins with TURNED (Book #1). In FOUND (Book #8 of the Vampire Journals), Caitlin and Caleb awake in ancient Israel, in the year 33 A.D., and are amazed to find themselves in the time of Christ. Ancient Israel is a place of holy sites, of ancient synagogues, of lost relics. It is the most spiritually charged place in the universe—and in 33 A.D., the year of Christ’s crucifixion, it is the most spiritually charged time. In the heart of its capitol, Jerusalem, lies the Holy Temple of Solomon, inside of which sits the Holy of Holies and the Ark of God. And in these streets, Christ will take his final steps to be crucified. Jerusalem teems with people of all religious backgrounds and faiths, under the watchful eye of Roman soldiers, and their Prefect, Pontius Pilate. The city also has a dark side, with its labyrinthian streets and maze of alleyways leading to hidden secrets and Pagan temples. Caitlin now, finally, has all four keys, but still, she must find her father. Her search takes her to Nazareth, to Capernaum, to Jerusalem, following a mystical trail of secrets and clues in the footsteps of Christ. It also takes her to the ancient Mount of Olives, to Aiden and his coven, and to more powerful secrets and relics than she’s ever known. At every turn, her father is just a step away. But time is of the essence: Sam, turned to the dark side, has landed back in this time, too, and as he unites with Rexius, leader of the evil coven, they race to beat Caitlin to the Shield. Rexius will stop at nothing to destroy Caitlin and Caleb, and with Sam on his side, and a new army behind him, the odds are in his favor. Making matters worse, Scarlet arrives back in time alone, separated from her parents. She roams the streets of Jerusalem on her own, with Ruth, and as she begins to discover her own powers, she also finds herself in graver danger than she’s ever been. Especially when she discovers that she is holding a great secret, too. Does Caitlin find her father? Does she find the ancient vampire shield? Does she reunite with her daughter? Does her own brother try to kill her? And will her love with Caleb survive this final trip back in time?

"A book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!" --Vampirebooksite.com (Turned)BETRAYED is book #3 in the #1 Bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, which begins with TURNED (Book #1)! In BETRAYED (Book #3 in the Vampire Journals), Caitlin Paine awakes from a deep coma to discover she has been turned. Now a true, full-bred vampire, she marvels at her new powers, including her ability to fly, and her superhuman strength. She finds that her true love, Caleb, is still by her side, waiting patiently for her to recover. She has everything she could dream of. Until it all, suddenly, goes terribly wrong. Caitlin is horrified to discover Caleb with his ex-wife, Sera, and before Caleb has a chance to explain, Caitlin tells him to leave. Heartbroken, confused, Caitlin wants to curl up and die, her only consolation being in her wolf-pup Rose. Caitlin also finds consolation in her new surroundings. She finds she has been placed on a hidden island in the Hudson River—Pollepel—amidst an elite coven of teenage vampires, boys and girls alike, 24 in all, including her. She learns that this is a place for outcasts, just like her, and as she meets her new best friend, Polly, and begins her training in elite vampire combat, she realizes that she might finally have a place to call home. But a major vampire war is looming, and her brother Sam is still out there, kidnapped by Samantha. The evil Kyle, too, now wielding the mythical Sword, is still on the warpath, and he will stop at nothing to wipe out New York. Caitlin, despite her new home, and despite her finding a new love interest in the elusive vampire Blake, knows that she can only stay on this island for so long before her destiny calls. After all, she is still the One, and all eyes still look to her to find her father and the other weapon that might save them all. Torn between her new friends and her lingering feelings for Caleb, she must come to decide where her true loyalties lie, and whether she is willing to risk it all to try to find Caleb and have him in her life once again…. “BETRAYED is a great installment for this series. If you haven't read her first two novels, read them and then get your hands on BETRAYED.” VampireBookSite “The cliffhanger at the end of BETRAYED will leave the reader panting for more, and BETRAYED receives a solid A for its face paced read, and imaginative story.” --The Dallas Examiner “BETRAYED has good romance, a strong plot, lots of action, and a very quick pace. There are so many wonderful surprises that you will not want to stop reading it until the very end.” --The Romance Reviews

