9369 Book(s) Related to is the tender bar a true story

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.”--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. 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)Women are turning up dead in the rural outskirts of Virginia, killed in grotesque ways, and when the FBI is called in, they are stumped. A serial killer is out there, his frequency increasing, and they know there is only one agent good enough to crack this case: Special Agent Riley Paige.Riley is on paid leave herself, recovering from her encounter with her last serial killer, and, fragile as she is, the FBI is reluctant to tap her brilliant mind. Yet Riley, needing to battle her own demons, comes on board, and her hunt leads her through the disturbing subculture of doll collectors, into the homes of broken families, and into the darkest canals of the killer’s mind. As Riley peels back the layers, she realizes she is up against a killer more twisted than she could have imagined. In a frantic race against time, she finds herself pushed to her limit, her job on the line, her own family in danger, and her fragile psyche collapsing.Yet once Riley Paige takes on a case, she will not quit. It obsesses her, leading her to the darkest corners of her own mind, blurring the lines between hunter and hunted. After a series of unexpected twists, her instincts lead her to a shocking climax that even Riley could not have imagined.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE GONE marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.Book #2 in the Riley Paige series is now available!

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. 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) ONCE PINED is book #6 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 700 five star reviews! Men and women are turning up dead in the outskirts of Seattle, poisoned by a mysterious chemical. When a pattern is discovered and it becomes clear that a twisted serial killer is on the hunt, the FBI calls in their best asset: Special Agent Riley Paige. Riley is urged to return to the line of duty—but Riley, still reeling from the attacks on her family, is loath to return. Yet as bodies mount, and the murders become more inexplicable, Riley knows she has no choice.The case takes Riley deep into the unsettling world of nursing homes, of hospitals, of drifting caretakers and psychotic patients. As Riley delves deeper into the mind of the murderer, she realizes she is hunting the most terrifying killer of all: one whose madness knows no depths—and yet who may just appear shockingly ordinary.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE PINED is book #6 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #7 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

Fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum and Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune will find a new character to love in Holly Hands!Holly Hands. 29. Single mom. Disgraced, former boxing pro. Repo woman.Repossessing Lamborghinis and other exotic toys from criminals is second-hat for Holly.But finding a dead body—and solving a murder—is not.Luckily, Holly has Lucky by her side—a neglected pit bull she found on the wrong side of a job, who refuses to leave her side—and who, like her, has nowhere to go but up. Together, maybe they can crawl their way out of the urban hell of their bad slice of Baltimore, where coming home at night is even more dangerous than going to work. Maybe Holly can manage to get her young daughter the medical treatment she desperately needs, and manage to get her out of her dangerous public school and into the private school of her dreams. Just maybe, she can fall in love with that private school Dad from the other side of town and start a whole new life.Or maybe not.Life has never been easy for Holly. And if the past few days—and the dead body in her trunk—are any indication—it’s about to get a whole lot worse.KNOCKOUT (A HOLLY HANDS COZY MYSTERY) is book #1 in a riveting new cozy mystery series, a page-turning thriller that grabs you from page one and does not let go. Get ready to find yourself reading all night, bleary-eyed, and falling madly in love with a new character who will fight her way into your heart.Book #2 (SUCKER PUNCH) and Book #3 (BELOW THE BELT) in the series are also available.

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. 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) ONCE FORSAKEN is book #7 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 700 five star reviews! When Special Agent Riley Paige finally decides to take a well-needed rest from the FBI, a request for help comes from the most unlikely source: her own daughter. April’s best friend is devastated by the death of her sister, a freshman at Georgetown. Worse, she is convinced that the suicide was staged, and that her sister was murdered at the hands of a serial killer.Riley reluctantly looks into the case, only to discover that two other freshman girls at Georgetown recently killed themselves in the same grotesque way—by hanging. As she realizes foul play may be afoot, she brings in the FBI. The case takes Riley deep into the privileged campus of one of the world’s most esteemed universities, into the unsettling world of the wealthy and driven families that pushed their children to succeed. In time she discovers that this case is far more twisted than it seems—and that she just may be up against the most psychotic killer of her career. A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE FORSAKEN is book #7 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #8 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

Betrayed and creatively blocked, erotic artist Lucia Lane has sworn off love until her infuriatingly gorgeous new neighbor crashes into her life. NHL bad boy Noah Lawson is loud, arrogant, and impossible to ignore… especially after he saves her from a violent attack and the world mistakes them for lovers.

A fake relationship should be simple. No feelings. No rules broken.

But Noah isn’t just hockey’s golden god he’s a cursed Alpha werewolf hunting a killer and fighting a destiny written by the Moon Goddess. From the moment he catches Lucia’s scent, his wolf knows the truth: she’s his fated mate.

As hate turns to scorching desire and secrets about Lucia’s bloodline surface, their pretend romance becomes dangerously real. Under the full moon, one bond could break his curse… or destroy them both.

Vaelunie had one goal, find her other missing independent soul and finally live her life without having to wonder if the sun or the moon was fighting each other.

But who knew that her other soul was living a miserable life in another different realm and when she finally got back into her real body, she woke up in a middle of a burial... Her own burial.

Vaelunie made a promise, no one would get in the way of her retirement after three thousand years of fighting and guarding as the last eclipsian.

No one ,not even her scumbag of an ex, her elder sister, and especially not the grumpy verdant that glued himself to her side.

“Hide! Hide!” I yelled, striking Greg violently in the butt. I sensed his astonishment but I didn’t give a damn. If he loved me, he'd understand I was in a precarious situation. “What the hell's happening?!” Greg screamed but I still pushed him into my wardrobe anyway as Fred's voice echoed through the house. I can't imagine the torment I'd face if I was caught in a relationship with a man. 7 years ago, I worked for the Richardson family with my mother and when I lost her to cancer, I decided to drop out of school. However, luck was on my side or so I thought. The Richardson adopted me as their own but when I thought my life was starting to get better, Fred the true son of the family came into my life. It went downhill from there. I became a sex toy for him and it even got worse when my adoptive father joined his son to make my life a misery. I became traumatic. Not even the sweetest prince charming could woo me into liking him. To hell with every man! I hated them all until Greg came along. He loved me more than I loved myself but what could I do? Both father and son of the Richardson family had issued me a stern warning to shut every man out – I was an exclusive property. Would I ever get a shot at true love when my life’s a living hell?

I came across a viral local post while scrolling through my phone.

LIVE: My fiancée is cheating on me. I’m in her house right now. Should I end her for good?

When I tapped into the post, what I read made the blood in my veins turn to ice in an instant.

I put a monitoring app on her phone. I’ve been listening for almost two weeks, and every single day she’s on the line with some random guy, flirting and talking dirty. She says yes to marrying me to my face, but she’s been cuckolding me behind my back. Tell me, bros—does this bitch deserve to die?

The comment section below had completely spiraled out of control. Hundreds of replies were all outright egging him on, not a single person telling him to stop. Every line oozed with the vicious glee of people who lived for drama and cared nothing for the consequences.

Hell yeah she does. You got cucked this hard, why keep her around?
Bro, stop all talk and no action. Go live, we’ll send you gifts. Rape her first, then kill her if you’ve got the balls.
You in Haicheng? Drop the address. Me and the boys will come over and help you out. My fists are itching for a fight anyway.
Pfft, and I thought you were tough. You’re already in her house and still dragging your feet? I bet you don’t even have the guts to kill a dog.

My fingers were shaking violently. Driven by a sick, twisting dread, I tapped into the poster’s profile—and with just one glance, every hair on my body stood on end.

This account belonged to Xiao Ming, the blind date my relatives had forced on me when I went home for the Lunar New Year.

His entire profile was filled with posts about me, spanning a full two weeks, starting the very day we’d met for that blind date.

He’d taken secret photos of me, paired with captions full of disgusting, delusional ramblings:

My fiancée went on a date with me today. She wore a white blouse with the neckline open so low, it’s obvious she was trying to seduce me.
She told me she works the front desk at a hotel. That’s her way of hinting I should take her to a room for the night. All women say one thing and mean another.
She says she has a boyfriend, but it’s just playing hard to get. She’s been dying to marry me this whole time.

But I’d said it loud and clear, right in front of the matchmaker, on the very day of that blind date: I’d been in a committed relationship with my boyfriend for three years.

That blind date was nothing more than a way to appease my family. I’d been polite but distant the entire time, and I hadn’t even accepted a single glass of water from him.

As for that nonsense about a hotel room? It was complete and utter garbage. I’d only casually mentioned that my job was working the front desk at a hotel, nothing more.

Just as a bone-deep chill washed over me, the post refreshed. A new line had been added to the main post, timestamped just three seconds earlier:

Truth is, I’m hiding in her house right now. She’s lying in bed scrolling through her phone, and she has no idea she’s already dead meat.

The very second that line finished loading, a clear, soft rustle of fabric came from the wardrobe right behind me.

"Ivory's six months pregnant. She needs to get back more than you do."

When my husband Donovan said those words at a South African mining disaster site, I knew my marriage was over. Two helicopter seats, three British nationals. He chose to save his mistress instead of his pregnant wife.

"I'm pregnant too," I told him, my voice shaking.

"I know," he replied without emotion. "You're only three months along. You'll manage."

He knew. He knew I was carrying his child, and he was still choosing her over me. Over us.

"You'll manage. You're stronger than anyone," he told me as he left me in a war zone, helping his precious Ivory onto the helicopter like she might break.

Three months pregnant and abandoned, the stress nearly killed me. I had no choice but to terminate the pregnancy – the last tie connecting me to the man who betrayed me.

But I discovered something deeper than just adultery. Something that would destroy them both.

"Is lying the only skill you have left? Don't play dead until you actually land in a coffin!"
That was what my billionaire brother roared as he crumpled my stage-four cancer diagnosis and threw it at my face.
To him, I was a spoiled brat who needed a brutal reality check.
He engineered a fake DNA test, gave my identity to a manipulative orphan girl, and watched me get dragged to a disciplinary camp.
Now, he offers me an arrogant ultimatum: Stay quiet and wait half a month, and he’ll graciously allow me to come home.
I clutched my agonizing stomach and laughed until I cried.
Wait half a month?
I can't even guarantee I'll wake up tomorrow.
But I can't wait to see his face when he finally decides to forgive me, only to realize I've already been dead......

On the day of my marking ceremony, my mate, Ryan Mercer, is caught kissing my sister, Paige Frost, in the dressing room. The whole pack gets to laugh at my humiliation.