"A book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!" --Vampirebooksite.com (Turned)VOWED is Book #7 in the #1 Bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, which begins with TURNED (Book #1)! In VOWED (Book #7 of the Vampire Journals), Caitlin and Caleb find themselves in medieval Scotland, in 1350, a time of knights and shining armor, of castles and warriors, of the quest for the Holy Grail said to contain the key to true vampire immortality. Landing on the shores of the ancient Isle of Skye, a remote island off the Western coast of Scotland where only the most elite warriors live and train, they are ecstatic to reunite with Sam and Polly, Scarlet and Ruth, a human king and his warriors, and with all of Aiden’s coven. Before they can continue their mission for the fourth and final key, the time has come for Caleb and Caitlin to wed. Against the most amazing backdrop Caitlin could ever hope for, an elaborate vampire wedding is planned, including all of the ancient rituals and ceremonies that accompany it. It is the wedding of a lifetime, meticulously planned by Polly and the others, and Caitlin and Caleb are happier than they’ve ever been. Simultaneously, Sam and Polly, to their own surprise, are each falling deeply in love with one another. As their relationship accelerates, Sam surprises Polly with a vow of his own. And Polly surprises him with her own shocking news. But all is not well beneath the surface. Blake has appeared again, and his deep love for Caitlin might just threaten her union, on the day before her wedding. Sera has appeared again, too, and vows to break apart what she cannot have. Scarlet, too, finds herself in danger, as the source of her deep powers are revealed—along with the revelation of who are her true parents. Worst of all, Kyle has landed back in time, and has tracked down his old protégé, Rynd, to force him to use his shapeshifting skill to trick and kill Caitlin and her people. As they fall into his elaborate trap, Caitlin and the others find themselves in deeper danger than ever before. It will be a race to find the final key, before everyone Caitlin holds dear is wiped out for good. This time, she will have to make the hardest choices and sacrifices of her life.

For fifty thousand years, the Immortal Realm has feared the return of Vaelric, the Demon Lord—the God of Destruction and Death.

Hidden within the imperial palace since childhood, Alyssa has lived as both prisoner and weapon. Her blood can awaken the Demon Lord, while her soul is the only force capable of destroying him forever.

But when fate binds her to both the feared Demon Lord and the divine God of War, long-buried truths about the Great War begin to surface. The history she was raised to believe may have been built on a devastating lie.

Now two gods claim her heart. One seeks to burn the world to the ground. The other will sacrifice everything to save it. Neither is willing to let her go.

Trapped between duty and desire, destiny and free will, and three souls within a single body, Alyssa must answer the question that will decide the fate of the Immortal Realm:

Which love is fate? Which love is sacrifice? And which choice will rewrite the end of the world?

"A book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!" --Vampirebooksite.com (Turned)CRAVED is Book #10 in the #1 Bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, which begins with Book #1, TURNED! In CRAVED, 16 year old Scarlet Paine struggles to find out exactly what she’s becoming. Her erratic behavior has alienated her new boyfriend, Blake, and she struggles to make amends, and to make him understand. But the problem is, she can barely understand herself what’s happening to her. At the same time, the new boy in school, the mysterious Sage, comes into her life. Their paths keep intertwining, and although she tries to avoid it, he directly pursues her, despite the objections of her best friend, Maria, who has her own eyes set on Sage. Scarlet finds herself swept away by Sage, who takes her into his world, past the gates of his family’s historic river mansion. As their relationship deepens, she begins to learn more about his mysterious past, his family, and the secrets he must hold. They spend the most romantic time she can imagine, on a secluded island in the Hudson, and she is convinced she has found the true love of her life. But then she is devastated to learn Sage’s biggest secret of all: he is not human, either, and he has only a few weeks left to live. Tragically, just at the moment when destiny has brought her greatest love, it also seems fated to tear them apart. As Scarlet returns to the high school parties leading up to the big dance, she ends up in a huge falling-out with her friends, who excommunicate her from their group. At the same time, Vivian rounds up the popular girls to make her life hell, leading to an unavoidable confrontation. Scarlet’s forced to sneak out, making matters worse with her parents, and soon finds pressure building from all sides. The only light in her life is Sage. But he is still holding back some of his secrets, and Blake resurfaces, determined to pursue her. Caitlin, meanwhile, is determined to find a way to reverse Scarlet’s vampirism. What she finds leads her on a journey to find the antidote, deep into the darkest corners of rare libraries and bookstores—and to an ancient discovery she can hardly imagine. But it may be too late. Scarlet is changing rapidly, barely able to control what she’s becoming. She wants to be with Sage—but fate seems set on tearing them apart. As the book culminates in an action-packed and shocking twist, Scarlet will be left with a monumental choice—one that will change the world forever. How much is she willing to risk for love?