Then Alpha Ethan Vale steps forward. With everyone watching, he gives me his mark.

Once we're married, Ethan couldn't be kinder to me. But we can't conceive a pup. At last, I try IVF, and I finally get pregnant.

He becomes even more devoted. He calls me “darling” in his sleep, and I tell myself the Moon Goddess has blessed us.

Then one day, I overhear him talking to his Beta.

“How could you do that, Ethan? Luna Claire loves you. She does everything for you. And because Paige is afraid of the pain of pregnancy, you had her eggs substituted for Claire's? You made your own Luna carry Paige's pup without telling her? She's due in two months. What's your plan?”

For a moment, Ethan says nothing. Then he gives a quiet sigh. “When he's born, I'll give him to Paige. She'll have the pup she's always wanted, and I'll tell Claire he was stillborn. She's an Omega whose mate threw her away. I'll stay with her for the rest of her life. That should more than make up for it.”

Every bit of tenderness, every loving word—it was an act.

I book an abortion. I don't want this filthy pup, and I won't stay in this lie of a marriage.

Being an Omega doesn't make me theirs to use.

As I collapsed in a pool of my own blood, the mate-link deep in my mind flared with the thoughts of my Alpha husband, Cullen:
 
'I only had my men give Ayla ten lashes to let Selena vent her frustration. How is she bleeding this much?'
 
'She must be using fake blood again, trying to guilt-trip me into coaxing her.'
 
What he didn't know was that those ten lashes had claimed the life of our two-month-old unborn baby.
 
Nor did he know that I had just been diagnosed with terminal Wolfsbane Necrosis. I had permanently lost my werewolf healing abilities.
 
This wasn't the first time he had hurt me for Selena's sake.
 
When Selena suffered from insomnia, he extracted my heart's blood to use as her cure; when she needed to vent her temper, he turned a blind eye as his guards held my head under the freezing waters of the icy lake.
 
And this time, Selena had caused an absolute catastrophe, provoking a savage pack of rogue wolves.
 
Cullen looked down at my curled-up, trembling form, his tone leaving no room for argument:
 
"Since you are the Luna, you should bear the responsibility. Go to the rogue camp and take the fall for Selena."
 
"With a werewolf's physique, taking a beating won't kill you."
 
He didn't know that Selena had already bribed those rogues to torture me to death.
 
But I didn't cry and beg for myself like I usually did. I simply leaned against the wall and forced myself to stand.
 
"Fine. I'll go."
 
For a split second, a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes. He had no idea that those words were my final goodbye to him.

Three years ago, I saved the life of Alessandro Gambino, New York's most powerful mafia boss.

He fell in love with me, a bartender.

His family was dead set against us, but his love won out. We got married.

After we married, he disappeared every month for "punishment day," claiming his family beat him with sixty-six lashes for breaking their rules by staying with me. Watching him suffer tore me apart.

Actully, I'm Sloane Lucchese, sole heir to the largest arms empire on the East Coast, hiding from a family war. I decided to reclaim my family name as soon as possible, so his family would finally accept me.

Finally, on our fifth wedding anniversary, I found out I was pregnant, and my father called to say they'd announce my return in two weeks.

I was going to tell Alessandro everything that night, both pieces of good news.

But that same day, I stumbled onto a secret—one that would destroy me completely.

After three years of agonizing IVF, I was forced into three abortions. The reason? My mafia in-laws’ pet bird stared at my belly and shrieked, "End it."
Even when I was carrying healthy twins, my own parents held me down and forced abortion pills down my throat. My husband—the man I once took a bullet for—watched coldly. "Listen to the bird. Abort."
Lying in a pool of blood, I finally discovered the horrific truth. There was no "sacred bird." My marriage, my ruined womb, and all the IVF tortures were actually part of a terrifying conspiracy.
On my fourth pregnancy, the bird finally decreed, "Keep it!"
As the whole family treated me like a queen and rejoiced to welcome their precious heir, I quietly walked into the operating room.
Armed with lethal evidence, I crashed their grand succession ceremony.
You want an heir? I’ll send you all to hell instead.

My world began to crumble the day my adopted sister, Opal, forced her way back into my life with a fatherless daughter in her arms.
My eldest son, Finn, was strapped to an operating table and used for live experiments until he was tortured to death. His remains were tossed into Death Valley.
For her, my husband struck me, costing me my second unborn child.
For her, my own brother locked me in a freezing dungeon. And my late father? He had been a slave to her charms long before he died.
While they threw a lavish birthday party for Opal’s daughter in the brightly lit banquet hall, I was pinned down by dungeon guards, my clothes being ripped off, inch by inch...

"Forty dollars. That's all the inhaler I needed to breathe cost. But in our house, nothing comes easy. 'Fairness first. Roll the dice — highest number wins.' I've rolled my whole life. I've never won. Not once. Tonight, lungs burning, vision blurring, I rolled for my medicine money against my sister. She got a six. I got a two. 'You lost, Hazel. Now go to the attic and think about your selfishness.' The door locked behind me. My chest is closing up. And no one is coming to check."

During the day, I was his brightest student,
and at night, his most compatible bed partner.
I thought he had genuine feelings for me,
but it turned out I was just a tool for him to satisfy his desires because he couldn't bring himself to touch his fiancée.
He made me understand my place,
telling me not to delude myself into him down with a child,
saying that we were just satisfying each other's needs.
I grabbed my suitcase and turned to leave,
clinging to my fragile dignity,
leaving behind my shattered heart and bitter tears.

“Did you really think a human girl like me could fall for your little game, Roman?”

Ella was supposed to be the pathetic human girl the Alpha boys could toy with. A scholarship student among wealthy, pureblood werewolves, she had neither their power nor their status. But when she discovers Roman’s cruel bet to make her fall for him, she decides to turn his game against him.

With a carefully crafted innocent smile, a few perfectly timed tears, and a mind sharper than any wolf’s claws, Ella begins playing the players. The gifts meant to humiliate her become money for her mother’s medical bills—and the arrogant Alpha who wanted to break her starts craving her attention.

But Roman isn’t the only dangerous man watching her. Stellan, the cold and unreadable quarterback, seems to see through every lie she tells.

Ella thought she was controlling the game. So why are the Alpha boys suddenly fighting over her—and what happens when one of them discovers her real strategy?

Three years ago, I was the sole surviving legendary mage of Ash Valley. To fulfill my comrade's dying wish, I married into the Robert family, becoming a despised and bullied son-in-law . For three years, I endured torment and humiliation; my entire family treated me like trash . My wife handed me divorce papers , then accepted the marriage proposal of a nobleman. On my wedding day, I walked into the hall in old clothes, and everyone laughed, thinking I was crazy. Until I shattered all magic with a wave of my hand, my legendary presence overwhelming everyone present, the woman who had once despised me finally cried and asked me: Why did you lie to me?

Since marrying into the Sterling family, I've been pregnant three times. Not one of them survived.

Every time the DNA test report arrived, my mother-in-law would drag me to the clinic for an abortion.

They said the fetus had genetic defects. But I secretly went to an outside hospital for tests, and the report clearly stated everything was normal.

After my third miscarriage, I followed my in-laws to the basement I was forbidden to enter.

I held my breath and pressed my eye to the crack in the door.

In that moment, I finally knew why they had to kill my babies.

Lineah's a good niece and hardworking person. Since she was a child she knew, something is missing and her heart felt empty.

She shut herself from intimate relationship, she never had one but it will all change when she found out she's not blood related to his known aunt.

In her journey of searching her identity and real parents she found herself caught up in a steamy romance with the two brothers who promised to help her in exchange of hot nights.

Maria Celiza Carosca is a free girl, she's confident, pretty and popular. The only thing she's lacking is a bit of wisdom. She's not an excellent student, she's trying but still she failed. That's why her main goal is to pass with the help of Magnus James Morrison, the nerd of the campus, but to Celiza's disappointment he refuses. Celiza found a way to make him change his mind but will Magnus help her in exchange of him being her sex student?

The system made me an outcast live-in husband in a werewolf clan for three years. The mission reward: 80 billion dollars. Now there's only half a day left until retirement settlement.

The arrogant pure-blood Alpha wants to force me into a deadly full moon execution array, roaring for me to kneel and die.

I don't even lift an eyelid. Right at quitting time, I directly withdraw my soul, leaving the body to the original owner "Ancestor Wolf Emperor" to handle, while I return to my Manhattan penthouse, sink into the leather sofa, and start a holographic livestream.

"Enjoy your night shift, everyone." I take a light sip of hot coffee, coldly watching the screen as the Wolf Emperor crushes that pure-blood Alpha's spine into mush with one foot, shocking my mission wife and mother-in-law into idiots.

Rule number one: Never fall for the Hockey Alpha.

That was the plan.

Ninety days.
One fake relationship.
No feelings.

I’m a fallen Crescent Moon princess turned scholarship boxer, fighting to save my sick brother while uncovering the truth behind my father’s disappearance.

Luca Silver is the hockey captain, the future Alpha, and the heir to the family I’ve spent years blaming for my downfall.

When a scandal threatens his reputation, he needs a fake girlfriend. I need money and answers.

So we make a deal.

No real kisses.
No emotions.
No falling in love.

Except Luca isn’t just my fake boyfriend.

He’s my roommate.
My enemy.
And my fated mate.

When our bond awakens, the lines between hate and desire begin to blur. But as dark secrets from the past resurface and rival packs close in, I discover my father’s disappearance was never an accident.

The Silver family may not be my enemy.

And falling for my enemy might be the choice that starts a war.

They kept me shackled before the Gates of the Abyss, force-feeding me toxic sludge and draining my final drop of blood, all to maintain their hypocritical "order." They called me the "Ultimate Anchor," unaware that the moment a watchdog decides it’s done playing the dog, the beast in the cage finally wakes up. From the very second I seized the laws of physics, this entire headquarters of the Defense Bureau became my private mausoleum. Your high-and-mighty Director? He’s currently kneeling in my cycle, begging for the sweet release of death. As for that Void Rift that makes the world tremble? Sorry, I just ate it for dinner.

I straighten up after three back-to-back all-nighters, my stomach aching so badly I can barely stand up straight. At one in the morning, I head to the twenty-four-hour diner below my studio for a bowl of soup, just to keep myself going.

Steam rises off the bowl, and when I look up, my blood goes cold.

Beckett Wexford, my husband, head of the Wexford Group and a man with a serious germ phobia, sits right there, completely out of place in this greasy late-night diner.

He patiently picks the onions out of her burger, one piece at a time, while the girl next to him laughs, bright and carefree, her profile eerily close to what mine looked like at twenty.