I find myself making a hard decision one that I never thought to have to make. I look over at my two sons beaten and broken, pleading to take my punishment. I smile saying, "It's OK boys. Don't be sad for me, know that I will always know how you are doing." Naikono screamed and cried while Kino's silent tears pleading. "I love you, keep each other safe. I will see you again in this body or another I will find you," I said to them as they were dragged off. I was left with the Fates of Time who were my Judges, Juries, and Executioners. I fucked up bad and got caught doing it too. One of the sad things is I don't even remember what I did. The Fates took my memories of the crime to ensure that the atrocities committed would never happen again. I sit there looking at them waiting for my sentencing. "For your crimes you sill spend 2500 yrs in oblivion after which you will spend the next millennia being reborn to unfortunate souls who are not destine to live. Finally you will be given the chance to live a peaceful life that is if you can keep yourself safe," the fate of the future said."I will take your punishment on one condition, that if outside forces beyond what is meant for the time of which I am in interfere with me or my children, should I have them, I can revert to my original self without repercussions to me or my children.” The fates stepped aside to consider this. They knew who I was and what I was capable of so ignoring my offer wouldn't work out for them. Stepping forward they said, " We accept your condition". Than my world went dark.

"A book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!" --Vampirebooksite.com (Turned)FATED is Book #11 in the #1 Bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, which begins with TURNED (Book #1)! In FATED, 16 year old Scarlet Paine struggles to understand what’s happening to her, as she wakes and realizes she’s becoming a vampire. Alienated from her parents and her friends, the only person she has left to turn to is Sage, the mysterious boy who has quickly become the love of her life. Yet Sage, whose house she finds boarded up, is nowhere to be found. Scarlet, alone in the world, with nowhere left to turn, seeks out her friends and tries to reconcile with them. All seems to be patched up when they invite her to join them on a trip to an abandoned island in the Hudson—but as things get out of hand and Scarlet’s true powers are revealed, who her friends and enemies are becomes more confusing than ever. Blake, still interested in her, tries to make amends. He seems sincere, and Scarlet is confused as she has to grapple with whether to be with Blake or to wait for Sage, who is nowhere to be found. When Scarlet finally finds Sage, they have the most romantic time of her life; yet it is tinged with tragedy, as Sage is dying, with but a few days left to live. Kyle, meanwhile, turned into the only other vampire left in the world, is on a murderous rampage, seeking Scarlet; Caitlin and Caleb consult with Aiden, and they each embark on different missions—Caleb to stop and kill Kyle, and Caitlin, to the famed Yale University library, to research the ancient relic rumored to both cure and kill vampires for all time. It is a race against time, and it may be too late. Scarlet is changing rapidly, barely able to control what she’s becoming, and Sage is dying with each passing moment. As the book culminates in an action-packed, shocking twist, Scarlet will be left with a monumental choice—one that will change the world forever. Will Scarlet make the ultimate sacrifice to save Sage’s life? Will she risk everything she has for love?