"Beckett, you're so bad at this. It's just an onion."

The man who's been ice cold to me for years has a look in his eyes I've never seen before, soft, doting, like she's something precious to him.

"Hold on, almost done."

Eight years of marriage, and I turned myself into some neurotic housekeeper. Turns out all that tenderness was just going somewhere else.

I pull out my phone and open the divorce agreement I drafted a while ago.

Eight years. It's time to get myself out of this.

He let his new designer shred my $3 million dress at our engagement party. He thought I’d forgive him like I always did. He didn’t know I was the one funding his company.
Ethan Cole thinks he’s marrying a fallen heiress with no one to turn to. Chloe thinks she’s the next great designer. Neither of them ever bothered to ask about my mother’s family name: Moretti.
They humiliated me in front of two hundred guests. Now I’m going to take back everything—one cut at a time.
And the dangerous, gray-eyed man who’s been watching from the shadows? He’d love to help.

For eight years, I’ve been invisible in my own home.
No cake. No presents. Nobody remembers I’m allergic to the shrimp I cook every week. My husband, Derek, a respected cardiologist, hides behind his silence. My six-year-old son has learned to look right through me. And my mother-in-law, Barbara, has a "weak heart" that flares up every time I open my mouth.
So on my thirty-third birthday, when my best friend sends dinner from Fiorella’s, the restaurant I haven’t let myself set foot in since my wedding, it should be one small, good thing.
By the time I set the table, my family has eaten every bite.
The next day, Barbara clutches her chest in front of her entire card club, and suddenly I’m the monster who nearly killed her. Derek bundles his mother and our son into the car and leaves me standing in the driveway, drowning in whispers.
So I follow them.
From the back seat of a stranger’s car, I watch my "dying" mother-in-law stroll into Fiorella’s, laughing. Derek is right behind her. And my little boy asks if they can play "the sick game" again.
Eight years of lies, and I was the only one in this family who didn’t know it was a game.
Now I’m done playing.

My name is Nora Monroe. Thirty-two weeks pregnant, ready to pop anytime.
This morning, my husband Everett left town, leaving me and my cat, Piper, alone at home.
Deep into the night, a strange woman called. Her voice was gentle, apologetic—she said my cat Piper had somehow wandered downstairs. She was severely allergic to cat dander and couldn't bring her up to me. I grabbed my coat, ready to head down, when the baby suddenly gave me a vicious kick. The pain sent me collapsing back onto the sofa, unable to move.
The woman on the phone urged me over and over. I looked up, my eyes falling on the corner of the living room.
Piper was sitting right there, staring unblinkingly at me...

It's supposed to be our last class trip before graduation. The bus loses control on a mountain road and goes over the edge.

I think we're all going to die.

When I open my eyes again, I'm sitting in a classroom that looks like it's been rotting for decades.

A system alert blares through my skull:

【Welcome to Ravenwood High. Unnameable creatures roam the campus. Survive 7 days. Uncover the truth behind the campus Boss's death. Every player who dies adds $800,000 to the prize pool. Make it out, and the money is yours.】

Everyone loses it. Screaming, crying, total chaos. The first thing Brett does is shove me toward the door to check the hallway. Because of course he does. I'm the class punching bag. The girl nobody would miss.

Everyone assumes I'll be the first to die.

What nobody sees is the smile pulling at the corner of my mouth as I stand at that door, staring at whatever is writhing in the shadows of the hallway.

In the delivery room, my husband Ronan fumed that having a male doctor was a disgrace. My mother-in-law Coralie griped about the hospital bill. His sister Ophelia clung to his arm, pinching her nose and mocking the smell of the room.
In my previous life, today was the day the doctor ordered an extra blood test due to my in-laws' history of blood disorders. Two Type-O parents had somehow produced a Type-B daughter.
Coralie pointed at my nose, calling me a whore. Ophelia fueled the fire, sneering, "Just admit it, Sabine." Ronan slapped me off the delivery bed, demanding the name of my "lover."
I died having no way to prove my innocence, losing both my life and my daughter, Sorrel.
It wasn't until moments before my death, when I pushed open the master bedroom door, that I finally understood: the two people tangled naked in my marital bed were my husband and his own sister.
I opened my eyes. I was back to the morning after giving birth to my daughter.

My brother was jealous after I won a $50 million lottery jackpot, so he tricked me into believing an extreme ice-age apocalypse was coming.
Because I trusted him, I spent every last dollar my parents and I had—fortifying the house and stockpiling supplies.
Two weeks later, he told me that there was no coming apocalypse. It had all been a lie.
Just when I was drowning in despair, hail started falling in the middle of summer.
The deep freeze apocalypse had really begun.

Evelyn Ashworth, daughter of a ruined pack treasurer, spent years memorizing forgotten pack laws to survive.

At the Blood Moon Summit, tyrannical Alpha Julian of Silverthorne — owner of the continent's largest army and silver mines — claims her as his Fated Mate.

Every girl would kneel. Evelyn doesn't.

She invokes the Right of Sovereignty, a 200-year dead law, demanding a 30-day trial before his mark, stripping him of instant control.

Furious, Julian grants it. But his rivals see weakness and march on his borders, his mines are collapsing from a rogue blockade, and his wolf is going insane from the uncompleted bond.

Forced into his fortress, Evelyn discovers her bloodline can scent-weave emotions and poison — and her first save is Julian's own life from a bio-engineered assassination.

Now war is here. Julian offers her an exit. She demands a pen instead and makes herself his Regent.

"If you die, I'm taking your pack."

This is strategic rebellion, not a victim story.

A story of Asagi Mikumi being transported to another fantasy world with the floating Kingdom that she bought in her idle game.

She was transported due to a message from the system and when she agreed to it she was transported in another world as her game avatar Asagi, now she is the owner of her own bought floating Kingdom and at the same time the queen of the said kingdom.

Follow Asagi on how will she fare in another world with her own floating Kingdom that she bought in her game store for her idle game and her as it's Queen.

TRIGGER WARNING!!!

The second half of this book contains everything rated 18+. If you are not into dark romance, please do not read it in the name of everything holy.

Excerpt

"I own you, Reyana. You are mine... Mine to torture... Mine to claim... Mine to punish... and nothing will ever save you from me. Not even death!" His words were heavy and true. He meant every word he said.


Bound by an oath, the Blood Crescent pack has kept a prophecy hidden for over 300 years.

Alpha Randall, the most ruthless Alpha of his time was a god among men, rich in power, strength, wealth, achievements... No one comes close. He was the envy of all.

Wherever he went, he left a trail of death and darkness, and no one ever prayed to be mated to such a monster, but fate had a different plan for him.

His world began crumbling when he was mated to Reyana, his Beta's girlfriend, whom he hated with passion.

Reyana was doomed when Alpha Randall refused to claim her, neither was he willing to reject her, not only because he had a mistress, Visha, whom he loved so much... He had other reasons.

Torn between two women, the secret of the prophecy was on the verge of crumbling as, unknown to Randall, one of these women was meant to be his downfall, while the other was the key to unlocking the prophecy.

What happens when Randall's biggest nightmare is unlocked and the Dark-eyed monster whom he thought he killed years ago resurfaces, threatening his very existence?

Let's find out in this heart-racing piece filled with suspense, Steamy romance, and betrayal.

Brace yourselves. This will be one of the most twisted, mind-blowing stories you'll ever come across.

（There is a lot of sexual and stimulating content， minors are not allowed to read!!!）
Victoria was raised in the mountains where she was abandoned. After her father's accidental death, her mother remarried a wealthy man.
Upon being brought to the city, she discovered that her mother wasn't heartless, but had given all her love to her favored stepdaughter.
Victoria was then married off to the unconscious Edward. Who would have thought that on her wedding night, she would have her pants taken off by her 'vegetative' husband Edward?
Help! If only she had known, she wouldn't have treated Edward. After he recovered, she realized that her husband possessed not only wealth but also a lot of energetic sperm!
Pregnant Victoria, sought after by top doctors, became a prominent figure. Those who had bullied her were in tears. Even the proud Edward was flustered.
This outstanding Victoria was his discovery, so why were people coming forward to claim kinship? Oh well, his wife was too formidable. Whether he was the richest man or not didn't matter; he didn't mind becoming a son-in-law.
Victoria wanted to refuse. She wanted to return to her rightful life and walk the path of a wealthy heiress, with this young and handsome man... No, no! Her back was sore! Edward at home was insatiable!

Trixie was twelve years old when her parents, the Luna and alpha of the pack, were killed in a rogue attack, or what she thought was a rogue attack. Since she was the only child, the only heir, she should have been next in line for the alpha position. Since she was only 12 her uncle took over as alpha. For 5 years her uncle and his family has mistreated her. Stripped her of her title. He has constantly tried to steal her inheritance her parents left her. With time not on his side, her uncle Melvin, signs her up for the yearly tournament being held at palace. Where he plans to finally end Trixie and finally get his hands on her money. Trixie’s luck changes when she’s finds her mates. The twin Lycan Kings.

Blurb:
“I remember bits and pieces, but nothing clear. My mate, King Lucian, has told me stories about my past, but I cannot actually recall the events myself. It is very frustrating,”

The foundation of Celestia's world came crashing down on the night, her pup was wrenched out of her hands and placed in the arms of her mate's first love Afterward she was framed for crimes she didn't commit rejected, stripped of her title as Luna, her wolf and discarded to die a rogue.

But Celestia would not die, she would claw her way back to the top until she stood by the side of the most powerful man on the continent.

Will she be able to claim her revenge or will she take back the man who made her lose it all?

I know what you are thinking!?
That this is a beautiful Lycan Love story. I am exactly not in the right mood to tell you how absolutely wrong you are.
Beautiful? It's not a word I am sure is related to me. Love? I am not entirely sure if I can say I have ever experienced that. Lycan? I have not even been given the luck of being that. What can I even really say I am? Even I lack the right answer to this question. All I know is that right now, I am wrapped around Jacob's back as he runs through the thick forest, blood trickling down my face, his heart beating so fast like it's about to burst open, and am sure he is probably praying to the mother goddess that we do not get caught as he runs with me on his back.
Me?
I am Number 28. No. That is not the name my mother gave me, it is my identity in the pack I come from. I am a Doulos, meaning Slave. No, I am not a slave actually, I am a slave of slaves. Slaves are permitted to keep their birth names, but Doulos, we are identified by numbers, worst than slaves, servants to slaves. We are the lowest rank of shame in the pack, and I, I am one of them, No. 28.
I may have been free once, a noble perhaps, but that may have happened while I was in my mother's womb, and my father was still alive. But everything changed the day I was born. I was told my father died in battle the day I was born while disobeying the Alpha and leading a thousand plus of the packs finest soldiers to death.
My birth name is Ianna Evar, and this is my story beginning from two weeks ago!

Princess Athalia watched her beloved slip toward her own sister, and swore she'd never be outshone again. She married the throne instead of the heart she wanted — and set about making sure her husband's crown would never be questioned, whatever it cost his brother.

What began as court manoeuvring became a pact with a sorceress: in exchange for a vow to never bear a child. Athalia broke that vow— and it cost Athalia everything she'd built: stolen by the one woman she trusted to save them both.

Before she was feared as a witch stealing children through the streets of her own capital, Athalia was a queen who orchestrated her own rival's downfall. Before the kingdom believed her dead, she was a mother searching for a son.

This is the true story of the woman behind the legend of Rapunzel — The Witch in Rapunzel who was once a princess. And it does not begin the way legends usually admit.

Things to Take Note of;
Princess Emelia is originally princess Arianna.
Prince Eric is Prince Frederic.

The rest of the main characters are the same.

Scarlett Scott belongs to a world where werewolves are only able to recognise their destined mate if they have shifted. But then, Scarlett is a wolf-less She-werewolf. But when Rush Rivera, her childhood crush and the Alpha King heir decided to choose her as his mate and future Luna, Scarlett was thrown into a dilemma as the Rogue Lycan Alpha also claimed her as his mate.

Scarlett is tornbetween her loyalty to Rush and her undeniable mate bond with the Rogue who had murdered her parents. With the heat season approaching, the Alpha King with a secret to protect and the Rogue Lycan Alpha out for revenge, Scarlett must decide where her loyalty lies and choose between love and vengeance.

Agatha Gonzales grew up seeking the love and care of a father because even though she had never experienced that with her father, the only thing she always saw was her mother’s suffering at its hands.

Ethan Hernandez comes from a wealthy family and he is an heir. He lives like a prince and is full of his father's love but is no longer with his mother because she has died. He gets everything in life.
In an unexpected turn of events, the paths of the two meet.
Is there hope for the two of them?
What is Agatha willing to do just to be forgiven by the man she loves?
Will they have a happy ending or a tragic one?

Kerri Coleman thought her worst nightmare was divorcing Liam Tate - Hollywood's hottest actor and the man she loved in secret.
But when she exposed their hidden marriage, the world didn't crown her his wife... it crucified her as his scandal. Betrayed, penniless, and hunted by Liam's furious fans, she had nowhere left to turn.
Until she met him.
Arlo Frantz. Infamous mafia boss. The man who claimed he could give her back everything she lost. Fame. Power. Revenge.
But his price wasn't money.
It was marriage.
Now, Kerri must decide: will she risk falling into another dangerous union just to destroy the man who ruined her... or will she lose herself to the devil who wants to own her heart?

“Ah, there you are, quiet and wanton, just the way I like you.” He groaned in pleasure, wrapping his large hand around my throat as he curved his fingers in me. My knees buckled, and I tried to hold on to my rage, but there was nothing but heat, spreading under my skin like wildfire. Vincent consumed me with every touch.
He brought his mouth down on my neck, and I gave him my throat willingly. Use me. Feed from me. Fuck me.
__
She is supposed to marry the enemy, but instead, a monster claims her as his.
Princess Freya Everstorm has spent her life locked away, wolfless and unwanted. On her wedding day to Carden Hawthorn, her only chance at freedom is ripped away when they are attacked by Vincent, the mythical King from a kingdom which shouldn’t exist. Instead of killing her, he takes her as his.
Now, she is trapped in a Kingdom of outcasts and bound to the man who murdered her parents. He is supposed to be her captor. She is his enemy. They should hate each other, and they do, but soon, something forbidden spills through the cracks. She will keep trying to escape no matter what, but he will never let her go.
A plague is destroying his people. Assassins move in the shadows. Carden is coming for his vengeance. War is looming, and yet, they cannot stay away from each other. This forbidden attraction is proving to be … far more dangerous than the war, and she might not survive it.
A dark fantasy romance filled with morally grey anti-heroes, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers slow burn, and a consuming, possessive and destructive love story about a man who would rather burn the world before he lets her go.

Selene Marionette Alvarez was once the devoted Luna-to-be of the West Pack—loyal, kind, and willing to sacrifice everything for love. Betrayed by her mate and her own sister, her life ended under the cold light of the full moon.

But death was not the end.

Bound to a mysterious moon hourglass linked to her bloodline, Selene is sent six years into the past, awakening in a life she no longer lives and a world that has not yet broken her. Armed with memories of betrayal and the truth of her own murder, she returns not as a victim, but as a woman determined to rewrite her fate.

As Selene navigates her second life, she hides her sharp mind and simmering rage behind a familiar mask of warmth and charm. While those around her remain unaware, she carefully reshapes relationships, consolidates her influence, and prepares for the future she knows is coming.

When a new mate—Ryzen Jarren Morwood—enters her life, Selene is forced to confront a question she never expected: can a heart once shattered choose love again?

The Luna Who Reversed the Moon’s Hourglass is a story of revenge, rebirth, and redemption—where fate is challenged, power is reclaimed, and a Luna learns that sometimes survival is only the beginning.

They took everything from her.
Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Damarys Frostmere spent three years in one of the cruelest prisons imaginable—abandoned by her family, betrayed by her mate, and silenced by a world that refused to hear the truth. But prison didn’t break her.
It forged her.
Now free, Damarys returns to a home that was never truly hers… only to walk away for good. Her family chose her sister. Her mate chose power. And the people who destroyed her life believe she’s too broken to fight back.
They’re wrong.
Armed with forbidden magic, sharpened by years of torment, and driven by a promise to the one person who loved her, Damarys begins her descent into vengeance. One by one, those who betrayed her will pay.
But as she vanishes into a new life, she unknowingly captures the attention of a powerful Alpha—Dante Ravencrest—a deadly man who can’t forget the mysterious woman who saved his life… and may just be his destined mate.
With enemies closing in, secrets unraveling, and a storm of reckoning on the horizon—
Damarys is no longer the girl they condemned.
She is the nightmare they created.
The Luna Chronicles is a spellbinding anthology of five fierce, emotional tales where wounded hearts, ancient magic, and dangerous destinies collide. From a prison survivor who rises as the most powerful wolf-mage, to an omega’s child destined to become Alpha, to a lycan queen seeking vengeance, each story follows women who refuse to remain broken. In worlds ruled by pack law, blood bonds, and moonlit secrets, betrayal is only the beginning—and love may be the most dangerous power of all.

I was kidnapped and sold as a slave, which was bad enough, until I found out that a giant, hairy monster had bought me, claimed to be my mate, and had a crazy one-night stand with me, and I realized that he wasn't human! He was a fucking werewolf? He wanted to keep me as his sex slave! Oh fuck, what the fuck had I gotten myself into? !

“I don’t care if the whole world wants you, you belong to me.”
“No, I don’t belong to you. Vampires and werewolves do not mix.”
“Yet, here you are in my bed, squirming at my touch. Lie to me, lie to Eidenel, that you don’t feel desire burning in you as I plant my kisses and fingers on your skin.”
"I feel a burning sensation between my legs."


Eidenel was from a special bloodline but by the time she was born, she found herself alone and being used by her pack. Eidenel was the daughter of the Beta of Sudden Fang Pack, but she was born with features that attracted a myth or a prophecy as some would call it.
In past times, the moon goddess had cursed a witch from a vampire pack after she dared intrude into a werewolf pack, and got pregnant by the then Alpha. The lineage was hereby cursed, and that Alpha lost his life. However, his offspring was born and the cursed lineage continued. Whoever was born with a red hoof was said to be from the cursed lineage of the ancestors, and the moon goddess would treat that person's destiny accordingly.
''Eidenel, how come I get to spot red dots on your hoofs sometimes? Sometimes it's pure white like the rest of your body. Is it my eyes?''

They were born enemies.

Isabella knew it the moment she met him.
Alessandro De Luca—the man she was never supposed to touch, love, or trust.

He didn’t know her name.
Didn’t know her blood.
Didn’t know that every smile she gave him was wrapped in betrayal.

For generations, the De Luca and Romano families had been locked in a war written in blood. She was raised to remember it. He was raised to finish it.

Yet in a room filled with champagne, silk, and whispered threats, they fell into something dangerously real.

She loved him knowing it could destroy them both.
He loved her without ever realizing who she truly was.

When the truth finally explodes in gunfire, Isabella disappears—taken back into the family that owns her name, carrying a secret she never meant for him to find.

Their child.

Alessandro searches for her like a man losing his mind. Across cities. Across borders. Across the ruins of a war he thought was over.

Until fate traps him in a forgotten Italian monastery—and puts her back in his arms.

The woman he never stopped loving,
The child he never knew existed,
And a truth powerful enough to reignite a vendetta buried for years.

This time, they run together.

And this time, blood will be paid in full.

She stepped into his world with a stolen name and a secret that could destroy them both.

I never meant to lie my way into the mansion,up until desperation gave me no choice. From a fake ID and borrowed identity. That’s all it took to enter Nathan’s world of ruthless, luxury and famous life.

At fifteen, my childhood ended the day my mother’s health collapsed. Overnight, I became the sole pillar of our survival. The fragile utopia she had painstakingly built for me crumbled into dust. From then on, my world lost all color, all that remained was the ashen pallor of her face and the endless monochrome stack of unpaid bills. My youth slipped away like a paper crown, faded and forgotten long before its time.

Now, at twenty-five, reality has stripped me of my last illusion. Staring at this envelope filled with lies, my lips sealed shut, I could only see my mother’s weakening body and the last few coins in my pocket, I couldn’t refuse this identity.”

My life was stained with my mother’s illness, my father’s silence, and the crushing weight of poverty. Then came the mysterious file.The dangerous offer and the door into a life I was never meant to touch.

Nathan on the other hand, isn’t just rich. He’s powerful, charming and cruel at the same time. He is a man who guards his empire behind cold marble and colder smiles. And me? I’m the maid who never belonged to his class, but survival quickly twisted into seduction as the lies we told each other melted into desire, and the deeper I fell, the less I wanted to escape.

What happens when the girl who has nothing, starts wanting everything?
Let's watch out in this jaw dropping and raw tale gripping love story.